Data Quality in Longitudinal Research
This overview of the central issues of data quality in longitudinal research focuses on data relevant for studying individual development. The topics covered include reliability, validity, sampling, aggregation, and the correspondence between theory and method. More specific, practical issues in longitudinal research, such as the drop-out problem and issues of confidentiality are also addressed. The volume is the result of an interdisciplinary endeavor by leading European scientists to discuss appropriate ways of handling various types of longitudinal data, including psychiatric data, alcohol data, and criminal data.
Systematic Reviews in Health Care
The past two decades have seen increasing interest and developments in methods for doing high quality systematic reviews. This volume provides a clear introduction to the concepts of systematic reviews, and lucidly describes the difficulties and traps to avoid. A unique feature of the manual is its description of the different methods needed for different types of health care questions: frequency of disease, prognosis, diagnosis, risk, and management. This book also provides illustrative examples and exercises for each of the sections.
Adult Stem Cell Standardization
Stem cell research and technology represent a major challenge for treating otherwise noncurable patients. A decade of intensive research has demonstrated that initial hopes based more on the will to succeed than on solid scientific bases can be translated into factual techniques only by adopting more rigorous procedures and strategies. Among other major impediments, the failure so far experienced in applying stem cell technologies to repair parenchymal organs can be ascribed to the lack of sufficient knowledge of basic mechanisms, but also to the lack of standardized criteria and protocols. Very often each laboratory follows its own "recipe" using erratic nomenclature and non-comparable, if not confusing, experimental protocols. All this makes it difficult to learn from the others and, ultimately, hampers the advance of knowledge on stem cell behavior. The ambitious goal of Adult Stem Cell Standardization is to gather the most innovative and scientifically robust knowledge and technologies on stem cells and involve investigators from academy and industry in formulating recommendations to standardize the isolation and manipulation of stem cells using solid and well-documented knowledge rather than fragmentary and often unrepeatable experimental reports.
The Philosophy of Evidence-based Medicine
Evidence-based medicine (EBM) has become a required element of clinical practice, but it is critical for the healthcare community to understand the ongoing controversy surrounding EBM. Seeking to address questions raised by critics, The Philosophy of Evidence-based Medicine challenges the over dependency of EBM on randomized controlled trials. This book also explores EBM methodology and its relationship with other approaches used in medicine.
Life and Hope
At the age of eleven, Mark Greene nearly died. Neither he nor his parents knew that Mark suffered from end stage renal disease; he would need a kidney transplant to survive. Now, more than twenty-six years after his successful transplant operation, Greene tells the story of his survival following that operation. Currently, there are approximately 170,000 organ transplant recipients in the United States, each with unique stories but sharing the commonality of improved quality of life. In Life and Hope, Greene discusses important principles that will not only contribute to the longevity of organ transplants, but also help recipients continue to improve their overall well-being. He blends personal experience and academic research to both teach and enlighten in a way that brings meaning to organ transplantation. Greene shares a very personal story about his ordeal with a misdiagnosed illness that nearly took his life and nearly destroyed his family. His story is one of transformation, as he moves from the brink of death to a life full of meaning-a unique story and real-life experience that demonstrates how the organ transplant experience so eloquently contributes to the human experience.
Life and Hope
At the age of eleven, Mark Greene nearly died. Neither he nor his parents knew that Mark suffered from end stage renal disease; he would need a kidney transplant to survive. Now, more than twenty-six years after his successful transplant operation, Greene tells the story of his survival following that operation. Currently, there are approximately 170,000 organ transplant recipients in the United States, each with unique stories but sharing the commonality of improved quality of life. In Life and Hope, Greene discusses important principles that will not only contribute to the longevity of organ transplants, but also help recipients continue to improve their overall well-being. He blends personal experience and academic research to both teach and enlighten in a way that brings meaning to organ transplantation. Greene shares a very personal story about his ordeal with a misdiagnosed illness that nearly took his life and nearly destroyed his family. His story is one of transformation, as he moves from the brink of death to a life full of meaning-a unique story and real-life experience that demonstrates how the organ transplant experience so eloquently contributes to the human experience.
