The Curious Clinicians

In this episode, The Curious Clinicians tell the unbelievable tale of Dr. Scott Smith, an anesthesiologist who in 1946 purposefully paralyzed himself. Read the show notes here. Click here to obtain AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ (1.00 hours), Non-Physician Attendance (1.00 hours), or ABIM MOC Part 2 (1.00 hours). Audio edited by Clair Morgan of nodderly.com.

The Curious Clinicians examine why cirrhosis predisposes to SBP, and why bacterial translocation across the bowel wall into ascites doesn't actually occur! Read the show notes here. Click here to obtain AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ (1.00 hours), Non-Physician Attendance (1.00 hours), or ABIM MOC Part 2 (1.00 hours). Audio edited by Clair Morgan of nodderly.com.

The Curious Clinicians examine why propofol can cause propofol-related infusion syndrome (PRIS). Read the show notes here. Click here to obtain AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ (1.00 hours), Non-Physician Attendance (1.00 hours), or ABIM MOC Part 2 (1.00 hours). Audio edited by Clair Morgan of Nodderly.com.

In their latest episode, The Curious Clinicians investigate why antiphospholipid antibodies can be falsely positive during acute illness or thrombosis. Read the show notes here. Click here to obtain AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ (1.00 hours), Non-Physician Attendance (1.00 hours), or ABIM MOC Part 2 (1.00 hours). Audio edited by Clair Morgan of Nodderly.com.

On this episode, The Curious Clinicians are joined by their first guest host, dermatologist extraordinaire Dr. Steven Chen! They inspect together why certain rashes have an acral distribution. Check out the show notes here. Click here to obtain AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ (1.00 hours), Non-Physician Attendance (1.00 hours), or ABIM MOC Part 2 (1.00 hours). Audio edited by Clair Morgan of Nodderly.com.

This week The Curious Clinicians discuss antibiotics and soap - why don't we use daptomycin to treat pneumonia? Check out the show notes here. Click here to obtain AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ (1.00 hours), Non-Physician Attendance (1.00 hours), or ABIM MOC Part 2 (1.00 hours). Audio edited by Clair Morgan of nodderly.com.

The Curious Clinicians examine why we use a bacterial vaccine (BCG, an attenuated form of mycobacterium bovis) to treat an unrelated malignancy (bladder cancer). Check out the show notes here. Click here to obtain AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ (1.00 hours), Non-Physician Attendance (1.00 hours), or ABIM MOC Part 2 (1.00 hours). Audio edited by Clair Morgan of Nodderly.com.

Tony joined Dr. Adam Rodman as a guest on the Bedside Rounds podcast. We are thrilled to share that episode here. How can we medically tell whether or not someone is alive or dead? The answer is more complicated than you'd think. This episode was a live podcast Adam and Tony gave at the Massachusetts Chapter of the American College of Physicians annual meeting on October 16, 2021. They track the evolution and controversies of the death exam, from a trans-Atlantic scandal surrounding a possible vivisection, a 19th century "X-prize" to determine a technology that could diagnose death, the important distinction between "permanent" and irreversible, and the mysterious Lazarus phenomenon. Link to episode page: http://bedside-rounds.org/episode-65-the-last-breath/

The Curious Clinicians examine why the nervous system is cross-wired, with each side of the brain controlling the opposite side of the body. Does that crossing serve a purpose? Check out the show notes here. Click here to obtain AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ (1.00 hours), Non-Physician Attendance (1.00 hours), or ABIM MOC Part 2 (1.00 hours). Audio edited by Clair Morgan of Nodderly.com.

In this episode, The Curious Clinicians examine whether tryptophan from turkey actually causes the infamous Thanksgiving food coma. Check out the episode's show notes here. Click here to obtain AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ (1.00 hours), Non-Physician Attendance (1.00 hours), or ABIM MOC Part 2 (1.00 hours). Audio edited by Clair Morgan of nodderly.com.

