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Hacking Health in Hamilton Ontario - Let's hear that pitch!

What compelled me to register for a weekend Health Hackathon? Anyway, I could soon be up to my ears in it. A pubmed search on Health Hack...

Sunday, April 29, 2012

Integrated Digital Pathology - no more microscopes?

At the Advances in Health Informatics Conference a few days ago, we saw several amazing presentations on digital pathology.  Dr. Slyvia Asa talked about integrated digital pathology with telepathology, robotics, and streamlined processes for diagnoses to the point of care - all with a rapid turn around time.  She quoted something by Sir William Osler, which I was able to find on the net for another talk she gave on pathology and informatics < here > and that was "As is your pathology, so goes your clinical care".  When Osler was a young student he used to study bacteria from a reedy marsh not far from where I am typing this, and examined it with the greatest new technological marvel of that age - the microscope.  Listening to Dr. Asa describe their integrated pathology labs at Toronto's University Health Network, it sounds like radiologists are exclusively using digital imaging to read pathological sample slices and make diagnosis.  This was evident to me as well when I visited an anatomy lab in the Faculty of Health Sciences at McMaster, where the instructor showed us how digital imaging was being used more frequently than microscopes.  He took a picture of a human cardio sample with his iPad, and then displayed the image on a big screen.  He was able to zoom in with great detail on the pixels.  


To quote from this article by Dr. Asa:



The future of pathology will be reports that are comprehensive clinical consultations that incorporate all of the imaging, biochemical, histologic, molecular, cytogenetic, and epigenetic data. Pathologists will not have two screens in front of them; most will have four. And they won’t want that microscope at their desk because it’s not good for their neck.

So what I see in the year 2020 as pathology is digital radiology, digital endoscopy, digital cardiology, digital genetics, all the relevant information on my four-screen computer in front of me, wherever I happen to be, always with quality assurance as an important part of it, and as the center of personalized medicine.

Progress on Python Programming for Plone

I am trying at least to learn some Python programming, because it is the main programming behind the Plone content management system.  I have been given a site to manage and I would ideally like to extend the capability of the site, beyond just designing content using the built in CSS.  I am up to exercise 19 on the Python hard programming site.  I am more used to programming in Coldfusion and PHP but what I want to do with CF or PHP I have no clue right now with Plone or Python.  I just want to learn how to do some simple CRUD (create, read, update, delete) in Plone and Python.  If anyone knows how to do this, please let me know. I would like to start with uploading a CSV file exported from an Access database, then displaying the content in an edit/update form in Plone.  I learned how to create a feedback form in Plone, which was a fairly simple built in module, but I have not found out yet how to create a form creation utility through Zope.  I also don't have command line access to the Plone site, and have to work through an administration that charges by the hour for the service, so I need to get that right.  I have searched the internet for CRUD documentation on Plone, but the documentation is not easy to read or understand, so I am not sure if I need an Archetype or ContentMirror, or whatever.  But just now I googled "CRUD Python" and got an interesting result - < here >  The more I see this the more I miss CPANEL, PHPMyAdmin, or CFAdministrator and Dreamweaver.

White Coat Black Art eHealth

I saw Dr. Brian Goldman give a keynote address at eHealth 2011 in Toronto.  I missed getting a signed copy of his book - The Night Shift - but I took it out of the library later that week and enjoyed reading it.  His CBC radio program - White Coat Black Art -  is excellent.  I remember him saying at the conference that his pet peeve about ehealth technologies was too many usernames and passwords.  After all, he is an ER doctor, where every second counts, so having to remember dozens of usernames and passwords under time pressure, would be frustrating.  I don't know a solution off hand to that.  I know there is Open ID, but from my limited experience with hospital IT systems, and their privacy and security requirements, I can't see them using that.  There does have to be more privacy by design put into systems, for security reasons, but designers also need to think about patient safety - and I would argue that usernames and passwords is possibly an encumbrance to that in the ER.  

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Futurememes and behind the enemy lines

Here are two blogs worth following:
http://futurememes.blogspot.ca/
The tag cloud alone is worth reading.


