Gastroenterology Blogs This is an OPML file. It can be used to export all the MedWorm RSS feeds on this topic into your personal RSS reader (usually you have to save this file to your own computer before clicking on an Import OPML command in your own feed reader to upload the file which will then import all the feeds) or it can be used by webmasters to integrate MedWorm feeds with their own website. This is an RSS file. You can use it to subscribe to this data in your favourite RSS reader, such as GoogleReader, or to display this data on your own website or blog. Subscribe to this data using MyMedWorm.Subscribe to this data using GoogleReader.Subscribe to this data using Bloglines.Subscribe to this data using MyYahoo.

This page shows you the most recent publications within this specialty of the MedWorm directory.

Gastric Banding vs. Bypass
By Quinn Phillips Last week, Governor Chris Christie of New Jersey revealed to the public that he underwent bariatric (weight-loss) surgery earlier this year. Rather than opting for the more popular gastric bypass procedure, Christie went for gastric banding. Originally approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2001, gastric banding involves constricting the top of the stomach with an adjustable band, creating a small pouch that heavily restricts food intake. In 2011, the FDA approved the procedure for adults with a body-mass index less than 40, the previously approved threshold for the surgery. Gastric band...
Source: Diabetes Self-Management - May 15, 2013 Category: Diabetes Authors: Quinn Phillips Source Type: blogs

Free Internal Medicine Exam tips
by medguy1010 (Posted Tue May 14, 2013 9:10 pm)Hey Doctors, For any Step 2/Step 3 students looking to get a heard start on the the most likely tested exam questions for the Internal Medicine Boards, Join Dr. Niket Sonpal for a sample lecture at the Kaplan Midtown Center. We have three lecture series through June and July. The next upcoming lecture will be held on Thursday, June 6th at 6:30 and cover Gastroenterology questions.To register email NYMedAdvisor@Kaplan.com or follow this linkhttps://www.formstack.com/forms/?1235930-zGmqe4orPC (Source: Med Student Guide)
Source: Med Student Guide - May 14, 2013 Category: Medical Students Source Type: blogs

NEJM Article: Massachusetts Payment to Physicians Sites Old Statistics to Support Anti Industry Bias
Over the last several years, we have covered the Massachusetts Pharmaceutical and Medical Device Manufacturer Code of Conduct (PCOC), enacted in 2009. Subsequently, the Massachusetts legislature rolled back some of the reporting requirements last fall. And we recently noted that Massachusetts saw a 3% drop in payments to physicians in 2011. Consequently, several researchers—led by Aaron S. Kesselheim, M.D., J.D., M.P.H.—recently published a viewpoints article in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) analyzing the distribution of industry payments to Massachusetts physicians. The authors maintain that �...
Source: Policy and Medicine - May 14, 2013 Category: Health Medicine and Bioethics Commentators Authors: Thomas Sullivan Source Type: blogs

Wheat headache
Karen tells this story of her son’s 3-month struggle with headache and other symptoms: My son suffered from chronic (nearly daily) headaches and dizziness for 3 months, missing 30+ days of school in that time. Three days after removing wheat from his diet, he is headache-free. Chronic constipation gone. Former pale skin, dark circles under his eyes: gone. Energy level back, moodiness: gone. Taking him off wheat was always my gut instinct, but we were told by everyone in the medical field that it couldn’t possibly be from a food issue. We had tried numerous medications, took every blood test possible, MRI, mass...
Source: Wheat Belly Blog - May 13, 2013 Category: Cardiology Authors: Dr. Davis Tags: Migraine headaches Wheat-elimination success stories Source Type: blogs

Ask the Nutritionist: Calcium Supplements, Yes, No, WTF?
Got questions about healthy eating and nutrition? Well, today starts a new feature at Cranky Fitness: Ask the Nutritionist! It could also rightfully be called "Ask the Dietitian," since both the contributors are RD's. I almost did call it that, but then decided to play it safe in case either of these two knowledgeable and articulate experts figures out what a silly blog this is and decides to bail. What if I need to find someone new and have to cast a wider net? No certification, but pretty darn sensible! Plus, half the time I spell it "Dietitian" and the other half "Dietician" and that was driving me...
Source: Cranky Fitness - May 13, 2013 Category: Eating Disorders Authors: Crabby McSlacker Source Type: blogs

