Musculoskeletal pain,depression, and stress among Latino manual laborers in North Carolina

The jobs of Latino manual laborers place their mental and physical health at risk. This study evaluates the associations among musculoskeletal pain, mental health, and work organization in Latino manual laborers. Farmworkers and nonfarmworkers (n = 189) in North Carolina were interviewed for self-reported musculoskeletal pain, depressive symptoms, stress, work safety climate, and precarious job status. More nonfarmworkers than farmworkers had neck and shoulder pain, but they did not differ in other areas of musculoskeletal pain. Depressive symptoms had a significant association with neck and shoulder pain (p < .05). Precariousness had a significant association with back pain (p < .05). Farmworker participants had H-2A visas and were afforded some protection compared to nonfarmworker manual workers. Research is needed to improve policy that relieves pain and improves mental health for all Latino manual workers.     

Intravenous cidofovir treatment for recalcitrant warts in the setting of a patient with myelodysplastic syndrome

Cidofovir is an acyclic nucleoside phosphonate with broad-spectrum activity against DNA viruses, including human papilloma virus (HPV). However, data on the efficacy of cidofovir in an immunosuppressive setting remain contradictory. We report for the first time on the promotion of the healing of recalcitrant warts in a patient with myelodysplastic syndrome with intravenous cidofovir treatment.     

Altered corticomotor representation in patients with Parkinson's disease.

In 6 patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) and 6 age-matched controls, transcranial magnetic stimulation was applied at 56 regions over the motor cortex and premotor cortex of each hemisphere, with the first dorsal interosseous (FDI) muscle of both hands activated at 15% maximum voluntary contraction during stimulation. For each site, motor evoked potential (MEP) landmarks were recovered, including MEP amplitude, MEP onset latency, and silent period duration. Scaled MEP amplitudes were used to construct individual cortical maps of the FDI muscles. The maps revealed an anterior displacement of the muscle representation in PD patients. This anterior shift over motor cortical areas may reflect increased contributions of corticocortical connections between motor cortex and premotor cortical areas, possibly enhanced by the visual feedback aspect of the task. These alterations may reflect adaptations to the impairments in striatocortical circuits in PD.