Student-Led Efforts to Advance Anti-Racist Medical Education

Over the past decade, medical schools across the United States have increasingly dedicated resources to advancing racial and social justice, such as by supporting diversity and inclusion efforts and by incorporating social medicine into the traditional medical curricula. While these changes are promising, the academic medicine community must apply an anti-racist lens to every aspect of medical education to equip trainees to recognize and address structural inequities. Notably, organizing and scholarly work led by medical students has been critical in advancing anti-racist curricula. In this article, the authors illustrate how student activism has reshaped medical education by highlighting examples of student-led efforts to advance anti-racist curricula at Harvard Medical School (HMS) and at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) School of Medicine. HMS students collaborated with faculty to address aspects of existing clinical practice that perpetuate racism, such as the racial correction factor in determining kidney function. They also responded to the existing curricula by noting missed opportunities to discuss structural racism, and they planned supplemental sessions to address these gaps. At UCSF, students identified specific avenues to improve the rigor of social medicine courses and developed new curricula to equip students with skills to confront and work to dismantle racism. The authors describe how HMS students, in an effort to improve the learning environment, developed a workshop to assist students in navigating microaggressions and discrimination in the clinical setting. At UCSF, students partnered with faculty and administration to advocate pass/fail grading for clerkships after university data revealed racial disparities in students' clerkship assessments. In reviewing these examples of students' advocacy to improve their own curricula and learning environments, the authors aim to provide support for students and faculty pursuing anti-racist curricular changes at their own institutions.

Mechanism of EBV inducing anti-tumour immunity and its therapeutic use

Tumour-associated antigens (TAAs) comprise a large set of non-mutated cellular antigens recognized by T cells in human and murine cancers. Their potential as targets for immunotherapy has been explored for more than two decades¹, yet the origins of TAA-specific T cells remain unclear. While tumour cells may be an important source of TAAs for T cell priming², several recent studies suggest that infection with some viruses, including Epstein-Barr virus and influenza virus can elicit T cell responses against abnormally expressed cellular antigens that function as TAAs^3,4. However, the cellular and molecular basis of such responses remains undefined. Here we show that expression of the Epstein-Barr virus signalling protein LMP1 in B cells provokes T cell responses to multiple TAAs. LMP1 signalling leads to overexpression of many cellular antigens previously shown to be TAAs, their presentation on major histocompatibility complex classes I (MHC-I) and II (MHC-II) (mainly through the endogenous pathway) and the upregulation of costimulatory ligands CD70 and OX40L, thereby inducing potent cytotoxic CD4⁺ and CD8⁺ T cell responses. These findings delineate a mechanism of infection-induced anti-tumour immunity. Furthermore, by ectopically expressing LMP1 in tumour B cells from patients with cancer and thereby enabling them to prime T cells, we develop a general approach for rapid production of autologous cytotoxic CD4⁺ T cells against a wide range of endogenous tumour antigens, such as TAAs and neoantigens, for treating B cell malignancies. This work stresses the need to revisit classical concepts concerning viral and tumour immunity, which will be critical to fully understand the impact of common infections on human health and to improve the rational design of immune approaches to treatment of cancers.

Racial Discrimination in the Life Course of Older Adults Experiencing Homelessness: Results from the HOPE HOME Study

Over 2.5 million people experience homelessness yearly in the United States. Black persons are overrepresented by three-fold among those experiencing homelessness but little research has examined the relationship between race and homelessness. We aimed to understand the relationship between race and the experience of homelessness for older adults. We used grounded theory methodology to analyze in-depth qualitative interviews (n = 65) of persons experiencing homelessness. We recruited participants who were enrolled in two sub-studies of the Health Outcomes of People Experiencing Homelessness in Older Middle AgE (HOPE HOME) Study in Oakland California. We identified two major themes within interviews with Black participants (n=52) related to race: (1) participants experienced overt racial discrimination in early life and (2) structural racism precipitated and perpetuated adult homelessness. Further, we identified sub-themes of structural racism that contributed to participants becoming or staying homeless: criminal justice discrimination, employment discrimination, exposure to violence, premature death, and limited family wealth. We developed a theoretical model of how these elements of structural racism may increase susceptibility to homelessness. These relationships between racial discrimination and homelessness may serve as targets for policies aimed at preventing homelessness.

Validation of spirometry prediction equations in western Kenya

SETTING

Community of Eldoret, Kenya.

