Archive for the Category ◊ Rant ◊

21 Nov 2007 House – You Don’t Want To Know
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Well, I’ve not seen it yet, but House has it wrong. On the episode “You Don’t Want To Know” broadcast November 20, 2007, a patient has an unexplained illness that the team is trying to discover. Go figure. The patient was transfused with type AB blood (pos or neg doesn’t matter in this instance). They first thought it was some sort of bacterial contamination (Pseudomonas, which can’t survive refrigerator temperatures). House plays the guinea pig and is transfused with a unit from the same donor (how they would have received more than one unit from the same donor is beyond me. Not impossible, but not probable). He has a febrile reaction to the transfused, so they assume that the bacterial infection is the cause (Yesenia entercolictica is more likely). House dismisses his reaction as just a mild transfusion reaction, someone drugs him, etc, etc. Anyways. It is found out later that the patient is actually type A blood, not type AB. Transfusing him with type AB blood would cause a serious transfusion reaction (DIC, renal failure, etc) as did happen in this patient. BUT then they start explaining blood groups and how they work. Here are a few things they say about the blood grouping and typing and what is wrong with these statements:

  • Statement: The patient’s blood was not typed before being transfused
    Truth: FALSE -the blood bank performs typing on all patients before transfusion to ensure that they are receiving the correct type of blood.
  • Statement: The patient’s blood is only tested for antibodies
    Truth: FALSE – a type and screen involves typing the blood’s antigens and testing for antibodies, including unexpected antibodies (forward – antigens, and reverse – antibodies). So I guess, YES, he was tested for antibodies, but there would have been a discrepancy in the forward/reverse typing.
    Group/Patient Forward (Antigen) Reverse (Antibodies)
    A B A1 cells B cells
    A + - - +
    B - + + -
    AB + + - -
    O - - + +
    Patient 1 + + - +
    Patient 2 + - + +

    The forward typing tests for the antigens present on the red cells. In a group A individual, the A is positive. The reverse testing tests for antibodies. In a group a individual, group B antibodies are made. A group AB individual has no antibodies, and a group O individual has both A and B antibodies.

    In patient 1 , the patient forward types as a group AB and reverses as group A. This is known as “Acquired B” and can be caused by certain bacteria present in the patient. In patient 2 (Pt2), the patient forward types as group A and reverses as group O. Patient 2 seems to be the likely scenario that is explained in House (if they have their antibodies/antigens mixed up), because the patient has an antibody to a blood group he doesn’t have. If there was a discrepancy, and it was an emergency, then they would have transfused him with type O neg blood (no antigens, so no problems).

    I am unsure that house was talking about when he talks about antibodies and antigens, but he has it wrong. Now, Patient 2 scenario also makes sense if the person were group A2, not A1. Most group A people are group A1. They have both group A1 and A on their RBCs. Group A2 people only have group A on their cells and, if presented with group A1 blood previously, could make anti-A1, thus reacting with the A1 cells and causing an apparent discrepancy in the typing. Retyping with A2 cells would then show a group A2 individual.

  • Statement: House talks about his ‘natural antibody type A’ and the one extra ‘type B antibody’ he makes
    Truth: If he made type A antibody, he would be group B (A ab –> B ag). If he made both, he’d be a group O. If he made neither, he’d be group AB. Here, House is likely talking about the Antigens (ag) on the RBCs, not the Antibodies (ab), which makes him likely an acquired B if he reverse typed as group A.

House and his colleagues make some other comments about only testing for antibodies you make, not the type of blood. This is not true. The body could be making the extra antibody because of type A2 blood, not an autoimmune disorder as House explains it away as. Anyways. I am in blood banking this week, so I have blood banking on the brain and this story bothered me. Are the writers getting stupid? I’ve never seen this glaring of an error on House before. A little stretched truth, yes, but no errors. This is more of a CSI level mistake. That’s enough for now.

22 Sep 2007 I hope this wasn’t me
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Comment from the most recent Customer Experience Survey at Gap:

“I went the counter to make my purchase, ther was no hello, or did you find everything ok… nothing. the cashier– who was a grown adult didn’t speak a word, it was very awkward. his name was david and he looked miserable and pissed off. which by the way i could careless about. he didnt say hi. offer me to open up gap cc account.. and i wouldve. he didnt even announce my total… i just seen it on ccdisplay screen.. then h barely mumbles ‘thanks’. are you kidding me. why is this loser so pathetic? if he hates his job i suggest he get another one, instead if treating paying customers rudely. i was never greeted or offered help in you store at all. i was in your store for approximately 20-30 min! what a shame (Store: Kids Date: 08/25/07 Day: Saturday Gender: Female)”

These comments are verbatim, so the spelling and grammar are what it says. My manager tells me it was the other David….who doesn’t normally work on Saturday’s. I wish I knew who did it…

20 Aug 2007 9/11 is coming, bring on the conspiracy theories
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It must be getting close to September 11th, because the shows on TV have shifted to the numerous documentaries on 9/11. Usually I hate watching these because they’re so one sided. They only show what ‘really’ happened, but don’t tell both sides. I’ve watched several of the Internet documentaries, including Loose Change. I tend to believe or at least agree with what mainstream media and the government have to say about what occurred. Although I do find some of the conspiracy theories interesting, I find them just that, conspiracy theories that are usually easily proven to be UNTRUE.

One of the best REAL documentaries I’ve seen so far is “9/11 Conspiracies – Fact or Fiction” on the History Channel. This show did a great job of debunking or at least refuting some of the claims of the conspiracy theorists by showing the theories, and then refuting them with actual expert analysis. I say ACTUAL expert analysis instead of going using some guy who used to do construction in some city somewhere who said that it looked like a controlled demolition. I liked one statement in particular where an investigative journalist said that as an investigative journalist, they put together all of the pieces and connect the dots, whereas some of these so-called journalists that put out movies (“Loose Change”) they don’t connect the dots, they just spread gossip by saying a completely false statement and then saying “…you decide.”

