QUOTATION: P. G. Wodehouse

Success comes to a writer, as a rule, so gradually that it is always something of a shock to him to look back and realize the heights to which he has climbed.P. G. Wodehouse (1881-1975) Discuss

today’s holiday: Berchtold’s Day (2015)

Berchtold’s Day (2015)

In Switzerland, the day after New Year’s Day is known as Berchtoldstag and is celebrated primarily by children. Groups of playmates organize parties that feature nut eating and nut games followed by singing and folk dancing. A popular game is the building of “hocks” composed of four nuts placed close together with a fifth balanced on top. The children begin gathering and stockpiling nuts for Berchtold’s Day festivities early in the fall. More… Discuss

this pressed: A medical student develops an illness she has been studying – The Washington Post

A patient’s worst nightmare

The first two years of medical school, the preclinical years, teach students about disease in the abstract, as testable material. We detach ourselves from reality as we memorize a constellation of symptoms and treatments presented from a podium or a textbook. I have been guilty of occasionally forgetting that what I am studying may be a patient’s worst nightmare.

“We ask patients to take on risks in order to heal,” Cherie Fathy writes, “but we should never forget how overwhelming it is to hear those risks or to play those odds.” (Courtesy of Cherie Fathy)

As students on the wards, we see mere snapshots of our patients’ illnesses. We are there as patients receive a diagnosis in the clinic or a treatment in the hospital. What we don’t see is a patient at home deciding whether that lump is even worth checking on or a mother dreading when to tell her children what she has, or how to even begin telling them.

via A medical student develops an illness she has been studying – The Washington Post.

Valentina Lisitsa plays Chopin Variations Op 2 (1 and 2): great compositions/performances

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Chopin Variations Op 2 (1 and 2) Valentina Lisitsa

  ValentinaLisitsa

Valentina Lisitsa, Black & Pink DVD.”La ci darem la mano”

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CIA Director admits to some use of brutal tactics in rare televised news conference — CBS Evening News

CIA Director admits to some use of brutal tactics in rare televised news conference http://t.co/aDoeQ7Hcgi pic.twitter.com/EGoAxmraXa

— CBS Evening News (@CBSEveningNews) December 12, 2014

Saint of the Day for Saturday, November 15th, 2014: St. Albert the Great

Saint of the Day for Saturday, November 15th, 2014

  St. Albert the Great

Albert the Great was one of the Church’s greatest intellects. He studied at the University of Padua and later taught at Hildesheim, Freiburg-im-Breisgau, Regensburg, and Strasbourg. He then taught at … continue reading

More Saints of the Day

St. Albert the Great St. Abibus St. Arnulf St. Desiderius of Cahors St. Eugene St. Findan Bl. Gaius of Korea Bl. Hugh Faringdon Bl. Hugh Green Bl. John Eynon Bl. John Rugg

 

Bl. John Thorne St. Kanten St. Leopold St. Luperius St. Machudd St. Malo St. Paduinus Bl. Richard Whiting Bl. Roger James St. Secundus, Fidentian, & Varicus St. Zachariah

Vitamin D Deficiency Linked to Dementia

Older adults with severe vitamin D deficiency have an increased risk of developing dementia, a recent study has found. This does not necessarily mean that vitamin D deficiency is a cause of dementia, as it is also possible that another unknown factor could cause someone to have both low vitamin D levels and dementia. Further study is needed to determine the nature of the relationship between vitamin D and dementia, but if it is indeed found to be a causal relationship, it could mean that simply eating more vitamin D-rich foods or taking supplements could reduce dementia risk in later life. More… Discuss

Preventing Alzheimer’s

Researchers say a third of the world’s Alzheimer’s cases are preventable. They found that diabetes, mid-life hypertension, mid-life obesity, physical inactivity, depression, smoking, and poor education are all risk factors in the development of Alzheimer’s that can potentially be addressed to reduce risk. According to their calculations, reducing each risk factor by 10 percent could prevent nearly nine million cases of Alzheimer’s by 2050. More… Discuss

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today’s birthday: Alois Alzheimer (1864)

Alois Alzheimer (1864)

