Lets call this a link Thursday
http://www.nytimes-se.com/ [The future (crossing fingers)]
http://nymag.com/daily/intel/2008/11/fake_new_york_times_has_a_conn.html [How cool]
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/14/health/14hiv.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin
[Cure for AIDS, groundbreaking work showing that a stem cell transplant with blood that lacks a co-receptor for HIV, specifically CCR5, can provide immunity to already diseased patients. This is, however, a very risky procedure and too expensive and difficult for most people with HIV. Still pretty incredible]
http://pubs.acs.org/cen/news/86/i45/8645notw1.html[The scientific world has been waiting for Obama]
http://www.vimeo.com/993998 [Pretty neat]
A joke at every end:
Why did the chicken NOT cross the road?
Because it was chicken.
11.13.2008
11.11.2008
Flu and Google sitting in a tree
Well this is pretty neat: New York Times has noted that Google is getting in on flu tracking. http://www.google.org/flutrends represents Google's non profit side. The company will use key words, relating to flu like symptoms, typed online to track regional outbreaks of influenza.
The flu is caused by a genera of the RNA virus family Orthomyxoviridae. This virus genome is composed of a single negative sense RNA strand, broken into many segments (8). The strains differ every year based on the glycoproteins found in the virus's envelope (or outer cell structure). These glycoproteins allow the viral cell to bind to a human cell (hemagglutinin) and release of the viral cell from the host cell (neuraminidase). A mutation in either one of these "peplomers" creates a new strand of virus.
Ultimately, it is very important to track the influenza virus to implement appropriate vaccine measures and also to identify the most prevalent strand in the years flu outbreak. One of the biggest difficulties in vaccination is that three strains of virus have to be selected 6 months prior to flu season. While Google has validated their keyword based tracking system with the tracking system currently used by the CDC, there is still much more work to do to be able to predict not only where but which strain of the flu is coming for us.
A joke at every end:
A famous champion is in bed with flu. A doctor visits him.
“You’ve got a high fever, my friend,” says the doctor.
“How high?” – asks the champion.
“39.5˚C,” the doctor nods.
“Yeah? And what is the world record?”
The flu is caused by a genera of the RNA virus family Orthomyxoviridae. This virus genome is composed of a single negative sense RNA strand, broken into many segments (8). The strains differ every year based on the glycoproteins found in the virus's envelope (or outer cell structure). These glycoproteins allow the viral cell to bind to a human cell (hemagglutinin) and release of the viral cell from the host cell (neuraminidase). A mutation in either one of these "peplomers" creates a new strand of virus.
Ultimately, it is very important to track the influenza virus to implement appropriate vaccine measures and also to identify the most prevalent strand in the years flu outbreak. One of the biggest difficulties in vaccination is that three strains of virus have to be selected 6 months prior to flu season. While Google has validated their keyword based tracking system with the tracking system currently used by the CDC, there is still much more work to do to be able to predict not only where but which strain of the flu is coming for us.
A joke at every end:
A famous champion is in bed with flu. A doctor visits him.
“You’ve got a high fever, my friend,” says the doctor.
“How high?” – asks the champion.
“39.5˚C,” the doctor nods.
“Yeah? And what is the world record?”
11.09.2008
Noted
Heparin seized from Cincinnati-based Celsus Laboratories Inc. The WSJ reports that the FDA, after issuing two recommendations for recall, seized two lots of Heparin worth $112,000. While an impressive move, it is quiet alarming that the first letter was sent to Celsus in April.
"The FDA said companies who may have purchased heparin from Celsus should contact the company to determine whether the heparin they purchased was from the seized lots." When it comes to very expensive medication, it seems that these companies might not chose to contact the FDA.
A hospital in Detroit is using the automobile industry to improve efficiency. The Detroit News reports that "lean production" is being applied to the medical system. The Detroit Medical Center, for example, hired automotive consultants to review the patient's trip through the medical system to identify inefficiencies. This has helped save the hospital hundreds of thousands of dollars. Other hospitals, using a similar model of critique, has shortened the average ER wait to under 30 minutes.
A joke at every end:
Little Nancy was in the garden filling in a hole when her neighbor peered over the fence. Interested in what the little girl was up to, he politely asked, "What are you up to there, Nancy?"
"The FDA said companies who may have purchased heparin from Celsus should contact the company to determine whether the heparin they purchased was from the seized lots." When it comes to very expensive medication, it seems that these companies might not chose to contact the FDA.
A hospital in Detroit is using the automobile industry to improve efficiency. The Detroit News reports that "lean production" is being applied to the medical system. The Detroit Medical Center, for example, hired automotive consultants to review the patient's trip through the medical system to identify inefficiencies. This has helped save the hospital hundreds of thousands of dollars. Other hospitals, using a similar model of critique, has shortened the average ER wait to under 30 minutes.
A joke at every end:
Little Nancy was in the garden filling in a hole when her neighbor peered over the fence. Interested in what the little girl was up to, he politely asked, "What are you up to there, Nancy?"
"My goldfish died," replied Nancy tearfully, without looking up, "and I've just buried him."
The neighbor was concerned, "That's an awfully big hole for a goldfish, isn't it?"
Nancy patted down the last heap of earth and then replied, "That's because he's inside your stupid cat."
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