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whizatphys

whizatphys

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I am astonished by the interactions on this website. Some genius-level individuals have engaged in surprisingly petty arguments. This pattern has etched itself out of the many responses that I've received to the video I posted, similarly to the way it did in the threads I read quietly on this website for years prior: some genius-level individuals are engaging in surprisingly petty arguments.

SDN is providing what seems to be a highly utilized platform for communication amongst some of the truly smartest minds in the world. I don't mean this as a compliment, I do not personally know any of the users on this site (does anyone?). I mean it as an observation. While SDN may not be the most official website ever (in the sense that I have no idea what .net means versus .org or .com etc.), it is clear as day that smart minds working either in or towards medicine are using this to talk to one another. Imagine: instead of dumbly titled posts like "So, I left medical school," new topics started popping up like "So, what's up with that new oncogene?"
 
And there you have it, after re-checking that 900 times before posting it like a WEIRDO, I have copied and pasted the same sentence twice in the first paragraph. Loathsome.
 
whizatphys said:
I am astonished by the interactions on this website. Some genius-level individuals have engaged in surprisingly petty arguments. This pattern has etched itself out of the many responses that I've received to the video I posted, similarly to the way it did in the threads I read quietly on this website for years prior: some genius-level individuals are engaging in surprisingly petty arguments.

SDN is providing what seems to be a highly utilized platform for communication amongst some of the truly smartest minds in the world. I don't mean this as a compliment, I do not personally know any of the users on this site (does anyone?). I mean it as an observation. While SDN may not be the most official website ever (in the sense that I have no idea what .net means versus .org or .com etc.), it is clear as day that smart minds working either in or towards medicine are using this to talk to one another. Imagine: instead of dumbly titled posts like "So, I left medical school," new topics started popping up like "So, what's up with that new oncogene?"
Click to expand...

Just so I have this clear, you just finished making a thread titled "So, I left medical school" and now you are saying threads like that are stupid and we should only ever be discussing research and medical science on this forum? Well, beyond the confusingly obvious hypocrisy of such a circumstance, I would contend that a mindset like that might be part of the reason why you burned out in medical school.

A lot of us dont want to be discussing medicine and research 24 hours a day, especially not in a casual sub-forum like this one during the limited free time that we get. Sure there are absolutely a lot of bright individuals who post here, but why does that necessitate that everyone discusses only academic content? There are other much more appropriate avenues/forums available for that. Sometimes people just enjoy having casual conversations with others who can relate to them, who can empathize with the high stress life of a medical student, and who are like-minded and intellectually well matched. Just from my own observation, I'd say that people overwhelmingly prefer to use this forum to discuss life as a medical student, and issues relevant to medical students and physicians. The last thing people want to do after an 8 hour day of lecture recordings and first aid is to come to a forum in their spare time and discuss lecture recordings and first aid. Again, there are other much more appropriate forums for discussions of research and medical science content. I enjoy the colloquial nature of this sub-forum.

I will agree however, that there is a lot of petty arguing that often goes on here. When you gather a bunch of people with Type A personalities and big egos in one place and then give them all anonymity, I suppose it is an inevitability.
 
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I've met a few people IRL on this site. One of my future co-residents even sent me a PM saying they'll see me in June. This is as much a socializing (and even a networking) platform as anything else.

I otherwise agree with @sidefx's post in that people don't come here to talk about the latest, breaking research (although substantial stuff is often talked about here). Things like politics, the life of medical training, etc. are more prominent because, for one reason or another, most people don't discuss these things with their peers IRL or, if they do, in a way that isn't completely candid. That doesn't make SDN a useless resource. It's just not intended to fill an academic role.
 
I was so afraid to re-check this, anticipating lots of really negative feedback, so I appreciate that it hasn't happened yet and in fact some realness has occurred above. I've also received some feedback in PM's that I should be wary of communicating with anyone on this website. That makes me feel kind of sad, because this platform could be a lot more than what it already is, and the distrust on here is an unfortunate but real complication.
 
