Impact of Adjuvant Anticonvulsant Medications on Benzodiazepine Use and Delirium in Alcohol Withdrawal Syndrome.

To assess the benefits of anticonvulsant medications on benzodiazepine (BZD) use and delirium in patients with alcohol dependence at risk of alcohol withdrawal and admitted to the hospital without delirium. This was a resident-led retrospective study of prospectively collected data for patients admitted to the monitored unit of a general medical ward between June 2016 and March 2017 for a variety of medical conditions. Patients were assigned to the usual care group (BZD as needed) or the intervention group (scheduled anticonvulsants and BZD as needed) based on admission census and order of arrival.

Exploring faculty development opportunities and strategies in departments of medicine of U.S. community-based teaching hospitals.

: Faculty development (FD) activities are offered as a tool to health-care professionals to improve their knowledge, skills, and role as teachers and educators, leaders, researchers, and scholars. Formal FD activities have been more readily available at university-based teaching hospitals than at community-based hospitals. Yet the majority of Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) accredited residency programs are sponsored by community-based teaching hospitals.

An Evaluation of Factors Associated With Pathogenic PRSS1, SPINK1, CTFR, and/or CTRC Genetic Variants in Patients With Idiopathic Pancreatitis.

Objectives: We evaluated factors associated with pathogenic genetic variants in patients with idiopathic pancreatitis.

Methods: Genetic testing (PRSS1, CFTR, SPINK1, and CTRC) was performed in all eligible patients with idiopathic pancreatitis between 2010 to 2015. Patients were classified into the following groups based on a review of medical records: (1) acute recurrent idiopathic pancreatitis (ARIP) with or without underlying chronic pancreatitis; (2) idiopathic chronic pancreatitis (ICP) without a history of ARP; (3) an unexplained first episode of acute pancreatitis (AP)<35 years of age; and (4) family history of pancreatitis.