Calorie restriction and intermittent fasting are both associated with improved health and longevity in many animals. Studies with monkeys and humans are consistent with health benefits of both calorie restriction and intermittent fasting, but the studies are difficult to compare due to differences in the diet and feeding patterns in the monkey studies and the … Read more
Peer review of manuscripts and grants is part of the scientific endeavor and is an important responsibility of research scientists. However, how to do this critical task is rarely taught. Instead, many junior or early career scientists are handed a manuscript or invited to serve as a reviewer without much guidance. Like editors, reviewers serve … Read more
Heart muscle has limited ability to regenerate. This is why heart attacks cause permanent heart damage. A goal in cardiovascular medicine is to induce healing rather than scarring, especially in patients with large areas of heart damage that compromise heart function. One strategy under investigation is injecting immature heart muscle cells, called cardiomyocytes, into the … Read more
Pancreatic cancer is one of the deadliest forms of cancer with most patients surviving much less than one year from diagnosis. This was certainly the experience that my family had—diagnosis was made at the end of January and the patient died in April. For patients with metastatic disease, combination therapy with conventional chemotherapeutic agents, which … Read more
The cover letter is critical not only for applying to jobs, but it is also a key component of a submission for publication in a journal. Just as cover letters for job applications have a formula, so do those for submitting manuscript to journals. As I hiring manager and editor, I read many cover letters. … Read more