Clinical and microbiological profile of infectious keratitis in children

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2013-01-01

Background Infectious keratitis is a sight-threatening condition for children. The purpose of this study was to describe the clinical profile, risk factors and microbiological profile of infectious keratitis in children. Methods Retrospective review of clinical records of patients under 16 years of age with history of microbial keratitis seen at a tertiary referral center. Clinical characteristics, risk factors, visual and surgical outcomes as well as the microbiological profile are analyzed. Results Forty-one eyes of 41 patients. Mean age was 8.7 years. Time between the onset of symptoms and ophthalmological examination was 12.7 days. Predisposing factors were found in 78%; ocular trauma was the most common (25%). Visual acuity equal or worse than 20/200 at admission correlated positively with a poorer visual outcome, p=0.002. Positivity of cultures was 34%. Gram-positive bacteria were isolated in 78.5%; Staphylococcus epidermidis (28.6%) was the most common microorganism. Conclusions Our study emphasizes the importance of a prompt diagnosis and treatment of infectious corneal ulcers in children. Trauma and contact lenses were the main predisposing factors. Gram-positive organisms were isolated in the vast majority of cases and visual outcomes are usually poor. PMID:24131681

Clinical and Demographic Profile of Patients Receiving Fingolimod in Clinical Practice in Germany and the Benefit-Risk Profile of Fingolimod After 1 Year of Treatment: Initial Results From the Observational, Noninterventional Study PANGAEA.

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Ziemssen, Tjalf; Lang, Michael; Tackenberg, Björn; Schmidt, Stephan; Albrecht, Holger; Klotz, Luisa; Haas, Judith; Lassek, Christoph; Medin, Jennie; Cornelissen, Christian

2018-01-01

The population with multiple sclerosis receiving treatment in clinical practice differs from that in randomized controlled trials (RCTs). An assessment of the real-world benefit-risk profile of therapies is needed. This analysis used data from the large, noninterventional, observational German study Post-Authorization Non-interventional German sAfety study of GilEnyA (PANGAEA) to assess prospectively baseline characteristics and outcomes after 12 months (± 90 days) of fingolimod treatment. Patients were divided into 2 cohorts: fingolimod starter [first received fingolimod in PANGAEA (n = 3315)] and previous study [received fingolimod before enrollment in PANGAEA in RCTs (n = 875), some of whom also had baseline data at entry into RCTs (n = 505)]. At PANGAEA baseline, patients in the fingolimod starter versus the previous study cohort had a higher annualized relapse rate [ARR (95% confidence interval): 1.79 (1.75-1.83) vs 1.32 (1.25-1.40)] and Expanded Disability Status Scale score [3.11 (3.04-3.17) vs 2.55 (2.44-2.66)]. A greater proportion in the fingolimod starter versus previous study cohort had diabetes (2.0% vs 0.7%). After 12 months of fingolimod, ARRs were lower than in the 12 months before PANGAEA enrollment in the fingolimod starter [0.386 (0.360-0.414)] and previous study [0.276 (0.238-0.320)] cohorts. Expanded Disability Status Scale scores were stable versus baseline. Adverse events were experienced by similar proportions in both cohorts during fingolimod treatment. Relevant differences exist in disease activity and comorbidities between patients receiving fingolimod in clinical practice versus RCTs. Irrespective of baseline differences indicating a higher proportion at an advanced stage of multiple sclerosis in the real world versus RCTs, fingolimod remains effective, with a manageable safety profile.

Review of Rifaximin: Latest Treatment Frontier for Irritable Bowel Syndrome Mechanism of Action and Clinical Profile

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Kamesh Gupta

2017-08-01

Full Text Available Background: Irritable bowel syndrome is classified as a functional gastrointestinal disorder with the primary symptom of abdominal pain in conjunction with bloating and bowel movement disorder. It affects up to 15% of the world’s population. Among its subtypes, the most common is diarrhoea predominant. However, the current treatment options for diarrhoea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome have had not very promising results; most, such as antispasmodics, only provide partial symptomatic relief. Treatment with antidepressants and alosetron (a 5HT3 antagonist has shown the most promise to date. The latest drug to be approved for the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome-diarrhoea is rifaximin, which was approved in May 2015. It is a minimally absorbed antibiotic that is used to change the gut microbiota. Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth is one of the causes suggested for irritable bowel syndrome, particularly for the diarrhoea-predominant type. There are various methods for detecting bacterial overgrowth, the simplest of which is breath tests. Rifaximin has been shown to be of benefit to these patients. Purpose: The purpose of the study is to discuss the potential mechanism of action of rifaximin, a minimally absorbed antibiotic. In addition, we evaluate the various clinical trials undertaken to study the efficacy and safety profile of rifaximin.

Systematic review of the global epidemiology, clinical and laboratory profile of enteric fever

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Asma Azmatullah

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Children suffer the highest burden of enteric fever among populations in South Asian countries. The clinical features are non–specific, vary in populations, and are often difficult to distinguish clinically from other febrile illnesses, leading to delayed or inappropriate diagnosis and treatment. We undertook a systematic review to assess the clinical profile and laboratory features of enteric fever across age groups, economic regions, level of care and antibiotic susceptibility patterns.

Catatonia: Etiopathological diagnoses and treatment response in a tertiary care setting: A clinical study

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Santosh Ramdurg

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Aim: Catatonia is caused by a variety of psychiatric and organic conditions. The onset, clinical profile, and response to treatment may vary depending on the underlying cause. The study is an attempt to explore clinical profile, possible etiological correlates with neurotic/psychotic spectrum illnesses, and response to treatment and outcome in patients of catatonia. Materials and Methods: Retrospective chart analysis by using semistructured data sheet for the analysis of sociodemographic data, clinical profile, precipitating event, and response to treatment in patients with catatonic symptoms admitted to IHBAS (Institute of Human Behaviour and Allied Sciences, New Delhi, India from January 2009 to December 2010 was undertaken. Results: Catatonia was commonly observed in patients with the following profile - late twenties, female, Hindu religion, urban background, and housewives. Psychotic spectrum disorder (57%, N=35 was the most commonly entertained diagnosis and affective disorder (18%, N=11 being the second common. Thirty four percent of the subjects responded to lorazepam treatment and rest required modified electroconvulsive therapy (MECT. Conclusion: Catatonia is more likely to be associated with Schizophrenia and Other Psychotic Disorders in Indian settings. Majority of patients responded to therapy either by lorazepam alone or to its augmentation with modified ECT. The study being a retrospective one, the sample being representative of the treatment seeking group only, and unavailability of the follow up data were the limitations of the study

Clinical profile of congenital adrenal hyperplasia and short-term response to treatment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lal, S.; Lal, S.; Jamro, B.U.; Jamro, S.

2015-01-01

To determine the clinical presentation of congenital adrenal hyperplasia and short- term response to treatment. Background: Congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) is a genetic disorder which usually presents with life threatening emergencies. Awareness of physicians regarding these presentations is an essential for early diagnosis and lifesaving treatment. In view of the prevalence of the condition as reported from tertiary care centers within the country and other parts of the globe, we had carried out a study in the paediatric department of Shaheed Mohtrama Benazir Bhutto Medical University Larkana. Material and Methods: The study was conducted over a period of one year from July 2012 to June 2013. All infants presenting with vomiting, dehydration, shock, failure to thrive and ambiguous genitalia were examined and investigated thoroughly. The diagnosis was based upon a raised level of serum 17 OHP in a child with suggestive clinical features. Results: A total of 40 children were diagnosed to have CAH during the study period. The major presenting features were vomiting in 13 (32.5%), ambiguous genitalia 17 (42.5%), vomiting and ambiguous genitalia 10 (25%), shock 5(12.5%) and failure to thrive in 13 (32.5%) of cases. All the patients were followed up after initiation of treatment and good response was observed to short-term treatment. Conclusion: This study highlights the importance of common clinical features like vomiting, unreasonable dehydration, shock and ambiguous genitalia being the presenting features of CAH and the effectiveness of replacement therapy in amending life threatening emergencies due to this condition. (author)

Demographic and clinical profile of substance abusing women seeking treatment at a de-addiction center in north India

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Naresh Nebhinani

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Background: In the recent decades increasing number of women have been seeking deaddiction services. Despite that the report data is very limited from India. Objectives: The present research aimed to study the demographic and clinical profile of women seeking deaddiction treatment at a tertiary care center in North India. Materials and Methods: Retrospective structured chart review of 100 women substance abusers seeking treatment at a deaddiction center between September 1978 and December 2011. Results: A typical case was of 36.3 years age, married (65%, urban (61%, nuclear family (59% based housewife (56%, with good to fair social support (69%. The commonest substance of abuse was tobacco (60%, followed by opioids (27%, alcohol (15%, and benzodiazepines (13%. The common reasons for initiation of substance use were to alleviate frustration or stress (49% and curiosity (37%. Family history of drug dependence (43%, comorbidity (25%, and impairments in health (74%, family (57%, and social domains (56% were common. Only a third of the sample paid one or more follow visit, and of those 58% were abstinent at the last follow-up. Significant predictors identified were being non-Hindu and higher educational years for abstinent status at follow-up. Conclusion: The common substances of abuse were tobacco, opioids, and alcohol and benzodiazepines; and family history of drug abuse and comorbidity were common. The follow-up and outcome were generally poor. This profile gives us some clues to address a hidden health problem of the community.

Clinical profile of high-risk febrile neutropenia in a tertiary care hospital

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Mohan V Bhojaraja

2016-06-01

Full Text Available Background Infection in the immunocompromised host has been a reason of concern in the clinical setting and a topic of debate for decades. In this study, the aim was to analyse the clinical profile of high-risk febrile neutropenic patients. Aims To study the clinical profile of high risk febrile neutropenia patients with the objective of identifying the most common associated malignancy, most common associated pathogen, the source of infection, to correlate the treatment and management with that of the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA 2010 guidelines and to assess the clinical outcome. Methods A cross-sectional time bound study was carried out and a total of 80 episodes of high-risk febrile neutropenia were recorded among patients with malignancies from September 2011 to July 2013 with each episode being taken as a new case. Results Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (30 per cent was the most common malignancy associated, commonest source of infection was due to central venous catheters, the commonest pathogens were gram negative (52 per cent the treatment and management of each episode of high risk febrile neutropenia correlated with that of IDSA 2010 guidelines and the mortality rate was 13.75 per cent. Conclusion Febrile neutropenia is one of the major complications and cause of mortality in patients with malignancy and hence understanding its entire spectrum can help us reduce morbidity and mortality.

Antimicrobial sensitivity profile of Staphylococcus spp. Isolated from clinical mastitis

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Thamires Martins

2012-12-01

Full Text Available Inflammation of the mammary gland, which is also known as mastitis, occupies a prominent place among the diseases that affect dairy cattle, having a great economic importance in the dairy sector. Mastitis may have different origins, however, infectious mastitis is the most frequent and represents a risk to public health due to the propagation of microorganisms through milk. Staphylococcus spp. are considered the microorganisms that cause the greatest losses in milk production, being that Staphylococcus aureus is the pathogen of major importance because they present high resistence to antimicrobials. Empirical treatment, without prior identification of the pathogens and their resistance profile, may contribute to the emergence of multidrug-resistant strains and risk the efficiency of the antimicrobial. In that scenery, the study aimed to evaluate the resistance profile of Staphylococcus spp. against some antimicrobials used in the treatment of cows with clinical mastitis. The study was conducted on a property in the state of São Paulo from January 2011 to June 2012. We evaluated 29 lactating cows that present clinical mastitis in, at least, one mammary quarter. The diagnosis of clinical mastitis was performed by evaluating the clinical signs and also by Tamis test. Samples of milk from mammary quarters were collected aseptically in sterile tubes for microbiological evaluation. Microorganisms were isolated on sheep blood agar 5% and Sabouraud agar with chloramphenicol. The sensitivity profile of Staphylococcus spp. to the antibiotics ampicillin, cephalexin, ceftiofur, cefaclor, gentamicin, kanamycin, neomycin, penicillin G and oxacillin, was tested by disk diffusion test on Mueller-Hinton agar. From a total of 106 samples of milk analyzed, 64 (60.38% presented microbiological growth, being observed isolation of Streptococcus spp. 29 (34.52%, Staphylococcus spp. 28 (33.33%, Corynebacterium spp. 17 (20.24%, filamentous fungi 4 (4.76%, yeast 4 (4

Comprehensive Genomic Profiling of Esthesioneuroblastoma Reveals Additional Treatment Options.

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Gay, Laurie M; Kim, Sungeun; Fedorchak, Kyle; Kundranda, Madappa; Odia, Yazmin; Nangia, Chaitali; Battiste, James; Colon-Otero, Gerardo; Powell, Steven; Russell, Jeffery; Elvin, Julia A; Vergilio, Jo-Anne; Suh, James; Ali, Siraj M; Stephens, Philip J; Miller, Vincent A; Ross, Jeffrey S

2017-07-01

Esthesioneuroblastoma (ENB), also known as olfactory neuroblastoma, is a rare malignant neoplasm of the olfactory mucosa. Despite surgical resection combined with radiotherapy and adjuvant chemotherapy, ENB often relapses with rapid progression. Current multimodality, nontargeted therapy for relapsed ENB is of limited clinical benefit. We queried whether comprehensive genomic profiling (CGP) of relapsed or refractory ENB can uncover genomic alterations (GA) that could identify potential targeted therapies for these patients. CGP was performed on formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded sections from 41 consecutive clinical cases of ENBs using a hybrid-capture, adaptor ligation based next-generation sequencing assay to a mean coverage depth of 593X. The results were analyzed for base substitutions, insertions and deletions, select rearrangements, and copy number changes (amplifications and homozygous deletions). Clinically relevant GA (CRGA) were defined as GA linked to drugs on the market or under evaluation in clinical trials. A total of 28 ENBs harbored GA, with a mean of 1.5 GA per sample. Approximately half of the ENBs (21, 51%) featured at least one CRGA, with an average of 1 CRGA per sample. The most commonly altered gene was TP53 (17%), with GA in PIK3CA , NF1 , CDKN2A , and CDKN2C occurring in 7% of samples. We report comprehensive genomic profiles for 41 ENB tumors. CGP revealed potential new therapeutic targets, including targetable GA in the mTOR, CDK and growth factor signaling pathways, highlighting the clinical value of genomic profiling in ENB. Comprehensive genomic profiling of 41 relapsed or refractory ENBs reveals recurrent alterations or classes of mutation, including amplification of tyrosine kinases encoded on chromosome 5q and mutations affecting genes in the mTOR/PI3K pathway. Approximately half of the ENBs (21, 51%) featured at least one clinically relevant genomic alteration (CRGA), with an average of 1 CRGA per sample. The most commonly altered

Clinical and medication profiles stratified by household income in patients referred for diabetes care

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Svenson Lawrence W

2007-03-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Low income individuals with diabetes are at particularly high risk for poor health outcomes. While specialized diabetes care may help reduce this risk, it is not currently known whether there are significant clinical differences across income groups at the time of referral. The objective of this study is to determine if the clinical profiles and medication use of patients referred for diabetes care differ across income quintiles. Methods This cross-sectional study was conducted using a Canadian, urban, Diabetes Education Centre (DEC database. Clinical information on the 4687 patients referred to the DEC from May 2000 – January 2002 was examined. These data were merged with 2001 Canadian census data on income. Potential differences in continuous clinical parameters across income quintiles were examined using regression models. Differences in medication use were examined using Chi square analyses. Results Multivariate regression analysis indicated that income was negatively associated with BMI (p Conclusion Our findings demonstrate that low income patients present to diabetes clinic older, heavier and with a more atherogenic lipid profile than do high income patients. Overall medication use was higher among the lower income group suggesting that differences in clinical profiles are not the result of under-treatment, thus invoking lifestyle factors as potential contributors to these findings.

Clinical and Immunologic Profiles in Incomplete Lupus Erythematosus and Improvement with Hydroxychloroquine Treatment

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Nancy J. Olsen

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Objective. The study goals were to evaluate performance of SLE classification criteria, to define patients with incomplete lupus erythematosus (ILE, and to probe for features in these patients that might be useful as indicators of disease status and hydroxychloroquine response. Methods. Patients with ILE (N=70 and SLE (N=32 defined by the 1997 American College of Rheumatology criteria were reclassified using the 2012 Systemic Lupus International Collaborating Clinics criteria. Disease activity, patient reported outcomes, and levels of Type I interferon- (IFN- inducible genes, autoantibodies, and cytokines were measured. Subgroups treated with hydroxychloroquine (HCQ were compared to patients not on this drug. Results. The classification sets were correlated (R2=0.87. ILE patients were older (P=0.0043 with lower disease activity scores (P<0.001 and greater dissatisfaction with health status (P=0.034 than SLE patients. ILE was associated with lower levels of macrophage-derived cytokines and levels of expressed Type I IFN-inducible genes. Treatment of ILE with HCQ was associated with better self-reported health status scores and lower expression levels of Type I IFN-inducible genes than ILE patients not on HCQ. Conclusion. The 2012 SLICC SLE classification criteria will be useful to define ILE in trials. Patients with ILE have better health status and immune profiles when treated with HCQ.

Biologic and clinical significance of molecular profiling in Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia.

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Butler, Tom; Gribben, J G

2010-05-01

CLL is extremely heterogeneous in its clinical course, with some patients living decades with no need for treatment whilst others have a rapidly aggressive clinical course. A major focus of research has been to try to identify those biological factors that influence this heterogeneity. The goal of therapy has been to maintain the best quality of life and treat only when patients become symptomatic from their disease. For the majority of patients this means following a "watch and wait" approach to determine the rate of progression of the disease and assess for development of symptoms. Any alteration to this approach will require identification of criteria that define patients sufficiently "high-risk" that they gain benefit by introduction of early therapy. The use of molecular profiling to suggest particular therapies is currently appropriate only in defining the treatment of the minority of patients with 17p deletions or p53 mutations and in all other circumstances remains a clinical trial question. Copyright 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Evaluating Integrative Cancer Clinics With the Claim Assessment Profile: An Example With the InspireHealth Clinic.

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Hilton, Lara; Elfenbaum, Pamela; Jain, Shamini; Sprengel, Meredith; Jonas, Wayne B

2018-03-01

The evaluation of freestanding integrative cancer clinical programs is challenging and is rarely done. We have developed an approach called the Claim Assessment Profile (CAP) to identify whether evaluation of a practice is justified, feasible, and likely to provide useful information. A CAP was performed in order to (1) clarify the healing claims at InspireHealth, an integrative oncology treatment program, by defining the most important impacts on its clients; (2) gather information about current research capacity at the clinic; and (3) create a program theory and path model for use in prospective research. This case study design incorporates methods from a variety of rapid assessment approaches. Procedures included site visits to observe the program, structured qualitative interviews with 26 providers and staff, surveys to capture descriptive data about the program, and observational data on program implementation. The InspireHealth program is a well-established, multi-site, thriving integrative oncology clinical practice that focuses on patient support, motivation, and health behavior engagement. It delivers patient-centered care via a standardized treatment protocol. There arehigh levels of research interest from staff and resources by which to conduct research. This analysis provides the primary descriptive and claims clarification of an integrative oncology treatment program, an evaluation readiness report, a detailed logic model explicating program theory, and a clinical outcomes path model for conducting prospective research. Prospective evaluation of this program would be feasible and valuable, adding to our knowledge base of integrative cancer therapies.

Dyslipidemia and cardiovascular disease risk profiles of patients attending an HIV treatment clinic in Harare, Zimbabwe

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Zhou DT

2015-05-01

Full Text Available Danai Tavonga Zhou,1,2 Vitaris Kodogo,1 Kudzai Fortunate Vongai Chokuona,1 Exnevia Gomo,1 Olav Oektedalen,3 Babill Stray-Pedersen21Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, College of Health Sciences, University of Zimbabwe, Avondale, Zimbabwe; 2Institute of Clinical Medicine, University in Oslo, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway; 3Department of Infectious Diseases, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, NorwayAbstract: The chronic inflammation induced by human immunodeficiency virus (HIV contributes to increased risk of coronary heart disease (CHD in HIV-infected individuals. HIV-infected patients generally benefit from being treated with antiretroviral drugs, but some antiretroviral agents have side effects, such as dyslipidemia and hyperglycemia. There is general consensus that antiretroviral drugs induce a long-term risk of CHD, although the levels of that risk are somewhat controversial. The intention of this cross-sectional study was to describe the lipid profile and the long-term risk of CHD among HIV-positive outpatients at an HIV treatment clinic in Harare, Zimbabwe. Two hundred and fifteen patients were investigated (females n=165, mean age 39.8 years; males n=50; mean age 42.0 years. Thirty of the individuals were antiretroviral-naïve and 185 had been on antiretroviral therapy (ART for a mean 3.9±3.4 years. All participants had average lipid and glucose values within normal ranges, but there was a small difference between the ART and ART- for total cholesterol (TC and high-density lipoprotein (HDL.Those on a combination of D4T or ZDV/NVP/3TC and PI-based ART were on average oldest and had the highest TC levels. Framingham risk showed 1.4% prevalence of high CHD risk within the next ten years. After univariate analysis age, sex, TC/HDL ratio, HDL, economic earnings and systolic BP were associated with medium to high risk of CHD. After multivariate regression analysis and adjusting for age or sex only age, sex and economic earnings

Effect of Olanzapine on Clinical and Polysomnography Profiles in Patients with Schizophrenia

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Mohammad Zia Ul Haq Katshu

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Acute and short-term administration of olanzapine has a favorable effect on sleep in schizophrenia patients. This study aimed to clarify the effect of olanzapine on polysomnographic profiles of schizophrenia patients during the acute phase of illness after controlling for previous drug exposure. Twenty-five drug-naïve or drug-free schizophrenia patients were assessed at baseline and after six weeks of olanzapine treatment on Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS, Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS, and Udvalg for Kliniske Undersogelser (UKU side-effect rating scale and a whole-night polysomnography; fifteen patients completed the study. There was a significant reduction in all psychopathological variables with maximum reduction in PANSS total, BPRS total, and PANSS positive scores. A significant increase in total sleep time (TST, sleep efficiency (SE, nonrapid eye movement (NREM stage 1 duration, stage 3 duration, stage 4 duration, and stage 4 percentage of TST, number of rapid eye movement (REM periods, REM duration, and REM percentage of TST was observed. REM latency at baseline inversely predicted the reduction in BPRS total and PANSS total and positive scores. In summary, short-term treatment with olanzapine produced significant improvement in clinical and polysomnography profiles of patients with schizophrenia with shorter REM latency predicting a good clinical response.

Dual-release hydrocortisone treatment: glycometabolic profile and health-related quality of life

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L M Mongioì

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Objective: Adrenal insufficiency (AI is a chronic condition associated with increased mortality and morbidity. The treatment of AI in the last years has been object of important changes due to the development of a dual-release preparation of hydrocortisone. It differs from previous therapeutic strategy as it contemplates a once-daily tablet that allows more closely mimicking the physiological circadian cortisol rhythm. The aim of the study was to evaluate the effects of dual-release hydrocortisone treatment on the glycometabolic profile and health-related quality of life of patients with AI. Design and Methods: In this clinical open trial, we enrolled ten patients with primary AI (41 ± 2.67 years and nine patients with AI secondary to hypopituitarism (53.2 ± 17.7 years. We evaluated the glycometabolic profile before and 3, 6, 9 and 12 months after dual-release hydrocortisone administration. We also evaluated health-related quality of life, estimated by the AddiQol questionnaire. The mean dose administered of dual-release hydrocortisone was 28.33 ± 6.68 mg/day. Results: One female hypopituitary patient dropped out from the study. After 12 months of treatment, the mean dosage administered of dual-release hydrocortisone was significantly lower (P < 0.05 and all patients reported improved quality of life and well-being. The glycometabolic profile improved and the glycosylated hemoglobin decreased significantly in patients with primary AI (6.25 ± 0.2 vs 5.35 ± 0.17, P < 0.05. In contrast, hypopituitary patients had worse glycometabolic profile and a trend toward hypertriglyceridemia. Conclusions: Dual-release hydrocortisone treatment improved the quality of life of patients with AI, and it allowed a decrease of cortisol dosage administered in the absence of side effects. The glycometabolic profile worsened in hypopituitary patients.

Comparison of 2 Zero-Profile Implants in the Treatment of Single-Level Cervical Spondylotic Myelopathy: A Preliminary Clinical Study of Cervical Disc Arthroplasty versus Fusion.

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Sheng Shi

Full Text Available Cervical disc arthroplasty (CDA with Discover prosthesis or anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF with Zero-P cage has been widely used in the treatment of cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM. However, little is known about the comparison of the 2 zero-profile implants in the treatment of single-level CSM. The aim was to compare the clinical outcomes and radiographic parameters of CDA with Discover prosthesis and ACDF with Zero-P cage for the treatment of single-level CSM.A total of 128 consecutive patients who underwent 1-level CDA with Discover prosthesis or ACDF with Zero-P cage for single-level CSM between September 2009 and December 2012 were included in this study. Clinical outcomes were evaluated using the Japanese Orthopaedic Association (JOA score and Neck Disability Index (NDI. For radiographic assessment, the overall sagittal alignment (OSA, functional spinal unit (FSU angle, and range of motion (ROM at the index and adjacent levels were measured before and after surgery. Additionally, the complications were also recorded.Both treatments significantly improved all clinical parameters (P 0.05. Besides, no significant differences existed in dysphagia, subsidence, or adjacent disc degeneration between the 2 groups (P > 0.05. However, significant differences occurred in prosthesis migration in CDA group.The results of this study showed that clinical outcomes and radiographic parameters were satisfactory and comparable with the 2 techniques. However, more attention to prosthesis migration of artificial cervical disc should be paid in the postoperative early-term follow-up.

Molecular Profiling of Glatiramer Acetate Early Treatment Effects in Multiple Sclerosis

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Achiron, Anat; Feldman, Anna; Gurevich, Michael

2009-01-01

Background: Glatiramer acetate (GA, Copaxone®) has beneficial effects on the clinical course of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). However, the exact molecular mechanisms of GA effects are only partially understood. Objective: To characterized GA molecular effects in RRMS patients within 3 months of treatment by microarray profiling of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC). Methods: Gene-expression profiles were determined in RRMS patients before and at 3 months after initiation of GA treatment using Affimetrix (U133A-2) microarrays containing 14,500 well-characterized human genes. Most informative genes (MIGs) of GA-induced biological convergent pathways operating in RRMS were constructed using gene functional annotation, enrichment analysis and pathway reconstruction bioinformatic softwares. Verification at the mRNA and protein level was performed by qRT-PCR and FACS. Results: GA induced a specific gene expression molecular signature that included altered expression of 480 genes within 3 months of treatment; 262 genes were up-regulated, and 218 genes were down-regulated. The main convergent mechanisms of GA effects were related to antigen-activated apoptosis, inflammation, adhesion, and MHC class-I antigen presentation. Conclusions: Our findings demonstrate that GA treatment induces alternations of immunomodulatory gene expression patterns that are important for suppression of disease activity already at three months of treatment and can be used as molecular markers of GA activity. PMID:19893201

Clinical profile of patients with myasthenia gravis followed at the University Hospital, Federal University of Minas Gerais

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Aline Mansueto Mourão

2015-04-01

Full Text Available Summary Objective: to determine the clinical profile of patients with myasthenia gravis (MG; followed at the Neuromuscular Diseases Clinic of the University Hospital, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Brazil, and to compare it with other Brazilian case series. Methods: sociodemographic and clinical data were collected from patients, and a systematic literature review performed, focusing on national studies on the clinical profile of MG patients. Results: sixty nine patients were enrolled in the study. Fifty five (91% subjects were female and the mean age (SD was 37.6 (±11.4 years. The mean disease duration was 14.1 years. Regarding treatment, prednisone was the most used strategy (64%, followed by the use of azathioprine (43%. There was no difference between thymectomized (42 and non-thymectomized (27 patients regarding disease severity and medication use. Conclusion: clinical and socio-demographic features of this MG sample from a University-based clinic resemble those reported in other Brazilian series and in the international literature.

The New Low-Profile WEB 17 System for Treatment of Intracranial Aneurysms: First Clinical Experiences.

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van Rooij, S B T; Peluso, J P; Sluzewski, M; Kortman, H G; van Rooij, W J

2018-05-01

The Woven EndoBridge (WEB) is an intrasaccular flow diverter intended to treat wide-neck aneurysms. The latest generation WEBs needed a 0.021-inch microcatheter in the small sizes. Recently, a lower profile range of WEBs compliant with a 0.017-inch microcatheter (WEB 17) has been introduced. We present the first clinical results of treatment of both ruptured and unruptured aneurysms with the WEB 17. Between December 2016 and September 2017, forty-six aneurysms in 40 patients were treated with the WEB 17. No supporting stents or balloons were used. Twenty-five aneurysms were ruptured (54%). There were 6 men and 34 women (mean age, 62 years; median, 63 years; range, 46-87 years). The mean aneurysm size was 4.9 mm (median, 5 mm; range, 2-7 mm). There were 2 thromboembolic procedural complications without clinical sequelae and no ruptures. The overall permanent procedural complication rate was 0% (0 of 40; 97.5% CI, 0%-10.4%). Imaging follow-up at 3 months was available in 33 patients with 39 aneurysms (97.5% of 40 eligible aneurysms). In 1 aneurysm, the detached WEB was undersized and the remnant was additionally treated with coils after 1 week. This same aneurysm reopened at 3 months and was again treated with a second WEB. One other aneurysm showed persistent WEB filling at 3 months. Complete occlusion was achieved in 28 of 39 aneurysms (72%), and 9 aneurysms (23%) showed a neck remnant. The WEB 17 is safe and effective for both ruptured and unruptured aneurysms. The WEB 17 is a valuable addition to the existing WEB size range, especially for very small aneurysms. © 2018 by American Journal of Neuroradiology.

Clinical Profile and HIV/AIDS Prevalence of Patients with ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Background: Clinical features of HIV/AIDS and various malignancies are similar. Clinical profiles and HIV/AIDS prevalence in Nigerian cancer patients have been poorly documented. Aim: To identify the patterns of clinical presentations in patients with malignancies and to determine the prevalence of HIV infection in cancer ...

Profile of bosutinib and its clinical potential in the treatment of chronic myeloid leukemia

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Keller-von Amsberg G

2013-03-01

Full Text Available Gunhild Keller-von Amsberg,1 Steffen Koschmieder21Department of Hematology and Oncology, University Cancer Center Hamburg, University Hospital Hamburg Eppendorf, 2Department of Medicine (Hematology, Oncology, and Stem Cell Transplantation, University Medical Center of Aachen and RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, GermanyAbstract: Bosutinib (SKI-606 is an orally available, once-daily, dual Src and Abl kinase inhibitor with promising clinical potential in first-, second-, and third-line treatment of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML. Bosutinib effectively inhibits wild-type BCR-ABL and most imatinib-resistant BCR-ABL mutations except for V299L and T315I. Low hematologic toxicity is a remarkable characteristic of this novel second-generation tyrosine kinase inhibitor, and this has been ascribed to its minimal activity against the platelet-derived growth factor receptor and KIT. Low-grade, typically self-limiting diarrhea, which usually appears within the first few weeks after treatment initiation, represents the predominant toxicity of bosutinib. Other treatment-associated adverse events are mostly mild to moderate. Bosutinib has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of chronic, accelerated, or blast phase Philadelphia chromosome-positive CML in adult patients with resistance or intolerance to prior therapy. This review summarizes the main properties of bosutinib and the currently available data on its clinical potential in the treatment of CML.Keywords: bosutinib, chronic myeloid leukemia, BCR-ABL, Src/Abl kinase inhibitor, point mutation, imatinib resistance

Learning Effective Treatment Pathways for Type-2 Diabetes from a clinical data warehouse.

Science.gov (United States)

Vashisht, Rohit; Jung, Ken; Shah, Nigam

2016-01-01

Treatment guidelines for management of type-2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) are controversial because existing evidence from randomized clinical trials do not address many important clinical questions. Data from Electronic Medical Records (EMRs) has been used to profile first line therapy choices, but this work did not elucidate the factors underlying deviations from current treatment guidelines and the relative efficacy of different treatment options. We have used data from the Stanford Hospital to attempt to address these issues. Clinical features associated with the initial choice of treatment were effectively re-discovered using a machine learning approach. In addition, the efficacies of first and second line treatments were evaluated using Cox proportional hazard models for control of Hemoglobin A 1c . Factors such as acute kidney disorder and liver disorder were predictive of first line therapy choices. Sitagliptin was the most effective second-line therapy, and as effective as metformin as a first line therapy.

Epidemiology and clinical profile of common musculoskeletal ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Epidemiology and clinical profile of common musculoskeletal diseases in patients with diabetes mellitus at Tikur Anbessa Specialized Hospital in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. ... or worsening of MSD. Keywords: musculoskeletal complications; diabetic foot; foot care; trigger finger; Dupuytren's contracture; stiff frozen shoulder ...

A cluster-analytic profiling of heroin-dependent patients based on level, clinical adequacy, and patient-desired adjustment of buprenorphine dosage during buprenorphine-naloxone maintenance treatment in sixteen Spanish centers.

