MedWorm: Geneticists and Genetics Commentators

My Therapist Is Pregnant, And I Hate Her For It

Genetics and Health — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 15:17:27 +0100

When I showed up to my session, my therapist told me we needed to discuss something. Uh oh—had a check bounced? Was she breaking up with me? I’d been thinking it was time to end our sessions; maybe she was trying to beat me to the punch. But no. Those were not the issues at hand. She was pregnant, and wouldn’t be able to hide it much longer, so she was letting all of her patients know. She’s due at the end of June and plans to be on maternity leave for two to three months, but would be available for phone sessions. I did what society and past experience had taught me is appropriate, and gleefully congratulated her. Then, within milliseconds, burst into tears and cried through the rest of my session…and well after I walked out the door, too. It wasn’t the best of tim...

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Lactate/Pyruvate ratio

The OMMBID Blog — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 14:27:26 +0100

The lactate to pyruvate ratio is one tool that clinicians can use to help determine the availability of reducing equivalents in the cell cytosol. It can be useful in distinguishing Pyruvate Dehydrogenase Deficiency from other forms of lactic acidosis, for example. Lactate is usually reported in mmol/L and pyruvate is usually reported in mg/dL, thus requiring a unit conversion for pyruvate. This can be accomplished by multiplying pyruvate in mg/dL by a conversion factor of 0.1136 which will give pyruvate in mmol/L. Elevated L/P ratios can be seen in PDH deficiency, and a paper by Debray et al in Clinical Chemistry (2007) 53 (5): 916-921 entitled “Diagnostic Accuracy of Blood Lactate-to Pyruvate Molar Ratio in the Differential Diagnosis of Congenital Lactic Acidosis” provide...

Ambulance crews tweet ‘working life’

ScienceRoll — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 20:29:53 +0100

It seems tweeting during work hours in order to give some insights about that specific job is quite trendy these days. A few days ago, I read a BBC report about the North West Ambulance Services that started to use Twitter while working so people could feel themselves closer to the crews. Five North West Ambulance Service (NWAS) crews from Liverpool, Burnley, Kendal, Crewe and Manchester will take part in the week-long project. NWAS Director of Emergency Services Derek Cartwright said each crew would tweet for one day. He said the tweets would not reveal patient details, but would show “the human side of the service”. Then a friend from the UK informed me on Twitter (where else?) that London Ambulane has been doing the same thing for some time. As I think this is a great idea...

Use Of Mobiles, Video And Social Networking By Physicians: Infographic

ScienceRoll — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 18:29:17 +0100

I’ve recently come across an amazing infographic dedicated to the use of mobiles/smartphones, video and social media by medical professionals. A few interesting snippets and questions I raised: 81% of physicians are expected to own a smartphone by 2012 73% search the web (only 73%?) More physicians watch videos on WebMD than on Youtube? 86% of physicians use Facebook (certainly not for professional but personal reasons) What do you think of these and the rest of the data? (Source: ScienceRoll)

3 Parent Babies Back in the News

Mary Meets Dolly — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 17:08:51 +0100

The 3-genetic parent embryo is back in the news. This time it is Australia that wants to attempt to genetically engineer a human embryo to have 3 genetic parents. Why would scientists want to engineer an embryo with the genetic material from 3 people? To "prevent" the inheritance of mitochondrial disease. Not all of our DNA that we inherit is in the nuclei of the egg and sperm that join at fertilization. In the cytoplasm of our mother's egg are mitochondria. Mitochondria have their own DNA called mtDNA. We inherit our mtDNA only from our mother because sperm's mitochondria are dumped at conception. There are genetic mutations that cause disease in mtDNA and a woman with a such a mutation cannot help but pass this mutation on to her ...

Reinventing Physicians: TED Talk

ScienceRoll — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 09:23:13 +0100

Dr. Jeff Benabio about reinventing physicians in the 21st century. For over five years, Dr. Jeff Benabio has been using social media channels to help patients learn about skin health and disease and to help doctors learn about engaging patients more effectively. In his practice Dr. Benabio uses disruptive tools such as telemedicine and mobile devices to improve patient access and reduce medical costs. In his talk he’ll show us how we’re re-inventing medicine with Twitter and Facebook, and why it’s the best thing to happen to medicine since vaccines. (Source: ScienceRoll)

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What happens to your online life when you die?

ScienceRoll — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 17:30:56 +0100

I have plenty of social media accounts with many contacts and friends. I have data stored in the cloud and have a lot of passwords and files online. Have you ever wondered what happens to your online life when you die? Well, they say over 1.7 million Facebook users died in 2011. An Australian website collected all the information you need to know from digital preservation to digital waste you would leave behind. (Source: ScienceRoll)

Hans Rosling Brings Humor to Global Health Statistics

ScienceRoll — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 02:42:07 +0100

Hans Rosling public health guru and data enthusiast shines again: (Source: ScienceRoll)

From Bionic Bodyshop to E-patient Bootcamp

ScienceRoll — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 13:54:44 +0100

Hospitals Text Patients To Remind Them Of Upcoming Treatments Private hospitals in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, have adopted a tech-savvy way to remind patients of their next appointment. By sending out SMS reminders, outpatients were able to keep their scheduled hospital visits and reduce the number of nonattendance. This mobile method was especially helpful and effective for patients needing ongoing treatment, for example with dengue fever. Is 2012 The Year Of Online Patients? Some Thoughts On Getting Academic Types to Use Twitter Dave’s e-mazing bootcamp or why “e” also means experience! Object Breast Cancer: visualizing tumors through art Promoting Your Research Using Social Media The Bionic Bodyshop Advanced medical devices are the tools that enable humans and robots ...

Evidence Based Medicine in Social Media

ScienceRoll — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 06:43:53 +0100

Do you remember when Google Flu Trends was launched and we were all amazed by the great idea behind that? And do you remember when a study from the University of Washington came up concluding that Google Flu Trends is not as accurate as CDC’s national surveillance programs? So it is social media, it’s trendy and innovative but useless in medicine and healthcare. Here is the over-shined iPad2 which everyone loves and would like to use at hospitals and clinical practices and we see an amazing number of apps designed for that. A new study now concluded that diagnostic imaging on iPads is twice as slow. A study from the University of Maryland found that radiologists using iPad 2s to evaluate patients for tuberculosis (TB) took twice as long to make a diagnosis as they did when us...

Top 10 Hepatitis Social Media Resources

ScienceRoll — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 22:33:41 +0100

Webicina’s new Hepatitis and Social Media collection features relevant and quality social media resources from blogs and podcasts to community sites, Youtube and Twitter accounts focusing on hepatitis. Here is my top 10 social media selection for hepatitis: HBV and HCV Advocate’s Hepatitis Blog (blog) Hepatitis B Foundation – Podcast Directory (podcast) Inspire – Hepatitis-C Community (community site) HCV Support (community site) Global Hepatitis Initiative (Facebook) Hepatitis Central (Twitter) Hepatitis Australia (Youtube) Mayo Clinic – Hepatitis (information resource) AnswersIn Medicine Hepatitis C (mobile app) Hepatitis Foundation (Youtube) And PeRSSonalized Hepatitis, the simplest, free, customizable, multi-lingual medical information aggregato...

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How To NOT Use a Medical Photo: Best example

ScienceRoll — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 20:33:21 +0100

The Sterile Eye blog came up with a very tough case in which the official poster for the the 19th Workshop of the International Society for the Study of Vascular Anomalies (ISSVA) was found to be quite disturbing and Øystein Horgmo raised important questions about the use of this image. Did the parents of this child agree to their child being used on a poster in this way? Did they know ISSVA would choose a photo were their child looks frightened? Did they know ISSVA would make the poster the shape of their child’s head? Did they know ISSVA would desaturate everything but their child’shemangiomas? Did they know ISSVA would put text all over their child’s face? Even if they knew and agreed to all of the above, why did ISSVA use the photo like this? What do you think about this? ...

Angry Moms Who Want Ellen DeGeneres Fired Are Bad For Our Mental Health

Genetics and Health — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 16:46:38 +0100

Remember the angry moms who demanded that Ben & Jerry’s pull their “Schweddy Balls” ice cream from store shelves because it was considered sooo offensive to their little darlings? Well, they’re at it again. This time though, they want our beloved Ellen DeGeneres fired from being the spokesperson for JC Penney because she’s “openly gay”. If you ask me, these moms and their open negativity and hatred are just bad for our mental health. The group known as OneMillionMoms.com, a division of the American Family Association, is pushing their supporters to speak out against Ellen being named the new spokesmodel for the chain store. In addition, they are demanding that she be replaced by someone who is not a lesbian. On their site, they wrote: Funny...

Dietary treatment in Glutaric Aciduria Type I

The OMMBID Blog — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 00:24:02 +0100

Strauss et al. published an article describing the effects of a lysine-free, arginine-rich formula for the treatment of Glutaric Aciduria Type I. This successful treatment strategy takes advantage of the kinetics of the y+ blood brain barrier transporter, and presumably limits lysine transport into the CNS. They conclude that monitoring the ratio between lysine and arginine could be a successful strategy for treatment in GAI. This represents an exciting development in the treatment of a devastating disorder. (Strauss et al., Mol Genet and Metab 104 (2011) 93-10) Hilary Vernon, MD PhD http://dx.doi.org/10.1036/ommbid.123 (Source: The OMMBID Blog)

Ketamine Nation? Special K Works Better Than Prozac At Treating Depression

Genetics and Health — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 17:48:18 +0100

The war on depression is getting mighty weird these days. Last week, scientists said psilocybin, the active ingredient in ‘magic’ mushrooms, could be useful in treating depression. This week? Beat the blues with ketamine! The drug—also known as ‘Special K’—can lift even suicidal depression in just a few hours, researchers say. Ketamine is approved by the FDA as an anesthetic. It’s mainly used as a horse tranquilizer, though it can be used to sedate both people and other animals. It’s also used by people recreationally, and is capable of producing hallucinations. I had friends who got really into its use in college (between this study and the mushrooms business, my college friends should have been the least depressed people ever …). Mostly, the...

Newt Gingrich on Transhumanism

Mary Meets Dolly — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 16:42:00 +0100

Many people who read my work elsewhere think transhumanism movement is not an important pro-life issue. It is so abstract an idea to them that they regularly wonder why I bother writing about it. I think it is simply because they don't realize how much transhumanism is already in our consciousness. Artificial human enhancements are depicted everywhere from TV (Chuck) to movies (Captain America and Limitless) to video games (Deus Ex.) And whether parents realize it or not, transhumansim is especially in the consciousness of our children. In a recent conversation, my own son asked me why I don't like human enhancements. He was distressed and asked, "Then how can I become a super hero?" My husband commented that he wanted to be a super hero too wh...

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New treatments for Angelman syndrome?

The OMMBID Blog — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 06:07:36 +0100

This study explored the possibility that Angelman syndrome could be treated by activating this silenced allele to restore functional UBE3A protein. Using an unbiased, high-content screen in primary cortical neurons from mice (AS animal model), Huang et al. identified 12 topoisomerase I inhibitors and 4 topoisomerase II inhibitors that unsilence the paternal UBE3A allele. This study also showed that the unsilenced paternal allele produces a functional protein. Topoisomerase inhibitors appear to regulate UBE3A gene expression through a transcriptional mechanism (not by affecting the methylation status). The in vivo experiments performed on adult mice suggest that transient topoisomerase inhibition may have long-standing effects on gene expression. This is an example of regaining gene functio...

MSA 2012 registration is open

Fungal Genomes and Comparative Genomics — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 03:37:48 +0100

The website for the MSA 2012 meeting to be held 16-18 July at Yale University is now available on-line at http://msa2012.net/ Abstract submission (http://msa2012.net/registration/abstract_submission.php) and registration (http://www.regonline.com/Register/Checkin.aspx?EventID=1033055) will open February 1, and abstract submission will close on March 15. The Karling Lecturer this year will given by Barbara Valent, Distinguished Professor of Genetics at Kansas State University. (Source: Fungal Genomes and Comparative Genomics)

Mutations in SRCAP, Encoding SNF2-Related CREBBP Activator Protein, Cause Floating-Harbor Syndrome.

