Taking the Pulse of the Healthcare Blogosphere

Envision Solutions and The Medical Blog Network are conducting a survey of medical bloggers called "Taking the Pulse of the Healthcare Blogosphere." The results will be available by the end of the year and will be presented at the first ever Healthcare Blogging Summit on December 11, 2006 in Washington, D.C. The keynote speaker at the conference will be Steve Rubel who is the author of the very informative blog MicroPersuasion (on my daily reading list). For example, do you know that according to Technorati it looks like most bloggers post while at work?

Click here if you would like to participate in "Taking the Pulse of the Healthcare Blogosphere" survey. It takes about 5-10 minutes to complete.

Image source: The Medical Blog Network, used with permission.

Medical Videos from Loyola University Chicago

I just found this thoracentesis video from the Loyola University Chicago on Yahoo Video. The video complements well our thoracentesis step-by-step procedure guide. It was added to Yahoo Video a month ago and has been viewed only 68 times.

There are also links to many other free medical videos from the Loyola University.

Reference:
Thoracentesis - Procedure Guide
Procedure Guides Step-by-Step
Image source: Yahoo Video

Walk for Life

Joanne Colan of the daily videoblog Rocketboom made a very funny episode about race walking. Take a look at those "peculiar creatures" who walk lightning fast swinging arms and hips. The technique seems to really work, and it did not take long for Joanne to learn it. According to Wikipedia, fitness-wise, race walking exceeds the caloric requirements of running because of stronger arm motion and less efficiency than running.

It's a funny video and hopefully it will encourage more people to walk daily. It does not have to be THAT fast... :-)

As a side note, I just updated the Wikipedia entry on race walking with a link to the Rocketboom episode. Let's see if the link remains there or the "wisdom of crowds" throws it out.

References:
Race walking from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Image source: Rocketboom.com

How to Make Money Blogging?

Forget about AdSense and banner ads. The answer may be in the cartoon below:



Cartoon author: Hugh Macleod, Creative Commons license.
Link via Digital Inspiration.

Useful Free Software for Windows Security and Maintenance

1. Firewall

ZoneAlarm
A free firewall, it works similar to Norton Internet Security. You need a free antivirus programs (see below) for a complete protection. Download and read reviews from C|Net.

2. Antivirus

Avast
A free antivirus program, just as good and up-to-date as Norton. Currently, this is the perfect free addition to ZoneAlarm firewall. Download and read reviews from C|Net.

3. System Cleaner

CCleaner
"CCleaner is a freeware system optimization and privacy tool. It removes unused files from your system - allowing Windows to run faster and freeing up valuable hard disk space." Download and read reviews from C|Net.

I personally use these programs and I find them very useful. They are free and do not contain any spyware/adware.

Update 09/09/2007:
40+ Free Windows Apps For You. Technology Bites, 2007.
The ones that I am trying now are Freemind, a free mind-mapping software, and Truecrypt, a free open-source disk encryption software for my external hard drive.

References:
Scan a File Using the Top Antivirus Software. Google Operating System, April 11, 2007.
The Best Free Software for Windows. Digital Inspiration, 12/2007.
Avoid Viruses, Spyware, Adware and Trojan Horses. Information Technology in Medicine, 2008.

Updated: 12/31/2007

Interactive Health Tutorials from Medline

I was reading Dean Giustini's post about Healia's Search Vortal and decided to check out Healia one more time. While making a sample search for CHF, I noticed in the upper right corner (where Google ads usually are) the link to a MedlinePlus Interactive Tutorial for CHF (screenshot below).



Medline used an external provider to compile a comprehensive list of Flash-based Interactive Health Tutorials:

• Diseases and Conditions
• Tests and Diagnostic Procedures
• Surgery and Treatment Procedures
• Prevention and Wellness

This looks like a valuable resource for patient education. Click to see the Kidney Failure tutorial as an example (screenshot below).



References:
Healia's Search Vortal - does it have a chance? UBC Academic Search - Google Scholar Blog.
Screenshots: Healia, MedlinePlus

Further reading:
Bioscreencast.com. Link via DavidRothman.net.

Updated: 10/02/2007

Iron in Anemic Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease

This is a presentation from Medscape Nephrology. A free registration is required to listen to the presentation and download the PowerPoint file.

The bottom line:

• Iron deficiency is one of the causes of erythropoetin resistance.
• IV iron is superior to oral iron in managing anemia in hemodialysis, peritoneal dialysis, and CKD patients.
• IV iron sucrose is safe and may be given up to 500 mg IV over 4 hours during an outpatient visit.
  

Update 3/28/2007:

FDA added a black box warning to the labels of all currently available Erythropoiesis Stimulating Agents (ESAs). Source: ASN.

References:
Iron in patients with chronic kidney disease. From Medscape Nephrology, Posted 07/27/2006.
Image source: Wikipedia