In Synch – Growing Older with the Rhythms of Life
Dr. Donald L. McEachron, Teaching Professor, School of Biomedical Engineering, Science and Health Systems, Drexel University
Dr. Eugenia V. Ellis, Associate Professor, Architectural and Interior Design, Drexel University
Human beings are the result of biological evolution rather than engineering design. One result of this reality is that humans are dependent on a variety of internal biological rhythms to control and coordinate both physiological and behavioral activities. Organisms, exposed to powerful geophysical cycles for countless millennia, have evolved specific mechanisms to adapt both internally and externally to da...
Source: Disruptive Women in Health Care - December 9, 2015 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: dw at disruptivewomen.net Tags: Aging Source Type: blogs
Nature’s Medicine Cabinet
More than 70 percent of new drugs approved within the past 30 years originated from trees, sea creatures and other organisms that produce substances they need to survive. Since ancient times, people have been searching the Earth for natural products to use—from poison dart frog venom for hunting to herbs for healing wounds. Today, scientists are modifying them in the laboratory for our medicinal use. Here’s a peek at some of the products in nature’s medicine cabinet.
A protein called draculin found in the saliva of vampire bats is in the last phases of clinical testing as a clot-buster for stroke patients. Vampire b...
Source: Biomedical Beat Blog - National Institute of General Medical Sciences - August 14, 2015 Category: Research Authors: Srivalli Subbaramaiah Tags: Chemistry and Biochemistry Pharmacology Cool Creatures Diseases Medicines Natural Products Source Type: blogs
Editorial Board Q&A: Edward C. Halperin
Edward C. Halperin, MD, MA, chancellor and chief executive officer, New York Medical College, Valhalla, New York
1. Describe your current activities.
I recently completed a detailed study of the impact of off-shore for-profit medical education on the access of U.S. schools to clinical clerkships. The results of this study will be published in an upcoming issue of Academic Medicine. My colleagues and I also recently completed an analysis of material that was alleged to have been ashes from the Dachau concentration camp crematoria. The ashes were brought back to the U.S. by a returning soldier after the war and stored for ...
Source: Academic Medicine Blog - August 13, 2015 Category: Universities & Medical Training Authors: Guest Author Tags: Editorial Board Q & A ed halperin edward c. halperin new york medical college Q&A Source Type: blogs
Proposed guidelines threaten access to breast cancer screening
In light of the recent the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) proposal, I immediately think of my 46 year-old patient, recently diagnosed with breast cancer, after routine annual screening. I call her one of my “favorites” and look forward to seeing her each year. We get to talk, laugh, share mothering notes, parenting beautiful daughters. This year, I gave her extra hugs, and comforting words, as I referred her to a breast surgeon. How did this happen? She had no family history, no breast concerns, and was definitely not in a high risk category. But, a 6 mm invasive breast cancer was detected with 3D mammogr...
Source: Disruptive Women in Health Care - April 24, 2015 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: dw at disruptivewomen.net Tags: Uncategorized Women's Health Source Type: blogs
The nuances of breast cancer surgery don’t fit in a headline
Recently, NPR published the results of a study confirming that removal of both breasts (a double mastectomy) fails to improve the chance of survival compared to breast conserving treatments for breast cancer. The headline of the story was “Double Mastectomies Don’t Yield Expected Results, Study Finds.”
This finding is not actually news to informed physicians. Since the 1980s, there has been widespread recognition that both mastectomies and lumpectomies offer an equal survival benefit for properly selected patients. This finding has been confirmed and reconfirmed by randomized clinical studies conducted in the U.S...
Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog - November 3, 2014 Category: Journals (General) Authors: Pat Whitworth, MD Tags: Conditions Cancer Mainstream media Surgery Source Type: blogs
Top stories in health and medicine, September 8, 2014
From MedPage Today:
Dialysis Drug OK’d for Marketing. A new phosphate binder has been cleared to treat hyperphosphatemia in chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients on dialysis.
Medicare ACOs See Benefits Despite Issues. Participants in Medicare’s accountable care organization (ACO) programs have had their share of frustrations, but their enthusiasm for the ACO concept does not appear to have dimmed.
Breast-Sparing Therapy May Give Survival Bump. Breast-conserving therapy (BCT) may offer a survival advantage over mastectomy for patients with early-stage, hormone receptor-positive breast cancer (HR+), according t...
Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog - September 8, 2014 Category: Journals (General) Authors: MedPage Today Tags: News Cancer Heart Nephrology Source Type: blogs
Musings from the Newborn Nursery: Newborn Secrets
As a pediatrician I find that many parents have similar concerns and questions about their newborn. Here are responses to some of the most frequent questions I get from parent about their healthy baby:
1) Why is my newborn sneezing? Does the baby have a cold?
A: It is normal for newborns to sneeze. It is unlikely a few day old baby has a cold because it takes a few days for symptoms to develop after exposure to a cold virus.
