Faculty Bibliography

OBJECTIVE:To describe typologies of dyadic communication exchanges between primary care providers and their hypertensive patients about prescribed antihypertensive medications. METHODS:Qualitative analysis of 94 audiotaped patient-provider encounters, using grounded theory methodology. RESULTS:Four types of dyadic exchanges were identified: Interactive (53% of interactions), divergent-traditional (24% of interactions), convergent-traditional (17% of interactions) and disconnected (6% of interactions). In the interactive and convergent-traditional types, providers adopted a patient-centered approach and used communication behaviors to engage patients in the relationship. Patients in these interactions adopted either an active role in the visit (interactive), or a passive role (convergent-traditional). The divergent-traditional type was characterized by provider verbal dominance, which inhibited patients' ability to ask questions, seek information, or check understanding of information. In the disconnected types, providers used mainly closed-ended questions and terse directives to gather and convey information, which was often disregarded by patients who instead diverted the conversation to psychosocial issues. CONCLUSIONS:This study identified interdependent patient-provider communication styles that can either facilitate or hinder discussions about prescribed medications. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS/CONCLUSIONS:Examining the processes that underlie dyadic communication in patient-provider interactions is an essential first step to developing interventions that can improve the patient-provider relationship and patient health behaviors.

BACKGROUND: Unprofessional behaviour can interfere with patient care. Empowering trainees to address each other's unprofessional behaviour can help address a larger number of incidents that may not be witnessed by supervisors, as well as promote a culture of professionalism in a teaching programme. The goal of the study was to teach trainees to effectively address observed unprofessional behaviour and to assess the impact of this exercise on the percentage of cases directly addressed, reported or ignored 6-12 months after the initial training. METHODS: Eighty-four trainees participated in objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) cases designed to address a colleague's inappropriate behaviour. Baseline and follow-up surveys performed 6-12 months after the OSCE were completed detailing the number of incidents witnessed in colleagues and the method employed to address those incidents: personally address (with level of satisfaction), report or ignore. RESULTS: There was a significant increase in the number of unprofessional incidents identified after the OSCE (pre-OSCE, 1.12 per resident; post-OSCE, 1.69 per resident; t = 2.27, p = 0.029). Of the 72 incidents at baseline, 43 per cent were addressed directly and 43 per cent of those had a satisfactory resolution. Of the 71 incidents described 6-12 months later, 61 per cent were addressed directly and 79 per cent of those had a satisfactory resolution. Trainees were more likely to address rather than to report unprofessional behaviour chi2 (2, 58) = 13, p = 0.001. Empowering trainees to address each other's unprofessional behaviour can help promote a culture of professionalism DISCUSSION: The intervention had a significant impact on the percentage of trainees that addressed any observed unprofessional behaviour, and the rate of satisfaction after doing so. It did not change the percentage of cases that were neither addressed nor reported.

Background There are no longitudinal studies regarding thelong term cardiac health of children with cardiac manifestations of neonatal lupus (NL). This study was performed toevaluate risk factors for morbidity and provide evidence-basedguidance regarding the course of cardiac NL.Methods Echocardiograms throughout life were evaluated in240 individuals born with cardiac NL from the ResearchRegistry for Neonatal Lupus: 142 were available from ages 0 1 years, 174 from ages 1 17 years, and 65>17 years. A composite adverse outcome defined as qualitatively decreased leftventricular (LV) function or concurrent use of cardiac medications was assessed. Aortic dilation (root or ascendingaorta z-score >2.0) was also recorded. Analyses were performed to associate the composite adverse outcome and aorticdilation with maternal medications, pacing, and fetal diseasestatus, including a severity score based on mortality risk factors such as lower fetal heart rate and extranodal disease.Results The composite adverse outcome for cardiac dysfunctionwas identified in 21.1% of echos in children ages 0 1, 13.2% ages1 17% and 29.2% ages>17. In 89 children in which echos wereavailable at ages 0 1 and 1 17, 6/16 with dysfunction at ages 0 1were also affected at ages 1 17, while 10 reverted to normal.Among those without dysfunction at age 0 1, 8/90 developednew worsening of cardiac function during age 1 17. In 35 caseswith echos at ages 1 17 and >17, 3/3 cases with dysfunction atage 1 17 were also affected at >17, and 2/32 developed new dysfunction in adulthood. Cardiac dysfunction was significantly associated with number of years paced at all ages (p<0.001, 0.001,<0.001). A lower fetal ventricular heart rate at the first time ofheart block detection was associated with cardiac dysfunction age0 1 and >17 (p=0.048, 0.005 respectively) and lowest heart ratein utero associated with dysfunction at age <1 and 1 17(p<0.001, 0.015). Fetal extranodal cardiac disease was associatedwith dysfunction in ages1 17 and >17 (p=0.026, 0.023). Higherfetal severity score associated with postnatal dysfunction in ages0 1 and 1 17 groups (p=0.013, 0.001). Aortic dilation waspresent in 13.4% at ages 0 1% and 14.9% at ages 1 17, butat >17, dilation only occurred in 9.2%. There was no associationof postnatal cardiac dysfunction or aortic dilation with maternalmedication use, maternal rheumatic disease, fetal age at heartblock detection or gestational age of birth.Conclusions Cardiac dysfunction in the first year normalizesby later childhood in the majority of cases, possibly due tothe short term effects of cardiac pacing or resolution ofinflammation with the clearance of maternal autoantibodies.However, new onset dysfunction can occur after the first yearof life. Aortic dilation can continue for longer periods, butmay decrease in frequency with age. Nevertheless, cardiac dysfunction is present in roughly 30%, and in adulthood thereare associations with fetal extranodal disease and heart rate atdetection. Patients who develop morbidity in utero may havesubclinical damage or be more susceptible to future insultsthat manifest later in life, which can be exacerbated by prolonged pacing. Close monitoring and aggressive treatment ofearly extranodal disease in cardiac NL may have long termbenefit in preventing subsequent morbidity