Shigatoxin associated hemolytic uremic syndrome (D+ HUS)
(Source: Notes from Dr. RW)
Source: Notes from Dr. RW - May 12, 2013 Category: Internists and Doctors of Medicine Tags: gastroenterology infectious disease hematology nephrology Source Type: blogs

‘DESCENDING COLONIC POLYP’- An ultrasound diagnosis
A boy of about 10 yrs age , having h/o bleeding per rectum and occasional pain left lower abdomen, was examined with high resolution color doppler ultrasound, showed-a well defined round to oval iso to hypoechoic solid mass within lumen of descending colon. The mass appeared bulging within lumen with echogenic mucosal stripe over it , & displacing muscularis propria ,suggesting mucosal or submucosal location [ fig 1& 2]. It also showed few tiny cystic areas in it ,which appeared spokewheel like vasculature on color doppler [see fig 3&4]. Vascular signals are seen within lesion on both color & spectral doppl...
Source: Sumer's Radiology Site - May 11, 2013 Category: Radiologists Authors: Sumer Sethi Source Type: blogs

In praise of Chris Christie’s weight loss approach
I had never paid too much attention to New Jersey’s Republican Governor Chris Christie until Hurricane Sandy, when I was impressed with how he put residents of his state above politics in his cooperation with President Obama on the response to the storm. Unfortunately that seems to distinguish him in this day and age. So Christie has built up a reserve of credibility with me and I suspect others. Therefore I take him at his word that his recent gastric banding surgery for weight loss was undertaken primarily for the sake of his family rather than to bolster his chance to become President. The press coverage is helpfu...
Source: Health Business Blog - May 9, 2013 Category: Health Managers Authors: David E. Williams of the Health business blog Tags: Patients Source Type: blogs

Christie Gets a Band
I had blogged a while ago about New Jersey governor Chris Christie's angry response to a former White House physician's opinion that he needed to think about losing some weight. Christie basically told the doc she needed to mind her own business. My take was that, morbid obesity being a risk factor for coronary artery disease, stroke, and early death, Christie's weight would be a issue I considered if and when he decided to run for the Presidency in 2016. In order to be reassured that he could withstand the stress and pressure of being the leader of the world's only superpower, I ...
Source: Buckeye Surgeon - May 9, 2013 Category: Surgeons Authors: Jeffrey Parks MD Source Type: blogs

PAML Invests in CellNetix, a Provider of Esoteric AP Services
PAML has invested in CellNetix, an esoteric anatomic pathology esoteric lab (see: Esoteric Anatomic Pathology Testing Is Goal of New Pact between PAML and CellNetix). Here are more details from this note in the Dark Daily: [The] agreement calls for both parties to collaborate in offering esoteric and reference anatomic pathology services nationally. It is an effort to align their clinical laboratory and anatomic pathology services to the evolving needs of hospitals, physicians and other providers....The two companies ...stated that they entered into an agreement to work together to form a “jointly owned national Esoteric...
Source: Lab Soft News - May 7, 2013 Category: Pathologists Authors: Bruce Friedman Tags: Clinical Lab Industry News Clinical Lab Testing Laboratory Industry Trends Surgical Pathology Source Type: blogs

Chris Christie Lap Band Surgery
We are following with interest the news reports today of the Chris Christie lap band surgery. Although we are not participating in his care, some general information on what lap band or laparoscopic gastric banding and typical clinical issues to be considered is detailed below. Lap band surgery is a commonly performed surgical operation done for the control of morbid obesity. It is best performed by experienced bariatric surgeons and is sometimes referred to as the “mini” weight loss surgery. However, while the surgery is not as extensive as the roux-en-Y reconfiguring of the gi tract, it is a operation that i...
Source: Inside Surgery - May 7, 2013 Category: Surgeons Authors: Editor Tags: Medical News Wire Chris Christie gastric surgery lap band surgery weight loss surgery Source Type: blogs

