Ninety-six years ago this week, the city of Boston was dealing with it’s own viral outbreak—the start of one of the deadliest natural disasters to ever occur. A staggering number of people died in 1918. Fifty to 100 million worldwide, by some estimates. The terrifying disease in question? Not Ebola. The flu. David Hooper, professor of medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital, is quoted.
A nonprofit organization based in Providence, Rhode Island, is developing low-cost and easy-to-use communication devices for people with neurological disorders who are “locked in,” virtually unable to move. Alik Widge, clinical instructor in psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital, is quoted.
Danielle K. Bäck, second-year student at HMS, coauthors this opinion piece on single payer reform. Paul Farmer, chair of the HMS Department of Global Health and Social Medicine, is quoted.
In a recent study, a group of male volunteers, given a dose of mild electrical stimulation to their brains for 20 minutes every day, consumed less food after a week. Quite a bit less. After a week, their caloric intake was reduced by 14 percent. Felipe Fregni, associate professor of physical medicine and rehabilitation at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, is quoted.
A recent study found an 80 percent increased risk in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder that was associated with a child’s exposure to antidepressants in the womb. Roy Perlis, HMS associate professor of psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital, is quoted.
Xenon gas may someday be used as a treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder after experiments with mice showed brief exposure dulled reactions to painful memories. Edward Meloni, assistant professor of psychiatry at McLean Hospital, is quoted.
Walk-in clinics are on the front lines of primary health care, and while they offer lower costs and shorter waits, there are lessons to know before you go. Ateev Mehrotra, associate professor of health care policy and associate professor of medicine at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, is interviewed.
Though doctors spend decades perfecting their crafts, they don’t exactly get dress rehearsals when it comes to performing complex surgeries on one-of-a-kind patients. Enter the 3D printer. Peter Weinstock, associate professor of anaesthesia at Boston Children’s Hospital, is quoted.
The introduction of robotic surgery for prostate cancer may have led to changes in the number of surgeons performing prostate removals and in the overall cost, according to a new study. Steven Chang, HMS assistant professor of surgery at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, is quoted.