The OMMBID Blog — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 16:26:00 +0100

Hood et al, are reporting in the AJHG that SRCAP is causing Floating-Harbor Syndrome. Exome sequencing in five unrelated individuals identified mutations in SRCAP ; all are tightly clustered within a small (111 codon) region of the final exon. The results were further verified by identifying mutations in 8 more patients. In all the instances in which parental DNA was available, all mutations have been shown to be de novo. SRCAP is an SNF2-related chromatin-remodeling factor that serves as a coactivator for CREB-binding protein (CREBBP is the major cause of Rubinstein-Taybi syndrome). The mutations are predicted to abolish three C-terminal AT-hook DNA-binding motifs while leaving the CBP-binding and ATPase domains intact. These findings show that SRCAP mutations are the major cause of Flo...

Educational Comics: Schizophrenia and more

ScienceRoll — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 08:39:34 +0100

Last week, I gave a presentation about how people with mental conditions and their doctors use the web and social media at the Congress of Psychiatry and I saw a great idea when walking around after my talk. The comics book shown below (Microchip in the brain) is used for educating people dealing with schizophrenia. It guides the patient through a whole story describing the symptoms, issues at the doctor visit and other important topics. As I checked it online, there are other great comic books focusing on different conditions. Such high quality educational materials can be a huge help both for patients and their relatives. (Source: ScienceRoll)

My beautiful brush with a boy with Down Syndrome

Mary Meets Dolly — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 21:54:27 +0100

Today at Mass there was a 3 year-old boy with Down Syndrome in the pew in front of us. When it came time to wish each other peace, every person around him got at least 2 hand shakes and words of peace. A shake and a "Peace be with you" given with a love and joy I have never seen before in a child his age. I was lucky enough for him to offer me his hand three times. I looked around at the beaming faces around me. The toothy grins, the warm hearts, the smiling eyes all fixed on this child. A child who is truly lucky to have made it out of the womb.I say this to every so-called medical professional, or any other elitist, who has ever suggested to a woman pregnant with a child with Down Syndrome that the "compassionate" thing to do, the &...

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Scienceroll.com: Weekly Introduction

ScienceRoll — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 13:06:49 +0100

If you are looking for interesting articles and news on medicine 2.0 or health 2.0, find me on Twitter or on Friendfeed. Internet in Medicine University Course: We are in the fourth semester of the first university course that focuses on web 2.0 and medicine for medical students. Medicine 2.0 Collection: I maintain the biggest collection of links and posts focusing on web 2.0 and medicine. Webicina.com is my service that curates medical content in social media for free fo medical professionals and e-patients. PeRSSonalized Medicine is the simplest, free, customizable medical information aggregator covering over 80 medical specialties and conditions in 17 languages! Scienceroll Search is a personalized medical search engine powered by PolyMeta search and clustering engine. You ...

The MDigital Life Interview

ScienceRoll — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 17:07:21 +0100

Greg Matthews who is a Group Director in WCG’s interactive and social media team asked me to give him an interview about how I use social media in medicine and it is published now on WCG CommonSense. An excerpt: When I started using twitter in 2008, I was amazed at how easy it was to connect with other folks who were beginning to think about the intersection of healthcare and social media. I’m happy to say that I am still in touch with many of those folks – Mark Hawker, John Moore, Bob Coffield, Marty Trussell, Holly Potter and Dana Lewis, to name a few. One of those twitter pioneers – and one of my first online friends – is a doctor who has inspired thousands with his groundbreaking work – Dr. Bertalan Mesko (more commonly known on the social web as “Berci”). ...

The Robot Report from CES 2012: Medical Implications

ScienceRoll — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 13:06:08 +0100

I got access to the Robot Report written by Frank Tobe from the recent Consumer Electronics Show 2012. He featured many innovative and futuristic consumer robots out of which a few, I think, had real medical or health-related implications. You can download the document here. An excerpt: Consumer robotics represented a very small part of CES but had the same combination of glitz, glamour, marvelous stuff, misrepresentation, uninspiring products and hidden gems, just like the rest of CES. Robotics Trends hosted a Robotics Tech Zone but the action was well beyond their purview because many of the companies wanted to emphasize their consumer orientation instead of highlighting the robotic. Some examples: PerMMA, a personal mobility and manipulation appliance for power wheelchair users. My...

Going Green: With new HHS mandate maybe Catholics should re-brand as environmentalists

Mary Meets Dolly — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 20:01:48 +0100

The Obama Administration and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) have told Catholic institutions all across the country they must violate their conscience and provide coverage for hormonal contraceptives.The response by Catholic bishops and Catholics everywhere has been loud and proud. We know that this mandate violates our religious rights guaranteed by the Constitution. Despite our cries, it seems clear that Obama and HHS really do not care about our free exercise of religion. But I wonder if Obama and HHS care about the environment. Yes. That's right the environment. Obama is always talking about green energy and has branded himself a champion of the environment. And yet all this newly covered hormonal contraception will cause even more ...

96% Of Us Are More Stressed Than Our Moms Were; Cut Yourself Some Slack

Genetics and Health — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 17:40:07 +0100

On the Today show this morning, they reported that a whopping 70% of moms in the U.S. say mothering is “incredibly stressful.” On top of that, 96% feel we are far more stressed than our own mothers were. While I can certainly relate (I am a working mom with two kids), I always find reports like that interesting, because I think they can paint a picture of us as martyrs, when in fact, we’re the ones who typically bring this stress upon ourselves. And if we would just cut ourselves some slack, we could probably alleviate a lot of this angst. Yes, things like the economy, financial insecurities, job losses, family illnesses and caring for aging parents are stressful. There’s no doubt about that. And sometimes those situations leave us little choice in how harried our lives are...

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Demi Moore Reportedly Hospitalized Over ‘Whip-Its’; Couldn’t She Have Just Had Some Wine?

Genetics and Health — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 16:07:22 +0100

After days of rumors, reports now indicate that “whip-its” could have been the drug of choice for Demi Moore and the reason she was rushed to the hospital earlier this week. And here I thought sucking the air out of whipped cream bottles was just for teenagers to do as a cheap and stupid way of getting high when working at Ground Round or Ben & Jerry’s. Media outlets are now claiming the actress reportedly had a seizure after inhaling nitrous oxide at her home. Known commonly as doing “whip-its,” the activity generally involves inhaling the gas from a whipped cream dispenser for a cheap, quick high, which can produce effect similar to alcohol. But not all the side-effects from “whip-its” are as simple as that. Adverse reactions can include naus...

At 62, Vera Wang Looks Healthy And Awesome In Harper’s Bazaar

Genetics and Health — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 20:49:36 +0100

Fashion and healthy bodies don’t always get along, but in a gorgeous spread for the February edition of Harper’s Bazaar, Vera Wang is doing her darndest to merge the two. Images from the shoot displaying the 62-year-old fashion icon’s healthy, awesome-looking body have just been released, and all I can say “Damn, Vera.” The point of the spread wasn’t to show off Wang’s muscular gams and enviable arms–it was to give the world a tour of her epic new Beverly Hills mansion. In fact, she says, she didn’t even mean to end up in the swimsuit–she’d initially envisioned a corsted top with a boyshort or something less revealing. But the swimsuit makes sense–Wang says that she, unlike many celebs, actually uses her pool regularly...

How will I become a super hero? A kid conversation about enhancements

Mary Meets Dolly — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 18:22:45 +0100

Overheard in the Taylor house:Son: (with grumpy face) Mom you don't like human enhancements do you?Me: No, I don'tSon: (with even grumpier face) Then how will I become a super hero?Me: You don't need to be enhanced to be a super hero. God loves you just the way you are. It is wrong to take drugs or do other stuff to make yourself super human, especially if you are already healthy. What if someone bad gets enhanced and hurts a lot of people? Or what if only rich people can get enhanced and then make life harder for everyone else? What if it gets so that you need lots of drugs or artificial limbs to play sports because talent and hard work aren't good enough to compete anymore? Or if you need a cyber-brain to go to college or be a doctor? ...

The roundup of twittered updates for 2012-01-25

Fungal Genomes and Comparative Genomics — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 15:00:00 +0100

Phylogenetic relationships within Opisthokonta based on phylogenomic analyses of conserved single copy protein domains http://t.co/Hd6L1rcm # Powered by Twitter Tools (Source: Fungal Genomes and Comparative Genomics)

Demi Moore Called Paramedics To Treat Her Exhaustion; Why Didn’t Anyone See This Coming?

Genetics and Health — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 03:55:35 +0100

Demi Moore was taken to a hospital by paramedics on Monday night after an emergency call, and today her rep issued a statement saying she’s being treated for exhaustion due to the stresses in her life. But after her strange interview in Harper’s Bazaar at the beginning of the year, and her ever-diminishing frame in the two months since her divorce from Ashton Kutcher, wasn’t it obvious she needed some help? According to New York Daily News, the Los Angeles Fire Department confirmed that she’d called for help on Monday night. This afternoon, Moore’s rep issued the following explanation: Because of the stresses in her life right now, Demi has chosen to seek professional assistance to treat her exhaustion and improve her overall health. She looks forward to get...

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Psychedelic Mushrooms Reduce Brain Activity (And That’s A Good Thing)

Genetics and Health — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 21:03:22 +0100

In my college days, I was no stranger to the odd hit of acid or bag of ‘shrooms, and I’ve long believed in the power of drugs like these to be therapeutic under the right circumstances. I’m reading a book right now, in fact, by Ram Dass (born Richard Alpert), a Harvard psychology professor turned yogi and spiritual leader who was part of that whole 1960s scholarly cohort (including Timothy Leary) studying psychedelics. But although serious scholars (and lay people like myself and my college friends) have been studying psychedelics for decades, no one has been quite sure just what affect they have on the brain—until now. It turns out, serious academic study of psychedelics is back in vogue, only with less mysticism and more neuroscience this time around. And neu...

Preliminary results on embryonic stem cell blindness trial

Mary Meets Dolly — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 17:19:21 +0100

Yesterday it was reported that a human embryonic stem cell derived treatment has improved the vision in two women. From The Washington Post:For the first time, an experimental treatment made from human embryonic stem cells has shown evidence of helping someone, partially restoring sight to two people suffering from slowly progressing forms of blindness.Although the purpose of the experiment was to test the safety of stem cells injected into the eye, both patients had measurable improvement in their vision that persisted through the duration of the study, said Robert Lanza, chief scientific officer at Advanced Cell Technology, the Massachusetts biotech company that sponsored the closely watched experiment.The women are not reporting any adverse side effects and I do hope, for thei...

Support for ‘Bald Barbie’ Campaign on Facebook

ScienceRoll — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 13:27:27 +0100

A Facebook campaign was launched a few weeks ago in order to urge Mattel to produce a bald version of its Barbie doll that will help children with cancer and others who have lost their hair due to illness cope with their conditions while playing. An excerpt from a recent article: “We hope it gets the message out that being bald is beautiful and is no big deal. There’s no need to cover up,” she said. Sypin’s own daughter is one of those children. The 12-year-old, named Kin Inich, lost her hair after chemotherapy. Even though her daughter isn’t a huge Barbie fan, Sypin said she is excited about the idea. “She said if they make one, she would totally get it,” Sypin said. “The first thing she said was if they make that doll, she would buy a bunch and take them to a chil...

PharmApps: Wiki of Pharma Mobile Apps

ScienceRoll — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 22:00:56 +0100

As the PharmApps site declares, it’s good that we have more and more pharma mobile apps, but it’s becoming increasingly hard to track them and find what we need. So PharmApps aimed at creating a database of these by using proper tags and categories. We know that in this digital age, the best feedback happens when a broad group of individuals has the ability to upload and comment on content being shared for all to use and digest. We’ve built a resource, or wiki, that, by design, will grow through the input and insight of people interested in the healthcare marketplace, mobile technologies, and apps. The PharmApps wiki aggregates pharma/healthcare apps and gives users the ability to add comments, write reviews, rate apps, and share and upload new apps. The apps are categorized ...

Can’t Stand Your Co-Worker’s Perfume? There’s A Reason For That.

