Intravenous immunoglobulin for gastroparesis: What happened to me
Six months after being diagnosed with gastroparesis, I underwent experimental intravenous immunoglobulin treatment. What is often considered a wonder drug, with the ability to treat hundreds of rare illnesses, resulted in the worst experience of my life. I suspect that I developed aseptic meningitis, feeling like I had brain-damaged myself. What is intravenous immunoglobulin? Immunoglobulin Read more… Intravenous immunoglobulin for gastroparesis: What happened to me originally appeared in KevinMD.com. (Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog)
Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog - December 4, 2023 Category: General Medicine Authors: Tags: Conditions Gastroenterology Source Type: blogs

Thinking on Your Feet Well: Building Adaptive Expertise in Learners Using Simulation
On this episode of the Academic Medicine Podcast, Sam Clarke, MD, MAS, and Jon Ilgen, MD, PhD, join host Toni Gallo to discuss the importance of teaching adaptive expertise to prepare learners for the types of complex cases they will encounter in clinical practice. This conversation also covers what adaptive expertise is, how simulation can be used to foster this skill in learners, and the complementary relationship between performance-oriented cases and adaptive cases in health professions education. This episode is now available through Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and anywhere else podcasts are available. ...
Source: Academic Medicine Blog - July 24, 2023 Category: Universities & Medical Training Authors: amrounds Tags: AM Podcast AM Podcast Transcript Academic Medicine podcast adaptive expertise medical education medical students residents simulation Source Type: blogs

Brain-eating amoeba
TL:DR – The brain-eating amoeba, Naegleria fowleri, does not eat brains but it can cause fatal brain swelling. Avoid it by only using sterile water for nasal irrigation and a noseclip when swimming in warm freshwater lakes. Mrs Sciencebase was a yoga teacher for 20 years or thereabouts and one of the most peculiar aspects of that art was the use of the neti pot. A kind of jug with a long spout that allowed to pour a little water into your nostrils as part of a cleansing ritual. Technically known as nasal irrigation, but put simply it’s nothing more than pouring water into your nose. It always struck me as a b...
Source: David Bradley Sciencebase - Songs, Snaps, Science - March 7, 2023 Category: Science Authors: David Bradley Tags: Health and Medicine Source Type: blogs

Myocarditis update from Sweden
BY ANISH KOKA The COVID19/vaccine myocarditis debate continues in large part because our public health institutions are grossly mischaracterizing the risks and benefits of vaccines to young people. A snapshot of what the establishment says as it relates to the particular area of concern: college vaccine mandates: Dr. Arthur Reingold, an epidemiology professor at UC-Berkeley, notes that UC also requires immunizations for measles and chickenpox, and people still are dying from COVID at rates that exceed those for influenza. As of Feb. 1, there were more than 400 COVID deaths a day across the U.S. “The arg...
Source: The Health Care Blog - February 27, 2023 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Ryan Bose-Roy Tags: Medical Practice Anish Koka covid19 myocarditis Sweden Source Type: blogs

Fight Aging! Newsletter, February 13th 2023
This study investigated whether taller Polish adults live longer than their shorter counterparts. Data on declared height were available from 848,860 individuals who died in the years 2004-2008 in Poland. To allow for the cohort effect, the Z-values were generated. Separately for both sexes, Pearson's r coefficients of correlation were calculated. Subsequently, one way ANOVA was performed. The correlation between adult height and longevity was negative and statistically significant in both men and women. After eliminating the effects of secular trends in height, the correlation was very weak (r = -0.0044 in men and ...
Source: Fight Aging! - February 12, 2023 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Newsletters Source Type: blogs

Viral Infection in Middle Age Correlates with Later Dementia Risk
A range of evidence suggests that persistent viral infection contributes to the risk of suffering neurodegenerative conditions such as Alzheimer's disease. This may be due to mechanisms relating to amyloid-β accumulation, in its role as an anti-microbial peptide, a part of the innate immune system. It may have more to do with lasting chronic inflammation subsequent to infection. Researchers here note another addition to the epidemiological data on this topic, in this case linking severe infections requiring hospitalization with later dementia risk. The effect sizes here are large and last for a long time following infecti...
Source: Fight Aging! - February 10, 2023 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Daily News Source Type: blogs

Answer to Case 695
The following excellent answer to this week ' s case is by our guest author, Jacob Rattin (@eternalstudying), medical student and future pathologist. Answer to theParasite Case of the Week 695:Strongyloides stercoralishyperinfection. Many readers commented that this wasStrongyloides stercoralis, with several Twitter and LinkedIn users correctly mentioning “hyperinfection.” Great job! Here is the DIGITAL SLIDE for your reference. While this case had a very sad outcome, it highlights important features ofStrongyloides hyperinfection. Individuals who are elderly or immunocompromised (eg, soli...
Source: Creepy Dreadful Wonderful Parasites - September 18, 2022 Category: Parasitology Source Type: blogs

Pediatric COVID-19 and Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children
​Since the start of global pandemic caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), at least four waves have occurred as mutations and variant strains have developed. During the first waves, adults were the primary target, but the highly infectious delta variant has been infecting children and unvaccinated adults with a vengeance.On this go-round, the delta variant is predominately infecting children. I am seeing reports of high school football games being canceled, schools deciding to go virtual, and occasional reports of teachers dying of COVID. I have never seen anything like this pandemic ...
Source: M2E Too! Mellick's Multimedia EduBlog - October 1, 2021 Category: Emergency Medicine Tags: Blog Posts Source Type: blogs

