MedWorm.com provides a medical RSS filtering service. Over 6000 RSS medical sources are combined and output via different filters. This feed contains the latest items from the 'Clinical Cases and Images - Blog' source. Mon, 17 Nov 2008 22:42:40 +0100 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/CasesBlog/~3/161963773/doctors-in-1950s-cigarette-ads-how.html 1949 TV commercial: More Doctors Smoke Camels Than Any Other CigaretteHow times have changed... Click here to visit the web site for Smash The Ash campaign supported by Cleveland Clinic.References:Doctors Recommend Smoking Camels. Old-Time.com. (Source: Clinical Cases and Images - Blog) Clinical Cases and Images - Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=906984 Thu, 27 Sep 2007 12:28:50 +0100 906984 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/CasesBlog/~3/161547703/hospitalist-night-on-call.html FatDoctor (her choice of pseudonym, not mine) is a hospitalist who had an eventful night on call and post-call day but she liked it. Here is the summary:15 hours worked1 direct admit1 consult9 ER admissions38 calls from nurses5 problems that needed immediate attention13 moments of laughter with nursing staff0 code0 rapid responses1 “stat medical consult” as I was on way out to parking lotRead the rest in But, Who’s Counting? FatDoctor.org.Further reading:Practicing cost-effective medicine. One clinician's top 10 tips. Robert M. ACP Hospitalist, 2007.Achilles Heel. FatDoctor.org. (Source: Clinical Cases and Images - Blog) Clinical Cases and Images - Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=905845 Wed, 26 Sep 2007 04:00:00 +0100 905845 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/CasesBlog/~3/161180452/unconventional-medical-textbooks-mind.html Generally, I find self-made notes, mnemonics and mind maps useful when studying but was surprised to find out the number of unconventional textbook published in the last few years focused on using such tools. A short list is assembled below:Mind Maps BooksMind Maps in Medicine by Peter MacDermott, David Norman Clarke. 1998, Elsevier Health Sciences.Google Books, $35Elsevier Health SciencesAmazon.com, $ 45.Mind Maps in Pathology by Peter A. Dervan, Michelle Harrison. 2002, Elsevier Health Sciences.Google Books, $35Elsevier Health SciencesAmazon.com, $ 32.Books from Visual Mnemonics Series (VMS)Visual Mnemonics for Pharmacology by Laurie L Marbas - 2002.Google Books.Amazon, $ 25.Visual Mnemonics in Pathology by Laurie MarbasGoogle Books.Amazon, $ 27.Other books included in the VMS are Visual... Clinical Cases and Images - Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=902666 Tue, 25 Sep 2007 04:00:00 +0100 902666 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/CasesBlog/~3/160807030/video-what-is-mind-map.html "What is a mind map" video by Tony BuzanThe psychologist Tony Buzan is one of the first proponents of the techniques of mind mapping. He launched his own software program to support this learning approach called iMindMap in 2006 and claims a trademark on the phrase "Mind Maps."Buzan developed his own style of mind mapping whilst at University of British Columbia, out of the frustration that traditional notes took up so much time to create and review. He has argued that mind maps are a more efficient way to take notes from lectures or books.I do not think he will be able to trademark the term "mind maps. " Tim O'Reilly's supposed claims to ownership of 'Web 2.0" proved fruitless and the fate of the trademark claims to "mind maps" will not be much different . While I don't agree that "curved... Clinical Cases and Images - Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=895452 Mon, 24 Sep 2007 04:00:00 +0100 895452 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/CasesBlog/~3/160129537/clinical-case-sick-euthyroid-syndrome.html A 57 yo female was admitted to the hospital with multilobar pneumonia.On hospital day 2, thyroid function tests showed low levels of TSH, T4 and T3.What is the most likely diagnosis?Read more in Sick euthyroid syndrome in a patient with multilobar pneumonia on ClinicalCases.org.Image source: Thyroid histology, Wikipedia, public domain. (Source: Clinical Cases and Images - Blog) Clinical Cases and Images - Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=893227 Sun, 23 Sep 2007 04:00:00 +0100 893227 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/CasesBlog/~3/159961120/use-bloggercom-to-make-video-podcasts.html InsideGoogle points out that video upload is now a feature of Blogger.com, owned by Google:"Videos do not count against your limited free storage space for images. They are automatically added as enclosures in posts, so every blog using them is also a video podcaster and compatible with most podcatchers. In other words, people can subscribe to your blog in software like iTunes and automatically download the latest video."I would be happy to see my favorite medical/science bloggers start producing videocasts by using this simple (and free) method. (Source: Clinical Cases and Images - Blog) Clinical Cases and Images - Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=892651 Sat, 22 Sep 2007 04:00:00 +0100 892651 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/CasesBlog/~3/159547808/visual-medical-dictionary-creates-mind.html