Health posts
- September 29, 2009
- 02:35 AM
- 1,668 views
Brain Training for Elderly Better On Paper or Computer?
by Dr Shock in Dr Shock MD PhD
As always the answer to this question is not simple. From recent research it’s concluded that brain training games on paper are more effective and efficient than on computer consoles (Nintendo DS, in this research). Meaning that the task completion time was shorter on paper and the error rate was lower on paper.
However the [...]
Related posts:Video Games Affect The Brain, Good or Bad? This is from an excellent overview about video games...Computer Games at Work are Good For You I........ Read more »
Nacke, L., Nacke, A., & Lindley, C. (2009) Brain Training for Silver Gamers: Effects of Age and Game Form on Effectiveness, Efficiency, Self-Assessment, and Gameplay Experience. CyberPsychology , 2147483647. DOI: 10.1089/cpb.2009.0013
- September 28, 2009
- 08:01 PM
- 1,427 views
A shortcut to mushrooms…
by Jim Caryl in mental indigestion
I REFER in this case not to one of the opening chapters of the Fellowship of the Rings, but in fact to the September edition of Trends in Microbiology, in which a Dutch research team lead by Luis Lugones describe some interesting work with mushrooms.
Building upon an earlier patent by Lugones, the paper by [...]... Read more »
Berends, E., Scholtmeijer, K., Wösten, H., Bosch, D., & Lugones, L. (2009) The use of mushroom-forming fungi for the production of N-glycosylated therapeutic proteins. Trends in Microbiology, 17(10), 439-443. DOI: 10.1016/j.tim.2009.07.002
- September 28, 2009
- 04:26 PM
- 611 views
Fibromyalgia: an overview
by Adiemusfree in Healthskills: Skills for Healthy Living
I didn’t intend to get into a theme this week, but this paper arrived in my inbox this morning, and given both the prevalence of fibromyalgia, and the often ‘fuzzy’ management that can be provided, I thought it might be worthwhile taking a look at it. The paper itself is a pre-print, but has been [...]... Read more »
Imamura, M., Cassius, D., & Fregni, F. (2009) Fibromyalgia: From treatment to rehabilitation. European Journal of Pain Supplements. DOI: 10.1016/j.eujps.2009.08.011
- September 28, 2009
- 04:00 AM
- 1,687 views
Ancient skulls haunted by their past
Imagine you had left where you were as part of an arranged marriage. Your new life was in a very different place where the climate, the crops and even the air was different to what you had known. You could settle and try and adapt to your new life away from the family you had [...]... Read more »
Costa, M., Matheson, C., Iachetta, L., Llagostera, A., & Appenzeller, O. (2009) Ancient Leishmaniasis in a Highland Desert of Northern Chile. PLoS ONE, 4(9). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0006983
- September 28, 2009
- 02:20 AM
- 1,210 views
SMS as Appointment Reminder Effectively Reduces Nonattendance
by Dr Shock in Dr Shock MD PhD
From recent research it’s concluded that sending an automated short message service (SMS) message 24 hours before the appointment to patient’s cell phones reduces nonattendance rates.
Another effective strategy to reduce nonattendance rates next to phone calls or letters as appointment reminders. But these require more time and money compared to automatic sent SMS messages. [...]
Related posts:Online Real Time Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Depression Effective Online Cognitiv........ Read more »
da Costa, T., Salomão, P., Martha, A., Pisa, I., & Sigulem, D. (2009) The impact of short message service text messages sent as appointment reminders to patients’ cell phones at outpatient clinics in São Paulo, Brazil. International Journal of Medical Informatics. DOI: 10.1016/j.ijmedinf.2009.09.001
- September 27, 2009
- 02:33 PM
- 1,389 views
Fibromyalgia: Time for the rheumatologists to hand over?
