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 'extinction'. Sat, 03 Sep 2011 02:01:27 +0100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4789250&cid=t_110294_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fthe-family-physician-may-become-extinct-is-that-a-bad-thing%2F2011.05.04 The New York Times recently published an article titled the Family Can’t Give Away Solo Practice wistfully noting that doctors like Dr. Ronald Sroka and “doctors like him are increasingly being replaced by teams of rotating doctors and nurses who do not know their patients nearly as well. A centuries-old intimacy between doctor and patient is being lost, and patients who visit the doctor are often kept guessing about who will appear in the white coat…larger practices tend to be less intimate” As a practicing family doctor of Gen X, I applaud Dr. Sroka for his many years of dedication and service.  How he can keep 4000 patients completely clear and straight in a paper-based medical system is frankly amazing.  Of course, there was a price.  His life was focused sol... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4789250 Wed, 04 May 2011 20:00:00 +0100 4789250 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4676937&cid=t_110294_118_f&fid=34892&url=http%3A%2F%2Flifeinthenhs.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F04%2F04%2Fa-bit-of-a-mess%2F It seems that the Health and Social Care Bill, the legislation designed to cut bureaucracy and fix an NHS that is not quite broken is in trouble. For months now, health unions, professional bodies and respected ‘Think Tanks‘ have described deep flaws within the proposed legislation. To us, despite the length of the numerous papers produced so far, firstly as white papers, consultations and discussions and now as a Bill, it has produced many more questions than answers. How will specialist services be commissioned and managed? How can we be sure that GPs will be willing and able to commission all of the services needed? How can we prevent GPs being part of businesses that are set up to provide services and then giving them huge profits? How can we be sure there will be sufficien... Life in the NHS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4676937 Mon, 04 Apr 2011 21:53:36 +0100 4676937 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4626916&cid=t_110294_118_f&fid=34892&url=http%3A%2F%2Flifeinthenhs.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F03%2F23%2Fjust-make-it-up-as-you-go-along%2F The NHS and Social Care Bill is currently being examined by the Health Parlimentary Committee. Information coming out from meetings being held at this stage of the process is fascinating. Andrew Lansley, the Health Secretary who dreamed all of this up was yesterday grilled by said committee. The following paragraph is taken from the Guardian online: “He surprised some MPs when he admitted they were “still thinking through” what would happen should one of the newly empowered GP consortia go bust. Lansley said: “The responsibility lies with the NHS commissioning board. To identify and then intervene – they will have powers to take over responsibility or ask another hospital to take over.B ut he said there was still a debate about what would be the “trigger&#82... Life in the NHS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4626916 Wed, 23 Mar 2011 20:41:47 +0100 4626916 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4610894&cid=t_110294_118_f&fid=34892&url=http%3A%2F%2Flifeinthenhs.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F03%2F18%2Flies-damned-lies-and-statistics%2F This article in the BMJ suggests that is plain wrong. It also suggests that the government are misrepresenting what the statistics are actually telling us.   (Source: Life in the NHS) Life in the NHS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4610894 Fri, 18 Mar 2011 20:30:41 +0100 4610894 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4600672&cid=t_110294_118_f&fid=34892&url=http%3A%2F%2Flifeinthenhs.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F03%2F15%2Ftoo-little-too-late%2F Contrary to what the government might like us to believe, and also contrary to what the Department of Health might think General Practitioners are not the only doctors working and living in England. This quote from the DH follows the exceptional meeting of the British Medical Association (BMA) today: We are disappointed the BMA has decided to take this step, including now opposing elements of the Bill they previously supported, rather than work constructively with us to improve services for patients. The BMA’s own survey shows their position is not representative of many of their members, who are keen to be involved in our proposals. The reality is over 5,000 GP practices, covering two-thirds of the country, have already signed up and have started to implement plans to give patients ... Life in the NHS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4600672 Tue, 15 Mar 2011 22:08:05 +0100 4600672 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4438934&cid=t_110294_118_f&fid=34892&url=http%3A%2F%2Flifeinthenhs.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F02%2F05%2Fcelebrating-30-years%2F Last Saturday I enjoyed a great lunch with some of the ‘girls’ I trained with. Just over 30 years ago in October 1980 28 of us arrived at John Astor House to start our careers in Nursing and in the NHS. Some of us never made it past the first year, but 24 qualified in 1983. This was only the 3rd time we have managed to get together in all of these years, though of course various of us have met up with each other at various times and some remain firm friends. What is more at this event there were just 9 of us, what with family commitments and the distance of oceans. What was gratifying was that of that 9, 8 are still working for the NHS and 8 are working clinically. I was the only one of the group not in daily contact with patients. 