Kidney Punch

Christchurch meet the future; Zach meet Christchurch

John Pickering • Aug 23, 2017

• AI,
• artificial intelligence,
• Christchurch,
• Health and Medicine,
• Science and Society,
• technology,
• Terrible foundation,
• Zach

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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The wrong impact

John Pickering • Jun 27, 2017

• citation,
• impact,
• impact factor,
• journals,
• Nobel,
• PBRF,
• publishing,
• Science

“We just got a paper in an Impact Factor 10 journal … and hope to go higher soon.” That’s a statement made to me last week.  It is wrong on so many levels, but does it matter?   Nobel Prize winners think so. The video below from nobelprize.org appeared in my twitter feed on Friday. Before you watch … Read More

A vision of kiwi kidneys

John Pickering • May 05, 2017

• abstract,
• ANZDATA,
• Dialysis,
• End Stage Renal Disease,
• End stage renal failure,
• Health,
• Health and Medicine,
• kidney,
• New Zealand,
• Science and Society,
• Transplant,
• University of Otago Christchurch,
• Visual abstract

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

An even quicker way to rule out heart attacks

John Pickering • Apr 18, 2017

• Blood,
• Christchurch Hospital,
• ecg,
• EKG,
• Emergency Department,
• Emergency Room,
• Health and Medicine,
• Heart Attack,
• metaanalysis,
• Myocardial Infarction,
• Science,
• troponin

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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To march or not to march?

John Pickering • Apr 17, 2017

• Celebration,
• government,
• march for science,
• politics,
• protest,
• Science,
• Science and Society

When I’ve marched in the past it has been to protest or celebrate.  The call for a March for Science, due to take place in New Zealand on the 22nd of April, has me confused as to its purpose. When I first heard the suggestion of a March for Science in New Zealand I admit I was immediately sceptical (occupational … Read More

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Aunty Cecily

John Pickering • Mar 09, 2017

• Bassam Hospital,
• Dame Cecily Pickerill,
• Health and Medicine,
• Plastic Surgery,
• Science and Society,
• Taihape,
• University of Otago

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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Big data + Big science = Big health

John Pickering • Feb 03, 2017

• Big Data,
• big science,
• clinical research,
• future,
• Health,
• Health and Medicine,
• Horizon Scan,
• Science,
• Science and Society

Big data and big science are buzz phrases in health research at the moment.  It is not at all apparent what the exact definition of these are or should be and whether they will be short lived in our lexicon, but I think it reasonable to assume that where there is buzz there is honey. Big Data I think of … Read More

Heart attacks in NZ – are women getting a raw deal?

John Pickering • Aug 31, 2016

• Cardiology,
• Emergency Department,
• Health and Medicine,
• Heart Attack,
• Myocardial Infarction,
• NSTEMI,
• STEMI,
• troponin,
• women

This week the NZ Herald published an article saying doctors are failing to spot heart attacks in thousands of women.  This sounds alarming, could it be happening in NZ? Are women getting a raw deal? Important questions.  This post looks at the study behind the media and then at how heart attacks are being diagnosed in New Zealand. The Herald … Read More

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Blood biomarker for heart attacks

John Pickering • Jun 02, 2016

• Emergency Department,
• Health and Medicine,
• Heart Attack,
• troponin

Every now and again a Journal doesn’t want us to talk publicly about our own paper until it they publish it.  This is simply so they can make more of a splash with it.  This was the case of an article I have been involved with published today in the Cardiology journal of the American Medical Association*.  What’s … Read More

Cheesecake files: A little something for World Kidney Day

John Pickering • Mar 10, 2016

• Health and Medicine,
• Science

Today is World Kidney Day, so I shall let you in on a little secret. There is a new tool for predicting if a transplant is going to be problematic to get working properly. Nephrologist call a transplant a “graft” and when the new kidney is not really filtering as well as hoped after a week they call it “Delayed … Read More