Readability of Healthcare Literature for Gastroparesis and Evaluation of Medical Terminology in Reading Difficulty.

BACKGROUND: Gastroparesis is a chronic condition that can be further enhanced with patient understanding. Patients' education resources on the Internet have become increasingly important in improving healthcare literacy. We evaluated the readability of online resources for gastroparesis and the influence by medical terminology. METHODS: Google searches were performed for "gastroparesis", "gastroparesis patient education material" and "gastroparesis patient information". Following, all medical terminology was determined if included on Taber's Medical Dictionary 22nd Edition. The medical terminology was replaced independently with "help" and "helping". Web resources were analyzed with the Readability Studio Professional Edition (Oleander Solutions, Vandalia, OH) using 10 different readability scales. RESULTS: The average of the 26 patient education resources was 12.7 ± 1.8 grade levels. The edited "help" group had 6.6 ± 1.0 and "helping" group had 10.4 ± 2.1 reading levels. In comparing the three groups, the "help" and "helping" groups had significantly lower readability levels (P < 0.001). The "help" group was significantly less than the "helping" group (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The web resources for gastroparesis were higher than the recommended reading level by the American Medical Association. Medical terminology was shown to be the cause for this elevated readability level with all, but four resources within the recommended grade levels following word replacement.

Chemoprevention of colorectal cancer in inflammatory bowel disease.

INTRODUCTION: Patients with inflammatory bowel disease are at an increased risk of colorectal cancer when compared to the general population. Chronic inflammation is thought to be the underlying cause, and medications that reduce inflammation have the potential to reduce the risk of colorectal cancer. Areas covered: After conducting a PubMed search for relevant literature, we examined several classes of medications that have been studied as potential chemopreventive agents. These include 5-aminosalicylates, thiopurines, tumor necrosis factor antagonists, ursodeoxycholic acid, NSAIDs, and statins. Expert commentary: While each class of medications has some data to support its use in chemoprevention, the majority of the evidence in each case argues against the routine use of these medications solely for a chemopreventive benefit.

The Use of Thrombopoietin Receptor Agonists for Correction of Thrombocytopenia prior to Elective Procedures in Chronic Liver Diseases: Review of Current Evidence.

Patients with chronic liver diseases (CLD) undergo a range of invasive procedures during their clinical lifetime. Various hemostatic abnormalities are frequently identified during the periprocedural work-up; including thrombocytopenia. Thrombocytopenia of cirrhosis is multifactorial in origin, and decreased activity of thrombopoietin has been identified to be a major cause. Liver is an important site of thrombopoietin production and its levels are decreased in patients with cirrhosis. Severe thrombocytopenia (platelet counts < 60-75,000/µL) is associated with increased risk of bleeding with invasive procedures. In recent years, compounds with thrombopoietin receptor agonist activity have been studied as therapeutic options to raise platelet counts in CLD. We reviewed the use of Eltrombopag, Romiplostim, and Avatrombopag prior to various invasive procedures in patients with CLD. These agents seem promising in raising platelet counts before elective procedures resulting in reduction in platelet transfusions, and they also enabled more patients to undergo the procedures. However, these studies were not primarily aimed at comparing bleeding episodes among groups. Use of these agents had some adverse consequences, importantly being the occurrence of portal vein thrombosis. This review highlights the need of further studies to identify reliable methods of safely reducing the provoked bleeding risk linked to thrombocytopenia in CLD.

Cefepime-induced encephalopathy with normal renal function.

Cefepime is a fourth-generation cephalosporin that is frequently used in a wide array of infections. Since approval for use, concerns have been raised due to adverse effects including seizures, encephalopathy and myoclonus especially if renal dysfunction is present. Despite having appropriate renal dose adjustments, cases have been found with adverse neurological effects. On this occasion, we present a case of a patient with normal renal function that had demonstrated cefepime-induced encephalopathy with full resolution of symptoms following discontinuation of the medication.

Acute Cyanide Poisoning: Hydroxocobalamin and Sodium Thiosulfate Treatments with Two Outcomes following One Exposure Event.

Cyanide is rapidly reacting and causes arrest of aerobic metabolism. The symptoms are diffuse and lethal and require high clinical suspicion. Remediation of symptoms and mortality is highly dependent on quick treatment with a cyanide antidote. Presently, there are two widely accepted antidotes: sodium thiosulfate and hydroxocobalamin. These treatments act on different components of cyanide's metabolism. Here, we present two cases resulting from the same source of cyanide poisoning and the use of both antidotes separately used with differing outcomes.

Baclofen-Induced Encephalopathy in End Stage Renal Disease.

Baclofen is a highly used centrally acting GABA agonist that continues to be an effective therapy for spasticity and chronic hiccups. The renally dependent excretion determines the circulating concentrations and guides effective dosing to decrease adverse reactions. Caution should be considered in administering baclofen to patients with decreased renal function. We present a patient with end stage renal disease on hemodialysis with recent baclofen ingestion who presented with toxic encephalopathy that was resolved with additional dialysis sessions.

Readability of Healthcare Literature for Hepatitis B and C.

BACKGROUND: Patients increasingly use the Internet for educational material concerning health and diseases. This information can be utilized to teach the population of hepatitis B and C if properly written at the necessary grade level of the intended patient population. AIM: We explored the readability of online resources concerning hepatitis B and C. METHODS: Google searches were performed for "Hepatitis B" and "Hepatitis C." The Internet resources that were intended for patient education were used with specific exclusions. Articles were taken from 19 and 23 different websites focusing on the symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment of hepatitis B and C, respectively. The articles were analyzed using Readability Studio Professional Edition (Oleander Solutions, Vandalia, OH) using 10 different readability scales. The results were compared and averaged to identify the anticipated academic grade level required to understand the information. RESULTS: The average readability scores of the 10 scales had ranges of 9.7-16.4 for hepatitis B and 9.2-16.4 for hepatitis C. The average academic reading grade level for hepatitis B was 12.6 ± 2.1 and for hepatitis C was 12.7 ± 2.1. There was no significant discrepancy between the hepatitis B and C Internet resource averaged grade levels. CONCLUSION: The resources accessed by patients are higher than the previously determined necessary grade level for patients to properly understand the intended information. The American Medical Association recommends material should be simplified to grade levels below the sixth grade level to benefit the ideal proportion of the patient population.

Sarcoidosis: a diagnostic challenge in atypical radiologic findings of unilateral lymphadenopathy.

Sarcoidosis is a chronic systemic disease with a wide array of clinical findings. Given that the clinical symptoms are not pathognomonic, chest radiographs have become essential to the initial diagnosis and choice of treatment modality. Diagnosis hinges on ruling out alternative diagnoses; sometimes, advanced radiologic techniques and histopathology are required. On this occasion, we present a case of a patient with generalized symptoms, no significant chest radiograph findings and lymphadenopathy where advanced imaging and pathology assisted in the diagnosis.

A case of multiple extrahepatic manifestations in a patient with untreated, chronic hepatitis C virus infection.

Chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is a complex, multi-organ disorder, not just limited to the liver. Mixed cryoglobulinemia (MC) type 2 is a common extrahepatic complication, in which immunoglobulin complexes deposit in vascular endothelium. This in turn creates a diffuse inflammatory reaction, leading to a variety of disorders involving multiple systems. We report the rare case of a patient with cryoglobulinemia, cutaneous vasculitis, membroproliferative glomerulonephritis, and B cell lymphoma with a variant t(6;10) translocation in the setting of an untreated, chronic HCV infection. This case highlights the challenge associated with diagnosing and managing such a complex presentation.