I'm happy that my family moved out of my childhood home. Not happy that they all live in North Carolina, but happy that with all the changes in our lives, we are doing it in a new place. That said, the memory of my mom hangs over everything. Obviously she would have loved the kid and the nephew. But I know she would have embraced my youngest sister's step-kids and never referred to them as step-grandchildren. She loved kids.
But knowing all of that in the same house I grew up in? I couldn't handle that. Returning once a year to the town where she died is hard enough. Three years wasn't enough time for me to make memories where I can drive around and only smile.
The kids make things better. Seeing the kid play with her lil nephew was a highlight. They ran around the yard playing, kicking the ball, and even the kid playing "big sister" a few times. My youngest sister didn't come over for Thanksgiving, but her and her kids met the rest of us at Chuck E. Cheese on Friday. That was interesting...two kids, two teens and five adults spending way too much money on skee ball. My husband, henceforth to be known as Raider, and I took the teens to the mall for a quick Christmas/bday shopping spree.
It's amusing how buying those two kids a few small items made their day. I'm sure they are still trying to figure us out. Their dad married my sister and we only get to spend a few hours a year with them. Hopefully one of these days the kids will make a vacation out of visiting us.
The worst thing about traveling to NC for Thanksgiving? There are NO leftovers here!! Ugh, I could really had gone for a turkey, cranberry & mashed potato sandwich today with some green Jello for dessert. *sigh* Life throws ya curveballs and whether or not it hits you, it throws you off course.
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Interesting Articles: A Weekly Review of the "Big Five" Medical Journals
This is a collection of articles I have found interesting in the weekly editions of the "big five" medical journals: NEJM, JAMA, Annals, Lancet and BMJ (a few more journals are included occasionally). The review is a weekly feature of Clinical Cases and Images - Blog. Please see the end of the post for a suggested time-efficient way to stay up-to-date with the medical literature.------------------
Rosuvastatin to Prevent Vascular Events in Men and Women with Elevated C-Reactive Protein
NEJM Volume 359:2195-2207 November 20, 2008 Number 21
Increased levels of the inflammatory biomarker high-sensitivity C-reactive protein predict cardiovascular events. In this trial of apparently healthy persons without hyperlipidemia but with elevated high-sensitivity C-reactive protein levels, rosuvastatin significantly reduced the incidence of major cardiovascular events.
------------------
Diagnostic Performance of Coronary Angiography by 64-Row CT
NEJM Volume 359:2324-2336 November 27, 2008 Number 22
Multidetector CT angiography accurately identifies the presence and severity of obstructive coronary artery disease and subsequent revascularization in symptomatic patients. The negative and positive predictive values indicate that multidetector CT angiography cannot replace conventional coronary angiography at present.
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Determinants and Time Course of the Postthrombotic Syndrome after Acute Deep Venous Thrombosis
Ann Intern Med 18 November 2008 | Volume 149 Issue 10 | Pages 698-707
The reason some patients with deep venous thrombosis (DVT) develop the postthrombotic syndrome is not well understood. In this study, patients with extensive DVT and those with more severe postthrombotic manifestations 1 month after DVT have poorer long-term outcomes.
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Using Second-Generation Antidepressants to Treat Depressive Disorders: A Clinical Practice Guideline from the American College of Physicians
Ann Intern Med 18 November 2008 | Volume 149 Issue 10 | Pages 725-733
Recommendations: Assess patient status, therapeutic response, and adverse effects of antidepressant therapy on a regular basis beginning within 1 to 2 weeks of initiation of therapy; modify treatment if the patient does not have an adequate response to pharmacotherapy within 6 to 8 weeks; continue treatment for 4 to 9 months after a satisfactory response.
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Disparities in Liver Transplantation Before and After Introduction of the MELD Score
JAMA. 2008;300(20):2371-2378.
In February 2002, the allocation system for liver transplantation became based on the Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) score. Before MELD, black patients were more likely to die or become too sick to undergo liver transplantation compared with white patients. Following introduction of the MELD score to the liver transplantation allocation system, race was no longer associated with receipt of a liver transplant or death on the waiting list, but disparities based on sex remain.
------------------
Depressive Symptoms, Health Behaviors, and Risk of Cardiovascular Events in Patients With Coronary Heart Disease
JAMA. 2008;300(20):2379-2388.
