What Doctors Need To Know About Interacting With Patients With Obesity

"One of the ways we can do that together is, first, using appropriate language. We try to use person-first language all the time – that means using the word 'patient with obesity,' 'individual struggling with obesity,' 'affected by obesity,'" Horn says.

How is it we exist? "...we discovered that particles and antiparticles do not behave in exactly the same way. Rather, there is a slight asymmetry in how they interact..."

In defence of disorder

Humans love laws and seek predictability. But like our Universe, which thrives on entropy, we need disorder to flourish

"If there were an equal number of particles and their antiparticles in the infant Universe, as one would expect from a completely symmetrical universe, all matter would have been obliterated billions of years ago, leaving nothing but pure energy. No stars, no planets, no people – or any other solid material. So why are we here? Why haven’t all the particles disappeared along with their antiparticle partners?

The answer to this physicists’ conundrum came in 1964. In very delicate experiments at that time, we discovered that particles and antiparticles do not behave in exactly the same way. Rather, there is a slight asymmetry in how they interact with other particles, so that immediately after the creation of the Universe, particles and their antiparticles were not produced and destroyed in equal numbers. After the mass annihilations of particles with their antiparticle partners, some particles would remain, like a surplus of boys sitting on the bench at a school dance. Those remaining particles and the asymmetry that produced them is why we exist."

LIVER ILLNESS STRIKES LATINO CHILDREN LIKE A ‘SILENT TSUNAMI’

Recent research shows about 1 in 4 people in the U.S. have fatty liver disease. But among Latinos, especially of Mexican and Central American descent, the rate is significantly higher. One large study in Dallas found that 45% of Latinos had fatty livers.

The illness, diagnosed when more than 5% of the liver’s weight is fat, does not cause serious problems in most people. But it can progress to a more severe condition called nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, or NASH, which is linked to cirrhosis, liver cancer and liver failure. This progressive form of fatty liver disease is the fastest-growing cause of liver transplants in young adults.

Obesity a Key Driver of Multiple Sclerosis Risk

Megan Brooks

April 11, 2019

"In this study, people with earlier age at puberty were in fact more likely to develop MS, but once we factor in their body weight the results were no longer significant, meaning that it's really obesity that is the major determinant and that age at puberty alone is not a direct risk factor for MS," said Harroud.

"Music is math, but the business is textbook American economics."

Welcome to the Age of Pop ‘Plagiarism’

In 2019, the question of if and how a song has been copied is an incredibly complicated one

By Craig Jenkins

"The commercial viability of songs that seem like little Matryoshka dolls, packed with allusions to and samples of other people’s work, is a function of the changing ways we experience music. Playlist algorithms lead us to songs that resemble the ones we already like. (Does a derivative band like the Led Zeppelin-lite quartet Greta Van Fleet grow without “recommended if you like” features?) Music pipes into our ears through cheapie phone and laptop speakers, through earbuds and AirPods that offer decent-but-not-world-class sound. It’s often made and digested quickly. Less and less people buy CDs each year. We stream songs we never get to feel like we own. It stands to reason that in a climate where music is like wallpaper, a pleasantry that colors rooms without taking up any corporeal space, certain stigmas about acceptable borrowing and copying in the minds of the listener would lift, leading savvy creators to chase each other’s market shares. Music is math, but the business is textbook American economics. The sure bet is king."

The Dream of Diversity: Increasing the African-American presence in pathology

The Dream of Diversity

Increasing the African-American presence in pathology

Neuron. 2019 Apr 3;102(1):60-74. doi: 10.1016/j.neuron.2019.03.017.

Deconstructing the Gestalt: Mechanisms of Fear, Threat, and Trauma Memory Encoding.

Maddox SA1, Hartmann J1, Ross RA1, Ressler KJ2.

Author information

1

Neurobiology of Fear Laboratory, Division of Depression and Anxiety Disorders, McLean Hospital, 115 Mill Street, Belmont, MA 02478, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA.

2

Neurobiology of Fear Laboratory, Division of Depression and Anxiety Disorders, McLean Hospital, 115 Mill Street, Belmont, MA 02478, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA. Electronic address: kressler@mclean.harvard.edu.

