Category Archives: Uncategorized

Why does cirrhosis predispose to “bacterial translocation”? Spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (SBP) is an infection of ascitic fluid without an intra-abdominal surgically-treatable source (e.g., perforated bowel). Although the spontaneous in SBP might suggest this infection of ascitic fluid pops up out of nowhere it is a multifactorial process. And despite the key role of “bacterial translocation”,Continue reading “Episode 45 – (Trans)locating the bacteria”

Why can propofol cause Propofol-Related Infusion Syndrome? On this episode of the podcast, we discussed the Propofol-Related Infusion Syndrome (PRIS). Propofol is a very common medication in the intensive care unit (ICU). It is a sedative-hypnotic medication with many advantages compared with other continuous sedative infusions. In particular, it has both quick a onset andContinue reading “Episode 44 – Propofol, White Lightning”

Why can antiphospholipid antibodies be falsely positive during an acute illness? Many readers have likely heard that one should avoid sending antiphospholipid antibody tests during active inflammation. Is the reason related to thrombosis? Is it related to the inflammatory state? Or is it instead related to issues related to the lab tests themselves. For thisContinue reading “Episode 43 – In Vivo Veritas”

Why are some rashes acral? For this episode, Hannah, Avi, and Tony were joined by Dr. Steven Chen (@Dr.StevenTChen), a dermatologist and internist at Massachusetts General Hospital. Steven brought along a fascinating question: why are some rashes acral? In order to answer the question, one must first recall that an “acral” rash is one foundContinue reading “Episode 42 – A Solely Acral Rash”

Why doesn’t daptomycin reliably treat pneumonia? For this episode, the team examined an odd limitation of the antibiotic daptomycin – it doesn’t treat reliably bacterial pneumonia? This is a clinical pearl that nearly everyone learns in medical school. And yet most don’t fully understand the mechanism. There is in vitro animal and clinical human dataContinue reading “Episode 41 – Of Antibiotics and Soap”