Mary Shelley popularized the work of Luigi Galvani, work that continues today. And while electricity does not reanimate the dead, bioelectricity – Galvani's legacy – may have a role in our embryologic development.
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Here's some of what we've been up to in the past few days, in the media and around Washington, DC.
Dr. Robert Redfield, the new director of the Centers for Disease Control, voluntarily agreed to take a pay cut Monday after unjustified political forces surfaced. And he's doing so despite four decades of experience in infectious disease research, as well as a government provision enacted specifically to permit his present compensation to be offered in the first place. It's simply wrong.
We started a media firestorm in the Pacific Northwest, and we set the record straight on chemicals for an agricultural trade publication. And we also took a peek into a baseball dugout to see how statistical analysis – personally delivered to field managers by stat geeks – is continually reshaping the game.
A study from the Commonwealth countries indicates that it will take two weeks longer to get pregnant if you eat fast food. Huh? And you can save yourself a week or so by eating fruit, not vegetables. Really? And, no surprise, It goes without saying that this incomplete study came complete with grievous limitations.
With First Lady Melania Trump's hospitalization, public misperceptions about how long someone should be admitted have run amok.
First Lady Melania Trump underwent a "successful" embolization procedure for what was described as a "benign kidney condition." But if the condition is benign, why intervene?
We're possibly getting closer to saving thousands of newborns from a potentially nasty illness, and death. Novavax, a clinical-stage biotechnology company, states that it's reached a milestone in a clinical trial for the highly-anticipated vaccine for respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV.
Scott Gottlieb is warning the public not to buy alleged sun-protection supplements from four companies – because they do not work. The FDA Commissioner says that if an effective, ingestible product was legally on the market, it would be considered a drug and would require FDA approval. But the agency has never approved such a product. So what should you stay away from? Here's the info.
Infrastructure maintenance is not just an issue for bridges and roads. Sometimes the infrastructure that needs an update is how we assess risk, especially for patients where treatment continues to change.
We understand that patients may be victims of medical error. But should physicians also consider themselves victims when the medical failure results in disability and death?
When environmental activists discovered that it was bad optics to be opposed to natural gas, because it lowered the CO2 emissions they insisted must be lowered drastically or else the apocalypse was nigh, they changed tactics.
Reductionism is the basis for most science. Since so many factors can be involved, isolating them in a lab-bench experiment can yield valuable insights. For epidemiological studies, it doesn’t work as well.
It is officially July! In the medical world that means fresh graduates become interns or fellows or attendings. Along with such promotions comes high turnover departures and the refrain "don’t get sick in July." But, does this annual transition actually make patients more vulnerable to adverse events?
Inclusivity for those with chronic disease or differing abilities is gaining momentum as a fashion trend. These targeted solutions to quality-of-life issues are a refreshing way to achieve the larger goal of a healthier society.
A new study found that smokers consumed around 200 more calories per day than both non-smokers or former smokers. And that's despite eating smaller food portions. And what that means is that they engage in more snacking, and treating treats like meals.
Funding science through the National Institute of Health is a highly competitive process. It is also highly skewed towards those who have been "successful" in the past. But does past performance predict future performance?
Scribes inputting data into electronic medical records are supposed to free-up time for physicians, letting them care for their patients. But surprisingly, it may actually make care worse. Is this another example of unintended consequences?
While a new study highlighted the detrimental effects of isolation in an older Chinese population, it also noted that being connected to one's community and being more socially active were mitigating factors. The study also took a closer look at Asian-Americans, in general, being considered the U.S.'s so-called "model minority."
1. Jamie Wells, MD, testified at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency last week in favor of more transparency in science. The debate over putting an end to "secret science" and "sue-and-settle" agreements is solely a political one, but that has not prevented some scientists from circling the wagons defending a lack of transparency at the agency.
Trial lawyers are cheering that the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in California ordered EPA to finalize its proposed ban on chlorpyrifos but the science is even less settled than the court case is. If you are not familiar with American law, the 9th is the most overturned appeals court by the Supreme Court of the United States, because their rulings are often overtly political, and therefore not grounded in evidence.
Results of a study about soccer and the effects that "heading" the ball has on the brain delivered one key message: women's brain matter appears to be more sensitive than men's. While this may be true, it's important that we be somewhat cautious in making too much of this, given the many limitations of the study.
Probability and odds play a large role in explaining the results of medical studies. Yet, they are not the same, and knowing how to understand odds will make it easier to separate the signal from the noise.
With Wednesday marking this annual occasion, the new film is an important reminder of the profound suffering of those challenged by mental illness and the struggles shared by their loved ones. Optimizing mental health in life is worthwhile for everyone.
On Tuesday in the European Union, the world's best-selling drug came off patent protection. Will it mean big savings for us? Probably not, especially in the U.S. where Humira is protected for another five years. What it will mean is money for lawyers, as AbbVie files patent infringement suits and reaches out-of-court settlements to protect a $20 billion market.
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