MedWorm provides a medical RSS filtering service. Over 6000 RSS medical sources are combined and output via different filters. This feed contains the latest medical blog items that have been tagged with 'africa'. Sat, 03 Sep 2011 01:48:09 +0100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5074737&cid=t_93676_46_f&fid=38787&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmsf.ca%2Fblogs%2Fphotos%2F2011%2F07%2F29%2Fsouth-africa-9%2F Doornfontein, Johannesburg – July 2011 There are approximately 250,000 people living in slum buildings of inner-city Johannesburg. These migrants from Zimbabwe, Malawi, Mozambique, Democratic Republic of Congo and South Africa are without documentation, rights, or money. Inside these informal settlements unhygienic and overcrowded living conditions prevail. There is no sanitation or waste management, poor access to clean water, electricity and to basic health care. MSF is helping residents by providing primary health care, referrals to the public sector clinics, and providing materials for cleaning in some of these buildings. (Source: MSF Blogs) MSF Blogs blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5074737 Fri, 29 Jul 2011 10:35:16 +0100 5074737 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5004397&cid=t_93676_46_f&fid=38787&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmsf.ca%2Fblogs%2Fphotos%2F2011%2F07%2F05%2Fcape-town-south-africa%2F XDR-TB survivor and peer counselor, Xoliswa Hermanus, inspects the family home of Jonas (right); a woman infected with extremely drug-resistant tuberculosis (XDR-TB), HIV and diabetes. Khayelitsha township, near Cape Town, South Africa. MSF has launched TB&ME: Real stories from people living with multidrug-resistant tuberculosis. Go to http://msf.me/mdrtb to find out more (Source: MSF Blogs) MSF Blogs blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5004397 Tue, 05 Jul 2011 06:47:24 +0100 5004397 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4960062&cid=t_93676_87_f&fid=38368&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FDisruptiveWomenInHealthCare%2F%7E3%2FY5B4F8flwpk%2F By Lois Privor-Dumm. We’ve heard the anecdote that you can find Coke in just about any village in Africa, but not always essential medicines.  Is that really true?  Well, our team at the International Vaccine Access Center (IVAC) at Johns Hopkins set out to find out.  It’s actually not as easy as you might think to test the hypothesis, as Hopkins PhD candidate Kyla Hayford found out.  We did, however, get enough data to say comfortably that the anecdote is true as you will find in our new IVAC report, Improving Access of Essential Medicines through Public-Private Partnerships. Photo credit: Tielman Nieuwoudt First, we found an astonishing lack of available data about stock outs, wastage and other measures that indicate whether essential medicines are available.  Our report compare... Disruptive Women in Health Care blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4960062 Wed, 22 Jun 2011 13:26:42 +0100 4960062 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4952853&cid=t_93676_88_f&fid=38129&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Flifeinthefastlane%2FWZHV%2F%7E3%2FOl21m5-oQ7s%2F Introducing The African Journal of Emergency Medicine (AfJEM), the official journal of the African Federation for Emergency Medicine. (Source: Life in the Fast Lane) Life in the Fast Lane blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4952853 Sun, 19 Jun 2011 00:00:28 +0100 4952853 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4934458&cid=t_93676_113_f&fid=38236&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthcareitnews.com%2Fblog%2Ftransforming-healthcare-one-phone-time For those paying close attention to the world of mobile health last week, you may have noticed a number of tweets coming out of Cape Town, South Africa, and the Mobile Health Summit put on there by the GSMA, an organization that represents mobile operators worldwide, and the mHealth Alliance (@mHealthAlliance). read more (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog) Healthcare IT News Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4934458 Mon, 13 Jun 2011 12:30:28 +0100 4934458 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4893459&cid=t_93676_88_f&fid=38129&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Flifeinthefastlane%2FWZHV%2F%7E3%2F4KSMp8AaGAU%2F A surprising FEAST: "Fluid boluses significantly increased 48-hour mortality in critically ill children with impaired perfusion in... resource-limited settings in Africa." (Source: Life in the Fast Lane) Life in the Fast Lane blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4893459 Thu, 02 Jun 2011 09:23:02 +0100 4893459 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4852823&cid=t_93676_87_f&fid=34591&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.badscience.net%2F2011%2F05%2Fwe-should-so-blatantly-do-more-randomised-trials-on-policy%2F Ben Goldacre, The Guardian, Saturday 14 May 2011 Politicians are ignorant about trials, and they’re weird about evidence. It doesn’t need to be this way. In international development work, resources are tight, and people know that good intentions aren’t enough: in fact, good intentions can sometimes do harm. We need to know what works. In [...] (Source: badscience) badscience blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4852823 Mon, 23 May 2011 12:41:38 +0100 4852823 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4848022&cid=t_93676_113_f&fid=34625&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FNeilVerselsHealthcareItBlog%2F%7E3%2F2dCY8-XWSbI%2F It’s Friday afternoon, and I realize it’s been days since I’ve posted here. (Make sure you catch my posts on EMR and HIPAA every Thursday, including my latest on Dr. Larry Weed and his critiques of current health IT systems.) I think it’s time for a rundown of some interesting developments this week. Weed apparently is not the only one who’s disappointed in the pace of change in healthcare. Dr. Bill Crounse, senior director of worldwide health for Microsoft, was at the World of Health IT conference in Budapest, Hungary, to deliver some scathing remarks at about North American health IT. According to Canadian Healthcare Technology, Crounse called the U.S. and Canada the “worst of the worst in the industrialized world in the use of IT in healthcare.”... Neil Versel's Healthcare IT Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4848022 Fri, 20 May 2011 19:32:13 +0100 4848022 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4847951&cid=t_93676_87_f&fid=38368&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FDisruptiveWomenInHealthCare%2F%7E3%2FwO2_l_PCpZI%2F By Lois Privor-Dumm. We’ve all heard these words: “There is tremendous need here at home,” or “money in Africa has been wasted for so long.”   This is why this simple video from the ONE campaign struck me. Through a public health lens it is a no-brainer: of course you want to spend on cost–effective interventions that will save lives.  For others, while they admit that it is an admirable goal, the connection is not made.  In times of financial uncertainty, we have to be more careful with our money, don’t we? One of the best and prudent ways to invest though, is in future generations.  In the US, we provide all of our children the best chance at life, with fewer worries about preventable, devastating disease.  Imagine what that kind of security could do for a family in A... Disruptive Women in Health Care blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4847951 Fri, 20 May 2011 13:27:50 +0100 4847951 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4767997&cid=t_93676_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fdeath-threats-for-hospital-pecking-order-violations%2F2011.04.29 The consultants didn’t always need to know what was happening on the floor. But sometimes keeping things away from them became downright clandestine. I was a senior registrar at Kalafong (hell). An old friend of mine had just taken up a post as consultant in the department of Internal Medicine. One day he approached me. “Bongi, what are the chances you can do the occasional open lung biopsy for me?” Now there was no thoracic department in Kalafong so it seemed to me to be a reasonable request. In fact I was quite excited. It would give me a chance to do a few thoracotomies, something us general surgeons don’t do all that regularly. “Sure! Anytime. Just let me know and I’ll book them on my list.” “Uhmmm, there is just one small problem,&#822... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4767997 Fri, 29 Apr 2011 20:00:00 +0100 4767997 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4753692&cid=t_93676_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fwhen-a-surgical-superhero-has-to-cut-wind%2F2011.04.26 Yes, I have an alter ego. Yes, I dress in funny clothes with a cap covering my head and a mask covering my face. And yes, dressed as such I try to fight the powers of evil (mainly sepsis and bleeding and cancer and the like). I am … a superhero. But there is often little understanding for what goes on under the paper thin masks and baggy gowns we wear. certain …um…occurrences, well, occur with us just as much as with other people. A common cold behind a theatre mask is no small thing. Remember you can’t blow your nose. Sniffing loudly only works for a while and attracts all sorts of strange stares. Just leaving it is really the only option. The positive side of this is you suffer less from the mild dehydration that accompanies massive loss of …mucus. There is, after all, flui... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4753692 Tue, 26 Apr 2011 16:00:00 +0100 4753692 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4742372&cid=t_93676_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F-5GbJK1tRUU%2F By Tom G. PalmerThe astonishing changes sweeping the Arab world hold great promise for liberty and peace, but those goals are much less likely to be realized without the active input of libertarians.  Arab libertarians are organized in a number of networks, one of which held a series of programs recently in Cairo on building the institutions of liberty and development in a post-revolutionary society.  The director of the Arabic “Forum of Liberty” (Minbaralhurriyya.org), Dr. Nouh El Harmouzi (also a university professor of economics in Morocco) spoke at the massive rally on Tahrir Square April 8 with a clear message for Egyptians (in Arabic, with English subtitles): Also speaking at the rally (on democracy and the rule of law) and in other programs in Cairo was Gurcharan Das,... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4742372 Fri, 22 Apr 2011 14:37:28 +0100 4742372 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4704657&cid=t_93676_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Ftrue-story-an-anesthetist-attempts-to-sabotage-a-surgeon%2F2011.04.12 There is a sort of love/hate relationship between the surgeons and the anesthetists. Neither one can survive without the other. We supply them with work and they get the work to lie still while we cut and dice. Yet their job is to keep the patient alive while we challenge their ability to stay alive. At the moment of surgery they play good cop and we play bad cop. Of course after surgery the good cop is suddenly the surgeon through and through. But that is another story. I really appreciate a good anesthetist (I‘ve had bad ones) and to tell the truth these days I’m spoiled by the quality of the gas monkeys that I work with. However many years ago I remember a case where the anesthetist and I had a misunderstanding about time frame. I was doing a laparotomy in Kalafong. The gas ... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4704657 Tue, 12 Apr 2011 17:00:00 +0100 4704657 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4653310&cid=t_93676_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FySEgFjmU-Kg%2F By John SamplesPresident Obama’s speech last evening offers a chance to assess the implications of the war in Libya. President Obama is not the first president to order attacks on another nation without the authorization of Congress.  This case, however, seems different. Prior to the intervention, the President’s national security advisors had determined that the nation had no vital interest at stake in the Libyan civil war. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates has repeated that conclusion after the intervention began. For his part, President Obama emphasized in last night’s speech and before, that the war would preclude a “humanitarian catastrophe.” Why did that rationale win out over the realism of his advisors? President Obama tends to see our nation and the world as divided bet... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4653310 Tue, 29 Mar 2011 16:21:52 +0100 4653310 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4636438&cid=t_93676_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fidentity-theft-in-a-south-african-morgue%2F2011.03.25 Amazingly enough, no matter how crazy our country gets we are a darn sight better than many of our neighbours. Many people from countries around us flee to South Africa for a better life. Only problem is for the better life you sometimes have to produce a South African identity document. These can be easily bought from corrupt government officials, but why buy one if you can borrow one? I was working in Qwaqwa. It was an amazingly poverty-stricken place with what seemed to me to be almost total joblessness. I truly don’t know how the people survived. And yet people from neighbouring Lesotho would still move there illegally. I’ve never been to Lesotho personally but if Qwaqwa was a better proposition, then I can’t even imagine how bad life in Lesotho must have been. Anyway... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4636438 Fri, 25 Mar 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4636438 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4631488&cid=t_93676_88_f&fid=38129&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Flifeinthefastlane%2FWZHV%2F%7E3%2F8GZv3MMD9aI%2F Today, I had the honor and privilege to lead the emergency department ward round at GF Jooste Hospital in Manenberg (Cape Town), South Africa. It was an amazing experience, and one which I will never forget. (Source: Life in the Fast Lane) Life in the Fast Lane blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4631488 Thu, 24 Mar 2011 21:28:51 +0100 4631488 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4614103&cid=t_93676_46_f&fid=38787&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmsf.ca%2Fblogs%2Fphotos%2F2011%2F03%2F21%2Fsouth-africa-8%2F Cape Town, South Africa – March 2011 XDR-TB survivor and peer counselor, Xoliswa Hermanus, inspects the family home of Jonas (right); a woman infected with extremely drug-resistant tuberculosis (XDR-TB), HIV and diabetes. Khayelitsha township, near Cape Town, South Africa. (Source: MSF Blogs) MSF Blogs blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4614103 Mon, 21 Mar 2011 10:18:04 +0100 4614103 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4540566&cid=t_93676_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fbook-review-steeped-in-blood-the-life-and-times-of-a-forensic-scientist%2F2011.03.02 This post is a bit of a diversion from my usual posts, but I think it may still be worthwhile. You see, I want to promote a book. I’ve just read the book, “Steeped in Blood: The Life and Times of a Forensic Scientist“ by David Klatzow. What a stunning book. It really gives insight into the South Africa of old and possibly what South Africa of future may end up being like. I suggest that everyone get ahold of it and read it. However, David, I do feel I must challenge you on one point. Towards the end of your book, you say one of your surgeon friends told you a story of one of our Cuban import surgeons who tried to do a tonsillectomy through the neck rather than through the mouth, the normal way of doing it. I know this story and have heard it often myself in the cor... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4540566 Wed, 02 Mar 2011 18:00:00 +0100 4540566 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4349552&cid=t_93676_112_f&fid=34971&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdoctorandpatient.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F01%2Fdoes-your-ivf-doctor-travel-lot.html Many IVF doctors in India travel extensively. They have many clinics all over the city ( and in some cases, all over the country). Naive patients get impressed by such doctors - wow - he is so busy and so much in demand that he needs to travel all over the place. In fact, some doctors even go to Dubai and Africa ! While this seems very impressive, in reality this means that the quality of care they provide to their patients leaves a lot to be desired. Let me explain.The personal goal for these doctors seems to be to maximise the number of patients they treat, so they can maximise their throughput and their revenue. While it's very good for an IVF clinic to be busy, it's also important that the quality of care provided to their patients not be compromised in the quest for quantity !How do t... The Patient's Doctor blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4349552 Fri, 14 Jan 2011 09:02:00 +0100 4349552 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4318285&cid=t_93676_85_f&fid=34924&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.baggas.com%2Fposts%2F2011%2F01%2F06%2F2011%2F Happy 2011 to all! Hope this is a fruitful year for everyone! some facts about 2011 : it is the year of the Rabbit, in the Chinese calendar it is also the international year of truth about Islam, according to the counter-Jihad calendar (Yikes! don’t think I’ll be subscribing to that one… lots of nutty stuff hitting my email lately) it is the year of the Cricket World Cup, to be held in South Asia (yay!) – my brother will no doubt be supporting the Canadian national cricket team eh? And with the current Australian team, that might not be as crazy as it sounds. according to the Ethiopian calendar, we are currently in 2003, until New Year on September 12. U2 will be taking their 360 tour to South Africa, South & North America… and if I won the lottery my fir... Baggas' Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4318285 Thu, 06 Jan 2011 06:41:43 +0100 4318285 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4314219&cid=t_93676_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FE3M3japSzKk%2F A generic drugmaker in India is seeking a voluntary license to make a version of Pfizer’s maraviroc HIV pill and if the move is denied, as expected, Natco Pharma will then pursue a compulsory license. This step taken by Natco is significant, however, because a successful outcome could open the door for other Indian generic drugmakers to override patents for all sorts of medicines. That’s because Natco is the first generic drugmaker to initiate the compulsory licensing process in India and its application is being seen as a test case. “This will be the acid test and set a precedent for the use for compulsory licensing to make medicines affordable for masses in India,” The Economic Times quotes a source familiar with Natco’s plans. Compulsory licensing, you may ... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4314219 Wed, 05 Jan 2011 13:49:25 +0100 4314219 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4303215&cid=t_93676_10_f&fid=35345&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.GIDEONonline.com%2F2011%2F01%2F02%2Fcrimean-congo-hemorrhagic-fever-in-south-africa%2F A report of recent cases in Northern Cape reminds us that the rate of Crimean Congo hemorrhagic fever in South Africa has changed little during the past 25 years. See graph: The following background information is abstracted from the Gideon e-book series. 1,2 Primary references are available on request. Time and Place: The first indigenous case of CCHF in South Africa was reported in 1981 – fatal infection acquired in Transvaal. At the time of the report, 7% of persons in the area were found to be seropositive. - Most cases are reported in the Karoo, the Western Free State, the Northern Cape and North West Province; and most are farmers, farm laborers, hunters or abattoir workers. – Twenty-seven fatal cases were reported during 1983 to 2009. – 16 outbreaks were repo... GIDEON blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4303215 Sun, 02 Jan 2011 11:17:25 +0100 4303215 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4253144&cid=t_93676_88_f&fid=38129&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Flifeinthefastlane%2FWZHV%2F%7E3%2FMHQvRJ6A4Fs%2F We all do it tough working in emergency departments, however watching the following videos from the trauma unit in Bara hospital in Soweto, South Africa makes me feel like i have it easy. The following videos tells of stories of patients being stabbed and arriving to hospital 10 hours later because that how long and ambulance takes to get to them. A single motor vehicle accident generally involves 12 patients, and a trauma patients generally receives their first few hours of care in the corridor. (Source: Life in the Fast Lane) Life in the Fast Lane blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4253144 Mon, 13 Dec 2010 09:33:44 +0100 4253144 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4233164&cid=t_93676_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FUpZi1Iu3BMc%2F By Justin LoganRobert D. Kaplan The main article in Sunday’s Washington Post Outlook section was an essay by Robert Kaplan titled “A World with No One in Charge.”  Kaplan has traveled much more widely than he has read, and this essay demonstrates that fact in spades.  The article is rife with internal contradiction and errant theorizing, to the point of bordering on the psychedelic. The thesis is basically a rehash of “The Coming Anarchy,” Kaplan’s 1994 article warning that Western strategists needed to start concerning themselves with “what is occurring . . . throughout West Africa and much of the underdeveloped world: the withering away of central governments, the rise of tribal and regional domains, the unchecked spread of disease, and the growing... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4233164 Mon, 06 Dec 2010 18:12:34 +0100 4233164 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4214123&cid=t_93676_88_f&fid=38129&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Flifeinthefastlane%2FWZHV%2F%7E3%2FumKW6D_Fh9Q%2F Wednesday, December 1st is World AIDS Day --- a day to raise awareness for the ongoing AIDs pandemic around the world and to remember the past. I spent 3 months in Zambia in 2002, a time that really opened my eyes up to what AIDS was doing to the world. Much has changed since then, yet the disaster continues and the burden of AIDS has now persisted for 3 decades. This is what I wrote about my experience and views on the AIDS crisis in Zambia back in 2002. (Source: Life in the Fast Lane) Life in the Fast Lane blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4214123 Wed, 01 Dec 2010 01:17:29 +0100 4214123 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4214483&cid=t_93676_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FZvMCwRENZ_o%2F Over the next few days, countless grandmothers - and so-called ‘grand-others’ - will hold vigils across Canada in hopes of convincing Parliament to revive a recently gutted bill, which was designed to amend a controversial 2004 law that was supposed to allow generic versions of patented AIDS meds to be exported to developing countries. Earlier this month, the Canadian House of Commons Standing Committee on Industry, Science and Technology eliminated key reforms proposed for the bill. Known as C-393, the bill was supposed to fix the Access to Medicines Regime (CAMR). But the law proved ineffective - since passage six years ago, only one license was ever issued and this involved exporting just one order of an AIDS med to Rwanda. “There are further opportunities to amend and... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4214483 Tue, 30 Nov 2010 13:29:36 +0100 4214483 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4074174&cid=t_93676_112_f&fid=34971&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdoctorandpatient.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F10%2Fwhy-i-prefer-email-as-compared-to-phone.html We treat patients from all over the world and many of them want to do a phone consultation with me before coming to our clinic for an IVF treatment.I can understand why they want to do so - after all, going half way across the world to get treated by a doctor you've never seen or met is a major leap of faith - and talking to the doctor can help to reduce some of this anxiety !While it's true that the human touch is very important in providing good medical care, the truth is that it's not humanly possible for me to do so. This is true for many reasons.For one, because of time zone differences, it's quite difficult to find a time slot which suits both the patient and me. We often end up playing phone tag - causing even more frustration ! Also, phone connections in certain countries ( such as... The Patient's Doctor blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4074174 Fri, 15 Oct 2010 02:22:00 +0100 4074174 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3987236&cid=t_93676_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FcB0AB5jloI4%2F Welcome back, everyone. We hope you had a pleasant weekend and feel refreshed. Now, of course, the routine resumes as meetings and deadlines approach. To steel ourselves, we are preparing the mandatory cup of simulation. So please join us as we indulge and scan the news of the world. Hope your day goes well and do stay in touch… Bristol-Myers And Astra Tout Diabetes Study Results (Dow Jones) Roche’s Avastin Fails In Late-State Colon Cancer Study (Bloomberg News) India May Separate Approvals From Patent Status (LiveMint) Drugmakers Protest New Prices In Greece (PharmaTimes) Some African Nations Side With India Over Generics Debate (Economic Times) Genentech Exec Looks Ahead To Rockefeller University (Nature) Novartis Pulls European Application For Blood Pressure Pill (PharmaTime... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3987236 Mon, 20 Sep 2010 11:35:40 +0100 3987236 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3954261&cid=t_93676_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fwho-partners-with-traditional-healers-in-africa%2F2010.09.09 There’s an AIDS epidemic in Africa, and efforts to fight it are hampered by the endemic social problems of that continent. Chief among them are the lack of sufficient modern health resources, the spread of destructive rumors and myths about HIV/AIDS, and even the persistence of HIV denial in Africa (although this last factor is better than in the past). The World Health Organization (WHO) and the International HIV/AIDS Alliance are teaming up with the Traditional Health Practitioners Association of Zambia (THPAZ) to address the first problem –- the lack of health services. Most Zambians use traditional healers for primary healthcare. The WHO has therefore decided to utilize traditional healers in the fight against AIDS. There are interesting pros and cons to this policy, but it mus... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3954261 Thu, 09 Sep 2010 14:00:20 +0100 3954261 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3925093&cid=t_93676_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F2_AacIKJExc%2F Hello, everyone. Nice to see you again as another busy day lies in store. We have numerous housekeeping matters to mind and so we are brewing multiple cups of stimulation in order to cope. Please join us - or grab a bottle of water, if you prefer - as we dig in. Meanwhile, here is the news of the world. Have a great day and, again, please remember to send interesting tidbits our way… Sanofi Board Differs On Genzyme (The Wall Street Journal) Pfizer Buying FoldRx (Associated Press) AstraZeneca Given More Time To Settle 6,000 Seroquel Suits (Bloomberg News) Here Are 21 Drugs Facing FDA Approval Decisions (TheStreet) Merck And Adcock Expand African Distribution Deal (Reuters) (Source: Pharmalot) Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3925093 Wed, 01 Sep 2010 11:51:35 +0100 3925093 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3827144&cid=t_93676_112_f&fid=34971&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdoctorandpatient.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F08%2Ffight-malaria-free-sms-service-from.html Image via WikipediaMalaria has made a vicious comeback! It is a disease that can be treated in just 48 hours, yet it can cause fatal complications if the diagnosis and treatment are delayed. Learn about malaria, its prevention and control. Subscribe to the FREE service HELP-MALARIA.http://mytoday.com/store/products/HELP-MALARIA (Source: The Patient's Doctor) The Patient's Doctor blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3827144 Thu, 05 Aug 2010 12:44:00 +0100 3827144 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3812941&cid=t_93676_87_f&fid=36050&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblisstree.com%2Flive%2Fyou-know-youre-unwell-if-prince-albert-of-monaco-changes-the-wedding-date-on-you%2F photo: WENN.com Like he just did to Charlene Wittstock, his bride-to-be. The royal bastard! Wait, stay those tears. The happy couple actually moved the date up from July 9 to July 2, 2011, so that they could attend an International Olympic Committee meeting in South Africa July 5-9 as newlyweds. (Charlene used to do a little swimming for her native South Africa.) Forever the romantic skeptics, we’ll see if the balding prince drums up any other excuses before the big day. via CNN.com Post from: BlissTree You Know You're Unwell If...Prince Albert of Monaco Changes the Wedding Date on You (Source: Breastfeeding 1-2-3) Breastfeeding 1-2-3 blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3812941 Mon, 02 Aug 2010 22:17:44 +0100 3812941 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3795022&cid=t_93676_136_f&fid=37846&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthinfoispower.wordpress.com%2F2010%2F07%2F28%2Fsmile-open-your-eyes-love-and-go-on%2F Today marks the 2nd anniversary of Libby’s death from ovarian cancer at the age of 26. Although the family healing process continues, we celebrate Libby’s life formally on this day to honor her memory, and remind ourselves that life is precious and should not be taken for granted. Today marks the 2nd anniversary of Libby’s [...] (Source: Libby's H*O*P*E*) Libby's H*O*P*E* blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3795022 Wed, 28 Jul 2010 08:00:47 +0100 3795022 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3753825&cid=t_93676_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fgrand-rounds-from-the-shores-of-south-africa%2F2010.07.14 It’s not just the soccer world cup that’s on South African shores, but the great Grand Rounds (something that some would say is far more important than the world cup — okay, only one guy would actually say that, and he’s in a psychiatric institution in Outer Mongolia) is also presently hosted in South Africa! Proudly South African! Time to see what the bloggers have dished up for us this week. (more…) *This blog post was originally published at other things amanzi* (Source: Better Health) Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3753825 Wed, 14 Jul 2010 16:00:00 +0100 3753825 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3743504&cid=t_93676_85_f&fid=34924&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.baggas.com%2Fposts%2F2010%2F07%2F12%2Fuganda-terror%2F Terror attacks on Uganda World Cup fans Shocking news. I used to walk past this Ethiopian Restaurant almost every day the first time I was in Uganda. It was very close to the guesthouse we stayed in. In fact in recent months as we became more interested in Ethiopia I often thought about that Restaurant and wished I had had dinner there… News of terrorist attacks like this is always sad and disturbing, but this time for me it’s a little more so as I know the place (Source: Baggas' Blog) Baggas' Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3743504 Mon, 12 Jul 2010 02:44:37 +0100 3743504 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3743512&cid=t_93676_87_f&fid=36050&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblisstree.com%2Flive%2Fgoodbye-vuvuzelas-video-of-the-day%2F Our photo of the day may have you feeling melancholy that the World Cup is finally over. But we have one reason to rejoice, loud and clear: No more vuvuzelas! Post from: BlissTree Goodbye Vuvuzelas: Video of the Day (Source: Breastfeeding 1-2-3) Breastfeeding 1-2-3 blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3743512 Sun, 11 Jul 2010 15:00:01 +0100 3743512 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3743513&cid=t_93676_87_f&fid=36050&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblisstree.com%2Flive%2Fworld-cup-photo-of-the-day%2F The World Cup final is today. Are you drunk yet? Spain or Holland? Make sure to enjoy the excitement, the glory, and your last look at all those super-hot sweaty soccer players – until we meet again four years from now. Photo via Flickr user vramak Post from: BlissTree 2010 FIFA World Cup Final: Photo of the Day (Source: Breastfeeding 1-2-3) Breastfeeding 1-2-3 blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3743513 Sun, 11 Jul 2010 13:00:28 +0100 3743513 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3726782&cid=t_93676_151_f&fid=35818&url=http%3A%2F%2Frecoveryissexy.com%2Fasian-alcoholism-genetics%2F New Findings on Asian Alcohol-Protection Gene Only certain East Asian populations have a high prevalence of a gene that protects against alcohol over-consumption, and researchers speculate that some event must have occurred over the past few thousand years to make this genetic protection advantageous, Reuters reported. Yale University researchers said that unknown environmental factors are the likely cause for the prevalence of the ADH1B*47His gene variant among some Asian populations, but not others. The gene causes rapid metabolism of alcohol into acetaldehyde, a chemical that produces hangovers, flushing, nausea and other unpleasant symptoms that make even moderate drinking a poor experience. Researchers found that the gene variant was very prevalent in East Asia, fairly common in West ... Recovery Is Sexy.