On this episode of the podcast, The Curious Clinicians examine why drinking alcohol can lead to significant polyuria, what some refer to as "breaking the seal". Check out the episode's show notes here. Click here to obtain AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ (1.00 hours), Non-Physician Attendance (1.00 hours), or ABIM MOC Part 2 (1.00 hours). Audio edited by Clair Morgan of nodderly.com.

The Curious Clinicians explore why chronic laxative use can cause melanosis coli. Check out the episode's show notes here. Click here to obtain AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ (1.00 hours), Non-Physician Attendance (1.00 hours), or ABIM MOC Part 2 (1.00 hours). Audio edited by Clair Morgan of nodderly.com

This week, The Curious Clinicians investigate the curious laterality of catamenial pneumothoraces. Why do they almost always arise on the right side of the chest? Check out the episode's show notes here. Don't forget to claim your CME/MOC credits, courtesy of VCU Health! Audio editing by Clair Morgan of Nodderly.com.

The Curious Clinicians head all the way back to June, 2020 and reboot episode 3, exploring why trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole can cause an isolated rise in creatinine. Check out the show notes here. Claim your CE/MOC credits here.

The Curious Clinicians examine why advanced systolic heart failure can induce the Cheyne-Stokes respiratory pattern. Check out the episode's show notes here. Don't forget to claim your CME/MOC credits, courtesy of VCU Health! Audio editing by Clair Morgan of Nodderly.com.

In this episode, The Curious Clinicians examine why the drug Carbidopa-Levodopa has the brand name Sinemet. They also discuss the origin stories of the names of several other commonly prescribed medications. Check out the episode's show notes here. Audio edited by Clair Morgan of nodderly.com *CME/MOC credits are not available for this episode.

On this episode the Curious Clinicians investigate why corticosteroids often cause blood eosinophil counts to drop so quickly and dramatically. Check out the show notes on our website. Don't forget to pick up your CME/MOC credits, courtesy of VCU Health! Sound editing by Nodderly.

The Curious Clinicians, led by Tony, investigate why nephrotic syndrome causes edema. Check out the show notes on our website. Don't forget to pick up your CME/MOC credits, courtesy of VCU Health! Sound editing by Nodderly.

In this episode The Curious Clinicians investigate why some people absolutely love cilantro while others taste soap if they try to eat it. Check out the show notes on our website. Don't forget to pick up your CME/MOC credits, courtesy of VCU Health! Sound editing by Nodderly.

In this episode The Curious Clinicians investigate why too much oxygen (aka hyperoxia) can be harmful. Check out the show notes on our website. Don't forget to pick up your CME/MOC credits, courtesy of VCU Health! Sound editing by Nodderly.

For the final episode in our Intern Questions series, The Curious Clinicians examine why urinary tract infections cause burning with urination. Check out the show notes on our website. Don't forget to pick up your CME/MOC credits, courtesy of VCU Health! Sound editing by Nodderly.

This week The Curious Clinicians examine why albuterol (and other beta agonists) can cause lactic acidosis. Check out the show notes on our website. Don't forget to pick up your CME/MOC credits, courtesy of VCUHealth! Sound editing by Nodderly.

Tony, Hannah and Avi are back at it with another cardiology-nephrology episode, this time examining why calcium "stabilizes" the cardiac membrane in hyperkalemia. For that matter, what does it even mean to stabilize a membrane? Check out the show notes on our website. Don't forget to pick up your CME/MOC credits, courtesy of VCU Health! Sound editing by Nodderly.

In this episode The Curious Clinicians investigate why furosemide can improve dyspnea in acute heart failure almost immediately, long before any diuresis occurs. Check out the show notes on our website. Don't forget to pick up your CME/MOC credits, courtesy of VCU Health! Sound editing by Nodderly.

On this episode Tony explores the benefits of fevers, including why even trees and bees mount fevers in response to infection. Check out the show notes on our website. Don't forget to pick up your CME/MOC credits, courtesy of VCU Health!

