Textbooks and formal lectures were previously considered the main sources to build a solid medical knowledge. However, the advancements of technology have transformed our learning process. Nowadays, students, residents and fellows learn from a combination of resources including…
File this under something that we are never likely to see in clinical practice. In 2002 a fascinating case report was published in the New England Journal of Medicine concerning unusual findings during a work-up for a living…
The incidence of auto-immune diseases has dramatically increased in the past 50 years and the concern that environmental exposures have contributed to this increase is broadly suspected. However, it is very hard to pin-point to an individual factor. …
We heard a very interesting presentation today on autoimmune pancreatitis and concurrent systemic disease. The pathogenesis is felt to be related to IgG-4 producing plasma cells, and has now been linked to numerous systemic disease manifestations. The case…
I am still reviewing all my notes from the American Transplant Congress that occurred last May in sunny San Diego but I wanted to share with you a couple of interesting findings that I learned: First of all,…
You may have come across the phrase “Luminex beads” while doing your transplant nephrology rotation, or heard the term while hanging out in the Tissue Typing Lab. This post is intended to briefly describe the Luminex technology and…
Interferons are cytokines which play a central role in the inflammatory response, and commercially prepared interferons have proven useful in the treatment of several diseases. For instance, interferon-alpha (often used in conjunction with ribavirin) is often used in…
Atypical HUS refers to hemolytic uremic syndrome which occurs without E. coli 0157:H7-induced diarrhea as the inciting event. There are many causes of atypical HUS: calcineurin inhibitors, HIV, pneumococcal infection and rare genetic diseases are all on the…
Why do some dialysis patients require so much more Epogen than others? Some patients manage to hit their targets with relatively low doses, and may even require “holding” EPO injections to avoid the upper hemoglobin range where excess…
Although the complement cascade is an essential aspect of the response to infection, it unfortunately can be activated by a variety of means in several types of kidney disease. In common day clinical practice, most of the time…