Depressive symptoms predict adverse cardiovascular outcomes in patients with coronary heart disease, but the mechanisms responsible for this association are unknown. this sample of outpatients with coronary heart disease, the association between depressive symptoms and adverse cardiovascular events was largely explained by behavioral factors, particularly physical inactivity.
------------------
Inhaled Corticosteroids in Patients With Stable Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
JAMA. 2008;300(20):2407-2416.
Among patients with COPD, ICS therapy does not affect 1-year all-cause mortality. ICS therapy is associated with a higher risk of pneumonia. Future studies should determine whether specific subsets of patients with COPD benefit from ICS therapy.
Click here for a relevant JAMA Patient Page.
------------------
Primary immunodeficiency: a call for multidisciplinary care — Authors' reply
The Lancet, Volume 372, Issue 9653, Page 1878, 29 November 2008
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BMJ Career Focus
Medical CV writing skills
Interview skills
Exam technique is a 4-part series on exams:
Exam technique 1
Exam technique 2: performing
Exam technique 3: revision
Exam technique 4: study
------------------
Pay Now, Benefits May Follow — The Case of Cardiac Computed Tomographic Angiography
NEJM Volume 359:2309-2311 November 27, 2008 Number 22
------------------
The Lessons of Success — Revisiting the Medicare Story
NEJM Volume 359:2384-2389 November 27, 2008 Number 22
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Innovation in Primary Care — Staying One Step Ahead of Burnout
NEJM Volume 359:2305-2309 November 27, 2008 Number 22
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Emergence of Extensive Drug Resistance during Treatment for Multidrug-Resistant Tuberculosis
NEJM Volume 359:2398-2400 November 27, 2008 Number 22
------------------
A time efficient way to stay up-to-date with medical literature
"How do you eat in elephant? In small bites." The same rule probably applies to staying current with the ever expanding avalanche of medical literature. One can try the following approach:
1. Subscribe to the RSS feeds of the 5 major medical journals (NEJM, JAMA, BMJ, Lancet and Annals) plus 2-3 subpecialty journals in your field of interest.
Medical Journals tab: A screenshot of iGoogle with RSS feeds from the major medical journals.
2. Read the journal on the day it is published online, for example, NEJM on Wednesdays.
3. Use text-to-speech to listen to the articles you do not have time to read.
4. Listen to journal podcasts. Click here to subscribe the podcasts of the 4 major journals in iGoogle.
Related:
5 Tips to Stay Up-to-Date with Medical Literature
Make Your Own "Medical Journal" with iGoogle Personalized Page
Share iGoogle Tabs with Medical Journals, Podcasts and Gadgets
Text-to-Speech Programs and Continuous Medical Education
Image source: OpenClipArt, public domain.
Saturday, November 29, 2008
How to Search Google: Tutorial for Life Science Researchers
Google for Life Science Researchers, Patricia F. Anderson, Librarian.
Link via UBC Academic Search - Google Scholar Blog.
Friday, November 28, 2008
Selection of My Twitter Favorites, Edition 17
Twitter is a microblogging service where people answer the question "What are you doing?" via 140-character messages from their cellphone, laptop or desktop. You can select the messages you find useful, amusing, or both. Here is the 17th edition of My Twitter Favorites (the oldest post is at the bottom, the newest at the top):
Micro-blogging on Twitter is easy, fun and can be very useful and educational if you follow/subscribe to interesting people.
You can read more here: A Doctor's Opinion: Why I Started Microblogging on Twitter and
visit my account at Twitter/AllergyNotes.
