Author: russhodge

I am a science writer at the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in Berlin, author of fiction and popular science books, an artist, and a professional musician who performs on the viola da gamba and Medieval and Renaissance stringed instruments. I edit manuscripts of all types and teach the full range of scientific communication skills. I am doing theoretical work in this subject - see for example https://goodsciencewriting.wordpress.com/2018/03/11/ghosts-models-and-meaning-in-science/

Best of PubMed: Halloween special #1

Today and tomorrow see three new posts in this series in honor of Halloween. Part 1 deals with scientific research into the festival of Halloween, witches, and haunted houses. Don’t miss the story at the end about whether undertakers have a sense of humor. Check back later for part 2, on the themes of ghosts, vampires, and zombies. Part 3 will cover various other types of monsters.

HALLOWEEN, THE 50-MEGATON BOMB, AND THE CUBAN CRISIS.
LACOMBE P.
J Anal Psychol. 1965 Jan;10:97-108.
PMID: 14253376

No bones about it. It’s almost Halloween, a good time to start thinking about your skeleton.
Park A.
Time. 2004 Oct 25;164(17):101.
PMID: 15554548

The case of the slandered Halloween cupcake.
White SR, Dy G, Wilson JM.
Pediatr Emerg Care. 2002 Jun;18(3):185-8.
PMID: 12066005

Halloween hazards: ocular injury from flying eggs.
Fiore PM, Wagner RS.
N Engl J Med. 1988 Oct 27;319(17):1159.
PMID: 3173453

Size of Halloween witch drawings prior to, on, and after Halloween.
CRADDICK RA.
Percept Mot Skills. 1963 Feb;16:235-8.
PMID: 14023602

Head hunting and hair witchcraft.
Kleiss E.
Anat Anz. 1984;156(5):389-401. German.
PMID: 6486467

A visit from the Candy Witch: factors influencing young children’s belief in a novel fantastical being.
Woolley JD, Boerger EA, Markman AB.
Dev Sci. 2004 Sep;7(4):456-68.
PMID: 15484594

Witch nose: an embarassing metaphor for nasal tip dermoid cysts.
Tatlidede S, Egemen O, Ozkaya O, Erol O.
J Craniofac Surg. 2011 Sep;22(5):1948-51. doi: 10.1097/SCS.0b013e31822ea787.
PMID: 21959478

Are you a good witch or a bad witch?
Papa A.
J Emerg Nurs. 2011 May;37(3):215-6.
PMID: 21550449

Witches saints and other diseases.
Rimar Y, Rimar D.
Harefuah. 2003 May;142(5):383-6, 396. Hebrew.
PMID: 12803065

Burn the witch.
Ainsworth S.
Pract Midwife. 2005 Sep;8(8):46.
PMID: 16163967

How to become a witch.
Thomas LA.
Nurs Outlook. 1974 Jan;22(1):40-2.
PMID: 4491916

Health, hygiene and haunted houses.
[No authors listed]
JAMA. 2013 Jun 12;309(22):2308.
PMID: 23757060

Spook house sporotrichosis. A point-source outbreak of sporotrichosis associated with hay bale props in a Halloween haunted-house.
Dooley DP, Bostic PS, Beckius ML.
Arch Intern Med. 1997 Sep 8;157(16):1885-7. Review.
PMID: 9290549

The case of the haunted scrotum.
Harding JR.
J R Soc Med. 1996 Oct;89(10):600.
PMID: 8976909

Patient-centered dental care in a haunted house?
Jayson CJ.
Northwest Dent. 1992 Mar-Apr;71(2):33-4.
PMID: 1528726

Diary of events in a thoroughly unhaunted house.
Houran J, Lange R.
Percept Mot Skills. 1996 Oct;83(2):499-502.
PMID: 8902024

Chief complaint: haunted house.
Gilson NR.
Med Econ. 2001 Oct 22;78(20):45-6.
PMID: 11715371

Haunted papers.
Lagnado M.
Lancet. 2002 Mar 9;359(9309):902.
PMID: 11897334

The “Haunt” project: an attempt to build a “haunted” room by manipulating complex electromagnetic fields and infrasound.
French CC, Haque U, Bunton-Stasyshyn R, Davis R.
Cortex. 2009 May;45(5):619-29.
PMID: 18635163

Abstract
Recent research has suggested that a number of environmental factors may be associated with a tendency for susceptible individuals to report mildly anomalous sensations typically associated with “haunted” locations, including a sense of presence, feeling dizzy, inexplicable smells, and so on. Factors that may be associated with such sensations include fluctuations in the electromagnetic field (EMF) and the presence of infrasound. A review of such work is presented, followed by the results of the “Haunt” project in which an attempt was made to construct an artificial “haunted” room by systematically varying such environmental factors. Participants (N=79) were required to spend 50 min in a specially constructed chamber, within which they were exposed to infrasound, complex EMFs, both or neither. They were informed in advance that during this period they might experience anomalous sensations and asked to record on a floor plan their location at the time of occurrence of any such sensations, along with a note of the time of occurrence and a brief description of the sensation. Upon completing the session in the experimental chamber, they were asked to complete three questionnaires. The first was an EXIT scale asking respondents to indicate whether or not they had experienced particular anomalous sensations. The second was the Australian Sheep-Goat Scale, a widely used measure of belief in and experience of the paranormal. The third was Persinger’s Personal Philosophy Inventory, although only the items that constitute the Temporal Lobe Signs (TLS) Inventory sub-scale were scored. These items deal with psychological experiences typically associated with temporal lobe epilepsy but normally distributed throughout the general population. Although many participants reported anomalous sensations of various kinds, the number reported was unrelated to experimental condition but was related to TLS scores. The most parsimonious explanation for our findings is in terms of suggestibility.

Undertakers’ sense of humor.
Thorson JA, Powell FC.a
Psychol Rep. 2001 Aug;89(1):175-6.
PMID: 11729539

Abstract
A group of 60 middle-aged morticians at a professional seminar in the midwestern USA who completed a multidimensional sense of humor scale scored significantly lower than another group of 136 men from other occupations. The difference between the two groups appeared almost entirely on scale items having to do with humor generation or creativity.

How to win readers by completely misleading them… Bad Headline Award

Here’s today’s award for the most misleading headline.

Astronomers puzzled by alien planetary construction site

If you’re like me, you opened this eagerly, hoping for a report of the discovery of the first alien artifact somewhere out in space. “Alien” suggests some sort of being, and “construction site” sounds like an intelligence is at work. How nice. That’s not what the story’s about. Have a look at the beginning:

“Europe’s new ALMA observatory, working with the Herschel space telescope, has discovered a new-forming solar system whose confused character has shed new light on current models of planetary formation.

Planets form in swirling disks of gas and dust around new-born stars. But to the surprise of astronomers, the disk around a star called HD 21997 is in a hybrid, intermediate state of evolution.”

 

 

Some might excuse this as the work of another out-of-control editor, trying to make things sexy with a groovy headline… I call it a disgrace.

 

WORLD SERIES MADNESS at the Best of PubMed!!!

This is a special edition of the Best of PubMed, in honor of the World Series, which is underway. As you’ll see, scientists have devoted an extraordinary amount of research into baseball… revealing that they aren’t immune to the obsession regarding gathering data and statistics that marks the true baseball fan!

We work our way from the pregame, to umpires, to the fellow at the plate, through the infield, and into the outfield. A lot of this is SERIOUS research, guys, really, really, really serious!

Here you’ll find answers to all those burning questions that you’ve wondered about: from the physics of the curve ball, to the life expectancy of left-handed vs. right-handed pitchers, whether being in the Hall of Fame extends your life, how to end a batting slump, whether hot days bring teams off the bench for a brawl, how to know where to run to catch a fly ball, whether there’s really an “at-home” advantage, does the team that bats last have an advantage…What can Babe Ruth teach psychologists? What can they learn from center fielders? The list goes on and on. Many of the links point to abstracts or even free full articles…

Be sure not to miss the hot topic of whether baseball players whose initials spell out “good” words (like “ACE”) live longer than those whose initials are bad (like “ASS”)!!! (See the section on epidemiology.)

So, it’s off to the ball park (and PubMed) for some World Series madness…

LET THEM PLAY BALL.
BARNES FE Jr.
N C Med J. 1964 Oct;25:439-40.
PMID: 14200489

Before the game and behind the plate:

Singing the national anthem at major league baseball stadiums raises awareness of ALS.
Herreria J.
Profiles Healthc Mark. 1998 Jul-Aug;14(4):18-20.
PMID: 10186395

Concussions experienced by Major League Baseball catchers and umpires: field data and experimental baseball impacts.
Beyer JA, Rowson S, Duma SM.
Ann Biomed Eng. 2012 Jan;40(1):150-9.
PMID: 22012084

[A study on the effect of physical load of baseball umpire, during a baseball game in the summer].
Kurakake S, Sugawara K, Kumae T, Shimaoka A, Mathida K, Okamura N.
Nihon Eiseigaku Zasshi. 1988 Feb;42(6):1013-22. Japanese.
PMID: 3398288

Life expectancy of major league baseball umpires.
Cohen RS, Kamps CA, Kokoska S, Segal EM, Tucker JB.
Phys Sportsmed. 2000 May;28(5):83-9. doi: 10.3810/psm.2000.05.904.
PMID: 20086642

Umpire needed
Pope A.
BMJ. 1999 May 8;318(7193):1280A.
PMID: 10231267

Quiet eye gaze behavior of expert, and near-expert, baseball plate umpires.
Millslagle DG, Hines BB, Smith MS.
Percept Mot Skills. 2013 Feb;116(1):69-77.
PMID: 23829135

Visual gaze behavior of near-expert and expert fast pitch softball umpires calling a pitch.
Millslagle DG, Smith MS, Hines BB.
J Strength Cond Res. 2013 May;27(5):1188-95. doi: 10.1519/JSC.0b013e318269ab15.
PMID: 22836605

Contextual influences on baseball ball-strike decisions in umpires, players, and controls.
MacMahon C, Starkes JL.
J Sports Sci. 2008 May;26(7):751-60. doi: 10.1080/02640410701813050.
PMID: 18409106

Magnitude of stress experienced by baseball and softball umpires.
Rainey DW.
Percept Mot Skills. 1994 Aug;79(1 Pt 1):255-8.
PMID: 7991318

 

AT THE PLATE:

