Evolving Interoperability Across a State Public Health Immunization Registry and Electronic Health Records.

The critical need for system interoperability and robust information infrastructure in public health was highlighted during the COVID-19 pandemic. An assessment of the evolving interoperability between immunization information system (IIS) in a state-based public health agency and electronic health records (EHRs) including pandemic-driven evolution/use was conducted. The Minnesota Immunization Information Connection (MIIC), the IIS for Minnesota (US) supports interoperability with EHRs using HL7v2.

SARS-CoV-2 Exposure and Infection Among Health Care Personnel - Minnesota, March 6-July 11, 2020.

Health care personnel (HCP) are at increased risk for infection with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), as a result of their exposure to patients or community contacts with COVID-19 (1,2). Since the first confirmed case of COVID-19 in Minnesota was reported on March 6, 2020, the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) has required health care facilities* to report HCP exposures to persons with confirmed COVID-19 for exposure risk assessment and to enroll HCP with higher-risk exposures into quarantine and symptom monitoring. During March 6-July 11, MDH and 1,217 partnering health care facilities assessed 21,406 HCP exposures; among these, 5,374 (25%) were classified as higher-risk (3).

Measles Outbreak in Minnesota (2017): Roles of an Immunization Information System.

The Minnesota Department of Health used its Immunization Information System-the Minnesota Immunization Information Connection-to respond to an outbreak of measles in the state in 2017 by assisting with the exclusion of unvaccinated exposed individuals from public activities, providing members of the public with their immunization records, and monitoring measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine uptake. Use of the Immunization Information System was found to be an efficient and sustainable tool in responding to the outbreak.

Patterns and Correlates of Grip Strength in Older Americans.

Background: Muscle strength is a sensitive indicator of morbidity and mortality in older adults. Loss of muscle strength contributes to a decline in physical functioning. Hand grip strength is a simple measurement but correlated with total body muscle strength.

Timeliness of Receipt of Early Childhood Vaccinations Among Children of Immigrants - Minnesota, 2016.

Receiving recommended childhood vaccinations on schedule is the best way to prevent the occurrence and spread of vaccine-preventable diseases (1). Vaccination coverage among children aged 19-35 months in the United States exceeds 90% for most recommended vaccines in the early childhood series (2); however, previous studies have found that few children receive all recommended vaccine doses on time (3). The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH), using information from the Minnesota Immunization Information Connection (MIIC) and the MDH Office of Vital Records, examined early childhood immunization rates and found that children with at least one foreign-born parent were less likely to be up-to-date on recommended immunizations at ages 2, 6, 18, and 36 months than were children with two U.

Epidemiology of Obesity in the Hispanic Adult Population in the United States.

Obesity is a major health concern in Hispanic populations. This study evaluated the epidemiology of obesity and associated factors among Hispanics using the data from the 2013-2014 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Among the 1241 participants (20 years of age or older), the prevalence rates were as follows: overweight, 77.

Single-incision robotic-assisted living donor nephrectomy: case report and description of surgical technique.

The introduction of laparoscopic surgery, and more recently of robotics, has increased the number of living donor kidney transplants. This approach has already improved living donor acceptance rates. Even newer developments in the field have now been introduced with the purpose of further reducing postoperative pain and length of hospital stay, while offering better cosmetic results.

"But they can't reach that high...": parental perceptions and knowledge relating to childhood poisoning.

Issue Addressed: Preventing childhood poisoning is an important injury-control priority, requiring a multi-strategy approach. However, there remains a wide void between what is recommended by prevention programs and the evidence, and what is acted upon in the day-to-day family environment. This paper seeks to probe behind aspects of this void by examining parental perceptions in relation to childhood poisoning within a Health Belief Model framework.

Prevalence and associated factors of overweight among Mexican-American adolescents.

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the prevalence of overweight and obesity and associated factors among Mexican-American adolescents, because obesity is more common among this ethnic group. The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 1999-2002 data were analyzed for Mexican-American adolescents aged 12 to 19 years (n=4,109). Weight status was determined by sex-specific body mass index for age, and evaluated in relationship to demographic characteristics, participation in physical activities, dietary intake, and general health status.

The moonlighting dilemma. Balancing education, service, and quality care while limiting risk exposure.

Moonlighting by medical residents is a highly controversial topic that has recently received new interest and concern as states are implementing legislative and regulatory efforts to limit residents' work hours and as teaching hospitals are increasingly concerned about liability exposure. Despite the potential problems, moonlighting, or outside employment, represents additional income to residents that enables repayment of massive student loans and/or improves their standard of living. It means additional clinical experience and responsibility, which many feel enhances their educational experience, and it permits essential night and weekend coverage for community hospital emergency departments and walk-in centers.

Competition and cost in graduate medical education. Should we train unsalaried residents and fellows?

In 1985, a total of 6,080 applicants to the National Resident Matching Program (Match) were unable to match with residency positions. The majority of unmatched applicants were graduates of foreign medical schools. In addition, many US and foreign medical graduate applicants did not find positions in their preferred choice of specialties.

CT sialography: utilising acinar filling.

The technique of computed tomographic sialography (CTS) has been demonstrated to be valuable in the diagnosis of masses of the major salivary glands. Forty-one CT sialograms were performed in 35 patients using acinar glandular filling with oily contrast material. Twenty-two mass lesions and seven cases of inflammatory disease were identified.

Glioblastoma of the cerebellum. Computed tomographic and pathologic considerations.

Cerebellar glioblastoma is a brain malignancy that is often difficult to distinguish from metastatic disease in the elderly before biopsy. The clinical course and computed tomographic appearance of four patients with multiform glioblastoma of the cerebellum are presented and correlated with other reports in the literature. The appearance of a cerebellar hemispheric lesion with little mass effect is described, and the pathology of the tumor is reviewed.

Prevention of visual anxiety and proficiency problems in the senior air transport pilot.

Several actual cases were presented to show the problems encountered with flight deck vision in the middle-age presbyopic pilot both in the simulator and in flight. We have gained useful knowledge in the proper flight-deck needs and optical corrections for these pilots, which should be passed on to aviation examiners, eye specialists, and pilots themselves. This would relieve a great deal of unnecessary lost time and anxiety which results when the pilot has a correction unsuited for the cockpit and encounters extreme difficulty in simulator work and in actual flight conditions which he does not understand and which can become very frustrating and a source of anxiety because his career is at stake.

Pseudo-internuclear oculomotor ophthalmoplegia secondary to Guillain-Barré polyneuronitis simulating myasthenia gravis in a air transport pilot.

A 32-year old experienced co-pilot was grounded because of handicapping and disabling doulbe vision and was off-flight from October, 1969, until January, 1972. He presented with a bilateral external ophthalmoplegia with alternate extreme divergent strabismus, and polyneuronitis. The clinical picture was confused by features resembling either a polyneuronitis of the Guillain-Barrè type, (confused by a false positive Tensilon test), myasthenia gravis, or a demyelinizing process.