by Adiemusfree in Healthskills: Skills for Healthy Living
The American College of Rheumatologists developed diagnostic criteria for fibromyalgia in 1990, the culmination of many years of debate and disparagement of the existence of this pain problem. At the time, it was thought that it was a rheumatic complaint due to the presence of body pain and soft tissue tenderness, so the diagnosis and [...]... Read more »
SHIR, Y., & FITZCHARLES, M. (2009) Should Rheumatologists Retain Ownership of Fibromyalgia?. The Journal of Rheumatology, 36(4), 667-670. DOI: 10.3899/jrheum.081073
- September 27, 2009
- 03:27 AM
- 885 views
optimizing your coffee consumption
by Alex Holcombe in ceptional
We live in an era where students, shift workers, and scientists increasingly consume drugs that modify brain activity in order to enhance cognition. Ethicists are right to fret about this as the number of addictive substances with some ill effects proliferates (DeJong et al. 2008). People will use these things regardless whether or not some [...]... Read more »
DEJONGH, R., BOLT, I., SCHERMER, M., & OLIVIER, B. (2008) Botox for the brain: enhancement of cognition, mood and pro-social behavior and blunting of unwanted memories. Neuroscience , 32(4), 760-776. DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2007.12.001
Shi J, Benowitz NL, Denaro CP, & Sheiner LB. (1993) Pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic modeling of caffeine: tolerance to pressor effects. Clinical pharmacology and therapeutics, 53(1), 6-14. PMID: 8422743
- September 26, 2009
- 02:52 PM
- 586 views
Vitamin D and sun bed UV
by Stuart Watson in Optical Futures
Light is good for your health. Most notably, there are significant health benefits from vitamin D, which is produced in our bodies by the absorption into the skin of ultraviolet (UV) radiation. There are also dietary sources of vitamin D, but one of the best and most enjoyable involves simply sitting back and soaking up the sun's rays.
† Moan, J., Lagunova, Z.,........ Read more »
Moan, J., Lagunova, Z., Cicarma, E., Aksnes, L., Dahlback, A., Grant, W., & Porojnicu, A. (2009) Sunbeds as Vitamin D Sources. Photochemistry and Photobiology. DOI: 10.1111/j.1751-1097.2009.00607.x
- September 26, 2009
- 10:36 AM
- 895 views
Panic! In the fMRI Scanner
by Neuroskeptic in Neuroskeptic
Continuing the theme of interesting single case reports, I was pleased to see a paper about brain activity in someone who suffered a panic attack in the middle of an fMRI brain scan experiment.The unfortunate volunteer, a 46 year old woman, was taking part in an experiment looking at restless-leg syndrome. The scan lasted 40 minutes, and everything was going smoothly until quite near the end, when out of the blue, she had a panic attack.Obviously, the scan had to be abandoned, but the researcher........ Read more »
Spiegelhalder, K., Hornyak, M., Kyle, S., Paul, D., Blechert, J., Seifritz, E., Hennig, J., Tebartz van Elst, L., Riemann, D., & Feige, B. (2009) Cerebral correlates of heart rate variations during a spontaneous panic attack in the fMRI scanner. Neurocase, 1-8. DOI: 10.1080/13554790903066909
- September 26, 2009
- 09:48 AM
- 1,639 views
does alt med equal fewer vaccinations?
by Greg Fish in weird things
Did you know that the state of Washington requires insurance companies to cover alternative medicine under a special provision that requires them to compensate all types of medical care? Heh. Forget what I said in my post about why alternative medicine faces a long shot at being covered by insurance companies. Science by damned when [...]... Read more »
Downey, L. et. al,. (2009) Pediatric Vaccination and Vaccine-Preventable Disease Acquisition: Associations with Care by Complementary and Alternative Medicine Providers. Maternal and Child Health Journal. DOI: 10.1007/s10995-009-0519-5
- September 25, 2009
- 11:30 AM
- 828 views
The psychological impact of adolescent obesity
by Travis Saunders, MSc in Obesity Panacea
The idea that adolescent obesity may provide a significant psychological burden is not terribly surprising. Adolescence is difficult under ideal circumstances, the physical stress and social discrimination that often accompany obesity could only be expected to exacerbate this situation (the ridiculously discriminatory advertisement at the top of this post may not be tolerable in today's society, but weight discrimination continues to increase in prevalence, with some arguing that it is now ........ Read more »
Fonseca, H., Matos, M., Guerra, A., & Gomes Pedro, J. (2009) Are overweight and obese adolescents different from their peers?. International Journal of Pediatric Obesity, 4(3), 166-174. DOI: 10.1080/17477160802464495
- September 24, 2009
- 08:39 PM
- 768 views
Heat Shock Proteins and Exercise in Humans
by Reason in Fight Aging!