30 years is a long time, but strangely as we... Life in the NHS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4438934 Sat, 05 Feb 2011 17:34:10 +0100 4438934 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4302854&cid=t_110294_87_f&fid=34902&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.futurepundit.com%2Farchives%2F007794.html DNA from several extinct species has been found in good enough condition to enable sequencing. Some of those samples (e.g. for Neanderthal) are undergoing sequencing. So for a likely increasing number of species we will soon have DNA sequences essential to efforts to revive extinct species. Some day the biotechnology will be developed to enable the conversion of DNA sequences into living instances of lost species. Then what? Once it becomes technologically possible will species revival be done? Think about it from a legal perspective. The world has about 200 sovereign countries. It only takes one country to allow species revival for this to happen. My guess is that at least one government will see an advantage from revival of... (Source: FuturePundit) FuturePundit blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4302854 Sun, 02 Jan 2011 00:00:00 +0100 4302854 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4190116&cid=t_110294_87_f&fid=34902&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.futurepundit.com%2Farchives%2F007667.html After a 97% decline in the number of tigers from around 100 years ago the number of countries with tigers in their borders has dropped from 25 to 13. The International Tiger Forum in St Petersburg is being staged in response to a calamitous 97% decline in tigers in the wild over a century. We could be a dozen years away from total tiger extinction. Jim Leape, director general of WWF, said that 40 years of conservation efforts had failed to halt poaching, loss of habitat and the decline of prey species. As a result, several subspecies have already died out, the wild population has shrunk to just 3,200 tigers and the number continues to shrink every day. "The reasons... (Source: FuturePundit) FuturePundit blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4190116 Sun, 21 Nov 2010 00:00:00 +0100 4190116 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4118832&cid=t_110294_87_f&fid=34902&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.futurepundit.com%2Farchives%2F007601.html You weren't expecting good news, were you? A new assessment conducted by 174 scientists from around the world underscores a growing concern about the health of the world's biodiversity, quantifying the rate of decline among vertebrate species on a global scale for the first time. The team's results support the idea that our planet is currently experiencing its sixth mass extinction—nearly one fifth of all known vertebrate species are currently classified as Threatened on the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List, and an average of 52 species of mammals, birds, and amphibians move one category closer to extinction each year. The team, which includes California Academy of Sciences mammalogist Dr. Galen Rathbun, notes that over the... (Source: FuturePundit) FuturePundit blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4118832 Tue, 26 Oct 2010 23:00:00 +0100 4118832 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4022880&cid=t_110294_87_f&fid=34902&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.futurepundit.com%2Farchives%2F007533.html Habitats keep shrinking with no end in sight. A global analysis of extinction risk for the world's plants, conducted by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew together with the Natural History Museum, London and the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), has revealed that the world's plants are as threatened as mammals, with one in five of the world's plant species threatened with extinction. The study is a major baseline for plant conservation and is the first time that the true extent of the threat to the world's estimated 380,000 plant species is known, announced as governments are to meet in Nagoya, Japan in mid-October 2010 to set new targets at the United Nations Biodiversity Summit. Some highlights: Of... (Source: FuturePundit) FuturePundit blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4022880 Thu, 30 Sep 2010 23:00:00 +0100 4022880 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4326957&cid=t_110294_118_f&fid=34892&url=http%3A%2F%2Flifeinthenhs.wordpress.com%2F2010%2F09%2F18%2Fi-become-a-union-atavist%2F The Joint Negotiating Committee met this week. The meeting was mighty odd for an RCN member not currently actually practising as a nurse. Still I am a nurse and to prove it my annual re-registration fees will be due in November.  I also pay my RCN fees monthly and my job is going to be at risk, therefore it is time to become something of an atavist! This occurred because the PCT is a commissioner (all be it one with a short shelf life).  