South Dakota medicine : the journal of the South Dakota State Medical Association
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Neisseria subflava is generally regarded as commensal flora of the oropharyngeal tract and usually non-pathogenic. There are, however, reports of invasive disease such as bacteremia, endocarditis, sepsis, meningitis, septic arthritis and discitis caused by this organism. This paper presents the first reported case of an epidural abscess caused by Neiserria subflava.
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LifeCircle South Dakota: Partners Improving End-of-Life Care is an interdisciplinary group committed to quality end-of-life care for residents of the state. Strengthening local coalitions and building a collaborative network among palliative care providers were goals of recent educational efforts. This article presents a profile of South Dakota palliative care teams. ⋯ Survey data generated a profile of palliative care teams in the state-their composition, self-reported levels of palliative care expertise, resources utilized for consultation, and perceived challenges and opportunities facing them in providing end-of-life care. Having this understanding, along with knowing the perceived challenges and opportunities these teams face, will strengthen our ability to further enhance end-of-life care for South Dakotans.
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Unintended and teenage pregnancies are major public health concerns in the United States. Emergency contraception is used to prevent pregnancy after failure of a contraceptive method or after unprotected intercourse. Expanded use of emergency contraception has the potential to reduce unintended pregnancy and induced abortions, while reducing state and federal healthcare expenditures. ⋯ Expanded access to emergency contraception is associated with increased use, but not associated with decreased efficacy, increased sexual risk-taking behavior, or less consistent use of traditional birth control methods. This review is designed to provide clinicians with information regarding the use of emergency contraception for reproductive age patients. It includes a brief description of methods of use, mechanisms of action, and side effect profiles of the most commonly used methods of emergency contraception, levonorgestrel and the Yuzpe method.