MedWorm: Harvard

Stress During Pregnancy May Increase Offspring's Risk Of Asthma

Pregnancy News From Medical News Today — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 11:00:00 +0100

Stress during pregnancy may raise the risk of asthma in offspring, according to researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston... (Source: Pregnancy News From Medical News Today)

MedWorm Message: Get the very latest Swine Flu news via the MedWorm Swine Flu RSS news feed - updated hourly from thousands of authoritative health and news sources.

Stress During Pregnancy May Increase Offspring's Risk Of Asthma

Health News from Medical News Today — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 11:00:00 +0100

Stress during pregnancy may raise the risk of asthma in offspring, according to researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston. The researchers investigated differences in immune function markers in cord blood between infants born to mothers in high stress environments and those born to mothers with lower stress and found marked differences in patterns that may be associated with asthma risk later in life... (Source: Health News from Medical News Today)

Older Patients With Colon Cancer Less Likely To Receive Chemotherapy After Surgery, And Have Fewer Adverse Events

Health News from Medical News Today — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 08:00:00 +0100

Even though older patients with colon cancer are less likely to receive chemotherapy following surgery because of concerns of adverse events, new research indicates that when they do receive this treatment, it is less toxic and of shorter duration than therapy younger patients receive, and older patients experience fewer adverse events, according to a study in the March 17 issue of JAMA, a theme issue on cancer. Study co-author Robert H. Fletcher, M.D., M.Sc., of Harvard Medical School, Boston, presented the findings of the study at a JAMA media briefing... (Source: Health News from Medical News Today)

Stress during pregnancy may increase offspring's risk of asthma

EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 04:00:00 +0100

(American Thoracic Society) Stress during pregnancy may raise the risk of asthma in offspring, according to researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston. The researchers investigated differences in immune function markers in cord blood between infants born to mothers in high stress environments and those born to mothers with lower stress and found marked differences in patterns that may be associated with asthma risk later in life. (Source: EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health)

Stress during pregnancy and asthma in offspring

Medicineworld.org: New Article Alert — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 02:19:18 +0100

Stress during pregnancy may raise the risk of asthma in offspring, as per scientists at Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston. The scientists investigated differences in immune function markers in cord blood between infants born to mothers in high stress environments and those born to mothers with lower stress and found marked differences in patterns that appears to be linked to asthma risk during the later part of life........ (Source: Medicineworld.org: New Article Alert)

Wyss/SEAS Invited Lecture Series: Microfluidic Engineering of Cellular Microenvironments

Nature Network Boston - Upcoming Events — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 22:27:52 +0100

The gap between the cellular microenvironment in vivo and in vitro poses challenges for obtaining physiologically relevant responses from cells used in basic biological studies or for drawing out the maximum functional potential from cells used therapeutically. One of the reasons for this gap is because the fluidic environment of mammalian cells in vivo is microscale and dynamic whereas typical in vitro cultures are macroscopic and static. This presentation will give an overview of efforts in the Takayama Laboratory to develop microfluidic systems that enable spatio-temporal control of both the chemical and fluid mechanical environment of cells. The technologies and methods close the physiology gap to provide biological information otherwise difficult to obtain. Specific technological topi...

MedWorm Message: Get the very latest Swine Flu news via the MedWorm Swine Flu RSS news feed - updated hourly from thousands of authoritative health and news sources.

UCLA medical students brace for news at residency 'Match Day'

UCLA Newsroom: Health Sciences — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 19:02:00 +0100

WHAT: Match Day is the fun, frenzied day when medical students nationwide learn which hospital has accepted them for residency — advanced training in their chosen specialty. At UCLA, the ceremony climaxes in a mad scramble for the envelopes, with 150 aspiring doctors tearing them open with their families and friends. Many videotape themselves and let distant loved ones listen in on cell phones during this emotional rollercoaster of an event. WHEN: Thursday, March 18 8 a.m.: Students and families arrive for check-in and breakfast. 8:30 a.m.: Welcome by Dr. Neil Parker, senior associate dean of student affairs at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. 9 a.m.: Students at UCLA (and across the country) open their envelopes. WHERE: Covel ...

Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center Kidney Cancer Patient Symposium

Kidney Cancer Association — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 15:34:58 +0100

03/17/2010 (Source: Kidney Cancer Association)

Arthritis Drug Salsalate in Clinical Trials for Type 2 Diabetes

About Diabetes — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

According to a press release from Joslin Diabetes Center, the arthritis drug, salsalate proved to lower blood glucose levels significantly. In the study, salsalate lowered A1c levels by 0.5%, as well as lowering triglycerides and raising a protein that appears to benefit cardiac health. "These results are exciting," says Allison Goldfine, M.D., Joslin's Director of Clinical Research and an Associate Professor at Harvard Medical School. "They indicate that salsalate may provide an effective, safe and inexpensive new avenue for diabetes treatment." Dr. Goldfine goes on to say that although the drug looks promising for treating type 2 diabetes, clinical trials are still ongoing. Scientists involved in the study recommend that patients do not use this medication for their diabetes until fur...

Halamka to Present 2010 Joseph Leiter NLM/MLA Lecture

Dragonfly — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 22:52:27 +0100

Knowledge Services and the Role of Medical Libraries in Healthcare IT John D. Halamka, MD, MS, will give the 2010 Joseph Leiter NLM/MLA Lecture on Wednesday, May 26, at 2:00 pm at the Lister Hill Center Auditorium at the National Library of Medicine. Dr. Halamka is the Chief Information Officer of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Chief Information Officer of Harvard Medical School. In addition, Dr. Halamka participates on several state and national committees. He serves as Chairman of the New England Healthcare Exchange Network (NEHEN), and is the current the Chair of the U.S. Healthcare Information Technology Standards Panel (HITSP) and co-Chair of the HIT Standards Committee. He also authors a blog: Life as a Healthcare CIO. The lecture will be recorded and broadcast live on the...

Ongoing Controversies in Prostate Cancer Highlighted in Harvard Report

Medscape Today Headlines — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 20:52:50 +0100

Experts discuss the shift away from widespread screening with the prostate-specific antigen test and the increasing interest in active surveillance. Medscape Medical News (Source: Medscape Today Headlines)

MedWorm Message: Get the very latest Swine Flu news via the MedWorm Swine Flu RSS news feed - updated hourly from thousands of authoritative health and news sources.

'Cancer Research' Has Published a Paper on the Activity of MM-121, an ErbB3 Inhibitor, in Ligand-dependent Tumors

PRWeb: Medical Pharmaceuticals — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 16:35:28 +0100

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center, Cell Signaling Technology, Harvard Medical School and Merrimack Pharmaceuticals collaborated on the MM-121 research. Researchers looked at MM-121 in combination with Erbitux to study efficacy in preclinical cancer models resistant to other targeted therapies. (PRWeb Mar 16, 2010) Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/2010/03/prweb3733734.htm (Source: PRWeb: Medical Pharmaceuticals)

Globe article on the cost of care at Children’s

Thrive, Children's Hospital Boston — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 15:43:46 +0100

A Boston Globe article this morning brought the cost of care here at Children’s Hospital Boston into question, saying, among other things, that “Children’s charges the highest fees for both outpatient and inpatient care.” It’s based on data by Harvard Pilgrim Health Care (HPHC) that we don’t feel accurately reflects the care that we provide. While the writer, Liz Kowalczyk, did say that because about 30 percent of our patients are on Medicaid, we have to “make up the lost revenue from private insurers,” I don’t think she went far enough in explaining why our costs tend to be higher than other hospitals in the state. First and most important, Children’s is the only freestanding children’s hospital on the Globe’s list, so comparing the care we deliver to that of hospi...

Ventilator-associated pneumonia: current status and future recommendations

Journal of Clinical Monitoring and Computing — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 14:50:01 +0100

Conclusions EBPG consensus includes: elevation of the head of the bed, use of daily “sedation vacations” and decontamination of the oropharynx. Technological solutions should aim to use the most comprehensive combination of subglottic suction of secretions, optimization of ETT cuff pressure and ultrathin cuffs. VAP is a type of hospital-acquired pneumonia that develops more than 48 h after endotracheal intubation. Its incidence is estimated to be 9–27%, with a mortality of 25–50% [Am J Respir Crit Care Med 171:388–416 (2005), Am J Med 85:499–506 (1988), Chest 122:2115–2121 (2002), Intensive Care Med 35:9–29 (2009)]. The most important target in VAP handling is its prevention. The aim of this article is to review the pathogenesis, epidemiology and the di...

Why women shun science

Guardian Unlimited Science — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 08:30:00 +0100

It's not a lack of ability holding women back in scientific careers but gender-based stereotypingWhat is to blame for the persistent lack of women in the hard sciences and in technology? The New York Times explores what the writer Katrin Bennhold describes as "Risk and opportunity for women in the 21st century". The article explains that the number of women in the sciences has steadily declined, despite record levels of need in areas such as computer engineering and chemical science.This gender-based career stagnation flies in the face of workforce trends that are placing women in increasing roles of prominence and power across all sectors. With the promise of higher income and innovative work, women are certainly wooed by the idea of scientific and technological careers, yet women lag far...

Lifestyle change can be good for your health

OrlandoSentinel: Medical Research — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

I read with interest Joe Mitlyng's March 3 informative ''Your View'' about health care. Some interesting facts to add to the debate: A 2005 Harvard University study found illness and medical bills were responsible for half of the bankruptcy cases in... (Source: OrlandoSentinel: Medical Research)

MedWorm Message: Get the very latest Swine Flu news via the MedWorm Swine Flu RSS news feed - updated hourly from thousands of authoritative health and news sources.

Drugs for halting diabetes tested

NHS News Feed — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 12:14:00 +0100

Conclusion Overall, this large, industry-funded study found that nateglinide had no effect on the incidence of diabetes or cardiovascular disease in this population and that valsartan had a small effect on diabetes risk but not on cardiovascular outcomes. This was well-conducted research and used the most robust study design for comparing the effectiveness of one treatment with another. There are some points to highlight, including the fact that 20% of participants in each trial arm dropped out of the study (they either withdrew their participation, died or were lost in the follow-up). Other important points relating to the research and its interpretation are raised in an accompanying editorial in the journal, written by Dr. David Nathan from the Diabetes Centre at Harvard Medical School. ...

Does Cholesterol Really Matter?

NaturalNews.com — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 07:00:00 +0100

(NaturalNews) I'd like to shine the spotlight on one of medicine's sacred cows- the belief that lowering cholesterol with drugs protects against heart attacks and premature death. Our obsession with cholesterol began in the 1950s when studies linked high consumption of animal fat with high rates of heart disease. This opened the door for clinical trials that laid the foundation of a new paradigm: the cholesterol theory of cardiovascular disease.This theory has had profound ramifications. It changed the way we eat (fats bad, carbohydrates good) and contributed to our problems with obesity and diabetes. It wormed its way into "clinical practice guidelines"- cholesterol management has become a "standard of care" that doctors are expected to follow. It spawned the invasive heart surgery indust...

