Social Media News and Research

Latest Social Media News and Research

Leverage mobile technology and social networking to strengthen health systems

Alexander Finlayson, Katherine Hudson and Faisal Ali, all affiliates of MedicineAfrica, a social enterprise providing a platform for health care educational and research partnerships between Northern and Southern collaborators, write in a SciDev.Net opinion piece, "Health scientists in developing countries can use social media to tackle research priorities, ... building networks and sharing the knowledge needed to make strategic progress towards strengthening health systems.

20 Sep 2011

European Commissioner for Health launches phase two of anti-smoking campaign

John Dalli, European Commissioner for Health today launched phase two of the European Commission's anti-smoking campaign. He announced that over 500,000 Europeans to date have demonstrated their support for the campaign - "Ex-smokers are Unstoppable" - by accessing its social media pages.

20 Sep 2011

Ad Council, USAID partner to launch FWD awareness campaign

response to the drought and famine in the Horn of Africa, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), has partnered with the Ad Council to launch a national public awareness campaign.

20 Sep 2011

Scientists to develop 'Facebook Light' for dementia patients

Research scientists will develop "Facebook Light" - with a user interface suitable for the elderly and people with dementia - to promote important social contact.

16 Sep 2011

“Contagion” movie entirely plausible

Hollywood's latest thriller “Contagion” seems to have captured the public’s interest with strong sales at the box office. In the movie tens of millions of people are wiped out by the rapid spread of a killer airborne disease. It's a scenario real-life experts say is entirely plausible.

14 Sep 2011

Health Canada approves Afinitor for treatment of brain tumours caused by TSC in children

Families with children suffering from brain tumours caused by an uncommon genetic disorder known as Tuberous Sclerosis Complex (TSC) have new hope with Health Canada's recent conditional approval of a new therapeutic use for the drug Afinitor (everolimus). Afinitor is the first drug therapy approved in Canada for the treatment of brain tumours caused by TSC in patients three years of age and older.

14 Sep 2011

AstraZeneca Canada introduces new NEXIUM Patient Support program

Canadian pharmaceutical company, AstraZeneca Canada Inc., has introduced a new NEXIUM® Patient Support program designed to give physicians and pharmacists the ability to take cost out of the equation in the patient's choice between NEXIUM® tablets and a generic esomeprazole product.

9 Sep 2011

Social engagement transforms white fat into energy-burning brown fat

When mice are given a more engaging place to live with greater opportunities for social stimulation, some of their energy-storing white fat is transformed to energy-burning brown fat. As a result, the animals expend more energy and lose weight even as they eat more. The findings reported in the September Cell Metabolism, a Cell Press publication, point to the powerful effect that animals' social and physical environments can have on their metabolisms.

8 Sep 2011

Teenagers use medicines frequently without receiving targeted information about risks and benefits

A large proportion of teenagers regularly and frequently take some form of medication without receiving targeted information about the risks and benefits, according to a review of current research, to be presented at the annual congress of the International Pharmaceutical Federation.

5 Sep 2011

Mayo Clinic identifies new benefit of social media and online networks for rare diseases research

Mayo Clinic has identified a new benefit of social media and online networking: a novel way to study rare diseases. Through patient-run websites dedicated to heart conditions and women's heart health, a team of cardiologists led by Sharonne Hayes, M.D., is reaching out to survivors of spontaneous coronary artery dissection, also known as SCAD, a poorly understood heart condition that affects just a few thousand Americans every year.

31 Aug 2011

NSU's iPad program treats spinal cord injuries

A little iPad can go a long way. At Nova Southeastern University (NSU), the tiny, flat screen, touch pad is being used by the Occupational Therapy Department researchers to treat disabled patients who suffer from spinal cord injuries and other disabilities.

31 Aug 2011

Thirty two projects to receive €1M donation for prevention of AF-related stroke

Last night at an award ceremony in Paris, the 32 winning projects of the global disease awareness initiative 1 Mission 1 Million - Getting to the Heart of Stroke were announced.

29 Aug 2011

Restricting kids' unstructured play may actually cause harm

Hovering helicopter parents who restrict their kids' unstructured play may actually harm, rather than help, children according to the latest issue of the American Journal of Play, a scholarly journal which has gathered a distinguished group of experts to probe the near-extinction of free play and its effects on children and society.

26 Aug 2011

AHA announces new app for cardiologists to access Circulation journal

The American Heart Association (AHA) announced new digital tools that provide members and subscribers advanced access to its Circulation journal through the release of a mobile view website and iPad app.

26 Aug 2011

HHS sponsors contest to develop public health emergency Facebook application

The HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response is trying to harness the power of social media to respond to public health emergencies through a contest, titled "Lifeline Facebook Application Challenge," that asks application developers to "provide actionable steps for Facebook users to increase their own personal preparedness and strengthen connections within their social networks for the sake of personal preparedness and community resilience," Kaiser Health News reports.

25 Aug 2011

HealthAmerica expands social media platform through relationship with CaféWell

HealthAmerica announced today the expansion of its social networking community devoted solely to the health and well-being of its members through a relationship with CaféWell.

23 Aug 2011

ASA launches new video that highlights need for responsible use of pain medication

The American Society of Anesthesiologists launched a new video today on its lifelinepatients YouTube channel that highlights the need for responsible use of pain medication and proper disposal of the drugs.

19 Aug 2011

U-M introduces M.D.Stat+ app for medical school students to check admission status

The University of Michigan Medical School has launched M.D.Stat+, a free application designed for prospective medical school students to check their admission status. The app is now available for iPhones and Androids, but the mobile-friendly site it's based on is accessible via any smartphone's web browser.

17 Aug 2011

Teens involved in research studies prefer telephones over social media

If you think teenagers prefer social media over the telephone, you may want to think again, at least when it comes to teens involved in research studies.

12 Aug 2011

PBS NewsHour examines use of Twitter to track disease spread

PBS NewsHour's blog "The Rundown" examines "a recent slate of independent studies" that assert "Twitter can accurately track the spread of a virus or disease - and do it much faster than traditional surveillance methods."

12 Aug 2011