Heme Review

Chubbyemu

The official podcast of Chubbyemu. Heme Review is a podcast about case reports in medicine. Each episode will tell a patient’s story, while teaching about the pathogenesis of disease, the treatment modalities and the dilemmas that arise during their care.

  • 25 minutes 26 seconds
    The Physiology of RFK Jr.'s Blue Dye

    Collaborator: Dr Katherine JohnsIf you don't need to put it in your body, don't put it in your body.These cases are patients who I, or my colleagues have seen. They are de-identified and many instances have been presented in more depth in an academic setting. These videos are not individual medical advice and are for general educational purposes only. I do not give medical advice over the internet.References:A family cluster of nitrite poisoning, Suzhou City, 2013. Western Pac Surveill Response J. 2013 Jul 30;4(3):33-6. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3854094/Human safety controversies surrounding nitrate and nitrite in the diet. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22487433/A mitochondrial superoxide theory for oxidative stress diseases and aging. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4306659/Proposed mechanism of nitrite-induced methemoglobinemia. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15892615/Methylene Blue. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK557593/Methemoglobinemia. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK537317/Methylene Blue in Goldfrank's ToxicologyPriapism. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK459178/Methylene blue as a means of treatment for priapism caused by intracavernous injection to combat erectile dysfunction. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15198160/Pharmacologically-induced Recreational Priapism: Case Report and Review. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7676772/PharmGKB summary very important pharmacogene information for G6PD. https://journals.lww.com/jpharmacogenetics/citation/2012/03000/pharmgkb_summary__very_important_pharmacogene.8.aspxThe Methylene Blue Baby. N Engl J Med 1989;320:1756-1757. Methylene blue as an antidote for poisoning. J Lab Clin Med. 1933;19:166–71.Methylene blue for distributive shock: a potential new use of an old antidote. J Med Toxicol. 2013;9:242–9.A review of methylene blue treatment for cardiovascular collapse. J Emerg Med. 2014;46:670–9.The role of monoamine oxidase inhibitors in depression treatment guidelines. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22951237/FDA to Revoke Authorization for the Use of Red No. 3 in Food and Ingested Drugs. https://www.fda.gov/food/hfp-constituent-updates/fda-revoke-authorization-use-red-no-3-food-and-ingested-drugsMethylene Blue in the Treatment of Poisonings Associated with Methemoglobinemia. https://www.nejm.org/doi/abs/10.1056/NEJM193306012082205Lawmakers Press Amazon on Sales of Chemical. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/04/technology/amazon-suicide-poison-preservative.html

    1 August 2025, 8:28 pm
  • 22 minutes 42 seconds
    Syphilis Is Changing Like We've Never Seen... In Seattle

    Original Report: https://www.nejm.org/doi/abs/10.1056/NEJMc2500231


    References:Syphilis – Its early history and Treatment until Penicillin and the Debate on its Origins. https://jmvh.org/article/syphilis-its-early-history-and-treatment-until-penicillin-and-the-debate-on-its-origins/Establishment of the Nichols strain as the type strain of Treponema pallidum. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11868658/In vitro assay to demonstrate high-level erythromycin resistance of a clinical isolate of Treponema pallidum.. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC172128/Phylogenetic and genetic characterization of Treponema pallidum strains from syphilis patients in Japan by whole-genome sequence analysis from global perspectives. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7862685/ Global phylogeny of Treponema pallidum lineages reveals recent expansion and spread of contemporary syphilis. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8612932/Near-Universal Resistance to Macrolides of Treponema pallidum in North America. https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMc2314441

    19 May 2025, 9:08 pm
  • 16 minutes 25 seconds
    Dark Web Cyanide Ruined His Life

    Chubbyemu video: https://open.spotify.com/episode/5BXEnVu8h0UWvlfmkwy3Xv?si=1XFT34Q9Q06okvMB2UgNKg


    Selected References:

    Intravenous mushroom poisoning. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/4025991/


    The inhibition of mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase by the gases carbon monoxide, nitric oxide, hydrogen cyanide and hydrogen sulfide: chemical mechanism and physiological significance. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18839291/


    Clinical toxicology of cyanide. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/3526995/


    Probing the oxygen binding site of cytochrome c oxidase by cyanide. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/7929065/


    Colchicine Gout Approval 2009 https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cder/daf/index.cfm?event=overview.process&ApplNo=022351


    7 April 2025, 9:27 pm
  • 21 minutes 2 seconds
    It Was Growing For 25 Years And It Ruined His Life

    Chubbyemu is on Spotify now!