Estimation of local statistical noise in PET images induced by attenuation inside the body

Annals of Nuclear Medicine — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 05:32:21 +0100

Conclusions Our algorithm favorably estimated the local statistical noise in PET image data using CT image data, regardless of object size, although the consideration was limited for phantoms with homogeneous interiors. Content Type Journal ArticleCategory Original ArticleDOI 10.1007/s12149-010-0355-0Authors Hideaki Kitamura, National Cancer Center Hospital East Radiology Division Kashiwa JapanKazumasa Inoue, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School Division of Hematology and Oncology Boston MA USATatsuya Sasaki, National Cancer Center Hospital East Radiology Division Kashiwa JapanKeisuke Tsuda, Tokyo Metropolitan University Graduate School of Human Health Sciences Tokyo JapanHirotaka Fujimori, National Cancer Center Hospital East Radiology Divisi...

An intoxicated man with facial trauma

Internal and Emergency Medicine — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 12:25:24 +0100

Content Type Journal ArticleCategory EM - Airway ForumDOI 10.1007/s11739-010-0353-1Authors Colleen Birmingham, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Harvard Medical School Department of Emergency Medicine Boston MA USAKevin Ban, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Harvard Medical School Department of Emergency Medicine Boston MA USAPeter Rosen, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Harvard Medical School Department of Emergency Medicine Boston MA USARichard Wolfe, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Harvard Medical School Department of Emergency Medicine Boston MA USADanny Davis, University of California Department of Emergency Medicine San Diego USAJohn Sakles, University of Arizona Department of Emergency Medicine Tucson USAKenny Bramwell, Boise ID USALeon D. Sanchez, Beth Israel Dea...

The influence of infection sites on development and mortality of ARDS

Intensive Care Medicine — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 11:26:38 +0100

Conclusions In critically ill infected patients, pulmonary infection is associated with higher risk of ARDS development than are infections at other sites. Pulmonary versus nonpulmonary infection significantly affects ARDS development but not mortality. Content Type Journal ArticleCategory OriginalDOI 10.1007/s00134-010-1851-3Authors Chau-Chyun Sheu, Harvard School of Public Health Department of Environmental Health 665 Huntington Avenue Boston MA 02115 USAMichelle N. Gong, Montefiore Medical Center Division of Critical Care Medicine Bronx NY 10461 USARihong Zhai, Harvard School of Public Health Department of Environmental Health 665 Huntington Avenue Boston MA 02115 USAEdnan K. Bajwa, Harvard Medical School Pulmonary and Critical Care Unit, Department of Medicine, M...

MedWorm Message: Get the very latest Swine Flu news via the MedWorm Swine Flu RSS news feed - updated hourly from thousands of authoritative health and news sources.

Intake of fiber and nuts during adolescence and incidence of proliferative benign breast disease

Cancer Causes and Control — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 11:24:59 +0100

Conclusions These findings support the hypothesis that dietary intake of fiber and nuts during adolescence influences subsequent risk of breast disease and may suggest a viable means for breast cancer prevention. Content Type Journal ArticleCategory Original paperDOI 10.1007/s10552-010-9532-7Authors Xuefen Su, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School Channing Laboratory, Department of Medicine 181 Longwood Avenue, 3rd Floor Boston MA 02115 USARulla M. Tamimi, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School Channing Laboratory, Department of Medicine 181 Longwood Avenue, 3rd Floor Boston MA 02115 USALaura C. Collins, Harvard Medical School and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Department of Pathology Boston MA USAHeather J. Baer, Harvard ...

The Nothing Cure: Taking the placebo effect seriously

CTV Health — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 12:23:51 +0100

Instead of ignoring the placebo effect, doctors should try to enhance it, says a Harvard Medical School professor. (Source: CTV Health)

2nd International Fascia Research Congress, Amsterdam, October 27–30 2009 - a Clinicians Review

Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 16:18:51 +0100

Having heard so much about the success of the first Fascia Research Congress, at Harvard (October 2007) attending the second Congress in Amsterdam involved feelings of curiosity and expectation. These feelings were fully realised. (Source: Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies)

Surgery and Staging of Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumors: A 14-Year Experience

Journal of Gastrointestinal Surgery — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 06:49:22 +0100

Conclusion WHO classification and TNM staging are useful for prognostic stratification among patients with PNETs. Content Type Journal ArticleCategory Original ArticleDOI 10.1007/s11605-010-1173-3Authors Hiromichi Ito, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School Department of Surgery 75 Francis Street Boston MA USAMichael Abramson, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School Department of Surgery 75 Francis Street Boston MA USAKaori Ito, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School Department of Surgery 75 Francis Street Boston MA USAEdward Swanson, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School Department of Surgery 75 Francis Street Boston MA USANancy Cho, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School Department of Surg...

Academic pediatric radiology in 2010: challenges and opportunities

Pediatric Radiology — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 06:47:56 +0100

This article reviews the current challenges, and suggests both departmental and individual strategies important in sustaining our academic mission. Content Type Journal ArticleCategory Radiologists In The WorkplaceDOI 10.1007/s00247-009-1515-zAuthors George A. Taylor, Children’s Hospital Boston and Harvard Medical School 300 Longwood Avenue Boston MA 02115 USA Journal Pediatric RadiologyOnline ISSN 1432-1998Print ISSN 0301-0449 Journal Volume Volume 40 Journal Issue Volume 40, Number 4 / April, 2010 (Source: Pediatric Radiology)

MedWorm Message: Get the very latest Swine Flu news via the MedWorm Swine Flu RSS news feed - updated hourly from thousands of authoritative health and news sources.

The intersection of ethics and communication in prenatal imaging: challenges for the pediatric radiologist

Pediatric Radiology — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 06:47:52 +0100

Abstract Pediatric radiologists who practice prenatal imaging are often at the front lines of communication with pregnant patients and their partners. The communication process is particularly complex when a fetal abnormality is diagnosed. Regardless of whether the information is completely new and unexpected, or the patient is referred for tertiary imaging and counseling, few pediatric radiologists are trained specifically in the communication skills necessary to provide optimal care to the prospective parents. This paper reviews current literature regarding communication with patients about unexpected or difficult information, and illustrates key clinical and ethical features that make conversations with pregnant patients particularly challenging in the setting of fetal ...

HSPH Unveils Comprehensive, Public Online Library Of Firearms Research

Health News from Medical News Today — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 02:00:00 +0100

A new firearms research database launched by the Harvard School of Public Health makes scholarly articles more accessible to reporters, law enforcement, public health officials, policymakers, and the general public. The Firearms Research Digest provides summaries of articles gathered from social science, criminology, medical and public health journals and is written in clear, accessible language for use by those outside academia. The website currently covers six years of research published between 2003 and 2008... (Source: Health News from Medical News Today)

HSPH Unveils Comprehensive, Public Online Library Of Firearms Research

Public Health News From Medical News Today — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 02:00:00 +0100

Rapid vascular modifications to localized rhythmic handgrip training and detraining

European Journal of Applied Physiology — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 18:12:27 +0100

This study aimed to examine the effects of 4-week rhythmic handgrip exercise training and 2-week detraining on reactive hyperemic forearm blood flow and vascular resistance in 11 young men. Rhythmic handgrip exercise was performed in the non-dominant forearm for 20 min/day, 5 days/week, at 60% of maximum voluntary contraction for 4 weeks, followed by 2 weeks of no training. Forearm blood flow and vascular resistance were evaluated, in both arms, at rest and following arterial occlusion. These vascular function indices were obtained in five visits; before, after 1 and 4 week(s) of training as well as after 1 and 2 week(s) of training cessation. Resting cardiovascular measures were not altered during the study period. A 2 (arms) × 5 (visits) ANO...

PrescriptionDrugs.com and Mike “Zappy” Zapolin Have Been Selected to Compete in Harvard Business School New Venture Contest

PRWeb: Medical Pharmaceuticals — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 16:01:45 +0100

Internet Entrepreneur and HBS Alumnus Recognized for PrescriptionDrugs.com Business Plan (PRWeb Mar 10, 2010) Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/health/prescription-drugs/prweb3704924.htm (Source: PRWeb: Medical Pharmaceuticals)

MedWorm Message: Get the very latest Swine Flu news via the MedWorm Swine Flu RSS news feed - updated hourly from thousands of authoritative health and news sources.

Comparative Research Lags Far Behind Approval-Driven Evaluations

Health News from Medical News Today — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 13:00:00 +0100

A new study has found that few drug evaluations compare treatments in ways that help doctors make better decisions, Reuters reports. The study, published in today's Journal of the American Medical Association and written by doctors from Harvard and University of Southern California, also found that private firms - the main sponsors of research that compare drugs to placebos - have little interest in drug-to-drug comparisons, and that even when researchers do compare drugs, they often fail to answer questions about safety and improving effectiveness (Fox, 3/9)... (Source: Health News from Medical News Today)

Revascularization for coronary artery disease in diabetes mellitus: Angioplasty, stents and coronary artery bypass grafting

Reviews in Endocrine & Metabolic Disorders — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 08:06:56 +0100

Abstract Patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) are prone to a diffuse and rapidly progressive form of atherosclerosis, which increases their likelihood of requiring revascularization. However, the unique pathophysiology of atherosclerosis in patients with DM modifies the response to arterial injury, with profound clinical consequences for patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Multiple studies have shown that DM is a strong risk factor for restenosis following successful balloon angioplasty or coronary stenting, with greater need for repeat revascularization and inferior clinical outcomes. Early data suggest that drug eluting stents reduce restenosis rates and the need for repeat revascularization irrespective of the diabetic state and with no signifi...

Orthopedic Research Society Honor BIDMC Scientist

Health News from Medical News Today — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 08:00:00 +0100

Christopher Evans, PhD, director of the Center for Advanced Orthopaedic Studies at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) and Maurice Edmond Mueller Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at Harvard Medical School, were presented with the 2010 Arthur Steindler Award at this week's annual meeting of the Orthopaedic Research Society in New Orleans. The prestigious award is made biannually to recognize senior scientists, clinicians and educators who have made significant contributions to the understanding of the musculoskeletal system and musculoskeletal diseases and injuries... (Source: Health News from Medical News Today)

Orthopedic Research Society Honor BIDMC Scientist

Bones / Orthopaedics News From Medical News Today — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 08:00:00 +0100

American Society for Microbiology honors Rachel J. Dutton

EurekAlert! - Biology — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 05:00:00 +0100

(American Society for Microbiology) A 2010 American Society for Microbiology Raymond W. Sarber Award is being presented to Rachel J. Dutton, a Ph.D. candidate at Harvard Medical School, Boston, for her work on disulfide bond formation. It is presented in honor of the late Raymond W. Sarber and his contributions to the growth and advancement of the ASM. (Source: EurekAlert! - Biology)

MedWorm Message: Get the very latest Swine Flu news via the MedWorm Swine Flu RSS news feed - updated hourly from thousands of authoritative health and news sources.

Update on Biology: Uric Acid and the Activation of Immune and Inflammatory Cells

Current Rheumatology Reports — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 02:24:33 +0100

Abstract Gout is a common metabolic disorder characterized by elevated uric acid leading to the formation and accumulation of uric acid crystals in synovial fluids. An attack of gout is characterized by intense, self-limited bouts of acute arthritis with excruciating pain. The mechanisms regulating initiation and resolution of gouty inflammation are still unclear. A significant though incomplete body of information implicating the innate immune system as a central component of immune and inflammatory cell activation in gout has been accumulated over the past few years. In this review, advances in the understanding of the basic biology of crystal-mediated inflammation are summarized. The emerging role of the inflammasome and the cytokine interleukin-1 in the initiation of a...

