Health
Ebola Outbreak Raises Questions About Priorities in Drug Development
News is rapidly changing regarding Ebola. Even as I've been writing this post, we've gone from "There is no treatment except supportive care" to NIH's Dr.
Molecules to Medicine
Demystifying drug development, clinical research, medicine, and the role ethics plays
UMN: How many deaths have occurred during your clinical trials?
This series uses the story of Dan Markingson's participation in a clinical trial of anti-psychotic drugs at the University of Minnesota, his suicide in 2004 while participating on the study, and subsequent events as a case study in which to explore various aspects of clinical trial conduct...
Health
Muddled about MERS? Here's A Quick Guide
While I was working on the “H1N-What?” post, I also knew there would soon be questions about MERS (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome), just as there were about SARS.
Health
Need a Hand? Now You Can Print One
"Every 4 1/2 minutes, a baby is born with a birth defect." That translates to 1 of just 33 babies being born with a defect in the U.S. Of these, about 1,500 babies, or 4 out of every 10,000 babies are born missing a hand or arm ("upper limb reduction")...
Have Pain? Are You Crazy? Rare Diseases Pt. 2
Its all in your head, patients with unexplained pain or unexpected symptoms often hear. My recent post on rare diseases and pediatric pain clearly resonated with a number of people, prompting my immersion in the medical literature and speaking with some experts and patients about these topics and about the difficulties patients with atypical symptoms [...]..
Germs, Microbes Compete With Athletes in Sochi Olympics
The Olympics are not just a chance for countries to bring home the gold. They also provide a perfect chance to spread infections all over the world.
Health
H1N-What? Wading Through the Alphabet Soup of Flu Names
Muddled about all the new flu viruses? Its hard to keep up with the changing names in the news. H1Nwhat? Bird flu. Pig flu. MERS. SARS. Here is a quick overview of this dizzying, dyslexia inducing array, with what you need to worry about, even if some arent yet in your backyard...
Rare Diseases – in Honor of Sam Berns
Two cases this week highlight some of the difficulties surrounding rare and orphan diseases. First, Sam Berns, age 17, just died from his progressive genetic disease, progeria, which causes very rapid and premature aging...
What do you need to know to survive this years flu?
I spent a year filtering spit and nasal washings, growing influenza in tissue cultures in a minimalist lab, and trying to develop an oral flu vaccine, all as part of my Infectious Diseases fellowship thirty years ago...
Health
UMN agrees to outside review of clinical research practices—but what parts and by whom?
This research ethics series uses the story of Dan Markingsons participation in a clinical trial of anti-psychotic drugs at the University of Minnesota, his suicide 2004 while participating on the study, and subsequent events as a case study in which to explore various aspects of clinical trial conduct...
Blog Index
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Anthropology in Practice
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Adventures in the good science of rock-breaking.
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A Blog About the Weird Wonderfulness of Life on Earth
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Exploring and celebrating diversity in science.
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