Kidney Punch

Herceptin: the long and the short of it

John Pickering • May 30, 2013

• Breast Cancer Aotearoa Coalition,
• ethics,
• Herceptin,
• PHARE,
• Roche,
• SOLD

If I, or anyone I loved, had breast cancer I’d want to make damned sure they got the best possible treatment. This is at the core of issues surrounding how the drug trastuzumab (trade name Herceptin) is to be used.  This morning Radio New Zealand reported that the Breast Cancer Aotearoa Coalition has made a … Continue reading » … Read More

Injury, function, and death

John Pickering • May 29, 2013

• Acute Kidney Injury,
• Acute Renal Failure,
• Biomarker,
• Creatinine,
• death,
• Dialysis,
• Kidney Attack,
• my work,
• sensitivity,
• serum creatinine

When they say your tests are positive for a disease just what do they mean?  If it is a simple blood or urine test often they mean that the concentration measured is outside (above or below) some  reference range.  In my field of Kidney Attack (a.k.a. acute kidney injury: AKI) two tests of the same … Continue reading » … Read More

H7N9 kills and attacks kidneys

John Pickering • May 24, 2013

• Acute Kidney Injury,
• Acute Respiratory Disease Syndrome,
• AKI,
• ARDS,
• Avian influenza,
• H7N9,
• Kidney Attack,
• New England Journal of Medicine

27% of patients with H7N9 Influenza A died.  This is the finding of a report just released  in the New England Journal of Medicine is a study of 111 of the 132 confirmed cases of H7N9 Influenza A*. Acute Kidney Injury or “Kidney Attack” was amongst the most common complications. Of the 111 patients we … Continue reading » … Read More

New way to spread the word

John Pickering • May 22, 2013

• Flipboard,
• Fun,
• outreach

Changes to Flipboard mean it’s now a great tool for science outreach, or indeed any outreach. If you don’t know what Flipboard is, then checkout Flipboard.com or better yet, download the app.  It combines the beauty of a magazine with the usefulness of a reading list.  I use it on an iPad, there’s also an … Continue reading » … Read More

The physics of maiming a child

John Pickering • May 14, 2013

• bicycle,
• children,
• Driveway,
• footpath,
• joggers,
• mobility scooter,
• physics,
• Saftey,
• sidewalk,
• trikke

Dear driver, When you backed out of a driveway and did not even see how I swerved around behind your car to avoid T-boning you, how dare you have the temerity to tell me you were careful!  I was 7 feet tall, dressed in bright yellow and traveling at no more than 10 km/h.  Perhaps … Continue reading » … Read More

Why you should care about Oregon

John Pickering • May 08, 2013

• $100Dialysis,
• Medicaid,
• Randomised controlled trial

Reblogged from Stray Thoughts: For those of you who haven't heard, there is big news out of Oregon. Oregon is a fascinating place right now for those interested in health policy, and here's why: What amounts to a giant experiment on the expansion of Medicaid is taking place there as we speak. In 2008, Oregon … Continue reading » … Read More

Two new Health Research Council grants worth crowing about

John Pickering • May 07, 2013

• $100Dialysis,
• Acute Kidney Injury,
• Auckland DHB,
• Cardiac Surgery,
• Cardiopulmonary Bypass,
• Chronic Kidney Disease,
• Intensive Care Unit,
• kidney,
• Kidney Attack,
• metaanalysis,
• University of Otago

This week’s announcement by the HRC of Feasibility Study and Emerging Researcher grants have many great projects.  Two in particular are worth crowing about (because they have some relationship to kidneys and they involve two excellent people).  I have put summaries in their own words below, but first my comments. Dr Palmer (Department of Medicine, … Continue reading » … Read More

University of Otago Papanui turns 800

John Pickering • May 03, 2013

• Christchurch Earthquake,
• University of Otago,
• University of Otago Christchurch

Day one was ground breaking – 23 Feb 2011, the day after the big Christchurch earthquake.  Today is day 800 of what I lovingly refer to as the Papanui campus of University of Otago Christchurch.  For my children it’s just the office out the front of the house where their father works.  For me, it … Continue reading » … Read More

NZ Scientists already well engaged in the National Science Challenges

John Pickering • May 02, 2013

• National Science Challenges

Sorry to post twice in a day, but this is worth a look.  In the April Cabinet paper (here as a pdf) is an interesting graph which shows that 72.5% of current Vote Science and Innovation contestable and CRI core funding already goes to the newly announced National Science Challenges.  By my calcs the additional … Continue reading » … Read More

The tao of science missed by National Science Challenges

John Pickering • May 02, 2013

• National Party,
• National Science Challenges,
• research

The challenges are out. The committee has spoken. And now the critics respond.  Word on science street and in the media goes a bit like this: Brilliant $73M more for science in New Zealand.  Well done Steven Joyce and the National Party. Lacking in lustre.  These challenges are all a bit predictable. [eg Prof Hendy here] Damn. … Continue reading » … Read More