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Screening for Chlamydia and Gonorrhea: US Preventive Services Task Force Recommendation Statement

Author/s: 
M. J., Mangione, C. M., Cabana, M., Caughey, A. B., Davis, E. M., Donahue, K. E., Doubeni, C. A., Krist, A. H., Kubik, Li, L., Ogedegbe, G., Pbert, Silverstein, Simon, M. A., Stevermer, J., Tseng, C., Wong, J. B.

Importance: Chlamydia and gonorrhea are among the most common sexually transmitted infections in the US. Infection rates are highest among adolescents and young adults of both sexes. Chlamydial and gonococcal infections in women are usually asymptomatic and may lead to pelvic inflammatory disease and its associated complications. Newborns of pregnant persons with untreated infection may develop neonatal chlamydial pneumonia or gonococcal or chlamydial ophthalmia. Infection in men may lead to urethritis and epididymitis. Both types of infection can increase risk of acquiring or transmitting HIV.

Objective: To update its 2014 recommendation, the US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) commissioned a systematic review to evaluate the benefits and harms of screening for chlamydia and gonorrhea in sexually active adolescents and adults, including pregnant persons.

Population: Asymptomatic, sexually active adolescents and adults, including pregnant persons.

Evidence assessment: The USPSTF concludes with moderate certainty that screening for chlamydia in all sexually active women 24 years or younger and in women 25 years or older who are at increased risk for infection has moderate net benefit. The USPSTF concludes with moderate certainty that screening for gonorrhea in all sexually active women 24 years or younger and in women 25 years or older who are at increased risk for infection has moderate net benefit. The USPSTF concludes that the current evidence is insufficient to assess the balance of benefits and harms of screening for chlamydia and gonorrhea in men.

Recommendation: The USPSTF recommends screening for chlamydia in all sexually active women 24 years or younger and in women 25 years or older who are at increased risk for infection. (B recommendation) The USPSTF recommends screening for gonorrhea in all sexually active women 24 years or younger and in women 25 years or older who are at increased risk for infection. (B recommendation) The USPSTF concludes that the current evidence is insufficient to assess the balance of benefits and harms of screening for chlamydia and gonorrhea in men. (I statement).

A predictive equation to guide vitamin D replacement dose in patients

Author/s: 
Singh, G., Bonham, A. J.

Background: Vitamin D is essential for bone health and probably the health of most nonskeletal tissues. Vitamin D deficiency is widespread, and recommended doses are usually inadequate to maintain healthy levels. We conducted a retrospective observational study to determine whether the recommended doses of vitamin D are adequate to correct deficiency and maintain normal levels in a population seeking health care. We also sought to develop a predictive equation for replacement doses of vitamin D.

Methods: We reviewed the response to vitamin D supplementation in 1327 patients and 3885 episodes of vitamin D replacement and attempted to discern factors affecting the response to vitamin D replacement by conducting multiple regression analyses.

Results: For the whole population, average daily dose resulting in any increase in serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D level was 4707 IU/day; corresponding values for ambulatory and nursing home patients were 4229 and 6103 IU/day, respectively. Significant factors affecting the change in serum concentrations of 25-hydroxyvitamin D, in addition to the dose administered, are (1) starting serum concentration of 25-hydroxyvitamin D, (2) body mass index (BMI), (3) age, and (f) serum albumin concentration. The following equation predicts the dose of vitamin D needed (in international units per day) to affect a given change in serum concentrations of 25-hydroxyvitamin D: Dose = [(8.52 - Desired change in serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D level) + (0.074 × Age) - (0.20 × BMI) + (1.74 × Albumin concentration) - (0.62 × Starting serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentration)]/(-0.002). Analysis of the dose responses among 3 racial groups-white, black, and others-did not reveal clinically meaningful differences between the races. The main limitation of the study is its retrospective observational nature; however, that is also its strength in that we assessed the circumstances seen in usual health care setting.

Conclusions: The recommended daily allowance for vitamin D is grossly inadequate for correcting low serum concentrations of 25-hydroxyvitamin D in many adult patients. About 5000 IU vitamin D3/day is usually needed to correct deficiency, and the maintenance dose should be ≥2000 IU/day. The required dose may be calculated from the predictive equations specific for ambulatory and nursing home patients.