Parkinson's Disease and Gastrointestinal Problems: How To Manage
Up to 77 percent of Parkinson's patients experience gastrointestinal problems at some point in their disease progression. This is my way of managing PD and constipation.Contributor: Freida ThomasPublished: May 03, 2013 (Source: Most Recent Health Wellness - Associated Content)
Source: Most Recent Health Wellness - Associated Content - May 3, 2013 Category: Other Conditions Source Type: blogs

UnitedHealth CEO Continues to Prosper While His Company's Behavior Appears to Contradict its Mission Statement
Tis spring, the season in the US for legal settlements, government findings, and proxy statements revealing executive compensation. Therefore, maybe there should be no surprise that we are seeing a series of cases in which health care corporate leaders continue to enrich themselves while their organizations' behavior raises ethical questions.Following on the Amgen example, we now present the latest UnitedHealth example (in a post organized similarly.)The CEO Gets RicherLast week, the Associated Press (via the Washington Post) summarized UnitedHealth CEO Stephen J Hemsley's growing pile of money:UnitedHealth Group Inc...
Source: Health Care Renewal - May 3, 2013 Category: Health Medicine and Bioethics Commentators Tags: UnitedHealth quality executive compensation managed care organizations mission-hostile management legal settlements Source Type: blogs

"Incidental Finding": No Symptoms and Rarely Dangerous: Now What??
Discussion Blog)
Source: Bioethics Discussion Blog - May 3, 2013 Category: Health Medicine and Bioethics Commentators Source Type: blogs

Scientists Developing New Autism Vaccine Ignoring Likely Cause, Pushing Pharma’s Agenda
Conclusion Governments are so determined to push vaccinations and reassure mothers that vaccines do not cause autism, they have come up with yet another flawed study to prove it. This effort is followed by a massive vaccination drive and media campaign to scare parents into accepting vaccines. Just to reassure parents further, the government is now encouraging the development of a vaccine to alleviate the symptoms of autism, just in case they are wrong. Really reassuring, isn’t it? Here we have yet another example of just how desperate governments and the pharmaceutical industries are to protect the vaccination schedule....
Source: vactruth.com - May 3, 2013 Category: Health Medicine and Bioethics Commentators Authors: Christina England Tags: Christina England Top Stories autism vaccine clostridium bolteae Dr. Frank DeStefano Hannah Polling Lisa Blakemore-Brown MMR Subacute Sclerosing Panencephalitis(SSPE) Source Type: blogs

Feeding tubes and weird ideas
My favorie BADD post: Tube-ageddon. I haven't had much time to write anything here about the hell I went through getting my GJ tube. I had every indication for a GJ tube. I had gastroparesis so bad it was starting to affect my breathing, in a way that doctors said was likely to result in infection after infection until I died. From the emergency room onward, doctors were saying my best hope was to get a feeding tube. Yet the pressure I got from doctors, while in the hospital for one of those infections, was to just keep getting infections, go home, wait to die. Most of them wouldn't say that outright. But som...
Source: Ballastexistenz - May 2, 2013 Category: Autism Authors: Amanda Tags: Abuse Autism Bullying Cognitive disability Degradation Developmental disability Disability Rights Discrimination Ethics Ethics, justice, etc. Food Hatred Medical Medical stuff Outside Perceptions Physical disability Power Source Type: blogs

EsophyX for Transoral Incisionless Fundoplication (TIF) Proves Itself in Trial (w/video)
Fundoplication surgery has been around since the 1950′s as an option to treating gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and hiatus hernia. The technique normally requires an invasive procedure and involves suturing the upper part of the stomach around the lower part of the esophagus. This provides the added strength to the lower esophageal sphincter and prevents the expansion of the esophageal hiatus.EsophyX, a device introduced a few years ago by EndoGastric Solutions (Redwood City, CA), offers a new, minimally invasive way for performing fundoplications. The entire procedure is performed using an incisionless te...
Source: Medgadget - May 2, 2013 Category: Technology Consultants Authors: Editors Tags: GI Surgery Source Type: blogs

