The “New & Interesting” series is a biweekly compilation of select research findings, news articles, and random tidbits in bullet-point format. The entries are highly abbreviated, but provide links to the original articles or abstracts if you desire to read further.
General Articles
- Video games may cause kids to suffer finger and wrist pain (WebMD)
- Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine employed high-sensitivity MRI scanners to evaluate the effect of glucosamine on progression of knee osteoarthritis. They “did not find any evidence that glucosamine can prevent or slow joint damage in individuals with mild to moderate knee pain.” The results from the study resemble findings from an earlier meta-analysis that did not demonstrate substantive symptomatic benefit from the use of chondroitin. (WebMD)
- Universal health coverage in Massachusetts does not reduce visits to the Emergency Department (American Medical News)
Technical Articles
- Prophylactic administration of acetaminophen for febrile reactions at the time of vaccination reduces antibody responses to vaccine antigens in children (Lancet)
The “New and Interesting” series features short compilations of select research findings, news articles, and random tidbits in bullet-point format.
- Housing homeless adults with chronic medical conditions shortens hospital stays and reduces ED visits (JAMA)
- Hypothyroidism linked to HCC (hepatocellular carcinoma) (Hepatology)
Researchers from the Mayo Clinic department of emergency medicine investigated the incidence of anaphylaxis in Rochester, Minnesota, over a 10-year period spanning 1990 through 2000. Anaphylaxis was identified based on signs and symptoms of mast cell and/or basophil-mediated cytokine release, accompanied by organ involvement (i.e., mucocutaneous walls, gastrointestinal tract, respiratory tract, or cardiovascular system).
There were 211 cases identified within the 10-year period, which resulted in an age- and sex-adjusted incidence rate of 49.8 cases per 100,000 person-years. Leading causes for anaphylaxis were food (70 cases), insect stings (39 cases), medication effect (29 cases), and radiologic contrast (1 case). There were 19 cases attributed to “other” causes, such as cats, latex, cleaning agents, environmental triggers, and exercise. There were also 53 cases of anaphylaxis from “unknown” causes.
Source: Decker WW, Campbell RL, Manivannan V, Luke A, St Sauver JL, Weaver A, Bellolio MF, Bergstralh EJ, Stead LG, Li JT. The etiology and incidence of anaphylaxis in Rochester, Minnesota: a report from the Rochester Epidemiology Project. J Allergy Clin Immunol 2008;122:1161-5.
Posted February 7th, 2008 in
Allergy & Immunology,
CasesWe typically characterize hives as an allergic skin reaction manifested with diffuse swelling, itching, and redness. In an unusual case (with accompanying image) recently reported in the New England Journal of Medicine, a woman developed a reaction of blue hives.
The cause is not as much an enigma as it is atypical. The patient was a 77 year-old woman who underwent surgical resection of a carcinoma of her right breast. In such cases, it is standard procedure to inject a colored dye (in this case, isosulfan blue) into the lymphatic system to delineate its drainage pathway. This allows the surgeon to roughly identify which sentinel lymph nodes to excise and biopsy. The patient, unfortunately, was one of the 1.5% of patients who are allergic to the dye. She subsequently developed hives intraoperatively. Although technically the hives is not blue, the presence of dye created this visual impression.
