Long-term follow-up of mind-body medicine practices among medical school graduates.

INTRODUCTION: We sought to determine the long-term use of mind-body medicine (MBM) skills after graduation from medical school. METHODS: An online survey was sent to Georgetown University School of Medicine (GUSOM) graduates who completed at least one semester of a MBM skills training course. Using a quantitative-qualitative mixed-methods approach, we assessed the personal and professional practices of graduates, and identified factors that may influence practice/training after graduation. RESULTS: Current personal practices were positively related to the level of the course completed and amount of home practice during medical school (N = 112). Over half the sample indicated they currently practice MBM and refer patients to MBM. Moreover, physician specialty and awareness of home institution MBM training was associated with MBM patient training and referral. Participants reported a dearth of MBM training at their home institutions, and provided qualitative insights about the personal and professional impact of MBM training as well as barriers to continued MBM practice. CONCLUSIONS: The results provide preliminary evidence that MBM training during medical school may be related over time to physician trainee self-care and patient care. Rigorous tests of these relationships should be conducted in future work.

Stem cells: a new paradigm for disease modeling and developing therapies for age-related macular degeneration.

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of blindness in people over age 55 in the U.S. and the developed world. This condition leads to the progressive impairment of central visual acuity. There are significant limitations in the understanding of disease progression in AMD as well as a lack of effective methods of treatment. Lately, there has been considerable enthusiasm for application of stem cell biology for both disease modeling and therapeutic application. Human embryonic stem cells and induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) have been used in cell culture assays and in vivo animal models. Recently a clinical trial was approved by FDA to investigate the safety and efficacy of the human embryonic stem cell-derived retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) transplantation in sub-retinal space of patients with dry AMD These studies suggest that stem cell research may provide both insight regarding disease development and progression, as well as direction for therapeutic innovation for the millions of patients afflicted with AMD.