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3726782 Mon, 05 Jul 2010 19:27:00 +0100 3726782 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3718362&cid=t_93676_87_f&fid=36050&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblisstree.com%2Flive%2Fhigh-five-world-cup-videos-we-like%2F We especially like this High-Five World Cup!! video, not because of the hot-professional-soccer-player angle, but because it was filmed to increase awareness and support of 1GOAL: Education for All – which brings footballers, fans, and governments together to help make education for children, particularly girls, a priority all over the world. Good goal. HIGH-FIVE WORLD CUP!! from Shakira Isabel Post from: BlissTree High-Five World Cup!! Videos We Like (Source: Breastfeeding 1-2-3) Breastfeeding 1-2-3 blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3718362 Fri, 02 Jul 2010 03:21:11 +0100 3718362 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3706639&cid=t_93676_87_f&fid=36050&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblisstree.com%2Flive%2Fempty-handed-birth-control-struggles-for-women-in-uganda%2F The average woman in the United States will give birth to 2.06 children in her lifetime. In Uganda, the average is 6.7 children. Why? Birth control is virtually unavailable in this African nation. That’s not to say Ugandan women don’t want it, however. But even when a pregnancy would be risky to a woman’s health, she has no means of preventing it. A new short film, Empty Handed: Responding to the Demand for Contraceptives shares the plight of these women: Empty Handed from Population Action International on Vimeo. Post from: BlissTree "Empty Handed": Birth Control Struggles for Women In Uganda (Source: Breastfeeding 1-2-3) Breastfeeding 1-2-3 blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3706639 Mon, 28 Jun 2010 21:49:20 +0100 3706639 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3695813&cid=t_93676_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F1CJzN1nkKnA%2F A balmy day here on the Pharmalot corporate campus, where the short people are now sleeping in and dreaming of summer activities. We, however, are digging in for the usual routine of meetings and deadlines. What about you? Does a busy day lie ahead? For those seeking an advantage or a diversion, here are some items to help you along. Have a great day, everyone, and stay in touch… Merck Strikes OTC Deal With Adcock-Ingram (Bloomberg) A New Way To Detect Alzheimer’s (The New York Times) FDA Approves Merck Lung Drug (Reuters) EMA Approves New Use For Glaxo’s Tyverb (PharmaTimes) Crucell Starts Work On RSV Vaccine (Reuters) UK’s NICE Rejects Glaxo Leukemia Drug (Reuters) Patent Awarded For New Drug Delivery System To Aphios (InPharmaTechnologist) (Source: Pharmalot) Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3695813 Thu, 24 Jun 2010 11:47:38 +0100 3695813 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3690805&cid=t_93676_87_f&fid=36050&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblisstree.com%2Flive%2Fadweek-overreacts-to-world-cup-related-greenpeace-ad%2F Greenpeace, which has been doing some World Cup-related charity work in Africa, has released a PSA comparing the amount of trees cut down every two seconds to the size of a soccer (football) field. Apparently, the folks over at the Adweek blog, AdFreak, where we found the video, were beyond offended by this spot: ”What’s their point? No endangered species inhabits [sic] a football pitch, unless you count the U.S. national team.” (Did these morons watch today’s match against Algeria?) Greenpeace’s point is that there are a lot of trees being cut down all the time. It’s a convenient way to put the rate at which trees are being cut down in perspective, since most everyone’s watching the World Cup, and viewers can see just how enormous the fields are... Breastfeeding 1-2-3 blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3690805 Wed, 23 Jun 2010 20:45:14 +0100 3690805 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3690807&cid=t_93676_87_f&fid=36050&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblisstree.com%2Flive%2F7-ways-that-germs-can-be-good-for-you-and-why-you-should-think-twice-before-taking-antibiotics%2F Germs, especially bacteria, have a fairly tarnished reputation among health circles, but according to Martin Blaser, chairman of the department of medicine at New York University Medical School, we might actually need more of them. The former president of the Infectious Disease Society of America says that our use of antibiotics and antibacterial products has reduced the number of healthy bacteria in our digestive tracts, changing our digestion and contributing to the rise in obesity. According to an article from Forbes.com, he’s not the only one who thinks that bacteria could be a good thing: They’ve compiled a list of ways that germs can actually be good for you, backed up by research from several scientists: 1. Controlling Weight – According to research from Cornell Univer... Breastfeeding 1-2-3 blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3690807 Wed, 23 Jun 2010 19:57:12 +0100 3690807 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3679724&cid=t_93676_83_f&fid=34856&url=http%3A%2F%2Finsidesurgery.com%2F2010%2F06%2Fdr-sonnet-ehlers-develops-female-condom-teeth-retard-rape%2F South African physician Dr. Sonnet Ehlers has dveloped a female condom that will attach to a rapist’s penis with sharp, razor-like hooks until removed by a physician. While exquisitely uncomfortable for the wearer, the device causes no lasting damage. Ehlers states she developed the device after much consultation with surgeons, gynecologists, and psychologists because South Africa has one of the highest rape rates in the world, with almost a third of men there admitting they have raped a woman or girl. Arrests and convictions are uncommon. Ehlers is giving away about 30,000 units and then the device will sell for about $2. (Source: Inside Surgery) Inside Surgery blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3679724 Sun, 20 Jun 2010 18:50:32 +0100 3679724 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3695817&cid=t_93676_151_f&fid=35805&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Ftwelvestepfacilitation%2FwAgT%2F%7E3%2FUUeQOwQ1cyQ%2F New Findings on Asian Alcohol-Protection Gene Only certain East Asian populations have a high prevalence of a gene that protects against alcohol over-consumption, and researchers speculate that some event must have occurred over the past few thousand years to make this genetic protection advantageous, Reuters reported. Yale University researchers said that unknown environmental factors are the likely cause for the prevalence of the ADH1B*47His gene variant among some Asian populations, but not others. The gene causes rapid metabolism of alcohol into acetaldehyde, a chemical that produces hangovers, flushing, nausea and other unpleasant symptoms that make even moderate drinking a poor experience. Researchers found that the gene variant was very prevalent in East Asia, fairly common in West ... Twelve Step Facilitation.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3695817 Sun, 20 Jun 2010 06:18:17 +0100 3695817 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3678519&cid=t_93676_87_f&fid=36050&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblisstree.com%2Flive%2Fcape-town-at-dusk-photo-of-the-day%2F We’re trying to pretend we’re enjoying the World Cup firsthand in South Africa, so here’s the view from our (fake) hotel room at dusk: Photo: National Geographic Post from: BlissTree Cape Town at Dusk: Photo of the Day (Source: Breastfeeding 1-2-3) Breastfeeding 1-2-3 blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3678519 Sat, 19 Jun 2010 15:30:30 +0100 3678519 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3676639&cid=t_93676_87_f&fid=36050&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblisstree.com%2Flive%2Fafrican-penguins-cute-picture-sad-story%2F Bird Island, a small island off the coast of South Africa, is home to the breeding grounds of the African Penguin, a species recently classified as endangered. The population of African Penguins has dwindled from 150,000 mating pairs to 26,000 mating pairs, and 600 baby chicks just died due to harsh weather off of the coast of South Africa. Check out this site to find out how you can help these adorable African Penguins. photo via Treehugger via Treehugger Post from: BlissTree African Penguins: Cute Picture, Sad Story (Source: Breastfeeding 1-2-3) Breastfeeding 1-2-3 blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3676639 Fri, 18 Jun 2010 18:05:26 +0100 3676639 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3676619&cid=t_93676_85_f&fid=34924&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.baggas.com%2Fposts%2F2010%2F06%2F18%2Fbono-and-hybels%2F Stumbled across these videos this evening. Bill Hybels of WIllow Creek interviewing Bono. The third one is Hybels’ call to inspire churches to action on the AIDS and poverty crises. Excellent and necessary challenge. Click here to view the embedded video. Click here to view the embedded video. Click here to view the embedded video. “Stop asking God to bless what you are doing. Find out what God is already doing, cause it’s already blessed.” (Source: Baggas' Blog) Baggas' Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3676619 Fri, 18 Jun 2010 15:02:20 +0100 3676619 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3675336&cid=t_93676_46_f&fid=38787&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmsf.ca%2Fblogs%2Fphotos%2F2010%2F06%2F18%2Fsouth-africa-7%2F Madzinga, 66, sits on with her grandson in the small room they share in a shack in Cape Town’s Khayelitsha township, February 23, 2010. Madzinga cares for her five grandchildren, including four who were orphaned when Madzinga’s own daughter died from AIDS in 2002. Some 5.5 million people live with HIV/AIDS in South Africa – more than in any other country – placing a heavy burden on a society still struggling with the legacy of Apartheid. Khayelitsha, a township on the outskirts of Cape Town, is home to half a million people and has one of the highest incidences of HIV/AIDS in the country. Since May 2001, MSF has been running an ART program there in partnership with local health authorities. (Source: MSF Blogs) MSF Blogs blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3675336 Fri, 18 Jun 2010 10:19:00 +0100 3675336 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3671647&cid=t_93676_87_f&fid=36050&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblisstree.com%2Flive%2Ffifa-world-cup-nonprofit-we-love-solafrica%2F image via Inhabitat Although Nairobi is as soccer-crazed as the rest of the world right now, residents of Kibera, the largest slum in Africa, didn’t think they’d be able to watch the 2010 FIFA World Cup, because they don’t have electricity. That is, until Solafrica, a Swiss nonprofit, provided them with a portable solar power station to run a large TV. And Solafrica didn’t stop there. In partnership with Greenpeace, they trained local young people to make simple solar-powered LED lamps to replace the kerosene ones being used in Kibera. Solafrica might be our first official nonprofit crush of the World Cup. If they figure out a way to recycle all the vuvuzelas being used in South Africa, we’d let them wear our pin. via Inhabitat Post from: BlissTree FIFA World ... Breastfeeding 1-2-3 blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3671647 Thu, 17 Jun 2010 22:21:01 +0100 3671647 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3662637&cid=t_93676_87_f&fid=36050&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblisstree.com%2Flive%2Fnew-roots-for-refugees-%25e2%2580%2593-farming-empowers-women%2F photo via Grist Asian and African female refugees arriving in the U.S. usually have pretty limited options in the working world, as culture shock and language barriers make adjusting to their new home incredibly difficult. But there’s one skill common among refugee women that doesn’t get lost in translation: Farming. That’s why the Catholic Charities of Northeast Kansas City started the New Roots for Refugees Farm, in a partnership with Kansas City Center for Urban Agriculture. New Roots For Refugees provides refugee women the opportunity to farm on a quarter-acre plot and sell their wares at farmers’ markets around Kansas City. The women gradually take on more business responsibility, including buying raw materials, taking marketing and English classes during the w... Breastfeeding 1-2-3 blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3662637 Tue, 15 Jun 2010 13:30:36 +0100 3662637 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3658934&cid=t_93676_87_f&fid=36050&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblisstree.com%2Flive%2Fexclusive-mediabistro-com-founder-laurel-touby-on-making-millions-marriage-and-moving-forward%2F Laurel Touby and husband Jon Fine at the Webutante Ball in NYC, June 8, 2010 A former freelance writer, Laurel Touby came up with the idea for her influential media company, Mediabistro.com, in 1994, and in 2007, sold it for a cool $23 million. (She didn’t pocket all of that, though.) Just back from an eight-month international sabbatical, Laurel took some time out to answer our 11 questions about marriage, making more money than her husband, and moving on after major success. Long before you sold Mediabistro (the company you founded) for many millions of dollars, did you care who made more money, you or your then-boyfriend? I would love to say that it didn’t matter, because I’m an emancipated woman who went to Smith College. But, it was nice to know that he could pay his part of... Breastfeeding 1-2-3 blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3658934 Mon, 14 Jun 2010 14:30:40 +0100 3658934 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3652402&cid=t_93676_87_f&fid=38368&url=http%3A%2F%2Fvimeo.com%2Fmoogaloop.swf%3Fclip_id%3D11909933%26amp%3Bserver%3Dvimeo.com%26amp%3Bshow_title%3D1%26amp%3Bshow_byline%3D1%26amp%3Bshow_portrait%3D0%26amp%3Bcolor%3D%26amp%3Bfullscreen%3D1 By Robin Strongin. This was a busy week in women’s health—an issue of global importance. On June 7th, Women Deliver 2010, the largest meeting on global maternal health in the last ten years, kicked off in Washington, DC. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon delivered opening remarks and US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton addressed participants via video. The conference offered an opportunity to take stock of progress that has been made in improving global maternal health while assessing the challenges that remain. Women Deliver 2010 highlighted achievements in reducing maternal mortality, breakthroughs in reproductive technology, the role of women’s health in development, and remaining obstacles to improving maternal health around the world. The conference’s 3,000 participant... Disruptive Women in Health Care blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3652402 Fri, 11 Jun 2010 14:52:38 +0100 3652402 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3648460&cid=t_93676_87_f&fid=36050&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblisstree.com%2Flive%2Fmuizenberg-beach-cape-town-photo-of-the-day%2F We’re getting excited for the 2010 World Cup. We’d love to take in the games in South Africa, then relax on this beach in Cape Town: Photo from National Geographic Post from: BlissTree Muizenberg Beach, Cape Town: Photo of the Day (Source: Breastfeeding 1-2-3) Breastfeeding 1-2-3 blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3648460 Thu, 10 Jun 2010 11:30:55 +0100 3648460 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3614508&cid=t_93676_87_f&fid=34969&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FUnboundedMedicine%2F%7E3%2F0lCilOVBYC0%2F It’s an honor and pleasure to bring you this new edition of The Best Surgical Grand Rounds Carnival. FIFA WORLD CUP – SOUTH AFRICA 2010 I would like to express my gratitude to Jeffrey Leow of Vagus Surgicalis (Australian medical student with lots of interest and knowledge of surgery) and the creator of this Great Carnival. Australia is in Group D. Bongi, a lucky SouthAfrican general surgeon who will host the FIFA World Cup in 12 days, shares a story that will push you to learn Afrikaans. South Africa will be head of the Group A and will play with México, Uruguay and France. rlbates, my favorite (female) plastic surgeon who lives to sew, wrote an excellent review of Scalp avulsion injuries. USA will play against England, Algeria and Slovenia in Group C. Techknowdoc, a surg... Unbounded Medicine blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3614508 Sun, 30 May 2010 07:44:51 +0100 3614508 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3610314&cid=t_93676_87_f&fid=36050&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblisstree.com%2Flive%2Fhealth-care-by-text-in-rwanda-texting-saves-pregnant-women%2F photo: Thinkstock When it comes to pregnancy and childbirth, women in the developed world are notorious for hopping in a car and zipping to the hospital at the first signs of labor, but in in the developing world, it’s not always an option. In Rwanda, where hospital access is scarce, a new Rapid SMS service was introduced in August of 2009 to help give people living in remote regions of the country quick access to healthcare. The system, a joint initiative between three United Nations organizations, is being tested in the Musanze District of Rwanda. Cell phones were given to 432 health workers in the Musanze District who then register pregnant women in their villages through SMS text messages. They can send updates on their conditions to a central server in the capital city of Kigali... Breastfeeding 1-2-3 blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3610314 Fri, 28 May 2010 17:54:51 +0100 3610314 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3483043&cid=t_93676_131_f&fid=34995&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.discovermagazine.com%2Fgnxp%2F2010%2F04%2Fcape-coloureds-an-instance-of-a-generality%2F Several months ago I put up a post which reviewed the geographical connections within the total genome content of the Cape Coloureds of South Africa. These peoples (plural because distinctive ethnic groups such as the Griqua were subsumed into this category in the 20th century) are of diverse origin, though generally their African and European ancestry has been highlighted. To the left I’ve reedited a plot which illustrates the inferred proportion of ancestry from various groups in modern Cape Coloured populations. Note that there is a substantial proportion of Asian ancestry, both South and East Asian. This makes historical sense as during the period of the founding of the Cape Colony a substantial number of Southeast and South Asian slaves were transferred from the Dutch East Indie... Gene Expression blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3483043 Mon, 19 Apr 2010 15:12:17 +0100 3483043 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3467749&cid=t_93676_88_f&fid=34729&url=http%3A%2F%2Fallscrubbedup.