Malingering in Adolescent Psychiatry: A Case Report of Fabricated Symptoms to Avoid Legal Consequences.

Malingering is characterized by the deliberate fabrication and/or exaggeration of symptoms for secondary gain, posing a diagnostic challenge in healthcare settings. In this report, we present a 15-year-old male with a history of psychiatric disorders who attempted suicide to avoid legal sentencing, subsequently developing a stutter following an altercation with another patient. Despite initial concern for a concussion, further evaluation revealed malingering as the underlying motive. This case highlights the importance of identifying malingering in adolescents, which calls for a careful approach and thorough assessment for it to be distinguished from an authentic illness. Early identification of malingering optimizes resource allocation and ensures appropriate care for patients who have genuine medical needs.

The impact of heart valve and partial heart transplant models on the development of banking methods for tissues and organs: A concise review.

Cryopreserved human heart valves fill a crucial role in the treatment for congenital cardiac anomalies, since the use of alternative mechanical and xenogeneic tissue valves have historically been limited in babies. Heart valve models have been used since 1998 to better understand the impact of cryopreservation variables on the heart valve tissue components with the ultimate goals of improving cryopreserved tissue outcomes and potentially extrapolating results with tissues to organs. Cryopreservation traditionally relies on conventional freezing, employing cryoprotective agents, and slow cooling to sub-zero centigrade temperatures; but it is plagued by the formation of ice crystals and cell damage upon thawing. Researchers have identified ice-free vitrification procedures and developed a new rapid warming method termed nanowarming. Nanowarming is an emerging method that utilizes targeted application of energy at the nanoscale level to rapidly rewarm vitrified tissues, such as heart valves, uniformly for transplantation. Vitrification and nanowarming methods hold great promise for surgery, enabling the storage and transplantation of tissues for various applications, including tissue repair and replacement. These innovations have the potential to revolutionize complex tissue and organ transplantation, including partial heart transplantation. Banking these grafts addresses organ scarcity by extending preservation duration while preserving biological activity with maintenance of structural fidelity. While ice-free vitrification and nanowarming show remarkable potential, they are still in early development. Further interdisciplinary research must be dedicated to exploring the remaining challenges that include scalability, optimizing cryoprotectant solutions, and ensuring long-term viability upon rewarming in vitro and in vivo.

Reducing Maternal Mortality Rates in Alabama Through Patient Education: A Scoping Review.

Maternal mortality continues to rise in the United States and disproportionately affects those in Alabama. Lack of patient education on warning signs is a preventable cause of maternal mortality. This article aims to systematically quantify existing research investigating the effect of patient education on maternal outcomes. The inclusion criteria required an article to be (a) original research, (b) conducted within the United States, (c) in English, and (d) published between January 2012 and September 2022. PubMed® and Embase® databases were searched using key words and filters. Rayyan®, a systematic review research tool, was utilized to assess articles in a blinded two-person review process. A blinded third researcher resolved conflicts. A total of 3,139 articles were compiled; 3,115 articles did not meet inclusion criteria, and 24 articles were retrieved after an abstract review. Ultimately, 11 articles were included after a full-text review. None of these articles were specific to Alabama. However, they did contain evidence for patient education improving maternal mortality. More research is required in Alabama to demonstrate the effect of educating patients on maternal mortality. These articles contain evidence for education as a tool to improve maternal outcomes.