it’s all in the DNA . . .

October 6, 2009

genetics is interesting

i’d always heard that lincoln had marfan’s syndrome, but apparently this is up for debate! there’s even a whole book devoted to the theory that his homely features, tall stature, and health issues were due to multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2b.

while i’m less attracted to fields where the majority of diagnoses are essentially untreatable (i’m talking to you, neurology), genetics is pretty fascinating. when you think about ALL of the genes we have and how many things can go wrong, it seems amazing to me that there are actually live, functional people walking around at all! i found myself thinking about what sorts of quiet mutations i am harboring in my DNA — after all, there are so many variants that no one is ever truly normal, right?

maybe there are biological reasons for my stationery overbuying disorder and visuospatial deficits (both untreatable, sadly). what i know i do NOT have is marfan’s syndrome (too short!) or hereditary sensory and autonomic neuropathy type IV (because i can both sweat AND feel pain . . . which i now understand to be a good thing).

so anyway, it’s been interesting thus far, with a good balance of work and learning. i think this will be a good 3 weeks!

we won!
raleigh-durham topped a list of america’s smartest cities! the daily beast created this list based on a formula incorporating education indices, nonfiction book sales, and political engagement.


see, the triangle isn’t ALL bbq & basketball!

my heart swelled (or poned up, as native north carolinians might say) with pride to see that philadelphia (#11) beat new york (#13). my future home of miami did not fare very well, however. and vegas was a big loser (#54), as expected, though last place was fresno (#55).

coming up this week: another giveaway! PLAN to get excited . . . (there’s a hint there!)

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10.5.09

workout: 5.2 mile interval run with 4 x 800m — done on the treadmill because the weather sucked and it was dark out. all at 0.5% incline.
– 1 mi @ 9:13/mi to warm up
– 4 x 800m @ 7:41/mi pace with 3 minutes of recovery at 10:00/mi pace in between each
– 1 mi @ 9:13/mi to cool down

not quite doin’ time: this week’s culinary theme is going to be Throwing Easy Things Together. last night’s endeavor was an easy-peasy meal of whole wheat pasta, newman’s own tomato sauce, chick peas (for protein!), zucchini (for veggies!), and parm cheese (for flava!). this was actually pretty good!


reading: about bronchiolitis. apparently, we do too much to babies who come in with classic RSV (X rays, viral batteries, continuous pulse ox, etc) — not evidence based, cost-effective, or helpful! interesting.

7 Comments

  • Reply Anonymous March 10, 2019 at 7:28 pm

    i took genetics last semester and was so upset that we weren&#39t able to cover everything but there&#39s just so much! and i agree that when i learned about how much could go wrong in development i wondered how anything exists haha

    and now knowing that raleigh-durham is the smartest it makes me want to move there move. although i&#39ll be honest: bball is the #1 reason heh

  • Reply Susan March 10, 2019 at 7:28 pm

    You know…you wouldn&#39t know Philly is #11 with the way some people act around here! Following simple driving instructions is very difficult, apparently.

    My beloved Chicago is #24. 🙁 Oh well. I love the pictures on that website…they&#39re all so pretty!

  • Reply sara March 10, 2019 at 7:28 pm

    my friend posted that article from The Beast on Facebook. i was pretty excited to see that i&#39ve lived in mostly top 10 cities, although the last two places i&#39ve lived are not the best (LA #27, and you already know about Miami …). i just might have to move back to the mid-Atlantic region.

  • Reply Chelsea March 10, 2019 at 7:28 pm

    We do some genetic stuff at work (on a population level) and it seems crazy complicated and confusing. Copy number?

    I&#39d be curious to see where Madison would fall on the list if it were big enough to be ranked. My roommate and her husband live in the research triangle and love it. I could see us ending up there one day maybe.

  • Reply Julie March 10, 2019 at 7:28 pm

    Recently found your blog and am loving your journey through residency and planning for your fellowship: ah, the memories that are coming back. I am amazed at how balanced you are – my memories of residency include take out food, little or no exercise, and hazy sleep! I wish this creative outlet of blogging was around then, but I&#39m trying to make up for it now!

  • Reply da March 10, 2019 at 7:28 pm

    Hey, Philly just finished first in another poll, for the THIRD straight year!–least attractive people 🙂
    See http://www.philly.com/philly/news/homepage/20091007_Mask___Pig.html.
    L, da

  • Reply Amy March 10, 2019 at 7:28 pm

    totally agree about RSV- I am a pediatric nurse (who also loves running and healthy eating!) and it&#39s so frustrating to try to explain that RSV is a VIRUS! there is no medication that will make it go away!

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