Among the tragic side-effects of the 1994 Rwandan genocide is that so many children were left behind after witnessing the trauma of seeing many family …
Month: January 2010
Is the obesity epidemic in U.S. showing signs of slowing?
Although the U.S. obesity rate is still high, it may have plateaued, according to two studies published today in the Journal of the American Medical …
A look at drug resistance worldwide
The Associated Press has produced a rather fascinating Flash presentation illustrating the threat that drug resistance poses to global health. Entitled "When Drugs Stop Working: …
Research links watching TV to an increased risk of death
Regardless of if you are overweight or physically fit, the hours you spend watching TV each day may be shortening your life according to findings …
Lighten up with the depression news
The news (published in the Journal of the American Medical Association and widely covered by many major media outlets) last week that antidepressant medications may …
Wellcome Trust establishes a YouTube channel of historical medical videos
The Wellcome Trust has recently established a collection of historical medical videos on YouTube. According to the Wellcome Library, its Wellcome Film collection contains over …
The CDC issues an open letter about the safety of the H1N1 flu vaccine
In case you haven't yet seen it, yesterday the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued an open letter to the American public about the …
Vaccinations in Brazil
Year: 1974 Setting: French consulate in Rio de Janeiro Position: Medical student I am a third-year medical student at the Federal University of Rio de …
More on the debate over "curing" Down syndrome
Last month, my colleague Erin Digitale blogged about Down syndrome research being done here and some parents' concerns over the notion that people with the …
When should "everything" be done?
John Trahanas' gripping account of a conversation with his patient's wife is worth reading: She did not agree, didn't want to talk about it. She …
Finally, a way to fix broken enzymes
I've been interested in Daria Mochly-Rosen's research into a mutation that messes up alcohol processing for personal reasons. If I imbibe more than a sip …
Stanford develops new industry-funded model for continuing education of physicians
A story in this morning's New York Times detailed plans by the Stanford University School of Medicine to design and implement a new model for …
Totally tubular
My first memory of pneumatic tubes is from the TV cartoon, The Jetsons, when Elroy and George would get whisked off, respectively, to school and …
New Stanford trial targets rare brain tumor
Today is the first anniversary of the death of five-year-old Dylan Jewett, a cancer patient I wrote about last summer in Stanford Medicine magazine. Dylan …
Tinnitus: the ear’s version of phantom limb?
A treatment for tinnitus has similarities to treatments for phantom limb pain, and may reveal a similar cause in the brain
A treatment for tinnitus has similarities to treatments for phantom limb pain, and may reveal a similar cause in the brain
One cappuccino please – hold the croissant
During a recent visit to the Cheesecake Factory in downtown Palo Alto, we couldn’t help but notice the large-print labels that tell customers they may …