Health News of the Day
Health News of the Day is a daily summary made from the selected links I post on Twitter. It is in a bullet points format with links to the original sources which include 350 RSS feeds that produce about 2,500 items per day.- Nine out of 10 new type 2 diabetes cases in older adults could be prevented through healthy lifestyle changes. 5 lifestyle factors -- activity, diet, smoking habits, alcohol, and body fat -- accounted for 90% of new diabetes cases http://bit.ly/c2Zu9
- Reading magazines, knitting and quilting, and social activities in midlife cut the risk of dementia in 70-80s by 30% http://bit.ly/1smvwS
- Foreign Accent Syndrome after brain injury: Yorkshireman 'spoke with Irish accent after brain surgery' http://is.gd/v707
- Drinking up to about half a glass of wine daily may boost life expectancy http://bit.ly/XiNL0
- Long work hours and exposure to anesthetics may raise pregnant veterinarians' risk of premature delivery http://bit.ly/2bySjv
- U.S. cancer diagnoses will jump 45 percent by 2030 http://bit.ly/VYucS
Links
- Reviews in Cardiovascular Medicine: Cocoa and Cardiovascular Health http://is.gd/v8eq
- "Rota and Pneumococcus Vaccine Success Stories: Pediatric Emergency Practitioners Wonder “Where Have the Kids Gone?” http://is.gd/qje0
Image source: OpenClipArt.org, public domain.
Selection of My Twitter Favorites, Edition 59
Twitter is a microblogging service where people answer the question "What are you doing?" via 140-character messages from their cellphone, laptop or desktop. You can select the messages (called "tweets") that you find interesting, useful, amusing, or disagreeable. Here is the 59th edition of My Twitter Favorites (the oldest post is at the bottom, the newest at the top): Micro-blogging on Twitter is easy, fun and can be very useful and educational if you follow/subscribe to interesting people. You can read more here: A Doctor's Opinion: Why I Started Microblogging on Twitter and visit my account at Twitter/AllergyNotes.
The inclusion of a Twitter update (tweet) in Selection of My Twitter Favorites does not represent endorsement or agreement of any kind.
If you are included in this post but you would like to have your tweet removed for any reason, please email me and will comply with your request the same day.
laikas Tworms, twirusses and twam are threatening tweeting twinnocent tweeple. Is there a twoctor around? 
zappos My favorite interview questions: 1) Biggest misperception people have of u? 2) What's the diff btwn misperception & perception? 
Doctor_V Honestly hard being home in some ways. So hard to see my parents growing old. Breaks my heart to leave tomorrow 
schroncd Since the first Earth Day in 1970, the world has increased it's use of fossil fuels and other pollutants by about 1,000%. Nice work guys! - schroncd Today is Earth Day. Now that carbon dioxide has been declared a pollutant, everyone is being asked not to exhale for the next 24 hours
kingsthings "Common sense is very uncommon." one of my all time favorite quotes! (its from horace greeley) 
scanman Wise men talk because they have something to say. Fools talk because they have to say something. - 99.99% of twitter explained. #twitterzen 
andrewsayer _________/\___________\o/__________ shark! 
pkedrosky list of major rivers that no longer reach the sea: Indus, Rio Grande, Colorado, Murray-Darling and Yellow rivers 
KidneyNotes When people leave messages on Google Voice it sometimes mistranscribes my name as "Doctor Screamer." - schroncd Environmentalists who say pollution will destroy our earth in 50 yrs are too pessimistic. If we all pull together we can do it in 20 years
bencasnocha I'm not a numbers person," many people like to say. Almost nobody goes around saying, however, "I'm not a letters person." - Steve Sailer
The inclusion of a Twitter update (tweet) in Selection of My Twitter Favorites does not represent endorsement or agreement of any kind.
If you are included in this post but you would like to have your tweet removed for any reason, please email me and will comply with your request the same day.
