As a fifth year graduate student, having just defended my thesis, I recently found myself reminiscing about the early years in my graduate career. I …
Month: November 2010
Move over, Vesalius
Over the last couple of years I've been dazzled by the anatomical imagery that's come out of the School of Medicine. From the pristine photos …
Rand Corp. study says US health care for elderly superior to UK's
I've written before - in fact more than once - about statistics purporting to show that the U.S. health care system stinks compared with those …
Study shows U.S. obesity rates will expand over next 40 years
Despite reports that the obesity epidemic in the United States may have plateaued, researchers at Harvard University predict that if current trends continue, at least …
Expert to new members of Congress: Don't mess with health law's prevention funds
Larry Cohen, MSW, director of the Oakland, Calif.-based Prevention Institute, has penned an interesting piece on preventive medicine for the Huffington Post. In it he …
How to respond to patient contact on Twitter: A physician's advice
Bryan Vartabedian, MD, has some great advice for physicians who are contacted by patients via Twitter (as he once was): I took the conversation offline. …
Study shows cell health linked to positive mood changes in meditation
At the end of meditative sessions, my yoga teacher often instructs students to "imagine each cell in your body is smiling." The image of my …
No safe haven for viruses: How infected cells can hold the line
This neat, short video (linked to article in The Guardian) depicts a breakthrough in immunology: a hitherto-unsuspected method by which virus-infected cells fight back - …
Should governments regulate salt content in processed foods?
The discussion on imposing controls on salt content in food to reduce the rate of strokes and heart attacks surfaced again this week with the …
John Ioannidis, MD: Research's researcher
John Ioannidis, MD, is red hot! The meta-researcher is featured as one of the brave thinkers of 2010 in the current issue of The Atlantic …
Scientists map effects of sleep deprivation on gene activity in the brain
Researchers working to better understand and treat sleep disorders can now access a detailed map of gene expression in the mouse brain across five behavioral …
Health care's role in yesterday's elections
How much did health care matter in yesterday's elections? Politico's Jennifer Haberkorn tackled that question this morning, noting that: Voters identified health care as the …
A closer look at Stanford's simulation technology
Most readers of today's San Francisco Chronicle likely turned right to the sports page (Go Giants!), but those who ventured to other sections were treated …
The power of networked patients
Interesting video segment from TEDMED: Susannah Fox's completion of the sentence, "My bold idea for transforming health and health care is..." (Fox is an associate …
No co-pays mean more people take their medicine
Studies have shown that an increasing number of Americans are deserting their medical prescriptions, in large part because of higher out-of-pocket costs. Now new research …
Art and science intersect at America's largest stem cell research center
At Stanford's Lorry I. Lokey Stem Cell Research Building, the striking two-ton glass sculpture hanging in the atrium was designed to symbolize the creative process …