Clinical Cases and Images - Blog

BMJ video: The woman who knew too much

noreply@blogger.com (Ves Dimov, M.D.) — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 03:09:00 PST

BMJ video: Alice Stewart: The woman who knew too much.

"Alice Stewart was one of Britain's foremost epidemiologists. However her recognition came late in her career, having spent her life fighting the establishment's enshrined views.

In the 1950s when she started her work, x-rays were routinely used in foetal monitoring. It was Stewart who first showed the link between the practice and childhood leukemia. She went on to look at the effects of low-level radiation exposure - uncovering the true adverse effects of chronic exposure, and thus earning herself the enmity of the nuclear industry."

Cure for obstructive sleep apnea: didgeridoo?

noreply@blogger.com (Ves Dimov, M.D.) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 03:03:00 PST

The didgeridoo has been used for over 1500 years in the Kakadu region of Australia’s Northern Territory. Apparently, it is now investigated as a treatment of obstructive sleep apnea in Switzerland:

Cure for obstructive sleep apnea: didgeridoo?

Link via Life in the Fast Line.

Google Dashboard shows the data associated with your Google account

noreply@blogger.com (Ves Dimov, M.D.) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 08:29:33 PST

From the official Google blog:

"Have you ever wondered what data is stored with your Google Account? The Google Dashboard offers a simple view into the data associated with your account — easily and concisely in one location." See the video below:

"Designed to be simple and useful, the Dashboard summarizes data for each product that you use (when signed in to your account) and provides you direct links to control your personal settings. Dashboard covers more than 20 products and services, including Gmail, Calendar, Docs, Web History, Orkut, YouTube, Picasa, Talk, Reader, Alerts, Latitude and many more." Check out www.google.com/dashboard

This is a very useful service. It looks like I have 10,000 emails in Gmail and 399 RSS subscriptions in Google Reader.

References:
Transparency, choice and control — now complete with a Dashboard!

Health News of the Day

noreply@blogger.com (Ves Dimov, M.D.) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 03:51:00 PST

Health News of the Day is a daily summary made from the selected links I post on Twitter. It is in a bullet points format with links to the original sources which include 350 RSS feeds that produce about 2,500 items per day:

Eating slowly increases anorexigenic gut peptide which leads to appetite reduction http://bit.ly/2AUx6S

23% of people may have restless leg syndrome - much higher than previously reported rates of 3-10% http://bit.ly/2AhpEV

Outcomes for people who had CABG "off-pump" (without heart-lung machine) were worse than conventional procedure http://bit.ly/JVK63 -- CABG “pump” might lead to memory problems/personality changes - some privately called such patients “pumpheads” - NYT. 20% of the 225,000-250,000 people who have bypass surgery each year have it off pump http://bit.ly/3lJXlK

Potential treatment for priapism (painful erections longer than 4 hours): adenosine deaminase used for SCID therapy http://bit.ly/1QgPUf

British hospitals banned doctor ties because they spread bacteria. In America, we made them germ resistant - ACP http://bit.ly/1KcWMl

Amednews: How to cope with litigation stress. 70- 86% of physicians felt depression, frustration and anger during a lawsuit, 16% experienced an illness/exacerbation http://bit.ly/486qCZ

The United States ranks 30th in terms of infant mortality, affected by the high percentage of preterm births http://bit.ly/26FMty

CNN @elizcohencnn: "BPA is everywhere - here's how to avoid it" http://twitpic.com/o8mzm

Hospital bill stuns slain student’s parents: $ 6,000/minute for 5 minutes at the UC Davis Trauma Center http://bit.ly/39Tby

Medical news tweets are not research articles - they are 140-character messages - please always go to the original source, links, etc. Tweets and links do not represent endorsement, approval or support. Image source: OpenClipArt.org, public domain.

Follow me on Twitter:

BMJ video: The man who stopped smoking

noreply@blogger.com (Ves Dimov, M.D.) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 03:07:00 PST

BMJ video: Richard Doll: The man who stopped smoking.

"Richard Doll was a luminary of clinical research whose case control study, published in the BMJ in 1950, first identified smoking as an important cause of cancer and other diseases.

He carried his research out on doctors in the UK who smoked, and tracked their mortality over the course of 50 years. The latest paper being published in the BMJ in 2004."