A computer scientist in a business school.
http://www.behind-the-enemy-lines.com/
The posts I have read so far have been quite startling! Heard about this from a colleague who was doing some research on crowdsourcing and Mechanical Turk.


Tricorder Project




The X Prize Foundation announced a Tricorder competition not long ago, but a McMaster graduate and  researcher has been working on one for quite some time. See Jansen Tricorder Project. I say just add a geiger counter feature and this will fly off the shelves the next time there is a nuclear error. Hat tip to the Hamilton Spectator for publishing this.


The dire need to improve healthcare and health in the U.S. is a problem whose solution has evaded the brightest minds. The Qualcomm Tricorder
X PRIZE is a $10 million competition to stimulate innovation and integration of precision diagnostic technologies, making definitive health assessment available directly to “health consumers.” These technologies on a consumer’s mobile device will be presented in an appealing, engaging way that brings a desire to be incorporated into daily life. Advances in fields such as artificial intelligence, wireless sensing, imaging diagnostics, lab-on-a-chip, and molecular biology will enable better choices in when, where, and how individuals receive care, thus making healthcare more convenient, affordable, and accessible. The winner will be the team that most accurately diagnoses a set of diseases independent of a healthcare professional or facility and that provides the best consumer user experience. Visit the competition website to learn more.

This prize is made possible by a generous grant from the Qualcomm Foundation.

TRICORDER is a trademark of CBS Studios, Inc. Used under license.

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

The Guardian Informatics Section

It would appear that the UK Guardian has a section on Health Informatics.  Quite interesting that this should be a "normal" section of one's daily reading.  Perusing the articles, you come across a series by the Patient from Hell - Dick Vinegar, who writes articles on EMR implementations, public health, the NHS, etc.

Friday, April 20, 2012

Sample Kurzweil Accelerating Intelligence Weekly NewsFeed


Honeywell and Inmarsat to modernize global in-flight connectivity
Researchers boost efficiency of multi-hop wireless networks
Disruptive innovation — in education
Photoreceptor transplant restores vision in mice
New free online computer-science courses from Princeton, Stanford, UMich, Penn start Monday
Breakout Labs announces first grants to support radical scientific innovation
Brain-activated muscle stimulation restores monkeys’ hand movement after paralysis
How the presence of water changes the structure of an antibiotic
Low-cost mini-sensor measures magnetic activity in human brain
Nanomaterials offer new hope for cerebral palsy
Neal Stephenson on science fiction, building towers 20 kilometers high … and insurance
New microscope captures nanoscale structures in dazzling 3D
Serious Blow to Dark Matter Theories?
A statistical model of the network of connections between brain regions
Iris recognition report evaluates ‘needle in haystack’ search capability
Page, Cameron, Simonyi, Perot to back launch of new space venture to ‘ensure prosperity’
Spoiler alert: Your TV will be hacked
Fine-scale analysis of the human brain yields insight into its distinctive composition
Tim Berners-Lee tells U.K. that its latest snooping bill is ‘destruction of human rights’
Google Drive detailed: 5 GB for free, launching next week for Mac, Windows, Android and iOS
Nanotube electrodes may lead to solar cells at a fraction of the current cost
Nanocrystal-coated fibers might reduce wasted energy
Computer scientists build computer using swarms of crabs
Powerful X-ray technique reveals structure of printable electronics
Boron-treated carbon nanotubes soak up oil from water repeatedly
Scientists create nanoparticles that image brain tumors, increasing accuracy of surgical removal
Free videos for new iPad apps programming course at CMU now available
Fullerene C60 administration doubles rat lifespan with no toxicity
Designing the interplanetary Web
Mavericks invent future Internet where Cisco is meaningless
Homegrown labware made with 3D printer
Web freedom faces greatest threat ever, warns Google’s Sergey Brin
Is there a Japanese plan to evacuate 40 million people? [Disinformation]
Will a Dutch discovery lead to understanding dark matter and a real quantum computer? UPDATE APR 17
UCLA-engineered stem cells seek out and kill HIV in living organisms
New genes linked to brain size, intelligence
Baboons can learn to recognize words
Discovery could help to develop new drugs to treat organ transplant and cancer patients

