Senior Health: Mobile robots could help the elderly live fuller lives ♦ Smart walkers for elderly with new technology ♦ Swap the couch for a walk to avoid an early death

Increased activity in older brains may point to new avenues for treating memory loss Scientists have examined activity in a little-studied part of the brain associated with memory and found for the first time the reason that neurons there become more active in old age, findings that may suggest a new target for future therapies to combat memory loss in aging and Alzheimer's

Researchers identify possible physiological cause of brain deficits with aging Like scratchy-sounding old radio dials that interfere with reception, circuits in the brain that grow noisier over time may be responsible for ways in which we slow mentally as we grow old.

Mobile robots could help the elderly live fuller lives Mobile service robots developed by computer scientists could soon be helping elderly people stay independent and active for longer. The project, which includes artificial intelligence and robotics experts, will include a large-scale evaluation where robots will be deployed within the extra-care homes of LACE Housing Association in the UK, to care homes in Greece and to elderly people's own homes in Poland, for one year.

Smart walkers for elderly with new technology Researchers have developed a smart walker prototype that supports independent living among the elderly by making the traditional walker smart. They have retrofitted it with sensors and digital software that analyze user's physical condition and daily activities. This allows the device to collect useful information on user's daily rhythm, walking distances, duration and speed of walking, in addition to hand grip strength. Such information can then be used to monitor user's wellbeing and physical condition.

Swap the couch for a walk to avoid an early death Swapping just one hour of sitting with walking or other physical activity each day decreases your chance of an early death by 12 to 14 percent, according to a University of Sydney study of over 200,000 Australians.

Health News: 34 Sickened in Canadian salmonella outbreak ♦ Job-sharing with nursing robots ♦ New technique speeds nano MRI imaging

34 Sickened in Canadian salmonella outbreak linked to chicks from Alberta hatchery An investigation is underway in Canada to figure out the source of a Salmonella Enteritidis outbreak linked to live chicks from an Alberta hatchery. The outbreak has so far sickened 34 people in three provinces

Job-sharing with nursing robots Given the threat of a massive earthquake striking Japan, researchers have organized a cooperative project team to develop a new robot. They set about determining the factors that are most important to hospital patients in modern society, after which they set about developing the world's first medical round robot capable of job-sharing, making more time for face-to-face nursing care.

New urine test could reduce need for blood samples If you've been to the doctor, you probably know what to do when you're handed a plastic cup and shown to the bathroom. Most patients hand over the sample and give little thought to what happens when it's shipped to the lab for analysis. Researchers have developed a new testing method that they believe will reduce costs, get faster results and lower the volume of urine needed for a sample.

New technique speeds nano MRI imaging Nano MRI is a scanning technique that produces nondestructive, high-resolution 3-D images of nanoscale objects, and it promises to become a powerful tool for researchers and companies exploring the shape and function of biological materials such as viruses and cells in much the same way as clinical MRI today enables investigation of whole tissues in the human body.

Subclinical hyperthyroidism associated with an increased risk of hip and other fractures In an analysis that included more than 70,000 participants from 13 studies, subclinical hyperthyroidism was associated with an increased risk for hip and other fractures including spine. Subclinical hyperthyroidism is a low serum thyroid-stimulating hormone concentration in a person without clinical symptoms and normal thyroid hormone concentrations on blood tests.

Health News:Hospital patients exposed to E. coli ♦ Superbug outbreak ♦ Protein that may help conquer blindness ♦ Spider venom relieves chronic pain ♦ Robots for stroke rehabilitation

Hartford Hospital says patients might have been exposed to E. coli. Hartford Hospital in Connecticut announced March 4 that it will take cultures from 281 patients who may have been exposed to a strain of E. coli that is resistant to some drugs after the hospital learned that two scopes used in procedures on the patients were not properly disinfected Continue Reading

Superbug outbreak extends to Cedars Sinai hospital, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles reported March 4 that 4 patients were infected and 67 others may have been exposed to the deadly carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) superbug from a contaminated scope Continue Reading

Retina protein that may help conquer blindness discovered  A protein in the retina that is crucial for vision has been discovered by researchers who report, for the first time, the key molecular mechanisms leading to visual degeneration and blindness. The research reveals events that may be harnessed for prevention, as well as to slow down progression of retinal degenerative diseases.Continue Reading

Analysis of spider venom reveals promising compounds to relieve chronic pain  New research shows that seven compounds of the countless found in spider venom block a key step in the body's ability to pass pain signals to the brain.Continue Reading

Robots for stroke rehabilitation  A prototype of a robotic glove has been developed which stroke sufferers can use in their own home to support rehabilitation and personal independence in receiving therapies. At the chronic stages of stroke, patients are not likely to be receiving treatment but they continue to live with some impairments -- the glove's goal is to provide therapies to target these impairments.Continue Reading

Childrens Health: Kids and robots learn to write together ♦ Pregnant women with asthma need to curb antibiotics ♦ ADHD + childhood trauma heightens risk for self-harm ♦Plus More

Kids and robots learn to write together  Who is the teacher: the student or the machine? By showing a robot how to write letters, children improve their writing skills and gain self-confidence. Continue Reading

Pregnant women with asthma need to curb urge to ask for antibiotics  Twice as many children born to mothers who took antibiotics during pregnancy were diagnosed with asthma by age 3 than children born to mothers who didn’t take prenatal antibiotics, a new study has shown.Continue Reading

Examination of prior authorization policies for antipsychotic prescribing to children  With a concern about inappropriate prescribing of antipsychotic medications to children, 31 states in the U.S. have implemented prior authorization policies for atypical antipsychotic prescribing.  Continue Reading

ADHD plus childhood trauma heightens risk for self-harm, suicide  Young women with ADHD who have been exposed to abuse, neglect or other traumas in childhood and adolescence are at greater risk for self-injury, eating disorders and suicide than those with ADHD who were not mistreated in early youth, according to new research. Continue Reading

Preventing metabolic disease may start in the womb; of your grandmother  No one wants to have child who is born underweight, but for numerous reasons, this may be unavoidable. An intriguing research report involving rats suggests that helping fetuses achieve optimal weight before birth is of even greater importance than currently believed. Continue Reading

Robots Working in Fast Food

Fast food chains in Japan, China and Great Britain have begun piloting the use of robots to cook meals. And while robots have been emerging as a boon for completing menial tasks like dispensing medicines in hospitals, these fast food robots are capable of preparing full sushi rolls or noodle dishes for Asian food outlets. In many cases, customers complete their orders through a touchscreen, which then alerts the robot how to prepare the meal. No humans needed.

It stands to reason that American fast food companies will adopt the robots at some point. One new fast food robot is the noodle-slicing "Chef Cui" in China, which as the Associated Press reports, costs restaurateurs 30,000 Chinese Yuan to buy, or $2,000. Comparatively, a human noodle chef is paid about $4,700 a year in China,

For Liu Maohu, a noodle restaurant owner in Beijing, the choice of hiring a robot over a human is easy. "The robot chef can slice noodles better than human chefs," he told the AP. "And it is much cheaper than a real human chef."

Robots also are being used in the agricultural process. A group of dairy farmers in NY are using European-made robots and putting them to work milking herds. Robots are entering the fruit and vegetable field work. Previously, robots were not used for such work, because they weren't sensitive enough with the produce, which led to undesired bruising. The new robots, are now endowed with advanced sensors and high-precision GPS location technologies to ensure the food isn't damaged.

My question is can the robots wash their hands and what is going to happen to unskilled laborers?