Postgraduate medicine
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Postgraduate medicine · Sep 2020
Psychiatry teaching amongst medical undergraduates: stories that matter and mediators of better learning outcome.
Psychotic disorders can exact a toll on both patients and caregivers. Whilst the desired teaching goals include gaining an understanding of the manifestations, neurobiology and treatment of these conditions, such concepts may appear abstract to medical undergraduates new to psychiatry before their clinical rotation. This study aimed to examine the use of patient narratives in teaching. Based on self-determination and Kolb's learning theories, it was hypothesized that intermediate processes (such as engagement, motivation, reflection) mediate narratives' effectiveness as a pedagogical tool. ⋯ Consistent with adult learning theories, the use of narratives can improve appreciation of psychotic spectrum disorders via better engagement, motivation, and reflection within learners. Appropriate narratives can be incorporated into other topics to enhance undergraduate psychiatry education.
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Postgraduate medicine · Sep 2020
Case ReportsPrimary retroperitoneal paraganglioma mimicking a ureteral tumor: A case report and literature review.
Paragangliomas (PGLs) arise from chromaffin cells of the extra-adrenal sites along the sympathetic and/or the parasympathetic chain. Majority of the PGLs occur in the abdomen. When retroperitoneal PGLs produce symptoms of compression or invasion of adjacent organs, they could be misdiagnosed as a tumor of adjacent organs. ⋯ A histopathological examination of the tumor confirmed retroperitoneal PGL partly infiltrating the ureter. The patient's blood pressure returned to the normal range postoperatively. Our case demonstrates the importance of considering extra-adrenal PGL in the differential diagnosis of retroperitoneal tumors.
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Postgraduate medicine · Sep 2020
Contemporary Prevalence and Risk Factors of Carotid Artery Stenosis in Asymptomatic Low-Income Chinese Individuals: A Population-based Study.
Carotid artery stenosis (CAS) is an established risk factor for cerebrovascular disease. However, the contemporary prevalence and risk factors of CAS in asymptomatic rural Chinese individuals, especially low-income populations, remains unclear. Therefore, we aimed to explore the present prevalence and risk factors of CAS in a low-income Chinese population. ⋯ These findings suggest that the prevalence of CAS remains high in low-income individuals. Male sex, older age, current drinking, diabetes, and high levels of LDL-C, SBP, and FBG increase the risk of CAS. Thus, to prevent cerebrovascular disease and reduce the severe disease-associated burden for low-income individuals, there is a definitive need to control the risk factors of CAS.