Faculty Bibliography

There has been a significant increase in the numbers of people playing indoor and beach volleyball since the early 1980s and, consequently, an increase in injuries. Most injuries are related to repetitive jumping and hitting the ball overhead. The ankle is the most commonly injured joint, but the knee, shoulder, low back, and fingers also are vulnerable. The shoulder in particular is subject to extreme torque when hitting and jump serving the ball. Some injuries have a predilection for those playing on sand versus those playing in an indoor court. The clinician caring for volleyball players should be aware of the types of injuries these players sustain and how to help them return to play promptly and appropriately. This article reviews the specific injuries that are most common as a result of participating in the sport of volleyball.

Background: Although vaccination against hepatitis A virus (HAV) and hepatitis B virus (HBV) is recommended for all patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, physician vaccination practices are suboptimal. Since training for family medicine (FM) and internal medicine (IM) physicians differ, we hypothesised that there are differences in knowledge, attitudes and barriers regarding vaccination against HAV and HBV in patients with chronic HCV between these two groups. Methods: A two-page questionnaire was mailed to 3000 primary care (FM and IM) physicians randomly selected from the AMA Physician Masterfile in 2005. The survey included questions about physician demographics, knowledge and attitudes regarding vaccination. Results: Among the 3000 physicians surveyed, 1209 (42.2%) returned completed surveys. There were no differences between respondents and non-respondents with regard to age, gender, geographic location or specialty. More FM than IM physicians stated that HCV+ patients should not be vaccinated against HAV (23.7% vs. 11.8%, p < 0.001) or HBV (21.9% vs. 10.6%, p < 0.001). FM physicians were also less likely than IM physicians to usually/always test HCV+ patients for immunity against HAV (33.9% vs. 48.6%, p < 0.001) or against HBV (50.8% vs. 68.0%, p < 0.001). There were numerous barriers to HAV and HBV vaccination identified. The median number of barriers was 3 for FM physicians and 2 for IM physicians (p < 0.001). Conclusions: Despite recommendations to vaccinate against HAV and HBV in patients with chronic HCV infection, physicians often do not test or vaccinate susceptible individuals. Interventions are needed to overcome the barriers identified and improve vaccination rates.

Inactivating mutations in the Staphylococcus aureus virulence regulator agr are associated with worse outcomes in bacteremic patients. However, whether agr dysfunction is primarily a cause or a consequence of early bacteremia is unknown. Analysis of 158 paired S. aureus clones from blood and nasal carriage sites in individual patients revealed that recovery of an agr-defective mutant from blood was usually predicted by the agr functionality of carriage isolates. Many agr-positive blood isolates produced low levels of hemolytic toxins, but levels were similar to those of colonizing strains within patients, suggesting that introduction into the blood did not select for mutations with minor functional effects. Evidently, the transition from commensalism to opportunism in S. aureus does not require full virulence in hospitalized patients. Furthermore, agr-defective mutants were found in uninfected nasal carriers in the same proportion as in carriers who develop bacteremia, suggesting low correlation between virulence and infectivity.

BACKGROUND: Reducing readmissions and post-discharge adverse events by improving the quality of discharge care has become a national priority, yet we have limited understanding about how physicians learn to provide high-quality discharge care. METHODS: We conducted in-depth, in-person interviews with housestaff physicians with qualitative analysis by a multi-disciplinary team using the constant comparative method to explore learning about high-quality discharge care as a systems-based practice and to identify opportunities to improve training around these concepts. RESULTS: We analyzed interview transcripts from 29 internal medicine residents: 17 (59 %) were interns (PGY-2 or PGY-3), 12 (41 %) seniors, and 17 (59 %) were female. We identified a recurrent theme of lack of formal training about the discharge process, substantial peer-to-peer instruction, and "learning by doing" on the wards. Within this theme, we identified five specific concepts related to systems-based practice and high-quality discharge care which residents learned during residency: (1) teamwork and the interdisciplinary nature of discharge planning; (2) advanced planning strategies to anticipate challenges in the discharge process; (3) patient safety and the concept of a "safe discharge;" (4) patient continuity of care and learning from post-discharge outcomes and; (5) documentation of discharge plans as a valuable skill. CONCLUSIONS: Discharge care is an overlooked opportunity to teach concepts of systems-based practice explicitly as learning about discharge care is unstructured and individual experiences may vary considerably. Educational interventions to standardize learning about discharge care may improve the development of systems-based practice during residency and help improve the overall quality of discharge care at teaching hospitals.

