Hepatitis A virus infections associated with berry and pomegranate mix
An outbreak of hepatitis A virus (HAV) infections in eight US states has been attributed to consumption of Townsend Farms Organic Anti-Oxidant Blend frozen berry and pomegranate mix purchased from Costco markets. Since March 2013, 118 individuals have acquired the infection and 80% report having eaten this fruit product. Townsend Farms has recalled some lots of this product because, according to the producer, one of the ingredients of the blend, “pomegranate seeds processed in Turkey, may be linked to an illness outbreak outside of the United States”. The Food and Drug Administration will soon begin testing f...
Source: virology blog - June 19, 2013 Category: Virology Authors: Vincent Racaniello Tags: Basic virology Information HAV hepatitis a virus icteric jaundice Townsend Farms Organic Anti-Oxidant Blend frozen berry and pomegranate mix viral Source Type: blogs
What to Know About Jaundice in Infants
I talk about how my son was diagnosed with jaundice. I also go over the treatments the doctor's used to get rid of it.Contributor: Sara BenasuttiPublished: Jun 01, 2013 (Source: Most Recent Health Wellness - Associated Content)
Source: Most Recent Health Wellness - Associated Content - June 1, 2013 Category: Other Conditions Source Type: blogs
medicalstate: As the popularity of smartphone of tablet...
medicalstate: As the popularity of smartphone of tablet computing expands, so too does the library of apps. The following is a list of iOS apps that might be of interest or use for the curious, for the learners, and for the clerks. Laboratory LabDx: A reference tool for common laboratory investigations. Acid Plus: A calculator tool that helps tease out the type of acidotic or alkalotic process involved. Lytes: A basic reference to the common electrolyte abnormalities, the causes, signs, and symptoms. Calculators BiliTool: An online tool that has an optimized mobile format, this tool helps calculate b...
Source: Kidney Notes - May 25, 2013 Category: Urologists and Nephrologists Authors: Joshua Schwimmer Source Type: blogs
Research that Transfusion of "Older" Blood May Be Harmful to Patients
There was a time when I, in a previous incarnation as a blood banker, spent a lot of time thinking about the shelf life of blood and how to increase the utilization of blood in blood bank inventory. Hence, a recent article about this topic caught my eye, partly out of a sense of nostalgia (see: The Shelf Life of Donor Blood). Here is an excerpt from it:
For decades, the Food and Drug Administration has limited storage of refrigerated red blood cells to 42 days. But it has been clear for some time that stored blood degrades in various ways long before that six-week limit, and some research suggests that the chan...
Source: Lab Soft News - May 1, 2013 Category: Pathologists Authors: Bruce Friedman Tags: Blood Banking Clinical Lab Industry News Clinical Lab Testing Hospitals and Healthcare Delivery Lab Processes and Procedures Laboratory Industry Trends Medical Research Source Type: blogs
MRCP: Stop Already.
Conclusions
MRCP has a high rate of false normal results compared with IOC and is not as accurate as more invasive techniques. There is no need for preoperative MRCP in patients with suspected choledocholithiasis caused by stones.
MRCP (magnetic retrograde cholangiopancreatography) is a costly imaging modality (although one would have no idea how much it costs due to pricing opacity and lack of published data---I spent 30 minutes googling "how much does an MRCP cost" without finding a reliable estimate, try it yourself). I have found it to be one of the most overused studies in modern American medicine. T...
Source: Buckeye Surgeon - March 23, 2013 Category: Surgeons Authors: Jeffrey Parks MD Source Type: blogs
MRCP: Stop Already.
ConclusionsMRCP has a high rate of false normal results compared with IOC and is not as accurate as more invasive techniques. There is no need for preoperative MRCP in patients with suspected choledocholithiasis caused by stones.MRCP (magnetic retrograde cholangiopancreatography) is a costly imaging modality (although one would have no idea how much it costs due to pricing opacity and lack of published data---I spent 30 minutes googling "how much does an MRCP cost" without finding a reliable estimate, try it yourself). I have found it to be one of the most overused studies in modern American medicine. Typica...