 | AllergyNotes Getting Started Guide for Blogger http://tinyurl.com/5vtljz | |
| | AllergyNotes Video tutorials: Step-by-step help with Blogger http://www.youtube.com/Blog... | |
| | AllergyNotes How can I make my blog load faster? http://tinyurl.com/5qybgw | |
 | THE_REAL_SHAQ Shaq quote "treat people as u expect them to be, not how u think they are" | |
 | Scobleizer Goal for today? Blog. No, not 140 characters in Twitter, but the good old long one. I have a ton of video to get up too. | |
 | scanman Wisdom comes from experience. Experience is often a result of lack of wisdom. — Terry Pratchett | |
| | scanman Whenever I feel the need to exercise, I lie down until it goes away. - Mark Twain | |
 | shellen Wondering if I can make Friday shorter with bourbon. Seems to be working. | |
 | steverubel productivity tip: don't check your email in the morning http://ff.im/-6sY3 | |
| | THE_REAL_SHAQ Just helped a man push his car, schwww im tired | |
 | TechCrunch Are you people really trying to tell me what I'm allowed and not allowed to type into this box on twitter? get real. | |
 | FatDoctor Going to tell pt his "upset stomach" is actually liver mets from unknown primary. Sigh. | |
 | fredwilson Note to self: don't fly a private plane to testify in congress. Oh right, I don't have a private plane and don't want one. | |
| | AllergyNotes Creating a Google-friendly site: Best practices for bloggers http://tinyurl.com/69kdsv | |
 | biz recommending that you follow @THE_REAL_SHAQ because it really is Shaquille O'Neal and he's hilarious on Twitter | |
 | michaelharkess "Notice that the stiffest tree is easily cracked, while the bamboo or willow survives by bending with the wind" - Bruce Lee | |
 | JasonCalacanis $MSFT trading @97 levels?$goog trading @2005 level? Guess when good companies get leveled like this we're near a bottom--how long is bottom? |
Micro-blogging on Twitter is easy, fun and can be very useful and educational if you follow/subscribe to interesting people.
You can read more here: A Doctor's Opinion: Why I Started Microblogging on Twitter and
visit my account at Twitter/AllergyNotes.
Thursday, November 27, 2008
What I'm thankful for
Happy Thanksgiving all!While there are some historical and racist issues with Thanksgiving, it is a tradition in mi familia. I prefer to focus on the gathering of loved ones to share one kick ass meal. So let's get to the thankfulness:
- My Chicago family: When my parents & sisters left Chicago in 2000 it was weird not having immediate family so close. The in-laws & the nephew are still nearby, but just a jump-skip-and-a-hop away is our family of BFFs and partners-in-parenting.
- My work: All of it. The daily interaction with young women with big dreams and the fact that I get to help them chase them. The writing that I do - Not just to share my opinions, but to share knowledge and engage in a conversation.
- My activist family: I am sooo lucky that I get to work with such amazing women to address issues surrounding reproductive justice, mothers rights, and media on a regular basis.
- My husband & daughter: They put up with all my crap, late night writing, and meetings on meetings on out-of-town meetings! I work as hard as a CEO, but not paid like one. For that alone, thanks.
Lastly...to all my friends, online & off, coworkers, and just people I know who continue to tell me how fucking awesome I am at this and that. To anyone I left out, I'm thankful for you too. See, I'm not that awesome, I always forget someone!
gobble, gobble!
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Video: Great American Health 2.0 Motorcycle Tour
Health 2.0 Video: Dr. David Kibbe's "Great American Health 2.0 Motorcycle Tour" (16 minutes)
According to Neil Versel's Healthcare IT Blog:
Dr. David Kibbe is the senior health IT advisor for the American Academy of Family Physicians who travels the country on his Honda Goldwing—at least until the fuel pump gives out near Chattanooga, Tenn.—talking to people at TelaDoc, American Well, PatientsLikeMe, change:healthcare, Google Health, Healthline, MedHelp and Kosmix. He also drops in on New York Times columnist Tara Parker-Pope, who says she doesn’t like the term "health 2.0" to talk about personal wellness and empowering patients, then visits with a new kind of medical practice called Hello Health and stops by a Tennessee MinuteClinic.
The B-word
**********************************************
Monday night I made my WGN network debut (well, if you don't count catching glimpses of me at Cubs games) on the WGN News discussing the B word - BITCH.
I taped the segment a few weeks ago and it was pretty nerve wracking because the crew was coming to my house (clean up!), on a "vacation" day I had scheduled to watch my daughter & her BFF on one of many CPS teacher service days, I didn't know how the doxie would react with two strange men coming over, AND of course, it was my first on camera in a long time. But thanks to my peeps at the Women's Media Center, I had my talking points all written out.
I never got to meet the producer, Pam, but we chatted on the phone quite a bit before and over the past few days. She seems like an awesome woman and I hope we can work together again in the future. Antwan is amazing. He was super nice and seemed genuinely interested in the conversation. The gold star goes to the camera man who had to make sure I looked good, Antwan & I sounded good, AND kept the doxie & her collar with all her tags from ruining a shot. Yup, Annie was all up in the camera man's arms at some points of the interview. It was pretty cute.
