Role of Multidisciplinary Care in the Management of Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

Despite advances in treatment options for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), 5-year survival for HCC remains below 20%. This poor survival is multifactorial but is partly related to underuse of curative treatment in clinical practice. In light of growing treatment options, delivered by different types of providers, optimal management requires input from multiple specialties. A multidisciplinary approach has been evolving over the past couple of decades, bringing different specialists together to develop a therapeutic plan to treat and manage HCC, which significantly increases timely guideline-concordant treatment and improves overall survival. The present review attempts to highlight the need for such a multimodal approach by providing insights on its potential structure and impact on the various aspects of HCC management.

Gender and Ethnic Diversity in Academic PM&R Faculty: National Trend Analysis of Two Decades.

Over the years, a number of studies have demonstrated an increase in gender and ethnic diversity among US physicians. Despite substantial progress in eliminating gender and racial inequities in the field of medicine, women and ethnic minorities are still underrepresented among medical faculty at academic institutions. This study aims to describe the trends in gender and ethnic diversity among Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R) faculty through statistical analysis of data describing gender and ethnicity of full-time academic faculty gathered from the Association of American Medical Colleges Faculty Roster from 1994 to 2014. Proportions representing the percentages of females and ethnic minorities of a given faculty position in medical schools were compared across each of the other faculty ranks. Results showed that the average yearly percent increases in the proportion of female PM&R faculty in associate professor (0.68%) and full professor (0.54%) positions were greater than those in instructor (0.30%) and assistant professor (0.35%) positions. In contrast, the average yearly percent increase in the proportion of non-Caucasian PM&R faculty in full professor positions (0.19%) was less than those in instructor (0.84%), assistant (0.93%), and associate professor (0.89%) positions. Overall, trends among faculty exhibit a steady increase in gender and ethnic diversity, although promotion disparity continues to exist among specific academic positions for some groups. This study provides a current perspective on recent changes in diversity among faculty in PM&R and may prove useful when defining strategies to improve workforce diversity.

Sleep Disturbances and Common Mental Disorders in College Students.

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the prevalence of common mental disorders (CMDs) and examine the association of sleep disorders with presence of CMDs. METHODS: A self-administered questionnaire was used to ascertain demographic information and behavioral characteristics among 2,645 undergraduate students in Ethiopia. Standard questionnaires were used to assess CMDs, evening chronotype, sleep quality and daytime sleepiness. RESULTS: A total of 716 students (26.6%) were characterized as having CMDs. Female students had higher prevalence of CMDs (30.6%) compared to male students (25.4%). After adjusting for potential confounders, daytime sleepiness (OR=2.02; 95% CI 1.64-2.49) and poor sleep quality (OR=2.36; 95% CI 1.91-2.93) were associated with increased odds of CMDs. CONCLUSION: There is a high prevalence of CMDs comorbid with sleep disorders among college students.