The Medical Journals

Could we help those in a coma communicate?

2012-02-02T13:47:00.000-08:00

Researchers have found that when asking somebody to think of a word, it is possible to gather electrical signals directly from the brain to reconstruct the word, essentially meaning you could communicate with a computer model through thinking of words.

Read more of this article here at BBC News

This is the sort of exciting developments like moving mouse cursors with the mind, and controlling wheelchairs with the mind. Ultimately, improving the mobility, ease and life of someone with an inability to do something.

Just an Update

2012-01-26T21:15:00.000-08:00

I have been welcomed by the professor and one of the other team members to join their research.

Their department is currently doing research into the links between alcoholism and death, and how much it really has to play a part in that death. After making it an official voluntary placement (in association with the BACC) we're now in discussion about when I can come and help them out.

I am in talks with getting experience in my local Dentist

Although people might think its not completely relevant to Medicine, its still a health care profession, and one of the closest. I'm sure I'll still get experience of meeting patients and seeing how this sort of career works.

I went to the Year 12 Step Up To Uni - Health Roadshow in Yale today

I joined this scheme in Year 10/11. It is run by Cardiff University and it helps those interested in a health profession get an insight into what is going on and advice on our personal statements and mock interviews. Today was very helpful and a lot of fun!

Nightingale House Hospice has invited me to their Training Induction Day

Meaning I will be able to volunteer within their care home, in addition to the events I have been volunteering with them in, for example the supermarket bag packs / dog walks / concerts.

I am going to Wrexham Maelor's "Medical Week" in the week of July 9th this year

This should also be great fun, and a great experience. How lucky to get a real insight into how it all works!

We have restarted the "Clwb Cymraeg" in school for the Year 7s/8s

May not be relevant to "Medicine" but it definitely shows responsibility and team work!

2012-01-18T14:25:00.000-08:00

I am meeting with a Professor and doctor tomorrow to see if he can get me involved with anything to do with psychiatry in Glyndwr University or the Maelor Hospital. He spent 28 years as a consultant for the NHS and took to teaching in 2009.

He has published many papers and reviews both on-line and written and he seems to have very similar interests to me within Psychiatry.

I am looking forward to seeing what could come out of the meeting!

Cognitive decline from age 45+?

2012-01-06T11:15:00.000-08:00

What was that?..

The Findings
Apparantely a study in the British Medical Journal have found that there is a 3.6% decline in mental reasoning in women and men, from age 45 to 49.

Over 10 years the research was done at University College London where they assessed the vocabulary, memory and comprehension skills of 7,000 men and women aged 45 to 70. Only one of which, vocabulary, did not decline.

Explanation for the mid-life crisis?

For the age group 65-70, the men's mental reasoning had declined 2.2% more than the women's, making that 9.6% for men and 7.4% for women.
However for both genders between 45-49, the decline was 3.6% - on average only about a 5% difference with the eldest of the group!

Why was this research carried out?
Before this, we didnt think that brain function would start to decline until age 60.
The research is in benefit of the The Alzheimer's Society, where they wanted research into how changes in the brain could help dementia diagnoses.

What does this mean?
The research was led by Professor A. Singh-Manoux from the Centre for Research in Epidemiology and Population Health in France. the Professor said the evidence from the study "showed that dementia involved cognitive decline over two to three decades."

"We now need to look at who experiences cognitive decline more than the average and how we stop the decline. Some level of prevention is definitely possible..."

"Rates of dementia are going to soar and health behaviours like smoking and physical activity are linked to levels of cognitive function.."

"It's important to identify the risk factors early. If the disease has started in an individual's 50s but we only start looking at risk in their 60s, then how do you start separating cause and effect?..."

What I think
One thing they didn't seem to consider were the people lifestyles, and life situations. I'm sure that by 45 most people have settled into a job and nothing new is happening in their life and there are no new challenges - perhaps this lack of new stimulation is what causes the cognitive decline. Its a possibility that our brains need to keep exercising to keep functioning.
Could one of my Nans factors of her slow decline into dementia be caused by the lack of changing events in her life?

