Studies reveal high levels of inadequate health literacy and numeracy in African Americans and older veterans. The authors aimed to investigate the distribution of health literacy, numeracy, and graph literacy in these populations. They conducted a cross-sectional survey of veterans receiving outpatient care and measured health literacy, numeracy, graph literacy, shared decision making, and trust in physicians. In addition, the authors compared subgroups of veterans using analyses of covariance. Participants were 502 veterans (22–82 years). Low, marginal, and adequate health literacy were found in, respectively, 29%, 26%, and 45% of the veterans. The authors found a significant main effect of race qualified by an age and race interaction. Inadequate health literacy was more common in African Americans than in Whites. Younger African Americans had lower health literacy (p < .001), graph literacy (p < .001), and numeracy (p < .001) than did Whites, even after the authors adjusted for covariates. Older and younger participants did not differ in health literacy, objective numeracy, or graph literacy after adjustment. The authors found no health literacy or age-related differences regarding preferences for shared decision making. African Americans expressed dissatisfaction with their current role in decision making (p = .03). Older participants trusted their physicians more than younger participants (p = .01). In conclusion, African Americans may be at a disadvantage when reviewing patient education materials, potentially affecting health care outcomes.

CPI did not improve medication knowledge retention at 2 weeks. CPI led to higher patient satisfaction compared with controls.

Rosai-Dorfman disease (RDD) is a rare medical condition with bilateral painless lymphadenopathy. We present the case of a young man diagnosed with a very unique presentation of Rosai-Dorfman disease.A 40-year-old African-American man presented with a firm, non-tender, progressive chest and neck mass appeared three months ago. Imaging of the neck demonstrated an 8.6-cm anterior neck subcutaneous soft tissue mass extending into the anterior mediastinum through the sternum with erosive changes in the sternum and the lesion is abutting the right common carotid artery and innominate vein and surrounds the medial aspect of the clavicles bilaterally. Ultrasound (US)-guided biopsy showed marked polytypic-appearing plasma cell proliferation associated with relatively prominent histiocytes with hemophagocytosis/emperipolesis and focal neutrophils. There were S100+ histiocytes; however, findings were not typical for RDD. As that biopsy was not diagnostic, incisional biopsy with adequate sampling was performed. Surgical pathology demonstrated a very abnormal infiltrate with prominent histiocytes including areas with the features of extranodal RDD. BRAF V600E immunohistochemistry (IHC) was negative. Modified radical neck dissection, proximal sternal resection and superior mediastinal nodal dissection surgery was recommended. However, the patient refused the procedure.