2) I don’t want to spoil my baby by holding her all the time.
A: Newborns need to be held to feel safe and secure. It is common in many cultures to believe that holding an infant will spoil t...
Source: Conversations with Dr Greene - July 30, 2014 Category: Pediatricians Authors: Ricky Choi MD Tags: Perspectives Newborn Newborn & Baby Sleep Source Type: blogs
Understanding Women’s Choice for Mastectomy
Mastectomy – From Wikipedia
It’s a bit of a conundrum – Despite advances in breast cancer treatment, and ongoing proof that survival is just as good after breast conserving surgery as it is with mastectomy, more and more women are opting for mastectomy for earlier and earlier stage cancers, especially DCIS.
In a well written, insightful post, Dr Deanna Attai, president-elect of the American Society of Breast Surgeons, outlines both the arguments against mastectomy and why women might make a reasonable choice to have a mastectomy anyway.
What we see in our offices is a rational fear: Many women underst...
Source: The Blog That Ate Manhattan - June 4, 2014 Category: Primary Care Authors: Margaret Polaneczky, MD Tags: Uncategorized Source Type: blogs
Top stories in health and medicine, March 21, 2014
From MedPage Today:
More of the Bugs Kids Get Are Resistant. The rate of antibiotic-resistant Gram-negative bacterial infections in children is increasing in inpatient and outpatient settings.
Salt, Obesity May Prematurely Age Young Cells. High sodium intake and obesity may act synergistically to accelerate cellular aging in adolescents, according to new research.
Breast-Sparing Tops Mastectomy in New Analysis. Breast-conserving surgery led to improved cancer-specific survival in early breast cancer as compared with mastectomy, with or without radiation therapy.
BMI Loss Lasting With 3 Bariatric Surgery Options. Three co...
Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog - March 21, 2014 Category: Family Physicians Tags: News Cancer Infectious disease Obesity Pediatrics Source Type: blogs
Targeted Destruction: Interview with Endocyte’s VP of R&D, Chris Leamon
Earlier this month we wrote about precision oncology, which involves injecting multiple drugs into the same tumor to determine which agent is most effective. Once this is known, a follow up question would be how best to deliver that agent so that it maximizes destruction of the cancer while minimizing harm to healthy tissue. In order to answer this question we had the opportunity to speak with Endocyte‘s VP of Research and Development, Christopher Leamon, about the innovative work his company is doing on small molecule drug conjugates (SMDCs) as targeted delivery vehicle.
Shiv Gaglani, Medgadget: Can you describe th...
Source: Medgadget - December 23, 2013 Category: Technology Consultants Authors: Shiv Gaglani Tags: Medgadget Exclusive Source Type: blogs
Paget's disease if Nipple- Review
Clinical:
Approximately 1%–3% of women with adenocarcinoma of the
breast have Paget disease. Clinically-Paget disease has common dermatitis-like appearance,
as originally described in 1874, when Sir James Paget recorded that such
lesions may resemble “ordinary chronic eczema” or present as nipple erosion or
ulceration. Paget disease often has a deceptively banal clinical morphology but
should lead the list of differential diagnoses when evaluating unilateral
lesions of the nipple–areola complex in adults.
Paget disease presenting with nipple erosion.
Most women with the histopathologic finding o...
Source: Oncopathology - June 28, 2013 Category: Pathologists Tags: Breast Biopsy Procedure Breast Carcinoma vs. Pulmonary Adenocarcinoma a common misdiagnosis. Source Type: blogs
Paget's disease if Nipple- Review
Clinical:Approximately 1% –3% of women with adenocarcinoma of the breast have Paget disease. Clinically-Paget disease has common dermatitis-like appearance, as originally described in 1874, when Sir James Paget recorded that such lesions may resemble “ordinary chronic eczema” or present as nipple erosion or ulceration. Paget disease often has a deceptively banal clinical morphology but should lead the list of differential diagnoses when evaluating unilateral lesions of the nipple–areola complex in adults.Paget disease presenting with nipple erosion. Most women with the histopathologic finding of Paget disease ...
Source: Oncopathology - June 28, 2013 Category: Cancer & Oncology Tags: a common misdiagnosis. breast Breast Biopsy Procedure Breast Carcinoma vs. Pulmonary Adenocarcinoma Source Type: blogs
Eight Toxic Foods: A Little Chemical Education
Many people who read this blog are chemists. Those who aren't often come from other branch of the sciences, and if they don't, it's safe to say that they're at least interested in science (or they probably don't hang around very long!) It's difficult, if you live and work in this sort of environment, to keep in mind what people are willing to believe about chemistry.
But that's what we have the internet for. Many science-oriented bloggers have taken on what's been called "chemophobia", and they've done some great work tearing into some some really uninformed stuff out there. But nonsense does not obey any conservation law...
Source: In the Pipeline - June 21, 2013 Category: Chemists Tags: Toxicology Source Type: blogs