Genetics and Health — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 16:48:53 +0100

You know that co-worker whose perfume smells really bad? Or that friend’s house that reeks of dirty socks? If you can’t stand these smells and they give you headaches, you may not just be overly-sensitive to bad odors, you may actually suffer from a chemical intolerance. According to a new study from psychology researcher, Linus Andersson, at Umeå University, normally our smell perceptions diminish pretty quickly after we first get a whiff of a friend’s scent of her apartment. Most people tend to notice a smell as soon as we enter the door, but then the smell goes away. For the lucky people with a chemical intolerance though, that smell persists. And in some cases, we perceive that it’s getting stronger. This hypersensitivity is due to our brain activity. People wi...

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The roundup of twittered updates for 2012-01-23

Fungal Genomes and Comparative Genomics — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 15:00:00 +0100

Temperate Climate Niche for Cryptococcus gattii in Northern Europe http://t.co/U5VZHNAQ # Regulatory interactionis for iron homoeostatis in Aspergillus fumigatus inferred by a Systems Biology approach http://t.co/3YRbAv6f # Cooperation among germinating spores facilitates the growth of the fungus, Neurospora crassa http://t.co/ozIxdMDY # Evolution of antifreeze protein genes in the diatom genus fragilariopsis: evidence for horizontal gene transfer… http://t.co/lXWOUyJp # conserved global regulator VeA is necessary for symptom prod & mycotoxin synth in maize by Fusarium verticillioides http://t.co/R7dg7Dnq # Patterns of Repeat-Induced Point Mutation in Transposable Elements of Basidiomycete Fungi. http://t.co/6oEQjWSl # Draft genome sequencing of the enigmatic yeast Saitoella comp...

Evidence that mutations in EZH2 cause Weaver syndrome

The OMMBID Blog — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 10:37:47 +0100

Gibson et al and Tatton-Brown K et al are reporting that enhancer of zeste homolog 2 (EZH2) is the cause of Weaver syndrome. In the first case, trio-based exome sequencing looking for de novo mutations was used to analyze two families affected by Weaver syndrome, including one of the original families reported in 1974, while in the second 4 affected non-related individuals were sequenced and the result was further confirmed by identifying EZH2 mutations at 15/300 individuals with overgrowth syndromes. EZH2 encodes a member of the Polycomb-group (PcG) family which is involved in maintaining the transcriptional repressive state of genes over successive cell generations (GeneCards) and the presented findings provide further links between histone modifications and the regulation of huma...

From 9 Tablet Tips to the 15 Most Wired Hospitals

ScienceRoll — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 09:50:50 +0100

Study: For Now, Web-Based Healthcare Tools Are Mostly Ineffective A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association accents the limits of web-based health management tools that are currently available. Dr. Bryan Vartabedian – The MDigitalLife Interview Mobile health trends and challenges in 2012 Top 15 Hospitals are very wired Health Populi’s Hot Points: I’ve studied the “Healthcare’s Most Wired” Health Providers from Hospitals & Health Networks and the Thomson Reuters Top 100 Hospitals for many years. It strikes me in 2012 that with meaningful use and patient engagement on the front-burner for providers adopting EHRs that a useful metric for these studies could be patient engagement. 9 Tablets Fit For Doctors Headphone-wearing pe...

Reverberations of Roe v. Wade

Mary Meets Dolly — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 22:12:19 +0100

Thirty-nine years ago, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled, in Roe v. Wade, that the laws outlawing abortion in Texas were unconstitutional because a woman had a right to privacy, guaranteed by the Constitution. Suddenly, the unborn had no legal protection in the United States. But Roe v. Wade did not just deny legal protection to the unborn, it catapulted the United States toward all manner of unethical biotechnology.Abortion obviously produces aborted fetuses. The taboo of using aborted fetal tissue for research is not a deterrent for some researchers; such tissue is just another tool in their toolbox. Michael West, formerly of Advanced Cell Technology, freely admits that he has used aborted fetal tissue to advance his research. In his book, The Immortal Cell: One ...

The Rise of the e-Patient: Slideshow

ScienceRoll — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 09:46:20 +0100

It’s always good to see the trends about the growing number and importance of e-patients. Lee Rainie, director of the Pew Internet Project, presented this wonderful overview of the Project’s health findings at Providence St. Joseph Medical Center in Burbank, CA, on January 12. (Source: ScienceRoll)

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Nature documentary discovers pharma reps in the wild: Funniest video

ScienceRoll — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 07:28:39 +0100

One of the funniest videos I’ve ever seen. A “nature documentary” about how pharma reps attack their prey, the doctor… (Source: ScienceRoll)

Doctors 2.0 and You: Event of the year in 2012!

ScienceRoll — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 18:27:02 +0100

A wonderful conference is coming up in Paris in May. The 2nd Annual Doctors 2.0 & You convenes on May 23 – 24 at the elegant Cite Universitaire in Paris. This conference will gather together international supporters of health 2.0 tools and Social Media to share ideas and practices from 5 continents. The program will examine how doctors and other healthcare providers, patients, and medical industry use social media, mobile apps and other Web 2.0 tools to connect and interact. Please take a look at the distinguished speakers list. I gave a prezi last year. Topics include: Connecting the ePatient and the 2.0 Doctor Online Patient Communities Online Physician Communities Social Media and Personal Health Records Social Media Campaigns for Government, Hospitals & Pharm...

Top 100 Sports Medicine Social Media Channels

ScienceRoll — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 02:50:24 +0100

Webicina’s new Sports Medicine and Social Media collection features relevant and quality social media resources from blogs and podcasts to community sites, Youtube and Twitter accounts focusing on this specialty. Here is my top 10 social media selection for Sports Medicine: Dr. Howard J. Luks`s Blog (blog) About.com Sports Medicine (blog) Huffines Institute for Sports Medicine and Human Performance (podcast) British Journal of Sports Medicine (blog) National Academy of Sports Medicine (Twitter) American College of Sports Medicine (Facebook) Karim Khan (Twitter) Evidence Based Medicine Guidelines – Physical and Sports Medicine and Orthopaedics (Mobile app) National Academy of Sports Medicine (Youtube) ScienceDaily Images (image collection) And PeRSSonalized Sports Medicin...

Have you joined the Society for Participatory Medicine?

ScienceRoll — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 17:50:03 +0100

The motto of the Society for Participatory Medicine: Participatory Medicine is a movement in which networked patients shift from being mere passengers to responsible drivers of their health, and in which providers encourage and value them as full partners. You should definitely join the Society for many reasons: Thank you for your interest in furthering the cause of participatory medicine. Membership is open to any individual or organization who desires to further the goals of the Society for Participatory Medicine. The Society is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) public charity, so membership fees are tax deductible as allowable by law. Membership Dues should never be a barrier to anyone eager to join. You can nominate yourself or someone else to receive a partial or full scholarship. Only Individua...

Gossiping May Be Malicious, But Here’s Why It’s Good For Our Health

Genetics and Health — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 17:23:47 +0100

As much as we don’t like to admit it, most of us probably gossip from time to time. Learning that so-and-so just broke up with so-and-so can be too juicy to keep to ourselves, right? It’s malicious, back-stabbing and reputation-ruining, but that doesn’t stop us. And according to a new study, it might not have to. Researchers are now saying that this so-called “information sharing” can actually be good for our social and psychological health. Here’s why. Published in this month’s Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, scientists tested “prosocial” gossip, which is essentially warning others about untrustworthy or dishonest people. For the study, researchers conducted four experiments. First, they observed 51 volunteers playing a g...

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What we learn in the womb

Mary Meets Dolly — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 19:06:09 +0100

Because human life starts well before birth, it is no surprise that human learning starts well before birth. Science is showing us that the 9 months spent inside our mother's womb is a time we take cues from our mother and her environment. Some of these cues will stay with us for our entire lives. In this fascinating TED video, Annie Murphy Paul explains: So if food is abundant in the womb then we fine tune our metabolism for a life of abundance. If food is scarce, we prepare for a life of famine. If life for mom is stressful, then we develop a sensitivity to stress preparing for a stress filled life. Culture is not something that we learn only outside the womb, but inside as well. From the melodies of language to the spices in our mother's foo...

Yes, Even Mentally Ill Women Have Reproductive Rights

Genetics and Health — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 19:02:49 +0100

File this in the really, they can do that? category: A judge in Massachusetts tried to order a mentally ill pregnant woman to have an abortion, and thereafter be sterilized. Thankfully, an appeals court intervened. According to the Boston Globe, the 32-year-old pregnant woman, identified by the pseudonym Mary Moe, was schizophrenic, bipolar and had been hospitalized several times. Earlier this month, judge Christina Harms declared her incompetent, and ordered her to have an abortion, even though she was Catholic and opposed it. The judge said she could be “coaxed, bribed, or even enticed” into hospital for the surgery. He also directed that she be sterilized “to avoid this painful situation from recurring in the future.” Whoa, right? Even if the woman was incomp...

Strange TODAY Show Story Reminds Us That “Hysteria” Is Still A Thing

Genetics and Health — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 17:03:07 +0100

Yesterday on the TODAY Show, a group of 12 teenage girls from New York discussed the sudden, bizarre onset of a Tourette’s-esque disorder that’s resulted, for no clear reason, in all of them displaying tics, twitches, and uncontrollable outbursts. And while the epidemic itself sounds strange and interesting (there’s a RadioLab about a similar outbreak), it’s the clinical diagnosis by a doctor on the show that made me pause–Conversion disorder…or mass hysteria. Really? With it’s gendered, pejorative, and non-scientific roots, that’s still a word that’s being used medically? The ailment that’s befallen the girls who appeared on the TODAY show may be slightly beyond the reaches of an easy medical conclusion–it’s a prett...

How Anxiety Could Be Wrecking Your Physical Health

Genetics and Health — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 15:25:13 +0100

Even though a reported 20% of the American population is now on mental health drugs, we still don’t talk about the related conditions and diseases nearly enough. Yes, depression makes the headlines often and people are finally becoming more open about it, but what other other mental health conditions like anxiety? That’s one that affects 40 million adults in the U.S., but do you really know what it is and how to tell if you are suffering from it? And do you know how it can affect your physical health? To find out, we consulted Dr. Catherine Ulbricht, founder of Natural Standard Research Collaboration, clinician at Massachusetts General Hospital and author of Natural Standard, The Authority on Integrative Medicine. Here is what she had to say: What exactly is anxiety and why don...

The roundup of twittered updates for 2012-01-18

Fungal Genomes and Comparative Genomics — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 15:00:00 +0100

Joe Felsenstein's obit for James F. Crow 1916 – 2012 on The Panda's Thumb http://t.co/K69GhKFZ # Powered by Twitter Tools (Source: Fungal Genomes and Comparative Genomics)

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Job: Assistant Professor of Plant Pathology

Fungal Genomes and Comparative Genomics — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 17:54:02 +0100

ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF PLANT PATHOLOGY University of California, Riverside The Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology, University of California, Riverside, invites applicants for a 9-month, tenure-track Assistant Professor position. The position will be available July 1, 2012, and carries a 50% research appointment in the Agricultural Experiment Station and a 50% teaching appointment in the College of Natural and Agricultural Sciences. The Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology currently has 16 ladder-rank faculty and three Cooperative Extension Specialists. This position is part of our college’s commitment to expand its emphasis in microbiology and invasive species research over the next decade. The research should focus on the invasion and impacts of microbial (such...

How do we curb sex-selective abortion?

Mary Meets Dolly — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 16:51:00 +0100

I have four children. With three of them, I found out their gender at my routine 20 week ultrasound. From the moment we discovered that our child was a boy or a girl, my husband and I began referring to our unborn baby by his or her name. We prepared the older siblings for the impending birth of the new baby by using his or her name. We even signed our unborn child's name in family correspondence. Finding out the gender of our children was a choice we made because we thought it better prepared the whole family for the life that was going to join us. Other families make other choices. Some like to be surprised. I admire their patience. That just was not us.There was nothing inherently wrong with finding out the sex of our children. ...