The requirement that the provider arm of the PCT must become separate from its provider  arm necessitated that a PCT staff side was created. I as a person who cares about their own career and that of others in a world where the current government has decided to create a new health service felt the need to join the new Staff side. So back to the... Life in the NHS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4326957 Sat, 18 Sep 2010 21:45:19 +0100 4326957 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3982050&cid=t_110294_118_f&fid=34892&url=http%3A%2F%2Flifeinthenhs.wordpress.com%2F2010%2F09%2F18%2Fi-become-a-union-atavist%2F The Joint Negotiating Committee met this week. The meeting was mighty odd for an RCN member not currently actually practising as a nurse. Still I am a nurse and to prove it my annual re-registration fees will be due in November.  I also pay my RCN fees monthly and my job is going to be at risk, therefore it is time to become something of an atavist! This occurred because the PCT is a commissioner (all be it one with a short shelf life).  The requirement that the provider arm of the PCT must become separate from its provider  arm necessitated that a PCT staff side was created. I as a person who cares about their own career and that of others in a world where the current government has decided to create a new health service felt the need to join the new Staff side. So back to the... Life in the NHS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3982050 Sat, 18 Sep 2010 21:45:19 +0100 3982050 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3920953&cid=t_110294_118_f&fid=34892&url=http%3A%2F%2Flifeinthenhs.wordpress.com%2F2010%2F08%2F31%2Fwhat-a-busy-august%2F Maybe I have been living in a romantic rose coloured world where August meant people went on holiday, few meetings took place and you had time to clear your inbox and do some filing (if people still file things in a place other than the bin). This month at work however has been both surreal and busy. Surreal because we eagerly await the politicians of Westminster to return from their summer holidays. I know that for some the  summer has been busy, however, except for the wife of the prime minister giving birth and the health minister announcing the demise of NHS direct it has been pretty quiet for the health service. No new policy, no information to tell us how to implement the already announced changes to policy. Still though it has been quite mad. If you work for a PCT then only one thi... Life in the NHS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3920953 Tue, 31 Aug 2010 21:29:31 +0100 3920953 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3899354&cid=t_110294_87_f&fid=34902&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.futurepundit.com%2Farchives%2F007436.html I'm thinking Darryl Hannah's slingshot skills were passed down to her descendants and they carried out the extinction. That clan she hooked up with were already living in a cave and so were cave bears out onto the street (or mountain trail). The human cave-dwellers caused a homeless cave bear crisis. "The decline in the genetic diversity of the cave bear (Ursus spelaeus) began around 50,000 years ago, much earlier than previously suggested, at a time when no major climate change was taking place, but which does coincide with the start of human expansion", Aurora Grandal-D'Anglade, co-author of the study and a researcher at the University Institute of Geology of the University of Coruña, tells SINC. According to the research... (Source: FuturePundit) FuturePundit blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3899354 Mon, 23 Aug 2010 23:00:00 +0100 3899354 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3794736&cid=t_110294_87_f&fid=34902&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.futurepundit.com%2Farchives%2F007360.html Check out this clip from Discovery Networks. Apex predators serve useful functions in ecosystems and should not be overfished. Currently dozens of shark species are being killed at unsustainable rates. Countries should stop doing this. We need to stop overfishing the oceans.... (Source: FuturePundit) FuturePundit blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3794736 Mon, 26 Jul 2010 23:00:00 +0100 3794736 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3790751&cid=t_110294_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2010%2F07%2F26%2Finsanity-albert-einstein-was-wrong%2F “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.” I have heard that quote in my clinical practice so many times in the past year that I decided I have to write about it. Somehow this definition has become part of the collective understanding of abnormal psychology and has been terribly misapplied. I don’t know much more about the context of the quote but I am guessing that it was a bit of a humorous comment on science. First, to critique the quote. If we are going to take this definition seriously to start, then everyone, yes everyone, is insane. Behavioral research in the early part of the twentieth century taught the world about how human beings learn: through long processes of conditioning based on pairings and reinforcement. Consider this, let... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3790751 Mon, 26 Jul 2010 16:11:05 +0100 3790751 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3737018&cid=t_110294_87_f&fid=36050&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblisstree.com%2Flive%2Fbp-oil-spill-is-killing-fish-we-didnt-even-know-existed%2F image via Treehugger Hey, everyone — good news! Scientists have discovered three new species of fish in the Gulf of Mexico. Oh, wait — that Gulf of Mexico. Turns out, not only is the BP oil spill killing underwater species we already knew about, but it’s also eradicating species we didn’t even know existed. Another giant win for BP. Next, perhaps scientists will discover a tribe (school?) of mermaids, who will declare war on us for decimating their watery home. Mermaids can breathe underwater – we’d definitely lose. via Treehugger Post from: BlissTree BP Oil Spill Is Killing Fish We Didn't Even Know Existed (Source: Breastfeeding 1-2-3) Breastfeeding 1-2-3 blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3737018 Thu, 08 Jul 2010 21:33:40 +0100 3737018 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3632267&cid=t_110294_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fbeware-of-medical-receptionist-extinction%2F2010.06.04 Medical receptionists beware — your days are numbered. This little gizmo was placed in one of our facility’s lobbies this week. (No, it’s not being used to get your boarding pass at the airport, but it’s amazing the parallels healthcare is taking with the airline industry.) Instead, it’s used to check in patients presenting to have their blood drawn for prothromin times. Just swipe your credit card, confirm your appointment, sign your name, and away you go! On seeing this, one doctor exclaimed: “But INR checks are my patients’ only chance to get out and socialize!” Fortunately for now there are still human assistants there to help patients learn how to use the new device. -WesMusings of a cardiologist and cardiac electrophysiologist. ... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3632267 Fri, 04 Jun 2010 16:00:00 +0100 3632267 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3595589&cid=t_110294_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fthe-problem-of-drug-extinction%2F2010.05.24 Doctors are all-familiar with marketing efforts to promote new drugs, but once the new drugs displace older drugs in the medical marketplace, who serves as advocates for the continued manufacturing of older FDA-approved drugs? In a short answer: No one. For those of us dealing in cardiac arrhythmia management, this presents difficult challenges for patient care if people are unable to take the newer drugs due to side effects. These patients no longer have a fall-back option to turn to for medical therapy when the older drugs have become extinct on the marketplace. (more…) *This blog post was originally published at Dr. Wes* (Source: Better Health) Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3595589 Mon, 24 May 2010 12:30:00 +0100 3595589 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3075586&cid=t_110294_109_f&fid=35671&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.anxietyinsights.info%2Fnew_technique_uses_6_hour_reconsolidation_window_to_rewrite_.htm Rewriting fear memories may be alternative to erasing them with drugs Jules Asher - National Institute of Mental Health and James Devitt - New York University New York University researchers have for the first time selectively blocked a conditioned fear memory in humans with a behavioral manipulation. Participants remained free of the fear memory for at least a year. The research builds on emerging evidence from animal studies that reactivating an emotional memory opens a 6-hour window of opportunity in which a training procedure can alter it. Elizabeth Phelps, PhD, of New York University, and NYU colleague Joseph LeDoux, PhD, led the research team that reports on their discovery online in the journal Nature. Researchers have long sought to understand fear memories. These are expressed as ... Latest entries from www.anxietyinsights.info blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3075586 Thu, 10 Dec 2009 07:41:00 +0100 3075586 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3039748&cid=t_110294_87_f&fid=34902&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.futurepundit.com%2Farchives%2F006750.html A familiar story for many species around the world. NEW YORK (November 24, 2009) -- The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) announced today a report revealing that the last remaining population of Siberian tigers has likely declined significantly due to the rising tide of poaching and habitat loss. WCS says the report will help inform Russian officials of what needs to be done to protect remaining populations of the world's biggest cat. The report was released by the Siberian Tiger Monitoring Program, which is coordinated by WCS in association with Russian governmental and non-governmental organizations. It revealed that a recent tiger survey over a representative part of the tiger's range showed a 40 percent decline in numbers from a 12-year average.... (Source: FuturePundit) FuturePundit blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3039748 Sun, 29 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0100 3039748 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2989217&cid=t_110294_109_f&fid=35671&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.anxietyinsights.info%2Fneurogenesis_may_decay_shortterm_fear_memories.htm Cathleen Genova Short-term memory may depend in a surprising way on the ability of newly formed neurons to erase older connections. That's the conclusion of a report in the November 13th issue of the journal Cell, which provides some of the first evidence in mice and rats that new neurons sprouted in the hippocampus cause the decay of short-term fear memories (fear extinction) in that brain region, without an overall memory loss. The researchers led by Kaoru Inokuchi of The University of Toyama in Japan say the discovery shows a more important role than many would have anticipated for the erasure of memories. They propose that the birth of new neurons (neurogenesis) promotes the gradual loss of memory traces from the hippocampus as those memories are transferred elsewhere in the brain for ... Latest entries from www.anxietyinsights.info blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2989217 Fri, 13 