Articles: human.
-
Human milk is associated with positive short- and long-term health outcomes. Women's choice to breastfeed is influenced by personal, social, health, and economic factors. The COVID-19 pandemic impacted health care delivery, non-emergent health care services, and family lifestyles, primarily in the early months of 2020. The aim of this study was to determine if breastfeeding initiation rates differed during a global pandemic among women in the military health care system. ⋯ Overall breastfeeding initiation rates did not differ during the COVID-19 pandemic when rates in 2020 were compared to those in the year prior. Race, birth method, parity, and gestational age were associated with breastfeeding initiation rates in women cared for at military centers.
-
Proctitis is an inflammation of the lining of the rectum that can be either acute or chronic in presentation. Symptoms include rectal bleeding, constipation, rectal discharge, rectal pain, and tenesmus. It is commonly associated with inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs) such as ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease. ⋯ Results were positive for both rectal C. trachomatis and HIV antigen and antibody serology, which were confirmed as HIV-1 on confirmatory testing. He was treated with doxycycline for his chlamydial proctitis with symptom resolution and was also initiated on antiretroviral therapy for his HIV infection. This case highlights the importance of obtaining a sexual history and considering STIs as a cause of proctitis, as this will ensure proper screenings and prompt subsequent treatment and potentially avoid unnecessary endoscopic and medical evaluation, which could potentially worsen the underlying process.
-
During high-fidelity simulations in the Critical Care Air Transport (CCAT) Advanced course, we identified a high frequency of insulin medication errors and sought strategies to reduce them using a human factors approach. ⋯ This study demonstrates the value of descriptive error analysis during high-fidelity simulation using audio-video review and effective risk mitigation using training and cognitive aids to reduce medication errors in CCAT. As demonstrated by post-intervention observations, a human factors approach successfully reduced decision-based error by using didactic training and cognitive aids and reduced skill-based error using hands-on training. We recommend the development of a Clinical Practice Guideline including an SSI protocol, guidelines for a 2-person check, and a cognitive aid for implementation with deployed CCAT teams. Furthermore, hands-on training for insulin preparation and administration should be incorporated into home station sustainment training to reduced medication errors in the operational environment.
-
Stability operations, including humanitarian assistance and disaster relief missions, are key functions of U.S. Military medicine and the Military Medical Humanitarian Assistance Course (MMHAC) is a 2-day course widely used to prepare military medical personnel for such missions. It focuses on caring for those most vulnerable in the wake of disasters, particularly children. The large-scale humanitarian deployment of military medical providers in support of Operation Allies Welcome/Operation Allies Refuge (OAW/OAR) presents an opportunity to evaluate the preparedness of these providers to care for the needs of the Afghan travelers, so we explored the experiences of military medical providers deployed in support of OAW/OAR to inform improvements in the MMHAC. ⋯ Physicians found the OAR/OAW mission meaningful but also identified challenges related to medical care provision, public health, logistics, and ethical dilemmas that hindered their ability to carry out their medical mission. Lessons learned from OAW/OAR highlight several areas in which the MMHAC training could be augmented and improved to further mitigate these challenges.
-
Apolipoprotein L1 gene (APOL1) variants are risk factors for chronic kidney disease (CKD) among Black Americans. Data are sparse on the genetic epidemiology of CKD and the clinical association of APOL1 variants with CKD in West Africans, a major group in the Black population. ⋯ In this study, monoallelic APOL1 variants were associated with 18% higher odds of CKD and 61% higher odds of focal segmental glomerulosclerosis; biallelic APOL1 variants were associated with 25% higher odds of CKD and 84% higher odds of focal segmental glomerulosclerosis. (Funded by the National Human Genome Research Institute and others.).