Showing posts with label medicine. Show all posts
Showing posts with label medicine. Show all posts
Friday Fragments (11/25/11)
Thanksgiving is upon us and I for am thankful for a few days of rest and relaxation. Here are some interesting links for you to check out on this Black Friday..
-First, I want a pair of these blinds in my office and in our lab, considering neither of them have windows.
-If you know someone in your family that is either a science nerd (like myself) or a sci-fi geek check out io9.com's gift guide. I particular like the books section (hint hint)!
-In France, doctors have successfully bone marrow to create new blood and give a transfusion to another person. It's a matter of time before blood drives will be obsolete and we can just grow blood for people.
-Chances are that you are reading this from a computer (or phone) that has a dual-core processor. Maybe even a quad-core and six-core machine if you are an avid computer builder. But now AMD has outdone itself with it's new beast of a processor with 16-cores! I can't wait to play 16 simultaneous games of Peggle!
-Scientists have put out a new APB for a giant gas planet missing from our solar system. New calculations suggest that we may have lost a gas giant to the universe early in the development of our solar system. So anyone with information leading to the safe return of this giant planet please contact NASA for a job so that you may utilize your talents appropriately.
-I've mention spray on skin but this is truly innovative. Take a healthy sample, give it 20 minutes and presto...new skin to spray on to the patient!
-Lastly, I want a pair of these contacts. They come with a built in LED "interface." Sure it's just one light that blinks right now but soon it will be the internet controlled by your brain!
-First, I want a pair of these blinds in my office and in our lab, considering neither of them have windows.
 |
| I suggest something like this for your friends that remind you of characters from "The Big Bang Theory" show. |
-In France, doctors have successfully bone marrow to create new blood and give a transfusion to another person. It's a matter of time before blood drives will be obsolete and we can just grow blood for people.
-Chances are that you are reading this from a computer (or phone) that has a dual-core processor. Maybe even a quad-core and six-core machine if you are an avid computer builder. But now AMD has outdone itself with it's new beast of a processor with 16-cores! I can't wait to play 16 simultaneous games of Peggle!
-Scientists have put out a new APB for a giant gas planet missing from our solar system. New calculations suggest that we may have lost a gas giant to the universe early in the development of our solar system. So anyone with information leading to the safe return of this giant planet please contact NASA for a job so that you may utilize your talents appropriately.
-I've mention spray on skin but this is truly innovative. Take a healthy sample, give it 20 minutes and presto...new skin to spray on to the patient!
-Lastly, I want a pair of these contacts. They come with a built in LED "interface." Sure it's just one light that blinks right now but soon it will be the internet controlled by your brain!
Friday Fragments (11/4/11)
Alright, no screwing around! Here are some fragments to get you through the afternoon...
-A study out of Yale University has mathematically shown that there is such a thing as a "hot hand" in basketball (or as NBA JAM won't put it, "He's on FIRE!!!"). They don't have any proposed mechanisms per say but they have uncovered some statistically significant results from years of NBA data. Although anyone who has played basketball, or any sport for that matter, can tell you there are times when you are just in the zone. I tend to get that way for table tennis but that's another story. Here's a summary of the study, rather than the actual research paper.
-1996...I was 9 years old and the internet was still very young too. I remember going to the computer lab to work on bulky PCs and even a few MACs, using programs like Creative Writer and Oregon Trail 2. I happened to stumble upon this pro/con list of the internet circa 1996. Sadly, much hasn't changed!
-I really like this footage from the moon taken in 1971 that proves Galileo was right about gravity. Watch the video below to see a hammer and a feather fall at the same rate.
-A study out of Yale University has mathematically shown that there is such a thing as a "hot hand" in basketball (or as NBA JAM won't put it, "He's on FIRE!!!"). They don't have any proposed mechanisms per say but they have uncovered some statistically significant results from years of NBA data. Although anyone who has played basketball, or any sport for that matter, can tell you there are times when you are just in the zone. I tend to get that way for table tennis but that's another story. Here's a summary of the study, rather than the actual research paper.