Nov 2009 07:49:00 +0100 2989217 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2977354&cid=t_110294_109_f&fid=35671&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.anxietyinsights.info%2Fforget_all_about_it_erasing_traumatic_memories.htm Traumatic memories can last a lifetime, but a recent study shows that these memories can be undone by interfering with perineuronal nets. Steve PogonowskiFaculty of 1000: Biology and Medicine It is well known that fear memories are permanent. However, a recent paper in Science, evaluated by three Faculty Members for F1000, reports an extraordinary finding that supports the use of a drug to control recollections of traumatic incidents. The researchers demonstrated that, in mice, proteins known as extracellular matrix chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans form 'neural nets' in the brain that protect against the erasure of memory. They also reported that, when these mice were given a drug called chondroitinase ABC, fear memories were more likely to disappear than for those mice in the control gro... Latest entries from www.anxietyinsights.info blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2977354 Tue, 10 Nov 2009 07:36:00 +0100 2977354 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2920263&cid=t_110294_109_f&fid=35671&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.anxietyinsights.info%2Fgaba_receptor_shuttle_mediates_fear_onsetextinction.htm Jayne M. Dawkins - Elsevier There are increasingly precise molecular insights into ways that stress exposure leads to fear and through which fear extinction resolves these fear states. Extinction is generally regarded as new inhibitory learning, but where the inhibition originates from remains to be determined. Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), the primary inhibitory chemical messenger in the brain, seems to be very important to these processes. A new article in the journal Biological Psychiatry examined whether during the extinction of fear learning, GABA receptors may be inserted into the cell surface to reduce the excitability of the amygdala. Researchers inactivated a protein that links GABAA receptors to the cell surface. They found that this protein prevented fear extinction training a... Latest entries from www.anxietyinsights.info blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2920263 Fri, 23 Oct 2009 06:01:00 +0100 2920263 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2883002&cid=t_110294_87_f&fid=34902&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.futurepundit.com%2Farchives%2F006617.html Saltwater and land species are not getting hit as hard as freshwater species by habitat loss and habitat decay. Massive mismanagement and growing human needs for water are causing freshwater... (Source: FuturePundit) FuturePundit blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2883002 Sat, 10 Oct 2009 23:00:00 +0100 2883002 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2807669&cid=t_110294_109_f&fid=35671&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.anxietyinsights.info%2Fabstract_neurobiological_basis_of_failure_to_recall_extinct.htm Conclusions: These findings support the hypothesis that fear extinction is impaired in PTSD. They further suggest that dysfunctional activation in brain structures that mediate fear extinction learning, and especially its recall, underlie this impairment. (Glossary links added; ed.) Source... Copyright © 2009 Society of Biological Psychiatry All rights reserved. (Source: Latest entries from www.anxietyinsights.info) Latest entries from www.anxietyinsights.info blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2807669 Fri, 18 Sep 2009 08:04:00 +0100 2807669 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2774920&cid=t_110294_151_f&fid=36896&url=http%3A%2F%2Fsuboxonetalkzone.com%2Fcoolworld.pdf Every chronic pain patient and opiate addict looks forward to the day someone finds the Holy Grail for opiates:  an agent that blocks or reduces tolerance and that eliminates withdrawal.  The two phenomena are linked and so the same agent may help with both problems,  or perhaps instead there will be a better understanding of the myriad interactions involved in opiate tolerance and not a single cure, but rather a number of medications beside the current, insufficient gold standard, clonidine.  A few weeks ago I decided to do some reading on opiate tolerance to see what we have learned lately,  and I started out with Google, searching the phrase “opiate dependence mechanism of tolerance”.  To my surprise, the first ‘hit’ was a NIDA monograph– try it for y... Suboxone Talk Zone blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2774920 Tue, 08 Sep 2009 00:49:13 +0100 2774920 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2648988&cid=t_110294_87_f&fid=34902&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.futurepundit.com%2Farchives%2F006403.html Once we are gone and millions of years have elapsed to destroy all record of our existence will some future newly evolved intelligent species become puzzled over what caused the... (Source: FuturePundit) FuturePundit blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2648988 Mon, 27 Jul 2009 23:00:00 +0100 2648988 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2630110&cid=t_110294_87_f&fid=34902&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.futurepundit.com%2Farchives%2F006385.html A Wired article reports on efforts of scientists to breed and raise tuna in captivity in order to save wild tuna from extinction. While the scientific results in Australia and... (Source: FuturePundit) FuturePundit blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2630110 Wed, 22 Jul 2009 23:00:00 +0100 2630110 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2580202&cid=t_110294_87_f&fid=34902&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.futurepundit.com%2Farchives%2F006354.html The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species report finds several hundred species have gone extinct since year 1500. The report analyses 44,838 species on... (Source: FuturePundit) FuturePundit blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2580202 Tue, 07 Jul 2009 23:00:00 +0100 2580202 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2389712&cid=t_110294_87_f&fid=34902&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.futurepundit.com%2Farchives%2F006178.html The growing and hungry human population is eating its way thru large fish species. TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Sharks, barracuda and other large predatory fishes disappear on Caribbean coral reefs as... (Source: FuturePundit) FuturePundit blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2389712 Wed, 06 May 2009 04:00:00 +0100 2389712 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2329686&cid=t_110294_146_f&fid=38266&url=http%3A%2F%2Fsleepeducation.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F04%2Fongoing-debate-best-way-to-get-your.html What’s the best way to get your baby to sleep through the night?Most new parents are desperate to know the answer. The AASM reports that bedtime problems and frequent night wakings occur in about 20 percent to 30 percent of young children.But the advice that parents receive can be contradictory. And the subject is a source of debate, both in the U.S. and abroad.The Herald Sun reports that recent research has stoked the debate in Australia. The research supports using the “controlled crying” technique for babies who are older than six months of age.This method often is attributed to Dr. Richard Ferber. He advocates teaching infants how to go back to sleep on their own.This is often called the “cry it out” technique. A more technical term is “graduated extinction.”On the other ... Sleep Education blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2329686 Mon, 06 Apr 2009 15:42:00 +0100 2329686 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2313440&cid=t_110294_109_f&fid=35671&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.anxietyinsights.info%2Fwell_timed_intervention_may_prevent_consolidation_of_fear_me.htm Tim Green Banishing a fear-inducing memory might be a matter of the right timing, according to new research. Marie Monfils, an assistant professor of psychology at The University of Texas at Austin, has taken advantage of a key time when memories are ripe for change to substantially modify memories of fear into benign memories and to keep them that way. The finding is a significant advance in learning how memory can be manipulated in rodents. It also could indicate a potential treatment for humans suffering from anxiety-related disorders. Current treatments are not dependably long lasting and some of the treatments include drugs, many of which would be hard to administer locally in humans and have harmful side effects. Monfils' paper was published this week in Science Express, an online pu... Latest entries from www.anxietyinsights.info blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2313440 Fri, 03 Apr 2009 08:13:00 +0100 2313440 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2121712&cid=t_110294_87_f&fid=34902&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.futurepundit.com%2Farchives%2F005896.html Frogs, members of the amphibian order Anura, make up 5000 species. Some of those species are getting hard hit by human consumption. The global trade in frog legs for human... (Source: FuturePundit) FuturePundit blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2121712 Wed, 21 Jan 2009 05:00:00 +0100 2121712 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1975200&cid=t_110294_87_f&fid=35052&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FWomensBioethicsBlog%2F%7E3%2F459167990%2Flittle-bit-closer-to-jurassic-park.html I fully admit that I am typically the first skeptic in line when people make proclamations like "oh, we're getting close to Jurassic Park!" After all, as fantastical as the book (and movie) was, it was fantasy, and it got as much, if not more wrong, than right. So needless to say, it was with a bit of chagrin that my first reaction to reading that scientists believe that they can regenerate a woolly mammoth for around USD $10 million was, indeed, along the lines of "oh wow Jurassic Park!" In fact, my thought process, in pretty rapid succession, went something like this:Ooooooh neat!$10 million isn't really that much...Huh, yeah, it'd definitely raise ethical issues to do this to a Neanderthal, but why wouldn't it be ethically questionable for a mammoth?