Social Media Related Tweets and Insights

noreply@blogger.com (Ves Dimov, M.D.) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 03:05:00 PST

From my Twitter account:

List Browser: browse to see what people are doing with the new Twitter lists feature http://bit.ly/sZxbb

Medical resident life: @drscottgberg "Dark when I leave for work, dark when I come home from work."

@googlereader: Quick access to newly-added "Explore" and "Popular items" views via g-e and g-p keyboard shortcuts http://bit.ly/147g68

"Why I think I am a patient and not a consumer" by @amcunningham http://bit.ly/1iD5p4

Tweets are not research articles - they are 140-character messages - please always go to the original source, links, etc. Tweets and links do not represent endorsement, approval or support. Image source: OpenClipArt.org, public domain.

Health News of the Day

noreply@blogger.com (Ves Dimov, M.D.) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 03:05:00 PST

FDA Issues Warning for Diabetes Drug Byetta about possible kidney problems, including renal failure http://bit.ly/1UOjwB

"Who are the sleepiest people in the US?" Source: Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report http://bit.ly/4djMWP

X-rays showed 78 different items of cutlery in a 52-year-old woman's stomach http://bit.ly/4iojkQ

Mayo Clinic: 10 great health foods for eating well http://bit.ly/sGLgF

"Hospitals with hospitalists have an easier time recruiting subspecialists" http://bit.ly/WapWE and http://bit.ly/G85PL

Sleep Changes with Aging http://bit.ly/4CPzGJ

What drug is best for initial treatment of rapid atrial fib? Good old, tried-and-true diltiazem http://bit.ly/DPI56 & http://bit.ly/3c7ZD8

When Texting While Driving Kills, Britain Offers Path to Prison - NYT http://bit.ly/16rL3a

Video: Cholesterol Lowering Food Tips by ChefMD

noreply@blogger.com (Ves Dimov, M.D.) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 01:15:00 PST

Health News of the Day

noreply@blogger.com (Ves Dimov, M.D.) — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 10:42:00 PST

How long does hepatitis B vaccine protection last? More than 2 decades http://bit.ly/4lhMlH

Large trials required to clarify whether sodium bicarbonate has value for prevention of contrast-induced nephropathy http://bit.ly/yOE45

List of Medical Journal Feeds Arranged by Topic - the University of Wisconsin http://bit.ly/4zxxdg

NYT interviews researcher behind Gleevec for CML, "converting a fatal cancer into a manageable chronic condition" http://bit.ly/4cnIzE

The beginning of the end for impact factors and journals - Richard Smith in BMJ http://bit.ly/1KEF7B -- Most popular article ever published in PLoS Medicine: "Why most published research findings are false” http://bit.ly/257PEH

11 instant energy boosters - CNN parenting advice. "40% of your blood sugar is used for brain function, so if you're not eating enough, you can't think clearly..." http://bit.ly/4tPV1P

Study Shows Vaccines in Children With Rare Genetic Disorders Don't Cause Autism or Other Health Problems http://bit.ly/4zybEn

New Scientist: High testosterone linked to miserly behavior. Selfish hormones: testosterone cream caused a 27% reduction in the generosity http://bit.ly/1voHBK

24 million in US have COPD, but only half know it. Follow NHLBI campaign at http://www.learnaboutcopd.org

5th Annual Perioperative Medicine Summit 2010: call for abstracts and registration info http://bit.ly/2baGAm

Social Media Related Tweets and Insights

noreply@blogger.com (Ves Dimov, M.D.) — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 03:36:00 PST

From my Twitter account:

Social networking 101 for physicians: Managing the risks of Facebook, Twitter and other social media http://bit.ly/3hhxaI

A growing number of children are flaunting minimum-age requirements on social-networking sites such as Facebook - CNN http://bit.ly/12jqeg

Gina Trapani's new book, The Complete Guide to Google Wave, is now available to read and share for free http://bit.ly/nPKAQ

Case report: "The Shrinking Feet of the Man from Malawi" http://bit.ly/BcYfq - What is the diagnosis?