Mobile Telemedicine for Buprenorphine Treatment in Rural Populations With Opioid Use Disorder

Author/s: 
Weintraub, E., Seneviratne, C., Anane, J.

Importance
The demand for medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) in rural US counties far outweighs their availability. Novel approaches to extend treatment capacity include telemedicine (TM) and mobile treatment on demand; however, their combined use has not been reported or evaluated.

Objective
To evaluate the use of a TM mobile treatment unit (TM-MTU) to improve access to MOUD for individuals living in an underserved rural area.

Design, Setting, and Participants
This quality improvement study evaluated data collected from adult outpatients with a diagnosis of OUD enrolled in the TM-MTU initiative from February 2019 (program inception) to June 2020. Program staff traveled to rural areas in a modified recreational vehicle equipped with medical, videoconferencing, and data collection devices. Patients were virtually connected with physicians based more than 70 miles (112 km) away. Data analysis was performed from June to October 2020.

Intervention
Patients received buprenorphine prescriptions after initial teleconsultation and follow-up visits from a study physician specialized in addiction psychiatry and medicine.

Main Outcomes and Measures
The primary outcome was 3-month treatment retention, and the secondary outcome was opioid-positive urine screens. Exploratory outcomes included use of other drugs and patients’ travel distance to treatment.

Results
A total of 118 patients were enrolled in treatment, of whom 94 were seen for follow-up treatment predominantly (at least 2 of 3 visits [>50%]) on the TM-MTU; only those 94 patients’ data are considered in all analyses. The mean (SD) age of patients was 36.53 (9.78) years, 59 (62.77%) were men, 71 (75.53%) identified as White, and 90 (95.74%) were of non-Hispanic ethnicity. Fifty-five patients (58.51%) were retained in treatment by 3 months (90 days) after baseline. Opioid use was reduced by 32.84% at 3 months, compared with baseline, and was negatively associated with treatment duration (F = 12.69; P = .001). In addition, compared with the nearest brick-and-mortar treatment location, TM-MTU treatment was a mean of 6.52 miles (range, 0.10-58.70 miles) (10.43 km; range, 0.16-93.92 km) and a mean of 10 minutes (range, 1-49 minutes) closer for patients.

Conclusions and Relevance
These data demonstrate the feasibility of combining TM with mobile treatment, with outcomes (retention and opioid use) similar to those obtained from office-based TM MOUD programs. By implementing a traveling virtual platform, this clinical paradigm not only helps fill the void of rural MOUD practitioners but also facilitates access to underserved populations who are less likely to reach traditional medical settings, with critical relevance in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Unhealthy alcohol use in a 65-year-old man awaiting surgery

Author/s: 
Brothers, T. D., Kaulbach, J., Tran, A.

Three months before elective hip arthroplasty, a 65-yearold man with osteoarthritis presents to his family physician to discuss his alcohol consumption. His surgeon had expressed concern and advised him to speak to his family physician about decreasing his drinking before surgery. He reports drinking around 6 to 10 ounces of whiskey daily for the past 5 years. His alcohol intake increased gradually after retirement, and he now has cravings daily. He recently abstained from alcohol for 4 days while visiting family and developed irritability, tremor, nausea and headache. He has never had withdrawal seizures or delirium tremens, and he does not use any other substances. He is otherwise healthy, apart from hypertension that is controlled with perindopril. He is alarmed by his cravings, withdrawal symptoms and surgeon’s concerns, and is considering decreasing his alcohol use.

APOE ɛ4 Allele Testing and Risk of Alzheimer Disease

Author/s: 
Choudhury, Parichita, Ramanan, Vijay K., Boeve, Bradley F.

A 64-year-old man presented with concern about an abnormal genetic test result for apolipoprotein E (APOE) obtained through his primary care physician. He reported forgetfulness and word-finding difficulties for 3 years but performed all activities of daily living independently and was generally healthy. His father and maternal great aunt developed dementia in their 70s. Physical (including neurologic) examination, basic laboratory studies, and brain magnetic resonance imaging results were normal. The Short Test of Mental Status (STMS) score was 33 (maximal attainable score of 38 indicates best performance). Neuropsychological assessment showed average to above-average performance in all cognitive domains, accounting for age and education. Results of his genetic testing for APOE were reported as follows: “This individual possesses an apolipoprotein E genotype (3 and 4) that indicates, with high specificity, that Alzheimer’s disease is the cause of or a contributor to the observed dementia.”

