American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers

Earnest, Joshua, author

Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson raised plenty of eyebrows on Friday when he tweeted, "The Bears NEVER ONCE talked to me" before the 2017 NFL draft. But that's not what Watson said at the time. Prior to the 2017 draft, Watson said in an interview with Rich Eisen that the Bears had talked to him. "I've [more]

Interview with Alex R. Kemper, MD, MPH, MS, author of Follow-up Testing Among Children With Elevated Screening Blood Lead Levels, published in the May 11 issue of JAMA, the Journal of the American Medical Association. Summary Points: 1. About half the children (six years and younger) with elevated blood lead levels did not receive follow up testing. 2. Nonwhite children, and those living in urban as well as high-risk lead settings, were less likely to receive follow up testing compared to their counterparts. 3. Follow-up testing for children with high blood lead levels is essential for managing lead poisoning and for maximizing cognitive development. 4. Interventions are needed to overcome disparities in care.

Interview with Henry M. Blumberg, MD, author of Update on the Treatment of Tuberculosis and Latent Tuberculosis Infection, published in the June 8 issue of JAMA, the Journal of the American Medical Association. Summary Points: 1. Tuberculosis is a public health problem. The responsibility for prescribing an appropriate regimen and assuring that treatment is completed is assigned to the public health program or the treating physician, not the patient. 2. Directly observed therapy is recommended for all patients being treated for active TB, this will necessitate the need for greater collaboration between the treating physician and the public health department. 3. Initial therapy for newly diagnosed patients with tuberculosis consists of a 4-drug regimen including isoniazid, rifampin, pyrazinamide and ethambutol. 4. Testing for latent TB infection should be targeted at those who are at increased risk of progression to active TB. 5. Despite its limitations, the tuberculin skin test remains the most commonly used test for the diagnosis of latent TB infection; newer diagnostic tests for latent TB infection are on the horizon. 6. Active tuberculosis should be excluded before beginning treatment for latent tuberculosis infection. 7. Nine months of isoniazid is the preferred therapy for the treatment of latent TB infection.

Interview with Melanie A. Thompson, MD, and Paul A. Volberding, MD, authors of Antiretroviral Treatment of Adult HIV Infection 2012 Recommendations of the International Antiviral Society-USA Panel. Summary Points:

• Antiretroviral treatment is recommended and should be offered to all persons with HIV, regardless of CD4 cell count.
• Particular attention should be paid to the design of an antiretroviral regimen for persons with concurrent conditions, such as viral hepatitis, opportunistic infections, and other medical diseases, because of the potential for drug interactions.
• Monitoring of entry into and retention in HIV care, adherence to antiretroviral therapy, and quality of care indicators are recommended and should be used to increase care engagement and quality.

This JAMA Clinical Guidelines Synopsis summarizes the American Gastroenterological Association Institute’s 2018 guideline on initial management of acute pancreatitis.

This Viewpoint attributes improved understanding of the role of autoantibodies and B-cell activity in MS pathogenesis and the development of effective therapies to the ability of physician-scientists to bring clinical insights to laboratory research and it emphasizes the importance of supporting and encouraging these investigators to reinvigorate science at the bedside.

This population epidemiology study characterizes trends in polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test positivity for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in Washington State and the Seattle area between March 1 and April 16, 2020, before and after statewide physical distancing guidelines and stay-at-home orders.

Forty years ago, in 1980, Jimmy Carter was president. Pac-Man debuted. In medicine, smallpox was declared to be eradicated. Additionally, on May 9, 1980, A Piece of My Mind was inaugurated in JAMA. The first essay, “Tuna on Rye, 1984,” was written by then–senior editor Samuel Vaisrub under the pen name Sam Vee. He introduced the column with an editorial entitled “For the Peace of Your Mind.”

We hasten to assure our readers that a piece of my mind...is not intended as a sounding board for peevish gripes, nit-picking beefs, or sundry assortments of righteous indignation, which are usually prefaced by an angry “let me give you a piece of my mind.” Nor is this section of The Journal meant to be a podium for pompous preachments and ex cathedra pronouncements. Nor again is it designed to be a forum for half-baked speculations and warmed-over hypotheses. Least of all is a piece of my mind envisaged as a jamboree of jokes and a shivaree of limericks.

In this narrative medicine essay, a level-one trauma nurse compares Arizona’s 2 seasons with the waning and the waxing of patient admissions and with the cycle of grief for loss of her mother and son, realizing how much their deaths have affected her nursing.

In this narrative medicine essay, a resident physician recalls the joy she felt while learning the formal language of medicine as a student and anticipates the lifelong joy of learning to interpret that language in ways most helpful for her patients.

In this narrative medicine essay, an attending physician reflects on the evolution of the role of the attending physician from a supervisor in the background to a micromanaging supervisor to ensure that the proper steps are followed to meet the quality metrics in place in the current health system.

In this narrative medicine essay, the author discusses the inaccuracies of generational stereotypes and unfounded criticisms about trainees, and the problems that faculty members who voice these criticisms can cause among physicians.

In this narrative medicine essay, the author describes his experience with a patient referred to as “unreasonable,” and what the experience taught him about the need for physicians to perhaps improve their communication skills with patients rather than jump to labelling them.

In this narrative medicine essay, an anesthesia resident describes his feelings of loss and unease when a coresident is admitted as a patient and dies of an overdose of fentanyl; this article emphasizes the importance of prioritizing physician wellness programs to help avoid burnout and substance use disorder.

In this essay, a critical care pediatric hospitalist finds herself on the other side of the office table advocating for the specific medical care needed to address her son’s rare skeletal dysplasia and her search for a pediatric specialist with whom to travel on this quest.

In this narrative medicine essay, a medical school dean talks about the reticence most women feel when considering leadership roles and urges women to work out of their comfort zones, seize diverse opportunities, and step into leadership roles.

In this narrative medicine essay, a clinical educator uses her experiences enduring the aftermath of treatment for acute myeloid leukemia to reflect on the difference between physician-teachers and patients’ experience of illness and to locate meaning in what she can offer her colleagues and trainees despite persistent disability.

Logue, Jason, author

Riffe, Daniel