Category Archives: Neurology

Here are my suggestions for some of the top articles in medicine in May 2012 so far:

Is Geriatric Medicine Terminally Ill? asks Annals of Internal Medicine http://goo.gl/J4jMU

Low vitamin D (below 50 nmol/L (20 ng/mL) increases risk for clinical disease among older adults http://goo.gl/tBXS4

Senior physicians keep working, putting off the R-word - 20% of U.S. physicians are older than 65 http://goo.gl/Dxgip

Many young doctors worried about future of medicine - amednews http://goo.gl/r61lW

"One of the greatest risks of social media is ignoring social media" says chief integrity officer of Cleveland Clinic. Patients want to use social media tools to manage health care http://goo.gl/9SAry

Doctors can risk lawsuits when writing about patients - amednews points to books about patients as examples http://goo.gl/QhqFS

Coffee is the most complex food known to man. It has 1200 flavor components. The nearest comparison is red wine with 450 chemical compounds in the flavor make-up. In most commercial blends there are 10 to 12 different coffees, from different farms. http://goo.gl/m2LwD

Guidelines for social media use by Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB) describe in detail what NOT to do: http://goo.gl/Raq2e

Prevention of acute knee injuries in adolescent female football (soccer) players: warm-up could help http://goo.gl/dBgSS

Is It Possible To Walk And Work At The Same Time? Kaiser Permanente tries walking meetings http://goo.gl/cRu8l

Corneal transplantation - 2012 state of the art review in The Lancet http://goo.gl/JBAag

Towards an optimum strategy in rheumatoid arthritis: For RA patients who fail initial methotrexate treatment, add-on disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs are appropriate http://goo.gl/ONq6u

Time Spent Behind the Wheel May Increase Heart Health Risks, linked to less time spent exercising http://goo.gl/NUYX7

Recipe For Safer Drinking Water (from bacteria)? Add Sun, Salt And Lime http://goo.gl/kU2ZK

The articles were selected from my Twitter and Google Reader streams.

Source:
http://feeds.feedburner.com/CasesBlog

A Mayo Clinic dermatology art contest shows beauty really is skin deep. From Mayo Clinic News blog:

A hair follicle or skin specimen that doesn’t look like much of anything to the naked eye can become a complex, colorful work of art under a microscope. The winner of the Mayo dermatologists’ first art contest in 2011 was “Hair Follicle Triplet”. Alexander Meves, M.D., used fluorescent dyes to highlight proteins. The inaugural winners of the art contest appeared in the May issue of the Journal of Cutaneous Pathology.

“Every single day, dermatopathologists get to see beautiful images under the microscope, and most people never have the opportunity to see that. So I thought it would be a nice way to show not only the science of dermatopathology, but also the art,” says the contest’s creator, Dr. Lehman, a Mayo Clinic dermatopathologist.

Dr. Lehman hopes medical societies will run with the idea and hold similar competitions to highlight aesthetics in their specialties. People in other lines of work can also celebrate the beauty of what they do each day, she says.

Editor's note: Allergists should do something similar. We already highlight beautiful pollen allergens on the monthly covers of the ACAAI journal.

“Art can be seen in every aspect of life,” Dr. Lehman says. “You just have to have an open mind and be looking for it.”

References

Dermatology Art Shows Beauty Really Is Skin Deep. Mayo Clinic News.

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Writing has long been used as a coping strategy and has been applied to improve psychological well-being. One study found that suicidal poets used more first-person singular pronouns (I, me, my) than the control group of poets.

This study from Taiwan, published in the Journal of Happiness Studies, investigated the psychological displacement paradigm in diary-writing (PDPD) and its supposed psychological benefits.

Study participants were randomly assigned to write about their recent negative life experiences two times a week for 2 weeks in PDPD group (diary-writing), or comparison group (no diary-writing).

The diary-writing group (PDPD) showed a decrease in negative emotion and an increase in positive emotion immediately after each writing session (short term effect).

They also had an increase in psychological well-being for at least 2 weeks (long term effect).

References:

The Psychological Displacement Paradigm in Diary-Writing (PDPD) and its Psychological Benefits. Jen-Ho Chang, Chin-Lan Huang and Yi-Cheng Lin. JOURNAL OF HAPPINESS STUDIES 2012, DOI: 10.1007/s10902-012-9321-y

Comments from Google Plus and Twitter:

Lin W: I guess blog writing might have the same effect??

