BRCA Exchange Available on the Web; Understanding BRCA Variants
It's not known among some healthcare consumers that there are a host of BRCA variants other than the standard ones. Normal BRCA testing looks forthree specific genetic variants that are linked to hereditary cancers. Two of these variants — 185delAG and 5382insC — are in the BRCA1 gene. One variant — called 6174delT — is in the BRCA2 gene. A patient may test positive for a variant other than these common ones and it may not be clear under such circumstances what treatment to offer to the patient. The BRCA Exchange is now avai lable on the web that may be of assistance to researchers, physicians, and ...
Source: Lab Soft News - February 13, 2019 Category: Laboratory Medicine Authors: Bruce Friedman Tags: Clinical Lab Industry News Clinical Lab Testing Healthcare Innovations Lab Industry Trends Lab Processes and Procedures Medical Consumerism Medical Research Preventive Medicine Public Health Source Type: blogs
Fitness and Aging Well Go Hand In Hand
How vital is fitness to aging well? Very. A recent study of participants in the 2015 National Senior Games, also known as the Senior Olympics, revealed that the typical participant had a fitness age of more than 20 years younger than his or her chronological age. According to the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, fitness age is determined by a measure of cardiovascular endurance and is a better predictor of longevity than chronological age. I asked Robert Drapkin, MD FACP, to help us understand ...
Read more on HealthCentral about how fitness and aging well connect:
MedicareFAQ – Medicare Resource Center
Su...
Source: Minding Our Elders - January 18, 2019 Category: Geriatrics Authors: Carol Bradley Bursack Source Type: blogs
Brexit: What Now?
ConclusionOver the coming weeks, Parliament will likely host lots of indicative votes on all these options. The government has to bring forward a revised motion and try again. But so far the Prime Minister appears unwilling to change much of substance, and it ’s not clear where she turns.Crucial now will be the sequencing of votes by MPs for alternatives. If it gets to a stage where it ’s the prospect of no deal against the last perceived line of defense against that happening, then Remainers and soft Brexiteers could unite. For now though, they are hopelessly divided too. Absent further constitutional vandalism endors...
Source: Cato-at-liberty - January 17, 2019 Category: American Health Authors: Ryan Bourne Source Type: blogs
PhD scholarship/stipends: Language, Cognition and Brain Sciences Laboratory Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Brisbane, Australia.
Applications are invited for PhD scholarship/stipends for projects with the Language, Cognition and Brain Sciences Laboratory (http://www.langcogbrain.net) at Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Brisbane, Australia.Research in the lab makes use of a range of methodologies, including magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), electrophysiology (intracranial and scalp-recorded EEG), transcranial magnetic and direct current stimulation (TMS& tDCS), and behavioural paradigms, in both healthy and neurologically disordered populations. Current projects involve research into the cognitive and neural mechanisms of heal...
Source: Talking Brains - January 15, 2019 Category: Neuroscience Authors: Greg Hickok Source Type: blogs
Health Insurance 101
Over the course of the years, decades and centuries I have found I need to spell out some elementary facts for the newbies who come here unenlightened.Health care is not like most commodities, say for example cheese or oven mitts. People who make remarks to the effect that it ' s a violation of their liberty to make them buy health insurance or tell them what the minimal contents of their insurance must be and how would you feel if the government forced you to buy cheese and it had to be cheddar only think they ' re being clever.If you want to drive a car, the government requires you to buy insurance and tells you what tha...
Source: Stayin' Alive - January 9, 2019 Category: American Health Source Type: blogs
High Tax Rates Won ’t Work in Today’s Economy
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortezis making headlines calling for raising the top individual income tax rate to 70 percent to fund a Green New Deal. Sympathetic commentators are saying that such a high rate on the wealthy is no big deal because the top tax rate used to be 70 percent and above. Noah Smith atBloombergsays the congresswomen ’s plan would be “a return to the 20th century norm.”The problem is that globalization has dramatically changed the economy over recent decades. High tax rates were not a good idea back then, but they would be disastrous now.Before the 1980s, capital controls under fixed currency exchange...
Source: Cato-at-liberty - January 8, 2019 Category: American Health Authors: Chris Edwards Source Type: blogs
For the Years of Investigation to Come: a Guide to Resources for Challenging Health Care Corruption
The Enduring Problem of Health Care CorruptionNow arrives the years of investigation. Here in the US, a new majority in the US House of Representatives promises multi-pronged investigations of, among other topics, the corruption that now seems pervasive at the highest reaches of the US government, corruption that has badly affected efforts to truly reform US health care (lookhere). Meanwhile, similar investigations are likely to get underway in various US states. We can only hope that this flurry of activity will end up with some positive steps to reduce US health care corruption,an enduring problem about...
Source: Health Care Renewal - January 2, 2019 Category: Health Management Tags: health care corruption Transparency International Source Type: blogs
What Are the Expected Results of California Board Quotas?
