Italian researchers published a research last November that suggests the condition of "falling in love" appears to be associated with elevated levels of a nerve growth factor in the bloodstream.

Enzo Emanuele of the University of Pavia and colleagues suspected that a diversity of biological mechanisms might be involved in precipitating the mental state called "falling in love," a state characterized by obsessive thinking about one's beloved, craving for union with him or her, euphoria …

This post is not pro or against the boycott of Danish products. I am just asking you a question. An ethical one.

There are two very important international Danish pharmaceuticals. Lundbeck and Novo Nordisk. Lundbeck is one of the leading companies in producing drugs for psychiatric and neurological disorders. Novo Nordisk is the one of leading companies in making products for diabetic patients, from insulin to hi-tech means of injecting it.

Few days ago the …

... World Health Organization officials say, the birthplace of polio appears for the first time to have ceased to be a source of transmission of the virus, with no new cases recorded in Egypt over the past 12 months ...

read it in full

This is great news and I hope that we can keep it up. I hope that the keen detection of new cases and strict and wide spread immunization continues with the same level …

I have nothing new to say. Probably people reading this already know that the moral stigma of HIV is getting more people infected. The ignoramuses fearing that people would be promiscuous because of sex ed, are helping no one. Arguments against teaching teenagers about sex, drugs and condoms are no longer justified. I think more delays in introducing such classes will be a landmark failure in proper reasoning by the Egyptian society.

From the latest …

First, some of you already know what is ROC. I wrote about it here. In a few words it is a volunteer driven undergraduate medical research course that aims to help medical students learn proper scientific research skills and qualify as research assistants.

As we are in desperate need for proper funding. I think we need to come up with a sort of "business model". Although we don't aim any profits. We aim to be …

On the day the tragic attacks on Sharm El-Sheikh, a different tragedy occurred and continues to occur but with a different magnitude. Although it affects the lives of more people than that of the bombings of Sinai, it however usually goes unreported. And mostly unseen.

Mona (name changed) a 10 year old girl was admitted with post-circumcision bleeding at around 2 a.m. that morning.

I was in the pre-labour room and a bed pushed …

Finished phase IIIa of the Research Orientation Course. It was a fascinating experience as usual. This time we had Shawky Galal, Youmna Tareef El-Kholy presenting and discussing with us Thomas Kuhn and Karl Popper's philosophy of science. In an earlier session we watched Ordinary Fascism by Mikhael Romm and discussed it with Mrs. Arab Lotfy. Those sessions made the course very special.

Other sessions were about scientific reasoning, data management, tabular and graphical presentation of …

The following is an excerpt from a series of lectures titled The Evolution of Modern Medicine delivered in 1913 by Sir Wiliam Osler. He is one of the founders of 20th century medicine and known to the masses by several Eponyms carrying his last name.

Unfortunately, his statement '''"No such hospital exists today in Cairo as that which was built by al-Mansur Gilafun in 1283"''' is still true today, which is based on an account …

I found this editorial on SciDev about the state of science and research in Egypt. The first half of the article is a little bit optimistic but if you read on, this is probably one of the few articles that clearly outlines the obstacles facing science here. I took some notes and listed them:

• Lack of funds (poor equipment and diminished journal subscriptions)
• Low political priority
• Academic quarrels
• Research as a ladder for higher academic …

After almost a month in Pediatrics, I finally managed to break an important psychological barrier. I managed to draw blood from a 2 months old. I was mostly lucky, the boy had a single visible vein. Which I attacked like a hungry leopard. With no fear I poked the needle in it. When the blood started oozing from the needle it was a great relief, I felt self confidence running through my veins. No more …