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 'edinburgh'. Sat, 03 Sep 2011 02:24:04 +0100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5159040&cid=t_183737_90_f&fid=36413&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dcscience.net%2F%3Fp%3D4188%26utm_source%3Drss%26utm_medium%3Drss%26utm_campaign%3Dyet-more-dangerous-nonsense-inflicted-on-students-by-edinburgh-napier-university As promised in my last post about Edinburgh Napier University, I wrote to the vice-chancellor of the university, Professor Dame Joan K. Stringer DBE, BA (Hons) CertEd PhD CCMI FRSA FRSE, to invite her to respond. 7 February, 2011 Dear Professor Stringer, I should be grateful if you could let me know about your opinion of the degrees that you offer in Aromatherapy and Reflexology I have posted on my blog a bit of the material that was sent to me as result of recent FoI requests. See http://www.dcscience.net/?p=4049 I submit that degrees like this detract from the intellectual respectability of what is, not doubt, in other respects a good university, but since you are mentioned in the post, it’s only fair to give you the chance to defend yourself. In fact you’d be very welc... DC's goodscience blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5159040 Mon, 14 Mar 2011 15:08:06 +0100 5159040 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4433110&cid=t_183737_90_f&fid=36413&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dcscience.net%2F%3Fp%3D4049 In 2009 I asked Napier University Edinburgh for details of what was taught on its herbal medicine "BSc" course. At first it was refused, but then (as often seems to happen when threatened with exposure) the course was closed, and Napier sent what I’d asked for without waiting for the judgement from the Scottish Information Commissioner, Some samples of the dangerous nonsense that used to be taught on Napier’s herbal medicine course (now closed) have been exposed in “Hot and cold herbal nonsense from Napier University Edinburgh: another course shuts“. That sadly doesn’t mean that Napier has stopped teaching nonsense. It offers a 3 year Honours BA degree in "reflexology" (the only other place in UCAS is the University of Wales Ins... DC's goodscience blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4433110 Thu, 03 Feb 2011 17:54:39 +0100 4433110 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3687108&cid=t_183737_90_f&fid=36413&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dcscience.net%2F%3Fp%3D3200 Western herbal medicine need not be mystical nonsense, but it usually it is,  Plants often contain chemicals that have pharmacological actions, with all the possibilities for good and for harm that implies (see Plants as medicines).  It would be quite possible to teach about the plant constituents and their actions in an entirely scientific way, but it seems that this is not what courses in herbal medicine choose to do.  That is why they shouldn’t be called Bachelor of Science degrees. We have recently revealed the ancient nonsense taught at Middlesex University in its "BSc (Hons)" degree in Traditional Chinese Medicine in Dangerous Chinese medicine taught at Middlesex University as well as similar dangerous gobbledygook from the University of Westminster:... DC's goodscience blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3687108 Tue, 22 Jun 2010 18:17:47 +0100 3687108 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3499284&cid=t_183737_136_f&fid=37846&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthinfoispower.wordpress.com%2F2010%2F04%2F22%2Fincreased-ovarian-cancer-metastases-identified-in-women-with-brca-gene-mutations-may-shed-light-on-new-treatment-approach%2F U.K. researchers have found that patients with hereditary ovarian cancer – whose tumors are caused by faulty BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes – are more likely to experience metastases of the liver, lung, spleen, and viscera. … [T]he researchers suggest that ovarian cancer patients whose tumors spread to the solid organs … should be tested for [...] (Source: Libby's H*O*P*E*) Libby's H*O*P*E* blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3499284 Thu, 22 Apr 2010 22:32:44 +0100 3499284 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3428707&cid=t_183737_139_f&fid=38879&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.virology.ws%2Fsoc_med_micro.wmv At the Spring 2010 meeting of the Society for General Microbiology In Edinburgh I spoke about ‘Social Media in Microbiology Education and Research’. In my presentation I reviewed how I use blogging, podcasting, and other social media tools to teach the public about viruses. Below is a video recording of my presentation. Many thanks to Prof. AJ Cann for the opportunity to speak about our efforts. I also enjoyed excellent presentations by Prof. Graham Hatfull, Cameron Neylon, Kevin Emamy of citeulike, and Jason Hoyt of Mendeley. Download: .wmv (119 MB) | .mp4 (28 MB) (Source: virology blog) virology blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3428707 Thu, 01 Apr 2010 10:48:00 +0100 3428707 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3266931&cid=t_183737_90_f&fid=36413&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dcscience.net%2F%3Fp%3D2747 Every single request for information about course materials in quack medicine that I have ever sent has been turned down by universities, It is hardly as important as as refusal of FoI requests to see climate change documents, but it does indicate that some vice-chancellors are not very interested in openness. This secretiveness is exactly the sort of thing that leads to lack of trust in universities and in science as a whole. The one case that I have won took over three years and an Information Tribunal decision against the University of Central Lancashire (UCLAN) before I got anything. UCLAN spent £80,307.95.