That's the scary-sounding title on a new study that found antibiotics might be linked to temporary hallucinations and seizures. The finding is based on case reports of 391 patients who suffered neurological problems after taking antibiotics, ranging from penicillin to sulfonamides, a broad class of drugs used to treat internal bacterial infections.
There's a caveat, however: All of the patients were experiencing active infections so the real cause of the neurological problems might be something else or more than just antibiotic use.
The High Cost of Caregiving
In a new study published in JAMA Internal Medicine, a survey of 1,739 caregivers found that those who tend to older adults and people with dementia are three times more likely than the general population to suffer from productivity problems at work. Almost one-quarter said they experienced financial problems due to caregiving duties and most said caregiving exacted a major emotional toll.
More than 6 million people in the United States provide substantial care to older adults. On average, that care requires 28 hours a week.
Body of Knowledge
The need to breathe is more strongly driven by the need to eliminate carbon dioxide buildup than our need for oxygen. If we could evolve a different way to get rid of carbon dioxide from the blood, we would only need to breathe at a rate of about once per minute.
Get Me That, Stat!
Staying socially engaged in older age is known to be a good thing, improving both quality of life and extending it. A new study in BMJ Open followed 424 Brits for six years after they retired, keeping tabs on their social lives. It found that for every social club or church group they stopped attending, there was an associated 10 percent drop in their quality of life ratings after six years, compared to people still working.
Number Cruncher
A single container of Coffee-mate's Hazelnut creamer (15 grams or one tablespoon) contains 35 calories, 14 from fat. It has 1.5 grams of total fat or 2 percent of the recommended total fat intake for a 2,000-calorie daily diet, according to the website Calorie Count.
It also contains no cholesterol; 5 milligrams of sodium; 5 grams of total carbohydrates (2 percent) and 5 grams of sugar.
Counts
9: Average number of grams of salt consumed daily in China
3.5: Average number of grams consumed daily in United States
2.3: Recommended daily consumption of salt, in grams. Less is better.
Sources: UNICEF, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Stories for the Waiting Room
Last year, one in five American adults visited the ER at least once, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Most went because of the seriousness of their medical problem, but 7 percent went because they had nowhere else to go for medical care of any type.
Doc Talk
Sphenopalatine ganglioneuralgia: an "ice cream headache." It doesn't have to be ice cream, of course. The jolt of brief pain (often felt right between the eyes or behind the forehead) is caused by something cold in contact with the roof of the mouth or palate, triggering a nerve response and rapid constriction and swelling of blood vessels.
Never Say Diet
The Major League Eating record for salmon chowder is 2.4 gallons — or 23.4 pounds — in 6 minutes, held by Bob Shoudt. No jokes about how he was almost swimming in soup or the fact that the last minute was all upstream.
Hypochondriac's Guide
Aboulomania might also be described as pathological indecisiveness. Psychiatrists call it "paralysis of the will." Sufferers appear generally normal physically and mentally, except when asked to make seemingly simple life choices, such as whether to go for a walk or which breakfast cereal to eat, at which point they become frozen, unable to decide or act. The incapacity, say sufferers, arises from a need for 100 percent certainty.
Observation
"The biggest drawback to fasting for seven days is that it makes one weak."
—Unknown, possibly dead
Medical History
This week in 1867, the journal Lancet published a paper by Joseph Lister, the first of a series of articles describing his discovery of antiseptic surgery. Lister applied Louis Pasteur's idea that microorganisms causing gangrene might be controlled with chemical solutions. Since the use carbolic acid (phenol) was known as means of deodorizing sewage, Lister tried spraying a solution of it on surgical instruments, incisions and dressings. He found that these procedures substantially reduced the incidence of gangrene and other infections.
Med School
Q: What percentage of your waking hours, on average, is spent with your eyes closed?
A: Approximately 10 percent, due to blinking.
Curtain Calls
In 1974, A Venezuelan fisherman named Ramon Rivera Rodriguez was officially declared dead by local authorities. At an open-coffin ceremony, Rodriguez suddenly became conscious, realized he was in a coffin, and promptly suffered a fatal heart attack.
To find out more about Scott LaFee and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.
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