Internet Dysplasia

For anyone who needs a pulmonary textbook for their library, InterMune is giving away free copies of the Practical Pulmonary Pathology textbook (by Leslie & Wick). The link is: http://www.fightipf.com/physicians/textbook_order_form.html

It's not over til it's over. Dont forget to vote!

Every week we take turns presenting interesting cases at a conference we lovingly call "Bluebox". Last week was my turn. I talked about Wilm's tumor and some guidelines for grossing as well as microscopic evaluation. It is still a work in progress, but I found a great website called Scribd , where you can show off your work in a web-friendly way, while protecting it somewhat from total plagarism. Wilms Tumor overview - Upload a Document to Scribd

I have seen posters around the department notifying us of the dates the interviewees will be here and reception times. How exciting! Hopefully some of the people that have done rotations here will be a part of those groups. Some tips from the experts: After the interview - Upload a Document to Scribd

Dermatopathology is a terribly interesting field. I'm not sure if I want to commit to being an expert in this field however. Although, it probably is one of the higher paying subspecialties. Anyway, during this month I have been learning from the best and have encountered some great phrases along the way. The Shaggy Dog - A case that never ends (due to recuts, slides, consults, whatever..) Which goes along with the usual definition of the term which can be used to describe a story that goes on an on with an anticlimactic end. The Dog Poop - Termed to describe sneaky melanocytes in the basal layer which demonstrate cytologic atypia and raise the concern for melanoma. Basically it's like dog poop in the grass - you don't notice it until you've stepped in it. Any other great terms to share?

I just read on CNN.com the other day the story of a little 2-year-old boy with a massive Wilm's tumo r (approximately 5 kilograms). Sponsored by the Ray Tye Medical Aid Foundation , his parents took him to Jordan to have the surgery. The media declared it a success and left it at that. The pictures show a small boy with a massively distended abdomen. The skin surface shows venous congestion, caput medusae? or striae? Imagining the size of that thing, he must be having trouble breathing, let alone walking or eating or anything else. Now that it is "out", what are the risks of recurrence in this young lad? What are the prognostic factors in Wilm's tumor? Wilms tumor is the most common primary malignant renal tumor of childhood. The North American approach is to resect the untreated primary tumor then give chemotherapy based on the pathologic analysis. The European approach is to give preoperative chemo, resect, then provide post op chemotherapy. The first cons...

One of the laboratory assistants was sick two weeks ago. Among all the other things, her job includes helping make the slide labels. Next to get sick were the histotechs, they make the slides and give them to us. Guess who got sick next? Yours truly - previewer of slides, and my co-resident. Washing my hands constantly to no avail, the attending was next on the list. :( sorry? It wasnt my fault...