A Financial Plot to Reduce the Burden of Medical School Tuition Fees.

Tuition fees for medical school are continuously and riotously increasing. This upsurge is amassing debts on the backs of students. In the class of 2018, 75% finished medical school with an outstanding balance of $196,520, on average-a $5826 increase from 2017. Tuition fees differ in terms of the ownership of the medical school (public vs. private) and according to the medical student residence status (in-state or out-of-state). It is critical that students arrange a long-term budget that shows them where they stand: in surplus or in deficit. Students may classify expenditures into two groups: "fixed" and "variable," where they can manipulate the variable expenses to fit into their budget. To pay for their tuition, medical students have four possibilities: cash, scholarships and grants, service-obligation scholarships, and loans. Loans are the most common alternatives, and so there are Traditional Repayment Plans and Income-Driven Repayment Plans. This article serves to provide medical students with attainable alternatives for funding their education and for repaying their debts.

Disorders of potassium.

Potassium disorders are the most common electrolyte abnormality identified in clinical practice. Presenting symptoms are similar for both hypo- and hyperkalemia, primarily affecting the cardiac, neuromuscular, and gastrointestinal systems. Generally, mild hypokalemia is the most common potassium disorder seen clinically;however, severe complications can occur. Hyperkalemia is less common but more serious, especially if levels are rising rapidly. The etiologies and treatments for both hypo- and hyperkalemia are discussed, with special emphasis on the role medications play in the etiologies of each.

Acute idiopathic compartment syndrome of the forearm in an adolescent.

Acute compartment syndrome (ACS) is a condition typically associated with long bone fractures or severe trauma; however, non-traumatic etiologies also occur. We describe a case of an otherwise healthy female pediatric patient presenting with unilateral forearm pain without an inciting injury. Intracompartmental pressures of the forearm were measured and she was diagnosed with idiopathic compartment syndrome. Our goal is to encourage clinicians to consider acute compartment syndrome even in the absence of trauma.

Adrenal insufficiency and other adrenal oncologic emergencies.

Normal function of the adrenal gland can be disrupted not only by metastases of nonadrenal cancers but also by their treatment. In addition, tumors of the adrenal gland itself can cause disease by hypersecretion of a variety of hormones, adrenal gland destruction with inadequate production of cortisol, and by metastasis to other sites. Although rare, abnormal adrenal function should be considered in the appropriate clinical settings as failure to recognize and treat can result in significant morbidity and mortality. The adrenal "incidentaloma" is a frequent finding of abdominal radiologic studies. All patients with an unexpected adrenal mass should be referred for further evaluation.