Health News of the Day

noreply@blogger.com (Ves Dimov, M.D.) — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 03:36:00 PST

High fructose intake is linked to high blood pressure - 2.5 sugary soft drinks a day is enough to elevate the pressure. Median fructose intake was 74 gm/day (2.5 sugary soft drinks) - associated with a 36% higher risk of having BP equal or greater than 140/90 http://bit.ly/3DUaI0

30% decline in kidney function was associated with drinking 2 or more diet sodas a day http://bit.ly/4klebA

Children who watch more TV - even those exposed to TV while other people are watching - more likely to be aggressive http://bit.ly/4xXtJ1

A diet heavy in processed and fatty foods may increase the risk of depression http://bit.ly/45o5Ao

N95 masks may be no better than ordinary disposable surgical masks at preventing the flu, after all. http://bit.ly/2gNeFf

Study: Nicotine Patch Plus Lozenge Best for Quitting Smoking - mimic the nicotine highs and lows of smoking http://bit.ly/3QK2HU

"A person's long-term risk of heart disease is better assessed by a pair of studies: nuclear stress test and heart CT" http://bit.ly/1jdlQA

Listen to your heart (beat): Viscero-sensory feedback leads to better decisions

noreply@blogger.com (Ves Dimov, M.D.) — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 03:08:00 PST

In a study published in the journal Psychophysiology, the authors claim to provide the first empirical evidence that viscero-sensory feedback from an internal organ is associated with decision-making processes.

Participants with accurate vs. poor perception of their heart activity were compared with regard to their performance in the Iowa Gambling Task.

During this task, participants have to choose between four card decks:

- Decks A and B yield high gains and high losses, and if played continuously, result in net loss
- Decks C and D yield small gains and also small losses, but result in net profit if they are selected continuously

Participants have to learn to avoid the net loss options in favor of the net gain options.

In this study, participants with good cardiac perception chose significantly more of the net gain and fewer of the net loss options.

These findings may provide evidence of the role of visceral feedback in decision-making processes in complex situations.

References:
Enhanced cardiac perception is associated with benefits in decision-making. Werner NS, Jung K, Duschek S, Schandry R. Psychophysiology. 2009 Jun 22. [Epub ahead of print].
Link via Shhh, I’m Trying to Listen to My Heartbeat Here: Enhanced cardiac perception associated with better decision-making http://bit.ly/1GfPpf
Image source: Gray's Anatomy, 1918, public domain.

Twitter lists put users in categories and show what others think of you

noreply@blogger.com (Ves Dimov, M.D.) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 03:41:00 PST

Twitter is creating its own ecosystem and hierarchy around the number of followers, list mentions, RTs, etc.

Twitter lists show how others label you, for example, "science-types", "medical-education", "bloggers" or sometimes just "random-people".

In a way, Twitter has put everybody to work on their search product since lists are a way to tag an arbitrary set of real time web feeds. http://bit.ly/3cfoEO

A screenshot of an early version of some of my Twitter lists.

According to @Doctor_V, "You can tell a lot about someone by the lists they keep."

Related:
Twitter: There's a List for That http://bit.ly/1Afe0

Health News of the Day

noreply@blogger.com (Ves Dimov, M.D.) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 03:21:00 PST

11 famous people who overcame dyslexia - CNN. 15-20% of the population have some of the symptoms of dyslexia http://bit.ly/4B11fv -- Toby Cosgrove, Cleveland Clinic CEO and famous cardiothoracic surgeon also had to overcome dyslexia http://bit.ly/6iEbL

Perplexing Pain Due to Porphyria - NYTimes http://bit.ly/43WOM4

Why Are Young People Dying from H1N1 Flu? Cytokine storm is one explanation http://bit.ly/1mb26N

Social Media Related Tweets and Insights

noreply@blogger.com (Ves Dimov, M.D.) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 03:20:01 PST

From my Twitter account:

My list of allergists on Twitter - please reply to this tweet if you want to be included http://bit.ly/2QJLK7

A list of doctors on Twitter - 233 members - added one by one by Dr. Rana http://bit.ly/Ogs5j

Scobleizer really does not like Google Reader but he is not a typical user http://bit.ly/49JHJR - Google Reader is not Facebook, etc.

Twitter drama: Fry ends row with Twitter critic - BBC http://bit.ly/27382a

Are Twitter Lists Exclusionary? http://bit.ly/4eoCCj - No more than any other list.

