Diagnosis and treatment of osteoporosis.

Osteoporosis affects approximately 8 million women and 2 million men in the United States. The associated fractures are a common and preventable cause of morbidity and mortality in up to 50 percent of older women. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends using dual energy x-ray absorptiometry to screen all women 65 years and older and women 60 to 64 years of age who have increased fracture risk. Some organizations recommend considering screening in all men 70 years and older. For persons with osteoporosis diagnosed by dual energy x-ray absorptiometry or previous fragility fracture, effective first-line treatment consists of fall prevention, adequate intake of calcium (at least 1,200 mg per day) and vitamin D (at least 700 to 800 IU per day), and treatment with a bisphosphonate. Raloxifene, calcitonin, teriparatide, or hormone therapy maybe considered for certain subsets of patients.

A case of precocious emphysema and lung cancer in a woman with a history of hypocomplementemic urticarial vasculitis.

Severe emphysema developed in a white woman with a 26-pack-year history of tobacco use. Serum alpha(1)-antitrypsin levels were normal. A history of autoimmune hemolytic anemia, angioedema, low complement, and recurrent urticaria prompted an immunologic workup that ultimately led to a diagnosis of hypocomplementemic urticarial vasculitis syndrome. Treatment with oral prednisone and inhaled bronchodilators improved symptoms, but 4 months after diagnosis non-small cell lung cancer was discovered and she ultimately died. Hypocomplementemic urticarial vasculitis is an uncommon cause of precocious emphysema and has not previously been reported in a patient with bronchogenic carcinoma.

A 41-year-old HIV-positive man with acute onset of quadriplegia after West Nile virus infection.

Most cases of West Nile encephalitis virus (WNV) infection are asymptomatic. In cases where WNV is symptomatic, patients usually experience high fever of sudden onset, myalgia, headache, and gastrointestinal symptoms, accompanied by a macular erythematous rash in a quarter to half of cases. More severe infections manifest as a poliomyelitis. Immunocompromise and immune senescence confer an increased risk of severe central nervous system (CNS) infection. Patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection are therefore more susceptible, but, because the symptoms of WNV infection may be attributed to other CNS syndromes common in HIV patients, it is likely that the presence of WNV infection is underdiagnosed and underreported. We present a patient with severe WNV infection who was found to be HIV positive, who also suffered hearing loss. Several key differences in the presentation of WNV infection and Guillain-Barré syndrome that have treatment implications are discussed.

Chest pain and ST segment elevation attributable to cholecystitis: a case report and review of the literature.

Chest pain with electrocardiographic changes is usually a life-threatening presentation of cardiac ischemia. There are, however, a variety of noncardiac conditions that have been reported to mimic these clinical and electrocardiographic changes. An Asian woman presented with chest pain and ST segment elevations in the distribution of the left anterior descending artery. She had persisting chest pain and ST segment elevations that were refractory to medical therapy, leading to thrombolytic therapy and rescue angiography, which revealed no evidence of coronary artery disease by coronary catherization. Cholecystitis was subsequently diagnosed with hepatobiliary scintigraphy. The patient's fever and ST segment elevations promptly resolved with antibiotic treatment. Four previous cases of ST segment elevation attributed to cholecystitis have been reported. Although the electrocardiographic changes attributed to cholecystitis have been shown to be correctable, the pathophysiological mechanism underlying these changes remains unclear. Prompt recognition of cholecystitis can ensure appropriate treatment and may prevent the performance of unnecessary diagnostic and therapeutic interventions.

Clerkship sharing on inpatient internal medicine rotations: an emerging clerkship model.

BACKGROUND: "Clerkship sharing" is the coexistence of students from 2 or more medical schools rotating on the same specialty at a single clerkship site. PURPOSE: Clerkship sharing was characterized by answering three related questions regarding the prevalence of clerkship sharing on internal medicine inpatient rotations, stakeholders views of the advantages and disadvantages of clerkship sharing, and the ways that clerkship sharing affects medical student outcomes at an institution. METHODS: In 2001, the Clerkship Directors in Internal Medicine (CDIM) surveyed its members; 1 section addressed clerkship sharing on inpatient rotations. In addition, the authors surveyed a convenience sample of teachers and learners at 41% of schools with clerkship sharing. Finally, using a 10-year database from one institution, we searched for differences in clerkship outcomes among students who rotated at clerkship sites with or without clerkship sharing. RESULTS: The overall clerkship director (CD) survey response rate was 78% (96/123); 22 of 96 (23%) of CDs reported having clerkship sharing on inpatient rotations. Advantages reported included a greater diversity of clinical exposure for students (77%) and a fostering of collegial relationships (73%). We also collected 79 teacher and 77 medical student surveys from 9 (41%) medical schools identified as having clerkship sharing. The majority of these teachers and learners believed that sharing improves teaching and the overall rotation quality. All surveyed groups were concerned that clerkship sharing affected the clarity of clerkship goals, objectives, and grading. However, clerkship outcomes from 1 institution demonstrated no effect of clerkship sharing on faculty ratings of students or student examination performance. CONCLUSIONS: Clerkship sharing appears to be an emerging clerkship model, and, although it may have inherent advantages that benefit student education, CDs should address challenges such as common goals and expectations for students and teachers.

Morning Report: an analysis of curricular content and comparison to national guidelines.

BACKGROUND: Morning Report is a long-standing tradition for internal medicine residency programs, but format and content vary greatly and have not been compared to any accepted curriculum standards. The Federated Council for Internal Medicine (FCIM) Task Force on the Internal Medicine Residency Curriculum has published curriculum guidelines for residency programs. PURPOSE: We compared our institution's Morning Report topics with FCIM curriculum guidelines to determine the feasibility and validity of these guidelines in a residency program. METHODS: A review was performed of all Morning Report conferences over 3 years. RESULTS: With the exception of general internal medicine topics, between 60% to 86% of all FCIM organ and system competency focus areas were the subject of one or more of 583 consecutive Morning Reports. CONCLUSIONS: The content of our Morning Report conferences closely paralleled FCIM guidelines, suggesting that the FCIM guidelines may be feasible and valid. These guidelines can provide guidance for Morning Report content.