Heat shock proteins (HSPs) are increasingly seen as important players in the response of our biochemistry to stresses and damage. HSPs are fundamentally chaperones and monitors: they look for damaged proteins that can compromise cellular functions and help to ensure that those proteins are rapidly recycled. When events - such as exposure to heat, hence the name - cause damage in our cells, HSP activity increases for a while to compensate. This is one basis for the phenomenon of hormesis, wherein........ Read more »
Morton JP, Kayani AC, McArdle A, & Drust B. (2009) The exercise-induced stress response of skeletal muscle, with specific emphasis on humans. Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.), 39(8), 643-62. PMID: 19769414
- September 24, 2009
- 01:06 PM
- 918 views
The cutting edge…
by Jim Caryl in mental indigestion
I HAD barely started reading this week’s edition of Nature when in the Research Highlights1 section a study really piqued my interest. Surgeons operating to remove malignant tumours can often struggle to differentiate such tumours from surrounding healthy tissues. To ensure complete tumour removal, surgeons also need to remove some of the surrounding healthy tissue [...]... Read more »
Nature editors. (2009) Analytical chemistry: Evaporating flesh. Nature, 461(7263), 451-451. DOI: 10.1038/461451d
Schäfer, K., Dénes, J., Albrecht, K., Szaniszló, T., Balog, J., Skoumal, R., Katona, M., Tóth, M., Balogh, L., & Takáts, Z. (2009) In Vivo, In Situ Tissue Analysis Using Rapid Evaporative Ionization Mass Spectrometry. Angewandte Chemie International Edition. DOI: 10.1002/anie.200902546
- September 24, 2009
- 07:43 AM
- 660 views
Science News: Week of September 20, 2009
by Susan Steinhardt in BioData Blogs
Our weekly compilation of science news for the week of September 20, 2009.... Read more »
Duris, J., Haack, S., & Fogarty, L. (2009) Gene and Antigen Markers of Shiga-toxin Producing E. coli from Michigan and Indiana River Water: Occurrence and Relation to Recreational Water Quality Criteria. Journal of Environmental Quality, 38(5), 1878-1886. DOI: 10.2134/jeq2008.0225
Behan, J., Yun, J., Proektor, M., Ehsanipour, E., Arutyunyan, A., Moses, A., Avramis, V., Louie, S., Butturini, A., Heisterkamp, N.... (2009) Adipocytes Impair Leukemia Treatment in Mice. Cancer Research. DOI: 10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-09-0800
Cenna, J., Hunter, M., Tan, G., Papaneri, A., Ribka, E., Schnell, M., Marx, P., & McGettigan, J. (2009) Replication‐Deficient Rabies Virus–Based Vaccines Are Safe and Immunogenic in Mice and Nonhuman Primates. The Journal of Infectious Diseases, 200(8), 1251-1260. DOI: 10.1086/605949
- September 24, 2009
- 02:05 AM
- 1,863 views
Unprofessional Online Content By Medical Students
by Dr Shock in Dr Shock MD PhD
60% of Medical Schools in the US participated in an anonymous electronic survey to assess online posting of unprofessional content by medical students.
Of these schools 60% (47/78) reported incidents of students posting unprofessional online content.
Sexual-Relational Content. Provocative photographs of students, requesting inappropriate friendships with patients on Facebook
Negative comments on specific medical schools using profanity or [...]
Related posts:Negative attitude in medical stud........ Read more »
Chretien, K., Greysen, S., Chretien, J., & Kind, T. (2009) Online Posting of Unprofessional Content by Medical Students. JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association, 302(12), 1309-1315. DOI: 10.1001/jama.2009.1387
- September 23, 2009
- 04:00 PM
- 731 views
Treating the Obesity Epidemic
by sciencebase in Sciencebase Science Blog
Drugmaker Vivus saw its experimental weight-loss medication, Qnexa, pass two Phase III clinical trials C&EN reported on September 10, and the company’s share price skyrocket.