Science.gov (United States)

Alcaraz, Saul; González-Saiz, Francisco; Trujols, Joan; Vergara-Moragues, Esperanza; Siñol, Núria; Pérez de Los Cobos, José

2018-06-01

Buprenorphine dosage is a crucial factor influencing outcomes of buprenorphine treatment for heroin use disorders. Therefore, the aim of the present study is to identify naturally occurring profiles of heroin-dependent patients regarding individualized management of buprenorphine dosage in clinical practice of buprenorphine-naloxone maintenance treatment. 316 patients receiving buprenorphine-naloxone maintenance treatment were surveyed at 16 Spanish centers during the stabilization phase of this treatment. Patients were grouped using cluster analysis based on three key indicators of buprenorphine dosage management: dose, adequacy according to physician, and adjustment according to patient. The clusters obtained were compared regarding different facets of patient clinical condition. Four clusters were identified and labeled as follows (buprenorphine average dose and percentage of participants in each cluster are given in brackets): "Clinically Adequate and Adjusted to Patient Desired Low Dosage" (2.60 mg/d, 37.05%); "Clinically Adequate and Adjusted to Patient Desired High Dosage" (10.71 mg/d, 29.18%); "Clinically Adequate and Patient Desired Reduction of Low Dosage" (3.38 mg/d, 20.0%); and "Clinically Inadequate and Adjusted to Patient Desired Moderate Dosage" (7.55 mg/d, 13.77%). Compared to patients from the other three clusters, participants in the latter cluster reported more frequent use of heroin and cocaine during last week, lower satisfaction with buprenorphine-naloxone as a medication, higher prevalence of buprenorphine-naloxone adverse effects and poorer psychological adjustment. Our results show notable differences between clusters of heroin-dependent patients regarding buprenorphine dosage management. We also identified a group of patients receiving clinically inadequate buprenorphine dosage, which was related to poorer clinical condition. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Rectal dihydroartemisinin versus intravenous quinine in the treatment of severe malaria: a randomised clinical trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Esamai, F; Ayuo, P; Owino-Ongor, W; Rotich, J; Ngindu, A; Obala, A; Ogaro, F; Quoqiao, L; Xingbo, G; Guangqian, L

2000-05-01

To compare the clinical efficacy and safety of rectal dihydroartemisinin (DATM--Cotecxin) and intravenous quinine in the treatment of severe malaria in children and adults. Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital, Eldoret, Kenya between July and November 1998. A total of sixty seven patients aged two to sixty years with severe malaria were studied. This was an open randomised comparative clinical trial. These were parasite clearance time, fever clearance time, efficacy and the side effect profile of the two drugs. The two groups were comparable on admission on the clinical and laboratory parameters. The parasite clearance time was shorter in the rectal DATM group than quinine group. There was no statistical difference on the fever clearance time and cure rates in the two groups. The adverse reaction profile was better with rectal DATM than with quinine, tinnitus observed more in the quinine group. Rectal DATM is faster in parasite clearance than quinine and is a safe and convenient alternative to quinine in the treatment of severe malaria.

Incidence, clinical correlates and treatment effect of rage in anxious children.

Science.gov (United States)

Johnco, Carly; Salloum, Alison; De Nadai, Alessandro S; McBride, Nicole; Crawford, Erika A; Lewin, Adam B; Storch, Eric A

2015-09-30

Episodic rage represents an important and underappreciated clinical feature in pediatric anxiety. This study examined the incidence and clinical correlates of rage in children with anxiety disorders. Change in rage during treatment for anxiety was also examined. Participants consisted of 107 children diagnosed with an anxiety disorder and their parents. Participants completed structured clinical interviews and questionnaire measures to assess rage, anxiety, functional impairment, family accommodation and caregiver strain, as well as the quality of the child's relationship with family and peers. Rage was a common feature amongst children with anxiety disorders. Rage was associated with a more severe clinical profile, including increased anxiety severity, functional impairment, family accommodation and caregiver strain, as well as poorer relationships with parents, siblings, extended family and peers. Rage was more common in children with separation anxiety, comorbid anxiety, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder and behavioral disorders, but not depressive symptoms. Rage predicted higher levels of functional impairment, beyond the effect of anxiety severity. Rage severity reduced over treatment in line with changes in anxiety symptoms. Findings suggest that rage is a marker of greater psychopathology in anxious youth. Standard cognitive behavioral treatment for anxiety appears to reduce rage without adjunctive treatment. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Profile of infliximab in the treatment of pediatric Crohn’s disease

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Kierus J

2015-06-01

Full Text Available Jaroslaw Kierkus,1 Edyta Szymanska,2 Grzegorz Oracz,1 Anna Wiernicka,1 Maciej Dadalski1 1Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, Feeding Disorders and Pediatrics, 2Department of Pediatrics, Nutrition and Metabolic Disorders, The Children’s Memorial Health Institute, Warsaw, Poland Abstract: In recent years, a novel biologic therapy with monoclonal antibodies against tumor necrosis factor-alpha has revolutionized the treatment of Crohn’s disease. Infliximab, the first biologic agent, has been demonstrated to considerably improve both clinical and endoscopic outcomes. In view of the growing popularity of infliximab in the management of Crohn’s disease, we review the profile of the agent in the treatment of this disease in a pediatric setting. Keywords: infliximab, Crohn’s disease, children, biologic therapy, anti-TNF-agents

Association of Immunological Cell Profiles with Specific Clinical Phenotypes of Scleroderma Disease

Science.gov (United States)

Calzada, David; Mayayo, Teodoro; González-Rodríguez, María Luisa; Rabasco, Antonio María; Lahoz, Carlos

2014-01-01

This study aimed to search the correlation among immunological profiles and clinical phenotypes of scleroderma in well-characterized groups of scleroderma patients, comparing forty-nine scleroderma patients stratified according to specific clinical phenotypes with forty-nine healthy controls. Five immunological cell subpopulations (B, CD4+ and CD8+ T-cells, NK, and monocytes) and their respective stages of apoptosis and activation were analyzed by flow cytometry, in samples of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). Analyses of results were stratified according to disease stage, time since the diagnosis, and visceral damage (pulmonary fibrosis, pulmonary hypertension, and cardiac affliction) and by time of treatment with corticosteroids. An increase in the percentages of monocytes and a decrease in the B cells were mainly related to the disease progression. A general apoptosis decrease was found in all phenotypes studied, except in localized scleroderma. An increase of B and NK cells activation was found in patients diagnosed more than 10 years ago. Specific cell populations like monocytes, NK, and B cells were associated with the type of affected organ. This study shows how, in a heterogeneous disease, proper patient's stratification according to clinical phenotypes allows finding specific cellular profiles. Our data may lead to improvements in the knowledge of prognosis factors and to aid in the analysis of future specific therapies. PMID:24818126

Differences of protein profile before and after orthodontic treatment

Science.gov (United States)

Nasri, Farah Amirah Mohd; Wahab, Rohaya Megat Abdul; Karsani, Saiful Anuar; Ariffin, Shahrul Hisham Zainal

2016-11-01

Mechanical forces in orthodontic treatment used to treat malocclusion can cause inflamed gingival tissue and the process of tooth movement may resorb dental root. Root resorption is an iatrogenic effect of orthodontic treatment but it can be monitored using protein biomarker. This study aims to investigate the differences of protein profile before and after orthodontic treatment using different staining methods. Human gingival crevicular fluid and saliva were collected from orthodontic patients before and after treatment. Protein profile were observed using SDS-PAGE. Our study shows down regulation of proteins after 3 months of treatment. Hence, there are potential values from this study to aid in investigation for specific biomarkers for root resorption.

Clinical Outcome and Hormone Profiles Before and After Laparoscopic Electroincision of the Ovaries in Women With Polycystic Ovary Syndrome

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Zulfo Godinjak

2007-05-01

Full Text Available The aim of study was to evaluate clinical outcome and hormone profiles of laparoscopic elec-troincision of the ovaries in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS before and after treatment. Forty five clomiphene-citrate resistant women with polycystic ovary syndrome underwent laparoscopic electroincision of the ovaries. Serum levels of follicle stimulating hormone (FSH, luteinizing hormone (LH, testosterone (T, androstenedione, 17 OH progesterone and beta endorphins were recorded before and 24 hours after the treatment. Clinical and reproductive outcome and hormone profiles were analyzed. Patients were observed during 12 months period. Laparoscopic electroincision of the ovaries was successfully performed without complications in all patients. LH/FSH ratio was 1,66 24 hours after treatment. Serum levels of T, androstenedione, 17 OH progesterone, and beta endorphins were significantly reduced 24 hours after laparoscopic electroincision of the ovaries. In follow-up period 87% of patients were recorded to have regular menstrual cycles and 61% pregnancy rate was achieved spontaneously. Laparoscopic electroincision of the ovaries is an effective treatment in clomiphene-citrate resistant women with polycystic ovary syndrome. The high pregnancy rate of the procedure offers a promising management for patients with polycystic ovary syndrome.

The demographic, clinical and forensic profile of offenders ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The demographic, clinical and forensic profile of offenders diagnosed with epilepsy referred to the Free State Psychiatric Complex Observation Unit in terms of section 77 and/or 78 of the Criminal Procedure Act 51 of 1977.

Assessing clinically meaningful treatment effects in controlled trials: chronic migraine as an example.

Science.gov (United States)

Dodick, David W; Turkel, Catherine C; DeGryse, Ronald E; Diener, Hans-Christoph; Lipton, Richard B; Aurora, Sheena K; Nolan, Marissa E; Silberstein, Stephen D

2015-02-01

In addition to headache, persons with chronic migraine (CM) experience multiple symptoms, both ictal and interictal, that may contribute to their suffering. Translating clinical trial results into practice requires assessment of the results' clinical meaningfulness. When examining treatment benefit in this disabled patient population, multiple headache-symptom measures should be considered to fully reflect clinical relevance. Currently, only onabotulinumtoxinA is approved specifically for headache prophylaxis in adults with CM. Topiramate is the only other therapeutic agent with double-blind, placebo-controlled evidence in this population. Herein we evaluate the clinical meaningfulness of onabotulinumtoxinA and topiramate as headache prophylaxis in CM by comparing primary endpoints from the placebo-controlled, double-blind phase of the Phase 3 REsearch Evaluating Migraine Prophylaxis Therapy (PREEMPT) clinical program and the topiramate clinical trial (frequency of headache days [primary endpoint in PREEMPT; secondary in topiramate trial] and migraine/migrainous days [primary in topiramate trial, or "migraine/probable-migraine days"; secondary in PREEMPT]). Additionally, outcome measures such as responder rates, health-related quality of life, discontinuation rates, safety, and tolerability profiles are important clinical considerations. The clinical data indicate that statistically significant, clinically relevant treatment benefits exist for both onabotulinumtoxinA and topiramate. These data support these treatments as meaningful headache prophylaxis in adults with CM. CM is a chronic pain condition. We sought to determine the clinical relevance of recent trials in this disabled population. Clinical data indicate that statistically significant, clinically relevant treatment benefits exist for both onabotulinumtoxinA and topiramate, and support use of these treatments as meaningful headache prophylaxis in CM. Copyright © 2015 American Pain Society. Published

Tumor Molecular Profiling for an Individualized Approach to the Treatment of Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A Patient Case Study

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Kristine Posadas

2018-04-01

Full Text Available Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC is increasing in incidence, and the associated mortality rate remains among the highest. For advanced HCC, sorafenib has been shown to slightly prolong survival, and regorafenib and nivolumab, both recently approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA, may produce clinical benefits to a limited extent. Systemic chemotherapy has been shown to produce a modest response, but there is no clinically valid biomarker that can be used to predict which patients may benefit. In this case study, we present two patients with metastatic HCC, they received systemic treatment using capecitabine, oxaliplatin, and either bevacizumab or sorafenib. The tumor response to treatment was determined by the progression-free survival (PFS. Molecular profiling of the tumors showed differential expression of biochemical markers and different mutational status of the TP53 and β-catenin (CTNNB1 genes. We hypothesize that the PFS correlates with the tumor molecular profiles, which may be predictive of the therapeutic response to systemic chemotherapy. Further investigation is indicated to correlate tumor biomarkers and treatment responses, with the objective of personalizing the therapies for patients with advanced HCC.

Association of glucocorticoid receptor polymorphisms with clinical and metabolic profiles in polycystic ovary syndrome

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Gustavo A.Rosa Maciel

2014-03-01

Full Text Available OBJECTIVES: We aimed to investigate whether glucocorticoid receptor gene polymorphisms are associated with clinical and metabolic profiles in patients with polycystic ovary syndrome. Polycystic ovary syndrome is a complex endocrine disease that affects 5-8% of women and may be associated with metabolic syndrome, which is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Cortisol action and dysregulation account for metabolic syndrome development in the general population. As glucocorticoid receptor gene (NR3C1 polymorphisms regulate cortisol sensitivity, we hypothesized that variants of this gene may be involved in the adverse metabolic profiles of patients with polycystic ovary syndrome. METHOD: Clinical, metabolic and hormonal profiles were evaluated in 97 patients with polycystic ovary syndrome who were diagnosed according to the Rotterdam criteria. The alleles of the glucocorticoid gene were genotyped. Association analyses were performed using the appropriate statistical tests. RESULTS: Obesity and metabolic syndrome were observed in 42.3% and 26.8% of patients, respectively. Body mass index was positively correlated with blood pressure, triglyceride, LDL-c, total cholesterol, glucose and insulin levels as well as HOMA-IR values and inversely correlated with HDL-c and SHBG levels. The BclI and A3669G variants were found in 24.7% and 13.4% of alleles, respectively. BclI carriers presented a lower frequency of insulin resistance compared with wild-type subjects. CONCLUSION: The BclI variant is associated with a lower frequency of insulin resistance in women with polycystic ovary syndrome. Glucocorticoid gene polymorphism screening during treatment of the syndrome may be useful for identifying subgroups of at-risk patients who would benefit the most from personalized treatment.

Clinical profile of parkinsonian disorders in the tropics: Experience at Kano, northwestern Nigeria

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Owolabi Lukman Femi

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Background: No data exists on Parkinson′s disease (PD and secondary Parkinsonism in Northwestern Nigeria. This study was designed to create a database, document the clinical profile of PD in Kano, northwestern Nigerian, and compare this to prior observations within and outside Nigeria. Materials and Methods: A database was documented on prospective patients presenting consecutively to the Neurology out-patients clinic of the two tertiary health facilities in Kano northwestern Nigeria over a period of 4 years. Demographic and clinical data at presentation were documented for all patients. Cases were classified as PD or secondary Parkinsonism. The severity at presentation and at last visit was classified using the H and Y scale. Results: Over a period of 4 years, out 1153 a total of 96 patients comprising 74 males and 22 females were enrolled. Eighty (83.3% of them had clinically diagnosed PD while 16 (16.7% had clinical features compatible with secondary Parkinsonism. The mean age at onset of symptoms in the PD patients (mean 58.2 ± 6.72 yrs was more than in secondary Parkinsonism (mean 51.4 ± 10.04 and P = 0.001. There was male preponderance in both idiopathic Parkinsonism (PD (m:f = 3.2:1 and secondary Parkinsonism (m:f = 4.3:1. Out of the patients with secondary Parkinsonism, 10 (62.5% and 5 (31.3% had vascular Parkinsonism and drug-induced Parkinsonism, respectively. Duration of symptoms prior to presentation ranged between 3 months and 16 years. The mean (SD time interval from the onset of motor symptoms to diagnosis of PD was 3.6 ± 3.4 yrs and time interval for men and women (male 3.8 ± 3.7; female 2.8 ± 2.1; P = 0.249. Conclusions : Clinical profile of patients with PD and secondary Parkinsonism in Kano is similar to that from other populations within Nigeria and other developing countries. However, delayed presentation, less frequent family history, lower frequency of Young-onset PD as well as treatment challenges occasioned by

Ethnic variations regarding clinical profiles and symptom representation in prisoners with psychotic disorders.

Science.gov (United States)

Denzel, A Dorina; Harte, Joke M; van den Bergh, Mattis; Scherder, Erik J A

2018-01-01

Black and minority ethnic (BME) groups are known to have higher prevalences of psychotic disorders and are over-represented in western penitentiaries and forensic psychiatric institutions. Research from regular mental healthcare settings suggests that they could show different and more severe psychotic symptoms. Aims To explore ethnic variations in severity of symptomatology of BME and non-BME detainees with psychotic disorders. In this study, 824 patients with psychotic disorders from seven different ethnic groups, imprisoned in a penitentiary psychiatric centre in the Netherlands, were compared on symptom severity and symptom representation using the BPRS-E clinical interview. Data were analysed by means of a multilevel analysis. BME patients with psychotic disorders are over-represented in forensic psychiatry, and symptom profiles of prisoners with psychotic disorders vary by ethnicity. Additionally, severity levels of overall psychopathology differ between ethnic groups: patients with an ethnic majority status show more severe levels of psychopathology compared with BME patients. There are differences in symptom severity and symptom profiles between BME patients and non-BME patients. Disregarding these differences could have an adverse effect on the outcome of the treatment. Possible explanations and clinical impact are discussed. Declaration of interest None.

Clinical profiles of stigma experiences, self-esteem and social relationships among people with schizophrenia, depressive, and bipolar disorders.

Science.gov (United States)

Oliveira, Sandra E H; Esteves, Francisco; Carvalho, Helena

2015-09-30

Some mental illnesses and certain mental health care environments can be severely stigmatizing, which seems to be related to decreased self-esteem and a deterioration of the quality of social relationships for people with mental illness. This study aims to identify clinical profiles characterized by clinical diagnoses more strongly associated with the treatment settings and related to internalized stigma, self-esteem and satisfaction with social relationships. It also aimed to analyze associations between clinical profiles and socio-demographic indicators. Multiple correspondence analysis and cluster analysis were performed on a sample of 261 individuals with schizophrenia and mood disorders, from hospital-based and community-based facilities. MCA showed four distinct clinical profiles allowing a differentiation among levels of: internalized stigma, social relationship satisfaction and self-esteem. Overall, results revealed that internalized stigma remains a pervasive problem for some people with schizophrenia and mood disorders. Particularly, internalized stigma and social relationships dissatisfaction and associated socio-demographic indicators appear to be a risk factor for social isolation for individuals with schizophrenia, which may worsen the course of the disorder. Our findings highlight the importance to develop structured interventions aimed to reduce internalized stigma, and exclusion of those who suffer the loss of their social roles and networks. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Prediction of Clinically Relevant Safety Signals of Nephrotoxicity through Plasma Metabolite Profiling

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W. B. Mattes

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Addressing safety concerns such as drug-induced kidney injury (DIKI early in the drug pharmaceutical development process ensures both patient safety and efficient clinical development. We describe a unique adjunct to standard safety assessment wherein the metabolite profile of treated animals is compared with the MetaMap Tox metabolomics database in order to predict the potential for a wide variety of adverse events, including DIKI. To examine this approach, a study of five compounds (phenytoin, cyclosporin A, doxorubicin, captopril, and lisinopril was initiated by the Technology Evaluation Consortium under the auspices of the Drug Safety Executive Council (DSEC. The metabolite profiles for rats treated with these compounds matched established reference patterns in the MetaMap Tox metabolomics database indicative of each compound’s well-described clinical toxicities. For example, the DIKI associated with cyclosporine A and doxorubicin was correctly predicted by metabolite profiling, while no evidence for DIKI was found for phenytoin, consistent with its clinical picture. In some cases the clinical toxicity (hepatotoxicity, not generally seen in animal studies, was detected with MetaMap Tox. Thus metabolite profiling coupled with the MetaMap Tox metabolomics database offers a unique and powerful approach for augmenting safety assessment and avoiding clinical adverse events such as DIKI.

Clinical features and endocrine profile of Laron syndrome in Indian children

OpenAIRE

Supriya R Phanse-Gupte; Vaman V Khadilkar; Anuradha V Khadilkar

2014-01-01

Introduction: Patients with growth hormone (GH) insensitivity (also known as Laron syndome) have been reported from the Mediterranean region and Southern Eucador, with few case reports from India. We present here the clinical and endocrine profile of 9 children with Laron syndrome from India. Material and Methods: Nine children diagnosed with Laron syndrome based on clinical features of GH deficiency and biochemical profile suggestive of GH resistance were studied over a period of 5 years fro...

Associations of Streptococcus suis serotype 2 ribotype profiles with clinical disease and antimicrobial resistance

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rasmussen, S. R.; Aarestrup, Frank Møller; Jensen, N. E.

1999-01-01

A total of 122 Streptococcus suis serotype 2 strains were characterized thoroughly by comparing clinical and pathological observations, ribotype profiles, and antimicrobial resistance. Twenty-one different ribotype profiles were found and compared by cluster analysis, resulting in the identificat......A total of 122 Streptococcus suis serotype 2 strains were characterized thoroughly by comparing clinical and pathological observations, ribotype profiles, and antimicrobial resistance. Twenty-one different ribotype profiles were found and compared by cluster analysis, resulting...

Drug profile: transdermal rivastigmine patch in the treatment of Alzheimer disease.

Science.gov (United States)

Emre, Murat; Bernabei, Roberto; Blesa, Rafael; Bullock, Roger; Cunha, Luis; Daniëls, Hugo; Dziadulewicz, Edward; Förstl, Hans; Frölich, Lutz; Gabryelewicz, Tomasz; Levin, Oleg; Lindesay, James; Martínez-Lage, Pablo; Monsch, Andreas; Tsolaki, Magda; van Laar, Teus

2010-08-01

Cholinesterase inhibitors constitute one of the mainstays of treatment of Alzheimer disease (AD). Gastrointestinal side effects, difficulty accessing therapeutic doses and poor patient compliance have been identified as barriers to effective treatment with these substances. The rivastigmine transdermal patch provides continuous delivery of drug through the skin into the bloodstream, avoiding the fluctuations in plasma concentration associated with oral administration. This pharmacokinetic profile is associated with reduced side effects, resulting in easier access to expected target doses. These benefits, along with other practical advantages of the transdermal patch, may contribute to enhanced patient compliance. Here, we present a review of the current literature on rivastigmine patch, and offer advice based on our own collective clinical experience. Rivastigmine patch provides an efficient option for managing patients with AD, to be considered among the first line therapies for the disease.

Pre-clinical cognitive phenotypes for Alzheimer disease: a latent profile approach.

Science.gov (United States)

Hayden, Kathleen M; Kuchibhatla, Maragatha; Romero, Heather R; Plassman, Brenda L; Burke, James R; Browndyke, Jeffrey N; Welsh-Bohmer, Kathleen A

2014-11-01

Cognitive profiles for pre-clinical Alzheimer disease (AD) can be used to identify groups of individuals at risk for disease and better characterize pre-clinical disease. Profiles or patterns of performance as pre-clinical phenotypes may be more useful than individual test scores or measures of global decline. To evaluate patterns of cognitive performance in cognitively normal individuals to derive latent profiles associated with later onset of disease using a combination of factor analysis and latent profile analysis. The National Alzheimer Coordinating Centers collect data, including a battery of neuropsychological tests, from participants at 29 National Institute on Aging-funded Alzheimer Disease Centers across the United States. Prior factor analyses of this battery demonstrated a four-factor structure comprising memory, attention, language, and executive function. Factor scores from these analyses were used in a latent profile approach to characterize cognition among a group of cognitively normal participants (N = 3,911). Associations between latent profiles and disease outcomes an average of 3 years later were evaluated with multinomial regression models. Similar analyses were used to determine predictors of profile membership. Four groups were identified; each with distinct characteristics and significantly associated with later disease outcomes. Two groups were significantly associated with development of cognitive impairment. In post hoc analyses, both the Trail Making Test Part B, and a contrast score (Delayed Recall - Trails B), significantly predicted group membership and later cognitive impairment. Latent profile analysis is a useful method to evaluate patterns of cognition in large samples for the identification of preclinical AD phenotypes; comparable results, however, can be achieved with very sensitive tests and contrast scores. Copyright © 2014 American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Clinical profile of neurological complications in HIV- reactive ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

McRoy

2014-07-26

Jul 26, 2014 ... reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Clinical profile of ... cytology, staining including grams staining, acid-fast ... manifestation of neurological involvement. Exclusion criteria. HIV-positive patients not showing any manifestation of neurological involvement. Ethical issues.

Clinical Practice Guideline for Physical Therapy Assessment and Treatment in Patients With Nonspecific Neck Pain.

Science.gov (United States)

Bier, Jasper D; Scholten-Peeters, Wendy G M; Staal, J Bart; Pool, Jan; van Tulder, Maurits W; Beekman, Emmylou; Knoop, Jesper; Meerhoff, Guus; Verhagen, Arianne P

2018-03-01

The Royal Dutch Society for Physical Therapy (KNGF) issued a clinical practice guideline for physical therapists that addresses the assessment and treatment of patients with nonspecific neck pain, including cervical radiculopathy, in Dutch primary care. Recommendations were based on a review of published systematic reviews.During the intake, the patient is screened for serious pathologies and corresponding patterns. Patients with cervical radiculopathy can be included or excluded through corresponding signs and symptoms and possibly diagnostic tests (Spurling test, traction/distraction test, and Upper Limb Tension Test). History taking is done to gather information about patients' limitations, course of pain, and prognostic factors (eg, coping style) and answers to health-related questions.In case of a normal recovery (treatment profile A), management should be hands-off, and patients should receive advice from the physical therapist and possibly some simple exercises to supplement "acting as usual."In case of a delayed/deviant recovery (treatment profile B), the physical therapist is advised to use, in addition to the recommendations for treatment profile A, forms of mobilization and/or manipulation in combination with exercise therapy. Other interventions may also be considered. The physical therapist is advised not to use dry needling, low-level laser, electrotherapy, ultrasound, traction, and/or a cervical collar.In case of a delayed/deviant recovery with clear and/or dominant psychosocial prognostic factors (treatment profile C), these factors should first be addressed by the physical therapist, when possible, or the patient should be referred to a specialist, when necessary.In case of neck pain grade III (treatment profile D), the therapy resembles that for profile B, but the use of a cervical collar for pain reduction may be considered. The advice is to use it sparingly: only for a short period per day and only for a few weeks.

Profile of certolizumab and its potential in the treatment of psoriatic arthritis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chimenti MS

2013-04-01

Full Text Available Maria Sole Chimenti,1 Rosita Saraceno,2 Andrea Chiricozzi,2,3 Alessandro Giunta,2 Sergio Chimenti,2 Roberto Perricone11Unit of Rheumatology, Allergology, and Clinical Immunology, 2Unit of Dermatology, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy; 3Laboratory for Investigative Dermatology, Rockefeller University, New York, NY, USAAbstract: Psoriatic arthritis (PsA is a chronic inflammatory arthropathy associated with psoriasis (PsO. PsA could be considered an enthesal disease because of the link between mechanical stress (entheses and immunologically active tissue (synovium. Evidence of efficacy of anti-tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α is supported by reduction of histological vascularity and immune cell infiltrates in synovial tissue after treatment. Certolizumab pegol (CZP is a polyethylene glycolylated (PEGylated Fab′ fragment of a humanized monoclonal antibody that binds and neutralizes human TNF-α. The PEG moiety of the Fab fragment, markedly increases the half-life of CZP and confers to the drug a unique structure that differs from the other anti-TNF-α agents tested for the treatment of Crohn’s disease, rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, axial spondyloarthritis, nonradiographic spondyloarthritis, PsO, and PsA. In contrast to other anti-TNF-α agents, CZP did not mediate increased levels of apoptosis, suggesting that these mechanisms are not essential for the anti-TNF-α efficacy in Crohn’s disease. As CZP, infliximab, and adalimumab, but not etanercept, almost completely inhibited lipopolysaccharide-induced interleukin-1 beta release from monocytes, this cytokine-production inhibition may be relevant for drug efficacy. Due to these characteristics, it has been demonstrated in clinical studies that CZP effectively improves signs and symptoms of arthritis and physical function and skin manifestations of PsO, with a safety profile similar to rheumatoid arthritis. This drug can be considered as a valid treatment in patients

Clinical impact of extensive molecular profiling in advanced cancer patients

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sophie Cousin

2017-02-01

Full Text Available Abstract Previous precision medicine studies have investigated conventional molecular techniques and/or limited sets of gene alterations. The aim of this study was to describe the impact of the next-generation sequencing of the largest panel of genes used to date in tumour tissue and blood in the context of institutional molecular screening programmes. DNA analysis was performed by next-generation sequencing using a panel of 426 cancer-related genes and by comparative genomic hybridization from formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded archived tumour samples when available or from fresh tumour samples. Five hundred sixty-eight patients were enrolled. The median number of prior lines of treatment was 2 (range 0–9. The most common primary tumour types were lung (16.9%, colorectal (14.4%, breast (10.6%, ovarian (10.2% and sarcoma (10.2%. The median patient age was 63 years (range 19–88. A total of 292 patients (51.4% presented with at least one actionable genetic alteration. The 20 genes most frequently altered were TP53, CDKN2A, KRAS, PTEN, PI3KCA, RB1, APC, ERBB2, MYC, EGFR, CDKN2B, ARID1A, SMAD4, FGFR1, MDM2, BRAF, ATM, CCNE1, FGFR3 and FRS2. One hundred fifty-nine patients (28% were included in early phase trials. The treatment was matched with a tumour profile in 86 cases (15%. The two main reasons for non-inclusion were non-progressive disease (31.5% and general status deterioration (25%. Twenty-eight percent of patients presented with a growth modulation index (time to progression under the early phase trial treatment/time to progression of the previous line of treatment >1.3. Extensive molecular profiling using high-throughput techniques allows for the identification of actionable mutations in the majority of cases and is associated with substantial clinical benefit in up to one in four patients.

Polymorphism in clinical immunology – From HLA typing to immunogenetic profiling

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Wang Ena

2003-11-01

Full Text Available Abstract The pathology of humans, in contrast to that of inbred laboratory animals faces the challenge of diversity addressed in genetic terms as polymorphism. Thus, unsurprisingly, treatment modalities that successfully can be applied to carefully-selected pre-clinical models only sporadically succeed in the clinical arena. Indeed, pre-fabricated experimental models purposefully avoid the basic essence of human pathology: the uncontrollable complexity of disease heterogeneity and the intrinsic diversity of human beings. Far from pontificating on this obvious point, this review presents emerging evidence that the study of complex system such as the cytokine network is further complicated by inter-individual differences dictated by increasingly recognized polymorphisms. Polymorphism appears widespread among genes of the immune system possibly resulting from an evolutionary adaptation of the organism facing an ever evolving environment. We will refer to this high variability of immune-related genes as immune polymorphism. In this review we will briefly highlight the possible clinical relevance of immune polymorphism and suggest a change in the approach to the study of human pathology, from the targeted study of individual systems to a broader view of the organism as a whole through immunogenetic profiling.

ATX-101 (Deoxycholic Acid Injection) Treatment in Men: Insights From Our Clinical Experience.

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Shridharani, Sachin M; Behr, Kathleen L

2017-11-01

Excess submental fat (SMF), also called a double chin, is an area of concern for men that can be addressed clinically. ATX-101 (deoxycholic acid injection; Kybella in the United States and Belkyra in Canada, Australia, and various European countries) is the first injectable approved for reduction of SMF. To share the authors' clinical experience using ATX-101 in men with submental fullness and offer insights regarding how this treatment may be presented to men as an option to improve their submental profile. Retrospective review of the authors' medical records for male patients treated with ATX-101. To allow for fewer ATX-101 treatments, it is recommended that a large surface area be treated at the first session. The positive changes and outcomes achieved with ATX-101 build confidence between the physician and patient, which often leads to male patients seeking other aesthetic treatments to improve their overall appearance. ATX-101 treatment is often an effective introduction to aesthetic medicine for men.

Radiation treatment in older patients: a framework for clinical decision making.

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Smith, Grace L; Smith, Benjamin D

2014-08-20

In older patients, radiation treatment plays a vital role in curative and palliative cancer therapy. Radiation treatment recommendations should be informed by a comprehensive, personalized risk-benefit assessment that evaluates treatment efficacy and toxicity. We review several clinical factors that distinctly affect efficacy and toxicity of radiation treatment in older patients. First, locoregional tumor behavior may be more indolent in older patients for some disease sites but more aggressive for other sites. Assessment of expected locoregional relapse risk informs the magnitude and timeframe of expected radiation treatment benefits. Second, assessment of the competing cancer versus noncancer mortality and morbidity risks contextualizes cancer treatment priorities holistically within patients' entire spectrum and time course of health needs. Third, assessment of functional reserve helps predict patients' acute treatment tolerance, differentiating those patients who are unlikely to benefit from treatment or who are at high risk for treatment complications. Potential radiation treatment options include immediate curative treatment, delayed curative treatment, and no treatment, with additional consideration given to altered radiation target, dose, or sequencing with chemotherapy and/or surgery. Finally, when cure is not feasible, palliative radiation therapy remains valuable for managing symptoms and achieving meaningful quality-of-life improvements. Our proposed decision-making framework integrates these factors to help radiation oncologists formulate strategic treatment recommendations within a multidisciplinary context. Future research is still needed to identify how advanced technologies can be judiciously applied in curative and palliative settings to enhance risk-benefit profiles of radiation treatment in older patients and more accurately quantify treatment efficacy in this group. © 2014 by American Society of Clinical Oncology.

