Rumpus Original Poetry: Varun U. Shetty - The Rumpus At the pet store, I look for a toy that doesn’t resemble an animal

My poem, just published in @therumpus.net

therumpus.net/2026/01/05/r...

The requirement for animal testing is not just cruel, it’s also unscientific.

Limitations of Animal Studies for Predicting Toxicity in Clinical Trials: Is it Time to Rethink Our Current Approach? Animal testing is used in pharmaceutical and industrial research to predict human toxicity, and yet analysis suggests that animal models are poor predictors of drug safety in humans. The cost of anima...

Here is a peer reviewed article on this: pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC...

It’s time to end our unlimited and unnecessary cruelty. What kind of world are we building based on the torture of helpless creatures?

Actually, less than 5% of animal models progress to human trials. There is little to no regulation on how animals are treated in these labs. And there is more and more evidence that these mammals feel pain and fear not very differently than us. Newer, cell based models test toxicity more directly.

This is a step in the right direction. We will have better days, more relevant to humans, and far less cruelty.

“These experiments can reveal toxic effects that could easily go undetected in animals, providing a more direct window into human responses.”

“Human-Based Lab Models: The FDA will promote the use of lab-grown human “organoids” and organ-on-a-chip systems that mimic human organs – such as liver, heart, and immune organs – to test drug safety.”

I hear your concern, but there have been true concerns about the translatability of animal trials to humans. Most animal trials don’t translate well to humans. There is very little oversight on how animals are treated in labs. These labs are often just torture centers for animals.

I try this when we’re up against the wall and have found success. I think its lusitropic action helps, especially in patients with reduced EF. One time my anesthesiologist attending dramatically improved BP in periintubation hypotension with just calcium chloride.

Q xa

This is the time for more engagement, not less. We need all hands on deck. Let us all find our part to do in this, no matter how small- give time, money or both.

So excited for you!

WHO is all of us. We are all WHO.

Let’s raise $1 billion to support the @who.int’s critical mission of protecting global health, particularly in times of uncertainty and reduced funding

whofoundation.donorsupport.co/page/FUNEKRB...

We talk about advance directives a lot in medicine-what one would want when they are ill. In this poem, I try to capture the ineffability of the hypotheticals:

www.pennreview.org/advance-dire...

(Best read in landscape mode)
#poem #humanities #advancedirectives

Yes, yes and yes!

I really don’t use inhaled vasodilators for hypoxemia. I am not convinced it improves outcomes. I only use it for RV dysfunction. Also, if there is concurrent LV dysfunction then the question always is if we’ve diuresed enough.

From age 18 to 22, I volunteered twice a year in India's Pulse Polio Vaccination drive. We knocked on so many doors & convinced so many strangers.

When India finally eradicated polio, I felt personal & collective pride.

RFK Jr offends me in ways I can't even fully articulate!

🙋🏾

American friends, remember seeing a child with polio? No. Because polio vaccine eradicated it.

#medsky #globalhealth #infectiousdiseases

Bedaquiline Monotherapy for Multibacillary Leprosy | NEJM Standard multidrug therapy for leprosy may be associated with severe side effects, which add to the stigma and discrimination that affect persons with the disease. In addition, the threat posed by ...

Bedaquiline monotherapy for leprosy. Amazing that we can potentially treat this with just one drug as opposed to months of toxic multidrug treatment. It’s tiny but promising trial. These pathbreaking therapies for people in resource-limited areas can’t come soon enough.

www.nejm.org/doi/full/10....

Kind of fantastic that we live in a world where we can get results like this. Insurance companies have no excuse to not approve.

Here’s a poetry starter pack I created:

go.bsky.app/DQTbn3Q

Thanks to Philip Terman for sharing this wonderful poem with me. Joy Harjo at her best. Happy Holidays!

www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/49622/...

a man in a plaid shirt sits at a picnic table with the words " settle down " on the bottom ALT: a man in a plaid shirt sits at a picnic table with the words " settle down " on the bottom

Skytorial: Five pearls on olanzapine 😁

Between agitation and nausea/vomiting, olanzapine has a wide range of use.

Olanzapine is generally not a front-line agent (e.g., haloperidol or ondansetron often are). But sometimes, it really comes in clutch....

Super helpful. Thank you.

I’m seeing that that systole is happening while the aortic valve is closing. What do you make of that? Did this patient have SAM?

Congratulations, Jennifer!

Executive Director Rachel and chicken resident Scully explain a bit more about HR 9495 and WHY this bill is so dangerous for nonprofits who seek to do vital liberatory work. The house will be voting AGAIN on this bill soon — PLEASE CALL YOUR HOUSE REPRESENTATIVE TODAY!