Biology

Diabetes diagnostic testing, hemoglobin, and the WHO

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Today's second installment is about the WHO definition of diabetes, and whether today's New England Journal of Medicine paper is enough to change it.

New study: HbA1c more predictive of diabetes harm than current testing

Hemoglobin A1c is certainly not a new test, but it has just been shown to predict more accurately the onset of diabetes complications such as heart disease or stroke, than current required testing such as a fasting glucose test.

Don't laugh: cinnamon and diabetes

Today in the office,  someone came out of left field and asked me what I thought about the use of cinnamon for the control of their hypertension.  Keeping a somewhat straight face, I said I would look into it, but hadn't heard much about it.

Podcast: Brazilian stem cell treatment for chest pain

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http://theblackcordelias.files.wordpress.com/2009/03/stem-cells.jpgStem cell therapy strikes again, this time in cardiology.  Researchers in Brazil directly injected bone marrow stem cells into the left ventricle, in patients with refractory angina or heart pain.  These patients had undergone surgery, angioplasty and medical treatment, but had ongoing chest pain. 

Peanut allergy research pays early rewards

AAAS annual meeting carries the ongoing story of a British researcher on the verge of conquering peanut allergies.  Usually I don't carry stories this far out from clinical trial status, but the early results are encouraging.

Ear candles...yes, ear candles

Oh dear.  I laughed out loud with this one, in WSJ today.  Evidently there are enough peop»

With platelet transfusions, less can be more

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NEJM today has a paper on a strategy to use smaller platelet transfusions and lower transfusion thresholds.

The audio podcast discusses what platelets do in the circulation, some of the issues surrounding platelet transfusions, and some of the implications of the current NEJM paper. http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/short/362/7/600

Chicken feed antibiotics and microbial resistance--new study weighs in

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I have been interested for many years on the question of whether adding antibiotics to chicken feed leads to more "superbug" resistant organisms in the hospital. There is science on both sides of the question.

Last week, we had a paper reporting that bacteria given sub-lethal doses of antibiotics don't die, but they mutate their DNA due to oxygen free radicals liberated by the antibiotics.

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