What I liked about this documentary is that it showed actual clips from films like “Loose Change” and then had real experts and people who were there and whose sound bytes were used as the context for most of these conspiracy theories telling us that they were profoundly not true. I find it repulsive that some of these conspiracy theorists prey on people who mourn the people who died. To say that the government actually kept a secret and did something like blowing up and killing its own citizens is ludicrous. It is insulting to my intelligence that they would say that. The worst I’ve seen is the idiotic ‘journalists’ from Loose Change ON September 11, 2006 at Ground Zero arguing with FDNY and others about how they need to “Ask Questions, Demand Answers” about what REALLY happened. Most people, I believe, are content with the fact that their family member, loved one, friend died in the collapse of one of the towers or in one of the planes that were used as weapons that day. I’m sure that THEY (those mourning) find it insulting that idiots that are searching for ‘answers’ by coming to a memorial on a day of remembrance and saying that their family, friends, loved ones were in on the conspiracy and didn’t do anything about it.

Sorry conspiracy theorists, I just don’t believe you. I’ve watched, but everything you say, although sensational, is very easily debunked. Where’s the MythBusters when you need them to build a full scale model to prove what happened and show that these ideas are not even ‘plausible’ or ‘confirmed’ but flat out BUSTED!

08 Aug 2007 “Hemoglobin are red blood cells…”
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So there’s this new show on TLC called Mystery Diagnosis. One of the stories was about necrotizing fascitis, caused by “Beta Hemolytic Streptococcus”. They state that it can grow pretty much anywhere and can live on many surfaces in the house and in many sites in the body, which is true. But the way they talked about, they talked about the STRAIN of Group A Beta Strep that causes it. Group A Beta Strep is sometimes normal flora (normally lives in the body) and it also the kind of strep that causes strep throat. Not ALL Group A Beta strep causes necrotizing fascitis. Thank you TLC.

THEN, as if that wasn’t misinforming enough, the next story is about a boy who started developing nose bleeds. They did some blood tests, and they found that he had an elevated red blood cell (RBC) count which usually, and in this case it did, correspond to an elevated hemoglobin. Then the announcer stated that “Hemoglobin are red blood cells that carry oxygen throughout the body.” WOW. How did they manage that little bit of lovely information???? Who’s their technical consult? ‘Cause whoever they are, they ethoSUXamide. Just for reference, red blood cells CONTAIN hemoglobin, which carries oxygen throughout the body. There. It turns out, the kid has Hereditary Hemorrhagic Telangiectasia, which causes abnormal capillaries, where blood can bypass the lungs and does not get oxygenated, causing the erythrocytosis (increased RBCs).

Thanks again TLC. Great show, too bad you don’t get your facts right sometimes.

12 Jun 2007 how do you spell frustration?
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I am frustrated at the apparent dissatisfaction that my so-called friends have with me. I thought that going through three semesters of classes together would create a friendship or at least a tolerance for one another that would last into the working world, but I seem to be sadly mistaken. I don’t know what I did to make them feel belittled, because that’s the only thing I can come up with, but I can’t figure out why. I try not to brag about anything, but when you’ve got a 4.0 and it comes naturally, it’s hard not to. Trying to not say anything about my accomplishments is impossible because anything I do say is taken out of context and twisted to sound like I’m being boastful about them. For instance, after taking an exam a few weeks ago, I mentioned that I know I got at least one wrong, and turned that into making it sound like I know I must have done really well on the test and “Look at me! I’m smarter than you! Ha Ha Ha!”. In fact, I was just trying to bring it down to their level by saying that I’m not perfect, and I know I screwed up an easy question. It’s as if a naturally occurring ability to do well is a downfall. If it is, then fine, I’ll take it. The ‘b—h’ factor is definitely there. I don’t know where it came from, but I wish it would go away. Things were so much easier when everyone got along. Whatever. I guess I’ll try to align myself with people who applaud me for my success or are completely ambivalent to it. Shouldn’t be too hard.

17 Apr 2007 Hi! I’m Green!
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OK, just a little rant that I have. I think hybrid cars are a great idea. Not only are they better for the environment, but they get great gas mileage. My favorite is the Escape because it is an SUV, but gets the gas mileage of a 100% gasoline engine on a small car. That’s great, considering an SUV usually gets 15 mpg. The one I hate, is the Prius. It just SCREAMS “LOOK AT ME! I’M GREEN! I DRIVE A HYBRID! I PROBABLY WAITED MONTHS TO GET IT!” In fact, until last November, most people were unable to purchase a Prius without at least a three month wait. Every other possible hybrid comes as an option on another vehicle, like the Civic, Accord, Escape, but the Prius is a hybrid ONLY car. I would never purchase a Prius. I don’t like Toyota much either, but the whole screaming green thing definitely puts it in the NO category.
green_prius

31 Mar 2007 Stupid Microsoft
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OK, so apparently, I must have been high when I read that my Beta 2 Technical Refresh of Office 2007 wouldn’t expire until July, because lo and behold, it expired just like the beta was supposed to at 12:01 AM on March 31. Not quite July!!! Of course, good ol’ Microsoft didn’t even build in a feature to tell you and remind you that, oh yeah, by the way, your beta will expire soon, and did we mention, that any files that you’ve created with the new office can’t be read by any other version of office until you install the special file conversion program that we have? I guess not. That’s my rant for tonight.

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