A dietitian sees the wheat-free light
Sharon posted her story of wheat-free epiphany . . . despite advising people to eat more “healthy whole grains” for 25 years! I’m a Registered Dietitian who has been practicing for 25 years. I’ve known many people to eliminate “bread products” in an effort to lose weight only to see them gain back twice as much, so I’ve been poo-pooing a low carb diet for years–until January of this year. I hit the scale at 143 lbs on by 5’3″ body, my glucose indicated pre-diabetes, my weight was getting ever so close to the obese category, and my blood pressure was 160/90. A friend posted about the Wheat B...
Source: Wheat Belly Blog - May 1, 2013 Category: Cardiology Authors: Dr. Davis Tags: Wheat-elimination success stories Source Type: blogs

When the Doctor Is Overweight - NYTimes.com
This is a fascinating article. I am very interested in hearing from you regarding your thoughts on this topic. Please leave a comment to this blog -- it should make for a very interesting discussion. I know that as a physician, I spend all day speaking to patients about their weight, their level of physical activity, their diet, their smoking and their medical compliance. There are definitely days that I feel hypocritical if I know that recently I have not been exercising or eating well or taking my medicines as prescribed. When I feel this, it helps me relate to my patients and understand just how hard the thing...
Source: Dr Portnay - May 1, 2013 Category: Cardiology Authors: Dr Portnay Source Type: blogs

Transdermal Granisetron for Refractory Nausea and Vomiting
Discussion: There were many factors that likely contributed to the dramatic improvement in Ms Emma N’s refractory nausea and vomiting. Better psychiatric care through the palliative care psychologist and psychiatrist almost certainly played a role in her overall clinical turn-around. The close attention, serial visits and supportive counseling she received in the Palliative Care clinic could also have been therapeutic. Up-titration of her olanzapine also likely was helpful. Olanzapine is an atypical antipsychotic that works on multiple receptors including dopaminergic, serotonergic, adrenergic, histaminergic and muscarin...
Source: Pallimed: A Hospice and Palliative Medicine Blog - May 1, 2013 Category: Palliative Carer Workers Authors: Christian Sinclair Source Type: blogs

Basidiobolus! – genus of the month at ATCC
ATCC sent out this email with the Genus of the month as Basidiobolus. It is worth noting they call out B. ranarum as inhabitant of bat and rodent guts but it is mainly known (and named) for being associated with frogs (hence the ‘rana’). It has some quite cool biology, it grows dimorphically as a yeast or hyphae, and is reported to have a large genome (Henk and Fisher PLoS One 2012). Note that the genome and transcriptome of B. meristosporus is being sequenced as part of the 1000 Fungal genomes project from samples Andrii Gryganski prepared. Don’t forget that YOU can propose genomes to this project by ...
Source: Fungal Genomes and Comparative Genomics - April 26, 2013 Category: Geneticists and Genetics Commentators Authors: Jason Stajich Tags: 1000 Fungal Genomes zygomycete andrii basidiobolus Basidiobolus ranarum fungal 1000 genomes Source Type: blogs

The substance of fat – a multisensory event about fat
Want to explore fat with pencil and pastry fork? We seem to live in a world obsessed with fat. Obesity is described as a worldwide health threat, and we are bombarded by diet advice. But fat itself is a mystery. While we know that “full fat” foods can be bad for us, we also know that the body needs fat (and of course, greasy food can be the most delicious). We often find fatty substances disgusting, but moisturize our skin with lotions based on lard and oil. And the kinds of bodies seen as beautiful oscillate wildly over time and media. It’s a love-hate relationship. Last year we opened the exhibition “Obesity ...
Source: Biomedicine on Display - April 25, 2013 Category: Medical Scientists Authors: Thomas Söderqvist Tags: aesthetics events Source Type: blogs

