Diarrhea Information and Courses from MediaLab, Inc.
These are the MediaLab courses that cover Diarrhea and links to relevant pages within the course.
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| Metabolic acidosis is characterized by: | View Page |
| A 20 year-old female was admitted into the hospital complaining of 10 to 15 bloody mucous stools per day, fever, gastrointestinal disturbances, abdominal pain, and nausea. The preliminary O & P report went out as "Probable Entamoeba histolytica trophozoites and cysts, confirmation pending." This patient is most likely suffering from: | View Page |
| Which one of the following statements about E.coli O157:H7 is false: | View Page |
| Other Causes of Ketonuria Ketonuria can also be found in conditions associated with a decreased intake of carbohydrates (starvation), digestive disturbances, dietary imbalance (high fat/low carbohydrate diet), eclampsia, prolonged vomiting and diarrhea, glycogen storage diseases, vigorous exercise, fever, and following administration of anesthesia. Ketone bodies are mildly toxic to the body, tending to interfere with the excretion of uric acid, produce mild depression of the central nervous system, and cause acidosis. | View Page |
| Case History A 63 year old man was seen in the emergency room with the complaints of sudden onset of fever, chills, and abdominal pain, accompanied by mild diarrhea. The blood pressure was 140/84, the pulse rate 82/minute, and the body temperature 39.8C. A blood sample was drawn for a complete blood count, and a blood culture.A second blood culture was drawn from the opposite arm, with 10 ml of blood being placed into each an aerobic and an anaerobic bottle, following customary practice.The complete blood count revealed a hemoglobin of 15.8 mg/dl, a hematocrit of 45%, and a white blood count of 4.2/L. The neutrophils were 39%, lymphocytes 45%, monocytes 10%, eosinophils 4% and basophils 2%. The platelet count was 255/L. The patient was admitted to the hospital for further work-up and empiric antibiotic therapy.Within 24 hours after admission, the body temperature had decreased to 38.2C, although the mild diarrhea persisted.A stool toxin test for Clostridium difficile was negative and neither enteric pathogens nor Campylobacter species were recovered in stool culture after 24 hours incubation. Fecal neutrophils were not seen on direct examination.
The anaerobic blood culture became positive 36 hours after inoculation. | View Page |
| Spleen Specimen A 23-year old man had complained of right lower quadrant abdomonal pain for approximately one week. Initially the pain was sharp and localized to a small area just above the right iliac crest.The pain subsided for approximately two days, but then recurred more diffusely over the lower abdomen, accompanied by cramping and mild diarrhea.The onset of fever and vomiting promted a visit to the emergency room. His temperature was 101 F, pulse was 90/minute, and palpation of the right lower abdomen elicited severe pain.The white blood count was 23,000/mm with a distinct left shift, including 5% metamyelocytes.Emergency surgery was performed for a large peri-appendiceal abscess. During surgery, multiple abscesses were noted in the spleen, which was removed (see photograph).Recovery was uneventful following 5 days of adjuvant clindamycin therapy. | View Page |
| TDM for Cardiac Medications Inotropics (drugs used to increase the pumping ability of the heart) and antiarrhythmics may need TDM. The cardiac glycoside inotropics digoxin and digitoxin have narrow therapeutic windows. Overdose can cause vomiting, diarrhea, confusion, visual disturbances, and cardiac arryhthmias. Examples of cardiac medications that are monitored by TDM include: Digoxin Digitoxin Procainamide N-Acetylprocainamide (NAPA) -the metabolite of procainamide Quinidine | View Page |
| DIC: graft vs. host disease The peripheral smear illustrated in the photograph was obtained from a patient with a recent renal transplant. The patient developed a rash, accompanied by nausea and diarrhea. Graft vs. host disease was clinically suspected. The peripheral smear findings are consistent with that diagnosis. The presence of spherocytes suggests a hemolytic process which is supported by the presence of nucleated RBCs. A few scattered schistocytes and the decrease of platelets suggests DIC. The presence of target cells presents the possibility of associated liver disease. Additional tests, particularly coagulation studies, should confirm the diagnosis of microangiopathic hemolytic anemia. | View Page |