Ever heard of Chinese Restaurant Syndrome? Updated

From a letter in the 1968 NEJM:

Ever heard of Chinese Restaurant Syndrome? http://t.co/VO7pvItjDF Anyone know if he ever got an answer? pic.twitter.com/zdgBIagW72
— Joel Topf (@kidney_boy) October 9, 2014

In a world full of weird coincidences, just days after that tweet, Ira Flatow from Science Friday fame covered Chinese Food Syndrome:

Omg! Science Friday with Ira Flato just referenced Chinese Food Syndrome and that letter from 1968. Weird. http://t.co/oOmvsXnN4Z
— Joel Topf (@kidney_boy) October 10, 2014

Questioning Medicine, sweet podcast.

This morning I received this tweet:

https://t.co/CKcoDOQAE4 @kidney_boy most recent podcast we find a way to make u rich @ 2:45 pic.twitter.com/6eyVJHXmGn
— Andrew Buelt DO (@AndrewBuelt) October 3, 2014

Somehow it reminded me of an email I once received from Nigeria:

REQUEST FOR URGENT BUSINESS RELATIONSHIP 

FIRST, I MUST SOLICIT YOUR STRICTEST CONFIDENCE IN THIS TRANSACTION. THIS IS BY VIRTUE OF ITS NATURE AS BEING UTTERLY CONFIDENTIAL AND ‘TOP SECRET’. I AM SURE AND HAVE CONFIDENCE OF YOUR ABILITY AND RELIABILITY TO PROSECUTE A TRANSACTION OF THIS GREAT MAGNITUDE INVOLVING A PENDING TRANSACTION REQUIRING MAXIIMUM CONFIDENCE. 

WE ARE TOP OFFICIAL OF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT CONTRACT REVIEW PANEL WHO ARE INTERESTED IN IMPORATION OF GOODS INTO OUR COUNTRY WITH FUNDS WHICH ARE PRESENTLY TRAPPED IN NIGERIA. IN ORDER TO COMMENCE THIS BUSINESS WE SOLICIT YOUR ASSISTANCE TO ENABLE US TRANSFER INTO YOUR ACCOUNT THE SAID TRAPPED FUNDS. 

THE SOURCE OF THIS FUND IS AS FOLLOWS; DURING THE LAST MILITARY REGIME HERE IN NIGERIA, THE GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS SET UP COMPANIES AND AWARDED THEMSELVES CONTRACTS WHICH WERE GROSSLY OVER-INVOICED IN VARIOUS MINISTRIES. THE PRESENT CIVILIAN GOVERNMENT SET UP A CONTRACT REVIEW PANEL AND WE HAVE IDENTIFIED A LOT OF INFLATED CONTRACT FUNDS WHICH ARE PRESENTLY FLOATING IN THE CENTRAL BANK OF NIGERIA READY FOR PAYMENT. 

So I hid my checkbook before I went and checked out the podcast. No worries, they never asked me to send any money to complete the download or authorize my listening. It was just a great medical podcast. The two hosts have excellent chemistry and the discussion was astute and evidence based. I highly recommend it.

You can find Questioning Medicine in iTunes.

Kidney Transplant Report Cards are Out

The Information from the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients (SRTR) publish transplant statistics for every transplant center. 7/2/12 – 6/30/13

Here are the results from Michigan. St John’s is doing a great job!