Association Between Plant and Animal Protein Intake and Overall and Cause-Specific Mortality

Author/s: 
Huang, J., Liao, L.M., Weinstein, S.J., Sinha, R., Graubard, B.I., Albanes, D.

Importance: Although emphasis has recently been placed on the importance of high-protein diets to overall health, a comprehensive analysis of long-term cause-specific mortality in association with the intake of plant protein and animal protein has not been reported.

Objective: To examine the associations between overall mortality and cause-specific mortality and plant protein intake.

Design, setting, and participants: This prospective cohort study analyzed data from 416 104 men and women in the US National Institutes of Health-AARP Diet and Health Study from 1995 to 2011. Data were analyzed from October 2018 through April 2020.

Exposures: Validated baseline food frequency questionnaire dietary information, including intake of plant protein and animal protein.

Main outcomes and measures: Hazard ratios and 16-year absolute risk differences for overall mortality and cause-specific mortality.

Results: The final analytic cohort included 237 036 men (57%) and 179 068 women. Their overall median (SD) ages were 62.2 (5.4) years for men and 62.0 (5.4) years for women. Based on 6 009 748 person-years of observation, 77 614 deaths (18.7%; 49 297 men and 28 317 women) were analyzed. Adjusting for several important clinical and other risk factors, greater dietary plant protein intake was associated with reduced overall mortality in both sexes (hazard ratio per 1 SD was 0.95 [95% CI, 0.94-0.97] for men and 0.95 [95% CI, 0.93-0.96] for women; adjusted absolute risk difference per 1 SD was -0.36% [95% CI, -0.48% to -0.25%] for men and -0.33% [95% CI, -0.48% to -0.21%] for women; hazard ratio per 10 g/1000 kcal was 0.88 [95% CI, 0.84-0.91] for men and 0.86 [95% CI, 0.82-0.90] for women; adjusted absolute risk difference per 10 g/1000 kcal was -0.95% [95% CI, -1.3% to -0.68%] for men and -0.86% [95% CI, -1.3% to -0.55%] for women; all P < .001). The association between plant protein intake and overall mortality was similar across the subgroups of smoking status, diabetes, fruit consumption, vitamin supplement use, and self-reported health status. Replacement of 3% energy from animal protein with plant protein was inversely associated with overall mortality (risk decreased 10% in both men and women) and cardiovascular disease mortality (11% lower risk in men and 12% lower risk in women). In particular, the lower overall mortality was attributable primarily to substitution of plant protein for egg protein (24% lower risk in men and 21% lower risk in women) and red meat protein (13% lower risk in men and 15% lower risk in women).

Conclusions and relevance: In this large prospective cohort, higher plant protein intake was associated with small reductions in risk of overall and cardiovascular disease mortality. Our findings provide evidence that dietary modification in choice of protein sources may influence health and longevity.

Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest Disclosures: None reported.

Return to Sport Following Adolescent Concussion: Epidemiologic Findings From a High School Population

Author/s: 
Jildeh, T.R., Okoroha, K.R., Denha, E., Eyers, C., Johnson, A., Shehab, R.

Abstract

High school athletes sustaining a concussion require careful attention when determining return-to-sport (RTS) readiness. The purpose of this study was to determine epidemiological and RTS data of a large cohort of high school athletes who sustained 1 or more concussions. Records of 357 consecutive youth patients who sustained concussions and presented to a single health care system between September 2013 and December 2016 were reviewed. Demographic data, RTS, and concussion-related variables were obtained via chart review. Immediate Post-Concussion Assessment and Cognitive Testing (ImPACT) scores at baseline and following concussions were performed by neuropsychologists. The average age at injury was 15.5 years (range, 14-18 years), 61.9% of patients were male, 6.7% reported a loss of consciousness, and 14.3% reported amnesia, requiring 30.4±23.3 days of recovery prior to RTS. The most common sport of injury was football (27.7%). There was a high incidence of previous concussion (33.1%), and 32 athletes sustained a recurrent concussion. A multivariate model demonstrated that females, players with a history of concussion, and those diagnosed in-clinic rather than in-game required increased time to RTS. Memory ImPACT scores were found to increase as players had recurrent concussions. Visual motor speed and reaction time scores decreased with recurrent concussions. [Orthopedics. 2020;43(x):xx-xx.].

