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 'cohen'. Sat, 03 Sep 2011 02:02:56 +0100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5169581&cid=t_126410_109_f&fid=36089&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthesituationist.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F08%2F27%2Fthe-science-of-evil%2F Following up on my review of Jon Ronson’s The Psychopath Test, I just finished reading the other new offering in the world of “psychopath studies”: Simone Baron-Cohen’s The Science of Evil: On Empathy and the Origins of Cruelty. Baron-Cohen’s central theory is that evil is critically tied to lack of empathy.  It’s a thought-provoking notion and I was very intrigued by the connections that he made between various “empathy deficient” conditions from psychopaths, to narcissists, to borderlines, to those on the autism spectrum. At points, I think he gets so carried away considering the particular dispositions of his “zero negatives” (those, like psychopaths, whose lack of empathy brings about “unequivocally bad” results) and “zero positives” (those, like Asperger�... The Situationist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5169581 Sat, 27 Aug 2011 04:01:29 +0100 5169581 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4566304&cid=t_126410_136_f&fid=37846&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthinfoispower.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F03%2F08%2Fohio-state-university-reports-that-ovarian-cancer-drug-bevacizumab-is-not-cost-effective%2F An analysis conducted by Ohio State University cancer researchers found that adding the targeted therapy bevacizumab to the first-line treatment of patients with advanced ovarian cancer is not cost effective. An analysis conducted by Ohio State University cancer researchers found that adding the targeted therapy bevacizumab [Avastin®] to the first-line treatment of patients with advanced [...] (Source: Libby's H*O*P*E*) Libby's H*O*P*E* blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4566304 Wed, 09 Mar 2011 00:51:51 +0100 4566304 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4545018&cid=t_126410_109_f&fid=36089&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthesituationist.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F03%2F04%2Fthe-costs-of-exposing-the-myth-of-free-will%2F Having recovered from the fabulous keyword=k13943&tabgroupid=icb.tabgroup119727″>Fifth Conference on Law and Mind Sciences, I’ve returned this week to my normal routine of teaching, researching, emailing, and procrastinating — but not without a new and fresh perspective. Indeed, on Thursday, as my Law and Mind Sciences seminar turned to our unit on neuroscience and I began rereading Joshua Greene and Jonathan Cohen’s article “For the Law, Neuroscience Changes Nothing and Everything,” I couldn’t help but think back to Situationist Contributor Aaron Kay’s compelling presentation on the benefits of believing in societal fairness for those who suffer from injustice.  In a series of studies, Aaron has documented that “members of disadvantaged g... The Situationist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4545018 Fri, 04 Mar 2011 04:30:24 +0100 4545018 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4517351&cid=t_126410_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FeCteA-oUlxo%2F NaniRx Therapeutics, a venture-backed drugmaker that is using proprietary technology to develop treatments for breast cancer and autoimmune disorders, has filed a lawsuit against its former ceo, because he allegedly breached his employment agreement after taking important company research data and canceling a potential partnership meeting with Bristol-Myers Squibb, among other things. David I. Cohen, who was a former co-chair of the National Institutes of Health’s HIV vaccine development committee before joining NaniRx as ceo three years ago (bio here), allegedly undermined the start up’s research efforts in various ways that NaniRx charges is causing irreparable harm, according to the lawsuit filed in New York Superior Court (read here). For instance, the lawsuit claims that ... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4517351 Thu, 24 Feb 2011 14:57:52 +0100 4517351 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4330997&cid=t_126410_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FtxU1OBOowuU%2F By Andrew J. CoulsonIn today’s Washington Post, Robert Samuelson argues that the performance of U.S. public schools is at least adequate, and that the relatively low achievement of black and Hispanic students is to be attributed to history and culture rather than to our education system. These claims are not new, and I might well have ignored them if he hadn’t got my Irish up with the off-hand comment that “what we face is not an engineering problem.” (More on that in a second.) First, let’s dispatch the claim that public schooling is off the hook for the poor performance of low-income minority children. I’m currently undertaking a statistical study of the performance of 78 separate charter school networks in California, relative to one another and to th... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4330997 Mon, 10 Jan 2011 18:50:02 +0100 4330997 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4197064&cid=t_126410_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fthe-patient-the-most-important-member-of-the-healthcare-team%2F2010.11.24 Do you feel patients are the most important part of the medical (healthcare) team? In a recent post on Health in 30, “When Doctors and Nurses Work Together,” I wrote about the team-based approach for caring and treating patients, and it addressed the relationship between nurses, doctors, patients and the importance of a multidisciplinary, team-based approach to patient care. The healthcare team is comprised of a diverse group of specialized professionals, and the most important part of the medical team is the patient. Subsequent to publishing this post, I received an email from an author and patient advocate stating that patients are not the most important member of the medical team. I value and respect this comment, however I politely and passionately disagree. As a registered nurse a... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4197064 Wed, 24 Nov 2010 15:00:41 +0100 4197064 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4074059&cid=t_126410_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fhealthcare-staff-please-hold-the-snark%2F2010.10.16 Every once in awhile I have the distinct “pleasure” of being a patient. This week I was reminded about how awful it is. I didn’t mind the blood draws, poking and prodding, injections, or interaction with my physician, but it was the rudeness of the ancillary and administrative staff that really got under my skin. I had forgotten how unfriendly people can be, and how especially hard it is to deal with when you’re not feeling well. Context is everything when it comes to rolling your eyes and sighing heavily. Let me explain. (more…) (Source: Better Health) Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4074059 Sat, 16 Oct 2010 17:00:26 +0100 4074059 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4018159&cid=t_126410_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FN0pdSoTaXhQ%2F By Christopher PrebleToday’s Washington Post features an op-ed by John Hopkins’ SAIS professor Eliot Cohen arguing – via a series of fictional statements — that the Obama team’s decision to speak with Bob Woodward is likely to have a devastating impact on our ability to win in Afghanistan and elsewhere. The technique is too cute by half. I could just as easily come up with a series of quotes by people who believe that the costs of the war in Afghanistan far exceed the benefits. (e.g. The widow of a soldier killed in Afghanistan, upon reading the Woodward excerpts, bursts into tears. “Why have we chosen to fight a war that Gen. Petraeus admits we will likely never win, and which our children and grandchildren will be fighting?”) By the same token,... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4018159 Thu, 30 Sep 2010 16:26:04 +0100 4018159 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3980781&cid=t_126410_83_f&fid=34856&url=http%3A%2F%2Finsidesurgery.com%2F2010%2F09%2Fauthorities-ponder-physician-safety-shooting-hopkins-surgeon-dr-david-cohen%2F The Hopkins community and other hospital personnel are still in shock one day after Paul Warren Pardus shot his mother’s doctor at point blank range. (Source: Inside Surgery) Inside Surgery blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3980781 Sat, 18 Sep 2010 06:31:24 +0100 3980781 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3942845&cid=t_126410_109_f&fid=34761&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedblitz.com%2F%7E%2F19080628%2F0%2Fneuromarketing%7EWhy-Politics-is-Hard.htm If you were asked to judge a policy proposal for addressing a social issue, which would be more important to you, the content of the proposal or the party that wrote it? Most of us would answer that the specific policies would be much more important than the political party that proposed it. [...] Comments(heh-heh, did you notice the “very liberal” versus ... by David Smith[...] Ave. this week.Support A-Town, a new police show pilot, ... by Alameda News, August 27 | Adam For AlamedaPlus 2 more... (Source: Neuromarketing) Neuromarketing blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3942845 Fri, 20 Aug 2010 12:52:35 +0100 3942845 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3805983&cid=t_126410_136_f&fid=37852&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdonnatrussell.com%2F2010%2F07%2F30%2Ftwo-weddings-and-an-e-mail%2F My new post on Politics Daily / Woman Up. Two Weddings and an E-mail. As some may have heard, Chelsea Clinton is getting married on Saturday in a multimillion-dollar wedding. People have said the event is excessive, especially in these tough times. Others, the U.K. Guardian’s, Paul Harris, observe, after the family