ZenBio Licenses An Important Cell Line From Harvard To Drive Metabolic Disease Research

Health News from Medical News Today — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

ZenBio announce that they will be a commercial source for the popular murine 3T3-L1 cell line, which has been fundamental in metabolic disease research for 30 years. Originally derived from Swiss mouse embryo tissue by Dr. Howard Green of the Department of Cell Biology at Harvard Medical School, the 3T3-L1 system has been pivotal in advancing the understanding of basic cellular mechanisms associated with diabetes, obesity and other related disorders... (Source: Health News from Medical News Today)

ZenBio Licenses An Important Cell Line From Harvard To Drive Metabolic Disease Research

Biology / Biochemistry News From Medical News Today — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

CMV in Moderately Active Colitis: Much Ado About Nothing?

Digestive Diseases and Sciences — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 18:48:01 +0100

Content Type Journal ArticleCategory EditorialDOI 10.1007/s10620-010-1172-yAuthors Alan C. Moss, Harvard Medical School 330 Brookline Ave Boston MA 02215 USA Journal Digestive Diseases and SciencesOnline ISSN 1573-2568Print ISSN 0163-2116 (Source: Digestive Diseases and Sciences)

Developmentally regulated expression of ectonucleotidases NTPDase5 and NTPDase6 and UDP-responsive P2Y receptors in the rat cochlea

Histochemistry and Cell Biology — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 16:14:07 +0100

This study reports the changes in expression of NTPDase5 and NTPDase6 in the developing rat cochlea. These two intracellular members of the E-NTPDase family can be released in a soluble form and show preference for nucleoside 5′-diphosphates, such as UDP and GDP. Here, we demonstrate differential spatial and temporal patterns for NTPDase5 and NTPDase6 expression during cochlear development, which are indicative of both cytosolic and extracellular action via pyrimidines. NTPDase5 is noted during the early postnatal period in developing sensory hair cells and supporting Deiters’ cells of the organ of Corti, and primary auditory neurons located in the spiral ganglion. In contrast, NTPDase6 is confined to the embryonic and early postnatal hair cell bundles. NTPDase6 immunolocalisatio...

MedWorm Message: Get the very latest Swine Flu news via the MedWorm Swine Flu RSS news feed - updated hourly from thousands of authoritative health and news sources.

Gender-related differences in outcome after ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction treated by primary angioplasty and glycoprotein IIb–IIIa inhibitors: insights from the EGYPT cooperation

Journal of Thrombosis and Thrombolysis — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 15:34:54 +0100

This study shows that in patients with STEMI treated by primary angioplasty, female gender is associated with higher mortality rate in comparison with men, and this is mainly due to their higher clinical and angiographic risk profiles. In fact, female sex did not emerge as an independent predictor of mortality. Content Type Journal ArticleDOI 10.1007/s11239-010-0451-yAuthors Giuseppe De Luca, Eastern Piedmont University Division of Cardiology, Maggiore della Carità Hospital Novara ItalyC. Michael Gibson, Harvard Medical School Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Boston USAMariann Gyöngyösi, Medical University of Vienna Department of Cardiology Vienna AustriaUwe Zeymer, Herzzentrum Ludwigshafen Division of Cardiology Ludwigshafen GermanyDariusz Dudek, Jagiellonian University II...

U.S. Provider Reported Folic Acid or Multivitamin Ordering for Non-Pregnant Women of Childbearing Age: NAMCS and NHAMCS, 2005–2006

Maternal and Child Health Journal — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 15:34:33 +0100

Abstract Folic acid use started prior to pregnancy confers a decreased risk of neural tube defects, and yet 20–50% of pregnancies are unplanned. We sought to determine whether medical providers order folic acid (FA) or folic acid-containing multivitamins (MVI) for their non-pregnant female patients of childbearing age. This is a cross-sectional study using data from the CDC’s National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NAMCS) and National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NHAMCS) (2005 and 2006). Among non-pregnant, female patients of childbearing age (15–44), the proportion of preventive visits during which a provider ordered FA/MVI supplements was determined and compared to pregnant patients. Next, the rates of FA/MVI orders were examined according to race/ethni...

An in vitro model of biomaterial-augmented microfracture including chondrocyte–progenitor cell interaction

Archives of Orthopaedic and Trauma Surgery — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 15:26:28 +0100

Conclusion Our study showed that biomaterial-augmented microfracture is a viable option in cartilage repair from a biological perspective because adult femoral MPC have a strong capacity to differentiate into chondrocytes, which is further enhanced by the surrounding cartilage. Failure in in vivo studies must be explained by other factors of the intra-articular environment, such as cytokines or biomechanics. Content Type Journal ArticleCategory Basic ScienceDOI 10.1007/s00402-010-1079-2Authors Patrick Vavken, Children’s Hospital Boston, Harvard Medical School Sports Medicine Research Laboratory, Department of Orthopedic Surgery 300 Longwood Avenue Enders 1016 Boston MA 02115 USAFerdi Arrich, Medical University of Vienna Department of Orthopaedic Surgery Vienna Au...

West African and Amerindian ancestry and risk of myocardial infarction and metabolic syndrome in the Central Valley population of Costa Rica

Human Genetics — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 15:24:42 +0100

Abstract Genetic ancestry and environmental factors may contribute to the ethnic differences in risk of coronary heart disease (CHD), metabolic syndrome (MS) or its individual components. The population of the Central Valley of Costa Rica offers a unique opportunity to assess the role of genetic ancestry in these chronic diseases because it derived from the admixture of a relatively small number of founders of Southern European, Amerindian, and West African origin. We aimed to determine whether genetic ancestry is associated with risk of myocardial infarction (MI), MS and its individual components in the Central Valley of Costa Rica. We genotyped 39 ancestral informative markers in cases (n = 1,998) with a first non-fatal acute MI and population-based controls (n&...

After a fight with a partner

Medicineworld.org: New Article Alert — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 14:04:32 +0100

Common wisdom tells us that for a successful relationship partners shouldn't go to bed angry. But new research from a psychology expert at Harvard University suggests that brain activityspecifically in the region called the lateral prefrontal cortexis a far better indicator of how someone will feel in the days following a fight with his or her partner........ (Source: Medicineworld.org: New Article Alert)

MedWorm Message: Get the very latest Swine Flu news via the MedWorm Swine Flu RSS news feed - updated hourly from thousands of authoritative health and news sources.

Simple area-based measurement for multidetector computed tomography to predict left ventricular size

European Radiology — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 13:19:08 +0100

Conclusion Compared with traditionally used CTR, LV size can be accurately predicted based on a simple and highly reproducible axial LV area-based measurement. Content Type Journal ArticleCategory CardiacDOI 10.1007/s00330-010-1720-zAuthors Christopher L. Schlett, Massachusetts General Hospital, and Harvard Medical School Cardiac MR PET CT Program 165 Cambridge Street, Suite 400 Boston MA 02114 USADylan C. Kwait, Massachusetts General Hospital, and Harvard Medical School Cardiac MR PET CT Program 165 Cambridge Street, Suite 400 Boston MA 02114 USAAmir A. Mahabadi, Massachusetts General Hospital, and Harvard Medical School Cardiac MR PET CT Program 165 Cambridge Street, Suite 400 Boston MA 02114 USAFabian Bamberg, Massachusetts General Hospital, and Harvard Medical Sc...

Brain Activity Predicts Emotional Resiliency Following A Fight With A Partner

Health News from Medical News Today — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 13:00:00 +0100

Common wisdom tells us that for a successful relationship partners shouldn't go to bed angry. But new research from a psychologist at Harvard University suggests that brain activity - specifically in the region called the lateral prefrontal cortex - is a far better indicator of how someone will feel in the days following a fight with his or her partner. Individuals who show more neural activity in the lateral prefrontal cortex are less likely to be upset the day after fighting with partners, according to a study in this month's Biological Psychiatry... (Source: Health News from Medical News Today)

Brain Activity Predicts Emotional Resiliency Following A Fight With A Partner

Neurology / Neuroscience News From Medical News Today — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 13:00:00 +0100

BIDMC scientist Christopher Evans, Ph.D., honored by Orthopedic Research Society

EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 05:00:00 +0100

(Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center) Christopher Evans, Ph.D., director of the Center for Advanced Orthopedic Studies at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Maurice Edmond Mueller Professor of Orthopedic Surgery at Harvard Medical School, was presented with the 2010 Arthur Steindler Award at this week's annual meeting of the Orthopedic Research Society in New Orleans. (Source: EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science)

Harvard School of Public Health unveils comprehensive, public online library of firearms research

EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 05:00:00 +0100

(Harvard School of Public Health) A new firearms research database launched by the Harvard School of Public Health makes scholarly articles more accessible to reporters, law enforcement, public health officials, policymakers and the general public. (Source: EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science)

MedWorm Message: Get the very latest Swine Flu news via the MedWorm Swine Flu RSS news feed - updated hourly from thousands of authoritative health and news sources.

Photo Release -- Harvard Bioscience, Inc. Launches Its First Regenerative Medicine Product

Medical News (via PRIMEZONE) — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 12:00:00 +0100

HOLLISTON, Mass., March 9, 2010 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Harvard Bioscience, Inc. (Nasdaq:HBIO), a global developer, manufacturer and marketer of a broad range of specialized products used to advance life science research, today announced the launch of its ORGANIZER(tm) Series Model 100 "In Breath" bioreactor. This bioreactor was used to grow the bronchus used in the landmark clinical transplantation performed by Professor Paolo Macchiarini of the Department of General Thoracic Surgery, Hospital Clinic, Barcelona, Spain. (Source: Medical News (via PRIMEZONE))

Light To Moderate Drinking Linked To Less Weight Gain In Middle Aged Women

Health News from Medical News Today — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 10:00:00 +0100

A new study from the US found that normal weight women in their 40s and older who drank a light to moderate amount of alcohol gained less weight and had a lower risk of becoming obese and overweight compared to their non-drinking counterparts. The researchers, from the Brigham and Women's Hospital, and the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, Massachusetts, have written about their study in a paper published online in the 8 March issue of Archives of Internal Medicine... (Source: Health News from Medical News Today)

After a fight with a partner, brain activity predicts emotional resiliency

EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 05:00:00 +0100

(Harvard University) Neural activity in the lateral prefrontal cortex can predict whether an individual will still be upset on the day after a conflict with his or her partner, according to new research from a psychologist at Harvard University. The findings point to the brain region's role in emotion regulation, and suggest that greater activity in this area might lead to improvement in day-to-day mood. (Source: EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science)

Protein Suspected in Alzheimer’s May Be Needed to Fight Infection

NYT > Health — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 02:20:22 +0100

Beta amyloid, which was once thought to be a chief villain in Alzheimer’s, may be part of the brain’s normal defenses, researchers at Harvard suggested. (Source: NYT > Health)

Ig Nobel tour showcases the bra that doubles as a gas mask

Guardian Unlimited Science — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 00:05:06 +0100

'The idea of a simple and readily available mask came to me after the Chernobyl nuclear accident in Ukraine'Last October, at Harvard University, I was awarded the Ig Nobel prize for public health for inventing the Emergency Bra, an item of lingerie that, in case of an emergency, can be quickly transformed into two protective respiratory face masks.Don't get too excited, boys: this can be done without removing any clothes.My Ig Nobel nomination came as a pleasant surprise. And I recognised that this competitive prize for "scientific achievements that first make people laugh and then make them think" is hugely popular and a great opportunity to deliver a message on emergency preparedness to the public.I admit that disaster preparedness is not the most enthralling discussion topic, but it is ...

