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 'intensity'. Sat, 03 Sep 2011 02:20:30 +0100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5050575&cid=t_117610_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fnew-contrast-agent-provides-better-in-vivo-imaging-of-bacteria%2F2011.07.22 A new contrast agent based on maltodextrin has been developed at Georgia Tech that can provide in vivo imaging of bacteria with a sensitivity two orders of magnitude greater than previously achieved. Unlike most previous methods, the new probes are able to enter bacterial cells by pretending to be food, while avoiding being ingested by the mammalian cells. From Georgia Tech: Maltodextrin-based imaging probes consist of a fluorescent dye linked to maltohexaose, which is a major source of glucose for bacteria. The probes deliver the contrast agent into bacteria through the organism’s maltodextrin transporter, which only exists in bacterial cells and not mammalian cells. In experiments using a rat model, the researchers found that (more…) *This blog post was originally publi... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5050575 Fri, 22 Jul 2011 12:00:13 +0100 5050575 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4960122&cid=t_117610_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F06%2F22%2Fcan-you-learn-about-happiness-from-virginia-woolf%2F Assay: Recently, I posted a quotation from Virginia Woolf for my weekly quotation. I often quote from Woolf, because she’s one of my very favorite writers. And, as has happened before, I got a few comments from readers saying, in effect, “Why are you quoting Virginia Woolf about happiness? She committed suicide — what can she know about happiness?” This response always surprises me, for a few reasons. First, Woolf aside, there’s a big difference between writers’ works and what they personally experience and how they behave in their own lives. Tolstoy, for example. I love Tolstoy’s fiction, and find it elevating and very illuminating on the subject of happiness, but I can’t bear to read about the actual Leo Tolstoy, who was a dreadful person. Nevertheless, suffering “... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4960122 Wed, 22 Jun 2011 13:17:07 +0100 4960122 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4952983&cid=t_117610_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F06%2F21%2F6-simple-ways-to-reignite-your-relationship%2F “How do we reignite our relationship?” is one of the most popular questions couples therapist Terri Orbuch, Ph.D, gets asked. And it makes sense since it actually concerns all couples. Yes, you read that right: All couples struggle with a stale relationship. “Passionate love is the love of arousal, excitement, newness and mystery, and [it] happens at the beginning of a relationship,” said Orbuch, author of 5 Simple Steps to Take Your Marriage from Good to Great. On average, passionate love tends to decline after 18 months, she said. That doesn’t mean that “passionate love goes to zero,” but it does decline once we’ve gotten to know our partner, what they like to do, what their routines are and so on. The newness — which fuels passion — dies down, sh... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4952983 Tue, 21 Jun 2011 19:06:05 +0100 4952983 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4797801&cid=t_117610_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F05%2F07%2Fa-stress-relieving-article-for-professionals%2F I was trying to do it all on my own: I know how to meditate. I know how to do my job. I am an addictions counselor. I arrived at the UVA mindfulness meditation meeting because something inside me told me that I wasn’t OK. I was in a lot of internal pain — otherwise known as being extremely stressed. I take my life experiences very seriously. I try not to let them get by without noticing. I don’t always know how to ask for help, or know if I even need help at times. I didn’t consciously know what I was asking for that night, I just showed up, along with a few others, both meditation teachers showed up… and Help showed up. Lessons learned while sitting… Letting go. I listened as the lady across from me explained her work as walking in deep water wearing cloak upon c... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4797801 Sat, 07 May 2011 13:18:43 +0100 4797801 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4498275&cid=t_117610_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Faggressive-care-when-is-it-better-for-patients%2F2011.02.19 The recurring narrative among health reformers is that hospitals that provide more care raise health costs, but don’t necessarily improve quality. This has lead to a backlash against so-called “aggressive” hospitals and doctors, with upcoming financial penalties to match. But the situation, as always, appears to be more nuanced than that. In her column in the New York Times, Dr. Pauline Chen looks at one subset of patients who actually may benefit from aggressive care: Those who suffer surgical complications. The study, found no difference in the rate of complications for aggressive and nonaggressive hospitals. But when they looked at all the patients who had complications and examined their outcomes, the researchers found that regardless of the urgency of their operations, those pat... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4498275 Sat, 19 Feb 2011 17:00:29 +0100 4498275 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4265739&cid=t_117610_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fintensity-modulated-radiation-therapy-imrt-for-cancer-how-lucrative-is-it-for-doctors%2F2010.12.17 I’ve been traveling in Europe, including giving a talk at the Salzburg Global Seminar on involving and informing patients in healthcare decisions. In that presentation, I talked about promotion of a newer form of cancer radiation therapy called intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT). So I want to point out that while I’ve been away the Wall Street Journal published an important piece on this very topic under the headline “A Device to Kill Cancer, Lift Revenue.” An excerpt: Roughly one in three Medicare beneficiaries diagnosed with prostate cancer today gets a sophisticated form of radiation therapy called IMRT. Eight years ago, virtually no patients received the treatment. The story behind the sharp rise in the use of IMRT—which stands for intensity-modulat... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4265739 Fri, 17 Dec 2010 14:00:35 +0100 4265739 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4040651&cid=t_117610_113_f&fid=39278&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblogsite.mdbuyline.com%2F%3Fp%3D54 Can it be? Controlling internal bleeding without surgery or stitches?  