Thursday, April 19, 2012

Fitbit

Fitbit is quite a useful and potentially revolutionary device. When I was doing research for a computer science and software engineering paper, I was wondering how data from the fitbit could be wirelessly transmitted into personal health records, and stored in the HL7 standard. The problem is, there is a lot of data, so only certain trends need to be recorded. The other problem is how to program an XML or HL7 standard self-journalling area in the personal health record. I know the HL7 standards group is working on PHRs now, because I participated in one of their lunchtime teleconferences. I am not sure how this particular problem was addressed. This is one device the people in the self-tracking movement cannot afford to be without. In fact, they have latched on it, and the systems deployed with them and other similar devices they call "Health Mashups".

Monday, April 16, 2012

Trying a Dyson Sphere on for Size

Futurist and ethicist George Dvorsky wrote this article about how to build a Dyson Sphere. He makes nanotechnology robots building solar panels in the solar system by totally mining Mercury (and then Venus) for materials sound simple. I like the comment on the article by the guy who asks if mining Mercury - every last bit of it - is ethical. This reminds me to try and find a post on nanomedicine and ehealth - another subject to be considered by futurists and ethicists.
The wireless transmission of electricity from the solar arrays is a vision Nicholas Tesla would be proud of. How better to get the electricity to the Nissan Leafs we will all be driving, without waiting to plug in and recharge.

Saturday, April 14, 2012

Canadian Association of Health Informatics Board of Directors

http://www.coachorg.com/en/membersandbenefits/Candidates_for_Board.asp I am a candidate for the Board of Directors for COACH. Vote for me! Yah!

Wimbledon in 25 years time?

I play tennis and like to follow ATP tournaments throughout the seasons - clay, grass, hardcourt. Last year, Wimbledon had a fascinating website on what tennis will be like 25 years from now (around the time of the Singularity?) The tennis player, for example:
The major change for players, will be the ability for them to monitor their performance during a game:
Sensors will monitor muscular contractions, measuring fatigue and minimising strain on tiring muscles
Sweat levels will be monitored to gauge hydration levels and, along with heart-rate monitors provide indications of stress
This information will enable them to regulate their intake of water, supplements and of course even bananas to the exact level required to maximise their performance levels

Friday, April 13, 2012

Online Learning Courses

I first signed up for a Standford University course on artificial intelligence. Took one of the courses and found it was actually a bit difficulty. Not sure what the other 200,000 people who took it, and completed it ( I didn't), thought. Next, I signed up to take a course from udacity (Standford again) on progamming the robotic car, but that class time conflicted with something called my job. These courses are interesting, but today I found out that my university library, in the multi-media centre, has a subscription and dedicated computer with an IP link to lynda.com where there are all kinds of software tutorials. As I am still trying to learn enough Python to run an application at that place called my job, this might be very useful. Programming a robotic car might be more fun, but for now, I am going let other people do that. In fact though, the prerequiste for programming the robotic car is knowledge of Python!
You should either already know Python, or have enough experience with another language to be confident you can pick up what you need on your own. Fortunately, Python was built to be easy to learn, read, and use. If you already know another programming language, you'll be coding in Python in less than an hour. Additionally, knowledge of probability and linear algebra will be helpful.

Python Review
Python for Programmers Introduction to Programs Data Types and Variables Python Lists For Loops in Python While Loops in Python Writing a Simple Factorial Program Fun with Strings
Probability
Basic Probability Probability (Part 6) [Conditional Probability] Probability (Part 7) [Bayes' Rule] Probability (Part 8) [More Bayes' Rule] Introduction to Random Variables Probability Density Functions Expected Value: E(X)
Linear Algebra
Introduction to Matrices Matrix Multiplication (Part 1) Matrix Multiplication (Part 2) Inverse Matrix (Part 1) Inverting Matrices (Part 2) Inverting Matrices (Part 3) Matrices to Solve a System of Equations Singular Matrices Introduction to Vectors Vector Dot Product and Vector Length Defining the Angle Between Vectors Cross Product Introduction Matrix Vector Products Linear Transformations as Matrix Vector Products Linear Transformation Examples: Scaling and Reflections Linear Transformation Examples: Rotations in R2 Introduction to Projections Exploring the Solution Set of Ax = b Transpose of a Matrix 3x3 Determinant Introduction to Eigenvalues and Eigenvectors

