Neurology: Diabetic Neuropathy (Understanding Disease Series by Focus Medica) – Video

Posted on by

26-01-2012 01:59 Get the facts on Diabetic Neuropathy with this 100%-accurate animated video. Part of Focus Apps' Understanding Disease: Neurology series, the Diabetic Neuropathy app explains a family of nerve disorders associated with diabetes. Diabetic neuropathy affects all peripheral nerves: pain fibers, motor neurons, and autonomic nerves. Relatively common conditions that may be associated with diabetic neuropathy as a result of long-term nerve damage include numbness, pain, or tingling. Explore associated complications, various forms of diabetic neuropathy, and treatment options. focusappsstore.com

Read more:
Neurology: Diabetic Neuropathy (Understanding Disease Series by Focus Medica) - Video

Neurology: Alzheimer’s Disease (Understanding Disease Series by Focus Medica) – Video

Posted on by

26-01-2012 01:45 Get the facts on Alzheimer's disease with this 100%-accurate animated video. Part of Focus Apps' Understanding Disease: Neurology series, the Alzheimer's Disease app explains the function, anatomy, and disease of the brain. It also describes in detail the various forms of the disease, diagnostic procedures, and treatment options. It also lists patient-care guidelines for caretakers and for those who are coping with the disease. focusappsstore.com

The rest is here:
Neurology: Alzheimer's Disease (Understanding Disease Series by Focus Medica) - Video

Views From the Summit – Seward Rutkove , MD, Associate Professor of Neurology, Harvard – Video

Posted on by

20-01-2012 01:11 RESEARCH NEWS-Tune in to "Views from the Summit" for an important interview about ALS research, hosted by NBC's Jinah Kim. In this segment, Seward Rutkove , MD, Associate Professor of Neurology, Harvard, discusses his Prize4Life award from his research at the 2011 California ALS Research Summit at UCLA.

Read this article:
Views From the Summit - Seward Rutkove , MD, Associate Professor of Neurology, Harvard - Video

Art in Science: How Innovative Images Led to a ‘Miraculous’ Revolution in Neurology – Video

Posted on by

23-01-2012 15:37 Complete video at: fora.tv Carl Schoonover, author of Portraits of the Mind: Visualizing the Brain from Antiquity to the 21st Century , describes the "miraculous" revolution that occurred in neural imaging during the late 19th century.

More here:
Art in Science: How Innovative Images Led to a 'Miraculous' Revolution in Neurology - Video

How to avoid hidden sodium – a Johns Hopkins dietitian walks through the aisles of a grocery store with you (video)

Posted on by

Join Johns Hopkins registered dietitian, Arielle Rosenberg, as she walks through the aisles and offers suggestions on how to lower salt intake -- but not compromise flavor.

Cutting U.S. salt intake by just half a teaspoon (3 grams) a day would prevent up to 92,000 deaths, 99,000 heart attacks, and 66,000 strokes -- a benefit as big as smoking cessation. A 3-gm per day reduction in salt (1,200 mg of sodium) will result in 6% fewer new cases of heart disease and 3% fewer deaths.

The average U.S. man gets about 10.4 grams a day and the average U.S. woman gets about 7.3 grams a day.

77% of the salt in the American diet comes from processed food. Only 6% is shaken out at the table, and only 5% is sprinkled during cooking.

Once people cut back on salt -- whether or not they know they are doing it -- they begin to prefer less salt in their food. This happens in a matter of weeks.

References:

"Cutting Salt as Good as Quitting Smoking"

Posted at Clinical Cases and Images. Stay updated and subscribe, follow us on Twitter and connect on Facebook.


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

Premenstrual syndrome and premenstrual dysphoric disorder (review)

Posted on by

Premenstrual syndrome

Premenstrual syndrome is defined as recurrent psychological and physical symptoms that occur during the luteal phase of menses and resolve with menstruation. It affects 20-30% of premenopausal women.

Premenstrual dysphoric disorder

Premenstrual dysphoric disorder includes affective or somatic symptoms that cause severe dysfunction in social or occupational activity. It affects 3-8% of premenopausal women.

Proposed etiologies (causative factors) include:

- increased sensitivity to normal cycling levels of estrogen and progesterone
- increased aldosterone and plasma renin activity
- neurotransmitter abnormalities, particularly serotonin

The Daily Record of Severity of Problems is one tool with which women may self-report premenstrual symptoms.