FDA: Enhancing Benefit-Risk Assessment in Regulatory Decision Making
Last summer, Congress enacted the Food and Drug Administration Safety and Innovation Act (FDASIA), which included the fifth authorization of the Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA V). Title I of FDASIA reauthorizes the Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA), which provides FDA with the necessary user fee resources to maintain an efficient review process for human drug and biologic products. The reauthorization of PDUFA includes performance goals and procedures that represent FDA’s commitments during FY 2013-2017. These commitments are referred to in section 101 of FDASIA. Section X of these commitments relates ...
Source: Policy and Medicine - April 25, 2013 Category: Health Medicine and Bioethics Commentators Authors: Thomas Sullivan Source Type: blogs

Alcoholic hepatitis
(Source: Notes from Dr. RW)
Source: Notes from Dr. RW - April 24, 2013 Category: Internists and Doctors of Medicine Tags: gastroenterology Source Type: blogs

Hamartomatous Polyps - A rare cause of adult intussusception
We describe a case of jejuno jejunal intussusception in a middle aged female secondary to a multiple polyps in the small & large bowel loops which was detected on CT. Case Submitted by Dr. Chetan (DMRD, DNB resident), Dr. Karunakaran N. (consultant), Department of imaging & interventional radiology, Meenakshi Mission Hospital & Research Centre, Madurai Case Details : A 37 year old female presented with complaints of intermittent pain in the epigastric and periumbilical region with significant weight loss for one year with bleeding PR. The physical examination was unr...
Source: Sumer's Radiology Site - April 22, 2013 Category: Radiologists Authors: Sumer Sethi Source Type: blogs

Bombing Suspect’s Wounds
Bomb suspect’s wounds as possible clinical scenarios are discussed below: Although we are not directly involved in the care of the alleged bombing suspect of the Boston Marathon Dzhokar Tsarnaev who was recently apprehended, we are closely following media reports of his arrest and subsequent transfer to the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. News reports have shown photos of him lying on the grass with his hands apparently cuffed and his shirt pulled up with law enforcement officers working over him. Also photos have been published of him climbing out of the boat under his own power and also of him on a stretcher...
Source: Inside Surgery - April 20, 2013 Category: Surgeons Authors: Editor Tags: Musings bombing Boston marathon Dzhokar Tsarnaev suspect wounds Source Type: blogs

Budd–Chiari update
(Source: Notes from Dr. RW)
Source: Notes from Dr. RW - April 19, 2013 Category: Internists and Doctors of Medicine Tags: gastroenterology hematology Source Type: blogs

Alex Lomas says to Abbvie "Show me the data"!
Personal View I’m a patient: show me the trial data BMJ 2013; 346 doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmj.f2336 (Published 16 April 2013) Cite this as: BMJ 2013;346:f2336 Article Related content Article metrics Alex Lomas, patient, London alex@alexlomas.com The patient Alex Lomas is taking a biological drug for Crohn’s disease, and he wants to know why the maker is trying to prevent disclosure of trial data that may well affect him I have an obsession with data. I have instruments in my house so I know how hot each room is and to warn me i...
Source: PharmaGossip - April 19, 2013 Category: Pharma Commentators Authors: insider Source Type: blogs

Angie’s List lightens my day
It’s been a heavy week here in Boston, but I just got an email from Angie’s List that made me chuckle. I signed up for Angie’s List earlier this month to have a look at the state of online physician reviews. (Still pretty primitive as I reported, and Angie’s List reviews are particularly disappointing especially since they cost money to subscribe to.) The email said: “Greetings from Angie’s List. Below is a list of your recent searches. Do you have any questions or need further assistance? If so, just reply to this email and we’ll be happy to help you out.” The message then l...
Source: Health Business Blog - April 18, 2013 Category: Health Managers Authors: David E. Williams of the Health business blog Tags: Announcements Source Type: blogs