Last edited:
All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident.
 
whizatphys said:
All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident.
Click to expand...

A couple of things about that:

I think you're right that SDN is somewhat negative and could improve.
Bull**** usually passes through your first stage before being rejected. Being ridiculed doesn't make you right. Also, nobody's going to violently oppose you.
 
sidefx said:
The last thing people want to do after an 8 hour day of lecture recordings and first aid is to come to a forum in their spare time and discuss lecture recordings and first aid.
Click to expand...

You are 100% correct. But what about discussing ideas? Surely the brains on here must have some seriously interesting ones that deserve some actual attention. I suppose that I do mean that as a compliment, but it's also a reality. I had a lot of ideas while in medical school that I did not act on, however, in fear of being bullied out of thinking for myself.
 
whizatphys said:
"So, what's up with that new oncogene?"
Click to expand...

Man, after getting 8 hours of sleep over the last 48 hours and having to juggle board studying with a course exam THATS EXACTLY WHAT I WAS THINKING ABOUT!!!
In fact, the Graffi murine retrovirus is a powerful tool to find leukemia associated oncogenes. Using DNA microarrays, we recently identified several genes specifically deregulated in T- and B-leukemias induced by this virus. In the present study, probsets associated with T-CD8+ leukemias were analyzed and we validated the expression profile of the Parm-1 gene. PARM-1 is a member of the mucin family. We showed that human PARM-1 is an intact secreted protein accumulating predominantly, such as murine PARM-1, at the Golgi and in the early and late endosomes. PARM-1 colocalization with α-tubulin suggests that its trafficking within the cell involves the microtubule cytoskeleton. Also, the protein co-localizes with caveolin-1 which probably mediates its internalization. Transient transfection of both mouse and human Parm-1 cDNAs conferred anchorage- and serum-independent growth and enhanced cell proliferation. Moreover, deletion mutants of human PARM-1 without either extracellular or cytoplasmic portions seem to retain the ability to induce anchorage-independent growth of NIH/3T3 cells. In addition, PARM-1 increases ERK1/2, but more importantly AKT and STAT3 phosphorylation.

I'd like your thoughts on this, @whizatphys, based on the microarray data analyses and validation of mParm-1 association with T-CD8+ leukemias what do you think the oncogenic potential is?
 
So how about those NPs!

Today wasn't the day to post this op if you're serious.
 
whizatphys said:
You are 100% correct. But what about discussing ideas? Surely the brains on here must have some seriously interesting ones that deserve some actual attention. I suppose that I do mean that as a compliment, but it's also a reality. I had a lot of ideas while in medical school that I did not act on, however, in fear of being bullied out of thinking for myself.
Click to expand...

People do that on this website. If you go into subspecialty forums you will often find interesting cases, paper discussions etc. Those things don't make the front page because... ya know... demand. Its like asking why does the news focus on violence?

People who want to discuss that new oncogene aren't sitting at home sad no one will talk to them. They are out talking to professors or PhDs in their schools, joining OR forming interest groups, going to academic journal websites and reading and commenting on their articles...

Also, most people on this site are pre-meds or early medical school. They are still learning whats important to them or what they are interested in and are more worried getting to the next stage than coming here to cultivate interests that they are probably working on in the real world. If you have ideas, be pro-active. I guarantee SOMEONE at your school will discuss or entertain them with you (I just had a hour long + with an attending who focuses on administrative work at my medical center about the current state of hospital finance and its future. This conversation started when I stopped her in the hallway to say hi...)
 
Mr. Bub said:
If you have ideas, be pro-active. I guarantee SOMEONE at your school will discuss or entertain them with you (I just had a hour long + with an attending who focuses on administrative work at my medical center about the current state of hospital finance and its future. This conversation started when I stopped her in the hallway to say hi...)
Click to expand...