-1996...I was 9 years old and the internet was still very young too. I remember going to the computer lab to work on bulky PCs and even a few MACs, using programs like Creative Writer and Oregon Trail 2. I happened to stumble upon this pro/con list of the internet circa 1996. Sadly, much hasn't changed!
-I really like this footage from the moon taken in 1971 that proves Galileo was right about gravity. Watch the video below to see a hammer and a feather fall at the same rate.
-Crystal skulls are always fascinating....period.
-Here is a list of 10 common food myths. I particularly like the one about tryptophan and I cannot wait to challenge this answer in Trivial Pursuit (I'm looking at you, Mom).
-And lastly, stem cell research took a small step forward recently. Scientists were able to produce stem cells from an unfertilized egg using someone else's DNA. However (there's always a catch) they had to leave the native DNA in the egg as well which produce essentially worthless stem cells, as the donor would reject the stem cells for having some native properties. But it is a step in the right direction, and for those who are sensitive about the whole embryonic stem cell debate, this is a good step in the right direction.
Friday Fragments (10/7/11)
Friday again and today the "Fragments" are going into BEAST MODE! For some reason when I opened up my folder of saved bookmarks for the fragments I found about 3 times the normal amount of links. So without further blabbering here are enough links to keep you occupied all afternoon!
-As you know by now, Steve Jobs passed away this week. And even though I have never own anything Apple, I believe that he single handily pushed a technology revolution that is still happening today. And I found this video that explains how Apple predicted the iPhone 4S technology 24 years ago in 1987! It's pretty close to the real thing, down to the prediction of what year it will happen. Thank you Mr. Jobs for everything you brought us, your legacy will live on for years to come.
-I said this last week, but Windows 7.5 (or Mango) is out for Windows phones and it's pretty good. Already getting rave reviews, I hope that my turn to update will come shortly (it's some sort of phased update, wtf). However, Microsoft also announced that they will no longer be making Zune players. The Zune software, which I think is one of the best music players available, will still be available for PC and WP7.
-Some bad news in the contraceptive front this week, a widely used contraceptive in Africa may actually lead to an increased risk of HIV contraction. Not Good! So to lighten the mood, check out these awesome condom brands!
-Accuweather.com released their winter weather outlook. And I'm official disgruntled! (The Midwest is in f
or a long, cold winter)
-I found this list of the most beautiful colleges campus. It seemed fitting since the leaves are starting to turn around campus. Even if both Notre Dame and IU made the list.
-An interesting look at drug rationing in the US. And Nanorockets...I think so! These look awesome, plain and simple!
-In Nobel Prize news, the first ever posthumously award Nobel Prize was given out this week. Also, chemist who was essentially forced out of his job and research because of his findings on quasi-crystals receives justification in the form of a Nobel Prize.
-This link is only a quick look at the news in molecular science, but the atomic mirror is what caught my eye. We may only be a few years away from quantum computers!
-The Japan earthquake earlier this year was so massive that it actually changed Earth's gravity! Only by 2 billionths of a gal, but still.
-In the world of physics I found two very interesting articles. One about neutrinos and the consequences of going faster than the speed of light. The second on naked singularity. Sounds sexy, so you'll have to click the link to find out (hint: you might be sorely disappointed). Both have some relevancy to the currents state of physics research today. Also, if you understand either one of the articles at all you should pat yourself on the back because I'm still a little confused and I read them a few days ago.
-In biology, scientists have used bacteria to encode messages. I reported on E. coli being a memory storage device but this is pretty cool too.
-Lastly...this is one of the coolest time lapse videos ever. I particularly like how you can see part of the Milky Way galaxy in some of the night shots. Enjoy!
