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50
General Discussions / Medical errors are 3rd largest cause of death in the USA
« on: May 04, 2016, 01:34:09 AM »
A new study in the latest edition of BMJ suggests most medical errors go unobserved, at least in the official record.
The study, from doctors at Johns Hopkins, suggests medical errors may kill more people than lower respiratory diseases like emphysema and bronchitis do. That would make these medical mistakes the third leading cause of death in the United States. That would place medical errors right behind heart disease and cancer.
Through their analysis of four other studies examining death rate information, the doctors estimate there are at least 251,454 deaths due to medical errors annually in the United States. The authors believe the number is actually much higher, as home and nursing home deaths are not counted in that total.
Dr. Martin Makary and Dr. Michael Daniel, who did the study, hope their analysis will lead to real reform in a health care system they argue is letting patients down.
"We have to make an improvement in patient safety a real priority," said Makary, a professor of surgery and health policy and management at Johns Hopkins.
"Billing codes are designed to maximize billing rather than capture medical errors," Makary said.
The study gives an example of exactly how limited the death certificates are when it comes to recording medical errors. One example involved a patient who had a successful organ transplant and seemed healthy, but had to go back to the hospital for a non-specific complaint. During tests to determine what was wrong, a doctor accidentally cut her liver and hadn't realized it. The hospital sent her home, but she returned with internal bleeding and went into cardiac arrest and later died. It was the cut that led to her death, but her death certificate only listed a cardiovascular issue as the cause.
Makary believes there should be a space on the certificate that asks if the death is related to a medical error. If the answer is yes, Makary suggests the doctor should have some legal protection so the certificate is not something that could be used in a lawsuit. "I don't believe we have diabolic leaders in health care," Makary said. He believes instead that there could be better systems put in place at hospitals to make them safer.
The study, from doctors at Johns Hopkins, suggests medical errors may kill more people than lower respiratory diseases like emphysema and bronchitis do. That would make these medical mistakes the third leading cause of death in the United States. That would place medical errors right behind heart disease and cancer.
Through their analysis of four other studies examining death rate information, the doctors estimate there are at least 251,454 deaths due to medical errors annually in the United States. The authors believe the number is actually much higher, as home and nursing home deaths are not counted in that total.
Dr. Martin Makary and Dr. Michael Daniel, who did the study, hope their analysis will lead to real reform in a health care system they argue is letting patients down.
"We have to make an improvement in patient safety a real priority," said Makary, a professor of surgery and health policy and management at Johns Hopkins.
"Billing codes are designed to maximize billing rather than capture medical errors," Makary said.
The study gives an example of exactly how limited the death certificates are when it comes to recording medical errors. One example involved a patient who had a successful organ transplant and seemed healthy, but had to go back to the hospital for a non-specific complaint. During tests to determine what was wrong, a doctor accidentally cut her liver and hadn't realized it. The hospital sent her home, but she returned with internal bleeding and went into cardiac arrest and later died. It was the cut that led to her death, but her death certificate only listed a cardiovascular issue as the cause.
Makary believes there should be a space on the certificate that asks if the death is related to a medical error. If the answer is yes, Makary suggests the doctor should have some legal protection so the certificate is not something that could be used in a lawsuit. "I don't believe we have diabolic leaders in health care," Makary said. He believes instead that there could be better systems put in place at hospitals to make them safer.
51
General Discussions / Italy: It's legal to steal food if you're starving
« on: May 04, 2016, 01:22:06 AM »
Italy's top appeals court on Monday overturned a conviction against a homeless Ukrainian man who stole $4.50 worth of cheese and hot dogs from a supermarket because he was starving.
"The condition of the defendant and the circumstances in which the seizure of merchandise took place prove that he took possession of that small amount of food in the face of an immediate and essential need for nourishment, acting therefore in a state of necessity," the court said in a statement.
Ostriakov was convicted in 2015 and sentenced to six months in jail and a $115 fine before the conviction was overturned.
A fellow customer informed the store's security in 2011, when Mr Ostriakov attempted to leave a supermarket with two pieces of cheese and a packet of sausages in his pocket but paid only for breadsticks.