ProFile Vortex and Vortex Blue Nickel-Titanium Rotary Instruments after Clinical Use.

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Shen, Ya; Zhou, Huimin; Coil, Jeffrey M; Aljazaeri, Bassim; Buttar, Rene; Wang, Zhejun; Zheng, Yu-feng; Haapasalo, Markus

2015-06-01

The aim of this study was to analyze the incidence and mode of ProFile Vortex and Vortex Blue instrument defects after clinical use in a graduate endodontic program and to examine the impact of clinical use on the instruments' metallurgical properties. A total of 330 ProFile Vortex and 1136 Vortex Blue instruments from the graduate program were collected after each had been used in 3 teeth. The incidence and type of instrument defects were analyzed. The lateral surfaces and fracture surfaces of the fractured files were examined by using scanning electron microscopy. Unused and used instruments were examined by full and partial differential scanning calorimetry. No fractures were observed in the 330 ProFile Vortex instruments, whereas 20 (6.1%) revealed bent or blunt defects. Only 2 of the 1136 Vortex Blue files fractured during clinical use. The cause of fracture was shear stress. The fractures occurred at the tip end of the spirals. Only 1.8% (21 of 1136) of the Vortex Blue files had blunt tips. Austenite-finish temperatures were very similar for unused and used ProFile Vortex files and were all greater than 50°C. The austenite-finish temperatures of used and unused Vortex Blue files (38.5°C) were lower than those in ProFile Vortex instruments (P Vortex Blue files had an obvious 2-stage transformation, martensite-to-R phase and R-to-austenite phase. The trends of differential scanning calorimetry plots of unused Vortex Blue instruments and clinically used instruments were very similar. The risk of ProFile Vortex and Vortex Blue instrument fracture is very low when instruments are discarded after clinical use in the graduate endodontic program. The Vortex Blue files have metallurgical behavior different from ProFile Vortex instruments. Copyright © 2015 American Association of Endodontists. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The clinical and anthropometric profile of undernourished children ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Background. Although Botswana is a middle-income country, undernutrition among children younger than 5 years of age is still seen in various parts of the country. There is little information on the clinical and anthropometric profile of undernourished children in this age group admitted to hospitals in Francistown, Botswana.

Pulsed photothermal depth profiling of tattoos undergoing laser removal treatment

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Milanic, Matija; Majaron, Boris

2012-02-01

Pulsed photothermal radiometry (PPTR) allows noninvasive determination of temperature depth profiles induced by pulsed laser irradiation of strongly scattering biological tissues and organs, including human skin. In present study, we evaluate the potential of this technique for investigational characterization and possibly quantitative evaluation of laser tattoo removal. The study involved 5 healthy volunteers (3 males, 2 females), age 20-30 years, undergoing tattoo removal treatment using a Q-switched Nd:YAG laser. There were four measurement and treatment sessions in total, separated by 2-3 months. Prior to each treatment, PPTR measurements were performed on several tattoo sites and one nearby healthy site in each patient, using a 5 ms Nd:YAG laser at low radiant exposure values and a dedicated radiometric setup. The laser-induced temperature profiles were then reconstructed by applying a custom numerical code. In addition, each tatoo site was documented with a digital camera and measured with a custom colorimetric system (in tristimulus color space), providing an objective evaluation of the therapeutic efficacy to be correlated with our PPTR results. The results show that the laser-induced temperature profile in untreated tattoos is invariably located at a subsurface depth of 300 μm. In tattoo sites that responded well to laser therapy, a significant drop of the temperature peak was observed in the profiles obtained from PPTR record. In several sites that appeared less responsive, as evidenced by colorimetric data, a progressive shift of the temperature profile deeper into the dermis was observed over the course of consecutive laser treatments, indicating that the laser tattoo removal was efficient.

Profile of ipilimumab and its role in the treatment of metastatic melanoma

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Patel SP

2011-12-01

Full Text Available Sapna P Patel, Scott E WoodmanMelanoma Medical Oncology Department, University of Texas, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USAAbstract: Melanoma is an immunogenic cancer. However, the ability of the immune system to eradicate melanoma tumors is affected by intrinsic negative regulatory mechanisms. Multiple immune-modulatory therapies are currently being developed to optimize the immune response to melanoma tumors. Two recent Phase III studies using the monoclonal antibody ipilimumab, which targets the cytotoxic T-lymphocyte antigen (CTLA-4, a negative regulator of T-cell activation, have demonstrated improvement in overall survival of metastatic melanoma patients. This review highlights the clinical trial data that supports the efficacy of ipilimumab, the immune-related response criteria used to evaluate clinical response, and side-effect profile associated with ipilimumab treatment.Keywords: ipilimumab, melanoma, T-cells, CTLA-4

Malarone (atovaquone and proguanil hydrochloride): a review of its clinical development for treatment of malaria. Malarone Clinical Trials Study Group.

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Looareesuwan, S; Chulay, J D; Canfield, C J; Hutchinson, D B

1999-04-01

The continuing spread of drug-resistant malaria emphasizes the need for new antimalarial drugs. Atovaquone is a broad-spectrum antiprotozoal drug with a novel mechanism of action, via inhibition of parasite mitochondrial electron transport, and a favorable safety profile. Early studies with atovaquone alone for treatment of malaria demonstrated good initial control of parasitemia but an unacceptable rate of recrudescent parasitemia. Parasites isolated during recrudescence after treatment with atovaquone alone were resistant to atovaquone in vitro. The combination of atovaquone and proguanil is synergistic in vitro, and clinical studies demonstrated enhanced efficacy of the combination compared to either drug alone for treatment of malaria. Malarone, a fixed-dose combination of 250 mg of atovaquone and 100 mg of proguanil hydrochloride, is available in many countries for treatment of acute, uncomplicated malaria caused by Plasmodium falciparum. At the recommended dose (in adults, four tablets once a day for three days), the overall cure rate was > 98% in more than 500 patients with falciparum malaria. In four randomized, controlled clinical trials, treatment with atovaquone and proguanil hydrochloride was significantly more effective than mefloquine (Thailand), amodiaquine (Gabon), chloroquine (Peru and the Philippines) or chloroquine plus pyrimethamine/sulfadoxine (Philippines). In clinical trials where the comparator drug was highly effective, treatment with atovaquone and proguanil hydrochloride was equally effective. Parasites isolated during recrudescence after treatment with the combination of atovaquone and proguanil were not resistant to atovaquone in vitro. The most commonly reported adverse events in clinical trials (abdominal pain, anorexia, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and coughing) occurred with similar frequency in patients treated with a comparator drug. Malarone is a safe and effective new agent for treatment of malaria.

Clinical Profile of Scrub Typhus in Pregnancy in Sub-Himalayan Region.

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Kumar, Ritesh; Thakur, Surinder; Bhawani, Rajesh; Kanga, Anil; Ranjan, Asha

2016-10-01

Scrub typhus is rare in pregnancy, but it has now become an important cause of febrile illness in pregnancy in sub-Himalayan region of India. Only a few case reports have been published so far, and they show adverse maternal and fetal outcomes. No consensus has been reached till now regarding treatment. All the pregnant patients irrespective of period of gestation admitted with febrile illness with positive IgM ELISA for scrub typhus with or without eschar were included. The clinical profile was observed using a detailed history of symptoms, travel, recreation, agricultural activities, treatment record prior to admission, and a detailed examination, and the treatment outcome was noted. Fever workup including cultures, CXR, CSF analysis, serology for scrub was done. IgM scrub typhus was done by kit method manufactured by InBios Intertational, Inc. We observed in total 14 pregnant patients out of which eight were in the the second trimester and six were in the third trimester. The clinical features of the disease observed for pregnant females were the same as for nonpregnant females. There was no difference in the severity of scrub typhus between pregnant and nonpregnant women. No mortality was found in these patients. On follow-up, they had normal peripartum and postpartum periods. All were treated with azithromycin 500 mg once a day for 5 days. Although rare, scrub typhus should be considered in differential diagnosis of fever in pregnant patients especially in scrub season. Azithromycin should be the drug of choice in pregnancy as it has no adverse effect on fetus and pregnancy outcome.

Nursing Diagnosis Risk for falls: prevalence and clinical profile of hospitalized patients.

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Luzia, Melissa de Freitas; Victor, Marco Antonio de Goes; Lucena, Amália de Fátima

2014-01-01

to identify the prevalence of the Nursing Diagnosis (ND) Risk for falls in the hospitalizations of adult patients in clinical and surgical units, to characterize the clinical profile and to identify the risk factors of the patients with this ND. a cross-sectional study with 174 patients. The data was collected from the computerized nursing care prescriptions system and on-line hospital records, and analyzed statistically. the prevalence of the ND Risk for falls was 4%. The patients' profile indicated older adults, males (57%), those hospitalized in the clinical units (63.2%), with a median length of hospitalization of 20 (10-24) days, with neurological illnesses (26%), cardio-vascular illnesses (74.1%) and various co-morbidities (3±1.8). The prevalent risk factors were neurological alterations (43.1%), impaired mobility (35.6%) and extremes of age (10.3%). the findings contributed to evidencing the profile of the patients with a risk of falling hospitalized in clinical and surgical wards, which favors the planning of interventions for preventing this adverse event.

Changing clinical profile of acute rheumatic fever and rheumatic recurrence

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sheikh, A.M.; Sadiq, M.; Rehman, A.U.

2016-01-01

Background: Clinical profile of acute rheumatic fever and rheumatic recurrence seems to have changed in countries where rheumatic fever is still endemic. The objectives of this study were to compare clinical profile and outcome of patients suffering initial and recurrent episodes of acute rheumatic fever in children. Methods: This prospective study was conducted in two tertiary care hospitals from January to June 2011. The diagnosis was based on the modified Jones criteria. Sixty children were included in the study, 15 having first episode of rheumatic fever and 45 with rheumatic recurrence. The severity of carditis was assessed by Clinical and echocardiography means. Results: Carditis was the commonest presentation in both first (80 percentage) and recurrent attacks (100 percentage). Arthritis was seen in 60 percentage of children with first episode and in 26.7 percentage with recurrence. The frequency of subcutaneous nodules, invariably associated with carditis, was very high (33.3 percentage in the first and 48.3 percentage in recurrent episodes). Carditis was generally mild during first episode (53.3 percentage) and severe with rheumatic recurrence (55.6 percentage). There was no death in either group. One patient with severe mitral regurgitation and rheumatic recurrence underwent mitral valve repair for intractable heart failure. Conclusion: Clinical profile of rheumatic recurrence and acute rheumatic fever has changed. Rheumatic recurrence is associated with severe carditis. Carditis is more common than arthritis even in the first attack. Sub-cutaneous nodules are a frequent finding invariably associated with carditis. (author)

Differential clinical profile of candesartan compared to other angiotensin receptor blockers

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Zimlichman R

2011-12-01

Full Text Available Relu Cernes1,2, Margarita Mashavi1,3, Reuven Zimlichman1,31The Brunner Institute for Cardiovascular Research, Wolfson Medical Center and Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel; 2Department of Nephrology, Wolfson Medical Center, Holon, Israel; 3Department of Medicine, Wolfson Medical Center, Holon, IsraelAbstract: The advantages of blood pressure (BP control on the risks of heart failure and stroke are well established. The renin-angiotensin system plays an important role in volume homeostasis and BP regulation and is a target for several groups of antihypertensive drugs. Angiotensin II receptor blockers represent a major class of antihypertensive compounds. Candesartan cilexetil is an angiotensin II type 1 (AT[1] receptor antagonist (angiotensin receptor blocker [ARB] that inhibits the actions of angiotensin II on the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system. Oral candesartan 8–32 mg once daily is recommended for the treatment of adult patients with hypertension. Clinical trials have demonstrated that candesartan cilexetil is an effective agent in reducing the risk of cardiovascular mortality, stroke, heart failure, arterial stiffness, renal failure, retinopathy, and migraine in different populations of adult patients including patients with coexisting type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome, or kidney impairment. Clinical evidence confirmed that candesartan cilexetil provides better antihypertensive efficacy than losartan and is at least as effective as telmisartan and valsartan. Candesartan cilexetil, one of the current market leaders in BP treatment, is a highly selective compound with high potency, a long duration of action, and a tolerability profile similar to placebo. The most important and recent data from clinical trials regarding candesartan cilexetil will be reviewed in this article.Keywords: angiotensin receptor blockers, candesartan, candesartan cilexetil, clinical trials, efficacy studies, safety, blood pressure

Antimicrobial susceptibility profile, treatment outcome and serotype distribution of clinical isolates of Salmonella enterica subspecies enterica: a 2-year study from Kerala, South India

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Harichandran D

2017-03-01

Full Text Available Deepa Harichandran, Kavitha Radhakrishnan Dinesh Department of Microbiology, Amrita School of Medicine, Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences and Research Centre, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham University, Kochi, Kerala, India Background/purpose: Typhoid and paratyphoid fever continue to be important causes of illness and death in parts of Asia, being associated with poor sanitation and consumption of unsafe food and water. Antimicrobial resistance has emerged to traditional first-line drugs, namely, the fluoroquinolones, as well as to third-generation cephalosporins, posing challenges to treatment. Azithromycin has proven to be an effective alternative for treatment of uncomplicated typhoid fever. The purpose of this study was to determine the antimicrobial susceptibility, clinical outcome and serotype distribution pattern of clinical isolates belonging to Salmonella enterica subspecies enterica. Methodology: All clinical isolates of S. enterica obtained from blood, sterile body fluids, as well as stool and urine samples at Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences and Research Centre, Kerala, India, between August 2011 and July 2013 were included in the study and processed based on standard microbiology protocols. Results: A total of 118 isolates of Salmonella were obtained during the study period. Out of these, 79 were of S. Typhi (66.95%, followed by isolates of S. Paratyphi A (22; 18.64% and S. Typhimurium 12 (10.17%. Five isolates could not be identified further. There was 100% susceptibility to ceftriaxone in all S. enterica subspecies. Ciprofloxacin susceptibility was 32.91% for S. Typhi and 40.90% for S. Paratyphi A as determined by the disk diffusion method. The susceptibility profile of S. Typhi isolates to different antimicrobials was as follows: chloramphenicol (94.93%, ampicillin (77.21%, cotrimoxazole (75.94% and azithromycin (78.48%. For S. Typhi, the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC of ciprofloxacin required to inhibit the growth

A STUDY ON CLINICAL PROFILE OF SERONEGATIVE SPONDYLOARTHROPATHY IN NORTH KERALA

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Vijith Kumar Kuttat

2016-08-01

Full Text Available INTRODUCTION Seronegative spondyloarthropathy is a group of chronic autoimmune disorders that share common clinical, radiological and genetic features that are clearly distinct from other inflammatory rheumatic diseases and characterised by absence of rheumatoid factor. It includes ankylosing spondylitis, reactive arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, acute anterior uveitis, undifferentiated spondyloarthropathies and juvenile spondyloarthropathies. OBJECTIVES To study the clinical profile of adult patients with seronegative spondyloarthropathy and to classify the patients into specific subtypes based on standard clinical criteria. METHODOLOGY A cross-sectional study was conducted among 100 patients with seronegative spondyloarthropathy attending Internal Medicine Department of Calicut Medical College, Kerala using semi-structured questionnaire and standard clinical tests. RESULTS Males were found to be more affected with a male female ratio of 2.7:1. Undifferentiated spondyloarthropathy was the most common subtype followed by Psoriatic arthritis and reactive arthritis. Enthesopathy was noted in 88% of patients. Skin and mucosal involvement was seen in 33%. Morning stiffness and peripheral joint involvement was present in most of the cases. Symmetric polyarthritis was the most common presentation of psoriatic arthritis, seen in the study group. CONCLUSION Prevalence of Seronegative spondyloarthropathies is on the rise among people of North Kerala. Early diagnosis and appropriate treatment is necessary to prevent complications and improve the quality of life of affected persons.

Orthodontic Camouflage: A Treatment Option – A Clinical Case Report

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Mazzini, William Ubilla; Torres, Fátima Mazzini

2017-01-01

Orthodontic camouflage provides an alternative treatment for angle III malocclusion since patients with limited economic resources cannot opt for orthognathic surgery, it being clear that correction will be achieved at the dental level and not at the bone complex. Objective: To determine an alternative treatment for patients who do not have the possibility of having orthognathic surgery. Clinical case: A 13-year-old female patient, dolico facial biotype with slightly concave profile, with Class III Skeletal by mandibular prognathism, anterior crossbite, anterior diastema, and large mandibular body, molar class, and canine III. Alexander technique brackets were placed; premolar extraction was not planned. Once the case was completed, the correction of the anterior crossbite was achieved, thanks to the use of the spaces that existed at the beginning of the treatment and also that a correct distalization of canines and retraction of the lower anterior segment were performed. PMID:29326524

Clinical profile of cerebral malaria at a secondary care hospital

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Jency Maria Koshy

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Introduction: Cerebral malaria (CM is one of the most common causes for non-traumatic encephalopathy in the world. It affects both the urban and rural population. It is a challenge to treat these patients in a resource limited setting; where majority of these cases present. Materials and Methods: This was a prospective study carried out from September 2005 to December 2006 at Jiwan Jyoti Christian Hospital in Eastern Uttar Pradesh in India. This is a secondary level care with limited resources. We studied the clinical profile, treatment and outcome of all the patients above the age of 14 years diagnosed with CM. Results: There were a total of 53 patients with CM of which 38 (71.7% of them were females. Among them, 35 (66% patients were less than 30 years of age. The clinical features noted were seizure (39.62%, anemia (84.9%, icterus (16.98%, hypotension (13.2%, bleeding (3.7%, hepatomegaly (5.66%, splenomegaly (5.66%, non-cardiogenic pulmonary edema (16.98% and renal dysfunction (37.36%. Co-infection with Plasmodium vivax was present in 13 (24.53% of them. Treatment received included artesunin compounds or quinine. Median time of defervescence was 2 (interquartile range1-3. Complete recovery was achieved in 43 (81% of them. Two (3.7% of them died. Conclusion: CM, once considered to be a fatal disease has shown remarkable improvement in the outcome with the wide availability of artesunin and quinine components. To combat the malaria burden, physicians in resource limited setting should be well trained to manage these patients especially in the endemic areas. The key to management is early diagnosis and initiation of treatment based on a high index of suspicion. Anticipation and early recognition of the various complications are crucial.

Refractory myasthenia gravis - clinical profile, comorbidities and response to rituximab.

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Sudulagunta, Sreenivasa Rao; Sepehrar, Mona; Sodalagunta, Mahesh Babu; Settikere Nataraju, Aravinda; Bangalore Raja, Shiva Kumar; Sathyanarayana, Deepak; Gummadi, Siddharth; Burra, Hemanth Kumar

2016-01-01

Introduction: Myasthenia gravis (MG) is an antibody mediated autoimmune neuromuscular disorder characterized by fatigable muscle weakness. A proportion of myasthenia gravis patients are classified as refractory due to non responsiveness to conventional treatment. This retrospective study was done to evaluate clinical profile, epidemiological, laboratory, and features of patients with MG and mode of management using rituximab and complications. Methods: Data of myasthenia gravis patients admitted or presented to outpatient department (previous medical records) with MG between January 2008 and January 2016 were included. A total of 512 patients fulfilled the clinical and diagnostic criteria of myasthenia gravis of which 76 patients met the diagnostic certainty for refractory myasthenia gravis and were evaluated. Results: Out of 76 refractory MG patients, 53 (69.73%) patients fulfilled all the three defined criteria. The median age of onset of the refractory MG group was 36 years with a range of 27-53 years. In our study 25 patients (32.89%) belonged to the age group of 21-30 years. Anti-MuSK antibodies were positive in 8 non-refractory MG patients (2.06%) and 36 refractory MG patients (47.36%). Mean HbA 1C was found to be 8.6±2.33. The dose of administered prednisone decreased by a mean of 59.7% ( p =3.3x10 -8 ) to 94.6% ( p =2.2x10 -14 ) after the third cycle of rituximab treatment. Conclusion: The refractory MG patients are most commonly female with an early age of onset, anti-MuSK antibodies, and thymomas. Refractory MG patients have higher prevalence and poor control (HbA 1C >8%) of diabetes mellitus and dyslipidemia probably due to increased steroid usage. Rituximab is very efficient in treatment of refractory MG with adverse effects being low.

SU-E-T-149: Electron Beam Profile Differences Between Elekta MLCi2 and Elekta Agility Treatment Heads

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wu, C [Sutter Medical Foundation, Roseville, CA 95661 (United States); Hatcher, C [Sutter Shared Services S3, Sacramento, CA (United States)

2014-06-01

Purpose: To report and investigate observed differences in electron beam profiles at various energies/applicators between Elekta MLCi2 and Agility treatment head on Elekta Infinity LINAC Methods: When we upgraded from MLCi2 to Agility on one of our Elekta Infinity LINAC's, electron beam PDDs and profiles were acquired for comparison purpose. All clinical electron energies (6/9/12/15/12/18 MeV) and electron applicators (6/10/14/20/25 square) were included in measurement. PDDs were acquired at 100 SSD in water (PTW MP3 water tank) with a plane-parallel ion chamber (PTW Roos). X and Y Profiles were acquired using IC Profiler (Sun Nuclear Corp.) at 1cm and maximum PDD depths (water equivalent). Results: All PDD curves match very well between MLCi2 and Agility treatment head. However, some significant differences on electron profiles were found. On Agility, even after increasing the default auto-tracking offset values for backup diaphragms in Y and MLC in X by 2.8 cm (the maximum allowed change is 3.0 cm), electron profiles still have rounder shoulders comparing to corresponding MLCi2 profiles. This difference is significantly more pronounced at larger applicators (20 and 25 square), for all electron energies. Conclusion: The significant design change between MLCi2 and Agility beam limiting device seems to affect exit electron beam profiles. In IEC1217 X direction, the main change on Agility is the removal of the original MLCi2 X backup diaphragms and replacing it with MLC leaves; In Y direction, the main change is the radius and materials on Y backup diaphragms.

Antibiotic susceptibility profiles for mastitis treatment.

Science.gov (United States)

Hinckley, L S; Benson, R H; Post, J E; DeCloux, J C

1985-10-01

Susceptibility tests were performed on milk samples representing prevalent mastitis infections in certain herds. Susceptibility patterns of the same bacterial species from several mastitis infections in the same herd were consistent. The herd antibiotic susceptibility profiles were used as a basis for selecting antibiotics for treatment of all such mastitis cases in that herd. A high degree of correlation was seen between the susceptibility test results and treatment results. Susceptibility patterns of the same bacterial species from mastitis infections in different herds varied greatly, which indicated that any one antibiotic would not work equally well against the same bacterial infection in every herd. Therefore, treatment should be selected on the basis of susceptibility test results. When both Streptococcus and Staphylococcus mastitis occurred in the same herd, the susceptibility patterns for the 2 bacterial species varied widely. Therefore, for herds that experienced both streptococcal and staphylococcal mastitis, antibiotics to which both bacterial species were susceptible were used for treatment.

Considerations for automated machine learning in clinical metabolic profiling: Altered homocysteine plasma concentration associated with metformin exposure.

Science.gov (United States)

Orlenko, Alena; Moore, Jason H; Orzechowski, Patryk; Olson, Randal S; Cairns, Junmei; Caraballo, Pedro J; Weinshilboum, Richard M; Wang, Liewei; Breitenstein, Matthew K

2018-01-01

With the maturation of metabolomics science and proliferation of biobanks, clinical metabolic profiling is an increasingly opportunistic frontier for advancing translational clinical research. Automated Machine Learning (AutoML) approaches provide exciting opportunity to guide feature selection in agnostic metabolic profiling endeavors, where potentially thousands of independent data points must be evaluated. In previous research, AutoML using high-dimensional data of varying types has been demonstrably robust, outperforming traditional approaches. However, considerations for application in clinical metabolic profiling remain to be evaluated. Particularly, regarding the robustness of AutoML to identify and adjust for common clinical confounders. In this study, we present a focused case study regarding AutoML considerations for using the Tree-Based Optimization Tool (TPOT) in metabolic profiling of exposure to metformin in a biobank cohort. First, we propose a tandem rank-accuracy measure to guide agnostic feature selection and corresponding threshold determination in clinical metabolic profiling endeavors. Second, while AutoML, using default parameters, demonstrated potential to lack sensitivity to low-effect confounding clinical covariates, we demonstrated residual training and adjustment of metabolite features as an easily applicable approach to ensure AutoML adjustment for potential confounding characteristics. Finally, we present increased homocysteine with long-term exposure to metformin as a potentially novel, non-replicated metabolite association suggested by TPOT; an association not identified in parallel clinical metabolic profiling endeavors. While warranting independent replication, our tandem rank-accuracy measure suggests homocysteine to be the metabolite feature with largest effect, and corresponding priority for further translational clinical research. Residual training and adjustment for a potential confounding effect by BMI only slightly modified

Unilateral Congenital Cataract: Clinical Profile and Presentation.

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Khokhar, Sudarshan; Jose, Cijin P; Sihota, Ramanjit; Midha, Neha

2018-03-01

To study the clinical profile and presentation of children with unilateral cataract. In this hospital-based, observational, cross-sectional study, patients 15 years of age or younger who presented with unilateral cataract were recruited. Cases of cataract secondary to causes such as trauma or uveitis were excluded. Age at detection and presentation, distance from the treatment center, presenting complaints, cataract morphology, and biometry were noted for each case. A total of 76 patients were recruited. Most patients presented with complaints of leukocoria. Persistent fetal vasculature accounted for 27.6% of cases and was the most common identifiable cause of cataract in this study. Subsequently, patients were divided into two groups: no persistent fetal vasculature (control) and persistent fetal vasculature. A male predominance was noted in both groups. The mean age at detection was 27.58 ± 37.02 and 6.17 ± 8.42 months and the mean age at presentation was 55.613 ± 45.21 and 14.83 ± 17.75 months in the control and persistent fetal vasculature groups, respectively. In the persistent fetal vasculature group, a significant difference was noted in the axial length, keratometry, and corneal diameter between the affected and normal eyes (P = .027, .00176, and .0114, respectively). In the control group, this difference was observed only in keratometry readings (P = .0464). The mean distance traveled by patients to reach the treatment center was 211 km. Persistent fetal vasculature is an important and less identified cause of unilateral cataract. A significant delay is noted in the detection and presentation of unilateral cataract. [J Pediatr Ophthalmol Strabismus. 2018;55(2):107-112.]. Copyright 2017, SLACK Incorporated.

Neuropsychological profile and clinical effects of arginine treatment in children with creatine transport deficiency

Science.gov (United States)

2012-01-01

Background SLC6A8, an X-linked gene, encodes the creatine transporter (CRTR) and its mutations lead to cerebral creatine (Cr) deficiency which results in mental retardation, speech and language delay, autistic-like behaviour and epilepsy (CRTR-D, OMIM 300352). CRTR-D represents the most frequent Cr metabolism disorder but, differently from Cr synthesis defects, that are partially reversible by oral Cr supplementation, does not respond to Cr treatment even if precociously administrated. The precursors of Cr are the non-essential amino acids Glycine (Gly) and Arginine (Arg), which have their own transporters at the brain–blood barrier level and, therefore, their supplementation appears an attractive and feasible therapeutic option aimed at stimulating Cr endogenous synthesis and, in this way, at overcoming the block of Cr transport within the brain. However, until now the effects of Arg and/or Gly supplementation on Cr brain levels and behaviour have been controversial. Methods In this study five Italian male patients affected by CRTR-D were supplemented with oral L-Arg at a dosage of 300 mg/kg/day divided into 3 doses, for 24–36 months. Biochemical and plasmatic amino acids examinations and thyroid hormone dosages were periodically performed. Moreover, Proton and Phosphorus Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (MRS) was monitored during follow-up in concurrence with neuropsychological evaluations. Results During L-Arg treatment a clinical improvement in motor skills and to a lesser extent in communication and attention was observed. In addition, all patients had a reduction in the number and frequency of epileptic seizures. Daily living skills appeared also to be positively influenced by L-Arg treatment. Moreover, Total Cr and especially PhosphoCr, evaluated by proton and phosphorus spectroscopy, showed a mild increase, although well below the normal range. Conclusion This study provides information to support the effectiveness of L-Arg supplement treatment in

Chronic Liver Diseases in Children: Clinical Profile and Histology.

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Dhole, Sachin Devidas; Kher, Archana S; Ghildiyal, Radha G; Tambse, Manjusha P

2015-07-01

The main aim of the study is to study the clinical profile of disorders of the liver and hepatobiliary system in paediatric patients and to correlate the histopathology findings of liver biopsy in chronic liver disease. Another aim being to assess the prognosis and to know the outcome and the effects of treatment in chronic liver diseases in paediatric age group. It was a prospective study, included the clinical profile of Chronic Liver Diseases (CLD) in children and the histopathological correlation. A total of 55 children were thoroughly investigated by doing relevant investigations and liver biopsy. A male predominance (60%) was noted with maximum incidence in the age group of 6-12 years. The incidence of CLD was 1.1% of total admissions. The most common presenting complaint was jaundice and abdominal distension. Hepatic encephalopathy was noted in 29% patients. Hepatomegaly was seen in 63% patients and spleenomegaly was seen in 60% patients. The incidence of cirrhosis on liver biopsy was 42% (23cases) in CLD patients. The most common diagnosis on histopathology was Wilson's disease (22%), followed by hepatitis and autoimmune hepatitis. The predominant spectrum of CLD was metabolic liver disease and also the predominant cause of death. As the incidence of CLD is quite low, a very high index of suspicion is required for its diagnosis. Some uncommon causes of CLD in children were seen in our study like neutral lipid storage disease, α1-Antitrypsin deficiency disease, lupus hepatitis, Alagille syndrome and Budd-Chiari syndrome. A patient of CLD with jaundice and hepatomegaly should be treated aggressively as those are the poor prognostic indicators of the disease. Hepatic encephalopathy and cirrhosis are also associated with poor outcome in patients with CLD. Liver biopsy histopathology by an expert and its correlation with laboratory investigations plays an important role in the diagnosis of CLD. The major cause of deaths in patients with CLD is due to end stage

Plasma metabolic profiling of dairy cows affected with clinical ketosis using LC/MS technology.

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Li, Y; Xu, C; Xia, C; Zhang, Hy; Sun, Lw; Gao, Y

2014-01-01

Ketosis in dairy cattle is an important metabolic disorder. Currently, the plasma metabolic profile of ketosis as determined using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC/MS) has not been reported. To investigate plasma metabolic profiles from cows with clinical ketosis in comparison to control cows. Twenty Holstein dairy cows were divided into two groups based on clinical signs and plasma β-hydroxybutyric acid and glucose concentrations 7-21 days postpartum: clinical ketosis and control cows. Plasma metabolic profiles were analyzed using LC/MS. Data were processed using principal component analysis and orthogonal partial least-squares discriminant analysis. Compared to control cows, the levels of valine, glycine, glycocholic, tetradecenoic acid, and palmitoleic acid increased significantly in clinical ketosis. On the other hand, the levels of arginine, aminobutyric acid, leucine/isoleucine, tryptophan, creatinine, lysine, norcotinine, and undecanoic acid decreased markedly. Our results showed that the metabolic changes in cows with clinical ketosis involve complex metabolic networks and signal transduction. These results are important for future studies elucidating the pathogenesis, diagnosis, and prevention of clinical ketosis in dairy cows.

Epidemiological profile of colombian patients with rheumatoid arthritis in a specialized care clinic.

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Bautista-Molano, Wilson; Fernández-Avila, Daniel; Jiménez, Ruth; Cardozo, Rosa; Marín, Andrés; Soler, María Del Pilar; Gómez, Olga; Ruiz, Oscar

Few studies report the epidemiological profile of RA patients attending clinics for comprehensive care. We describe the clinical, socio-demographic characteristics and comorbidities of a cohort of patients with RA. Cross-sectional study in a cohort of patients according to ACR criteria/EULAR 2010 classification who have entered to the AR clinic since October 2012 until May 2014, referred from primary care. Frequencies for socio-demographic, comorbidity, state of disease activity, functional status, biomarkers and therapeutic modalities variables are described. In total, 1652 patients were included with a mean age of 58 years and a duration of 9 years. Rheumatoid factor was positive in 80% and anti-citrullinated peptide antibody in 63% of patients. In total, 43.6% of patients had comorbidities: Hypertension (20.4%), osteoporosis (17.3%) and Sjögren's syndrome (10.4%). Fifty percent of the patients had moderate and high disease activity level measured by DAS-28 score, and the mean HAQ score was 0.64 (DS 1.12). Seventy three percent of patients were treated with oral disease modified anti rheumatic treatment and 63.6% of them were with methotrexate. 42.4% of the patients were treated with glucocorticoids (mean dose 6.3mg). The epidemiological behavior of a group of RA patients is reported. The presence of comorbidities is significant affecting the risk of morbidity and mortality in these patients. The definition of the epidemiological profile of this population will allow the design of research questions to resolve outstanding problems in the clinical context of this pathology. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier España, S.L.U. and Sociedad Española de Reumatología y Colegio Mexicano de Reumatología. All rights reserved.

