Cell phones and cancer have yet to be definitively linked, but a recently launched study will take a serious look into the long-term effects of cell phone usage on the human body. The Cohort Study of Mobile Phone Use and Health (COSMOS) will follow 200,000 mobile phone users in five countries over 30 years, monitoring their health for higher risk of brain cancer, head tumors and salivary gland cancer. The radiation risk seems plausible — a 2009 World Health organization found that long-term mobile users had a higher risk of cancer, a 2008 American Journal of Epidemiology study suggested a link between big-time cell users and salivary gland cancer, and a 2006 study in Sweden indicated a 240% risk increase for head tumors on the side of the head used most often for talking. Thirty years is a long time to wait for results of this big study, so in the meantime maybe use that land line for long calls!
Archive for May, 2010
Slobbery Cell Phone
Posted: Wednesday, May 12th, 2010Fun With Your Prostate
Posted: Wednesday, May 12th, 2010
Getting men to pay attention to their own health isn’t easy. When given the chance to read Maxim or schedule a prostate gland exam with the doc (yup, it’s the one with the finger up the butt), I think we all know which is more appealing to the dudes. A few different organizations are wisely using things that men love — drinking beer and growing mustaches, namely — to get them thinking about screening this very important male gland. Pints for Prostates uses the glory of hops to get men to think about getting screened. Some recent studies that swigging beer is actually good for your prostate will prolly help their cause as well! Movember Australia also focuses on prostate health, and raises awareness by getting the gents to grow a moustache in November (Australia’s men’s health month, American prostate health month is in September). So even though it’s months away, our prostate stopped shaving and donned a nice ‘stache in honor of this awesome organization.
Robotic Surgery
Posted: Wednesday, May 12th, 2010
A dear friend recently underwent a radical prostatectomy and told me all about the robot that removed his prostate. His successful operation was done by a giant robot called the da Vinci, where several mechanical arms inserted in the patient’s abdomen do the surgeon’s bidding via a laparoscopic camera. Although the robot arms entered my friend’s body in seven different places (doesn’t it look like some kind of evil Star Wars torture device, like the IT-O interrogation droid Darth Vader used on Princess Leia or the Cloud City scan grid Vader used on Han Solo?), I guess the recovery time is still faster than one big giant cut. The robot is used not only for prostate cancer, but also provides a minimally invasive way to take out cancerous kidneys, conduct hysterectomies and deal with complex conditions like colorectal cancer. Even cooler than robotic surgeons? That same robot doing origami.
Testicle Poll Results
Posted: Wednesday, May 12th, 2010
The final word on how often men fondle and adjust themselves daily. The data has spoken, visit the original poll here.
Inside Kaws Art Show
Posted: Tuesday, May 11th, 2010
The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum in Ridgefield, Connecticut, will host the very first Kaws solo exhibition this June, specially featuring the giant innard sculptures we all know and love, as well as a survey of Kaws’ apparel, paintings, limited edition toys and vinyl collectibles. As it is an art museum, none of the actual works on display will be for sale, however, we’re pretty sure the curators will want visitors to exit through the gift shop. {via High Snobiety}
In The Same Vein
Posted: Tuesday, May 11th, 2010
This beautiful, yet somewhat scary, animation of thrombosis in action, shows what happens when a giant blood clot gets stuck in your carotid artery. The video was created by Shop Around’s Martine Johanna for the Dutch thrombosis association. {via NotCot}
Transparent Brain
Posted: Tuesday, May 11th, 2010
Creating cross-sections of human brain can’t be easy, but scientists at UC San Diego are such pros that they are slicing and photographing brains to create a digital neuroanatomy library for study. Read about the fascinating process of removing brains and thin-sectioning them in this preview of Discover magazine’s special Brain issue, out June 28. Fun factoid: the act of removing a brain from a cadaver is called “fenestration,” which also describes the arrangement of windows in a building, and is the root for one of my fave words, “defenestrate” which is a fancy way of describing the act of throwing something out a window.
Testis vs. Elvis
Posted: Tuesday, May 11th, 2010
It’s not really fair to compare a dead celebrity icon with a soft plush toy, but what the hell?
Meet Pituitary Pope
Posted: Monday, May 10th, 2010
He may look more like the Scrotal Pope at first glance, but no, this fellow is the Pituitary Pope, the self-described “world leader of the endocrine church.” He’s new to Facebook, so become his friend and enjoy nuggets of wisdom such as, “The pituitary in me makes you go through puberty, but the Pope in me doesn’t want you to have sex until marriage.”
Boils and Cysts
Posted: Monday, May 10th, 2010
If you’ve never visited the Tumors Galore blog, you’re missing out. Not only does this informative blog have the best name ever, it’s filled with great posts about 93-pound ovarian tumors (pictured), how many different types of cancer exist in the world (can you believe 200?), and a review of a documentary that details curing cancer through one’s diet, among other things.
