Doctors hope students returning to school this fall have one crucial item checked off their back-to-school lists: receiving a pertussis booster shot. Lawrence Madoff, lecturer on medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and Jeffrey Gelfand, clinical professor of medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital, are quoted.
Generic medications that are identical on the inside can look different on the outside, depending on the manufacturer. But those differences in shape and color could be causing confusion among patients, leading some to stop taking much-needed medications, according to a new study. Aaron Kesselheim, assistant professor of medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, is a senior investigator on the study.
Eat more when you’re stressed? You’re not alone. More than a third of the participants in a new survey said they change their diets during stressful times. David Ludwig, professor of pediatrics at Boston Children’s Hospital, is quoted.
Though the virtual reality industry could radically transform entertainment, gaming and other forms of computing, it has an Achilles’ heel: Many people become queasy after pulling viewing devices over their eyes and slipping into an immersive world that blurs the line between physical reality and computer-generated imagery. Joseph F. Rizzo III, the David Glendenning Cogan Professor of Ophthalmology in the field of Neuro-Ophthalmology at Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, is quoted.
A simple test of a person’s ability to identify odors and noninvasive eye exams might someday help doctors learn whether their patients are at risk of Alzheimer’s disease, according to new studies. Research by Reisa Sperling, professor of neurology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, is featured. Matthew E. Growdon, a fifth-year student in a joint program between Harvard Medical School and the Harvard School of Public Health, was one of the researchers on the study.
In a few weeks, clinical psychologist Robert Franks will take over leadership of the Judge Baker Children’s Center, a century-old Harvard affiliated center that addresses children’s mental health. There’s a lot more that can be done to support children’s mental health, said Franks, currently an assistant clinical professor at the schools of medicine at both Yale University and the University of Connecticut.
A Boston-based team published proof Thursday that one of the most alluring ideas in cancer care can work: Exceedingly rare tumor cells can be filtered from a patient’s blood sample and used to noninvasively monitor the evolution of cancer and identify the most promising treatments. Daniel Haber, the Kurt J. Isselbacher/Peter D. Schwartz Professor of Oncology at Massachusetts General Hospital, oversaw the study.
A new study indicates that malnutrition during pregnancy can affect the sperm of male offspring. Mary-Elizabeth Patti, assistant professor of medicine at Joslin Diabetes Center, is one of the leaders of the study.
A campaign has been launched by the nonprofit Institute of Patient-and Family-Centered Care, called Better Together, to persuade hospitals to eliminate restrictive visiting hours and permit families, broadly defined, to remain with loved ones throughout their stays, even in intensive care units. Sharon Inouye, professor of medicine at Hebrew SeniorLife, is quoted.
