July 29, 2010, 9:06 pm
Two Unusual Pediatric Causes of Dilutional Hyponatremia. Boetzkes S et al. Pediatr Emerg Med July 2010;26:503-505.
Abstract
Hyponatremia, especially if it is acute and develops rapidly, can be associated with significant and sometimes severe consequences: nausea, vomiting, headache, decreased mental status, seizures and coma. Fatal cases have been reported. This paper, from Belgium, presents two cases of clinically severe…
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July 28, 2010, 10:28 pm
Medical examiner and medical toxicologist agreement on cause of death. Manini AF et al. Forensic Sci Int (2010), doi:10.1016/j.forsciint.2010.06.021
Abstract
This is a somewhat interesting paper on a very important topic. The authors, all from New York City, identified 256 fatalities over a 7-year period that were evaluated by the medical examiner’s office (MEO) and the local poison…
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July 28, 2010, 12:42 am
Case Report: Is threshold for treatment of methemoglobinemia the same for all? A case report and literature review. El-Husseini A, Azarov N. Amer J Emerg Med 2010;28:748.e5-748.e10
Abstract
This puzzling and ultimately unsatisfying case report is redeemed by some spectacular clinical pictures illustrating the findings in methemoglobinemia. A 78-year-old woman hospitalized for a CVA workup underwent transesophageal echocardiography, receiving…
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July 27, 2010, 12:39 am
Academic Life in Emergency Medicine has a very handy pocket card listing the causes of false positive results on the urine drug screen, and duration of positive tests after last drug use. It is suitable for printing out and carrying around in a notebook.
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July 24, 2010, 12:04 pm
It ain’t tox, but one of my two favorite songs based on a scientific theme is the classic — and difficult to find — “It’s a Long Way from Amphioxus” by the late folksinger and marine biologist Sam Hinton. By chance, I stumbled upon an online posting and wanted to pass it along. The audio link below looks a little funky, but should work — just click on the play arrow. Anyone who has not heard this song before — and has even a dim recollection of high school or college biology — is in for a treat. For those singing along at home, the lyrics can be found here.
BTW, my other favorite scientific-themed song is Tom Lehrer’s “The Elements“.
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