Faculty Bibliography

Superman Returns [Motion Picture] -- AFTER returning to Earth from an extended sojourn, Superman (Brandon Routh) saves a space shuttle and its carrier jumbo jet from disaster, is assaulted by and prevails over criminals (in an incredibly vivid scene, his invulnerability to bullets is depicted as one is actually flattened by his eyeball), and is attacked by the evil Lex Luthor (Kevin Spacey). Luthor has discovered tiny remnants of Superman's home planet of Krypton that glow an unearthly green and make Superman ultra-vulnerable, and uses them with crystals from Krypton to build an expanding island that threatens to supplant North America. In trying to rid Earth of this island, Superman comes close to death and is brought to Metropolis General Hospital for treatment

For the ideal combination, mix an informed patient with an inquiring physician. Arthur Caplan, chairman of the medical ethics department at the University of Pennsylvania, likes to cite a quote attributed to the ancient Greek physician Galen: 'The best physician is something of a philosopher.' Such a physician does more than 'pose questions,' says Caplan. He 'isn't afraid to have them asked. The process of questioning can lead to understanding and patient satisfaction.' I treated [Brian Morton] for high blood pressure with a diuretic and a pill, Diovan, that dilates arteries. But when I began raising his Diovan dose in response to high readings -- ranging from 160 to 180 systolic pressure over 100 to 110 diastolic pressure (normal is generally considered less than 130 over 85) -- he was uneasy. Concerned about the potential side effects of higher doses, including fatigue and dizziness, he began to measure the pressure himself and record the values at home. The readings he got were consistently lower, 120 to 140 over 80 to 90. In the meantime, my patient's cholesterol readings remain high. After reading a news report about two patients suing Pfizer over pain, weakness and memory loss they claim was caused by Lipitor, she shot me an e-mail, saying such complaints are 'exactly what concerns me about the drug du jour.' Still, she is also more concerned about her cholesterol than before. On my end, there is a growing appreciation of her right to choose as well as her intuitive wisdom regarding her health

THIS made-for-TV movie stars Scott Bairstow as Jute, one of the few humans left in a world run by androids. After killing an android in a bar fight, Jute is sentenced to a prison deep in the wasteland. Another android, DeeCee (played by Joseph Lawrence), is responsible for bringing him to the prison camp, but instead helps him escape. As they spend time together, DeeCee becomes more and more human- like, which is ultimately explained by the fact that android brains are made using human brain fluid. In his growing empathy, DeeCee even goes so far as to allow his hand to be amputated to free Jute from the shackle that binds them together

Ketek is an antibiotic with a deserved reputation as an effective treatment for bacterial respiratory infections. But erythromycin and all its derivatives, including Ketek, have some degree of liver toxicity. Ketek is now being deemed as unusually toxic -- at least according to a recent safety review by FDA officials. These officials have suggested that the FDA either force Sanofi-Aventis to withdraw Ketek from the market, severely restrict it, or at least add a stern warning to its label. Whatever the outcome for Ketek, the decision should be based on facts and statistical risks compared with the potential gain of lives saved

Commander in Chief [Television Program] -- PRESIDENT Mackenzie Allen (Geena Davis) wakes up feeling feverish. She vomits, but still manages to summon the energy to board Air Force One. When she develops abdominal pain, the White House internist diagnoses acute appendicitis and possible rupture -- after simply eliciting severe right lower quadrant abdominal tenderness by palpating her flank. He states she has sepsis (a life- threatening systemic infection) and insists the plane be landed immediately for emergency surgery. At the hospital, the top general surgeon attempts to remove the appendix laparoscopically. But finding a perforated appendix, and with her blood pressure dropping, he switches to an open procedure. The president survives and a day later resumes her duties -- without a full course of intravenous antibiotics or bowel rest

Sopranos [Television Program] -- CHRISTOPHER Moltisanti's (Michael Imperioli) new girlfriend is Julianna (Julianna Margulies), formerly involved with Tony Soprano. Christopher and Julianna meet at an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, which they attend because of drug addiction. During one of their trysts, Julianna is suffering from a bad cold, and Christopher suggests Robitussin with dextromethorphan. Julianna declines, seeming to know that dextromethorphan is a semi- synthetic narcotic that, if taken in high doses, could make her high and perhaps again provoke her drug addiction. Instead, she suggests eight to 10 tea bags for a container of valerian tea, which she says is in the same chemical family as Valium. She hopes it will help her sleep and treat her cough. When we next see Julianna, her cough is clearly improved, but she is again snorting drugs with Christopher, who carries a container of what appears to be valerian tea

Many doctors like to criticize drug salespeople for over-promoting their products. But most of the drug reps the author knows are polite, well-meaning professionals who bring his attention to medications he might otherwise not consider. Many times drug reps have shown him information about their products that have helped him decide what to prescribe. Drug salespeople are a strong part of the chain that brings the latest technology to doctors and thereby to patients

Gray's Anatomy [Television Program] -- IN the season finale of ABC's 'Grey's Anatomy,' one of the surgical interns, Dr. Izzie Stevens (played by Katherine Heigl), crosses an ethical line by becoming romantically involved with a potential heart transplant patient, Denny Duquette (played by Jeffrey Dean Morgan). He has signed a Do Not Resuscitate order, but Izzie gives him hope that he will get a heart in time. Izzie then deliberately cuts the pump lines of Denny's heart's left ventricular-assisting device. Emergency cases get priority, and his deteriorating condition will move him up the transplant list. Third, interns could never monitor a sick heart patient for such a prolonged period of time without intervention by at least a nurse, if not a more senior physician. In the show, the interns watch Denny's heart stop, resuscitate him, give him emergency medication - - all without observation or intervention. In real life, such a stunt would be cause for Izzie's immediate arrest for attempted murder; the other interns would likely be kicked out of the residency program

Fatal Contact: Bird Flu in America [Television Program] -- IN 'Fatal Contact: Bird Flu in America,' which aired Tuesday night on ABC, a businessman returns to the U.S. from Hong Kong, where he has unwittingly picked up a newly mutated strain of the H5N1 bird flu from being coughed on by a factory worker. DO flu viruses mutate so rapidly that a bird flu can be transformed to a human killer flu overnight with a second, even more sinister, change occurring a few months later? And is the H5N1 bird flu virus close to mutating to a form that can go from human to human and cause the next pandemic? Are we so defenseless to flu that we will require mass graves when the next pandemic hits us? ALTHOUGH flu viruses mutate rapidly, the changes necessary to cause even a mild pandemic would take at least several weeks and several steps as a newly evolving strain attempted to adapt to a human host. The idea that H5N1 could transform instantly from a bird virus to a human virus, jump to a businessman who becomes 'patient zero' and spreads it throughout the U.S., is dramatic hype, not science