Top medicine articles for January 2015

A collection of some interesting medical articles published recently:

Nearly half of high school students had ever tried tobacco in 2013, and nearly a quarter were current users http://buff.ly/1xw5dCe

Every Kiss Begins With 80 Million Germs – study published in journal Microbiome. Kissing is a courtship behavior unique to humans and is common in over 90% of known cultures http://buff.ly/1qoEsxy

Generic Versions of ADHD Drug Concerta Not Therapeutically Equivalent - FDA http://buff.ly/1qNSCCU

Colors used in tattoo ink need to be absolutely water-insoluble. That alone makes them a health risk. Only two thirds of the ink used in a tattoo stays in the skin. The other one third spreads through the body. "Tattoo ink migrates into the blood, lymph nodes, organs. Nobody knows where exactly or what happens with it." Red tattoo pigment 22 may decompose in sunlight. The resulting compounds are toxic and can cause cancer. Phthalocyanines make blue or green tattoos, contain metals such nickel, which can cause contact dermatitis. 25% of Americans have tattoos. However, "Tattoo colors are not really safe at the moment", say experts http://buff.ly/1vto5ld

Three tropical diseases—dengue, chagas, and chikungunya—may establish U.S. footholds. Chagas disease spreads in a particularly "disgusting" way: by kissing bugs that bite people's faces at night. Chagas affects approximately 300,000 people in the U.S., though other estimates run as high as one million. Chikungunya virus: "What happens is that people come back from the Caribbean to Florida with virus in their blood". There's no treatment for chikungunya, and no vaccine, though researchers are working on that. http://buff.ly/1pcekVS

How Medical Care Is Being Corrupted - NYT: the power belongs to the insurers and regulators that control payment http://buff.ly/11ARjB3

80% of surgeons play music in the OR. Why surgeons avoid listening to Red Hot Chili Peppers in operations - Telegraph http://buff.ly/1DuHeHi

For a 7-Minute Workout, Try NYTimes New App http://buff.ly/1yQpTAD

"Men who like spicier food are 'alpha males' with higher levels of testosterone" http://buff.ly/1zWrFEr - Study brings more questions than answers.

A New Nephrologic Syndrome: Acute Fellowship Insufficiency – http://buff.ly/1DC3OxA

Disorders of Plasma Sodium — Causes, Consequences, and Correction — NEJM review http://buff.ly/1BdBcaC

International Health Care Systems - interactive graphic from NEJM http://buff.ly/1BqSBdL

The enigmatic illness and death of Constance, wife of Oscar Wilde - The Lancet http://buff.ly/1xmwUwn

The articles were selected from Twitter and my RSS subscriptions. Please feel free to send suggestions for articles to clinicalcases AT gmail.com and you will receive acknowledgement in the next edition of this publication.