The Medical Documentation of Torture
Until recently, almost all of the medical input to criminal and civil prosecutions relating to allegations of torture was from forensic pathologists investigating mass graves. It is now recognised, however, that witness evidence from those who survive atrocities can be supported by medical experts in documenting torture both immediately and many years after the event. As is patently evident from news coverage, the number of asylum seekers in the West fleeing persecution abroad has increased steadily and there is a real need to provide those involved in examining these individuals with a comprehensive reference source which will underpin the Istanbul Protocol and provide the academic background for bringing prosecutions against alleged torturers before the newly mandated International Criminal Court.
How Adult Stem Cell Therapies Can Save Your Life
Laced with hope and promise for sufferers of seemingly incurable illnesses, How Adult Stem Cell Therapies Can Save Your Life: Medicine's Best Kept Secret Saved My Life reveals that non-controversial adult stem cell therapies are already available for those with serious diseases and injuries. This book is a practical guide to those seeking adult stem cell treatments with step-by-step instructions on how to use the Internet to locate suitable FDA approved clinical trials for almost all major infirmities Seven years ago, van Zyl suffered cardiac arrest; his heart literally stopped until doctors shocked his chest. Over the next ten months, after receiving bypass surgery, an angioplasty, and entering a cardiac rehabilitation program, van Zyl's heart was still deteriorating. Turned down by two heart transplant centers, van Zyl's only hope lay in the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), or more specifically, a new FDA-approved clinical trial for adult stem cell therapies. One of 24 patients selected with heart failure, van Zyl entered the aggressive treatment group in 2004, where adult stem cells were harvested from van Zyl's own body and injected directly into his failing heart. The results were astonishing. Now 75, van Zyl lives a healthy, vigorous life. How Adult Stem Cell Therapies Can Save Your Life offers a plethora of information on the latest adult stem cell treatments for over a dozen diseases and conditions. While much has been made of the medical viability and ethical concerns of other types of stem cell therapies, van Zyl is living proof that adult stem cell therapies can save lives.
Statistical Modeling for Biomedical Researchers
For biomedical researchers, the new edition of this standard text guides readers in the selection and use of advanced statistical methods and the presentation of results to clinical colleagues. It assumes no knowledge of mathematics beyond high school level and is accessible to anyone with an introductory background in statistics. The Stata statistical software package is used to perform the analyses, in this edition employing the intuitive version 10. Topics covered include linear, logistic and Poisson regression, survival analysis, fixed-effects analysis of variance, and repeated-measure analysis of variance. Restricted cubic splines are used to model non-linear relationships. Each method is introduced in its simplest form and then extended to cover more complex situations. An appendix will help the reader select the most appropriate statistical methods for their data. The text makes extensive use of real data sets available online through Vanderbilt University.
Marijuana
As a full-time research consultant at the N.I.M.H. Center of Narcotics and Drug Abuse Studies, Dr. Tod Mikuriya discovered just how much the English and American medical profession has known about cannabis for the past 130 years. Having access to priceless original documents, he has compiled this authoritative and fascinating collection of medical papers on marijuana. From 1839, when the herb was first introduced into the Western pharmacopoeia, to present research with THC, the anthology offers rich insights into the whole social history of medicine. The studies published herein convey a wide variety of critical information, ranging from laboratory tests performed on animals and human subjects, to anthropological descriptions of marijuana use by African women during labor. A number of unusual and seldom-seen illustrations--from pharmaceutical catalogues in the days when Parke Davis and others marketed legal marijuana as a cure for coughs and corns--are both instructive and entertaining. In the section of clinical and pharmacological studies, a deep look is taken at the range of therapeutic effects attributed to a plant which has had prescribed medical uses for more than 2700 years, and is currently used by an estimated 250 million people. If not always conclusive, these studies nonetheless dramatically show that marijuana has potentially great medical value. The impressive accumulation of information regarding it has been unfortunately relegated to the dust bin for decades by puritanical legislators and medical practitioners ignorant or unheeding of existing scholarship in the field. The final chapter analyzes the reasons behind the 1937 Tax Act which outlawed the use of marijuana, driving it underground, and offers some disturbing conclusions based on hitherto unpublished official hearings and interviews with former government officials. Amidst the marijuana referendums, judicial challenges, and states vs. federal legislation, Marijuana: Medical Papers provides essential information--most of it never before available except in scarce, out-of-print medical journals--on a topic of tremendous current interest.