In times of economic hardship, the court of cassation's judgement reminds everyone that in a civilised country not even the worst of men should starve.
An opinion piece in Corriere Della Sera says statistics suggest 615 people are added to the ranks of the poor in Italy every day - it was "unthinkable that the law should not take note of reality".
It criticised the fact that a case concerning the taking of goods worth under €5 went through three rounds in the courts before being thrown out.
The "historic" ruling is "right and pertinent", said Italiaglobale.it - and derives from a concept that "informed the Western world for centuries - it is called humanity".
"The condition of the defendant and the circumstances in which the seizure of merchandise took place prove that he took possession of that small amount of food in the face of an immediate and essential need for nourishment, acting therefore in a state of necessity," the court said in a statement.
Ostriakov was convicted in 2015 and sentenced to six months in jail and a $115 fine before the conviction was overturned.
A fellow customer informed the store's security in 2011, when Mr Ostriakov attempted to leave a supermarket with two pieces of cheese and a packet of sausages in his pocket but paid only for breadsticks.
In times of economic hardship, the court of cassation's judgement reminds everyone that in a civilised country not even the worst of men should starve.
An opinion piece in Corriere Della Sera says statistics suggest 615 people are added to the ranks of the poor in Italy every day - it was "unthinkable that the law should not take note of reality".
It criticised the fact that a case concerning the taking of goods worth under €5 went through three rounds in the courts before being thrown out.
The "historic" ruling is "right and pertinent", said Italiaglobale.it - and derives from a concept that "informed the Western world for centuries - it is called humanity".
52
Science, Astronomy, & Physics / Enhanced HD video of the Aurora
« on: April 19, 2016, 02:17:49 PM »
NASA came out with a stunning 4K UHD video of the Aurora. Unfortunately there was an animation of an airlock & stuff in the beginning, with more nonsense end, making the fun part of the video only 4 minutes long. Then they sped it up too much to enjoy it. In my version, I cut out the silly stuff, & slowed down the cool stuff so it's almost 9 minutes long. The UHD version didn't look all that sharp either, so I enhanced it, & converted it down to 720p HD. They say my version is actually clearer than the UHD version. The 5 minute audio was also tweaked to extend it to about 9 minutes. Enjoy science fans!
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Z8RWIcbtQ8[/youtube]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Z8RWIcbtQ8
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Z8RWIcbtQ8[/youtube]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Z8RWIcbtQ8
53
Pets, animals & nature / Largest Diamond since 1905 discovered
« on: November 20, 2015, 09:16:53 AM »
The Canadian Lucara mining company found the world’s largest diamond in more than a century this week.
The 1,111-carat gem was found in an open pit mine in central Botswana, by the Vancouver based firm.
William Lamb, the company’s chief executive, said Lucara has inquiries from potential buyers, but said it was impossible to price the diamond yet. The stone, the second largest ever recovered, was too large to fit inside the company’s own scanner, so it'll be transported to Antwerp to be valued.
It's likely to be auctioned once it has been prepared for sale. “People are still reeling from the fact that it’s over 1,000 carats,” Lamb said on Thursday.
The company’s share price rose 32% on the back of the news, adding about $150m to its market value.
The Lucara company had used an x-ray processing facility to reduce damage while recovering large diamonds. Had the Karowe mine – which is about 300 miles north of Botswana’s capital, Gaborone – used older equipment, the diamond might have been smashed to pieces along with the rubble removed from the pit. “It would have gone to the pebble crusher and it would have been destroyed,” said Lamb.
The diamond measures 6.5cm by 5.6cm by 4cm, and is second in size only to the 3,106-carat Cullinan diamond, which was unearthed near Pretoria, South Africa, in 1905. The carat calibration is a measure of how heavy the diamond is, one carat being equal to 200mg.
Kieron Hodgson, a commodities and mining analyst, said it will be a very expensive diamond. He said, “Valuation will depend on potential inclusions, how it would behave in cutting, optimal shape as well as final color.”
The stone is known as a type IIa diamond. These are clear and almost pure carbon diamonds, with none of the nitrogen that gives some diamonds a yellow hue.
