The term “muscle memory” is often used to describe how athletes can perform a task with incredible consistency. Think about shooting a free throw in basketball. No matter where you play, the free throw is constant – 15 feet away from a 10 foot tall basket with no obstructions. So what accounts for the difference in players who shoot 90%+ and those who can barely hit the 50% mark from the charity stripe?
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Something valuable I learned in block 4 dispelled a myth I heard throughout my childhood years – you can’t sneeze with your eyelids open or else your eyeballs will pop out. Read more  

Though medical students are inundated with education and training, all of us still need to consider the non-medical aspects of our futures, marriage being an important item on the “to do list” for many. It’s interesting to note how many fourth year medical students (MS-4s) are in a serious relationship (if not already married) with one of their classmates. So how does this come about? Read more  

Genome wide association studies are extremely useful in trying to assess which genes are responsible for conditions caused by complex or unknown patterns. In a nutshell, hundreds of people with a particular condition (in this case, asthma) have their genomes compared. Researchers are looking for certain mutations/patterns like single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) which are prevalent in those with the condition compared to control groups. Read more  

Cystic fibrosis and α1-antitrypsin deficiency are the two most common inherited lung diseases, and both of them happen to be caused by a known, single gene mutation. A study conducted at Boston University’s School of Medicine and recently published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation describes a protocol in which gene therapy was used to treat emphysema in mice models. Read more