Heterochromatin is a key player in gene regulation. This tightly packed complex of nuclear proteins and DNA is usually found in regions where genes are …
Month: June 2017
How California reversed the national trend of rising maternal mortality
In the last 10 years, U.S. mothers have been dying in childbirth at shocking rates: Compared to other developed countries, three times as many U.S. …
Preparing for first Stanford Project Baseline participant
“So after the blood draw, I’ll offer them juice?” It was the final meeting of the group that was launching the Project Baseline study — a …
New strategy to attack deadly glioblastoma tumor uses molecular scissors to release drug
Molecular scissors sticking out from the surface of a hard-to-treat type of brain tumor could be harnessed to deliver drugs to exactly the right spot …
To prevent altitude sickness, same-day medication may help
Part of my graduate school orientation took place in California's White Mountains. I'll never forget the ancient bristlecone pines, stunning views, or how sick and …
Algorithm helps doctors guard patients against a second stroke
Once someone has a stroke, the likelihood for a second stroke jumps up. And that recurrent stroke may cause further damage to the already injured …
Aiming for clarity in cancer gene testing, researchers at Stanford and Fox Chase turn to big data
Confusion is not the outcome any woman wants when presented with the results of genetic testing meant to assess her risk of cancer. But although …
Sleep disturbances can warn of suicidal thoughts, Stanford study finds
Sleep disturbances can warn of worsening suicidal thoughts in young adults, a study published today in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry found. The effects of …
Goodbye: Looking back on four years of medical school
Somehow, time has passed, and this is my last entry on Stanford Medicine Unplugged. It feels like just months ago that my classmates and I …
Progress in search for vaccine providing broad immunity to scourge of developing-world infants
A vaccine is, in essence, a "virtual-reality mug shot" that spurs the immune system to (among other things) generate antibodies that gum up whatever pathogen …
Countering the problem of physician burnout
The medical profession is just starting to grapple with the problem of physician burnout, which is reaching epidemic proportions. More than half of physicians surveyed …
How my inherited cancer syndrome taught me to worry less
I was always a high-strung, fretting, nervous wreck of a worrier. I always found a way to see the bad that could happen in every …
New method could take a snapshot of the whole brain in action
Imagine being able to take a crystal-clear snapshot of an entire brain, recording what every single neuron was doing at a particular moment as an …
Cardiology care associated with lower risk of stroke in a-fib patients
Patients diagnosed with the common heart condition atrial fibrillation face a daunting set of choices for treatment, according to Mintu Turakhia, MD, associate professor of medicine …
Stanford pediatric resident Mehreen Iqbal: Her passion for healing
When I sat down with third-year resident Mehreen Iqbal, she was fasting for Ramadan. She had just come off a 24-hour shift in the neonatal …
Pilot project will encourage toothbrushing in school
As an intern at the Sonoma County Health Department, Sarah Fisher was developing a oral health workshop for kindergartners when she had a sobering realization. …