Asperger Syndrome: Autism Linked To Stress Hormones
Normally, people have a surge of this hormone shortly after waking, with levels gradually decreasing throughout the day. It is thought this surge makes the brain alert, preparing the body for the day and helping the person to be aware of changes happening around them.

However, a new study has found that children with Asperger Syndrome (AS) do not experience this surge. The researchers believe these findings may help to explain why individuals with this condition have difficulties with minor changes to their routine or changes in their environment.

"Cortisol is one of a family of stress hormones that acts like a ‘red alert" that is triggered by stressful situations allowing a person to react quickly to changes around them", lead researcher Mark Brosnan explained. “In most people, there is a two-fold increase in levels of this hormone within 30 minutes of waking up, with levels gradually declining during the day as part of the internal body clock."

GE Healthcare introduced its new CARESCAPE™ Telemetry platform, a wireless patient monitoring offering for hospitals. Built on GE CARESCAPE Enterprise Access™ and leveraging GE ApexPro® CH Telemetry, GE CARESCAPE telemetry enables hospitals to simultaneously leverage multiple telemetry frequencies and coordinate cell phone, Wi-Fi and other wireless technologies on one infrastructure.

The new CARESCAPE Telemetry offering consists of a seamless integration between ApexPro CH Transmitter, CARESCAPE Enterprise Access, CARESCAPE Telemetry Server, CARESCAPE T14 Transmitter and other components of an ApexPro Telemetry System. It provides dual-band capabilities enabling hospitals to simultaneously leverage the two protected frequency bands— 600 MHz and 1.4 GHz — in Wireless Medical Telemetry Service (WMTS) with a single, central telemetry system.

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Siemens, SAP, and T-Systems in Austria plan to intensify their cooperation for the global healthcare marketPresumably effective April 1, 2009, Siemens Medical Solutions GSD GmbH, a wholly owned subsidiary of Siemens Healthcare Sector, will take over all use and exploitation rights to the software i.s.h.med, which are today held by T-Systems in Austria. The transfer is subject to customary closing conditions. In addition, Siemens, SAP, and T-Systems Austria plan to intensify their existing cooperation. The objective is to deliver comprehensive software solutions that cover a hospital’s entire requirements spectrum to their joint customers. I.s.h.med is a clinical information system that is fully integrated with the leading standard healthcare SAP software. The solution was jointly developed by the partner and forerunner companies of Siemens Medical Solutions GSD GmbH and the Austrian T-Systems. In the meantime, the software has become an important tool for planning, control, and communication for more than 300 hospitals in 16 countries worldwide.

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Royal Philips Electronics announced several major enhancements to the HeartStart MRx, a monitor/defibrillator for advanced life support-trained caregivers in the emergency medical services (EMS) and hospital environments. The HeartStart MRx now includes new clinical decision support tools, updated data management solutions and next-generation Q-CPRTM technology that can be used by health care systems as part of a program to improve cardiac care and a patient’s chance for complete recovery.

The enhancements to the HeartStart MRx include a breadth of clinical decision support tools to help caregivers diagnose and care for patients suspected to be suffering from a class of heart attack called ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). For these patients, the recommended time to treatment – typically with balloon angioplasty performed in the hospital’s catheterization lab -- is less than 90 minutes from “door to balloon.”  Philips new enhancements support this objective by helping caregivers triage patients in the pre-hospital setting, which can reduce critical time to lifesaving treatment.

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Improving the ability to provide top-tier patient service during interventional procedures, Toshiba America Medical Systems, Inc. has introduced Next Generation Advanced Image Processing (AIP) available on its Infinix™-i X-ray product line. Next Generation AIP was tested and evaluated by Dr. Vinit Lal, interventional cardiologist, HeartPlace, who noted the upgraded processor has increased accuracy and improved workflow and helped ensure excellent patient care.

"As the first in the country to work hands-on with Next Generation AIP, I have been extremely impressed with the images produced," said Dr. Lal. "This upgraded processor is increasing workflow, patient throughput and cath lab utilization, all while providing a safer exam for the patient, which is exactly what is needed in today's healthcare environment."

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