Health News of the Day
Health News of the Day is a daily summary made from the selected links I post on Twitter. It is in a bullet points format with links to the original sources which include 350 RSS feeds that produce about 2,500 items per day.- Proposal to increase payments to PCPs at the expense of high-paid specialists has touched off a lobbying fight. New doctors typically owe more than $140,000 in loans when they graduate. AAMC is advocating a 30% increase in medical school enrollment, which would produce 5,000 additional doctors each year http://is.gd/uRJP
- Baths With Diluted Bleach May Help Kids With Atopic Dermatitis. 90% of people with atopic dermatitis have Staph on their skin, compared to about 25% of general population http://bit.ly/QMq4b
- The American Urological Association recommends a "baseline" PSA test for all men 40 or older http://bit.ly/ONxKQ
- Camphor-containing products, used to treat cold, deter pests, can be highly toxic to young children, causing seizures http://bit.ly/5DKww
- Smoking remains the top cause of preventable death in the U.S., followed closely by high blood pressure http://bit.ly/YgfGU
- "Second Miami VA patient has tested positive for HIV after exposure to contaminated endoscopy equipment" http://is.gd/uSfc
- AP: "Medicaid cannot be forced to pay for a treatment if they disagree with a doctor over whether it is necessary" http://bit.ly/TBQD3
- Children given stimulants to treat ADHD score higher on tests than children with the condition who do not get drugs http://bit.ly/18iMRG
- NEJM is on Facebook too with three new Facebook Applications http://bit.ly/W8rZm - Add NEJM Image Challenge gadget to your webpage: http://bit.ly/e1KGL
Image source: OpenClipArt.org, public domain.
How to promote your service: "We have created gazillions of helpful videos"
Loic LeMeur making a promotional video for his startups Seesmic.com and Twhirl.com: "We have created gazillions of helpful videos."
Update: Twhirl is now Seesmic Desktop client for Twitter.
The New York Times Algorithm Features Our Blog (Again)
The New York Times featured our recent blog post about a user-created Google map of the swine flu on its Times Topics page (see below, in the center of the screenshot).
This is part of the NYT news aggregator Headlines Around the Web (Blogrunner) which monitors about 12,000 blogs and media sources.
It is not a big deal but still nice to share real estate on the page of one of the most popular newspapers in the world with a breaking news post. This is an automatic inclusion by an algorithm and we used it as an example how blogs have gradually gained some relevance in the eyes of the mainstream media. It has happened on a few occasions in the past and the visitor traffic implications were not significant. Google still leads by a large margin among the traffic sources.
References:
Map of H1N1 Swine Flu of 2009
This is part of the NYT news aggregator Headlines Around the Web (Blogrunner) which monitors about 12,000 blogs and media sources.
It is not a big deal but still nice to share real estate on the page of one of the most popular newspapers in the world with a breaking news post. This is an automatic inclusion by an algorithm and we used it as an example how blogs have gradually gained some relevance in the eyes of the mainstream media. It has happened on a few occasions in the past and the visitor traffic implications were not significant. Google still leads by a large margin among the traffic sources.
References:
Map of H1N1 Swine Flu of 2009
Antibiotic eye drops for bacterial conjunctivitis: which one to choose?
According to the current clinical evidence, 64% of cases of acute bacterial conjunctivitis improve spontaneously and do not require local antibiotic therapy with eye drops.When antibiotic therapy is indicated for bacterial conjunctivitis, the most cost-effective options are the eye drops listed below that are included in the Walmart $4 prescription medication program:
- Sulfacet Sodium 10% op. solution
- Tobramycin 0.3% op. solution
Tobramycin is better tolerated because it causes less local irritation, often described as stinging and burning. This improves the compliance especially in younger children.
Sulfacetamide 10% has a better gram-positive than gram-negative coverage.