Enteric fever in Mumbai--clinical profile, sensitivity patterns and response to antimicrobials.

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Jog, S; Soman, R; Singhal, T; Rodrigues, C; Mehta, A; Dastur, F D

2008-04-01

Enteric fever is endemic in Mumbai and its diagnosis poses several problems. Our main aim was to study the clinical profile, haematological features of culture proven typhoid cases, the antimicrobial susceptibility pattern of the isolates and the time to defervescence with the treatment received. This was a retospective chart review of all cases of culture proven enteric fever carried out at a tertiary care private hospital in Mumbai over the period January 2003 to September 2005. Culture positivity in our study was 52.6%. Sixty one percent of the isolates were Salmonella typhi while 39% were Salmonella paratyphi A. An absolute eosinopenia was seen in 76.9% of the patients. Before being admitted to the hospital, 46.2% received antibiotics. The mean time to defervescence in patients who received prior antibiotics was 4.5 days while that in those who did not receive prior antibiotics was 5.1 days. A high culture positivity despite prior or ongoing antibiotic treatment was seen. Absolute eosinophil count of 0% could be an important marker of typhoid. High prevalence of nalidixic acid resistance, a marker of resistance to fluoroquinolones was observed. Combination treatment was not found to be superior to treatment with a single antibiotic.

APRIL is a novel clinical chemo-resistance biomarker in colorectal adenocarcinoma identified by gene expression profiling

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Petty, Russell D; Wang, Weiguang; Gilbert, Fiona; Semple, Scot; Collie-Duguid, Elaina SR; Samuel, Leslie M; Murray, Graeme I; MacDonald, Graham; O'Kelly, Terrence; Loudon, Malcolm; Binnie, Norman; Aly, Emad; McKinlay, Aileen

2009-01-01

5-Fluorouracil(5FU) and oral analogues, such as capecitabine, remain one of the most useful agents for the treatment of colorectal adenocarcinoma. Low toxicity and convenience of administration facilitate use, however clinical resistance is a major limitation. Investigation has failed to fully explain the molecular mechanisms of resistance and no clinically useful predictive biomarkers for 5FU resistance have been identified. We investigated the molecular mechanisms of clinical 5FU resistance in colorectal adenocarcinoma patients in a prospective biomarker discovery project utilising gene expression profiling. The aim was to identify novel 5FU resistance mechanisms and qualify these as candidate biomarkers and therapeutic targets. Putative treatment specific gene expression changes were identified in a transcriptomics study of rectal adenocarcinomas, biopsied and profiled before and after pre-operative short-course radiotherapy or 5FU based chemo-radiotherapy, using microarrays. Tumour from untreated controls at diagnosis and resection identified treatment-independent gene expression changes. Candidate 5FU chemo-resistant genes were identified by comparison of gene expression data sets from these clinical specimens with gene expression signatures from our previous studies of colorectal cancer cell lines, where parental and daughter lines resistant to 5FU were compared. A colorectal adenocarcinoma tissue microarray (n = 234, resected tumours) was used as an independent set to qualify candidates thus identified. APRIL/TNFSF13 mRNA was significantly upregulated following 5FU based concurrent chemo-radiotherapy and in 5FU resistant colorectal adenocarcinoma cell lines but not in radiotherapy alone treated colorectal adenocarcinomas. Consistent withAPRIL's known function as an autocrine or paracrine secreted molecule, stromal but not tumour cell protein expression by immunohistochemistry was correlated with poor prognosis (p = 0.019) in the independent set

Transcript Profiling Distinguishes Complete Treatment Responders With Locally Advanced Cervical Cancer

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jorge Fernandez-Retana

2015-04-01

Full Text Available Cervical cancer (CC mortality is a major public health concern since it is the second cause of cancer-related deaths among women. Patients diagnosed with locally advanced CC (LACC have an important rate of recurrence and treatment failure. Conventional treatment for LACC is based on chemotherapy and radiotherapy; however, up to 40% of patients will not respond to conventional treatment; hence, we searched for a prognostic gene signature able to discriminate patients who do not respond to the conventional treatment employed to treat LACC. Tumor biopsies were profiled with genome-wide high-density expression microarrays. Class prediction was performed in tumor tissues and the resultant gene signature was validated by quantitative reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction. A 27-predictive gene profile was identified through its association with pathologic response. The 27-gene profile was validated in an independent set of patients and was able to distinguish between patients diagnosed as no response versus complete response. Gene expression analysis revealed two distinct groups of tumors diagnosed as LACC. Our findings could provide a strategy to select patients who would benefit from neoadjuvant radiochemotherapy-based treatment.

Profile of women who carried out smoking cessation treatment: a systematic review.

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Pereira, Caroline Figueira; de Vargas, Divane

2015-01-01

OBJECTIVE Analyze the profile of women, in health services, who carry out treatment for smoking cessation. METHODS Systematic review that used the following sources of information: Cummulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), PubMed, Biblioteca Virtual em Saúde (BVS), Scopus and Web of Science. We included quantitative studies that addressed the characterization of women, in health services, who carried out treatment for smoking cessation, resulting in 12 articles for analysis. The assessment of the methodological quality of the studies was performed using the instrument MAStARI from Joanna Briggs Institute. RESULTS The predominant profile of women who carried out treatment for smoking cessation in health services was composed of white, married, employed, and highly level educated women. Women who carried out the treatment for smoking cessation in specialized services had a more advanced age, were white, were married and had a diagnosis of depression. The quality level of most studies was moderate. CONCLUSIONS The profile of women who carry out treatment for smoking cessation, either in general or specialized health services, is composed of white, married, and highly level educated women. Publications about smoking women are scarce and the lack of Brazilian studies characterizing the profile of women who start treatment for smoking cessation shows the need for studies that explore this subject.

Profile of women who carried out smoking cessation treatment: a systematic review

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Caroline Figueira Pereira

2015-01-01

Full Text Available OBJECTIVE Analyze the profile of women, in health services, who carry out treatment for smoking cessation. METHODS Systematic review that used the following sources of information: Cummulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL, PubMed, Biblioteca Virtual em Saúde (BVS, Scopus and Web of Science. We included quantitative studies that addressed the characterization of women, in health services, who carried out treatment for smoking cessation, resulting in 12 articles for analysis. The assessment of the methodological quality of the studies was performed using the instrument MAStARI from Joanna Briggs Institute. RESULTS The predominant profile of women who carried out treatment for smoking cessation in health services was composed of white, married, employed, and highly level educated women. Women who carried out the treatment for smoking cessation in specialized services had a more advanced age, were white, were married and had a diagnosis of depression. The quality level of most studies was moderate. CONCLUSIONS The profile of women who carry out treatment for smoking cessation, either in general or specialized health services, is composed of white, married, and highly level educated women. Publications about smoking women are scarce and the lack of Brazilian studies characterizing the profile of women who start treatment for smoking cessation shows the need for studies that explore this subject.

Patient profiles and clinical utility of mepolizumab in severe eosinophilic asthma

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Haldar P

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Pranabashis Haldar Respiratory Biomedical Research Unit, Glenfield Hospital, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK Abstract: Mepolizumab (Nucala® is an effective and specific anti-eosinophil molecular therapy that has recently been approved as add-on therapy for the management of severe eosinophilic asthma by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA, European Medicines Agency (EMA; European Union and more recently National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE; UK. It is one of several molecular therapies in development for this indication and is illustrative of the strategic trajectory for pharmaceutical drug development taken over the past decade in several disease areas. Molecular therapies offer the prospect of improved specificity and effectiveness of biological effect. However, this necessitates a clear understanding of the underlying mechanistic pathways underpinning pathological processes, to inform drug development that yields novel more efficacious treatment options with a better clinical profile than existing agents. For the first time, utilization of molecular therapies in clinical trials is providing a novel in vivo model to characterize the association between specific pathways and clinical disease expression. It is increasingly recognized that asthma exhibits both clinical and pathological heterogeneity. It follows that a one-size-fits-all approach will not be appropriate and cost-effectiveness may only be achieved by identifying responder subgroups. This so-called personalized approach to therapy is being supported by the parallel development of companion biomarkers for clinical application. In this review, the author summarizes the clinical studies, their interpretation and the lessons learnt with mepolizumab that have informed our understanding of the approach to personalized molecular therapy in asthma. Keywords: IL-5, Nucala, exacerbations 

Childhood vitiligo: Clinical epidemiological profile

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Asmae Lahlou

2017-07-01

Full Text Available Objective: To study the clinical and the epidemiologic profiles of childhood vitiligo. Patients and Methods: We prospectively analyzed the clinical data of children with vitiligo presented to the dermatology derpartement at University Hospital – Fès for 5 years from May 2011 to May 2016. This study included 31 patients. All patients were assessed for the natural history, clinical characteristics, family history, and associated abnormalities of vitiligo. Results: Of the 31 children with vitiligo 9 (29,03% were boys and 21 (67.74% were girls. The mean age of onset of the vitiligo was 10 years. The mean duration of the disease was 38,9 weeks. The most common type of vitiligo was vitiligo vulgaris (49.5% followed by focal vitiligo (39%, acrofacial vitiligo (32%, and segmental vitiligo (16% The most frequent site of onset was the extremities followed by the head and the neck, then the trunk and the genitalia. Of the 31 children with vitiligo, 39% had a family history and 4 % had an antecedent of autoimmune diesease like le diabète, une thyroïdite, l’anémie et le psoriasis, retrouvé. Conclusion: Our children have a strong family history of vitiligo and they are developing the disease at a slightly older age compared with those of other studies; however, other epidemiologic features appear to be similar to those reported in the previously published studies.

Nursing Diagnosis Risk for falls: prevalence and clinical profile of hospitalized patients1

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Luzia, Melissa de Freitas; Victor, Marco Antonio de Goes; Lucena, Amália de Fátima

2014-01-01

Objectives to identify the prevalence of the Nursing Diagnosis (ND) Risk for falls in the hospitalizations of adult patients in clinical and surgical units, to characterize the clinical profile and to identify the risk factors of the patients with this ND. Method a cross-sectional study with 174 patients. The data was collected from the computerized nursing care prescriptions system and on-line hospital records, and analyzed statistically. Results the prevalence of the ND Risk for falls was 4%. The patients' profile indicated older adults, males (57%), those hospitalized in the clinical units (63.2%), with a median length of hospitalization of 20 (10-24) days, with neurological illnesses (26%), cardio-vascular illnesses (74.1%) and various co-morbidities (3±1.8). The prevalent risk factors were neurological alterations (43.1%), impaired mobility (35.6%) and extremes of age (10.3%). Conclusion the findings contributed to evidencing the profile of the patients with a risk of falling hospitalized in clinical and surgical wards, which favors the planning of interventions for preventing this adverse event. PMID:26107834

Clinical profile of subdural hematomas: dangerousness of subdural subacute hematoma.

Science.gov (United States)

Kpelao, E; Beketi, K A; Moumouni, A K; Doleagbenou, A; Ntimon, B; Egbohou, P; Mouzou, T; Tomta, K; Sama, D H; Abalo, A; Walla, A; Dossim, A

2016-04-01

Subacute subdural hematomas are a poorly individualized nosological entity, often equated clinically to chronic subdural hematomas. Yet, their neurological deterioration which is usually rapid seems to distinguish them from chronic subdural hematomas. We wanted to show this dangerousness by establishing the clinically evolving profile of the three types of subdural hematomas. This was a prospective and retrospective study of 63 subdural hematoma (18 acute, 13 subacute, and 32 chronic) patients admitted between 2012 and 2014 in the neurosurgery unit of Lomé University Hospital. Hematomas were classified according to the elapsed time after head injury and blood density on CT. The main parameter studied was the evolution of the Glasgow Coma Score (GCS) in the 3 months following the trauma, enabling to establish an evolving profile of each type of hematoma. The average age of patients was 58.1 years for chronic subdural hematomas and 47.6 years for subacute subdural hematomas. Disease duration before admission was 13.1 days for chronic against 36.6 h for subacute hematoma. The clinical profile shows acute worsening within hours during the second week for patients with subacute hematoma, while it is progressive for patients with chronic hematoma. We noted two deaths, all victims of a subacute hematoma (one operated, one patient waiting for surgery). Iso-density hematoma on CT, especially in a young person, must be considered as a predictive factor of rapid neurological aggravation suggesting an urgent care or increased monitoring by paramedics.

A clinical profile of compulsive exercise in adolescent inpatients with anorexia nervosa.

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Noetel, Melissa; Miskovic-Wheatley, Jane; Crosby, Ross D; Hay, Phillipa; Madden, Sloane; Touyz, Stephen

2016-01-01

The aim of the current study was to contribute to the development of a clinical profile of compulsive exercise in adolescents with Anorexia Nervosa (AN), by examining associations between compulsive exercise and eating and general psychopathology. A sample of 60 female adolescent inpatients with AN completed a self-report measure of compulsive exercise and a series of standardized self-report questionnaires assessing eating and general psychopathology. Higher levels of compulsive exercise were associated with increased levels of eating disorder psychopathology and anxiety. Specifically, the avoidance aspect (negatively reinforced) of compulsive exercise was associated with elevated scores on measures of eating disorder, anxiety, depression, and obsessive compulsiveness psychopathology, as well as lower self-esteem scores. The mood improvement value (positively reinforced) of compulsive exercise, however, did not reflect such trends. Compulsive exercise driven by avoidance of negative affect is associated with more severe psychological features in adolescent inpatients with AN. The current findings emphasize the need for research and clinical efforts in the development of treatments addressing avoidance of negative affect and compulsive exercise in adolescents with AN.

Mapping clinical outcomes expectations to treatment decisions: an application to vestibular schwannoma management.

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Cheung, Steven W; Aranda, Derick; Driscoll, Colin L W; Parsa, Andrew T

2010-02-01

Complex medical decision making obligates tradeoff assessments among treatment outcomes expectations, but an accessible tool to perform the necessary analysis is conspicuously absent. We aimed to demonstrate methodology and feasibility of adapting conjoint analysis for mapping clinical outcomes expectations to treatment decisions in vestibular schwannoma (VS) management. Prospective. Tertiary medical center and US-based otologists/neurotologists. Treatment preference profiles among VS stakeholders-61 younger and 74 older prospective patients, 61 observation patients, and 60 surgeons-were assessed for the synthetic VS case scenario of a 10-mm tumor in association with useful hearing and normal facial function. Treatment attribute utility. Conjoint analysis attribute levels were set in accordance to the results of a meta-analysis. Forty-five case series were disaggregated to formulate microsurgery facial nerve and hearing preservation outcomes expectations models. Attribute utilities were computed and mapped to the realistic treatment choices of translabyrinthine craniotomy, middle fossa craniotomy, and gamma knife radiosurgery. Among the treatment attributes of likelihoods of causing deafness, temporary facial weakness for 2 months, and incurable cancer within 20 years, and recovery time, permanent deafness was less important to tumor surgeons, and temporary facial weakness was more important to tumor surgeons and observation patients (Wilcoxon rank-sum, p knife radiosurgery. Mapping clinical outcomes expectations to treatment decisions for a synthetic clinical scenario revealed inhomogeneous drivers of choice selection among study cohorts. Medical decision engines that analyze personal preferences of outcomes expectations for VS and many other diseases may be developed to promote shared decision making among health care stakeholders and transparency in the informed consent process.

Clinical needs of in-treatment pregnant women with co-occurring disorders: implications for primary care.

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Lee King, Patricia A; Duan, Lei; Amaro, Hortensia

2015-01-01

We investigated social vulnerability and behavioral health clinical profiles (symptom severity) of pregnant women with co-occurring disorders, defined as substance abuse, mental illness, and trauma at treatment entry compared to their nonpregnant counterparts and the role of interpersonal abuse in clinical presentation among pregnant women. Our objective was to provide primary health care providers with insight into the needs of pregnant patients with high behavioral health risks to serve them better during the critical window of opportunity for long-term impact. We conducted cross-sectional secondary analysis of baseline data from women enrolled in treatment programs in the Women, Co-occurring Disorders and Violence Study from nine sites across the United States. We used analysis of variance and Cochran-Mantel-Haenszel statistical analyses to compare means and frequencies of social vulnerability indicators and baseline Addiction Severity Index, Brief Symptom Inventory of mental health, and Posttraumatic Stress Diagnostic Scale scores between 152 pregnant and 2,577 nonpregnant women, and between pregnant women with and without current interpersonal abuse. Compared to nonpregnant women, pregnant women evidenced more social vulnerability but better behavioral health clinical profiles at treatment entry. Current interpersonal abuse was associated with increased mental health and trauma symptomatology but not with alcohol or drug abuse severity among pregnant women. The prenatal period is an important time for screening and intervention for factors such as social vulnerability and co-occurring disorders, known to affect pregnancy and infant outcomes; social and behavioral health services are particularly essential among pregnant women with co-occurring disorders.

SPECIFICITIES OF THE SUBSET PROFILE OF PERIPHERAL BLOOD IN PATIENTS WITH GLIOBLASTOMA: PATHOGENETIC AND CLINICAL ASSESSMENTS

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V. A. Chumakov

2006-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract. In glioblastoma (GB, it is necessary to take into consideration GB-associated secondary immunodeficiency (SID, so-called syndrome of tumor-associated SID (STASID. Cell subsets having effector and regulatory functions, play an important role in developing STASID, and their proportions in patients with different forms of GB can be of pathogenetic importance and have clinical value for treatment and rehabilitation scheduling as well. The most pathogenically and clinically important features of cell subsets profile of peripheral blood were analyzed in patients with different clinical and morphological types of GB. The patients were divided into three groups, i.e., groups I and II were formed by patients with STASID (marked and slightly marked SID, accordingly; group III – patients with SIDTAS (tumor-associated autoimmune syndrome, associated with SID. Marked suppression of cell immunity is typical of group I - imbalance in T-lymphocytes, in a number of specific subsets, and in subsets clusters, as well as disproportions in the immunoregulatory indexes. In group II, the subset profiles of blood were slightly different from the norm. In patients with SIDTAS, activation of cell immunity was evident, forming SID with signs of autoimmune syndrome, affecting effector and regulatory chains of immunity, and influencing the severity and forecast of the disease. Specific features of the immune status in patients with GB identified can be resulted from different clinicalmorphological types of the tumor; the latter are to be considered in differential diagnostics of clinical course of GB and in scheduling of clinical-immunological efficient anti-tumor pharmacotherapy in pre- and postoperative periods.

Clinical relevance of copy number profiling in oral and oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma

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van Kempen, Pauline M W; Noorlag, Rob; Braunius, Weibel W; Moelans, Cathy B; Rifi, Widad; Savola, Suvi; Koole, Ronald; Grolman, Wilko; van Es, Robert J J; Willems, Stefan M

2015-01-01

Current conventional treatment modalities in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) are nonselective and have shown to cause serious side effects. Unraveling the molecular profiles of head and neck cancer may enable promising clinical applications that pave the road for personalized cancer treatment. We examined copy number status in 36 common oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes in a cohort of 191 oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinomas (OPSCC) and 164 oral cavity squamous cell carcinomas (OSCC) using multiplex ligation probe amplification. Copy number status was correlated with human papillomavirus (HPV) status in OPSCC, with occult lymph node status in OSCC and with patient survival. The 11q13 region showed gain or amplifications in 59% of HPV-negative OPSCC, whereas this amplification was almost absent in HPV-positive OPSCC. Additionally, in clinically lymph node-negative OSCC (Stage I–II), gain of the 11q13 region was significantly correlated with occult lymph node metastases with a negative predictive value of 81%. Multivariate survival analysis revealed a significantly decreased disease-free survival in both HPV-negative and HPV-positive OPSCC with a gain of Wnt-induced secreted protein-1. Gain of CCND1 showed to be an independent predictor for worse survival in OSCC. These results show that copy number aberrations, mainly of the 11q13 region, may be important predictors and prognosticators which allow for stratifying patients for personalized treatment of HNSCC. PMID:26194878

Clinical relevance of copy number profiling in oral and oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kempen, Pauline M W van; Noorlag, Rob; Braunius, Weibel W; Moelans, Cathy B; Rifi, Widad; Savola, Suvi; Koole, Ronald; Grolman, Wilko; Es, Robert J J van; Willems, Stefan M

2015-01-01

Current conventional treatment modalities in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) are nonselective and have shown to cause serious side effects. Unraveling the molecular profiles of head and neck cancer may enable promising clinical applications that pave the road for personalized cancer treatment. We examined copy number status in 36 common oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes in a cohort of 191 oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinomas (OPSCC) and 164 oral cavity squamous cell carcinomas (OSCC) using multiplex ligation probe amplification. Copy number status was correlated with human papillomavirus (HPV) status in OPSCC, with occult lymph node status in OSCC and with patient survival. The 11q13 region showed gain or amplifications in 59% of HPV-negative OPSCC, whereas this amplification was almost absent in HPV-positive OPSCC. Additionally, in clinically lymph node-negative OSCC (Stage I–II), gain of the 11q13 region was significantly correlated with occult lymph node metastases with a negative predictive value of 81%. Multivariate survival analysis revealed a significantly decreased disease-free survival in both HPV-negative and HPV-positive OPSCC with a gain of Wnt-induced secreted protein-1. Gain of CCND1 showed to be an independent predictor for worse survival in OSCC. These results show that copy number aberrations, mainly of the 11q13 region, may be important predictors and prognosticators which allow for stratifying patients for personalized treatment of HNSCC

Treatment profiles in a Danish psychiatric university hospital department

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Okkels, Niels; Mogensen, Rasmus Beyer; Crean, Lea Catherine

2017-01-01

BACKGROUND: Despite concerns about rising treatment of psychiatric patients with psychotropic medications and declining treatment with psychotherapy, actual treatment profiles of psychiatric patients are largely unknown. AIMS: To describe patterns in the treatment of patients in a large psychiatric......-eight patients (94%) used psychotropic medication, 37 (19%) as monotherapy, and 148 (74%) in combination with non-pharmacological therapy. Ninety-seven (49%) had psychotherapy and 104 (52%) social support. Among inpatients, 21 (64%) had physical therapy, and 10 (30%) electroconvulsive therapy. In total, 163 (82...... widely across all settings and patient categories. However, psychotropic medication clearly dominates as the most frequently applied treatment....

Epidemiological and Clinical profile of HIV-infected patients ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Background: Treatment and care services for HIV patients in Tanzania began 2004 with free access to anti-retroviral therapy (ART). More than 1000 HIV clinics have been established to-date. Each clinic is obliged to provide statistical and clinical feedback for further improvement. Broad objective: The objective of this study ...

Refractory myasthenia gravis – clinical profile, comorbidities and response to rituximab

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Sudulagunta, Sreenivasa Rao; Sepehrar, Mona; Sodalagunta, Mahesh Babu; Settikere Nataraju, Aravinda; Bangalore Raja, Shiva Kumar; Sathyanarayana, Deepak; Gummadi, Siddharth; Burra, Hemanth Kumar

2016-01-01

Introduction: Myasthenia gravis (MG) is an antibody mediated autoimmune neuromuscular disorder characterized by fatigable muscle weakness. A proportion of myasthenia gravis patients are classified as refractory due to non responsiveness to conventional treatment. This retrospective study was done to evaluate clinical profile, epidemiological, laboratory, and features of patients with MG and mode of management using rituximab and complications. Methods: Data of myasthenia gravis patients admitted or presented to outpatient department (previous medical records) with MG between January 2008 and January 2016 were included. A total of 512 patients fulfilled the clinical and diagnostic criteria of myasthenia gravis of which 76 patients met the diagnostic certainty for refractory myasthenia gravis and were evaluated. Results: Out of 76 refractory MG patients, 53 (69.73%) patients fulfilled all the three defined criteria. The median age of onset of the refractory MG group was 36 years with a range of 27–53 years. In our study 25 patients (32.89%) belonged to the age group of 21–30 years. Anti-MuSK antibodies were positive in 8 non-refractory MG patients (2.06%) and 36 refractory MG patients (47.36%). Mean HbA1C was found to be 8.6±2.33. The dose of administered prednisone decreased by a mean of 59.7% (p=3.3x10–8) to 94.6% (p=2.2x10–14) after the third cycle of rituximab treatment. Conclusion: The refractory MG patients are most commonly female with an early age of onset, anti-MuSK antibodies, and thymomas. Refractory MG patients have higher prevalence and poor control (HbA1C >8%) of diabetes mellitus and dyslipidemia probably due to increased steroid usage. Rituximab is very efficient in treatment of refractory MG with adverse effects being low. PMID:27790079

Clinical pharmacology profile of care in Hepatology clinic

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Talita Rocha Passos

Full Text Available Summary Since 2010, the Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology Division of the Central Institute of Hospital das Clínicas of the University of São Paulo Medical School (HC-FMUSP, in the Portuguese acronym has been developing specialized electives assistance activities in the Outpatient Specialty Clinic, Secondary Level, in São Paulo NGA-63 Várzea do Carmo. The objective of this study was to analyze the pharmacotherapeutic profile of patients. This is a cross-sectional and retrospective study in which patients were seen at the Hepatology sector and the results were submitted to descriptive statistics. During the study period, 492 patients were treated at the clinic, with a mean age of 58.9 years and frequency of 61.2% female and 74.8% living in São Paulo. This population was served by various other medical specialties (cardiology and endocrine among others and the major liver diagnoses were: chronic hepatitis B and C and fatty liver. Comorbidities were also identified, such as diabetes, hypertension and dyslipidemia. Most patients took their medication in the Basic Health Units. We found that 30% of patients use of more than five medications and the most prescribed were omeprazole 208 (42.3%, metformin 132 (26.8% and losartan 80 (16.3%. Because it is an adult/elderly population, with several comorbidities and polymedication, it is important to be aware of the rational use of medication. The multidisciplinary team is important in applying correct conducts for the safe use of medicines, to reduce the burden on health spending and improving the quality of life of patients.

Clinical and economic considerations of antiobesity treatment: a review of orlistat

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Armineh Zohrabian

2010-07-01

Full Text Available Armineh ZohrabianDivision of Adult and Community Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USAAbstract: The objective of this study was to review the current knowledge about the use of orlistat from clinical and economic perspectives, and to assess this drug’s public health impact. Weight reduction by current antiobesity drugs, compared to placebo, is at most around 5 kg. Orlistat, the most studied antiobesity drug, is associated with the least-severe adverse effects, but compared with other drugs in its class it also delivers the most modest weight loss versus placebo (less than 3 kg. Orlistat appears to have a favorable risk/benefit profile, and cost-effectiveness ratios seem to be within a range that is generally considered acceptable. In the short-term, orlistat is related to reduced diabetes incidence and to slightly improved blood pressure and lipid profiles. Long-term clinical effects have been largely unstudied, however, and this study did not find reports that considered mortality as an endpoint. Given a very low continuation with orlistat treatment in the population and very modest and, apparently, only short-term clinical effects, orlistat is not likely to have a significant impact on the population health. Public health approaches of improving environmental and social factors to foster healthier food choices and increase physical activity remain essential for addressing the obesity epidemic.Keywords: obesity, orlistat, weight loss, cost-effectiveness

The clinical profile of idiopathic Parkinson's disease in a South ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The clinical profile of idiopathic Parkinson's disease in a South African hospital complex - the influence of ethnicity and gender. Marcelle Smith, Girish Modi. Abstract. Background Idiopathic Parkinson's Disease (IPD) has not been well studied in Black African populations. Data on the demographics, phenotype differences ...

Clinical Studies Applying Cytokine-Induced Killer Cells for the Treatment of Renal Cell Carcinoma

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Clara E. Jäkel

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Metastatic renal cell carcinoma (RCC seems to be resistant to conventional chemo- and radiotherapy and the general treatment regimen of cytokine therapy produces only modest responses while inducing severe side effects. Nowadays standard of care is the treatment with VEGF-inhibiting agents or mTOR inhibition; nevertheless, immunotherapy can induce complete remissions and long-term survival in selected patients. Among different adoptive lymphocyte therapies, cytokine-induced killer (CIK cells have a particularly advantageous profile as these cells are easily available, have a high proliferative rate, and exhibit a high antitumor activity. Here, we reviewed clinical studies applying CIK cells, either alone or with standard therapies, for the treatment of RCC. The adverse events in all studies were mild, transient, and easily controllable. In vitro studies revealed an increased antitumor activity of peripheral lymphocytes of participants after CIK cell treatment and CIK cell therapy was able to induce complete clinical responses in RCC patients. The combination of CIK cell therapy and standard therapy was superior to standard therapy alone. These studies suggest that CIK cell immunotherapy is a safe and competent treatment strategy for RCC patients and further studies should investigate different treatment combinations and schedules for optimal application of CIK cells.

Treatment patterns and clinical characteristics prior to initiating depot typical antipsychotics for nonadherent schizophrenia patients

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Montgomery William

2009-07-01

small proportion of nonadherent schizophrenia patients were initiated on depot antipsychotics in this 3-year prospective study. Patients subsequently initiated on depot had a more severe treatment pattern and clinical profile immediately preceding depot initiation. This profile may have triggered the decision to initiate a depot. Findings have important clinical and economic ramifications for practitioners, policy makers, and other decision makers, highlighting the need for early identification of and tailored therapeutics for schizophrenia patients with a history of nonadherence with their recent oral antipsychotic regimens.

Successful Treatment of Advanced Metastatic Prostate Cancer following Chemotherapy Based on Molecular Profiling

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Charles E. Myers

2012-03-01

Full Text Available After Taxotere fails, treatment options for metastatic prostate cancer are limited. The three drugs with FDA approval in this setting, Jevtana, Provenge and Zytiga, are associated with median survivals of less than 2 years. In part, the impact on survival is the result of low response rates, indicating a significant proportion of patients exhibiting de novo resistance to these agents. An alternate approach is to let treatment selection be governed by gene expression profiling so that the treatment is tailored to the specific patient. Here, we report a case of metastatic prostate cancer with a dramatic response to treatment selected based on molecular profiling. This patient had failed LHRH agonist, bicalutamide, Taxotere, and doxorubicin. Molecular profiling showed overexpression of the androgen receptor and he had a dramatic response of measurable disease to second-line hormonal therapy with ketoconazole, estrogen and Leukine.

Clinical profile, outcomes and improvement in symptoms and productivity in rhinitic patients in Karachi, Pakistan

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Sherwani Ubaid

2009-12-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Rhinitis can cause a heavy toll on patients because of its bothersome effects on productivity. This retrospective study was conducted to explore the clinical profile, outcomes and improvement in the symptoms and productivity resulting from treatment of allergic rhinitis in Pakistan. Methods We carried out a retrospective file review of all allergic rhinitis patients who presented to the Ear, Nose, Throat Consulting Clinic from January, 2006 to June, 2008 using a structured proforma especially designed for this purpose. Data was entered and analyzed using SPSS v. 16.0. Results The charts of 169 patients were reviewed. The mean age of the patients was 35.2 ± 9.1 years. Sixty percent patients were male. Ninety eight patients (58% reported allergy symptoms to be present at both home and work. One hundred and two patients (60.4% had symptoms severe enough to cause absence from work or academic activities. Up to seventy one percent patients were spending between 1000 - 3000 Pakistani Rupees (1 US$= 83.3 Pakistani rupees on the treatment of allergic rhinitis per year. One hundred and fifty one patients (89.3% reported an improvement in rhinitic symptoms and productivity while 18 patients (10.7% didn't. This improvement was significantly associated with satisfaction with treatment (p Conclusion Allergic rhinitis, a ubiquitous disease, was seen to cause a strain on patients in the form of recurrent treatment-related expenses as well as absenteeism from work or other daily activities. Symptoms and productivity improved significantly after treatment.

Clinical profile of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus treated with sodium- glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors and experience in real-world clinical practice in Spain.

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Cuatrecasas, Gabriel; Goñi-Goicoechea, Fernando

2016-11-01

The main aim of the treatment of type 2 diabetes is overall control of cardiovascular risk factors. Almost 50% of patients with type 2 diabetes do not achieve glycaemic targets, and a much higher percentage do not achieve weight and blood pressure targets, despite the therapeutic arsenal that has appeared in the last decade for the treatment of this disease. In addition, antidiabetic secretatogues and insulin are associated with weight gain and an increased risk of hyperglycaemic episodes. Clinical practice guidelines recommend sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors (SGLT2i) as an alternative in the same therapeutic step as the other options after initiation of metformin therapy. The present study reviews the most appropriate patient profile for SGLT2i therapy, based on their safety and efficacy demonstrated in controlled clinical trials. The article discusses which patients are at risk of experiencing the possible secondary effects due to the mechanism of action of this new therapeutic class, in whom SGLT2i should be used with caution. These considerations on the profile of patients suitable for SGLT2i therapy are contrasted with the results obtained in daily clinical practice, both in retrospective studies from other countries and from real-world experiences in Spain. This article presents a selection of studies performed in distinct centres with a minimum follow-up of 6 months and compares their results with those from clinical trials. SGLT2i are used in clinical practice in any therapeutic step and the efficacy results are very similar to those reported by controlled clinical trials, with a slightly higher proportion of genitourinary infections and a low dropout rate. Half the reported patients are diabetics receiving insulin therapy plus a gliflozin, showing the wide uptake of this therapeutic strategy by clinicians. SGLT2i are especially attractive due to their additional effectiveness in weight and blood pressure control and the possibility of using them

Occupational Outcome in Adult ADHD: Impact of Symptom Profile, Comorbid Psychiatric Problems, and Treatment--A Cross-Sectional Study of 414 Clinically Diagnosed Adult ADHD Patients

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Halmoy, Anne; Fasmer, Ole Bernt; Gillberg, Christopher; Haavik, Jan

2009-01-01

Objective: To determine the effects of symptom profile, comorbid psychiatric problems, and treatment on occupational outcome in adult ADHD patients. Method: Adult ADHD patients (N = 414) responded to questionnaires rating past and present symptoms of ADHD, comorbid conditions, treatment history, and work status. Results: Of the patients, 24%…

Avanafil for the treatment of erectile dysfunction: initial data and clinical key properties.