Abstract

Threat processing is central to understanding debilitating fear- and trauma-related disorders such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Progress has been made in understanding the neural circuits underlying the "engram" of threat or fear memory formation that complements a decades-old appreciation of the neurobiology of fear and threat involving hub structures such as the amygdala. In this review, we examine key recent findings, as well as integrate the importance of hormonal and physiological approaches, to provide a broader perspective of how bodily systems engaged in threat responses may interact with amygdala-based circuits in the encoding and updating of threat-related memory. Understanding how trauma-related memories are encoded and updated throughout the brain and the body will ultimately lead to novel biologically-driven approaches for treatment and prevention.

UNT One O'Clock Lab Band: Kyle Myers - Red Herring (2018)

Even little more exercise can extend lifespan: study

No matter your fitness level, adding just a little more exercise may prolong your life, new research suggests.

"People think they have to start going to the gym and exercising hard to get fitter," said researcher Elin Ekblom-Bak, from the Swedish School of Sport and Health Sciences in Stockholm.

"But it doesn't have to be that complicated. For most people, just being more active in daily life -- taking the stairs, exiting the metro station early, cycling to work -- is enough to benefit health since levels are so low to start with," she said. "The more you do, the better."

The End of Satire

The toxic disinformation of social media has rendered traditional forms of humor quaint and futile.

By Justin E.H. Smith

Atrium, Wake Forest to create academic health system: 5 things to know

The plans, announced April 10, include a second medical campus in Charlotte. The combined organization would train about 3,200 students, residents and fellows, and offer the nation's largest post-graduate fellowship program for nurse practitioners and physician assistants.

Progress against heart disease stalls: 'We are at a point of real stagnation'

Kim Painter, USA TODAY

“We are at a point of real stagnation,” says David Goff, director of cardiovascular sciences at the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.

The overall burden of cardiovascular disease – the broad category that includes heart attacks, strokes, heart failure and other heart and blood vessel conditions – “is actually getting worse in some states,” says Gregory Roth, an assistant professor at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington.

The prime suspects for this shift: America’s epidemics of obesity and diabetes.

The most likely cures: known life-savers such as blood pressure and cholesterol control, healthier diets, more physical activity, less smoking and greater access to health care.

Neuropsychol Dev Cogn B Aging Neuropsychol Cogn. 2019 Apr 12:1-20. doi: 10.1080/13825585.2019.1598537. [Epub ahead of print]

Older and younger adults' interactions with friends and strangers in an iterated prisoner's dilemma.

Mienaltowski A1,2, Wichman AL1.

Author information

1

a Department of Psychological Sciences , Western Kentucky University , Bowling Green , Kentucky , USA.

2

b School of Psychology , Georgia Institute of Technology , Atlanta , Georgia.

Abstract

This study examined age-related differences in behavioral reactions to interpersonal conflict within an iterated prisoner's dilemma (PD). Participants completed an iterated PD game alone and with a partner, either a stranger or a friend who accompanied them to the session. The partner, however, was actually a program that occasionally behaved selfishly or always reciprocated. Afterwards, participants formed trait impressions of their partner's morality and competence. Participants cooperated more with friends than strangers and more with reciprocating partners than selfish ones. Older adults cooperated more with selfish partners and offered more favorable impressions than did younger adults. Overall, perceived partner trait morality was positively associated with cooperative behavior. Relative to younger adults, older adults were more passive during conflict but grew less so as selfishness continued. This passivity co-occurred with more favorable partner impressions and better objective performance, suggesting a degree of calibration not shown by younger adults.

Genet Med. 2019 Apr 12. doi: 10.1038/s41436-019-0482-5. [Epub ahead of print]

CRISPR in the North American popular press.

Marcon A1, Master Z2, Ravitsky V3, Caulfield T4.

Author information

1

Health Law Institute, Faculty of Law, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada.

2

Biomedical Ethics Research Program and Center for Regenerative Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA.

3

School of Public Health, University of Montreal, Montreal, QC, Canada.

4

Faculty of Law and School of Public Health, Health Law Institute, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada. caulfield@ualberta.ca.

Abstract

PURPOSE:

CRISPR is often called one of the century's most important discoveries and is commonly discussed in terms of its momentous potential impacts. This study analyzed how CRISPR is discussed in the North American popular press, including how it is defined, and which benefits and risks/concerns are attributed to the technology.