scandals she endured, Chelsea deserves an extraordinary wedding, and still others react with a yawn. For a few, the yawn morphs into a sneer. In the comment section of the Guardian, Harris was upbraided for his sycophancy: “You write informed pieces about Detroit and then end up writing this dreadful crap about the Clinton daughter. Were you hoping to be invited?” Another commenter compared Chelsea’s nuptials unfavorably to another president’s daugh... Donna Trussell blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3805983 Sat, 31 Jul 2010 00:26:50 +0100 3805983 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3750030&cid=t_126410_87_f&fid=36050&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblisstree.com%2Flive%2Fmeredith-vieira-helping-her-husband-cope-with-multiple-sclerosis%2F Today show host Meredith Vieira has greeted viewers with morning cheer, investigative reports, and interviews for the past 35 years, but behind the scenes of her public career, she has been helping her husband battle with multiple sclerosis (MS). Her husband, CBS News journalist Richard M. Cohen, was diagnosed with the neurological disease before they met, and though he told her about it on their second date, the couple kept it private for several years until recently. Vieira talked with Lifescript.com about how she and her husband cope with the crippling disease, how he went public, and about her charity work. Vieira also offers advice on going public with the disease. Though many hide the disease out of fear, she also says that many still need to cope with their own emotions before they ... Breastfeeding 1-2-3 blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3750030 Tue, 13 Jul 2010 19:20:23 +0100 3750030 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3533833&cid=t_126410_87_f&fid=38368&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FDisruptiveWomenInHealthCare%2F%7E3%2FfEkynN6C2CY%2F Kelley Connors This post was written by Kelley Connors, President, Founder, Real Women on Health! Life has a way of taking its twists and turns and ups and downs…and soon enough we’re over 40 and wondering when, if ever, we’ll “hit our stride”. Self-acceptance and self-esteem are closely related…and arises as you learn that you are perfect with all your accomplishments, victories, and … vices. Self-acceptance is as essential to one’s well-being as water is to a blooming flower. Have you ever re-framed your “inadequacies” and lack of self-acceptance into a humor and candor….where laughter has a place in healing and well-being? Move over Candace Bushnell… and meet Amy Cohen, a New York Times Best-selling author of “The Late Bloomer Revolution”. Amy says it well he... Disruptive Women in Health Care blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3533833 Wed, 05 May 2010 14:41:09 +0100 3533833 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3362422&cid=t_126410_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2010%2F03%2F13%2Ffive-things-a-loved-one-should-know-about-bipolar-disorder%2F Today I have the pleasure of interviewing Bruce Cohen, M.D., Ph.D, who is Director of the Harvard University McLean Psychiatric Hospital and Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. He is also the coauthor, with Chelsea Lowe, of the recently released book Living with Someone Who’s Living With Bipolar Disorder: A Practical Guide for Family, Friends, and Coworkers. Cohen lives in the Boston area. Question: I have always maintained that the best thing a person can do to support a bipolar loved one is get educated. But if you could offer folks a crash course, what are the five most important things you think a loved one should know about bipolar disorder? Dr. Cohen: Getting educated is good advice. Here are five important things everyone dealing with bipolar disorder should kno... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3362422 Sat, 13 Mar 2010 10:30:11 +0100 3362422 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3231597&cid=t_126410_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2010%2F02%2F01%2Fjerilyn-ross-leader-in-raising-awareness-about-anxiety%2F Ms. Ross was the co-founder, President and CEO of the Anxiety Disorders Association of America, a not-for-profit organization whose mission is to raise public awareness about anxiety and its treatment. She passed away early last month. Below is an obituary for this remarkable woman, Jerilyn Ross, An Advocate for the Anxious, by Benedict Carey as it appeared in the New York Times: Jerilyn Ross, a therapist who helped hundreds of people overcome their worst anxieties and who became one of the country’s most visible and effective advocates for those with mental health problems, died on Jan. 7 in Washington. She was 63 and lived in Potomac, Md. The cause was cancer, said her husband, Ronald Cohen. Ms. Ross was a 25-year-old teacher on vacation in Salzburg, Austria, when she was struck by a ... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3231597 Tue, 02 Feb 2010 00:06:33 +0100 3231597 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3189128&cid=t_126410_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FgRXMI4golX4%2F By Justin LoganSteve Hynd at Newshoggers looks at Heritage’s recent work on Iran and observes that it sure seems like they’re prepared for war.  James Phillips says the Israelis may attack Iran but we shouldn’t try to stop them.  Phillips notes uncritically Israeli PM Binyamin Netanyahu’s characterization of the Iranian state as a “a messianic apocalyptic cult” and points out that while the United States “has the advantage of being geographically further away from Iran than Israel and thus less vulnerable to an Iranian nuclear attack … it must be sensitive to its ally’s security perspective.” Therefore we should accede to an Israeli preventive strike and prepare for the consequences.  What’s odd about Phillips’ piec... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3189128 Mon, 18 Jan 2010 03:29:39 +0100 3189128 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3182167&cid=t_126410_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FgRXMI4golX4%2F By Justin LoganSteve Hynd at Newshoggers looks at Heritage’s recent work on Iran and observes that it sure seems like they’re prepared for war.  James Phillips says the Israelis may attack Iran but we shouldn’t try to stop them.  Phillips notes uncritically Israeli PM Binyamin Netanyahu’s characterization of the Iranian state as a “a messianic apocalyptic cult” and points out that while the United States “has the advantage of being geographically further away from Iran than Israel and thus less vulnerable to an Iranian nuclear attack … it must be sensitive to its ally’s security perspective.” Therefore we should accede to an Israeli preventive strike and prepare for the consequences.  What’s odd about Phillips’ piec... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3182167 Mon, 18 Jan 2010 03:29:39 +0100 3182167 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2984865&cid=t_126410_109_f&fid=36089&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthesituationist.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F11%2F12%2Fgeoffrey-cohen-on-%25e2%2580%259cidentity-belief-and-bias%25e2%2580%259d%2F Situationist Contributor, Geoffrey Cohen spoke at the Second Project on Law and Mind Sciences (PLMS) Conference (in March of 2008).  His talk, titled “Identity, Belief, and Bias” summarized research exploring the way in which motivations to protect long-held beliefs and identities contribute to bias, resistance to probative information, and ideological intransigence.  You can watch Cohen’s outstanding presentation in the following videos (each roughly 9 minutes in length). * * * * * * * * * * * * For a sample of related Situationist posts, see “The Situation of the Achievement Gap,” “The Project’s Second Conference – ‘Ideology, Psychology & Law’,” “Women’s Situational Bind,” and “The Implicit Value of... The Situationist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2984865 Thu, 12 Nov 2009 04:01:05 +0100 2984865 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2613893&cid=t_126410_109_f&fid=36089&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthesituationist.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F07%2F18%2Fbruno-and-the-situation-of-humor-in-films%2F Larry Muhammad of the Courier Journal has an interesting piece on the response tactics of groups that have been the target of jokes in recent films, including in Sacha Baron Cohen’s “Bruno.”  We excerpt it below. * * * Has comedian Sacha Baron Cohen gone too far with his new movie, “Bruno”? Scan the cable news shows and the talk-radio dial and — between all the Michael Jackson talk — you’ll hear howls of outrage from some gay groups, angry that Cohen’s gay Austrian fashionista character reinforces stereotypes about homosexuals. * * * Last summer, demonstrators picketed outside showings of the Ben Stiller comedy “Tropic Thunder,” angry that a character named Simple Jack was repeatedly referred to as a “retard.” Of course... The Situationist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2613893 Sat, 18 Jul 2009 04:01:53 +0100 2613893 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2442196&cid=t_126410_129_f&fid=36038&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Ftrevis-life-with-multiple-sclerosis-ms%2Fthe-ms-webcast-from-the-aan%2F As many of you know, a couple of weeks ago, I attended and blogged live from the American Academy of Neurology’s conference here in Seattle.  During that busy week, I snuck away from the event, along with Dr. Jeffery Cohen, for a quick interview. The results of that afternoon are now posted for your listening and educational pleasure. To get a chance to sit down in studio with Dr. Cohen was a real treat.  Not only is he a well respected researcher (who introduced some very interesting phase III data on the use of Fingolimod for MS) he is also a sought after clinician for many people living with MS in the Great Lakes region. Our conversation spanned his research along with some of what he thought were the highlights of presentations from the conference.  