December 7th, 2009 by Medgadget in Better Health Network, News
No Comments »
Contrary to common misconceptions, real cases of amnesia are extremely rare. But Henry Gustav Molaison (known as patient H.M.) was subject of a radical experimental brain surgery in 1953 in an attempt to treat his epileptic seizures following which he was not able to form new memories. About a year ago, Mr Molaison passed away but left to science his fascinating brain which is currently being dissected at the University of California San Diego Brain Observatory. The researchers in charge of the project have setup a live video feed with an open invitation to anyone interested in viewing the slicing to join in the fun. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Medgadget*
March 8th, 2009 by Dr. Val Jones in Announcements, Expert Interviews, Health Policy, Medical Art
No Comments »
In yet another example of a fortuitous Twitter connection, Tim Clarke, Deputy Director of Communications for the National Museum of Health and Medicine reached out to me after I tweeted about Walter Reed. He graciously offered to give me a guided tour of the museum, located on the Walter Reed campus where I volunteer with the Red Cross.
We spent about an hour reviewing some fascinating exhibits, including the history of body identification techniques. If you’re a fan of NCIS, then you should run (not walk) to this museum to gain insight into the incredible evolution of forensic science over the past 150 years. The exhibit begins with Paul Revere’s dental tools (did you know he was a part-time dentist?) and the story of how he identified the body of a fallen soldier for whom he’d done some unique silver smith work.
The time of death and relative age of human remains can be gauged by bone erosion (they become smoother with age) and material evidence (the type of button found near the remains can be used to identify the season of death – larger buttons were used for heavy winter overcoats for example) among other things.
Did you know that finger print analysis is not automated? Apparently, to this day, a technician must be involved in the computer-generated comparisons because finger prints are too complex for 100% accuracy with computer models.
However, with the advent of DNA analysis, extraordinary advances have been made in our ability to identify remains. In one particularly fascinating case, Charles Scharf’s body was identified after his wife brought in a letter that he’d sent to her from Viet Nam in 1965. She had kept it in a plastic bag in a shoe box since that time. Charles had sealed the letter with his saliva, and because of the excellent condition of the envelope, tiny pieces of DNA remained in the glue. In 2006 pathologists were able to link his remains to his DNA sample, and finally confirm his fate.
Modern autopsies can be performed rapidly with the guidance of CT scanners. The likely internal injury that caused a soldiers death can be identified via CT, and then rapidly confirmed by pathologists. Research into armed forces injuries can result in improved equipment and increased safety. In one case, a retrospective analysis of CT scans demonstrated that military personnel had larger chest cavities (on average) than initially thought – this resulted in the provision of longer needles for chest tubes in trauma bays.
And speaking of trauma bays, the museum has transported an entire trauma tent from Balad Air Force Base in Iraq to memorialize medical care during the war. A 3000 pound concrete slab of flooring provides the base of the exhibit, complete with original blood and betadine stains, gouges in the plastic floor sealant, and duct tape. Original metal tent doors and canvas show evidence of sand storm damage, with sand still coating the tent air ducts. Action photos taken at the trauma bay surround the exhibit. Nothing brings home the reality of war like this living 3-D memorial.
Just to the left of the tent is a large photo of a Black Hawk helicopter and a wounded soldier being carried by EMS through a canvas archway. On the ceiling of the archway is an American flag. I turned to Tim and asked him why the flag was on the ceiling and he said,
“That was so the soldiers could look up from their stretchers as they arrived at the medical facility and know that they were ‘home.’ They were safe now, and were going to be taken care of.”
Tim also introduced me to the Abraham Lincoln exhibit, where the bullet that sealed his fate (along with skull fragments, a tuft of his hair, and his surgeon’s sleeves) are on display. It’s an extraordinary feeling, being so close to history.
I’m really glad that I had the chance to experience history with Tim, and I strongly recommend that you contact him to set up your own guided tour. If you’re a member of a professional society, or are coming to DC for a meeting or event, why not make the National Museum of Health and Medicine a part of your travel plans?
September 18th, 2008 by Dr. Val Jones in True Stories
No Comments »
I love my new blog web designer. She is incredibly talented, and has the uncanny ability to capture concepts with images. In fact, if you’d like to comment on this post to offer her a “high five” for this website design, I’m sure she’d appreciate it. Her name is Beata.
When Beata and I sat down to try to figure out how to express my “style” she asked me what kind of visuals I was drawn to. I showed her the Medi-mation website since I have a soft spot for 3-D science animation. She said she’d like to start with some microscopic images and stylize them for me so that they were suggestive of medical images, but not too literal.
Beata offered me a series of background patterns to choose from for my landing page. I did an abrupt halt over this one though: Read more »
June 30th, 2008 by Dr. Val Jones in Medblogger Shout Outs
2 Comments »
Thanks to science writer Carl Zimmer for highlighting this totally disgusting fish parasite. Read the description and check out the photo link if you dare.
“Parasites often choose very particular–and peculiar–places to live. This crustacean invades a fish’s mouth, devours its tongue, and takes the tongue’s place. It then acts like a tongue; the fish can use it to grip and swallow prey.”
The fish’s version of “has the cat got your tongue?”
In the mood for more creepy stuff? Check out my previous posts:
Spider bite
Malaria
Rabid bat bite
Total body warts
Poisonous snake in ICUThis post originally appeared on Dr. Val’s blog at RevolutionHealth.com.
June 3rd, 2008 by Dr. Val Jones in Expert Interviews
No Comments »
The following interview with Alzheimer’s researcher, Dr. Jeffrey Cummings, is a continuation of part 1…
Dr. Val: Tell me about the comorbidities associated with Alzheimer’s and how caregivers can prepare for them.
Dr. Cummings: Being a caregiver is a real challenge. It’s so difficult to take care of someone who may be incontinent, agitated, psychotic or depressed. All of these symptoms occur with increasing frequency as the disease progresses, and can challenge even the most devoted caregiver.
There are educational programs that can help to explain to caregivers where these behaviors are coming from, and can teach them how not to exacerbate the symptoms. For example, it’s important to avoid confrontation with the patient. If he or she doesn’t want to take a shower in the morning, then it’s better just to let it go.
Reducing friction between the caregiver and the patient has been shown to delay the time to nursing home placement, so there are behavioral interventions on the part of the caregiver that can be very beneficial.
Dr. Val: What can online companies like Revolution Health do to support patients with Alzheimer’s disease and their caregivers?
Dr. Cummings: We’ve learned that there are things that people can do to protect themselves against getting Alzheimer’s disease. This includes physical exercise (at least 30 minutes per day 3 times per week), active engagement in leisure time activities, eating a diet high in anti-oxidants (such as salmon, green leafy vegetables, and blueberries), avoiding head trauma (e.g. wear helmets while cycling), controlling high blood pressure, and controlling cholesterol.
It would be great if Revolution Health included all of these healthy lifestyle strategies in a comprehensive Alzheimer’s prevention agenda.
Dr. Val: Is there a role for the “brain games” movement in Alzheimer’s disease?
Dr. Cummings: That’s an interesting question – though I’ve seen very little data supporting brain games in particular. We do know that active intellectual engagement reduces the risk of Alzheimer’s disease, but once one has the disease, it’s less clear whether these kinds of programs can actually reduce progression. At the very least they may reduce agitation by active engagement of the patient, leaving less time for them to be unoccupied. I’d really encourage the people who are developing brain games to test them in well controlled trials. The games could be tested in the same way that drugs are tested.
*Listen to the full interview here*This post originally appeared on Dr. Val’s blog at RevolutionHealth.com.
