Kidney Punch

Legionnaires’ disease more common than once thought

John Pickering • Nov 11, 2013

• David Murdoch,
• gardening,
• Legionnaires disease,
• Pneumonia,
• potting mix,
• University of Otago,
• University of Otago Christchurch

Infectious diseases expert Professor David Murdoch is passionate about his work in better understanding legionnaires’ disease and its causes. “If I ever have the opportunity in my career to help eradicate a disease it would likely be legionnaires’ disease. It’s the most common cause of pneumonia for much of the year in Christchurch and it … Continue reading → … Read More

More women injured in quakes

John Pickering • Nov 06, 2013

• Christchurch Earthquake,
• earthquake,
• Emergency Department,
• Emergency Room,
• University of Otago Christchurch,
• women

A Christchurch researcher is trying to understand why so many more women than men were injured in the Canterbury earthquakes. Professor Mike Ardagh is Chair of the RHISE (Researching the Health Implications of Seismic Events) group. Professor Ardagh leads a team investigating the health system response to the quakes. His team found the health system … Continue reading → … Read More

A letter for all District Health Board Candidates

John Pickering • Sep 30, 2013

• budget,
• District Health Board,
• evidence based policy,
• Health,
• research,
• vote

Dear District Health Board Candidates Soon I and thousands like me will cast our votes to choose our District Health Boards.  Given the huge budgets of DHBs and the huge potential to influence health outcomes I want more information from you than a couple of paragraphs I received with the voting packs.  Below are two … Continue reading → … Read More

11

Teach creationism; undermine theology

John Pickering • Sep 24, 2013

• creationism,
• education,
• Gospel,
• Kingdom of Heaven,
• religion,
• school,
• theology

My fellow science blogger Alison Campbell recently wrote a blog post entitled “teach creationism, undermine science”  in which she highlighted some of the concerns shared by many scientists.  As a Christian and as a scientist I believe the issue is far worse than the undermining of science.  Because so many teaching creationism are so well … Continue reading → … Read More

10

What the HRC should have done

John Pickering • Sep 18, 2013

• Explorer Grants,
• Funding,
• grants,
• Health Research Council,
• HRC,
• Lottery,
• National Science Challenges,
• Project grants,
• Random,
• Randomised controlled trial

The system is broke.  It is no better than a lottery.  The Health Research Council tacitly acknowledged this last year when they introduced a lottery to their grant funding round.  The lottery was for three grants of $150,000 each.  These “Explorer Grants” are available again this year.  The process went thus: HRC announced the grant … Continue reading → … Read More

6

Should scientists respond to pseudo-science?

John Pickering • Sep 11, 2013

• $100Dialysis,
• proverb,
• pseudoscience

Do not answer a fool according to his folly, or you yourself will be just like him. Answer a fool according to his folly, or he will be wise in his own eyes. (Proverbs 26:4, 5 NIV) The editors of this particular list of proverbs were not fools – they knew they appeared contradictory.  Their … Continue reading → … Read More

33

Don’t call this scientist soft!

John Pickering • Sep 04, 2013

• grants,
• my work,
• research,
• soft money,
• Visions

I’m a soft money scientist, not because I’m cuddly (I am), or because I’m an easy mark for a fiver (I’m not), but because my job and my scientific output depend on my ability/luck at raising money.  As my 100th blog post I thought it time to describe this precarious state of affairs, especially as … Continue reading → … Read More

A new entity is born: CDaR

John Pickering • Aug 29, 2013

• Acute Kidney Injury,
• bias,
• Big Data,
• Biomarkers,
• Clinical Data Research,
• Data,
• Databases,
• disease,
• Drugs,
• Kidney Attack,
• medicine,
• my work,
• personalized medicine

Have you ever been told the blood test is positive and the disease in question is shocking – Cancer, an STD (but you don’t sleep around!), MS?  Have you every wondered why it is that some drugs get withdrawn years after, and millions of prescriptions after, they were first approved?  Surely, you’ve read a headline … Continue reading → … Read More

4

Papanui Campus closes!

John Pickering • Aug 27, 2013

• Christchurch Earthquake,
• my work,
• Papanui,
• University of Otago,
• University of Otago Christchurch

917 days; 131 weeks; 2.5 years.  However you look at it, it’s a long time to be temporary.  Today the Papanui Campus of the University of Otago Christchurch, a.k.a the Versatile workshop in my front yard, closed.  The sole permanent occupant (moi) became the last of the academics to return to the “main building” of … Continue reading » … Read More

My 10 Commandments of a Data Culture

John Pickering • Aug 06, 2013

• Commandments,
• Data,
• data analysis,
• ethical data,
• ethics,
• Keeping it simple,
• privacy,
• research,
• statistics

Thou shalt have no data but ethical data. Thou shalt protect the identity of thy subjects with all thy heart, soul, mind and body. Thou shalt back-up. Thou shalt honour thy data and tell its story, not thy own. Thou shalt always visualise thy data before testing. Thou shalt share thy results even if negative. … Continue reading » … Read More