MedWorm Message: Get the very latest Swine Flu news via the MedWorm Swine Flu RSS news feed - updated hourly from thousands of authoritative health and news sources.

Infection Defense May Spur Alzheimer’s

NYT > Health — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 23:06:38 +0100

Beta amyloid, which was once thought to be a chief villain in Alzheimer’s, may be part of the brain’s normal defenses, researchers at Harvard suggested. (Source: NYT > Health)

Old Enemy Might Help to Prevent Alzheimer’s

NYT > Health — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 22:01:13 +0100

Harvard researchers are taking a new look at beta amyloid, which was thought to be a chief villain in Alzheimer’s whose function was that of a waste product in the brain. (Source: NYT > Health)

Acetylon licenses drug platform from Harvard, Dana-Farber

bizjournals.com Health Care:Biotechnology headlines — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 19:43:21 +0100

Acetylon Pharmaceuticals Inc. has licensed a drug discovery platform and a group of enzyme inhibitors from Harvard University and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. (Source: bizjournals.com Health Care:Biotechnology headlines)

AirStrip appoints new executive to oversee risk management

bizjournals.com Health Care:Biotechnology headlines — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 18:02:48 +0100

AirStrip Technologies LP has hired a former analyst with the Harvard Risk Management Foundation to become its newest executive. (Source: bizjournals.com Health Care:Biotechnology headlines)

Wine and women's weight

NHS News Feed — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 16:39:00 +0100

Conclusion This large cohort study that followed middle-aged women for almost 13 years found that there was an association between greater alcohol consumption and slightly slower weight gain over this period. Despite the tone of press coverage, it should be remembered that this type of study can only show associations between factors, and cannot say how or whether alcohol directly causes the slower weight gain. There are also a number of limitations to this research, some of which the researchers have highlighted: The participants self-reported their weights and alcohol consumption, which may have resulted in a misclassification or underestimation of these values. The study used a single measurement of alcohol consumption taken at the start of the study. It is likely that the partici...

MedWorm Message: Get the very latest Swine Flu news via the MedWorm Swine Flu RSS news feed - updated hourly from thousands of authoritative health and news sources.

Accents Trump Skin Color

Scientific American - Official RSS Feed — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 14:00:00 +0100

Children, like adults, use three visible cues--race, gender and age--to arrange their social world. They prefer to make friends with kids similar to them on these traits. New research shows that verbal accents may be equally important in guiding youngsters’ social decisions--in fact, accents may be even more important than race.Working at Harvard University, developmental psychologist Katherine D. Kinzler and her colleagues first showed American five-year-olds photographs of different children paired with audio clips of voices and asked which ones they preferred as a friend: a child who spoke English, one who spoke French, or one who spoke English with a French accent. Even though the subjects understood the French-accented English, they were almost four times more likely to choose t...

Are genomic assays ready for prime time? A prominent investigator weighs in

Cancer Network — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 12:00:00 +0100

Next-generation genomic assay technologies are revolutionizing our ability to characterize cancers at the genomic levels, providing critical prognostic and predictive information for individual patients with breast cancer, thereby helping to guide treatment decisions. According to Harold J. Burstein, MD, PhD, Associate Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, these emerging technologies will change the way we treat breast cancer. (Source: Cancer Network)

Correction to McCartney et al. (2010).

Developmental Psychology — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 05:00:00 +0100

Reports an error in "Testing a series of causal propositions relating time in child care to children’s externalizing behavior" by Kathleen McCartney, Margaret Burchinal, Aliso Clarke-Stewart, Kristen L. Bub, Margaret T. Owen and Jay Belsky (Developmental Psychology, 2010[Jan], Vol 46[1], 1-17). On the first page of the article “Testing a Series of Causal Propositions Relating Time in Child Care to Children’s Externalizing Behavior,” by Kathleen McCartney, Margaret Burchinal, Alison Clarke- Stewart, Kristen L. Bub, Margaret T. Owen, Jay Belsky, and the NICHD Early Child Care Research Network (Developmental Psychology, 2010, Vol. 46, No. 1, pp. 1–17), author Alison Clarke- Stewart’s name was misspelled as Aliso Clarke-Stewart. In addition, the e-mail address listed for the corres...

Humans are driving extinction faster than species can evolve

Guardian Unlimited Science — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 22:59:54 +0100

Conservationists say rate of new species slower than diversity loss caused by the destruction of habitats and climate changeFor the first time since the dinosaurs disappeared, humans are driving animals and plants to extinction faster than new species can evolve, one of the world's experts on biodiversity has warned.Conservation experts have already signalled that the world is in the grip of the "sixth great extinction" of species, driven by the destruction of natural habitats, hunting, the spread of alien predators and disease, and climate change.However until recently it has been hoped that the rate at which new species were evolving could keep pace with the loss of diversity of life.Speaking in advance of two reports next week on the state of wildlife in Britain and Europe, Simon Stuart...

Humans drive extinction faster than species evolve

Guardian Unlimited Science — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 22:59:54 +0100

Conservationists say rate of new species slower than diversity loss caused by the destruction of habitats and climate change• Ghost orchid comes back from extinctionFor the first time since the dinosaurs disappeared, humans are driving animals and plants to extinction faster than new species can evolve, one of the world's experts on biodiversity has warned.Conservation experts have already signalled that the world is in the grip of the "sixth great extinction" of species, driven by the destruction of natural habitats, hunting, the spread of alien predators and disease, and climate change.However until recently it has been hoped that the rate at which new species were evolving could keep pace with the loss of diversity of life.Speaking in advance of two reports next week on the state of w...

MedWorm Message: Get the very latest Swine Flu news via the MedWorm Swine Flu RSS news feed - updated hourly from thousands of authoritative health and news sources.

90 Percent of African American Children Deficient in Vitamin D

NaturalNews.com — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 07:00:00 +0100

(NaturalNews) As many as 90 percent of all black children may be deficient in vitamin D, according to a new analysis conducted by researchers from Harvard Medical School, the University of Colorado-Denver and Massachusetts General Hospital, and published in the journal Pediatrics.The American Academy of Pediatrics defines an adequate vitamin D blood level in children as 50 nanomoles per liter (nmol/L), but many researchers have begun to argue that 75 nmol/L are actually necessary for good health."There are a lot of studies demonstrating associations between low levels of vitamin D and a laundry list of poor health outcomes," lead researcher Jonathan Mansbach said.Vitamin D plays a critical role in bone health and development, and guidelines for safe levels were originally set with those ef...

The dumb psychology of ChatRoulette's in-your-face design

Psychology Today Relationships Center — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 18:53:59 +0100

Chat roulette is a terrific idea for a web-site. Spin the wheel, meet a stranger. Instant intimacy, like an interesting seat-mate on a train or plane. Only the most curmudgeonly wouldn't occasionally want such chats with strangers from someplace else.But "ChatRoulette," the current web-fad grabbing headlines, as well as Jon Stewart's satiric attention? Well, sad to say,the site is really dumb. It's only saving grace, besides serving as fodder for Stewart's hilarious bit, is that the site is dumb in psychologically interesting ways.My colleague Kashmir Hill from over at True/Slant spent a weekend on ChatRoulette "so you don't have to." While she's now a "big fan" I found it pretty flat and disappointing. Sure, my time there was briefly amusing, but only briefly; I must say the sit...

Further evidence links Epstein-Barr virus and risk of multiple sclerosis

ScienceDaily Headlines — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 16:02:02 +0100

Just as I Expected

Psychology Today Relationships Center — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 13:40:28 +0100

The experts approached the teachers at the Oak School with an offer that seemed too good to be true.Our new diagnostic test will identify the hidden gems in each of your classrooms, they said. We'll find those students, they vowed, who haven't stood out intellectually to date, but sit perched on the precipice of a mental growth spurt. We'll tell you exactly which kids are poised to make academic breakthroughs this year.The name of the test they planned to administer was no less impressive than the results it promised: "The Harvard Test of Inflected Acquisition." And it seemed to work wonders.By the end of the next year, the average 1st grader's IQ at the school had gone up 12 points. But those students identified as "late bloomers" by the test? They had shot up a remarkable 27 points. And,...

Researchers Find Further Evidence Linking Epstein-Barr Virus And Risk Of Multiple Sclerosis

Neurology / Neuroscience News From Medical News Today — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 13:00:00 +0100

Researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, and a team of collaborators have observed for the first time that the risk of multiple sclerosis (MS) increases by many folds following infection with the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). This finding implicates EBV as a contributory cause to multiple sclerosis... (Source: Neurology / Neuroscience News From Medical News Today)

MedWorm Message: Get the very latest Swine Flu news via the MedWorm Swine Flu RSS news feed - updated hourly from thousands of authoritative health and news sources.

Researchers Find Further Evidence Linking Epstein-Barr Virus And Risk Of Multiple Sclerosis

Health News from Medical News Today — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 13:00:00 +0100

Researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, and a team of collaborators have observed for the first time that the risk of multiple sclerosis (MS) increases by many folds following infection with the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). This finding implicates EBV as a contributory cause to multiple sclerosis. The study appears in an advance online edition of the journal Annals of Neurology and will appear in a later print edition... (Source: Health News from Medical News Today)

Non-linear classification for on-the-fly fractional mass filtering and targeted precursor fragmentation in mass spectrometry experiments

Bioinformatics — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 12:22:07 +0100

Motivation: Mass spectrometry (MS) has become the method of choice for protein/peptide sequence and modification analysis. The technology employs a two-step approach: ionized peptide precursor masses are detected, selected for fragmentation, and the fragment mass spectra are collected for computational analysis. Current precursor selection schemes are based on data- or information-dependent acquisition (DDA/IDA), where fragmentation mass candidates are selected by intensity and are subsequently included in a dynamic exclusion list to avoid constant refragmentation of highly abundant species. DDA/IDA methods do not exploit valuable information that is contained in the fractional mass of high-accuracy precursor mass measurements delivered by current instrumentation. Results: We extend previo...

Regular painkillers and hearing loss

NHS News Feed — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 11:10:00 +0100

Conclusion This study found an association between regular use of three types of painkiller and a small increased risk in hearing loss. This type of study can only find associations, it cannot demonstrate that these painkillers caused the hearing loss. The researchers highlight some limitations of their study: Men were categorised as having hearing loss based on their own admission in the questionnaire on whether it had been diagnosed by a professional. Participants who did not report hearing loss were considered to not be impaired. The best way to assess hearing would have been through standard pure-tone audiometry, but this could not be performed due to cost and logistics reasons. The researchers did not have information on the participants’ lifetime noise exposure or the reasons...

MIT Student Inventor Honored For Transformative Work In Genomics And Linguistics

Health News from Medical News Today — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 10:00:00 +0100

A scientific "Renaissance man" whose work spans the fields of mathematics, linguistics, biotechnology and polymer physics, Erez Lieberman-Aiden, graduate student at the Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology, has been named the winner of the prestigious $30,000 Lemelson-MIT Student Prize. Lieberman-Aiden, one of four 2010 $30,000 Lemelson-MIT Collegiate Student Prize winners, was selected for the breadth and depth of his innovations... (Source: Health News from Medical News Today)

MIT Student Inventor Honored For Transformative Work In Genomics And Linguistics

Seniors / Aging News From Medical News Today — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 10:00:00 +0100

A scientific "Renaissance man" whose work spans the fields of mathematics, linguistics, biotechnology and polymer physics, Erez Lieberman-Aiden, graduate student at the Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology, has been named the winner of the prestigious $30,000 Lemelson-MIT Student Prize... (Source: Seniors / Aging News From Medical News Today)

MedWorm Message: Get the very latest Swine Flu news via the MedWorm Swine Flu RSS news feed - updated hourly from thousands of authoritative health and news sources.

