SMJ // June 2020, Volume 113 - Issue 6

Original Article

Pretreatment Assessment of Psychosocial Readiness Is Not Associated with Improved Treatment Outcomes in a Safety-Net HCV Treatment Clinic

Objectives: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is highly curable with antiviral therapy, and traditionally, treatment adherence has been critical for treatment success. We sought to determine whether assessing HCV treatment readiness with a structured treatment readiness tool was associated with increased rates of adherence and cure among patients at a safety-net…

Posted in: Gastroenterology43 Infectious Disease139

Review Article

Red Meat Allergies after Lone Star Tick (Amblyomma americanum) Bites

Red meat allergies have followed tick bites on every continent except Antarctica. The sensitizing antigen is galactose-α-1,3-galactose (α-gal), an oligosaccharide constituent of nonprimate blood and meat, acquired by ticks during animal bloodfeeding. Because red meat allergy after tick bites is a worldwide phenomenon, the objectives of this review were to…

Posted in: Allergy and Immunology4

Original Article

A Robust Faculty Development Program for Medical Educators: A Decade of Experience

Objectives: Faculty development programs (FDPs) foster learning communities and enhance professional identity formation for medical educators. Competency-based frameworks for faculty development drive skill development across clinical practice, teaching, and scholarship domains. The aims of this study are to outline the context, content, and evolution of a novel FDP; map the…

Original Article

CME Article: Relation Between Pediatric Emergency Department Activity and Patient Complexity

Objectives: Potentially projecting pediatric emergency department (ED) volume trends is a matter that has been researched extensively. It is vital to understand the relation between patient complexity and department volumes to properly staff and allocate resources within the ED. Multiple studies have analyzed ED volumes based on disease severity; however,…

Original Article

A Population-Based Study of Factors Associated with Postpartum Contraceptive Use by Birth Interval Length

Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate factors associated with postpartum contraceptive use among women with short and moderate-to-long birth intervals using population-based data from the Pregnancy Risk Assessment and Monitoring System. Methods: Because only Mississippi and Tennessee include a question about birth interval length on their Pregnancy…

Posted in: Pregnancy33

Original Article

Opioid Use Among HIV-Positive Pregnant Women and the Risk for Maternal–Fetal Complications

Objective: To assess patient- and hospital-level characteristics associated with opioid use in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)–positive pregnant women and fetal health outcomes. Methods: Using the 2002–2014 Nationwide Inpatient Sample database, we analyzed discharge records to describe the rates of opioid use among HIV-positive pregnant women. Logistic regression was used to…

Posted in: Infectious Disease139 Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) And Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Infection21 Pregnancy33

Original Article

Proportion and Characterization of Co-infections of HIV and Hepatitis C or Hepatitis B among People with HIV in Alabama, 2007–2016

Objectives: People living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) have an increased risk of other infections, including viral hepatitis, which can complicate the treatment and progression of the disease. We sought to characterize Alabama cases of HIV co-infected with hepatitis C virus or hepatitis B virus. Methods: Using surveillance data, we…

Posted in: Infectious Disease139 Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) And Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Infection21

Original Article

Effects of Preoperative WBC Count on Post-CABG Surgery Clinical Outcome

Objective: White blood cells (WBCs) play a major role in inflammation, with effects on the vascular wall, the microvascular blood flow, and endothelial cells and endothelial function. Previous studies have shown that a high WBC count may increase the risk of cardiovascular complication rate and mortality after coronary artery bypass…

Posted in: Cardiovascular Disease24

Original Article

Nationwide Trends in Prevalent Cardiovascular Risk Factors and Diseases in Young Adults: Differences by Sex and Race and In-Hospital Outcomes

Objectives: Prevalence and trends in all cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors among young adults (18–39 years) have not been evaluated on a large scale stratified by sex and race. The aim of this study was to establish the prevalence and temporal trend of CVD risk factors in US inpatients younger…

Posted in: Cardiovascular Disease24

Original Article

Implementation and Assessment of a Pharmacy-Led Inpatient Transitions of Care Program

Objective: To evaluate pharmacist involvement in the inpatient transition of care (TOC) process for patients hospitalized with type 1 diabetes mellitus, type 2 diabetes mellitus, or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Methods: A pharmacist screened patients admitted with one or more of the qualifying conditions within 48 hours of admission to…

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