Copyright 2020, SLACK Incorporated.

Management of Kidney Stones in 2020

Author/s: 
Rule, AD, Lieske, JC, Pais, VM Jr

Kidney stones are common, painful, and frequently recur. Although precise estimates of the incidence of symptomatic kidney stones for the entire US are unavailable, a Minnesota population-based study reported that between 1984 and 2012, the incidence of symptomatic kidney stones that required treatment increased from 51 to 217 per 100 000 person-years in women and from 145 to 299 per 100 000 person-years in men.

N95 Respirators vs Medical Masks for Preventing Influenza Among Health Care Personnel: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Author/s: 
Radonovich, LJ Jr, Simberkoff, MS, Bessesen, MT, Brown, AC, Cummings, DAT, Gaydos, CA, Los, JG, Krosche, AE, Gibert, CL, Gorse, GJ, Nyquist, AC, Reich, N.G., Rodriguez-Barradas, MC, Price, CS, Perl, TM, ResPECT investigators

IMPORTANCE:

Clinical studies have been inconclusive about the effectiveness of N95 respirators and medical masks in preventing health care personnel (HCP) from acquiring workplace viral respiratory infections.

OBJECTIVE:

To compare the effect of N95 respirators vs medical masks for prevention of influenza and other viral respiratory infections among HCP.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS:

A cluster randomized pragmatic effectiveness study conducted at 137 outpatient study sites at 7 US medical centers between September 2011 and May 2015, with final follow-up in June 2016. Each year for 4 years, during the 12-week period of peak viral respiratory illness, pairs of outpatient sites (clusters) within each center were matched and randomly assigned to the N95 respirator or medical mask groups.

INTERVENTIONS:

Overall, 1993 participants in 189 clusters were randomly assigned to wear N95 respirators (2512 HCP-seasons of observation) and 2058 in 191 clusters were randomly assigned to wear medical masks (2668 HCP-seasons) when near patients with respiratory illness.

MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES:

The primary outcome was the incidence of laboratory-confirmed influenza. Secondary outcomes included incidence of acute respiratory illness, laboratory-detected respiratory infections, laboratory-confirmed respiratory illness, and influenzalike illness. Adherence to interventions was assessed.

RESULTS:

Among 2862 randomized participants (mean [SD] age, 43 [11.5] years; 2369 [82.8%]) women), 2371 completed the study and accounted for 5180 HCP-seasons. There were 207 laboratory-confirmed influenza infection events (8.2% of HCP-seasons) in the N95 respirator group and 193 (7.2% of HCP-seasons) in the medical mask group (difference, 1.0%, [95% CI, -0.5% to 2.5%]; P = .18) (adjusted odds ratio [OR], 1.18 [95% CI, 0.95-1.45]). There were 1556 acute respiratory illness events in the respirator group vs 1711 in the mask group (difference, -21.9 per 1000 HCP-seasons [95% CI, -48.2 to 4.4]; P = .10); 679 laboratory-detected respiratory infections in the respirator group vs 745 in the mask group (difference, -8.9 per 1000 HCP-seasons, [95% CI, -33.3 to 15.4]; P = .47); 371 laboratory-confirmed respiratory illness events in the respirator group vs 417 in the mask group (difference, -8.6 per 1000 HCP-seasons [95% CI, -28.2 to 10.9]; P = .39); and 128 influenzalike illness events in the respirator group vs 166 in the mask group (difference, -11.3 per 1000 HCP-seasons [95% CI, -23.8 to 1.3]; P = .08). In the respirator group, 89.4% of participants reported "always" or "sometimes" wearing their assigned devices vs 90.2% in the mask group.

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE:

Among outpatient health care personnel, N95 respirators vs medical masks as worn by participants in this trial resulted in no significant difference in the incidence of laboratory-confirmed influenza.

TRIAL REGISTRATION:

ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01249625.

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