Scienceroll.com: Weekly Introduction

ScienceRoll — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 20:18:57 +0100

Masterpiece Revivals: 5 Downton Abbey-Inspired Trends We’d Rather See Than Recipes

Genetics and Health — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 20:10:28 +0100

Tonight brings the second episode of eagerly-anticipated Downton Abbey‘s second season. But with the hit Masterpiece Theatre show has come a flurry of recipes inspired by the show which, aside from this cute Garden Cake from Apartment Therapy, is a trend we find less-than-exciting. World War I-era British food? No thanks. Most of it isn’t wholly appetizing; even the cute tea cakes and scones aren’t what you’d call ‘healthy.’ But that doesn’t mean we can’t draw some inspiration from the show. In lieue of meat pie, meat stew and pastries, here are five healthier Downton Abbey-themed trends we’d like to revive: current_scroll ...

The most amusing medical story ever: How not to communicate new scientific information

ScienceRoll — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 16:55:41 +0100

I’ve recently come across the most amusing story of medicine I have ever read. A paper published in the British Journal of Urology describes how Professor G.S. Brindley demonstrated during a presentation in 1983 that vasoactive agents injected into the corporal bodies of the penis can induce an erection. He experimented on himself and well, showed the “results” live to the audience. A must-read, very funny story! The Professor wanted to make his case in the most convincing style possible. He indicated that, in his view, no normal person would find the experience of giving a lecture to a large audience to be erotically stimulating or erection-inducing. He had, he said, therefore injected himself with papaverine in his hotel room before coming to give the lecture, and deli...

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The roundup of twittered updates for 2012-01-15

Fungal Genomes and Comparative Genomics — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 15:00:00 +0100

Whoa! New look for Saccharomyces Genome Database http://t.co/GwKOEsjq # Powered by Twitter Tools (Source: Fungal Genomes and Comparative Genomics)

The roundup of twittered updates for 2012-01-14

Fungal Genomes and Comparative Genomics — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 15:00:00 +0100

Common Toolbox .. on Necrotrophy in Fungal Linge Spanning Necrotrophs, Biotrophs, Endophytes,Generalists & Specialists http://t.co/gfo75NvA # Using Hierarchical Clustering of Secreted Protein Families to Classify and Rank Candidate Effectors of Rust Fungi http://t.co/kWrHSuXS # Powered by Twitter Tools (Source: Fungal Genomes and Comparative Genomics)

Oxford summer school in Computational Biology

Fungal Genomes and Comparative Genomics — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 21:36:37 +0100

This looks fun! Applications are invited from students with a strong background in mathematics, statistics, computer science, physics or chemistry, who will have completed at least two years of undergraduate study by summer 2012. For more information see the attached flyer, and visit www.stats.ox.ac.uk/genome/summer_school oxford_summer_school_compbio_2012 (Source: Fungal Genomes and Comparative Genomics)

Heather Locklear In Hospital For Booze And Drugs; So What If She Has Mental Issues?

Genetics and Health — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 15:29:21 +0100

After reportedly taking a dangerous mix of prescription drugs and alcohol, Heather Locklear was rushed to the hospital by ambulance yesterday afternoon, leaving many to question her mental state. And while that’s a valid concern, let’s not rip her apart for something that any of us could be vulnerable to. Apparently Locklear’s sister called 911 worried about Heather’s state of mind and afraid she was going to harm herself. When the fire department, along with the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department responded, paramedics examined Heather and agreed that the 50-year-old star needed to be hospitalized. This is not the first time Locklear has reportedly had a medical emergency due to drugs. In 2008, her doctor thought the actress may have overdosed on prescription...

Top 100 Psoriasis Social Media Channels

ScienceRoll — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 14:00:09 +0100

When I give a talk about how e-patients use the web, usually I use psoriasis as an example (e.g. if you do a search for “psoriasis” on Twitter, you will find a lot of people talking about their own condition). Webicina’s new Psoriasis and Social Media collection features relevant and quality social media resources from blogs and podcasts to community sites, Youtube and Twitter accounts focusing on this important condition. Here is my top 10 social media selection for Psoriasis: Inspire Psoriasis (community) Psoriasis International Network (community) National Psoriasis Foundation (Facebook) Talk Psoriasis (blog) My Psoriasis (mobile app) Howard H Chang, psoriasis blogger (Twitter) Psoriasis Symptom Monitor (mobile app) Psoriasis 360 (Youtube) Psoriasis Help UK (Twitt...

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HighBeam Research features Scienceroll: Top 10 medical research blogs

ScienceRoll — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 09:20:10 +0100

I got the honor to be included in the list of top 10 medical research blogs of 2011 by HighBeam Research. Blogs and online libraries have grown to be valuable resources for students, professors, working professionals and the general public who have not traditionally had such easy access. As an organization involved with medical research and providing medical resources, HighBeam Research would like to acknowledge our favorite medical blogs. These top 10 blogs for medical research were handpicked by the HighBeam Research staff as our favorites and included based on their level of insightful and original content as well as the authority and trust that the authors enjoy in the Medical space. (Source: ScienceRoll)

Glycerol-3-Phosphate Dehydrogenase deficiency

The OMMBID Blog — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 00:00:22 +0100

Basel-Vanagaite L. et al. Transient Infantile Hypertriglyceridemia, Fatty Liver, and Hepatic Fibrosis Caused by Mutated GPD1, Encoding Glycerol-3-Phosphate Dehydrogenase 1. Am J Hum Genet. 2012 Jan 4 In several individuals with childhood hypertriglyceridemia followed by liver fibrosis, this group identified mutations in GDP1, encoding Glycerol-3-Phosphate Dehydrogenase 1. The enzyme GPD1 reversibly converts glycerol-3-phosphate (G3P) in dihydroxyacetone phosphate (DHAP). The accumulation of G3P in this disease might lead to increased G3P to triglyceride conversion. Alternatively, at a later age, the accumulation of DHAP might be toxic for the liver. More functional studies will be required to understand the precise pathophysiology of this disease. Posted by Philippe Campeau, MD (Source: Th...

New drug for depression likely developed with cells from aborted fetus

Mary Meets Dolly — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 20:34:21 +0100

Long time readers of Mary Meets Dolly know that I have suffered from depression my whole adult life. Symptoms of depression and anxiety run in my family. So any story about new treatments for depression always catch my eye. But this one caught my eye for another reason. One of the indications of depression is a reduced hippocampus, a part of the brain that controls, among other things, memory and spatial navigation. Scientists have found a drug that increases the size of the hippocampus and they hope that this will not only treat depression, schizophrenia, and Alzheimer's but cure them. From Gizmodo:If you are depressed, or schizophrenic or have Alzheimer's, scientists say you probably have a shrunken hippocampus. The good news: a drug that just entered human ...

Enormous Chinese Medical Community: Which pharma company can succeed in China?

ScienceRoll — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 18:58:49 +0100

More than a year ago, I presented in details DXY.cn, a Chinese medical community site that has over 1.5 million registered users. After that entry, Stanley Li (Li Tian Tian), the founder of DXY.cn, gave me an interview about his idea and the service. Stanley will also attend the upcoming event of the year, Doctors 2.0 and You in Paris. DXY.com recently conducted a large-scale, online survey of physicians (with 2218 physicians participating) to assess their recognition of the academic marketing approaches implemented by major international pharmaceutical companies. See the results below. An excerpt from the announcement: International pharmaceutical companies have led the revolution in marketing models and tools. Since the entry of major international pharmaceutical companies into China...

Have you Cleaned Your Apps Permissions?

ScienceRoll — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 18:38:17 +0100

Have you ever wondered what kind of apps you have given permission through your social media channels such as Twitter or Facebook? Believe me, it’s worth checking these out and in 2 minutes, you can clean those up properly. (Source: ScienceRoll)

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Internet Makes Your Brain Act Like Its On Drugs; We’d Rather Get Drunk

Genetics and Health — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 17:04:18 +0100

In news that makes us think about how much time we actually spend on the Internet, researchers now say our inability to log off could be due to Internet addiction (not because we tell ourselves that we just have to see if so-and-so responds to our Facebook post or if we can get to the next level of whatever mind-numbing game we are playing). This so-called addiction is very real according to a new study that says it creates changes in our brains similar to the effect of drugs and alcohol. Am I the only one who thinks that gaming is lame? If you want to get high, why not just go out and party, right? (In moderation, of course.) But that’s not entirely realistic. Maybe because this research was conducted with underage 17-year-old. OK, they need to avoid all drugs and alcohol, but how a...

Depression, SAD Or Just A Funk: The Differences And How To Cope

Genetics and Health — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 15:09:07 +0100

The holidays are over, and that means you’re either jumping for joy because you’re finally rid of the stress, extended family and expectations of the season, or you’re possibly sinking into a case of the post-festivity blues. While feeling a bit of a let-down after a major event is normal, if your mood has turned into a general “funk” or feelings of depression that you just can’t shake, you’re not alone. From Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) to depression, the winter blues are more common than you think. To find out the differences and how to deal with them without just trying to will yourself to “get happy”, we consulted with Dr. Deborah Serani, an author and psychologist specializing in depression. Take a look at our conversation: Ev...

Healthiest Cities: What Does This Actually Mean?

Genetics and Health — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 20:28:49 +0100

Men’s and Women’s Health magazines have ranked the ‘healthiest U.S. cities‘ for each gender, with Raleigh, N.C. topping the list for women and Burlington, Vermont topping the list for men. But what does that actually mean? And can you be healthy in an ‘unhealthy’ city? Rankings like these—based on 30 different criteria, ranging from obesity and breast cancer rates to how often residents saw doctors to the percentage of adults who ate the recommended daily serving of fruits and vegetables—take a pretty comprehensive approach. But I still feel like these types of surveys often miss the mark, or at least don’t tell me enough about how possible it is to live healthily in different cities. Why do rankings of ‘healthiest’ places—cities,...

The roundup of twittered updates for 2012-01-11

Fungal Genomes and Comparative Genomics — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 15:00:00 +0100

Effect of sexual recomb on pop diversity in aflatoxin production by A flavus and evidence for cryptic heterokaryosis http://t.co/IRdNMoW1 # Transcriptome and functional analysis: Mating in the basidiomycete Schizophyllum commune http://t.co/RMKn6lRY # Next generation sequencing provides rapid access to Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici (wheat stripe rust) genome http://t.co/Ns7IO31I # A new lineage in Pucciniomycotina: class Tritirachiomycetes, order Tritirachiales, family Tritirachiaceae http://t.co/1e9nxgrB # Powered by Twitter Tools (Source: Fungal Genomes and Comparative Genomics)

Open Access Social Media Guide for Pharma: FDA Weighs In?

ScienceRoll — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 14:31:08 +0100

I was very happy to announce, a few weeks ago, the launch of the first open access social media guide for and about pharma and the feedback was amazing! John Mack from Pharma Marketing Blog analyzed it line by line. Then the FDA came out with a guideline-like paper mentioning social media as well. “What everybody was looking for was never going to happen. If you’re waiting for divine guidance, you’re still waiting,” Peter Pitts, president of the Center for Medicine in the Public Interest, told Ad Age. “I doubt there is ever going to be definitive rules for social media-marketing like there are for TV and print. And there’s a reason for that. FDA has made it very clear they were not going to make platform-specific guidelines, like how to use Facebook, ho...

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Rorschach Test Scandal on Wikipedia and the Aftermath

ScienceRoll — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 10:18:46 +0100

The Rorschach test is used for examining the personality characteristics and emotional functioning of patients as their perceptions of inkblots are recorded and then analyzed. In 2009, the New York Times had a report about Dr. James Heilman who posted all 10 pictures on the site, along with research about the most popular responses to each. Of course, it led to a heated debate whether this information should be accessed on Wikipedia or not. Here are the details of this scandal. Now, 2 years later, a study came out with the title “Challenges since wikipedia: the availability of rorschach information online and internet users’ reactions to online media coverage of the rorschach-wikipedia debate.“. The abstract: In the first study, the authors conducted 2 Google search...

Adult stem cell success for type 1 diabetes and epidermolysis bullosa

Mary Meets Dolly — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 20:44:29 +0100

More great news in the adult stem cell field. Researchers from the University of Illinois have reported they have improved insulin production in people with type 1 diabetes. It is thought that type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease meaning that something causes the patient's white blood cells to attack the pancreas cells that produce insulin, a hormone that regulates blood sugar. These researchers took the patient's blood and circulated it with cord blood stem cells that reprogrammed the patient's white blood cells, called lymphocytes. The blood was reintroduced to the patient and insulin production increased enough to be able to reduce the amount of insulin the patient needed to take in order to regulate their blood sugar levels. They call this technique th...

