Category: science

  • Psychiatrists Cast Doubt on Idea that Antidepressants Work by Causing Apathy

    Psychiatrists Cast Doubt on Idea that Antidepressants Work by Causing Apathy

    Out of 60 hits on page one of a Google search using terms “emotional blunting from SSRI,” only one cast doubt on the assumption that SSRI antidepressants exert their treatment effect by causing apathy. The rest endorsed the connection. The one article I found on this quick search which contradicted this widely held and arguably…

  • Maybe We Need a Dose of Humor

    Maybe We Need a Dose of Humor

    Sena and I were listening to the Mike Waters morning radio show (KOKZ 105.7) this morning and his invitation to listeners was to call in and quote their favorite dumb question. One of the callers recited something which was actually a George Carlin joke. Neither one of us thought we heard it right, but it’s…

  • Extraterrestrials Need Lentils Anonymous Program

    Extraterrestrials Need Lentils Anonymous Program

    Sena bought a bag of Spicy Sriracha Lentil Chips yesterday. They’re at the center of an extraterrestrial news flash on the web site of the company, The Daily Crave, which sells a lot of healthier snack food items. They’re mainly plant-based. Apparently, extraterrestrials are known to have a tendency to get addicted to lentils. What…

  • How to Get the Updated Covid-19 Vaccine Booster at University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics

    How to Get the Updated Covid-19 Vaccine Booster at University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics

    Here’s an updated link to how to get the updated Covid-19 vaccine booster (often called the Omicron bivalent booster). It’s sometimes faster to get this booster at local pharmacies, although there’s less urgency now.

  • Single Administration Therapeutic Interfering Particle (TIP) Reduces Covid-19 Viral Shedding & Pathogenesis in Hamsters

    Single Administration Therapeutic Interfering Particle (TIP) Reduces Covid-19 Viral Shedding & Pathogenesis in Hamsters

    Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) recently published a study showing: Abstract “The high transmissibility of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is a primary driver of the COVID-19 pandemic. While existing interventions prevent severe disease, they exhibit mixed efficacy in preventing transmission, presumably due to their limited antiviral effects in the…

  • I Say Omicron and You Say Ahmicron

    I Say Omicron and You Say Ahmicron

    Well, we tried the Miracle Whip salad dressing on egg salad sandwiches the other day. I thought they tasted better than the tuna fish sandwiches we had before. But maybe it was the mustard in the egg salad. Anyway, Sena says we’ll be going back to Mayonnaise after the Miracle Whip is gone. The difference…

  • Is Treatment with Antibodies a Substitute for Vaccination for Covid-19?

    Is Treatment with Antibodies a Substitute for Vaccination for Covid-19?

    I read the news article about scientists publishing a study which shows it’s possible to make antibodies that may neutralize most of the Covid-19 variants. I read this after failing to find any local facility in my area that has the updated bivalent Covid-19 vaccine booster available yet. Sena and I plan to get the…

  • A Retired Consultation-Liaison Psychiatrist’s Perspective on Eating Disorders

    A Retired Consultation-Liaison Psychiatrist’s Perspective on Eating Disorders

    This is just my presentation on eating disorders vs disordered eating for a Gastrointestinal Disease Department grand rounds several years ago. What’s also helpful is an eating disorder section on the National Neuroscience Curriculum Initiative (NNCI) web site. I left comments and questions there, which the presenter answered. In addition, the Academy of Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry…

  • CDC Interim Clinical Considerations for Covid-19 Vaccine Bivalent Boosters

    CDC Interim Clinical Considerations for Covid-19 Vaccine Bivalent Boosters

    Taken from the CDC ACIP meeting on 9/01/2022, here is the link to the CDC Interim Clinical Considerations for the Covid-19 Vaccines: Bivalent Boosters.

  • University of Iowa Hospitals Information on Omicron-Specific Covid-19 Vaccine Booster

    University of Iowa Hospitals Information on Omicron-Specific Covid-19 Vaccine Booster

    The University of Iowa Hospital & Clinics has information on the facts and expected availability of the new bivalent Omicron Covid-19 vaccine boosters.