Friday Fragments (9/30/11)
Well this week has been quite the crap-shoot of productivity. At the times when I needed to be productive and get stuff done, I wasn't able to focus between the upcoming football, ridiculously ever-changing weather, and random activities around the lab. And other times when I had time to just sit back and relax I decided to to go big instead of go home (my ass still hurts from plyometrics on Tuesday but whatever). So, I have about an half hour to burn before my last requirement for the week on campus, my major professor's is giving a seminar to another department...and there's free refreshments!
Anyway, I wasn't prepared for a Fragments this week because I have just been lazy and forgotten to save interesting articles. Plus, I have spent a good amount of my usual time spent of science and news articles looking at the Purdue vs Notre Dame preview and fantasy football stats. See Hammerandrails.com or BoiledSports.com for good Purdue sports blogs!
Side Note: Quick shout out to my brother, Adam, is 0-3 in our fantasy league but is by far the best manager I ever had in a fantasy league. The dude writes extensive weekly reviews about the match-ups, previews upcoming games, and has created a ton of weekly "trophies" for me to waste time looking at during the week. It feels some much more legit when I win! Thanks dude! (I should also note that he isn't completely terrible at fantasy football, but he drafted Arian Foster [bust #1] and Peyton Manning before the surgery [bust #2]).
I digress, so I do have a few interesting links for you to finish your week up with...
-Being in the field of pharmaceuticals I get asked the same question a lot; "Why do drugs cost so much?" I could (and will someday soon) explain the situation and my view on how the system works and how I believe it should work. But until then here is a very well written article to explain some of the dynamics of the pharmaceutical industry. I disagree with the idea thrown out at the end that the industry will enter an "Ice Age" soon but otherwise it is a very good article. (About 5-10 minute read)
-If you have ever seen those annoying QR codes and wondered what reasonable application they can have, look no further. Wikipedia is going to start incorporating them into, well, anything and everything! The Indianapolis Children's Museum is already using them. I personally think this is a great idea!
-AlphaDog robot project...the video speaks for itself (hint: it's creepily awesome).
-I believe I may have noted about new injection techniques earlier but here is quick article about the advancement of needles and the future of injections. This is standard IPPH stuff.
-Lastly, if you remember back in the spring there was talk of "alien life" found on earth. Well, if you are really hurting to waste some time, this review over at PopSci.com is a great look at the debacle that is/was the "new life" form and the subsequent fallout for the scientists involved.
Alright that's all I got right now. Oh and don't forget to Boiler Up this weekend against the Crying Irish of Notre Dame!
Anyway, I wasn't prepared for a Fragments this week because I have just been lazy and forgotten to save interesting articles. Plus, I have spent a good amount of my usual time spent of science and news articles looking at the Purdue vs Notre Dame preview and fantasy football stats. See Hammerandrails.com or BoiledSports.com for good Purdue sports blogs!
Side Note: Quick shout out to my brother, Adam, is 0-3 in our fantasy league but is by far the best manager I ever had in a fantasy league. The dude writes extensive weekly reviews about the match-ups, previews upcoming games, and has created a ton of weekly "trophies" for me to waste time looking at during the week. It feels some much more legit when I win! Thanks dude! (I should also note that he isn't completely terrible at fantasy football, but he drafted Arian Foster [bust #1] and Peyton Manning before the surgery [bust #2]).
I digress, so I do have a few interesting links for you to finish your week up with...
-Being in the field of pharmaceuticals I get asked the same question a lot; "Why do drugs cost so much?" I could (and will someday soon) explain the situation and my view on how the system works and how I believe it should work. But until then here is a very well written article to explain some of the dynamics of the pharmaceutical industry. I disagree with the idea thrown out at the end that the industry will enter an "Ice Age" soon but otherwise it is a very good article. (About 5-10 minute read)
-If you have ever seen those annoying QR codes and wondered what reasonable application they can have, look no further. Wikipedia is going to start incorporating them into, well, anything and everything! The Indianapolis Children's Museum is already using them. I personally think this is a great idea!
-AlphaDog robot project...the video speaks for itself (hint: it's creepily awesome).
-I believe I may have noted about new injection techniques earlier but here is quick article about the advancement of needles and the future of injections. This is standard IPPH stuff.