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F04%2Fguest-post-how-to-improve-medical.html The world has become a much smaller place, thanks to technology and globalization. But no matter how connected we are, there still exist huge disparities between the rich and the poor. The gap gets wider with each passing year, for individuals and nations. In the eyes of the developed world, third world countries are perceived as places where the standard of living is poor and where the things they take for granted are considered luxuries. In reality however, third world countries have their share of both the obscenely rich and the dirt poor. And the main reason for their backwardness is not just the paucity of money, but also the lack of awareness and education among the poorer and downtrodden sections of society.When we consider the state of medical services in these countries, we see th... All Scrubbed Up blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3467749 Wed, 14 Apr 2010 05:09:00 +0100 3467749 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3447512&cid=t_93676_46_f&fid=38787&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmsf.ca%2Fblogs%2Fphotos%2F2010%2F04%2F08%2Fsouth-africa-5%2F Cape Town – February 2010 Graves are seen through the empty window of an abandoned cemetery care taker’s hut in Cape Town’s Khayelitsha township. Many of those buried in the cemetery died from AIDS or related complications such as tuberculosis (TB). Some 5.5 million people live with HIV/AIDS in South Africa – more per capita than any other country – while 33 million people live with the disease worldwide. Despite having the world’s highest number of people receiving anti-retroviral therapy there are millions more who cannot access the life-saving drugs they need, either because they are too expensive or simply not available. (Source: MSF Blogs) MSF Blogs blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3447512 Thu, 08 Apr 2010 11:35:30 +0100 3447512 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3441059&cid=t_93676_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F2ssO-sTddgk%2F Nice to see you again. Hope your week got off to a good start yesterday. Our own schedule is a bit different this week with the local schoolhouses closed. Nonetheless, please join us in quaffing a cup of stimulation to celebrate another sunny day. We hope yours goes well and proves as productive as possible. Good luck and stay in touch… Ranbaxy To Hire 1,500 Marketing And Sales Personnel (Economic Times) US Demand For Free Drugs Rises (Financial Times) Talecris And CSL Warned By FDA Over Ads (Bloomberg News) Glaxo And Crucell To Combine Malaria Vaccines (Associated Press) Canadian Payers Reject 50% Of New Drugs Annually (PharmaTimes) FDA Says Effect Of Forest Lung Drug Is Modest (Dow Jones) Anti-Counterfeit Law May Limit Access To ARVs (The Daily Mail) Coffee pix thx to chichcacha fl... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3441059 Tue, 06 Apr 2010 12:08:25 +0100 3441059 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3440787&cid=t_93676_87_f&fid=38368&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FDisruptiveWomenInHealthCare%2F%7E3%2FIeaCVdE6dDY%2F After watching his parents and six siblings die from undiagnosed, untreated diseases, Peter Kithene vowed not to let that happen to other families. “I want to give kids their parents and give kids their lives,” he tells Disruptive Women. While a college student at the University of Washington, Peter opened the first Mama Maria clinic in his home village in Kenya. He now has two clinics, three small out posts and just finished a business plan to open a third. He wants all people in Kenya to have accessible health care. Disruptive Women is proud to name Peter our April man-of-the-month. He took a few minutes to speak with Disruptive Women’s Wendy Grossman. Q: I read that by the time you were 12 — both your parents and six of your siblings had died from undiagnos... Disruptive Women in Health Care blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3440787 Mon, 05 Apr 2010 16:15:55 +0100 3440787 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3370409&cid=t_93676_87_f&fid=38368&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FDisruptiveWomenInHealthCare%2F%7E3%2F0xDOaSRXyCI%2F Washington D.C. leads the nation with the highest HIV/AIDS rates in the country– 3% of all adults and adolescents in the District live with HIV/AIDS (any percentage over 1% is considered a severe epidemic by the World Health Organization). Officials have created an innovative partnership with a number of organizations and celebrities to distribute female condoms in HIV hotspots — and if you want to try them yourself, they’re now on sale at all the CVS’s in the District. Disruptive Women’s Wendy Grossman spoke for a few minutes with Mary Ann Leeper, senior strategic advisor for the Female Health Company — about the D.C. initiative that started this week. Q: Tell me about the DC initiative. A: The initiative is just the coming together of the five diff... Disruptive Women in Health Care blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3370409 Tue, 16 Mar 2010 17:50:09 +0100 3370409 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3365430&cid=t_93676_46_f&fid=38787&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmsf.ca%2Fblogs%2Fphotos%2F2010%2F03%2F15%2Fsouth-africa-4%2F Johannesburg – March 2010 Zimbabwean refugees are silhouetted in the windows of the Central Methodist Church in downtown Johannesburg, March 4, 2010. Up to two thousand Zimbabweans, many of them victims of the 2008 xenophpbic violence in South Africa, seek shelter nightly at the church for security. (Source: MSF Blogs) MSF Blogs blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3365430 Mon, 15 Mar 2010 12:57:05 +0100 3365430 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3159978&cid=t_93676_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F47qzVsJSYSg%2F Welcome to the working week. Hope your weekend was refreshing. Now, though, the routine has returned and that means girding for the usual pile of meetings and projects. To steel ourselves, we are brewing the mandatory cup of stimulation. So grab one yourselves - or a water bottle, if you prefer - and let’s get started. And here are a few items to help you along… Pfizer To Slash 680 PA Jobs (Philly.com) Roche Wins FDA OK For Actemra RA Drug (Bloomberg News) Glaxo Slashes Antibiotic Prices in Africa (NewstimeAfrica) Galagos Strikes Deal With Roche For COPD Drug (Reuters) (Source: Pharmalot) Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3159978 Mon, 11 Jan 2010 12:41:15 +0100 3159978 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3153470&cid=t_93676_113_f&fid=38236&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthcareitnews.com%2Fblog%2Flooking-antennas-healthcare-m2m-gains An Irish company with offices in the U.S., Taiwan, Mexico and South Africa has rolled out what's being touted as the first flexible circuit loop antenna, which promises over 40 percent efficiency in healthcare monitoring devices. Taoglas, which designs and manufactures reduced size VHF and UHF antennas for satellite, cellular, Wi-Fi, and multi-band markets, says its new FLA.01 antenna is a penta-band cellular antenna that is embedded inside medical devices. (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog) Healthcare IT News Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3153470 Fri, 08 Jan 2010 14:44:32 +0100 3153470 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3096854&cid=t_93676_87_f&fid=38368&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FDisruptiveWomenInHealthCare%2F%7E3%2FJnxa9J6fDsQ%2F The following guest post by Dr. Gunther L. Faber, CEO of The HealthStore Foundation®, is part of Disruptive Women’s “The Value of Health: Creating Economic Security in the Developing World” series. Context: Lack of Access to Quality Basic Healthcare:  The market for drugs and basic healthcare in sub-Saharan Africa is large and fragmented, with millions lacking adequate access to basic healthcare and low quality standards prevailing in many existing private and public facilities.  This leads to unacceptable statistics, including 2007 under-5 mortality rates of 12.1% in Kenya[1] and of 18.1% in Rwanda.[2] Furthermore, throughout the world 10 million children die each year, almost two out of three from a short list of easily preventable or treatable diseases and illnes... Disruptive Women in Health Care blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3096854 Thu, 17 Dec 2009 13:51:23 +0100 3096854 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3082420&cid=t_93676_105_f&fid=36987&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FIvorKovicMd%2F%7E3%2FvzElwuSoeIE%2F Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is an international medical humanitarian organization created by doctors and journalists in France in 1971. Today, MSF provides aid in more than 60 countries to people whose survival is threatened by violence, neglect, or catastrophe, primarily due to armed conflict, epidemics, malnutrition, exclusion from health care, or natural disasters. Thanks to Mark Hopkins, the director of Living in Emergency documentary, and his crew you have a chance to see what work for Doctors Without Borders really looks like in the field. Living in Emergency was filmed in war zones of Libera and Congo with unprecedented access to field operations. The story follows four volunteer doctors as they struggle to provide emergency medical care under extreme c... Ivor Kovic, M.D. blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3082420 Sat, 12 Dec 2009 15:59:32 +0100 3082420 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3047111&cid=t_93676_46_f&fid=38787&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmsf.ca%2Fblogs%2Fphotos%2F2009%2F12%2F02%2Fsouth-africa-3%2F Photo: Kenneth Tong Khayelitsha, Cape Town – July 2009 New, unfinished houses in Khayelitsha, a sprawling township mired in poverty on the outskirts of Cape Town. In the streets of Khayelitsha there’s a saying: “Living with HIV, dying from TB”. It sums up life in this place, where nearly one in three is HIV positive and HIV related infections are the leading cause of death. (Source: MSF Blogs) MSF Blogs blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3047111 Wed, 02 Dec 2009 12:37:56 +0100 3047111 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3033589&cid=t_93676_88_f&fid=34729&url=http%3A%2F%2Fallscrubbedup.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F11%2Faustralian-doctors.html Recently reported by The Daily Maverick...The Australian Medical Association ran an advertisement in newspapers offering a bounty of A$3,000 (just over R20,000) to anyone who persuades a foreign doctor to work in that country.We're short 2500 doctors in this bloody country. Oz should leave ours alone! (Source: All Scrubbed Up) All Scrubbed Up blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3033589 Thu, 26 Nov 2009 16:55:00 +0100 3033589 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2916353&cid=t_93676_131_f&fid=34994&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.gnxp.com%2Fblog%2F2009%2F10%2Fmarxist-mesticos.php Today I listened to a Planet Money podcast about Angola's oil economy, which is an extreme manifestation of the typical dysfunctions which occur due to the presence of black gold. But it got me to thinking about a book I read recently, Africa: Altered States, Ordinary Miracles. Though the author is a journalist and not a scholar there is a good balance between historical and economic framing and the expected travelogue. Most of the chapters can be read a la carte, and are geographically or topically constrained. For instance, one of the last chapters is about the arrival of Chinese to Africa. Some estimates suggest that at any given time there are 5 million Chinese workers on the continent!For me the most interesting chapter was on Angola. I would be interested in what a scholar of the his... Gene Expression blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2916353 Thu, 22 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0100 2916353 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2885485&cid=t_93676_46_f&fid=38787&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmsf.ca%2Fblogs%2Fphotos%2F2009%2F10%2F13%2Fdr-congo-4%2F Photo: Julie Rémy Niangara, Oriental Province, DR Congo – September 2009 Centre of Africa monument in Niangara facing the ruins of the ancient Niangara tribunal of first instance for Bas and Haut-Uélé. Which was feared and nicknamed Niangara ‘cata’ during the Belgian colonisation. (Source: MSF Blogs) MSF Blogs blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2885485 Tue, 13 Oct 2009 12:07:00 +0100 2885485 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2886420&cid=t_93676_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FcdkWpQ9AAWA%2F The two-decade-old conflict in Somalia has entered a new phase, which presents both a challenge and an opportunity for the United States. To best encourage peace in the devastated country, Washington needs a new strategy that takes into account hard-learned lessons from multiple failed U.S. interventions. In a new study, author David Axe argues that Washington should err on the side of nonintervention, and recommends: The Obama administration should work to build a regional framework for reconciliation, the rule of law, and economic development that acknowledges the unique risks of intervention in East Africa….Somalia’s best hope for peace is the moderate Islamic government that has emerged from the most recent rounds of fighting, despite early opposition from the United States... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2886420 Mon, 12 Oct 2009 15:49:18 +0100 2886420 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2883019&cid=t_93676_88_f&fid=34729&url=http%3A%2F%2Fallscrubbedup.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F10%2Fsmoking-laws-work-study.html Quick excerpt here from a 2001 study that proves tobacco laws reduce smoking. This is damn old. We're getting better at it. The source site is also great for other South African public health statistics.Tobacco consumption declinesby Mokgadi Pela2001-03-16Tobacco consumption in South Africa has fallen for eight consecutive years since 1991, a meeting to discuss the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control heard in Sandton, Johannesburg, on the 12th of March. Delivering the keynote address, Dr Derek Yach, of the World Health Organisation, said this was a result of sustained tobacco control measures. He said in 1998-99 more than 30 billion cigarettes were released for consumption, down by 17 percent from the 36 billion released in 1993-94. The work of public health advocates in South Africa t... All Scrubbed Up blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2883019 Mon, 12 Oct 2009 04:59:00 +0100 2883019 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2876041&cid=t_93676_88_f&fid=34729&url=http%3A%2F%2Fallscrubbedup.