SMJ // January 2023, Volume 116 - Issue 1

Original Article

Skin-to-Renal Pelvis Distance Predicts Costovertebral Angle Tenderness in Adult Patients with Acute Focal Bacterial Nephritis

Objectives: The aim of this study was to examine whether the distance between the skin and the renal pelvis affects the detection of costovertebral angle (CVA) tenderness in patients with acute focal bacterial nephritis (AFBN). Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the charts of our patients between April 2013 and June 2019…

Posted in: Nephrology and Urology21

Editorial

Celebrate the 115th Anniversary of the Southern Medical Journal during 2023

To help celebrate the 115th anniversary of this publication, I spent some time researching the history of the Southern Medical Journal (SMJ). I found that no comprehensive and definitive history exists, but I did find some reliable information regarding the history of the SMJ from the early 20th century to…

Original Article

Adherence to Hypertensive Treatment among Vietnamese Patients in New Orleans

Objectives: Our principal objectives were to identify the level of adherence and identify the attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors that influence adherence to antihypertensive treatment among Vietnamese patients in New Orleans, Louisiana. Methods: By partnering with a community health center serving the Vietnamese community in New Orleans, we conducted reviews of…

Posted in: Hypertension13

Review Article

The Early History of New Orleans Radiology and Its Practitioners

Wilhelm Roentgen’s discovery of the x-ray in late 1895 was relatively quickly shared with the New Orleans community through reports published in 1896 in local newspapers and medical journals. Radiology became popularized through public demonstrations organized by local proponents and was open to both the lay and medical communities. The…

Original Article

CME Article: An Exploratory Study of a Fourth-Year Narrative Medicine Elective: Promoting Strategies for Personal Well-Being and Improved Patient Care

Objectives: Narrative medicine promotes the effective practice of medicine by requiring clinicians to listen to, reflect on, and manage not only the physiology of disease but also patient stories. The Florida International University Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine offers a narrative medicine elective to fourth-year students who participate in reading,…

Original Article

Content Analysis for a Statewide Substance Use Disorder and Pain Management Curriculum for Health Professional Students (ALAHOPE)

Objectives: Alabama’s health professions schools have many common goals when it comes to educating their students about substance use disorder (SUD) and pain, but a statewide consistent SUD and pain management curriculum does not exist in Alabama. The ALAbama Health professionals’ Opioid and Pain management Education (ALAHOPE) project set out…

Original Article

Evaluation of an Internal Medicine Transition to Residency Course

Objectives: We sought to evaluate the effectiveness of a novel Internal Medicine (IM) transition to residency (TTR) curriculum. Methods: We performed a paired pre-/postsurvey evaluation of graduating fourth-year medical students’ perceived preparedness and medical knowledge after participating in a recently developed IM TTR course. Results: The response rate was 51%…

Original Article

Discrepancies in Outcomes by Race and Ethnicity in COVID-19 Patients Receiving Casirivimab and Imdevimab

Objectives: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reported increased rates of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)–related hospitalizations and deaths in Black and Hispanic individuals. One contributing factor to this may be a difference in access to treatment. We thus sought to compare the outcomes of Black, non-Hispanic patients and…

Posted in: Infectious Disease129

Perspectives

Implicit Bias and Machine Learning in Health Care

Machine learning (ML) has the ability to both address and entrench racial bias in healthcare delivery. Through the use of algorithms incorporating demographic data and electronic health records, we have achieved an efficient and consistent process by which to make complex (and simple) medical decisions. The onus, however, is on…

Original Article

Aortic Stenosis Associated with an Increase in Mortality in Surgical Hip Fracture Patients

Objectives: The majority of hip fracture patients in the United States are older adult patients with multiple comorbidities. Aortic stenosis (AS) in older adult patients with traumatic hip fracture is not uncommon. This study investigated the association between AS and postoperative mortality and serious complications. Methods: In this retrospective cohort…

Posted in: Rheumatology and Orthopedics17

Original Article

Impact of Pulmonary Hypertension on Renal Functions in Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome

Objectives: Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is common in obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS). This study aimed to evaluate the effect of PH on kidney functions in patients with OSAS. Methods: The data of patients who were diagnosed as having OSAS after referral to the sleep center in the Gaziantep University Medical…

Posted in: Nephrology and Urology21

Original Article

CME Article: Religion/Spirituality Curriculum in US Osteopathic Medical Schools: A Survey

Objective: Several articles have been published on the relationship between religion, spirituality, and health during the past 2 decades. Corresponding to this, professional medical organizations such as the Association of American Medical Colleges and the National Board of Osteopathic Medical Examiners have created competencies for medical students that include being…

Special Section

Presidential Address of Dr Lawrence “Lee” Carter, 2022–2023 President of the Southern Medical Association

The following is the presidential address of the Southern Medical Association’s 2022–2023 president, Dr Lawrence “Lee” Carter. Dr Carter was installed on Sunday, October 30, 2022, during the SMA Southern Regional Assembly, which was held October 28–30, 2022, in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, live and virtually.

Original Article

Evaluating a Blended Learning Model for Medical Student ECG Teaching

Objectives: The ability to interpret a 12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG) is an essential skill in inpatient and outpatient settings. In medical school, this skill is generally taught during the Internal Medicine clerkship. Blended learning is a pedagogical tool that combines different modes of information delivery, models of teaching, and learning styles…

Special Section

SMA’s 2022 Annual Scientific Assembly Abstract Presentations

The following abstracts were accepted and presented during Southern Medical Association’s 114th Annual Scientific Assembly, October 28‐30, 2022, and are listed in the original order of presentation. Abstracts are published as submitted.

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