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Kedia, George T; Uckert, Stefan; Assadi-Pour, Farhang; Kuczyk, Markus A; Albrecht, Knut

2013-02-01

Orally active, selective inhibitors of phosphodiesterase type 5 (PDE 5, cyclic GMP PDE), such as sildenafil, tadalafil and vardenafil, are currently the first-choice treatment options for the clinical management of erectile dysfunction (ED) of various etiologies and severities. However, a significant number of patients remain dissatisfied with the available therapies due a lack of efficacy or discomfort arising from adverse events. Several new PDE5 inhibitors, among which are avanafil (TA-1790), lodenafil, mirodenafil, udenafil, SLX-2101, JNJ-10280205 and JNJ-10287069, have recently been approved and introduced into the market or are in the final stages of their clinical development. Avanafil (marketed in the US under the brand name STENDRA(™)) has been developed by VIVUS Inc. (Mountain View, CA, USA) and has recently received approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use in the treatment of male ED. The drug has demonstrated improved selectivity for PDE5, is rapidly absorbed after oral administration with a fast onset of action and a plasma half-life that is comparable to sildenfil and vardenafil. In phase II and phase III clinical trials that included a large number of patients, avanafil has been shown to be effective and well tolerated. Owing to its favorable pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic profile, avanafil is considered as a promising new option in the treatment of ED. The present article summarizes the initial data and clinical key properties of avanafil.

Differences in the clinical-epidemiological profile between new cases of tuberculosis and retreatment cases after default

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Aylana de Souza Belchior

Full Text Available Abstract OBJECTIVE To identify the socioeconomic and clinical-epidemiological factors related to tuberculosis in new cases and retreatment cases. METHOD Comparative study with 126 patients, of which 42 were retreatment cases after default attended in a reference center, and 84 were new cases completing the first treatment and treated in Basic Health Units. The collection of primary data was through interview, and of secondary data by records of the Notifiable Diseases Information System. Comparative analysis between the two groups. RESULTS The new cases differ from retreatment cases regarding educational level. The clinical-epidemiological profile shows a significant difference in relation to performance of the tuberculin skin test, and the HIV test result (positive in favor of new cases. In relation to performance of sputum culture and the result (positive of the first sputum smear of the first and second samples, in favor of retreatment cases. CONCLUSION The two groups are significantly different in clinical and epidemiological characteristics that show the access to exams.

Is There a Characteristic Clinical Profile for Patients with Dementia and Sundown Syndrome?

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Angulo Sevilla, David; Carreras Rodríguez, María Teresa; Heredia Rodríguez, Patricia; Fernández Sánchez, Marisa; Vivancos Mora, José Aurelio; Gago-Veiga, Ana Beatriz

2018-01-01

Sundown syndrome (SS) is the onset or worsening of behavioral symptoms in the evening in patients with dementia. To identify the differential clinical profile of patients with dementia who present SS. A cross-sectional, case-control observational study was conducted by retrospectively reviewing the medical records of patients with dementia in a specialized Memory Unit. We compared the characteristics of patients with and without SS, including sociodemographic variables, etiology, and severity of the dementia, behavioral symptoms, sleep disorders (considering insomnia and hypersomnia), other diseases and treatments employed. We identified the factors related to SS and conducted a logistic regression analysis to establish a predictive nomogram. Of the 216 study patients with dementia, 41 (19%) had SS. There was a predominance of women (2.4:1), advanced age (p = 0.0001), dependence (p patients with dementia, with a predictive capacity of 80.1%. In our study, age, a higher score on the GDS, and the presence of insomnia or hypersomnia are differential clinical characteristics of patients with SS. We defined a nomogram that helps predicting the occurrence of SS in patients with dementia.

Status epilepticus in the elderly: epidemiology, clinical aspects and treatment

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de Assis, Telma M.R.; Costa, Gersonita; Bacellar, Aroldo; Orsini, Marco; Nascimento, Osvaldo J.M.

2012-01-01

The aim of the study was to review the epidemiology, clinical profile and discuss the etiology, prognosis and treatment options in patients aged 60 years or older presenting with status epilepticus. We performed a systematic review involving studies published from 1996 to 2010, in Medline/PubMed, Scientific Electronic Library on line (Scielo), Latin-American and Caribbean Center of Health Sciences Information (Lilacs) databases and textbooks. Related articles published before 1996, when relevant for discussing epilepsy in older people, were also included. Several population studies had shown an increased incidence of status epilepticus after the age of 60 years. Status epilepticus is a medical and neurological emergency that is associated with high morbidity and mortality, and is a major concern in the elderly compared to the general population. Prompt diagnosis and effective treatment of convulsive status epilepticus are crucial to avoid brain injury and reduce the fatality rate in this age group. PMID:23355930

Sociodemographic and clinical profile of patients in voluntary and involuntary psychiatric hospitalizations - doi:10.5020/18061230.2011.p361

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Maria Selma Nogueira Oliveira

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Objective: To assess the sociodemographic and clinical profile of patients in psychiatric hospitalizations of voluntary inpatients (IPV and involuntary (IPI, in psychiatric hospitals of Fortaleza-CE, Brazil, under contract with the Unified Health System (SUS. Methods: A quantitative study, descriptive, cross-sectional and analytical. The sample comprised 393 patients, distributed among 253 IPV and 140 IPI, submitted to Psychiatry specialty treatment, in the year 2007. Results: For both patients, IPV and IPI, most were male: 185 (73.1% and 82 (58.6%; single: 181 (46.7% and 103 (26.5%; living in Fortaleza: 181 (71.5% and 95 (67.9%, respectively, and aged 20 to 60 years (mean age of 37 years. We observed significant difference between the type of hospital and patient gender (p = 0.003, which did not occur with marital status (p = 0.688 and origin (p = 0.95. The main symptom profiles which justified the clinical admission of these patients were the use of alcohol or drugs 70 (27.6%, changes in critical judgments 40 (28.6% and psychological distress 68 (26.9%. Family members were the main responsible for conducting these patients to the hospital. Conclusion: The results showed that patients on IPV and IPI, which joined in the study, had a socio-demographic and clinical profile characterized by: prevalence of male patients, from the capital Fortaleza, single, mean age of 37 years, having been brought to hospital by a relative, mainly due to alcohol use or drugs.

Profile of aclidinium bromide in the treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

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Sims MW

2011-09-01

Full Text Available Michael W Sims, Reynold A Panettieri, Jr. Pulmonary, Allergy, and Critical Care Division, Airways Biology Initiative, Department of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA Abstract: Bronchodilators provide the mainstay of pharmacologic therapy for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD, and anticholinergic bronchodilators, in particular, appear to be the most effective. There are currently two anticholinergic agents available in the US for the treatment of COPD (ipratropium bromide and tiotropium bromide, but several others are in various stages of development. Aclidinium bromide, a novel, long-acting, anticholinergic bronchodilator, is currently in Phase III trials for the management of COPD. Available evidence suggests that aclidinium is a safe and well tolerated drug with a relatively rapid onset and a sufficient duration of action to provide once-daily dosing. This article will provide a pharmacologic profile of aclidinium bromide and review the preclinical and clinical studies evaluating its safety and efficacy in the treatment of COPD. Keywords: aclidinium bromide, bronchodilators, pulmonary disease, chronic obstructive, muscarinic antagonists, pharmacokinetics, pharmacology

Clinical impact of pharmacogenetic profiling with a clinical decision support tool in polypharmacy home health patients: A prospective pilot randomized controlled trial.

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Lindsay S Elliott

Full Text Available In polypharmacy patients under home health management, pharmacogenetic testing coupled with guidance from a clinical decision support tool (CDST on reducing drug, gene, and cumulative interaction risk may provide valuable insights in prescription drug treatment, reducing re-hospitalization and emergency department (ED visits. We assessed the clinical impact of pharmacogenetic profiling integrating binary and cumulative drug and gene interaction warnings on home health polypharmacy patients.This prospective, open-label, randomized controlled trial was conducted at one hospital-based home health agency between February 2015 and February 2016. Recruitment came from patient referrals to home health at hospital discharge. Eligible patients were aged 50 years and older and taking or initiating treatment with medications with potential or significant drug-gene-based interactions. Subjects (n = 110 were randomized to pharmacogenetic profiling (n = 57. The study pharmacist reviewed drug-drug, drug-gene, and cumulative drug and/or gene interactions using the YouScript® CDST to provide drug therapy recommendations to clinicians. The control group (n = 53 received treatment as usual including pharmacist guided medication management using a standard drug information resource. The primary outcome measure was the number of re-hospitalizations and ED visits at 30 and 60 days after discharge from the hospital. The mean number of re-hospitalizations per patient in the tested vs. untested group was 0.25 vs. 0.38 at 30 days (relative risk (RR, 0.65; 95% confidence interval (CI, 0.32-1.28; P = 0.21 and 0.33 vs. 0.70 at 60 days following enrollment (RR, 0.48; 95% CI, 0.27-0.82; P = 0.007. The mean number of ED visits per patient in the tested vs. untested group was 0.25 vs. 0.40 at 30 days (RR, 0.62; 95% CI, 0.31-1.21; P = 0.16 and 0.39 vs. 0.66 at 60 days (RR, 0.58; 95% CI, 0.34-0.99; P = 0.045. Differences in composite outcomes at 60 days (exploratory endpoints

Protein Profile study of clinical samples using Laser Induced Fluorescence as the detection method

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Karemore, Gopal Raghunath; Raja, Sujatha N.; Rai, Lavanya

2009-01-01

  Protein profiles of tissue homogenates were recorded using HPLC separation and LIF detection method. The samples were collected from volunteers with clinically normal or cervical cancer conditions. It is shown that the protein profile can be classified as belonging to malignant or normal state ...

Clinical profile and response to treatment of patients with pituitary adenomas submitted to radiotherapy; Avaliacao do perfil e resposta ao tratamento de pacientes portadores de adenoma hipofisario submetidos a radioterapia

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Moraes, Paulo Lazaro de; Freire, Geison Moreira; Dias, Rodrigo Souza; Segreto, Roberto Araujo; Segreto, Helena Regina Comodo [Universidade Federal de Sao Paulo (UNIFESP), Sao Paulo, SP (Brazil). Escola Paulista de Medicina. Setor de Radioterapia], e-mail: segreto.dmed@epm.br; Giordani, Adelmo Jose [Pontificia Univ. Catolica de Sao Paulo, SP (Brazil); Abucham Filho, Julio Zaki [Universidade Federal de Sao Paulo (UNIFESP), Sao Paulo, SP (Brazil). Dept. de Endocrinologia

2008-12-15

Objective: to evaluate the clinical profile of patients with pituitary adenoma and their response to radiotherapy. Material and method: retrospective study with 22 patients with diagnosis of pituitary adenoma which were submitted to radiotherapy between March 2004 and December 2008. Patients' characteristics such as gender, age, clinical presentation, surgical approach, immunohistochemistry profile, dose of radiation and the response to therapy were analyzed using hormonal dosages and imaging exams. Results: the median age was 51 years and equally distributed in both genders. The tumors were divided according to the Hardy's classification: 27.5% had grade II, 27.5% had grade III and 45% had grade IV. The main symptoms presented by patients at diagnosis were visual impairment in 77% of cases, headache in 68%, amenorrhea and acromegaly in 27% and galactorrhoea in 4.5%. Transphenoidal surgery was performed in 21 patients and only 1 patient was submitted to transcranial approach; 91% of cases had partial resection. Concerning to immunohistochemistry, the expression of ACTH was the most frequent, being present in 41% of cases. The patients were treated in megavoltage equipment mostly with 6 MV linear accelerator. The total radiation dose was 45 Gy in 68% of patients and a dose of 50.4 Gy in 13% of cases. Three-dimensional planning was used in 20 patients. The median follow-up was 41 months. Laboratory and imaging improvement were observed in 73% of patients, stability in 22.5%, and worsening in 4.5%. Conclusion: the results show good rates of response and control of pituitary adenomas by radiation in the first four years after treatment. Considering it has a slow response to treatment, there is a high chance of improvement in results later during the follow-up. (author)

Pattern Of Altered Lipid Profile In Patients With Subclinical And Clinical Hypothyroidism And Its Correlation With Body Mass Index

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Humerah, S.; Siddiqui, A.; Khan, H. F.

2016-01-01

Objective: To compare the lipid profile of the subclinical and clinical hypothyroid patients and to evaluate the correlation between body mass index (BMI) and lipid profile in hypothyroidism. Study Design: Cross-sectional study. Place and Duration of Study: Islamic International Medical College, Riphah International University, Islamabad, and Citi Laboratory, Rawalpindi, from January to December 2013. Methodology: The subjects were selected through non-probability, purposive sampling. On the basis of thyroid profile, the subjects were divided into 3 groups: euthyroids (n=20), subclinical hypothyroids (n=50), and clinical hypothyroids (n=30). The blood of these subjects was then analyzed for lipid profile. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 18 statistical software. Result: Both hypothyroid groups showed altered lipid profile which was observed to be significantly raised when compared with the euthyroid subjects. Comparison of lipid profile in euthyroid, subclinical, and clinical hypothyroid groups showed significant differences by non-parametric tests (p < 0.05). An assessment of correlation of lipid profile with the BMI was found to be significant (p < 0.01). Conclusion: Hypothyroidism causes alteration of lipid profile. Clinical and subclinical hypothyroid patients have altered lipid profile as compared to euthyroids. Thyroid status monitoring is very important, since it can induce changes in lipid profile. Such dyslipidemic status is significant not only for the management of thyroid disorders but also for common diseases like obesity and coronary atherosclerosis in the population. (author)

Health profiles of foreigners attending primary care clinics in Malaysia.

Science.gov (United States)

Ab Rahman, Norazida; Sivasampu, Sheamini; Mohamad Noh, Kamaliah; Khoo, Ee Ming

2016-06-14

The world population has become more globalised with increasing number of people residing in another country for work or other reasons. Little is known about the health profiles of foreign population in Malaysia. The aim of this study was to provide a detailed description of the health problems presented by foreigners attending primary care clinics in Malaysia. Data were derived from the 2012 National Medical Care Survey (NMCS), a cross sectional survey of primary care encounters from public and private primary care clinics sampled from five regions in Malaysia. Patients with foreign nationality were identified and analysed for demographic profiles, reasons for encounter (RFEs), diagnosis, and provision of care. Foreigners accounted for 7.7 % (10,830) of all patient encounters from NMCS. Most encounters were from private clinics (90.2 %). Median age was 28 years (IQR: 24.0, 34.8) and 69.9 % were male. Most visits to the primary care clinics were for symptom-based complaints (69.5 %), followed by procedures (23.0 %) and follow-up visit (7.4 %). The commonest diagnosis in public clinics was antenatal care (21.8 %), followed by high risk pregnancies (7.5 %) and upper respiratory tract infection (URTI) (6.8 %). Private clinics had more cases for general medical examination (13.5 %), URTI (13.1 %) and fever (3.9 %). Medications were prescribed to 76.5 % of these encounters. More foreigners were seeking primary medical care from private clinics and the encounters were for general medical examinations and acute minor ailments. Those who sought care from public clinics were for obstetric problems and chronic diseases. Medications were prescribed to two-thirds of the encounters while other interventions: laboratory investigations, medical procedures and follow-up appointment had lower rates in private clinics. Foreigners are generally of young working group and are expected to have mandatory medical checks. The preponderance of obstetrics seen in public

Clinical versus actuarial geographic profiling strategies : A Review of the Research

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bennell, Craig; Taylor, Paul; Snook, Brent

2007-01-01

Geographic profiling predictions can be produced using a variety of strategies. Some predictions are made using an equation or mechanical aid (actuarial strategy) while others are made by human judges drawing on experience or heuristic principles (clinical strategy). We review research that bears

Expression profiling of blood samples from an SU5416 Phase III metastatic colorectal cancer clinical trial: a novel strategy for biomarker identification

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

DePrimo, Samuel E; Wong, Lily M; Khatry, Deepak B; Nicholas, Susan L; Manning, William C; Smolich, Beverly D; O'Farrell, Anne-Marie; Cherrington, Julie M

2003-01-01

Microarray-based gene expression profiling is a powerful approach for the identification of molecular biomarkers of disease, particularly in human cancers. Utility of this approach to measure responses to therapy is less well established, in part due to challenges in obtaining serial biopsies. Identification of suitable surrogate tissues will help minimize limitations imposed by those challenges. This study describes an approach used to identify gene expression changes that might serve as surrogate biomarkers of drug activity. Expression profiling using microarrays was applied to peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) samples obtained from patients with advanced colorectal cancer participating in a Phase III clinical trial. The PBMC samples were harvested pre-treatment and at the end of the first 6-week cycle from patients receiving standard of care chemotherapy or standard of care plus SU5416, a vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) inhibitor. Results from matched pairs of PBMC samples from 23 patients were queried for expression changes that consistently correlated with SU5416 administration. Thirteen transcripts met this selection criterion; six were further tested by quantitative RT-PCR analysis of 62 additional samples from this trial and a second SU5416 Phase III trial of similar design. This method confirmed four of these transcripts (CD24, lactoferrin, lipocalin 2, and MMP-9) as potential biomarkers of drug treatment. Discriminant analysis showed that expression profiles of these 4 transcripts could be used to classify patients by treatment arm in a predictive fashion. These results establish a foundation for the further exploration of peripheral blood cells as a surrogate system for biomarker analyses in clinical oncology studies

Expression profiling of blood samples from an SU5416 Phase III metastatic colorectal cancer clinical trial: a novel strategy for biomarker identification

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Smolich Beverly D

2003-02-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Microarray-based gene expression profiling is a powerful approach for the identification of molecular biomarkers of disease, particularly in human cancers. Utility of this approach to measure responses to therapy is less well established, in part due to challenges in obtaining serial biopsies. Identification of suitable surrogate tissues will help minimize limitations imposed by those challenges. This study describes an approach used to identify gene expression changes that might serve as surrogate biomarkers of drug activity. Methods Expression profiling using microarrays was applied to peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC samples obtained from patients with advanced colorectal cancer participating in a Phase III clinical trial. The PBMC samples were harvested pre-treatment and at the end of the first 6-week cycle from patients receiving standard of care chemotherapy or standard of care plus SU5416, a vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK inhibitor. Results from matched pairs of PBMC samples from 23 patients were queried for expression changes that consistently correlated with SU5416 administration. Results Thirteen transcripts met this selection criterion; six were further tested by quantitative RT-PCR analysis of 62 additional samples from this trial and a second SU5416 Phase III trial of similar design. This method confirmed four of these transcripts (CD24, lactoferrin, lipocalin 2, and MMP-9 as potential biomarkers of drug treatment. Discriminant analysis showed that expression profiles of these 4 transcripts could be used to classify patients by treatment arm in a predictive fashion. Conclusions These results establish a foundation for the further exploration of peripheral blood cells as a surrogate system for biomarker analyses in clinical oncology studies.

Methylphenidate dose optimization for ADHD treatment: review of safety, efficacy, and clinical necessity

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Huss M

2017-07-01

Full Text Available Michael Huss,1 Praveen Duhan,2 Preetam Gandhi,3 Chien-Wei Chen,4 Carsten Spannhuth,3 Vinod Kumar5 1Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University Medicine, Mainz, Germany; 2Global Medical Affairs, Novartis Healthcare Pvt. Ltd., Hyderabad, India; 3Development Franchise, Established Medicine Neuroscience, Novartis Pharma AG, Basel, Switzerland; 4Biostatistics Cardio-Metabolic & Established Medicine, Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation, East Hanover, NJ, USA; 5Established Medicines, Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation, East Hanover, NJ, USA Abstract: Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD is a chronic psychiatric disorder characterized by hyperactivity and/or inattention and is often associated with a substantial impact on psychosocial functioning. Methylphenidate (MPH, a central nervous system stimulant, is commonly used for pharmacological treatment of adults and children with ADHD. Current practice guidelines recommend optimizing MPH dosage to individual patient needs; however, the clinical benefits of individual dose optimization compared with fixed-dose regimens remain unclear. Here we review the available literature on MPH dose optimization from clinical trials and real-world experience on ADHD management. In addition, we report safety and efficacy data from the largest MPH modified-release long-acting Phase III clinical trial conducted to examine benefits of dose optimization in adults with ADHD. Overall, MPH is an effective ADHD treatment with a good safety profile; data suggest that dose optimization may enhance the safety and efficacy of treatment. Further research is required to establish the extent to which short-term clinical benefits of MPH dose optimization translate into improved long-term outcomes for patients with ADHD. Keywords: methylphenidate, dose optimization, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, ADHD

Target biomarker profile for the clinical management of paracetamol overdose

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Vliegenthart, A D Bastiaan; Antoine, Daniel J; Dear, James W

2015-01-01

Paracetamol (acetaminophen) overdose is one of the most common causes of acute liver injury in the Western world. To improve patient care and reduce pressure on already stretched health care providers new biomarkers are needed that identify or exclude liver injury soon after an overdose of paracetamol is ingested. This review highlights the current state of paracetamol poisoning management and how novel biomarkers could improve patient care and save healthcare providers money. Based on the widely used concept of defining a target product profile, a target biomarker profile is proposed that identifies desirable and acceptable key properties for a biomarker in development to enable the improved treatment of this patient population. The current biomarker candidates, with improved hepatic specificity and based on the fundamental mechanistic basis of paracetamol-induced liver injury, are reviewed and their performance compared with our target profile. PMID:26076366

Clinical features and endocrine profile of Laron syndrome in Indian children.

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Phanse-Gupte, Supriya R; Khadilkar, Vaman V; Khadilkar, Anuradha V

2014-11-01

Patients with growth hormone (GH) insensitivity (also known as Laron syndome) have been reported from the Mediterranean region and Southern Eucador, with few case reports from India. We present here the clinical and endocrine profile of 9 children with Laron syndrome from India. Nine children diagnosed with Laron syndrome based on clinical features of GH deficiency and biochemical profile suggestive of GH resistance were studied over a period of 5 years from January 2008 to January 2013. Age of presentation was between 2.5-11.5 years. All children were considerably short on contemporary Indian charts with mean (SD) height Z score -5.2 (1.6). However, they were within ± 2 SD on Laron charts. No child was overweight [mean (SD) BMI Z score 0.92 (1.1)]. All children had characteristic facies of GH deficiency with an added feature of prominent eyes. Three boys had micropenis and 1 had unilateral undescended testis. All children had low IGF-1 (Laron syndrome should be suspected in children with clinical features of GH deficiency, high GH levels and low IGF-1/IGFBP-3. These children are in a state of GH resistance and need IGF-1 therapy.

Clinical profile of children with developmental delay and microcephaly

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Aggarwal, Anju; Mittal, Hema; Patil, Rahul; Debnath, Sanjib; Rai, Anuradha

2013-01-01

Aim: To study the profile of children with developmental delay and microcephaly. Materials and Methods: Children attending child development clinic with developmental delay were evaluated as per protocol. Z scores of head circumference were calculated using WHO charts. Clinical, radiological and etiological profile of those with microcephaly and those without was compared. Results: Of the 414 children with developmental delay 231 had microcephaly (z score ≤ -3). Mean age of children with microcephaly was 35.1 ± 27.9 months (range 4-184), males (72.7%). Comorbidities were epilepsy (42.9%), visual abnormality (26.4%), hearing abnormality (16.9%). Mean DQ was 29.75 + 17.8 in those with microcephaly was significantly lower compared to the rest (P = 0.002). Secondary microcephaly was associated with cerebral palsy in 69.7%. Other causes were congenital infections (4), inborn error of metabolism (3), post-meningoencephalitis (5), malformations (12), and syndromic (13). Neuroimaging was done in 118 (51.1%) cases of which 104 (88.1%) were abnormal. On comparison children with microcephaly had more epilepsy, lower developmental quotient, vision abnormalities findings as compared to normocephalic children with developmental delay (P > 0.05). Conclusion: Microcephaly was associated with lower, DQ, higher comorbidities in children with developmental delay. Spastic CP is commonly associated with microcephaly. PMID:24250161

Clinical and epidemiological profile of patients diagnosed with neurocysticercosis at two hospitals in Chiclayo, Peru

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Giuseppe Rojas-Panta

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Objective: To describe the clinical and epidemiological profile of patients diagnosed with neurocysticercosis at two hospitals in Chiclayo, Peru. Materials and methods: A descriptive, cross-sectional and retrospective study was performed at the Almanzor Aguinaga Asenjo Hospital and Lambayeque Regional Hospital. Ninety-six (96 medical records of patients attended in 2014 with a diagnosis of neurocysticercosis were reviewed. Results: The mean age of the patients was 42.8 ± 18.8 years old, 52.1% were female, 26% came from Chiclayo and 54.2% received care for the first time. The most common symptom leading to medical consultation was headache. All patients underwent a diagnostic imaging method. The location of the parasite was mostly in the brain and the calcified stage was the most common one. The most widely used treatments were anticonvulsants and pain relievers. Conclusions: Neurocysticercosis mainly affects the economically active population, is more common in women and the most common clinical manifestation is headache

Predicting Anxiety Among Patients In LPU Clinical Dispensary During Dental Treatment: Towards Student’s Clinical Performance Enhancement

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Maribel D. Mayuga-Barrion

2013-12-01

Full Text Available The study aimed to determine the respondents’ profile in terms of age, gender, frequency of dental visit, and type of patient whether dental phobic or not; to determine the dental anxiety of patients in LPU dental dispensary; to identify the causes and severity of anxiety of the patients in LPU dental dispensary; to determine if there is a significant difference between the respondents’ demographic profile and their level of anxiety; and lastly, to propose a program that will help the patients cope with dental anxiety and a program that will enhance the students’ clinical performance. The study used the descriptive research design with the combination of content analysis of documents and related materials. Results showed that majority of the respondents belonged to age range of 14-18 years old range whereas for gender or sex, majority who avail of the clinic’s services are males. This is because women are more afraid than men in terms of dental problems. Further, younger people are more afraid than older ones. The weighted mean distribution of the level of anxiety showed that the level of anxiety of patients varies on moderately to not anxious. Feeling or experiencing pain during dental treatment ranked first followed by the fear or worry of not working the proposed treatment and thirdly, the dentist is in a hurry while treating also made the patients moderately anxious. Overall, the level of anxiety of patients is moderately anxious. Probing to asses gum disease, dislike the numb feeling and injection were the top three causes of dental anxiety. Only type of patient shows significant difference, thus the null hypothesis of no significant difference on the level of anxiety when grouped according to profile variables is rejected. This means that the level of anxiety of both phobic and not phobic differs.

Clinical outcomes in clinical trials of anti-HIV treatment

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Reekie, J; Mocroft, A; J, Neaton

2007-01-01

Since the introduction of combination antiretroviral therapy, there has been a decrease in both AIDS-defining illnesses and deaths. This decrease meant that performing clinical trials with clinical outcomes in HIV infection became more time consuming and hence costly. Improved understanding...... and knowledge of HIV led to short-term trials using surrogate outcomes such as viral load and CD4 count. This established a faster drug approval process that complimented the rapid need to evaluate and provide access to drugs based on short-term trials. However, no treatment has yet been found that eradicates...... the infection, so when treatment is started it is currently a lifelong commitment. Is it reasonable then that guidelines are based almost completely on short-term randomized trials and observational studies of surrogate markers, or is there still a need for trials with clinical outcomes?...

Clinical pharmacology review of escitalopram for the treatment of depression.

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Pastoor, Devin; Gobburu, Joga

2014-01-01

Depression is a serious and debilitating psychiatric condition with serious societal health and economic implications. Escitalopram , the S-enantiomer of racemic citalopram, is an effective treatment for major depressive disorder. This review covers the clinical pharmacology of escitalopram, with emphasis on regulatory approval. Its pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics and clinical efficacy for major depressive disorder are evaluated, along with data regarding safety and tolerability. Drug development of escitalopram was heavily guided by prior approval of citalopram. Select safety and efficacy studies for escitalopram in combination with supportive evidence from the results of prior citalopram studies allowed for regulatory approval for acute and maintenance claims in both adults and adolescents, while minimizing burden on the sponsor. Escitalopram has been shown to have better efficacy and safety profile than other selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor and serotonin norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor drugs, including racemic citalopram. The first generic escitalopram was approved in 2012, along with Abbreviated New Drug Applications. The associated cost savings have helped reduce the burden of weighing the benefits of escitalopram over less-expensive alternatives.

Randomised clinical trials with clinician-preferred treatment.

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Korn, E L; Baumrind, S

1991-01-19

The standard design for randomised clinical trials may be inappropriate when the clinician believes that one of the treatments being tested is superior for the patient, or when the clinician has a preference for one of the treatments. For such instances the suggestion is that the patient is randomly allocated to treatment only when there is clinical disagreement about treatment of choice for that patient, and then the patient is assigned to a clinician who had thought that the regimen allocated is the one most appropriate for that patient.

Immunological profile in cerebrospinal fluid of patients with multiple sclerosis after treatment switch to rituximab and compared with healthy controls.

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Pierre de Flon

Full Text Available To investigate changes in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF immunological profile after treatment switch from first-line injectables to rituximab in patients with relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS, and to compare the profile in MS patients with healthy controls (HC.Cerebrospinal fluid from 70 patients with clinically stable RRMS and 55 HC was analysed by a multiplex electrochemiluminescence method for a broad panel of cytokines and immunoactive substances before, and over a two-year period after, treatment switch to rituximab. After quality assessment of data, using a predefined algorithm, 14 analytes were included in the final analysis.Ten of the 14 analytes differed significantly in MS patients compared with HC at baseline. Levels of IP-10 (CXCL10, IL-12/23p40, IL-6, sVCAM1, IL-15, sICAM1 and IL-8 (CXCL8 decreased significantly after treatment switch to rituximab. The cytokines IP-10 and IL-12/IL-23p40 displayed the largest difference versus HC at baseline and also the largest relative reduction after therapy switch to rituximab.We found significant changes in the immunological profile after therapy switch to rituximab in RRMS in the direction towards the values of HC. IP-10 and IL12/IL-23p40 deserve further studies as part of the immunopathogenesis of MS as well as for the mode of action of rituximab in MS.

Antipsychotic treatment dosing profile in patients with schizophrenia evaluated with electronic monitoring (MEMS®).