Visual Medical Dictionary by CureHunter Inc. can create mind maps of related medical terms. It is similar to WikiMindMap but somewhat more reliable since it is based on Medical Subject Headings (MeSH).For example: a search for "obesity" will show a strong relationship with "insulin" and "exercise" among other terms -- see the image on the right.Try other searches to see how the visual dictionary creates interactive network graph of related diseases and therapies.It would be interesting to see if this type of visual tools and mind maps created on the fly will supplement regular PubMed searching strategies. Visual search engines like Kartoo are still far from replacing the plain Google interface. (Source: Clinical Cases and Images - Blog) Clinical Cases and Images - Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=890803 Fri, 21 Sep 2007 04:00:00 +0100 890803 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/CasesBlog/~3/159092799/clinical-case-central-retinal-artery.html A 83-year-old female was admitted with sudden painless loss of vision in her right eye which started last nigh. She had a hip replacement surgery 2 weeks ago.What is the most likely diagnosis?BRAO (Branched Retinal Artery Occlusion). Multiple yellowish refractile bodies can be seen scattered throughout the arterioles in the superior arcuate region. Source: University of Iowa allows visitors/health care professionals to duplicate portions of the site for personal or educational use without seeking permission from the authors.Read more in Sudden painless loss of vision in an elderly female due to central retinal artery occlusion (CRAO) on ClinicalCases.org. (Source: Clinical Cases and Images - Blog) Clinical Cases and Images - Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=887955 Thu, 20 Sep 2007 04:00:00 +0100 887955 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/CasesBlog/~3/158523758/killer-in-lake-amoeba-called-naegleria.html According to CNN, "something in the lakes around Orlando, Florida, has claimed the lives of three boys this summer." This thing is just there. It's lurking like some deadly thing in the water which can take our children's lives and we all have to be aware," said Orange County Health Department Director Dr. Kevin Sherin." See the video.WSJ Health Blog has an informative post on the subject: A Deadly Amoeba Lurks in Florida.Naegleria fowleri is a free living amoeba typically found in warm fresh water. It can can cause Primary Amoebic Meningoencephalitis (PAM or PAME) in humans characterized by rapid onset of coma and death.Currently, there is no consistently effective treatment. Swimming in or jumping into fresh water is best avoided. Chlorinated swimming pools are safe from the perspective ... Clinical Cases and Images - Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=883572 Wed, 19 Sep 2007 04:00:00 +0100 883572 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/CasesBlog/~3/158124986/gruntdoc-now-you-know-little-more-about.html GruntDoc, a pseudonym for an emergency physician in Texas and one of the most popular medical bloggers, shares 8 things about himself in:Admit eight things about yourselfHe does not watch TV (apart from Scrubs) and does not need an iPod. "So, now you know a little more about me. Sorry ’bout that."Related:Interesting Blog Posts from GruntDocImage source: GruntDoc, a Creative Commons License. (Source: Clinical Cases and Images - Blog) Clinical Cases and Images - Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=882186 Tue, 18 Sep 2007 04:00:00 +0100 882186 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/CasesBlog/~3/158278538/google-presentations-launches-today.html Google Presentations looks good, simple and easy to use. The biggest limitation is that you cannot export the online presentation to PowerPoint (yet). Google cleverly circumvented this by exporting to zip/HTML which allows the presentation to be run locally on any computer without the need to install PowerPoint or similar programs.See a sample new presentation here along with my old presentation on Web 2.0 in Medicine from 2006 (uploaded PowerPoint file).I have linked to several in-dept reviews in the reference section below but Geeking with Greg provides the best summary:"Stepping back and looking at the bigger picture here, I find myself getting to the point where my entire day is spent in the browser. Even on machines where I have Microsoft Office installed, I often find it faster to qu... Clinical Cases and Images - Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=882185 Tue, 18 Sep 2007 04:00:00 +0100 882185 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/CasesBlog/~3/157673159/salary-stories-hospitalist.html Salary Stories Blog has an interview with Frank L. Urbano, MD, FACP who is also the author of several case studies on PrimeInc.org:"I typically see between 20 to 30 patients per day, and that allows me to have a generous hospitalist compensation package. Hospitalist practices generally have very small overhead compared to outpatient offices, so hospitalist salaries can be higher."Related:Definition of "Hospitalist" Added to Merriam-Webster Dictionary Another Study Questions the Value of Hospitalists (Source: Clinical Cases and Images - Blog) Clinical Cases and Images - Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=877252 Mon, 17 Sep 2007 04:00:00 +0100 877252 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/CasesBlog/~3/156938878/clinical-cases-allergies-to-bee-sting.html Two allergy and immunology cases from AllergyCases.org:Anaphylactic Shock Due to Bee StingAllergic Reaction to Intravenous ContrastImage source: Wikipedia 1, 2, GNU Free Documentation License. (Source: Clinical Cases and Images - Blog) Clinical Cases and Images - Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=874533 Sat, 15 Sep 2007 04:00:00 +0100 874533 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/CasesBlog/~3/156433076/5-quick-fixes-for-physician-resume-and.html The Doctor Job blog has some useful tips for making physician resumes more attractive to prospective employers. According to them, of the two examples below, B is a much better format than A.Example A:1999-2003, St. Francis Hospital, Queens, NY, Internal Medicine ResidentExample B:Internal Medicine Resident, 1993–2003St. Francis Hospital, Queens, NYMore links:Structuring Your Resume for SuccessResume advice for visa holdersWhy your resume annoys employers. CNN, 08/2007. (Source: Clinical Cases and Images - Blog) Clinical Cases and Images - Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=870225 Fri, 14 Sep 2007 04:00:00 +0100 870225 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/CasesBlog/~3/152641835/stock-market-is-not-working-well-for.html WSJ/Yahoo Finance:"By day, Brian Abbott is a doctor at a cancer institute in Great Falls, Mont. In his off hours, he invests with borrowed money, shorts stocks and has taken a complex options position called a "short strangle" on wheat. Rather than protecting his $1 million or so in holdings, the 35-year-old physician says he left it vulnerable."Things that should have protected me weren't working," Dr. Abbott says of the market in recent weeks. "Everything was seeming to go down."Source:Small Investors, Too, Get Nailed by Arcane Trades. Wall Street Journal, 08/2007.Image source: Wikipedia, GNU Free Documentation License. (Source: Clinical Cases and Images - Blog) Clinical Cases and Images - Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=843231 Thu, 13 Sep 2007 04:00:00 +0100 843231 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/CasesBlog/~3/152049588/how-do-you-treat-vip-patients.html Discussion: How Do You Treat VIP Patients? If a patient is a "very important person" (VIP), do you treat them differently?The participants are 3 well-known medical bloggers: Robert Centor, Nicholas Genes, Graham Walker, and Theresa Polick, RN. There are some useful thoughts in the opinion pieces as well as in the open discussion at the end of the article.I have treated several VIP patients and the most important thing to remember is to provide the usual care without cutting any corners. What often puts VIP patients in trouble is the false feeling that the usual rules do not apply to them, for example, let's take the shortcut and skip that routine chest X-ray prior to procedure x (put your choice of procedure here). This is never a good idea. I have read somewhere the story of a German (or ... Clinical Cases and Images - Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=840276 Tue, 04 Sep 2007 04:00:00 +0100 840276 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/CasesBlog/~3/152121545/available-online-proceedings-of.html The Proceedings of the 3rd Annual Perioperative Medicine Summit at Cleveland Clinic are available online at the Cleveland Clinic Journal of Medicine (CCJM) web site. The access to all CCJM articles is free of charge.The summit is one of the premier annual events in the field of perioperative medicine and has the strong support of the Department of Hospital Medicine. I have been involved as a faculty member since the beginning and launched the summit web site in May 2007 at PeriopMedicine.org. See the slide show from last year's summit below.Cleveland Clinic has one of the busiest perioperative centers in the world - the Internal Medicine Preoperative Assessment Consultation and Treatment (IMPACT) Center has 13-15,000 patient visits per year.My contributions to this year's proceedings inclu... Clinical Cases and Images - Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=840275 Tue, 04 Sep 2007 04:00:00 +0100 840275 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/CasesBlog/~3/151774913/map-your-blog-network-with-touchgraph.html This is the map of sites which are linked to/linked by CasesBlog.You can create a map of your blog network with TouchGraph. There are several other options to replicate this effect listed by PR Thoughts.References:Explore web connections with TouchGraph Google Browser. Download Squad.Link via ScienceRoll. (Source: Clinical Cases and Images - Blog) Clinical Cases and Images - Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=837997 Mon, 03 Sep 2007 04:00:00 +0100 837997 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/CasesBlog/~3/151301567/how-to-stay-healthy-while-traveling.html There are several useful tips by 60 IN 3 blog (whatever that means), including:"Bring your gym gear—Most hotels do have a gym. It may be small and under equipped but it's still a gym. A simple workout doesn't have to involve much equipment. Pushups, situps, lunges, squats