I want to be clear on one thing - I do not condone calling a woman a bitch in anger. I do believe that women, yes it's a woman thing, can call each other one in jest or in a congenial way. I haven't used bitch with my friends in a long time thou. When I was in my 20s, I did say beatch a lot. The first time I can recall being called a bitch, not in the good way, had to had been on the playground by a boy. The first clear time by another girl was in high school when someone I thought was a friend took an effort to stroll over and tell me in my ear. Um, thanks. I think that's when I started to try to reclaim it...that and a few other words that girls get called in high school.
The motherly advise I give is from one my partners-in-parenting, Cinnamon, who loves to tell the kid stories of disarming bullies without lifting a finger.
While I haven't heard any direct negative comments about the segment, I did hear some indirect questions about why this segment mattered, aren't there other things we should be talking about, and so forth. I address this issue over at WIMN's Voices.
The best part of the segment for me was getting the word out about Bitch magazine. Maybe a few more feminists saw the piece and thought, "Even if I don't agree with Veronica, I need to check out that magazine!" Because the magazine really embodies how we can reclaim the word and use it in a positive manner.
Thanks for all the congrats from all the friends, coworkers and family.
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Science Conference Coverage with Twitter
Twitter works well for creating a searchable, "no login required" archive of notes. As a bonus, you can use it later for blogging ideas.I used Twitter to report from 2 conferences and was relatively happy with the results. See the summaries for yourself -- the oldest post is at the bottom and the newest at the top (reverse chronological order, same as blogs):
- NEJM Horizons Conference
- ACAAI 2008 Annual Meeting
I have some comments on the 4 tips listed in the article Play-by-Playing Well With Others -- Media Morph: Conference Coverage Via Twitter by Abbey Klaasse:
1. Create or find a hash tag (#).
"A hash tag is the little code preceded by a "#" that people use to indicate the topic about which they're Twittering. The idea is to ensure that tweets on the same topic can be found and aggregated more easily. Simply search for a particular hashtag on search.twitter.com."
True. I used the hash tags #NEJM to report from the NEJM Horizons Conference and #ACAAI to report from the ACAAI 2008 Annual Meeting
2. Discover fellow Twitterers or Tweeple (people on Twitter).
"If you're at an event, you can search on the hashtag to figure out who else is Twittering. A good way to connect with them is to respond to something they said."
True. Twitter is a social tool. Try to connect and engage people in the conversation. Get feedback for your posts (tweets).
3. Color your commentary.
"Spice up things by adding additional thoughts to what you just heard."
True. People on Twitter want to hear your voice. Twitter is more personal than blogging.
4. How much is too much?
"Some of your followers might not want an update every five minutes of a daylong conference." Warn your followers that you'll be tweeting a show, for example, "I apologize because there's going to be lots of volume. So if you want to un-follow me for the day, I will be done on the 6th.'"
True. Every time I tweeter at high volume from a conference a few people unsubscribe and that is OK with me. In any case, I pick up a few subscribers who are interested in the conference and the end balance is usually positive.
In summary, Science Conference Coverage with Twitter is a useful and rewarding experience which can connect and engage the attendees. By twittering from a conference, you create a personal archive that you can refer to later for review or presentation. I recommend it.
References:
Twitter Updates from the Severe Asthma Workshop at the 2008 Annual Meeting of American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (ACAAI)
Twitter Dispatches from the New England Journal of Medicine's Horizons Conference. The Efficient MD.
I will be attending NEJM Horizons Conference to push the boundaries of traditional medical publishing, suggestions welcomed
Allergists Can Use Twitter Microblogging Service to Send Patient Reminders
Using Twitter to Microblog a CME Meeting
A Doctor's Opinion: Why I Started Microblogging on Twitter
Related reading:
8 things I learnt about using twitter as a participation tool. Olivia Mitchell, 2009.
How to Attend a Conference as Yourself - and make the best out of it - Harvard Business Review http://goo.gl/OsyxO
Selection of My Twitter Favorites, Edition 16
Twitter is a microblogging service where people answer the question "What are you doing?" via 140-character messages from their cellphone, laptop or desktop. You can select the messages you find useful, amusing, or both. Here is the 16th edition of My Twitter Favorites (the oldest post is at the bottom, the newest at the top):
Micro-blogging on Twitter is easy, fun and can be very useful and educational if you follow/subscribe to interesting people.