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Acosta, Francisco J; Ramallo-Fariña, Yolanda; Bosch, Esperanza; Mayans, Teresa; Rodríguez, Carlos J; Caravaca, Ana

2013-05-01

Although the Medication Event Monitoring System (MEMS®) device offers accurate information on treatment dosing profile, such profile has never been studied in patients with schizophrenia. Enhancing our knowledge on this issue would help in developing intervention strategies to improve adherence to antipsychotic treatment in these patients. 74 outpatients with schizophrenia were monitored with the MEMS device for a 3-month period, for evaluation of antipsychotic treatment dosing profile, possible influence of medication schedule-related variables, adherence to treatment--considering dose intake within prescribed timeframes--and possible Hawthorne's effect of using the MEMS device. Dose-omission gaps occurred in 18.7% of monitoring days, most frequently during weekends, almost significantly. Almost one-third of prescribed doses were taken out of prescribed time. Neither the prescribed number of daily doses nor the indicated time of the day for dose intake (breakfast, dinner), were associated with correct antipsychotic dosing. Excess-dose was rare in general, and more frequent out of prescribed dose timeframe. No Hawthorne's effect was found for the MEMS device. Adherence reached only 35% according to a definition that included dose intake within prescribed timeframes. Antipsychotic treatment dosing was considerably irregular among patients with schizophrenia. Strategies to reduce dose-omission gaps and increase dosing within prescribed timeframes seem to be necessary. Gaining knowledge on precise oral antipsychotic dosing profiles or the influence of schedule-related variables may be useful to design strategies towards enhancing adherence. There appears to be no Hawthorne's effect associated with the use of MEMS devices in outpatients with schizophrenia. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Isavuconazole for the treatment of invasive aspergillosis and mucormycosis: current evidence, safety, efficacy, and clinical recommendations

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Natesan SK

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Suganthini Krishnan Natesan,1,2 Pranatharthi H Chandrasekar1 1Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, Wayne State University, 2John D Dingell VA Medical Center, Detroit, MI, USA Abstract: The majority of invasive mold infections diagnosed in immunocompromised cancer patients include invasive aspergillosis (IA and mucormycosis. Despite timely and effective therapy, mortality remains considerable. Antifungal agents currently available for the management of these serious infections include triazoles, polyenes, and echinocandins. Until recently, posaconazole has been the only triazole with a broad spectrum of anti-mold activity against both Aspergillus sp. and mucorales. Other clinically available triazoles voriconazole and itraconazole, with poor activity against mucorales, have significant drug interactions in addition to a side effect profile inherent for all triazoles. Polyenes including lipid formulations pose a problem with infusion-related side effects, electrolyte imbalance, and nephrotoxicity. Echinocandins are ineffective against mucorales and are approved as salvage therapy for refractory IA. Given that all available antifungal agents have limitations, there has been an unmet need for a broad-spectrum anti-mold agent with a favorable profile. Following phase III clinical trials that started in 2006, isavuconazole (ISZ seems to fit this profile. It is the first novel triazole agent recently approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA for the treatment of both IA and mucormycosis. This review provides a brief overview of the salient features of ISZ, its favorable profile with regard to spectrum of antifungal activity, pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic parameters, drug interactions and tolerability, clinical efficacy, and side effects. Keywords: isavuconazole, aspergillosis, mucormycosis, efficacy, antifungal therapy, novel azole, tolerability, drug interactions

Sociodemographic and clinical profile of patients in voluntary and involuntary psychiatric hospitalizations

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Carlos Robson Bezerra de Medeiros

2011-12-01

Full Text Available Objective: To assess the sociodemographic and clinical profile of patients in psychiatric hospitalizations of voluntary inpatients (IPV and involuntary (IPI, in psychiatric hospitals of Fortaleza-CE, Brazil, under contract with the Unified Health System (SUS. Methods: A quantitative study, descriptive, cross-sectional and analytical. The sample comprised 393 patients, distributed among 253 IPV and 140 IPI, submitted to Psychiatry specialtytreatment, in the year 2007. Results: For both patients, IPV and IPI, most were male: 185 (73.1% and 82 (58.6%; single: 181 (46.7% and 103 (26.5%; living in Fortaleza: 181 (71.5% and 95 (67.9%, respectively, and aged 20 to 60 years (mean age of 37 years. Weobserved significant difference between the type of hospital and patient gender (p = 0.003, which did not occur with marital status (p = 0.688 and origin (p = 0.95. The main symptom profiles which justified the clinical admission of these patients were the use of alcohol or drugs 70 (27.6%, changes in critical judgments 40 (28.6% and psychological distress 68 (26.9%. Family members were the main responsible for conducting these patients to the hospital. Conclusion: The results showed that patients on IPV and IPI, which joined in the study, had a socio-demographic and clinical profile characterized by: prevalence of male patients, from the capital Fortaleza, single, mean age of 37 years, having been brought tohospital by a relative, mainly due to alcohol use or drugs.

Neuromyelitis optica: clinical features, immunopathogenesis and treatment

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Jarius, S; Wildemann, B; Paul, F

2014-01-01

The term ‘neuromyelitis optica’ (‘Devic's syndrome’, NMO) refers to a syndrome characterized by optic neuritis and myelitis. In recent years, the condition has raised enormous interest among scientists and clinical neurologists, fuelled by the detection of a specific serum immunoglobulin (Ig)G reactivity (NMO-IgG) in up to 80% of patients with NMO. These autoantibodies were later shown to target aquaporin-4 (AQP4), the most abundant water channel in the central nervous system (CNS). Here we give an up-to-date overview of the clinical and paraclinical features, immunopathogenesis and treatment of NMO. We discuss the widening clinical spectrum of AQP4-related autoimmunity, the role of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and new diagnostic means such as optical coherence tomography in the diagnosis of NMO, the role of NMO-IgG, T cells and granulocytes in the pathophysiology of NMO, and outline prospects for new and emerging therapies for this rare, but often devastating condition. Other Articles published in this series Paraneoplastic neurological syndromes. Clinical and Experimental Immunology 2014, 175: 336–48. Disease-modifying therapy in multiple sclerosis and chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy: common and divergent current and future strategies. Clinical and Experimental Immunology 2014, 175: 359–72. Monoclonal antibodies in treatment of multiple sclerosis. Clinical and Experimental Immunology 2014, 175: 373–84. CLIPPERS: chronic lymphocytic inflammation with pontine perivascular enhancement responsive to steroids. Review of an increasingly recognized entity within the spectrum of inflammatory central nervous system disorders. Clinical and Experimental Immunology 2014, 175: 385–96. Requirement for safety monitoring for approved multiple sclerosis therapies: an overview. Clinical and Experimental Immunology 2014, 175: 397–407. Myasthenia gravis: an update for the clinician. Clinical and Experimental Immunology 2014, 175: 408�

Addiction research centres and the nurturing of creativity: National Drug Dependence Treatment Centre, India--a profile.

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Ray, Rajat; Dhawan, Anju; Chopra, Anita

2013-10-01

The National Drug Dependence Treatment Centre (NDDTC) is a part of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, a premier autonomous medical university in India. This article provides an account of its origin and its contribution to the field of substance use disorder at the national and international levels. Since its establishment, the NDDTC has played a major role in the development of various replicable models of care, the training of post-graduate students of psychiatry, research, policy development and planning. An assessment of the magnitude of drug abuse in India began in the early 1990s and this was followed by a National Survey on Extent, Patterns and Trends of Drug Abuse in 2004. Several models of clinical care have been developed for population subgroups in diverse settings. The centre played an important role in producing data and resource material which helped to scale up opioid substitution treatment in India. A nationwide database on the profile of patients seeking treatment (Drug Abuse Monitoring System) at government drug treatment centres has also been created. The centre has provided valuable inputs for the Government of India's programme planning. Besides clinical studies, research has also focused on pre-clinical studies. Capacity-building is an important priority, with training curricula and resource material being developed for doctors and paramedical staff. Many of these training programmes are conducted in collaboration with other institutions in the country. The NDDTC has received funding from several national and international organizations for research and scientific meetings, and, most recently (2012), it has been designated as a World Health Organization Collaborating Centre on Substance Abuse. © 2012 The Authors, Addiction © 2012 Society for the Study of Addiction.

A Report of Six Clinical Cases of Lowered Blood Cholesterol Profile ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Purpose: To assess six patients with Diabegard® supplementation with reference to cholesterol profiles. Methods: We report the clinical courses of six individuals taking Diabegard® supplementation at 60 and 120 mg/day for 8 weeks. Results: Patients had a maximum of 52.13 % reduction in low-density lipoprotein (LDL) ...

Clinical & biochemical profile of trichinellosis outbreak in north India

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Rahul K Sharma

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Background & objectives: Trichinellosis is a parasitic infection caused by Trichinella nematodes, acquired from consumption of raw meat. However, data from Indian subcontinent are limited. The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical and biochemical profile of a suspected trichinellosis outbreak in a village in Tehri Garhwal district of Uttarakhand state in north India. Methods: Three index cases presenting as acute febrile myalgia syndrome with eosinophilia, after consumption of uncooked pork in a common feast, were confirmed as trichinellosis on muscle biopsy. A detailed epidemiological survey was carried out in the affected community and all the people who participated in the feast were investigated for clinical and biochemical profile. Results: A total of 54 patients were evaluated in the study. The type of pork consumed included uncooked in 24 per cent (n=13, open fire roasted in 39 per cent (n=21 and fried in 37 per cent (n=20. Clinical symptoms were found in those who consumed pork in uncooked or open fire roasted form (n=34. These included fever with chills and myalgia (100%, periorbital oedema (67%, dyspnoea (9%, and dysphagia (3%. Laboratory parameters studied in both symptomatic and asymptomatic patients showed eosinophilia in 90 per cent (n=41, raised ESR in 98 per cent (n=45, and an elevated creatinine phosphokinase (CPK level in 85 per cent (n=39. All symptomatic patients were treated with a short course of oral steroids and albendazole therapy. Conclusions: Trichinella infection is not uncommon in India, and should be suspected in case of acute febrile myalgia especially in areas, where habits of consumption of raw meat is more prevalent.

Conversational assessment in memory clinic encounters: interactional profiling for differentiating dementia from functional memory disorders.

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Jones, Danielle; Drew, Paul; Elsey, Christopher; Blackburn, Daniel; Wakefield, Sarah; Harkness, Kirsty; Reuber, Markus

2016-01-01

In the UK dementia is under-diagnosed, there is limited access to specialist memory clinics, and many of the patients referred to such clinics are ultimately found to have functional (non-progressive) memory disorders (FMD), rather than a neurodegenerative disorder. Government initiatives on 'timely diagnosis' aim to improve the rate and quality of diagnosis for those with dementia. This study seeks to improve the screening and diagnostic process by analysing communication between clinicians and patients during initial specialist clinic visits. Establishing differential conversational profiles could help the timely differential diagnosis of memory complaints. This study is based on video- and audio recordings of 25 initial consultations between neurologists and patients referred to a UK memory clinic. Conversation analysis was used to explore recurrent communicative practices associated with each diagnostic group. Two discrete conversational profiles began to emerge, to help differentiate between patients with dementia and functional memory complaints, based on (1) whether the patient is able to answer questions about personal information; (2) whether they can display working memory in interaction; (3) whether they are able to respond to compound questions; (4) the time taken to respond to questions; and (5) the level of detail they offer when providing an account of their memory failure experiences. The distinctive conversational profiles observed in patients with functional memory complaints on the one hand and neurodegenerative memory conditions on the other suggest that conversational profiling can support the differential diagnosis of functional and neurodegenerative memory disorders.

Mechanism of anticarcinogenic properties of curcumin and its application for radio-sensitization and clinical treatment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Enomoto, Atsushi; Miyagawa, Kiyoshi; Yamada, Junko

2016-01-01

Curcumin is a yellow-colored polyphenol and a major component of turmeric (Curcuma longa). It is also an active ingredient in the herbal remedy and dietary spice. Curcumin has a long history of administration in traditional medicine of China. Extensive investigations on pharmacological activity of curcumin have demonstrated that curcumin possesses anti-carcinogenic, anti-inflammatory, and anti-oxidant properties. Curcumin, a kind of phytochemical, due to its beneficial pharmacological effects and an excellent safety profile, is demonstrated to be a potential candidate for the prevention and/or treatment of a variety of diseases. In this review, we introduce pharmacological action and molecular targets of curcumin, and describe its application for radio-sensitization and clinical treatment. (author)

Clinical outcomes in clinical trials of anti-HIV treatment

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Reekie, J; Mocroft, A; J, Neaton

2007-01-01

Since the introduction of combination antiretroviral therapy, there has been a decrease in both AIDS-defining illnesses and deaths. This decrease meant that performing clinical trials with clinical outcomes in HIV infection became more time consuming and hence costly. Improved understanding...... the infection, so when treatment is started it is currently a lifelong commitment. Is it reasonable then that guidelines are based almost completely on short-term randomized trials and observational studies of surrogate markers, or is there still a need for trials with clinical outcomes?...

The effects of natural compounds-containing mouthrinses on patients with fixed orthodontic appliance treatment: clinical and microbiological outcomes.

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Chen, Yong; Wong, Ricky W K; Seneviratne, Chaminda Jayampath; Hagg, Urban; McGrath, Colman; Samaranayake, Lakshman P

2013-11-01

To investigate the effects of two natural compounds-containing mouthrinses (NCCMs) (a fructus mume (FM) extract-containing mouthrinse and an essential oil (EO)-containing mouthrinse) on gingival health and microbial profiles in young orthodontic patients. This 6-month randomized, single-blinded, parallel-controlled clinical trial consists of 90 patients with fixed appliance treatment. The subjects were allocated to (1) negative control group: oral hygiene instruction (OHI) alone; (2) test group 1: OHI plus EO mouthrinse; and (3) test group 2: OHI plus FM mouthrinse. Clinical examinations included plaque index (PI), bleeding index (BI) and modified gingival index (MGI). Salivary microbial quantifications included total aerobic and anaerobic bacteria, Streptococci and Lactobacilli counts. Clinical and microbiological examinations were conducted at baseline, 3rd and 6th months (T1, T2, and T3). BI was significantly reduced in both the FM mouthrinse and EO mouthrinse groups compared with the negative control group at T3 (P 0.05). Both NCCMs effectively reduced gingival bleeding without causing significant alterations of microbial profile in young orthodontic patients. © 2012 John Wiley & Sons Ltd, BSPD and IAPD.

Profile of brivaracetam and its potential in the treatment of epilepsy.

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Ferlazzo, Edoardo; Russo, Emilio; Mumoli, Laura; Sueri, Chiara; Gasparini, Sara; Palleria, Caterina; Labate, Angelo; Gambardella, Antonio; De Sarro, Giovambattista; Aguglia, Umberto

2015-01-01

Brivaracetam (BRV) (UCB 34714) is currently under review by the US Food and Drug Administration and European Medicines Agency for approval as an add-on treatment for adult patients with partial seizures. Similar to levetiracetam (LEV), BRV acts as a high-affinity ligand of the synaptic vesicle protein 2A, however, it has been shown to be 10- to 30-fold more potent than LEV. Moreover, BRV does not share the LEV inhibitory activity on the high voltage Ca(2+) channels and AMPA receptors, and it has been reported to act as a partial antagonist on neuronal voltage-gated sodium channels. The pharmacokinetic profile of BRV is favorable and linear, and it undergoes an extensive metabolism into inactive compounds, mainly through the hydrolysis of its acetamide group. Furthermore, it does not significantly interact with other antiepileptic drugs and more than 95% is excreted through the urine, with an unchanged fraction of 8%-11%. BRV has a half-life of approximately 8-9 hours and it is usually given twice daily. To date, a wide range of experimental studies have reported the effectiveness of BRV with regards to partial and generalized seizures. In humans, six randomized, placebo-controlled trials and two meta-analyses highlighted the efficacy, or good tolerability, of BRV as an add-on treatment for patients with uncontrolled partial seizures. A wide dose range of BRV has been evaluated in those trials (5-200 mg), but the most suitable for clinical use appears to be 50-100 mg/day. The most common adverse reactions to BRV are mild to moderate, transient, often improve during the course of the treatment, and mainly consist of central nervous system symptoms, such as fatigue, dizziness, and somnolence. The aim of this paper is to critically review the literature data regarding experimental animal models and clinical trials on BRV, and to define its potential usefulness for the clinicians who manage patients with epilepsy.

The profile and treatment outcomes of sputum smear positive pulmonary tuberculosis re-treatment cases, in a district medical college of West Bengal, India

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Abinash Agarwala

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Background: In a high tuberculosis (TB burden county like India with different regional demography, knowledge about patient profile has a pivotal role in determining and identifying the factors associated with poor treatment outcomes among TB re-treatment cases. Aim: The aim was to describe the demography and clinical characteristics of TB re-treatment cases and to evaluate the factors associated with poor treatment outcomes among those patients. Settings and Design: A prospective longitudinal cohort study was carried out at chest medicine outdoor from February, 2011 to 2014 in a district medical college of West Bengal, India. Materials and Methods: Sputum smear positive re-treatment pulmonary TB patients attending our chest medicine outdoor during the 3 years study period were evaluated for demographic and clinical characteristics on the basis of previous treatment history and records at the beginning of the study. Patients were followed-up during the 8 months treatment period (Category II treatment regimen under Revised National TB Control Program. At the end of the study period, treatment outcomes were analyzed and factors associated with poor treatment outcomes were identified. Statistical Analysis: All variables were described by proportions, and differences between independent groups were compared using the Chi-square test and Fisher′s exact test, as applicable. Results: Among 74 patients, re-treatment was successful in 75.7% of relapse case, 66.7% of loss to follow-up cases and 53.8% of failure cases. Re-treatment failure was higher (38.5% in treatment failure cases compare to relapse cases (10.8% and initial loss to follow-up cases (16.7%. Young age, male, unmarried, employed who work outside appears to be the risk factors for loss to follow-up. Low body mass index, treatment from the private sector, history of alcoholism, radiological cavitory lesion, larger duration of previous treatment, lesser gap from previous treatment has

Estimation of treatment preference effects in clinical trials when some participants are indifferent to treatment choice

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Stephen D. Walter

2017-02-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background In the two-stage randomised trial design, a randomly sampled subset of study participants are permitted to choose their own treatment, while the remaining participants are randomised to treatment in the usual way. Appropriate analysis of the data from both arms of the study allows investigators to estimate the impact on study outcomes of treatment preferences that patients may have, in addition to evaluating the usual direct effect of treatment. In earlier work, we showed how to optimise this design by making a suitable choice of the proportion of participants who should be assigned to the choice arm of the trial. However, we ignored the possibility of some participants being indifferent to the treatments under study. In this paper, we extend our earlier work to consider the analysis of two-stage randomised trials when some participants have no treatment preference, even if they are assigned to the choice arm and allowed to choose. Methods We compare alternative characterisations of the response profiles of the indifferent or undecided participants, and derive estimates of the treatment and preference effects on study outcomes. We also present corresponding test statistics for these parameters. The methods are illustrated with data from a clinical trial contrasting medical and surgical interventions. Results Expressions are obtained to estimate and test the impact of treatment choices on study outcomes, as well as the impact of the actual treatment received. Contrasts are defined between patients with stated treatment preferences and those with no preference. Alternative assumptions concerning the outcomes of undecided participants are described, and an approach leading to unbiased estimation and testing is identified. Conclusions Use of the two-stage design can provide important insights into determinants of study outcomes that are not identifiable with other designs. The design can remain attractive even in the presence of

Anxiety and oppositional behavior profiles among youth with selective mutism.

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Diliberto, Rachele A; Kearney, Christopher A

2016-01-01

Selective mutism (SM) is a debilitating condition in which a child does not speak in social situations where speech is expected. The clinical conceptualization of SM has been debated historically, with evidence pointing partly to anxious and oppositional behavior profiles. Behavioral characteristics were examined in a clinical sample of 57 youth formally diagnosed with selective mutism. Parents rated children across internalizing and externalizing behaviors on the Child Behavior Checklist. Eighteen highly rated items were subjected to exploratory and then confirmatory factor analysis. Anxiety and oppositional behavior factors were derived. The anxious behavior profile was associated with social anxiety disorder symptoms, social problems, and aggressive behaviors but not oppositional defiant disorder symptoms. The oppositional behavior profile was associated with aggressive behaviors, oppositional defiant disorder symptoms, social problems, and inversely to social anxiety disorder symptoms. Results are consistent with emerging research regarding subgroups of children with SM. Behavior profiles are discussed as well with respect to assessment and treatment implications. Readers will learn about the nature of children with selective mutism as well as behaviors that differentiate anxious and oppositional behavior profiles. Items that comprise anxious and oppositional behavior profiles are presented. These item profiles may have ramifications for assessment and treatment. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Interferon-beta treatment associated with a biochemical profile suggestive of acromegaly. A case report of a patient treated for multiple sclerosis

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Andreassen, Mikkel; Frystyk, Jan; Miller, K.K.

2010-01-01

We describe a 34-year-old female treated with IFN-beta for 8 years with a biochemical profile suggestive of acromegaly. The patient presented with elevated serum insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) and insufficient suppression of growth hormone (GH) during oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT......). There were no clinical features of acromegaly. A 5-day profile showed higher GH levels on the 3 days following IFN-beta injections. Total and bioactive IGF-I were also elevated but did not fluctuate. Four weeks off IFN-beta normalized suppression of GH during OGTT but did not reduce serum IGF-I or bioactive...... IGF-I. In conclusion, IFN-beta treatment mimicked acromegaly biochemically. The changes were partially reversible...

The Hampstead Clinic at work. Discussions in the Diagnostic Profile Research Group.

Science.gov (United States)

Koch, Ehud

2012-01-01

Minutes of the Hampstead Clinic's Diagnostic Profile Research Group during a fifteen-month period (1964-1965) are reviewed and discussed. A wide range of topics were considered and discussed, with a special focus on the affective life, object relations, and ego function of atypical children in comparison to the early ego functions and differentiation of normal and neurotic children. These lively clinical and theoretical discussions and their implications for therapeutic work with a wide range of children, demonstrate the multifaceted leadership and contributions of Anna Freud as teacher, clinician, and thinker, and of the Hampstead Clinic as a major center for psychoanalytic studies.

Clinical and biochemical profiles of maple syrup urine disease in malaysian children.

Science.gov (United States)

Yunus, Z Md; Kamaludin, Dp Abg; Mamat, M; Choy, Y S; Ngu, Lh

2012-01-01

Maple Syrup Urine Disease (MSUD) is an autosomal recessive disorder caused by defects in the branched-chain α-ketoacid dehydrogenase complex resulting in accumulation of branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) and corresponding branched-chain ketoacids (BCKAs) in tissues and plasma, which are neurotoxic. Early diagnosis and subsequent nutritional modification management can reduce the morbidity and mortality. Prior to 1990s, the diagnosis of MSUD and other inborn errors of metabolism (IEM) in Malaysia were merely based on clinical suspicion and qualitative one-dimensional thin layer chromatography technique. We have successfully established specific laboratory diagnostic techniques to diagnose MSUD and other IEM. We described here our experience in performing high-risk screening for IEM in Malaysia from 1999 to 2006. We analysed the clinical and biochemical profiles of 25 patients with MSUD. A total of 12,728 plasma and urine samples from patients suspected of having IEM were received from physicians all over Malaysia. Plasma amino acids quantitation using fully automated amino acid analyzer and identification of urinary organic acids using Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry (GCMS). Patients' clinical information were obtained from the request forms and case records Results: Twenty-five patients were diagnosed MSUD. Nineteen patients (76%) were affected by classical MSUD, whereas six patients had non-classical MSUD. Delayed diagnosis was common among our case series, and 80% of patients had survived with treatment with mild-to-moderate learning difficulties. Our findings suggested that MSUD is not uncommon in Malaysia especially among the Malay and early laboratory diagnosis is crucial.

[Clinical and psychopathological profile of women victims of psychological partner violence].

Science.gov (United States)

Lamy, C; Dubois, F; Jaafari, N; Carl, T; Gaillard, P; Camus, V; El Hage, W

2009-08-01

Partner violence is a serious public health problem, due to their potential short-, medium- or long-term physical and psychological consequences. Violence is unbearable when it occurs between family members, and often remains unrevealed, invisible, hidden and repeated. The woman possibly feels trapped in a relationship of imprisonment. International studies have well-explored the psychopathological aspects of physical and sexual abuse within couples, but few explored the clinical profile of women victims of psychological violence or moral harassment. This study aims to define the clinical and psychopathological profile of women who are victims of psychological intimate partner violence. We contacted 628 women who consulted consecutively at the emergency ward of a university hospital covering a 300,000 catchment area. The telephone screening of psychological violence was therefore carried out using the Women's Experience with Battering (WEB) questionnaire (N=226). An optional clinical interview was given to the women declaring themselves as victims of psychological intimate partner violence (N=56) to evaluate the life events and the psychiatric disorders according to the DSM-IV. Finally, 43 participants (77%) gave their opinion on the qualitative aspects of the WEB questionnaire and their level of ease with this report. In 63% (N=35) of the cases, the victims and their partners had a rather high socioprofessional level. Women refer to emergency ward mostly for complaint of vague idiopathic pain (49%) or for psychiatric disorders (52%) with predominance of anxiety (28%) or addictive disorders (19%). The prevalence of potentially traumatic life events was found to be high in this group (83%). The traumatic psychological intimate partner violence was associated with a heightened prevalence of psychiatric comorbidities, like anxiety (72%), depression (100%), posttraumatic stress disorder (100%), and addiction to alcohol (100%) or another psychoactive substance (50

Analysis of immunological profile, clinical features and response to treatment in pemphigus.

Science.gov (United States)

Bardazzi, Federico; Balestri, Riccardo; Ismaili, Alma; LA Placa, Michelangelo; Barisani, Alessia; Patrizi, Annalisa

2017-12-01

Pemphigus is an autoimmune disease, characterized by the presence of serum autoantibodies against Desmoglein (Dsg) 1 and 3. It can affect the skin and/or the mucous membranes. Some authors found a correlation between the serum levels of autoantibodies, disease activity and clinical phenotype of pemphigus. Anti Dsg1 autoantibodies appear related to cutaneous phenotype, anti Dsg3 autoantibodies to mucosal involvement. From 2011 to 2014, in patients with pemphigus, the serum levels of anti-Dsg1 and 3 antibodies were determined with enzyme-linked immuno-sorbent assay at diagnosis and after 6 months of different therapies. The correlations between levels of autoantibodies, clinical phenotype, clinical activity and response to therapy, were investigated. Thirty-five patients were included. Clinical phenotypes were: mucosal in 17 patients; mucous-cutaneous in 11; and cutaneous in 7. The status of anti-Dsg1 autoantibodies was significantly related to the cutaneous and mucous-cutaneous phenotypes both at diagnosis and after 6 months. The status of anti-Dsg3 autoantibodies was significantly related to the mucosal and mucous-cutaneous phenotypes only at first evaluation. No significant correlations were found between disease activity and the status of autoantibodies. No significant variations of autoantibody levels (between first and second sample) were found with regard to different therapies, except for the variation of anti-Dsg1 autoantibodies in one patient treated with systemic steroids and methotrexate. A correlation between serum levels of autoantibodies and clinical phenotype was found. Further studies over a longer follow-up period may better characterize the correlation between autoantibody levels, clinical activity and response to different therapies of pemphigus.

Using dreams to assess clinical change during treatment.

Science.gov (United States)

Glucksman, Myron L; Kramer, Milton

2004-01-01

This article describes several studies that examine the relationship between the manifest content of selected dreams reported by patients and their clinical progress during psychoanalytic and psychodynamically oriented treatment. There are a number of elements that dreaming and psychotherapy have in common: affect regulation; conflict resolution; problem-solving; self-awareness; mastery and adaptation. Four different studies examined the relationship between the manifest content of selected dreams and clinical progress during treatment. In each study, the ratings of manifest content and clinical progress by independent observers were rank-ordered and compared. In three of the four studies there was a significant correlation between the rankings of manifest content and the rankings of clinical progress. This finding suggests that the manifest content of dreams can be used as an independent variable to assess clinical progress during psychoanalytic and psychodynamically oriented treatment.

'Muscle-sparing' statins: preclinical profiles and future clinical use.

Science.gov (United States)

Pfefferkorn, Jeffrey A

2009-03-01

Coronary heart disease (CHD) is a leading cause of death in the US, and hypercholesterolemia is a key risk factor for this disease. The current standard of care for treating hypercholesterolemia is the use of HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors, also known as statins, which block the rate-limiting step of cholesterol biosynthesis. In widespread clinical use, statins have proven safe and effective for both primary prevention of CHD and secondary prevention of coronary events. Results from several recent clinical trials have demonstrated that increasingly aggressive cholesterol-lowering therapy might offer additional protection against CHD compared with less aggressive treatment standards. While higher doses of current statin therapies are capable of achieving these more aggressive treatment goals, in certain cases statin-induced myalgia, the muscle pain or weakness that sometimes accompanies high-dose statin therapy, limits patient compliance with a treatment regimen. To address this limitation, efforts have been undertaken to develop highly hepatoselective statins that are capable of delivering best-in-class efficacy with minimized risk of dose-limiting myalgia. In this review, the preclinical and early clinical data for these next generation statins are discussed.

Profiling of volatile organic compounds produced by clinical Aspergillus isolates using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Gerritsen, M G; Brinkman, P; Escobar Salazar, Natalia; Bos, L D; de Heer, K; Meijer, M; Janssen, H-G; de Cock, H; Wösten, H A B; Visser, C.E.; van Oers, M H J; Sterk, P J

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in exhaled breath may identify the presence of invasive pulmonary aspergillosis. We aimed to detect VOC profiles emitted by in vitro cultured, clinical Aspergillus isolates using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Three clinical Aspergillus isolates and a

Profiling of volatile organic compounds produced by clinical Aspergillus isolates using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Gerritsen, M. G.; Brinkman, P.; Escobar, N.; Bos, L. D.; de Heer, K.; Meijer, M.; Janssen, H.-G.; de Cock, H.; Wösten, H. A. B.; Visser, C. E.; van Oers, M. H. J.; Sterk, P. J.

2018-01-01

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in exhaled breath may identify the presence of invasive pulmonary aspergillosis. We aimed to detect VOC profiles emitted by in vitro cultured, clinical Aspergillus isolates using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Three clinical Aspergillus isolates and a

ABC gene expression profiles have clinical importance and possibly form a new hallmark of cancer.

Science.gov (United States)

Dvorak, Pavel; Pesta, Martin; Soucek, Pavel

2017-05-01

Adenosine triphosphate-binding cassette proteins constitute a large family of active transporters through extracellular and intracellular membranes. Increased drug efflux based on adenosine triphosphate-binding cassette protein activity is related to the development of cancer cell chemoresistance. Several articles have focused on adenosine triphosphate-binding cassette gene expression profiles (signatures), based on the expression of all 49 human adenosine triphosphate-binding cassette genes, in individual tumor types and reported connections to established clinicopathological features. The aim of this study was to test our theory about the existence of adenosine triphosphate-binding cassette gene expression profiles common to multiple types of tumors, which may modify tumor progression and provide clinically relevant information. Such general adenosine triphosphate-binding cassette profiles could constitute a new attribute of carcinogenesis. Our combined cohort consisted of tissues from 151 cancer patients-breast, colorectal, and pancreatic carcinomas. Standard protocols for RNA isolation and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction were followed. Gene expression data from individual tumor types as well as a merged tumor dataset were analyzed by bioinformatics tools. Several general adenosine triphosphate-binding cassette profiles, with differences in gene functions, were established and shown to have significant relations to clinicopathological features such as tumor size, histological grade, or clinical stage. Genes ABCC7, A3, A8, A12, and C8 prevailed among the most upregulated or downregulated ones. In conclusion, the results supported our theory about general adenosine triphosphate-binding cassette gene expression profiles and their importance for cancer on clinical as well as research levels. The presence of ABCC7 (official symbol CFTR) among the genes with key roles in the profiles supports the emerging evidence about its crucial role in various

Study Of Clinical Profile of Allergic Contact Dermatitis In Pune

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sayal S K

1999-01-01

Full Text Available One hundred and twenty five cases of clinically diagnosed allergic contact dermatitis were studied. All patients were subjected to patch test with standard test allergens and also with suspected test allergens based on history and clinical profile. Allergic contact dermatitis due to Parthenium hysterophorus was commonest and found in 64% cases, followed by wearing apparel and jewellery in 16.8%, topical medicaments in 8% and cosmetics and occupational contactants in 5.6% cases each. The common individual allergens other than parthenium, were nickel in 8.8%, leather, hair dye and cement in 3.2% each, nitrofurazone and petrol, oil, lubricant (POL in 2.4% each. Patch test with suspected allergens was positive in 72% of cases.

Clinical utility of phentermine/topiramate (Qsymia™ combination for the treatment of obesity

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shin JH

2013-04-01

Full Text Available Jin Hee Shin,1 Kishore M Gadde2 1Department of Community and Family Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, 2Obesity Clinical Trials Program, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA Abstract: Qsymia™ (Vivus Inc, Mountain View, CA, USA, a combination of phentermine and delayed-release topiramate, has been available in the US since September 2012 for the treatment of obesity. Phentermine is an anorexigenic agent, which is approved for the short-term treatment of obesity, while topiramate is approved for nonweight loss indications – seizure disorders and migraine prophylaxis. The amount of weight loss achieved with combination therapy is of a greater magnitude than what could be achieved with either agent alone. Adverse events that occur with the combination therapy are in line with the known side effect profiles of the constituent drugs; teratogenicity, a slight increase in heart rate, psychiatric and cognitive adverse effects, and metabolic acidosis are concerns. Keywords: Qsymia, combination drug, antiobesity drugs, phentermine, topiramate, obesity, weight loss

CLINICAL PROFILE AND COMMON CAUSES OF HAEMOLYTIC ANAEMIA IN A TERTIARY CARE HOSPITAL, NORTHERN KERALA

OpenAIRE

Jog Antony; Reeta J; Sreelakshmi S; Rohit Mathew4; Adarsh Surendran

2016-01-01

BACKGROUND Haemolytic anaemia is a well-recognised clinical problem. This study looks into the clinical profile of haemolytic anaemia and also attempts to find out the common underlying causative disease. It also tries to group the patients according to the clinical manifestations and underlying causes. MATERIALS AND METHODS This is a hospital-based observational study conducted in a tertiary care centre in Northern Kerala. Forty-four adult patients with clinical manifestati...

Microbial Community Profiles in Wastewaters from Onsite Wastewater Treatment Systems Technology.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Łukasz Jałowiecki

Full Text Available The aim of the study was to determine the potential of community-level physiological profiles (CLPPs methodology as an assay for characterization of the metabolic diversity of wastewater samples and to link the metabolic diversity patterns to efficiency of select onsite biological wastewater facilities. Metabolic fingerprints obtained from the selected samples were used to understand functional diversity implied by the carbon substrate shifts. Three different biological facilities of onsite wastewater treatment were evaluated: fixed bed reactor (technology A, trickling filter/biofilter system (technology B, and aerated filter system (the fluidized bed reactor, technology C. High similarities of the microbial community functional structures were found among the samples from the three onsite wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs, as shown by the diversity indices. Principal components analysis (PCA showed that the diversity and CLPPs of microbial communities depended on the working efficiency of the wastewater treatment technologies. This study provided an overall picture of microbial community functional structures of investigated samples in WWTPs and discerned the linkages between microbial communities and technologies of onsite WWTPs used. The results obtained confirmed that metabolic profiles could be used to monitor treatment processes as valuable biological indicators of onsite wastewater treatment technologies efficiency. This is the first step toward understanding relations of technology types with microbial community patterns in raw and treated wastewaters.

