Causality: Single Gene Disorders Can be Biologically Complex
In June, 2014, my book, entitled Rare Diseases and Orphan Drugs: Keys to Understanding and Treating the Common Diseases was published by Elsevier. The book builds the argument that our best chance of curing the common diseases will come from studying and curing the rare diseases. One of the points discussed in the book is disease causation, and how we often fool ourselves into thinking that we understand how a disease develops, simply because we can name the gene or agent that precipitates the disease. A gene may code for a single protein, but complex genetic and epigenetic conditions will effect the individual's respo...
Source: Specified Life - July 11, 2014 Category: Pathologists Tags: causality cause of disease common disease complex disease diabetes disease causation HGPRT Lesch-Nyhan monogenic disease orphan disease orphan drugs pathogenesis rare disease Source Type: blogs
A Five-Dimensional View of Pain | Pain Research Forum
Leaders of a major effort to systematically classify all common chronic pain conditions expect to have the first stage completed by mid-July 2014. The Pain Taxonomy, a project of the ACTTION public-private partnership, and the American Pain Society is one of two independent initiatives launched last spring to fill a widely perceived need for an updated evidence-based approach to improve diagnosis, treatment, and research of chronic pain (seePRF related news story). Key issues and decisions of the initial consensus meeting held in May 2013 are summed up in the March 2014 issue of The Journal of Pain. The paper also des...
Source: Psychology of Pain - April 8, 2014 Category: Psychiatrists and Psychologists Source Type: blogs
The Fallen Freshman
I was 4 feet and 11 inches, 54 pounds, and could not hold food down. It was not bulimia, anorexia, or sickle cell anemia. After a long process of elimination, I was opened up for exploratory surgery to find I have Crohn’s Disease, minus the symptoms.Contributor: Michael Wayne DettloffPublished: Dec 23, 2013 (Source: Most Recent Health Wellness - Associated Content)
Source: Most Recent Health Wellness - Associated Content - December 23, 2013 Category: Other Conditions Source Type: blogs
NIH, FDA and Academic Institutions: Announce Industry Academic Collaborations
Several recent announcements have discussed new industry-academic collaborations as well as new funding opportunities to help translate scientific discoveries to improve patient care and health.
Harvard and AstraZeneca
AstraZeneca and Harvard University's Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering recently announced a partnership "to use its organs-on-chips technology--miniature human organs made of a clear, flexible polymer that contain tiny tubes lined with living human cells--to help improve the way it tests drugs for humans," according to a press release.
"The chips are translucent, which could provide ...
Source: Policy and Medicine - November 27, 2013 Category: Health Medicine and Bioethics Commentators Authors: Thomas Sullivan Source Type: blogs
RBC immunization in sickle cell disease--revisited
Stella Chou and co-authors published a very interesting and somewhat disquieting paper in the August 8, 2013 edition of Blood (abstract), "High prevalence of RBC immunization in sickle cell disease despite transfusion from Rh-matched minority donors." This paper is an... (Source: The Daily Sign-Out)
Source: The Daily Sign-Out - November 16, 2013 Category: Pathologists Authors: Mark D. Pool, M.D. Tags: Blood Banking RBC Transfusion Transfusion in Sickle Cell Disease Source Type: blogs
Cavernosal Hematoma-MRI
Adult Male with history of coitus injury of 10 days duration ,with Ultrasound suggesting cavernosal bleed , shows on MRI, symmetrical , relatively well defined , focal hematoma(bright on T2 and Blooming on Gradient ) with no break in tunica with cavernosal arteries flow voids as well as urethra apparently normal ,consistent with caverosal haematoma. Trauma can occur in vigorous coitus. Penile fractures can be identified by breaks in tunica albuginea with surrounding hematoma.
Teaching points by Dr MGK Murthy, Dr Sumer Sethi
Relevant Anatomy : Three basic cylinders (two paired dorsal c...
Source: Sumer's Radiology Site - October 22, 2013 Category: Radiologists Authors: Sumer Sethi Source Type: blogs
NIH and Other Public Private Partnerships to Research Treatments for Multiple Diseases
Over the past few weeks, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has made a number of important announcements regarding collaborations with industry as well as the funding of several new research initiatives. Below is a summary of these stories.
NIH Partners With Eli Lilly and Others on Rare Diseases
FierceBiotechResearch reported that NIH selected four (4) new preclinical drug development studies to uncover new therapies for rare diseases. The projects will be funded through the Therapeutics for Rare and Neglected Diseases (TRND) program under NIH's National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, NCATS, whic...