    Chubbyemu Licorice Video: https://open.spotify.com/episode/77z8mZGbmBI4E2JtA8GXsh?si=k_qV_IkrQiqTGpn8EXK61Q


    References:

    A bradykinin-potentiating factor (bpf) present in the venom of bothrops jararaca. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC1704050/


    UpToDate, Choice of drug therapy in primary (essential) hypertension.


    Primary Hyperaldosteronism. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK539779/

    NEJM Case 24-1992.

    29 March 2025, 4:00 pm
  • 1 hour 10 minutes
    The More Data You Have, The Further You Are From The Truth- Big Data Paradox in Medicine

    Dr Pavlos Msaouel: https://faculty.mdanderson.org/profiles/pavlos_msaouel.html 0:00 Pretext and context MD Anderson Cancer Center 1:42 The Early Experiences That Shaped Dr Msaouel 3:39 The System of Cancer Research In the United States 5:25 FDA Drug Approvals and Special Designations For Oncology 11:09 A trade-off in our current system 12:35 Whoops 😞 I misspoke 14:35 Randomized trials are not supposed to be representative of a population 18:10 Inference for the treatment of Katie Coleman (metastatic oncocytoma) 25:12 It is much more valuable to refute hypotheses than to confirm them 28:05 All Models Are Wrong, But Some Are Useful 30:05 Recasting the Bias-Variance Trade-off as the Patient Relevance-Robustness Trade-off 33:38 High Relevance, Low Robustness: Subjective Bayes 34:46 High Robustness, Low Relevance: Pure Randomization 41:47 Signal To Noise Ratio 45:49 The Big Data Paradox 53:41 How the Big Data Paradox fits in with Katie Coleman's case 54:33 How the Big Data Paradox fits in with other branches of medicine 57:54 How do we rectify subjectivity in The Truth? 01:00:43 How do we address the problems introduced by the Big Data Paradox? 01:04:21 Duality in nature and a Twitter argument re: the Evidence-Based Deep Medicine Iceberg 01:07:03 Why the ideas coming from MD Anderson are coming from MD Anderson 01:09:39 Where you can find Dr Msaouel Dr Msaouel: https://twitter.com/PavlosMsaouel Heme Review: https://twitter.com/HemeReview

    Produced by ⁠ @chubbyemu ⁠ Production Assistant: Nick Brown Secret channel:  @BigEmus  Cancer Patient Speaks With Her Oncologist ► https://youtu.be/Nddft_nc3Yc A Woman Had A Headache Lasting 3 Days (Katie's case) ► https://www.youtu.be/i9fLEvgZzRE References: Stephen Senn. Statistical Issues in Drug Development. Why representativeness should be avoided. https://academic.oup.com/ije/article/42/4/1012/656034 Commentary: Representativeness is usually not necessary and often should be avoided. https://academic.oup.com/ije/article/42/4/1018/658638 Impervious to Randomness: Confounding and Selection Biases in Randomized Clinical Trials. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/07357907.2021.1974030 A Causal Framework for Making Individualized Treatment Decisions in Oncology. https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6694/14/16/3923 Causal Diagram Techniques for Urologic Oncology Research. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1558767320301932 Causal inference and the data-fusion problem. https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.1510507113 Causal Inference: What If. Miguel A Hernán and James M. Robins. https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/miguel-hernan/wp-content/uploads/sites/1268/2023/04/hernanrobins_WhatIf_31mar23.pdf There is Individualized Treatment. Why Not Individualized Inference? https://arxiv.org/abs/1510.08539 Unrepresentative big surveys significantly overestimated US vaccine uptake. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-021-04198-4 Unrepresentative Big Surveys Significantly Overestimate US Uptake https://arxiv.org/pdf/2106.05818.pdf Statistical Modeling: The Three Cultures. https://hdsr.mitpress.mit.edu/pub/uo4hjcx6/release/1 How “centaur AI” will radically reshape the future of healthcare. https://bigthink.com/health/how-centaur-ai-will-radically-reshape-the-future-of-healthcare/

    16 May 2023, 2:00 pm
  • 12 minutes 13 seconds
    The Weird Time When Energy Drinks Fixed My Insomnia

    Mug is here 😳 ► https://crowdmade.com/collections/chubbyemu

     @chubbyemu  energy drink video ► https://youtu.be/tAtaIZD0Ebs

    A Student Ate Only Chips And Fries For 10 Years ► https://youtu.be/VINtwoyaF_8

    A Mom Ate 5 Day Old Sushi 🍣 ► https://youtu.be/R0d6Dpx2li4

    Vitamin B12 deficiency can cause neurologic problems. It's stored in the liver and isn't made in humans. It needs to be sourced via diet.

