Drugs and Poisons - Blogger Chris, a grad student from Toronto, Canada, writes about, you guessed it, drugs and poisons. This kid loves poisons. And drugs. And gossip. In short, he's our kind of science blogger. He typically profiles chemicals such as sanguinarine, which is said to possibly cause cancer from toothpase and swollen limbs when found in mustard. Some of the best posts come from knowledgable readers who write about what drugs they have taken by prescription or over a hospital stay, not off the street as you might expect. A sample...
Since you ask, I am reminded of one time I was in the hospital for kidney stones, which ended up being one of the longest sedative drug-binges of my life. It began as what I hoped was a quick visit for some hydrocodone to dull the relentless visceral groin pain, but ended up in a 3 day hospital stay and a lithotripsy. What follows is the truly amazing list of substances I was on, and my personal opinion of them....
A Good Poop - In this blog the so-far anonymous author gives short, sharp commentaries on curious medical journal research articles. It's only been around since May. Here are a few sample postings on the problems with piercings:
Atac MS. Impacted earring clip visible on panoramic radiograph. Dentomaxillofac Radiol. 2006 Jan;35(1):36-7.
Oh, I left an earring in, and then failed to notice while my ear grew around it until it disappeared. Silly me.
Barkan D, Fanne RA, Elazari-Scheiman A, Maayan S, Beeri R. Navel Piercing as a Cause for Streptococcus viridans Endocarditis: Case Report, Review of the Literature and Implications for Antibiotic Prophylaxis. Cardiology. 2006 Oct 30;108(3):159-160.
This is pretty messed. A navel piercing got infected, and the infection spread to the unfortunate individual's heart! Endocarditis is right up there in my list of medical afflictions I do not want to get. Yeah, I have a list. So what?
Brennan M, O'Connell B, O'Sullivan M. Multiple dental fractures following tongue barbell placement: a case report. Dent Traumatol. 2006 Feb;22(1):41-3.
I remember when tongue piercings were all the rage in high school.
Neiburger E. A large hypertrophic-keloid lesion associated with tongue piercing: case report. Gen Dent. 2006 Jan-Feb;54(1):46-7.
I sure don't know what a large hypertrophic-keloid lesion is, but I'm confident that it sucks having one.
Nedbalski TR, Laskin DM. Loss of a sewing needle in the tongue during attempted tongue piercing: report of a case. J Oral Maxillofac Surg. 2006 Jan;64(1):135-7. No abstract available.
First of all, it appears that some people actually attempt tongue piercing on their own. Secondly, where the hell did the needle go? Did it get lost in the individual's tongue?!