@Doctor_V: list ranking will miss influentials in niche areas on Twitter, e.g. pediatric GI, allergists, etc. http://bit.ly/4eoCCj

How Twitter lists "define" you: "Wordle cloud of Twitter lists I am listed on" by Mike Butcher http://bit.ly/2PxWKW

"Understanding Alcoholism: Drunken monkeys of St. Kitts provide humans with a spooky parallel" http://bit.ly/1b2Zuf

Bing for Mobile at m.bing.com http://bit.ly/3tUomc

Why Steve Ballmer is no Bill Gates - Newsweek http://bit.ly/3vFjyT

Health News of the Day

noreply@blogger.com (Ves Dimov, M.D.) — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 07:05:34 PST

Fructose May Raise Blood Pressure: Drinking more than 2 sweetened sodas a day increases risk of hypertension http://bit.ly/1waTqx

Pertussis (Whooping Cough) Immunity May Last 30 Years or More http://bit.ly/18M8m1

Risk of second primary cancers is 2·8-fold greater in survivors of childhood cancer http://bit.ly/2x5nfA

"The Latest File-Sharing Piracy: Academic Journal Articles" http://bit.ly/3S4hIJ and http://bit.ly/1Oh9Ff

Hands Symphony = Hands-Only CPR http://bit.ly/iYblH

Anabolic steroids - the kind used by some athletes to build muscle mass - can cause lasting kidney damage http://bit.ly/2Pbfdf -- Bodybuilding with steroids damages kidneys. http://ping.fm/cgLJs

Health News of the Day

noreply@blogger.com (Ves Dimov, M.D.) — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 04:32:00 PDT

Cell: Should scientists be tweeting? http://bit.ly/26r4Vh - Yes, of course they should be.

Graph: the more time people spend eating, the lower the rate of obesity http://bit.ly/aPr4Y

Doctor practices lose financial ground as recession outpaces productivity. Urologist: "We're working 12-13-hour days, and we get told we should work more and see more patients. We cannot". The number of patients seen dropped 11.3% and outpatient procedures dropped 9.9% in 2008. http://bit.ly/1JRZpb

Glatiramer is efficacious in delaying conversion to multiple sclerosis in clinically isolated syndrome/MRI lesions http://bit.ly/3tIhmc

Reliance on self reported smoking status underestimated true smoking by 25% http://bit.ly/4ebAjJ

Over the past 30 years mortality from liver disease has increased 6 times in the UK, rising 8–10% a year http://bit.ly/1SEVm1

Social Media Related Tweets and Insights

noreply@blogger.com (Ves Dimov, M.D.) — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 04:32:00 PDT

From my Twitter account:

A Fundamental Secret to Happiness? Get Enough Sleep (and exercise in the morning) http://bit.ly/u7LR

How big is a carbon atom compared to a coffee bean? http://bit.ly/2e4mm9 from The University of Utah -- Learn Genetics portal from The University of Utah http://bit.ly/yJL4E

The Beatles' "Hey Jude" Flow Chart http://bit.ly/2Wa8X1

Michael Arrington: Don’t Be A Featured Loser: Facebook "Helps Out" The Unpopular http://bit.ly/xy91p

Who’s Talking About You on the Internet? http://bit.ly/4easza - Tips how to monitor your online reputation.

Write Comments on any Web Page with the Sidewiki Bookmarklet http://bit.ly/yw0yK - How to place your comment at the top if you own a site.

New Transparent Navbar Styles for Blogger-hosted blogs http://bit.ly/rNHvV - The Navbar should be opt-in or opt-out...

RT @Neil_Mehta "Schools need to create guidelines for use of social media to manage risk http://bit.ly/14jLcz"

(You can say I'm wrong but) I just can't think of social media experts as "rock stars"

Video: Clinical Pearls in Gastroenterology from Mayo Clinic

noreply@blogger.com (Ves Dimov, M.D.) — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 19:28:39 PDT

The social media department of Mayo Clinic is combining journal articles and videos from the lead authors. This is a useful approach and I suggested it to the NEJM editors during the NEJM Horizons Conference in 2008.

Dr. Amy Oxentenko, Assistant Professor of Medicine at Mayo Clinic, discusses "Clinical Pearls in Gastroenterology" (http://tinyurl.com/ydwqtk7 for complete article).

References:
Clinical Pearls in Gastroenterology. Amy S. Oxentenko, MD and Scott C. Litin, MD. Mayo Clinic Proceedings October 2009 vol. 84 no. 10 906-911.