Good advice, but OP isn't in medical school.
 
shibby1111 said:
Man, after getting 8 hours of sleep over the last 48 hours and having to juggle board studying with a course exam THATS EXACTLY WHAT I WAS THINKING ABOUT!!!
In fact, the Graffi murine retrovirus is a powerful tool to find leukemia associated oncogenes. Using DNA microarrays, we recently identified several genes specifically deregulated in T- and B-leukemias induced by this virus. In the present study, probsets associated with T-CD8+ leukemias were analyzed and we validated the expression profile of the Parm-1 gene. PARM-1 is a member of the mucin family. We showed that human PARM-1 is an intact secreted protein accumulating predominantly, such as murine PARM-1, at the Golgi and in the early and late endosomes. PARM-1 colocalization with α-tubulin suggests that its trafficking within the cell involves the microtubule cytoskeleton. Also, the protein co-localizes with caveolin-1 which probably mediates its internalization. Transient transfection of both mouse and human Parm-1 cDNAs conferred anchorage- and serum-independent growth and enhanced cell proliferation. Moreover, deletion mutants of human PARM-1 without either extracellular or cytoplasmic portions seem to retain the ability to induce anchorage-independent growth of NIH/3T3 cells. In addition, PARM-1 increases ERK1/2, but more importantly AKT and STAT3 phosphorylation.

I'd like your thoughts on this, @whizatphys, based on the microarray data analyses and validation of mParm-1 association with T-CD8+ leukemias what do you think the oncogenic potential is?
Click to expand...

First, if that's your research, it sounds extremely interesting. While I was on my LOA, I did research for a year on the ability of a novel chemotherapeutic compound termed VE-821 (an ATR/ATM inhibitor) to preclude the proliferation of BK virus in renal tubule epithelial cells, as its reactivation in renal transplant recipients while on immunosuppressants can and does lead to loss of the transplant. Which truly sucks for the transplant recipient -- I mean, imagine this: you've been on a transplant list for years, you finally get the transplant, and a virus you got when you were a kid (much like EBV) suddenly wakes up inside you and destroys your new friggen kidney. Back to dialysis you go.

I did a lot of gel electrophoresis/Western blots and some immunohistochem tests, some of which seemed semi-promising... in the G2 cell cycle checkpoint, VE-821 knocked out the first few major players, but it was just messy after Chk-1. And, did it stop viral proliferation? Not really. Womp womp. If anything became clear, it was the fact that these intracellular signaling cascades are like glaciers with their tiniest tips above the cell surface -- I think I read that there's an estimated 700 secondary messengers alone in the ATR/ATM-Chk1-p53 cascade.

The frustrating thing is that I feel there may still be hope for these chemotherapeutic compounds in halting BKV reactivation, but I'm out of the lab for good, and unfortunately bid my final adieus to p53 unknowingly the last time I left the one I was working in. At least, both cancer and BKV seem to like growing in cells without any functional p53 -- in that sense, the drug acts like a honing missile. It's cool science, if you think about it. Weird.

P53, though, is a tumor suppressor. PARM-1 is an oncogene, with apparently significant oncogenic potential based on your research. Your findings seem successful, and so I congratulate you on that (and I mean it, coming to an end of a year of fruitless experimentation was a tough one to swallow). You've also identified a potential player in the adenoma-to-carcinoma sequence, it seems. Very impressive, seriously.
 
@shibby1111
OK, one more thing and then I will leave you alone, I promise. But your research is legit, so maybe you can answer this for me (my PI was really confused by my question, and didn't have a real answer -- it could also be because this is a stupid question):

Isn't it weird that the accumulation of so many random mutations results in the same step-wise trajectory of benign-to-malignant (i.e. proliferation -> vascularization -> ability to chew up the EC matrix -> no need to adhere for survival)?

I mean, what are the odds... it's like rolling hundreds of dice hundreds of times, counting the dots each time, and still every time ending up with the same cumulative number. And then having that number equal a metastasis.

(I'm drooling)
 
whizatphys said:
@shibby1111
OK, one more thing and then I will leave you alone, I promise. But your research is legit, so maybe you can answer this for me (my PI was really confused by my question, and didn't have a real answer -- it could also be because this is a stupid question):

Isn't it weird that the accumulation of so many random mutations results in the same step-wise trajectory of benign-to-malignant (i.e. proliferation -> vascularization -> ability to chew up the EC matrix -> no need to adhere for survival)?

