ABSTRACT
Breast cancer affects about one in eight women over the course of her lifetime. Occult breast cancer, in which primary breast cancer is detected without evidence of disease in the breast itself, comprises up to 1% of new diagnoses; this is typically detected from abnormal axillary lymph nodes, and distant metastases are rare. Here, we present an unusual case of occult breast cancer presenting as upper extremity pain, edema, and weakness, with a metastatic mass to the brachial plexus being the only site of disease.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: In response to increasing mass casualty events nationwide, the American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma developed a bleeding control course (Stop the Bleed) to teach hemorrhage control techniques to laypeople. There is a high level of public interest in learning about injury mitigation, but no study evaluating learners' perspectives after bleeding control training. We sought to evaluate the didactic value of the bleeding control course by analyzing learners' feedback within the framework of adult learning theory. STUDY DESIGN: We analyzed a total of 720 open-ended surveys from 20 regional bleeding control courses taught by a level I trauma center team during a 9-month period. Major themes expressed by learners were organized into a categorical code structure. Keywords identified from free text responses were used to code comments into subthemes. These themes were organized into categories within the framework of adult learning theory. RESULTS: The two primary themes identified from learners' feedback were empowerment and practicality. Respondents reported an overwhelmingly positive experience; 97% of participants would recommend the course to others. The course design (lecture, didactics and hands-on activities) was cited as a positive element of the course. Participants felt empowered and prepared to act and help others during mass emergency events. Actionable items for future course improvement were identified. CONCLUSION: Themes from learners' feedback fit within the framework of adult learning theory. These findings highlight the bleeding control course as an empowering experience and a practical and engaging approach to teaching hemorrhage mitigation to the public. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level V, qualitative analysis.
ABSTRACT
Human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) promotes proliferation of endogenous neural stem cells, and erythropoietin (EPO) promotes differentiation of these cells into neural stem cells. The current study examined effects of sequential administration of these two compounds, initiated 24 h after stroke. At that time, rats were randomized into four treatment groups: hCG+EPO (3 IM doses hCG over 5 days, followed by 3 IV doses EPO over 3 days), hCG+Saline using the same schedule, Saline+EPO using the same schedule, or neither drug (Saline+Saline). The primary endpoint was the composite neurological score, measured 11 times, from 1 h until 12 weeks post-insult. The neurological score was different across treatment groups (p<0.03). Pairwise testing of groups found that the hCG+EPO group had significantly better behavior at 6/10 post-stroke time points as compared to Saline+Saline. The differences observed when comparing the two-drug group with placebo were less apparent when comparing either of the one-drug groups with placebo. The two one-drug treatment arms did not significantly differ at any time point. Treatment with hCG+EPO significantly reduced total lesion volume by 82-89% compared to the other three treatment groups. The current therapeutic strategy improved behavioral outcome and reduced lesion volume with a time window of 24 h after the onset of stroke. The results from these experiments provide new insight into the effects of these two growth factors on stroke in rats, and could suggest a potential for translation into human stroke studies.
