Should we consider fever a “new normal” during infection? Should we treat it or not? A 2017 observational study of emergency department patients revealed this intriguing pattern:In the above study of 2225 patients with sepsis in Sweden, a lack of fever or low body temperature heralded a poor prognosis in […]
Does the emperor have no clothes? In a recent manuscript published in the Journal of Clinical Medicine, I explored the definition of sepsis. From the abstract: “The core conception of sepsis—that it is a dysregulated state—is a powerful and durable idea that has inspired decades of research. But is it […]
For week three of the UNM Evolutionary Medicine class we will discuss behavioral changes that happen with infection and sickness. One of my favorite topics is sickness behavior. Many different species alter their activity level, feeding behavior, and engage in novel behaviors that do not occur in health. Even caterpillars […]
Update: a research study performed by Abou-Jaoude and colleagues presented on November 16th at the American College of Allergy Asthma and Immunology examines the link between maternal “mouth cleaning” of infant pacifiers and allergy. They found that “parental pacifier sucking was linked with suppressed IgE levels” in infants. Lower IgE […]
The Evolutionary Medicine Elective for UNM Medical Students starts today. We will begin by discussing this paper by Steve Stearns: Evolutionary medicine: its scope, interest, and potential. Read that article carefully prior to the first session. Week One will focus on the evolution of antibiotic resistance and the […]
The Zombie Apocalypse (Medical Meeting) is about to start! Where – the great state of Arizona. The first stirrings of the apocalypse will be at the Arizona State University. I along with several of my emergency medicine colleagues will be on hand to give medical and disaster tips in preparation […]
“Vague Presenting Symptoms Are Associated with Increased Mortality in Septic Shock” is the title of a recent entry of Journal Watch, a section of the New England Journal of Medicine written by emergency physician Daniel Lindberg. Lindberg summarizes findings of Filbin et al. Presenting Symptoms Independently Predict Mortality in Septic […]
Why do we sleep? How much is enough? Do we die if we don’t get enough? Kate Rusk, Joe Alcock, Coffee Brown and Gandhi Yetish discuss these topics in this episode of the EvolutionMedicine podcast. Sleep is one of the least understood lifestyle-related risk factor for chronic disease. For instance, […]
In this age of Marvel comics, superheroes with superpowers have attained a high degree of cultural fascination. But some superpowers exist in real life, courtesy of natural selection. One such superpower is the ability of the Bajau people to dive longer and deeper than other people. This ability is linked […]
Kate Rusk recorded and live streamed this episode on the science channel Inertia TV in March, 2018. Kate, Coffee Brown, and I discussed the power of the placebo effect, what it means for the evolution of the brain, and the evolution of social behavior. We riff on martial arts, mind […]