-Lastly, if you remember back in the spring there was talk of "alien life" found on earth. Well, if you are really hurting to waste some time, this review over at PopSci.com is a great look at the debacle that is/was the "new life" form and the subsequent fallout for the scientists involved.
Alright that's all I got right now. Oh and don't forget to Boiler Up this weekend against the Crying Irish of Notre Dame!
Friday Fragments (9/16/11)
So, I apologize for the lack of commitment lately on here. I have excuse but I will refrain from using them as I know you probably don't care about my excuses. I don't have too many fragments but I had an hour to kill before my first big presentation in my lab group (on Liquid-Liquid Phase Separation which will be the topic of an upcoming Under the Hood).
-I believe I have said this before but I would so be willing to be one of the first people to colonize Mars. Well, NASA gave us a look at the rocket that might get us there!
-For all you "green" enthusiasts out there...the most environmentally friendly way to be disposed of when you die is evidently to be liquefied.
-In another AIDS research project, scientists have made kittens glow in the dark. They used the glowing genes to indicate which cells had the target gene transfected into them. Overview here....scientific article here.
-For some reason I find this terrifying but evidently you can make a flying, computer hacking drone that is untraceable.
-Recently, the US government has been debating things to cut in the budget. One of those things is "public science." Essentially it is governmentally funded research. This is excellent article explaining the situation and I recommend it to anyone who likes science or politics (warning: it is pro-science, SHOCKER).
-Lastly, the Florida Marlins are going to be renamed the Miami Marlins and Nike has released the Air Mag shoe. Back to the Future seems like a real possibility now!
UPDATE (per request)
-Miss Universe crowned their winner recently....Miss Angola (you're welcome Lindsey)!
-I believe I have said this before but I would so be willing to be one of the first people to colonize Mars. Well, NASA gave us a look at the rocket that might get us there!
-For all you "green" enthusiasts out there...the most environmentally friendly way to be disposed of when you die is evidently to be liquefied.
-In another AIDS research project, scientists have made kittens glow in the dark. They used the glowing genes to indicate which cells had the target gene transfected into them. Overview here....scientific article here.
-For some reason I find this terrifying but evidently you can make a flying, computer hacking drone that is untraceable.
-Recently, the US government has been debating things to cut in the budget. One of those things is "public science." Essentially it is governmentally funded research. This is excellent article explaining the situation and I recommend it to anyone who likes science or politics (warning: it is pro-science, SHOCKER).
-Lastly, the Florida Marlins are going to be renamed the Miami Marlins and Nike has released the Air Mag shoe. Back to the Future seems like a real possibility now!
UPDATE (per request)
-Miss Universe crowned their winner recently....Miss Angola (you're welcome Lindsey)!
Behind the Bench - Jeremy Daniel
In our first part of the ongoing series "Behind the Bench," we have a interview with Jeremy Daniel. He is currently a Pharm D. Candidate at Purdue University. The "Behind the Bench" series will highlight young professionals on the cusp of their careers, in order to provide a broader scope of pharmaceuticals and science to this site. Enjoy!
Behind the Bench
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| Dance moves are an elective in Pharmacy School, I believe! |
Name: Jeremy Daniel
Hometown: Currently live in Jeffersonville, but I consider myself from Terre Haute, IN
Education: Bachelor's of Science in Pharmaceutical Sciences (Medicinal Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology specialization), Purdue University, 2010. Doctor of Pharmacy, Purdue University, 2012.
Q1: Why inspired you to enter into the field of pharmacy?
I always loved chemistry in high school. I enjoyed the problem solving that goes along with it and the various types of experiments that I was able to do. Up until the last few months of high school, I wanted to major in chemistry in college. However, after talking to my neighbor changed my viewpoint. In Terre Haute, my neighbor was a pharmacist for Walgreens. He found out that I wanted to go into something science related, so he started talking to me. He convinced me I had good communication skills, always wanted to help people, and would be perfect as a pharmacist. He told me about all the chemistry he had to take, so I was kind of sold. Plus, he used to work for Budweiser as one of the QA people, and he had a pharmacy degree…so that was pretty legit.