    9 January 2023, 9:00 pm
  • 11 minutes
    Venomous Spider Bite

    @chubbyemu  video: https://youtu.be/xtVvtsPgfew

    Heme Review Podcast: https://anchor.fm/chubbyemu

    Behind the scenes channel:  @BigEmus 

    Music by  @Lifeformed  ► https://lifeformed.bandcamp.com

    All Heme Review videos (playlist) ► https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLAHeV2H_YiGUYhHOF4wRMCuqBIJvrnWqS

    Daddy Longlegs by Vengolis

    Loxosceles gaucho by Halies

    Some images by Getty Images

    References:

    CMS Malaque, RS Vetter, M Entres. Loxosceles spiders. Critical Care toxicology. https://link.springer.com/referenceworkentry/10.1007/978-3-319-17900-1_119

    Myth: Idiopathic wounds are often due to brown recluse or other spider bites throughout the United States https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1071166/

    Correspondance: Bites of the Brown Recluse Spider. https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/nejm200505123521922

    Spider Bites: Part 1. https://lacerationrepair.com/wound-blog/spider-bites/

    Brown Recluse Pest Management Tips for The Spider That's Not As Common As You Think. https://entomologytoday.org/2018/01/29/brown-recluse-pest-management-tips-for-the-spider-thats-not-as-common-as-you-think/brown-recluse-range-map/

    The Chilean Recluse. https://www.fdacs.gov/content/download/68159/file/Pest_Alert_-_Loxosceles_laeta,_The_Chilean_Recluse.pdf

    Brown recluse spider (Loxosceles reclusa) envenomation leading to acute hemolytic anemia in six adolescents. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4902007/

    Acute kidney injury and dermonecrosis after Loxosceles reclusa envenomation. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4119339/

    Bites of Brown Recluse Spiders and Suspected Necrotic Arachnidism. https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMra041184

    26 December 2022, 4:00 pm
  • 13 minutes 39 seconds
    I Abruptly Stopped Drinking Caffeine and This Happened

    Caffeine Dry Scoop: https://youtu.be/sylqJ0NEVJw

    Happened while filming this video: https://youtu.be/LKNfFm0QDXQ

    Music by Lifeformed: https://lifeformed.bandcamp.com

    References:

    The Signaling Pathways Involved in the Anticonvulsive Effects of the Adenosine A1 Receptor. https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/22/1/320

    Caffeine Withdrawal. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK430790/

    A critical review of caffeine withdrawal: empirical validation of symptoms and signs, incidence, severity, and associated features. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15448977/

    Caffeine (1, 3, 7-trimethylxanthine) in foods: a comprehensive review on consumption, functionality, safety, and regulatory matters. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20492310/

    Coffee, CYP1A2 genotype, and risk of myocardial infarction. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16522833/

    20 December 2022, 6:02 pm
  • 20 minutes 51 seconds
    The Boy Who Rubbed A Whole Tube Of BenGay In-between His Legs

    In 2015, a boy rubbed an entire tube of minty pain relief cream in-between his legs, and it caused his organs to shut down. Majority of modern men I believe are familiar with this action-- you may have accidentally applied it to the area yourself, or to the eyes, where it will hurt for a time that feels like an eternity.

    Chubbyemu video: https://open.spotify.com/episode/2ul5F6qQn8KoHlqfFFsXDz?si=u72E79cMSGaaSQIlaDEWEw

    Boy Drinking his mom's essential oils: https://open.spotify.com/episode/4dmWDzHXAElQbsRuxN9roQ?si=LOXnN_FpTleDu83whkkJDQ

    References:

    Salicylate Toxicity from Exposure to a Methylsalicylate-Containing Rubefacient. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4786239/

    Regional variation in percutaneous penetration of 14C cortisol in man. https://www.jidonline.org/article/S0022-202X(15)47268-9/pdf

    Anatomy and physiology of chronic s pain https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5503924/

    Ketone bodies: a review of physiology, pathophysiology and application of monitoring to diabetes. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10634967/

    ISPAD Clinical Practice Consensus Guidelines 2018: DKA and the hyperglycemic hyperosmolar state. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29900641/

    Guidance Document: Management Priorities in Salicylate Toxicity.  https://www.acmt.net/_Library/Position_Drafts/Management_Priorities_in_Salicylate_Toxicity_APPROVED_03_13_13.pdf

    Tox and Hound – Unconscious Uncoupling – Managing pH in Salicylate Overdoses. https://toxandhound.com/toxhound/phinasa/

    Salicylates. Goldfrank, Lewis R, and Neal Flomenbaum. Goldfrank's Toxicologic Emergencies. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2006.