Source: Buckeye Surgeon - March 22, 2013 Category: Surgery Authors: Jeffrey Parks MD FACS Source Type: blogs
Nora Ephron’s Final Act - NYTimes.com
At 10 p.m. on a Friday night in a private room on the 14th Floor of NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital on 68th and York Avenue, my mother was lying in her bed hallucinating, in that dream space people go on their way to being gone.She spoke of seeing trees, possibly a forest. And she mentioned to Nick, my stepfather, that she had been to the theater where her play was showing and that the audience was full. In reality, she had not left the hospital in a month, and the play, "Lucky Guy," was nearly a year away from opening.My brother, Max, and I stood there in disbelief. Though it had been weeks since her blood count showed any ...
Source: Psychology of Pain - March 9, 2013 Category: Psychiatrists and Psychologists Source Type: blogs
Roche Peels Back The Curtain On Clinical Trial Data
In response to enormous criticism over its handling of Tamiflu clinical trial data, Roche announced a new plan to increase access to such information and its approach mimics steps begun recently by GlaxoSmithKline. Specifically, Roche will work with an “independent” group of “recognized experts” to evaluate and approve requests to access patient-level data and will also support the release of case study reports for all of its licensed medicines.
The move comes after Roche found itself in a heated row with researchers at the Cochrane Collaboration, who two years ago complained they were repeatedly st...
Source: Pharmalot - February 26, 2013 Category: Pharma Commentators Authors: Ed Silverman Tags: Uncategorized Avandia BMJ Clinical Trials Cochrane Collaboration GlaxoSmithKline Phrma Roche Tamiflu Source Type: blogs
Babesia Infection – Signs, Symptoms, and Treatment
Pathophysiology of Babesia Infection
1) Babesiosis is caused by the intracellular protozoan parasite Babesia microti and in Europe B. divergens 2) most severe symptoms occur in immunosuppressed, diabet6ic, splenectomized, and elderly 3) now clinically important in the USA and Candada as a coinfection of Lyme disease, ehrlichiosis, and Bartonella (which are all transmitted via the bite of the Ixodes tick)
Signs and Symptoms
1) acute flu-like symptoms – fever, chills, sweats, muscle pain, fatigue, arthralgias, and headache 2) petechiae 3) jaundice/dark urine 4) if occurs as coinfection with Lyme disease, the clinical ...
Source: Inside Surgery - January 27, 2013 Category: Surgeons Authors: Editor Tags: Infectious Disease atovaquone babesia babesiosis bartonella coinfection ixodes Lyme microti tick Source Type: blogs
Death Is Hard
In the past I have found it easy to say that it is harder to see a sick, hospitalized child than a sick, hosptitalized elderly patient. It is easy to reason that the senior citizen has lived a full life while the child has his future ahead of him. But I think this position ignores the viewpoint of the patient’s family. Sure, sometimes a family is prepared for the death of a dying grandfather who has lived a long life and is going out on good terms. But few are ever prepared for a tragic death that comes on suddenly — no matter what age it happens.
Recently I saw a patient who I shall refer to as Mrs. B. We were...
Source: JeffreyMD.com - February 9, 2012 Category: Medical Students Authors: Jeff W Tags: Medical School My Life death patients Source Type: blogs
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Gall Bladder Emergency;about a month ago a woman entered the clinic jaundiced and feverish. no abdominal pain, no vomiting. her vital signs were normal so we felt safe to order some lab tests and figure out what was going on. we did the usual liver and hepatitis tests. the results were very concerning for gall bladder disease. the patient was still relatively asymptomatic so we continued (Source: to the teeth)
Source: to the teeth - July 8, 2006 Category: Family Physicians Authors: andru Source Type: blogs
