Top medicine articles for January-February 2013

Here are my suggestions for some of the top articles in medicine for January-February 2013:

Why Most Published Research Findings Are False - PLOS Medicine http://buff.ly/Tca847

New York City Ties Doctors’ Income to "Quality of Care" http://buff.ly/WTwDdm

"After a string of digital dating disasters, Amy Webb dug into the data…and found her husband" - WSJ http://buff.ly/10thOqi

Know Thyself—Via Gadgets and Apps - a new self-tracking movement is afoot http://buff.ly/10ti8Fo

A Cycle of Contamination - and Cancer - That Won’t End - NYTimes http://buff.ly/X6ZsUo

Malpractice Risks With NPs and PAs in Your Practice http://buff.ly/10Gl5m4

Online Professionalism Investigations by State Medical Boards: First, Do No Harm http://buff.ly/10GozFe

A 13-item score based on readily available risk factors predicted risk for 3-year mortality in heart failure http://buff.ly/10GoFgd

No evidence to support the use of vitamin and antioxidant supplements for prevention of cardiovascular diseases http://buff.ly/10GoNMH

Eight Questions About Physician-Rating Websites - JMIR 2013 http://bit.ly/12ifjXA

Diabetics can eat right after using insulin: study http://buff.ly/X2JVXp

Why are we seeing a large increase in type 1 diabetes in young children? http://buff.ly/X2K790

Concerns About A.D.H.D. Practices, Amphetamine Addiction, and tunnel-like focus the medicines provide - NYTimes http://buff.ly/X8SpMo

Successful and Schizophrenic - NYTimes http://buff.ly/YuLHVW

They may be difficult to pronounce, but pharmaceutical companies are returning to drug names starting with X and Z http://buff.ly/X8SYpH

WHO recommends that adults consume less than 2 grams of sodium (5 grams of salt) from food daily http://buff.ly/WOAg8F

Use of vitamin C (ascorbic acid) supplements is associated with development of kidney stones http://buff.ly/WOArku

A variety of sledding injuries associated with late night partying and alcohol - BMJ http://buff.ly/14DVh8t

The articles were selected from my Twitter and Google Reader streams. Please feel free to send suggestions for articles to clinicalcases AT gmail.com and you will receive acknowledgement in the next edition of this publication.

Lessons from 12 Years of Blogging (from woodtang)

Spoken like a true blogger:

"I started this site 12 years ago. That’s longer than my marriage, longer than any job I’ve held, longer than I’ve lived anywhere since I was a kid. Even though I stopped a started blogging here too many times to count, that’s a long time. I feel like that counts for something on the web and I ought to give it some love.

My interest in blogging waned when I started using Twitter, but I’ve always felt something missing when I wanted to write a few paragraphs about something and be done with it."

Read the rest at woodtang.com http://bit.ly/VPuEaP

“Painting is just another way of keeping a diary”, said Pablo Picasso. Blogging is similar in a way but it also helps to collect important ideas, archive news items and create an educational portfolio that is easily shareable with students, colleagues and patients.

In my personal experience, blogging fits nicely in what I call the Cycle of Online Information and Physician Education (click here to enlarge the image).





Comments from Twitter:

Heidi Allen @dreamingspires: Lessons from 12 Years of Blogging (from woodtang) casesblog.blogspot.com/2013/02/lesson… impressive - and makes it sound simple

The Brain of a Murderer - Are You Good Or Evil? (BBC video)

Professor James Fallon from University of California, Irvine explains the beginnings of his work studying the brains of criminals and murders. Would his work prove the existence of a signature brain profile of a serial killer or are there other factors to consider?



Jim Fallon recently made a disquieting discovery: A member of his family has some of the biological traits of a psychopathic killer. "These results will cause some problems at the next family party," he said, reviewing the data on his laptop in his backyard. Fallon had already been studying the brains of psychopathic killers for years when his mother told him that he comes from a long line of murderers. Is he one of them?

After a PET scan, Professor Jim Fallon made a shocking discovery about his own brain - that he had the neurological and genetic correlates of psychopathy. However, he is not concerned by the findings and believes that his positive experiences in childhood negated the genetic susceptibility to violence and emotional issues.



References:

What's on Jim Fallon's Mind? A Family Secret That Has Been Murder to Figure Out - WSJ.com http://on.wsj.com/9CUbjG
A Neuroscientist Uncovers A Dark Secret - NPR http://n.pr/V2LMNl
Jim Fallon: Exploring the mind of a killer | Video on TED.com http://bit.ly/V2LNAI
Three Ingredients for Murder: Neuroscientist James Fallon on psychopaths - YouTube http://bit.ly/V2M2M9

Comments from Twitter:

Gia Sison MD @giasison: Wow To Watch! Great share Ves!!!!

Mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI)

What is Mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI)?

Mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI) is commonly known as concussion. A universally accepted definition is lacking.

Mild traumatic brain injury and concussion are classified by:

- transient loss of consciousness
- amnesia
- altered mental status
- a Glasgow Coma Score of 13 to 15
- focal neurological deficits following an acute closed head injury

"Red flag' symptoms include: progression of physical, cognitive, and behavioral symptoms, seizure, progressive vomiting, and altered mental status.

What is the prognosis of mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI)?

Most patients recover quickly, within 1-2 weeks.

However, persistent symptoms may be noted in 5-20% of persons who have mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI):

- Physical symptoms include headaches, dizziness, and nausea, and changes in coordination, balance, appetite, sleep, vision, and hearing.

- Cognitive and behavioral symptoms include fatigue, anxiety, depression, and irritability, and problems with memory, concentration and decision making.

Who is at greatest risk after a mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI)?

Women, older adults, less educated persons, and those with a previous mental health diagnosis are more likely to have persistent symptoms.

Protecting the brain from concussion: $20-helmet is a good way to protect $100,000 education



Neuropsychologist Kim Gorgens makes the case for better protecting our brains against the risk of concussion -- with a compelling pitch for putting helmets on kids: A $20-helmet is a good way to protect $100,000 education. "Mind your (brain) matter."

References:
Subacute to chronic mild traumatic brain injury. Mott TF, McConnon ML, Rieger BP. Am Fam Physician. 2012 Dec 1;86(11):1045-51.
Image source: Hippocampus, from Wikipedia, public domain.

Snow Blower and Shoveling Safety (video)

Using a snow blower is not as physically taxing as shoveling, but its powerful blades have the potential to severely injure hands and feet. Dr. David Shapiro, an orthopaedic surgeon at Cleveland Clinic, explains the most common injuries he sees with snow blowers:



Snow shoveling injuries land thousands of people in the emergency room every year. 96 percent of them happen at home: