Sternberg's Diagnostic Surgical Pathology

This is fourth edition of Sternberg's diagnostic surgical pathology, published in 2004. Does not require a introduction. Fifth edition has been published in last quarter of 2009.

Peanut allergies tackled in largest ever trial

Cambridge University researchers will give increasing doses of peanut flour to 104 British children, up to the equivalent of five nuts a day.

Twenty out of 23 sufferers in an earlier study became able to eat more than 30 peanuts safely.

The new £1m three-year trial could lead to a widely available treatment.

About one in 50 young people in the UK suffers from peanut allergies which can cause breathing problems, itching and, in severe cases, a potentially fatal inflammatory reaction called anaphylaxis.

A year later, woman told she's not HIV+

Till last January, 23-year-old Batashi and husband Tarak, 26, of Serampore were the quintessential happy couple. They had married for love and were expecting their first child. Then a routine blood test brought their world crashing down. Batashi was inexplicably diagnosed HIV positive at Kolkata's School of Tropical Medicine (STM). A test on Tarak proved negative.

What followed was worse than nightmare for Batashi. Her in-laws ostracized her and her husband accused her of straying. Tarak would have kicked her out had a little compassion for the woman he had once loved not lurked in one corner of his heart.

5,000 more post-grad medical seats

India will now produce 5,000 more specialized doctors every year. The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) on Thursday approved health ministry's proposal to add more postgraduate seats in 148 state government medical colleges.

The Rs 1,350 crore scheme will see a cost sharing ratio of 75:25 between the Centre and states. Though still far short of the numbers needed, the decision is being viewed as a positive step for a country that has a shortfall of six lakh doctors, 10 lakh nurses and two lakh dental surgeons.

Ironically, Indian doctors who have migrated to the developed world form nearly 5% of the medical workforce of their respective countries.

An eye opener from neuropathology blog - "Should Football Be Illegal?"

       Dr. Brian recently posted this article on his blog, I found the post so interesting that I am replicating the post entirely.

"Two neuropathologists are prominently spotlighted in an article by Malcolm Gladwell in the October 19 issue of The New Yorker. The article explores a provocative question raised by autopsy results on football players: namely, should football be illegal? Featured are Dr. Ann McKee (pictured), neuropathologist at the Veterans Hospital in Bedford, Massachusetts and Dr. Bennet Omalu, forensic neuropathologist and San Joaquin Valley (CA) chief medical examiner. Drs. McKee and Omalu have done some interesting autopsy work which suggests that the tau-positive chronic traumatic encephalopathy suffered by football players is much more common, even among high school players, than previously realized. As an example, McKee provides photomicrographs from a case of an 18-year-old high school football player and says: "He's got all this tau. This is frontal and this is insular.... This is completely inappropriate. You don't see tau like this in an 18-year-old. You don't see tau like this in a fifty year old."

Tests show King Tut died from malaria

There has been speculation about the fate of the boy king, who died sometime around 1324 BC probably at age 19, since the 1922 discovery of his intact tomb in Egypt's Valley of Kings.

Tests performed on 16 royal mummies found four, including Tut, had contracted a severe form of malaria that likely cut short Tut's reign -- ruling out murder or some other sickness.

Scientists from Egypt, Germany and elsewhere, including Zahi Hawass of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities, compiled results from genetic and radiological testing performed on the mummies between 2007 and 2009. The results clarify details about the 155-year-long 18th Dynasty that included Tutankhamen, who inherited the throne at age 11.

Analysis: Chocolate may reduce stroke risk

Just in time for Valentine's Day, research out this week suggests eating chocolate may have a positive impact on stroke. Don't go buying too many heart boxes just yet, though, say the study authors.

A new analysis, which involved a review of three prior studies, suggests eating about a bar of chocolate a week can help cut the risk of stroke and lower the risk of death after a stroke. But the evidence is still limited, says study author, neurologist Gustavo Saposnik at St. Michael's Hospital, University of Toronto.

"This is something that requires further investigation," Saposnik says.