Antibiotic-containing eye medications available in the $4 Prescription Program by Walmart:
- Bacitracin op. ointment
- Erythromycin op. ointment
- Gentamicin 0.3% op. solution
- Neomycin/Polymyxin/Dexamethasone 0.1% op. ointment
- Neomycin/Polymyxin/Dexamethasone 0.1% op. suspension
- Polymyxin Sulfate/TMP op. solution
- Sulfacet Sodium 10% op. solution
- Tobramycin 0.3% op. solution
Gentamicin is used for gram-negative bacterial coverage but tends to be toxic to epithelia and retards healing. Aminoglycoside antibiotics include Gentamicin, Neomycin and Tobramycin.
Ciprofloxacin 3% is a broad-spectrum antibiotic with good gram-positive and gram-negative coverage (not included in the $4 program).
Gatifloxacin ophthalmic solution 0.3% (Zymar) is fourth-generation fluoroquinolone ophthalmic indicated for bacterial conjunctivitis.
References:
Conjunctivitis. AFP, 1998.
$4 Prescription Program. Walmart, PDF.
Should We Prescribe Antibiotics for Acute Conjunctivitis? AFP, 2002.
Image source: Conjunctivitis, Wikipedia, public domain.
Doctors: Do you shake hands during a flu epidemic?
From GruntDoc:"I have learned the Western Way of politeness: when meeting a stranger look them in the eye and give a firm handshake. I do this quite a lot in this ‘patient satisfaction’ world, shaking the hands of not just the patients but also their families. I’m wondering if we need some sort of socially acceptable way to say ‘I’d shake your hand but given that this is a hospital where illness concentrates, let’s not."
See a few comments on Twitter:
AllergyNotes "Doctors: Do you shake hands during a flu epidemic?" http://bit.ly/SMgBk
sospokesaroj @AllergyNotes I feel like doctors can get away with no handshake so long as they inform their patients that there's an ongoing epidemic - AllergyNotes @sospokesaroj A handshake in healthcare settings can probably increase the risk of C. diff. and MRSA... Alcohol gel does not kill C. diff.
- sospokesaroj @AllergyNotes C. diff is proving to be increasingly resistant, scary prospect. Better to limit social formalities if it keeps ppl healthy.
mpwhaley RT @AllergyNotes "Doctors: Do you shake hands during a flu epidemic?" http://bit.ly/SMgBk (my thoughts exactly- hands folded - namaste)
What do you think?
Image source: Wikipedia, GNU Free Documentation License.
Health News of the Day
Health News of the Day is a daily summary made from the selected links I post on Twitter. It is in a bullet points format with links to the original sources which include 350 RSS feeds that produce about 2,500 items per day.- The average Andorran lives 85 years, longer than anywhere else on the planet. Why? http://bit.ly/IpsEy
- ICS during the first 3 months after hospital admission for RSV infection has no major effect on recurrent wheeze http://bit.ly/U8v2G
- A man with peanut allergy died from anaphylactic shock after treatment from an alternative medicine practitioner http://bit.ly/OXCni
- "People attribute their allergies to pine pollen because it's visible, but it's actually too large to cause allergies" http://bit.ly/Aovxu
- Follow-up of the pine pollen tweet: Molds on Christmas trees can trigger allergy symptoms, Cleveland Clinic video: http://bit.ly/gh3TO
- BMJ Careers: "The joy of stress in medicine: “Pressure is good. It keeps me motivated” http://bit.ly/uk6Cq - Agree or disagree?
- Tragedy that breaks your heart, CNN: "My bullied son's last day on Earth" http://bit.ly/QaOvY
- "Physicians are up in arms at the number of Websites enabling patients to rate their standard of care" - Medscape: http://bit.ly/KAeBF
- "Wild X-Rays" Gallery, not for the faint-hearted http://bit.ly/YY9Hg
Image source: OpenClipArt.org, public domain.