$10 million isn't that much at all, e... Women's Bioethics Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1975200 Thu, 20 Nov 2008 04:45:56 +0100 1975200 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1894971&cid=t_110294_87_f&fid=34902&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.futurepundit.com%2Farchives%2F005643.html Some wonder whether loss of species diversity has costs. Here's an example such a cost. As a result of frogs lost to the global spread of a killer fungus streams... (Source: FuturePundit) FuturePundit blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1894971 Wed, 22 Oct 2008 04:00:00 +0100 1894971 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1782845&cid=t_110294_109_f&fid=35671&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.anxietyinsights.info%2Fbrain_uses_both_old_and_new_neural_mechanisms_to_ease_fear.htm Humans have developed complex thought processes that can help to regulate their emotions, but these processes are also linked with evolutionarily older mechanisms that are common across species, according to a study by neuroscientists at New York and Rutgers universities. The research, published in the September 11th issue of the journal Neuron, provides new insight into way the brain manages fear and may guide exploration of novel pharmacological and therapeutic treatments for anxiety disorders. "The ability to eliminate, control or diminish negative emotional responses is important for adaptive function and critical in the treatment of psychopathology," says study author, Dr Mauricio Delgado from Rutgers University. "Recent research examining the neural mechanisms for diminishing fears h... Latest entries from www.anxietyinsights.info blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1782845 Thu, 11 Sep 2008 08:12:00 +0100 1782845 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1713945&cid=t_110294_87_f&fid=34902&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.futurepundit.com%2Farchives%2F005461.html The rarer tree species are especially vulnerable to extinction. Common tree species in the Amazon will survive even grim scenarios of deforestation and road-building, but rare trees could suffer extinction... (Source: FuturePundit) FuturePundit blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1713945 Mon, 18 Aug 2008 04:00:00 +0100 1713945 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1709142&cid=t_110294_87_f&fid=34902&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.futurepundit.com%2Farchives%2F005449.html Want some meat on part of the argument for why a Scripps researcher expects big ocean extinctions? Here's a pretty impressive indicator of bad trends in the oceans: the hypoxic... (Source: FuturePundit) FuturePundit blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1709142 Thu, 14 Aug 2008 04:00:00 +0100 1709142 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1704720&cid=t_110294_87_f&fid=34902&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.futurepundit.com%2Farchives%2F005445.html Jeremy Jackson sees a downward spiral in the health of the world's oceans. Human activities are cumulatively driving the health of the world's oceans down a rapid spiral, and only... (Source: FuturePundit) FuturePundit blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1704720 Wed, 13 Aug 2008 04:00:00 +0100 1704720 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1683006&cid=t_110294_87_f&fid=34902&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.futurepundit.com%2Farchives%2F005420.html Humans are diverting a rising fraction of all biomass for their own purposes. The politically sponsored push for biomass energy just accelerates that trend. Population growth and industrialization also lead... (Source: FuturePundit) FuturePundit blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1683006 Wed, 06 Aug 2008 04:00:00 +0100 1683006 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1671520&cid=t_110294_87_f&fid=34902&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.futurepundit.com%2Farchives%2F005405.html Lax enforcement of anti-poaching laws has allowed a resurgence of the poachers. African elephants are being slaughtered for their ivory at a pace unseen since an international ban on the... (Source: FuturePundit) FuturePundit blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1671520 Thu, 31 Jul 2008 04:00:00 +0100 1671520 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1606114&cid=t_110294_109_f&fid=35671&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.anxietyinsights.info%2Fresearch_identifies_specific_fear_extinction_brain_cells.htm The National Institute of Mental Health estimates that in any given year, about 40 million adults (18 or older) will suffer from some form of anxiety disorder, including debilitating conditions such as phobias, panic disorders and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). It is estimated that nearly 15 percent of U.S. soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan develop PTSD, underscoring the urgency to develop better treatment strategies for anxiety disorders. These disorders can lead to myriad problems that hinder daily life - or ruin it altogether - such as drug abuse, alcoholism, marital problems, unemployment and suicide. Functional imaging studies in combat veterans have revealed that the amygdala, a cerebral structure of the temporal lobe known to play a key role in fear and anxiety, i... Latest entries from www.anxietyinsights.info blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1606114 Fri, 11 Jul 2008 08:19:00 +0100 1606114 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1494539&cid=t_110294_109_f&fid=35671&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.anxietyinsights.info%2Fabstract__dcycloserine_and_the_facilitation_of_fear_extinc.htm Conclusions: This meta-analysis suggests that DCS is a useful target for translational research on augmenting exposure-based treatment via compounds that impact neuroplasticity. D-cycloserine 's major contribution to exposure-based therapy might be to increase its speed or efficiency, because the effects of DCS seem to decrease over repeated sessions. This information might guide translational researchers in discovering more selective and/or effective agents that effectively enhance (or reduce) NMDA receptor function. Source... (Source: Latest entries from www.anxietyinsights.info) Latest entries from www.anxietyinsights.info blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1494539 Thu, 05 Jun 2008 07:34:00 +0100 1494539 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1458590&cid=t_110294_131_f&fid=34989&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FGeneticsHealth%2F%7E3%2F295120769%2F  (Tasmanian Tiger - photo credit www.bbc.co.uk/news) Using transgenic mice, Australian and American researchers have shown that they can “resurrect” a snippet of DNA from the genome of an extinct animal — the Tasmanian tiger — and test its biological function in a living animal.   