How is treatment for myasthenia gravis evolving?
Myasthenia gravis (MG) — a medical term that translates as “serious muscle weakness” — is a rare neuromuscular disease. An estimated 30,000 to 60,000 people in the United States have this disorder, which affects people of all ages, sexes, and ethnicities. Recently updated consensus guidelines have added to our knowledge of different forms of myasthenia gravis and improved approaches to treatment. What are the symptoms of myasthenia gravis? Myasthenia gravis impairs the transmission of signals from nerves to muscles at a site called the neuromuscular junction (NMJ), where nerves make contact with muscle. This causes...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - April 12, 2021 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Pushpa Narayanaswami, MD, FAAN Tags: Autoimmune diseases Neurological conditions Source Type: blogs

Inside Schizophrenia: Evolution of Schizophrenia Treatments
Schizophrenia has been around since the dawn of time but actually treating it has only been around the past 100 years. In this episode host and schizophrenic Rachel Star Withers takes you through the dark and disturbing evolution of schizophrenia treatments. From systematic euthanasia to hydrotherapy, electroconvulsive therapy to the infamous lobotomy. Were these doctors “mad scientists” torturing the mentally ill or were they the only ones trying to help a population of people seen as a burden? About our Guest Miriam Posner is an assistant professor at the UCLA School of Information. She holds a Ph.D. in Film ...
Source: World of Psychology - December 9, 2020 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Rachel Star Withers Tags: Brain and Behavior General History of Psychology Inside Schizophrenia Mental Health and Wellness Psychiatry Psychotherapy Brain Disorders ECT Electric shock Electroconvulsive Therapy Frontal Lobotomies History Of Mental Illness H Source Type: blogs

21st century outbreaks
  Which diseases have generated the highest number of cases from outbreaks during the first two decades of the 21st century?  In this blog, we can use GIDEON’s data to find out. ‘Disease outbreak’ is a scary term for many, but every year we suffer dozens, if not hundreds, of localized and international disease outbreaks across the world. While these outbreaks are always significant to those affected, they rarely generate headlines,  and can sometimes go unnoticed outside of the Healthcare Industry. An “outbreak” is often defined as an increase in case numbers for a particular disease in a defined place and...
Source: GIDEON blog - December 3, 2020 Category: Databases & Libraries Authors: Kristina Symes Tags: Epidemiology News Outbreaks Source Type: blogs

Top 10 most prominent diseases of the 21st Century
Which diseases have generated the highest number of cases from outbreaks during the first two decades of the 21st century?  In this blog, we can use GIDEON’s data to find out. ‘Disease outbreak’ is a scary term for many, but every year we suffer dozens, if not hundreds, of localized and international disease outbreaks across the world. While these outbreaks are always significant to those affected, they rarely generate headlines,  and can sometimes go unnoticed outside of the Healthcare Industry. An “outbreak” is often defined as an increase in case numbers for a particular disease in a defined place and time. ...
Source: GIDEON blog - December 1, 2020 Category: Databases & Libraries Authors: Kristina Symes Tags: Epidemiology News Outbreaks Source Type: blogs

Nasal Endoscopy for Urgent and Complex ED Cases
​Fiberoptics and endoscopy have changed the way we treat patients in the emergency department. Endoscopes are relatively easy to use, and can aid your diagnosis and treatment plan. Endoscopy may be useful in urgent cases, such as epistaxis, nasal foreign bodies, and ear debridement. It may also be helpful when dealing with more complicated presentations and critically ill patients, such as those with Ludwig's angina, epiglottis, tracheostomies, or those who need intubation.Fiberoptic tools are not just for surgeons and consultants. The endoscope has many uses in the emergency department, and we have a few tips and tricks...
Source: The Procedural Pause - October 28, 2020 Category: Emergency Medicine Tags: Blog Posts Source Type: blogs

Penicillin: the accident that saved many lives
Alexander Fleming in his laboratory, 1881 – 1955   There have been many happy accidents in science. Several of these were of great benefit to medicine. For example, in 1895, a German physicist working with a cathode ray tube happened to place his hand in front of the rays and found that he could see his bones in the image projected onto the screen. Soon after that, the first X-ray images were produced. There have been other instances where serendipity played a role in unearthing effective treatments against diseases.    THE FIND OF THE 20TH CENTURY The most famous of these happy accidents is the discovery ...
Source: GIDEON blog - September 28, 2020 Category: Databases & Libraries Authors: Kristina Symes Tags: Microbiology News Source Type: blogs

Post #49 Church Small Group Meeting Guidance
Updated June 13, 2020Disclaimer: COVID-19 is a pandemic in flux. As the number of active cases and hospital ICU occupancy changes and new research comes out, recommendations will change. Please check with your church, doctor, local health departments, and www.CDC.govfor the most up-to-date information and guidance on meeting in person.As most people know by now, COVID-19 is mainly targeting the old, immunocompromised, and individuals with underlying health issues. But it bears reminding that normal, healthy young adults are also getting severely ill. Importantly, children of all ages have been afflicted...
Source: A Pediatrician's Blog - June 13, 2020 Category: Pediatrics Source Type: blogs