This episode is another installment in our Intern Question series, where Hannah examines why some patients feel short of breath specifically when bending over aka "bendopnea". You can read the show notes for this episode on our wbesite. Don't forget to pick up CME/MOC credits, courtesy of VCU Health!

The Curious Clinicians explore a theory about the prevalence of CFTR gene mutations and why cystic fibrosis carriers may have a selective advantage. You can read the show notes for this episode on our website. Check out Avi's tweetorial on this topic as well. Don't forget to pick up your CME/MOC credits, courtesy of VCU Health!

Hannah, Avi and Tony examine why we feel cold while febrile (shouldn't we feel hot?) and can develop shaking chills/rigors. The answer has implications for why rigors may be a more timely predictor of active bacteremia than fevers. You can read the show notes for this episode on our website. Don't forget to pick up your CME/MOC credits, courtesy of VCU Health!

Avi, Hannah, and Tony investigate why myocardial infarctions lead to ST elevations (and/or ST depressions) on EKG. The answers they found are mind-bending. You can read the show notes for this episode on our website. Don't forget to pick up your CME/MOC credits, courtesy of VCU Health!

This episode is another installment in our "Questions from Intern Year" series. Hannah explores whether disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) can itself be a source of shock. You can read the show notes for this episode on our website. Don't forget to pick up your CME/MOC credits, courtesy of VCU Health!

In this episode of The Curious Clinicians, Tony, Hannah and Avi learn about the mechanisms of thirst, why drinking liquids immediately quenches thirst, and why patients with primary polydipsia drink excessively. Remember to get your CME/MOC credit for listening to the episode. Check out the show notes for the episode at our website as well as Tony's original tweetorial. You can support the podcast and pick up sweet swag from our online store!

This is the second episode in a two-part series called "The Eyes Have It", where The Curious Clinicians explore questions related to the eye. In this episode Hannah, Avi, and Tony learn about why bilirubin deposits in the eye, as well as why the term "scleral icterus" is anatomically incorrect. Remember to pick CME/MOC credit just for listening to the episode! Check out the show notes for this episode. You can support the podcast and pick up sweet swag from our online store!

This is the first episode of a two-part series called "The Eyes Have It", where The Curious Clinicians explore questions related to the eye. In this episode Tony, Hannah, and Avi explore why Wilson disease can present with Kayser-Fleischer corneal rings. Remember to pick up CME/MOC credit just for listening to the episode! Check out the show notes for this episode and read Avi's tweetorial on this topic. You can support the podcast and pick up sweet swag from our online store!

Tony appeared as a guest on the Bedside Rounds podcast with Adam Rodman. Tony and Adam delve into race, racism, and the social determinants of health through three historic plagues in the United States — yellow fever in New Orleans, poliomyelitis, and the early days of HIV/AIDS — and explore what lessons we can learn for the current COVID-19 pandemic. This episode was recorded live at the annual meeting of the Massachusetts American College of Physicians. Check out the original Bedside Rounds post. Read Tony's tweetorial on Original Antigenic Sin as exemplified by dengue.

Learn about why cryptococcal meningitis can cause such severe elevations in intracranial pressure, while often causing only minimal inflammation. Don't forget, you can get CE/MOC credit just for listening! Check out the show notes for this episode and read Avi's tweetorial on this topic. You can support the podcast and pick up some sweet swag from our online store.

This is the next installment of our series on questions from intern year, with a question that came up on rounds. Hannah examines theories as to why septic pulmonary emboli often present in the periphery and bases of the lungs, while "bland" pulmonary do not. Don't forget to pick up your CE/MOC credits, courtesy of VCU Health! You can read the show notes for this episode and subscribe to our mailing list on our website. Support the podcast and pick up some sweet swag from our online store.

The Curious Clinicians plug-in to learn about why uremia interferes with platelet function and increases bleeding propensity. Don't forget, you can get CE/MOC credit just for listening! Check out the show notes for this episode here. And you can also read Tony's tweetorial on this topic here.

