Southern medical journal
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Southern medical journal · Oct 2014
Observational StudyEmergency department orthopedics observation unit as an alternative to admission.
Inclusion of select orthopedic problems in the orthopedics observation unit (OOU) may reduce hospital admissions. Our system allows OOU status for 24 hours, but the effect on admissions is unknown. Our primary hypothesis was that we could predict which OOU patients required admission based on the presence of uncontrolled pain. ⋯ An OOU prevented 138 of 199 (69%) patients from being admitted to a hospital. There were no significant predictors of which patients would require admission. Pain was not a predictor of need for admission. The lack of significant predictors is important in suggesting that without the ability to predict which patients require admission, a system using an OOU can reduce admissions by more than two-thirds.
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Southern medical journal · Oct 2014
Screening for connective tissue disease in pulmonary arterial hypertension.
To evaluate the utility of anti-nuclear antibody (ANA) levels in distinguishing the cause of pulmonary arterial hypertension as idiopathic (IPAH) or connective tissue disease related (CTD-PAH). ⋯ In this selected cohort of patients, a quantitative ANA value >5 U may be useful in distinguishing CTD-PAH from IPAH, but a lower level does not confidently exclude CTD-PAH.
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Southern medical journal · Oct 2014
Cardiovascular risk in Gullah African Americans with high familial risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus: project SuGAR.
To determine the prevalence of cardiovascular disease, levels of cardiovascular risk factors, and extent of preventive care in Gullah African Americans with a high familial risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus. ⋯ As the largest existing study of Gullah individuals, our study offers insight into not only the level of cardiovascular risk in this population but also the pathophysiological mechanisms central to ancestral differences in cardiometabolic risk in the broader African American population.
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Southern medical journal · Oct 2014
Hepatitis B screening practice among older Chinese in the Greater Washington, DC, area.
Older Chinese Americans are at greater risk of contracting hepatitis B virus (HBV) because they were born before the implementation of universal childhood vaccination policies. This study examined the prevalence of HBV screening, test results, and predictors of HBV screening among older Chinese. ⋯ Many older Chinese did not adhere to HBV screening guidelines because of cultural views and information deficiency. Culturally appropriate interventions aimed to enhance their knowledge and communication with physicians about HBV are needed for promoting screening.
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Southern medical journal · Oct 2014
Review Meta AnalysisEndoscopic mucosal resection recurrence rate for colorectal lesions.
We aimed to evaluate the polyp recurrence rate after endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR) and factors contributing to increased recurrence. ⋯ The recurrence rate of colorectal polyps after EMR is reasonably low; however, piecemeal resection was associated with a higher recurrence rate than en bloc resection after EMR.