Interventions delivered by mobile phone to support client use of family planning/contraception

Cochrane: Contraception - methods or devices used to prevent pregnancy – has significant benefits for women's and children's health. Despite these benefits, an estimated 225 million women in developing countries were not using a modern contraceptive method in 2014 despite wanting to avoid pregnancy. Expansion of mobile phone use in recent years has led to increased interest in healthcare delivery via mobile phone and the potential to deliver support wherever the person is located, whenever it is needed, and to reach populations with restricted access to services. Mobile phone-based interventions have been demonstrated to be effective in other health areas, but not yet in the field of contraception.

Smartphone application and wearable device effective for weight loss in obese people

BMC Public health: Researchers evaluated the effectiveness of an experimental intervention based on standard diet recommendations plus free Smartphone application (app) and wearable device for weight loss, compared with the standard diet intervention alone, in primary care patients aged 18 years or older who are overweight or obese.

A new App Designed to Help Women Quit Smoking

Arizona: Guided imagery is used to help women resist the urge to light up while encouraging them to make healthful food choices and increase physical activity.  See Me Smoke-Free, the first multibehavioral mobile health (mHealth) app designed to help women quit smoking, eat well and get moving, is now available for free at the Google Play Store. The Android phone app, officially released March 30, uses guided imagery to help women resist the urge to smoke, while encouraging them to make healthful food choices and increase their physical activity. The app can be downloaded at https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=edu.arizona.guidedimagery.

Breath test for detecting head and neck cancer

Lausanne: A portable device can detect the presence of certain types of cancer in people's breath. Tested on patients, the new device was developed in part by EPFL researchers as part of an international collaboration. Inhale, then exhale. This simple act could now save lives. A technology developed in part at EPFL can quickly identify the presence of a head and neck cancer, such as of the throat or mouth by analysing people's breath. The new device, equipped with extremely sensitive sensors, has been tested on patients and operates with a computer or even a mobile phone. It's an innovative tool for the early diagnosis of tumours. Very few routine exams exist to detect cancer. Yet this disease is the third leading cause of death worldwide. Most tumours are found relatively late, which makes recovery less likely.

Mayo Clinic and Gentag, Inc. Announce Agreement To Develop Wireless Sensors for Treatment of Obesity and Diabetes

Mayo Clinic and Gentag, Inc. have reached an agreement to develop the next generation of wearable biosensors designed to fight obesity and diabetes. “We are hoping that this technology will be game-changer. These patch biosensors may help us reduce global obesity and diabetes,” says James Levine, M.D., Ph.D., a Mayo Clinic endocrinologist and obesity researcher. “They are accurate, inexpensive, and can be integrated into the care people receive."

Mobile phone app to identify premature babies in the developing world

Nottingham University. UK: A mobile phone app that will identify babies born prematurely in the developing world is being developed by researchers at The University of Nottingham. The technology will use distinctive features on the feet, face and ears of newborns to more accurately estimate the gestation of babies and to identify those who may need urgent medical care.

Measuring 'MoodTraces': new app helps monitor depression

University of Birmingham. UK: Scientists from the University of Birmingham have developed an app that can measure the activity patterns of patients with depression and provide the necessary support.

New UTHealth research looks at app to help minority stroke patients improve health

Texas University. US: A clinical trial investigating the use of a physician-monitored app to help first-time minority stroke patients become healthier has begun at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth). 

Turning smartphones into personal, real-time pollution monitors

American Chemical Society: As urban residents know, air quality is a big deal. When local pollution levels go up, the associated health risks also increase, especially for children and seniors. But air pollution varies widely over the course of a day and by location, even within the same city. Now scientists, reporting in the ACS journal Environmental Science & Technology, have used smartphone and sensing technology to better pinpoint where and when pollution is at its worst.

Mayo Clinic Supports Google Effort to Provide Quick, Accurate Health Information

Mayo Clinic. US: When people have health questions, many turn to the Internet, and Google in particular, as the first stop for finding health information. Now, when users ask Google about common health conditions, they will get relevant medical facts up front. For example, a search for arthritis will show, up front, a few basic facts about arthritis and a definition.

Smartphone Apps Just as Accurate as Wearable Devices for Tracking Physical Activity, According to Penn Researchers

Pennsylvania University. US: Although wearable devices have received significant attention for their ability to track an individual’s physical activity, most smartphone applications are just as accurate, according to a new research letter in JAMA. The study tested 10 of the top-selling smartphone apps and devices in the United States by having 14 participants walk on a treadmill for 500 and 1,500 steps, each twice (for a total of 56 trials), and then recording their step counts.

From Early Nausea to Preterm Labor Symptoms, Magee Pregnancy App Educates New Parents

Pittsburgh University. US: Is your baby the size of grape, or as long as a dollar bill? When can you expect to first feel the movements your baby makes, and when can she or he first hear your voice? To answer the many questions expectant parents often have, Magee-Womens Hospital of UPMC has launched the MyMageePregnancy app, available via the hospital’s Facebook page.

A Phone So Smart, It Sniffs out Disease

Technion. Israel: A research consortium headed by Professor Hossam Haick of the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology is developing a product that, when coupled with a smartphone, will be able to screen the user’s breath for early detection of life-threatening diseases.

New app helps sickle cell anaemia patients keep medical records

Imperial College. UK: Researchers at Imperial College London have designed a new app to help sickle cell anaemia patients keep track of their condition. Sickle cell anaemia (SCA) is an inherited blood disorder, in which the oxygen-carrying blood cells develop abnormally, so patients have trouble pumping enough oxygen around their body.  People with the disease experience lethargy and breathlessness, particularly after exercise, and sometimes have episodes of severe pain caused by abnormal cells blocking blood vessels.

FDA permits marketing of first system of mobile medical apps for continuous glucose monitoring

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today allowed marketing of the first set of mobile medical apps that allow people with diabetes to automatically and securely share data from a continuous glucose monitor (CGM) with other people in real-time using an Apple mobile device such as an iPhone.

Media consumption and parenting need not clash

University of Amsterdam. Netherlands.: Why are so many young people glued to their smartphones? Does gaming have a negative impact on adolescent development? Are the effects of sex in the media necessarily all bad? Many parents wonder whether they should protect children against their own media consumption habits, and if so, how to go about it.

Cell and Particle Size Measurement Developed Using Smartphone Based on Shadow Imaging Technology

Korea University: Using a smartphone, a KU research team has succeeded in developing cell and particle size measurement technology based on shadow imaging technology. The research was led by Professor Sung-Kyu Seo and Ph.D. student Mohendra Roy (first author) in the Department of Electronics and Information Engineering, College of Science and Technology, on the KU Sejong Campus.