Daily Rounds: More Trouble With Airport Scanners; Genomics Guru Revealed; Heartburn Drugs Reflect Economy; A Fisherman's Insurance

Scanning the Scanners: A Side-by-Side Comparison - ProPublica "By 2014, the Transportation Security Administration plans to deploy body scanners at almost every airport security lane in America. The TSA uses two types of scanners: the millimeter wave and the X-ray backscatter. In our ongoing investigation, we’ve exposed details about each scanner’s health risks, false alarm rates and effectiveness. But to break it down further, here’s a side-by-side comparison of both types. Passengers can decline either scanner and get a pat-down instead." (ProPublica)

Broad Institute Director Finds Power in Numbers - NYTimes.com (nytimes.com) "It was 1983, and while Dr. Lander was hanging around the worm lab, Dr. Botstein, at the time a professor at M.I.T., was growing increasingly frustrated. He had spent five fruitless years looking for someone who knew mathematics to take on a project involving traits like high blood pressure that were associated with multiple genes. For these diseases, the old techniques for finding traits caused by single genes would not work. “I literally went around looking for someone who could help,” Dr. Botstein said. Finally, at a conference, another biologist said, “There’s this fellow, Lander, at Harvard Business School who wanted to do something with biology.” Dr. Botstein hunted Dr. Lander down at a seminar at M.I.T., and pounced. The two connected immediately. “We went to a whiteboard,” Dr. Lander said, “and started arguing.” Within a week, Dr. Lander had solved the problem."

Stress-Medication Sales Hold Up as Economy Gives Heartburn to U.S. Jobless - Bloomberg "If you think the economy is giving you heartburn, you may not be alone. Use of acid reflux medications showed a 93 percent correlation with the U.S. unemployment rate over the last five years, according to a study by Bloomberg Rankings. Drugs for high blood pressure and antidepressants had correlation rates of 92 percent and 85 percent respectively, the data show." (bloomberg.com)

Fishermen's health-care partnership eyes changes » Local News » GloucesterTimes.com, Gloucester, MA "Bartlett said the changing health-care landscape, including the dawn of MassHealth and federal health-care reform, has brought the shift in focus — though the partnership's goals remain the same as when it was launched in 1995. Bartlett is an Acton resident who has worked with all segments of the fishing industry and was called by the White House Office of Health Reform earlier this year to testify on health issues and the unique health-care needs of the fishing industry." (Gloucester Daily Times)