News From Around the Web
> An MRI system that scans people's knees can be used for biometric identification, according to a study published in the International Journal of Biometrics, Wired.co.uk reports. Computer scientist Lior Shamir looked at the knee scans of 2,686 people and determined he could identify them with 93 percent accuracy. The idea behind this type of scan is not that it would replace traditional biometric identification like finger prints, or IDs like passports, but instead would serve as an additional identification technique. Article
> A brain imaging study has determined that weak neural connections can cause women with anorexia nervosa to misjudge their body shapes, PsychCentral reports. German researchers using functional MRI determined that two areas of the brain critical to perception about body shape--the "fusiform body area" (FBA) and the "extrastriate body area" (EBA)--were more weakly connected in anorexic women than healthy women. "These alterations in the brain could explain why women with anorexia perceive themselves as fatter, even though they are objectively underweight" Boris Suchan, Ph.D., said. Article
> The PET agent Amyvid has been approved in the European Union for use on patients who are being evaluated for Alzheimer's disease. Amyvid was approved by the FDA last April and now will be available in selected areas of the European Union in the second quarter of 2013, AuntMinnie.com reports. Medicare doesn't cover beta-amyloid PET imaging yet, but polices regarding coverage domestically will be addressed at a meeting of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid's Medicare Evidence Development and Coverage Advisory Committee on Jan. 30. Article
Health IT News
> Self-reporting systems on the web can help aid researchers of Parkinson's disease, a new study published this week in the Journal of Medical Internet Research finds. Currently, there is little objective clinical information about the dynamic symptoms of Parkinson's for intervals less than three months, leaving that information unquantified--but online platforms, used for patients to self-report, can advance research on the disease. Article
Health Insurance News
> Open enrollment in health insurance exchanges should be delayed to avoid any potential "chaos" that may ensue after the Oct. 1 deadline, NAIC President Jim Donelon told Bloomberg. "It's [President Barack Obama's] calling-card, signature issue and to rush it into implementation before it's ready would not be in his overall interest," Donelon said, adding that state regulators "don't want it to create chaos." Although he admitted the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services hasn't shown any signs of delaying implementation, Donelon added it may be in the president's best interest to do so. Article
And Finally…A "Whopper" of a funeral … Article