What ’s a diagnosis about? COVID-19 and beyond
By MICHEL ACCAD
Last month marked the 400th anniversary of the birth of John Graunt, commonly regarded as the father of epidemiology. His major published work, Natural and Political Observations Made upon the Bills of Mortality, called attention to the death statistics published weekly in London beginning in the late 16th century. Graunt was skeptical of how causes of death were ascribed, especially in times of plagues. Evidently, 400 years of scientific advances have done little to lessen his doubts!
A few days ago, Fox News reported that Colorado governor Jared Polis had “pushed back against recen...
Source: The Health Care Blog - May 28, 2020 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Christina Liu Tags: COVID-19 Medical Practice Physicians Diagnosis MICHEL ACCAD Source Type: blogs
Some healthcare can safely wait (and some can ’t)
Among the many remarkable things that have happened since the COVID-19 pandemic began is that a lot of our usual medical care has simply stopped.
According to a recent study, routine testing for cervical cancer, cholesterol, and blood sugar is down nearly 70% across the country. Elective surgeries, routine physical examinations, and other screening tests have been canceled or rescheduled so that people can stay at home, avoid being around others who might be sick, and avoid unknowingly spreading the virus. Many clinics, hospitals, and doctors’ offices have been closed for weeks except for emergencies. Even if these facil...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - May 20, 2020 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Robert H. Shmerling, MD Tags: Health Health care Healthy Aging Men's Health Women's Health Source Type: blogs
Fight Aging! Newsletter, May 18th 2020
This study provides direct evidence for the contribution of gut microbiota to the cognitive decline during normal aging and suggests that restoring microbiota homeostasis in the elderly may improve cognitive function.
On Nutraceutical Senolytics
https://www.fightaging.org/archives/2020/05/on-nutraceutical-senolytics/
Nutraceuticals are compounds derived from foods, usually plants. In principle one can find useful therapies in the natural world, taking the approach of identifying interesting molecules and refining them to a greater potency than naturally occurs in order to produce a usefully large therap...
Source: Fight Aging! - May 17, 2020 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Newsletters Source Type: blogs
Choosing Between Life and Death During COVID-19: The A.I. Trolley Problem
Suppose you’re the sole witness of a trolley that has gone out of control, hurtling towards 5 people tied to its track, with no way to stop it in time. Good news: there’s a lever you can pull to alter its direction. Bad news: the other track isn’t safe either as it has one person tied to it. What will you do in this situation? Let the trolley continue on its initial course and kill those 5 people on the way or pull the lever to save them at the expense of that other person’s life?
Source: https://www.lionsroar.com/
This ethical thought experiment, known as the Trolley Problem, was put forth by Philippa Foot b...
Source: The Medical Futurist - May 14, 2020 Category: Information Technology Authors: Prans Tags: Artificial Intelligence Bioethics Future of Medicine Healthcare Policy covid19 Source Type: blogs
Physical Activity Slows the Consequences of Aging
We live in a world in which most people do not undertake anywhere near the level of physical activity that is optimal. Thus adding greater physical activity as a lifestyle choice appears very beneficial. There is a great deficiency, one that has serious consequences to health, and fixing that deficiency is touted as a successful intervention. But in reality, the situation is one in which most people harm their long term health through a form of self-neglect. This era of cheap calories and comfort is a time of vast benefits for humanity - but it has a few downsides, and this is one of them.
This meta-analysis showe...
Source: Fight Aging! - May 12, 2020 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Daily News Source Type: blogs
Is it time to give up your annual mammogram?
If you dread your annual mammogram, you’re not alone. For many women, this breast cancer screening examination can be painful, stressful, and just an overall hassle.
You may wonder, are you old enough to give it up? If you’re over age 75, the answer is: maybe or maybe not. The fact is, breast cancer screening isn’t right for all older adults, but there’s no expert consensus on the right age to stop. This is mostly because scientific evidence in this area is lacking, says Dr. Kathryn Rexrode, associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and chief of the Division of Women’s Health at Brigham and Women...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - May 1, 2020 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Kelly Bilodeau Tags: Breast Cancer Healthy Aging Managing your health care Screening Women's Health Source Type: blogs
Radiation induced coronary artery disease – RICAD
Radiation induced coronary artery disease – RICAD
Radiation induced coronary artery disease (RICAD) is an important long term sequelae of radiotherapy to the chest region. The most common conditions associated with RICAD are breast cancer and Hodgkin’s lymphoma. The risk is higher in Hodgkin’s lymphoma because they receive a higher dose of radiotherapy [1]. It may be noted that radiation is used in the treatment of about 50% of cancers [2]. Hence the importance of RICAD.
Radiation causes vascular endothelial injury. It initiates and accelerates atherosclerosis. Proinflammatory cytokines were increased in ...
