Paralysed Woman's Thoughts Control Robotic Arm

Unrivalled control of a robotic arm has been achieved using a paralysed woman's thoughts, a US study says.

Jan Scheuermann, who is 53 and paralysed from the neck down, was able to deftly grasp and move a variety of objects just like a normal arm.

Brain implants were used to control the robotic arm, in the study reported in the Lancet medical journal.

Experts in the field said it was an "unprecedented performance" and a "remarkable achievement".

Jan was diagnosed with spinocerebellar degeneration 13 years ago and progressively lost control of her body. She is now unable to move her arms or legs.

SADA Lectures to Focus on Prevention of Alzheimer's

As part of its awareness campaign, the Saudi Alzheimer's Disease Association (SADA) will host a lecture program on Tuesday at the Security Forces Hospital (SFH) in Riyadh.

According to an official from SADA, the program will focus on the prevention of Alzheimer's disease and will include two lectures during the evening.

Dr. Najib Qadhi, deputy head of the neurology department and head of the neurology physicians training program at King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center (KFSHRC) ,and Dr. Reema Salman, therapeutic nutrition and sports medicine specialist, from the same hospital will deliver a presentation on ways to prevent the disease.

The lecture will be held from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Prince Ahmed Bin Abdulaziz Hall at the SFH headquarters in the capital.

Vision Problems Rising Rapidly in the U.S.

The diabetes and obesity epidemics may be fueling a dramatic rise in the number of people with vision problems, a new study suggests.

Court Orders Review of Erfan Hospital's Closure Verdict

JEDDAH — The Makkah Court of Appeals has rejected a court verdict that endorsed a decision to shut down Erfan & Bagedo Hospital, court sources said.

The sources said the Court of Appeals asked the Jeddah Administrative Court to reconsider its verdict.

The Appeals Court had considered an appeal made by the hospital's director Dr. Muhammad Erfan Sunday.

Faulty Thermometer Implicates Hospital

RIYADH — A medical team in a private hospital here almost caused a medical disaster by basing their diagnosis on a faulty thermometer.

Smoking Doubles Women's Sudden Death Risk

Smoking cigarettes may more than double a woman's risk of sudden cardiac death. But quitting can reduce that risk significantly over time, according to a new study.

Hospital Will Not Reopen Saturday: Erfan

Jeddah – The director of the recently closed Erfan & Bagedo Hospital has denied rumors that the hospital could reopen on Saturday.

Dr. Muhammad Erfan said Saturday was the date fixed by Jeddah Administrative Court to review Health Minister Dr Abdullah Al-Rabeeah's to close the hospital for two months after eight-year-old Salah Al-Deen Yusuf Abdul Lateef Jamil died there, allegedly because of a medical error.

Minister Leads Surgery to Separate Siamese Twins

Surgery to separate conjoined twins, Abdullah and Salman, an operation undertaken at the order of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah, began at the National Guards' King Abdulaziz Medical City in Riyadh on Friday.

Health Minister Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah heads the surgical team, which includes 30 specialists in addition to other medical staff.

The nine-hour surgery on the twins involves eight stages beginning with complete anesthetizing of the patients. The actual separation begins in the fourth stage of the operation. The next stage involves the repair of the separated parts, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

Preliminary investigations show that the surgery has a 70 percent possibility of success. Medical and nursing students are also present at the theater.

KKESH Celebrates Graduation of 16 Specialist Doctors

The King Khaled Eye Specialist Hospital (KKESH) recently celebrated the graduation of 16 doctors with minute specializations of ophthalmic medicine and surgery.

The hospital's executive director general, Dr. Abdul Elah Al-Towerki, chaired the event which was attended by international and domestic luminaries in the field of medicine. They included Dr. Ashley Behrens, dean of the Medical College and supervisor of Hospitals at the university; Dr. Mubarak Al-Faran, chairman of the Science Council of Ophthalmic Medicine and Surgery in the Saudi Council of Health Specializations, and Dr. Khaled Tabarah, head of the Department of Ophthalmic Medicine and Surgery at the King Saud University.

In his remarks, Al-Towerki recounted that the program developed in 1994 is considered the first in minute ophthalmic specializations. The program at KKESH is also considered the most successful and prestigious program for ophthalmological higher studies in the Kingdom.

Urinary Incontinence: Rating Surgeries

Sling Procedure May Trump Burch Colposuspension, but May Increase Side Effects