There's exciting news (subscription required) in the current issue of Nature. Researchers at Stanford have identified something that looks suspiciously like a cancer stem cell …
Month: June 2010
Stanford team provides health care in rural Guatemala
Every few months for the past 30 years, Lucile Packard Children's Hospital pediatrician Paul Wise, MD, MPH, has traveled to rural Guatemala to provide health …
Exercise may lower women's risk of dementia later in life
From the age of five, my older brother and I were required by our parents to play a sport. Initially, I opted for tennis. But …
AAMC issues conflict-of-interest guidelines for teaching hospitals
The Association of American Medical Colleges has issued new guidelines (link to downloadable report) today to address conflicts of interest among physicians at teaching hospitals. …
Should scientists use performance-enhancing drugs?
In 2008, Stanford law professor Hank Greely, JD, co-authored a Nature commentary (subscription required) discussing the benefits of so-called "smart drugs," like Adderall and Ritalin. …
Epigenetics: the hoops genes jump through
When I was thrown willy-nilly into the cutting-edge world of genetic science and assigned to write a press release about the epigenetics of hypertrophy of …
National survey shows teen girls more vulnerable to drug and alcohol abuse
Blame the Lindsay Lohan-effect, realty TV shows chronicling the lives of drunken 20-somethings on a downward spiral or the increasing availability of prescription drugs. Whatever …
Building a new lung, one cell at a time?
Now this is just cool. Researchers at Yale University have reported success in using lung cells from a newborn rat to regrow a functional lung. …
Access to contraceptives best way to cut maternal and newborn deaths in developing world, advocates argue
It wasn't just riots that came with last week's summits in Ontario; there were a few agreements formed as well. Leaders of the G8 nations …
USA Today article explores so-called "July effect" at hospitals
Last month, my colleague discussed the so-called "July effect" at teaching hospitals and mentioned new research showing that medical errors spike every year during that …
Earlier entry in WIC leads moms to smarter milk choices
“In the US, milk is virtually the national emblem,” quipped a 2003 Guardian article. “Apple pie, in comparison, is an also-ran.” That popularity is thanks …
A call to repeal Massachusetts' physician-gift ban
Have you been following the news about Massachusetts' physician-gift ban? Last summer, a law went into effect that prohibited companies from giving doctors freebies - …
Major League Baseball working to address players' mental-health issues
If you're like me, you missed last week's Sports Illustrated story on Major League Baseball's efforts to address the mental-health issues of its players. The …
Using unconventional therapies to troubleshoot the brain
Brain scientists are employing a wide range of approaches to diagnose and treat neurological conditions such as depression, Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's. An article in …
A new target-heart-rate formula for women, by women
First we discarded the notion that children could be treated as miniature adults. Now cardiologist Martha Gulati, MD, of Northwestern University would like to emphasize …
Prostate cancer patients face Provenge shortage
First there was the good news: Provenge, the first-ever cancer vaccine was approved. And now there's the not-so-good news: Most prostate cancer patients won't have …