Who is this ball player?
Fox K.
HDA Now. 2013 Summer:27-8.
PMID: 24079151

Balls, Strikes, and VIPs.
Kao A.
Virtual Mentor. 2001 May 1;3(5). doi:pii: virtualmentor.2001.3.5.dykn1-0105. 10.1001/virtualmentor.2001.3.5.dykn1-0105.
PMID: 23273008

Hitting is contagious: experience and action induction.
Gray R, Beilock SL.
J Exp Psychol Appl. 2011 Mar;17(1):49-59. doi: 10.1037/a0022846.
PMID: 21443380

Visual search strategies of baseball batters: eye movements during the preparatory phase of batting.
Kato T, Fukuda T.
Percept Mot Skills. 2002 Apr;94(2):380-6.
PMID: 12027326

Ending batting slumps in baseball: a qualitative investigation.
Prapavessis H, Grove JR.
Aust J Sci Med Sport. 1995 Mar;27(1):14-9.
PMID: 7780772

First-rib stress fractures related to hitting in two baseball teammates.
Young EJ, Curtis RJ.
Clin J Sport Med. 2008 May;18(3):300-1. doi: 10.1097/JSM.0b013e31816ffbd4.
PMID: 18469578

Thrown a curve.
Makaryus AN, Henry SA, Rutkin B, Boxt L.
Am J Med. 2007 May;120(5):420-1.
PMID: 17466652

You Can’t Think and Hit at the Same Time: Neural Correlates of Baseball Pitch Classification.
Sherwin J, Muraskin J, Sajda P.
Front Neurosci. 2012;6:177. doi: 10.3389/fnins.2012.00177. eCollection 2012.
PMID: 23267311

The effect of fastball backspin rate on baseball hitting accuracy.
Higuchi T, Morohoshi J, Nagami T, Nakata H, Kanosue K.
J Appl Biomech. 2013 Jun;29(3):279-84. Epub 2012 Aug 22.
PMID: 22923374

Transitions between central and peripheral vision create spatial/temporal distortions: a hypothesis concerning the perceived break of the curveball.
Shapiro A, Lu ZL, Huang CB, Knight E, Ennis R.
PLoS One. 2010 Oct 13;5(10):e13296. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0013296.
PMID: 20967247

Hitting what one wants to hit and missing what one wants to miss.
Regan D, Gray R.
Vision Res. 2001;41(25-26):3321-9. Review.
PMID: 11718776

Expert baseball batters have greater sensitivity in making swing decisions.
Gray R.
Res Q Exerc Sport. 2010 Sep;81(3):373-8.
PMID: 20949857

How baseball players prepare to bat: tactical knowledge as a mediator of expert performance in baseball.
McPherson S, MacMahon C.
J Sport Exerc Psychol. 2008 Dec;30(6):755-78.
PMID: 19164840

A triarchical model of batting abilities: applying psychological statistics to baseball.
Kaufman JC.
Percept Mot Skills. 1997 Aug;85(1):299-304.
PMID: 9293591

ON THE MOUND:

The effects of extended play on professional baseball pitchers.
Murray TA, Cook TD, Werner SL, Schlegel TF, Hawkins RJ.
Am J Sports Med. 2001 Mar-Apr;29(2):137-42.
PMID: 11292037

Assessing pitcher and catcher influences on base stealing in Major League Baseball.
Loughin TM, Bargen JL.
J Sports Sci. 2008 Jan 1;26(1):15-20.
PMID: 17852677

Effect of three different between-inning recovery methods on baseball pitching performance.
Warren CD, Brown LE, Landers MR, Stahura KA.
J Strength Cond Res. 2011 Mar;25(3):683-8. doi: 10.1519/JSC.0b013e318208adfe.
PMID: 21311344

A biomechanical comparison of the fastball and curveball in adolescent baseball pitchers.
Nissen CW, Westwell M, Ounpuu S, Patel M, Solomito M, Tate J.
Am J Sports Med. 2009 Aug;37(8):1492-8. doi: 10.1177/0363546509333264. Epub 2009 May 15.
PMID: 19448049

The impact of pitch counts and days of rest on performance among major-league baseball pitchers.
Bradbury JC, Forman SL.
J Strength Cond Res. 2012 May;26(5):1181-7. doi: 10.1519/JSC.0b013e31824e16fe.
PMID: 22344048

Lefties are still a little shorter.
Abel EL, Kruger ML.
Percept Mot Skills. 2007 Apr;104(2):405-6.
PMID: 17566429

Do right-handers live longer? An updated assessment of baseball player data.
Hicks RA, Johnson C, Cuevas T, Deharo D, Bautista J.
Percept Mot Skills. 1994 Jun;78(3 Pt 2):1243-7.
PMID: 7936949

Left-handed major-league baseball players and longevity re-examined.
Abel EL, Kruger ML.
Percept Mot Skills. 2004 Dec;99(3 Pt 1):990-2.
PMID: 15648498

Analysis of data from Reichler’s (1979) The Baseball Encyclopedia: right-handed pitchers are taller and heavier than left-handed pitchers.
Fudin R, Renninger L, Hirshon J.
Percept Mot Skills. 1994 Jun;78(3 Pt 1):1043-8.
PMID: 8084677

 

STUCK IN THE OUTFIELD:

Controlled variables: psychology as the center fielder views it.
Marken RS.
Am J Psychol. 2001 Summer;114(2):259-81.
PMID: 11430151