and other exercises can be done with just body weight."This is a mnemonic for exercises that can be done with just body weight: PLSSP ushupsS itupsL ungesS quatsExercises that can be done with just body weight: PLSS.And finally, what 60 IN 3 means (from About Me page):"For those of you who are asking about the title of the page, 60 in 3 represents my progress as well as my philosophy. I started on my path to a healthy life style in the beginning of 2004. At the time, I weighed 280lbs. By the end of 2006 I was down to 22... Clinical Cases and Images - Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=836800 Sun, 02 Sep 2007 04:00:00 +0100 836800 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/CasesBlog/~3/140992089/medicine-20-blog-carnival-about-web-20.html Medicine 2.0 is a weekly blog carnival which collects the most interesting posts about Web 2.0 and Medicine. The latest edition is posted here.Past editions and future hosts can be found on the blog carnival index page. (Source: Clinical Cases and Images - Blog) Clinical Cases and Images - Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=836801 Sat, 01 Sep 2007 04:00:00 +0100 836801 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/CasesBlog/~3/150731028/wikipedia-wizard-and-blogger-and-i.html BMJ Career Focus profiles Bertalan Mesko who "combines being an editor and administrator of Wikipedia with medical student studies."Bertalan is the author of the popular blog ScienceRoll.com which often features new Web 2.0 tools for medical education. He is also is the founder of a blog carnival about Web 2.0 and medicine called -- what else -- Medicine 2.0.References:A Wikipedia wizard and blogger. BMJ Career Focus, 08/2007.Image source: BMJ Career Focus. (Source: Clinical Cases and Images - Blog) Clinical Cases and Images - Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=835121 Fri, 31 Aug 2007 04:00:00 +0100 835121 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/CasesBlog/~3/150114045/prolonged-immobilization-increases-risk.html Acquired risk factors for deep vein thrombosis (DVT) can be summarized in the mnemonic SICC PT:SurgeryImmobilizationCancerContraceptivesPregnancyTraumaProlonged immobilization can cause circulatory stasis which is one of the predisposing factors for DVT described by Virchow in his famous triad: endothelial injury, stasis and hypercoagulability.How do you define prolonged immobilization?According to the literature search I did:- For travelers, prolonged immobilization is defined as a flight longer than 6-10 hours (most studies use a cut-off of 8 hours)- For nursing home residents, the definition of prolonged immobilization varies between less than 15 days (increased risk of DVT) and/or longer than 3 months (no increased risk)Nursing home residents with DVTAccording to one study, the most po... Clinical Cases and Images - Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=832396 Thu, 30 Aug 2007 04:00:00 +0100 832396 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/CasesBlog/~3/149710168/online-case-book-by-yale-school-of.html The Case Book by the Yale University School of Medicine covers several areas:Doctor Patient Encounter > Interview Skills CasesInternal Medicine ClerkshipModules > Renal CasesPrimary Care Clerkship > Cardiothoracic casesSurgery ClerkshipThe Internal Medicine Cases are most well developed but since they are clearly written for teaching purposes during the rotation, there are only questions but no answers. The cardiothoracic cases provide both.Image source: Case Book by Yale University School of Medicine. (Source: Clinical Cases and Images - Blog) Clinical Cases and Images - Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=829729 Wed, 29 Aug 2007 04:00:00 +0100 829729 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/CasesBlog/~3/149423634/dr-wes-interviewed-by-healthcare.html I am a regular reader of Dr. Wes' blog described as "musings in the life of an internist, cardiologist and cardiac electrophysiologist."Westby G. Fisher, MD, FACC (Dr. Wes) practices at EvanstonHealthcare and is an Associate Professor of Medicine at the Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL. He was interviewed recently by Rob Lamberts of Healthcare Blogger Code of Ethics:"Describe yourself.I started as a science and computer geek who became a biomedical engineer, then doctor in a subspecialty that combined my interests. I work, I play, I care, like everyone else."You can read the whole interview at Healthcare Blogger Code of Ethics.Image source: Dr. Wes' blog (Source: Clinical Cases and Images - Blog) Clinical Cases and Images - Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=827561 Tue, 28 Aug 2007 04:00:00 +0100 827561 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/CasesBlog/~3/148882379/medcalc-has-windows-mobile-version-now.html The venerable free medical calculator MedCalc for Palm now has a Windows Mobile version as well. MedCalc was my PDA calculator of choice during residency but since I switched to Pocket PC (now called Windows Mobile), I had to use Archimedes instead.It is nice to see that MedCalc is still alive and getting updated. I have assembled a long list of free PDA software here: Free Medical Programs for Windows Mobile / Pocket PC.Image source: MedCalc. (Source: Clinical