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Medicine is a skill, and it's impossible to practice medicine without patients. It would be like asking a carpenter to learn how to make a cabinet without wood. Why then are we surprised that students learn from patients?

If we can tune out, move away from, and shun people with whom we disagree, is this course of action also acceptable? 

Typically, the peer review process is "single-blind," meaning that reviewers are aware of an author's identity. Yet it can also be "double-blind," where neither the author nor the reviewers know each other's identity. But, bottom line: Does knowing who wrote a paper influence the reviewer's opinion of it? 

After five years of living in New York, I have gotten used to just about everything this city brings. With one exception: rats. New research on the genetic diversity of these true New Yorkers shows that they tend to stay local. In fact, it's rare that they even move off of the block where they were born.

Golden rice lives up to its name, both for its color and the beneficial effect it can have on those (especially children) with vitamin A deficiency. Yet, the main obstacle preventing its distribution is the disinformation about genetically-engineered foods spread by anti-GMO Luddites. Let's hope that changes for the holidays.
 
 
 

When words like "world-renowned" are used in the medical realm (especially by people selling something, like an unnecessary product or procedure), beware. And then prepare yourself with a healthy dose of skepticism.

Scientists report they have successfully treated hemophilia B by giving sufferers gene therapy. When they infuse a gene for the correct blood-clotting factor, it's taken up by the patient who then can produce it on their own. So they no longer have to inject clotting factor to avoid potentially crippling or fatal consequences.
 
 
 
 
 

Jellyfish have a diverse range of eating interests and locations, much like us. They are also fearsome predators. Interesting, right? Here are a few things about them that you might not have known.
 
 
 

To make progress in this investigation of a suspected sonic attack against American diplomats, the U.S. will Cuba's cooperation. That seemed to be occurring, but no longer. This week Cuban scientists declared that there was no sonic attack at all. Instead, they blamed stress and mass hysteria.

Among other components it contains a motion sensor, a microphone to pick up snoring and a gyroscope. It's "anti-snore control" feature kicks in when a snorer's racket reaches a preset-level, prompting the pillow to vibrate gently and remind the snorer to roll over. Does it work? Is it worth getting? Considering how important sleep is to your health, give this a read and judge for yourself.

Gasoline additives ensure that a car's engine runs properly. Otherwise, the engine will knock – and you'll be knocking on your mechanic's door holding a whole bunch of your favorite dollars. But researchers have figured out how to make isobutanol, an excellent gas additive, from beer. Here's the heady chemistry – and it goes down smooth.

In this era of opioid denial, doctors are scrambling to find something that might work for pain patients – without the baggage associated with narcotics. One popular choice is Neurontin, which was originally approved for epilepsy. But the results simply aren't there.

This team leader at The Paris Natural History Museum holds a Ph.D. in endocrinology and physiology. That means Demeneix really ought to know not to publish something so stupid. Fireworks cause autism? Seriously? If that's the case, I'm free to argue that TD's cause autism.
 

We cannot digest fiber, but some researchers believe fiber helps lower our blood pressure while maintaining cardiovascular health. It turns out that the fiber is being digested by the bacteria of our gut – and that process may play a role in controlling blood pressure.
 
 

Why are there more left-handed ping pong players than tennis players? One researcher believes he has the answer: Time pressure.

A Superior Court judge ruled that a large nurses union must adhere to the vaccination policy set forth by Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. If not for this decision forcing the Massachusetts Nurses Association to comply, the nurses avoiding a flu shot would have posed a potential threat to patients they tend to each day. 

Obesity is known to be a major risk factor for type 2 diabetes, as well as for the insulin resistance that's a hallmark of the disease. Mouse studies suggest that obesity results in the production of microRNAs by adipose tissue, which diminishes the ability of tissues to respond to insulin.

Scandals, no matter their size or consequence, shouldn't eradicate the basic tenets of doctor-patient privilege.

Even though the service is free, a recent survey showed that 3 in 4 British citizens use the internet to self-diagnose and treat themselves, rather than schedule a doctors' visit using the UK's National Health Service. Imagine if more people used it.

A baby was born from a living donor's transplanted uterus. Following in the footsteps of Swedish success in this area, this achievement provides significant hope for those with uterine factor infertility, or UFI.

The odd case of a stricken man arriving at a Florida hospital with no ID, no family member – but with a bold tattoo stating that critical, life-saving intervention be withheld – is serving as a bizarre but essential reminder to the rest of us to raise a difficult, yet frequently-skirted, topic.

This method uses revolutionary “dipstick” technology. The protocol involves a tissue sample that's ground up and the dipstick, made of wax-coated filter paper, is inserted, almost immediately capturing the DNA and RNA.

It's always good to take a moment to reflect on science’s beauty and power to inform, to improve our lives when not constrained by ego, status, publish-or-perish constraints, or the new-media landscape.
 

A new opinion article in Biology Letters – "Studying placebo effects in model organisms will help us understand them in humans" – dives into the possibility of studying the placebo effect in animals other than humans.

Postpartum depression of varying degrees is obviously real but it has everything to do with lack of sleep and an abundance of stress. It has nothing to do with whether or not a placenta was eaten. And the risks are not worth it, considering the case study of a child who got sepsis twice because of placenta pills showed.