Reduce the chance that you will be harmed by an incidentaloma
Mrs. Smith (not her real name) fidgeted in her chair in my examination room as I scanned the radiology report she had given me. She had visited the emergency room the previous evening with severe abdominal pain that had eventually been diagnosed as gastritis, or swelling of the stomach lining due to a virus. During her evaluation, the ER physician had ordered a CT scan of her abdomen and pelvis. Although Mrs. Smith’s liver and intestines appeared normal, the radiologist had noted a tiny mass on one of her kidneys. Continue reading ... Your patients are rating you online: How to respond. Manage your online reputation...
Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog - April 18, 2013 Category: Family Physicians Tags: Physician Emergency Radiology Source Type: blogs

Welcome to the World of Pseudo-Academia: Pathology-2013
A recent article detailed a conference and journal scam that is being foisted on gullible academics in search of publications and lecture appearances, probably to pad their CVs (see: Scientific Articles Accepted (Personal Checks, Too). Here is an excerpt from the article from the NYT. I am only quoting part of it so link to it for more details. [Some] scientists [have recently] stumbled into a parallel world of pseudo-academia, complete with prestigiously titled conferences and journals that sponsor them. Many of the journals and meetings have names that are nearly identical to those of established, well-known publications...
Source: Lab Soft News - April 18, 2013 Category: Pathologists Authors: Bruce Friedman Tags: Clinical Lab Industry News Laboratory Industry Trends Medical Education Medical Ethics Medical Research Pathology Resources Pathology Teaching and Education Source Type: blogs

Could Lower Back Pain Be a Sign of Colon Cancer?
I am a 48-year-old female with gastrointestinal problems and wonder if this could be colon cancer. I have had the issue for several years and wonder if I should worry. Could this be a sign of colon cancer?Contributor: Barbara McCoyPublished: Apr 17, 2013 (Source: Most Recent Health Wellness - Associated Content)
Source: Most Recent Health Wellness - Associated Content - April 17, 2013 Category: Other Conditions Source Type: blogs

Gatorade or Coke: What Should You Use to Settle an Upset Stomach After a Gastrointestinal Illness?
After a family member was hospitalized for dehydration due to gastrointestinal illness, I wondered what drinks would be best for soothing symptoms and for rehydration. My wife suggested Coca-Cola, and I suggested Gatorade, but which works better?Contributor: Carl GrafePublished: Apr 17, 2013 (Source: Most Recent Health Wellness - Associated Content)
Source: Most Recent Health Wellness - Associated Content - April 17, 2013 Category: Other Conditions Source Type: blogs

Diagnosed with Hiatus Hernia, Acid Reflux, and Gastritis, Where Do I Go from Here, and What Does All This Mean?
I am twenty seven years old and have recently had problems with bloating, constipation, blood in my stool, and belching.Contributor: Jessica BroussardPublished: Apr 17, 2013 (Source: Most Recent Health Wellness - Associated Content)
Source: Most Recent Health Wellness - Associated Content - April 17, 2013 Category: Other Conditions Source Type: blogs

Friend with Gastroparesis
Yahoo! asked readers and contributors to provide short personal accounts of their experience with gastrointestinal disease, and then pose a question for a healthcare professional. Here is one perspective.Contributor: Ginae B. McDonaldPublished: Apr 17, 2013 (Source: Most Recent Health Wellness - Associated Content)
Source: Most Recent Health Wellness - Associated Content - April 17, 2013 Category: Other Conditions Source Type: blogs

Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) vs. GI Dysmotility: How Do You Differentiate?
Is it IBS or GI dysmotility? In order to receive the best care possible, this patient appeals to a gastrointestinal (GI) specialist to help differentiate between these two potentially debilitating conditions.Contributor: John PittsPublished: Apr 17, 2013 (Source: Most Recent Health Wellness - Associated Content)
Source: Most Recent Health Wellness - Associated Content - April 17, 2013 Category: Other Conditions Source Type: blogs