Cases and Images - Blog) Clinical Cases and Images - Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=824488 Mon, 27 Aug 2007 04:00:00 +0100 824488 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/CasesBlog/~3/148407586/my-favorite-medical-handbook-oxford.html I remember Oxford Handbook of Clinical Medicine (OHCM) since its first edition and it looks it has only gotten better. When preparing for USMLE several years ago, I used to refer to OHCM and First Aid for USMLE often and it helped - my scores were 96, 97, 93 on USMLE 1, 2 and 3 (99 is the maximum). The studying plan was based on those handbooks, "regular" textbooks, self-made notes, mnemonics and mind maps. It was surprising how long the effect lasted -- my in-service exams scores during the internal medicine residency were 98, 96, 98 during PGY 1, 2 and 3 respectively, and I did not need to study more than 2 weeks to pass ABIM.Scores are nothing without sound clinical judgment, of course. OHCM was the handbook that I found most useful and reader-friendly. It goes beyond being simply a med... Clinical Cases and Images - Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=822956 Sun, 26 Aug 2007 04:00:00 +0100 822956 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/CasesBlog/~3/148412291/ohio-summer-festivals-cuyahoga-county.html Rabbits at Cuyahoga County Fair. Click on the images above to see the description about each breed.Cuyahoga County Fair is just one of the many Ohio Summer Festivals and Fairs. (Source: Clinical Cases and Images - Blog) Clinical Cases and Images - Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=822955 Sun, 26 Aug 2007 04:00:00 +0100 822955 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/CasesBlog/~3/148173816/deadly-effect-of-experimental-treatment.html The Washington Post and the WSJ Health Blog comment on the deadly effect of an experimental treatment for arthritis and the breach of guidelines for clinical trials:"Two fundamental rules of clinical research were violated that day, experts said.First, consent forms are to be taken home and considered, not signed on first sight.Second, when a patient's own doctor is a principal investigator in a study, someone else is supposed to make the proposal."References:Death Points to Risks in Research. Washington Post, 08/2007.Hope Trumped Skepticism as Patient Mulled Study Risk. WSJ Health Blog, 08/2007.Image source: OpenClipArt.org, public domain. (Source: Clinical Cases and Images - Blog) Clinical Cases and Images - Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=822269 Sat, 25 Aug 2007 04:00:00 +0100 822269 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/CasesBlog/~3/147790564/impressions-of-mayo-clinic-libraries.html David Rothman shares his experience with visiting the medical libraries of the esteemed Mayo Clinic:"As Melissa took me on a tour of Mayo’s many excellent libraries (this took hours and we still didn’t get to a couple of them), I found myself constantly impressed by Mayo’s art and architecture."David links to some interesting publications by one of the Mayo Clinic librarians:If you feed them, they will come: A prospective study of the effects of complimentary food on attendance and physician attitudes at medical grand rounds at an academic medical center.Segovis CM, Mueller PS, Rethlefsen ML, Larusso NF, Litin SC, Tefferi A, Habermann TM.BMC Med Educ. 2007 Jul 12;7(1):22.Cool tools: Google, RSS, Podcasts, oh my!Rethlefsen ML, Segovis CM.Minn Med. 2006 Nov;89(11):32-6.According to Dav... Clinical Cases and Images - Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=820684 Fri, 24 Aug 2007 04:00:00 +0100 820684 http://casesblog.blogspot.com/2007/08/practical-advice-on-prostate.html Tundra PA summarizes a few practical points on prostate examination:"When I told Dr. H. about the physical exam and my concern that I had felt a nodule in Evan’s prostate, he held out his arm with the wrist extended. Pressing the bony prominence just distal to the radial pulse, he said “prostate nodule.” Pressing the large muscle at the base of the thumb, he said “normal prostate.” Pressing the space on the back of his hand between thumb and forefinger, he said “boggy prostate.”References:A PSA Story. Tundra Medicine Dreams, 08/2007.Cancer: Digital Rectal Examination for Prostate Problems. WebMD.Image source: Wikipedia, public domain.Related:Prostate Cancer with Bone Metastases and PSA of 9003 New Diagnoses This Year (Source: Clinical Cases and Images - Blog) Clinical Cases and Images - Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=818615 Thu, 23 Aug 2007 22:06:00 +0100 818615 http://casesblog.blogspot.com/2007/08/embeddable-maps-by-google-as-easy-as.html This is where I go to work every weekday and many weekends -- one of the best hospitals in the world -- Cleveland Clinic:View Larger MapFrom Google Maps blog:"Today we're excited to announce a new feature on Google Maps that allows you to add maps to your blog or website just by copying and pasting a snippet of HTML. And once you embed the map, it has all the same functionality of the Google Maps you know and love; it's clickable, draggable, and zoomable.Adding a map to your website or blog is now as easy as embedding a YouTube video. No programming skills are required, and there's no need to sign up for a Maps API