This cross-sectional survey explored the association between functional health literacy and knowledge of, beliefs and attitudes about, and reported usage of colorectal cancer screening tests. The results indicate that functional health literacy, as assessed by the Short Test of Functional Health Literacy in Adults (STOFHLA), is not an independent predictor of colorectal cancer screening knowledge, beliefs, attitudes, or behavior. Latino ethnicity and education, however, often predicted screening responses, suggesting that efforts to improve communication about colorectal cancer screening with Latino patients and patients with low education clearly are needed to reduce the disparities in awareness and utilization of colorectal cancer screening tests. This study also explored influences on intended screening behavior. Physician recommendation was found to be a powerful motivator of intention to undergo colorectal cancer screening regardless of literacy level, indicating that interventions aimed at increasing physician recommendation of colorectal cancer screening may be an effective way of increasing screening rates.

Objective:To determine the frequency of occult macroscopic metastasis detected by preoperative US evaluation of the neck in patients with PTC. Papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) is a malignancy with a high rate of lymph node metastasis. The findings of routine thyroid ultrasonography(US)andphysicalexaminationmayunderestimatemetastatic disease. Thus, we propose that patients diagnosed as having PTC undergo preoperative US staging of the neck.Design: This prospective study included 60 patients diagnosed as having PTC from January 1 through June 30, 2006. Patients had undergone previous thyroid US evaluation with no palpable adenopathy. Lymph nodes were deemed suspicious by US findings with a minor axis greater than 10 mm, a minor axis greater than 50% of the major axis, or hyperechogenicity with or without microcalcifications. Metastasis was confirmed by fineneedle aspiration biopsy or frozen section analysis. Patients with confirmed metastasis underwent a neck dissection. The location of adenopathy reported by US was correlated with the pathological report. Results:The US evaluation identified 12 of 60 patients (20%) with adenopathy suggestive of metastasis. Metastasis was confirmed in 11 of 12 patients (92%). Metastasis was found in 1 of 48 patients who had a negative US finding. Overall, sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values were 92%, 98%, 92%, and 98%, respectively. All neck levels with suspicious adenopathy detected by US evaluation, with 1 exception, were confirmed by pathological findings. Nine patients had additional neck levels involved with microscopic disease undetected by the US evaluation. Conclusions:In patients with PTC, preoperative US evaluation of the neck is effective in detecting nonpalpable metastasis. Therefore, routine preoperative neck US evaluation is recommended to optimize primary surgical planning.

This case series is too small to draw definitive conclusions; however, a multidisciplinary approach to high-velocity injuries with potential for cardiac involvement augments preoperative assessment for myocardial injury and may allow selective nonoperative management.

No abstract

Introduction: The most common cardiac injuries in the U.S. are either blunt trauma from motor vehicle accidents, or low-velocity injuries from stabbings. High-velocity injury is less common, and survival to presentation is rare. During military conflict, high-velocity injury, including gunshot wounds (GSW) and fragment injury from improvised explosive devices (IED) are relatively more common. Methods: Retrospective review of cases with high-velocity penetrating injury and suspected myocardial involvement. We sought to describe the role of varying diagnostic modalities during a 6 month period in Baghdad, Iraq at a U.S. Army hospital during Operation Iraqi Freedom. Results: There were 11 cases who survived to admission (GSW in 5, IED in 6). The mean age of the all male cohort was 27 years (range 3 to 54). Eight of the eleven patients (73%) were victims of polytrauma. The entrance involved the right ventricle (n=3), right atrium (n=2), left ventricle (n=1) or mediastinum and pericardial reflections (n=5). Echocardiography was performed in all eleven patients. All patients had preserved or hyperdynamic myocardial contractility. In seven patients, no foreign body was identifiable, in two patients the foreign body was identified as being within the pericardial fat pad. Three patients were identified as having a suspected ventricular septal defect, ranging in size from 2 to 8 mm. The most common ECG abnormality was conduction delay, both atrioventricular block and right bundle branch block. Plain film radiography and CT scanning were routinely performed, but definitive localization was frequently limited by metallic streak artifact. In four patients, the management of the chest injury was non-surgical, and in one patient the treatment was a chest tube only. Four of the patients underwent median sternotomy, one underwent emergent lateral thoracotomy, and one underwent an infra-diaphragmatic approach. Conclusions: While this case series is too small to draw definitive conclusions, it does demonstrate that a multidisciplinary approach to high-velocity injuries with potential for cardiac involvement augments pre-operative assessment for myocardial injury and may allow selective non-operative management.