2011-12-30T07:54:00.002-08:00

Just e-mailed my dentist to see if he'll let me come look around his practise, it may not be medicine but I'll get a good look at how the NHS works in more than just medicine. I hope to get a good look at the way they deal with patients and treat everyone, and how it all works in general!

Delay ovarian cancer?

2011-12-29T07:50:00.000-08:00

Yes! It could be.

"Researchers at Princess Margaret Cancer Programme at the University Health Network and Timothy Perren, from St James's Institute of Oncology in Leeds, found that the drug bevacizumab, which is also known as Avastin, may slow down the disease as well as improve survival."

Lets hope these findings lead to further research and a possible new form of care for the disease. They will continue watching the 1,528 until 2013.

2011-12-27T12:55:00.000-08:00

Just found out that my Uncle (whom I haven't spoken to for many years) could get me in for work experience at one of the GP practises he manages!

Neuropsychiatry

2011-12-24T14:03:00.000-08:00

Despite developing an interest for different specialities whilst at Medlink, my passion remains to be around psychiatry and neurology. Earlier this year I discovered a development in neuropsychiatry, quite a new arguable speciality, where some people argue these ideas need not be merged. I believe they go hand in hand, and the way the brain reacts to things and changes and causes certain behaviours in people fascinates me.

Last month, Cardiff University's MRC Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics & Genomics discovered something really interesting in schizophrenia patients. They found that, in those who had not inherited the condition, genetic mutations occurred among a set of proteins that are in association with memory function.

"The genetic mutations disrupt the production of proteins found at synapses, which are the connections between different brain cells. The proteins are normally assembled together and process information that is passed from the environment to the memory systems in the brain. Disrupting the fundamental information processing systems in synapses results in behavioural disorders."

These sort of researches, conducted by Professor Michael Owen and Professor Michael O’Donovan are the sort of things I wish to be doing in the future - although I hope to be taking these discoveries and applying them in direct medicine, to the patients.

You can read more about this development on the http://www.cardiff.ac.uk/news website here.

Medlink

2011-12-23T13:50:00.000-08:00

I recently attended Medlink at the University of Nottingham between the 17th and 20th of December. I've gotta say, it was absolutely brilliant and inspired me to do anything I can to read medicine and follow my dream.
The advice I received whilst there, was the top advice you could ever get about anything and everything relevant.
There were also lectures from different specialists, such as general practise and paediatrics etc.
I really appreciated the Consultant Psychiatrist. I myself hope to pursue psychiatry as a specialist after medicine.
Through the different lectures, I've found an interest in different specialities I never thought I'd be interested in, such as emergency medicine. I simply can't wait to get started in everything and all my volunteering and such. :-)

"Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans should be used to assess patients with suspected heart disease, rather than standard checks, experts say."

2011-12-21T13:40:00.000-08:00

This is the news that after studying 750 people, the University of Leeds discovered it was a better way of detecting and ruling out the condition than the regular tests. And of course, it doesn't use radiation, and instead uses magnetic fields and radio waves to produce a detailed image of the inside of the body. Which seems to be the preferred option now to an angiogram or SPECT.
The study took 5 years and cost £1.3m to complete - if only it wasn't so expensive and time consuming people would see this as a more powerful discovery!
However, not all the news is good. Professor Peter Weissberg, of the British Heart Foundation said; "At present, not all hospitals have the expertise to undertake such scans." Although, it is clear he certainly believes in the findings, he adds; "they provide clear evidence that MRI should be more widely used in the future."

Off I go!

2011-12-17T06:30:00.000-08:00

Getting the train this morning to Medlink, can't wait! It has a great reputation and I'm looking forward to all the advice I'm going to get, and the clinical sessions should be exciting!
So I'll blog after I return!

A bit about me

2011-12-16T15:57:00.000-08:00

Hello world! My name is David and I am 17 years old. I am currently studying Chemistry, Biology, Mathematics and Geography at AS level in Welsh. I inted to apply for Medicine when I leave 6th form.
I plan to fill this blog with medical developments that I find interesting, in order to build up my knowledge a bit more of the career I plan to go into.
My main interest is Psychiatry, and I am particularly interested in psychotherapy too.

I hope you find some of the things I blog about interesting too and that you keep updated with me!