Carbapenem-resistant and hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae (CR-hvKp) strains have emerged while antimicrobial treatment options remain limited. Herein, we tested the in vitro activity of ceftazidime-avibactam and other comparator antibiotics against 65 CR-hvKp isolates. Ceftazidime-avibactam, colistin and tigecycline are highly active in vitro against CR-hvKp isolates (MIC90 ≤ 1μg/ml), including KPC-2-producing ST11 CR-hvKp. Based upon previous clinical experience and the in vitro data presented herein, we posit that ceftazidime-avibactam is a considered therapeutic option against CR-hvKp infections.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) with fine needle aspiration (FNA) is the standard of care for tissue sampling of solid lesions adjacent to the GI tract. Fine needle biopsy (FNB) may provide higher diagnostic yield with fewer needle passes. The aim of this study was to assess the difference in diagnostic yield between FNA and FNB. METHODS: This is a multicenter, prospective randomized clinical trial from six large tertiary care centers. Patients referred for tissue sampling of solid lesions were randomized to either FNA or FNB of the target lesion. Demographics, size, location, number of needle passes, and final diagnosis were recorded. RESULTS: After enrollment, 135 patients were randomized to FNA (49.3%) and 139 patients were randomized to FNB (50.7%).The following lesions were sampled: mass (n=210; 76.6%), lymph nodes (n=46, 16.8%), submucosal tumors (n=18, 6.6%). Final diagnosis was malignancy (n=192, 70.1%), reactive lymphadenopathy (n=30, 11.0%), and spindle cell tumors (n=24, 8.8%). FNA had a diagnostic yield of 91.1% compared to 88.5% for FNB (p=0.48). There was no difference between FNA and FNB when stratified by the presence of on-site cytopathology or by type of lesion sampled A median of 1 needle pass was needed to obtain a diagnostic sample for both needles. CONCLUSION: FNA and FNB obtained a similar diagnostic yield with a comparable number of needle passes. Based on these results, there is no significant difference in the performance of FNA compared to FNB in the cytological diagnosis of solid lesions adjacent to the GI tract. (ClincalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01698190).

A summary genetic measure, called a "polygenic score," derived from a genome-wide association study (GWAS) of education can modestly predict a person's educational and economic success. This prediction could signal a biological mechanism: Education-linked genetics could encode characteristics that help people get ahead in life. Alternatively, prediction could reflect social history: People from well-off families might stay well-off for social reasons, and these families might also look alike genetically. A key test to distinguish biological mechanism from social history is if people with higher education polygenic scores tend to climb the social ladder beyond their parents' position. Upward mobility would indicate education-linked genetics encodes characteristics that foster success. We tested if education-linked polygenic scores predicted social mobility in >20,000 individuals in five longitudinal studies in the United States, Britain, and New Zealand. Participants with higher polygenic scores achieved more education and career success and accumulated more wealth. However, they also tended to come from better-off families. In the key test, participants with higher polygenic scores tended to be upwardly mobile compared with their parents. Moreover, in sibling-difference analysis, the sibling with the higher polygenic score was more upwardly mobile. Thus, education GWAS discoveries are not mere correlates of privilege; they influence social mobility within a life. Additional analyses revealed that a mother's polygenic score predicted her child's attainment over and above the child's own polygenic score, suggesting parents' genetics can also affect their children's attainment through environmental pathways. Education GWAS discoveries affect socioeconomic attainment through influence on individuals' family-of-origin environments and their social mobility.

Neisseria cinerea is a commensal which usually resides in the human respiratory tract. Very rarely, the organism finds its way into the bloodstream causing severe bacteremia. So far, very few cases of Neisseria bacteremia have been reported. We report a case of a 78-year-old male, post-splenectomy, who presented with high fever, cough and shortness of breath. The patient was initially managed for septic shock with fluid resuscitations, vasopressors and broad-spectrum antibiotics. Later, the blood cultures grew gram-negative coccobacilli, Neisseria cinerea. The patient was successfully treated with intravenous ceftriaxone. This is the first case ever of Neisseria cinerea bacteremia in a post-splenectomy patient and ninth case overall. This case illustrates that the physicians should maintain heightened awareness for Neisseria cinerea bacteremia in post-splenectomy patients.

We report a case of a complex orthopaedic infection in a patient returning to New York City from Bangladesh where he was involved in a serious motor vehicle accident. He developed extensive osteomyelitis with a carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae The isolate was unique due to the coexistence of New Delhi metallo-β-lactamase-1 and Oxacillinase type-181 carbapenemases, which are relatively uncommon in North America and were presumably acquired in Bangladesh. Herein, we explore challenges associated with management of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae infections, including limited available data on effective antimicrobial therapy. We also highlight the added value of rapid diagnostic technology in guiding clinical management. Ultimately, the patient required both aggressive surgical management and combination therapy with aztreonam and ceftazidime-avibactam for true source control and favourable clinical outcome.