I mean, what are the odds... it's like rolling hundreds of dice hundreds of times, counting the dots each time, and still every time ending up with the same cumulative number. And then having that number equal a metastasis.

(I'm drooling)
Click to expand...

Well, for starters, you are treating a simplified generalized model as an exact absolute. There are undoubtedly many steps between proliferation and vascularization that you are ignoring due to the model (sort of like when people argue that an "eye" couldn't have just evolved until people elucidated all the steps in between).
 
I'm sorry, I did not mean to offend anyone. I am certainly not telling anyone what to do, it is 100% true that I'm no longer one of you, white flag, white flag - I can't compete with the level of passive aggression occurring on here. Not now, not ever. Thank you to everyone who did respond kindly to this and my original post, it means a lot, and it's people like you who keep a flame of real inspiration going. Keep inspiring others, realize that negativity from others says a lot more about them than it does about you, and how you choose to respond to that negativity can help you to learn a GREAT deal about yourself. This is something I did a lot of when I was debating whether or not to leave med school two weeks ago, and this is also my response to several of the PM's I received. I won't be making another video, I thank you all in helping me to realize that I should move on now from this losing battle, before I embarass myself any further. Best of luck to all, and I mean that.
 
whizatphys said:
I am astonished by the interactions on this website. Some genius-level individuals have engaged in surprisingly petty arguments. This pattern has etched itself out of the many responses that I've received to the video I posted, similarly to the way it did in the threads I read quietly on this website for years prior: some genius-level individuals are engaging in surprisingly petty arguments.

SDN is providing what seems to be a highly utilized platform for communication amongst some of the truly smartest minds in the world. I don't mean this as a compliment, I do not personally know any of the users on this site (does anyone?). I mean it as an observation. While SDN may not be the most official website ever (in the sense that I have no idea what .net means versus .org or .com etc.), it is clear as day that smart minds working either in or towards medicine are using this to talk to one another. Imagine: instead of dumbly titled posts like "So, I left medical school," new topics started popping up like "So, what's up with that new oncogene?"
Click to expand...
We talk about serious things now and again, but generally, this is more the place for the intangibles ("what are residency directors looking for in an applicant," "what resources should I use to study for the MCAT," "what are the best ways to study for Step 1," "should I pick school X or Y") than it is for hard science information. It's just not what we do. Occasionally there's some talk of difficult cases and discussion of theory in the specialty subforums (I love talking about vents!), but generally that stuff just isn't what we do. But this isn't the sort of place for medical, practice, homework, or diagnostic advice, not only as a matter of practice but as a term of service. While we may have some ridiculous arguments from time to time, a lot of good info comes from here. A whole lot.
whizatphys said:
I was so afraid to re-check this, anticipating lots of really negative feedback, so I appreciate that it hasn't happened yet and in fact some realness has occurred above. I've also received some feedback in PM's that I should be wary of communicating with anyone on this website. That makes me feel kind of sad, because this platform could be a lot more than what it already is, and the distrust on here is an unfortunate but real complication.
Click to expand...
That's actually pretty hilarious. I met my roommate on SDN, give advice to potential applicants via PM and have met a few of them, and know of people that meet up from SDN in the real world with some frequency (and even a few relationships that have started here).

As to the potential hate that will be heaped on your thread, who cares? They're just opinions. I think your last thread presented some good points. They might not apply to all students, but there are certain personality types that might see themselves in you, and potentially dodge the bullet that is medical school. You never know who a thread or comment might help- I've gotten "thank you"s here and there from people for posts I've made in the past that they felt helped them out in some way, some of which I got a lot of grief for, others which were better received. Just post and see where it goes.
 