4 Million Americans Are Constipated: 5 Foods To Help ‘Relieve’ This Problem

Genetics and Health — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 18:36:43 +0100

It’s OK, you’re not alone. A whopping 4 million Americans have trouble in the bathroom department, and let’s face it, being constipated is not fun. It not only makes us bloated, but it can cause cramping, gas, headaches and all-around irritability. Constipation is often the result of consuming too little fiber, but it can also be caused by certain medications, hormones and Iron supplements. In addition to drinking more water and exercising more (even certain yoga poses can help) adding more fiber to your diet is a simple remedy. The average adult needs between 25 and 30 grams of fiber a day to ward off constipation–which is far less than most of us typically eat. So, for all 4 million of us who suffer from occasional constipation, here are five of the best foods tha...

Games for Health Amsterdam: My Keynote Speech

ScienceRoll — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 15:13:52 +0100

A few weeks ago, I was a keynote speaker at the Games for Health conference in Amsterdam. I talked about social games, crowdsourcing in medicine and science and also about the importance of including health gaming in medical education. My speech is now published. (Source: ScienceRoll)

Should we treat the cognitive symptoms of Down Syndrome?

Mary Meets Dolly — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 13:52:00 +0100

This last year has shown hope for a cognitive treatment for Down Syndrome. And yet there has been some reservations about such treatment by parents of children with Down Syndrome. They worry that treating their child for cognitive dysfunction implies that there is something wrong with having Down Syndrome. That somehow their beautiful, loving, happy child is not good enough and needs fixing.In her article for LifeNews, Effie Caldarola, a mother of a child with Down Syndrome, asks:Is this good? The idea raises questions on so many levels. Who would hesitate to immunize their child against disease, buy them the eyeglasses they need, or lets face it, indulge the American desire for every child to have the perfectly aligned set of teeth? But to alter someones intelligence...

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Top 100 Geriatrics Social Media Channels

ScienceRoll — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 10:12:45 +0100

Gerontology or geriatrics is a very important topic not only because of the growing number of elderly people but also because the special nature of the related conditions. Webicina’s new Geriatrics and Social Media collection features relevant and quality social media resources from blogs and podcasts to community sites and Twitter users focusing on this area. Here is my top 10 social media selection for Geriatrics: GeriPal (blog) POGOe – Portal of Geriatric Online Education (clinical resource) Geriatric Nursing (podcast) CareGiving (community site) The American Geriatrics Society Like (Facebook group) Wen Dombrowski MD (Twitter) American Geriatrics (Twitter) GeriPsych Consult (mobile app) Health AGEnda (blog) John A. Hartford Foundation (Youtube) There are many similar...

Medicine Meets Virtual Reality 19: Discount!

ScienceRoll — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 21:15:17 +0100

I attended the amazing Medicine Meets Virtual Reality conference twice and gave an online prezi the last time. I loved the way they present medical robotics, virtual reality and many other emerging topics so innovatively and how they let the industry, researchers and academy come together for a unique event. The organizers now are pleased to offer ten (10) discounted registrations to my colleagues: $400 for the Thursday through Saturday program. Please contact James Westwood, the program coordinator for details on how to register at this discounted rate. Please keep in mind that the hotel discount rate ends January 16. (Source: ScienceRoll)

KOL and Stakeholder Engagement Europe conference: Discount and My Podcast

ScienceRoll — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 20:39:08 +0100

I’m looking forward to speaking at eyeforpharma’s KOL and Stakeholder Engagement Europe conference, 21-22 Feb in Berlin. Build compliant, transparent and successful relationships with your medical and non-medical KOLs. Book before 13th January to save €600. PLUS enter the code save200 for an extra special discount! Register here now. “Use my name as a reference when you book to save 200 EUR off the normal ticket price.” For the conference, we recorded a short podcast in which I describe my views on social media and pharma. (Source: ScienceRoll)

Hope for infertility in 2012

Mary Meets Dolly — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 18:10:28 +0100

Infertility is heartbreaking and it seems that nearly everyone, myself included, has a family member or close friend or colleague that has tried IVF to have a child. Many people are reluctant to even discuss IVF simply because they do not want to be considered insensitive or judgmental.But it is important to not turn away from the dark side of IVF. IVF is terribly wasteful of human life. According to figures release last year in the United Kingdom, 130,822 live IVF babies have been born in the period between 1991 and 2009. But over 3 million embryos have been created in about the same time. That means for every IVF success, nearly 24 lives are frozen, discarded, or sacrificed in research.There is another way to treat infertility. One that actually finds ...

Study Says Brain Function Declines At Age 45; Possibly Explaining John McCain’s Recent ‘Senior Moment’

Genetics and Health — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 16:32:20 +0100

We used to think that we had a lot longer before we had to worry about those embarrassing “Now why did I come in here?” and “What was I going to say?” and in the case of John McCain, “Who was I endorsing?” moments. That’s because scientists used to say our mental abilities didn’t start to deteriorate until age 60. But now there’s new research out about the declining state of our brains at the not-so-old age of just 45. Gads. In a study published in the British Medical Journal, over 7,000 British folks had their brain function analyzed. For men and women who were between 45 and 49 when first tested, the ability to reason declined 3.6% over the next decade. The decline was even faster for people in their 50s and 60s, especially men. In ad...

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The case for hippocratic oath in web health services

Gene Sherpas: Personalized Medicine and You — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 18:49:00 +0100

Today I want to tell you why I think that health related applications on the internet should have not only some "Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval" but should also take an oath similar to the one I took when I graduated from medical school.On it's face, there will likely be 3-4 camps reading this. One will automatically dismiss this as the "Web services" aren't providing diagnosis or treatment. My counter to them is that I said "similar to" the hippocratic oath I swore to. We'll call it the HippocraticWeb oath. The second camp of people will say "This is a fantastic idea but aren't there services like this that certify web content?" My answer to them is that this is not a certification of web content. Further, we all know those services like HONcode that certifies trustworthy informa...

The roundup of twittered updates for 2012-01-07

Fungal Genomes and Comparative Genomics — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 15:00:00 +0100

How does a hypha grow? The biophysics of pressurized growth in fungi http://t.co/FSJqRUD6 # Powered by Twitter Tools (Source: Fungal Genomes and Comparative Genomics)

23andMe Buyer Beware, The Internet doesn't equal hippocrates

Gene Sherpas: Personalized Medicine and You — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 21:47:00 +0100

Ok, ok. I am not gonna tell you I told you so. But, I did.Did anyone read my article in Nature Biotechnology? Did ya? Here is your freaking reality check. 23andME has your DNA. It has it hostage and it has your datapoints. And it can do whatever the hell it pleases. Including locking or cancelling your account.They have enough data points for their robust database. They only need you sheep to keep paying 9 dollars per month or 108 dollars per year and 99 to start. 10 years? 1080 dollars. Even more than the first 999 USD they started with.Well guess what? People everywhere are waking up to the charlatanism that was peddled by Silicon Valley Overlords.....They have you, you are stuck. You have to pay FOREVER!!!!! BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!Even if you quit, they don't care. They Pwn...

From Gluten-Intolerance To Disordered Eating: Celiac Sufferers At Risk

Genetics and Health — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 16:36:27 +0100

Does gluten intolerance lead to depression and disordered eating? That’s what researchers from Penn State are saying, after finding that women with celiac disease were at a higher risk for both depression and eating issues—regardless of whether they were on a gluten-free diet. Celiac disease—a condition in which eating gluten triggers damage to the small intestine lining that prevents the body from properly absorbing nutrients—has previously been linked to depression. And it’s not just because the intestinal damage causes awful symptoms, like cramping, gas, vomiting and diarrhea; or because avoiding all wheat, barley and rye—all of which contain gluten—really sucks. No, the small intestine’s failure to absorb essential nutrients—like zinc, tryptophan and B vi...

From E-patient Hackers to Health Games on Mobiles

ScienceRoll — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 15:36:07 +0100

Can Differential Diagnosis Be Crowdsourced to Facebook Friends? The study (in Danish) involved asking subjects to post a clinical scenario on their wall and ask their friends for a potential diagnosis. The setup for the paper by Dr. Lars Folkestad and others seems a little artificial, but if you consider that a certain amount of diseases are infectious or genetic in origin then a question to your social and/or family circles is likely to find someone who has had a similar episode and already been diagnosed. Mayo Clinic plans to sequence patients’ genomes to personalise care The prestigious Mayo Clinic in the US will launch the pilot study early next year as part of an ambitious move towards an era of “proactive genomics” that puts modern genetics at the centre of patie...

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Eva Longoria Says Thinness Isn’t A Good Measure of Health

Genetics and Health — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 20:25:40 +0100

In an interview with Health magazine, 36-year-old Eva Longoria spoke about her eating habits and exercise, but she also pressed an important point: That health isn’t only about what you look like, eat, or do at the gym. Specifically, she points out that being thin doesn’t equal being healthy, despite what so many tabloids have trained us to think. When asked about how she defines a healthy life, Longoria responded: People think health only has to do with your physical being, but for me, it’s so much more. I remember after my divorce, I was so thin and everyone kept saying how great I looked and it was probably the most unhealthy place I’ve ever been. So it was funny what people would see as “healthy.” In my worst time, people were saying I’ve never...

Gwyneth Paltrow Wants You To Buy Her $425 Cleanse; You Can Do It For Less

Genetics and Health — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 18:20:01 +0100

Post-New Year’s, ’tis the season for feeling really yucky about yourself for your holiday indulgences. Or, at least, ’tis the season for people telling you that you feel gross–like Gwyneth Paltrow in this week’s goop newsletter, which, like every year at this time, encourages readers to try (read: buy) her favorite cleanse, concocted by her favorite physician, Dr. Alejandro Junger. Called Clean, the cleanse is made up of smoothies and supplements that lasts 21 days…and costs $425. But here’s the cool thing about getting your body back on track: it’s really, really inexpensive to do. Here are a few better ways to put that money to use–while still getting that good, clean feeling. The not-so-secret secret about cleanses is that they are...

Casey Anthony Posts Video Diary, Proving She’s Mentally Unstable

Genetics and Health — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 16:14:50 +0100

In a webcam black-and-white video posted on Facebook, Casey Anthony is seen and heard for the first time since being acquitted of killing her 2-year-old daughter last summer, and her statements of hope and “things looking up” prove just how mentally unstable this woman still is. Looking completely different with a new blond bob and glasses, the 25-year-old who now lives in an undisclosed location spends most of the four-minute video sounding very insecure, nervous and unsure of herself. Although, she claims that she is doing well and is “excited” about her life now–even in hiding while on probation: I’m extremely excited. I’m excited that I’ll be able to Skype and obviously keep a video log, take some pictures and that I have something that I...

The roundup of twittered updates for 2012-01-05

Fungal Genomes and Comparative Genomics — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 15:00:00 +0100

Microtubules in bacteria: ancient tubulins bld a 5 protofilamnt homolog of eukryotic cytoskeleton http://t.co/0XeZECGI http://t.co/e4zblhiD # Powered by Twitter Tools (Source: Fungal Genomes and Comparative Genomics)

MSA award nominations

Fungal Genomes and Comparative Genomics — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 03:40:34 +0100

The deadline for MSA nominations is 15 Feb 2012 so go see the MSA awards website for more information. These require letters of nomination for candidates and require some advance preparation. For students and postdocs there are many travel awards that support your attendance at meetings like MSA and also travel funds to conduct research either at herbaria or in the field. (Source: Fungal Genomes and Comparative Genomics)

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Hyperekplexia

The OMMBID Blog — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 17:38:44 +0100

On our clinical service, we recently encountered an infant with generalized stiffness and considered the diagnosis of hyperekplexia. Hyperekplexia is a disorder characerized by generalized stiffness in the neonatal period which improves over time, an overactive startle reflex, and a period of generalized stiffness following the startle response. We found that this diagnosis can be difficult to make, and in particular can be mistaken for seizures. Some diagnostic clues that were useful to us included an exaggerated head-retraction reflex, and a clinical response to clonazepam. 5 genes are known to be associated with hyperekplexia, the most common being GLRA1. A good literature review of this rare disorder was recently published by Mineyko, Can J Neurol Sci. 2011 May;38(3):411-6. Hilary Ve...