Source: Cardiophile MD - April 27, 2020 Category: Cardiology Authors: Prof. Dr. Johnson Francis Tags: Onco Cardiology Source Type: blogs
Combating patient isolation: Breast cancer treatment during the COVID-19 pandemic
As a health care system, we have united during the COVID-19 public health threat to embrace social distancing and “flatten the curve.” In order to conserve scarce resources and limit viral transmission, we health care providers have canceled elective surgeries, postponed health screenings, and moved patient encounters to online platforms. While we are fighting to […]Find jobs at Careers by KevinMD.com. Search thousands of physician, PA, NP, and CRNA jobs now. Learn more. (Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog)
Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog - April 14, 2020 Category: General Medicine Authors: < span itemprop="author" > < a href="https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/post-author/jake-r-erickson-and-kirstyn-e-brownson" rel="tag" > Jake R. Erickson and Kirstyn E. Brownson, MD < /a > < /span > Tags: Conditions COVID-19 coronavirus Infectious Disease Oncology/Hematology Source Type: blogs
Unity Farm Sanctuary and COVID Planning
You might think a farm sanctuary doesn ' t need cyber-liability insurance (we do because we track social security numbers associated with donations). You may not think that a Farm Sanctuary needs a comprehensive COVID plan.We need a plan for five reasons1. We are a community gathering point for over 100 volunteers and hundreds of people taking enrichment classes including Yoga, Tai Chi, Meditation, Beekeeping, and Council on Aging activities.2. We are an employer with full time and part time workers3. We are accountable for the health of more than 250 creatures. Without humans, these crea...
Source: Life as a Healthcare CIO - March 21, 2020 Category: Information Technology Source Type: blogs
Is Tomosynthesis Better than Mammography at Detecting Breast Cancer?
New research shows digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) to be a more effective breast cancer diagnosis tool than digital mammography (DM), according to a study recently published inRadiology. DBT is a relatively new screening practice and was only approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 2017. It uses an x-ray tube that glides in an arc-shape and uses low levels of radiation to image the breast from various angles. Up until now, research only showed us how effective the screening is in the first round of testing before detection rates are expected to escalate. Those early studies showed that DBT had higher detection ...
Source: radRounds - March 21, 2020 Category: Radiology Authors: Julie Morse Source Type: blogs
On Making Mistakes
At 57, I’m busy watching the next generation of folks feel their way along the path of their lives, and I’m wondering, “Do we have to make big mistakes to learn big lessons?”
I know I did. Case in point, when I was 22, I moved to New York City. Life was hard there, but I managed to find a good living situation ($450.00/month for the bedroom of a one-bedroom apartment in Brooklyn) and a good part-time job with full benefits. But I lasted only six months in the city. I missed amenities such as a washer and dryer, my car and the predictability of a suburb of Akron. Needless to say, I moved home.
But what if I’d ...
Source: World of Psychology - March 18, 2020 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Laura Yeager Tags: Aging Inspiration & Hope Personal Coping Hindsight mistakes Resilience risk-taking Source Type: blogs
10 Ways Technology Is Changing Healthcare
The future of healthcare is shaping up in front of our very eyes with advances in digital technologies, such as artificial intelligence, VR/AR, 3D-printing, robotics or nanotechnology. We have to familiarize with the latest developments in order to be able to control technology and not the other way around. The future of healthcare lies in working hand-in-hand with technology and healthcare workers have to embrace emerging technologies in order to stay relevant in the coming years.
Be bold, curious and informed!
Are you afraid that robots will take over the jobs of nurses, doctors and other healthcare professionals? Are y...
Source: The Medical Futurist - March 3, 2020 Category: Information Technology Authors: berci.mesko Tags: Future of Medicine 3d printing AI artificial intelligence augmented reality genetics Health Healthcare nanotechnology Personalized medicine pharma pharmacology robotics virtual reality wearables GC1 Source Type: blogs
Targeting cancers ’ surroundings
Can targeting a tumours' surroundings, rather than the tumour itself, be a way of preventing metastasis? Related items fromOnMedica Breast cancer deaths down due to screening and new therapies UK cancer survival improved, but lags behind similar nations Genetic risk model could guide prostate cancer screening Blood test for breast cancer may be a step closer Doctors urge government to act on rising alcohol impact (Source: OnMedica Blogs)
Source: OnMedica Blogs - March 2, 2020 Category: General Medicine Source Type: blogs
Hope as a Source of Healing
Hope is a concept that has come up often in my therapy practice.
Some have been on the verge of graduating high school and entering college and like many have received several thumbs up and are still waiting for that cherished letter of acceptance from a few more. Their hope is that they get into the “right” school that has all of the educational and social components desired. In the meantime, anxiety visits daily with the mantra “what if?” chanting repetitiously.
Others have been long-married in admittedly dysfunctional relationships. They express frustration and a sense of helplessness with their situations. As ...
Source: World of Psychology - March 1, 2020 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Edie Weinstein, MSW, LSW Tags: Grief and Loss Motivation and Inspiration Perfectionism Personal anxiety change Failure grieving hope Worry Source Type: blogs
Stain and Label-Free Microscopy Enables Imaging of Extracellular Vesicles
Researchers at the Beckman Institute of the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign have developed a method that employs ultrashort laser pulses to visualize extracellular vesicles in tissue samples without using stains or labeling compounds. An increase in the number of these small vesicles is known to be associated with cancer, whereby cancer cells use them to communicate with each other. Therefore, visualizing them microscopically could be useful in detecting cancer progression.
At present, researchers use labels and stains so that they can see specific structures in tissue samples, such as extracellular vesicle...
Source: Medgadget - February 21, 2020 Category: Medical Devices Authors: Conn Hastings Tags: Oncology Pathology Radiology Surgery Source Type: blogs