METHODS:

Using the Factiva database, we identified 228 relevant, nonduplicated articles containing either "CRISPR" or "C.R.I.S.P.R.," published in popular US and Canadian news sources between 1 January 2012 and 12 July 2017. Content analysis was performed on the articles.

RESULTS:

CRISPR is most often discussed in the context of human health (83.8%), compared with animals (26.3%) and plants (20.6%). Nearly all articles (96.1%) presented CRISPR's potential benefits; 61.4% of articles presented CRISPR-related risks/concerns, the vast majority of which focused on the uncertainty surrounding CRISPR, specifically with respect to germline modifications.

CONCLUSIONS:

Overall, the discourse suggests a strong promotion of CRISPR, but an element of caution is also evident. Technical as well as ethical, legal, and social risks/concerns play a prominent role. This media portrayal of CRISPR might help facilitate more sophisticated and balanced policy responses, where the scientific potential of the technology is highlighted alongside broader social considerations.

"...our university has zero tolerance for hazing..."

University at Buffalo student critically injured in 'potential' hazing incident; school suspends all Greek life

The student is reportedly on life support.

"As the investigation into this very serious matter continues, let me reiterate that our university has zero tolerance for hazing," University at Buffalo President Satish Tripathi said in a statement. "Not only are hazing incidents a violation of our university policies, but they are also crimes.

J Thorac Dis. 2019 Jan;11(Suppl 1):S81-S88. doi: 10.21037/jtd.2019.01.46.

Update on emerging biomarkers in lung cancer.

Bernicker EH1, Allen TC2, Cagle PT3.

Author information

1

Houston Methodist Hospital, Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USA.

2

Department of Pathology, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, Mississippi, USA.

3

Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas, USA.

Abstract

There has been considerable progress made in identifying oncogenic driver mutations in advanced lung cancer. The recognition that lung cancer is actually an umbrella classification that is comprised of multiple molecular subgroups has had a profound impact on how medical oncologists make treatment decisions. These mutations are clinically important as available targeted therapies can achieve significant responses and prolonged disease control. This review will summarize the current guidelines for biomarker testing and available therapeutic agents.

Sidewalk Rage

Why Your Brain Hates Slowpokes

The high speed of society has jammed your internal clock.

“Why are we impatient? It’s a heritage from our evolution,” says Marc Wittmann, a psychologist at the Institute for Frontier Areas of Psychology and Mental Health in Freiburg, Germany. Impatience made sure we didn’t die from spending too long on a single unrewarding activity. It gave us the impulse to act.

But that good thing is gone. The fast pace of society has thrown our internal timer out of balance. It creates expectations that can’t be rewarded fast enough—or rewarded at all. When things move more slowly than we expect, our internal timer even plays tricks on us, stretching out the wait, summoning anger out of proportion to the delay.

“The link between time and emotion is a complex one,” says James Moore, a neuroscientist at Goldsmiths, University of London. “A lot is dependent on expectation—if we expect something to take time then we can accept it. Frustration is often a consequence of expectations being violated.”

“Time stretches,” Wittman says. “We get mad.”

"This seems to me to be a worse problem, not only because people do learn by making mistakes, but because the sphere of “correct,” accessible English will only get smaller and smaller."

The thesaurus is good, valuable, commendable, superb, actually

In defense of the much-maligned reference book.

"But the alternate problem is that people are too afraid to test new words — even words that are correct, but obscure — because they are afraid of seeming foolish and they either stay within the bounds of a safe vocabulary or (if they are a certain business-managerial type) cope by inventing hideous new words. Fear of the thesaurus has unleashed horrors a Chthonic god could only dream of, like synergy and incentivize.

This seems to me to be a worse problem, not only because people do learn by making mistakes, but because the sphere of “correct,” accessible English will only get smaller and smaller. Such a state of affairs will not correct language slippage, but it will make English much more boring. One reason people are drawn to the English language writing of people whose first language isn’t English, like Joseph Conrad or Vladimir Nabokov, is because their approach to the language can feel more excited about its potentials than that of people who have been living inside English all their life."

Walgreens, VillageMD team up to offer primary care in Houston

"The primary care clinics will be located beside five Walgreens stores. The 2,500-square-foot clinics will give patients access to primary care physicians, pharmacists, nurses[,] and social workers."

Becker's Health IT + Clinical Leadership + Pharmacy: 3 Questions with Timothy Craig Allen, Professor of Pathology for University of Mississippi Medical Center