key."And this is not all -- Google turns Google Earth into a telescope.References:YouTube-style Embeddable Maps. Google LatLong Blog.Sky: The final frontier. Google LatLong Blog... Clinical Cases and Images - Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=816463 Wed, 22 Aug 2007 23:51:00 +0100 816463 http://casesblog.blogspot.com/2007/08/wsj-blog-how-i-treat-high-cholesterol.html Ben Brewer, a family doctor in rural Illinois, tries to get LDL to 100 or lower. For patients with heart disease or diabetes he tries to get it to 70.He uses generic statins like simvastatin which his patients can afford.More questions are answered in Dr. Brewer's forum at WSJ.com.References:A Family Doc Asks Three Questions About Cholesterol Drugs. Jacob Goldstein, WSJ Health Blog, 07/2007.Related:A 33-year-old man has a low HDL level. Should you treat him? Clinical Cases and Images.Pfizer Discontinues Drug Which Increases HDL Due to Higher Death Rate. CasesBlog, 12/03/2006.Image source: Cholesterol. Wikipedia (public domain). (Source: Clinical Cases and Images - Blog) Clinical Cases and Images - Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=815029 Wed, 22 Aug 2007 11:17:00 +0100 815029 http://casesblog.blogspot.com/2007/08/this-weeks-grand-rounds.html Check out Grand Rounds (GR), the weekly summary of the best posts in the medical blogosphere.Grand Rounds has become the contemporary weekly portrait of medicine through the eyes of the medical bloggers.Pre-Rounds is an article series about the hosts of Grand Rounds on Medscape.com. Nick Genes of Blogborygmi, who writes the Medscape column, is the founder of GR and the archive host. (Source: Clinical Cases and Images - Blog) Clinical Cases and Images - Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=813842 Tue, 21 Aug 2007 11:47:00 +0100 813842 http://casesblog.blogspot.com/2007/08/weekly-dermatology-podcast.html Dermatology Weekly Update is weekly podcast of the latest research and news in dermatology.It looks interesting but there is no word on who the authors are, so use it at your own risk. Most web sites should have at least 2 mandatory sections:- About us- Contact usWith the latest update of Google Reader, you can play podcasts directly from the application. Alternatively, click the "pop-out" link to detach the podcast player so that you can browse the rest of the feeds while listening.Link via Medical Lecturer.Image source: Dermatology Weekly Update. (Source: Clinical Cases and Images - Blog) Clinical Cases and Images - Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=810811 Mon, 20 Aug 2007 22:18:00 +0100 810811 http://casesblog.blogspot.com/2007/08/medicare-will-not-pay-for-hospital.html According to KidneyNotes:"Look for the definition of an "error" to be expanded dramatically... Central line infection? C. difficile colitis? Ventilator associated pneumonia?"The initial six conditions on the Medicare list are:pressure ulcerscatheter-associated urinary tract infectionsStaphylococcus aureus (shown above) septicemiaair embolismblood incompatibility object left behind in surgical patientNumber 2 and 3 are hospital-acquired infections and numbers 4-6 were to be called "never events." Besides those on the list for 2008, seven more conditions are under consideration for 2009, according to AMNews.Further reading:Medicare Says It Won’t Cover ‘Preventable’ Hospital Errors. NYTimes, 08/2007.Medicare plans to stop paying for 6 hospital-acquired conditions. AMNews staff, June 18,... Clinical Cases and Images - Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=809491 Mon, 20 Aug 2007 03:49:00 +0100 809491 http://casesblog.blogspot.com/2007/07/using-blog-software-to-create-regular.html Web blog software can be used for more than writing blogs. The current blog platforms are suitable for creating and maintaining a "regular" web site, i.e. a site which is not a blog (with entries arranged in a reversed chronological order). I have adapted the free Blogger.com by Google to create 4 such web sites:ClinicalCases.orgPeriopMedicine.org AllergyCases.org.ClevelandClinic.org/HospitalistBloggingPro.com has a nice summary on using the WordPress server installation (not the free WordPress.com version) as a content management system (CMS) rivaling Drupal: Feature: 5 Reasons to Use WordPress as CMS.References:What I Learned from Making the Website of the Cleveland Clinic Hospitalists, 8/11/2006.Using Web Services to Enhance a Medical Education Course, 2/20/2007.Using a Blog to Build an... Clinical Cases and Images - Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=807262 Sun, 19 Aug 2007 04:07:00 +0100 807262 http://casesblog.blogspot.com/2007/08/elvis-presleys-personal-physician.html According to Wikipedia:George Nichopoulos, also known as "Dr. Nick," was Elvis Presley's personal physician. He began treating Elvis in 1967, and took it on as a full time job in 1970 until Elvis' death in 1977.In 1977 alone, Dr. Nick had prescribed 10,000 doses of amphetamines, barbiturates, narcotics, tranquilizers, sleeping pills, and laxatives for Presley. He says he did it because he 'cared'Blood tests showed traces of 14 different drugs in Elvis's body at the time of his death.In 1995 Nichopoulos had his license permanently suspended by the Tennessee Board of Medical Examiners, after it was revealed that