Educational impact of a clinical anatomy workshop on 1st-year orthopedic and rheumatology fellows in Mexico City.

We aim to study the educational impact of a clinical anatomy workshop in 1st-year orthopedic and rheumatology fellows. First-year rheumatology fellows (N = 17) and a convenience sample of 1st-year orthopedic fellows (N = 14) from Mexico City in the 9th month of training participated in the study. The pre- and the post- workshop tests included the same 20 questions that had to be answered by identification or demonstration of relevant anatomical items. The questions, arranged by anatomical regions, were asked in five dynamic stations. Overall, the 31 participants showed an increase of correct answers, from a median of 6 (range 1 to 12) in the pre-workshop test, to a median of 14 (range 7 to 19) in the post-workshop test. In the pre-workshop test, the correct median answers were 7 (range 2 to 12) in the orthopedic fellows and 5 (range 1 to 10) in the rheumatology fellows (p = 0.297). Corresponding scores in the post-workshop were 15 (range 10 to 19) and 12 (range 7 to 18) (p = 0.026) showing a significant difference favoring the orthopedic group. Our clinical anatomy workshop was efficacious, in the short term, as a teaching instrument for 1st-year orthopedic and rheumatology fellows. The post-workshop scores, although significantly improved in both groups, particularly in the orthopedic fellows, were still suboptimal. Further refinements of our workshop might yield better results.

Persistence of immunoglobulin M or immunoglobulin G antibody responses to Borrelia burgdorferi 10-20 years after active Lyme disease.

The interpretation of serological results for patients who had Lyme disease many years ago is not well defined. We studied the serological status of 79 patients who had had Lyme disease 10-20 years ago and did not currently have signs or symptoms of active Lyme disease. Of the 40 patients who had had early Lyme disease alone, 4 (10%) currently had IgM responses to Borrelia burgdorferi, and 10 (25%) still had IgG reactivity to the spirochete, as determined by a 2-test approach (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and Western blot). Of the 39 patients who had had Lyme arthritis, 6 (15%) currently had IgM responses and 24 (62%) still had IgG reactivity to the spirochete. IgM or IgG antibody responses to B. burgdorferi may persist for 10-20 years, but these responses are not indicative of active infection.

Evaluation of study patients with Lyme disease, 10-20-year follow-up.

To determine the long-term impact of Lyme disease, we evaluated 84 randomly selected, original study patients from the Lyme, Connecticut, region who had erythema migrans, facial palsy, or Lyme arthritis 10-20 years ago and 30 uninfected control subjects. The patients in the 3 study groups and the control group did not differ significantly in current symptoms or neuropsychological test results. However, patients with facial palsy, who frequently had more widespread nervous system involvement, more often had residual facial or peripheral nerve deficits. Moreover, patients with facial palsy who did not receive antibiotics for acute neuroborreliosis more often now had joint pain and sleep difficulty and lower scores on the body pain index and standardized physical component sections of the Short-Form 36 Health Assessment Questionnaire than did antibiotic-treated patients with facial palsy. Thus, the overall current health status of each patient group was good, but sequelae were apparent primarily among patients with facial palsy who did not receive antibiotics for acute neuroborreliosis.

Sweet's syndrome in association with Crohn's disease.

A case of Sweet's syndrome in association with Crohn's disease in a young woman is reported. Sweet's syndrome is a rare extraintestinal manifestation of Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis.

Early and late antibody responses to full-length and truncated constructs of outer surface protein A of Borrelia burgdorferi in Lyme disease.

The immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibody response to outer surface protein A (OspA) of Borrelia burgdorferi has been reported to occur late in the course of Lyme disease. To learn when reactivity to particular epitopes of OspA develops and whether the strength of particular responses correlates with the duration of arthritis and HLA-DR specificities, we determined the IgM and IgG responses by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in 128 patients with various manifestations of Lyme disease to full-length recombinant OspA and three OspA fragments which divided the protein approximately into thirds. Among the 10 patients who were followed serially, an early IgM response was often found to epitopes in all three fragments of OspA, sometimes accompanied by a weak IgG response, primarily to an epitope in the middle third of the protein. Months to years later, the seven patients who had prolonged or moderate episodes of arthritis developed strong IgG responses to OspA, especially to epitopes in the N-terminal and C-terminal fragments, that paralleled the course of the arthritis. In single serum samples from 128 patients, a similar pattern of IgM and IgG reactivity with OspA epitopes was seen in patients with early or late manifestations of the illness. Of the 80 patients with arthritis, 62 (78%) had IgG responses to OspA, usually with the strongest reactivity to the C-terminal fragment. In these patients, the strength of the IgG response to OspA correlated with the duration of arthritis; in HLA-DR4-positive patients, most of whom had chronic arthritis, this association was attributable to reactivity with the C-terminal fragment. Thus, patients with Lyme disease often have early responses to OspA, but those with prolonged arthritis do not develop IgG responses to certain epitopes of the protein until late in the illness. In patients with HLA-DR4, the strength of IgG reactivity with one or more epitopes in the C-terminal fragment of OspA correlates with the duration of arthritis.

Treatment of Lyme arthritis.

