Category Archives: Neurology

From NBC Chicago:

Neurologist John Wapham lives in downtown Chicago, but he can see patients anywhere in the world ... from his apartment. And he does. He's an expert in treating strokes, and with the help of a robot and a broadband connection, he's able to be at a patient's bedside instantly.

View more news videos at: http://www.nbcchicago.com/video.

"This brings specialists to to the remotest parts of the country, and the world. I've popped open my laptop on Michigan avenue and treated patients in another state, " he says. And in the not too distant future, these robot doctors could be on the battlefield, or at the scene of a horrible car accident: instantly.

Some critics fear that telemedicine may not be accurate enough. For example, the accuracy of teledermatology was inferior to real-life clinic dermatology for melanoma diagnosis in a recent study: http://bit.ly/8A4oiu

References:
Robot Doctors: Future of Medicine? NBC Chicago.

Lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 (Lp-PLA2), an inflammatory enzyme expressed in atherosclerotic plaques, is a therapeutic target being assessed in trials of vascular disease prevention.

Lp-PLA2 activity and mass each show continuous associations with risk of coronary heart disease, similar in magnitude to that with non-HDL cholesterol or systolic blood pressure.

Lipoprotein structure (chylomicron). Image source: Wikipedia, GNU Free Documentation License.

From CBS News:

A 2006 study questioned the acceptability of minor episodic memory loss in older adults as normal. Episodic memory loss includes things such as forgetting the name of a new acquaintance, a recent conversation, or an upcoming appointment.

People commonly undergo an age-related slowing of the ability to retrieve information. They might forget where they put their keys, but they usually remember eventually. But when Alzheimer's is involved, new information is never properly stored, meaning the affected person never learned it well enough to be able to retrieve it.

Related:
Senior Moments: Signs Of Alzheimer's? CBS News.
Memory problems not a normal sign of aging: study http://goo.gl/xb9M

This small BMJ study suggests the following risk factors for subsequent professional misconduct:

- male sex
- lower socioeconomic background
- early academic difficulties at medical school

Oropharyngeal cancer is increasing at a "dramatic" rate, particularly in the male population http://goo.gl/JAko

Related:
Michael Douglas Has Stage IV Throat Cancer; Experts Weigh In. WebMD.
Catherine Zeta-Jones's fury at the doctors who missed her husband Michael Douglas's throat cancer. Daily Mail.