Kidney Punch

Featured image: Half a million Kiwis suddenly have high blood pressure

Half a million Kiwis suddenly have high blood pressure

John Pickering • Nov 14, 2017

At 10am 14 November 2017 NZST, millions of people around the world suddenly had high blood pressure. This will come as a shock to many and may precipitate a crisis in hand-wringing and other odd behaviours, like overmedication and jogging. The American Heart Association and American College of Cardiology have just announced a redefinition of High blood pressure. High blood pressure … Read More

Featured image: Performance Based Research Fund: a net zero sum game

Performance Based Research Fund: a net zero sum game

John Pickering • Oct 18, 2017

Throughout the land, more than 7000 academics are awake night after night and suffering.  They are scrambling to gather evidence of just how great they have performed over the last six years. A conscientious bunch, they perform this task with their usual attention to detail and desire to impress (I didn’t say they were modest!).  Ostensibly, this exercise is … Read More

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Featured image: This is what happens when you talk to your mother about artificial intelligence

This is what happens when you talk to your mother about artificial intelligence

John Pickering • Oct 03, 2017

I have been chatting with my mother about the headlines around artificial intelligence and my own venture into the field. In this poem she has picked up beautifully, I think, on the idea is that any problems with AI will be because of our own inadequacies as we train the machines.  K.A. Pickering, October 2017   Artificial Intelligence  Artificial Intelligence … Read More

Featured image: Christchurch meet the future; Zach meet Christchurch

Christchurch meet the future; Zach meet Christchurch

John Pickering • Aug 23, 2017

It would have struggled to be more low key.  There was no Champagne.  No flashy graphics.  No celebrity speakers.  But it was probably one of the most radical and important announcements made in Christchurch and in the technology space in decades.  You see, Zach is coming to town and we have all been invited. Zach is an A.I.  Zach belongs … Read More

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Featured image: A vision of kiwi kidneys

A vision of kiwi kidneys

John Pickering • May 05, 2017

Sick of writing boring text reports?  Take a leaf out of Christchurch nephrologist Dr Suetonia Palmer’s (@SuetoniaPalmer) book and make a visual abstract report. Here are two she has created recently based on data collected about organ donation and end stage renal failure by ANZDATA (@ANZDATARegistry). Enjoy.     ps. The featured … Read More

Featured image: An even quicker way to rule out heart attacks

An even quicker way to rule out heart attacks

John Pickering • Apr 18, 2017

The majority of New Zealand emergency departments look for heart muscle damage by taking a sample of blood and looking for a particular molecule called a high-sensitivity troponin T (hsTnT).  We have now confirmed that rather than two measurements over several hours just one measurement on arrival in the ED could be used to rule out heart attacks in about 30% … Read More

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Featured image: Aunty Cecily

Aunty Cecily

John Pickering • Mar 09, 2017

This International Women’s Day I read a re-post of a wonderful article about Otago University women in science.  I thought I’d add another one, my Aunt Cecily, or to the rest of the world Dame Cecily Pickerill. Dame Cecily Pickerill. Aunty Cecily was clever, determined, and, yes, a tough woman.   It was those qualities that helped her … Read More

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