West Virginia Medical Journal

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Objectives: Tobacco-use is common among elderly lung cancer patients and continued tobacco-use can impact prognosis. This study evaluates patterns of receipt of Tobacco-use Cessation Counseling (TCC) services among these patients. Methods: Using West Virginia Cancer Registry-Medicare linked database (2004-2007), we identified elderly patients with lung cancer (n = 922) and categorized them by receipt of TCC services. Hierarchical generalized logistic model was constructed and survival outcomes were analyzed by Kaplan-Meier analysis, Log-Rank test, and Cox proportional hazards modeling...

An 85-year-old female with multiple medical problems presented with a sigmoid volvulus. While in the ICU, the patient required a central line because of poor peripheral access. The central line was mistakenly placed in the aorta while attempting to use the subclavian approach. In this manuscript we discussed ways of reducing complications and successfully placing subclavian vein catheters.

Background: The aim of our study was to describe, analyze, and evaluate results of wireless capsule endoscopy (CE) as an imaging modality for various indications. Methods: We conducted a retrospective chart review study of all CE studies performed between January 1, 2007 and June 30, 2014 at Marshall University. The study included 272 patients between the ages of 21-85 years old. Results: The most common finding in our study was a normal study (57...

Adolescents and young adults (less than 30 years of age) with pre-arthritic hip pain constitute a diagnostic dilemma for the primary care physician. The most common underlying diagnoses range from benign muscle strains/joint sprains to stress reactions, insufficiency fractures, and tears involving the articular cartilage/labrum in the setting of femoroacetabular impingement, a hip shape abnormality that is present in up to 90% of this age group. Undetected or left untreated these seemingly innocuous disorders can result in significant loss of function and, in some cases, irreversible joint damage...

Background: A chemical spill contaminated the public water supply of Charleston, West Virginia in January 2014 for at least a week. Psychological distress is common after disasters. Methods: We surveyed the exposed population to assess psychological distress during and three months after the incident. We inquired about stressors that might predict distress, adequacy of communication from public officials, and use of the water supply and perceptions of its safety three months after the incident...

The current case highlights an uncommon cause of recurrent pneumonia. A 76 year old female presented to her primary care physician multiple times with recurrent left lower lobe pneumonia. After multiple chest radiographs continued to show no improvement despite antibiotics, a CT of the chest was performed and showed an intraluminal lesion in the left lower lobe bronchus. An endoscopic biopsy was performed and showed the lesion to be a hamartoma. The patient subsequently underwent resection of the lesion and her symptoms resolved...

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No abstract text is available yet for this article.

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

Lyme disease case misclassification, a top public health concern, may be attributed to the current disconnect between clinical diagnosis and surveillance. This study examines Lyme disease distribution in West Virginia (WV) and determines clinicians' knowledge of both disease and surveillance. Lyme disease surveillance data for 2013 were obtained from the WV Bureau for Public Health. A validated survey, distributed to clinicians at an academic medical center, assessed clinicians' knowledge of disease diagnosis and surveillance...

BACKGROUND: In March 2012 the West Virginia legislature passed a law that mandates birth hospitals to perform pulse oximetry screening for all well-babies in the newborn nursery to improve the detection of critical congenital heart disease (CCHD). CCHD screening data collection began on September 1, 2012 at all 28 birthing hospitals. The purpose of this study was to review the first year of pulse oximetry screening outcomes and identify barriers to implementation and solutions to improve tracking and policy...

Neuroblastoma is a malignant tumor arising from nerve tissue that accounts for approximately 15 percent of pediatric cancer fatalities. Primary tumors most commonly arise in sympathetic nervous tissue of the abdomen and metastasize to the bone marrow, liver, and lymph nodes. This case report depicts a 3-year-old girl who presented with a recurring fever, runny nose, and a positive test for rhinovirus suggesting a simple case of the common cold. Further investigation, however, revealed stage 4 neuroblastoma...

Due to the demands of resident education and long periods of time spent indoors, resident physicians may have poorer bone quality than would be expected. Forty-four resident physicians underwent dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) and 25-hydroxyvitamin D level testing at our institution. Results were correlated with a survey of self-reported duty hours, physical activity, and sun exposure. The average 25-hydroxyvitamin D level for all participants was 29 ng/dL, which fell into the insufficient range, and 31...