Three Harvard School Of Public Health Alumni Named To New FDA Tobacco Advisory Committee

Health News from Medical News Today — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 05:00:00 +0100

The recently formed Food and Drug Administration (FDA)'s Center for Tobacco Products has just created a new Tobacco Products Scientific Advisory Committee to review and evaluate safety, dependence, and health issues relating to tobacco products and provide appropriate advice, information, and recommendations to the Commissioner of Food and Drugs... (Source: Health News from Medical News Today)

Three Harvard School Of Public Health Alumni Named To New FDA Tobacco Advisory Committee

Smoking / Quit Smoking News From Medical News Today — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 05:00:00 +0100

Epstein-Barr virus and multiple sclerosis

Medicineworld.org: New Article Alert — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 03:04:27 +0100

Scientists from the Harvard School of Public Health, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, and a team of collaborators have observed for the first time that the risk of multiple sclerosis (MS) increases by a number of folds following infection with the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). This finding implicates EBV as a contributory cause to multiple sclerosis. The study appears in an advance online edition of the journal Annals of Neurology and will appear in a later print edition........ (Source: Medicineworld.org: New Article Alert)

Life and Colony Size Among the Ants: Lecture and Booksigning by Mark Moffett

Nature Network Boston - Upcoming Events — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 16:44:41 +0100

Entomologist, photographer, and intrepid world-traveler Mark Moffett explores the parallel between ant colonies and human societies in his latest book, Adventures with the Ants. From his travels to the Amazon, the Congo, Borneo, Australia, California and elsewhere, Moffett provides fascinating details on how ants live and dominate their ecosystems through strikingly human behaviors: hunting, fighting, building, recycling, and even creating marketplaces. Free and open to the public. Cosponsored with the Cambridge Entomological Club. Venue: Harvard Museum of Natural History Start date: Tue, 11 May 2010 19:00:00 -0400 End date: Tue, 11 May 2010 20:00:00 -0400 (Source: Nature Network Boston - Upcoming Events)

Microfluidic Technology Increases Efficiency, Reduces Costs, And Could Be A Boon For Synthetic Biology

Health News from Medical News Today — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 10:00:00 +0100

Fictional candy maker Willy Wonka called his whimsical device to sort good chocolate eggs from bad, an eggucator. Likewise, by determining what enzymes and compounds to keep and which to discard, scientists are aiming to find their own golden eggs: more potent drugs and cleaner sources of energy. Toward that end, Harvard researchers and a team of international collaborators demonstrated a new microfluidic sorting device that rapidly analyzes millions of biological reactions... (Source: Health News from Medical News Today)

MedWorm Message: Get the very latest Swine Flu news via the MedWorm Swine Flu RSS news feed - updated hourly from thousands of authoritative health and news sources.

Loss of enzyme reduces neural activity in Angelman syndrome

EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 05:00:00 +0100

(Harvard Medical School) Angelman syndrome (AS) is a debilitating neurological disorder characterized by mental retardation and a high frequency of autism. Researchers have now found that the gene mutation underlying AS appears to affect the ability of neurons to communicate and to properly develop during the first few years of life, a time when brain activity is "rewired" by external stimuli. (Source: EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health)

Researchers find further evidence linking Epstein-Barr virus and risk of multiple sclerosis

EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 05:00:00 +0100

(Harvard School of Public Health) Researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, and a team of collaborators have observed for the first time that the risk of multiple sclerosis (MS) increases by many folds following infection with the Epstein-Barr virus. (Source: EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health)

World-Renowned Radiologist Speaks Out On The Over-Use, Radiation Exposure, And Expense Of CTs Ordered For Women With Acute Pelvic Conditions

Cancer / Oncology News From Medical News Today — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 10:00:00 +0100

In a bold, eye-opening editorial in the March 2010 issue of the Journal of Ultrasound in Medicine, Harvard Professor, Beryl Benacerraf, MD, urges the medical community to use ultrasound instead of Computed Tomography (CT) as the first-line imaging test for better diagnosis capability in the evaluation of acute female pelvic and lower abdominal conditions... (Source: Cancer / Oncology News From Medical News Today)

World-Renowned Radiologist Speaks Out On The Over-Use, Radiation Exposure, And Expense Of CTs Ordered For Women With Acute Pelvic Conditions

Health News from Medical News Today — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 10:00:00 +0100

Universal Detection Technology Responds To Harvard Poll On Anthrax

Health News from Medical News Today — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 09:00:00 +0100

Universal Detection Technology (OTCBB: UNDT), a developer of early-warning monitoring technologies and counter-terrorism training programs to protect people from bioterrorism and other infectious health threats, responded today to a survey that says nearly a third of Americans would delay in taking an antibiotic recommended by public health officials in the wake of an anthrax detect... (Source: Health News from Medical News Today)

MedWorm Message: Get the very latest Swine Flu news via the MedWorm Swine Flu RSS news feed - updated hourly from thousands of authoritative health and news sources.

Universal Detection Technology Responds To Harvard Poll On Anthrax

Bio-terrorism / Terrorism News From Medical News Today — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 09:00:00 +0100

Chronic Pain in Torture Victims

Current Pain and Headache Reports — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 08:07:53 +0100

Abstract Torture is widely practiced throughout the world. Recent studies indicate that 50% of all countries, including 79% of the G-20 countries, continue to practice systematic torture despite a universal ban. It is well known that torture has numerous physical, psychological, and pain-related sequelae that can inflict a devastating and enduring burden on its victims. Health care professionals, particularly those who specialize in the treatment of chronic pain, have an obligation to better understand the physical and psychological effects of torture. This review highlights the epidemiology, classification, pain sequelae, and clinical treatment guidelines of torture victims. In addition, the role of pharmacologic and psychologic interventions is explored in the context of...

Glaxo Birth Defect Litigation Reveals Paxil Promoters on Speed Dial

NaturalNews.com — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 07:00:00 +0100

(NaturalNews) In the first Paxil birth defect trial against GlaxoSmithKline, much of evidence focused on the doctors on Glaxo's payroll involved in the corruption of the medical literature and seminars given to promote the off label use of Paxil with pregnant and nursing mothers.On October 13, 2009, the trial of Kilker v Glaxo ended with a Philadelphia jury awarding $2.5 million in compensatory damages to the family of Lyam Kilker, after finding that Glaxo "negligently failed to warn" the doctor treating Lyam's mother about the risks of Paxil and the drug was a "factual cause" of the child's heart defects.Glaxo's lead attorney at trial was King and Spalding partner Chilton Varner, and the family's lead attorney was Sean Tracey from Houston.During his opening statement on September 15, 2009...

MIT student inventor honored for transformative work in genomics and linguistics

EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 05:00:00 +0100

(Lemelson-MIT Program) A scientific "Renaissance man" whose work spans the fields of mathematics, linguistics, biotechnology and polymer physics, Erez Lieberman-Aiden, graduate student at the Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology, has been named the winner of the prestigious $30,000 Lemelson-MIT Student Prize. Lieberman-Aiden, one of four 2010 $30,000 Lemelson-MIT Collegiate Student Prize winners announced today, was selected for the breadth and depth of his innovations. (Source: EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health)

Aperio Appoints Veteran Healthcare Executive Keith Hagen as Chief Operating Officer

Aperio Technologies | Press Releases — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 15:57:26 +0100

Chief Operating Officer Global Digital Pathology Leader Strengthens Leadership Team with Addition of Former QuadraMed Executive Vista, CA – March 2, 2010 - Aperio Technologies, Inc., (Aperio), a global leader in digital pathology for the healthcare and life sciences industry, has appointed Keith B. Hagen as its Chief Operating Officer (COO). Hagen, former CEO of QuadraMed Corporation, is among the most influential leaders in the healthcare information technology industry. In his new role, Hagen will be responsible for the strategic and operational leadership of Aperio‘s product development and operations teams, including manufacturing, on a global scale. “Keith is an incredibly talented healthcare executive with a proven track record of assembling win...

MedWorm Message: Get the very latest Swine Flu news via the MedWorm Swine Flu RSS news feed - updated hourly from thousands of authoritative health and news sources.

Early behavioral adherence predicts short and long-term weight loss in the POUNDS LOST study

Journal of Behavioral Medicine — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 10:04:55 +0100

This study used data from the 24-month POUNDS LOST trial that tested the efficacy of four dietary macronutrient compositions for short-and long-term weight loss. A computer tracking system was used to record data on eight indicator variables related to adherence. Using canonical correlations at the 6 and 24 month measurement periods, early behavioral adherence was associated with changes in percent weight loss and waist circumference at 6 months (R = 0.52) and 24 months (R = 0.37), but was not associated with cardiovascular disease risk factor levels. Early dietary adherence was associated with changes in insulin at 6 months (R = 0.19), but not at 24 months (R = 0.08, ns). Early dietary adherence was not associated with ...

Eating chocolate regularly may prevent strokes

NaturalNews.com — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 07:00:00 +0100

(NaturalNews) Stroke takes an enormous toll on health. In fact, it's the third leading cause of death in the US, according to the American Stroke Association. So imagine how much money Big Pharma could rake in if drug manufacturers came up with a medication that not only reduced the risk of having a stroke but slashed the risk of dying from a stroke in half. It turns out there's a substance already on the market that does just that. Only, it isn't an expensive prescription drug but a delicious, natural food -- chocolate.A report just released by Canadian scientists from McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, and the University of Toronto provides evidence that consuming chocolate regularly significantly reduces the odds of having a stroke. What's more, if a person who eats chocolate doe...

Why do physicians order costly CTs? Ultrasound yields better diagnosis, safer, less costly

EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 05:00:00 +0100

(American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine) In a bold, eye-opening editorial in the March 2010 issue of the Journal of Ultrasound in Medicine, Harvard Professor, Beryl Benacerraf, MD, urges the medical community to use ultrasound instead of Computed Tomography as the first-line imaging test for better diagnosis capability in the evaluation of acute female pelvic and lower abdominal conditions. (Source: EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health)

Detainment and health: The case of the Lebanese hostages of war

International Journal of Mental Health Nursing — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

The purpose of the current research was to compare former detainees of Khiam prison to a comparison group regarding depression, anxiety, presence of chronic diseases, smoking, and alcohol drinking. The sample consisted of 118 ex-detainees and 90 community controls. The Beck Depression Inventory, the Hamilton Anxiety Scale, the Clinician-Administered Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Scale, and the Harvard Trauma Questionnaire were used. The ex-detainees suffered from an increased level of depression, high anxiety scores, increased chronic diseases, smoked more, and consumed more alcohol than their comparison group. Regression analyses showed that detainment independently predicted depression and anxiety. (Source: International Journal of Mental Health Nursing)

Cardiovascular Screening in College Athletes With and Without Electrocardiography: A Cross-sectional Study.