Map of H1N1 Swine Flu of 2009
View H1N1 Swine Flu in a larger map
- Google Flu Trends has not caught any data forecasting the current swine flu outbreak as of Apr 25, 2009 http://ginx.com/-Q32ai
- Swine flu updates: @CDCEmergency on Twitter
- Swine flu updates from the CDC: http://bit.ly/2fwbR
Twitter comments:
- scanman RT @AllergyNotes:Map of H1N1 Swine Flu of 2009 http://bit.ly/P2mcc - How far we've come from John Snow & his dot map!! Amazing!!
References:
CNN Video: How Cholera Transmission Was Deciphered in 1854
John Snow (physician), from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Medical Geek Humor on Twitter
Twitter is a microblogging service where people answer the question "What are you doing?" via 140-character messages from their cellphone, laptop or desktop. You can select the messages (called "tweets") that you find interesting, useful, amusing, or disagreeable. The tweets below are part of the series Medical Geek Humor on Twitter:
chrisseper Consuming my 27th CokeZero while at #WeMedia
AllergyNotes @chrisseper "Consuming my 27th CokeZero" - Go easy on those. So many carbonated drinks could cause osteoporosis... :) I would switch to H20 32 minutes ago from web
scanman @AllergyNotes @chrisseper "Consuming my 27th CokeZero" - I'd switch to beer ;)
AllergyNotes @scanman "Consuming my 27th CokeZero" - "I'd switch to beer ;)" -- 27 in a row may be a bit too much even for a well-trained guy like you :)
The inclusion of a Twitter update (tweet) does not represent endorsement or agreement of any kind. If you are included in this post but you would like to have your tweet removed for any reason, please email me and will comply with your request the same day.
chrisseper Consuming my 27th CokeZero while at #WeMedia AllergyNotes @chrisseper "Consuming my 27th CokeZero" - Go easy on those. So many carbonated drinks could cause osteoporosis... :) I would switch to H20 32 minutes ago from web scanman @AllergyNotes @chrisseper "Consuming my 27th CokeZero" - I'd switch to beer ;) AllergyNotes @scanman "Consuming my 27th CokeZero" - "I'd switch to beer ;)" -- 27 in a row may be a bit too much even for a well-trained guy like you :) The inclusion of a Twitter update (tweet) does not represent endorsement or agreement of any kind. If you are included in this post but you would like to have your tweet removed for any reason, please email me and will comply with your request the same day.
Hope for paralyzed patients: post on Twitter using brain waves
"No keyboards, just a red cap fitted with electrodes that monitor brain activity, hooked up to a computer flashing letters on a screen. The development could be a lifeline for people with "locked-in syndrome" -- whose brains function normally but who cannot speak or move because of injury or disease."
References:
Brain-Twitter project offers hope to paralyzed patients. CNN.
Health News of the Day
Health News of the Day is a daily summary made from the selected links I post on Twitter. It is in a bullet points format with links to the original sources which include 350 RSS feeds that produce about 2,500 items per day.- A genetic locus on chromosome 12p13 is associated with an increased risk of stroke. http://content.nejm.org/cgi...
- First criminal convictions for a doctor practicing medicine over the phone or internet: http://bit.ly/19AKyL
- Even low blood levels of lead during early childhood can lead to high blood pressure later in life http://is.gd/u6Cx
- Low vitamin D were associated with increased odds of being hospitalized for asthma and more severe allergies. http://bit.ly/17t3Gv
- Gum chewing was associated with a 3% increase in standardized math scores http://bit.ly/hm8Md
- Florida vet pharmacy wrongly prepared horse meds before polo match, 21 horses died http://bit.ly/XY4pl
- CNN: "Five clues that you are addicted to Facebook" http://bit.ly/sWLA5
- CNN: "Brain-Twitter project offers hope to paralyzed patients - post messages on Twitter using mind" http://bit.ly/FHeZW
- Home teeth whiteners may weaken enamel http://bit.ly/14ZnC6
- Diet Low in Vitamins A and C Linked to Asthma and Wheeze, Medscape/Thorax (needs free reg.) http://bit.ly/Sk6qy
Image source: OpenClipArt.org, public domain.