Mycology Faculty jobs

Fungal Genomes and Comparative Genomics — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 17:32:06 +0100

A job is advertised at University of Wisconsin-Madison for Assistant Professor of Mycology the deadline is Feb 1, 2012. (Source: Fungal Genomes and Comparative Genomics)

Hands-Only CPR video with Vinnie Jones: The European Way

ScienceRoll — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 10:48:31 +0100

A few weeks ago, I shared a video in which hands-only Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) was described by Ken Jeong in the American way. I was a bit jealous back then but now here is our own European version created by the British Heart Foundation featuring Vinnie Jones (actor e.g. from Guy Ritchie films). Amazing! (Source: ScienceRoll)

A prosthetic eye to treat blindness: TED Talk

ScienceRoll — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 08:48:11 +0100

Another interesting TED talk again, this time about prosthetic eyes that could treat blindness. At TEDMED, Sheila Nirenberg shows a bold way to create sight in people with certain kinds of blindness: by hooking into the optic nerve and sending signals from a camera direct to the brain. (Source: ScienceRoll)

Best and Worst Biotechnology of 2011

Mary Meets Dolly — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 20:46:30 +0100

Reflecting on 2011, I began thinking of the 5 events in biotechnology that were the greatest threats to the sanctity of human life. True to my mission though, I couldn't just talk about what is bad in the biotech arena. I also have to celebrate the 5 ways biotechnology has improved or preserved human life.In 2011, there were more ways human life was marginalized than a pro-life person could possibly count. I focused on 5 events that I believe will continue to threaten the sanctity of human life in 2012 and beyond.The Worst:5. Three-parent embryoThis year researchers in England announced they created human embryos with three genetic parents in an attempt to prevent the inheritance of mitochondrial disease. Scientists created 2 embryos with IVF, destroyed one embryo by removing i...

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Tanning To Beat Depression? Despite Claims By Salons, It’s Still Not Worth The Risks

Genetics and Health — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 17:25:28 +0100

Which would you rather battle: depression, or cancer? Because if you listen to the claims of tanning salons across America during these deepest, darkest days of winter, you don’t have to choose–you can treat one without putting yourself at risk of the other. Yup, even after years of research on the topic, artificial tanning salons are still advertising their product’s ability to safely fight seasonal depression, but don’t be fooled. Tanning is still a risky–and ineffective–method of treating depression, no matter what the tanning industry would have you think. By this point, most everyone has agreed that Seasonal Affective Disorder, or S.A.D., the mood disorder which is triggered by changing seasons, is a fairly common, but still serious ailment that im...

How To Recover From Holiday Burnout (Hint: It’s Not A Vacation)

Genetics and Health — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 19:47:51 +0100

If the last six weeks were intended to stress people out, then by all means, call me stressed out. Burned out, more like it. Partaking in overly-indulgent holiday parties, feasting and bonding with distant family members, throwing cash around like it grows on trees in order to buy non-essential Christmas gifts, listening to all of the advertisers convince us that we’re not doing enough or spending enough, plastering the house with lights and other symbols of supposed merriment and feeling the pressure to meet everyone’s (unrealistic) expectations over the holidays is enough to make me glad that January 2 is finally here. Don’t get me wrong, I do enjoy the holidays (when they are kept simple and don’t drag on for two months), but like so many other people, adding the...

Would the Earth be better off without mankind?

Mary Meets Dolly — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 18:50:29 +0100

Several years ago, I remember watching a story on the efforts to save India's gharial crocodile. On the verge of extinction, it is the most endangered crocodile on the planet. After sending out thousands of gharials into the wild, only 200 breeding adults are left. I remember marveling at the lengths the researchers and volunteers were going to save this prickly, yet majestic animal.And then I asked myself, "Why?" If the gharial crocodile is just a product of random mutations and that were selected by nature, why would anyone try and save it? Why not let natural selection take its course and let the gharial go extinct? In our creation-free, science-only mindset, why were we not celebrating the extinction of the gharial? I mean, some other...

Detoxing Is Futile (At Least For Your Liver)

Genetics and Health — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 17:24:21 +0100

If abstaining from alcohol for a short-term ‘detox‘ is part of your New Year’s plan, you may be better off focusing your energies elsewhere. Giving up alcohol for a few weeks is pointless, says a British liver charity—especially if your goal is to ‘make up’ for too much holiday drinking. “People think they’re virtuous with their health by embarking on a liver detox each January with the belief that they are cleansing their liver of excess following the festive break,” said Andrew Langford, chief executive of the British Liver Trust. But providing the liver isn’t already damaged, it doesn’t need a month to detox—in fact, it can repair itself within as little as 24 hours. Instead of a long, once-yearly detox, Langford recommen...

This Year, I’m Turning 30—And I Resolve To Finally Quit Smoking

Genetics and Health — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 15:44:34 +0100

That’s right: I’m making one of the most generic New Year’s resolutions you can make, right up there with ‘save money’ or ‘exercise more.’ In 2012, I’m vowing to finally quit smoking—a habit I’ve had off-and-on (mostly on) since I was 18. And I’m counting on your help and advice, Blisstree readers. Obviously, the overarching reason, the meta-reason I’m quitting smoking, is ‘for my health.’ Smoking kills you; duh. Or at least causes all sorts of nasty health problems. Thus far, though, the prospect of death or cancer or whatever else has seemed too far removed to matter. And I love(d) smoking, truly. The cigarettes themselves, the pause in the day they gave me for thinking, the camaraderie with other smokers—...

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12 Predictions in Healthcare, Technology and Innovation for 2012

ScienceRoll — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 09:22:11 +0100

Last year, I published a list of my predictions for 2011 in the areas of healthcare, innovation and technology. Now after a year, I checked these items and actually many of them proved to be right (year of tablets, Prezi.com skyrocketing, Siri leading the way for voice controlled apps, etc.), but now it’s time to come up with the predictions for 2012. Here are my 12 predictions, please feel free to add yours in the comment section. 1) Digital only class in social media for medical professionals and e-patients. Well, that’s quite an easy prediction, as I will launch the global form of my social media in medicine university course this February. 2) Social media policy everywhere. Now that we have an open access social media guide for and about pharma; it’s time for the FDA ...

Year end deadlines – register for the 2012 conferences

Fungal Genomes and Comparative Genomics — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 23:31:35 +0100

Don’t forget to sign up for the Neurospora 2012 conference by Dec 31, 2011. The meeting will be held at the Asilomar Conference grounds March 8-11. The European Fungal Genetics meeting is help March 30-April 2, 2012 in Marburg, Germany and abstract submission is open until Jan 9, 2012 with registration closing on Jan 31, 2012. Asperfest 9 and several other satellite meetings will be held in conjunction with EFCG. (Source: Fungal Genomes and Comparative Genomics)

Celebrating girls

Mary Meets Dolly — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 18:50:01 +0100

In a recent conversation, my sister-in-law commented on how many girls we have in our growing family. I have three girls, my brother has three girls and my husband's brother has three girls. I responded by saying that while boys are great too, it is a good thing that we are having so many girls. With 163 million "missing" girls in Asia, which is the equivalent to the entire female population of the United States, someone needs to be having girls. Lots and lots of girls.Which is why I support the Prenatal Non-Discrimination Act or PRENDA for short. It would make aborting a girl just because she is a girl illegal in the United States. You would think that making it illegal to abort a girl just because she is a girl would be a feminist's dream....

Cutest Story of 2011: Parents Get Insulin-Pump Tattoos To Support Diabetic Child

ScienceRoll — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 11:20:36 +0100

I was just making preparations for the top 2011 posts I’m planning to write in the upcoming days when I bumped into this cute story about a diabetic kid who felt ashamed to wear the insulin pump so his parents got insulin pump tattoos. Some parents get tattoos of their child’s name, but Philippe Aumond and Camille Boivin went one better. In a show of solidarity, they each have an image of an insulin pump tattooed on their abdomens, declaring that they are “forever linked” to their son Jacob. “It is a great thing for him, and we were thrilled just to see his smile when he saw those pumps. It made our day, that’s for sure,” said Boivin, 36, from the family’s home in La Sarre, Que. (Source: ScienceRoll)

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Transhumanism: the pitch and the reality

Mary Meets Dolly — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 17:44:05 +0100

The gaming industry is into transhumanism. The idea of removing a perfectly good limb and replacing it with one that has super human abilities is the stuff of video games, for now. Deus Ex is a game about transhumanism. Part of the hype for Deus Ex was the creation of a fictitious corporation, Sarif Industries that specializes in human augmentation using artificial body parts. Here is Sarif Industries' perfect pitch for transhumanism. This is the hard sell for using technology to replace normal body parts augmenting healthy humans beyond normal human abilities: Sounds fantastic doesn't it? Transhumanism is super seductive. And yet the reality will be far from what is depicted above. Once people begin to augment, others will feel compelled to...

Win A $50 Spa Week Gift Card And Resolve To Relax In 2012

Genetics and Health — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 19:00:52 +0100

The week between Christmas and New Year’s Eve is a time to think about what you want to change, and how. After all, the new year is a clean slate. Diets and new exercise routines are usually the number one resolutions on our lists, but we often forget about relaxation time. Well, at Blisstree we have a good incentive for you to keep your resolutions and also consider adding the latter to your list: We have teamed up with Trop50, an innovative line of juice beverages that delivers the goodness of fruit juice with 50 percent less sugar and calories, to celebrate the New Year and their new True Resolutions program. One lucky reader will win a $50 Spa & Wellness Gift Card from Spa Week, courtesy of Trop50. Entering to win our giveaway is easy. You just have to become a fan of Blisstree o...

MtDNA depletion and elevations in S-adenosylmethionine

The OMMBID Blog — Sun, 25 Dec 2011 15:23:21 +0100

Mudd et al. (Mol Genet Metab. 2011 Nov 12.) reported 2 patients with mtDNA depletion syndrome and elevations in S-adenosylmethionine and methionine. After careful investigation, they conclude that these analytes are not elevated due to additional primary defects in associated pathways (i.e. glycine N-methyltransferase). They hypothesize that the primary mitochondrial defect disrupts the normal usage of AdoMet by mitochondria. This is an interesting finding, and brings to attention the potential vast array of metabolic abnormalities that can be seen in primary mitochondrial defects in multiple seemingly unassociated pathways. Hilary Vernon, MD PhD http://dx.doi.org/10.1036/ommbid.127 (Source: The OMMBID Blog)

Happy Holidays From Blisstree!

Genetics and Health — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 17:08:20 +0100

We at Blisstree wish you a merry Christmas, filled with as many Christmas cookies, healthy holiday cocktails, and Santa speedo runs as you can squeeze in. Enjoy your family and friends instead of worrying about calories or squeezing into your skinny jeans; ’tis the season to relax and reap the rewards of all the hard work you’ve done this year for your own health and others’. We’ll be back next week with more news and ideas to help you prep for the New Year, but until then, Happy Holidays from Blisstree! Post from: Blisstree (Source: Genetics and Health)

Is the U.S. backward in embryonic stem cell research?

Mary Meets Dolly — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 19:34:43 +0100

I am beginning to believe that it is true that Americans in general have no idea about how things really are in the rest of the world. For example, I am sure that many in the "Occupy" crowd have no idea that they are among the richest people in the world. The cancellation of the first human trial with cells derived from embryonic stem cells has brought out more American cluelessness. In an article on Katie Sharify, the last patient enrolled in the now canceled Geron study, one reader commented:"If she is looking for a partner to take over the research, she should really be looking in Europe, France in particular has made significant advancements with stem cell research. This is another example of our government being held back because of extremists. Too oft...

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Feeling Stressed This Holiday? Try Viparita Karani

Genetics and Health — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 15:41:43 +0100

Ahh, ’tis the season for giving and parties and family and cooking–and stress. Stress is, unequivocally, the most common complaint during the yuletide season, and it’s also one of the most detrimental things to our overall health and well-being. Not only can it lead to high blood pressure, heart disease, cancer and a lower immune function, but it can make us downright cranky during a season that supposed to be filled with joy and merriment. But, good news! There is a pretty simple–and fast–way to relieve some of that stress: Viparita Karani. Better known as Legs-Up-The-Wall in yogi speak, this relaxing pose helps to clear your mind, reduce anxiety, relieve tired or cramped legs and feet, soothe mild backaches and gently stretch everything from the back of your...

