Medicine posts
- May 3, 2016
- 12:00 PM
- 138 views
"The Biggest Loser": Long-term Effects
by William Yates, M.D. in Brain Posts
Yesterday I posted a link to a New York Times article that posted a summary outcome in fourteen participants in TV's "The Biggest Loser" show.The study found a trend towards post-show weight gain for 13/14 of the participants.Four participants actually gained so much weight that after six years they weighed more than before participating in the show.A key finding from the study was this weight gain could be explained by a metabolic response resulting in up to 800 calories less burned daily ........ Read more »
Fothergill, E., Guo, J., Howard, L., Kerns, J., Knuth, N., Brychta, R., Chen, K., Skarulis, M., Walter, M., Walter, P.... (2016) Persistent metabolic adaptation 6 years after “The Biggest Loser” competition. Obesity. DOI: 10.1002/oby.21538
- May 3, 2016
- 11:36 AM
- 117 views
Delirium and Aortic Valve Surgery Outcome
by William Yates, M.D. in Brain Posts
Delirium is an acute confusional state that is common in elderly hospitalized patients.I think of it light a sign of acute brain failure requiring aggressive attentional for detection and treatment of any reversible underlying causes.Delirium in elderly hospitalized patients is a marker for poor outcome in a variety of medical and surgical subjects.A recent study published by a Norwegian team found effects on outcome for delirium following surgical aortic valve replacement. The key findings from........ Read more »
Eide LS, Ranhoff AH, Fridlund B, Haaverstad R, Hufthammer KO, Kuiper KK, Nordrehaug JE, Norekvål TM, & Delirium in Octogenarians Undergoing Cardiac Surgery or Intervention-CARDELIR Investigators. (2016) Delirium as a Predictor of Physical and Cognitive Function in Individuals Aged 80 and Older After Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation or Surgical Aortic Valve Replacement. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. PMID: 27106745
- May 3, 2016
- 02:58 AM
- 266 views
Machine learning applied to autism screening going big time?
by Paul Whiteley in Questioning Answers
Machine learning, when machines, er.. learn, is of growing interest to the autism research field. The names Wall and Duda have filled quite a few posts on this blog (see here and see here for example) on this topic and their suggesting that applying machine learning algorithms to something like autism screening and detection could cut down on time taken and resources used.As per the publication of the paper by Daniel Bone and colleagues [1] it appears that others working in autism research are a........ Read more »
Bone D, Bishop S, Black MP, Goodwin MS, Lord C, & Narayanan SS. (2016) Use of machine learning to improve autism screening and diagnostic instruments: effectiveness, efficiency, and multi-instrument fusion. Journal of child psychology and psychiatry, and allied disciplines. PMID: 27090613
- May 2, 2016
- 02:45 PM
- 343 views
Origin of synaptic pruning process linked to learning, autism and schizophrenia identified
by Dr. Jekyll in Lunatic Laboratories
Vaccines don't cause autism, but because the brain is so complex, we still don't know how much of it works so figuring out the real causes (as in more than one) of autism has been slow going. Well, researchers have identified a brain receptor that appears to initiate adolescent synaptic pruning, a process believed necessary for learning, but in this case it is one that appears to go awry in both autism and schizophrenia.... Read more »
Sonia Afroz, Julie Parato, Hui Shen Sheryl, & Sue Smith. (2016) Synaptic pruning in the female hippocampus is triggered at puberty by extrasynaptic GABAA receptors on dendritic spines . eLife. info:/
- May 2, 2016
- 04:30 AM
- 289 views
If the Helmet Don’t Fit, You May Have to Sit (Out Longer with a Concussion)
by Stephen Stache in Sports Medicine Research (SMR): In the Lab & In the Field
An athlete with a poorly fit helmet that sustains a concussion may have an increased risk of more severe symptoms and prolonged recovery.... Read more »
Greenhill, D., Navo, P., Zhao, H., Torg, J., Comstock, R., & Boden, B. (2016) Inadequate Helmet Fit Increases Concussion Severity in American High School Football Players. Sports Health: A Multidisciplinary Approach. DOI: 10.1177/1941738116639027
- May 2, 2016
- 02:55 AM
- 282 views
On defining chronic fatigue syndrome / myalgic encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME)
by Paul Whiteley in Questioning Answers
