Comparing Travel Distance to Care and Staging of Parotid Gland Malignancies in South Dakota and Surrounding States.

Background: Parotid gland malignancies are difficult to characterize in terms of incidence and risk factors due to their relatively rare occurrence. Common cancers often present more aggressively in rural areas, albeit occurring less frequently. Some previous studies have found increased distance to care has been linked to more advanced malignancies.

Insidious Blastomycoses Osteomyelitis in a Young, Immunocompetent Male.

Blastomyces is a fungus that is endemic to the Ohio and Mississippi River Valleys and Great Lakes region. The fungus is a rare cause of infection, but most commonly causes infections of the lungs followed by the skin and bones. Infection of the bone is often not clinically suspected, which can slow the diagnosis.

Aggressive Langerhans cell histiocytosis following T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

A 4-year-old female child developed cutaneous Langerhans cell histiocytosis 6 months following a diagnosis of T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Imaging revealed no evidence of systemic disease. Seven months later, the first systemic lesion was discovered on laryngoscopy.

A Case of Birt-Hogg-Dube Syndrome.

Birt-Hogg-Dube (BHD) syndrome is a rare condition that typically presents with a triad of benign cutaneous papules including fibrofolliculomas, pulmonary cysts and pneumothoraxes, and renal tumors. Though a rare disease, it is an important diagnosis so that monitoring for a renal neoplasm can begin. In this case report we discuss an asymptomatic patient diagnosed with BHD after undergoing a routine skin exam and highlight the importance of diagnosis so that routine screening can be implemented.

Student Initiative Improves HIV Screening Rate in Student-Run Free Clinic.

Background The Center for Disease Control provides recommendations for preventative services and screenings including recommendations for a one-time HIV screening of all adult patients between the ages of 13-64. But not all clinics are fully compliant with these recommendations. We identified a need for increased screening at two clinics in a rural setting.