Month: April 2017
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The Rockefeller Institute and the growth of cell biology
Adil MenonBrookline, Massachusetts, United States In 1995 Nobel-winning cell biologist George Palade stated that “a newborn baby needs, of course, a friendly, comfortable cradle, which was provided by the Rockefeller Institute for Medical Research and thus became the American cradle of cell biology.”[1] This essay explores the unique aspects of this cradle, which nurtured the…
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Public insurance expansion versus a single payer system
Adil MenonBrookline, Massachusetts Since the late 1940s when employer based private health insurance became increasingly prevalent in the United States, the expansion of public health insurance to a growing share of the population has been viewed as the best approach to helping people, particularly those on the lower end of the socioeconomic spectrum, obtain medical…
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When a movie ticket to the battered may help!
Rema SundarTrivandrum, Kerala, India Domestic violence awareness through film When four-time Grammy Award winner Tracy Chapman crooned “Last night I heard the screaming,” she was reflecting on a global public health problem. Instances of abuse and violence do not discriminate based on wealth, race, or education. ‘The World’s Women 2015″ report from the United Nations …
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Medicine’s old-school technology
Katie TaylorSan Francisco, CA I am six months into my first year of residency as a doctor. And my experience so far has been sorrowfully screen-dominated. If aliens were to come down and observe a day in the life, I am afraid they’d assume the computer is the patient and the patient’s room the place…
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Using bacteria in cancer therapy
Andy TayLos Angeles, California, United States Cancer is a complex disease whose various causes include bacterial infections such as Helicobacter pylori leading to gastric cancer.1 Bacteria, however, can also be used to treat cancer, a treatment so effective against high grade non-invasive bladder cancer that since 1990, it has remained the preferred therapy.2 The history…
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Marie Elizabeth Zakrzewska: Immigrant, physician, teacher
Cynthia KramerWaianae, Hawaii, United States Marie Elizabeth Zakrzewska was a female physician and teacher, at a time when women were not taken seriously in the field of medicine by their male counterparts. She served as head midwife at the Royal Charite Hospital in Berlin, Germany, then moved to the United States and received a doctor…
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Designer babies: Boon or bane?
Hanashu DurganauduSelangor, Malaysia Would the implementation of ‘designer babies’ be a boon to humans? First and foremost, it helps to detect known genetic abnormalities and chromosomal diseases at an early stage. This would be particularly helpful for couples or individuals who possess a high risk of passing down disadvantageous genes for conditions such as cystic fibrosis…
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Sunday Sally Rose
Matthew KinsellaBrowns Mills, New Jersey, United States As the new triage nurse on the City Department Of Homeless Services Street Outreach Team, I could observe at first, orient, get my bearings. Well acquainted with the stark reality of life on the street, my three interdisciplinary teammates explained the “proper etiquette” as we traveled behind the…
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Moritz Romberg
Like many other pioneers in the medical sciences, Moritz Romberg would hardly be remembered today were it not for his description of a test that, just as Joseph Babinksi’s, is still part of the routine neurologic examination. The Romberg test is deemed to be positive when the patient becomes unsteady on standing with feet together…