An estimated 1.2 million people die from traffic crashes worldwide each year, and one-third of drivers involved in serious crashes suffer from a chronic medical …
Author: Margarita Gallardo
NPR explores the pros and cons of scientists sequencing their own genes
As you may recall reading about, Stanford geneticist Michael Snyder, PhD, collected and analyzed billions of individual bits of data about his own body, and …
Researchers develop new method for predicting preterm labor
About 15 million premature babies are born worldwide each year. Infants born before 37 full weeks are at an increased risk for health complications, including …
Finding hope for rare pediatric brain tumor
Diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma, or DIPG, is a highly aggressive, malignant brain tumor found in school-aged children that kills 99 percent of patients. The cancer …
What's the best way to handle the chronically intoxicated?
The city of San Francisco is proposing a new plan that would take chronically intoxicated people off the street and force them to stay in …
Does childbirth make you stronger?
My husband has often told me I deserve a medal after giving birth to two girls in two years. There’s a lot of blood, sweat …
Study: When discussing childhood obesity, words carry weight
“Obese” and “overweight” are common terms used by doctors to describe excess weight in children, but according to recent findings published in Pediatric Obesity, physicians …
Student inventors create device to help reduce anemia in the developing world
Here’s another cool breakthrough in mobile-health technology: A group of biomedical engineering undergraduates from Johns Hopkins University have developed a low-cost, noninvasive device to help …
Truvada: Not a magic bullet for preventing HIV
As you may have heard, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration yesterday approved the drug Truvada as a preventative measure for HIV-negative individuals who are at …
Diagnosing ear infections using your iPhone? Not so far-fetched
As a parent, the iPhone has been a godsend - helping me with everything from taking cute photos and videos to keeping up with doctor’s …
Doctors tackling child hunger during the summer
For most kids, summer equals vacations, fun and a break from school. But for children in low-income communities like East Palo Alto, Calif. - many of …
Medications can overheat, too, doctors warn
With record-breaking temperatures continuing to plague the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic states, doctors are reminding patients to keep an eye on their medications, as they, too, …
Flu shots for moms may help prevent babies from being born too small
Yet another reason for moms-to-be to get a flu shot: According to a new study published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, vaccinating women against …
Gluten: The "new diet villain?"
Last week, I treated myself to something sweet on Valentine’s Day: a mini, gluten-free coconut cream cupcake. Do I suffer from celiac disease? No, but …
Students show off science projects at the White House
Today, President Obama welcomed more than 100 students from across the country for the second annual White House Science Fair, an opportunity that gave the …
Big medicine for small patients: Developing kid-sized tools for the OR
The challenges facing pediatric surgeons was the focus of a recent segment on KQED-FM's QUEST. During the show, Sanjeev Dutta, MD, described such challenges as “plumbing …