Wake Up Call: Recognizing and Treating Narcolepsy

Despite being an essential process for all humans, sleep is often overlooked due to a lack of conscious effort and a lack of information. Sleep plays a crucial role in various physiological processes, from repairing tissues and cells throughout the body to metabolic regulation. A good sleep cycle consists of not only the quantity of sleep but also the quality of sleep. Many pathologies can interrupt good sleep, narcolepsy being one of them. Narcolepsy is a rare neurological disorder that affects the brain’s ability to regulate sleep-wake cycles. Although rare, narcolepsy can impact various aspects of life, such as physical, mental, and emotional health. Often, sleep disorders such as narcolepsy are under-diagnosed due to symptoms being perceived as normal by patients, thus not seeking care, or due to healthcare professionals not being familiar with the symptoms and diagnostic criteria, thus leading to a misdiagnosis. It is essential to recognize and treat this disorder to minimize the negative impact, both short-term and long-term, the disorder can have

In Middle-Aged to Aged Patients With BPH, How Efficacious is Aquablation Compared to HoLEP in Improving Postoperative Outcomes Related to Sexual Function?

BPH is a condition in which the prostate gland is enlarged, which can cause LUTS. This review explores recent literature regarding sexual function outcomes of Aquablation, a novel surgical modality in the treatment of BPH, in comparison to HoLEP, an emerging standard. A literature search was performed through PubMed and a total of seven articles are discussed. Results show that while Aquablation preserves some degree of ejaculatory function, it is neither inferior nor explicitly more efficacious than HoLEP due to limitations in available studies that directly compare the two modalities. Erectile dysfunction is not significantly impacted by both procedures

Pediatric Obesity Intervention in Primary Care Medicine

Pediatric obesity is a growing epidemic in the United States. Primary care providers play a crucial role in recognizing the factors that influence pediatric weight changes. This article will evaluate the common barriers to successful pediatric weight loss. It will also describe a step-wise progression of care that clinicians can use to maximize positive outcomes in the targeted patient population

Diagnosis and Treatment of Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD)

Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) is a gynecologic and psychiatric disorder that affects around 5% of menstruating persons in the United States. Increased awareness has been brought to this disorder since its reclassification and addition of diagnostic criteria in the The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5) in 2013, but many healthcare providers still struggle to clearly distinguish and properly treat this disorder. Characterized by psychiatric and somatic symptoms present distinctly in the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle that severely impact a person\u27s daily functioning, PMDD is thought to be impacted by the metabolism of high amounts of progesterone. Current guidelines recommend treatment with SSRIs or combined oral contraceptives, but new therapeutics are in development. Existing screening and diagnostic tools may be implemented in primary care and gynecologic settings to bring about timely diagnosis and treatment

The Rare and Misdiagnosed Disease Known as Transthyretin Amyloid Cardiomyopathy (ATTR-CM)

Transthyretin Amyloid Cardiomyopathy, or ATTR-CM, is a lesser-known version of amyloidosis that impacts the heart in a variety of ways. With 55.2 cases per every 100,000 person-years, it is towards the rarer end of the disease spectrum.1 It is often overlooked and can present in many similar manners to other diseases and due to this, is often misdiagnosed; 50% of cases to be exact.2 Delays in diagnosis result in a poorer prognosis and ultimately a shortened lifespan. Fortunately, a great history, present technology, improved diagnostics, some of which are approved and others in the trial phase, the disease outlook is promising. However, continued improvements are still necessary. This paper will aim to culminate all of the information about ATTR-CM, as well as future steps that are/can be taken, and bring it all together into a source that can be referenced by providers worldwide in the constant fight against this deadly disease

Emerging Unconventional Therapies for Glioblastoma Multiforme

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most prevalent and aggressive primary malignant brain tumor occurring in adults with a median survival of less than two years. It is a highly invasive tumor characterized by genetic heterogeneity, angiogenesis, and rapid proliferation. Patients undergo a multimodal treatment regimen consisting of surgical resection and chemoradiation therapy, yet GBM tumors almost always recur with a worsening prognosis. The molecular and genetic complexities of GBM pose a significant challenge for developing effective therapeutics. Thus, it is imperative to identify new therapeutic targets and explore novel treatment strategies to improve patients’ overall survival time and quality of life. This presentation reviews GBM pathogenesis, epidemiology, diagnosis, and standard treatment and introduces novel unconventional interventions, providing an update on recent advancements in the treatment of GBM

Pain Prophylaxis with IUD Insertion

Intrauterine Devices (IUDs) are a form of long- acting contraceptive that are used worldwide in preventing unwanted pregnancy. Despite their high success rate, there is a lot of hesitancy in women to choose this as their form of preferred birth control. Some of this comes from lack of patient education and other social factors, but another portion is the fear of pain during insertion. Unfortunately, there is no standard of care to mitigate pain with IUD insertion, and use of different modalities continue to be a heavily debated topic. It is believed the cause of pain with IUD insertion is multifactorial which makes finding an appropriate treatment difficult. Taking oral analgesics a few hours prior to insertion is frequently recommended, however, this has not been found to have significant success. There are other, more potent analgesic options including ketorolac or tramadol that have provided some improvement mostly with post-procedure pain. Topical anesthetics and paracervical blocks have also had some success with pain during insertion but there are some disadvantages to each. Cervical primers such as misoprostol and dinoprostone have started to fall out of favor but can be still considered especially in those who have more difficult insertion. Non-pharmacologic modalities that improve patient anxiety have also provided some improvement with pain during and after IUD insertion and should always be considered an option for the provider to utilize. Ultimately, the decision of what to use should be discussed and shared between patient and provider

Pati Hill Collection - Objects & Postcards

Finding aid for the Pati Hill Objects & Postcards collection in the Arcadia University Archives

Pati Hill Collection Unframed Artwork - Cartoons

Finding aid for the Pati Hill Collection Unframed Artwork - Cartoons at the Arcadia University Archives

Evaluating Causes of Sinus Tachycardia in the Pediatrics Population and Managing in a Primary Care Setting

This article’s goal is to fill a gap in research that compares causes of tachycardia in children by appropriately addressing epidemiology, what is physiologically happening with tachycardia, symptoms that may be associated with it, as well as a differential diagnosis. This review specifically discusses positional orthostatic tachycardia syndrome, anxiety, hyperthyroidism, as well as infection. This is important and needed in order to help providers in diagnosing the cause for this common arrhythmia