    Unconscious Uncoupling – Managing pH in Salicylate. Tox and Hound. https://toxandhound.com/toxhound/phinasa/

    Counterproductive effects of sodium bicarbonate in DKA. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8550770/

    Peptic ulcer disease and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5478398

    Role of the mitochondrial permeability transition in salicylate toxicity to cultured rat hepatocytes: implications for the pathogenesis of Reye’s syndrome. Toxicol Appl Pharmacol. 1997;147:431–41. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9439738/

    Aspirin, acetaminophen and proton transport through phospholipid bilayers and mitochondrial membranes. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/1334228/


    13 May 2022, 12:00 pm
  • 18 minutes 25 seconds
    A Woman Ate 23 Bananas After Fasting 7 Days And Had Refeeding Syndrome

    Fasting can be an effective tool for weight loss. However if used inappropriately, can result in some not good situations. The patient's situation in this case isn't quite like the intermittent fasting schedules that are popular today.

    Chubbyemu video: https://open.spotify.com/episode/7zeoihTgEj0pEWIkRvDKIt?si=8YBaRCtkT1m6j9aJZeen2A

    Music by Lifeformed

    Tweet me: https://twitter.com/hemereview

    IG me: https://instagram.com/hemereview

    References:

    Mechanism of hypokalemia in magnesium deficiency. Huang CL, Kuo E. J Am Soc Nephrol. 2007;18:2649–2652. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17804670/

    Hypophosphatemia and Rhabdomyolysis https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC371889/

    A Case of Hemodynamically Unstable Sick Sinus Syndrome Secondary to Refeeding Syndrome https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8148626

    Review of the Refeeding Syndrome. January 2006 Nutrition in Clinical Practice 20(6):625-33. 

    EMCrit Refeeding Syndrome https://emcrit.org/ibcc/refeeding/

    Refeeding syndrome: what it is, and how to prevent and treat it. BMJ. 2008 Jun 28; 336(7659): 1495–1498. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2440847/

    25 April 2022, 4:00 pm
  • 19 minutes 53 seconds
    The Student Who Ate 5-Day Old Pasta And His Liver Shut Down

    Video version of this podcast: https://youtu.be/bq1kwlGhPyE

    Original Chubbyemu video: https://youtu.be/5ujTYLV2Qo4

    Tweet me: https://twitter.com/hemereview

    IG me: https://instagram.com/hemereview


    Music by Lifeformed


    References:

    Fulminant Liver Failure in Association with the Emetic Toxin of Bacillus cereus. https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJM199704173361604

    Sudden Death of a Young Adult Associated with Bacillus cereus Food Poisoning. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3232990/

    Acute Liver Failure after Ingestion of Fried Rice Balls: A Case Series of Bacillus cereus Food Poisonings. https://doi.org/10.3390/toxins14010012

    Fatal Family Outbreak of Bacillus cereus-Associated Food Poisoning. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1233987/

    Bacillus cereus and its food poisoning toxins. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9435100/

    Liver Zonation – Revisiting Old Questions With New Technologies. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphys.2021.732929/full

    Bacillus cereus food poisoning. https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJM197801192980306

    Tox and Hound: D and Toxin-Induced Hepatic Microvesicular Steatosis https://toxandhound.com/toxhound/ff-microvesicular-steatosis/

    ENCEPHALOPATHY AND FATTY DEGENERATION OF THE VISCERA. A DISEASE ENTITY IN CHILDHOOD. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/14055046/

    Whatever happened to Reye’s syndrome? Did it ever really exist? https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10470768/

    Regulation of the structure and activity of pyruvate carboxylase by acetyl CoA. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22120519/

    Prevalence of Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease Among Adults in the United States, 2001-2016. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31063562/

    Goldfrank's Toxicologic Emergencies 11th ed.

    18 April 2022, 7:59 pm
  • More Episodes? Get the App