Imagine donating a sample of your DNA to help researchers study the genetics of diabetes. The disease is common among your friends and family, and you’re proud of your role in finding out why. Now, imagine that some time later, you learn that your DNA has been used for other studies on topics you never expected—schizophrenia, human migration, inbreeding. Although your name isn’t attached to the sample anymore, scientists are using your DNA to draw conclusions about your community and your ancestors. Some of these studies violate your cultural beliefs.

The newest revolution in microbiology testing walks on four legs and says “baa.” It’s the hair sheep, a less-hirsute version of the familiar woolly barnyard resident. A new study from the Stanford University School of Medicine, which is to be published July 3 in PLoS ONE, finds that not only are these ruminants low-maintenance and parasite-resistant, they’re also perfect blood donors for the microbiology tests necessary to diagnose infectious disease in the developing world.

New research from two Philadelphia-area cardiologists finds that an over-the-counter dietary supplement sold at pharmacies and health food stores may be an alternative for patients who cannot take traditional statin medications to lower cholesterol because of statin-related muscle pain. The findings of their study, “Red Yeast Rice for Dyslipidemia in Statin-Intolerant Patients,” appear in the June 16, 2009 issue of Annals of Internal Medicine.

Online comments and product reviews influenced 65% of U.S. adults who recently used a diet or weight loss program, according to theSpring 2009 Ad-ology Media Influence on Consumer Choice survey. These consumers are very interested in the effectiveness of diet programs and are actively seeking out the opinions of other users.

Results of the HIGHCARE2008 Project were announced during the recent 19th Scientific Meeting of the European Society of Hypertension (ESH), Milan, Italy. The first-ever ambulatory blood pressure (ABPM) study conducted at high and very high altitude investigated treatment with telmisartan and showed that:

Following the recent swine flu outbreak and resulting turmoil, many organizations are assessing whether they’re fully prepared to handle such a widespread business disruption. Pandemic-proof communications are critical to understanding how the outbreak is impacting the workforce and what adjustments should be made to keep the business going. Two-way communication via multiple channels is by far the most effective way of reaching all stakeholders and giving employees the means to report on their status—both of which will help companies mitigate the financial and operational impact created by a prolonged outbreak.

Sense of smell? … I never gave it a thought. You don’t normally give it a thought. But when I lost it – it was like being struck blind. Life lost a lot of its savour – one doesn’t realize how much “savour” is smell. You smell people, you smell books, you smell the city, you smell the spring – maybe not consciously, but as a rich unconscious background to everything else. My whole world was suddenly radically poorer…” (from: Sacks O., 1985, The dog beneath the skin. In: The man who mistook his wife for a hat. Summit Books / Schuster & Schuster Inc., New York)

Comparative effectiveness research is generating buzz these days, with the recent economic stimulus package allocating $1.1 billion for these types of studies. But a researcher at the Stanford University School of Medicine is asking policymakers to take a step back and make sure that the plans for comparative effectiveness research go deep enough to make a difference.

The link between a person’s diet and his or her mental health is becoming more and more relevant. According to The Mental Health Foundation, evidence suggests that a healthy diet is instrumental in the treatment and prevention of mental health disorders such as depression, schizophrenia and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Studies have shown that treatments utilizing nutrients such as zinc, vitamins B1, B2 and C, see greater relief of symptoms in people with depression and bi-polar disorder by as much as 50 percent.

Could your car be a self-contained isolation compartment when you seek medical attention during a pandemic? And, is a drive-through approach an effective method to triage and screen a large number of patients? These possibilities will be tested in an exercise to compare actual times and outcomes of a drive-though method to the standard walk-in approach that was used at Stanford Hospital and throughout the country during the recent H1N1 event.