The roundup of twittered updates for 2011-12-23

Fungal Genomes and Comparative Genomics — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 15:00:00 +0100

Baudoinia compniacensis, which gets the angel's share at the distillery – in Botany photo of the day – http://t.co/BDka90nX h/t Bill Hooker # Powered by Twitter Tools (Source: Fungal Genomes and Comparative Genomics)

Adenovirus-Associated Virus Vector–Mediated Gene Transfer in Hemophilia B

The OMMBID Blog — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 09:40:11 +0100

Nathwani et al, report in the last issue of NEJM the results of a clinical trial consisting of an Adenovirus-Associated Virus (AAV) vector–mediated gene transfer in Hemophilia B. The cohort consisted of 6 patients who received low, intermediate or high doses of the vector. AAV-mediated expression of Factor IX (FIX) at 2 to 11% of normal levels was observed in all participants and was roughly dose-dependent. 4 of the 6 discontinued FIX prophylaxis and remained free of spontaneous hemorrhage; in the other 2, the interval between prophylactic injections was increased. The two participants who received the high dose of vector received a short course of glucocorticoid therapy after increase of serum liver-enzyme levels which rapidly normalized aminotransferase levels. The authors conclude tha...

Postdoctoral research fellowship in evolutionary genomics at Uppsala University, Sweden

Fungal Genomes and Comparative Genomics — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 08:38:11 +0100

Postdoctoral research fellowship in evolutionary genomics at Uppsala University, Sweden A postdoctoral fellowhip is available at the Department of Evolutionary Biology at Uppsala University. The postdoc is in the research-group of Dr. Hanna Johannesson, and will focus on testing general evolutionary paradigms in the filamentous ascomycete model system Neurospora. The fellowhip is for one year, with a high likelihood of extension another year. This postdoc project can be developed after the interest of the applicant, but should fit in to the main interest of the reseach group (http://www.ebc.uu.se/Research/IEG/evbiol/research/Johannesson/publications/) Research areas include sex chromosome evolution, mating system evolution, local adaptation, molecular evolution and speciation. The...

Pharma companies editing Wikipedia? Weigh in!

ScienceRoll — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 18:29:11 +0100

A certain pharmaceutical company contacted me and asked how they can edit Wikipedia entries focusing on their own products. They wish to make corrections as those entries contained misinformation. This is a tricky issue and while the open access pharma social media guide features a page about Wikipedia, I wanted to ask the community of editors what they think about it. Please take a look at the discussion and weigh in! (Source: ScienceRoll)

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Healthy Giving: 10 Last-Minute Gift Subscriptions That Keep On Giving

Genetics and Health — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 18:17:05 +0100

When time is short, gift certificates are the de facto last-minute gift, but rarely do they seem as thoughtful as a well-selected gift. But it’s not too late to give a gift that shows you care: Get your loved one a subscription to monthly deliveries of their favorite goods–food, wine, tea, or even beauty products–so that they get a thoughtful gift…every month for the next year. Everyone loves getting mail, and they’ll think of you every time their new batch gets delivered. But best of all, you’ll be contributing to their good health all year long. current_...

2011 Comes to a close. What we know about Personalized Medicine

Gene Sherpas: Personalized Medicine and You — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 01:56:00 +0100

I wanted to write a wrap up of what we know in the last 4 years regarding personalized medicine 1. In regards to DTC Genetics, the FDA won't shut you down if you are google. But you will have to give your test away for free to build your database2. In regards to Pharmacogenomic testing, most doctors won't use the service despite studies showing utility that have existed for 2 years.3. In regards to GWAS predisposition testing, it is mostly useless. It doesn't scare or heal you.......most of the time4. Classical Cancer Genetics, Cardiogenetics, GI Genetics and preconception genetics have growing concerns as I am seeing more and more of these over the last 2 years.5. When Whole genome or exome testing come out, we will have a mess load of data. This is an opportunity if someone can create su...

Diagnostic Use of Next Generation Sequencing

The OMMBID Blog — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 17:08:41 +0100

Selmer et al report in EJMG, a family with 4 affected children who have been diagnosed with a mild form of Mucopolysaccharidosis IIIB through targeted next-generation sequencing of linked genomic regions. The patients aged 47-61, have been diagnosed with unspecified intellectual disability, retinitis pigmentosa, ataxia and cortical atrophy. Traditional investigations were not successful in providing an accurate diagnosis. This paper shows an example where the clinical use of next generation sequencing is used to correctly diagnose the mild form of a known genetic condition and demonstrates how new sequencing capabilities will help better understand the full phenotypic spectrum of the genetic disorders. Periklis Makrythanasis MD, PhD OMMBID Chapter 136: The Mucopolysaccharidoses (Source: Th...

Kim Jong Il Died Of Stress-Induced “Heart Attack”

Genetics and Health — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 17:21:31 +0100

Kim Jong Il died early Monday morning at the age of 69, due to “severe myocardial infarction along with a heart attack,” according to the Korean Central News Agency. In their official announcement, they tied his death to physical and mental over-work, but it’s believed that North Korea’s “dear” communist leader has suffered various health problems for years, including diabetes, heart disease, and a possible stroke in 2008. Details about his life are elusive and largely go unconfirmed, but by several accounts, the elusive leader had a taste for gourmet cuisine, cognac and cigars, which aren’t exactly as beneficial as his country’s more traditional diet of rice, meats, and vegetables. He also violated human rights and presided over a nuclear w...

The roundup of twittered updates for 2011-12-19

Fungal Genomes and Comparative Genomics — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 15:00:00 +0100

Analysis of al-2 mutations in Neurospora. http://t.co/KBTNZtJq # Powered by Twitter Tools (Source: Fungal Genomes and Comparative Genomics)

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Kerri Morrone Sparling: Why an e-patient should blog!

ScienceRoll — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 07:26:45 +0100

Kerri Morrone Sparling has been a world-famous, influental diabetes blogger for years with many blog awards and many many readers day by day. She has been honest about her condition sharing tips and tricks with fellow patients. I recently asked her to send me a video in which she describes why an e-patient should write a blog and why it could be beneficial, how it can make a difference. Here it is: (Source: ScienceRoll)

Conscience clauses aren't just about contraception, abortion and assisted suicide

Mary Meets Dolly — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 19:57:57 +0100

The moral conscience of health care providers is under attack. Increasingly they are being forced to provide medical services that go against their moral beliefs. Wesley J. Smith has a great piece in the Daily Caller on how laws all over the world are making it harder for medical professionals to opt out of procedures that go against their moral code. Smith focuses on Australia where where all doctors are required to perform abortions or refer to a doctor who will and The Netherlands where there is a push to require doctors to comply with requests for assisted suicide, and Washington state where pharmacists are required to dispense the morning after pill. Smith writes:It is becoming increasingly clear that medical professionals who wish to continue in the Hippocrati...

The roundup of twittered updates for 2011-12-17

Fungal Genomes and Comparative Genomics — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 15:00:00 +0100

Genetics James F. Crow tributes: An Outstanding Gentleman, Citizen, and Scientist http://t.co/B0juD2NQ # Genetics James F. Crow tributes: The Art of Teaching and Mentoring http://t.co/2JT5dmii # High Relatedness Is Necessary and Sufficient to Maintain Multicellularity in Dictyostelium http://t.co/CmZDIdLg # A Functional Phylogenomic View of the Seed Plants http://t.co/sPerEApW # Powered by Twitter Tools (Source: Fungal Genomes and Comparative Genomics)

Scienceroll.com: Weekly Introduction

ScienceRoll — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 10:25:20 +0100

Adenosine Kinase Deficiency

The OMMBID Blog — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 20:28:35 +0100

Two siblings with developmental delay, liver dysfunction and hypermethioninemia were investigated by exome sequencing. A homozygous missense mutation was identified in adenosine kinase, which could explain the block in the methionine cycle. Additional families were identified, and the mutations affected enzymatic function. The mouse deficient in adenosine kinase, described previously, displays phenotypic similarities, and to date there is no specific treatment modality. The pathophysiology of the disease is most likely complex, since both the accumulation of the substrate (adenosine) and the deficiency of the product (AMP) are expected to be detrimental. Bjursell MK et al. Am J Hum Genet. 2011 Oct 7;89(4):507-15 Posted by Philippe Campeau, MD (Source: The OMMBID Blog)

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When It’s Not Such A Wonderful Life; How To Deal With Holiday Depression

Genetics and Health — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 17:35:21 +0100

Unless you’re superwoman fueled on shots of double expresso lattes all day, the holidays can be exhausting. The stress of earnestly trying to detangle strand after strand of white Christmas lights, finding the perfect spot for the tacky inflatable snowman, sending out dozens of greeting cards (after stressing over capturing the “perfect” family photo where you have threatened your kids to pretend not to hate each other “or else”) and fighting mobs of people at Target who are also mindlessly wandering the aisles in search of that “just what I’ve always wanted gift” (which rarely exists), can not only leave us resentful of the holidays, it can leave us feeling depressed and like it’s not such A Wonderful Life after all. To find out just h...

Healthy Giving: Quick Homemade Holiday Gifts

Genetics and Health — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 17:03:53 +0100

We polled Blisstree readers earlier this month about homemade holiday gifts, and the consensus seems to be ‘right on.’ When asked what kinds of homemade gifts you like receiving, more than 60% said “homemade sweets, canned goods or other food items.” This far outpaced second- and third-place answers, “anything knit or crocheted” (13%) and “crafty things, decorative objects, pottery or artwork” (10%). Which is good news—while there might not be time for most of us to knit a scarf before Christmas, there’s still plenty of time to whip up holiday treats (we’ve posted a few of our own holiday recipes here and here). From granola to drunken prunes to potted seedlings, the following homemade holiday gift ideas, culled from around...

Open Access Social Media Guide for Pharma on Webicina.com!

ScienceRoll — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 16:43:32 +0100

After months of hard, collaborative work, Webicina.com just published the first version of the open access guide for pharma about using social media. While drug companies, healthcare professionals and e-patients wait for FDA guidelines on social media, with an expert crowd (with special thanks to Dr. Felix Jackson from MedDigital), we created our own guidelines to serve as a basis for more detailed, extended guides. You can download the PDF (14 pages) here! And see it on Slideshare: Please feel free to download it, share it with your colleagues and join us to create an even more sophisticated second version which we can submit to the FDA. Give us feedback on Twitter through #pharmaSMguide! The original Google Docs document contains more details, negative and positive social media-related...

Pharma and the Super Mobile Revolution

ScienceRoll — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 10:10:00 +0100

I was asked to contribute to the Pharma and Super Mobile Dossier of Firstworldplus.com. I wrote about the pros and cons of using a Samsung Galaxy Tab in medicine and healthcare. Our latest report, iPad and Smartphone: Pharma and the Super Mobile Revolution examines the rapid changes in mobile and tablet technology, including the trend by HCPs and the industry to use multiple devices to positively impact work flow and business operations. The report tracks how the industry is addressing training, security, consumerization of IT within organizations and advances such as HTML5-Flash and apps. As a bonus, we’re also offering The Impact of iPads on Pharma: a Primer, which offers a complete examination of what the industry has learned about tablets and how the post-PC tablet is changing int...

Social Media in Medicine course: The Announcement!

ScienceRoll — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 20:51:02 +0100

I launched a course at the University of Debrecen, Medical and Health Science Center in 2008 in order to help medical and public health students learn more about social media. Now, after several semesters, the course developed a lot and I still teach students about the basics of social media, through blogging, Twitter, Facebook, searching and many other topics. Here are the weekly summaries of this semester. This was the last semester in Debrecen and I’ve got two announcements to make. 1) From February, I will teach the course at Semmelweis University of Budapest, the oldest medical school in Hungary (1769) with even more students (hundreds of them) and through 14 weeks instead of 10. 2) I will make the course totally online in February! It means any students, medical professionals o...

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Is IVF really about the children?