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F10%2Fnew-smoking-laws.html For those of you who don't know... Smoking laws are getting stricter. YES! Good on ya, South Africa. If only they'd extend it to alcohol (btw, when is SAB going to STOP making quarts in glass bottles? Have you SEEN Friday night at Bara??)Although he pokes fun and says that smoking laws do nothing - this is not true. There have been large changes in the prevalence of smoking of the first set of laws were passed in South Africa. Same for you overseas? Another post on this soon.More on iMod. (Source: All Scrubbed Up) All Scrubbed Up blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2876041 Fri, 09 Oct 2009 04:53:00 +0100 2876041 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2814523&cid=t_93676_113_f&fid=38236&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthcareitnews.com%2Fblog%2Fmedinfo-paper-deadline-extended The deadline for submitting papers for the 13th World Congress on Medical and Health Informatics, also known as MedInfo 2010, has been extended to Oct. 15. MedInfo 2010, the triennial meeting of the International Medical Informatics Association, is scheduled for Sept. 12-15, 2010, in Cape Town, South Africa. (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog) Healthcare IT News Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2814523 Mon, 21 Sep 2009 14:39:41 +0100 2814523 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2778342&cid=t_93676_85_f&fid=34924&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.baggas.com%2Fposts%2F2009%2F09%2F09%2Fdistrict-9%2F Managed to get out to the movies succesfully for the first time in quite a while last night, and saw District 9. This excellent film derives from the old premise of aliens come to earth, spaceship hovers over a major city etc etc, but with some major variations on that theme. The major variation is that the aliens aren’t powerful super-intelligent invaders, rather they become impoverished refugees, mistreated and discriminated against by humans, and forced to live in a ghetto slum shanty town camp (couldn’t decide which word was best there so why not use em all?). And the second major twist, which makes the first one even more poignant, is that the spaceship is not hovering over New York or LA or some other big American city like most of these movies – rather it is set in... Baggas' Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2778342 Wed, 09 Sep 2009 01:41:24 +0100 2778342 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2752088&cid=t_93676_131_f&fid=34989&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FGeneticsHealth%2F%7E3%2FM8OLs7FOhjI%2F Persistence really pays off, and this is especially true in genetic studies. After 35 years of combined research, a father-and-son team has finally identified the source of the gene that causes the heart’s electricity to go awry. For three hundred years, a South African family has been plagued by progressive familial heart block, a disease of the electrical system of the heart. The disease causes an affected person to have irregular heart beats, fainting spells, seizures or sudden death. The risk is greatest soon after birth, during puberty and early twenties and returns in the middle age, and a timely installment of a pacemaker is the best treatment. Using data from the human genome project, Professors Andries and Paul Brink were able to trace the origin of this disease to one man: A... Genetics and Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2752088 Tue, 01 Sep 2009 03:13:01 +0100 2752088 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2621741&cid=t_93676_87_f&fid=38368&url=http%3A%2F%2Fstatic.slidesharecdn.com%2Fswf%2Fssplayer2.swf%3Fdoc%3Dtheadvanceofmhealthslideshare-090416113113-phpapp01%26amp%3Bstripped_title%3Dthe-advance-of-mhealth-1300600 This article will aim to look at a specific area of the ‘citizen empowerment’ – the application of SMS (Short Messaging Service – or texting) and mobile phones in public health. With the onset of social tools such as social networking sites (Facebook, Myspace, etc.) and real time information hubs such as Twitter, we are exposed to numerous ways to stay connected to each other. Our mobile devices are equipped with applications that allow us to do a myriad of things – many of which focus on entertainment and productivity. Another very important part of our lives is maintaining good health and the mobile phone is making strides in that area. mHealth is the term that has been coined to describe the interaction of mobile technology with the improvement of health. mHealth is exploding ... Disruptive Women in Health Care blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2621741 Tue, 21 Jul 2009 11:02:37 +0100 2621741 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2609175&cid=t_93676_46_f&fid=38787&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmsf.ca%2Fblogs%2Fphotos%2F2009%2F07%2F09%2Fsouth-africa-2%2F Photo: Kenneth Tong Cape Town, South Africa - July 2009 A community merchant setting up her stall in Khayelitsha’s central market place. Khayelitsha is a township north of Cape Town, where MSF runs a project treating HIV and multi-drug resistant tuberculosis. (Source: MSF Blogs) MSF Blogs blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2609175 Thu, 09 Jul 2009 12:48:00 +0100 2609175 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2523003&cid=t_93676_97_f&fid=36415&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dcscience.net%2F%3Fp%3D1747 Homeopathy has become boring, so I’ll keep this short. It’s clear that the public have rumbled the fraud and that homeopathy is heading back to where it was in the 1960s, a small lunatic fringe on the High Street. All university ‘degrees’ in homeopathy have closed their doors in the last two years.  Even Peter Fisher sounds increasingly desperate in his attempts to defend it. If it were not for the unconstitutional interference in politics of the Prince of Wales, homeopathy would probably have sunk even further.  Princes who meddle like that should be allowed to cool off in the Tower of London. I can’t understand why his mother doesn’t restrain him before he destroys the monarchy altogether. The homeopathy industry reminds me of the cigarette ... DC's Improbable Science blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2523003 Sun, 14 Jun 2009 15:09:34 +0100 2523003 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2424029&cid=t_93676_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FJg-RkqeBr-A%2F A tax credit bill was recently proposed in South Carolina to give parents an easier choice between public and private schools. It would do this by cutting taxes on parents who pay for their own children’s education, and by cutting taxes on anyone who donates to a non-profit Scholarship Granting Organization (SGO). The SGOs would subsidize tuition for low income families (who owe little in taxes and so couldn’t benefit substantially from the direct tax credit). Charleston minister Rev. Joseph Darby opposes such programs, and I support them. We’ve decided to have this dialogue to explain why. Our closing comments appear below, and the previous installments are here and here and here. Rev. Joe Darby Closing Comment Thanks for the research and references, Andrew, but I do... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2424029 Tue, 19 May 2009 17:00:06 +0100 2424029 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2389663&cid=t_93676_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2Fu_GvvHGufTc%2F No individual today is more effectively challenging the foreign aid establishment and the harm it inflicts on Africa than Dambisa Moyo, Zambian author of Dead Aid: Why Aid Is Not Working and How There Is Another Way For Africa. She spoke at a recent Cato book forum and has been ubiquitous in the media. For a sense of her views, here’s an interview I recommend that she recently did with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. (Source: Cato-at-liberty) Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2389663 Tue, 05 May 2009 17:04:41 +0100 2389663 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2382686&cid=t_93676_131_f&fid=34989&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FGeneticsHealth%2F%7E3%2FteNKJmSb6As%2F Tracing man’s origins is always been fascinating. Where did we come from? How did we get here? How many where there in the beginning? Who was there in the beginning? Clues came from archeological digs, but these days, genetic studies give us more more specific answers. And a decade-long ambitious effort looked at the genes of more than 3,000 people in 121 populations groups across Africa and more in Europe and the United States to find out just where humans came from. Results from the study were very interesting. Genetic patterns show ed that the first humans emerged somewhere in southern Africa, near where Namibia is now. There’s genetic evidence that hypertension, prostate cancer and lactose intolerance have been around since the early days of human evolution! Of the specific gr... Genetics and Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2382686 Fri, 01 May 2009 01:49:00 +0100 2382686 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2381405&cid=t_93676_131_f&fid=34989&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FGeneticsHealth%2F%7E3%2FrZc3ekgEUWk%2F Tracing man’s origins is always been fascinating. Where did we come from? How did we get here? How many where there in the beginning? Who was there in the beginning? Clues came from archeological digs, but these days, genetic studies give us more more specific answers. And a decade-long ambitious effort looked at the genes of more than 3,000 people in 121 populations groups across Africa and more in Europe and the United States to find out just where humans came from. Results from the study were very interesting. Genetic patterns show ed that the first humans emerged somewhere in southern Africa, near where Namibia is now. There’s genetic evidence that hypertension, prostate cancer and lactose intolerance have been around since the early days of human evolution! Of the specific gr... Genetics and Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2381405 Fri, 01 May 2009 01:49:00 +0100 2381405 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2380727&cid=t_93676_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FtQKHZWLi1As%2F This article is certainly very old, but I came across it yesterday and thought the argument would be of interest to political theorists and classical liberals: …local businesspeople find it easier to do business in a country where there is no government. “There is no need to obtain licences and, in contrast with many other parts of Africa, there is no state-run monopoly that prevents new competitors setting up. Keeping price low is helped by the absence of any need to pay taxes.” Of course, the absence of a stable and legitimate political and judicial system, compounded by unyielding internecine violence, means individual and private property rights can never be fully protected and we aren’t likely to see foreign businesses flocking to this chaotic country in the... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2380727 Thu, 30 Apr 2009 14:12:43 +0100 2380727 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2375863&cid=t_93676_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FUIm4MUjeQ0w%2F Here are a few highlights from Cato Today, a daily email from the Cato Institute. You can subscribe, here. Marian Tupy discusses African aid in his new Development Policy Analysis, “The False Promise of Gleneagles: Misguided Priorities at the Heart of the New Push for African Development,” and an op-ed in the Washington Times. Swaminathan Aiyar argues against a global currency in The Guardian. Daniel J. Mitchell calls for abolishing the death tax in USA Today. Will Wilkinson argues for more liberal immigration policies in The Week magazine. In the Christian Science Monitor, Benjamin Friedman says the United States should cut military spending in half. In Monday’s Cato Daily Podcast, Jim Harper explains why Obama’s record on following through with his cam... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2375863 Mon, 27 Apr 2009 21:01:03 +0100 2375863 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2364926&cid=t_93676_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FBUikZKOU-N8%2F Yesterday the U.S. House passed by voice vote a resolution praising the captain and crew of the U.S.-flagged ship Maersk Alabama that was seized by Somali pirates earlier this month. It was a riveting story that ended well for the brave crew and their Captain Richard Phillips, thanks to the work of Navy Seal sharpshooters. But one question that has yet to be adequately discussed is just what that ship was doing over in such dangerous waters off the coast of strife-torn Somalia. The answer may surprise you: the U.S. government sent them there. The ship and its American crew of 20 were delivering U.S.-government food aid to Africa. Under the Food Security Act of 1985, food aid sponsored by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Agency for International Development must in most cases... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2364926 Thu, 23 Apr 2009 19:58:37 +0100 2364926 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2353839&cid=t_93676_105_f&fid=36987&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FIvorKovicMd%2F%7E3%2F20TAh2Ih_ZU%2F OK, here is what you do. Watch the video below. Visit lomography.com/kikuyu and save a person’s eyesight for only 30 dollars. Tweet This (Source: Ivor Kovic, M.D.) Ivor Kovic, M.D. blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2353839 Wed, 22 Apr 2009 01:28:54 +0100 2353839 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2353752&cid=t_93676_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FsJrYqPvz50U%2F Here’s a round-up of bloggers who are writing about Cato research and commentary: National Review’s Mark Hemingway quoted Ilya Shapiro about the 9th Circuit Court of Appeal’s recent decision on gun laws. He also posted David Boaz’s reaction to the New York Times blog that stated that Cato has been “remarkably silent on bailouts.” QandO’s Michael Wade offered his own thoughts on the New York Times blogger who said Cato’s voice against bailouts has not met her “expectations of adequate noise.” Blogging about high-speed rail, The Reason Foundation’s Samuel Staley cited Randal O’Toole’s study, High-Speed Rail: The Wrong Road for America. At The New Republic’s “The Plank” blog, James Kirchick ... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2353752 Tue, 21 Apr 2009 19:16:29 +0100 2353752 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2347794&cid=t_93676_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FEKRMjs4G5FQ%2F Tax Day: The Nightmare from Which There’s No Waking Up Cato scholars were busy exposing the burden of the American tax system on Wednesday, the deadline to file 2008 tax returns. At CNSNews.com, tax analyst Chris Edwards argued that policymakers should give Americans the simple and low-rate tax code they deserve: The outlook for American taxpayers is pretty grim. The federal tax code is getting more complex, the president is proposing tax hikes on high-earners, businesses, and energy consumers; and huge deficits may create pressure for further increases down the road… The solution to all these problems is to rip out the income tax and replace it with a low-rate flat tax, as two dozen other nations have done. At Townhall, Dan Mitchell excoriated the complexity of the current tax... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2347794 Fri, 17 Apr 2009 17:49:19 +0100 2347794 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2347795&cid=t_93676_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FOz1smsoPW5Y%2F Even though I was on vacation last week, I followed the story of the Maersk-Alabama and Captain Richard Phillips with great interest. And I exulted when three of the four pirates met their end. The safe return of the Maersk-Alabama and her entire crew was a clear win for the cause of justice, and could serve as a model. Future efforts to protect ships from pirates are likely to include some combination of greater vigilance on the part of the shipping companies and crews, in collaboration with the navies of the many different nations who have an interest in keeping the sea lanes open and free. (This is one of the themes that I develop in my new book, and that I will discuss next Monday at Cato.) We do not need to reorient our grand strategy to deal with pirates. We don’t need to resha... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2347795 Fri, 17 Apr 2009 17:36:14 +0100 2347795 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2522928&cid=t_93676_87_f&fid=34591&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.badscience.net%2F2009%2F04%2Fmatthias-rath-steal-this-chapter%2F This is the “missing chapter” about vitamin pill salesman Matthias Rath. Sadly I was unable to write about him at the time that book was initially published, as he was suing my ass in the High Court. The chapter is now available in the new paperback edition, and I’ve posted it here for free so [...] (Source: badscience) badscience blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2522928 Thu, 09 Apr 2009 12:25:32 +0100 2522928 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2347990&cid=t_93676_87_f&fid=34591&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.badscience.net%2F2009%2F04%2Fmatthias-rath-steal-this-chapter%2F This is the “missing chapter” about vitamin pill salesman Matthias Rath. Sadly I was unable to write about him at the time that book was initially published, as he was suing my ass in the High Court. The chapter is now available in the new paperback edition, and I’ve posted it here for free so [...] (Source: badscience) badscience blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2347990 Thu, 09 Apr 2009 12:25:32 +0100 2347990 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2306716&cid=t_93676_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2Fl9tnWWEss9s%2F Here are a few highlights from Cato Today, a comprehensive daily email from the Cato Institute. You can subscribe, here. In a new study, “NATO at 60: A Hollow Alliance,”  Ted Galen Carpenter argues that NATO has outlived whatever usefulness it once had. Doug Bandow weighs the usefulness of NATO in the American Spectator. David Isenberg discusses the use of private military and security contractors in war for United Press International. Timothy Lynch and Ilya Shapiro take on illegal searches in a legal brief submitted to the Supreme Court. In Monday’s Cato Daily Podcast, Dambisa Moyo, author of Dead Aid: Why Aid Is Not Working and How There Is a Better Way for Africa, discusses the failure of government aid to Africa. (Source: Cato-at-liberty) Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2306716 Mon, 06 Apr 2009 17:15:17 +0100 2306716 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2321755&cid=t_93676_129_f&fid=36035&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-chronic-pain%2Fobesity-should-be-a-four-letter-word%2F Don’t you hate that word, obese? And when they use the words “morbid obesity” it’s twice as nasty. Guess, as a nurse, I’ve read too many doctor’s history forms describing physical exams on patients. I confess the phrase “morbidly obese” sends chills up my spine. Just those two words denigrate the individual and somehow, relegate them to second class citizen. This whole subject of weight and over-weight is such a frustrating one. It has social as well as health implications. I think for many of us with various forms of arthritis, particularly if we have been on varying doses of prednisone, we know what it is to have our “fat” move around. “Traveling deposits of fat.”  