Most people who know a little bit about chronic fatigue syndrome / myalgic encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME) will probably understand the potential importance of the findings reported by Leonard Jason and colleagues [1] (open-access available here). Suggesting that there may be "four groupings of patients" when it comes to how we "name and define the illnesses", this research group who surveyed over 500 people "in the United States, Great Britain, and Norway" report on one of the biggest challenge........ Read more »
Jason LA, McManimen S, Sunnquist M, Brown A, Furst J, Newton JL, & Strand EB. (2016) Case definitions integrating empiric and consensus perspectives. Fatigue : biomedicine, health , 4(1), 1-23. PMID: 27088059
- April 30, 2016
- 02:55 PM
- 341 views
Salts in the brain control our sleep-wake cycle
by Dr. Jekyll in Lunatic Laboratories
Insomnia, fun fact those of us who have served or are serving in the military have a much higher incidence of sleep problems. So if you are like me and have ever been prescribed something to help you sleep, you know that there are some unwanted side effects. For instance the time I lost memory of a whole day of interacting with people to the ambien I had taken the night before, not fun. Thankfully Danish researchers found that the level of salts in the brain plays a critical role in whether we a........ Read more »
Ding, F., ODonnell, J., Xu, Q., Kang, N., Goldman, N., & Nedergaard, M. (2016) Changes in the composition of brain interstitial ions control the sleep-wake cycle. Science, 352(6285), 550-555. DOI: 10.1126/science.aad4821
- April 30, 2016
- 02:45 AM
- 279 views
The 'anti-neuroinflammatory activity' of oxytocin
by Paul Whiteley in Questioning Answers
Whilst the package inserts of the various drugs that modern medicine has at its disposal provides important information on potential mode of action, there is a growing realisation that drugs generally have quite a few more molecular targets than are perhaps listed. Take for example the quite commonly used (in some parts of the world anyway) compound called melatonin that in some instances can provide almost miraculous relief when it comes to sleeping issues under certain circumstances. A d........ Read more »
Yuan L, Liu S, Bai X, Gao Y, Liu G, Wang X, Liu D, Li T, Hao A, & Wang Z. (2016) Oxytocin inhibits lipopolysaccharide-induced inflammation in microglial cells and attenuates microglial activation in lipopolysaccharide-treated mice. Journal of neuroinflammation, 13(1), 77. PMID: 27075756
- April 29, 2016
- 11:02 AM
- 430 views
Bringing ‘Dirty’ Mice Into Labs Opens A World Of Possibilities
by Rita dos Santos Silva in United Academics
Treating immune disorders might have gotten easier with a new mouse model.... Read more »
Beura, L., Hamilton, S., Bi, K., Schenkel, J., Odumade, O., Casey, K., Thompson, E., Fraser, K., Rosato, P., Filali-Mouhim, A.... (2016) Normalizing the environment recapitulates adult human immune traits in laboratory mice. Nature, 532(7600), 512-516. DOI: 10.1038/nature17655
Mestas, J., & Hughes, C. (2004) Of Mice and Not Men: Differences between Mouse and Human Immunology. The Journal of Immunology, 172(5), 2731-2738. DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.172.5.2731
Shultz, D. (2016) Can ‘dirty mice’ save animal research?. Science. DOI: 10.1126/science.aaf4153
Reardon, S. (2016) Dirty room-mates make lab mice more useful. Nature, 532(7599), 294-295. DOI: 10.1038/532294a
- April 29, 2016
- 09:38 AM
- 336 views
Hunting For The Signatures of Cancer
Signatures of Mutational Processes Extracted from the Mutational Catalogs of 21 Breast Cancer Genomes. Credit:http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.celrep.2012.12.008Cancer is the second leading cause of death worldwide, with approximately 14 million new cases and 8.2 million cancer related deaths each year (Source: WHO). A family history of cancer typically increases a person's risk of developing the disease, yet most cancer cases have no family history at all. This suggests that a combination of both ge........ Read more »
Siegel, R., Miller, K., & Jemal, A. (2015) Cancer statistics, 2015. CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians, 65(1), 5-29. DOI: 10.3322/caac.21254
Alexandrov LB. (2015) Understanding the origins of human cancer. Science (New York, N.Y.), 350(6265), 1175. PMID: 26785464
Alexandrov LB, Nik-Zainal S, Wedge DC, Aparicio SA, Behjati S, Biankin AV, Bignell GR, Bolli N, Borg A, Børresen-Dale AL.... (2013) Signatures of mutational processes in human cancer. Nature, 500(7463), 415-21. PMID: 23945592
Alexandrov LB, Nik-Zainal S, Siu HC, Leung SY, & Stratton MR. (2015) A mutational signature in gastric cancer suggests therapeutic strategies. Nature communications, 8683. PMID: 26511885
- April 29, 2016
- 02:33 AM
- 287 views
Organophosphate exposure and ADHD?