Symptom relief is the goal, and there is limited evidence for the use of:

- calcium
- vitamin D
- vitamin B6 supplementation

Serotonergic antidepressants (SSRIs) (citalopram, escitalopram, fluoxetine, sertraline, venlafaxine) are first-line pharmacologic therapy.

References:

Premenstrual syndrome and premenstrual dysphoric disorder. Biggs WS, Demuth RH. Am Fam Physician. 2011 Oct 15;84(8):918-24.

Image source: OpenClipArt.org, public domain.

Posted at Clinical Cases and Images. Stay updated and subscribe, follow us on Twitter and connect on Facebook.


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

Blogging is good for you – and for most people who read blogs

Posted on by

From The Economist:

"Academic papers cited by bloggers are far more likely to be downloaded. Blogging economists are regarded more highly than non-bloggers with the same publishing record.

The back-and-forth between bloggers resembles the informal chats, in university hallways and coffee rooms, that have always stimulated economic research, argues Paul Krugman, a Nobel-prize winning economist who blogs at the New York Times. But moving the conversation online means that far more people can take part.

Despite the low barriers to entry, blogs do impose some intellectual standards. Errors of fact or logic are spotted, ridiculed and corrected. Areas of disagreement are highlighted and sometimes even narrowed."

Similar dynamics are in work on many medical blogs authored by physicians.

WIN-WIN, as the author of the blog "The Happy Hospitalist" likes to say.

References:

Economics blogs. A less dismal debate. The Economist, 01/2011.

Posted at Clinical Cases and Images. Stay updated and subscribe, follow us on Twitter and connect on Facebook.


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

Depression treatment is as effective in older (over 65) as in younger adults

Posted on by

Depression in later life, traditionally defined as age older than 65, is associated with disability, increased mortality, and poorer outcomes.

Compared to younger adults with depression:

- cognitive and functional impairment and anxiety are more common in older adults

- older adults with depression are at increased risk of suicide

Depression is associated with cognitive impairment and an increased risk of dementia.

A selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) should be the first line pharmacological treatment for depression for most older adults.

Psychological and drug treatment is as effective in older as in younger adults

References:

Depression in older adults. Rodda et al. BMJ, 2011.

Image source: Vincent van Gogh's 1890 painting At Eternity's Gate. Wikipedia, public domain.

Posted at Clinical Cases and Images. Stay updated and subscribe, follow us on Twitter and connect on Facebook.


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

94% of Americans score at “poor” level on at least one of the 7 factors defining ideal cardiovascular health

Posted on by

More than 90% of Americans score poorly on at least one of the American Heart Association’s 7 factors defining ideal cardiovascular health.

The 7 factors (with lack of a diagnosis of heart or blood vessel disease) include:

- smoking status
- weight
- physical activity
- healthy diet
- cholesterol concentration
- blood pressure
- fasting glucose concentration

The new data by CDC and NIH show that 94% of US adults score at a “poor” level on at least one of those factors and that 38% have at least 3 factors at a poor level.

References:

US citizens score poorly on ratings of cardiovascular risk factors. BMJ 2012; 344 doi: 10.1136/bmj.e22 (Published 4 January 2012).

Posted at Clinical Cases and Images. Stay updated and subscribe, follow us on Twitter and connect on Facebook.


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

Hands-only CPR videos – The American Way vs. The British Way – Celebrity edition

Posted on by

The American Heart Association (AHA) recruited Kendrick Kang-Joh Jeong, MD (a trained physician and an actor from the Hangover) to demonstrate ‘hands only CPR’ to the metronomic beat of the Bee Gees 1977 disco hit ‘Stayin’ Alive’:

The British Heart Foundation recruited footballer-turned-actor Vinnie Jones to show how hard and fast hands-only CPR to Stayin' Alive by the Bee Gees can help save the life of someone who has had a cardiac arrest. The Hollywood hardman is starring in a TV advert urging more people to carry out CPR in a medical emergency:

Ken Jeong Behind the Scenes - AHA CPR video:

Comments from YouTube:

Sure, the beat to "Staying Alive" works, but so does "Another One Bites The Dust" by Queen......... just? saying!

Related reading:

Disco Still Saves Lives. Life in the Fast Lane.