You can read more here: A Doctor's Opinion: Why I Started Microblogging on Twitter and
visit my account at Twitter/AllergyNotes.
| | AllergyNotes Google: "Accepting money to link to/promote/market for a product w/o disclosing that is a very high-risk behavior" http://tinyurl.com/57ut9r | |
| | AllergyNotes It does not look very professional when the first Google result for your name is your Facebook page... It's 2008. Start a blog at least? | |
| | AllergyNotes Study: Those who slept less than seven hours nightly had a 47 percent higher risk of cancer http://tinyurl.com/5dlseq | |
| | FatDoctor Just met a 92yo patient who looks not a day over 65. Amazing. | |
 | johnbattelle Parenting = self therapy. I felt like I was talking to myself while going over 7th grade traumas with my son tonight. | |
| | TechCrunch Ocarina Surges To Top Paid iPhone App Position http://tinyurl.com/6q2los | |
| | AllergyNotes @pkedrosky R/T:Action bias among elite soccer goalkeepers: case of penalty kicks - better stay in place http://mpra.ub.uni-muenchen... | |
| | AllergyNotes @Scobleizer Q "I invested a lot of time this year in FriendFeed and Twitter instead of my blog. Was that the right decision? A: Probably not | |
| | AllergyNotes @Berci Congratulations! Just have in mind that @Scobleizer is following 20,962 other people as well... :-) | |
 | Berci And now it happened: "Robert Scoble has subscribed to your FriendFeed" | |
| | steverubel I am down to using two apps - Firefox and Powerpoint. That's it. (Oh and iTunes occasionally.) http://ff.im/-4ulP | |
 | jeffjarvis Boston Legal just called bloggers primitive lifeforms. Heh. | |
| | TechCrunch best email autorsps ever: "I will be on the road through Friday the 21st. If it is an emergency, take a deep breath and try to stay calm." | |
| | AllergyNotes "After mentioning any company name on Twitter, the company starts following me" http://tinyurl.com/5w7vbl | |
| | AllergyNotes Retiring physician Bill Lippy passing on his knowledge via an online library http://tinyurl.com/66z3mk | |
| | AllergyNotes HOW NOT TO: Build Your Twitter Community http://tinyurl.com/6gl27n | |
| | AllergyNotes @steverubel Re-tweet: Paul Stamatiou sent his MacBook to Apple for repair and it came back with a German keyboard!? http://ff.im/-4d6d | |
 | | |
 | davewiner Finally, a President is about to take office who is not a member of our demographic. That will be a relief. Can't blame us anymore! :-) | |
| | AllergyNotes @biz R/T: Twitter has a Universal Translator feature, e.g. if you don't read Hebrew just click "Translate" on this page: http://bit.ly/9GHV | |
Micro-blogging on Twitter is easy, fun and can be very useful and educational if you follow/subscribe to interesting people.
You can read more here: A Doctor's Opinion: Why I Started Microblogging on Twitter and
visit my account at Twitter/AllergyNotes.
Monday, November 24, 2008
EVENT:: Oakton Community College WGS Conference - March 2009
This week's giveaway: The American Journey of Barack Obama
(There are new rules & an extended deadline)
(There are new rules & an extended deadline)
****************************************************************
I just got the acceptance email and am super psyched! Full details will be forthcoming...
Oakton Community College
Women’s & Gender Studies Conference – March 2009
“Chicago Feminisms: Past, Present & Future”
Roundtable Discussion: “Work & Family: The Final Feminist Frontier?”
Mothers have a long history of organizing for better schools, childcare and labor conditions.
And, we have been at the forefront of opening the doors and cracking the ceilings that have led
to women’s advancement in the workplace. But, despite the tremendous progress we have made, many of us continue to face an uphill battle when it comes to trying to earn a living and pursue a career while caring for our children and families.
The roundtable will focus on how societal shifts in recent decades have disproportionately affected mothers and explore some of the remaining obstacles to their economic security - from pay inequality and employment discrimination to a lack of supportive workplace policies like paid maternity leave and flexible scheduling. The workshop will also include an overview of local and national advocacy efforts underway to address these issues and engage participants in a dialogue in which they will be encouraged to share their own ideas for creating change.