by Paul Whiteley in Questioning Answers
"Children with higher urinary DMP [dimethylphosphate] concentrations may have a twofold to threefold increased risk of being diagnosed with ADHD [attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder]."So said the results presented in the paper by Yu and colleagues [1] who looking at "97 doctor-diagnosed ADHD cases and 110 non-ADHD controls who were 4-15 years of age" examined urine and blood samples for various factors including "biomarkers of OP [organophosphate] pesticide exposure." Th........ Read more »
Yu CJ, Du JC, Chiou HC, Chung MY, Yang W, Chen YS, Fuh MR, Chien LC, Hwang B, & Chen ML. (2016) Increased risk of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder associated with exposure to organophosphate pesticide in Taiwanese children. Andrology. PMID: 27070915
- April 28, 2016
- 09:33 AM
- 378 views
Breathing Bordeaux is entirely different from drinking it!
by Rosin Cerate in Rosin Cerate
It was the summer of 1882, and grape farmers in the Médoc region of southwest France (north of Bordeaux, on the Atlantic coast) had a problem.Schoolchildren (or university students, or just anyone travelling the roads along which the grapevines grew, depending on what source you're reading) were pilfering their grapes. To try and ward them off, some farmers decided to dissolve some slaked lime and copper sulfate in water and spray it on their grapevines closest to the roads. The idea was... Read more »
Pimentel J, & Marques F. (1969) 'Vineyard sprayer's lung': A new occupational disease. Thorax, 24(6), 678-688. DOI: 10.1136/thx.24.6.678
- April 28, 2016
- 02:55 AM
- 285 views
What parents of children with autism expect from their child's therapists
by Paul Whiteley in Questioning Answers
"Parents ultimately wanted therapists to produce positive outcomes for their children and were willing to sacrifice other desired qualities, as long as the therapy program was effective."and"The SLPs [Speech-Language Pathologists] expressed strong support for evidence-based practice (EBP) and indicated that they thought parents expected their children would be provided with evidence-based interventions."Those quotes come from two papers recently published in the same journal; the first........ Read more »
Edwards, A., Brebner, C., Mccormack, P., & Macdougall, C. (2016) “More than blowing bubbles”: What parents want from therapists working with children with autism spectrum disorder. International Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 1-13. DOI: 10.3109/17549507.2015.1112835
Trembath, D., Hawtree, R., Arciuli, J., & Caithness, T. (2016) What do speech-language pathologists think parents expect when treating their children with autism spectrum disorder?. International Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 1-9. DOI: 10.3109/17549507.2016.1139625
- April 27, 2016
- 04:55 PM
- 427 views
Addiction, it’s in your genes… maybe
by Dr. Jekyll in Lunatic Laboratories
Why does one person who tries cocaine get addicted, while another might use it and then leave it alone? Why do some people who kick a drug habit manage to stay clean, while others relapse? And why do some families seem more prone to addiction than others? According to a new study, the road to answering these questions may have a lot to do with specific genetic factors that vary from individual to individual.
... Read more »
Flagel, S., Chaudhury, S., Waselus, M., Kelly, R., Sewani, S., Clinton, S., Thompson, R., Watson, S., & Akil, H. (2016) Genetic background and epigenetic modifications in the core of the nucleus accumbens predict addiction-like behavior in a rat model. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 201520491. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1520491113
- April 27, 2016
- 10:35 AM
- 311 views
Food to Restore a Heart
by Aurametrix team in Health Technologies
We know that diet, exercise and low-stress life will keep the heart healthy. But sometimes things happen that are beyond our control. Thanks to more coordinated, faster emergency response and improved treatment, heart attacks aren't as deadly as they used to be. But survivors still face a substantial risk of further cardiovascular events. How to restore after a heart attack and prevent another one? What to do besides obvious things such as taking medications, reducing stress, calories, avoidin........ Read more »
Li S, Flint A, Pai JK, Forman JP, Hu FB, Willett WC, Rexrode KM, Mukamal KJ, & Rimm EB. (2014) Low carbohydrate diet from plant or animal sources and mortality among myocardial infarction survivors. Journal of the American Heart Association, 3(5). PMID: 25246449
Li S, Flint A, Pai JK, Forman JP, Hu FB, Willett WC, Rexrode KM, Mukamal KJ, & Rimm EB. (2014) Dietary fiber intake and mortality among survivors of myocardial infarction: prospective cohort study. BMJ (Clinical research ed.). PMID: 24782515
- April 27, 2016
- 08:35 AM
- 437 views
Your Body Has A Photographic Memory
by Mark Lasbury in As Many Exceptions As Rules
For the first time anywhere - an easy explanation of your immune system in 1500 words! For the low, low price of zero dollars you can find out how your body protects you better the second time you are exposed to a disease. Special bonus offer – we’ll throw in how vaccines work and why you need one every year for the flu, although your old flu vaccines might still be helping you. ... Read more »
Mathews, J., McBryde, E., McVernon, J., Pallaghy, P., & McCaw, J. (2010) Prior immunity helps to explain wave-like behaviour of pandemic influenza in 1918-9. BMC Infectious Diseases, 10(1), 128. DOI: 10.1186/1471-2334-10-128
Kash, J., Qi, L., Dugan, V., Jagger, B., Hrabal, R., Memoli, M., Morens, D., & Taubenberger, J. (2010) Prior infection with classical swine H1N1 influenza viruses is associated with protective immunity to the 2009 pandemic H1N1 virus. Influenza and Other Respiratory Viruses, 4(3), 121-127. DOI: 10.1111/j.1750-2659.2010.00132.x
Cowling, B., Ng, S., Ma, E., Cheng, C., Wai, W., Fang, V., Chan, K., Ip, D., Chiu, S., Peiris, J.... (2010) Protective Efficacy of Seasonal Influenza Vaccination against Seasonal and Pandemic Influenza Virus Infection during 2009 in Hong Kong. Clinical Infectious Diseases, 51(12), 1370-1379. DOI: 10.1086/657311
- April 27, 2016
- 04:30 AM
- 291 views
Should We Drop the Vertical Drop Jump?
by Nicole Cattano in Sports Medicine Research (SMR): In the Lab & In the Field
Performance on the vertical drop jump landing task was not found to be associated with anterior cruciate ligament injury risk in a group of female handball and soccer athletes. ... Read more »
Krosshaug, T., Steffen, K., Kristianslund, E., Nilstad, A., Mok, K., Myklebust, G., Andersen, T., Holme, I., Engebretsen, L., & Bahr, R. (2016) The Vertical Drop Jump Is a Poor Screening Test for ACL Injuries in Female Elite Soccer and Handball Players: A Prospective Cohort Study of 710 Athletes. The American Journal of Sports Medicine, 44(4), 874-883. DOI: 10.1177/0363546515625048
- April 27, 2016
- 03:07 AM
- 305 views
The A Word: the science behind...
by Paul Whiteley in Questioning Answers
The A WordI'm not typically inclined to talk about TV programmes on this blog (well, not usually) but today I'm making an exception based on the conclusion of the BBC drama series 'The A Word' last evening.For those who might not know, this [fictional] series charts the ups and downs of a family living in the Lake District whose lives are in one way or another touched by autism as a function of a 5-year old boy diagnosed with the condition. The show had a notable addition to the cast with a very........ Read more »
Singh K, & Zimmerman AW. (2016) Sulforaphane treatment of young men with Autism Spectrum Disorder. CNS . PMID: 27071786
- April 26, 2016
- 10:42 AM
- 270 views
You Scratch My Back
by AG McCluskey in Zongo's Cancer Diaries
Where does the idea of a scientist as a crazed loner come from. Let's work together!... Read more »
Brown, R., Deletic, A., & Wong, T. (2015) Interdisciplinarity: How to catalyse collaboration. Nature, 525(7569), 315-317. DOI: 10.1038/525315a
AG McCluskey. (2016) You Scratch My Back.. Zongo's Cancer Diaries. info:/
- April 26, 2016
- 07:02 AM
- 296 views
Gently frying your eyeballs at work
by Rosin Cerate in Rosin Cerate
When I was a kid, I got thwacked in the face with a golf club. It was totally my fault. I was goofing around with my cousins (as one does) and failed to notice one of them winding up for a swing. Ended up with four stitches, the first one just half an inch from my left eye.... Read more »
Roberts BH. (1921) A series of cases of "glassblowers' cataract" occurring in chainmakers. The British Journal of Ophthalmology, 5(5), 210-212. PMID: 18168103
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