Alzheimer was a German neuropathologist who first identified what is today called Alzheimer’s disease, a neurodegenerative disease found most commonly in people over age 65. He first observed it in his patient in 1901 and presented his findings after a postmortem examination of her brain in 1906. The diagnosis would soon be applied to patients the world over, and the disease is now recognized as the most common form of dementia. Alzheimer did not name the disease that bears his name. Who did? More… Discuss

Blood from Young Improves Memory in Old

Transfusing the blood plasma of young mice into older mice allowed them to perform better on tests of memory than their peers, suggesting that some factor or factors in the blood of the young can reverse certain aging processes. Researchers are now trying to identify which factors accomplish this and whether similar benefits would be seen in human trials. More… Discuss

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Bobby Womack – “If You Think You’re Lonely Now”

[youtube.com/watch?v=sbbZ_k1Z8gU]

Bobby Womack – “If You Think You’re Lonely Now”
Album: The Poet
Released: 1981

Bobby Womack – A change is gonna come

[youtube.com/watch?v=3N1HVd-2AwQ]

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NEWS: GET CHARGED UP IN NO TIME

Get Charged Up in No Time

Well, “no time” may be a slight exaggeration, but it is not too far off the mark. An Israeli start-up has developed a prototype smartphone battery that can be fully charged in just 30 seconds. Rather than use lithium or nickel like conventional batteries, this battery uses “nanodots,” tiny, self-assembling peptide nanocrystals discovered in the course of Alzheimer’s research 10 years ago. It will be several years before the quick-charging battery makes it to market. More… Discuss

ARTICLE: BLOOD TEST PREDICTS ALZHEIMER’S

Blood Test Predicts Alzheimer’s

If you could find out today whether or not Alzheimer’s disease is in your future, would you want to? Scientists in the US have developed a blood test that they say can predict with 90 percent accuracy an individual’s risk of developing Alzheimer’s within the next few years. The test looks at the levels of 10 lipids in the blood that appear to be predictive of future cognitive decline. It is unclear why these lipid levels act as an indicator, but one theory is that early changes in the brain affect these circulating fats. Experts are now in the process of confirming and refining these findings. More…Discuss

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ARTICLE: FISH OIL

Though it may sound unappetizing, fish oil is one of the most popular dietary supplements on the market. Derived from the tissues of oily fish—like salmon, herring, and trout—fish oil is hailed for its omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3s appear to prevent the formation of blood clots and protect the brain from Alzheimer’s disease. They are also believed to reduce the risk of cancer and coronary heart disease. Curiously, fish do not actually produce omega-3s. Where do these beneficial acids come from? More… Discuss
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NANOBODIES

In the 1980s, research on monoclonal antibodies—antibodies mass produced in a laboratory to target a single antigen—generated excitement for their potential applications in fighting disease, especially cancer. However, their effectiveness in disease treatment has been limited. Today, a much smaller type of monoclonal antibody called a nanobody is being researched to treat diseases such as cancer and Alzheimer’s. Nanobodies were discovered during unrelated research on what animal? More… Discuss

 

ICU STAYS LINKED TO LONG-TERM COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENTS

Patients who spend time in an intensive care unit (ICU) are known to be susceptible to delirium that is thought to stem not from their illnesses but from the unique ICU environment: the 24/7 activity, harsh stimuli, unfamiliar people, uncomfortable procedures, and overwhelming technology. Doctors have long believed that this mental confusion disappears when patients are discharged from the ICU, but that may not be the case. Researchers have found that even a year after leaving the hospital, many patients who suffered delirium in the ICU continued to exhibit cognitive deficits similar to someone with moderate traumatic brain injury or even Alzheimer’s disease.More… Discuss

Green Tea, effective in prostate cancer protection

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According to the studies, it is clear that among other types of cancer, green tea effectively protects the male’s prostate health: What does that have to do with my posting? Well I do believe too that green tea is a clear health promoter, when served daily. I do not have a vested commercial interest in promoting it, but I would feel selfish at the least, not to publicly acclaim the many health benefits  experienced from green tea consumption:

Goodbye Coffee, Hello Green Tea!

green tea

Please read the article linked here for more information on recognized health benefits:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_tea,

give it a try yourself: Don’t make it a New year resolution and waste 350 days…
start today instead: Make the next cup of your beverage  a cupful of green tea!

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