Southern medical journal
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Southern medical journal · Oct 2005
Comparative StudyHealthy life expectancy for selected race and gender subgroups: the case of Tennessee.
To analyze healthy life expectancy (HLE) for major racial and gender subgroups, based on the diverse population of Tennessee and compared with the United States. ⋯ The findings raise new challenges for researchers and health policy makers for accomplishing the dual goals of longer life expectancy and elimination of health disparities among population subgroups.
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Southern medical journal · Sep 2005
Hematogenous vertebral osteomyelitis due to Staphylococcus aureus in the adult: clinical features and therapeutic outcomes.
Staphylococcus aureus is the most common cause of hematogenous vertebral osteomyelitis in adults. To better define clinical features and therapeutic outcomes, the charts of 40 adult patients with S aureus hematogenous vertebral osteomyelitis were retrospectively reviewed. ⋯ Cure of infection was achieved in 83% (24/29) of evaluable patients, but 50% of those achieving cure still had infection-related sequelae. Intravenous antibiotic therapy for at least 8 weeks was the only clinical factor associated with cure (P = 0.05, two-tailed Fisher exact test).
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Southern medical journal · Sep 2005
Comparative StudyUse of complementary and alternative medicine by parents of children with HIV infection and asthma and well children.
Although the use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in children is increasing, little is known about its use in children with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. This study investigated the use of CAM by parents of children with HIV infection (H), children with asthma (A), and well children (W). Our hypothesis was that parents of the H group are more likely to use CAM than parents of the W or A group because of the nature and severity of the illness. ⋯ Our study revealed a relatively high rate of CAM usage by parents of all three study groups. Although parents of children with HIV infection were more likely to want CAM as part of their children's medical care, their rate of CAM usage was not higher than that in well children. This may be related to their socioeconomic factors. A larger and more diverse study population may provide more information on factors contributing to CAM usage in chronically ill and well children.