OBJECTIVE: To test treatment regimens for Lyme arthritis. METHODS: Patients were randomly assigned to treatment with doxycycline or amoxicillin plus probenecid for 30 days. Patients who had persistent arthritis for at least 3 months after treatment with oral antibiotics or parenteral penicillin were given intravenous ceftriaxone for 2 weeks. RESULTS: Eighteen of the 20 patients treated with doxycycline and 16 of the 18 patients who completed the amoxicillin regimen had resolution of the arthritis within 1-3 months after study entry. However, neuroborreliosis later developed in 5 patients, 4 of whom had received the amoxicillin regimen. Of 16 patients (2 from the oral antibiotic study and 14 additional patients) who had persistent arthritis despite previous oral antibiotics or parenteral penicillin, none had resolution of the arthritis within 3 months after ceftriaxone therapy. The HLA-DR4 specificity and OspA reactivity were associated with a lack of response. CONCLUSION: Lyme arthritis can usually be treated successfully with oral antibiotics, but patients may still develop neuroborreliosis. Patients with certain genetic and immune markers may have persistent arthritis despite treatment with oral or intravenous antibiotics.

Association of treatment-resistant chronic Lyme arthritis with HLA-DR4 and antibody reactivity to OspA and OspB of Borrelia burgdorferi.

Chronic Lyme arthritis that is unresponsive to antibiotic therapy is associated with an increased frequency of the HLA-DR4 specificity. To determine whether the immune response to a particular polypeptide of Borrelia burgdorferi may be associated with treatment-resistant chronic Lyme arthritis, we correlated the clinical courses and HLA-DR specificities of 128 patients with Lyme disease with their antibody responses to spirochetal polypeptides. Antibody reactivity was determined by Western blotting (immunoblotting) with sonicated whole B. burgdorferi and recombinant forms of its outer surface proteins, OspA and OspB, as the antigen preparations. Of 15 patients monitored for 4 to 12 years, 11 (73%) developed strong immunoglobulin G responses to both OspA and OspB near the beginning of prolonged episodes of arthritis, from 5 months to 7 years after disease onset. When single serum samples from 80 patients with Lyme arthritis, were tested, 57 (71%) showed antibody reactivity to recombinant Osp proteins; in contrast, none of 43 patients who had erythema migrans or Lyme meningitis (P < 0.00001) and 1 of 5 patients who had chronic neuroborreliosis but who never had arthritis (P = 0.03) showed antibody reactivity to these proteins. Among the 60 antibiotic-treated patients with Lyme arthritis, those with the HLA-DR4 specificity and Osp reactivity had arthritis for a significantly longer time after treatment than those who lacked Osp reactivity (median duration, 9.5 versus 4 months; P = 0.009); a similar trend was found for the HLA-DR2 specificity. For other HLA-DR specificities, arthritis resolved within a median duration of 2 months in both Osp-reactive and nonreactive patients. We conclude that the combination of the HLA-DR4 specificity and OspA or OspB reactivity is associated with chronic arthritis and the lack of a response to antibiotic therapy.

Lupus-like presentation of human parvovirus B19 infection.

The diagnosis of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) was a leading initial consideration in 2 patients with rash, arthritis and hypocomplementemia. One patient also had leukopenia and thrombocytopenia. Spontaneous regression occurred. In both patients antinuclear antibodies were negative. Serologic studies indicated recent human parvovirus B19 infection. We propose adding human parvovirus B19 infection to the list of conditions that may masquerade as SLE.

Motor proficiency in children with psychosis.

Twenty-one children, aged 8 to 11 years, whose disorders were diagnosed as childhood psychosis, were tested by using the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency. In addition, two reflex tests, one righting reaction, and a test for muscle tone were administered. The children showed large variations in all motor skill scores, which ranged from average to far below average. Total test battery scores indicated all children but one scored at or below the first percentile of the standardized sample. Delayed reflex integration and delayed mature righting reactions were observed and in some cases were associated with low motor test scores. Hypotonicity was observed in 12 of the 21 children. Results indicate that for children with psychoses, early intervention is important and carefully planned motor and reflex integration programs should be applied.

Death and survivorship: the final transition.

In spite of some recent increases in services for bereaved persons, the availability of such services is minimal. The process of grieving itself takes place in time in several ways: the extent to which the death is sudden, expected, and timely; the passage of time from the beginning of anticipatory grieving before the actual death through the diminishing effects of the loss over an extended period of time; and the age and stage in life of the grieving persons. During the grieving process the survivors often develop physical and health problems, face psychological and emotional distress, encounter difficulties with social relationships, and must cope with numerous practical issues. The subsequent adjustment of widows and widowers appears to be related to the extent to which there had been the opportunity for open communication. Whether widows fare better than widowers after the death is uncertain; research has provided conflicting results and equally conflicting interpretations of the results.

A model for competency-based, computer-managed instruction in allied health.

A competency-based, computer-managed instruction model was developed and used in revising and managing the curricula of dietetic internship and physical therapy certificate programs. Use of the model resulted in identification and validation of program competencies and performance criteria, revision of curricula, and implementation of a computer-managed instructional support system to record, store, and provide feedback to students and instructors about performance on the competency measures. Improvements in the quality of the curricula and in the ability to manage student performance information have resulted from these efforts. The computer-managed instruction system has been well received by instructors and students. The most obvious benefits include savings in time for instructors and immediate feedback on performance for students. Results indicate that a competency-based, computer-managed approach to curriculum development and implementation is desirable and practical and has the potential for effectively serving future developments in allied health education.