Joplin's St. John's Hospital, post-tornado
It’s tornado season in the Midwest, and it is just a month shy of the 1-year anniversary of Joplin, MO’s massive tornado strike. The town’s St. John’s Hospital was rendered unusable in the disaster, but it is being reborn as Mercy-Joplin – this time with an even stronger disaster plan (and windows that can withstand winds of up to 200 mph). Elsewhere it was noticed that an Institute of Medicine report found most hospitals unprepared to handle major catastrophic events, even among those that have a response plan. The report included a guide for better disaster planning in the future.
The April issue of Neurology appeared recently and it covers a range of topics. One article suggests that a high intake of some flavonoids (obtained from tea, berries, apples, red wine, and oranges) may reduce the risk of developing Parkinson’s disease (particularly for men), although the exact mechanism was unclear. For those who have the condition, activity was shown to improve the response to levadopa, although the authors recommended further studies to explore the notion. Also examined in this issue is whether children who experience febrile seizures are at a higher risk of developing epilepsy later; the results of this long-term follow-up seem to show that risk decreasing over time, but again, the authors recommend further research to confirm their findings. Pediatric Neurology is new this week as well; the May issue is quite global in its approach. One study looked at American children with epileptic spasms, while another explored the use of antiepileptic drugs in Hong Kong. Optic neuritis in Malaysian children was examined, and, heading to Turkey, we find an article on head circumference growth reference charts.
New Clinics this week include April’s Orthopedic Clinics of North America. Among the articles in this edition is one looking at articular cartilage development from a molecular perspective, while another offers advice on diagnosing and treating juvenile idiopathic arthritis. Another paper dealing with pediatric orthopaedic issues reviews approaches to trauma and sports-related injuries of the knee, and current and future uses for bio-scaffolds to help repair impaired knees is also discussed. Revisiting our earlier neurology theme is May’s Neurologic Clinics, which focuses on electrodiagnostic techniques for neuromuscular disorders. Carpal tunnel syndrome is one such problem whose diagnostic potential is reviewed; another is peripheral neuropathy. Of course, any study or technique may occasionally run into difficulties, and avoiding such complications in nerve conduction studies and needle electromyography is addressed in one article. The very practical issue of how to ensure reimbursement for electrodiagnostic studies is covered as well.
Check back next week for more of what’s new on MD Consult.
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