I’m excited for being part of what a would dare to say it’s by now a classic: Grand Rounds, the best of medical writing on the web! Thank you to the medical and health bloggers who submitted their posts. ALL submissions I received were excellent, but I decided to include just a few to avoid making this a too large edition.

First, let’s keep in touch

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Walter Jessen at Highlight Health reinforces our addiction to health blog carnivals. He lists and links to all the available subscription options for keeping track of our favorite credible, rotating health and medicine blog carnival(s). A must read!


Controversy at King’s College

Dr. Crippen shares with us a controversial story: King’s College is being accused of racism by a medical student. Hundreds of comments have followed this post.

Good stories for patients

How to cope with pain blog teaches breathing exercises as part of their weekly pain management classes series.

Dr. Jolie Bookspan at Highlight Health warns patients: “You don’t have to have Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) surgery to rehab a knee injury”.

Sad but true, patients prefer vitamins over doctors

Economizing shoppers are replacing their prescription meds and doctor visits with vitamins and supplements, at ACP internist.

How our body works

itch On the Wards translates to the general audience a paper published in Nature Neuroscience about: How Does Scratching Help An Itch?

New biochemical markers of disease and the PSA debate

250px-PBB_Protein_CP_image Dr. Ves Dimov covers the latest markers on osteoporosis (CTX and NTX) and COPD (inflammation sensitive plasma proteins).

Still confusion about the usefulness of PSA screening? Laika’s MedLibLog summarizes the (interim) results of two large randomized controlled trials on the usefulness of Prostate Cancer Screening.The present evidence indicates that the benefits do not outweigh the harms.

What being a nurse means

Nurse Ausmed,a passionate professional, makes a much needed optimistic approach to what working as a nurse means.

On healthcare

As a seasoned cost-effectiveness researcher, Doc Gurley takes us behind-the-scenes for a shocking insider look at healthcare’s cost calculations. Who should die? And how cheaply?

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At Florence dot com, Barbara Olsen is continuing a story about the Vasa, a 17th century sunken ship, which offers age-old lessons about preventing harm by harnessing knowledge of people at the front line. This post explores the “science” behind the “compliance” of contemporary measures clinicians will recognize.

On big pharma and our attitude towards them

Dr. Daniel Carlat makes an excellent analysis of JAMA’s latest recommendations for medical societies on how to start breaking relationships with the pharmaceutical industry.

Adina at Heal Spiel wrote a post that concerns (and criticizes) the common practice of medical students obscuring the names of pharmaceutical companies from the free products that they receive.

What surgeons are writing this week

wii-Dr-Riviera Inside surgery wonders: What happens to a trauma patient when they are in a devastating car crash like the one that killed Angels’ pitcher Nick Adenhart ?

Brad Parker, at A chance to cut is a chance to cure, expounds upon the potential conflict between specialists and primary care provider.

At The Paper Mask, the author explains us why Helpcure.Com is a Fraudulent Scam.

Medical students thoughts on…

Handling Criticism. Medaholic has an interesting view on how criticism can be an opportunity to grow and mature.

Tenuous Relationships students and younger healthcare professionals may have around more senior and established physicians. Mudphudder points the reflection by telling a personal experience.

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Before saying goodbye, a video: A neutrophil chasing bacteria, set to music.

That’s all for this time, I really hope you enjoyed Grand Rounds!

Next edition will be hosted at  Diabetesmine.

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