Medical Geek Humor on Twitter
Twitter is a microblogging service where people answer the question "What are you doing?" via 140-character messages from their cellphone, laptop or desktop. You can select the messages (called "tweets") that you find interesting, useful, amusing, or disagreeable. The tweets below are part of the series Medical Geek Humor on Twitter:
The inclusion of a Twitter update (tweet) does not represent endorsement or agreement of any kind. If you are included in this post but you would like to have your tweet removed for any reason, please email me and will comply with your request the same day.
- scanman really boring meeting. can't stand slides laden with bullet points of stuff straight from textbooks.
pharmamotion @scanman let me guess, with no images at all and the presenter reading them in a monotone way - scanman @pharmamotion the speaker was okay, quite knowledgeable, but his talk lacked focus & his slides were atrocious
- AllergyNotes @scanman "the speaker was okay, quite knowledgeable, but his talk lacked focus & his slides were atrocious" - That makes a bad talk, no?
- scanman @AllergyNotes Bad talk in toto. Quite lucid in some bits which he emphasized. Sadly he didn't summarize any take home points less than a minute ago from Mobile Tweete
The inclusion of a Twitter update (tweet) does not represent endorsement or agreement of any kind. If you are included in this post but you would like to have your tweet removed for any reason, please email me and will comply with your request the same day.
Optical Illusion: Julian Beever Chalk Drawings
Video: Optical Illusion, Julian Beever Chalk Drawings.
"Julian Beever "Pavement Picasso" is an English, Belgium-based artist who has been creating amazing 3D pavement chalk drawings since the mid-1990s. His works are created using a projection called anamorphosis, and create the illusion of three dimensions when viewed from the correct angle.
Besides this pavement art, Beever also paints murals and oil paintings."
References:
Julian Beever, from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Julian Beever (official web site).
Pavement Picasso. BBC.
Selection of My Twitter Favorites, Edition 58
Twitter is a microblogging service where people answer the question "What are you doing?" via 140-character messages from their cellphone, laptop or desktop. You can select the messages (called "tweets") that you find interesting, useful, amusing, or disagreeable. Here is the 58th edition of My Twitter Favorites (the oldest post is at the bottom, the newest at the top): Micro-blogging on Twitter is easy, fun and can be very useful and educational if you follow/subscribe to interesting people. You can read more here: A Doctor's Opinion: Why I Started Microblogging on Twitter and visit my account at Twitter/AllergyNotes.
If you are included in this post but you would like to have your tweet removed for any reason, please email me and will comply with your request the same day.
LeoLaporte Forget @oprah - my favorite bakery is now on twitter, and twittering when the bread comes out of the oven. @dellafattoria- AllergyNotes Twitter is on front pages (as rudimentary as it is) while a much superior platform as FriendFeed languishes barely being noticed...
Ethamfarm going outside to be grouchy....its no fun being grouchy inside on such a lovely day! 
lancearmstrong Getting a taste of the future this am. Weather prevents paper delivery. Reading news online. When will the last paper b thrown in the usa? - LeoLaporte Now that Oprah has topped 230,000 legitimate followers in just 24 hours I can go back to being a normal joe with my measly 100,000.
- Doctor_V Fair warning to medical students and peds residents: If u choose peds gastro as a career, the phones will eat you alive
- laikas RT QuadsZilla - If you trust Google more than your doctor then maybe it's time to switch doctors.
steenbab 8:20 AM CT - One trader's fave pickup line: "Your eyes are the same color as my Porsche." Now you see the kind of guys I work with. - KidneyNotes If you have a collection of your kidney stones in a display case, it's reasonable to see a specialist.
richardquest Morning tweetarama....I know we usually get April Showers....but this morning in London - more like mini monsoon 
StevenBarley Drinking my fav (behind water) - decaf green tea (part of my antioxidant trifecta and daily regiment - others: dark chocolate, blueberries) 
doctorwes Forgot pager at hospital. Why can't they send a tweet instead? - AllergyNotes Publication of multiple abstracts with minimal value by an author - it is not science "evolution" or "revolution" but a "science pollution"
- KidneyNotes Google Scholar/Books is great for jumping into an obscure topic and exploring for an hour or so. Strangely underutilized.