The last Tasmanian Tiger died in an Australian zoo in 1936 having been hunted to extinction. Dr Andrew Pask, of the Department of Zoology at Melbourne University, who led the research, said it was the first time that DNA from an extinct species had been used to carry out a function in a living organism. “As more and more species of animals become extinct, we are continuing to lose critical knowledge of gene function and its potential,” he said.  “Up until now we have only been able t... Genetics and Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1458590 Wed, 21 May 2008 15:33:05 +0100 1458590 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1213338&cid=t_110294_109_f&fid=35671&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.anxietyinsights.info%2Fyoung_brains_process_fear_differently.htm Very young brains process memories of fear differently than more mature ones, new research indicates. The work significantly advances scientific understanding of when and how fear is stored and unlearned, and introduces new thinking on the implications of fear experience early in life. Study co-authors Jee Hyun Kim and Rick Richardson, PhD, of the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia, homed in on the amygdala, using anesthesia to temporarily inactivate it and therefore isolate its role. The amygdala is critical for emotional learning and plays a central role in dulling the memory of a fear. Kim and Richardson trained rats that were 16 and 23 days old - the human equivalent of children and budding adolescents - to associate a specific sound with a mild shock to the foot. After... Latest entries from www.anxietyinsights.info blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1213338 Thu, 07 Feb 2008 07:50:00 +0100 1213338 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=811184&cid=t_110294_107_f&fid=35762&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2Fgrrlscientist%2F%7E3%2F146292197%2Fdifferent_types_of_extinction.php Since I am still getting my blog feet under me (the last of my fellow SciBlings left late this afternoon), I thought I'd share this cartoon that was sent to me by a reader. (source). Read the comments on this post... (Source: Living the Scientific Life (Scientist, Interrupted)) Living the Scientific Life (Scientist, Interrupted) blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=811184 Tue, 21 Aug 2007 00:07:38 +0100 811184 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=774253&cid=t_110294_109_f&fid=35671&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.anxietyinsights.info%2Faltered_protein_makes_mice_less_fearful.htm This study raises that possibility that blocking this protein might be useful for depression as well as anxiety." Funding for the study was provided by the National Institute of Mental Health, the Department of Veterans Affairs, NARSAD: The Mental Health Research Association, the Anxiety Disorders Association of America and the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine. Coryell MW, Ziemann AE, Westmoreland PJ, Jill Haenfler M, et al. Targeting ASIC1a Reduces Innate Fear and Alters Neuronal Activity in the Fear Circuit Biol Psychiatry 2007; doi:10.1016/j.biopsych.2007.05.008   [Abstract] (Source: Latest entries from www.anxietyinsights.info) Latest entries from www.anxietyinsights.info blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=774253 Thu, 02 Aug 2007 08:41:00 +0100 774253 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=638060&cid=t_110294_87_f&fid=34902&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.futurepundit.com%2Farchives%2F004268.html I wish species extinctions got one tenth the attention that global warming gets. Many European mammalian species are at risk of extinction. One-sixth of Europe's mammal species are threatened with... (Source: FuturePundit) FuturePundit blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=638060 Wed, 23 May 2007 04:00:00 +0100 638060 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=524553&cid=t_110294_107_f&fid=35009&url=http%3A%2F%2Fsciencesque.wordpress.com%2F2007%2F04%2F05%2Fthe-moose-to-be-removed-from-the-hinterland-whos-who-list%2F The plight of the poor moose dominated the front page of the Edmonton Journal yesterday (April 3). The miserable moose on the cover has rubbed itself raw trying to rid itself of its ticks. Unusually warm winters and springs over the past couple of years has increased the Winter tick (Dermacentor albipictus) population in Alberta. Moose are a favourite source of food of ticks, with a single moose having up to 40,000 of the little critters burrowed into their skin. This number of ticks can consume approximately 40 litres of blood over the course of their lifecycle. This means that an infected moose must replace their entire 32L blood supply over the winter months. This comes with an energetic cost that can leave some moose in a diseased state (called “ghost moose”). Usually, only... Sciencesque blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=524553 Thu, 05 Apr 2007 22:40:02 +0100 524553