Thankfully this is a myth. We use most, if not all, of our brains. Many studies have shown that if the input to a particular neural system is eliminated, then neurons in this system will not function properly. This has been shown quite dramatically in the visual system: complete loss of vision will occur if visual information is prevented from...
Read MoreExtra, Extra, Read All About It — NOT
The New York Times article “Cancers Share Gene Patterns, Studies Affirm” published on May 2, 2013, and several other news outlets, described the work being carried out by The Cancer Genomic Atlas (TCGA). The TCGA, funded by the National Institutes of Health, is a research network consisting of more than 150 researchers at institutions across the...
Read MoreHide and Go Seek…Continues: Prevalence
Deep Breathing Time Again… We’re about to seek the answer to another of the numbers that health and medical professionals use daily from statistics. Are you ready? Here it goes… What does Prevalence Rate in Statistics Mean? The prevalence rate is the total number of cases of a disease in a specific population divided by the total number of people...
Read MoreCount to 10… then Hide: Incidence! Understanding Statistics
Ready to play Hide and Seek? Or are you just ready to hide? Most people feel like hiding when faced with the numbers that health and medical professionals use daily, statistics. So we’re going to start slowly and cover different mathematical concepts you might have heard. This will be a series of posts so if there are any math concepts that you...
Read MoreJury Duty? Understanding Clinical Trials
Not with these trials. Clinical trials are scientific studies conducted to discover improved ways to treat, prevent, diagnose or screen for diseases. Clinical trials are either observational or interventional. Observational trials are like longitudinal studies. Interventional trials are the ones in which individuals are assigned to control or...
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