Taking a couple of hours ou... Life with MS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2442196 Fri, 22 May 2009 06:36:36 +0100 2442196 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2348434&cid=t_126410_109_f&fid=36089&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthesituationist.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F04%2F20%2Fthe-situation-of-the-achievement-gap%2F Situationist Contributor Geoffrey Cohen has received a lot of attention in the media over the last week because of fascinating research he and his collaborators are doing and reently desribed in Science regarding one way to help reduce the achievement gap in education. Here are excerpts from one such story, this one, titled “Study: Writing About Values Boosts Grades, Shrinks Achievement Gap,”  by Lea Winerman for Online NewsHour With Jim Lehrer. * * * A short self-affirming writing exercise that took only about an hour of class time boosted struggling black junior high school students’ grade point average by nearly half a point over two years, according to a new study.  The surprising result, published this week in the journal Science, suggests a new way to combat the... The Situationist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2348434 Mon, 20 Apr 2009 04:04:29 +0100 2348434 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2287229&cid=t_126410_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2009%2F03%2F24%2Fperfectionism-ring-the-bells%2F I recently dragged my kids to Baltimore so that I could have lunch with an old colleague (he’s young…but we’ve known each other for 13 years) at the National Catholic Education Association convention. A gifted writer and speaker, my friend can get his audience to laugh right after they’ve cried. As my Katherine and David grabbed his pieces of watermelon off his plate after rolling in the aisles of the publishers’ exhibit, he described his process of becoming comfortable in front of a large group of people who expect him to inspire them and say something spiritual that they can take home in their tote bags. The next day I sent him an e-mail thanking him for our time together and for sharing his gifts with the world–even though that’s, at times, a s... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2287229 Tue, 24 Mar 2009 14:57:54 +0100 2287229 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1947284&cid=t_126410_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2FxD3Dg2h1PYs%2F “[A] sweeping theory of brain development that would change the way mental disorders like autism and schizophrenia are understood”——a “new idea” that “provides psychiatry with perhaps its grandest working theory since Freud, and one that is grounded in work at the forefront of science”: Today’s New York Times uses such grand language to introduce a new theory of psychiatric disorders in which parents’ genes are “in competition.” The theory is the work of Bernard Crespi, a biologist at Simon Fraser University in Canada, and Christopher Badcock, a sociologist at the London School of Economics. Here’s how the New York Times describes it: Dr. Crespi and Dr. Badcock propose that an evolutionary tug of war between gene... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1947284 Tue, 11 Nov 2008 05:32:10 +0100 1947284 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1892047&cid=t_126410_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2F1Q4ib2yeABY%2F Regardless of whether or not BitTorrent founder Bram Cohen has Asperger’s Syndrome as reported in the October 16th Business Week, this post about Cohen in Valleywag—according to which Asperger’s is “a sort of autism lite thought to be common among geeks” and a “mental condition”—might lead you to at least raise an eyebrow or sigh in annoyance. Or exasperation. Tags: asd, asperger, autism, autism blog, bittorrent, bram cohen, disabilities, disabilities blog, disability, Education, Health, jobs, silicon valley, software, Technology, WorkShare This (Source: Autism Vox) Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1892047 Mon, 20 Oct 2008 22:00:02 +0100 1892047 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2511019&cid=t_126410_109_f&fid=37784&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fpsychblog%2F%7E3%2Fwz0Pky7YTDM%2Fa-selection-of-strange-stories-theory-of-mind-autism-693.html Only the other week I was talking about the ‘Reading the Mind in the Eyes‘ task that Baron-Cohen employed in his 1997 research looking at high functioning adults with Autism and Aspergers. In order to validate the Eyes Task as a theory of mind task, participants in the two clinical groups (ASD & Tourette’s) were also tested on Happe’s Strange Stories. This assesses the ability to interpret a nonliteral statement. Relative to normal controls who were IQ and age-matched, individuals with autism or Asperger syndrome performed less well on the task, while performing normally on