Digital management of botox therapies
A cloud-based healthcare software and online tool for clinics specialising in the injection of botulinum toxin across various neurological conditions has officially launched in Australia.
BnTx INTERACT, designed by Sydney neurologist Professor Con Yiannikas, offers precision management of injections and monitoring of patient outcomes by capturing real-time data and relevant information during and between consultations.
The software has been in development in numerous clinics across Australia since 2016 for the management of movement disorders, chronic migraine and spasticity.
The site also offers access to case-based learning through its digital library. It has recorded over 44,000 patient sessions and some 500,000 injections – making it, arguably, the largest botulinum toxin database in Australia.
An integrated patient app will also launch in 2022.
Smartphone app to support aphasic stroke patients’ recovery
Stroke survivors with aphasia could soon track and improve their communication recovery with a smartphone app co-designed by patients and University of Queensland researchers.
The app, ‘LifeCHAT’, will allow users to communicate through speech-to-text software, set goals, receive therapy and monitor their progress in real-time. It will also use geo-location mapping to track social interactions and ask daily questions about patients’ experiences and feelings.
The researchers hope the app will “motivate stroke survivors with aphasia to stick with their treatment and to keep improving”, the University of Queensland wrote in a statement.
Former AMA leader describes ‘gluten brain’
Gluten may trigger neurological problems such as headache and even ataxia in people with non-coeliac gluten sensitivity, according to former AMA president Dr Kerryn Phelps.
Speaking on a women’s health podcast to promote new book How to Keep Your Brain Young, Dr Phelps said gluten was not only a cause of gut disorder but could also lead problems with brain and nerve function.
This might show up as headache, brain fog, problems with memory, or attention or cognitive function, she said.
“There are all sorts of things that can show themselves as behavioural problems or cognitive or thinking problems when somebody has a brain sensitivity to gluten. So this is something that we need to think about when we’re looking at things like behavioural problems in children or cognitive issues in younger adults,” she told the podcast Healthy-ish.
Dr Phelps recommended elimination diets that emphasised minimal red meat, processed sugars, lots of plant based foods with a high vegetable and fruit intake and healthy fats such as olive oil