How baseball outfielders determine where to run to catch fly balls.
McBeath MK, Shaffer DM, Kaiser MK.
Science. 1995 Apr 28;268(5210):569-73.
PMID: 7725104

People favour imperfect catching by assuming a stable world.
López-Moliner J, Keil MS.
PLoS One. 2012;7(4):e35705. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0035705. Epub 2012 Apr 25.
PMID: 22558205

Catching balls: how to get the hand to the right place at the right time.
Peper L, Bootsma RJ, Mestre DR, Bakker FC.
J Exp Psychol Hum Percept Perform. 1994 Jun;20(3):591-612.
PMID: 8027714

Catching of balls unexpectedly thrown or fired by cannon.
Kenward B, Nilsson D.
Percept Mot Skills. 2011 Aug;113(1):171-87.
PMID: 21987918

Catching fly balls: a new model steps up to the plate.
Cipra B.
Science. 1995 Apr 28;268(5210):502.
PMID: 7725094

On catching fly balls.
Jacobs TM, Lawrence MD, Hong K, Giordano N Jr, Giordano N Sr.
Science. 1996 Jul 12;273(5272):257-8; author reply 258-60.
PMID: 8668999

I Lost It in the Lights: The Effects of Predictable and Variable Intermittent Vision on Unimanual Catching.
Lyons J, Fontaine R, Elliot D.
J Mot Behav. 1997 Jun;29(2):113-118.
PMID: 12453788

Catch this!
Gauldin D.
J Perinat Educ. 2002 Winter;11(1):49.
PMID: 17273288

WATCH YOUR TEMPER!

Temper, temperature, and temptation: heat-related retaliation in baseball.
Larrick RP, Timmerman TA, Carton AM, Abrevaya J.
Psychol Sci. 2011 Apr;22(4):423-8. doi: 10.1177/0956797611399292. Epub 2011 Feb 24.
PMID: 21350182

Impact of Yankee Stadium Bat Day on blunt trauma in northern New York City.
Bernstein SL, Rennie WP, Alagappan K.
Ann Emerg Med. 1994 Mar;23(3):555-9.
PMID: 8135433

THE EPIDEMIOLOGY OF BASEBALL:

Longevity of major league baseball players.
Abel EL, Kruger ML.
Res Sports Med. 2005 Jan-Mar;13(1):1-5.
PMID: 16389882

Major League Baseball Players’ Life Expectancies.
Saint Onge JM, Rogers RG, Krueger PM.
Soc Sci Q. 2008 Jul 17;89(3):817-830.
PMID: 19756205 [PubMed] Free PMC Article
Soc Sci Q. 2008 Jul 17;89(3):817-830.
RESULTS:
Compared to 20-year-old U.S. males, MLB players can expect almost five additional years of life. Height, weight, handedness, and player ratings are unassociated with the risk of death in this population of highly active and successful adults. Career length is inversely associated with the risk of death, likely because those who play longer gain additional incomes, physical fitness, and training.
CONCLUSIONS:
Our results indicate improvements in life expectancies with time for all age groups and indicate possible improvements in longevity in the general U.S. population.

The longevity of Baseball Hall of Famers compared to other players.
Abel EL, Kruger ML.
Death Stud. 2005 Dec;29(10):959-63.
PMID: 16265814
Abstract
The authors compared the longevity of all baseball players alive at the time of their induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame with age-matched controls who were likewise alive at the time of the Hall of Famer’s induction, and also matched them for career length, player position, and body-mass index, to assess if fame in sports is associated with increased longevity. Median post-induction survival for Hall of Famers was 5 years shorter than for noninducted players (18 vs. 23 years, respectively). In a second analysis, significantly more Hall of Famers died of cardiovascular or stroke causes than other players for whom cause of death was known. Baseball fame may have a hitherto unrecognized price.

Symbolic significance of initials on longevity.
Abel EL, Kruger ML.
Percept Mot Skills. 2007 Feb;104(1):179-82.
PMID: 17450979
Abstract
The longevities of deceased major league baseball players who died prior to 1950 (N=3835) and whose initials formed acronyms, words, or names with “positive” or “negative” affect, as rated a priori by two judges, were compared with those for a group of neutral controls matched for birth year and career length, using the Berkeley standardized mortality tables. Players (n=11) with positive initials, e.g., A.C.E., lived a mean of 13 years longer than players (n=30) with negative initials, e.g., D.E.D., or players with neutral initials (n=864). These results corroborated a previous study and suggest positive name symbols are associated with increased longevity in this sample.

Another look at baseball player initials and longevity.
Smith G.
Percept Mot Skills. 2011 Feb;112(1):211-6.
PMID: 21466094
Abstract
Abel and Kruger (2007) reported that Major League Baseball players whose names have positive initials (such as ACE or GOD) live an average of 13 years longer than do players with negative initials (such as ASS or BAD) or players with neutral initials (such as GHR or TSW). However, this conclusion is based on a very small sample, selective initials, and a flawed statistical test. There is no statistically significant relationship between initials and longevity for Major League Baseball players when a correct test is applied to independently selected initials.