Three Chicago-area moms will lead the conversation, drawing on their personal experiences and
stories of other activists who are taking to the Internet, the streets, and the halls of government to tackle the unfinished business of the feminist movement and, hopefully, make a difference.
Discussants will include:
Veronica Arreola, director of the Women in Science and Engineering program and assistant
director of the Center for Research on Women and Gender at the University of Illinois at
Chicago. Veronica is a long-time member of the Chicago feminist community, devoting her
time to such causes as the Chicago Abortion Fund and Women In Media & News. A veteran
blogger, she can be heard online at Work It, Mom!, Chicago Parent and Viva La Feminista (to
name a few) and is a frequent speaker on all things feminist.
Catherine Caporusso, an attorney who represents plaintiffs in employment and civil rights
cases. Catherine is the President of the Northwest Suburban chapter of the National
Organization for Women (NOW) as well as a member of the board of Women Employed, the
Illinois chapter of the National Employment Lawyers Association, and National NOW's Mothers
and Caregivers Rights Committee. She is a frequently invited lecturer on employment law issues, and blogs for Work It, Mom!, a website devoted to working mothers.
Rhonda Present, founder & director of ParentsWork, an Illinois parents’ organization she
started to give voice to the struggles today’s moms and dads face and bring them together to
advocate for change. Most recently, Rhonda led a successful campaign that mobilized over 300
parents in pushing for a more “family-friendly” schedule in the Evanston public schools. Her
views have been featured on The Huffington Post and MomsRising.org as well as in the Chicago
Sun-Times, the Chicago Tribune, and Chicago Parent magazine
Monday morning wake up
This week's giveaway: The American Journey of Barack Obama
(There are new rules & an extended deadline)
(There are new rules & an extended deadline)
****************************************************************
This week at Work it, Mom! I tackle the odd position the New Hampshire Senate finds itself in with respect to women being the majority.I'm headed to North Carolina for dinner at my dad's so I hope to have posts written & scheduled for your holiday reading pleasure! I'm gonna miss the doxie during the travel, but thankfully the neighbors upstairs have a house sitter so I don't have to worry about the house.
My latest AWEARNESS posts include:
I'm super behind in emails, but I'll get to them some day!
Starting "Case of the Week" Series in Response to Reader Requests
In most cases, your blog readers will tell what they need if you just listen to them. For example:
Anonymous said (partially edited for grammar):
"It's wonderful the effort you make in making doctors to be up-to-date with the technology, the suggestion I have for you though is, since a good number of your readers could be either residents or medical students like me, please could you also post some clinical scenarios that are dedicated towards solving clinical problems on a weekly basis, this is just my suggestion. Thank you"
My response was:
"Great idea. Will implement it -- "Case of the Week" should be available as a regular feature next month. Thank you for the suggestion."
The first case in the Case of the Week series is linked below:
Atrial fibrillation with rapid ventricular response due to central line placement
A young female with DM type 1 was admitted to the hospital with an infected right diabetic foot ulcer. She needed IV access and failed several peripheral line attempts. A right internal jugular central line was and she immediately complained of shortness of breath and palpitations.
What is the most likely diagnosis?
Triple lumen catheter (TLC) at the right atrio-ventricular (AV) junction on CXR.
Atrial fibrillation (AFib) with rapid ventricular response (RVR) due to a TLC at the right atrio-ventricular (AV) junction.
See what happened next in Atrial fibrillation (AFib) with rapid ventricular response (RVR) due to central line placement at Clinical Cases and Images.
What happened to the medical abbreviations?
We appreciate your feedback about using medical abbreviations. In the first edition of ClinicalCases.org, the goal was to make the cases as authentic as possible, therefore, we used abbreviations liberally throughout the text, for example, "55 yo AAF w PMH of CHF, COPD, CAD s/p MI is here for a c-scope." However, some abbreviations were confusing to many readers especially those based outside the U.S. For example, "GERD" (gastroesophageal reflux disease) is actually called "GORD" in some countries. We still feel there is a value in providing as many abbreviations as possible to acquaint the reader with what "the real medicine looks like." In response to readers, the new and revised cases at ClinicalCases.org (updated gradually) will explain the abbreviations in full text whenever they are used.