Marijuana
Cannabis: Collected Clinical Papers Volume One: Marijuana: Medical Papers, 1839-1972 Tod H. Mikuriya, M.D. As a full-time research consultant at the N.I.M.H. Center of Narcotics and Drug Abuse Studies, Dr. Tod Mikuriya discovered just how much the English and American medical profession has known about cannabis for the past 130 years. Having access to priceless original documents, he has compiled this authoritative and fascinating collection of medical papers on marijuana. From 1839, when the herb was first introduced into the Western pharmacopoeia, to present research with THC, the anthology offers rich insights into the whole social history of medicine. The studies published herein convey a wide variety of critical information, ranging from laboratory tests performed on animals and human subjects, to anthropological descriptions of marijuana use by African women during labor. A number of unusual and seldom-seen illustrations--from pharmaceutical catalogues in the days when Parke Davis and others marketed legal marijuana as a cure for coughs and corns--are both instructive and entertaining. In the section of clinical and pharmacological studies, a deep look is taken at the range of therapeutic effects attributed to a plant which has had prescribed medical uses for more than 2700 years, and is currently used by an estimated 250 million people. If not always conclusive, these studies nonetheless dramatically show that marijuana has potentially great medical value. The impressive accumulation of information regarding it has been unfortunately relegated to the dust bin for decades by puritanical legislators and medical practitioners ignorant or unheeding of existing scholarship in the field. The final chapter analyzes the reasons behind the 1937 Tax Act which outlawed the use of marijuana, driving it underground, and offers some disturbing conclusions based on hitherto unpublished official hearings and interviews with former government officials. Amidst the marijuana referendums, judicial challenges, and states vs. federal legislation, Marijuana: Medical Papers provides essential information--most of it never before available except in scarce, out-of-print medical journals--on a topic of tremendous current interest.
A Piece of My Mind
reflections and insights on health, disease, and healing Now in paperback for the first time, A Piece of My Mind brings together revealing personal essays that first appeared in The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). These engrossing, moving vignettes--written by physicians, patients, family members, medical students, and others--offer a unique glimpse into the everyday experiences and relationships in the medical world. Baring their souls and opening their hearts, the authors share their most personal moments, stories, and observations. You'll hear from the intern who could not hide her emotions, earning reprimand from her supervisors but appreciation from her patients . . . meet an alcoholic whose indomitable spirit helped her defy all the odds . . . experience the heartbreaking comedy of a Monday morning HIV clinic . . . be inspired by the oncology social worker who found a new love of life during her own struggle with breast cancer . . . and learn from the physician who realized that by witnessing her patients' courage she became a better physician. Compelling, touching, and at times humorous, A Piece of My Mind offers a deeper understanding of physicians, patients, medicine, and the simple human act of helping another person. "These stories, based in science, are transmitted to readers . . . after filtering through a human heart . . . consistently succeeds in bridging science and the humanities."--William H. Foege, MD, Emory University
Evidence-based Medicine Toolkit
This bestselling pocket guide to the skills of evidence-based medicine succeeds in demystifying the terminology and processes in a handy and easy-to-follow format, all within the space of 100 pages. With an improved layout, this second edition of Evidence-based Medicine Toolkit offers more up-to-date guidance as well as new sections on important areas of research. New features of this second edition include: A box for each major database showing how to search the evidence, and highlighting the differences between them Flow charts for different study types New critical appraisal sections on qualitative research and economic evaluation Expanded list of EBM resources on the net. With these added features to make the job easier, the new Toolkit is now an even better companion for all health care professionals using evidence-based methodology in their research and practice.
Beyond Method
This beloved American memoir is about a farm and its people, recollections of a boyhood in Wisconsin's Driftless region. Ben Logan grew up on Seldom Seen Farm with his three brothers, father, mother, and hired hand Lyle. The boys discussed and argued and joked over the events around their farm, marked the seasons by the demands of the land, and tested each other and themselves.
