April 7, 2009 -- Where asthma strikes, medical inhalers follow. Which got one disease detective thinking: Could asthma triggers be tracked via GPS technology? Enterprising epidemiologist David Van Sickle at the University of Wisconsin-Madison decided to find out. He recruited four asthmatic undergraduates to carry around inhalers outfitted to relay location data when they were being used, via the Global Positioning System satellite network. The test successfully demonstrated the concept and gave Van Sickle footing -- and funding -- for a pilot program now under way in the city of Madison. So far 19 volunteers have signed up to participate, with slots for another 31 available. Advances in GPS technology solved what once would have been the program's main technical hurdle -- hefty receivers. Tracking devices have become so small they can be attached onto a bird's leg. Related Content:
"At one time, I was worried that lugging this inhaler around would cause people to have asthma attacks. It looked like a washing machine tied on to an inhaler," Van Sickle told Discovery News. The device is now about the size of a nine-volt battery. And the weight, said Van Sickle, "is insignificant." Current versions have additional technology to relay positioning data from inside buildings, a constraint that impacts most satellite-only receivers. Eventually, Van Sickle, who previously worked for the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta, would like to have thousands of people using the GPS-equipped inhalers so that accurate statistics can be complied about when and where asthma strikes. "Asthma is unique in that people carry their inhalers around with them and use them at the time and place when they are having symptoms," Van Sickler said. Get More NewsMouse Cloned From Long-Frozen CellResearchers create a mouse from a long-frozen cell. Will the mammoth be next?'Bubble' Could Protect AstronautsScientists say a "bubble" around a Mars-bound spaceship could protect astronauts.Big Reduction of Snowmobiles in Yellowstone ProposedA new plan would cut snowmobile use by 40 percent in Yellowstone.Microbes: Fuel of the Future?A reddish South American microbe is literally breathing fuel, say scientists.DNA Links Remains to Steve FossetDNA tests on two bones found in California confirm they are those of Steve Fossett.Women Carry More Bacteria Than MenSome bacteria prefer women, suggests a new study. But why?Ancient 'Water Monster' Facing ExtinctionA foot-long salamander that was a key part of Aztec legend is threatened by extinction.Grand Canyon's Youth ConfirmedThe Grand Canyon is millions of years younger than previously thought, argue geologists.My Take: E-Voting Not User FriendlyOpinion: Electronic voting machines don't always capture the intent of voters.SLIDE SHOW: Landscapes of TerrorWhat makes a place feel scary? There are scientific explanations.At 40, Brain and Body SlowThe part of the brain in charge of motion starts a gradual slide in middle age.Spiders, Scorpions Among World's Oldest CreaturesMany creepy crawlies have been on Earth much longer than previously believed.Blood-Sucking Vampire Bats Sing DuetsWhite-winged vampire bats "harmonize" with separated roost mates. |
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