Southern medical journal
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Southern medical journal · Dec 2023
Undergraduate College Pathway Programs Designed to Attract and Matriculate Students from Underrepresented Groups into Medicine.
Undergraduate college pathway (or pipeline) programs support students' interests as they explore advanced degree and career pathways. Many programs aim to diversify the medical workforce by reducing barriers that may have otherwise prevented desired academic and career goals; however, variability in structure, expectations, benefits, and outcome data exist. This systematic review was conducted to identify and evaluate undergraduate college pathway programs designed to increase the diversity of medical school matriculants. ⋯ Pathway programs support the acquisition and enhancement of professional skills. Lacking longitudinal or comparison data leads to questions of the long-term impact on diversifying the medical workforce. This article highlights a need for rigorous data collection methods and transparent reporting of participant outcomes to inform programmatic efficacy.
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Southern medical journal · Dec 2023
Relationship between Baseline Physical Activity and Generalized Anxiety Disorder and Major Depressive Disorder Treatment Outcomes.
Generalized anxiety disorder and major depressive disorder often benefit from medication and psychotherapy. Our aim was to determine whether a correlation exists between patient baseline physical activity and response to treatment. ⋯ Overall, the amount of physical activity a patient participates in before anxiety or depression treatment does not appear to affect improvement outcomes. Caffeine intake may improve depression severity scores; however, further research is needed to assess whether this could be a part of future treatment plans.
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Southern medical journal · Dec 2023
Does Mild Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pneumonia in Healthy Adults Cause Permanent Small Airway Injury?
Impulse oscillometry (IOS) is a type of oscillation technique that measures the input impedance (Z) of the respiratory system and can be used to detect pathological changes in the small airways at an early stage. Although coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) affects the vascular and parenchymal structures in the lung, chronic postinfection coughs also may be attributed to small airway pathologies. Our research aimed to use IOS for the assessment of the presence of small airway resistance (R) in patients who have had COVID-19. ⋯ The fact that there was no difference between respiratory system impedance, airway resistance, and spirometry values between groups with and without past COVID-19 infections supported the hypothesis that small airways were not affected 3 months after COVID-19.
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Southern medical journal · Dec 2023
Rise in Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome Rate Is Associated with Increase in Buprenorphine Prescription Numbers.
Southern Appalachia is a region of the United States that is disproportionately affected by the opioid epidemic and by increasing rates of neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS). NAS rates increased approximately 400% between 1999 and 2012. Buprenorphine prescriptions written to treat opioid use disorder also increased dramatically. The present study was undertaken to ascertain any relationship between the number of buprenorphine prescriptions compared with NAS rates in southern Appalachia. ⋯ This is the first report that documents an association between rising NAS rates and increasing buprenorphine prescribing. Between the years 2010 and 2018, the NAS rate in southern Appalachia rose by 335%, and the number of buprenorphine prescriptions rose by 413%. Discussions regarding the current policies for buprenorphine management during pregnancy are warranted. We suggest a reevaluation of buprenorphine prescribing recommendations during pregnancy and further research on establishing the lowest effective buprenorphine dose for each pregnant patient.