Q2: What is your grandest aspiration for your career?
My goal is to one day be a psychiatric clinical pharmacist. I look at most of our professors at Purdue and see how amazing they are in their areas of practice. I am glad I got the opportunity to go to Purdue where some of the leading people in various pharmacy fields practice. My favorite professor throughout my curriculum is Dr. Carol Ott, a psychiatric pharmacist with Wishard Health Services. She writes book chapters for national publications, sits on the Board of Directors or other panels for national organizations, and has essentially paved the way for psych pharmacy practice at Wishard, both in the inpatient setting and in her outpatient clinic. My goal is to one day be this great. I feel this is the way I can make the biggest difference in my profession while still directly caring for patients and continuing to practice (rather than just sitting behind a desk in some office with a window).
Q3: What are your specific interests in pharmaceuticals?
As far as trends in pharmaceuticals, the drive towards more specific medicine is fascinating. What I mean by this can best be summed up with modern cancer medications. For instance, in the treatment of colorectal cancer, panitumumab (Vectibix®) and cetuximab (Erbitux®) are two drugs commonly used. The response rates to these medications are great (as far as chemotherapy is concerned). However, if a patient has a mutation in a GTPase called KRas, these drugs are virtually ineffective with an efficacy rate of less than 5%. This signals the clinician that a different therapy is in order. Likewise, there are other drugs that require the patient to express a certain receptor (if the patient has the receptor, over 80% efficacy; no receptor, less than 10% efficacy). This trend towards drugs that are highly effective if patients present a certain way compared to putting one drug out for the masses makes me very optimistic in our ability to treat patients in the future. This is definitely an interest of mine.
A trend that I absolutely loathe is the development of drugs that serve virtually no purpose in practice. These “me too” drugs simply complicate patient treatment decisions, increase medical cost by increasing hospital formularies and retail pharmacy stock, and pass a large cost on to the consumer because of a very effective drug rep that convinced their doctor to prescribe the new brand name version over the generic version that has been out for 5 years. I believe drug companies should focus on clinically meaningful (this is a very important point), novel treatments for either existing conditions or new conditions. Unfortunately, this also adds cost due to the orphan status of most of those drugs, and I do understand how difficult this is from my BSPS background, but that is a discussion for a different day and another post…
Q4: What is the next step in your professional journey?
The next immediate step is completing my rotations and graduating pharmacy school. My plan after that (at least right now) is to complete two years of residency and specialize in psychiatric clinical pharmacy. However, all of this could change if I discover another area I am passionate about, but for the moment, this is what I have in mind.
Q5: Favorite thing about being in pharmacy?
My favorite thing about being in pharmacy is the difference I get to make in my patients’ lives. In my community rotation, I saved a patient $2800 on his prescription for Zyvox by getting him on a patient assistance program from the manufacturer. During this rotation in the hospital, I counsel at least 2 patients daily about Coumadin, which takes a lot of knowledge and attention to detail on the part of the patient to effectively manage their therapy. A patient told me today that he appreciated me stopping by and talking to him because he had been on the drug for 2 months and no one counseled him on it. He just changed his diet to try to eat better and ended up in the hospital with a pulmonary embolism. If someone would have talked to him about the food interactions with Coumadin, this probably would not have happened. This difference is very important to me, and it is what makes pharmacy so great.
Friday Fragments (8/12/11)
Friday is here again and I have been busy enough that there hasn't been a Fragments for a few weeks. That doesn't mean that I don't have links. If anything this edition may be the largest yet!
Before we get into the fragments, Monday will begin the "new" Behind the Bench series featuring other young people in science. First up will be a few people in pharmacy and will expand from there. So Jeremy Daniel you're up for Monday.