Profiles of sociodemographic, behavioral, clinical and psychosocial characteristics among primary care patients with comorbid obesity and depression

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jun Ma

2017-12-01

Full Text Available The objective of this study is to characterize profiles of obese depressed participants using baseline data collected from October 2014 through December 2016 for an ongoing randomized controlled trial (n=409 in Bay Area, California, USA. Four comorbidity severity categories were defined by interaction of the binary levels of body mass index (BMI and depression Symptom Checklist 20 (SCL20 scores. Sociodemographic, behavioral, clinical and psychosocial characteristics were measured. Mean (SD age was 51 (12.1 years, BMI 36.7 (6.4 kg/m2, and SCL20 1.5 (0.5. Participants in the 4 comorbidity severity categories had similar sociodemographic characteristics, but differed significantly in the other characteristics. Two statistically significant canonical dimensions were identified. Participants with BMI≥35 and SCL20≥1.5 differed significantly from those with BMI<35 and SCL20<1.5 on dimension 1, which primarily featured high physical health (e.g., central obesity, high blood pressure and impaired sleep and mental health comorbidities (e.g., post-traumatic stress and anxiety, poor health-related quality of life (in general and problems specifically with obesity, anxiety, depression, and usual daily activities, and an avoidance problem-solving style. Participants with BMI<35 and SCL20≥1.5 differed significantly from those with BMI≥35 and SCL20<1.5 on dimension 2, which primarily included fewer Hispanics, less central obesity, and more leisure-time physical activity, but greater anxiety and post-traumatic stress and poorer obesity- or mental health-related quality of life. In conclusion, patients with comorbid obesity and depression of varying severity have different profiles of behavioral, clinical and psychosocial characteristics. This insight may inform analysis of treatment heterogeneity and development of targeted intervention strategies.Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov #NCT02246413 Keywords: Obesity, Depression, Behavior, Clinical

Establishing treatment protocols for clinical mastitis.

Science.gov (United States)

Roberson, Jerry R

2003-03-01

Each farm has a unique mix of mastitis pathogens and management procedures that have evolved over time. The herd veterinarian should work with the manager/owner to systematically develop treatment protocols that meet the needs and management of the farm. To establish a mastitis treatment protocol, it is necessary to develop a system to routinely identify clinical mastitis cases, develop a herd-specific severity level assessment system, manage the clinical mastitis cases based on severity level and culture result (when available), avoid antibiotic residues, and monitor the success of the system and alter the protocol as necessary.

Effect of Chronic Pioglitazone Treatment on Hepatic Gene Expression Profile in Obese C57BL/6J Mice

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Chunming Jia

2015-05-01

Full Text Available Pioglitazone, a selective ligand of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ, is an insulin sensitizer drug that is being used in a number of insulin-resistant conditions, including non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD. However, there is a discrepancy between preclinical and clinical data in the literature and the benefits of pioglitazone treatment as well as the precise mechanism of action remain unclear. In the present study, we determined the effect of chronic pioglitazone treatment on hepatic gene expression profile in diet-induced obesity (DIO C57BL/6J mice in order to understand the mechanisms of NAFLD induced by PPARγ agonists. DIO mice were treated with pioglitazone (25 mg/kg/day for 38 days, the gene expression profile in liver was evaluated using Affymetrix Mouse GeneChip 1.0 ST array. Pioglitazone treatment resulted in exacerbated hepatic steatosis and increased hepatic triglyceride and free fatty acids concentrations, though significantly increased the glucose infusion rate in hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp test. The differentially expressed genes in liver of pioglitazone treated vs. untreated mice include 260 upregulated and 86 downregulated genes. Gene Ontology based enrichment analysis suggests that inflammation response is transcriptionally downregulated, while lipid metabolism is transcriptionally upregulated. This may underlie the observed aggravating liver steatosis and ameliorated systemic insulin resistance in DIO mice.

Clinical utility of exemestane in the treatment of breast cancer 

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zucchini G

2015-05-01

Full Text Available Giorgia Zucchini,1 Elena Geuna,1 Andrea Milani,1 Caterina Aversa,2 Rossella Martinello,2 Filippo Montemurro1 1Investigative Clinical Oncology, Fondazione del Piemonte per l’Oncologia-Candiolo Cancer Institute (IRCCs, Candiolo, 2University of Turin Medical School, Turin, Italy Abstract: Breast cancer is the most prevalent cancer in women, causing a significant mortality worldwide. Different endocrine strategies are available for the treatment of hormone-sensitive breast cancer, including antiestrogen tamoxifen and fulvestrant, as well as third-generation aromatase inhibitors (AIs, such as letrozole, anastrozole, and exemestane. In this review, we will focus on exemestane, its clinical use, and its side effects. Exemestane is a steroidal third-generation AI now used in all treatment settings for breast cancer. In the metastatic disease, it has been extensively investigated as the first-, second-, and further-line treatment and it is now registered for the treatment of postmenopausal women with advanced estrogen-receptor-positive breast cancer whose disease has progressed following antiestrogen therapy. A potential lack of cross-resistance with nonsteroidal AIs has been described, giving additional therapeutic opportunities in sequences of endocrine agents. Exemestane is also approved for the adjuvant treatment of postmenopausal early breast cancer, either as upfront monotherapy for 5 years, as a switch following 2–3 years of tamoxifen, or as extended therapy beyond 5 years of adjuvant treatment. New promising data also showed a beneficial effect in young premenopausal early breast cancer patients, when administered together with ovarian suppression. Interesting results have also emerged when exemestane has been investigated as neodjuvant treatment as well as preventive agent in healthy women at high risk for breast cancer. Exemestane is generally well tolerated, with a side effect profile similar to that of other AIs, including menopausal

MMPI-2 Profiles of Women With Eating Disorders in a Dutch Day Treatment Sample

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Exterkate, C.C.; Bakker-Brehm, D.T.; Jong, C.A.J. de

2007-01-01

In this study, we examined the MMPI–2 (Butcher, Dahlstrom, Graham, Tellegen, & Kaemmer, 1989) profiles of 324 Dutch patients with eating disorders at an eating disorder day treatment program.We studied the MMPI–2 profiles in 5 diagnostic eating disorder groups.All diagnostic subgroups showed high

Glioblastoma update: molecular biology, diagnosis, treatment, response assessment, and translational clinical trials [version 1; referees: 2 approved

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Frank Lieberman

2017-10-01

Full Text Available This is an exciting time in neuro-oncology. Discoveries elucidating the molecular mechanisms of oncogenesis and the molecular subtypes of glioblastoma multiforme (GBM have led to new diagnostic and classification schemes with more prognostic power than histology alone. Molecular profiling has become part of the standard neuropathological evaluation of GBM. Chemoradiation followed by adjuvant temozolomide remains the standard therapy for newly diagnosed GBM, but survival remains unsatisfactory. Patients with recurrent GBM continue to have a dismal prognosis, but neuro-oncology centers with active clinical trial programs are seeing a small but increasing cadre of patients with longer survival. Molecularly targeted therapeutics, personalized therapy based on molecular profiling of individual tumors, and immunotherapeutic strategies are all being evaluated and refined in clinical trials. Understanding of the molecular mechanisms of tumor-mediated immunosuppression, and specifically interactions between tumor cells and immune effector cells in the tumor microenvironment, has led to a new generation of immunotherapies, including vaccine and immunomodulatory strategies as well as T-cell-based treatments. Molecularly targeted therapies, chemoradiation, immunotherapies, and anti-angiogenic therapies have created the need to develop more reliable neuroimaging criteria for differentiating the effects of therapy from tumor progression and changes in blood–brain barrier physiology from treatment response. Translational clinical trials for patients with GBM now incorporate quantitative imaging using both magnetic resonance imaging and positron emission tomography techniques. This update presents a summary of the current standards for therapy for newly diagnosed and recurrent GBM and highlights promising translational research.

Predictors of favorable soft tissue profile outcomes following Class II Twin-block treatment.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Ji-Eun; Mah, Su-Jung; Kim, Tae-Woo; Kim, Su-Jung; Park, Ki-Ho; Kang, Yoon-Goo

2018-01-01

The aim of this study was to determine cephalometric factors that help predict favorable soft-tissue profile outcomes following treatment with the Class II Twin-block appliance. Pre- and post-treatment lateral cephalograms of 45 patients treated with the Class II Twin-block appliance were retrospectively analyzed. Profile silhouettes were drawn from the cephalograms and evaluated by three orthodontists in order to determine the extent of improvement. Samples were divided into a favorable group (upper 30% of visual analogue scale [VAS] scores, n = 14) and an unfavorable group (lower 30% of VAS scores, n = 14). Skeletal and soft-tissue measurements were performed on the cephalograms and an intergroup comparison was conducted. An independent t -test revealed that the following pre-treatment values were lower in the favorable group compared to the unfavorable group: lower incisor to mandibular plane angle, lower incisor to pogonion distance, point A-nasion-point B angle, sella-nasion line (SN) to maxillary plane angle, SN to mandibular plane angle, gonial angle, and symphysis inclination. The favorable group had a larger incisor inclination to occlusal plane. Moreover, the favorable group showed larger post-treatment changes in gonial angle, B point projection, and pogonion projection than did the unfavorable group. Class II malocclusion patients with a low divergent skeletal pattern and reduced lower incisor protrusions are likely to show more improvement in soft-tissue profile outcomes following Class II Twin-block treatment.

On heterogeneity of treatment effects and clinical freedom.

Science.gov (United States)

Sacristán, J A; Avendaño-Solá, C

2015-01-01

Three decades ago, John R Hampton announced the death of clinical freedom. Since then, evidence-based medicine has been the predominant paradigm in clinical research. By applying a population-based approach, the randomised controlled trial has become the cornerstone for demonstrating the overall effect of a treatment and for developing guidelines. The new patient-centred medicine movement is rediscovering the important implications of heterogeneity of treatment effects for clinical practice and that a better understanding of such variability can contribute to improve health outcomes for individual patients through practicing a science-based clinical freedom. © 2015 The Authors. International Journal of Clinical Practice Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

PIGE - Resonance profiling applied to a clinical test of flouride varnishes

Science.gov (United States)

Zschau, H. E.; Plier, F.; Otto, G.; Wyrwich, C.; Treide, A.

1992-03-01

A clinical in-vivo experiment had been carried out to compare two caries preventing fluorine varnishes. The fluorine depth profiles in the near surface region of tooth enamel were measured using the 935 keV resonance of the nuclear reaction 19F( p, p' γ) 19F. The results can be understood by studying the flourine anamnese of the patients.

Clinical profile of newly presenting diabetic patients at the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital, Nigeria

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Unadike, B.C.; Akpan, N.A.; Essien, I.O.

2010-01-01

Diabetes Mellitus is emerging as a major health challenge with the incidence and prevalence of the disease on the increase. It also contributes to overall morbidity and mortality with complications like cardiovascular disease, neuropathy, nephropathy, retinopathy and lower extremity amputation. There are few local studies on the clinical characteristics of the disease in our wet up and this study therefore set out to characterize the clinical profile of newly presenting diabetic patients in a health facility in Nigeria. It is a cross sectional, descriptive study carried out at the diabetes clinic of the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital between January 2007 and September 2008. Data obtained included age, sex, anthropometric indices, symptomatology, co-morbidities, complications and treatment of diabetes. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 10. A total of two hundred and seventy patients were studied (120 males, 150 females). About 89.2% were Type 2 DM patients and majority of the study subjects were overweight. Diabetic neuropathy was the commonest complication present in 38.8% of the subjects. Polyuria was the commonest symptom and hypertension the commonest comorbidity. Majority of the subjects were on oral hypolgycaemic agents for the management of their disease with the sulphonyureas and biguanides being the most common medication that was taken by them. A few of the patients were also taking herbal medication for treatment of their disease. Majority of the patients presenting in our facility have Type 2 diabetes, were hypertensive and overweight. Hypertension was the commonest co-morbidity and diabetic neuropathy the commonest complication. Adequate health education, subsidies on medications and proper funding of the health sector is necessary to stem the tide of the burden attributable to the disease. (author)

Progression to dementia in memory clinic patients without dementia: a latent profile analysis

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kohler, S.; Hamel, R.; Sistermans, N.; Koene, T.; Pijnenburg, Y.A.L.; van der Flier, W.M.; Scheltens, P.; Visser, P.J.; Aalten, P.; Verhey, F. R. J.; Ramakers, I.

2013-01-01

Objective: To identify the existence of discrete cognitive subtypes among memory clinic patients without dementia and test their prognostic values. Methods: In a retrospective cohort study of 635 patients without dementia visiting the Alzheimer centers in Maastricht or Amsterdam, latent profile

The Success Factor Profile for clinical computer innovation.

Science.gov (United States)

Lorenzi, Nancy M; Smith, Janis B; Conner, Susan R; Campion, Thomas R

2004-01-01

Fifty to seventy percent of information system projects fail. Most of the failures are not the victims of flawed technology, but rather organizational and people related issues. When Vanderbilt University Medical Center began an intensive electronic health record (EHR) effort, a process was carefully designed to select the clinical areas where new tools could be developed and pilot tested. The Success Factor Profile was created to guide the selection of sites most likely to have innovation success. This paper describes both the tools and the processes used to select clinical sites for new computer tools development and pilot implementation. Early results demonstrated that the tools provided structure for the decision making process, permitting side-by-side comparison of "apples and oranges." Selecting the site most likely to succeed with computer application innovation and early implementation has broad applicability in healthcare informatics. Failure to succeed with early system users is not only costly, but also discourages users and developers alike, and may damage the reputation of the tools and systems across the institution.

Uveitis profile and treatment response in Iranian patients with sarcoidosis.

Science.gov (United States)

Mahmoudzadeh, Pouya; Tousi, Adib; Ramezani, Alireza; Soheilian, Roham; Soheilian, Masoud

2015-06-01

The aim of the study was to assess the clinical features and treatment responses in Iranian patients with sarcoid uveitis. A retrospective review of patients diagnosed with sarcoid uveitis from 1996 to 2010 was performed in a referral clinic in Tehran, Iran. Demographic and clinical features of patients, treatment modalities and therapeutic responses, and outcomes were recorded. Sixty-six eyes from 36 patients were studied. Twenty cases had biopsy-proven sarcoidosis. Mean duration of follow-up was 44.7 ± 45 months (range 3-175). Thirty-six eyes (54.5 %) had intermediate uveitis, 25 (37.9 %) panuveitis, and 5 (7.6 %) anterior uveitis. Twenty patients (55.5 %) responded to both systemic and/or topical corticosteroids, and 16 (44.4 %) required immunomodulatory drugs for control of uveitis. All of the patients finally responded to treatment in the form of inflammation reduction and/or vision improvement. The average time interval before initial clinical response following treatment was 3.2 ± 3 months (range 1-72). This study disclosed a higher predominance of females and intermediate form of uveitis in Iranian patients with sarcoid uveitis. Use of immunomodulatory drugs combined with corticosteroids resulted in good visual outcome and control of uveitis with a possible fewer corticosteroid side effects.

FUNCTIONAL SUBCLONE PROFILING FOR PREDICTION OF TREATMENT-INDUCED INTRA-TUMOR POPULATION SHIFTS AND DISCOVERY OF RATIONAL DRUG COMBINATIONS IN HUMAN GLIOBLASTOMA

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Reinartz, Roman; Wang, Shanshan; Kebir, Sied; Silver, Daniel J.; Wieland, Anja; Zheng, Tong; Küpper, Marius; Rauschenbach, Laurèl; Fimmers, Rolf; Shepherd, Timothy M.; Trageser, Daniel; Till, Andreas; Schäfer, Niklas; Glas, Martin; Hillmer, Axel M.; Cichon, Sven; Smith, Amy A.; Pietsch, Torsten; Liu, Ying; Reynolds, Brent A.; Yachnis, Anthony; Pincus, David W.; Simon, Matthias; Brüstle, Oliver; Steindler, Dennis A.; Scheffler, Björn

2016-01-01

Purpose Investigation of clonal heterogeneity may be key to understanding mechanisms of therapeutic failure in human cancer. However, little is known on the consequences of therapeutic intervention on the clonal composition of solid tumors. Experimental Design Here, we used 33 single cell-derived subclones generated from five clinical glioblastoma specimens for exploring intra- and inter-individual spectra of drug resistance profiles in vitro. In a personalized setting, we explored whether differences in pharmacological sensitivity among subclones could be employed to predict drug-dependent changes to the clonal composition of tumors. Results Subclones from individual tumors exhibited a remarkable heterogeneity of drug resistance to a library of potential anti-glioblastoma compounds. A more comprehensive intra-tumoral analysis revealed that stable genetic and phenotypic characteristics of co-existing subclones could be correlated with distinct drug sensitivity profiles. The data obtained from differential drug response analysis could be employed to predict clonal population shifts within the naïve parental tumor in vitro and in orthotopic xenografts. Furthermore, the value of pharmacological profiles could be shown for establishing rational strategies for individualized secondary lines of treatment. Conclusions Our data provide a previously unrecognized strategy for revealing functional consequences of intra-tumor heterogeneity by enabling predictive modeling of treatment-related subclone dynamics in human glioblastoma. PMID:27521447

Pegaptanib sodium treatment in neovascular age-related macular degeneration: clinical experience in Germany

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Nikolaus Feucht

2008-06-01

Full Text Available Nikolaus Feucht, Huebner Matthias, Chris P Lohmann, Mathias MaierAugenklinik rechts der Isar, Technical University Munich, GermanyBackground: The VEGF Inhibition Study In Ocular Neovascularisation (VISION reported the efficacy of intravitreal (ITV vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF inhibition with pegaptanib sodium (Macugen® for the treatment of neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD. This paper reports clinical experience with pegaptanib sodium for the treatment of occult or minimally classic choroidal neovascularization (CNV due to AMD.Material and methods: The study included 50 eyes (in 49 patients with either occult CNV or minimally classic CNV secondary to neovascular AMD who were not eligible for photodynamic therapy (PDT. Study data were analyzed retrospectively. During the 6-month study, patients were administered an average 2.74 injections of 0.3 mg ITV pegaptanib sodium. Angiography and optical coherence tomography (OCT examinations were carried out and intraocular pressure (IOP and visual acuity (VA were measured at baseline, at 3 months and at 6 months. An eye examination was performed and VA was measured the 2 days following treatment and then again at weeks 4–6, and at 3 and 6 months. OCT, VA, and IOP were also assessed at 1 month.Results: ITV pegaptanib sodium was well tolerated and no treatment complications arose. Mean VA was measured as: 0.37 ± 0.24 at baseline; 0.37 ± 0.25 at 1 month; 0.37 ± 0.25 at 3 months and 0.40 ± 0.26 at 6 months. VA was stabilized in approximately 90% of eyes treated with pegaptanib sodium. OCT examination showed a minimal change in central retinal thickness (CRT during the course of the study, from 251.19 µm at baseline to 251.63 µm at 6 months. No elevation in IOP was measured during treatment at 4–6 months in patients receiving pegaptanib sodium.Conclusions: ITV therapy with pegaptanib sodium for occult and minimally classic CNV secondary to neovascular AMD offered good

A study of the clinical profile and outcome of spina bifida

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Theophilus Nikita Kumar

2016-02-01

Full Text Available Neural tube defects (NTDs are a group of congenital anomalies characterized by defects in dorsal midline structures, including neural tissue, dura, muscle, bone and/or skin. The clinical presentations and the follow-up of these patients requires attention to various end organs besides the nervous system. To evaluate the clinical profile and surgical outcome of children with spina bifida. Out of a total of 74 patients treated at our institute for spina bifida between June 2013 to august 2015, 74 cases of spina bifida were analyzed retrospectively and prospectively. The clinical profile, radiological findings and urodynamic studies were recorded. Craniospinal MRI was done in patients to screen for Arnold Chiari malformations and monitoring of hydrocephalus was done as a management protocol at our institute for these children. All these patients except two underwent surgery for correction and closure of the spinal defect. Associated anomalies were treated accordingly. They were clinically assessed over a mean follow up period of 1.3years, ranging from 2months to 2½ years. 73% of the patients presented in the neonatal age group. Of which, 72% presented with a visible sac over the back.72% of the cases were Myelomeningocoeles. 79% of the defects were in the lumbosacral region.30% presented with sensorimotor loss or bladder bowel incontinence. Sensorimotor improvement was seen in 12.5% after repairing the defect with the help of physiotherapy and braces. 30% of the patients were diagnosed to have hydrocephalus, of which 33% required a CSF diversion procedure. The postoperative course of spina bifida repair was found to be uneventful in 90% of the patients

Community treatment adoption of contingency management: a conceptual profile of U.S. clinics based on innovativeness of executive staff.

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Hartzler, Bryan; Rabun, Carl

2013-07-01

Community adoption of contingency management (CM) varies considerably, and executive innovativeness may help explain variance due to its presumed influence on clinic decision-making. Sixteen U.S. opioid treatment programs (OTPs) were visited, with ethnographic interviewing used in casual contacts with executives to inform their eventual classification by study investigators into one of Rogers' (2003) five adopter categories. Audio-recorded interviews were also conducted individually with the executive and three staff members (N = 64) wherein they reported reactions to clinic CM implementation during the prior year, from which study investigators later identified salient excerpts during interview transcript reviews. The executive sample was progressive, with 56% classified as innovators or early adopters. Implementation reports and corresponding staff reactions were generally consistent with what might be expected according to diffusion theory. Clinics led by innovators had durably implemented multiple CM applications, for which staff voiced support. Clinics led by early adopters reported CM exposure via research trial participation, with mixed reporting of sustained and discontinued applications and similarly mixed staff views. Clinics led by early majority adopters employed CM selectively for administrative purposes, with staff reticence about its expansion to therapeutic uses. Clinics led by late majority adopters had either deferred or discontinued CM adoption, with typically disenchanted staff views. Clinics led by a laggard executive evidenced no CM exposure and strongly dogmatic staff views against its use. Study findings are consistent with diffusion theory precepts, and illustrate pervasive influences of executive innovativeness on clinic practices and staff impressions of implementation experiences. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Impact of INTERMACS Profile on Clinical Outcomes for Patients Supported With the Total Artificial Heart.

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Shah, Keyur B; Thanavaro, Kristin L; Tang, Daniel G; Quader, Mohammed A; Mankad, Anit K; Tchoukina, Inna; Thacker, Leroy R; Smallfield, Melissa C; Katlaps, Gundars; Hess, Michael L; Cooke, Richard H; Kasirajan, Vigneshwar

2016-11-01

Insufficient data delineate outcomes for Interagency Registry for Mechanically Assisted Circulatory Support (INTERMACS) profile 1 patients with the total artificial heart (TAH). We studied 66 consecutive patients implanted with the TAH at our institution from 2006 through 2012 and compared outcome by INTERMACS profile. INTERMACS profiles were adjudicated retrospectively by a reviewer blinded to clinical outcomes. Survival after TAH implantation at 6 and 12 months was 76% and 71%, respectively. INTERMACS profile 1 patients had decreased 6-month survival on the device compared with those in profiles 2-4 (74% vs 95%, log rank: P = .015). For the 50 patients surviving to heart transplantation, the 1-year posttransplant survival was 82%. There was no difference in 1-year survival when comparing patients in the INTERMACS 1 profile with less severe profiles (79% vs 84%; log rank test P = .7; hazard ratio [confidence interval] 1.3 [0.3-4.8]). Patients implanted with the TAH as INTERMACS profile 1 had reduced survival to transplantation compared with less sick profiles. INTERMACS profile at the time of TAH implantation did not affect 1-year survival after heart transplantation. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Systematization of clinical trials related to treatment of metabolic syndrome, 1980-2015.

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Cardona Velásquez, Santiago; Guzmán Vivares, Laura; Cardona-Arias, Jaiberth Antonio

2017-02-01

Despite the clinical, epidemiological, and economic significance of metabolic syndrome, the profile of clinical trials on this disease is unknown. To characterize the clinical trials related to treatment of metabolic syndrome during the 1980-2015 period. Systematic review of the literature using an ex ante search protocol which followed the phases of the guide Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses in four multidisciplinary databases with seven search strategies. Reproducibility and methodological quality of the studies were assessed. One hundred and six trials were included, most from the United States, Italy, and Spain, of which 63.2% evaluated interventions effective for several components of the syndrome such as diet (40.6%) or physical activity (22.6%). Other studies assessed drugs for a single factor such as hypertension (7.5%), hypertriglyceridemia (11.3%), or hyperglycemia (9.4%). Placebo was used as control in 54.7% of trials, and outcome measures included triglycerides (52.8%), HDL (48.1%), glucose (29.2%), BMI (33.0%), blood pressure (27.4%), waist circumference (26.4%), glycated hemoglobin (11.3%), and hip circumference (7.5%). It was shown that studies ob efficacy of treatment for metabolic syndrome are scarce and have mainly been conducted in the last five years and in high-income countries. Trials on interventions that affect three or more factors and assess several outcome measures are few, and lifestyle interventions (diet and physical activity) are highlighted as most important to impact on this multifactorial syndrome. Copyright © 2017 SEEN. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Clinically Applicable Inhibitors Impacting Genome Stability.

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Prakash, Anu; Garcia-Moreno, Juan F; Brown, James A L; Bourke, Emer

2018-05-13

Advances in technology have facilitated the molecular profiling (genomic and transcriptomic) of tumours, and has led to improved stratification of patients and the individualisation of treatment regimes. To fully realize the potential of truly personalised treatment options, we need targeted therapies that precisely disrupt the compensatory pathways identified by profiling which allow tumours to survive or gain resistance to treatments. Here, we discuss recent advances in novel therapies that impact the genome (chromosomes and chromatin), pathways targeted and the stage of the pathways targeted. The current state of research will be discussed, with a focus on compounds that have advanced into trials (clinical and pre-clinical). We will discuss inhibitors of specific DNA damage responses and other genome stability pathways, including those in development, which are likely to synergistically combine with current therapeutic options. Tumour profiling data, combined with the knowledge of new treatments that affect the regulation of essential tumour signalling pathways, is revealing fundamental insights into cancer progression and resistance mechanisms. This is the forefront of the next evolution of advanced oncology medicine that will ultimately lead to improved survival and may, one day, result in many cancers becoming chronic conditions, rather than fatal diseases.

Palliative treatment of malignant ascites: profile of catumaxomab

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Lila Ammouri

2010-05-01

Full Text Available Lila Ammouri, Eric E PrommerMayo Clinic Hospice and Palliative Medicine Program, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Mayo Clinic Hospital, Scottsdale, AZ, USAAbstract: Malignant ascites is the abnormal accumulation of fluid in the peritoneal cavity associated with several intrapelvic and intra-abdominal malignancies. The development of ascites leads to significant symptoms and poor quality of life for the cancer patient. Available therapies for palliation include treatment of the underlying disease, but when there are no treatment options, the use of diuretics, implantation of drainage catheters, and surgical shunting techniques are considered. None of these symptom palliation options affect the course of disease. The development of trifunctional antibodies, which attach to specific overexpressed surface markers on tumor cells, and trigger an immune response leading to cytoreductive effects, represents a new approach to the management of malignant ascites. The purpose of this review is to highlight current therapies for malignant ascites and review data as to the effectiveness of a new trifunctional antibody, catumaxomab.Keywords: catumaxomab, ascites, trifunctional

Clinical profile and antibiotics sensitivity in childhood urinary tract infection at Dhulikhel Hospital.

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Singh, S D; Madhup, S K

2013-01-01

Urinary Tract Infection implies presence of actively multiplying organisms in the urinary tract. Although it is infrequently associated with mortality, it is still a significant cause of morbidity. Early diagnosis is critical to preserve renal function of growing kidney. Our purpose was to determine the clinical, microbiologic profile and antibiotic sensitivity of such infections in pediatric Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) patients at Dhulikhel Hospital. A hospital based prospective descriptive study of 135 children from 2 months to 16 years, with clinical diagnosis of urinary tract infection who visited the pediatric department of Dhulikhel Hospital over the period of 15 months were enrolled in the study. All patients underwent routine urine analysis and culture. Children with recurrent UTI underwent micturating cystourethrogram (MCUG). Children with recurrent UTI of more than two years and with feature of pyelonephritis underwent USG abdomen as well. Complications and response of the treatment was observed in all cases of UTI. All data were entered in Epidata and data analysis was done using spss 16 version. Among 135 children, 32.5% were male and 67.4% were female. Fever was the most common presenting symptom in 74.80% of patients followed by dysuria in 54.1%. Among these children 95.6% had significant pyuria and 45% had culture positive infection. Children who showed positive for bacteriuria, Escherichia coli (78.7%) was the most common organism and are more than 80% sensitive to Amikacin, Gentamicin, Ceftriaxone, Ofloxacin, Nalidixic acid, Imipenem and Vancomycin. Co-trimoxazole was the most common drug used for treatment with a mean drug respond time of (mean+/-S.D) of 2.21+/-.78 days. 2+/-. Children who had recurrent UTI were more prone to develop culture positive UTI (p=0.0001). Urinary Tract Infection in female was almost twice more common than in male. Cotrimoxazole was the most common drug used for treatment, sensitivity of this drug was less than 50% for

Reconstructive endovascular treatment of vertebral artery dissecting aneurysms with the Low-profile Visualized Intraluminal Support (LVIS device.

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Chuan-Chuan Wang

Full Text Available The Low-profile Visualized Intraluminal Support (LVIS device is a new generation of self-expanding braided stent recently introduced in China for stent assisted coiling of intracranial aneurysms. The aim of our study is to evaluate the feasibility, safety, and efficacy of the LVIS device in reconstructive treatment of vertebral artery dissecting aneurysms (VADAs.We retrospectively reviewed the neurointerventional database of our institution from June 2014 to May 2016. Patients who underwent endovascular treatment of VADAs with LVIS stents were included in this study. Clinical presentation, aneurysmal characteristics, technical feasibility, procedural complications, and angiographic and clinical follow-up results were evaluated.38 patients with VADAs who underwent treatment with LVIS stent were identified, including 3 ruptured VADAs. All VADAs were successfully treated with reconstructive techniques including the stent-assisted coiling (n = 34 and stenting only (n = 4. Post-procedural complications developed in 3 patients (7.9% including two small brainstem infarctions and one delayed thromboembolic event. Complications resulted in one case of minor permanent morbidity (2.6%. There was no procedure-related mortality. The follow-up angiogram was available in 30 patients at an average of 8.3 months (range, 2 to 30 months, which revealed complete occlusion in 23 patients (76.7%, residual neck in five patients (16.7%, and residual sac in two patients (6.7%. The follow-up of 25 aneurysms with incomplete immediate occlusion revealed 22 aneurysms (88% with improvement in the Raymond class. One aneurysm (3.3% showed recanalization and required retreatment. Clinical followed-up at 5-28 months (mean 14.1 months was achieved in 36 patients because two patients died of pancreatic cancer and basal ganglia hemorrhage, respectively. No new neurologic deterioration or aneurysm (rebleeding was observed.Our preliminary experience with reconstruction of VADAs with

Clinical treatment planning for subjects undergoing boron neutron capture therapy at Harvard-MIT

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zamenhof, R.G.; Palmer, M.R.; Buse, P.M.

2001-01-01

Treatment planning is a crucial component of the Harvard-MIT boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) clinical trials. Treatment planning can be divided into five stages: (1) pre-planning, based on CT and MRI scans obtained when the subject arrives at the hospital and on assumed boron-10 distribution parameters; (2) subject set-up, or simulation, in the MITR-II medical therapy room to determine the boundary conditions for possible set-up configurations; (3) re-planning, following the subject simulation; (4) final localization of the subject in the medical therapy room for BNCT; and (5) final post facto recalculation of the doses delivered based on firm knowledge of the blood boron-10 concentration profiles and the neutron flux histories from precise online monitoring. The computer-assisted treatment planning is done using a specially written BNCT treatment planning code called MacNCTPLAN. The code uses the Los Alamos National Laboratory's Monte Carlo n-particle radiation transport code MCNPv.4b as the dose calculation engine and advanced anatomical model simulation based on an automatic evaluation of CT scan data. Results are displayed as isodose contours and dose-volume histograms, the latter correlated precisely with corresponding anatomical CT or MRI image planes. Examples of typical treatment planning scenarios will be presented. (author)

Clinically Enhancing Local Anesthesia Techniques for Endodontic Treatment.

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Bahcall, James; Xie, Qian

2017-02-01

Local anesthesia is one of the most important drugs given to patients who undergo endodontic treatment. Yet, clinicians often do not view local anesthetic agents as drugs and, therefore, struggle clinically to consistently achieve profound pulpal anesthesia. To improve the clinical effects of local anesthesia for endodontic treatment, in conjunction with selecting the correct type of local anesthesia, clinicians need to thoroughly understand how the local anesthetic process works and how to objectively test for clinical signs of pulpal anesthesia and integrate supplemental anesthesia when appropriate.