OBJECTIVE

To test the performance of three commonly used spirometry prediction equations in a healthy Kenyan population.

DESIGN

Cross-sectional assessment of healthy adults in Eldoret.

RESULTS

Of the 331 subjects enrolled in the study, 282 subjects aged 18-85 years (45% males, 55% females) produced high-quality spirograms. Lung function predictions were made using the Global Lung Initiative 2012 (GLI 2012) prediction equations for African Americans, the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey III (NHANES III) prediction equations for African Americans, and the Crapo prediction equation. Bland-Altman analyses were performed to measure the agreement between observed and predicted spirometry parameters. Overall, the GLI 2012 and NHANES equations for African Americans performed similarly for forced vital capacity (FVC) and forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1), significantly overestimating FVC while accurately predicting observed FEV1 values.

CONCLUSION

The study brings into question the utility of three major spirometry prediction equations in a Kenyan population. The significant overestimation of FVC by the best-performing equations despite accurate prediction of FEV1 suggests poor performance of these equations in our population.

Medical Training in the Maelstrom: The Call to Physician Advocacy and Activism in Turbulent Times

In this Invited Commentary, the author probes current events overlapping with his early medical education for unwritten lessons. Today's generation of trainees studies the careful application of science to suffering in the roiling context of resurgent white supremacy, anti-immigrant hatred, climate disasters, contentious public health epidemics, and attacks on the structures undergirding access to health care for millions. The author reflects on the connections between sociopolitical events and his own experiences, as well as those of his classmates, friends, and family members. These experiences, he argues, have galvanized his and his fellow medical students' commitment to decency, truth, diversity, and equity. He concludes that, in the current climate, the practice of healing is inextricably tied to the social and political context, such that advocacy and activism have become essential to a career in medicine.

18F-FDG-PET/CT imaging to assess response to treatment with cabozantinib at 4 weeks versus 8 weeks of therapy in patients (pts) with metastatic urothelial carcinoma (mUC)

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Background: This study investigates whether changes in 18F-FDG-PET/CT correlate with response to cabozantinib at an early time point (4 wks) versus the conventional time point of restaging (8 wks) in pts with mUC, using Positron Emission Tomography Response Criteria in Solid Tumors (PERCIST). Methods: 68 pts with mUC in a single arm phase II clinical trial of cabozantinib underwent FDG-PET/CT scans at baseline, 4 and 8 wks. Up to 5 lesions with the highest Standard Uptake Value (SUV) were designated as target lesions. Response was determined using 2 versions of PERCIST (1 lesion vs top 5 lesions with highest FDG uptake) for FDG-PET/CT at 4 and 8 wks. PERCIST response classifications were compared to RECIST v1.1 at 8 wks. Results: 54 pts had evaluable disease. The single lesion 4 wk response by PERCIST showed 40% partial metabolic response (PMR), 33% stable metabolic disease (SMD), and 27% progressive metabolic disease (PMD). The single lesion 8 wk response by PERCIST showed 31% PMR, 31% SMD, and 38% PMD. The single lesion analysis coincided with multiple lesion PERCIST analysis in 86% of pts at 4 wks and 89% at 8 wks. The 4 wk PET/CT was predictive of the 8 wk PET/CT in 75% of single lesion and 76% of multiple lesion analyses. In lesion-based analysis, the 4 wk PET/CT was predictive of the 8 wk PET/CT in 74% of bone, 89% of lung, 77% of lymph node, 74% of soft tissue, and 58% of liver lesions. Only 42% of the 8 wk PERCIST and RECIST classifications coincided. At 8 wks, 40% showed response in FDG PET-CT restaging vs 7% complete/partial response by RECIST. Conclusions: The 4 wk PET/CT scan predicts the therapy response at the 8 wk PET/CT scan however the 4 wk scan overestimates the 8 wk response. The single lesion analysis by PERCIST correlates with the multiple lesion analysis and may have more clinical utility. In the lesion-based analysis, the 4 wk PET/CT scan is predictive of the 8 wk PET/CT for bone, lung, lymph node and soft tissue but not for liver lesions. Response classifications by PERCIST are not in agreement with response classifications by RECIST. Although the methods may be complementary, they are not interchangeable. Further studies are required to validate these findings. Clinical trial information: NCT01688999.

