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Why does calcium deposit in blood vessels? Ever heard of bone forming inside blood vessels? Even if you haven’t heard it expressed in those exact words, you most likely have come across the concept of vascular calcification. And in certain instances, fully formed bone is precisely the endpoint of calcium deposition in vessels.  The earliestContinue reading “Episode 113 – From Vessel to Bone”

Why was iodine given to people exposed to radioactivity after Chernobyl? Chernobyl. Even those who don’t actually know where it is or what happened there use the word as a metaphor for catastrophe and irrevocable destruction. At 1:23 in the morning on April 26, 1986, in the northern Ukranian city of Pripyat, a nuclear powerContinue reading “Episode 112 – Wherefore Iodine?”

Why is Duffy Null status associated with lower neutrophil counts? What if we told you not everyone with a low neutrophil count is at a higher risk of infection? One cause of this fascinating phenomenon is known as the Duffy Null Associated Neutrophil Count, sometimes referred to as Duffy Null or DANC. It’s found inContinue reading “Episode 111 – Null Neutrophils”

Why does rubbing salt in a wound hurt so much? As a metaphor, “rubbing salt in a wound” means to make an already-bad situation worse for someone, especially in an unnecessary or gratuitous way. One hears the phrase constantly, about everything from taxes to sports. Perhaps one reason it’s so common is that, even ifContinue reading “Episode 110 – Salt in the Wound”

Why don’t we all get heparin-induced thrombocytopenia? Way back in episode 59, we discussed why heparin, a commonly-used anticoagulant in the hospital, can cause mild hyperkalemia. The more widely-known side effect of heparin, though, is heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT), of which there are two types: Type 1 (non-immune mediated) and Type 2 (immune-mediated). If a hospitalizedContinue reading “Episode 109 – The HITS Keep Coming”