A Piece of My Mind
Reflections and insights on health, disease, and healing A Piece of My Mind brings together revealing personal essays that first appeared in The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). These engrossing, moving vignettes--written by physicians, patients, family members, medical students, and others--offer a unique glimpse into the everyday experiences and relationships in the medical world. Baring their souls and opening their hearts, the authors share their most personal moments, stories, and observations. You'll hear from the intern who could not hide her emotions, earning reprimand from her supervisors but appreciation from her patients . . . meet an alcoholic whose indomitable spirit helped her defy all the odds . . . experience the heartbreaking comedy of a Monday morning HIV clinic . . . be inspired by the oncology social worker who found a new love of life during her own struggle with breast cancer . . . and learn from the physician who realized that by witnessing her patients' courage she became a better physician. Compelling, touching, and at times humorous, A Piece of My Mind offers a deeper understanding of physicians, patients, medicine, and the simple human act of helping another person. "These stories, based in science, are transmitted to readers . . . after filtering through a human heart . . . consistently succeeds in bridging science and the humanities."--William H. Foege, MD, Emory University
Better Than Well
Americans have always been the world's most anxiously enthusiastic consumers of "enhancement technologies." Prozac, Viagra, and Botox injections are only the latest manifestations of a familiar pattern: enthusiastic adoption, public hand-wringing, an occasional congressional hearing, and calls for self-reliance. In a brilliant diagnosis of our reactions to self-improvement technologies, Carl Elliott asks questions that illuminate deep currents in the American character: Why do we feel uneasy about these drugs, procedures, and therapies even while we embrace them? Where do we draw the line between self and society? Why do we seek self-realization in ways so heavily influenced by cultural conformity?
Wrestling With Ghosts
"Wrestling With Ghosts" summarizes and updates a growing literature that includes traditional cultural accounts, scientific research, and subjective reports about the uncanny sleep disorder referred to as sleep paralysis (SP). The book serves as an important tool to normalize the sleep paralysis experience by attempting to remove its often-publicized mystical and supernatural aura. Specifically, the book is a serious contribution to the psychological and social scientific literature as an example of behavioral/social methodology in clarifying psychological phenomena that can be misinterpreted individually or by culture as "paranormal." However, the book does not refute the very real phenomenology of the experience and is intended as a practical guide for recognizing and managing the disorder in creative and self-enhancing ways. Moreover, this work reiterates the aesthetic and creative power of uncanny dreaming regardless of its origin. This aesthetic dimension of sleep paralysis and lucid dreaming is part of mythical, shamanic, creative, personal and scientific multidisciplinary approach to studying and describing dream phenomenology. Additionally, this work provides a retrospective look at the history of this uncanny disorder in human evolution, its recent western medical history and its most recent empirical descriptions as so-called alien abduction cases, including a presentation of Jungian and Freudian mythical perspectives. The empirical data is presented in balance with traditional cross-cultural and folklore accounts of the disorder as well as in the context of numerous recent cases researched in conjunction with the long-term study. Part of the data presented includes a proposal about psycho-geographical and psycho-geomagnetic distributions of "ghost" stories, dream attacks, and other SP related phenomena. These geographical zones correlate with geodynamic areas such as the Pacific "Ring of Fire" region where an increased number of cultural name
Hot Zone: A Terrifying True Story
The bestselling landmark account of the first emergence of the Ebola virus. Now a mini-series drama starring Julianna Margulies, Topher Grace, Liam Cunningham, James D'Arcy, and Noah Emmerich on National Geographic.A highly infectious, deadly virus from the central African rain forest suddenly appears in the suburbs of Washington, D.C. There is no cure. In a few days 90 percent of its victims are dead. A secret military SWAT team of soldiers and scientists is mobilized to stop the outbreak of this exotic "hot" virus. The Hot Zone tells this dramatic story, giving a hair-raising account of the appearance of rare and lethal viruses and their "crashes" into the human race. Shocking, frightening, and impossible to ignore, The Hot Zone proves that truth really is scarier than fiction.
