Emergency Medicine Procedures: A Review of Approved Instructional Resources from the World of Free Open Access Medical Education.

The Academic Life in Emergency Medicine (ALiEM) Approved Instructional Resources (AIR) Series was created in 2014 to address the Free Open Access Medical Education (FOAM) movement's decentralized nature and lack of inherent peer review. The AIR series provides a topic-based, curated list of online educational content vetted by academic emergency medicine (EM) faculty that meets individualized interactive instruction criteria for EM trainees. Relevant FOAM resources were identified from the top 50 FOAM websites using the Social Media Index and then scored by EM faculty using a validated instrument to identify the highest quality posts related to a topic.

Pancreaticopleural fistula, a rare mediastinal emergency: A case report.

A pancreaticopleural fistula (PPF) is a rare condition that causes thoracic symptoms such as dyspnea and chest pain secondary to exudative pleural effusions. While PPF is a very rare complication with only 52 cases reported between 1960 and 2007, they typically occur in patients who are male, middle aged, and have a history of chronic alcohol use and chronic pancreatitis (Aswani and Hira, 2015; Francisco et al., n.

Spinosad at 0.9% in the treatment of scabies: Efficacy results from 2 multicenter, randomized, double-blind, vehicle-controlled studies.

Background: Scabies is a contagious skin disease resulting from Sarcoptes scabiei infestation. There are no approved over-the-counter treatments, and approved prescription products have disadvantages, including potential resistance. Spinosad, an insecticide derived from fermentation of a soil actinobacterium, shows promise as a potential treatment agent.

Pediatric volvulus induced thyroid storm.

Thyroid storm is an unusually rare but life-threatening pediatric occurrence, carrying significant mortality. Skewed towards the adolescent population, thyroid decompensation occurs due to inciting factors ranging from infection, trauma, surgery, burns, medications, direct thyroid trauma, and rarely volvulus. Emergent care focuses on both reversing the inciting event as well as quelling the metabolic hyperactivity associated with thyroid storm.

Pancreaticopleural fistula, a rare mediastinal emergency.

A pancreaticopleural fistula (PPF) is a rare condition that causes thoracic symptoms such as dyspnea and chest pain secondary to exudative pleural effusions. While PPF is a very rare complication with only 52 cases reported between 1960 and 2007, they typically occur in patients who are male, middle aged, and have a history of chronic alcohol use and chronic pancreatitis (Aswani and Hira, 2015; Francisco et al., n.

Cardiomegaly Masquerading as a Pediatric Thymoma: A Case Report.

Thymoma is a very rare pediatric tumor, accounting for less than 1% of all childhood mediastinal tumors with scant literature, and only 23 pediatric cases were identified by a pediatric tumor surveillance registry between 1973 and 2008. In contrast to adult thymomas, pediatric thymomas have an aggressive tendency, though the majority is discovered as incidental findings. Patient presentations to the emergency department (ED) are often subtle and non-specific such as dyspnea, cough, and chest pain, requiring a broad differential on the part of the emergency clinician.

Man with Penile Pain.

Case Presentation: We describe a case of spontaneous partial segmental thrombosis of the corpus cavernosum (PSTCC).

Discussion: PSTCC is a rare condition in which thrombus formation occurs in the corpus cavernosum. This condition is managed in conjunction with a urologist, and management typically includes anticoagulation and pain control.

Academic Life in Emergency Medicine (ALiEM) Blog and Podcast Watch: Infectious Diseases.

The Academic Life in Emergency Medicine (ALiEM) Approved Instructional Resources (AIR) Series and Approved Instructional Resources - Professional (AIR-Pro) Series were created in 2014 and 2015, respectively, in response to the growing need to curate online educational content as well as create a nationally available curriculum that meets individualized interactive instruction criteria for emergency medicine (EM) trainees. These two online series identify high-quality educational blog and podcast content using an expert-based approach. The AIR series is a continuously building curriculum originally based on the Council of Emergency Medicine Directors (CORD) testing schedule.

Interpreting troponin in renal disease: A narrative review for emergency clinicians.

Introduction: Patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD)/end stage renal disease (ESRD) can experience several severe complications, including acute coronary syndrome (ACS). While troponin is the biomarker of choice for evaluation of ACS, interpretation of troponin in CKD/ESRD can be challenging.

Objective: This narrative review evaluates troponin elevation in patients with CKD/ESRD, pitfalls in the evaluation with troponin, and an approach to using troponin in these high-risk patients.

Pediatric cefepime neurotoxicity.

Cefepime toxicity is characterized by altered mental status, confusion, and decreased responsiveness. We describe a 14-year-old girl who developed acute encephalopathy associated with supratherapeutic cefepime concentrations in the setting of acute renal failure. The authors were unable to identify any previous reports of this occurrence in a child.

Development of PEGylated PLGA nanoparticle for controlled and sustained drug delivery in cystic fibrosis.

Background: The mutation in the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) gene results in CF. The most common mutation, ΔF508-CFTR, is a temperature-sensitive, trafficking mutant with reduced chloride transport and exaggerated immune response. The ΔF508-CFTR is misfolded, ubiquitinated, and prematurely degraded by proteasome mediated- degradation.

Characterization of the spv locus in Salmonella enterica serovar Arizona.

Salmonella enterica serovar Arizona (S. enterica subspecies IIIa) is a common Salmonella isolate from reptiles and can cause serious systemic disease in humans. The spv virulence locus, found on large plasmids in Salmonella subspecies I serovars associated with severe infections, was confirmed to be located on the chromosome of serovar Arizona.

Stereotyped and specific gene expression programs in human innate immune responses to bacteria.

The innate immune response is crucial for defense against microbial pathogens. To investigate the molecular choreography of this response, we carried out a systematic examination of the gene expression program in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells responding to bacteria and bacterial products. We found a remarkably stereotyped program of gene expression induced by bacterial lipopolysaccharide and diverse killed bacteria.