The United States' response to the World Report on Disability.

The 2011 Annual Disability Status Report notes a disability prevalence rate of 12.1% in the United States. People with disabilities of all ages are increasing in prevalence, and the prevalence increases with age. People with disabilities are high users of health care, have less social participation, and have a higher risk for poverty. Although the United States has a robust history of policy and legislation related to disability and rehabilitation, the ratification of the United Nations Conventions on the Rights of People with Disabilities recently failed in the United States Congress. However, in general, the United States is positioned fairly well regarding most aspects of rehabilitation including a strong rehabilitation science providing a sound base for evidence-based practice. Three key areas of further development emerge: education about disability and benefits of rehabilitation to decision makers and administrators who are concerned with the implementation of the Affordable Care Act, advocacy for a more robust organized presence and acknowledgement of rehabilitation science and research, and advocacy for education about disability and rehabilitation for physicians-in-training.

Disseminated cryptococcosis in an HIV-negative pregnancy: a case of cryptococcal septic abortion complicating an immunocompetent pregnancy.

Cryptococcus neoformans, a well-known pathogen of the immunocompromised host, is rarely reported as a cause of disseminated infection in the immunocompetent pregnant woman. Reported herein is the case of a young gravid woman, who initially presented with vague systemic symptoms that evolved into a disseminated cryptococcosis, which was resistant to standard parenteral antifungal therapy and resulted in abortion. Experience from this case suggests that cryptococcal infection should be considered in the differential diagnosis of pregnant women presenting with vague systemic symptoms such as fever, abdominal pain, and generalized lymphadenopathy.

Distal digital embolization from a thrombosed aneurysmal hemodialysis arteriovenous fistula: the benefit of a hybrid approach.

Aneurysmal degeneration of a hemodialysis arteriovenous fistula (AVF) is common; however, distal digital embolization from an AVF is extremely rare. Even though the ultimate fate of all arteriovenous hemodialysis access is thrombosis with minimal consequences, dislodgement of thrombus at the proximal anastomosis could lead to ischemia of the distal arterial circulation. We here present a case of a renal transplant patient with a thrombosed aneurysmal AVF who presented with acute digital ischemia successfully treated with combination catheter-directed thrombolysis and open repair. No similar report was found describing this entity treated with this approach.