The “birthday blues” in a sample of major league baseball players’ suicides.
Lester D.
Percept Mot Skills. 2005 Oct;101(2):382.
PMID: 16383067

Seasonality of birth in the majors, 1880-1999.
Abel EL, Kruger ML.
Soc Biol. 2005 Spring-Summer;52(1-2):47-55.
PMID: 17619630
Abstract
We examined two alternative explanations, one demographic, the other sociological, for the uneven distribution of birth months of Major League baseball (MLB) players active between 1880 and 1999. Beginning in 1900, players born between August and October were significantly overrepresented, and this uneven distribution was almost identical for the next five 20-year periods. During the last 20-year period (1980-1999), the disparity in birth months became even more pronounced. Ethnicity, handedness, player position, accomplishment (winning an award), and career length were not significantly related to birth month. Prior to 1980, the distribution of births for MLB players did not differ significantly from the distribution for the general population, but after 1980, it did. We concluded that up until 1980, the uneven distribution of birth months in MLB originated in the demographic seasonality-related excess number of births in August and September in the United States. Beginning in the 1980s, this seasonality pattern was institutionally reinforced by the growing influence of Little League and related junior baseball leagues and their reliance on the August 1 birth date for age grouping.

Mortality salience of birthdays on day of death in the Major Leagues.
Abel EL, Kruger ML.
Death Stud. 2009 Feb;33(2):175-84. doi: 10.1080/07481180802138936.
PMID: 19143110
Abstract
The authors assessed the relationship of mortality salience, as represented by birthdays, on the day of death. Preliminary studies considered the role of possible artifacts such as seasonality of birth and death, and time units for evaluation. On the basis of terror management theory’s concept of “mortality salience,” the authors hypothesized that famous people, in this case Major League Baseball (MLB) players, would be more likely to die on or after their birthdays than would be expected by chance (the “birthday blues”), and that the greater their fame, as represented by induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame, the greater the concentration of deaths shortly after birthdays. The results supported the hypothesis. Theoretical underpinnings of these results and practical implications were discussed.

Birth month and suicide among major league baseball players.
Abel EL, Kruger ML.
Percept Mot Skills. 2005 Aug;101(1):21-4.
PMID: 16350605

Do right-handers live longer? An updated assessment of baseball player data.
Hicks RA, Johnson C, Cuevas T, Deharo D, Bautista J.
Percept Mot Skills. 1994 Jun;78(3 Pt 2):1243-7.
PMID: 7936949

Body type and performance of elite cuban baseball players.
Carvajal W, Ríos A, Echevarría I, Martínez M, Miñoso J, Rodríguez D.
MEDICC Rev. 2009 Apr;11(2):15-20.
PMID: 21483313 [PubMed] Free Article

Major league baseball performances of players who were later suicides or homicide victims.
Lester D, Topp R.
Percept Mot Skills. 1989 Aug;69(1):272.
PMID: 2780186

IMPROVING YOUR ODDS:

Batting last as a home advantage factor in men’s NCAA tournament baseball.
Bray SR, Obara J, Kwan M.
J Sports Sci. 2005 Jul;23(7):681-6.
PMID: 16195017

Human face structure correlates with professional baseball performance: insights from professional Japanese baseball players.
Tsujimura H, Banissy MJ.
Biol Lett. 2013 Apr 10;9(3):20130140. doi: 10.1098/rsbl.2013.0140. Print 2013.
PMID: 23576779

Home advantage in retractable-roof baseball stadia.
Romanowich P.
Percept Mot Skills. 2012 Oct;115(2):559-66.
PMID: 23265018

Measuring circadian advantage in Major League Baseball: a 10-year retrospective study.
Winter WC, Hammond WR, Green NH, Zhang Z, Bliwise DL.
Int J Sports Physiol Perform. 2009 Sep;4(3):394-401.
PMID: 19953826

A major league loss.
Cloud J.
Time. 2003 Mar 3;161(9):60.
PMID: 12632674

Batting last as a home advantage factor in men’s NCAA tournament baseball.
Bray SR, Obara J, Kwan M.
J Sports Sci. 2005 Jul;23(7):681-6.
PMID: 16195017

Evidence of a reduced home advantage when a team moves to a new stadium.
Pollard R.
J Sports Sci. 2002 Dec;20(12):969-73.
PMID: 12477006

 

JUST SAY NO!

Use of smokeless tobacco in the 1986 World Series.
Jones RB.
N Engl J Med. 1987 Apr 9;316(15):952.
PMID: 3821849

Prevalence of spit tobacco use across studies of professional baseball players.
Greene JC, Walsh MM, Letendre MA.
J Calif Dent Assoc. 1998 May;26(5):358-64. Review.
PMID: 10528568

A program to help major league baseball players quit using spit tobacco.
Greene JC, Walsh MM, Masouredis C.
J Am Dent Assoc. 1994 May;125(5):559-68.
PMID: 8195497

Toxicological deaths of major league baseball players.
Boren S, Erickson TB.
J Toxicol Clin Toxicol. 1998;36(7):737-42.
PMID: 9865245

GENERAL ISSUES:

Psychology and “the Babe”.
Fuchs AH.
J Hist Behav Sci. 1998 Spring;34(2):153-65.
PMID: 9580977

High-speed video analysis of head-first and feet-first sliding techniques in collegiate baseball players.
Hosey RG, Mattacola CG, Shapiro R.
Clin J Sport Med. 2003 Jul;13(4):242-4.