Noninvasive imaging technologies for cutaneous wound assessment: A review

The ability to phenotype wounds for the purposes of assessing severity, healing potential and treatment is an important function of evidence-based medicine. A variety of optical technologies are currently in development for noninvasive wound assessment. To varying extents, these optical technologies have the potential to supplement traditional clinical wound evaluation and research, by providing detailed information regarding skin components imperceptible to visual inspection. These assessments are achieved through quantitative optical analysis of tissue characteristics including blood flow, collagen remodeling, hemoglobin content, inflammation, temperature, vascular structure, and water content. Technologies that have, to this date, been applied to wound assessment include: near infrared imaging, thermal imaging, optical coherence tomography, orthogonal polarization spectral imaging, fluorescence imaging, laser Doppler imaging, microscopy, spatial frequency domain imaging, photoacoustic detection, and spectral/hyperspectral imaging. We present a review of the technologies in use or development for these purposes with three aims: (1) providing basic explanations of imaging technology concepts, (2) reviewing the wound imaging literature, and (3) providing insight into areas for further application and exploration. Noninvasive imaging is a promising advancement in wound assessment and all technologies require further validation.

Staphylococcal superantigens and toxins are detectable in the serum of adult burn patients

Bacterial infection in burn patients is still a devastating contributor to morbidity and mortality. Little is known regarding the presence of staphylococcal toxins in the burn-injured patient. The aim of this study was to characterize the prevalence of several of these toxins and their relationship to clinical metrics and mortality in burn patients. Levels of exotoxins staphylococcal enterotoxin A (SEA), staphylococcal enterotoxin B, toxic shock syndrome toxin 1 (TSST-1), and α-hemolysin were assayed from the serum of 207 adult burn patients aged 16-92 years. Clinical, demographic, and microbiological data from these patients were then compared to toxin levels. Staphylococcal exotoxins α-hemolysin and SEA were present in 45% and 25% of the population, respectively. Bacterial cultures concomitantly showed a high prevalence of Staphylococcus aureus in 48% of patients, of which 59% were methicillin resistant. Several metrics may be predictive of high toxin concentrations of α-hemolysin and TSST-1 and SEA including burn size, length of stay, and bacteremia. Mortality associations indicated that burn size, bacteremia, age, and the presence of α-hemolysin and SEA may be predictors of mortality. A high prevalence of staphylococcal toxin α-hemolysin and superantigens TSST-1 and SEA can be found in the circulation of the adult burn population. The presence of these toxins may contribute to the morbidity and mortality of the burn patient.

Ozone exposure: a case report and discussion

A 45-year-old man working with ozone presents with evidence of sinusitis, mucus membrane irritation, sleep disturbance and shortness of breath. Naturally occurring or manmade, ozone may damage pulmonary alveolar type I cells at significant exposure levels. EPA and OSHA regulate exposure concentrations. Studies show dose responses with exposures. Supporting epidemiological studies are reviewed briefly. Limiting potential for excess exposure is key to prevention. Recognition of ozone as a potential exposure in the Oklahoma workplace is key to symptom management.

The bronchoconstrictor effect of strenuous exercise at low temperatures in normal athletes

In competitive speed skating healthy athletes complain of subjective variants of exercise-induced bronchoconstriction such as coughing, chest tightness and excessive mucus production. This is especially so after a 1500 m race which can be considered as extremely strenuous. We compared peak expiratory flow (PEF) measurements 3, 10, 20, 60, 90 and 120 min after such a race with baseline, just before the race, in 10 adults in a competitive situation in Calgary (Canada) and The Hague (NL) and in 8 children in Utrecht (NL). A gradual decline in PEF was found, the mean decrease reaching significance (p < 0.05) at 10, 90 and 120 min in Calgary, at 90 and 120 min in The Hague and at 90 min in Utrecht for the children. The mean decrease over the whole period was significantly greater (3.6%, SEM 0.6%) in Calgary when compared with The Hague. The decrease could not be explained by the daily PEF variation that we measured in both groups. We conclude that there is a slight bronchoconstrictory effect, even in healthy athletes, when partaking in this strenuous type of exercise at low temperatures. An explanation may be the strong drying and temperature stimulus to the airways, stimulating vagal nerve activity, causing not only the cough and mucus production but also a gradually increasing minor bronchoconstriction.

Occupational medicine and worker's compensation in Oklahoma

The worker's compensation system in Oklahoma is the product of a long history of evolution involving influences from social, legal, political, cultural, and economic realms. This process of adaptation continues today. Most recently the system was amended effective November 1986. The basic principles of a worker's compensation program are important, as well as the new changes resulting from recent reforms.