USATODAY.com - Bad med students, bad docs

Bad medical students turn out to be bad doctors!? Sweet Georgia Brown! Thanks Maxine Papadakis (papadakm@medsch.ucsf.edu) ! She's lead author on the study and the dean for student affairs at the University of California-San Francisco medical school. (AVOID AVOID!!)

What I like is that they then explain "why this is important" which translates to "why you should not be saying 'Well DUH!' "

The research is important because it will allow great accountability "to the patients we serve," says James Thompson, president and CEO of the Federation of State Medical Boards.

"Thompson, the former dean of Wake Forest University School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, N.C., says medical educators have always known intuitively that there was a connection between unprofessional behavior in medical school and later problems. But Papadakis' work 'adds science at a time when we're demanding an evidence base for our judgments,' Thompson says."

Katrina Leaves Widespread Depression in Her Wake:

Well it's certainly sad to say "those who suffered the wrath of Hurricane Katrina didn't just lose their homes, they lost their families, their neighborhoods, their communities." But come on! Do we need a study to find out that many of these survivors are "depressed" !!?

This brilliance brought to us by Dr. Mindy Fullilove. With losses comes grief, sometimes "spectacularly high levels," Fullilove said. Shocking!

Here's an idea: How about if all these doctors and scientists who think people just might become depressed when everything they know and own is washed away drop their studies and join the Red Cross to try to improve the situation in New Orleans? Rebuilding damaged levees and homes adds more value than these vacuous studies.

Smoking lowers chances of surviving throat cancer: "For people with cancer of the larynx or lower pharynx, continuing to smoke or drink alcohol make it less likely that they'll survive."

This is just so crazy it might just be correct. Though of course if a smoker who has throat cancer continues to smoke, there is really only one thing that will make him stop: yes, cold hot death. (but this is fodder for another study so don't take our word for it on this - we're not published scientists - but we are scientists! who else could come up with the concept of cold hot death? )

This flagrant obviousity is provided by Rajesh Dikshit, a visiting researcher working for the International Agency for Research on Cancer in Lyon, France, who is making his email address less than public - probably for good reason.

High gas prices alter driving habits: "Americans are fighting high pump prices by combining a trip to the grocery store with business at the bank or taking a bus to work."

Though we here at News that Vexes love to provide the email addresses of the brave pioneers who discover these amazing nuggets - so you can email your congratulations and thanks to them - this report is from USA TODAY analysis of Federal Highway Administration data.

Could it be we'll all buy less of stuff that costs more? Hey Scientists! HELP!!! We need answers!

Marijuana Use Raises Risk for Vehicular Crashes: "The more joints that drivers smoke before hitting the road, the more likely that they'll be involved in a fatal crash they caused, researchers here reported. "

So, are you saying the more high as a kite you are, the more likely you'll be in a fatal crash? WOW!

Thanks Bernard Laumon of the French National Institute for Transport and Safety Research!