Major league baseball players get dental coverage.
[No authors listed]
J Am Dent Assoc. 1969 Apr;78(4):737.
PMID: 5251266

Major league dreams.
Hallberg J.
Minn Med. 2000 Jun;83(6):12-6.
PMID: 10881568

A replay of the baseball data.
Coren S, Halpern DF.
Percept Mot Skills. 1993 Apr;76(2):403-6.
PMID: 8483647

What can major league baseball teach us about healthcare?
[No authors listed]
J Neurosci Nurs. 2012 Feb;44(1):1. doi: 10.1097/JNN.0b013e31823fdcec.
PMID: 22210298

Best of PubMed #14

Let me tell you about bedpans.
Mason V.
Nurs Health Care Perspect. 1997 Sep-Oct;18(5):231.
PMID: 9369700

Were you there? Ladies’ night.
Sinton J.
Nurs Mirror Midwives J. 1974 May 24;138(10):67.
PMID: 4496306

EXCUSE ME, YOUR UNCONSCIOUS IS SHOWING.
MITCHISON N.
Cent Afr J Med. 1965 Mar;11:78.
PMID: 14282188

Snipe hunt.
Shumaker LD.
Ohio Dent J. 1977 Mar;51(3):7.
PMID: 273830

You want me to do what?
Curtin L, Simpson R.
Health Manag Technol. 1999 Oct;20(9):30-2.
PMID: 10622887

Public speaking: a fate worse than death?
Madden DL.
Internist. 1991 Sep;32(8):30-1.
PMID: 10113935

The freedom to follow your nose.
A I.
Science. 1992 Jun 19;256(5064):1626-7.
PMID: 17841081

Proust’s nose.
Gilman SL.
Soc Res (New York). 2000;67(1):67-79.
PMID: 18274007

Useful substitute for the mallet and chisel in rhinoplasty.
SELTZER AP.
AMA Arch Otolaryngol. 1954 Jan;59(1):111-2.
PMID: 13113765

A piece of my mind. Touch me.
Verrees M.
JAMA. 1996 Oct 23-30;276(16):1285-6.
PMID: 8861971

Send me a memo on it; or better yet, don’t.
Davidhizar R, Erdel S.
Health Care Superv. 1997 Jun;15(4):42-7.
PMID: 10167445

By the way, doctor… I’m 68, and I’ve been taking Viagra for about a year now. The drug is working for me, but I’m always a little scared that I am going to give myself a heart attack. Should I be?
Lee TH.
Harv Health Lett. 2000 Aug;25(10):8.

On call. I always undress before I weigh myself at home, but when my doctor weighs me, he doesn’t even let me take off my shoes. Wouldn’t it be better if I undress first?
Simon HB.
Harv Mens Health Watch. 2000 Jun;4(11):8.
PMID: 10810069

Best of PubMed #13

How to get a really bad x-ray report.
Stubbs DM.
South Med J. 1990 Jul;83(7):827.
PMID: 2371605

The central role of the nose in the face and the psyche.
Andretto Amodeo C.
Aesthetic Plast Surg. 2007 Jul-Aug;31(4):406-10. Review.
PMID: 17551776

The gossip. Does your partner talk too much? Do you?
Dick T.
EMS Mag. 2010 May;39(5):22.
PMID: 20491309

An ethicist’s commentary on replacing confined pigs with dogs.
Rollin BE.
Can Vet J. 2006 May;47(5):416, 418.
PMID: 16734368

An ethicist’s commentary on the case of the anorexic client who does not feed her dog.
Rollin BE.
Can Vet J. 1997 May;38(5):263.
PMID: 9167875

An ethicist’s commentary on the case of a veterinarian with a client who has illicitly imported boar semen.
Rollin BE.
Can Vet J. 1995 Nov;36(11):674.
PMID: 8590422

Resistance is futile.
Berry S.
JEMS. 2008 Jul;33(7):144. doi: 10.1016/S0197-2510(08)70272-9.
PMID: 18602597

One bad apple affects a barrel of apples.
Herrick JB.
J Am Vet Med Assoc. 1989 Jul 15;195(2):168.
PMID: 2619799

Beware of big words.
Bakzer HW.
Nurs Qual Connect. 1994 Sep-Oct;4(2):9.
PMID: 7767282

Things we wish we hadn’t said.
Haas KB.
J Am Vet Med Assoc. 1994 Jul 15;205(2):162.
PMID: 7928566

Let me tell you about bedpans.
Mason V.
Nurs Health Care Perspect. 1997 Sep-Oct;18(5):231.
PMID: 9369700

The Best of PubMed #12

Bulls are faster than they look.
Smith M.
EMS Mag. 2010 Mar;39(3):22.
PMID: 20336962

It bothers sheep, too.
Fraser J.
Pract Midwife. 2009 Jul-Aug;12(7):50
PMID: 19653396

A midwife’s guide to birth fairies.
Wickham S.
Pract Midwife. 2008 Dec;11(11):42.
PMID: 19105566

Music and the small human being.
Lind J.
Acta Paediatr Scand. 1980 Mar;69(2):131-6
PMID: 7368920

Fight for your right to party.
Gulland A.
Nurs Times. 1998 Dec 30-1999 Jan 5;94(50):16-7.
PMID: 10036504

‘They know things I don’t know’.
Paxton A.
CAP Today. 2005 Feb;19(2):46.
PMID: 15787112