Annals of Internal Medicine — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Conclusion: Adding ECG to medical history and physical examination improves the overall sensitivity of preparticipation cardiovascular screening in athletes. However, this strategy is associated with an increased rate of false-positive results when current ECG interpretation criteria are used. Primary Funding Source: None. PMID: 20194232 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Annals of Internal Medicine)

MedWorm Message: Get the very latest Swine Flu news via the MedWorm Swine Flu RSS news feed - updated hourly from thousands of authoritative health and news sources.

Great Teachers: Vitamin D, Cardiovascular Disease, and Cancer: Emerging Evidence

Videocast - All Events — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 14:53:00 +0100

Contemporary Clinical Medicine: Great Teachers JoAnn E. Manson, MD, DrPH, Chief, Division of Preventive Medicine, and Co-Director of the Connors Center for Women's Health and Gender Biology, Brigham and Women's Hospital; Professor of Medicine and the Elizabeth Fay Brigham Professor of Women's Health, Harvard Medical School For more information, visithttp://www.cc.nih.gov/about/news/grcurrent.html Air date: 3/10/2010 12:00:00 PM (Source: Videocast - All Events)

News Outlets Examine Development Of Low-Cost Diagnostic Tool, Infectious Disease Surveillance

Health News from Medical News Today — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 10:00:00 +0100

CNN examines the work of a Harvard University chemistry professor to "shrink a medical laboratory onto a piece of paper that's the size of a fingerprint and costs about a penny." According to George Whitesides, who created a prototype of the inexpensive paper "chip," the technology could be used to diagnose such diseases as HIV, malaria and tuberculosis in developing countries... (Source: Health News from Medical News Today)

News Outlets Examine Development Of Low-Cost Diagnostic Tool, Infectious Disease Surveillance

HIV / AIDS News From Medical News Today — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 10:00:00 +0100

The Psychology Of Anthropomorphism And Dehumanization

Health News from Medical News Today — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 08:00:00 +0100

People talk to their plants, pray to humanlike gods, name their cars, and even dress their pets up in clothing. We have a strong tendency to give nonhuman entities human characteristics (known as anthropomorphism), but why? In a new report in Current Directions in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science, psychological scientists Adam Waytz from Harvard University and Nicholas Epley and John T. Cacioppo from University of Chicago, examine the psychology of anthropomorphism... (Source: Health News from Medical News Today)

Childhood obesity prevention should begin early in life, possibly before birth

EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 05:00:00 +0100

(Harvard Medical School) Risk factors for childhood obesity may be evident before birth and are more likely to occur in African-American and Hispanic children than in Caucasian children. Researchers studied 1,826 mother-child pairs from pregnancy through the child's first five years of life. (Source: EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health)

MedWorm Message: Get the very latest Swine Flu news via the MedWorm Swine Flu RSS news feed - updated hourly from thousands of authoritative health and news sources.

Chronic Social Stress and Susceptibility to Concentrated Ambient Fine Particles in Rats

EHP-in-Press — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Conclusions: CAPs effects on respiratory measures differed significantly, and substantively, by stress group. Higher CAPs exposures were associated with a rapid shallow breathing pattern, only under chronic stress. Blood measures provided evidence of inflammatory responses. Results support epidemiologic findings that chronic stress may alter respiratory response to air pollution, and may help elucidate pathways for differential susceptibility. (Source: EHP-in-Press)

Chronic Social Stress and Susceptibility to Concentrated Ambient Fine Particles in Rats

EHP-in-Press — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Call for Abstracts: DF/HCC Lung Cancer Program Symposium

DF/HCC: Latest News — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 21:24:00 +0100

On Tuesday, May 4, 2010, the DF/HCC Lung Cancer Program will sponsor its annual day-long symposium. This year it will be held at The Joseph B. Martin Conference Center at Harvard Medical School in Boston from 8:30 a.m. 3:30 p.m. We invite all DF/HCC lung cancer researchers to attend, but particularly want to encourage Fellows, Post-docs, and Junior Faculty to submit abstracts. Abstracts (plus posters) are being accepted in the following four categories: 1) risk, prevention, and disparities 2) cell biology and signaling 3) clinical/translational studies 4) genetics and genomicsThe abstract should feature recent findings that are unpublished at the time of submission or were published no earlier than March of 2010. The abstracts will be reviewed by the members of the Gove...

Super-Resolution Imaging with STORM and its Application to Microbiology Systems

Nature Network Boston - Upcoming Events — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 18:07:25 +0100

Venue: Harvard Medical School Start date: Tue, 16 Mar 2010 12:30:00 -0400 End date: Tue, 16 Mar 2010 13:30:00 -0400 (Source: Nature Network Boston - Upcoming Events)

Graphene for bioelectronics

Nanotechweb.org News — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 16:50:31 +0100

Harvard and NCNST team has interfaced graphene to living cells for the first time (Source: Nanotechweb.org News)

MedWorm Message: Get the very latest Swine Flu news via the MedWorm Swine Flu RSS news feed - updated hourly from thousands of authoritative health and news sources.

Request for Applications: DF/HCC Gastrointestinal Cancer Developmental Project Award

DF/HCC: Latest News — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 15:10:00 +0100

The Dana-Farber Harvard Cancer Center Specialized Program in Research Excellence (SPORE) seeks applications for Developmental Project Awards in Gastrointestinal Cancer Research. Applicants must be on the faculty at Harvard Medical School or the Harvard School of Public Health at the level of Instructor or higher. A track record of interest and productivity in gastrointestinal cancer research is strongly desired. The research plan and career goals of the individual may include the disciplines of basic biology, translational science, clinical science, population studies, outcomes, social science but must have a plan for translation into humans, since the purpose of the this program is to promote translational research in Gastrointestinal Cancers. Applications will be judged on th...

Request for Applications: DF/HCC Gastrointestinal Cancer Career Development Award

DF/HCC: Latest News — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 15:08:00 +0100

The Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center Specialized Program in Research Excellence (SPORE) seeks applications for Career Development Awards in Gastrointestinal Cancer Research. Eligible candidates are those who are in their final year of clinical or post-doctoral fellowship or hold an academic appointment not higher than Assistant Professor at Harvard Medical School or the Harvard School of Public Health (MD, PhD, or MD/PhD required). A track record of interest and productivity in gastrointestinal cancer research is strongly desired. The research plan and career goals of the individual may include the disciplines of basic biology, translational science, clinical science, population studies, outcomes, social science but must have a plan for translation into humans, since the purpo...

NOTES transanal rectal cancer resection using transanal endoscopic microsurgery and laparoscopic assistance

Surgical Endoscopy — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 06:51:48 +0100

Conclusions NOTES transanal endoscopic rectosigmoid resection using TEM and laparoscopic assistance is feasible and safe. Careful patient selection and improvement in NOTES instrumentation are critical to optimize this approach before widespread clinical application. Content Type Journal ArticleCategory New TechnologyDOI 10.1007/s00464-010-0965-6Authors Patricia Sylla, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School Department of Surgery Boston MA USADavid W. Rattner, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School Department of Surgery Boston MA USASalvadora Delgado, Hospital Clínic, CIBERehd, IDIBAPS, Centro de Investigaciones Biomédicas Esther Koplowitz, University of Barcelona Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery Villarroel 170 08036 Barcelona S...

Fellowships to Support Research Related to the History of Women in Medicine

ScanGrants feed — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0100

The Foundation for the History of Women in Medicine is pleased to offer two fellowships to support research related to the history of women in medicine. Our current fellowship partner is The Archives for Women in Medicine (AWM) at Countway Library’s Center for the History of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. Foundation Fellowships are offered for research related to the history of women in medicine. Preference will be given to projects that deal specifically with women physicians or other health workers or medical scientists, but proposals dealing with the history of women’s health issues may also be considered.The fellowship proposal should demonstrate that the Countway Library has resources central to the research topic. Preference will also be given to those who are using...

Botulinum toxin injection in neurogenic thoracic outlet syndrome: results and experience using a ultrasound-guided approach

Skeletal Radiology — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 20:27:10 +0100

Conclusion Botulinum toxin injection under ultrasound guidance is a safe and well-tolerated procedure with a satisfactory rate of temporary symptom relief in subjects with suspected NTOS. Content Type Journal ArticleCategory Scientific ArticleDOI 10.1007/s00256-010-0897-1Authors Martin Torriani, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School Division of Musculoskeletal Radiology Boston MA 02114 USARajiv Gupta, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School Department of Radiology Boston MA 02114 USADean M. Donahue, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School Division of Thoracic Surgery Boston MA 02114 USA Journal Skeletal RadiologyOnline ISSN 1432-2161Print ISSN 0364-2348 (Source: Skeletal Radiology)

MedWorm Message: Get the very latest Swine Flu news via the MedWorm Swine Flu RSS news feed - updated hourly from thousands of authoritative health and news sources.

Genetics of Cluster Headache

Current Pain and Headache Reports — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 17:58:50 +0100

Abstract Cluster headache (CH) is a rare, excruciating primary headache disorder. A genetic basis has been suggested by family and twin studies, but the mode of transmission seems to vary and the amount of heritability is unclear. The number of genetic association studies investigating variants implicated in the pathophysiology of CH is limited. The HCRTR2 1246G > A and the ADH4 925A > G polymorphisms have been associated with CH. The former has been confirmed and may affect the hypothalamic hypocretin system. However, it only appears to account for a part of the genetic susceptibility for CH, and additional genetic and environmental factors are likely implicated. Pharmacogenetic studies have suggested that the GNB3 825C > T polymorphism may modify treat...

Mutational and Immunohistochemical Study of the PI3K/Akt Pathway in Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma in Greece

Endocrine Pathology — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 17:58:42 +0100

Abstract PI3K/Akt signaling pathway plays critical role in many cell processes. There is indication that enhanced activation of PI3K/Akt cascade is implicated in thyroid tumors. Aim of this study was to evaluate the mutational status and expression of PI3K/Akt pathway mediators in papillary thyroid carcinoma in Greece. We evaluated the presence of mutations in PIK3CA (exons 9 and 20), AKT1 (exons 6–11), AKT2 (exons 6–11), AKT3 (exons 5–10), PTEN (exons 3–8), and PDPK1 (exons 4–10) genes in 83 papillary thyroid carcinomas by DNA sequencing. The expression levels of phospho-Akt and insulin-like growth factor I receptor (IGF-IR) were evaluated by immunohistochemistry. PIK3CA mutations were found in three samples. The analysis of AKT1 revealed one silent mutation in exo...

Commentary: The Importance of Musculoskeletal Medicine and Anatomy in Medical Education

Academic Medicine — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 15:47:55 +0100

Medical schools in the United States have continued to demonstrate deficiencies in musculoskeletal education. In response to the findings of numerous studies and to the objectives of the U.S. Bone and Joint Decade (an international collaborative movement sanctioned by the United Nations and the World Health Organization for the purpose of promoting awareness of musculoskeletal disease), several institutions, including Harvard Medical School, have reassessed the preclinical musculoskeletal curriculum at their respective medical schools. A cross-sectional survey at Harvard in 2004 found that students lacked clinical confidence in dealing with the musculoskeletal system. In addition, only one quarter of the graduating class of medical students passed a nationally validated exam in basic muscu...