Health News of the Day

noreply@blogger.com (Ves Dimov, M.D.) — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 04:06:00 PDT

Two hours of tai chi per week can improve osteoarthritis symptoms in older patients http://bit.ly/3wcfC9

Children still shedding H1N1 virus 2 weeks after symptoms start, may not be synonymous with virus being infectious http://bit.ly/4plZH1

Millions of Americans Don't Get Enough Sleep - 7 hours of rest a night is important for good health http://bit.ly/4KuTE

A practical guide to interpretation and clinical application of personal genomic screening - BMJ Review http://bit.ly/4rXbiA

Postexposure Prophylaxis for HIV Infection - NEJM Clinical Practice http://bit.ly/2dnbF5

Social Media Related Tweets and Insights

noreply@blogger.com (Ves Dimov, M.D.) — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 18:09:59 PDT

From my Twitter account:

Over 400 Hospitals use Social Media - see the list http://bit.ly/3gOTHC

X-rays: Top 10 Foreign Bodies http://bit.ly/qpAHS

RT @JohnSharp Cleveland Clinic now has same day appts in any specialty http://bit.ly/EfjWb

Listorious.com Has A Directory Of The "Best" Twitter Lists http://bit.ly/2WIfU7

Scoble: "Why I don't use Google Reader anymore" http://bit.ly/rw6NY

Check the new Google Music here: http://bit.ly/24DoPb - more info: http://bit.ly/4yRqSm

Health News of the Day

noreply@blogger.com (Ves Dimov, M.D.) — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 08:21:40 PDT

24 risk factors responsible for nearly half of annual deaths, says the WHO. 57% of cardiovascular deaths can be traced back to 3 risk factors—high blood pressure, high BMI, physical inactivity http://bit.ly/7Nujn

Time for a moratorium on vitamin D meta-analyses? http://bit.ly/zWrx4

Warnings about the validity of the oral glucose tolerance test in BMJ http://bit.ly/16IGha

"Doctor who focuses on the disease in the person, rather than the person in the disease" - BMJ http://bit.ly/a2uJJ

On-the-job exercise good for employee and employer: decreases cholesterol and job stress, improves attendance http://bit.ly/2tQaE2

Language of Smiles: When it comes to mood adjustment, is it possible that putting on a happy face might actually work? http://bit.ly/YEjpt

CNN: Bystander or Genovese syndrome http://bit.ly/48vF2A - Terrible.

CNN Video: Psychostimulants popular on college campuses, easy to get

noreply@blogger.com (Ves Dimov, M.D.) — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 04:43:00 PDT

CNN Video: Psychostimulants popular on college campuses, easy to get.

Health News of the Day

noreply@blogger.com (Ves Dimov, M.D.) — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 04:36:00 PDT

Fewer than half of patients with fatigue get explanation for their symptoms within a year http://bit.ly/ZrtG1

"Smoking's Damage Swift, Irreversible" - inflicting damage on the arteries with the very first puffs http://bit.ly/7zqXG

Migraine is associated with a twofold increased risk of ischaemic stroke among people who have migraine with aura http://bit.ly/Qltjn

Many Tout Curative Properties of Titanium, Copper, Silver and Gold, but the Science Isn't There http://bit.ly/iapgg

Toxins Make Halloween Face Paints Scary: all products tested contained lead, 60% had nickel, cobalt or chromium http://bit.ly/21tmea

Arzerra (ofatumumab) has been approved by the U.S. FDA to treat chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) http://bit.ly/4wsGsE

ESPN: "Andre Agassi used crystal meth while he was playing professional tennis, according to a new autobiography" http://bit.ly/ZEBe7

Tackling 5 factors could increase global life expectancy by 5 years: nutrition, unsafe sex, alcohol, sanitation, HTN http://bit.ly/1VsRrh

Hospitals mandating use of smartphones for affiliated doctors

noreply@blogger.com (Ves Dimov, M.D.) — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 03:51:00 PDT

From American Medical News:

63% of physicians already own smartphones and many have discovered that they can be a valuable work tool. Now some hospitals are buying smartphones for affiliated doctors and mandating use.

Henry Ford Medical Group in Detroit purchased BlackBerry phones for all 1,204 of its physicians. The BlackBerry has become a "tremendously popular time-saver, for example, physicians can give patients their direct cell phone numbers rather than the number to an answering service."

While Henry Ford's physicians have the ability to access patient records via their BlackBerry phones, few do because of the limitations of the small screen. Every physician has the drug reference application Epocrates.

References:
Smartphone use pushed by hospitals.American Medical News, 2009.
Image source: BlackBerry 7250. Wikipedia, Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 2.5 License.