Now, there’s a thought. If only it would keep... Life with Chronic Pain blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2321755 Tue, 31 Mar 2009 21:26:12 +0100 2321755 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2282010&cid=t_93676_167_f&fid=36991&url=http%3A%2F%2Fefoodalert.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F03%2Frecall-roundup-march-18-2009.html (Source: eFoodAlert.com) eFoodAlert.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2282010 Wed, 18 Mar 2009 14:50:00 +0100 2282010 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2276853&cid=t_93676_135_f&fid=35247&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmyjourneywithaids.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F03%2F17%2F1922%2F To His Holiness Pope Benedict: Put an extra large condom over your mouth already. In fact, why not stretch it from your chin to your nose! Meanwhile enjoy Monty Python! (Source: My journey with AIDS) My journey with AIDS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2276853 Tue, 17 Mar 2009 22:19:51 +0100 2276853 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2190452&cid=t_93676_113_f&fid=34625&url=http%3A%2F%2Fclinicalit.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F02%2Fbenefit-album-for-health-it-no-really.html Remember a few months back how I said health IT needed a rock star? I didn't mean it literally.Grammy-winning Senegalese musician Youssou N'Dour is spearheading a charity album to benefit and raise awareness for the IntraHealth OPEN initiative to help bring open-source health IT to health workers across Africa. Also participating are rap star Nas, singer-songwriter Duncan Sheik and a real, live rock star, R.E.M. guitarist Peter Buck.The album, "OPEN Remix," features N'Dour's 2007 song, "Wake Up (It’s Africa Calling)," which originally was a duet with Neneh Cherry, plus remixes of that song by Nas, Sheik, Buck and other artists. The downloads are free via Rhapsody, iLike and Amazon MP3, but you can donate to the cause through those sites. Indaba Music, a social networking site for musicia... Neil Versel's Healthcare IT Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2190452 Mon, 16 Feb 2009 23:09:00 +0100 2190452 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2184276&cid=t_93676_167_f&fid=36991&url=http%3A%2F%2Fefoodalert.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F02%2Fbits-pieces-malaysian-sports-drinks.html February 13, 2009Singapore's Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority has alerted consumers to the presence of unspecified foreign matter in the following sports drinks imported from Malaysia."18" Sports Drink – Blueberry plus Vit C, B6 & B12 Flavour (600 mL): Expiry dates 24 Oct 2009, 11 Nov 2009 & 11 Dec 2009"18" Sports Drink – Grape plus Vit C, B6 & B12 Flavour (600 mL): Expiry dates 25 Oct 2009 & 12 Dec 2009"18" Sports Drink – Lemon Lime plus Vit C, B6 & B12 Flavour (600 mL): Expiry dates 28 Oct 2009, 9 Dec 2009 & 27 Dec 2009"18" Sports Drink – Original plus Vit C, B6 & B12 Flavour (600 mL): Expiry dates 23 Oct 2009 & 10 Dec 2009AVA has instructed that importers and retailers of these items recall the contaminated products, and recommends that consumer... eFoodAlert.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2184276 Fri, 13 Feb 2009 14:36:00 +0100 2184276 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2168086&cid=t_93676_87_f&fid=36050&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FBreastfeeding123%2F%7E3%2FI7TlWG6HQco%2F Actress Salma Hayek took a humanitarian trip to Sierra Leone in an effort to fight preventable deaths from tetanus. Whether you are pro- or anti-vaccine, the piece is fascinating, in particular because Salma Hayek talks passionately about breastfeeding. ABC News reported: Hayek’s daughter, Valentina, turned 1 before the trip and the actress spoke about the importance of breast-feeding, especially in underdeveloped countries such as Sierra Leone. In fact doctors there say that because malnutrition is so rampant they would like to see women in Sierra Leone breast-feed for two years. But such behavior is rare. The reason? Men urge their wives to quickly stop breast-feeding because of cultural mores that forbid sexual intercourse with breast-feeding women. In the video coverage, Salma Ha... Breastfeeding 1-2-3 blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2168086 Sat, 07 Feb 2009 01:05:52 +0100 2168086 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2141296&cid=t_93676_87_f&fid=34825&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.wesleyjsmith.com%2Fblog%2F2009%2F01%2Fobama-adminstration-puts-politics-above.html Washington Post columnist Michael Gerson has written an important column that shows how Left Wing politics has apparently interfered with the fight against AIDS in Africa.From the column:During Obama's transition, Dr. Mark Dybul was initially asked to stay on as the coordinator of the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) for several months until a replacement could be found and confirmed. Because Dybul was the main architect of the program and one of its guiding visionaries, few were surprised by the offer. With Ambassador Randall Tobias, Dybul organized the most staggeringly successful foreign assistance effort since the Marshall Plan--eventually helping support lifesaving AIDS therapy for more than 2 million people.That certainly seems like the right thing to do. But then:... Secondhand Smoke blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2141296 Thu, 29 Jan 2009 01:41:00 +0100 2141296 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2160941&cid=t_93676_122_f&fid=36582&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FSharpBrains%2F%7E3%2F531109481%2F This article was written by Pascale Michelon, Ph. D., for SharpBrains. Dr. Michelon has a Ph.D. in Cognitive Psychology and has worked as a Research Scientist at Washington University in Saint Louis, in the Psychology Department. She conducted several research projects to understand how the brain makes use of visual information and memorizes facts. She is now an Adjunct Faculty at Washington University, and teaches Memory Workshops in numerous retirement communities in the St Louis area. Brain games, brain teaser puzzles, France, frontal lobes, Greece, improve memory, logic puzzle, logical skills, memory, mind teasers, proverbs, South Africa, temporal lobes, usa (Source: SharpBrains) SharpBrains blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2160941 Fri, 23 Jan 2009 19:08:18 +0100 2160941 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2090481&cid=t_93676_167_f&fid=36991&url=http%3A%2F%2Fefoodalert.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F01%2Fsingapore-recalls-pere-ocean-mineral.html January 8, 2009The Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) of Singapore has instructed the importer and retailers of Pere Ocean Mineral Water to recall all 500 mL bottles with an expiry date of 09.12.10 from the retail market.The action came after AVA detected unspecified foreign matter in the mineral water. Consumers who purchased the recalled water are advised to discard it.Foreign matter is a catch-all phrase. It includes everything from particles of dirt to insect fragments.Consumers with questions about this recall should call the AVA hotline at 1800-2262250. (Source: eFoodAlert.com) eFoodAlert.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2090481 Thu, 08 Jan 2009 14:50:00 +0100 2090481 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2081647&cid=t_93676_105_f&fid=36987&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FIvorKovicMd%2F%7E3%2F502895224%2F This article discusses the issue of health equity. How is it possible that there is a 28 year difference in life expectancy between the most and least fortunate residents of Glasgow, Scotland? The Transformative 120: Text Messages Prove a South African HIV Lifeline Six million South Africans are infected with the HIV, but just one in ten are currently in treatment. Project Masiluleke sends mobile customers texts pointing them to the National AIDS Helpline (0800-012-322) and HIV911 (0860-448-911). Worldchanging Interview: Dr. Sanjay Gupta on Health Solutions Interview with Dr. Sanjay Gupta, chief medical correspondent at CNN. He is a practicing neurosurgeon and award-winning journalist who is dedicated to helping improve public health and spreading awareness of health-related environmental ... Ivor Kovic, M.D. blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2081647 Sun, 04 Jan 2009 23:39:29 +0100 2081647 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2077346&cid=t_93676_88_f&fid=38203&url=http%3A%2F%2Fprecordialthump.medbrains.net%2F2008%2F12%2F30%2Frevisiting-a-picture-worth-a-thousand-words-iv%2F Remember Roger Ballen’s photograph from “A picture worth a thousand words… IV“? So, what’s the diagnosis? See and then reason and compare and control. But see first. No two eyes see the same thing. No two mirrors give forth the same reflection. - William Osler Berci, of ScienceRoll fame, pointed the finger at Fragile X syndrome (also known as Martin-Bell syndrome). The features of this condition certainly appear consistent with the two men depicted in the photograph, as discussed at Clinical Cases and Images: X-linked heredity with variable penetrance - so males are more commonly affected, as they lack a “back up” copy of the gene. Mental retardation (IQ 35-70 is typical), autistic-like behaviour, and other neuropsychological problems. I think thi... AEQUANIMITAS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2077346 Tue, 30 Dec 2008 22:24:47 +0100 2077346 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2068109&cid=t_93676_167_f&fid=36991&url=http%3A%2F%2Fefoodalert.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F12%2Fcholera-in-zimbabwe-and-beyond-perfect.html December 26, 2008According to the latest report from the World Health Organization, the current cholera epidemic has killed 1,518 Zimbabwean victims. As of December 25th, 26,497 confirmed cases of cholera have been recorded, with more to come. And these numbers already are out of date.While international aid agencies appeal – successfully – for money and supplies to fight the epidemic, Mugabe continues to resist the international community's attempts to assist victims. According to Zimbabwe's president, the cholera epidemic is a plot hatched by the United Kingdom to overthrow the government.As we've reported previously, the Zimbabwe epidemic has spilled into neighboring countries, especially South Africa. Botswana and Zambia are on alert for cholera flare-ups, while Zimbabwe's remai... eFoodAlert.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2068109 Fri, 26 Dec 2008 19:00:00 +0100 2068109 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2066347&cid=t_93676_88_f&fid=38203&url=http%3A%2F%2Fprecordialthump.medbrains.net%2F2008%2F12%2F25%2Fa-picture-worth-a-thousand-words-iv%2F A photograph from Roger Ballen's Platteland, 1994. Like many of Roger Ballen’s photographs this leaves me speechless… One of his many gritty portrayals of the human condition. Diagnosis anyone? (Source: AEQUANIMITAS) AEQUANIMITAS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2066347 Thu, 25 Dec 2008 14:47:18 +0100 2066347 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2040121&cid=t_93676_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2F3ESPTdPo7yg%2F 16 months ago, Olivia Agbonlahor and her 7-year-old twins, Great and Melissa, were deported from Clonakilty, County Cork, in Ireland, to Nigeria. Great is autistic and, as reported in the Irish Indepedent, he is considered “wicked” and “possessed by voodoo” in Africa. Great’s autism is simply not recognised due to the common stigma in Africa against autism. “I have to do my best, but it is not easy,” said Olivia. “His behaviour is getting worse every day — that is the problem. He cannot play with other children. People ask ‘what is wrong with this boy’ all the time,” she said from her home in Ghana. While the teachers that helped the family when they lived in Clonakilty and Killarney have sent over computer learning ai... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2040121 Mon, 15 Dec 2008 17:22:15 +0100 2040121 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2034301&cid=t_93676_167_f&fid=36991&url=http%3A%2F%2Fefoodalert.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F12%2Fzimbabwe-cholera-epidemic-over-not.html December 12, 2008Robert Mugabe, fearing that the United States and the United Kingdom would use Zimbabwe's cholera epidemic as an excuse to topple his dysfunctional regime, has found an easy way out. He has simply declared that the epidemic has ended.Sorry, Mr. President. It's not that simple.One thing that world leaders and non-government organizations can agree on is that Zimbabwe's cholera epidemic is far from over, and that Mugabe and his government are not capable of reversing the total collapse of infrastructure that their policies precipitated. Kofi Annan, former Secretary-General of the United Nations, summarized that consensus, in a statement reported on December 8th. "This government," said Annan, "has not demonstrated the ability to lead the country out of its current crisis."T... eFoodAlert.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2034301 Fri, 12 Dec 2008 13:55:00 +0100 2034301 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2013635&cid=t_93676_87_f&fid=34935&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmedicine.com.my%2Fwp%2F%3Fp%3D5478 A British surgeon has told how he performed a shocking amputation on a teenage boy in the Congo following instructions texted to him by a friend. “I had never done this operation before but I knew a colleague in London who had so I texted him. He sent me two very long text messages back explaining how to do the operation step by step.”read more | digg story a Surgeon Does Amputation With Instructions Texted by Friend (Source: Malaysian Medical Resources) Malaysian Medical Resources blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2013635 Thu, 04 Dec 2008 05:00:00 +0100 2013635 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2010938&cid=t_93676_113_f&fid=34625&url=http%3A%2F%2Fclinicalit.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F12%2Fmobile-phones-to-rescue.html Australia 7 News reports that a British surgeon working amidst armed conflict in Congo saved the life of an injured teenager by performing an amputation procedure he had never done before. The surgeon got detailed instructions on the operation from a colleague back in the UK. Via text messaging.Click here for the story. (Source: Neil Versel's Healthcare IT Blog) Neil Versel's Healthcare IT Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2010938 Thu, 04 Dec 2008 02:49:00 +0100 2010938 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2012006&cid=t_93676_167_f&fid=36991&url=http%3A%2F%2Fefoodalert.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F12%2Fzimbabwe-cholera-update.html December 3, 2008The situation in Zimbabwe continues to deteriorate.Two days ago, we reported that Zimbabwe's neighbors were getting worried that the Zimbabwe epidemic would spill over. South Africa, Botswana and Malawi already had reported cholera cases in people who had crossed their shared borders with Zimbabwe. Yesterday, the news got worse.The health department of Limpopo Province (South Africa) reported that Vibrio cholerae – the causative agent of cholera – has been detected in the Limpopo River. This river forms part of the border between South Africa and Zimbabwe, as well as between South Africa and Botswana. Limpopo has treated 399 cholera patients since November 15th. An additional 101 patients were admitted to hospitals around the province between December 1st and 2nd. Six ... eFoodAlert.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2012006 Wed, 03 Dec 2008 19:53:00 +0100 2012006 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2005496&cid=t_93676_113_f&fid=34625&url=http%3A%2F%2Fclinicalit.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F12%2Fmobile-phones-for-hivaids-treatment.html In honor of World AIDS Day, I'm linking to a post on the MobileActive.org blog about treating HIV/AIDS patients via mobile phones. The post discusses two programs to engage patients with "virtual call centers," text messages and, eventually, home testing services, particularly in South Africa, which has the world's highest population of HIV-positive residents. (Thanks to Dr. Enoch Choi for alerting me to this post.)I've covered mobile health in the developing world several times on this blog and elsewhere, notably from one week of the the Making the eHealth Connection conferences in Italy last summer, and subsequent follow-up coverage. See "The Davos of health IT?" and "Desmond Tutu Presents e-Health Call to Action."Those who attend the 25th annual TEPR conference in February should expect... Neil Versel's Healthcare IT Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2005496 Tue, 02 Dec 2008 00:12:00 +0100 2005496 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2007195&cid=t_93676_167_f&fid=36991&url=http%3A%2F%2Fefoodalert.