Invited Commentary

Commentary on Sports Concussion Management: Parts I and II

Of all of the potentially fatal and/or long-term harmful athletic-related problems, which include exercise-induced asthma, exertional sickling, sudden cardiac arrest, heat-related illness, and rhabdomyolysis, the ‘‘silent epidemic‘‘ of concussive and postconcussive brain injury has become a research, political, and public priority. In this issue of the Southern Medical Journal, Terrell…

Editorial

Sports Concussions and Traumatic Brain Injury

In this issue of the Southern Medical Journal, Terrell and colleagues present a two-part review of the current concepts in sports concussions.1,2 This topic has significant currency, as academic institutions, medical associations, sports regulatory agencies, schools, coaches, trainers, student athletes and their families, and healthcare providers struggle to evaluate the…

Invited Commentary

Commentary on “Vitamin D Insufficiency/Deficiency Management”

In this issue of the Southern Medical Journal, Kuriacose and Olive present a retrospective review of vitamin D insufficiency/deficiency in a cohort of ambulatory patients seen in an internal medicine clinic in Johnson City, Tennessee.1 The article seems to be an expansion of their earlier work, with an added arm…

Invited Commentary

Commentary on “Access to Primary Care Physicians Differs by Health Insurance Coverage in Mississippi”

The United States has crossed the precipice of health care transition with the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA). The PPACA has the potential to provide health insurance coverage for more than 47 million uninsured individuals in the United States; however, there is concern that this will stress the…

General Information

Announcement: CME Instructions

CME Instructions

Review Article

Antibody Immunodeficiency Diseases

Among primary immunodeficiencies, antibody deficiencies are the most common. Patients often are examined first by multiple medical providers by whom the diagnosis may be missed or delayed, because signs and symptoms are usually sinopulmonary in origin, simulate common respiratory infections or respiratory allergies, and are usually responsive to symptomatic antimicrobial…

Review Article

Endovascular (Intraarterial) Treatment of Acute Ischemic Stroke: Efficacy Not Supported by Clinical Trials

Intravenous tissue plasminogen activator (IV tPA, alteplase) provides a statistically and clinically significant improvement in clinical outcome for carefully selected patients with acute ischemic stroke when administered within 4.5 hours of onset; however, even within the 4.5-hour window, outcome is poor for some eligible patients, including those with occlusions of…

Original Article

Risk Stratification in Acute Pulmonary Embolism: Frequency and Impact on Treatment Decisions and Outcomes

Objectives: Guidelines have recommended that risk stratification be performed in patients diagnosed with an acute pulmonary embolism (PE). No study has described the use of risk stratification in routine clinical practice. The purpose of this study was to measure the frequency and impact of risk stratification on treatment decisions and…

Original Article

Vitamin D Insufficiency/Deficiency Management

Objectives: In recent years, vitamin D deficiency has been recognized increasingly often in patients, and different supplement regimens have been prescribed to treat it. There has been no consensus on treatment regimens. This study was conducted to determine the management of vitamin D deficiency/insufficiency in outpatient adults in northeast Tennessee….

Original Article

Access to Primary Care Physicians Differs by Health Insurance Coverage in Mississippi

Objectives: The objective of the study was to measure how access to primary health care in Mississippi varies by type of health insurance. Methods: We called primary care physician (general practitioner, family practice, internal medicine, obstetrics/gynecology, and pediatric) offices in Mississippi three times, citing different types of health insurance coverage…

Original Article

Health Literacy Level of Hispanic College Students

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to assess the health literacy levels of Hispanic college students. Methods: Participants were students at a major Hispanic-serving university in the southwestern United States. The design was cross-sectional, and data were collected using the Newest Vital Sign in English. Analyses included frequencies and…

Original Article

HSV-1 and HSV-2 Seroprevalence in the United States among Asymptomatic Women Unaware of Any Herpes Simplex Virus Infection (Herpevac Trial for Women)

Objectives: Recent evidence suggests that the epidemiology of herpes simplex viruses (HSVs) is changing because fewer HSV-1 infections are acquired in childhood and increased sexual transmission of HSV-1 is reported. The objective of the study was to assess the seroprevalence of type-specific antibodies to HSV-1 and HSV-2 in the United…

Invited Commentary

Commentary on “HSV-1 and HSV-2 Seroprevalence in the United States among Asymptomatic Women Unaware of Any Herpes Simplex Virus Infection (Herpevac Trial for Women)”

In this issue of the Southern Medical Journal, Schulte and colleagues, the investigators of the Herpevac Trial for Women, present the entrance screening data for trial participation.1 Healthy women between the ages of 18 and 30 with no prior knowledge of oral or genital herpes infection were recruited and screened…

Review Article

Nitrofurantoin-Induced Hepatotoxicity: A Rare Yet Serious Complication

Nitrofurantoin is a commonly prescribed antibiotic for thetreatment of recurrent uncomplicated urinary tract infections. Its importance has been emphasized by the current international clinical practice guidelines for the management of uncomplicated cystitis. Since its introduction into clinical practice, nitrofurantoin has been associated with various adverse effects, including hepatotoxicity. We searched…

Review Article

Sports Concussion Management: Part I

Key Points Concussion is a functional disturbance and not a structural problem; therefore, clinical imaging does not add to management. </l

Review Article

Sports Concussion Management: Part II

Millions of concussions occur every year in the United States. The public interest in concussion has increased after a number of high-profile deaths in high school athletes from sports-related head trauma and in some professional athletes from chronic traumatic encephalopathy. One of the most active areas of research in sports…

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