Source: Policy and Medicine - October 4, 2013 Category: Health Medicine and Bioethics Commentators Authors: Thomas Sullivan Source Type: blogs
Medical Mispronunciations and Misspelled Words: The Definitive List.
Hearing medical mispronunciations and seeing misspelled words are an under appreciated joy of working in healthcare. Physicians often forget just how alien the language of medicine is to people who don't live it everyday. The best part about being a physician is not helping people recover from critical illness. The best part is not about listening and understanding with compassion and empathy. Nope, the best part about being a physician is hearing patients and other healthcare providers butcher the language of medicine and experiencing great entertainment in the process. Doctors c...
Source: The Happy Hospitalist - October 2, 2013 Category: Internists and Doctors of Medicine Authors: Tamer Mahrous Source Type: blogs
No sickle cells or pain to zap child’s sparkle
Article taken from The St. Louis American, written by Sandra Jordan
The fact that Gabby Carter of Cape Girardeau, Missouri can go to school and play just about like any other child her age is nothing short of extraordinary.
She received a cord blood stem cell transplant last summer at St. Louis Children’s Hospital. It was her best chance at a cure for the debilitating complications of sickle cell anemia.
With this hereditary blood disorder, normally round red blood cells, that contain the iron-rich hemoglobin protein that carries oxygen throughout the body, are sickle-shaped. Those irregularly shaped cells become ...
Source: Cord Blood News - September 17, 2013 Category: Health Medicine and Bioethics Commentators Authors: joyce at mazelabs.com Tags: blood disorder Cord Blood parents pregnancy stem cells sickle cell anemia Source Type: blogs
Does the FDA Understand Diabetes?
The FDA would like to gain a better understanding of specific diseases.
Over the next five years they plan to conduct at least twenty patient meetings on a wide variety of diseases such as sickle cell, Parkinson’s, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, narcolepsy, and a handful more. But diabetes isn’t on the list… yet.
I don’t get it… Do they feel they understand diabetes well enough already?
DiaTribe, one of my absolute favorite organizations ever, has started an online petition to make the FDA aware of our desire for diabetes to be on the list (arguably, it should already be on the list)....
Source: Scott's Diabetes Blog - September 4, 2013 Category: Diabetes Authors: Scott K. Johnson Tags: Blog Posts Source Type: blogs
Oh my god! drug side effects killed kenny!
I just received a press release in my email inbox announcing the creation of "South Park Pharmaceuticals." I kid you not!WEST HILLS, N.Y., Aug. 13, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- KannaLife Sciences, Inc. ("KannaLife") and Biotech Inc. ("Biotech"), 50/50 joint venture partners of South Park Ventures, LLC announced today, the creation of South Park Pharmaceuticals, Inc. ("SPPI"), a pharmaceutical company established for the purpose of developing, testing, marketing and selling botanical medicaments, naturopathic compounds and phyto-medical products for health and wellness.Jason Cranford, CEO of Biotech stated, "It is becoming appa...
Source: Pharma Marketing Blog - August 13, 2013 Category: Pharma Commentators Tags: medical marijuana traditional medicine Diddies and Spoofs Source Type: blogs
The Beautiful Disruption: How Open Health Care Data Puts Patients in Charge
Health care is on the verge of a beautiful disruption.
Technology is driving a liberation of data that will fundamentally change our relationship with our patients.
In this brief blog, we’ll:
look at technology’s effects on grocery stores (and why we should care),
highlight some innovative companies that are disrupting health care, and
put it all together to recognize how patients will command more control over health care decisions and spending.
But first—grocery stores.
Grocery Store Technology
Once upon a time, grocery store employees spent an evening each month counting the cereal boxes left upon the ...
Source: richard[WINTERS]md - August 11, 2013 Category: Universities & Medical Training Authors: Richard Winters MD Tags: Uncategorized Source Type: blogs
The Beautiful Disruption: How Open Health Care Data Puts Patients in Charge
Health care is on the verge of a beautiful disruption.
Technology is driving a liberation of data that will fundamentally change our relationship with our patients. In this brief blog, we will:
look at technology’s effects on grocery stores (and why we should care),
highlight some innovative companies that are disrupting health care, and
put it all together to recognize how patients will command more control over health care decisions and spending.
But first—grocery stores.
Grocery Store Technology
Once upon a time, grocery store employees spent an evening each month counting the cereal boxes left upon the shelf...
Source: richard[WINTERS]md - August 11, 2013 Category: Universities & Medical Training Authors: Richard Winters MD Tags: Uncategorized Source Type: blogs
