Medical history
This week in 2000, a working draft reference of the human genome was announced at a White House ceremony, a combined effort of government scientists and the private company Celera Genomics.
Leaking toilet
Smart toilets may one day be able to use various technologies to assess their ’s health, such as detecting whether the person is pregnant or has cancer or their levels of medication based on excreted biomarkers.
That ability may offer more than just ing benefits to s, but it also raises concerns about personal health data inadvertently transmitted, hacked or used for unseemly purposes, such as police tracking drug usage.
“I often get asked about consent. Should a smart toilet actively consent every time they use the bathroom?” said Seung-min Park, who studies the topic at Stanford University.
That would defeat the purpose of ive collection, Park said, which is key to smart toilet success. s would get tired of always having to opt in before they could sit down and opt out. He recommends a blanket consent that could be revoked at any point.
“The smart toilet would need to be regarded as a medical device for the initial deployment, rather than a commercial product. Privacy has to come first.”
Get me that. Stat!
In 2022, 27.6 million people of all ages in the U.S. lacked health insurance, a decrease from 2021 (30 million), according to the National Health Interview Survey.
Counts
Stories for the waiting room
When you get a COVID-19 vaccination may influence its effectiveness. Researchers found that getting the shot around the middle of the day boosted the immune response more than earlier or later in the day.
The reason may have to do with the influence of circadian rhythms. The correlation was strongest in children, teens and adults over age 50. Other studies have reported similar effects with flu shots.
Mania of the week
Doc talk
Body of knowledge
After just 12 days of skipping a regular exercise program, the total amount of blood the heart pumps every minute decreases, along with the amount of oxygenated blood available to muscles and other cells. Message: It’s OK, even advisable, to take brief respites from your physical fitness regime, but don’t take too much time off or you’ll begin to lose benefits.
Best medicine
The “p” in pharmacist makes all the difference.
Hypochondriac’s guide
Hematohidrosis is a very rare condition of sweating blood. Only a handful of cases have been reported, even fewer clinically documented. Typically, bleeding occurs on or around the face, but also internally, such as nose, mouth or stomach. The suspected cause is the rupture of tiny blood vessels in the skin, with the blood squeezed out through sweat glands.
Crying tears of blood is called hemolacria; blood from the ears is called blood otorrhea. Sweat that appears in different colors, such as yellow, blue, green or black, is a different condition called chromhidrosis, also rare and caused by pigments resulting from infection, chemicals or dyes affecting the eccrine or apocrine sweat-producing glands.
Observation
“I know a man who gave up smoking, drinking, sex and rich food. He was healthy right up to the day he killed himself.”
Self-exam
Q: What are the three main types of ts in the human body?
A: Synarthroses are fixed or fibrous ts. They’re defined as two or more bones in close that have no movement, such as the bones of the skull. Amphiarthroses are cartilaginous ts, two or more bones held so tightly together that only limited movement can take place, such as spinal vertebrae. Diarthroses or synovial ts have lubricating synovial fluid that enable all parts of the t to smoothly move against each other, such as knees and shoulders.
Curtain calls
In 1875, a mouse suddenly dashed onto a work table at a south London factory, creating panic among the female workers. A young man dashed forward, grabbed the mouse by the tail but it slipped out of his grasp, scurried up a sleeve and out his collar.
The man’s mouth opened wide with surprise and the mouse leapt within, with the man then swallowing. The rodent did not die immediately, but rather began to tear and bite the inside of the man’s throat and esophagus, causing painful and ultimately fatal injuries.
LaFee is vice president of communications for the Sanford Burnham Prebys research institute.
