Care of Patients at the End of Life: Pharmacotherapeutic Management of Pain.

End-of-life care often involves management of pain. A patient's pain should be assessed using the Visual Analogue Scale, which uses a 0 to 10 score, with 0 indicating no pain and 10 the worst pain imaginable. Mild pain typically is managed with nonopioids (eg, acetaminophen, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs). More severe pain is managed with opioids. Opioid therapy should start with an immediate-release opioid to determine the dose needed to achieve pain control. This can be used to create a regimen with an extended-release formulation for daily pain management plus an immediate-release formulation for breakthrough pain. The breakthrough dose should be 10% to 15% of the total daily dosage administered every 2 to 3 hours. If there is a need to change opioids or convert from oral to parenteral opioids, a conversion table should be used to estimate the new dosage. Patients taking opioids often experience constipation, so also prescribing a laxative (eg, senna, sorbitol) is advised. Other adverse effects of opioids mainly occur when starting or increasing the dosage. These effects include nausea, sedation, neurotoxicity, and itching, and typically resolve in several days. Adjuvant drugs (eg, antidepressants, anticonvulsants) often are added to the opioid regimen, particularly for management of neuropathic pain.

Fatigue in medical residents leads to reactivation of herpes virus latency.

The main objective of this study was to detect fatigue-induced clinical symptoms of immune suppression in medical residents. Samples were collected from the subjects at rest, following the first night (low-stress), and the last night (high-stress) of night float. Computerized reaction tests, Epworth Sleepiness Scale, and Wellness Profile questionnaires were used to quantify fatigue level. DNA of human herpes viruses HSV-1, VZV, EBV, as well as cortisol and melatonin concentrations, were measured in saliva. Residents at the high-stress interval reported being sleepier compared to the rest interval. EBV DNA level increased significantly at both stress intervals, while VZV DNA level increased only at low-stress. DNA levels of HSV-1 decreased at low-stress but increased at high-stress. Combined assessment of the viral DNA showed significant effect of stress on herpes virus reactivation at both stress intervals. Cortisol concentrations at both stress intervals were significantly higher than those at rest.

Medical students' attitudes in a PBL curriculum: trust, altruism, and cynicism.

PURPOSE: Studies have shown that medical students become more cynical and less altruistic as they advance in training. However, these studies were conducted in traditional medical schools, and many used unvalidated tools. This study examined students' attitudes in a problem-based learning (PBL) curriculum using reliable and valid measures. METHOD: Medical students and PGY-1 residents at Mercer University School of Medicine in Macon, Georgia, completed Wrightsman's Philosophies of Human Natures Scale (PHNS) in 1999 and 2000. Chronbach's alpha assessed internal reliability among subscales, and test-retest reliability coefficients confirmed acceptable reliability. For 114 students who completed both surveys, changes in PHNS scores were analyzed, with particular attention to the subscales of trustworthiness, altruism, and cynicism. RESULTS: Students assessed at the beginning of their second year increased the extent to which they believed people are trustworthy and increased their beliefs in how altruistic people are. They also showed a significant decrease in cynicism. There was not a significant change in trustworthiness, altruism, or cynicism among the participants beyond first year. In general, female students held less cynical views about others and believed people to be more trustworthy. CONCLUSIONS: Contrary to prior reports, this study found that more advanced trainees were not more cynical or less altruistic than their more junior counterparts. Indeed, a significant and positive change of attitudes among the participants during their first year of medical school refuted earlier reports. Thus, results of earlier studies and the effect of a PBL curriculum on attitudes of medical students need to be re-examined.

Chronic acetaminophen toxicity: a case report and review of the literature.

Acetaminophen is one of the most frequently used medications in the United States. While usual dosing of acetaminophen is considered harmless, both acute and chronic overdoses can be fatal. The majority of reported cases of chronic acetaminophen toxicity in adults occur in chronic alcohol abusers, patients taking P450-inducing medications, or following massive dosing. We describe a case of toxic hepatitis free of the aforementioned risk factors associated with chronic ingestion of moderately excessive doses of acetaminophen. Our patient ingested approximately 5.0 to 6.5 g of acetaminophen daily for 6 to 8 weeks via multiple medications. The inclusion of acetaminophen in numerous medications combined with the frequency of use of acetaminophen necessitates an increased concern for not only acute but also chronic acetaminophen toxicity.