If you are included in this post but you would like to have your tweet removed for any reason, please email me and will comply with your request the same day.
Some thoughts on medical blogging vs. Twitter
These are some thoughts on medical blogging from my Twitter stream:- If you are a medical blogger, don't abandon your blog for Twitter. Look at Scoble for an example.
- If you are a prolific Twitterer (somebody who posts a lot on Twitter and/or has many followers), consider starting a blog.
- Start a blog plus Twitter - just a piece of advice from somebody who has had a medical blog for 4 years.
- Twitter "brings business" to the blog. Visitor numbers went up and I often get comments on Twitter rather than on the blog.
- Twitter brings new ideas, and the blog generally feels "fresher" and more in the flow of things (it could be temporary).
- Nobody enjoys blogging all the time. There are ups & downs like everything in life. Blogging due to external stimuli (comments, newspaper coverage) always stops.
- Medical blogger rule #1: write for your own CME and create an educational portfolio = best road to blog longevity.
- Some people don't like too many posts, others don't like too few. Post what you think is useful, what you want to read.
- Most good medical bloggers are very supportive and encouraging. Always ask for advice when you need it.
- Twitter is easy but doesn't "last" - apart from the embarrassing posts, of course.
- Many people don't feel like writing a blog - so many great/funny/silly ideas would have gone unpublished if it weren't for Twitter.
- Social media is (still) a matter of personal preference. You cannot "make" doctors blog unless they want to.
- In a way, Google itself is a social bookmarking tool too - you vote by linking from your website.
- There will not be Twitter (in its current form) in 2-5 years, it's so rudimentary.
- I could be wrong but I just don't think Twitter popularity & hype will last very long. That's why I re-post the valuable bits on my blog.
- FriendFeed is a better platform but the "crowd" is on Twitter.
- For companies, resistance to social media is futile: Debunking 6 Social Media Myths http://is.gd/k6c4
Here is how to facilitate the Rise of the ePhysican who works hand in hand with the ePatient:
References:
How to deal with the information overload from blogs, RSS and Twitter?
Assistant professor uses Twitter to teach students dental anatomy at Ohio State University - 113 of 200 students signed up, 56% http://goo.gl/jvyq7
Health News of the Day
Health News of the Day is a daily summary made from the selected links I post on Twitter. It is in a bullet points format with links to the original sources which include 350 RSS feeds that produce about 2,500 items per day.- Experts: Soft drink makers should market new semi-sweet beverages that will help wean Americans off sugary drinks. Women who drank more than 2 sugary beverages each day had a 40% higher risk of heart disease http://bit.ly/SqAv5
- People who eat burned or charred red meat, like that cooked on a grill, have a 60% higher risk of pancreatic cancer http://bit.ly/B0UI0
- Study: Insulin resistance when 25% of calories came from fructose-sweetened beverages compared to glucose-sweetened ones http://bit.ly/LwOaF
- 2% of U.S. Population Paralyzed (5.6 Million), paralysis defined as difficulty in moving upper/lower extremities because of CNS causes. Top 3 causes of paralysis: stroke, spinal cord injury, multiple sclerosis http://bit.ly/SXwmp
- 8.5% of youths 8 to 18 who play video games show signs of addiction that exist in pathological gamblers http://bit.ly/S3xPi
- Men who reported taking aspirin were 14 percent less likely to develop diabetes http://bit.ly/yNQKc
- Walnuts could reduce risk of breast cancer - in mice http://bit.ly/15Ixns
Image source: OpenClipArt.org, public domain.
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