Can a Computer Game Train Your Brain to Resist Sweets?
That's the question Drexel University researchers hope to answer with one of two new studies launching this month. They have developed a computer game and smartphone app to help people control unhealthy eating habits and ultimately lose weight. The game is designed to improve a person's "inhibitory control," the part of the brain that stops you from giving into unhealthy cravings - even when the smell of French fries is practically begging you to step inside a fast food restaurant.
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Smartphone Apps not so Smart at Helping Users Avoid or Achieve Pregnancy
You might not want to depend on your smartphone app alone to help you avoid or achieve pregnancy, say the authors of a new study. A review of nearly 100 fertility awareness apps finds that most don't employ evidence-based methodology. The findings, published in the Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine, also found that many apps include a disclaimer discouraging use for avoiding pregnancy.
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Electronic Medical Practice Environment can Lead to Physician Burnout
The growth and evolution of the electronic environment in health care is taking a toll on U.S. physicians. That's according to a national study of physicians led by Mayo Clinic which shows the use of electronic health records and computerized physician order entry leads to lower physician satisfaction and higher rates of professional burnout. The findings appear in Mayo Clinic Proceedings.
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A New Bio-ink for 3-D Printing with Stem Cells
The new stem cell-containing bio ink allows 3D printing of living tissue, known as bio-printing. The new bio-ink contains two different polymer components: a natural polymer extracted from seaweed, and a sacrificial synthetic polymer used in the medical industry, and both had a role to play.
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The Social Life of Health Information
Most Americans go online for information and support about health-related issues. But what exactly are they looking for? Researchers at the University of California, Riverside shed light on this in a new study that examines how different people in different places use the internet to discuss their health.
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When 'Smart' Apps Become Smart for Real
How can a smart application recognise and reason about a human's purposeful activities in order to be able to coach in a purposeful way? Esteban Guerrero at Umeå University in Sweden presents new computer-based methods for this that are based on activity-centric and argument-based theories.
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Can Telehealth Fill Gap in Autism Services?
Parents struggling to find and afford therapy for their child with autism may eventually be able to provide that therapy themselves with the help of telehealth training. Findings from a federally funded pilot study on telehealth training at Michigan State University show the online program successfully helped parents of children with autism improve their child's social communication using research-based intervention techniques.
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