mhalle

23 ms·

181.
by mhalle 9y ago
I was evaluated by two US transplant centers that function under a government-regulated evaluation regimen, and spent more than a year researching the process. Neither would proceed with any paperwork or testing without proof of insurance c
182.
by mhalle 9y ago
Let me try and be more precise. Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is strongly correlated with obesity. Obesity is a public health problem that is getting worse, not better. It is tied to diet and lifestyle that cannot quickly be corrected,
183.
by mhalle 9y ago
Varies by state because of details of organ donation laws, religious makeup, quality of healthcare. Blue states tend to have fewer donors (seat belt laws, gun laws, more social safety net). High concentration of hospitals is generally bad (
184.
by mhalle 9y ago
Any patient in the situation should be thankful for insurance. When your liver is failing, you have your hands full. The only major variable you should try to optimize is wait list time. Outcomes are roughly comparable across centers and ar
185.
by mhalle 9y ago
Do the research if your life depends on it, but New Orleans, Indianapolis, and Tennessee are good bets. Georgia and Florida too. The reasons are morbidly fascinating and too detailed to go into here.
186.
by mhalle 9y ago
The HepC drugs are remarkable. They also open new opportunities for transplanting HepC positive livers into HepC positive patients (expanding the donor pool), then zapping it post transplant. But while HepC may be one of the first viral inf
187.
by mhalle 9y ago
Liver transplants can cost $700K to $1M+. In the US, insurance (or Medicare) typically engages in a special negotiated contract with the hospital. This amount is too expensive for a hospital, or even many affluent individuals, to pay with
188.
by mhalle 9y ago
The flip side to the liver's amazing duties in the body is the catastrophic impact on health when it fails. A failed liver takes out basically every body system. When the liver can't break down bilirubin, you get jaundice and itch
189.
by mhalle 9y ago
Seems like lots of people dismiss spinners as a fad or silly. They are a fad. But I celebrate the fact that they are generally simple mechanical objects that feel good in the hand. Not a doll, not a cheap molded plastic toy (ugh, Shopkins),
190.
by mhalle 9y ago
Mostly because of bandwidth and physics. You have to get information into the display in a form that the display can convert to spatial/angular/wavefront information efficiently and with enough fidelity to be believable. Any data
191.
by mhalle 9y ago
Having a display that can support ocular accommodation (selective focus by the eye) is an important research development, though it will most likely not change the viewer's experience in a radical way. Practical electronic 3D displays
192.
by mhalle 10y ago
The IRS is already essentially doing your taxes already (certainly for the most common and straightforward returns): they have to verify your statement. The actual computation is trivial (for them). "Doing your taxes" mostly invo
193.
by mhalle 10y ago
I agree, but destigmatization makes both approaches easier. Preventative physical health works the same way. Also, if many people had mental health checkups every year, they would probably be better equipped to help others as well.
194.
by mhalle 10y ago
One long term solution to this problem could be the normalization of preventative mental health treatment, analogous to a yearly "physical" doctor's visit. Many mental health issues are (at least in part) a result of reaction
195.
by mhalle 10y ago
At the risk of continuing off-topic, the "outrage" over Nestle bottled water in this case was due to Nestle starting to draw large amounts of water at about 1/100th the residential water cost from an region under mandatory wa
196.
by mhalle 10y ago
There was an interesting Science Friday segment on this topic back in August 2016: http://www.sciencefriday.com/segments/a-hand-a-fin-a-gene/ A couple of comments made by the guests during the discussion (from mem
197.
by mhalle 10y ago
I understand the need for life to go on in places with hostile weather, and also that unexpected situations come up. But at some point, a reasonable standard must be set, and if you can't drive safely you shouldn't be driving. Cl
198.
by mhalle 10y ago
In a related question, there is some evidence that bike helmets may lead to greater risk taking and thus increase the likelihood of a crash (though bike helmets pretty definitively reduce the risk of head injury should a rider be in a crash
199.
by mhalle 10y ago
This relation is often true, but not always. For instance, if a driver can't see past an obstruction and needs to pull into a crosswalk to look for oncoming traffic, he or she may neglect to look for a crossing pedestrian because of a
200.
by mhalle 10y ago
In greater Boston, the DCR (Department of Conservation and Recreation, formerly the MDC) maintains many arterial roads such as Storrow Drive, Memorial Drive, VFW Parkway, the Jamaicaway/Arborway, etc. These roads are considered "p
201.
by mhalle 10y ago
No. The implication is that driver behavior adapts to road conditions, and that slippery curvy roads demand higher attention and care to navigate. In many instances, improved driver attention compensates for the increased risks of dangerou
202.
by mhalle 10y ago
The cases where it is straightforward to determine "fact" or "truth" aren't the ones that really worry me (although it remains shocking to me that clear, easily debunked falsehoods bounced around this US election cy
203.
by mhalle 10y ago
The biggest alarm culprits in the hospital are infusion pumps, which are responsible for administering IV medication at the correct rate. An air bubble in the line, a crimp because the patient's arm is bent, or the end of the bag of m
204.
by mhalle 10y ago
Modulo the fact that none of Trump's positions appear to be immutable, he has made numerous claims that climate change is a hoax (and also one that places the US at a disadvantage): http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-m
205.
What the FBI files reveal about Hillary Clinton's email server(politico.com)
14 points by mhalle 10y ago|5 comments
206.
by mhalle 10y ago
You are referring to stamped foil or embossed holograms such as the ones used as security marks on credit cards. Here's a description of the process: http://www.holoeast.com/holography/holograms_maiking.html Insp
207.
by mhalle 10y ago
I wouldn't be quite so dismissive of scratch holograms not being (a type of) hologram. See the reference in the article: http://amasci.com/amateur/holo3.html Having studied with Steve Benton at the Media Lab and b
208.
by mhalle 10y ago
> "it typically produces a series of subtle symptoms, like itchy skin, weight loss, light-colored stools, patterns of back pain and a slight yellowing of the eyes and skin that often don’t prompt a patient to seek medical attention.
209.
by mhalle 10y ago
Mary Lou Jepsen gave a talk about her ideas at the Media Lab 30th anniversary: http://www.media.mit.edu/video/view/ml30-2015-10-30-03 Her talk starts at about 45:20.
210.
Curing hepatitis C will spare livers for other patients(hms.harvard.edu)
2 points by mhalle 10y ago|0 comments

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