Grand Rounds 3.42

Welcome to Aetiology and this week's edition of Grand Rounds. It's my pleasure to host this carnival for a second time, and I greatly appreciate all of you who sent along submissions for today's round-up.

I want to start by briefly mentioning what looks to be an excellent new source, especially for those of us who do a lot of lecturing and are always looking for good images. Via John at Stranger Fruit I found that Wellcome has released a gallery of medical images to the public. I'm featuring a few below, but the site is worth a browse when you have a few extra minutes.

So, without further ado, on with the show...

Health and critical thinking

Dr. Val at Revolution Health writes about the power of magical thinking, and the tactics of the "snake oil salesman." Regular readers at Aetiology will probably not be surprised to recognize many of these tactics in some of our frequent commenters here--a nice post, and highly recommended.

At Med Journal Watch, mousetrapper finds that one herbal remedy may not be all it is cracked up to be. Fortunately, the supplement was found to be safe, if not efficacious.

Orac at Respectful Insolence draws attention to a study examining a homeopathic treatment in the ICU. Did it work?

Public health

Jolie Bookspan, The Fitness Fixer, alerts us to some additional freedoms to celebrate this season, making us healthier along the way.

At the Teen Health 411 blog, Nancy provides some sobering statistics about teen pregnancy, and discusses a program intended to aid communication with at-risk teens.

Kenneth of Fruit of the Womb blogs about a discussion he had with a young teen who is pregnant and thought she had cervical cancer, and what an abnormal pap really means.

Speaking of sobering, from other things amanzi comes a report of the sentencing of an HIV+ man who raped several virgin girls in an effort to cure himself. In light of South Africa's years of government-sponsored AIDS denial and promotion of traditional medicine, Bongi muses on justice and blame.

Elsewhere in Africa, JC Jones at Healthline Connects writes about the current state of public health in Somalia (and the state of the country in general)--and unfortunately, things only seem to be getting worse.

At Effect Measure, Revere asks if influenza vaccination really protects the elderly, and discusses why the answer isn't as easy to come by as one may think.

Nick at Hospital Impact writes about new "healthy laws" in many states, covering everything from sex education to soda pop.

Jonathan Folds addresses misconceptions about smoking cessation aids, and summarizes what experts agree upon when using nicotine replacement therapy.

Here at Aetiology, I take a step back and ask just what constitutes "health," anyway?

Research and findings

At Neurotopia, Evil Monkey has written a multi-part series on hormones and menopause. Part One: history and basics. Part Two: types of HRT and consequences Part Three: cognitive consequences, and Part Four: things to keep in mind.

Is there a link between suicide and antidepressant medication? Jon at Anxiety, Addiction, and Depression Treatments discusses some recent research on the topic.

Ever heard the phrase "working for peanuts"? Andreas at Sharp Braiins shows us orangs that do just that, potentially shedding light on how humans learn as well.

At The Tangled Neuron, Mona has an excellent overview of Chlamydia pneumoniae and its potential link to Alzheimer's disease.

Can commercial airflights cause altitude sickness? Abel at Terra Sigillata reviews the literature.

Patient perspectives

Hsien-Hsien Lei of Eye on DNA sends along notice of a new website bringing genetics to life by including interviews and videos of families dealing with genetic diseases.

At Six until me, Kerri discusses being "machine free" (without her insulin pump and glucose monitor) for the first time in years.

Meanwhile, Amy at Diabetes Mine takes an opposite tack and brings along a new technology on her trip to Europe, musing about how these gizmos affect the quality of life along the way.

Rachel discusses her own experience with diabetes and metformin at Tales of my thirties.

On the job

Dr. Roy of Shrink rap has a bone to pick. He writes to tell us that more goes into a psych consult than a request for one, but he's even quicker to point out that professional courtesy extends to all branches of medicine.

From the Neonatal homepage comes a connection between obesity and the NICU--and it's probably not what you'd think.

LMF at Ad Libitum welcomes new interns and provides some sage advice.

At Emergiblog, Kim turns the tables a bit and asks what do patients owe their health care providers? As she notes, good health care is a team effort, and the patient can benefit by understanding their role on the team.

Ever wonder what really happens in the O.R.? Terry at Counting Sheep offers up a A Hitchhiker's Guide to the O.R. Universe for anyone looking for that sneak peek.

While Terry gives virtual O.R. tours, Dr. Brokeback of Dr. Brokeback's Second Opinions takes us on a tour of call rooms she has known.

Controversy

At the Insureblog, Bob Vineyard sparks quite a bit of controversy with his post on medical terrorists and universal health care.

Are "concierge" doctors employing fuzzy math? And what would happen to patients if this practice becomes more mainstream? David at the Health Business blog discusses.

Mother Jones at Nurse Ratched's gazes into her crystal ball and wonders what the future will bring when it comes to insurance companies and euthanasia.

Of course, the internet is abuzz over Sicko by Michael Moore, nicely summarized by geena at codeblog.

Another hot topic has been the ongoing autism trial, where a group of parents are asserting in court that vaccines damaged their children. At Breath Spa for Kids, Shinga has an excellent summary looking at some of the coverage thus far, with lots of links for additional reading.

The best of the rest

Susan at Rickety Contrivances of Doing Good discusses an upcoming seminar she's teaching to medical students on grief and loss--much good advice on what to say (or what not to say) to someone who's experienced the loss of a loved one.

Chronic babe Michelle Melin-Rogovin recently checked out the BodyWorlds exhibit, and now better understands her chronic migraines.

At Med Valley High, Liana suggests 5 books that have influenced her career path.

How long is too long when waiting in the emergency department? Dainius at NY Emergency Medicine describes a case where a patient sued after waiting 8 hours to have his fingers sewed back on.

Thanks for stopping by! Next week's edition will be hosted at Vitum medicinus.

All images via Wellcome.