The Curious Clinicians are back at it, exploring why magnesium so effectively treats the arrythmia torsades de pointes. Hint: it's the same mechanism as magnesium's effects on bronchospasm in severe asthma and seizures in eclampsia! As always, you can get CE/MOC credits just for listening! To learn more, check out the show notes for this episode on our website. You can also read Avi's original tweetorial on torsades and magnesium here.

This is the first in a series where Hannah explores clinical questions that have arisen during her intern year. In this episode, The Curious Clinicians learn why acetaminophen toxicity can lead to an anion gap metabolic acidosis. Don't forget, you can obtain CE/MOC credits just for listening! To learn more, check out the show notes for this episode on our website.

Avi, Tony, and Hannah are back at it, investigating why metronidazole treats both bacterial and parasitic infections, why it's only effective against anaerobic organisms, and how this relates to the supposed disulfiram-like reaction. The episode opens with an important message from Dr. Mark Shapiro (host of the Explore The Space podcast) about VoteHealth 2020. Here are some links for obtaining CE/MOC credits just for listening to this episode and to read the show notes on our website. You can also check out Avi's original tweetorial on metronidazole and all of The Curious Clinician Podcast's other episodes.

Hannah, Tony, and Avi dig into the origins and mechanism of that most wondrous of flavors: umami. Show notes: https://curiousclinicians.com/?p=722 CE/MOC: https://vcu.cloud-cme.com/course/search?p=4000&curriculum=Curious%20Clinicians

The Curious Clinicians examine why coronary ischemia can present with dyspnea. Show notes: https://curiousclinicians.com/?p=888 CE/MOC: https://vcu.cloud-cme.com/course/search?p=4000&curriculum=Curious%20Clinicians

The Curious Clinicians dive into the history and physiologic effects of IV fluids and why saline is definitely not "normal". Show notes: https://curiousclinicians.com/?p=824 CE/MOC: https://vcu.cloud-cme.com/course/search?p=4000&curriculum=Curious%20Clinicians

Avi, Hannah, and Tony investigate why the antibiotic azithromycin has anti-inflammatory properties. Show notes: https://curiousclinicians.com/?p=741 CE/MOC: https://ce.vcuhealth.org/CuriousClinicians

Tony, Avi, and Hannah examine the mechanisms of contraction alkalosis as a result of diuretic use, as well as the roles of chloride and a protein that none of them had previously heard of: pendrin. Show notes: http://curiousclinicians.com/?p=788 CE/MOC: https://ce.vcuhealth.org/CuriousClinicians

Hannah, Tony, and Avi dive into the health and art of Vincent Van Gogh. Was he treated with digitalis? Was he "dig toxic" and did this influence his color palette? Show notes: https://curiousclinicians.com/?p=311 CE/MOC: https://vcu.cloud-cme.com/default.aspx?p=4000&curriculum=Curious%20Clinicians

On this episode of the The Curious Clinicians, Tony, Avi, and Hannah explore why trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole can cause an isolated rise in creatinine. Show notes: http://curiousclinicians.com/?p=561 CE/MOC: https://ce.vcuhealth.org/CuriousClinicians

Hannah, Avi, and Tony break down why cancer leads to a hypercoagulable state, recalling the story of Armand Trousseau and exploring the roles of tissue factor and evading the immune system. Show notes: https://curiousclinicians.com/?p=304 CE/MOC: https://vcu.cloud-cme.com/default.aspx?P=0&EID=18166

Do you miss digging into the "why" behind what we do every day in medicine? Join Hannah, Tony, and Avi in The Curious Clinicians podcast as they delve into "why", starting with episode 1: Why does fingernail clubbing happen in so many different diseases? Show notes: https://curiousclinicians.com/?p=481 CE/MOC: https://ce.vcuhealth.org/CuriousClinicians

In this preview of The Curious Clinicians, we provide an introduction to the podcast and a sneak peak at Episode 1! The full episode will be released June 3rd.