Acute renal failure is defined as a rapid decrease in the glomerular filtration rate, occurring over a period of minutes to days. Because the rate of production of metabolic waste exceeds the rate of renal excretion in this circumstance, serum concentrations of markers of renal function, such as urea and creatinine, rise. The causes of acute renal failure are classically divided into three categories: prerenal, postrenal (or obstructive), and intrinsic. Prerenal azotemia is considered a functional response to renal hypoperfusion, in which renal structure and microstructure are preserved. Postrenal azotemia — obstruction of the urinary tract — is initially accompanied . . . Join discussion...

Variants of FLJ10986 may confer susceptibility to sporadic ALS. FLJ10986 and 50 other candidate loci warrant further investigation for their potential role in conferring susceptibility to the disease. Join discussion...

Long-term total mortality after gastric bypass surgery was significantly reduced, particularly deaths from diabetes, heart disease, and cancer. However, the rate of death from causes other than disease was higher in the surgery group than in the control group. Join discussion...

Hypertension and prehypertension were frequently undiagnosed in this pediatric population. Patient age, height, obesity-related diagnoses, and magnitude and frequency of abnormal blood pressure readings all increased the odds of diagnosis. Join discussion...

In this sample of highly prominent claims of sex-related differences in genetic associations, most claims were insufficiently documented or spurious, and claims with documented good internal and external validity were uncommon. Join discussion...

I’ve blogged about passion before, and it got a lot of responses. Everybody talks about it; from the half-dead old professor who gives the introductory lecture in first year and then disappears back into his coffin until next year, to the tough-love-doling quasi-military doctor who first takes charge of you when you start work at the hospital. Every book on medicine contains at least a chapter on it; old doctors swear you’ll never make it through med school if you’re just in it for the mone Join discussion...

Context: Chronic exposure to talc in the course of carpet installation can result in pneumoconiosis. Case presentation: We present a case of a young carpet installer who was diagnosed with silicatosis of the lung. Review of occupational history revealed that the patient had been working as a carpet installer for approximately 15 years, since he was 15 years of age. The patient was exposed to talc in the course of his work. Discussion: Exposure to talc in the course of carpet installation has not Join discussion...

Normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH) is one of the few reversible causes of dementia in older adults and accounts for approximately 6% of all dementias. The cardinal sign of NPH is a hypokinetic gait disorder in which the older adult's feet look as though they are glued to the floor. The gait also has been described as magnetic. People with NPH also may have mild dementia and bladder and bowel incontinence. A 78-year-old man exhibited symptoms of NPH for at least 4 years before being diagnosed. A Join discussion...

Background: A 21-year-old white male with a 3-year history of back pain presented with a 6-month history of weight loss (without significant gastrointestinal symptoms), lethargy and left hip pain, and diarrhea that had lasted 4 days. Investigations: Barium follow-through, upper and lower gastrointestinal endoscopy and biopsies, capsule enteroscopy, CT of the chest and abdomen, measurement of the concentration of fecal calprotectin, intestinal absorption permeability test and wireless capsule end Join discussion...

I have a pager now. My ID badge gets me into the hospital parking “Staff Entrance.” And yesterday, the progress note I wrote on my patient actually went into the chart. So why do I feel so incompetent? I have two days of third year under my belt, and I'm wondering if I’ll make it through the next 363 without actually winning the title of “Most Clueless Person Alive.” I am hoping that there are other students out there who are just starting on the wards and feeling the same way. I jus Join discussion...