Search results

America's birthday is also, tragically, its deadliest day. Here's why hospital emergency rooms staff up for that celebratory weekend every year. 

The cost of the annual cookout is down. But as we thank our farmers we should remember that what is good for the consumer may not be as good for the producer.

Normally a reliable source of information, Live Science published an article that is a dream for anti-pesticide and anti-chemical fearmongers.

It seems that when we compare the frequency of events, we're influenced by its past prevalence. When fewer bad things occur we simply expand the definition of bad to make up the difference.

South African track star Caster Semenya is in the middle of a controversy that she had no part in making. Her testosterone levels are naturally very high, and the International Association of Athletics Federations won't let her run certain races unless she takes medication to lower her testosterone. Should she have to take performance detracting drugs?

The case surrounding Caster Semenya, and fellow track athlete Dutee Chand, hinges on whether their endogenous androgens give them a competitive edge. Here's a breakdown of the report currently at the center of the "science."

It is officially July! In the medical world that means fresh graduates become interns or fellows or attendings. Along with such promotions comes high turnover departures and the refrain "don’t get sick in July." But, does this annual transition actually make patients more vulnerable to adverse events?

The recent reporting on Flint's water crisis by CNN's Christiane Amanpour has a tenuous grasp of the data and the reality. 

There is a fair amount of confusion about the terms "pharmaceutical fentanyl," "illicit fentanyl," and "fentanyl analogs." Read this and the confusion should go away. It is important to avoid inaccuracies here. Words can make a big difference. 

Data mining genomic data is a growing trend. This study seeks to determine whether nature or nurture control who gets ill. Turns out, it's complicated, and genes may not hold all – or any – of the answers.

Coffee is alternately championed and derided for its health effects. A new study introduces the genetics of caffeine metabolism into the conversation. 

If health care fixes continue to undermine the doctor-patient relationship, financial costs won't be the only price paid.

Who doesn't love the idea of quick and easy weight loss? Imagine being able to eat nothing but ice cream, and still losing 10 pounds. It sounds a little too good to be true, and that's because it is. Weight loss is a $66 billion dollar industry, and one of the most advertised, according to U.S. Weight Loss & Diet Control Market.

When it comes to cigarettes vs. vaping, don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good. Here's why we can't preach an abstinence-only approach to nicotine.

Forty solid years after the Consumer Product Safety Commission implemented regulations for getting rid of lead-based paint, the US is still on the lead-based paint merry-go-round. Last week, I attended a Congressional hearing entitled “Oversight of the Federal Government’s Approach to Lead-Based Paint and Mold Remediation in Public and Subsidized Housing”, which hoped to figure out how the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) can finally be rid of the pesky threat of lead-based paint in federal housing.

Round. Red. Good in salads and great on a BLT. Tomatoes are a typical find in the kitchens of families in the United States, so popular we are the world’s third largest producer of them.
Though some people like to engage in the “tuh-MAY-toh” versus “tuh-MAH-toh” debate, the more popular question when it comes to tomatoes has to do with their classification. Are the circular plants vegetables or fruits?
We're going to answer that once and for all. Maybe. Because science, history, and law create a lot of confusion.

In science and health, we are often looking for results that are considered to be “statistically significant.” The golden rule is if the p-value is less than 0.05, then the result is statistically significant, or “publishable.” However, the interpretation and use of p-values is often misconstrued.
What is a p-value?

A recent study was published estimating that killings of unarmed black Americans contribute to an excess of 55 million poor mental health days per year. Is this estimation accurate?

Many believe that “genetically modified organism” is a term that has some significance for interpreting the safety of food. Most life scientists – geneticists, biologists, ecologists and agronomists – are pretty certain that the opposite is true. Here's why.

If the goal is guaranteeing the safety of children, as well as protecting the general population being from infectious diseases, then why is the act of shaming playing any role in vaccine compliance?

A seven-year study of all Gulf coastal regions maps where fish and other aquatic life live, and in what amounts. This was done in order to give marine biologists a better understanding of the ecological damage that occurred following the 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster, and to help them better prepare for future spills. 

Two FDA expert panels rejected a new extended-release oxycodone pill. Some of their findings are reasonable, even if you don't agree with them. But one reason is very far beyond stupid. Especially since they refused to learn from history. 

Hospital Compare, a CMS website, provides "star-ratings" to hospitals based on performance. It's dropping the safety measures from the star-rating scoring, but it's maintaining the information in another database. Does removing safety measures make the ratings less useful? The answer is, as is often the case, complicated.

Also known as dichloromethane, DCM is a colorless liquid with a mild, sweet odor which evaporates easily but does not readily burn. It has a variety of uses, and it is used in the manufacture of photographic film. DCM is made from methane gas or wood alcohol, and it does not occur naturally in the environment.

Not unlike government or healthcare metrics, the focus on Sen. McCaskill's injury after she received the life-saving Heimlich maneuver is inherently flawed.