yup
A guide to Medication Calculations from the folks at Khan Academy =)
“Probiotics modestly help stave off colds and the need for antibiotics to treat them, according to a Cochrane review.
Taking prophylactic doses of healthy bacteria in yogurt and supplements was associated with 12% fewer acute upper respiratory tract infections (rate ratio 0.88 versus placebo,…
“Researchers are warning of the emergence of a new strain of salmonella that is highly resistant to ciprofloxacin (Cipro), the main drug used to treat infections with the bacteria.
In some cases, isolates are resistant to a suite of other drugs, including such antibiotics as amoxicillin, streptomycin, spectinomycin, gentamicin, sulfamethoxazole, and tetracycline.
Nearly 500 cases were identified in several European countries during the period 2002 through 2008, according to François-Xavier Weill, MD, of the Pasteur Institute in Paris, and colleagues.
Reports of infection in Canada and contamination of imported foods in the U.S. suggest that the strain has also reached North America, Weill and colleagues reported online in the Journal of Infectious Diseases.
The resistant strain, dubbed CIPR for its resistance characteristics, formed an increasing proportion of all cases of infection with Salmonella enterica serotype Kentucky in France, England and Wales, and Denmark over the study period, Weill and colleagues reported.
The report comes as U.S. officials are reporting that an outbreak of salmonellosis, probably linked to eating ground turkey, has killed one person and sickened 76 others.”
http://www.medpagetoday.com/InfectiousDisease/GeneralInfectiousDisease/27867?pfc=40&spc=238
Metformin and Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome “PCOS often presents in adolescence, with irregular menstrual cycles, acne, or too much body hair,” said the study’s senior author, Lourdes Ibáñez, MD, PhD, professor of pediatrics at the University of Barcelona in Spain and lead author of the study. “But we believe the critical years for PCOS development may be during childhood and puberty when excessive amounts of fat are stored. That excessive weight gain overexposes the ovaries to insulin, causing them to stop ovulating and start releasing male hormones, resulting in PCOS.” In this study of 38 girls with low birth-weight and early puberty, researchers compared the efficacy of early versus late metformin treatment to prevent adolescent PCOS. A group of 19 8-year-old girls were treated with daily doses of metformin for four years. A second group of 19 girls waited five years before they began receiving daily doses of metformin at age 13 and then continued treatment for only one year. They found that early metformin therapy prevented or delayed the development of hirsutism, androgen excess and PCOS more effectively than late metformin treatment.” This is a small study, but it’s interesting because I had no idea PCOS had anything to do with insulin or androgens. The more you know!
Color blindness is a genetic condition; more specifically an X-linked recessive disorder. It is more common in males than in females. It is characterized by an inability to discern certain colors. The most common type of color blindness is red-green color blindness (or protanopic, see above).
My dad is red-green color blind. He never knew that grass changes color (green-brown) throughout the year :-/
I dork out over mnemonics, so this is awesome. (Thanks Brittany!)
Can’t wait to pull this one…
Spherocytosis is caused by deficient spectrin protein function, with the level of deficiency positively correlated to the severity of the disease. A red blood cell with spectrin deficiency has a cytoskeleton and cell membrane which are suboptimally linked, making the cell more susceptible to rupture. The disease affects approximately 1 in 5000 patients in the United States and is most common in patients of Northern European descent. Symptoms include anemia, jaundice and splenomegaly. Treatments include splenectomy, folic acid supplementation, and blood transfusions.
My dad has this and had to have a splenectomy when he was a teenager. It’s autosomal dominant in my family, so I got my blood checked out: free of spherocytes!
1. n-acetylceysteine (Mucomyst)
2. glucagon
3. deferoxamine
4. 100% O2
5. naloxone (Narcan)
6. flumazenil (Romazicon)
7. protamine sulfate
8. vitamin K
9. physostigmine sulfate
10. calcium gluconate
A. benzodiazapines
B. opioids
C. iron
D. magnesium sulfate
E. heparin
F. carbon monoxide
G. warfarin (Coumadin)
H. acetaminophen
I. beta blockers, calcium channel blockers
J. anticholinergics
Drugs that can cause Anticholinergic Effects:
Antipsychotics eg. clozapine (Clozaril), chlorpromazine (Thorazine)
Tricyclic Antidepressants eg. amitriptyline (Elavil)
Antiasthmatics eg. atropine sulfate, ipratropium bromide (Atrovent)
Antiemetics eg. scopolamine, meclizine (Dramamine Less Drowsy)
Antihistamines eg. diphenhydramine (Benadryl)
You’ve probably heard the term “Metabolic Syndrome” tossed around, but what does it really mean?
“Metabolic Risk Factors: The five conditions described below are metabolic risk factors. You can have any one of these risk factors by itself, but they tend to occur together. You must have at least three metabolic risk factors to be diagnosed with metabolic syndrome.
A large waistline. This also is called abdominal obesity or “having an apple shape.” Excess fat in the abdominal area is a greater risk factor for heart disease than excess fat in other parts of the body, such as on the hips.
A high triglyceride level. Triglycerides are a type of fat found in the blood.
A low HDL cholesterol level. HDL sometimes is called “good” cholesterol. This is because it helps remove cholesterol from your arteries. A low HDL cholesterol level raises your risk for heart disease.
High blood pressure
. Blood pressure is the force of blood pushing against the walls of your arteries as your heart pumps blood. If this pressure rises and stays high over time, it can damage your heart and lead to plaque buildup.
High fasting blood sugar. Mildly high blood sugar may be an early sign of diabetes.”
(source: National Heart Lung and Blood Institute)
Respiratory Rate 0-3mo: 35-55 3-6mo: 30-45 6-12mo: 25-40 1-3yr: 20-30 3-6yr: 20-25 6-12yr: 14-22 12+yr: 12-18 (source: http://www.emedicinehealth.com/pediatric_vital_signs/article_em.htm)
Heart Rate 0-3mo: 100-150 3-6mo: 90-120 6-12mo: 80-120 1-3yr: 70-110 3-6yr: 65-110 6-12yr: 60-95 (source: http://www.emedicinehealth.com/pediatric_vital_signs/article_em.htm)
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