whizatphys said:
I'm sorry, I did not mean to offend anyone. I am certainly not telling anyone what to do, it is 100% true that I'm no longer one of you, white flag, white flag - I can't compete with the level of passive aggression occurring on here. Not now, not ever. Thank you to everyone who did respond kindly to this and my original post, it means a lot, and it's people like you who keep a flame of real inspiration going. Keep inspiring others, realize that negativity from others says a lot more about them than it does about you, and how you choose to respond to that negativity can help you to learn a GREAT deal about yourself. This is something I did a lot of when I was debating whether or not to leave med school two weeks ago, and this is also my response to several of the PM's I received. I won't be making another video, I thank you all in helping me to realize that I should move on now from this losing battle, before I embarass myself any further. Best of luck to all, and I mean that.
Click to expand...
You shouldn't look at everything as a battle. It's not us versus you. Some people may disagree with you, but that doesn't mean they're being passive aggressive. They're just stating their opinion, just like you're stating yours. People are obviously going to offer some criticism, as you've done something unconventional, but you shouldn't fold under that criticism, nor take it as negativity. Good luck in the future, I wish you the best.
 
whizatphys said:
I am astonished by the interactions on this website. Some genius-level individuals have engaged in surprisingly petty arguments. This pattern has etched itself out of the many responses that I've received to the video I posted, similarly to the way it did in the threads I read quietly on this website for years prior: some genius-level individuals are engaging in surprisingly petty arguments.

SDN is providing what seems to be a highly utilized platform for communication amongst some of the truly smartest minds in the world. I don't mean this as a compliment, I do not personally know any of the users on this site (does anyone?). I mean it as an observation. While SDN may not be the most official website ever (in the sense that I have no idea what .net means versus .org or .com etc.), it is clear as day that smart minds working either in or towards medicine are using this to talk to one another. Imagine: instead of dumbly titled posts like "So, I left medical school," new topics started popping up like "So, what's up with that new oncogene?"
Click to expand...

I was blind but now I see! Thank you for the insight, I will do away with my wicked ways.

Let's all play nicely so this EX-med student can rest assured that everyone on SDN is using the site for scientific purposes alone. 😴
 
I really hope this is an April Fool's joke. OP, while I was fully in your corner in the thread that YOU started about leaving med school (that you're now calling stupid), I have to say I find your coming here to tell us everything we're doing wrong on this forum more than insulting. If you don't like the forum, there's no rule that says you must visit. Feel free to find other forums that stimulate your brain cells. But for a lot of this, we like this forum exactly the way it is, despite the petty bickering (that I agree can sometimes go on). No one's being held hostage here. We're here because we WANT to be and those reading who private messaged you are also reading because they WANT to read. That should tell you something.
 
whizatphys said:
First, if that's your research, it sounds extremely interesting. While I was on my LOA, I did research for a year on the ability of a novel chemotherapeutic compound termed VE-821 (an ATR/ATM inhibitor) to preclude the proliferation of BK virus in renal tubule epithelial cells, as its reactivation in renal transplant recipients while on immunosuppressants can and does lead to loss of the transplant. Which truly sucks for the transplant recipient -- I mean, imagine this: you've been on a transplant list for years, you finally get the transplant, and a virus you got when you were a kid (much like EBV) suddenly wakes up inside you and destroys your new friggen kidney. Back to dialysis you go.

I did a lot of gel electrophoresis/Western blots and some immunohistochem tests, some of which seemed semi-promising... in the G2 cell cycle checkpoint, VE-821 knocked out the first few major players, but it was just messy after Chk-1. And, did it stop viral proliferation? Not really. Womp womp. If anything became clear, it was the fact that these intracellular signaling cascades are like glaciers with their tiniest tips above the cell surface -- I think I read that there's an estimated 700 secondary messengers alone in the ATR/ATM-Chk1-p53 cascade.

The frustrating thing is that I feel there may still be hope for these chemotherapeutic compounds in halting BKV reactivation, but I'm out of the lab for good, and unfortunately bid my final adieus to p53 unknowingly the last time I left the one I was working in. At least, both cancer and BKV seem to like growing in cells without any functional p53 -- in that sense, the drug acts like a honing missile. It's cool science, if you think about it. Weird.

