UK national survey finds half of women age 16-21 would consider cosmetic surgery. More than one in 10 age 11-16 would think about cosmetic surgery to change their looks. Almost half think the pressure to look attractive is the most negative part of being female.
Culture of greed upsets attempts at health care reform (Boston Globe)
No kidding. Blue Cross CEO gets $8.6 million for leaving the company. “I am stunned by the arrogance of Blue Cross Blue Shield and the entire health insurance industry to allow this type of transfer of income from the working class to the wealthy.
U.S. Bioethics Panel to Review Clinical Trials Around the World (Science Insider)
Prompted by revelations of US experiments on Guatemalans in the 1940s that exposed test subjects to syphilis and gonorrhea, bioethics panel to review rules that protect clinical trial participants from harm and unethical treatment, both domestically and internationally.
E. coli found on 50 percent of shopping carts (MSNBC)
The Fox News headline on this story featured the finding that 72% of carts had “fecal matter.” There are similar statistics on those bowls of free food samples in grocery stores. There’s more E. coli on carts than in supermarket restrooms. Nobody cleans the carts. But bacteria are everywhere – doorknobs, countertops, car seats. “My guess is that there are more bacteria on a car seat than on a shopping cart.”
Resistance Map (Center for Disease Dynamics, Economics & Policy)
Color-coded map shows the prevalence of various antibiotic resistant bacteria state by state. Cool. Scary.
‘American Plastic’, or Mother/Daughter Double-Date Boob Jobs (PopMatters)
Review of Laurie Essig’s American Plastic: Boob Jobs, Credit Cards, and the Quest for Perfection
The Long Goodbye (The Walrus)
The new old age. It’s a misconception that the old are depressed. Age discrimination in our society creates the belief that old age must be miserable. We proceed to project that idea onto the old. Research by Dr. Benoit Mulsant shows that the old actually have lower rates of depression than the middle-aged. Those over eighty-five probably have an even lower rate than do senior citizens in general.
How the FDA Got the Markingson Case Wrong (Bioethics Forum)
Carl Elliott update on the death of Dan Markingson, who committed suicide while enrolled in clinical trial of anti-psychotics. Focuses on role of FDA. Elliott has written about this case in White Coat, Black Hat: Adventures on the Dark Side of Medicine
Discrimination can make obese people sick (CBC News)
Research study finds a third of the severely obese face discrimination. “People are internalizing the prejudice and stigma they feel, and it contributes to stress, which ultimately affects their health.”
A Declaration of Cyber-War (Vanity Fair)
Takes what we know about Stuxnet and turns it into a gripping story. The new face of 21st-century warfare: invisible, anonymous, and devastating.
More than a third of Americans get too little sleep, CDC report says (LA Times)
Surveys find almost 40% of Americans admit falling asleep by accident and 5% do that while driving. Story includes link to sleep survey questionnaire.
Image (Girlguides): 24dash
Image (Hippos): Los Angeles Times
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