Learning to obtain a traditional medical history is regarded as rite of passage for an aspiring doctor. These days it appears to be one of many items on a checklist. However, taking a medical history is one process that should not be relegated to such an approach. The medical history…
Georgia’s House Bill 87 (HB 87), called the “Illegal Immigration Reform and Enforcement Act of 2011” took effect on July 1, 2011. This law was modeled after Arizona’s controversial immigration law Senate Bill 1070 (SB 1070). Thirty-six other states are considering similar bills.1 While there is ongoing debate about the…
Drs Aponte-Rivera and Dunlop note that Arizona and Georgia have passed statutes that will place severe restraints on undocumented aliens.1 They note that 36 other state have similar legislation under consideration. The United States filed a complaint in a U.S. district court challenging the constitutionality of the Arizona statute and…
Objective: Between December 2005 and November 2007, a cluster of 11 tuberculosis (TB) cases emerged in Jackson County, Mississippi. We investigated the potential sources of disease transmission and epidemiologic links in this cluster to prevent future transmission in the community. Materials and Methods: Cases of TB reported in Jackson County…
Prostate cancer is the leading cause of cancer and second leading cause of death among men.1 Soy has been explored for an association to prostate cancer based on the observation that men in Asia have lower rates of prostate cancer and consume higher amounts of soy. So far, there have…
Objective.: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) increasingly is a cause of morbidity and mortality in and economic burden on the US healthcare system, and COPD exacerbations continue to be among the top 10 causes of hospitalization in adults. The objective of this study was to evaluate the incidence and potential…
In this issue of the Southern Medical Journal, Self and colleagues have published a retrospective study focused on patients hospitalized for acute non-life-threatening chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) exacerbations and the inhaled bronchodilator therapy prescribed during hospitalization.1 They examine the incidence of missed administration of inhaled medications and whether alternative…
Each year, more than 4 million patients receive a blood transfusion in the United States to control symptoms associated with anemia, coagulopathy, thrombocytopenia, or some combination thereof. In each of these cases, the physician and the patient must weigh the potential benefits of the transfusion along with the associated risks….
In the last decade, parenteral anticoagulants have proven to be effective in the prevention of venous thromboembolism (VTE) in patients admitted to hospitals. Despite this, some registry studies have shown that pharmacological prophylaxis is still widely underused. We performed a literature search to identify important knowledge gaps in the use…
To the Editor:In the case report of possible lithium toxicity by Thompson and Johnson,1 the symptoms are better explained by serotonin syndrome or mild neuroleptic malignant syndrome associated with an atypical antipsychotic. Hyperthermia, which the authors use to exclude these two diagnoses, is not a sine qua non. Serotonin syndrome…
With our specific patient, clinical variables resulted in a broad differential diagnosis. We agree that her presentation was worrisome for neuroleptic malignant syndrome and serotonin syndrome, which we believe were effectively excluded on the basis of clinical presentation and subsequent laboratory data. Our hospital’s protocol for lithium measurement is done…
Objective: Evaluate whether depth of infiltration within T3 colorectal tumors influences long-term oncologic outcome. Patients and Methods: Patients with stage pT3 colon and rectal tumors were divided into four subgroups according to the depth of infiltration. The influence on overall and disease-free survival was tested for each subgroup and compared…
Objective: No standard therapeutic option exists for men with prostate cancer who have failed local therapy, have no gross metastatic disease, and whose only manifestation of disease is a rising prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level. Soy products are able to affect PSA kinetics in some men with prostate cancer, and this…
Objective: Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a gastrointestinal system disorder with a variety of causes. The prevalence of reduced bone mineral density (BMD) is greater in people with IBD as compared with healthy individuals. In this study, we aimed to investigate the possible risk factors for low BMD in subjects…
Objectives: Vaso-occlusive events in pediatric sickle cell disease (SCD) may cause various renal complications and lead to renal failure. We describe the renal conditions that develop among young patients with SCD and the factors associated with the prevalence of these nephropathies. Materials and Methods: Medicaid medical and pharmacy claims for…
The diagnosis of methemoglobinemia should be considered in patients presenting with cyanosis and hypoxia. A variety of frequently used medications are capable of inducing methemoglobinemia, with dapsone and benzocaine being common culprits. Unique features, such as a saturation gap and chocolate-brown-colored blood, can raise suspicion for methemoglobinemia. Typically, symptoms correlate…
To the Editor:It is well recognized that many patients go through extreme suffering during their final days of life.1 In the last two decades both the medical community and patients have become increasingly aware of the importance of spiritual care during terminal illness in the intensive care unit (ICU) setting.2…
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