Posted at Clinical Cases and Images. Stay updated and subscribe, follow us on Twitter and connect on Facebook.


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

Why Mayo Clinic is a power user of social media: "Our patients are doing it, so this is where we need to be"

Posted on by

Mayo Clinic's first-ever Social Media Residency took place October 20-21, 2011. At the end of the first day, the attendees went out on a video interview assignment. Check out some of the videos they returned with.

The best interest of the patient is the only interest to be considered

The Mayo Clinic CEO pointed out recently that Mayo intends to be the leader in social media in healthcare but this is not about competitive advantage, it is about the patient. The best interest of the patient is the only interest to be considered. Social media makes the union of forces more broadly practical than at any time in human history.

References:

Social media in medicine: How to be a Twitter superstar and help your patients and your practice

Posted at Clinical Cases and Images. Stay updated and subscribe, follow us on Twitter and connect on Facebook.


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

Neurological Basis For Learning Disabilities: Implications for Educational Practice – Video

Posted on by

05-01-2012 08:20 An educator's perspective on the neurology of learning disabilities and translation into evidence based classroom practices Series: "MIND Institute Lecture Series on Neurodevelopmental Disorders" [Health and Medicine] [Professional Medical Education] [Show ID: 23087]

See more here:
Neurological Basis For Learning Disabilities: Implications for Educational Practice - Video

"The online version is the official journal of record, not the print edition". Start a blog in 2012

Posted on by

"The online version is the official journal of record", wrote the Editor-in-Chief and the editorial staff of Pediatrics, the official journal of the the American Academy of Pediatrics:

"As we start 2012, and welcome the more than 6 million annual visitors to our journal's Web site, we remind our readers that the online version, not the shorter print edition, is the official journal of record. Is it time to do away with the print version? Probably not just yet, but it may not be long until we are heading in that direction.

If you are thinking, “there are so many options to peruse and so little time!” you will find some highlights of each issue in our blog - First Read - which contains previews of articles of interest selected by members of our executive editorial board. We are even running some of our most interesting “fillers” from the print journal in the blog so they are not missed by our online readers"

This is the URL of the blog which is hosted for free on Blogger.com by Google: http://pediatricsblog.blogspot.com

All physicians should consider starting a blog in 2012

I would encourage all physicians to start a blog in 2012 - here is why (quotes from an interview with Seth Godin and Tom Peters):

"Blogging is free. It doesn’t matter if anyone reads it. What matters is the humility that comes from writing it. What matters is the metacognition of thinking about what you’re going to say.

No single thing in the last 15 years professionally has been more important to my life than blogging. It has changed my life, it has changed my perspective, it has changed my intellectual outlook, it’s changed my emotional outlook. And it’s free."

Don't limit yourself to your blog - use Facebook, Twitter and Google Plus

Blogging can be great for personal growth but there is a lot more interaction on Twitter, Facebook and Google Plus nowadays as compared to blogs. If you have a blog, you must also have a Facebook "like" page (previously called "fan" page), a Twitter account, and probably a Google Plus page. These serve the dual purpose of distribution and commenting channels ("two-way street").

For example, Facebook pages get a lot more interaction than blogs for some medical journals - you can compare the number of comments on the NEJM Facebook updates (the range is 9-180) vs. their blog (0). The blog has comments enabled, of course.

Facebook is the clear "winner" in terms of commenting activity, it is not even close:

NEJM Facebook page vs. NEJM blog

This is a suggested simple project for all doctors in 2012:

1. Start on Twitter (microblog).
2. Continue on Blogger/WordPress.
3. Make an impact. Improve the quality of online health information and tell the public your side of the story.

How to Create a Blog on Blogger in 5 minutes (Google video):

Help your patients and your practice

I developed the concept of Two Interlocking Cycles:

- Cycle of Patient Education
- Cycle of Online Information and Physician Education

The two cycles work together as two interlocking cogwheels (TIC):

References:

Taking the Pulse of Pediatrics. PEDIATRICS Vol. 129 No. 1 January 1, 2012, pp. 168 -169 (doi: 10.1542/peds.2011-3288).

Social media in medicine: How to be a Twitter superstar and help your patients and your practice

Posted at Clinical Cases and Images. Stay updated and subscribe, follow us on Twitter and connect on Facebook.


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