a non-mentalistic control task. Individuals with autism or Asperger syndrome could provide mental state answers, but had difficulty in providing contextually appropriate mental state answers.... PsychBLOG.co.uk blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2511019 Wed, 15 Oct 2008 00:00:57 +0100 2511019 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1876938&cid=t_126410_109_f&fid=37784&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2Fpsychblog%2F%7E3%2F421039369%2Fa-selection-of-strange-stories-theory-of-mind-autism-693.html Only the other week I was talking about the ‘Reading the Mind in the Eyes‘ task that Baron-Cohen employed in his 1997 research looking at high functioning adults with Autism and Aspergers. In order to validate the Eyes Task as a theory of mind task, participants in the two clinical groups (ASD & Tourette’s) were also tested on Happe’s Strange Stories. This assesses the ability to interpret a nonliteral statement. Relative to normal controls who were IQ and age-matched, individuals with autism or Asperger syndrome performed less well on the task, while performing normally on a non-mentalistic control task. Individuals with autism or Asperger syndrome could provide mental state answers, but had difficulty in providing contextually appropriate mental state answers.... PsychBLOG.co.uk blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1876938 Wed, 15 Oct 2008 00:00:57 +0100 1876938 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1870900&cid=t_126410_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2FgCcByaTWylk%2F Deborah Lipsky was in her 40s when she found out that has autism, today’s Carroll County Times notes. Others have described getting diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome in their 50s; Nicky Gottlieb was 21 when he was diagnosed, after his sister, Lizzie Gottlieb, started to make a documentary about him, Today’s Man. When claims of a recent and dramatic increase in the autism rate are used as evidence for an “epidemic of autism,” the question is asked about where are all the adults with autism. Psychology professor Simon Baron-Cohen has written about the very late diagnosis of autism: Baron-Cohen describes a “lost generation” of adults with AS who did not know what diagnosis they have—who did not know that what they have even existed. It was 25 years ago tha... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1870900 Sun, 12 Oct 2008 17:34:56 +0100 1870900 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2511021&cid=t_126410_109_f&fid=37784&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fpsychblog%2F%7E3%2Fcf5Hqz1qpJk%2Fautism-in-100-words-648.html A short article in the current BJ of Psychiatry where psychologits are asked to condense an important point, concept or theory into only 100 words.  A need for succinctness required.  This time around Baron-Cohen was asked for Autism in 100 words … here’s what he said:  Autism Spectrum Conditions (ASC) occur in 1% of the population, are strongly heritable, and result from atypical neurodevelopment. Classic autism and Asperger Syndrome (AS) share difficulties in social functioning, communication and coping with change, alongside unusually narrow interests. IQ is average or above in AS with average or even precocious age of language onset. Many areas within the ’social brain’ are atypical in ASC. ASC has a profile of impaired empathy alongside strong ’syste... PsychBLOG.co.uk blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2511021 Mon, 06 Oct 2008 00:00:14 +0100 2511021 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1852671&cid=t_126410_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2F1Qj4HTBMNi0%2F A study of autism among 378 Cambridge University students has found that autism is up to seven times more common among mathematicians than among students in other disciplines, and that it was also five times more common in the siblings of mathematicians, according to the October 5th Times. The genes that are thought to cause autism may also give mathematical, musical and other skills to those without autism. The study was led by Simon Baron-Cohen, director of the Autism Research Centre, who is quoted as saying: “It seems clear that genes play a significant role in the causes of autism and that those genes are also linked to certain intellectual skills.” Seven of the students in the Cambridge study were found to have autism, while only one in a control group of 414 had autism. Baron-Coh... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1852671 Sun, 05 Oct 2008 00:01:41 +0100 1852671 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1848507&cid=t_126410_109_f&fid=37784&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2Fpsychblog%2F%7E3%2F409739249%2Fautism-is-it-all-in-the-eyes-623.html I’ve written a lot about Autism here over the years and spoken about the different ways in which it has been suggested it was possible to find out if a person or child was autistic; from the Sally-Anne test to this more recent suggestion from Baron-Cohen et al. - the eyes and emotion recognition.  