he had been over prescribing to numerous patients for years.After he was stripped of his credentials in 1995, Dr Nick took a job evaluating medical insurance claims by FedEx employee... Clinical Cases and Images - Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=806519 Sat, 18 Aug 2007 04:00:00 +0100 806519 http://casesblog.blogspot.com/2007/08/flickr-images.html Yeah, right.Source: Xanboozled, a Creative Commons license. (Source: Clinical Cases and Images - Blog) Clinical Cases and Images - Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=806520 Sat, 18 Aug 2007 03:39:00 +0100 806520 http://casesblog.blogspot.com/2007/08/annals-of-internal-medicine-launches.html The Annals of Internal Medicine is the latest member of the "Big Five" of general medical journals to launch a podcast. The other four -- NEJM, JAMA, BJM and Lancet -- have been experimenting with portable audio for a while now. Click below to see the coverage of their podcasts on this blog over time:1. NEJM, 11/2005.2. Lancet, 4/2006.3. JAMA, 4/2006.4. BMJ, 9/2006 (the podcast is not active now).5. Annals, 7/2007.Podcasts and text-to-speech programs to convert text to MP3 files can be beneficial to medical education. For example, the podcast/videocast coverage of the 2006 meeting of ACAAI is lively, comprehensive and summarizes most new developments if the field.Most people subscribe to medical podcasts by using iTunes/iPod/iPhone from Apple. A less known fact is that Google Reader can be... Clinical Cases and Images - Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=805591 Fri, 17 Aug 2007 12:16:00 +0100 805591 http://casesblog.blogspot.com/2007/08/pubmed-suprise-researcher-with-600-co.html It is somewhat striking to see a list of several PubMed articles with roughly 600 co-authors under each of them. ScienceRoll suspected that the first author (Aubert B.) must have a lot of friends and asked for an explanation. Here it is.The last name in the author list is "BABAR Collaboration." A Google search shows that "BABAR is a High Energy Physics experiment located at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center, near Stanford University, in California. The goal of the experiment is to study the violation of charge and parity (CP) symmetry in the decays of B mesons." According to Wikipedia, a meson is a strongly interacting boson, that is, it is a hadron with integral spin. I hope this makes it clearer :)The BABAR Collaboration consists of approximately 600 physicists and engineers from 75... Clinical Cases and Images - Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=803381 Thu, 16 Aug 2007 12:30:00 +0100 803381 http://casesblog.blogspot.com/2007/08/working-near-laser-printer-second-hand.html Digital Inspiration links to an Australian study which claims that some laser printers release large amounts of small particles in the air which can potentially have adverse long-term health effects:"If your cubicle is located somewhere near the common office printer, either ask the support staff to move the printer elsewhere or you shift your desk to a different place in the office as in the current setup, the air around you may be highly polluted."More research is needed before a final recommendation can be made, as usual, but the study results could be something to have in mind. Printing less, potentially saves trees and keeps the air clean. You can save electronic texts online in Yahoo MyWeb, GMail, Google Notebook or any other service you prefer.References:Laser Printers in Office Tur... Clinical Cases and Images - Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=802156 Thu, 16 Aug 2007 02:41:00 +0100 802156 http://casesblog.blogspot.com/2007/08/blogging-microblogging-and-facebook.html Steve Rubel of MicroPersuasion comments on a recent trend -- he blogs less and spends more time on Twitter ("microblogging" in 140 characters or less) and Facebook.It seems like the "influentials" in the tech blogging world are also moving in the same direction. Has the blogging peaked or has it just become relatively more mainstream?Among medical bloggers, Joshua Schwimmer also uses Twitter and has transformed KidneyNotes into a collection of selected links. He writes 2 other blogs -- Tech Medicine and EfficientMD, and has a profile on LinkedIn.It will be interesting to see how microblogging (Twitter) and social networking (Facebook) will shape the future of medical blogging as we know it.References:When Less is More and More is Less. Micro Persuasion, 07/2007.Image source: Twitter.com. (... Clinical Cases and Images - Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=799985 Wed, 15 Aug 2007 03:18:00 +0100 799985 http://casesblog.blogspot.com/2007/08/would-you-like-to-see-dr-google-or-dr.html According to the New York Times:Microsoft’s software powers more than 90 percent of all personal computers, while Google is the default starting point for most health searches. People are increasingly turning to the Web for health information and advice. A Harris poll found that 52 percent of adults go to the Web for health information, up from 29 percent in 2001."Today, only about 20 percent of the nation’s patient population have computerized records. Under federal law, people can request and receive their personal health data within 90 days. But the process is