This week, Amol, general internal medicine resident at University of Toronto, and Reena, general internist at St. Michael’s hospital in Toronto, discuss two recent papers:

What exactly defines sepsis and how should sepsis be assessed? The Third International Consensus Definitions Task Force worked to define sepsis as “life-threatening organ dysfunction due to a dysregulated host response to infection.” The paper compared four prediction tools and assessed how well they can discriminate between patients with suspected infection. It was found that the quick Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (qSOFA) worked best in the non-ICU setting and SOFA in the ICU.

Does happiness affect mortality? A recent paper in the Lancet examined whether happiness is directly related to mortality. The large epidemiology study found that happiness itself has no direct effect on mortality, and the association between happiness and mortality can be explained by individual health. The paper also made our hosts ponder their educational choices.

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The Papers

1. Sepsis: http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=2492875

2. Happiness and mortality: http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(15)01087-9/abstract

Good Stuff

1. Basic income for all: http://www.thestar.com/opinion/commentary/2016/02/11/the-stage-is-now-set-for-a-basic-income-for-all.html

2. Amyloid-β in Alzheimer’s mouse model: http://www.sciencealert.com/new-alzheimer-s-treatment-fully-restores-memory-function

Music Credits (Creative Commons)

In your Robotic Heart – Nicolai Heidlas https://soundcloud.com/nicolai-heidlas/in-your-robotic-heart

Drive – Nicolai Heidlas https://soundcloud.com/nicolai-heidlas/drive-fresh-upbeat-pop-background-music

Vintage Dream – Nicolai Heidlas https://soundcloud.com/nicolai-heidlas/vintage-dream-loungejazzy-background-music

All tracks have been modified for the purposes of this podcast.