Bianca Nogrady

Diabetic ketoacidosis without cerebral edema linked to neurocognitive changes

January 10, 2014No Comments

From Clinical Endocrinology News, 2 January 2014: MELBOURNE – Diabetic ketoacidosis was associated with swelling of white brain matter and shrinkage of gray matter, and the degree of change was associated with neurocognitive outcomes up to 6 months after the event, based on a study of children who were newly diagnosed with type 1 diabetes … Continue reading Diabetic ketoacidosis without cerebral edema linked to neurocognitive changes

Microvascular complications increase with diabetes duration but not age

January 10, 2014No Comments

From Clinical Endocrinology News, 3 January 2014: MELBOURNE – A diagnosis of type 2 diabetes before age 50 was associated with an increased risk of microvascular complications, based on a secondary analysis of data from the international ADVANCE trial. In ADVANCE, the risk of microvascular complications, such as eye and kidney disease, increased with disease … Continue reading Microvascular complications increase with diabetes duration but not age

You know you’re a writer when …

January 9, 2014No Comments

Blogger/author Nathan Bransford hit the nail on the head with his gif-blessed post on how to know you’re a writer . I laughed out loud reading it as so many of them resonated with me, particularly the one about getting distracted during conversations because someone says something and you immediately think, “Shit! That’s an awesome … Continue reading You know you’re a writer when …

#amwriting

January 8, 20141 Comment

Here’s a slightly embarrassing confession: when I was in early highschool, I used to write essays … for fun. That’s right. I would voluntarily think of some topic and just unleash the pen. I had an itch, and social status be damned, I was going to scratch it. So here I am, nearly thirty years … Continue reading #amwriting

Premature birth: why do some babies come early?

December 27, 2013No Comments

From ABC Health and Wellbeing, 5 December 2013: Like most first-time mothers, Sheridan had certain expectations of how the birth of her first child might go. Those expectations did not include giving birth to her baby nearly six weeks before her due date. Nor did they include a panicked ambulance trip to the nearest major … Continue reading Premature birth: why do some babies come early?

What’s the wash-up from this chemical life?

November 12, 2013No Comments

From Ecos magazine, 6 November 2013: Every day, Australians flush relatively small – but significant – amounts of chemicals down the drain, many excreted from their own bodies. These micropollutants – from the diverse medicines, personal hygiene products, household cleaning agents, dietary supplements and other chemical products we now use routinely – make their way … Continue reading What’s the wash-up from this chemical life?

Placebos more effective than mere sugar pills

November 12, 2013No Comments

From ABC Health and Wellbeing, 10 November 2013: Over the years, the placebo has earned an unfair reputation as an instrument of medical fakery; a white lie to convince unsuspecting patients they are being treated when in fact their treatment is nothing more than a sugar pill or surgical sleight of hand. However growing evidence … Continue reading Placebos more effective than mere sugar pills

Longer tapering more effective for prescription opioid addiction

November 12, 2013No Comments

From Clinical Psychiatry News, 23 October 2013: Longer duration of buprenorphine tapering regime is significantly associated with superior outcomes in treatment for prescription opioid addiction, a double-blind randomized trial has found. The study was published online Oct. 23 in JAMA Psychiatry. “Our results suggest that a subset of [prescription opioid] abusers may respond favorably to … Continue reading Longer tapering more effective for prescription opioid addiction

Parity laws appear to improve access to substance use disorder treatment

November 12, 2013No Comments

From Clinical Psychiatry News, 24 October 2013: The implementation of state-based parity legislation for specialty substance use disorder treatment is associated with significant improvements in access to treatment and treatment rates, new data show. “These findings suggest that the [Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act] of 2008 and the [Affordable Care Act] of 2010 … Continue reading Parity laws appear to improve access to substance use disorder treatment

Is it possible to have a good death?

September 30, 2013No Comments

From ABC Health and Wellbeing, 17 September 2013: Talk to people about the kind of death people want to avoid and almost everyone has a story to share. It may be of a grandfather diminished and ridiculed by dementia until he is incontinent, incoherent, and bed-bound; or a young friend wracked with the agony of … Continue reading Is it possible to have a good death?