January 26th, 2010 by DrCharles in Better Health Network, Health Tips
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Today NPR ran a story about fierce competition and cooperation among mouse sperm cells trying to fertilize an ovum. Apparently spermatozoa from the same male will often clump together, wiggling their flagella in a collective swim that accelerates the group faster towards an egg. In the race to be the first sperm to fertilize an egg this team approach (with sperm of a feather flocking together) may confer an evolutionary advantage. Solo-swimmers move more leisurely. The research and cool video presented on NPR were of sperm from the promiscuous deer mouse. Such murine sperm “behavior” may not be as evolutionarily needed in (usually) less promiscuous humans. Yet the idea of sperm cooperation, fitness, and competition in a microscopic steeplechase is fascinating. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at The Examining Room of Dr. Charles*
January 24th, 2010 by Peggy Polaneczky, M.D. in Better Health Network, News, True Stories
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Bayer Pharmaceuticals, the maker of the Mirena IUD, has teamed up with the Mommy marketing site “Mom Central” to sponsor house parties to sell women the Mirena IUD.
According to a warning letter sent to Bayer by the FDA about the worded content of the events –
The Mirena program is a live presentation designed for a consumer audience of “busy moms.” The program is presented in a consumer’s home or other private setting (e.g. private restaurant party) by a representative from Mom Central (a social networking internet site) and a nurse practitioner (Ms. Barb Dehn). The Mirena program submitted to FDA also references a presentation given by a fashion stylist (Ms. Angela Hastings) that immediately follows Ms. Dehn’s presentation regarding the use of Mirena. The script of Ms. Hastings’ presentation regarding fashion tips was not submitted to FDA.
The events start with an intro by a Mom Central rep – Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at The Blog that Ate Manhattan*
January 17th, 2010 by KerriSparling in Better Health Network, True Stories
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Yesterday’s Diabetes 365 photo was this:
This little, blue, ceramic hippo came with a circus playset I received decades ago. I can’t even remember how long I’ve had it, but since college, this one creature has been living in the drawer in every bathroom of every apartment I’ve ever lived in. It just refuses to be lost or misplaced, though its face is chipped and it’s not the same vibrant blue it once was.
Over the last few days, BSparl has been moving actively and visibly, poking her little legs and arms into my abdomen and dancing around in there. Being the mature adult that I am, I wanted to see if she would respond to things being placed on my belly. If Chris puts his hand on me, she reacts immediately. (She loves her daddy best, I think.) I rested a glass of ice water on my stomach for just a second the other day and she went after it like Siah after a pump cap. And yesterday, a warm mug of tea made her jut her legs out aggressively. (Someone on Twitter said this baby has beverage editorial going on. I’m not shocked – she’s my kid, so she’s bound to have some strong opinions on stuff.) Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Six Until Me.*
January 16th, 2010 by Toni Brayer, M.D. in Better Health Network, Health Tips
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I can’t tell you the number of times women in their mid 40’s come to me and announce “Well, I’m ready to get pregnant”. Putting off pregnancy is understandable in our times. Women are building their careers, moving and traveling, going through a series of “Mr. Wrongs” and looking for the best baby-daddy. Women have thought that fertility was a given and they could get pregnant when the time was right. But, sadly, what they haven’t been told is the cruel trick of nature. Fertility doctors know…after age 29 your chance of having a baby without medical treatment is diminishing every year. After age 40 there is a precipitous drop.
To bring that fact home, check this out. A woman age 19-26 has a 50% chance of getting pregnant during any one menstrual cycle if she has intercourse two days prior to ovulation. For women age 27-34 the chance was 40% and after age 35 it drops to 30%. And at 40 you are only 1/2 as fertile as you were at 35. That is a sharp drop off! Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at EverythingHealth*
January 9th, 2010 by Peggy Polaneczky, M.D. in Better Health Network, Opinion
1 Comment »
This post is in response to Jane Brody’s recent NY Times article on the FRAX fracture risk calculator. FRAX is a clinical decision tool devised by the World Health Organization that allows physicians to account for the myriad of risk factors, including bone density, to determine a patient’s risk for osteoporotic fracture.
Now about 20 years into the practice of medicine, I have evolved from what they call an “early adopter” of new drugs, through a time of cautious use of new drugs, to what I am now – highly skeptical of most new medications and suspicious of Big Pharma, medical thought leaders and anyone else trying to “educate” me about a disease. I am also disappointed in my medical societies for failing to cut the ties between themselves and industry, but hopeful that we are slowly but finally starting to emerge from of an era of industry-dominated health care and into a time of patient-centered medicine. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at The Blog that Ate Manhattan*
Today NPR ran a story about fierce competition and cooperation among mouse sperm cells trying to fertilize an ovum. Apparently spermatozoa from the same male will often clump together, wiggling their flagella in a collective swim that accelerates the group faster towards an egg. In the race to be the first sperm to fertilize an egg this team approach (with sperm of a feather flocking together) may confer an evolutionary advantage. Solo-swimmers move more leisurely. The research and cool video presented on NPR were of sperm from the promiscuous deer mouse. Such murine sperm “behavior” may not be as evolutionarily needed in (usually) less promiscuous humans. Yet the idea of sperm cooperation, fitness, and competition in a microscopic steeplechase is fascinating. Read more »
