We’ve had a pandemic, inflation, a war, and now an infectious disease is coming for our food supply. The latest virus on the scene is avian influenza, and it is devastating the United States’ chicken supply. Several northern US states have had to cull flocks of poultry due to the virus. Wisconsin culled nearly 3 […]
Endocarditis Guideline Review
Causes: Bacterial infection is the most common cause of endocarditis, specifically viridans group strep, Staphylococcus aureus, HAECK group organisms (Haemophilus species, Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans, Cardiobacterium hominis, Eikenella corrodens, and Kingella kingae), or Enterococcus. Endocarditis can also be caused by fungi, such as Candida. Some weird fastidious bacteria show up too, like Bartonella, Brucella, Coxiella burnetii (causes […]
Sinus Troubles: When Should I See My Doctor
We’ve all had sinus troubles before and it’s sometimes hard to tell if it’s a bacterial infection, a virus, or allergies. Your physician probably even has a hard time. Here are some tips on when to see your physician, and when you should visit your local pharmacy for some home remedies. Viral Sinusitis If you’ve […]
Common Pharmacogenomic SNPs and Interactions
UM = ultrarapid metabolizer, EM = extensive metabolizer, IM = intermediate metabolizer, PM = poor metabolizer Drug SNP Types Effect Race Misc Ivacaftor CFTR amitriptyline CYP 2C19 UM (R), EM, IM, PM PM = increased conc, side effects, UM = decreased concen PM =Common in Asians UM=Common in Caucasions […]
Pneumonia
Community Acqired Pneumonia (CAP) CAP is usually caused by S. pneumonia, H. influenza, S. aureus, legionella (usually more severe), mycoplasma and Chlamydophila (less severe), and pseudomonas and Enterobacteriaceae sometimes isolated You don’t usually do cultures in CAP. Chest infiltrate and cough/sputum are diagnostic. Don’t go by procalcitonin to diagnose or to discontinue therapy. For CAP, there are a […]
COPD and Bronchitis
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) causes a significant amount of morbidity and mortality. It’s the fourth leading cause of death in the world. COPD produces anatomical changes in the lungs that lead to narrowing of small airways, destruction of lung tissue, overproduction of mucous, reduced ciliary function, and airflow limitation. Smoking is the most common […]
Why Case Counts Don’t Mean the Vaccine Isn’t Working
Headlines about countries like Iceland and Isreal seeing large rises in COVID-19 cases despite having a large percentage of their population vaccinated sound concerning. Headlines usually say things like, “60% of cases were vaccinated.” That sounds pretty scary. Some headlines have even offered doomsday predictions. If you look closer at the numbers, I think these […]
Johnson and Johnson Coronavirus EUA Vaccine FAQ
Does this Vaccine use Genetic Material Too?‘ Unlike the mRNA vaccines by Pfizer and Moderna (you can read that FAQ here) , the Johnson and Johnson (J&J) vaccine uses DNA to tell our bodies to make the spike protein. The J&J vaccine is an adenovirus based vaccine. That means that scientists took a human adenovirus, […]
COVID-19 mRNA EUA Vaccine FAQs
There have been a lot of questions about the COVID-19 mRNA vaccines. I thought I would put together an easy FAQ with some referenced answers. I’ll keep adding to it as I get more questions. I have a FAQ about the Johnson and Johnson vaccine too. Is it Going to Alter my DNA? If you […]
What Makes a Good Vaccine? (Part 1)
There has been much discussion about vaccine expectations because of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Many people think that a good vaccine will completely eliminate the disease. That is the lofty goal of vaccination. We eradicated polio because of vaccines. We would love it if all vaccines eliminated the disease entirely, but that’s not the reality for […]