The Koh-i-Noor (Urdu for Mountain of Light), the most famous diamond in the British crown jewels, is a type IIa diamond. Another in the collection at the Tower of London is the First Star of Africa, which was cut from the Cullinan diamond and now adorns the royal sceptre.
In April, a flawless 100-carat emerald-cut diamond sold for $22m within three seconds at an auction arranged by Sothebys in New York. It took a year to be cut from an original stone that weighed more than 200 carats when it was mined by De Beers in South Africa.
Putting a price on Lucara’s diamond is difficult because several factors come into play. While the value of diamonds shoots up with size, the number of potential buyers falls. The buyer of the Lucara diamond could be a syndicate.
Botswana is the world’s second biggest diamond producer, and Lucara said the gem was the largest ever to be recovered in the country.
On Thursday, the company announced the recovery of two more large diamonds from the same mine, estimated at 813 and 374 carats.
The 1,111-carat gem was found in an open pit mine in central Botswana, by the Vancouver based firm.
William Lamb, the company’s chief executive, said Lucara has inquiries from potential buyers, but said it was impossible to price the diamond yet. The stone, the second largest ever recovered, was too large to fit inside the company’s own scanner, so it'll be transported to Antwerp to be valued.
It's likely to be auctioned once it has been prepared for sale. “People are still reeling from the fact that it’s over 1,000 carats,” Lamb said on Thursday.
The company’s share price rose 32% on the back of the news, adding about $150m to its market value.
The Lucara company had used an x-ray processing facility to reduce damage while recovering large diamonds. Had the Karowe mine – which is about 300 miles north of Botswana’s capital, Gaborone – used older equipment, the diamond might have been smashed to pieces along with the rubble removed from the pit. “It would have gone to the pebble crusher and it would have been destroyed,” said Lamb.
The diamond measures 6.5cm by 5.6cm by 4cm, and is second in size only to the 3,106-carat Cullinan diamond, which was unearthed near Pretoria, South Africa, in 1905. The carat calibration is a measure of how heavy the diamond is, one carat being equal to 200mg.
Kieron Hodgson, a commodities and mining analyst, said it will be a very expensive diamond. He said, “Valuation will depend on potential inclusions, how it would behave in cutting, optimal shape as well as final color.”
The stone is known as a type IIa diamond. These are clear and almost pure carbon diamonds, with none of the nitrogen that gives some diamonds a yellow hue.
The Koh-i-Noor (Urdu for Mountain of Light), the most famous diamond in the British crown jewels, is a type IIa diamond. Another in the collection at the Tower of London is the First Star of Africa, which was cut from the Cullinan diamond and now adorns the royal sceptre.
In April, a flawless 100-carat emerald-cut diamond sold for $22m within three seconds at an auction arranged by Sothebys in New York. It took a year to be cut from an original stone that weighed more than 200 carats when it was mined by De Beers in South Africa.
Putting a price on Lucara’s diamond is difficult because several factors come into play. While the value of diamonds shoots up with size, the number of potential buyers falls. The buyer of the Lucara diamond could be a syndicate.
Botswana is the world’s second biggest diamond producer, and Lucara said the gem was the largest ever to be recovered in the country.
On Thursday, the company announced the recovery of two more large diamonds from the same mine, estimated at 813 and 374 carats.
54
General Discussions / 2 National Doughnut Days but only 1 is real.
« on: November 05, 2015, 11:31:25 AM »
It's National Doughnut Day. You know, someone in the industry just made that up. There's 2 of them. The summertime National Doughnut Day is one of the legitimate food holiday. It was established by the Salvation Army way back in 1938 to honor the Dough Lassies, female volunteers who made doughnuts for soldiers serving overseas as a way to boost morale. It was a successful effort and led soldiers to use the slogan "doughnuts will win the war!"
National Doughnut Day on Nov. 5, was completely fabricated by national food councils as a way to sell goods. Many food holidays were completely made up by John-Bryan Hopkins, a food writer from Birmingham who runs the site Foodimentary. When he started his website back in 2006 there were already 175 food-related holidays, and he just filled in the rest.