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F12%2Fzimbabwe-exports-cholera-to-neighbors.html The Zimbabwean economy is so bad that it has nothing to export – except its cholera victims. It has plenty of those.According to the country's opposition leader, Morgan Tsvangirai, more than 500 Zimbabweans have died of cholera in an epidemic that has been simmering since August. The World Health Organization is somewhat more conservative, estimating a death toll of 412.It's taken the better part of four months, but the government finally appears to have acknowledged that an epidemic is in full flower. One week ago, the deputy health minister blamed the epidemic on "illegal sanctions" and stated that the situation was under control. And Zimbabwe denied entry visas to a committee of "Elders" – former US President Jimmy Carter, former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan and Graca Machel, th... eFoodAlert.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2007195 Mon, 01 Dec 2008 23:51:00 +0100 2007195 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2522975&cid=t_93676_93_f&fid=35707&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fhemodynamics%2F%7E3%2FF5B3rGEPVDc%2Fmbeki-as-macbeth.html Someone has actually tried to do the math now that he's gone: how many people died as the direct result of Thabo Mbeki's AIDS policies? This particular estimate puts it at 365,000 lives and 3.8 million years of life.Whatever the number, it was a lot:As Zackie Achmat says in this NYT article:“He is like Macbeth. It’s easier to walk through the blood than to turn back and admit you made a mistake.” (Source: hemodynamics) hemodynamics blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2522975 Wed, 26 Nov 2008 12:55:00 +0100 2522975 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1975222&cid=t_93676_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2Fe_eg6Yj6d40%2F Back in July, it was reported that the rate of autism in Somali children in Minnapolis was notably high. According to the Minnesota Department of Education: in the Minneapolis’ early childhood and kindergarten programs, more than 12 percent of the students with autism reported speaking Somali at home. According to Minneapolis school officials, more than 17 percent of the children in the district’s early childhood special education autism program are Somali speaking. Almost 6 percent of the district’s total enrollment is made up of Somali-speaking students, and about 6 percent of the children in the district’s overall early childhood and kindergarten special education programs are Somali. Speculation about what could be causing this “cluster” of autism cases in so specif... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1975222 Thu, 20 Nov 2008 17:00:17 +0100 1975222 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1955507&cid=t_93676_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F449466213%2F Nice to you see again, too. A nippy start here on the Pharmalot corporate campus, where the heat seems to be missing in action. Nonetheless, we must persevere as we transport the short people to their schoolhouses. Meanwhile, we have found a few items that may generate some heat of their own… Indiana Woman Sues Pfizer Over PCB Contamination (The Tribune-Star) Celgene Stem Cell Therapy Gets FDA OK For Human Trials (Reuters) Merck/J&J Recall Infant Gas Drops (Bloomberg News) New Zealand Court Tells AstraZeneca To Comply With Inquiry (news3) Glaxo, XenoPort Yank Restless Leg Drug Application (Associated Press) Large Malaria Trial To Begin In Africa (Associated Press) (Source: Pharmalot) Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1955507 Tue, 11 Nov 2008 12:05:02 +0100 1955507 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1788674&cid=t_93676_87_f&fid=34591&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.badscience.net%2F2008%2F09%2Fmatthias-rath-pulls-out-forced-to-pay-the-guardians-costs-i-think-this-means-i-win%2F It’s just been publicly announced that the vitamin pill magnate Matthias Rath has pulled out of his gruelling legal case against me and the Guardian. He bought full page adverts denouncing Aids drugs while promoting his vitamin pills in South Africa, a country where hundreds of thousands die every year from Aids under an HIV [...] (Source: badscience) badscience blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1788674 Sat, 13 Sep 2008 09:52:03 +0100 1788674 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1754774&cid=t_93676_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2Fx7BUrH3HJiQ%2F So as you may not, or may, have noticed, there is still some wonkiness going up with this blog. The good folks who handle are matters technological, software-related, and the like, have been working hard to migrate b5media’s blogs over to a new server and all should be well, webpages should load and updates occur, very soon. One (”adverse effect?“) of the server migration has been that the sidebar (to your right) has not been updating with recent posts and recent comments. So if a comment is left on a post written a couple weeks or months ago, unless you’ve decided to sit down and read every single post (which I don’t recommend; some posts are more post-worthy than others), some good comments will go missed. I’ve rounded up a few of them below, with a bi... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1754774 Wed, 03 Sep 2008 05:00:45 +0100 1754774 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1750156&cid=t_93676_85_f&fid=34924&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.baggas.com%2Fposts%2F2008%2F09%2F01%2Ffinding-our-way-again%2F Just been reading Brian McLaren’s newest book, Finding Our Way Again, which is the introductory book in a series on ancient Christian practices. Upcoming volumes include books on prayer, tithing, litrugy, and one on fasting from Scot McKnight. The focus of this book, and I imagine the whole series, is for Christians today to mine the riches of 2000 years of Christian tradition, and how this can assist their spiritual development and engagement with the world. McLaren comments that “Christianity is beginning to go open-source” with increasing numbers of Jesus followers willing to fuse beliefs and practises from a range of different Christian traditions both recent and ancient, and often using quite technologically innovative and cutting edge methodology in the process. All... Baggas' Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1750156 Mon, 01 Sep 2008 02:32:49 +0100 1750156 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1738931&cid=t_93676_113_f&fid=34625&url=http%3A%2F%2Fclinicalit.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F08%2Fmore-from-bellagio.html Here's one more story I wrote as a result of the Making the eHealth Connection conferences in Bellagio nearly a month ago. It's about RAFT, the Réseau en Afrique francophone pour la télémédicine (Telemedicine Network in French-speaking Africa), which connects remote and underserved African communities in 15 countries to medical professionals worldwide. RAFT is a program of the Geneva University Hospitals and the cantonal government of Geneva, Switzerland.The story appeared in E-Health Europe on Aug. 4, while I was still in Italy. (Source: Neil Versel's Healthcare IT Blog) Neil Versel's Healthcare IT Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1738931 Wed, 27 Aug 2008 22:21:00 +0100 1738931 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1734063&cid=t_93676_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2F_F7lEZYNxP4%2F Why is the rate of autism in Somali children in Minnesota so high? A few weeks ago, the Minnesota Post addressed this question. The August 24th Star-Tribune also reported on this “cluster of affected kids”; state and federal officials are investigating. In Minneapolis, fears have been fueled by some puzzling statistics. Last year, Somali children made up just under 6 percent of the school population, but 17 percent of those in the early childhood autism programs (14 of 81 children). The numbers have been creeping up for several years, especially among young children. “People are worried,” said Saeed Fahia, who heads a Somali community group. “Nobody remembers any autistic children in Somalia. I’m sure there must have been some, but there were not that ma... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1734063 Wed, 27 Aug 2008 00:00:39 +0100 1734063 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1718052&cid=t_93676_167_f&fid=36991&url=http%3A%2F%2Fefoodalert.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F08%2Fefoodalert-world-tour-asia-and-africa.html The cost of poor sanitation in developing countries is often overlooked or underestimated. The World Bank reported that Indonesia loses more than $6 billion per year to diseases transmitted by contaminated water and unsanitary practices. According to the WHO, Indonesia, with a total population of some 237 million, suffers 120 million cases of hygiene-related disease – and 50,000 fatalities – annually. These statistics should not be a surprise to anyone who has been following the eFoodAlert World Tour and Water Woes series. But this problem extends far beyond Indonesia's borders. BBC News reported today that the International Water Management Institute has found that untreated sewage is being used to irrigate urban crops in many areas of the developing world. The IWMI has learned tha... eFoodAlert.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1718052 Tue, 19 Aug 2008 15:49:00 +0100 1718052 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1696848&cid=t_93676_167_f&fid=36991&url=http%3A%2F%2Fefoodalert.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F08%2Fefoodalert-world-tour-prague-hong-kong.html This phase of our world tour is a bit unusual, in that it includes a North American stop.We start the tour in Alaska, where botulism is endemic in the native community. Alaska saw 10 cases of botulism in 2007, all but one in the southwest part of the state. All 10 cases were traced to traditionally prepared native foods: fermented beluga, fermented beaver tail, fermented seal flipper, seal blubber, whale blubber and fermented fish heads. One of the victims died.From Alaska, we cross the Pacific Ocean to Hong Kong, which is still having problems with its restaurants. The Centre for Food Protection is investigating three separate incidents of food poisoning, encompassing 16 people. The victims, 11 of whom either consulted private doctors or visited a hospital, all ate at a restaurant in the ... eFoodAlert.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1696848 Mon, 11 Aug 2008 22:23:00 +0100 1696848 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1696850&cid=t_93676_167_f&fid=36991&url=http%3A%2F%2Fefoodalert.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F08%2Fsmelling-rat.html Travel, we are told, is broadening – to the mind and to the palate. Part of the fun of visiting a new part of the world is to sample the local delicacies.The Indian government is trying to make it easier for tourists in Bihar to sample one of the staple foods of the Musahar community in that town – rat meat. According to an article in the Times of India, the poverty-stricken Musahars catch wild rats in the field to supplement their diet. Rat meat, apparently, is "... rich in protein and tastier than chicken."The government has been encouraging Musahars to farm rats instead of catching them in the wild. The farmed rats could be sold to local hotels, which would then be able to offer rat meat to their more adventurous guests.Rat meat is an inexpensive source of protein for many poorer v... eFoodAlert.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1696850 Mon, 11 Aug 2008 15:35:00 +0100 1696850 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1683095&cid=t_93676_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2F0BSQaLf0z5o%2F Couple of weeks ago the Minnesota Post did an article on rates of autism in Somali children in Minneapolis, with the suggestion that “something” about being in the US was causing higher rates of autism. Today’s Raleigh News-Observer also reports on autism in the children of recent immigrants to the US, but with an emphasis on the additional difficulties of getting services for a disabled child when you’re new to a country, a culture, a language. It’s pointed out that the more “open-minded mentality” here can lead to immigrant parents to seek a diagnosis, services, and education for their children: Esmeralda Garcia feels more supported and informed about autism in Charlotte than she ever felt in her native Mexico. When her 6-year-old daughter, Maria... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1683095 Tue, 05 Aug 2008 16:53:57 +0100 1683095 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1680123&cid=t_93676_167_f&fid=36991&url=http%3A%2F%2Fefoodalert.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F08%2Fwater-woes-asia-africa-and-cholera.html It's a rare day that goes by without a story somewhere in the news about a cholera outbreak in Asia or Africa. In 2007, the World Health Organization received reports of 177,963 cases of cholera – including 4,031 deaths – from 53 countries. These data are not all-inclusive. No cases were reported from Central or South America, and no information was available from the Western Pacific or Central Asia.The culprit is Vibrio cholerae, a rod-shaped bacterium that is spread through contaminated water – including shellfish harvested from contaminated sea beds, produce grown using contaminated irrigation water, or produce washed in contaminated water.Vibrio cholerae infections result in a watery diarrhea, which can vary from mild to severe – sometimes bloody. Severe cases can result in lif... eFoodAlert.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1680123 Mon, 04 Aug 2008 13:51:00 +0100 1680123 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1664050&cid=t_93676_113_f&fid=34625&url=http%3A%2F%2Fclinicalit.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F07%2Fdavos-of-health-it.html BELLAGIO, Italy—As promised, I am at Week 3 of Making the eHealth Connection at the Rockefeller Foundation's unbelievably gorgeous retreat and meeting center on the banks of picturesque Lake Como. (Full disclosure: The foundation is paying my travel expenses and providing me with room and board on the campus.)I am one of perhaps three or four members of the media here this week, which features mostly separate conferences on electronic health records and on mobile health and telemedicine. The sessions are pretty fascinating, but also off the record. I'm only allowed to report on general concepts, not quote people directly from the open forum. I may approach individuals for on-the-record chats during breaks, however, and the plenary sessions are on the record.I had a story yesterday in Dig... Neil Versel's Healthcare IT Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1664050 Wed, 30 Jul 2008 10:19:00 +0100 1664050 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1661260&cid=t_93676_167_f&fid=36991&url=http%3A%2F%2Fefoodalert.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F07%2Fwater-woes-asia-and-africa.html The good news, according to a recent World Health Organization report, is that the number of people worldwide with no access to a protected drinking water source has fallen below one billion for the first time. The bad news is that 2.5 billion people – most of them in Asia and Africa – lack access to decent sanitation facilities. And nearly 1.2 billion people still have no alternative than to defecate in the open.In light of these sad statistics, it's no wonder that a new or expanded cholera outbreak – or some other water-borne disease – is reported in Asia or Africa almost daily. Here are some examples:Jaipur India. Three people die – including an eight-year old girl – and 115 people suffer from diarrhea after drinking contaminated water. The drinking water supply became conta... eFoodAlert.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1661260 Mon, 28 Jul 2008 22:21:00 +0100 1661260 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1660717&cid=t_93676_111_f&fid=34834&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FMentalNurse%2F%7E3%2F348348731%2F Kevin Myers, writing in the Irish Independent [1] [2] [3], has been threatened with prosecution for arguing that aid to Africa is doing more harm than good. He highlights the case of Ethiopia where he was a reporter during the famine of 1984 – 1985: “By 2050, the population of Ethiopia will be 177 million: The equivalent of France, Germany and Benelux today, but located on the parched and increasingly protein-free wastelands of the Great Rift Valley. So, how much sense does it make for us actively to increase the adult population of what is already a vastly over-populated, environmentally devastated and economically dependent country? How much morality is there in saving an Ethiopian child from starvation today, for it to survive to a life of brutal circumcision, poverty, hunger, ... Mental Nurse blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1660717 Mon, 28 Jul 2008 12:52:22 +0100 1660717 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1658175&cid=t_93676_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2F347532214%2F Much happened over the past two weeks but I want most of all to think about Evan Kamida, who passed away on July 24, just a few days shy of his eighth birthday. Please keep his mother Vicki Forman and Evan’s family in your thoughts and prayers—-and to honor his memory, here’s a small and lovely thing to do: Please take a photo of flowers at a swingset and post it to this Flickr pool. Shannon Des Roches Rosa and Jennifer Graf Gronenberg have posted more information. Thinking of Evan. Not a Team Player in the Office?