Do Doctors Sacrifice Too Much?
Nearly 3 in 4 US physicians who responded to a recent Medscape poll say they see the practice of medicine as a calling rather than as a good profession or a job.
In addition, research shows that physicians who view the profession as a calling are more likely to go the extra mile for patients who need their help, work long hours, put their patients’ welfare before their own, and sacrifice home and family time for patient care.
Pros and cons: The research also indicates that though doctors who see medicine as a calling may be more at risk of neglecting themselves and their families, they also find their work more rewarding and suffer from less burnout.
Special specialists: Specialists were slightly more likely to say they are willing to go the extra mile for patients who need their help.
Toothbrushing, Flossing Microrobots
Your twice-daily brushing and flossing routine could someday be automated using tiny microrobots that scrub your teeth for a customized clean, thanks to new research from the University of Pennsylvania.
Scientists used magnetic fields to assemble nanoparticles into tiny, brush-like robotic structures that precisely remove biofilms, a network of germs and other sticky substances, from the surfaces of teeth.
Robots are coming: The team is packaging the technology into a consumer-friendly prototype, which they hope to have ready within a year. But they will probably need a few more years of testing before the robots are ready for commercial use.
Possible game changer: Once fully developed, this technology could be a game changer for people with disabilities, older populations, or anyone who lacks the manual ability to take good care of their oral health, says study author Hyun (Michel) Koo, DDS, founding director at the Center for Innovation & Precision Dentistry at the University of Pennsylvania. These populations will probably be the first to try out the device, then others will follow.
WHO Reports Global Decline in Monkeypox Cases
The number of monkeypox cases reported globally declined by 21% last week, after a month of rising infections, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Thursday.
The WHO declared the outbreak a global health emergency in July. So far, more than 41,000 cases of monkeypox and 12 deaths have been reported from 96 countries, with the majority of cases from the United States.
Declining in Europe: The decrease in case numbers may potentially signal that the outbreak is declining in the European region, according to WHO’s latest epidemiological report.
Rising in US: Still, nearly two dozen countries saw a rise in weekly case numbers with the highest increase reported in the United States. Over 34% of the current global case count is in the United States.
The regions of the Americas are continuing to see intense transmission, accounting for 60% of cases in the past month.
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