Walking near Washington Square Park when I used to live in San Francisco's North Beach neighborhood, I loved to watch the dozens of Chinese …
Month: June 2012
Stress hormones moonlight as immune-system traffic cops
Birds do it. Bees do it. Even fishies in the seas do it. They freak out when put into stress-arousing situations. A hormone-induced call-to-arms called the flight-or-fight …
Welcome Image Award winners celebrate striking images across science and medicine
The winners of the 2012 Wellcome Image Awards range from a time-lapse photo of cancer cell undergoing mitosis to a micrograph depicting caffeine crystals. But …
Study shows link between traffic noise, heart attack
We've written before on the health risks associated with commuting. Now comes new research out of Denmark showing that it's not just sitting in traffic, but …
Can a food-tracking app help promote healthy eating habits?
Nutritionists often recommend keeping a daily food diary for several weeks or longer to help meet weight-loss goals or to improve overall health. And now, to …
Journal series examines "Big Food" and its implications for global health
PLoS Medicine has launched a three-week series examining "Big Food," the major food and beverage companies that influence consumption behavior globally, and this industry's role …
Why engaging patients in their own care benefits the health-care system
In a recent Q&A published on the Stanford Medicine X blog, technologist and innovator Lucien Engelen discusses why inviting patients to take a more active …
New study links generational language problems to gene mutations
One family's multi-generational language problems may be attributed to a specific gene mutation, according to a new study. Josie Briscoe, PhD, a cognitive psychologist at …
A proposal to combat "science alienation"
Over on Slate, science writer Deborah Blum (who happens to teach journalism at my alma mater) has a thought-provoking piece on how science is taught in …
Neglected story of schistosomiasis in Ghana, as told in a sand animation
We in the Western world hear very little about schistosomiasis, much less worry about it. This breathtakingly beautiful video shows us why we should learn to …
Atul Butte to speak on translational bioinformatics at National Institutes of Health today
This morning, Atul Butte, MD, PhD, chief of systems medicine in the Department of Pediatrics at Stanford, will deliver a lecture at the National Institutes …
Patients' genetics may play a role in determining side effects of commonly prescribed painkillers
New Stanford research shows that disturbing side effects of opiates, such as nausea, slowed breathing and potential for addiction, may be strongly influenced by a …
Study shows higher rates of untreated kidney failure among older adults
New research is showing age-related differences in whether patients are treated for kidney failure. In a study published today in the Journal of the American …
How play and games can impact the future of science and health
Last year, gamers playing a protein-folding game titled Fold.it helped researchers at the University of Washington identify the structure of an AIDS-related enzyme that had …
Contact sports OK for kids with one kidney, new study says
Children who have only one functional kidney - such as kids born with just one organ, and those whose lives have been saved by kidney …
The importance of combating loneliness among older adults
You may have heard today about new UCSF research pointing to the importance of social interaction and fulfillment for older adults' health. In a study of 1,600 seniors, the …