—-Not Necessarily The difficulties that autistic individuals face in the workplace. Use of Restraints Increasing in Public Schools? Kids coming home with bruises on their wrists, arms, legs: That’s not supposed to happen in public school, and not at the ... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1658175 Sun, 27 Jul 2008 16:02:36 +0100 1658175 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1652392&cid=t_93676_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2F344894044%2F Today’s MinnPost.com reports that “First generation U.S.-born Somali-speaking children in Minneapolis schools are disproportionately identified as having autism.” There are 15,000 to 40,000 Somalis living in Minnesota, a 2001 state health department study reports. According to the Minnesota Department of Education: in the Minneapolis’ early childhood and kindergarten programs, more than 12 percent of the students with autism reported speaking Somali at home. According to Minneapolis school officials, more than 17 percent of the children in the district’s early childhood special education autism program are Somali speaking. Almost 6 percent of the district’s total enrollment is made up of Somali-speaking students, and about 6 percent of the children in th... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1652392 Thu, 24 Jul 2008 19:00:42 +0100 1652392 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1646423&cid=t_93676_151_f&fid=35818&url=http%3A%2F%2Frecoveryissexy.com%2Faa-in-israel%2F There are now dozens of Alcoholics Anonymous meetings throughout Israel According to Sy Greenfeld, the first group of Alcoholics Anonymous in Israel was started in 1976 in Tel Aviv by several immigrants from South Africa along with personnel from the United Nations. It was an English-speaking group. For Hebrew-speaking alcoholics in Israel, he says, “there was nothing-no literature, no translations, no other professional help.” Greenfeld says that alcoholics were routinely placed in psychiatric hospitals. “There was no other help for them,” he explains. Greenfeld joined the Tel Aviv AA group in 1977 and then started a group in the Haifa area with three other people. “Alcoholism hits everyone,” Greenfeld said. “Men, women, religious, non-religio... Recovery Is Sexy.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1646423 Wed, 23 Jul 2008 03:49:09 +0100 1646423 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1622221&cid=t_93676_87_f&fid=35060&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthnewsblog.com%2Fcgi-bin%2Fhnblog.pl%3Fhnblog%3D712081 The BBC reports that the World Health Organization is warning people to avoid Ugandan caves with bats. The warning follows the death of a 40-year-old Dtuch woman who died after contracting the deadly Marburg virus. She contracted the virus in Uganda and died in a hospital after returning home to the Netherlands. The woman, aged 40, died after being taken to hospital following her return to the Netherlands, health authorities there said. They said she probably contracted the disease while visiting a Ugandan cave inhabited by fruit bats. Marburg is a contagious disease that causes sudden bleeding and high fever. There is no treatment or vaccine. The largest outbreak occurred in 2004-2005 in Angola and killed more than 300 people. No tourists are known to have previously contracted the... HealthNewsBlog.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1622221 Sat, 12 Jul 2008 23:00:00 +0100 1622221 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1582983&cid=t_93676_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2F328347617%2F This is the final paragraph of an article in the July 6th Scotland on Sunday about 20-year-old Dale Gardner, who was severely autistic as a child, and his mother, Nuala Gardner. His mother is bursting with pride. When she first found out about Dale, part of her grieving process was to wonder if it would have been better if he had never been born. “But just look,” she says, “at the son I’ve got now.” I’ve always been so glad I had Charlie, to hold in my arms when he was little, on tough days and glorious ones; to walk side by side at Columbus Circle in Manhattan yesterday afternoon, en route to meeting Jim in his office. Associated Press Says “Mentally Retarded” Is Outdated Term The latest update of the Associated Press Stylebook says, no more usin... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1582983 Sun, 06 Jul 2008 22:14:04 +0100 1582983 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1556398&cid=t_93676_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2F323580584%2F Autism is a global phenomenon: The Global Autism Project was started five years ago by Molly Ola Pinney of Dublin (NH), after she moved to Ghana to continue caring for a Ghanaian boy she’d met in Seattle while on assignment with the AmeriCorps. According to today’s Sentinel-Source: “There were only 30 pediatricians and only one was diagnosing autism,” Pinney said. “The others believed the autistic were possessed. … Within months of coming to Ghana, I was being sought out by people with autistic family members. They said they were alone, that they needed help but didn’t know where to find it.” After launching the Global Autism Project, Pinney partnered with Serway Quaynor, a Ghanaian who’d been teaching her autistic adult son at home bec... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1556398 Mon, 30 Jun 2008 22:35:17 +0100 1556398 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1531378&cid=t_93676_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2F315051596%2F Kendall Bailey is 19 years old, 6 foot 6, and a champion swimmer headed for the Paralympics in Beijing this September—–but he was almost rendered ineligible by the United States itself. Bailey has cerebral palsy, mental retardation, autism, and Klinefelter’s syndrome, which prevents his body from producing testosterone. Today’s New York Times profiles his dream to swim in the Paralympics and the efforts of his mother, Connie Shaw, to make sure that this happens: Kendall Bailey is a rare case of a mentally disabled athlete who also has the physical disabilities to qualify him for the Paralympics. But in April, amid confusion about how disabled athletes are classified both before and during the Games, officials who oversee the American team on behalf of the United States ... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1531378 Thu, 19 Jun 2008 01:25:03 +0100 1531378 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1526331&cid=t_93676_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2F314330677%2F Very late on Monday, Charlie and I took a red eye flight back to New Jersey from San Francisco. He set his mouth, clutched my dad’s blue jacket to his chest and handed it back just as we got into the line for the security check. No crying or painful encounters with airport security personnel. Charlie grabbed a plastic bin as I told him and took off his shoes and put them and his backpack in it (I slowed us up, with a bag, a backpack, and a laptop). The plane was slightly delayed—storms on the East Coast—-and I decided that, though Charlie was years beyond the 4-year-old age limit for pre-boarding, that we would get on early, so he’d know, we’re going home, just like I said we would, just believe me….. After a last-minute request for a drink of water, Ch... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1526331 Wed, 18 Jun 2008 04:35:27 +0100 1526331 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1501464&cid=t_93676_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2F307234379%2F The autism epidemic commeth — or, more accurately, it goeth. The threat of such a terrible scourge—–lots of children with autism—is behind the calls for “safer vaccines” and “change the schedule!” by anti/pro-safe vaccine rallyers at Wednesday’s Green Our Vaccines (which acronyms nicely into GOV) rally. Get out those toxins, change that schedule, flush that mercury out of those shots and don’t let it get into our kids’ bodies: If we don’t do this, we’re doomed, untold numbers of still-normal toddlers and yet-to-be-born (and even conceived) children could become……..autistic…….if we don’t so something about those shots, and then we’ll have more autism than anyone can handle or pa... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1501464 Sun, 08 Jun 2008 08:19:07 +0100 1501464 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1478045&cid=t_93676_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2F300328554%2F It was not unpredicted and it has happened again. David Kirby is again rebranding autism in his latest post about fever, vaccines, and mitochondrial autism. Now it’s “vaccine-induced mitochondrial regression” and even something like “Mute Fever” (a “folksy” name that Kirby comes up with on the side, for reasons noted below). Over a year ago, he rechristened autism as Environmentally-Acquired Neuroimmune Disorder” or “E.N.D.”; more recently, it’s been “vaccine-aggravated mitochondrial disorder” and also “autistic encephalopathy.” Kirby seems to constantly change what he calls autism to suit the latest studies, findings, and documents available about autism, vaccines and (in particular) vaccine-related ... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1478045 Thu, 29 May 2008 05:33:26 +0100 1478045 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1461029&cid=t_93676_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2F295576659%2F We all root for amputees—-until they win medals is the blurb on an article by William Saletan in the May 21st Slate. Saletan writes about Oscar Pistorius, the runner from South Africa who—he is a double amputee—runs on specially built prostheses called “cheetahs” ( j-shapes blades made of carbon fiber). Pistorius recently won a decision to be allowed to compete in the Olympic trials; the International Association of Athletics (IAAF—track’s governing body) had argued that he had an unfair advantage because of his high-tech prosthetic legs. But the Court of Sports Arbitration “deemed that there was not enough evidence to prove that Pistorius’s flexible j-shaped blades, attached below his knees, gave him an advantage.” It could as readil... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1461029 Thu, 22 May 2008 05:11:48 +0100 1461029 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1437091&cid=t_93676_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F288742465%2F The US Supreme Court can’t intervene in an important dispute over the rights of apartheid victims to sue US corporations in US courts because four of the nine justices had to sit out the case over apparent conflicts, including stockholdings in Bristol-Myers Squibb, the Associated Press writes. The result is that a lawsuit accusing some prominent companies of violating international law by assisting South Africa’s former apartheid government will go forward. The court’s hands were tied by federal laws that require at least six justices to hear any case before them. Short of the required number by one, the court took the only path available to it and upheld an appeals court ruling allowing the suit to proceed. Besides the drugmaker, the justices have ties to Bank of America... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1437091 Mon, 12 May 2008 15:07:47 +0100 1437091 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1436945&cid=t_93676_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2F288478385%2F There’s been plenty of debate about whether or not there is an epidemic of autism; about whether or not the increase in the prevalence rate of autism (now 1 in 150) is due to our being better able to diagnose and count cases of autism, or whether there is some actual something that can be pointed to that is actually causing more children to become autistic. Recently, I’ve noted mention of an “autism pandemic,” a term which strikes me as a not exactly subtle attempt to make the rise in the prevalence rate of autism seem to be a much more extreme, and scary, phenomenon than various autism organizations claim that it is. According to the US Department of Health and Human Services, the definition of an epidemic is disease outbreak in which some or many people in a comm... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1436945 Mon, 12 May 2008 05:51:11 +0100 1436945 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1416354&cid=t_93676_151_f&fid=35805&url=http%3A%2F%2Ftwelvestepfacilitation.com%2Fasian-alcoholism-genetics%2F New Findings on Asian Alcohol-Protection Gene Only certain East Asian populations have a high prevalence of a gene that protects against alcohol over-consumption, and researchers speculate that some event must have occurred over the past few thousand years to make this genetic protection advantageous, Reuters reported. Yale University researchers said that unknown environmental factors are the likely cause for the prevalence of the ADH1B*47His gene variant among some Asian populations, but not others. The gene causes rapid metabolism of alcohol into acetaldehyde, a chemical that produces hangovers, flushing, nausea and other unpleasant symptoms that make even moderate drinking a poor experience. Researchers found that the gene variant was very prevalent in East Asia, fairly common in West ... Twelve Step Facilitation.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1416354 Fri, 02 May 2008 12:25:27 +0100 1416354 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1385850&cid=t_93676_93_f&fid=35707&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhemodynamics.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F04%2Fdockworkers-doctors-and-democracy.html Photo from the Sydney Morning Herald: the Chinese ship, and South African church members protesting its cargo.The dockworkers of Durban, South Africa, did what their government wouldn't: stopped a shipment of arms from China to Zimbabwe, including 3 million rounds of ammunition for AK-47s, rocket-propelled grenades, and mortar rounds. The arms would help the doddering dictator Robert Mugabe try to hold on to power, after an election that appears to have not gone well for him. The Durban dockworkers refused to unload the arms. Then an Anglican archbishop filed a motion in court to stop the shipment. When the court affirmed the motion, the Chinese ship pulled up anchor and headed for Mozambique--or was it Angola? Whichever port it heads towards next, the Chinese ship will likely eventually f... hemodynamics blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1385850 Sun, 20 Apr 2008 00:07:00 +0100 1385850 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1344265&cid=t_93676_85_f&fid=34924&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.baggas.com%2Fposts%2F2008%2F04%2F02%2Ffwd-fw-fw-fw-fw-fw-i-dont-think-so%2F We get them all the time - those emails that are endlessly forwarded on around the net. Funny stories, cute pictures, sickly-sweet poems, ‘fascinating’ articles or amazing photos. Occasionally they are interesting, but mostly they are either mildly amusing or just annoying. But I never thought one of them would contain me! Yesterday I got an email from my mum which her brother had forwarded to her (after being forwarded many times prior to that) Subject : Fwd: FW: FW: I don’t think so………… !!!!!!!!! Message Body : In Zimbabwe, Africa, you will find the magnificent Victoria Falls, at a height of 128m. The location is known as the “Devil’s Swimming Pool”. During the months of September and December, people can swim as close as possible to the ed... Baggas' Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1344265 Wed, 02 Apr 2008 05:41:04 +0100 1344265 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1289804&cid=t_93676_10_f&fid=35345&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.gideononline.com%2Fblog%2F2008%2F03%2F09%2Foutbreaks-of-hepatitis-e-in-sub-saharan-africa-are-rarely-reported%2F As reported in ProMED: Notwithstanding the recent episode in Uganda [see: ProMED-mail post Hepatitis E virus - Uganda 20080304.0894], outbreaks of hepatitis E in Sub-Saharan Africa are rarely reported. The following summary was abstracted from GIDEON. Botswana 1985 - An outbreak (245 cases) in Maun was ascribed to possible water contamination. Central African Republic 2002 - An outbreak (48 confirmed cases) in Bangui may have been caused by contaminated drinking water. 2004 - An outbreak (10 cases) in Bangui was caused by contaminated water sold by a street vendor. Chad 2004 - An outbreak (1442 cases, 46 fatal) was reported in Goz Amer and Goz Beida - Sudanese refugee camps. 2005 - An outbreak (50 or more fatal cases) was reported in the area of Goz Beida (eastern Chad). (more…) Sha... GIDEON blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1289804 Mon, 10 Mar 2008 06:20:19 +0100 1289804