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Integration Engines - the Cloverleaf on the Information Highway

I was looking at eHealth career postings on the COACH website and found one at Telus for an Integration Health Business Consultant. What caught my attention was one of the Responsibilities: "Develop HL7 interfaces to integrate disparate health care applications using a variety of commercial integration engines such as: Oracle’s Java CAPS; e*Gate (SRE); Datagate; OpenESB; SOA Suite; Quovadx Cloverleaf; webMethods; IBM WebSphere; and Microsoft BizTalk." I had heard of Biztalk and knew it was a web service, probably using Service Oriented Architecture, but the rest of them were all new to me. This is a veritable flotilla of integration engines for disparate systems. It was only minutes later when I found myself searching for information about Cloverleaf ("The Swiss Army Knife for Data Conversions"), that I landed on the MDI Solutions website. Here I found a grouping of HL7 Integration Engines like I have never seen before. Their webpage on HL7 Integration Expertise includes many of these same integration engines.

Monday, April 9, 2012

Qualcomm Tri-corder x-prize

After the Watson supercomputer TV show Jeopardy contest, the next exponential technology to watch out for is the Qualcomm Tri-corder X-PRIZE competition.It had it's birth as TV entertainment as well - in the Star Trek series. Smartphone apps can do a lot things, but just pointing one at a patient and getting diagnostics, repair tissue, etc. is something only the physician science fictional character "Bones" could do. I would first double check to see if there isn't already one on the Qizmodo, the Gadget Guide website. When I was writing papers for my ehealth degree, I didn't want to reference Qizmodo - too much "grey literature" - but new devices with medical or health informatics applications frequently answered the question. The first question was whether or not it was FDA approved.

Saturday, April 7, 2012

Knowing is Better (with RFID?)

The Canada Health Infoway TV commercial (also appears on my blog as a Google ad!) is really what health consumers are looking for. Implementing it is another story. It is the ehealth mystery of the patient who arrives in the ER in a coma with absolutely no identification. A solution advocated by John Halamka (looke for the study in the New England Journal of Medicine "Straight from the Shoulder") is RFID implants. RFID readers in the ER would scan the patient for the chip. Minimal identification information on the chip would lead to the database with the patient's electronic medical record, i.e., penicillin allergy, diabetic, medications to avoid etc. I am not 100% what the Infoway solution is, but I am not sure it is an RFID one. The thing about RFID is that developments in technology might lead to less invasive ways to create identification tags. For example, take the nanosensor tatto that tracks glucose and sodium via an iphone. In the "Knowing is Better" video the ER doctor asks "Is he on any meds", and a nurse responds "Neighbour says the wife is out of town". On the rerun, when knowing is better, the EMR is already on the screen when he arrives, thus answering the question about medications. One way for the EMR to be on the screen in the ER would be something like an RFID embedded health card, just like Ontario has "enhanced driver's license" for quicker Canada-US border crossing. Otherwise, just scanning a bar code on the health card could do the same thing. What if no wallet?

Tuesday, April 3, 2012

Program or be Programmed

I can essentially agree with the argument that we all need to know about programming, and at a bare minimum get over any phobias about it. I am sure that many of the 1% have other people do their programming for them, probably by others in the 1%, I mean, after all, they are programmed to be the 1%. The rest of us are the "bungled and the botched". Python interests me because I am working on a Plone site now and I want to better understand the Zope database. It just doesn't make as much sense as PHP and mySQL right now. Plone can be quite the robust CMS (Content Management System). I even know a tethered Personal Health Record system that deploys it. I once tried to program Zope to connect resident forms to an MS Access database. It would have required a third party integration bridge, but it was possible. Just learning how to import, and then display, CSV data, seems to be a problem I am having at present. If anyone knows an easy way to do that, please let me know.