freelance science journalist and author
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
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
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
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?
From Fish magazine, September 2013: The journey of a prawn from the trawler to the table is long and complex: a story of boats, boxes, containers, planes and trucks, of fisheries, factories and supermarkets, and of fishermen, distributors and consumers. For the most part, the steps along this journey are unimportant, as long as they … Continue reading Keeping track
From ABC Health and Wellbeing, 21 August 2013: Argentine tango, tai chi and Pilates are activities you’d expect to find on offer in adult education classes, but emerging research shows these and other exercise therapies may also provide a range of benefits for people with Parkinson’s disease. Exercise therapy is emerging as a new and … Continue reading Exercise therapy for Parkinson’s disease
From ABC News in Science, 2o August 2013: Researchers have paired up a fungus and a bacteria to produce high-quality biofuel from agricultural waste materials such as corn stalks and leaves. Using the fungus Trichoderma reesei and the common bacteria Escherichia coli, US researchers were able to produce 1.88 grams of the biofuel isobutanol, per … Continue reading Microbial duo boost biofuel production
From Clinical Neurology News, 2 August 2013: SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA – An iPod-based program using music as reward and behavioral reinforcement can lead to significant improvements in stride length and walking speed, according to data presented at the international congress of Parkinson’s Disease and Movement Disorders. The AmbuloSono system, developed by researchers from the University of … Continue reading Musical incentive program improves stride length in Parkinson’s
From Clinical Neurology News, 7 August 2013: Mild traumatic brain injury with intracranial hemorrhage can be safely managed by an acute care surgeon without the need for an inpatient neurosurgical consultation, a retrospective analysis has found. A study of 270 patients with mild traumatic brain injury and positive CT scan findings of intracranial hemorrhage – … Continue reading Neurosurgery consult not necessary for mild traumatic brain injury
From ACS Surgery News, 26 July 2013: Postoperative postural hypotension or adrenal insufficiency in patients with inflammatory bowel disease can be effectively prevented with low-dose rather than high-dose steroids, according to data published in the June 14 online issue of Annals of Surgery [doi: 10.1097/SLA.b013e318297adca]. “Corticosteroid-treated patients undergoing major colorectal surgery are commonly prescribed high-dose steroids … Continue reading Low-dose perioperative steroids effective in IBD patients
Bianca Nogrady 