Our best and worst moments occur within social relationships, research shows

New Whitehead Fellow on the Hunt for Rare Genetic Mutations

New Whitehead Fellow on the Hunt for Rare Genetic Mutations

"As Whitehead Institute’s newest Fellow, Yaniv Erlich comes to Cambridge in search of needles in very large haystacks.In Erlich’s case, the needles are rare genetic variants or mutations occurring in individual human genomes. His quest is born of the growing realization that large-scale genome sequencing projects—genome-wide association studies (GWAS)—are failing to pinpoint genetic causes of common diseases. Indeed, mounting evidence suggests that the common genetic mutations that GWASs have surfaced reveal little about disease manifestation and inheritance risk.
It now appears that rare variants are behind many diseases, prompting the development of the so-called common disease-rare variant hypothesis...."cont'd

Physician's Focus: Bad News—How to Deliver It Well - - ModernMedicine

To help sharpen physician communication skills, ModernMedicine presents expert advice on breaking bad news to patients, along with related insightful content. Patients with a poorer prognosis recall less than other patients, regardless of age, and the more information the physician gives a patient, the less they recall. This can create situations where patients don’t absorb important information, such as about treatment and follow-up, and may be unable to pass it on to family members or caregivers.
How to communicate bad news to patients
How to deliver bad news to patients in such a way that it won't be all they remember and to ensure they understand the diagnosis and treatment plan.
How to communicate risk to patients
Counseling patients on risks needs to be more than just obtaining informed consent. Every patient deserves to hear the potential positive and negative outcomes of a procedure or treatment using language and data that can be easily understood.
BLOG: Breaking bad news
A physician’s eyes and face reveal the truth as soon as they step into a patient’s room.
CME Activity: Preventing medical errors for clinical health professionals
Communication factors contributing to error include failure to understand, cultural and language difficulties, conflicting information, and delayed exchange of information.

4th National Conference on Genomics and Public Health (free)

4th National Conference on Genomics and Public Health:
Using Genomic Information to Improve Health Now and in the Future

December 8-10, 2010 ~ Bethesda, Maryland

The 4th National Conference on Genomics and Public Health: Using Genomic Information to Improve Health Now and in the Future is a three-day event that will highlight best practices in public health genomics today while preparing for the future. Thanks to our generous sponsors, registration is complimentary for all attendees.
The agenda will feature keynote presentations by leaders in the fields of genomics and public health, interactive plenary and break-out sessions, and scientific poster exhibits on genomics research and public health practice. Networking events are also planned for the evenings.
We welcome all who are interested to join us for this educational and networking conference.
The goals of this event are to bring together multi-disciplinary professionals from national, state and global organizations to:

• Learn more about the use of genetics and genomics for improving public health interventions to prevent and control chronic, pediatric, infectious, environmental, and occupational diseases, and provide quality genetic services across the lifespan
• Understand the landscape of genomic applications as they are being used now and best practices to follow
• Learn about new scientific technologies and methods that can be implemented now or in the near future
• Understand the implications of the globalization of public health and genomics
• Determine the best steps to take in forging the direction of our work in the next five to 10 years

Please note that abstract submissions will be accepted beginning August 1 through August 31, 2010.
Click here for more information.

Avoiding Drug Interactions

On this page:

• Drugs with Food and Beverages
• Drugs with Dietary Supplements
• Drugs with Other Drugs
• Tips to Avoid Problems

Cancer support group Gilda's Club to close - JSOnline

Longer HRT Duration Tied to Lower Colon Cancer Risk

"It is possible that widespread use of HRT is partially responsible for the reductions that we have observed in distal large bowel cancer incidence over time," the authors write.

Practical Ethics: Religion makes a difference to end-of-life decisions

Gynecological Oncology Congress - Call for Abstracts Biennial Meeting of the International Gynecologic Cancer Society (IGCS)

 

IGCS

caBIG® - conference notice Sept 13-15 Washington, DC

The 2010 Annual Meeting, Building a Collaborative Biomedical Network, will be held September 13-15, 2010, at the Marriott Wardman Park in Washington, D.C. The caBIG® Annual Meeting is for you and your colleagues to see how caBIG® tools will enhance your research, to learn how your peers are achieving productivity gains, and to voice your opinions on what you need in the future from caBIG® tools and technologies. Join other researchers, clinicians, and informaticians for this once yearly event!
The meeting is free to attend and open to the public.

Expanding the Criteria for BRCA Mutation Testing in Breast Cancer Survivors — JCO abstract (joint Canada/U.S. paper)

Purpose Every year approximately 25% of women diagnosed with breast cancer are younger than 50 years of age, and almost 10% of them have a BRCA mutation. Not all potential carriers are identified by existing criteria for BRCA testing. We estimated the costs and benefits of different BRCA testing criteria for women with breast cancer younger than 50 years.

Conclusion Testing women with TN breast cancers who were younger than 50 years for BRCA mutations is a cost-effective strategy and should be adopted into current guidelines for genetic testing.