(inc VAT at 17.5%) in legal expenses alone (plus heaven knows how much in staff time) to prevent us from seeing what was taught on their now defunct “BSc (Hons) homeopa... DC's goodscience blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3266931 Fri, 12 Feb 2010 11:59:15 +0100 3266931 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2912193&cid=t_183737_90_f&fid=36413&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dcscience.net%2F%3Fp%3D2351 Conclusion I was told by the Univerity of Kingston that “The course is one which the University has validated and continues to be subject to the University’s quality assurance procedures, such as internal subject reviews, annual monitoring and external examining” The only conclusion to be drawn from this is that “quality arrurance procedures” work about as well in universities as they did in the case of baby Peter. No doubt they were introduced with worthy aims. But in practice they occupy vast amounts of time for armies of bureaucrats, and because the brain does not need to be engaged they end up endorsing utter nonsenes. The system is broken. Resistance is futile.  You can see a lot of the stuff here It is hard to keep secrets in the internet age. Thanks ... DC's goodscience blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2912193 Tue, 20 Oct 2009 20:15:26 +0100 2912193 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2688658&cid=t_183737_90_f&fid=36413&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dcscience.net%2F%3Fp%3D2043 Conclusion This selection of slides shows that much of the stuff taught in degrees in herbal medicine poses a real danger to public safety and to public health. Pittilo’s idea that imposing this sort of miseducation will help safety is obviously and dangerously wrong. The Department of Health must reject the Pittilo recommendations on those grounds. Follow-up (Source: DC's goodscience) DC's goodscience blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2688658 Mon, 10 Aug 2009 18:24:29 +0100 2688658 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2667555&cid=t_183737_122_f&fid=34755&url=http%3A%2F%2Fneuropsychological.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F08%2Fin-wide-world-scotland-neuroscience.html Edinburgh Neuroscience:"The mission of Edinburgh Neuroscience is to integrate basic and clinical research in order to drive the fundamental genetic, cellular, organ, systems and computational neuroscience underpinning pathogenesis into mechanistic understanding, future diagnostics and therapeutics of important diseases of the nervous system. We serve the interests of all members of the neuroscience community, encompassing and supported by the Research Centres and Institutes of the University of Edinburgh and its affiliates. Edinburgh Neuroscience is hosted by the College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine at The University of Edinburgh and currently consists of approximately 470 staff, 160 PhD students and 40 MSc students, working in 137 research laboratories." - from the website (Source:... BrainBlog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2667555 Mon, 03 Aug 2009 16:36:00 +0100 2667555 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1501501&cid=t_183737_109_f&fid=35677&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FBrainBasedBusiness%2F%7E3%2F307174033%2Ffruit_fly_robots_with_humanlik.html Next time you consider benefits that could come from becoming a fly on the wall … toss in robot flies that yield secrets about the human brain. How so? An international contingent of research experts is meeting this week to create a  "virtual fly brain" as a way to understand more about how human brains work. Neuroscientists, biologists and computer experts are currently gathering in Edinburgh to look into possibilities for simulating the brain of drosophila fruit flies. Why create a robot from this species?Apparently, this  fruit fly possesses about 100, 000 neurons. Within a rather simple brain ... the fruit fly manages complex behavior, including a unique capability to learn.J Douglas Armstrong, at Edinburgh University's Centre for Bioi... BrainBasedBusiness blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1501501 Sun, 08 Jun 2008 06:11:37 +0100 1501501 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1353929&cid=t_183737_87_f&fid=34595&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnhsblogdoc.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F04%2Fpatients-guide-to-medical-careers-find.html Is there a doctor in the house?Just caught up with the normally excellent Aphra Behn'sPatients' guide to Modernising Medical Careers.A couple of weeks ago there was a mass lobby of MPs organised by Remedy but sadly the turn out was not good. It is hard being last year's news. MTAS and MMC did reach public consciousness during the days of the blessed Patricia but I fear there is now a general perception that the problems have been solved. Tooke has been ignored. Polymath Darzi is casting an eye over the problem, therefore all is perceived to be well so let's move on.All is not well, and for many hospital doctors the only way of moving on is by leaving the profession or the country. We are all relieved that the Duke of Edinburgh has recovered from his bad cold but do you really think that,... NHS Blog Doctor blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1353929 Sun, 06 Apr 2008 16:07:00 +0100 1353929