There's 2 spellings for the treat, "Doughnut", & "Donut". Both are assumed to be correct, but you will be considered ignorant to use "Donut", because it always used to be spelled "Doughnut", & it's made from "dough" not "do".
National Doughnut Day on Nov. 5, was completely fabricated by national food councils as a way to sell goods. Many food holidays were completely made up by John-Bryan Hopkins, a food writer from Birmingham who runs the site Foodimentary. When he started his website back in 2006 there were already 175 food-related holidays, and he just filled in the rest.
There's 2 spellings for the treat, "Doughnut", & "Donut". Both are assumed to be correct, but you will be considered ignorant to use "Donut", because it always used to be spelled "Doughnut", & it's made from "dough" not "do".
55
Paranormal, Aliens, & UFOs / Mars Anomalies
« on: November 04, 2015, 09:38:53 AM »
By popular request, I'm re-posting of my collection of Mars anomalies specially enhanced with my own homemade imaging software & techniques. My enhancing has improved & upgraded over the years, so although these are enhancements of older original images, the modern enhancements were just done & brand new. These newly enhanced versions have never been seen anywhere before. They're a PSK research exclusive. Nothing has been added or photo-shopped into the images. What was already there was just enhanced or noise filtered, or both to see the details better.
This first picture is not of an earthly country winter wonderland. It's a picture of the polar ices caps of Mars! NASA says those aren't plants or trees but CO2 geysers. I know a bit about CO2, geysers, & Mars climate. Those are not CO2 geysers. CO2 can only exist in liquid for under a very rare narrow band of temperature & pressure - - none of which exist on Mars. NASA also says all that snow is supposed to be CO2 too, even though our probes did detect plenty of H2O & methane at the poles of Mars.
This first picture is not of an earthly country winter wonderland. It's a picture of the polar ices caps of Mars! NASA says those aren't plants or trees but CO2 geysers. I know a bit about CO2, geysers, & Mars climate. Those are not CO2 geysers. CO2 can only exist in liquid for under a very rare narrow band of temperature & pressure - - none of which exist on Mars. NASA also says all that snow is supposed to be CO2 too, even though our probes did detect plenty of H2O & methane at the poles of Mars.
56
Science, Astronomy, & Physics / Best Cassini probe pictures.
« on: October 18, 2015, 08:37:18 PM »
With all the new pictures coming from new space probes out there, & the New Horizons Pluto pictures, we tend to forget we have lots other probes out there doing science & taking pictures every day.
The nuclear powered spacecraft Cassini is still 100% functional, orbiting Saturn, & snapping images of Saturn & its moons.
Launched in 1997, it got a gravity/speed boost by a close flyby of Venus in 1998. After passing by Jupiter, it arrived in orbit around Saturn in June 2004. It is a dual-probe which launched its Huygens probe into Titan's atmosphere in December 2004.
It takes 84 minutes for radio signals from Cassini at the speed of light to reach Earth. As far away as Saturn is, that's nothing compared to the New Horizons probe that flew by Pluto. It takes 9 hours for radio signals to reach earth from Pluto.
Here's my favorite Cassini pictures. Many of them won't be seen in such clarity & detail anywhere else because they were specially enhanced by me & my exclusive homemade imaging software. Bigger pictures don't matter if they're blurry.
Enjoy Astro Fans!
The nuclear powered spacecraft Cassini is still 100% functional, orbiting Saturn, & snapping images of Saturn & its moons.
Launched in 1997, it got a gravity/speed boost by a close flyby of Venus in 1998. After passing by Jupiter, it arrived in orbit around Saturn in June 2004. It is a dual-probe which launched its Huygens probe into Titan's atmosphere in December 2004.
It takes 84 minutes for radio signals from Cassini at the speed of light to reach Earth. As far away as Saturn is, that's nothing compared to the New Horizons probe that flew by Pluto. It takes 9 hours for radio signals to reach earth from Pluto.
Here's my favorite Cassini pictures. Many of them won't be seen in such clarity & detail anywhere else because they were specially enhanced by me & my exclusive homemade imaging software. Bigger pictures don't matter if they're blurry.
Enjoy Astro Fans!
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