A Video Game Improves Behavioral Outcomes in Patients With Cancer

A Video Game Improves Behavioral Outcomes in Patients With Cancer. Researchers at Stanford University published a recent article in Pediatrics.

OBJECTIVE. Suboptimal adherence to self-administered medications is a common problem. The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of a video-game intervention for improving adherence and other behavioral outcomes for adolescents and young adults with malignancies including acute leukemia, lymphoma, and soft-tissue sarcoma.

CONCLUSIONS. The video-game intervention significantly improved treatment adherence and indicators of cancer-related self-efficacy and knowledge in adolescents and young adults who were undergoing cancer therapy. The findings support current efforts to develop effective video-game interventions for education and training in health care.

PEDIATRICS Vol. 122 No. 2 August 2008, pp. e305-e317

Windows Mobile 6.1 and Internet Sharing

One of the best features of Windows Mobile 6.1 is the "Internet Sharing" capability. This turns your smartphone/pocket PC into a wireless modem for your laptop/notebook/tablet/UMPC. No need for a separate wireless card.

It's so great to stay connected so easily. You can connect via Bluetooth or through a USB connection. Some call this tethering, but Windows Mobile calls it Internet Sharing.

Make sure to keep a spare battery handy. Or, use the USB connection to keep your phone charged up.

Wiki tutorial for the XV6800

Here's a great wiki tutorial on the Verizon XV6800:

http://wiki.xda-developers.com/index.php?pagename=TitanRecentHome

It covers all the basics on upgrading the ROM, making the GPS work, improving the radio reception, unlocking the phone, etc.

Radio ROM 3.42.50 now available

The Titan (XV6800 or Sprint Mogul) radio ROM 3.42.50 is now available. Find it on the XDA-developers forum.

I've been using radio ROM 3.42.30 and I get decent GPS lock times. I don't think that 3.42.50 is much faster in terms of locking on to the GPS signal.

Thanks to all the guys who are making it possible to use the built-in GPS.

Syncing Outlook on different computers

FolderShare is still FREE (but also still a beta service that is part of Microsoft Live). However, FoderShare is a great way to synchronize your Outlook PST files on different computers. This is great if you happen to do some work at home, on the road, and at work (of course).

I have my Outlook PST files synchronized on my workstation at work, my laptop, my UMPC Samsung Q1 Ultra, and my OQO model 02 miniature - no micro - no nano PC. So, that means I have access to my important files all the time. Thanks FolderShare!

Beijing Olympics Opening Ceremony: 2008

Wow! What an incredible opening ceremony! What a performance? That huge LCD screen/floor was just amazing and I was very impressed with the spectacular show. Technology has revolutionized live entertainment capabilities in such a tremendous way.

The last time I was in China was ten years ago. So much has changed in Beijing and I often wonder how the healthcare system is doing.

One World One Dream

InfoMedMD

Has anyone tried visiting InfoMedMD? Looks like a very interesting site that offers to provide immediate medical information for your symptoms. This site appears to be unique compared to other consumer health sites by tailoring information.

Will this company gain traction? According to Compete.com, this site has been getting a respectable amount of traffic over the last few months.

Internet Sharing - Bluetooth

I love the "Internet Sharing" feature on my XV6800. I can easily connect my UMPC through Bluetooth and have instant internet access without any cables or wires. Thanks Bluetooth! This is great because BT uses less power on my UMPC than Wi-Fi.

So, although my connection speeds may not be lightning fast, they are adequate for what I need to do. I'd rather have longer battery life anyways.

Using my OQO model 02 and loving it!

My faithful OQO model 02 served me well today when I was out all day on the field. Well, I wasn't technically on the field. I was outside though - for several hours for that matter. As usual, I was connected through my Verizon Wireless XV6800 so I was checking my e-mail, doing some PubMed research, and reading medical news.

I don't use my OQO as much these days since I'm not traveling very much. For a while there, I wasn't sure how to best use the OQO since I have other small devices. However, I've been giving this tiny little machine another shot because it's so small and yet so useful. I really hope that the UMPC market picks up in the healthcare sector. There is so much potential for ways to improve healthcare if clinicians leverage the different capabilities offered by emerging technologies.

Opera Mini vs. Opera Mobile

I've been testing both Opera Mobile and Opera Mini on my XV6800. Both are currently free and they represent some of the best mobile web browsers that are currently available. In fact, I would even say that they are the best browsers.

Opera Mobile consumes too much memory. I often get "out of memory" messages when viewing web pages.

Opera Mini is much faster and more efficient. Hence, I've been mainly using this as my main browser. You'll need a Java Virtual Machine (JVM) to run Opera Mini on the XV6800 or on any other Pocket PC / Windows Mobile device.

Blogs by Medical Students and Residents

I truly admire how some medical students and residents spend their time blogging. I hope they're able to keep up with their studies and clinical responsibilities. It's great to see students and clinicians leveraging Web 2.0 technologies. Think about how this will all evolve as these rising physicians enter the workforce. Communication, data collection, problem solving, networking - all these will be closely integrated with Web 2.0 for healthcare professionals. This is a glimpse of the future.

Lenovo Thinkpad X200 Tablet PC

I can't wait for the Lenovo Thinkpad X200 Tablet PC to come out. The X41 and X61 are both great tablet PCs, but I think the X200 will be the best among the three.

By the way, if you're looking for some great deals on a X61 tablet PC, check out the Lenovo Outlet.

So, when will we see the X200 Tablet PC appear on the Lenovo website?

Rivaroxaban submitted for FDA approval

What will happen to all those patients on coumadin (warfarin) if we get a new pill that requires no INR monitoring? Well, rivaroxaban (Xarelto®) may be that first pill in the USA. Rivaroxaban has been submitted for FDA approval. It acts by inhibiting factor Xa, so there is no INR to check since it does not work like warfarin (that inhibits vitamin K-dependent clotting factors).

What will happen to all those Coumadin clinics out there? What about all those fingerstick INR machines? Labs processing those weekely INR checks?

There was a lot of excitement several years ago with the development of Ximelagatran (Exanta). Live toxicity ended the development of that drug in the USA.