OralCDx Places Oral Cancer on Short List of Preventable Diseases
Oral Cancer Awareness Week: A Disease That is Rapidly Growing Among Women, Young People and Non-Smokers 4 billion mathematical operations per second used to analyze each of the 100,000 cells painlessly obtained from the mouth of one patient. Over 500,000 patients already tested by primary care physicians, ENTs and dentists. 50,000 precancerous abnormalities found. 2,000 lives saved. Oral cancer has met its match. Oral Cancer Awareness Week was created by people who saw the anguish that oral cancer can cause and refused to give up. This week is in memory of all those who have suffered and died from the dis...
Source: Dental Technology Blog - April 16, 2013 Category: Dentists Source Type: blogs

Do Alzheimer's Medications Work, Who Should Take Them?
Over the years my clients have asked me, “Should my loved one be taking any of the Alzheimer’s medications?” By Bob DeMarco Alzheimer's Reading Room Over the years my answer has differed depending on how much I knew about the medications, the relative costs of the medications, and how much research has been done on the effectiveness of the medications. Here is what I’m saying currently. There are only 5 medicines that the FDA has approved for treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. None of the medications cure the disease. None of the medications stop the disease process from continuing on long term, alth...
Source: Alzheimer's Reading Room, The - April 15, 2013 Category: Dementia Authors: Bob DeMarco Source Type: blogs

Watching Pain Become Chronic | Pain Research Forum
How do acute painful bouts of inflammation progress to chronic, intractable pain? Identifying the molecular basis of that transition—and how to stop the process—is critical to understanding, and treating, many chronic pain conditions.A new study from Erica Schwartz, Gerald Gebhart, and colleagues at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pennsylvania, US, shows that in a mouse model of recurrent pancreatic inflammation, the transition from acute inflammation to chronic organ damage and pain involves a switch from transient neuroinflammation driven by TRPV1 and TRPA1 channels on sensory neurons to a later, las...
Source: Psychology of Pain - April 13, 2013 Category: Psychiatrists and Psychologists Source Type: blogs

MKSAP: 19-year-old woman with bilateral leg weakness
Test your medicine knowledge with the MKSAP challenge, in partnership with the American College of Physicians. A 19-year-old woman is admitted to the hospital because of a 2-week history of bilateral leg weakness and numbness accompanied by urinary incontinence that began after a viral gastrointestinal illness of 3 days’ duration. She has no personal or family medical history of note and takes no medication. On physical examination, temperature is 36.7 °C (98.1 °F), blood pressure is 96/55 mm Hg, and pulse rate is 66/min. Bilateral leg weakness, loss of sensation below the umbilicus, and hyperreflexia in the lower...
Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog - April 13, 2013 Category: Family Physicians Tags: Conditions Neurology Source Type: blogs

I’m starting to heal here.
The hospitalization started awful but got better after the Internet convinced the hospital that lots of people care what happens to me. Since not everyone has that resource, my goal once I get better is to work hard on a non discrimination policy that will prevent any other patient from going through what I went through. I don't have the energy to go through the whole story again. But basically my gastroparesis was getting so severe that I could no longer keep up a minimal Iiquid diet and was also aspirating frequently as the gastroparesis got more severe (due to gas bubbles from food sitting forever in my stomach), ...
Source: Ballastexistenz - April 11, 2013 Category: Autism Authors: Amanda Tags: Uncategorized ableism abuse abuse of power Death gastroparesis hospital Source Type: blogs

A Sleeve for Your Small Intestine: Interview with GI Dynamics Founder, Andy Levine
As our society’s waistlines keep expanding, researchers and entrepreneurs alike continue searching for novel ways to reverse obesity and its associated complications. Over the last few months we’ve covered everything from an inflatable gastric balloon to a device that sucks food directly out of the stomach. One of the devices we’ve been following, the EndoBarrier, has made some recent headway with the announcement of its ENDO trial. We spoke with GI Dynamics founder and chief technology officer, Andy Levine, to learn more about their flagship product.Shiv Gaglani, Medgadget: Can you describe the history...
Source: Medgadget - April 10, 2013 Category: Technology Consultants Authors: Shiv Gaglani Tags: GI Medgadget Exclusive Source Type: blogs