Ves Dimov, M.D.: It depends on the type of blogging you do, but yes, blogging can be a positive experience too.?

Dr. Amal Hasan @DrFloona: Diary-Writing Has Psychological Benefits bit.ly/wwMDmr” Until someone else reads it

Dean Giustini @giustini: Diary-Writing Has Psychological Benefits bit.ly/wwMDmr [Isn't this why we blog Ves?]

@DrVes: Well, I'm not sure. I don't blog about "negative experiences". Blog = archive for me?

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Diets that were tried in attempt to reduce symptoms associated with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) include:

- sugar-restricted
- additive/preservative-free
- oligoantigenic/elimination
- fatty acid supplements

Omega?3 supplement is the latest dietary treatment with positive reports of efficacy. Interest in the additive-free diet of the 1970s is occasionally revived.

Provocative reports have drawn attention to the ADHD-associated “Western-style” diet, high in fat and refined sugars, and the ADHD-free “healthy” diet, containing fiber, folate, and omega-3 fatty acids.

Indications for dietary therapy include:

- medication failure
- parental or patient preference
- iron deficiency
- change from an ADHD-linked Western diet to an ADHD-free healthy diet, when appropriate

In practice, additive-free and oligoantigenic/elimination diets are time-consuming and disruptive to the household; they are indicated only in selected patients.

Iron and zinc are supplemented in patients with known deficiencies; they may also enhance the effectiveness of stimulant therapy.

In patients failing to respond or with parents opposed to medication, omega-3 supplements may warrant a trial.

References:

The Diet Factor in Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. J. Gordon Millichap, MD and Michelle M. Yee, CPNP. PEDIATRICS Vol. 129 No. 2 February 1, 2012, pp. 330 -337, (doi: 10.1542/peds.2011-2199)

Image source: Olive oil, Wikipedia

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Newswise MAYWOOD, Ill. Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine student Jason Cuomo has received a 2012 American Academy of Neurology Medical Student Prize for Excellence in Neurology.

The award recognizes excellence in clinical neurology among medical students. The Stritch faculty selected Cuomo to receive the prize, which is awarded annually on behalf of the American Academy of Neurology. The award is given to a student who exemplifies outstanding scientific achievement and clinical acumen in neurology or neuroscience, and outstanding integrity, compassion and leadership.

Jason is mature, inquisitive, eager to learn, motivated and highly responsible, said Dr. Jos Biller, chairman of the Department of Neurology. He is a very accomplished and talented medical student."

Cuomo is completing his second year of medical school. He is active in Stritchs Honors in Research Program and is vice president of the Student Interest Group in Neurology. He is a co-author of nine academic articles, book chapters, abstracts and presentations.

Cuomo grew up in Guilford, Conn. He graduated from Boston College with a double major in psychology and philosophy, and has a masters degree in philosophy from Boston College.

The rest is here:
Loyola Med Student Wins Award for Excellence in Neurology

Public release date: 10-May-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Jim Ritter jritter@lumc.edu 708-216-2445 Loyola University Health System

MAYWOOD, Ill. Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine student Jason Cuomo has received a 2012 American Academy of Neurology Medical Student Prize for Excellence in Neurology.

The award recognizes excellence in clinical neurology among medical students. The Stritch faculty selected Cuomo to receive the prize, which is awarded annually on behalf of the American Academy of Neurology. The award is given to a student who exemplifies outstanding scientific achievement and clinical acumen in neurology or neuroscience, and outstanding integrity, compassion and leadership.

"Jason is mature, inquisitive, eager to learn, motivated and highly responsible," said Dr. Jose Biller, chairman of the Department of Neurology. "He is a very accomplished and talented medical student."

Cuomo is completing his second year of medical school. He is active in Stritch's Honors in Research Program and is vice president of the Student Interest Group in Neurology. He is a co-author of nine academic articles, book chapters, abstracts and presentations.

Cuomo grew up in Guilford, Ct. He graduated from Boston College with double majors in psychology and philosophy, and has a master's degree in philosophy from Boston College.

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Link:
Loyola Med student wins prize for excellence in neurology