To address the growing need for ethnically unbiased cognitive screening, we examined whether the Mini Mental State Exam (MMSE), the abbreviated Fuld Object Memory Evaluation (FOME), or a combination of the two provided optimal detection of dementia in an ethnically diverse group of older adults with no cognitive impairment (normal); cognitive impairment not dementia (CIND); and dementia. Participants included 509 Caucasians, 124 African Americans, and 68 Latinos (>70 years old) from the Aging, Demographics, and Memory Study who completed the MMSE and FOME. Empirically derived decision trees were computed using signal detection software for receiver operator characteristics (ROC). Among the three ethnic groups, ROC analyses revealed that lower scores on both the MMSE and FOME provided better detection of CIND or dementia. Sensitivity and specificity of the MMSE was augmented by the addition of the FOME among Caucasian and African American older adults. The MMSE alone was the best screen in Latino older adults to distinguish any cognitive impairment from normal. When comparing CIND versus dementia, however, the FOME alone was best for detecting dementia among Latinos. The abbreviated FOME is recommended to increase clinical validity and thus minimize ethnic biases when administering the MMSE to Caucasian and African American older adults. The MMSE alone is preferred for older Latinos unless comparing CIND and dementia, in which case the FOME alone would then be recommended. Findings suggest that ethnicity is important in the selection of an appropriate cognitive screen and cut-score to use with older adults.

Asthma and obesity, which have reached epidemic proportions, impact urban youth to a great extent. Findings are inconsistent regarding their relationship; no studies have considered asthma management. We explored the association of obesity and asthma-related morbidity, asthma-related health care utilization, and asthma management in urban adolescents with uncontrolled asthma. We classified 373 early adolescents (mean age=12.8 years; 82% Hispanic or Black) from New York City public middle schools into 4 weight categories: normal (body mass index [BMI]<85th percentile); overweight (85th percentile/=97th percentile). We compared sample obesity prevalence to national estimates, and tested whether weight categories predicted caregiver reported asthma outcomes, adjusting for age and race/ethnicity. Obesity prevalence was 37%, with 28% of the sample being very obese; both rates were significantly higher than national estimates. We found no significant differences in asthma-related health care utilization or asthma management between weight categories, and a few differences in asthma-related morbidity. Relative to normal weight and obese youth, overweight youth had higher odds of never having any days with asthma-related activity limitations. They also had higher odds of never having asthma-related school absences compared with obese youth. Overweight youth with asthma-related activity limitations had more days with limitations compared with normal weight youth. Overweight, but not obese youth, missed more school due to asthma than normal weight youth. Overweight and obesity prevalence was very high in urban, Hispanic, and Black adolescents with uncontrolled asthma, but not strongly associated with asthma-related morbidity, asthma-related health care utilization, or asthma management practices.

Introduction: Vitamin D intoxication is a rare cause of hypercalcemia. There is a recent increase in reports of pediatric cases of hypercalcemia, secondary to vitamin D intoxication. This trend is attributable to the growing popularity of vitamin D supplements, especially as Vitamin D is being marketed as a "panacea" for a number of medical problems.Immigrant families often travel to their countries of origin, where vitamin supplements are available in formulations different from the US. Parents may not report using supplements to their child's pediatrician, as these supplements are perceived "safe" with no dangerous side effects.Case Presentation: A three year old toddler presented to the emergency room with emesis, polyuria, and lethargy. On inquiry, the family reported use of a multivitamin gel (made in Ecuador) dispensed at 1 tsp bid. Per the manufacturer's label, 5 grams (aD;one teaspoon) contains 0.096 mg (aD;100 IU) of cholecalciferol. A standard conversion of 1mug of cholecalciferol equals 40 IU1, secondary to conversion error this patient received 7,680 IU per day and 108,000 IU total vitamin D3 over 14 days, which is toxic. "Teaspoon" dosage inaccuracies and potentially excessive administration by caretakers compounded vitamin D toxicity.Initial lab values revealed Ca 16 mg/dl, iPTH 2.25 pg/mL (15-65), 25 OH vit D3: >512ng/mL(30-100), and UCa/UCreatinine 1.14mg/mg(<0.2). Hydration, lasix, calcitonin (6 days), and prednisolone (7 days) were used to manage the hypercalcemia. After 15 days of treatment, the 25 OH vitamin D3 was 324 ng/ml and the calcium decreased to 11.2 mg/dL. Conclusion s: In our case, dispensing and labeling errors led the parents to administer high doses of vitamin D to their toddler, leading to hypercalcemia. This highlights several issues regarding vitamin supplement usage.First, physicians should be aware of the dosage conversion of vitamin D in terms of IU, mg and mcg to calculate if the prescribed dose is appropriate for their patients. In addition, as there are no established manufacturing standards for certain vitamin supplement formulations-such as gels-caution should be exercised as more reports are emerging of toxic ingestion from overzealous supplementation. Verification of supplement source and composition is essential. Lastly, educating parents about the safe use of vitamin D supplements-emphasizing the need to report imported supplements to the patient's pediatrician-is important to avoiding erroneous toxic ingestion