When a gas explosion ripped through a crowded marketplace in Honduras last month, Paola Matute Porter suffered burns over 40 percent of her body. Now, she and three other children who were among dozens of patrons engulfed in flames are receiving free medical treatment at a Boston hospital specializing in burn care. Philip Chang, instructor in surgery at Massachusetts General Hospital, is quoted.
Patrick Fuller, assistant professor of neurology at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, participated in an interview about the importance of good sleep hygiene, how the brain’s clock is connected to overall well-being and the problem with sleeping pills.
As the battle against narcotics continues, one way for opiate addicts to fight their addiction might be opiates themselves. A study on prescription opioid dependence shows prescription opioid–dependent patients are most likely to reduce opioid use during buprenorphine-naloxone treatment. Roger Weiss, professor of psychiatry at McLean Hospital, led the study. Kevin Hill, assistant professor of psychiatry at McLean Hospital, is quoted.
Angelina Jolie wrote an op-ed two years ago in The New York Times, taking millions of readers on an intimate journey behind her decision to have a preventive double mastectomy. On Tuesday, the actress boldly acknowledged in the Times that she has had surgery to remove her ovaries and fallopian tubes to minimize her cancer risk. Reactions to her article were swift and generally positive from many in the medical community, as well as from women who, like the actress, have a BRCA gene mutation. Ursula Matulonis, associate professor of medicine at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and Christopher Crum, professor of pathology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, are quoted.
Experts weigh in on why portrayals of psychopaths on TV draw so many viewers. Ronald Schouten, associate professor of psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hosptial, is quoted.
Mattel Inc.’s Hello Barbie, a new doll that can hold Siri-like conversations with kids, was meant to help spur a turnaround for the company. Instead, it’s drawn the ire of one of the toy industry’s most influential critics. Susan Linn, instructor in psychiatry at Boston Children’s Hospital, is quoted.
Anew Cambridge biotech will be working on a treatment using stem cells that could let children and adults with Type 1 diabetes do something their bodies currently cannot: produce their own insulin, the hormone that keeps blood sugar levels in balance. Douglas Melton, Xander University Professor of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology and co-chair of the Department of Stem Cell & Regenerative Biology, and Peng Yi, member of the faculty of medicine at Joslin Diabetes Center, are mentioned. George King, professor of medicine at Joslin Diabetes Center, is quoted.
Over the last decade, oxytocin has been steadily making quite a name for itself. Study after study has shown that the brain chemical plays a crucial role in how we connect to others by encouraging pair bonding and fostering trust, all the while calming our fears and anxieties. And as a bonus, it appears the “love” or “cuddle” hormone is also instrumental in maintaining healthy body weight. Now, a series of experiments at Harvard Medical School may start to shed some light as to why this is. Elizabeth Lawson, assistant professor of medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital, led the latest study.