Open mouth, close mind
So much of what we talk about here and in other Wheat Belly discussions revolves around the mind effects of wheat. While there are other “foods” with mind effects, such as the euphoria and judgment altering effects of alcohol, or (for some people) the “rush” of sugar, nothing possesses the range of mind effects presented by the components of wheat. Let’s review the most important: The Exorphin Effect Recall that the gliadin protein of wheat is degraded in the gastrointestinal tract to 5 or 6 small (tetra- and penta-) peptides. These were dubbed “exorphins” by the National Institut...
Source: Wheat Belly Blog - April 10, 2013 Category: Cardiology Authors: Dr. Davis Tags: Appetite stimulation Brain effects Source Type: blogs

End of Life in the News: Where are all the Palliative Care Teams?
by Suzana Makowski By now, many of you may have heard or read Charles Ornstein,(@charlesornstein) a Pulitzer Prize-winning senior reporter, on NPR or in ProPublica on "How Mom’s Death Changed My Thinking About End-of-Life Care." He tells of his mother's final days in the hospital, after having aspirated during the placement of a naso-gastric tube that resulted in cardio-pulmonary arrest and subsequent days in the ICU. He speaks to the sense of being alone and the lack of guidance in the process of end-of-life decision-making. My heart dropped when hearing this story - for his (and his family's) lo...
Source: Pallimed: A Hospice and Palliative Medicine Blog - April 9, 2013 Category: Palliative Carer Workers Authors: Suzana Makowski Source Type: blogs

The acute porphyrias
(Source: Notes from Dr. RW)
Source: Notes from Dr. RW - April 8, 2013 Category: Internists and Doctors of Medicine Tags: gastroenterology miscellaneous endocrinology Source Type: blogs

Review for usmle step 1...orlando, fl
by michaefo (Posted Sat Apr 06, 2013 6:05 pm)partners to review/study USMLE STEP 1 (ORLANDO, FL)I am looking for 1 or 2 partners to review/study for USMLE STEP 1. I am going to take step 1 between November and December 2013. If you are too busy with work, school, family...etc please do not contact me. SERIOUS PEOPLE ONLY. I will like to review on the following topics: LOW ENERGY STATE, TRACE ELEMENTS, CELLULAR PHYSIOLOGY, BEHAVIORAL SIGNS, INFLAMMATION, ENDOCRINOLOGY, MEMBRANE PHYSIOLOGY, ELECTROLYTE PHYSIOLOGY, VASCULAR PHYSIOLOGY, NEUROMUSCULAR PHYSIOLOGY, CLOTTING CYCLE, GASTROINTESTINAL PHYSIOLOGY, SURGERY PRINCIPALS, ...
Source: Med Student Guide - April 6, 2013 Category: Medical Students Source Type: blogs

The Nocebo Effect: How We Worry Ourselves Sick : The New Yorker
Many of us hope to find Wi-Fi wherever we go, preferably for free. But some people devote their lives to avoiding Wi-Fi altogether. Sufferers of Wi-Fi syndrome say that the radio waves used in mobile communication cause headaches, nausea, exhaustion, tingling, trouble concentrating, and gastrointestinal distress, among other symptoms. Some of the most afflicted take drastic action. According to the Agence France-Presse, one woman left her farmhouse in southeastern France after the arrival of mobile-phone masts (which, like Wi-Fi, use radio waves) and fled for a cave in the Alps. A handful of others have moved to homes with...
Source: Psychology of Pain - April 4, 2013 Category: Psychiatrists and Psychologists Source Type: blogs

The Ethics of "Hand-Offs" in Medicine
Discussion Blog)
Source: Bioethics Discussion Blog - April 2, 2013 Category: Health Medicine and Bioethics Commentators Source Type: blogs