Fairy stories. Bleeping beauty.
Warner J.
Nurs Stand. 1993 Dec 15-1994 Jan 4;8(13-14):46-7.
PMID: 8312174

Pie-eyed and deskless.
Hinchliffe N.
Nurs Stand. 2000 Feb 23-29;14(23):22.
PMID: 11309972

Goddess lanced through the hart.
Sharp D.
Lancet. 1993 Aug 7;342(8867):320.
PMID: 8101581

Oral gratification out of control.
Horseman RE.
J Calif Dent Assoc. 2002 Oct;30(10):802, 801.
PMID: 12403484

Dude, where’s the ambulance?
Wingrove G, Reinert A.
EMS Mag. 2008 Jun;37(6):36.
PMID: 18810953

Was the chorus in tune?
Froggatt D.
Pharos Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Med Soc. 2006 Winter;69(1):53.
PMID: 16544465

Medical treatment that sucks.
Horseman RE.
J Calif Dent Assoc. 2001 Nov;29(11):794, 793.
PMID: 11806058

Free range chicken soup.
Durfee A.
Chest. 2001 Jun;119(6):1976.
PMID: 11399740

Dag nab it! Why didn’t I think of that?
Berry S.
JEMS. 2009 Dec;34(12):80.
PMID: 20004833

The discovery, elucidation, philosophical testing and formal proof of various exceptions to medical sayings and rules.
Kline GA.
CMAJ. 2004 Dec 7;171(12):1491-2.
PMID: 15583200

Best of PubMed #11

More fabulous items from the latest in research:

Real-Time EEG-Based Happiness Detection System.
Jatupaiboon N, Pan-Ngum S, Israsena P.
ScientificWorldJournal. 2013 Aug 18;2013:618649.
PMID: 24023532

Classical music and the teeth.
Eramo S, Di Biase MJ, De Carolis C.
J Hist Dent. 2013 Spring;61(1):37-45.
PMID: 23691776

Experimentally based description of harp plucking.
Chadefaux D, Le Carrou JL, Fabre B, Daudet L.
J Acoust Soc Am. 2012 Jan;131(1):844-55.
PMID: 22280707

Ventriloquism-an area for research.
KODMAN F Jr.
Laryngoscope. 1955 Nov;65(11):1065-70.
PMID: 13272398

Porsche fever–an old illness redefined.
Coffsky J.
J Med Assoc Ga. 2006;95(1):58-9.
PMID: 16775929

The complexities of identifying the modern typewriter.
Hilton O.
J Forensic Sci. 1972 Oct;17(4):579-85.
PMID: 4680758

A stimulator for laboratory studies of motion sickness in cats.
Crampton GH, Lucot JB.
Aviat Space Environ Med. 1985 May;56(5):462-5.
PMID: 4004682

Abstract
A motion sickness device is described which produces motion sickness in about 40% of an unselected population of unrestrained female cats during a 30-min exposure at 0.28 Hz. The apparatus provides a gentle wave stimulus, similar to that provided by an amusement park Ferris Wheel. Two cats may be tested at the same time. This device is useful for studies of putative antimotion sickness drugs or the biochemical basis of the emetic response to motion.
PMID: 4004682

The stuck slide: how to unstick it.
Furlow LT Jr.
Plast Reconstr Surg. 1991 Dec;88(6):1085-6.
PMID: 1719574

[Access to the bathtub. How to take a bath in complete safety].
Briton N, Brassart H.
Soins Gerontol. 1996 Jun;(3):42-3. French.
PMID: 8954515

Do doctors, nurses, and midwives read?
Zurbano-pardo A.
Options Policy Pract. 1978 Nov-Dec;4(6):1-9.
PMID: 12309987

Two pack king size chocolate bars. Can we manage our consumption?
Vermeer WM, Bruins B, Steenhuis IH.
Appetite. 2010 Apr;54(2):414-7. Jan 25.
PMID: 20097241

The effects of 53 hours of sleep deprivation on moral judgment.
Killgore WD, Killgore DB, Day LM, Li C, Kamimori GH, Balkin TJ.
Sleep. 2007 Mar;30(3):345-52.
PMID: 17425231

Deep and crisp and eaten: Scotland’s deep-fried Mars bar.
Morrison DS, Petticrew M.
Lancet. 2004 Dec 18-31;364(9452):2180.
PMID: 15610802

Which would you prefer – liver, or pancreas?

A new article written for the MDC website at https://www.mdc-berlin.de/41851446/en/highlights/

The Spagnoli group at the MDC discovers a crucial step in the development of the pancreas and liver – and how to alter the fates of cells

Remember those time-lapse films in which flowers grow and bloom within seconds rather than weeks? A similar view of a human embryo would reveal some surprises. A fertilized egg divides into daughter cells that form three layers, fold into relatively simple shapes, then undergo intricate feats of “origami” and other processes to produce complex organs. The foregut, for example, begins as a simple tube and later yields the entire upper digestive system, including the liver and pancreas. These organs arise from a common pool of cells. At some point their “parents” acquire features that determine which organ they will become, but scientists have been unable to pinpoint the differences. Now Francesca Spagnoli’s group has identified a molecular signaling pathway that determines the cells’ fates. By activating the pancreatic pathway in the parent population, and even in cells already specialized for the liver, the scientists can trigger their development into pancreatic tissue. The findings, reported in the Sept. 1 issue of Genes & Development, may help scientists develop new treatments for diabetes and other diseases.