Didn’t I see that on Star Trek?  Yes, but autonomous acoustic hemostasis is already here.  It’s an exciting technology based on high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) used to induce targeted blood coagulation within the body. Uncontrolled bleeding is a life-threatening concern with trauma, surgery, and stroke patients. When I asked Dr. Timothy Fabian, MD, Wilson alumni professor of surgery and chairman of the department of surgery, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, about the numbers, he confirmed, “Traumatic injuries kill more than 170,000 people each year.” Blood loss is one of the first priorities in treating trauma and hemorrhagic stroke.  In fact, according to the National Trauma Institute... MD Buyline blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4040651 Thu, 07 Oct 2010 13:49:34 +0100 4040651 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3701677&cid=t_117610_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fis-sunburn-more-likely-on-the-beach-or-in-the-mountains%2F2010.06.26 While vacationing in Idaho and Montana last week (blissfully off the grid), I experienced something beautiful: altitude. At 6,260 feet Stanley, Idaho is a mile higher than my home in San Diego. The skies there were a brilliant blue. There was daylight well after 10PM. The mornings were a chilly 35 degrees. And I got sunburned. How can this be? Montana is over 1,000 miles north of San Diego. Shouldn’t the sun be stronger down here? (more…) *This blog post was originally published at The Dermatology Blog* (Source: Better Health) Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3701677 Sat, 26 Jun 2010 12:00:47 +0100 3701677 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2272382&cid=t_117610_111_f&fid=36048&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAHeartyLife%2F%7E3%2FshDQrKmPQLA%2F This study earns my new Blisstree Health Pat on the Back award: If someone told you to go for a moderately intense walk, what would that mean to you? If you ask your coworkers or friends, you’d likely get differing answers too. It’s fine for healthcare professionals to offer advice, but we need to be more specific and detailed with this advice, don’t we? Maybe now, we’re getting somewhere though. According to a press release issued by Elsevier Health Sciences, “Researchers have determined that a rate of at least 100 steps per minute achieves moderate intensity activity. Therefore a simple pedometer-based recommendation of 3000 steps in 30 minutes can get people started on a meaningful exercise program.” That’s a fairly brisk walk, I think - but it ... A Hearty Life blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2272382 Tue, 17 Mar 2009 16:58:12 +0100 2272382 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1984815&cid=t_117610_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2008%2F11%2F23%2Fthe-psychology-of-celebrity-worship%2F On Thursday, BrainBlogger posted an interesting entry that delves into the research regarding “celebrity worship,” which includes probably a lot more Americans than most people realize. Much research has been conducted about who engages in celebrity worship and what drives the compulsion. Celebrity worship for purely entertainment purposes likely reflects an extraverted personality and is most likely a healthy past time for most people. This type of celebrity worship involves harmless behaviors such as reading and learning about a celebrity. Intense personal attitudes towards celebrities, however, reflect traits of neuroticism. The most extreme descriptions of celebrity worship exhibit borderline pathological behavior and traits of psychoticism. This type of celebrity worshi... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1984815 Sun, 23 Nov 2008 11:28:04 +0100 1984815 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1947280&cid=t_117610_122_f&fid=35065&url=http%3A%2F%2Feideneurolearningblog.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F11%2Fsensitive-kids-temperament-and-response.html Temperamental differences in children's responses to change can be identified early and are quite stable over time. These "sensitive" (or in psych lingo, behaviorally inhibited) children are likely to withdraw or be shy in novel or uncertain situations. fMRI studies do show significant differences in the brain responses of these children - its the amygdala that's sensitive or reactive to changes. In the figure above, "sensitive" adolescents had much more reactive amygdalas looking at happy or fearful faces than "non-sensitive" or regular controls. The irony about all this is that children who seem poor at social skills often find themselves lumped together - although some are too sensitive to the emotions of others, while others are oblivious or under-sensitive. One also might add that fin... Eide Neurolearning Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1947280 Mon, 10 Nov 2008 08:01:00 +0100 1947280 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=975027&cid=t_117610_107_f&fid=36585&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FHighlightHealth%2F%7E3%2F174153061%2F This article was published on Highlight HEALTH. (Source: Highlight HEALTH) Highlight HEALTH blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=975027 Wed, 24 Oct 2007 05:23:26 +0100 975027 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=601853&cid=t_117610_87_f&fid=34865&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thecancerblog.com%2F2007%2F05%2F13%2Fthought-for-the-day-bracelets-tell-when-to-seek-shade%2F Filed under: Skin Cancer, Prevention, Products, Thought for the DayAlong the pike comes a new product designed to send us an alert when we've had too much sun.Think about this:There are some fun and fancy bracelets on the market that change color when it's time to seek shade. UV Sol Beads, made with UV-detective pony beads and a removable fashion bead, feature off-white beads that remain off-white whenever there is an absence of UV light. When exposed to UV light, the intensity of the beads' color increases as the amount of exposure increases.Created by a science teacher who used the beads as a teaching tool for her students and then found herself wanting to reach out to others after a friend's battle with skin cancer, UV Sol Beads -- they cost $4.95 -- can cycle back and forth more than 5... The Cancer Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=601853 Sun, 13 May 2007 04:00:00 +0100 601853