complicated, and the replies typically come on paper, as photocopies or faxes."Adam Bosworth taks about GoogleHealth. Image source: AlphachimpStudio, a Creative Commons license.More or less, the current equation is as follows:... Clinical Cases and Images - Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=797858 Tue, 14 Aug 2007 03:18:00 +0100 797858 http://casesblog.blogspot.com/2007/08/us-life-expectancy-shorter-than-41.html According to the National Center for Health Statistics, the life expectancy in the U.S. is shorter than 41 countries including most of Europe and Japan.Dr. Christopher Murray, head of the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, comments that "something's wrong here when one of the richest countries in the world, the one that spends the most on health care, is not able to keep up with other countries."What are the likely causes?- High prevalence of obesity in the U.S.- Racial disparities- Relatively high infant mortality rate- 45 million Americans lack health insuranceThe life expectancy ranges from 82.6 years in Japan to 39.2 years in Swaziland - see the map. Many of the countries with the lowest life expectancies, e.g. Swaziland, Botswana, Lesotho, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Mozambique, South... Clinical Cases and Images - Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=796896 Tue, 14 Aug 2007 00:38:00 +0100 796896 http://casesblog.blogspot.com/2007/08/should-mesalamine-be-stopped-prior-to.html A 73 yo CM with PMH of Crohn's diease, HTN, and Afib takes mesalamine (Asacol) to control his diarrhea. He is seen by an internal medicine physician for preoperative evaluation 1 week prior to surgery for total knee replacement forOA.Should we stop mesalamine to avoid bleeding complications during surgery?No.Mesalamine (Asacol) does not affect platelets the same way aspirin and other NSAIDs do.According to one study, there was not effect on platelet aggregation during normal treatment with 5-aminosalicylic acid when given at a dose of 1.5 gm po qd or even after IV administration. All in vivo and in vitro tests were negative for inhibition of platelet aggregation in contrast to the inhibition seen with aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid). Authors concluded that treatment with mesalazine does not... Clinical Cases and Images - Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=796897 Mon, 13 Aug 2007 22:17:00 +0100 796897 http://casesblog.blogspot.com/2007/08/medical-university-of-southern-carolina.html Medical University of Southern Carolina (MUSC) Health Podcast portal features both audio and video podcasts:"Our audio podcasts are hosted by various MUSC faculty, physicians and special guests. These podcasts cover a wide range of current health topics, featuring MUSC patients, physicians, and staff. Listen to patient stories, learn about new procedures being offered at MUSC, and hear the latest news on how to stay healthy."Cleveland Clinic also offers Free Audio and Video Podcasts for Health Professionals and patients.Link via Medical Lecturer. (Source: Clinical Cases and Images - Blog) Clinical Cases and Images - Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=794134 Sun, 12 Aug 2007 15:46:00 +0100 794134 http://casesblog.blogspot.com/2007/08/procedure-videos-venipuncture.html Performing VenipuncturePreparation for VenipunctureUploaded by Slyswami. (Source: Clinical Cases and Images - Blog) Clinical Cases and Images - Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=793644 Sat, 11 Aug 2007 17:17:00 +0100 793644 http://casesblog.blogspot.com/2007/08/cnn-5-operations-you-dont-want-to-get.html On the CNN list:1. Hysterectomy2. Episiotomy3. Angioplasty4. Heartburn (GERD) surgery5. Lower-back surgeryReferences:5 operations you don't want to get -- and what to do instead. CNN, 07/2007. (Source: Clinical Cases and Images - Blog) Clinical Cases and Images - Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=792385 Fri, 10 Aug 2007 20:00:00 +0100 792385 http://casesblog.blogspot.com/2007/08/video-changing-world.html Did You Know? 2.0 - video powered by MetacafeLink via Digital Inspiration. (Source: Clinical Cases and Images - Blog) Clinical Cases and Images - Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=792386 Fri, 10 Aug 2007 18:41:00 +0100 792386 http://casesblog.blogspot.com/2007/08/6-tips-on-staying-up-to-date-in.html Bertalan Meskó of ScienceRoll.com shares 6 tips on staying up-to-date in genetics but they apply to most specialties in medicine and science.The 6 tips are:1. Follow the most reliable genetic sites2. Follow the best genetic blogs3. Use RSS web feed and follow the genetic journals4. Use services/tools like UpToDate5. Follow the blog carnivals6. Follow the genetic wikisI would add a few more suggestions:1. Subscribe to Google News alerts in your field of interest via web feeds.2. Subscribe to podcasts in your specialty. See our IAMSE abstract on the topic.3. Use text-to-speech to listen to journal articles. See our IAMSE abstract on the topic.4. Create an iGoogle page as your own "super journal" powered by web feeds. See our IAMSE abstract on the topic.5. Search YouTube, VideoJug for relate... Clinical Cases and Images - Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=790374 Thu, 09 Aug 2007 14:58:00 +0100 790374