-Artificial organs are nothing new but that field changes everyday it seems. Two new advances in artificial lungs are quite intriguing. First, scientists have create the first artificial lung that breathes regular air instead of pure oxygen. Now people on artificial lungs aren't chained to oxygen tanks. In related news, read this article about "made-to-order" lungs. Similarly, scientists are making artificial spinal discs out of biological materials, which would be a better alternative than fusing the discs or metal/plastic discs that degrade and are subject to attack by the host's immune system.
-A few weeks ago I caught a article about the Large Hardon Collider and how close it is to finding the elusive Higgs Boson particle. That would be a major step forward for physics and chemistry (for those of you unfamiliar with the Higgs Boson here's the wiki article to catch you up).
-Work with Microsoft Excel? Check out these cheat sheets. Ctrl Shortcuts, Function Shortcuts, and Misc. Shortcuts. Also, here is your 2011 Excel World Champion. Yep there is a competition for Excel, Word, and Powerpoint now!
-NC State scientists are experimenting with new memory devices that work like a memristor. They would have the consistency of jell-o and even be implanted into the body! Creepy.
-In medicine news...another new drug has proven it can prevent HIV infection to a certain extent. More exciting than that is the prospect of a new therapy that can be used against a broad spectrum of viruses. Much like antibiotics can kill multiple bacteria, this new therapy attacks a process all viruses have in common. This lack of specificity also may prevent a virus from mutating to avoid destruction. Lastly, if you ever wondered what I studied as an undergrad student in Industrial Pharmacy, this article describes what's in Viagra. Learning the what, how, and why of these ingredients is a lot of what I studied.
-The Web at 20...take a trip drop memory lane (I'm thinking of you America Online)!
-If you are like any other normal human being, you probably love girl scout cookies. Well, one box of girl scout cookies could be worth $15 million dollars in graphene. Don't believe me, check it out!
I think that's enough for now...enjoy your Friday and weekend!
Before we get into the fragments, Monday will begin the "new" Behind the Bench series featuring other young people in science. First up will be a few people in pharmacy and will expand from there. So Jeremy Daniel you're up for Monday.
-Artificial organs are nothing new but that field changes everyday it seems. Two new advances in artificial lungs are quite intriguing. First, scientists have create the first artificial lung that breathes regular air instead of pure oxygen. Now people on artificial lungs aren't chained to oxygen tanks. In related news, read this article about "made-to-order" lungs. Similarly, scientists are making artificial spinal discs out of biological materials, which would be a better alternative than fusing the discs or metal/plastic discs that degrade and are subject to attack by the host's immune system.
-A few weeks ago I caught a article about the Large Hardon Collider and how close it is to finding the elusive Higgs Boson particle. That would be a major step forward for physics and chemistry (for those of you unfamiliar with the Higgs Boson here's the wiki article to catch you up).
-Work with Microsoft Excel? Check out these cheat sheets. Ctrl Shortcuts, Function Shortcuts, and Misc. Shortcuts. Also, here is your 2011 Excel World Champion. Yep there is a competition for Excel, Word, and Powerpoint now!
-NC State scientists are experimenting with new memory devices that work like a memristor. They would have the consistency of jell-o and even be implanted into the body! Creepy.
-In medicine news...another new drug has proven it can prevent HIV infection to a certain extent. More exciting than that is the prospect of a new therapy that can be used against a broad spectrum of viruses. Much like antibiotics can kill multiple bacteria, this new therapy attacks a process all viruses have in common. This lack of specificity also may prevent a virus from mutating to avoid destruction. Lastly, if you ever wondered what I studied as an undergrad student in Industrial Pharmacy, this article describes what's in Viagra. Learning the what, how, and why of these ingredients is a lot of what I studied.
-The Web at 20...take a trip drop memory lane (I'm thinking of you America Online)!
-If you are like any other normal human being, you probably love girl scout cookies. Well, one box of girl scout cookies could be worth $15 million dollars in graphene. Don't believe me, check it out!
I think that's enough for now...enjoy your Friday and weekend!
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