In his 1997 study Baron-Cohen used adult participants with autism or Aspergers and compared there ability to recognise emotions from only seeing the eyes of a target person with ‘normal’ participants and further group of participants with Tourettes.  He found that those with Autism performed significantly worse on the ‘eye task’.  He suggested that this could have significance relating to those with autism’s poor social skills and difficulty with social ... PsychBLOG.co.uk blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1848507 Fri, 03 Oct 2008 00:00:18 +0100 1848507 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1812831&cid=t_126410_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2F3a6tTnd2D8Y%2F Simon Baron-Cohen, professor of developmental psychopathology at Cambridge University and director of the Autism Research Center in today’s Independent: The word ‘disorder’ is too negative. I use the word “condition” – autism can be disabling, but not all of its features involve disability. Some of them are strengths. The majority of people with autism have exceptional attention to detail. Sometimes that’s also expressed as a talent in drawing, music or in spotting patterns in mathematics. It’s important to value those aspects of autism that are special, which can sometimes give rise to talents. The highlight of my career has been meeting students who I’m meant to be teaching, but they teach me just as much, if not more. It worries me sligh... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1812831 Sun, 21 Sep 2008 19:00:18 +0100 1812831 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1794797&cid=t_126410_109_f&fid=36089&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthesituationist.wordpress.com%2F2008%2F09%2F16%2Fthe-interior-situation-of-complex-human-feelings%2F Michael Craig Miller, M.D. has a helpful article, “Sad Brain, Happy Brain,” in this week’s Newsweek.  Here are some excerpts. * * * The brain is the mind is the brain. One hundred billion nerve cells, give or take, none of which individually has the capacity to feel or to reason, yet together generating consciousness. For about 400 years, following the ideas of French philosopher René Descartes, those who thought about its nature considered the mind related to the body, but separate from it. In this model—often called “dualism” or the mind-body problem—the mind was “immaterial,” not anchored in anything physical. Today neuroscientists are finding abundant evidence . . . that separating mind from brain makes no sense. Nobel Prize-winning psyc... The Situationist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1794797 Tue, 16 Sep 2008 04:35:53 +0100 1794797 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1727805&cid=t_126410_136_f&fid=37846&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthinfoispower.wordpress.com%2F2008%2F07%2F28%2Fa-requiem-hallelujah-dont-let-there-be-a-hole-in-the-world-tomorrow%2F As many of you know, the H*O*P*E*™ weblog is dedicated to Libby, my 26 year old cousin. Libby was diagnosed with ovarian clear cell carcinoma in January 2007. I am deeply saddened to inform you that Libby lost her battle to ovarian cancer this morning with her family at her side. Libby [...] (Source: Libby's H*O*P*E*) Libby's H*O*P*E* blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1727805 Mon, 28 Jul 2008 23:35:32 +0100 1727805 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1477836&cid=t_126410_125_f&fid=34819&url=http%3A%2F%2Fflapsblog.com%2F2008%2F05%2F29%2Fair-america-scandel-where-is-evan-montvel-cohen-answer-arrested-in-guam%2F Flap asked the question back in 2005: Where is Evan Montvel-Cohen and why is Air America and Al Franken not pursuing him referencing Michelle Malkin’s piece, AIR ENRON: AL FRANKEN NEEDS HELP. First, a little refresher course in Evan Cohen and Air America’s rip-off of the Gloria Wise Boys and Girls Club in the Bronx. Well, the authorities finally caught up with Mr. Cohen and arrested him the other day in Guam. The mystery man behind the looting of a Bronx charity to finance the startup of liberal radio network Air America was arrested yesterday in Guam. Evan Montvel-Cohen was picked up by border-patrol officers at Guam International Airport on an outstanding warrant from Hawaii. He had been indicted there last month for money laundering and the theft of more than $60,000 from ... FullosseousFlap's Dental Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1477836 Thu, 29 May 2008 16:03:43 +0100 1477836 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1261620&cid=t_126410_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2008%2F02%2F27%2Fforcing-the-mentally-ill-to-move-in-greater-boston%2F There’s no easy way to do this, but when a state wants to cut costs (and ostensibly “improve” treatment, although that remains to be seen) and close a sprawling old mental hospital, and move its remaining patients to group homes, it’s going to run into opposition and problems. The Boston Globe has the sad story about one woman’s apparent forced removal from the hospital, Fernald woman forced to move, advocates say, in today’s paper. The facility is the Fernald Developmental Center in Waltham, Massachusetts and at one time it housed over 2,000 patients. Now it’s down to just 170, and the state is moving them out whether they want to go or not. While all that seems pretty straightforward, a US District Judge ordered the state to not move residents ... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1261620 Wed, 27 Feb 2008 19:17:00 +0100 1261620 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1173454&cid=t_126410_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F221797090%2F You may recall that the $4.85 billion Vioxx settlement prompted concern and debate over an unusual provision that requires a plaintiff’s lawyer to recommend the deal to all clients, stop representing any client who doesn’t take the deal and not represent a new client who also doesn’t want to participate. The issue, as Ben Zipursky of Fordham University Law School told us when the deal was announced two months ago is that the plaintiffs’ lawyers are “obligated to push the settlement. That conflicts with the obligation to do what’s best for the client.” And so the settlement was widely criticized and various lawyers raised objections, although a federal judge overseeing Vioxx litigation last week seemed satisfied with a compromise - attorneys are direct... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1173454 Wed, 23 Jan 2008 18:50:32 +0100 1173454 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=741436&cid=t_126410_87_f&fid=34882&url=http%3A%2F%2Fbreathspakids.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F07%2Fben-goldacre-breaks-his-silence-on.html I recently complained about the standard of coverage of MMR and autism issues in the UK media alongside the ubiquitous hagiographies of Dr Andrew Wakefield.The belief in a link between MMR-vaccines-mercury-autism has cultish overtones. Most religions have an act of contrition. UK media collectively need to make an act of contrition and perform an act of reparation. The latter, of course, should take the form of some informed coverage. I would nominate Ben Goldacre (who is uncharacteristically/ominously quiet at present) but then what would somebody who is medically qualified and known for promoting the public understanding of science (awards and everything) have to add to this discussion?Ben Goldacre has broken his silence with an article in the BMJ: MMR: the scare stories are back (also a... Breath Spa for Kids blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=741436 Wed, 18 Jul 2007 11:18:00 +0100 741436 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=686988&cid=t_126410_87_f&fid=34865&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thecancerblog.com%2F2007%2F06%2F21%2Fgossip-columnist-claudia-cohen-dies-of-ovarian-cancer%2F Filed under: Ovarian Cancer, Daily news, Celebrity in memoriam, Celebrity newsHigh-profile television and newspaper gosspip columnist Claudia Cohen, most recently a regular correspondent covering entertainment for the syndicated talk show Live With Regis and Kelly, died Friday of ovarian cancer. She was 56.Known for her aggressive pursuit of celebrity news and her public divorce from billionaire businessman Ronald O. Perelman, Cohen first hit the spotlight in the late 1970s as a reporter and editor for Page Six of The New York Post. She went on to write a gossip column titled I, Claudia for The Daily News of New York, report for Live with Regis and Kathie Lee, and dish celebrity dirt for ABC's The Morning Show. Cohen is survived by her parents, a brother, and a daughter.Permalink |&nb... The Cancer Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=686988 Thu, 21 Jun 2007 04:00:00 +0100 686988 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=594235&cid=t_126410_87_f&fid=34595&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnhsblogdoc.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F05%2Fculture-police-nick-cohen-looks-at.html Nick Cohen - the scourge of bloggersNick Cohen, that well respected main-stream-media columnist, is one of the judges for the Lulu Blooker awards. It maybe he is not taking the LuLu shilling. It maybe he is doing it for the honour alone. Either way, he is quick to bite the hand that feeds him.Nick’s opening gambit is“Among the dross online..” so we should not be in any doubt as to where he is going.He quotes enthusiastically Oliver Kamm’s Guardian article which argued…far from democratising intelligent debate, the 'citizen journalists' of the political blogs were sallow dogmatists who screamed abuse from behind the coward's cloak of anonymity at any writer who confronted their lame prejudices. 'Blogs typically do not add to the stock of commentary,' he wrote. 'They are purely par... NHS Blog Doctor blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=594235 Mon, 07 May 2007 14:53:00 +0100 594235