Phones, paper 'chips' fight disease

CNN.com - Health — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 13:16:45 +0100

A chemistry professor at Harvard University is trying to shrink a medical laboratory onto a piece of paper that's the size of a fingerprint and costs about a penny. (Source: CNN.com - Health)

Steal physiology is spatially associated with cortical thinning

Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 09:51:08 +0100

Conclusions Our findings indicate that a spatial correspondence exists between impairment of autoregulatory capacity with steal physiology and cortical thinning. (Source: Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry)

MedWorm Message: Get the very latest Swine Flu news via the MedWorm Swine Flu RSS news feed - updated hourly from thousands of authoritative health and news sources.

Aggressive Care After a Massive Stroke in Young Patients: Is That What They Want?

Neurocritical Care — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 08:02:22 +0100

Conclusion Our study supports the commonly held assumption that the majority of young adults would favor early decompressive hemicraniectomy after a massive ischemic stroke. We also show that a substantial minority in this age group is reluctant to accept this aggressive measure, emphasizing the importance of discussing the individual’s previously stated wishes, even in the young population. Content Type Journal ArticleCategory Ethical MattersDOI 10.1007/s12028-010-9340-7Authors Kazuma Nakagawa, Harvard Medical School Department of Neurology, Brigham and Women’s Hospital Boston MA USAMatt T. Bianchi, Harvard Medical School Department of Neurology, Brigham and Women’s Hospital Boston MA USAShawn S. Nakagawa, Harvard Medical School Department of Neurology, Brigh...

Provocative Ideas from Science Commons Symposium – Pacific Northwest

Dragonfly — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 23:23:05 +0100

What’s the best way to spend a warm, sunny, February Saturday in western Washington? If you answered “by sitting indoors and watching presentations about data” you may be… correct! This past Saturday, about sixty scientists and librarians gathered on the Microsoft campus for Science Commons Symposium – Pacific Northwest. We had the privilege of hearing from some of the world’s most prominent thought leaders in the areas of open data, open access, and what web technology means for the future of scientific communication. Here are a few eyebrow-raising ideas from the symposium. Practicing science is a privilege, not a right. Cameron Neylon, a biophysicist at ISIS in the United Kingdom, kicked off the day by describing a day in the life of a research scient...

Provocative Ideas from Science Commons Symposium Pacific Northwest

Dragonfly — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 23:23:05 +0100

dbTEU: a protein database of trace element utilization

Bioinformatics — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 12:48:51 +0100

We describe a database, dbTEU (DataBase of Trace Element Utilization), that features known transporters and user proteins for five trace elements (copper, molybdenum, nickel, cobalt and selenium) and represents sequenced organisms from the three domains of life. The manually curated dbTEU currently includes ~16 500 proteins from >700 organisms, and offers interactive trace element, protein, organism and sequence search and browse tools. Availability and Implementation: dbTEU is freely available at http://gladyshevlab.bwh.harvard.edu/trace_element/ Contact: vgladyshev@rics.bwh.harvard.edu (Source: Bioinformatics)

Professor Says Use Of DNA Evidence Is Not An Open And Shut Case

Health News from Medical News Today — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 09:00:00 +0100

Whether used to clinch a guilty verdict or predict the end of a "CSI" episode, DNA evidence has given millions of people a sense of certainty -- but the outcomes of using DNA evidence have often been far from certain, according to David Kaye, Distinguished Professor of Law at Penn State. In his new book, "The Double Helix and the Law of Evidence" (Harvard University Press), Kaye focuses on the intersection of science and law, and emphasizes that DNA evidence is merely information. "There's a popular perception that with DNA, you get results," Kaye said... (Source: Health News from Medical News Today)

MedWorm Message: Get the very latest Swine Flu news via the MedWorm Swine Flu RSS news feed - updated hourly from thousands of authoritative health and news sources.

Perspectives of Non-Hispanic Black and Latino Patients in Boston’s Urban Community Health Centers on their Experiences with Diabetes and Hypertension

Journal of General Internal Medicine — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 06:55:24 +0100

Conclusions Interactive discussion groups focused on lifestyle modification and disease management should be created for patients to learn more about their diseases. Future research evaluating the effectiveness of interactive diabetes and hypertension groups that apply patient racial/ethnic traditions should be considered. Content Type Journal ArticleCategory Original ArticleDOI 10.1007/s11606-010-1278-0Authors Beverley E. Russell, The Center for Community Health Education Research and Service CCHERS 716 Columbus Ave, Suite 398 Boston MA 02120 USAEdith Gurrola, The Division of General Internal Medicine of Brigham and Women’s Hospital Boston MA USAChima D. Ndumele, The Division of General Internal Medicine of Brigham and Women’s Hospital Boston MA USABruce E. La...

HMS News Alerts RSS Feed

Harvard Medicine — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 16:10:00 +0100

Please visit the HMS News Alerts RSS Feed for news about research and education at Harvard Medical School. Please update your RSS reader or bookmark to reference this link instead. (Source: Harvard Medicine)

Stroke patients regain the power of speech by singing

Guardian Unlimited Science — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 14:14:50 +0100

People deprived of speech following a stroke were taught to sing words instead of speaking them in a technique known as 'melodic intonation therapy'Scientists have taught stroke patients to talk again by getting them to sing words instead of speaking them.The technique, known as "melodic intonation therapy", led to patients recovering their speech after other attempts at rehabilitation had failed.Doctors are now testing the therapy in 30 stroke patients to assess how many people who lose their speech after a stroke would benefit.Gottfried Schlaug, a professor of neurology at Harvard Medical School, found that patients who suffered a stroke on the left side of their brain were unable to speak, but could often be taught to sing words instead.One patient was unable to speak voluntarily but af...

Study Should Prove Helpful In Quest For Safer, More Effective Blood Substitutes

Health News from Medical News Today — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 11:00:00 +0100

A study published in the March 2010 issue of the journal Anesthesiology gives researchers new insights in how to better understand and control a severe side effect of hemoglobin-based oxygen carriers (HBOCs), often referred to as "artificial blood." Binglan Yu, Ph.D., an Instructor in Anesthesia at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital, said that HBOCs are known to cause vasoconstriction, or narrowing of the blood vessels, which can lead to cardiovascular complications, especially in critically ill patients... (Source: Health News from Medical News Today)

Adapting Evidence-Based Interventions to Fit Usual Practice: Staff Roles and Consumer Choice in Psychiatric Rehabilitation

Psychiatric Quarterly — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 08:10:35 +0100

Abstract This proof-of-concept study tested the viability of adapting a specialized practice to fit multi-service programs by switching from specialist to generalist staff roles. The intervention under study was supported employment, an evidence-based practice for adults with severe mental illness. Program data on participant characteristics, attendance, staff contact, and employment were retrieved for the 2007 calendar year (N = 99). Two hierarchical regression analyses compared (1) participants with any versus no mainstream employment, and (2) participants who started a new job in 2007 versus all other participants. In both analyses, individual participant counts of days on which employment services were provided and count of different employment service provide...

MedWorm Message: Get the very latest Swine Flu news via the MedWorm Swine Flu RSS news feed - updated hourly from thousands of authoritative health and news sources.

Diabetes therapy and cancer risk: causal effects and other plausible explanations

Diabetologia — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 07:40:40 +0100

Abstract Four reports in Diabetologia presented data on the association between hypoglycaemic agents and the risk of cancer. One study showed a higher risk of cancer overall in subjects with diabetes receiving insulin or sulfonylureas than in those on metformin. In another study, the risk of cancer overall increased with dose for any type of insulin and, among high doses, insulin glargine (A21Gly,B31Arg,B32Arg human insulin)-only users had a higher risk than subjects on human insulin. In two studies, users of insulin glargine alone had a higher risk of breast cancer than those on other insulins, a third study found no association. Whether these associations are causal or at least partially explained by chance or biases such as confounding, reverse causation, selection or de...

Jay A. Perman, M.D., Former Chair of Pediatrics, has been named President of the University of Maryland, Baltimore

University of Maryland School of Medicine News Headlines — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Adelphi, Md. (Feb. 23, 2010) – Clifford J. Kendall, chair of the University System of Maryland (USM) Board of Regents has announced the appointment of Jay Perman as president of the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB). Perman is currently dean and vice president for clinical affairs at the University of Kentucky (UK) College of Medicine. He will join UMB as president on July 1, 2010. “We are extremely pleased to welcome Dr. Perman as president of the University of Maryland, Baltimore,” said Chairman Kendall. “He has exhibited great leadership at the University of Kentucky, presiding over substantial growth in research funding for the medical college. His strong oversight of educational agreements for several health professional schools makes him ideally suited to lead UMB.” U...

Jay A. Perman, MD, Former Chair of Pediatrics, has been named President of the University of Maryland, Baltimore

University of Maryland School of Medicine News Headlines — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Predicting the Unpredictable: A Comment on Recent Shooting Tragedies

Psychology Today Personality Center — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 20:45:54 +0100

On February 12th 2010, Amy Bishop reportedly killed three university colleagues, while seriously wounding three others. She was an Assistant Professor of Biology at University of Alabama at Huntsville, and it is widely believed that her actions were motivated by anger caused due to being denied tenure at the university (AP, 2/13/2010). This tragic incident re-opened wounds inflicted by recent shooting tragedies at Virginia Tech and Northern Illinois Universities.For most, the shock experienced after these events is palpable. For some, it is life-long. One of the first reactions to such extreme events is a search for an explanation. Why did the person do this? What about their personality or life history lead them to such extreme actions? How could have this been prevented? Such questions a...

e-Professionalism: Challenges in the Age of Information

The Journal of Pediatrics — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 15:34:49 +0100

Recent advances in technology have revolutionized the medical environment and expanded the reach of communication both within and outside the medical community. Clayton Christensen, a noted professor at Harvard Business School, has discussed the concept of “disruptive technologies” and their role in creating organizational change. “Health care may be the most entrenched, change-averse industry in the United States,” according to Christensen. The age of information clearly has affected the culture of medicine in ways that we are just beginning to understand. Never before have there been so many ways to communicate. In the past, we were limited to face-to-face conversations, postal mail, telegrams, and telephone calls. Physicians communicated about their credentials through listings ...

MedWorm Message: Get the very latest Swine Flu news via the MedWorm Swine Flu RSS news feed - updated hourly from thousands of authoritative health and news sources.

Despite Climategate, IPPC Mostly Underestimates Climate Change

Scientific American - Official RSS Feed — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 13:46:08 +0100

Lost in the coverage of the so-called climategate email controversy is a key point about the IPCC’s track record of climate change estimates. James McCarthy is on the faculty of the Harvard Medical School Center for Health and the Global Environment. He spoke February 21st at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in San Diego:“If you were to go back and map the IPCC projection for sea level rise and temperature in 1990, look at it in 1995, look at it in 2000. In retrospect you would find that they were conservative. So we talk about errors. If you were to do two ledgers--here are IPCC overestimates, here are IPCC underestimates--over the 20 or so years that these assessments have been running, the underestimate ledger would be much larger...