The rewards of developing a safe and effective anti-obesity medication will be in the tens of billions of dollars, according to Bloomberg. Of course, such apparent breakthroughs are going to hit [...]Treating the Obesity Epidemic is a post from: Sciencebase Science Blog
... Read more »
Andreas G. Anastasiou, & Athanasios Anastasiou. (2009) The effects of current dietary trends and consumption patterns on health: evidence from the UK. Int. J. Behavioural and Healthcare Research, 1(3), 318-333. info:/
- September 23, 2009
- 08:07 AM
- 1,211 views
Hedgehog signalling and new cancer therapies
by Sally Church in Pharma Strategy Blog
Having written about hedgehog signalling in cancer a few times on this blog (see here, here and here for examples), including it's potential role in CML, it came as no surprise to see some very exciting new data presented in...... Read more »
Von Hoff, D., LoRusso, P., Rudin, C., Reddy, J., Yauch, R., Tibes, R., Weiss, G., Borad, M., Hann, C., Brahmer, J.... (2009) Inhibition of the Hedgehog Pathway in Advanced Basal-Cell Carcinoma. New England Journal of Medicine, 361(12), 1164-1172. DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa0905360
Rudin, C., Hann, C., Laterra, J., Yauch, R., Callahan, C., Fu, L., Holcomb, T., Stinson, J., Gould, S., Coleman, B.... (2009) Treatment of Medulloblastoma with Hedgehog Pathway Inhibitor GDC-0449. New England Journal of Medicine, 361(12), 1173-1178. DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa0902903
Dlugosz, A., & Talpaz, M. (2009) Following the Hedgehog to New Cancer Therapies. New England Journal of Medicine, 361(12), 1202-1205. DOI: 10.1056/NEJMe0906092
- September 23, 2009
- 02:44 AM
- 2,125 views
Prevention of Winter Depression
by Dr Shock in Dr Shock MD PhD
Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) or Winter Depression can be succesfully treated with bright light therapy. Across studies, 53% of cases of SAD remit with bright light therapy. This involves sitting in front of full-spectrum lights that mimic sunlight on a regular basis — typically for about 30 minutes to 60 minutes each morning. Sometimes one [...]
Related posts:Winter Depression Or Seasonal Affective Disorder It’s the time of year again, the time for...Prevention of the onset of D........ Read more »
Rohan, K., Roecklein, K., Lacy, T., & Vacek, P. (2009) Winter Depression Recurrence One Year After Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, Light Therapy, or Combination Treatment. Behavior Therapy, 40(3), 225-238. DOI: 10.1016/j.beth.2008.06.004
- September 23, 2009
- 01:48 AM
- 959 views
A Balloon in your Stomach and your Brain
by Evil Monkey in Neurotopia
Sci is still tracking her caloric intake every day for the goddess (well, mostly for herself, but also for the goddess). It's very long, slow haul. Sci still considers days when she eats no more than 2000 calories (preferably a little less) as good days. That may not seem like much of a diet, but compared to my previous intake, it's quite a big cut. And many days I just don't make it.
But obviously, this has stayed on my mind. I can't help thinking about how we register food in the brain........ Read more »
Tomasi D, Wang GJ, Wang R, Backus W, Geliebter A, Telang F, Jayne MC, Wong C, Fowler JS, & Volkow ND. (2009) Association of body mass and brain activation during gastric distention: implications for obesity. PloS one, 4(8). PMID: 19718256
- September 22, 2009
- 03:14 PM
- 1,515 views
Chronic pain after surgery
by Adiemusfree in Healthskills: Skills for Healthy Living
Surgery is supposed to hurt. Well maybe not ’supposed’ to, but most people expect some pain after surgery – as one doctor said to me, it’s really ‘planned trauma’. The problem for some people is that the pain doesn’t settle afterwards – and up to 50% of people undergoing surgery can fail to [...]... Read more »
Hinrichs-Rocker, A., Schulz, K., Järvinen, I., Lefering, R., Simanski, C., & Neugebauer, E. (2009) Psychosocial predictors and correlates for chronic post-surgical pain (CPSP) – A systematic review. European Journal of Pain, 13(7), 719-730. DOI: 10.1016/j.ejpain.2008.07.015
topics
join us!
Do you write about peer-reviewed research in your blog? Use ResearchBlogging.org to make it easy for your readers — and others from around the world — to find your serious posts about academic research.
If you don't have a blog, you can still use our site to learn about fascinating developments in cutting-edge research from around the world.