Mary Meets Dolly — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 18:10:44 +0100

I have heard countless times that parents that undergo in vitro fertilization (IVF) must love their children so very much to go through such an expensive and invasive process to have children. I have no doubt that parents undergoing IVF believe they are doing what is best, but looking at the realities of IVF that many parents are not aware of, one has to wonder if IVF is really about the children.First IVF usually creates many more embryos are made than are needed. Lucky embryos get implanted into their mother's womb. Meanwhile others are discarded, donated to research or frozen and never get to finish their lives. Any "surplus" embryos that are frozen are filled with anti-freeze and then slowly cooled down to -196°C, where they are stored in containers o...

The Quantified Self Movement

ScienceRoll — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 13:14:12 +0100

I’m a big fan of the quantified self movement. As a supporter of the approach of tracking our health-related data and as a scientist who loves working with any kind of data, the Quantified Self is just the perfect project for me. Myself, I use a Striiv. Recently, I’ve seen a video in which Melanie Swan described Genomic Self-Hacking: Fenn Lipkowitz talked about his amazing lifelog: [video 28735276] And here is the quantified pregnancy project: (Source: ScienceRoll)

And This Is Why I’m Not A Stay-At-Home Mom; It’s Depressing

Genetics and Health — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 19:09:26 +0100

A new study just proved why I could never be a stay-at-home mom: Mothers who have jobs are healthier, happier and less depressed than those who are not employed. Published in this month’s Journal of Family Psychology, researchers found that working mothers were less depressed and reported better overall health than moms who stayed at home with their kids who were not yet in school. The study also found that there was no difference between the positive mental and physical health of mothers who worked part time and those who worked full time–just the fact that women who worked outside the home for some amount of time seemed to be happier and healthier. Why? Because stay-at-home moms were found to be more socially isolated and under more stress than working moms, which increased t...

That Girl: Meet Marathoner And Running Coach, Gia Alvarez

Genetics and Health — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 15:10:13 +0100

Continuing with our weekly column, “That Girl”, we are celebrating the accomplishments of real women who make health and fitness a priority because we know that true athletes come in all shapes, sizes, ages and athletic abilities from around the world. So this week we’re celebrating Gia Alvarez, an amazing marathon runner, mom and running coach who says investing in herself and her fitness makes her feel strong, confident, energetic and proud. Meet: Gia Alvarez Thousand Oaks, CA 31 years old Twin mom, running coach, marathon runner Fitness/health accomplishment you are most proud of: The New York City Marathon, 2011. It was my first marathon back, one year after having twins and I had the race of my life, I felt amazing the whole way and shocked myself with a 5 minute PR. It. Was. Ep...

My Therapist Is A Quack, But I Love Her Anyway

Genetics and Health — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 15:09:01 +0100

I love my therapist. I really do. In fact, I love her so much that at the end of my sessions I want to leap up from the couch, hug her and never let her go. But I don’t, because I’m assuming that might be pushing it. Although since I don’t know for sure, I may try it sometime. But recently, a friend who has his PhD in clinical psychology warned me: It’s not always in the best interest of the patient to love their therapist. In fact, he thinks my therapist is a quack. I have been in and out of therapy since I was seven years old. Why I was in therapy at such a young age is an entirely different story, but let’s just say I was born with the nervous system of an 80-year-old woman. If there was anything to worry about, I did; and that included such obscure things like asteroids hitt...

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WHO Global Observatory for eHealth series Mentions Webicina.com!

ScienceRoll — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 14:12:43 +0100

This is one of the best things ever happened to me. The World Health Organization just released its global e-health report and featured Webicina.com on page 59. This is an amazing result on a very long journey on the way towards online medical multi-lingual resource curation. Safety and security on the Internet: challenges and advances in Member States is the fourth volume of the WHO Global Observatory for eHealth series. It explores controversial and complex issues facing society such as Internet pharmacies and their control and regulation, mechanisms to combat escalating Internet security threats, government strategies to protect children and adolescents online, and practices to control quality and reliability of online health information. This publication provides the detailed results ...

Online medical content curation and personal time management with Web 2.0

ScienceRoll — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 09:08:19 +0100

I had a chance to publish my article in the Cellular Therapy and Transplantation journal in which I wrote about how I try to save time by using social media tools, how I do crowdsourcing in medicine and how I develop Webicina.com. The recent increase in the number of online medical resources has raised important questions about content curation on the World Wide Web and the importance of time management tools and applications used in medicine and healthcare. Content curation is crucial at a time when patients and their doctors are searching more online but the majority of health resources are considered medically unreliable. The value of crowdsourcing and time management tools that can save time and effort for professionals is demonstrated. Check it out and let me know what you think. (So...

Healthy Giving: Gifts For Foodies Under $50

Genetics and Health — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 20:21:32 +0100

For cookbook lovers, foodies, casual home cooks or anyone with (pun intended) good taste, here are a few holiday gift ideas, ranging from about $10 to $50. Think: Your vegan co-worker, brother-in-law with the exotic sea salt habit, windowsill-gardening friend from grad school, scone-making roommate, significant other’s stocking or your own holiday wish list … current_scroll = 1; gallery_size = 7; Photo: Design Sponge Related posts: Healthy Giving: Stocking Stuffers And Small Gifts Healthy Giving: 10 Best Gifts For Runners This Christmas Healthy Giving: Gifts for Book Lovers Healthy Giving: Gifts For The Veg-Curious Cook Pos...

Webicina.com Social Media Story Contest: Meet The Winners!

ScienceRoll — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 17:09:45 +0100

Webicina.com launched a challenge in which stories from patients and medical professionals about how social media helped them were invited with grand prizes (Lenovo Thinkcentre, iPad2 and Amazon Kindle Fire, among others) to win. A special prize goes to someone who can tell his/her story at the Doctors 2.0 and You conference in Paris with registration fee and accommodation covered. Now all the fantastic stories presented through Prezi, slideshow, video, Twitter, Facebook and blogs are in and the members of the jury, Lucien Engelen, e-Patient Dave deBronkart, Denise Silber, Kerri Morrone Sparling, Dr Mike Cadogan, and Dr. Ves Dimov made their decision. Here is the final list of winners! Congratulations to everyone who submitted their stories which will be featured on Webicina one ...

One More Reason Oprah Is Awesome: All Of Her Employees Meditate Twice A Day

Genetics and Health — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 16:14:25 +0100

And this is why Oprah is so damn awesome: She has all 400 employees at her company stop whatever they are doing in order to meditate every day. In preparation for her next show, Oprah’s Next Chapter where she will visit a transcendental town in Iowa where one-third of its population meditates, the queen of talk–and aha moments–told Dr. Oz why meditation is so important to her: For me at this time in my life I recognize that everything is about moving closer to that which is God. And without a full, spiritual center-and I am not talking about religion, I am talking about without understanding the fullness from which you’ve come you can’t really fulfill your supreme moment of destiny. She went on to add: I think that being connected to that which is greater than...

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The roundup of twittered updates for 2011-12-12

Fungal Genomes and Comparative Genomics — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 15:00:00 +0100

Rho GTPases: deciphering the evolutionary history of a complex protein family. http://t.co/Lb3eUTBP # Transcriptome analysis of Stagonospora nodorum: gene models, effectors, metabolism and pantothenate dispensability http://t.co/3XvLcaOe # Powered by Twitter Tools (Source: Fungal Genomes and Comparative Genomics)

Pocket Body iPhone app

ScienceRoll — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 08:56:43 +0100

I remember when I had to study all the details of human anatomy from textbooks and some old books with many pictures, but I didn’t have a chance to see things in 3D (which would have made it much easier to understand, learn and memorize). After medical school, I started to discover new apps and solutions for this problem. I’ve been using the Biodigital app on Google Chrome, it’s free but a bit hard to use. And recently, I’ve received a letter from the makers of the Pocket Body iPhone app which is just great, although fairly expensive. Award winning Pocket Body features a fully anatomically accurate human character with nine layers of musculoskeletal, neurovascular, and internal organ visual content…plus over 30,000 words of learning material. I hope you chec...

Healthy Holidays: 7 Ways To Cope With The Holiday Blues

Genetics and Health — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 16:00:11 +0100

This time of year is all about cheer, but for some, the holidays bring about feelings of loneliness and stress. When depression starts knocking on your holiday-wreathed door, it’s important to have a few coping strategies to get you through the season. According to a 2005-2006 survey by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, roughly 6% of Americans above the age of 12 are living with depression. If holiday shopping, social gatherings, and cocktail parties invokes apprehension and melancholy versus excitement and joy–you are not alone. The increasing demands brought about by shopping, parties, and gifts may cause feelings of tension. During the holidays, depression may be heightened due to stress, fatigue, unrealistic expectations, and financial constraints. If the holidays ...

The roundup of twittered updates for 2011-12-11

Fungal Genomes and Comparative Genomics — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 15:00:00 +0100

Report on the One Fungus, One Name Symposium (1F=1N) in IMA Fungus http://t.co/aVIH25vw # Transcriptomes of the Parasitic Plant Family Orobanchaceae Reveal Surprising Conservation of Chlorophyll Synthesis http://t.co/SabHlufz # Powered by Twitter Tools (Source: Fungal Genomes and Comparative Genomics)

From DIY Diagnostic Tests to Mobile Health Competitions

ScienceRoll — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 14:26:18 +0100

Physicians in Scotland use iPhone 4 and Skype to remotely manage lung and pleural ultrasound In a letter published in the Journal of Emergencies, Trauma, and Shock, physicians in Scotland described the use of a webcam, Skype, and an iPhone 4 to connect a provider in Calgary to an expert over 200 miles away in Aberdeen for assistance in performing a pulmonary ultrasound. eHealth 2011 – a trove of new technologies in health Make Your Own Cancer Diagnostic Test The idea behind most diagnostic tests is simple: Identify a telltale chemical and look for it in a blood sample. The PSA test for prostate cancer is the best-known cancer diagnostic, but diagnostics exist for other cancers too — ovarian and colorectal to name a few. And while the tests are not infallible, they can help find h...

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Siri meets Siri: What we don’t want to see in medicine

ScienceRoll — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 09:50:53 +0100

I’ve recently come across a funny video about two iPhones talking to each other through the trendy and innovative app Siri. Well, this is something we never want to see in medicine. The real patient-physician interaction will never be substituted by robots or apps. Digital and social media are only for facilitating communication, nothing more. (Source: ScienceRoll)

Scienceroll.com: Weekly Introduction

ScienceRoll — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 08:22:01 +0100

Doctors 2.0 and You: Event of the year 2012

ScienceRoll — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 08:20:44 +0100

Last year, I attended and spoke at the Doctors 2.0 and You conference in Paris organized by the French e-health guru, Denise Silber and thought it was one of the (if not the) social media-healthcare event of the year. I’ll be a keynote speaker at the Doctors 2.0 and You 2012 as well! I hope to see you there! Paris France will be the world capital for Web 2.0 and Social Media in Health and Medicine, when the 2nd edition of Doctors 2.0TM and You convenes on May 23-24, 2012, at the International Residence situated in the elegant Cité Universitaire campus. Doctors 2.0TM & You will shed light on strategic issues for all of Health Care. The exciting program will examine: how doctors and other professionals, patients, hospitals, government, pharma, and payers use Social Media, mobi...

The roundup of twittered updates for 2011-12-10

Fungal Genomes and Comparative Genomics — Sat, 10 Dec 2011 15:00:00 +0100

The Meaning of Death: Evolution and Ecology of Apoptosis in Protozoan Parasites http://t.co/mZz3hp7P # Genome-Wide Analysis of Nascent Transcription in Saccharomyces cerevisiae http://t.co/RR8oUO4d # Genome Evolution in the Eremothecium Clade of the Saccharomyces Complex Revealed by Comparative Genomics http://t.co/PgTu1D4s # High-Resolution SNP/CGH Microarrays Reveal Accumulation of Loss of Heterozygosity in Commonly Used C albicans Strains http://t.co/KDAtrW3e # Geographically Diverse Collection of S pombe Shows Limited Phenotypic Variation but Extensive Karyotypic Diversity http://t.co/JQedWZ79 # Toward an Integrated Model of Capsule Regulation in Cryptococcus neoformans http://t.co/RftsotA6 # Powered by Twitter Tools (Source: Fungal Genomes and Comparative Genomics)