P53, though, is a tumor suppressor. PARM-1 is an oncogene, with apparently significant oncogenic potential based on your research. Your findings seem successful, and so I congratulate you on that (and I mean it, coming to an end of a year of fruitless experimentation was a tough one to swallow). You've also identified a potential player in the adenoma-to-carcinoma sequence, it seems. Very impressive, seriously.
Click to expand...

 
whizatphys said:
First, if that's your research, it sounds extremely interesting. While I was on my LOA, I did research for a year on the ability of a novel chemotherapeutic compound termed VE-821 (an ATR/ATM inhibitor) to preclude the proliferation of BK virus in renal tubule epithelial cells, as its reactivation in renal transplant recipients while on immunosuppressants can and does lead to loss of the transplant. Which truly sucks for the transplant recipient -- I mean, imagine this: you've been on a transplant list for years, you finally get the transplant, and a virus you got when you were a kid (much like EBV) suddenly wakes up inside you and destroys your new friggen kidney. Back to dialysis you go.

I did a lot of gel electrophoresis/Western blots and some immunohistochem tests, some of which seemed semi-promising... in the G2 cell cycle checkpoint, VE-821 knocked out the first few major players, but it was just messy after Chk-1. And, did it stop viral proliferation? Not really. Womp womp. If anything became clear, it was the fact that these intracellular signaling cascades are like glaciers with their tiniest tips above the cell surface -- I think I read that there's an estimated 700 secondary messengers alone in the ATR/ATM-Chk1-p53 cascade.

The frustrating thing is that I feel there may still be hope for these chemotherapeutic compounds in halting BKV reactivation, but I'm out of the lab for good, and unfortunately bid my final adieus to p53 unknowingly the last time I left the one I was working in. At least, both cancer and BKV seem to like growing in cells without any functional p53 -- in that sense, the drug acts like a honing missile. It's cool science, if you think about it. Weird.

P53, though, is a tumor suppressor. PARM-1 is an oncogene, with apparently significant oncogenic potential based on your research. Your findings seem successful, and so I congratulate you on that (and I mean it, coming to an end of a year of fruitless experimentation was a tough one to swallow). You've also identified a potential player in the adenoma-to-carcinoma sequence, it seems. Very impressive, seriously.
Click to expand...

What
 
I think I get it. You left medical school for good reasons, but you are still looking for that intellectual stimulation that medical school provided you (just not the same volume, competitive atmosphere). It's hard to get that kind of thing outside a graduate program, so now you are looking to get it on SDN. Unfortunately, that was not the primary purpose for SDN when it was created, and that is not how it is currently used. If you are looking for someplace to discuss hard science and the like, there are many other forums and sites that can cater to that, just look for those!

Even the smartest minds in the world still like to talk (or argue pettily) about beer/pizza. And if they choose to do it here, can't really fault them for that
 
tp_diag01.gif

Discuss.
 
I DEFINITELY misunderstood the purpose of this website. This is my last post.
 
NontradCA said:
This is basic physics. I thought the OP would like it given her name.
Click to expand...
See, I think it's all about roll height. If the roll is lower than waist level, I prefer the paper facing away. If it's higher than waist level, I prefer the paper over. Why? Because it's easier to tear toilet paper when you can get a good vector on it. If you're pulling it from the same spot that it's unrolling (as in, the "over," or paper facing you) but it is lower than where you are pulling from, you just end up spinning the roll and pulling way too much because you're pulling directly at it's point of origin. Without a shear force, you've got no tearing happening, and your bathroom ends up looking like this:
hqdefault.jpg
 
URMD said:
Even the smartest minds in the world still like to talk (or argue pettily) about beer/pizza.
Click to expand...

But if we don't show off our intelligence at all times, how will everybody else know that we're really smart? You can't actually expect us to care about beer or pizza or, God forbid, sports like those normal people...
 
whizatphys said:
All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident.
Click to expand...

Ah. But not everything which is first ridiculed is true. Nor all that which is violently opposed. And most especially, not all of that which has been accepted as self-evident.
 
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