Keep the feedback coming -- we are listening to you
You can use any comment section under any post or article to submit feedback. All comments are emailed to the editor immediately after you hit the "submit" button. Keep the feedback coming. We are listening to you and our goal is to make the Clinical Cases and Images as useful as possible to all readers around the world.
Submit your own case
Do not forget to use the online form to submit your own case for consideration and inclusion in this collaborative resource which has become the most popular free online case-based curriculum of clinical medicine. The website will stay free and you are credited as an author with each case you submit.
References:
Clinical Cases and Images: About Us.
Complete List of Medical Abbreviations and Acronyms.
Anonymous said (partially edited for grammar):
"It's wonderful the effort you make in making doctors to be up-to-date with the technology, the suggestion I have for you though is, since a good number of your readers could be either residents or medical students like me, please could you also post some clinical scenarios that are dedicated towards solving clinical problems on a weekly basis, this is just my suggestion. Thank you"
My response was:
"Great idea. Will implement it -- "Case of the Week" should be available as a regular feature next month. Thank you for the suggestion."
The first case in the Case of the Week series is linked below:
Atrial fibrillation with rapid ventricular response due to central line placement
A young female with DM type 1 was admitted to the hospital with an infected right diabetic foot ulcer. She needed IV access and failed several peripheral line attempts. A right internal jugular central line was and she immediately complained of shortness of breath and palpitations.
What is the most likely diagnosis?
Triple lumen catheter (TLC) at the right atrio-ventricular (AV) junction on CXR.
Atrial fibrillation (AFib) with rapid ventricular response (RVR) due to a TLC at the right atrio-ventricular (AV) junction.
See what happened next in Atrial fibrillation (AFib) with rapid ventricular response (RVR) due to central line placement at Clinical Cases and Images.
What happened to the medical abbreviations?
We appreciate your feedback about using medical abbreviations. In the first edition of ClinicalCases.org, the goal was to make the cases as authentic as possible, therefore, we used abbreviations liberally throughout the text, for example, "55 yo AAF w PMH of CHF, COPD, CAD s/p MI is here for a c-scope." However, some abbreviations were confusing to many readers especially those based outside the U.S. For example, "GERD" (gastroesophageal reflux disease) is actually called "GORD" in some countries. We still feel there is a value in providing as many abbreviations as possible to acquaint the reader with what "the real medicine looks like." In response to readers, the new and revised cases at ClinicalCases.org (updated gradually) will explain the abbreviations in full text whenever they are used.
Keep the feedback coming -- we are listening to you
You can use any comment section under any post or article to submit feedback. All comments are emailed to the editor immediately after you hit the "submit" button. Keep the feedback coming. We are listening to you and our goal is to make the Clinical Cases and Images as useful as possible to all readers around the world.
Submit your own case
Do not forget to use the online form to submit your own case for consideration and inclusion in this collaborative resource which has become the most popular free online case-based curriculum of clinical medicine. The website will stay free and you are credited as an author with each case you submit.
References:
Clinical Cases and Images: About Us.
Complete List of Medical Abbreviations and Acronyms.
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Update on fake clinics
This week's giveaway: The American Journey of Barack Obama
(There are new rules & an extended deadline)
**********************************************(There are new rules & an extended deadline)
Last week I wrote about fake clinics aka crisis pregnancy centers and how there is a good chance that with Bush's last minute regulation changes, they would get Title X money.
Well now we have something we can do about it. Feminist Majority thru their Feminist Campus program launched a petition:
Deceptive Advertising Practices and Federal Funding of Fake Clinics!
Join us in demanding an end to false and deceptive advertising practices and federal funding for fake clinics by signing the below petition!
Many so-called “Crisis Pregnancy Centers” or “pregnancy resource centers” pose as full-service health clinics and lure women in with promises of “free” pregnancy tests and “options” counseling for unintended pregnancies. Some even advertise under “abortion services” in the yellow pages. Instead, these so-called centers often use erroneous medical claims and manipulation to dissuade or delay women from obtaining an abortion or birth control. And millions of federal and state tax dollars are being used to support these fake clinics. Tell Congress we will not be silent while so-called crisis pregnancy centers ride the “gravy train” of federal funding and endanger women’s health.
So what are you waiting for? Go sign!
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