“We wanted to know what triggers endoderm cells to form the pancreas rather than the liver,” Francesca says. “Another question was what preserves the identity of these cells once they have differentiated, because the organs share certain functions. Usually cell fates are determined by the activation of unique sets of genes. At that point they produce different RNAs and proteins that alter cell structure and behavior.”
The scientists studied early stages of liver and pancreas development in mice, which provide insights into human organ formation because of the close evolutionary relationship between the two species. They examined cells derived from the foregut of embryos immediately prior to and immediately following the determination of their fates.

Postdoc Elisa Rodríguez-Seguel, with help from other members of Francesca’s lab and particularly Nancy Mah, a bioinformatician in Miguel Andrade’s lab, examined all RNA transcripts expressed in the foregut endoderm. This is the outer layer of the gut tube; its cells form bud-like protrusions that develop into either the liver or pancreas. The sets of RNAs produced by these cells indicated which genes were active at the two points of time.
The experiments revealed that prior to specialization, cells in the endoderm activate genes involved in the noncanonical Wnt pathway. Such signaling networks usually consist of dozens of key molecules that receive information from the environment and pass it into the cell interior, eventually changing the pattern of active and silent genes. One function of the information is to tell cells how to specialize and adopt their proper roles in organs and tissues.

“When the process of differentiation has begun,” Francesca says, “the progenitor cells that will form the pancreas maintain noncanonical Wnt signaling. But it shuts down in cells destined for the liver. At that point it is an either/or situation, and the signals are crucial in maintaining the cells’ identity.”
To test this scenario, the scientists used a molecule called Wnt5 to activate the pathway and observe the effects of the signal on the development of cells. Here they focused on frog embryos, in which noncanonical Wnt has been extensively studied. They followed up with similar studies in mice and embryonic stem cells that have been stimulated to acquire the features of pancreatic cells.

Each case revealed noncanonical Wnt signaling in pancreatic cells, but not in those of the liver. Additionally, the group was able to stimulate the pathway in liver progenitors and partially “reprogram” them to assume the properties of pancreatic tissue.

“Potentially, these findings could be extremely important in the development of new therapies for diabetes and other metabolic diseases,” Francesca says. “Type I diabetes is caused by a loss of the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas, called beta cells. One solution might be to stimulate the noncanonical Wnt pathway in other healthy cells, which could cause them to specialize and replace the beta cells that have been lost.”
The work already represents a major step forward in research into the pancreas and liver. It gives researchers new tools to study the first steps in the development of these organs, and thus to identify what goes wrong when they fail to form in the proper way.

Rodríguez-Seguel E, Mah N, Naumann H, Pongrac IM, Cerdá-Esteban N, Fontaine JF, Wang Y, Chen W, Andrade-Navarro MA, Spagnoli FM. Mutually exclusive signaling signatures define the hepatic and pancreatic progenitor cell lineage divergence. Genes Dev. 2013 Sep 1;27(17):1932-46.

Best of PubMed #10

Boy, would I like to know the story behind these…

The giant eyes of giant squid are indeed unexpectedly large, but not if used for spotting sperm whales.
Nilsson DE, Warrant EJ, Johnsen S, Hanlon RT, Shashar N.
BMC Evol Biol. 2013 Sep 8;13(1):187.

[An amorous cyclops eye. Slovenia, St. Valentine’s day 2006].
Noguera Paláu JJ.
Arch Soc Esp Oftalmol. 2012 Feb;87(2):60. doi: 10.1016/j.oftal.2011.12.004. Epub 2012 Feb 3. Spanish.
PMID: 22341363

Celebrate Valentine’s Day and National Condom Week.
[No authors listed]
AIDS Alert. 1995 Jan;10(1):9-10.
PMID: 11362175

Halloween hazards: ocular injury from flying eggs.
Fiore PM, Wagner RS.
N Engl J Med. 1988 Oct 27;319(17):1159.
PMID: 3173453

Anna suggested I read psalm 43 and said her fiancé was coming any day to collect her for the wedding.
Castillo H.
Ment Health Today. 2003 Jun:16.
PMID: 14635445

Spouses with identical residential addresses before marriage: an indicator of pre-marital cohabitation.
Haskey J.
Popul Trends. 1997 Autumn;(89):13-23.
PMID: 9368944

Memory distortion in people reporting abduction by aliens.
Clancy SA, McNally RJ, Schacter DL, Lenzenweger MF, Pitman RK.
J Abnorm Psychol. 2002 Aug;111(3):455-61.
PMID: 12150421

Ping-Pong-Ball Indentation of the Skull Without Fracture.
Luckett WH.
Ann Surg. 1910 Apr;51(4):518-9.
PMID: 17862512

Post-it pitfalls.
Livsey T.
Nurs Stand. 2008 Dec 10-16;23(14):26-7.
PMID: 19113018

Investigation of the best suture pattern to close a stuffed Christmas turkey.
Verwilghen D, Busoni V, van Galen G, Wilke M.
Vet Rec. 2011 Dec 24-31;169(26):685-6.
PMID: 22193586

Mind over cupcake.
Bongaard BS.
Explore (NY). 2008 Jul-Aug;4(4):267-72.
PMID: 18602621