freelance science journalist and author
From Scientific American, December 2007: HIV is devastating because it attacks and destroys the body’s defense system against pathogens, leaving patients fatally exposed. So what would possess scientists to treat HIV-positive patients with drugs that suppress the immune system? Such therapy may in fact offer a new approach in the battle against AIDS. An unexpected … Continue reading T cell turnoff
From Process magazine, October 2007:An unfortunate twist of chemistry means that one of the earth’s most beautiful metals requires one of the planet’s most deadly compounds to extract it from an ore body: gold mining relies on the use of cyanide to dissolve gold into solution so it can be recaptured as pure metal.The inevitable … Continue reading Meeting of models helps reduce toxic waste
From Australian Doctor, 1 November 2007.THE first year of the National Bowel Cancer Screening Program has been encouraging, although issues such as a poorer male participation rate and delay in colonoscopy follow-up are yet to be resolved, a leading gastroenterologist says.About 156,000 Australians took part in the first stage of the faecal occult blood test-based … Continue reading Bowel program works but needs men
From Pathway, Spring 2007.One of the most spectacular errors in pathology history might indirectly be credited with claiming nearly 20 million lives. It’s even more astounding to learn that the pathologist behind it was in fact the founding father of histopathology, Rudolph Virchow.Virchow failed to diagnose German Emperor Friedrich III’s laryngeal cancer until it was … Continue reading Expecting perfection
From PathWay, Spring 2007.Debbie: … How can we all have died at the same time?The Grim Reaper: (pointing with a skeletal finger) The salmon mousse!Geoffrey: Darling, you didn’t use tinned salmon did you?Angela: I’m most dreadfully embarrassed…Monty Python managed to make light of it in this sketch from The Meaning of Life, but in reality, … Continue reading When the bad bugs bite
From Australian Doctor, July 2007.From artificial hips to anti-epileptics, the Pill to penicillin – the 20th century has seen a wealth of medical innovations emerge that have transformed how we practice medicine. Read more (pdf file).
From Kiwi FM, 23 August 2007:What happens when you cross a frog with a non-stick frying pan? New Scientist has the answer. Listen here.
From G Magazine, September/October 2007:Who has time to research the environmental cred of every cleaning product in their house? In this 8-page guide to non-toxic, eco-friendly cleaning, Bianca Nogrady breaks through the greenwash to find the best choices.
From Australian Doctor, 24 August 2007:Insulin levels and neck circumference are the two strongest predictors of the risk of obstructive sleep apnoea, a leading obesity expert says.Speaking at the recent Australian Doctor/HealthEdGP Summit on Diabetes, Obesity and Heart Disease in Sydney, Associate Professor John Dixon said a neck circumference of 43cm or more for men … Continue reading Neck size a strong sleep apnoea clue
From Australian Doctor, 23 August 2007:THERE’S a guilty pleasure involved in drinking good-quality wine while the sun still shines high in the sky. But in the vineyards of Mudgee, NSW, such pleasurable behaviour is one of the delights of a visit to this wine-growing region. Read more.
Bianca Nogrady 