Beginning in 2019, California is set toimplement a new law that requires companies fill around 40 percent of corporate board positions with women.[1] This means California is following the lead of european countries including Norway, Belgium, France, Germany, Iceland, Italy, and Spain which have legislated similar reforms for corporate boards.The California mandate may face federal and state legal challenges. However, assuming the law is implemented, observers will no doubt be interested to see whether it accomplishes its objectives. For example, will the law improve corporate leadership representation for women?A study ...
Source: Cato-at-liberty - December 31, 2018 Category: American Health Authors: Vanessa Brown Calder Source Type: blogs
Trial By Error: My Norwegian Interview
By David Tuller, DrPH In addition to giving a couple of talks in Norway, I also answered some questions from Trude Schei, assistant Secretary General of the Norwegian ME Association. I doubt I said anything I haven’t stated many times before. However, members of the GET/CBT ideological brigades–in Norway and elsewhere–continue to maintain against all […] (Source: virology blog)
Source: virology blog - December 31, 2018 Category: Virology Authors: David Tuller Tags: Uncategorized Source Type: blogs
69% Oppose Creating Federal Paid Leave Program If It Harms Women ’s Career Prospects
The national Cato 2018 Paid Leave Survey of 1,700 adults finds widespread support for creating a federal paid leave program, with 74% in favor. However, 69% of Americans would oppose establishing a federal paid leave program if it meant that fewer women would get promoted and become managers. But would establishing a federal program actu ally do this? Research suggests that it could and that’s why we asked about it on the survey:Read about the full survey results and methodology here.First, let ’s consider the different career outcomes between women in the United States and women in Western Europe and Scandinavia....
Source: Cato-at-liberty - December 17, 2018 Category: American Health Authors: Emily Ekins Source Type: blogs
Trial By Error: The View From Norway
By David Tuller, DrPH I spent the last week of November in Oslo. The Norwegian ME Association invited me to give a couple of talks and have some meetings with public health officials. The city was charming, even if dark and overcast at this time of year. Not surprisingly, the same tussle taking place over […] (Source: virology blog)
Source: virology blog - December 12, 2018 Category: Virology Authors: David Tuller Tags: Uncategorized Source Type: blogs
The Most Intensive Therapy for OCD: The Bergen Treatment
My son Dan suffered from obsessive-compulsive disorder so severe he could not even eat. He spent nine weeks at an intensive world-renowned residential program where he learned techniques through the use of exposure and response prevention (ERP) therapy. These skills have allowed him to live a happy and productive life.
Well, at least I thought it was an intensive program.
At Haukeland University Hospital in Bergen, Norway, there is a treatment program for OCD that is truly intensive. And short. Four full days.
There are many people who spend years of their lives suffering with OCD; it can be a cruel, insidious disorder. Ho...
Source: World of Psychology - December 10, 2018 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Janet Singer Tags: Caregivers OCD Personal Research Treatment Source Type: blogs
Alcohol, Smoking, Drugs: Can Digital Solutions Give A Helping Hand To The Addicted?
Alcohol content measuring wristbands, smart lighters, nicotine tracking wearables, stop smoking apps, virtual reality therapies, automated messaging platforms are the newest elements in the arsenal of digital health technologies supporting everyone in the fight against addiction to cigarettes, alcohol or drugs.
Addiction and dependency ruins lives
Once you become addicted, it sticks with you for a long time, if not for life. It doesn’t matter whether it’s about cigarettes, alcohol, medication, drugs, gambling, sex, etc., any of these substances or phenomena could cause you strong dependency and might impact your everyd...
Source: The Medical Futurist - December 6, 2018 Category: Information Technology Authors: nora Tags: Future of Medicine Future of Pharma Medical Professionals Patients Researchers alcohol cigarette digital health drugs health technology Innovation medication opioid opioid crisis smartphone smartphone apps smoking virtual Source Type: blogs
No Let Up On The Bad News About Overdose Deaths
The National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) just issued Data Brief Number 329, entitled “Drug Overdose Deaths in the United States, 1999-2017.” Drug overdose deaths reached a new record high, exceeding 70,000 deaths in 2017, a 9.6 percent increase over 2016. That figure includes all drug overdoses, including those due to cocaine, methamphetamines, and benzodiazepines. The actual breakdown according to drug category will be reported in mid-December. However, estimates are opioid-related deaths will account for roughly 49,000 of the total overdose deaths. The big takeaways, quoting the report:- The rate of ...
Source: Cato-at-liberty - November 29, 2018 Category: American Health Authors: Jeffrey A. Singer Source Type: blogs
“National narcissism” is rife, finds survey of 35 countries
This study could also be seen as evidence for a cousin of the famous Lake Wobegon effect, or the tendency of people to overestimate their abilities, leading a majority of individuals to view themselves as “above average” in various domains. It shouldn’t be surprising, given what we know about in-group psychology, that people often err similarly when evaluating their own groups relative to others.
It would be fascinating to see a study like this repeated on a larger, more cross-nationally representative group of respondents. One could make a case for more highly educated people both overestimating or underestimating t...
Source: BPS RESEARCH DIGEST - November 21, 2018 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: BPS Research Digest Tags: Cross-cultural guest blogger Social Source Type: blogs