Poll Finds Many Americans Would Delay Taking Recommended Antibiotics After Anthrax Attack

Health News from Medical News Today — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 08:00:00 +0100

In a national poll aimed at helping with planning efforts for a public health response to a possible bioterrorism attack, researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) have found that, in response to a fictional scenario describing a significant anthrax attack in their city or town, most Americans (89%) will likely follow public health recommendations to obtain prophylactic antibiotics... (Source: Health News from Medical News Today)

Poll Finds Many Americans Would Delay Taking Recommended Antibiotics After Anthrax Attack

Infectious Diseases / Bacteria / Viruses News From Medical News Today — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 08:00:00 +0100

In a national poll aimed at helping with planning efforts for a public health response to a possible bioterrorism attack, researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) have found that, in response to a fictional scenario describing a significant anthrax attack in their city or town, most Americans (89%) will likely follow public health recommendations to obtain prop... (Source: Infectious Diseases / Bacteria / Viruses News From Medical News Today)

Use of DNA evidence is not an open and shut case

EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 05:00:00 +0100

(Penn State) Whether used to clinch a guilty verdict or predict the end of a CSI episode, DNA evidence has given millions of people a sense of certainty -- but the outcomes of using DNA evidence have often been far from certain, according to David Kaye, Distinguished Professor of Law at Penn State. In his new book, "The Double Helix and the Law of Evidence" (Harvard University Press), Kaye focuses on the intersection of science and law, and emphasizes that DNA evidence is merely information. (Source: EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science)

Simple math explains dramatic beak shape variation in Darwin's finches

EurekAlert! - Biology — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 05:00:00 +0100

(Harvard University) In a study appearing in the Feb. 16 Early Edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Harvard researchers demonstrated that simple changes in beak length and depth can explain the important morphological diversity of all beak shapes within the famous genus Geospiza. Broadly, the work suggests that a few, simple mathematical rules may be responsible for complicated biological adaptations. (Source: EurekAlert! - Biology)

MedWorm Message: Get the very latest Swine Flu news via the MedWorm Swine Flu RSS news feed - updated hourly from thousands of authoritative health and news sources.

Drive to make films obey laws of nature

Guardian Unlimited Science — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 23:39:40 +0100

American professor Sidney Perkowitz's proposals intended to curb film industry's worst abusesScience fiction movies should be allowed only one major transgression of the laws of physics, according to a US professor who has won backing from a number of his peers after creating a set of guidelines for Hollywood.The proposals are intended to curb the film industry's worst abuses of science by confining scriptwriters to plotlines that embrace the suspension of disbelief but stop short of demanding it in every scene.The guidelines are by Sidney Perkowitz, a professor of physics at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia and a member of the Science and Entertainment Exchange, an advisory body run by the US National Academy of Sciences.Perkowitz said he liked Starship Troopers, but criticised it...

Obesity in Kids Now...Colon Cancer Later?

About.com Colon Cancer — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 15:11:00 +0100

The latest news on obesity and chronic disease isn't good. According to a new study out of Massachusetts General Hospital for Children in Boston, kids today are heavier than ever. Researchers followed three groups of young children for 6 years, beginning with the first group in 1988. The second group of kids was followed from 1994 to 2000, and the third group was followed from 2000 to 2006. The obesity rate increased from 13 percent at the end of the first study group, in 1994, to approximately 16 percent at the end of the third group in 2006. Lots of Heavy Kids, Lots of Heavy Adults This means that nearly 1 out of every 6 children in the US are obese. Not merely overweight, but obese. The consequences of all this excess body fat are serious and long-lasting. For starters, obese children o...

Primary Care Physicians’ Attitudes Regarding Race-Based Therapies

Journal of General Internal Medicine — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 06:57:04 +0100

Conclusions Primary care physicians’ opinions regarding race-based therapy reveal a nuanced understanding of race-based therapies and a wariness of their use by physicians. Content Type Journal ArticleCategory Brief ReportDOI 10.1007/s11606-009-1190-7Authors Danielle Frank, Ambulatory Care 11A (152); VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System 2215 Fuller Road Ann Arbor MI 48105 USAThomas H. Gallagher, University of Washington Department of Medicine Seattle WA USASherrill L. Sellers, University of Wisconsin School of Social Work Madison WI USALisa A. Cooper, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine Department of Medicine Baltimore MD USAEboni G. Price, Tulane University Department of Medicine New Orleans LA USAAdebola O. Odunlami, Harvard University School of Public Health B...

Survival study of natural orifice translumenal endoscopic surgery for rectosigmoid resection using transanal endoscopic microsurgery with or without transgastric endoscopic assistance in a swine model

Surgical Endoscopy — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 06:50:42 +0100

Conclusions Natural orifice translumenal endoscopic surgery (NOTES) for rectosigmoid resection using TEM with or without transgastric endoscopic assistance is feasible and associated with low morbidity in a porcine survival model. Transgastric assistance significantly prolongs the operative time but extends the length of the rectosigmoid mobilized transanally, with a nonsignificant increase in complication rates related to gastrotomy creation. Content Type Journal ArticleDOI 10.1007/s00464-010-0898-0Authors Patricia Sylla, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School Department of Surgery 15 Parkman Street, WACC 460 Boston MA 02114 USADae Kyung Sohn, Research Institute and Hospital, National Cancer Center Center for Colorectal Cancer Goyang KoreaSevdenur ...

Scientists At Harvard University, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Report Research In Breast Cancer Clinical Trial

Cancercompass News: Breast Cancer — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0100

New investigation results, 'Innovations in radiation therapy (RT) for breast cancer,' are detailed in a study published in Breast. The EBCTCG has clearly demonstrated that the use of RT after either breast conserving surgery (BCS) or after mastectomy in node-positive patients not only reduces local recurrence (LR), but also improves long-term survival. (Source: Cancercompass News: Breast Cancer)

MedWorm Message: Get the very latest Swine Flu news via the MedWorm Swine Flu RSS news feed - updated hourly from thousands of authoritative health and news sources.

ST2: A Novel Remodeling Biomarker in Acute and Chronic Heart Failure

Current Heart Failure Reports — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 06:44:43 +0100

Abstract ST2, a member of the interleukin-1 receptor family, is a novel biomarker of mechanical stress measurable in serum that has been shown in animal and in vitro models to be physiologically linked to cardiac hypertrophy, fibrosis, and ventricular dysfunction. In patients with acute myocardial infarction and heart failure (HF), an elevated serum level of the soluble isoform of ST2 is associated with an increased risk of mortality or future HF, independent of natriuretic peptides, and correlates with markers of ventricular structure and function. In acute HF, elevated soluble ST2 levels strongly associate with the presence and severity of the disease and forecast short- and long-term mortality independent of other traditional clinical, biochemical, and echocardiographic ...

OUP adds 2 top economics journals to prestigious list

EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 05:00:00 +0100

(Oxford University Press) Oxford Journals, a division of Oxford University Press, has announced two new publishing partnerships with the Quarterly Journal of Economics, on behalf of Harvard University, and the Review of Economic Studies, on behalf of Review of Economic Studies Ltd. (Source: EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science)

Poll: Hypothetical anthrax attack and antibiotics

EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 05:00:00 +0100

(Harvard School of Public Health) In a national poll, researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health have found that, in response to a fictional scenario describing a significant anthrax attack in their city or town, most Americans (89 percent) will likely follow public health recommendations to obtain prophylactic antibiotics. However, a significant minority of those likely to pick up antibiotics (39 percent) will hold on to them rather than take them right away, which public health experts believe may put them at greater risk of serious illness. (Source: EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science)

[Perspectives] Lifeline: Elisabeth Potts Dellon

LANCET — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Elisabeth Potts Dellon trained in internal medicine and paediatrics at Harvard Medical School and went on to complete a master of public health degree and paediatric pulmonology fellowship training at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) in 2007. A paediatric pulmonologist, adult cystic fibrosis physician, and clinical researcher in cystic fibrosis and palliative care at UNC, she was the recipient of an Early-Career Physician Award in the 2010 Hastings Center Cunniff-Dixon Physician Awards. (Source: LANCET)

One Size Does Not Fit All: Taking Diversity, Culture and Context Seriously

Administration and Policy in Mental Health and Mental Health Services Research — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 06:51:16 +0100

Abstract Evidence suggests that the current mental health system is failing in the provision of quality mental health care for diverse children and families. This paper discusses one critical domain missing to improve care: serious attention given to diversity, culture, and context. It discusses what we mean by understanding culture and context at the individual, family, organizational, and societal level. Focusing on key predictors of children’s adjustment in natural contexts would increase attention to building community and family capacities that strengthen children’s mental health. To conclude, we suggest changes in organizational culture to build natural supports to enhance children’s mental health. Content Type Journal ArticleCategory Original PaperDOI 10.1...

MedWorm Message: Get the very latest Swine Flu news via the MedWorm Swine Flu RSS news feed - updated hourly from thousands of authoritative health and news sources.

2010 Whitmore Presidential Lecture brings two nationally recognized health care leaders to Baylor College of Medicine

Baylor College of Medicine News — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 05:00:00 +0100

Dr. Darrell G. Kirch, president and CEO of the Association of American Medical Colleges, will speak at Baylor College of Medicine as a part of the 2010 Whitmore Presidential Lectures. Kirch's lecture, Driving Change in Academic Medicine, will be held on Thursday, Feb. 25, at 4 p.m. in BCM's Cullen Auditorium. Dr. Charles Hatem, the Harold Amos Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, will also speak as a part of the lecture series on Friday, Feb. 26, at noon in BCM's DeBakey Building, M112. Kirch, a psychiatrist and neuroscientist, received his undergraduate and medical degrees from the University of Colorado and went on to work in all aspects of academic medicine, including leadership positions at two medical schools and teaching hospitals and at the National Institutes of Health....

How brain science can change coaching

Psychology Today Work Center — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 01:31:18 +0100

Coaching is the second-fastest growing profession in the world, rivaled only by information technology, as I reported in a National Post article. The profession owes its success both to the personal development movement and the huge global economic restructuring since the 1980s. Competition within and among companies, flattened management structures, shrinking talent pools and ineffective leadership have all contributed to the demand for executive coaching. Executive coaching is an outgrowth of leadership development programs. An article in The Economist concluded executive coaching had become a significant human resource strategy. Recently, the Harvard Business Review noted executive and business coaching is worth US$1-billion a year. Coaching pre-dates Anthony Robbins, Stephen Covey, Tom...

Republication: In That Case

Journal of Bioethical Inquiry — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 19:03:06 +0100

Content Type Journal ArticleDOI 10.1007/s11673-010-9221-yAuthors Dan Brock, Harvard University Department of Global Health and Social Medicine, Division of Medical Ethics, Harvard Medical School FXB Building, 651 Huntington Avenue, 6th Floor Boston MA 02115 USA Journal Journal of Bioethical InquiryOnline ISSN 1872-4353Print ISSN 1176-7529 (Source: Journal of Bioethical Inquiry)

Ultra deep sequencing detects a low rate of mosaic mutations in tuberous sclerosis complex

Human Genetics — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 18:28:10 +0100

Abstract Tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) is an autosomal dominant neurocutaneous syndrome caused by mutations in TSC1 and TSC2. However, 10–15% TSC patients have no mutation identified with conventional molecular diagnostic studies. We used the ultra-deep pyrosequencing technique of 454 Sequencing to search for mosaicism in 38 TSC patients who had no TSC1 or TSC2 mutation identified by conventional methods. Two TSC2 mutations were identified, each at 5.3% read frequency in different patients, consistent with mosaicism. Both mosaic mutations were confirmed by several methods. Five of 38 samples were found to have heterozygous non-mosaic mutations, which had been missed in earlier analyses. Several other possible low-frequency mosaic mutations were identified by deep sequenc...