Tuberculosis lymphadenitis in a southeastern region in Tunisia: Epidemiology, clinical features, diagnosis and treatment

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Salma Smaoui

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Aim: To evaluate patients’ profiles, demographics, clinical and therapeutic approaches and strategies in patients with tuberculous lymphadenitis (TBG. Patients and methods: A retrospective study of all TBG-confirmed cases admitted in a tuberculosis-specific health care facility between 1 January 2009 and 16 June 2013. Results: A total of 181 clinical files were examined. Mean age was 32 years old; the female/male ratio was 1.78 to 1. Raw milk consumption was noted in 1/3 of patients. Most cases involved the head and neck region (83.4%, nodes involvement, including axillary (12 cases, and mediastinal (9 cases. Clinical symptoms were present in only 55.2%. Tuberculin skin test (TST was conducted with 82.6% positive responses. Diagnostics confirmation was done with anatomical pathology in most of the patients; only 56 of them had any microbiology analysis done. Demonstration of acid-fast bacilli in microscopy from either fine-needle aspirates or biopsies was done in 17.5% of cases, and cultures yielded positive results in 27%. Treatment duration was varied. Paradoxical reactions were noted in 12% and persistent lymphadenopathy after treatment completion was noted in 10% of cases. Conclusions: TBG remains a disease of interest. Today, its diagnosis and management is still a problem despite its increasing worldwide incidence, and especially in this study area. Disease control should be strengthened in this country.

Profile of trifluridine/tipiracil hydrochloride in the treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer: efficacy, safety, and place in therapy

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Sunakawa Y

2017-09-01

Full Text Available Yu Sunakawa, Naoki Izawa, Takuro Mizukami, Yoshiki Horie, Mami Hirakawa, Hiroyuki Arai, Takashi Ogura, Takashi Tsuda, Takako Eguchi Nakajima Department of Clinical Oncology, St Marianna University School of Medicine, Kawasaki, Japan Abstract: TAS-102, with its robust survival efficacy and feasible toxicity, is one of the standard salvage-line treatments for patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC. No definitive data are available to determine which drug should be administered first during salvage-line treatment. Therefore, it is imperative that we establish the sequence of administration by considering drug toxicity profiles based on patient characteristics, such as age, performance status, comorbidities, tolerability to previous treatments, and patient preferences. The identification of predictive biomarkers in response to TAS-102 or its toxicity is urgently needed for better patient selection. Moreover, to strengthen efficacy or relieve toxicity, combinations with other agents, which could potentially emerge as standard treatment regimens, have been investigated and compared to existing active regimens for mCRC. Keywords: TAS-102, metastatic colorectal cancer, regorafenib, biomarker

Design and evaluation of multi-indicator profiles for targeted-selective treatment against gastrointestinal nematodes at housing in adult dairy cows.

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Ravinet, Nadine; Lehebel, Anne; Bareille, Nathalie; Lopez, Carlos; Chartier, Christophe; Chauvin, Alain; Madouasse, Aurélien

2017-04-15

Targeted-selective treatments against gastrointestinal nematode (GIN) in adult dairy cows require the identification of "cows to treat", i.e. cows whose milk production (MP) would increase after treatment. This study aimed at quantifying the ability of multi-indicator profiles to identify such cows. A randomized controlled clinical trial was conducted at housing in 25 French pasturing dairy herds. In each herd, treated cows received fenbendazole orally, control cows remained untreated. Daily MP was recorded and the MP variation between the pre- and post-visit periods was calculated (ΔMP) for each cow. ΔMP was modelled with control cows data (n=412) (piecewise linear mixed model). Estimated parameters were applied to treated cows data (n=414) to predict the expected ΔMP in treated cows if they had not been treated. Treated cows with an observed ΔMP (with treatment) higher than the expected ΔMP (without treatment) were labelled as "cows to treat". Herds where at least 50% of the young cows were "cows to treat" were qualified as "herds to target". To characterize such cows and herds, the available candidate indicators were (i) at the cow-level: parity, stage of lactation and production level, faecal egg count (FEC), serum pepsinogen level and anti-Ostertagia antibody level (expressed as ODR); (ii) at the herd-level: bulk tank milk (BTM) Ostertagia ODR, Time of Effective Contact (TEC, in months) with GIN infective larvae before the first calving, and percentage of positive FEC. These indicators were tested one-by-one or in combination to assess their ability to characterize "herds to target" and "cows to treat" (Chi-square tests). 115 out of 414 treated cows (27.8%) were considered as "cows to treat", and 9 out of 22 herds were qualified as "herds to target". The indicators retained to profile such cows and herds were the parity, the production level, the BTM Ostertagia ODR and the TEC. Multi-indicator profiles were much more specific than single indicator

Treatment selection in a randomized clinical trial via covariate-specific treatment effect curves.

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Ma, Yunbei; Zhou, Xiao-Hua

2017-02-01

For time-to-event data in a randomized clinical trial, we proposed two new methods for selecting an optimal treatment for a patient based on the covariate-specific treatment effect curve, which is used to represent the clinical utility of a predictive biomarker. To select an optimal treatment for a patient with a specific biomarker value, we proposed pointwise confidence intervals for each covariate-specific treatment effect curve and the difference between covariate-specific treatment effect curves of two treatments. Furthermore, to select an optimal treatment for a future biomarker-defined subpopulation of patients, we proposed confidence bands for each covariate-specific treatment effect curve and the difference between each pair of covariate-specific treatment effect curve over a fixed interval of biomarker values. We constructed the confidence bands based on a resampling technique. We also conducted simulation studies to evaluate finite-sample properties of the proposed estimation methods. Finally, we illustrated the application of the proposed method in a real-world data set.

Profile of ramucirumab in the treatment of metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer

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Cooper MR

2016-04-01

Full Text Available Maryann R Cooper,1 Chelsea Binkowski,2,3 Jessica Hartung,2,4 Jennifer Towle1 1Department of Pharmacy Practice, School of Pharmacy – Worcester/Manchester, MCPHS University, Manchester, NH, 2School of Pharmacy – Boston, MCPHS University, Boston, MA, 3North America Medical Affairs, 4Global Medical Affairs, Sanofi Oncology, Cambridge, MA, USA Abstract: The interaction between vascular endothelial growth factor and its receptor is an important therapeutic target due to the importance of this pathway in carcinogenesis. In particular, this pathway promotes and regulates angiogenesis as well as increases endothelial cell proliferation, permeability, and survival. Ramucirumab is a fully human monoclonal antibody that specifically targets the vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-2, the key receptor implicated in angiogenesis. Currently, ramucirumab is approved for the second-line treatment of metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC in combination with docetaxel. In a Phase III clinical trial, ramucirumab was shown to improve the overall survival in patients with disease progression, despite platinum-based chemotherapy for advanced NSCLC. This review describes the pharmacology, pharmacokinetics and dynamics, adverse event profile, and the clinical activity of ramucirumab observed in Phase II and III trials in NSCLC. Keywords: NSCLC, antiangiogenesis, VEGF-targeted therapy

A cluster analysis of tic symptoms in children and adults with Tourette syndrome: clinical correlates and treatment outcome.

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McGuire, Joseph F; Nyirabahizi, Epiphanie; Kircanski, Katharina; Piacentini, John; Peterson, Alan L; Woods, Douglas W; Wilhelm, Sabine; Walkup, John T; Scahill, Lawrence

2013-12-30

Cluster analytic methods have examined the symptom presentation of chronic tic disorders (CTDs), with limited agreement across studies. The present study investigated patterns, clinical correlates, and treatment outcome of tic symptoms. 239 youth and adults with CTDs completed a battery of assessments at baseline to determine diagnoses, tic severity, and clinical characteristics. Participants were randomly assigned to receive either a comprehensive behavioral intervention for tics (CBIT) or psychoeducation and supportive therapy (PST). A cluster analysis was conducted on the baseline Yale Global Tic Severity Scale (YGTSS) symptom checklist to identify the constellations of tic symptoms. Four tic clusters were identified: Impulse Control and Complex Phonic Tics; Complex Motor Tics; Simple Head Motor/Vocal Tics; and Primarily Simple Motor Tics. Frequencies of tic symptoms showed few differences across youth and adults. Tic clusters had small associations with clinical characteristics and showed no associations to the presence of coexisting psychiatric conditions. Cluster membership scores did not predict treatment response to CBIT or tic severity reductions. Tic symptoms distinctly cluster with little difference across youth and adults, or coexisting conditions. This study, which is the first to examine tic clusters and response to treatment, suggested that tic symptom profiles respond equally well to CBIT. Clinical trials.gov. identifiers: NCT00218777; NCT00231985. © 2013 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Clinical Significance: a Therapeutic Approach Topsychological Assessment in Treatment Planning

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Afolabi Olusegun Emmanuel

2015-06-01

Full Text Available Psychological assessment has long been reported as a key component of clinical psychology. This paper examines the complexities surrounding the clinical significance of therapeutic approach to treatment planning. To achieve this objective, the paper searched and used the PsycINFO and PubMed databases and the reference sections of chapters and journal articles to analysed, 1 a strong basis for the usage of therapeutic approach to psychological assessment in treatment plans, 2 explained the conceptual meaning of clinical significant change in therapeutic assessment, 3 answered some of the questions regarding practicability and the clinical significance of therapeutic approach to treatment plans, particularly during or before treatment, 4 linked therapeutic assessment to change in clients’ clinical impression, functioning and therapeutic needs 5 analysed the empirically documenting clinically significant change in therapeutic assessment. Finally, the study suggested that though therapeutic assessment is not sufficient for the systematic study of psychotherapy outcome and process, it is still consistent with both the layman and professional expectations regarding treatment outcome and also provides a precise method for classifying clients as ‘changed’ or ‘unchanged’ on the basis of clinical significance criteria.

Temperament and Character Profiles of Sasang Typology in an Adult Clinical Sample

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Soo Hyun Park

2011-01-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this study was to examine the biopsychological personality profiles of traditional Korean Sasang typology based on the Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI in a Korean adult clinical sample. A total of 97 adults completed the Korean version of the TCI. The participants were classified as one of three traditional Korean Sasang types (31 So-Yang, 41 Tae-Eum, 25 So-Eum by three specialists in Sasang typology. The seven dimensions of TCI were compared between the different Sasang types using analysis of variance (ANOVA and profile analysis. There were no significant differences in age, gender and education across the Sasang types. The TCI profile for each of the Sasang types was significantly different (profile analysis, df = 5.038, F = 3.546, P = .004. There were significant differences in the temperament dimensions of Novelty Seeking (F = 3.43, P = .036 and Harm Avoidance (F = 5.43, P = .006 among the Sasang types. The Novelty Seeking score of the So-Yang type (31.90 ± 9.87 was higher than that of the So-Eum type (25.24 ± 9.21; P = .019 while the So-Eum type (44.64 ± 8.47 scored higher on the Harm Avoidance score compared to the So-Yang type (35.16 ± 11.50; P = .003. There were no significant differences in the temperament dimension of Reward Dependence and Persistence, and the three character dimensions of Self-Directedness, Cooperativeness and Self-Transcendence. Results demonstrated distinct temperament traits associated with traditional Korean Sasang types using an objective biopsychological personality inventory. With further study, the Sasang typology may lead to enhanced clinical safety and efficacy as part of personalized medicine with traditional medicine.

Simulation of lung cancer treatment with equivalent dose calculation and analysis of the dose distribution profile

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Thalhofer, J. L.; Marques L, J.; Da Silva, A. X.; Dos Reis J, J. P.; Da Silva J, W. F. R.; Arruda C, S. C.; Monteiro de S, E.; Santos B, D. V.

2017-10-01

Actually, lung cancer is one of the most lethal types, due to the disease in the majority of the cases asymptomatic in the early stages, being the detection of the pathology in advanced stage, with tumor considerable volume. Dosimetry analysis of healthy organs under real conditions is not feasible. Therefore, computational simulations are used to auxiliary in dose verification in organs of patients submitted to radiotherapy. The goal of this study is to calculate the equivalent dose, due to photons, in surrounding in healthy organs of a patient submitted to radiotherapy for lung cancer, through computational modeling. The simulation was performed using the MCNPX code (Version, 2006], Rex and Regina phantom [ICRP 110, 2008], radiotherapy room, Siemens Oncor Expression accelerator operating at 6 MV and treatment protocol adopted at the Inca (National Cancer Institute, Brazil). The results obtained, considering the dose due to photons for both phantom indicate that organs located inside the thoracic cavity received higher dose, being the bronchi, heart and esophagus more affected, due to the anatomical positioning. Clinical data describe the development of bronchiolitis, esophagitis, and cardiomyopathies with decreased cardiopulmonary function as one of the major effects of lung cancer treatment. In the Regina phantom, the second largest dose was in the region of the breasts with 615,73 mSv / Gy, while in the Rex 514,06 mSv / Gy, event related to the difference of anatomical structure of the organ. Through the t mesh command, a qualitative analysis was performed between the dose deposition profile of the planning system and the simulated treatment, with a similar profile of the dose distribution being verified along the patients body. (Author)

Diagnostic approach to neurotransmitter monoamine disorders: experience from clinical, biochemical, and genetic profiles.

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Kuster, Alice; Arnoux, Jean-Baptiste; Barth, Magalie; Lamireau, Delphine; Houcinat, Nada; Goizet, Cyril; Doray, Bérénice; Gobin, Stéphanie; Schiff, Manuel; Cano, Aline; Amsallem, Daniel; Barnerias, Christine; Chaumette, Boris; Plaze, Marion; Slama, Abdelhamid; Ioos, Christine; Desguerre, Isabelle; Lebre, Anne-Sophie; de Lonlay, Pascale; Christa, Laurence

2018-01-01

To improve the diagnostic work-up of patients with diverse neurological diseases, we have elaborated specific clinical and CSF neurotransmitter patterns. Neurotransmitter determinations in CSF from 1200 patients revealed abnormal values in 228 (19%) cases. In 54/228 (24%) patients, a final diagnosis was identified. We have reported primary (30/54, 56%) and secondary (24/54, 44%) monoamine neurotransmitter disorders. For primary deficiencies, the most frequently mutated gene was DDC (n = 9), and the others included PAH with neuropsychiatric features (n = 4), PTS (n = 5), QDPR (n = 3), SR (n = 1), and TH (n = 1). We have also identified mutations in SLC6A3, FOXG1 (n = 1 of each), MTHFR (n = 3), FOLR1, and MTHFD (n = 1 of each), for dopamine transporter, neuronal development, and folate metabolism disorders, respectively. For secondary deficiencies, we have identified POLG (n = 3), ACSF3 (n = 1), NFU1, and SDHD (n = 1 of each), playing a role in mitochondrial function. Other mutated genes included: ADAR, RNASEH2B, RNASET2, SLC7A2-IT1 A/B lncRNA, and EXOSC3 involved in nuclear and cytoplasmic metabolism; RanBP2 and CASK implicated in post-traductional and scaffolding modifications; SLC6A19 regulating amino acid transport; MTM1, KCNQ2 (n = 2), and ATP1A3 playing a role in nerve cell electrophysiological state. Chromosome abnormalities, del(8)(p23)/dup(12) (p23) (n = 1), del(6)(q21) (n = 1), dup(17)(p13.3) (n = 1), and non-genetic etiologies (n = 3) were also identified. We have classified the final 54 diagnoses in 11 distinctive biochemical profiles and described them through 20 clinical features. To identify the specific molecular cause of abnormal NT profiles, (targeted) genomics might be used, to improve diagnosis and allow early treatment of complex and rare neurological genetic diseases.

Systematic clinical evidence review of NASHA (Durolane hyaluronic acid for the treatment of knee osteoarthritis

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Leighton R

2018-05-01

-related adverse events (AEs.Results: The available evidence reported for the clinical studies assessed demonstrates sustained and effective relief of knee OA symptoms following a single injection of NASHA. In addition, an excellent biocompatibility profile is observed for NASHA as an intra-articular therapy for OA, as reflected by the low rate of AEs associated with treatment.Conclusion: Treatment with NASHA is an effective and safe single-injection procedure, which can be beneficial in the clinical management of knee OA. Keywords: osteoarthritis, viscosupplementation, intra-articular, hyaluronic acid, NASHA, Durolane, residence time, symptomatic relief, clinical outcomes

Clinical evaluation and verification of the hyperthermia treatment planning system hyperplan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gellermann, Johanna; Wust, Peter; Stalling, Dether; Seebass, Martin; Nadobny, Jacek; Beck, Rudolf; Hege, Hans-Christian; Deuflhard, Peter; Felix, Roland

2000-01-01

Purpose: A prototype of the hyperthermia treatment planning system (HTPS) HyperPlan for the SIGMA-60 applicator (BSD Medical Corp., Salt Lake City, Utah, USA) has been evaluated with respect to clinical practicability and correctness. Materials and Methods: HyperPlan modules extract tissue boundaries from computed tomography (CT) images to generate regular and tetrahedral grids as patient models, to calculate electric field (E-field) distributions, and to visualize three-dimensional data sets. The finite difference time-domain (FDTD) method is applied to calculate the specific absorption rate (SAR) inside the patient. Temperature distributions are calculated by a finite-element code and can be optimized. HyperPlan was tested on 6 patients with pelvic tumors. For verification, measured SAR values were compared with calculated SAR values. Furthermore, intracorporeal E-field scans were performed and compared with calculated profiles. Results: The HTPS can be applied under clinical conditions. Measured absolute SAR (in W/kg), as well as relative E-field scans, correlated well with calculated values (±20%) using the contour-based FDTD method. Values calculated by applying the FDTD method directly on the voxel (CT) grid, were less well correlated with measured data. Conclusion: The HyperPlan system proved to be clinically feasible, and the results were quantitatively and qualitatively verified for the contour-based FDTD method

Clinical features and endocrine profile of Laron syndrome in Indian children

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Supriya R Phanse-Gupte

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Introduction: Patients with growth hormone (GH insensitivity (also known as Laron syndome have been reported from the Mediterranean region and Southern Eucador, with few case reports from India. We present here the clinical and endocrine profile of 9 children with Laron syndrome from India. Material and Methods: Nine children diagnosed with Laron syndrome based on clinical features of GH deficiency and biochemical profile suggestive of GH resistance were studied over a period of 5 years from January 2008 to January 2013. Results and Discussion: Age of presentation was between 2.5-11.5 years. All children were considerably short on contemporary Indian charts with mean (SD height Z score -5.2 (1.6. However, they were within ± 2 SD on Laron charts. No child was overweight [mean (SD BMI Z score 0.92 (1.1]. All children had characteristic facies of GH deficiency with an added feature of prominent eyes. Three boys had micropenis and 1 had unilateral undescended testis. All children had low IGF-1 (<5 percentile and IGFP-3 (<0.1 percentile with high basal and stimulated GH [Basal GH mean (SD = 13.78 (12.75 ng/ml, 1-h stimulated GH mean (SD = 46.29 (25.68 ng/ml]. All children showed poor response to IGF generation test. Conclusion: Laron syndrome should be suspected in children with clinical features of GH deficiency, high GH levels and low IGF-1/IGFBP-3. These children are in a state of GH resistance and need IGF-1 therapy.

Determining clinical benefits of drug-eluting coronary stents according to the population risk profile: a meta-regression from 31 randomized trials.

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Moreno, Raul; Martin-Reyes, Roberto; Jimenez-Valero, Santiago; Sanchez-Recalde, Angel; Galeote, Guillermo; Calvo, Luis; Plaza, Ignacio; Lopez-Sendon, Jose-Luis

2011-04-01

The use of drug-eluting stents (DES) in unfavourable patients has been associated with higher rates of clinical complications and stent thrombosis, and because of that concerns about the use of DES in high-risk settings have been raised. This study sought to demonstrate that the clinical benefit of DES increases as the risk profile of the patients increases. A meta-regression analysis from 31 randomized trials that compared DES and bare-metal stents, including overall 12,035 patients, was performed. The relationship between the clinical benefit of using DES (number of patients to treat [NNT] to prevent one episode of target lesion revascularization [TLR]), and the risk profile of the population (rate of TLR in patients allocated to bare-metal stents) in each trial was evaluated. The clinical benefit of DES increased as the risk profile of each study population increased: NNT for TLR=31.1-1.2 (TLR for bare-metal stents); prisk profile of each study population, since the effect of DES in mortality, myocardial infarction, and stent thrombosis, was not adversely affected by the risk profile of each study population (95% confidence interval for β value 0.09 to 0.11, -0.12 to 0.19, and -0.03 to-0.15 for mortality, myocardial infarction, and stent thrombosis, respectively). The clinical benefit of DES increases as the risk profile of the patients increases, without affecting safety. Copyright © 2009 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Profile of patients with Fournier’s gangrene and their clinical evolution

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DJONEY RAFAEL DOS-SANTOS

2018-02-01

Full Text Available ABSTRACT Objective: to analyze the profile of patients with Fournier’s gangrene treated in a public tertiary hospital in western Paraná State. Methods: we conducted a cross-sectional, retrospective and descriptive study of patients with Fournier’s gangrene treated between January 2012 and November 2016. Results: there were 40 patients with Fournier’s gangrene treated in the period, 29 (72.5% men and 11 (27.5% women. The mean age was 51.7±16.3 years. The mean time of disease progression, from the initial symptom to hospitalization, was 10.5±1.2 days. All patients had clinical signs such as pain, bulging, erythema, among others, and 38 (95% had associated comorbidities, the most common being type 2 diabetes mellitus and systemic arterial hypertension. The majority (30 patients - 75% had perianal abscess as the probable etiology. All patients were submitted to antibiotic therapy and surgical treatment, with a mean of 1.8±1.1 surgeries per patient. Nine (22.5% patients died. There was a strong correlation between the presence of sepsis on admission and mortality. Conclusion: Fournier’s gangrene patients in this series had a long disease duration and a high prevalence of comorbidities, with a high mortality rate.

Clinical evidence of the efficacy of everolimus and its potential in the treatment of breast cancer

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Saksena R

2013-05-01

Full Text Available Rujuta Saksena, Serena T WongThe Cancer Institute of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ, USAAbstract: The PI3K/Akt/mTOR (phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/protein kinase B/mammalian target of rapamycin pathway regulates several key cellular functions and its dysregulation creates an environment that promotes tumorigenesis as well as resistance to therapy. The mTOR inhibitor everolimus has emerged as a promising agent in the treatment of breast cancer and was recently approved in combination with exemestane for advanced hormone receptor–positive disease after progression on a nonsteroidal aromatase inhibitor. Everolimus may also be effective in combination with cytotoxic and human epidermal growth factor receptor-2-directed therapies for the treatment of other subtypes of breast cancer. This paper highlights preclinical and clinical data that have emerged on the role of mTOR inhibition in breast cancer. Although generally well tolerated, everolimus carries a unique side effect profile of which both patients and providers should be made aware. Recommendations related to the administration of everolimus in the clinical setting are also discussed.Keywords: everolimus, breast cancer, mTOR inhibition

A Cluster Analysis of Tic Symptoms in Children and Adults with Tourette Syndrome: Clinical Correlates and Treatment Outcome

Science.gov (United States)

McGuire, Joseph F.; Nyirabahizi, Epiphanie; Kircanski, Katharina; Piacentini, John; Peterson, Alan L.; Woods, Douglas W.; Wilhelm, Sabine; Walkup, John T.; Scahill, Lawrence

2013-01-01

Cluster analytic methods have examined the symptom presentation of chronic tic disorders (CTDs), with limited agreement across studies. The present study investigated patterns, clinical correlates, and treatment outcome of tic symptoms. 239 youth and adults with CTDs completed a battery of assessments at baseline to determine diagnoses, tic severity, and clinical characteristics. Participants were randomly assigned to receive either a comprehensive behavioral intervention for tics (CBIT) or psychoeducation and supportive therapy (PST). A cluster analysis was conducted on the baseline Yale Global Tic Severity Scale (YGTSS) symptom checklist to identify the constellations of tic symptoms. Four tic clusters were identified: Impulse Control and Complex Phonic Tics; Complex Motor Tics; Simple Head Motor/Vocal Tics; and Primarily Simple Motor Tics. Frequencies of tic symptoms showed few differences across youth and adults. Tic clusters had small associations with clinical characteristics and showed no associations to the presence of coexisting psychiatric conditions. Cluster membership scores did not predict treatment response to CBIT or tic severity reductions. Tic symptoms distinctly cluster with few difference across youth and adults, or coexisting conditions. This study, which is the first to examine tic clusters in relation to treatment, suggested that tic symptom profiles respond equally well to CBIT. PMID:24144615

Clinical use of gatifloxacin ophthalmic solution for treatment of bacterial conjunctivitis

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Cervantes LJ

2011-04-01

Full Text Available Lorenzo J Cervantes, Francis S MahDepartment of Ophthalmology, Cornea and External Disease, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USAAbstract: Bacterial conjunctivitis is a common infectious disease of the eye, characterized by conjunctival hyperemia, eyelid edema, and purulent discharge. Although the prevalence and incidence are not well reported, bacterial conjunctivitis represents one of the most frequent causes of patient visits to both primary care physicians and ophthalmologists. Most cases of nongonococcal and nonchlamydial bacterial conjunctivitis are self-limiting and may resolve without intervention. There is a place for treatment, however, which allows for a shorter time to clinical and microbiological resolution which may decrease the mild morbidity, decrease health care costs of visits and potential complications, return patients back to school or the work force, and limit the potential spread of this communicable infection. Gatifloxacin ophthalmic solution is a broad spectrum 8-methoxyfluroroquinolone bactericidal antibiotic, with good activity against Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus species, and Gram-negative pathogens. It also has a relatively good resistance profile, making it a more than adequate choice in the treatment of bacterial conjunctivitis when therapy is warranted.Keywords: gatifloxacin, Zymar®, Zymaxid®, bacterial conjunctivitis

Low-profile stent system for treatment of atherosclerotic renal artery stenosis : The GREAT trial

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Sapoval, Marc; Zahringer, Markus; Pattynama, Peter; Rabbia, Claudio; Vignali, Claudio; Maleux, Geert; Boyer, Louis; Szczerbo-Trojanowska, Malgorzata; Jaschke, Werner; Hafsahl, Geir; Downes, Mark; Beregi, Jean Paul; Veeger, Nic; Talen, Aly

PURPOSE: The Palmaz Genesis Peripheral Stainless Steel Balloon Expandable Stent in Renal Artery Treatment (GREAT) Trial was designed to assess the safety and performance of a low-profile stent for the treatment of obstructive renal artery disease by looking at 6-month renal artery patency uniformly

Use of the measure your medical outcome profile (MYMOP2 and W-BQ12 (Well-Being outcomes measures to evaluate chiropractic treatment: an observational study

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Polus Barbara I

2011-03-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The objective was to assess the use of the Measure Yourself Medical Outcome Profile (MYMOP2 and W-BQ12 well-being questionnaire for measuring clinical change associated with a course of chiropractic treatment. Methods Chiropractic care of the patients involved spinal manipulative therapy (SMT, mechanically assisted techniques, soft tissue therapy, and physiological therapeutic devices. Outcome measures used were MYMOP2 and the Well-Being Questionnaire 12 (W-BQ12. Results Statistical and clinical significant changes were demonstrated with W-BQ12 and MYMOP2. Conclusions The study demonstrated that MYMOP2 was responsive to change and may be a useful instrument for assessing clinical changes among chiropractic patients who present with a variety of symptoms and clinical conditions.

A nurse- and pharmacist-led treatment advice clinic for patients attending an HIV outpatient clinic.

Science.gov (United States)

Griffiths, C; Miles, K; Aldam, D; Cornforth, D; Minton, J; Edwards, S; Williams, I

2007-05-01

This paper is a report of a study to map care pathways, examine the approach of different treatment advisors and explore the acceptability of a nurse- and pharmacist-led treatment advice clinic in order to aid decision-making for the future development and evaluation of the clinic. High levels of adherence to antiretroviral drugs are a prerequisite for a successful and durable virological and immunological response to HIV. Treatment guidelines acknowledge that adherence is a process, not a single event, and that adherence support must be integrated into clinical follow-up for all patients receiving these drugs. Data were collected between September 2004 and January 2005 through 17 consultation observations and 10 patient interviews in a specialist treatment advice clinic located within a central London HIV outpatient clinic providing care for over 2200 patients, of whom more than 1300 are taking highly active antiretroviral therapy. The nurses and pharmacist had similar consultation approaches, although follow-up care varied in extent. Benefits of the clinic approach included permitting patients to observe real tablets, tailoring regimens to lifestyles and telephone follow-up. These factors, particularly telephone support, were perceived by patients to assist with adherence. The role of telephone support, perceived to assist with initial adherence, requires further investigation. Future work is also needed to explore the health economics of this approach and to determine the actual impact of the clinic on clinical and adherence outcomes.

Comparison of mania patients suitable for treatment trials versus clinical treatment.

Science.gov (United States)

Talamo, Alessandra; Baldessarini, Ross J; Centorrino, Franca

2008-08-01

It remains uncertain whether bipolar disorder (BPD) patients in randomized-controlled trials (RCTs) are sufficiently representative of clinically encountered patients as to guide clinical-therapeutic practice. We complied inclusion/exclusion criteria by frequency from reports of 21 RCTs for mania, and applied them in a pilot study of patients hospitalized for DSM-IV BPD manic/mixed states to compare characteristics and clinical responses of patients who did versus did not meet exclusion criteria. From 27 initially identified inclusion/exclusion criteria ranked by citation frequency, we derived six inclusion, and 10 non-redundant-exclusion factors. Of 67 consecutive patients meeting inclusion criteria, 15 (22.4%) potential "research subjects" met all 10 exclusion criteria. The remaining 52 "clinical patients" differed markedly on exclusion criteria, including more psychiatric co-morbidity, substance abuse, involuntary hospitalization, and suicide attempts or violence, but were otherwise similar. In both groups responses to clinically determined inpatient treatments were similar, including improvement in mania ratings. Based on applying reported inclusion/exclusion criteria for RCTs to a pilot sample of hospitalized-manic patients, those likely to be included in modern RCTs were similar to patients who would be excluded, most notably in short-term antimanic-treatment responses. The findings encourage further comparisons of subjects included/excluded from RCTs to test potential clinical generalizability of research findings. The pilot study is limited in numbers and exposure times with which to test for the minor differences between "research subjects" and "clinical patients." (c) 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

CLINICAL AND LABORATORY PROFILE OF DENGUE FEVER

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Farhan Fazal

2015-02-01

Full Text Available AIM: Dengue is a major health problem in many parts of India and Gulbarga (North Karnataka was previously not a known endemic area f or dengue. Infection with dengue virus can cause a spectrum of three clinical syndromes , classic dengue fever (DF , dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF and dengue shock syndrome (DSS. The present study was undertaken to determine the disease profile of dengue virus infection in hospitalized patients. METHODS AND MATERIAL: One hundred patients admitted in Basaveshwar Teaching and General hospital with fever more than 38.5 degree Celsius and IgM dengue positive were selected. They were followed from the onset of fever to twelve days or till they are recovered according to WHO discharge criteria whichever is earlier. They underwent relevant investigations to identify specific organ dysfunction and categorize them into the spectrum of Dengue fever in accordance to W HO criteria . RESULTS: Out of 100 cases in this study 70 cases belongs to DF , 23 cases to DHF and 7 cases to DSS based on WHO criteria. All the cases had fever (100%. Other common symptoms noted were myalgia (61% , joint pain (54% , headache (66% , vomitin g (55% , pain abdomen (48% , rash (41% , hepatomegaly (20% , bleeding (21% and shock (8%. Hess test was positive in 24% patients. Low platelet count of less than 100 , 000/cu mm according to WHO criteria was present in 73% patients. Deranged liver functio n test and renal parameters were seen in 26 and 8 patients respectively . Mortality documented was 7 patients due to delayed presentation. The average duration of hospital stay was 4.65 days. CONCLUSION: Dengue fever was a more common manifestation than DHF or DSS. During aepidemic , dengue should be strongly considered on the differential diagnosis of any patient with fever. The treatment of dengue is mainly fluid management and supportive. Early recognition and management of alarm symptoms is the key to bet ter outcome

Glycogen storage disease type I: clinical and laboratory profile

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Berenice L. Santos

2014-12-01

Full Text Available OBJECTIVES: To characterize the clinical, laboratory, and anthropometric profile of a sample of Brazilian patients with glycogen storage disease type I managed at an outpatient referral clinic for inborn errors of metabolism. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional outpatient study based on a convenience sampling strategy. Data on diagnosis, management, anthropometric parameters, and follow-up were assessed. RESULTS: Twenty-one patients were included (median age 10 years, range 1-25 years, all using uncooked cornstarch therapy. Median age at diagnosis was 7 months (range, 1-132 months, and 19 patients underwent liver biopsy for diagnostic confirmation. Overweight, short stature, hepatomegaly, and liver nodules were present in 16 of 21, four of 21, nine of 14, and three of 14 patients, respectively. A correlation was found between height-for-age and BMI-for-age Z-scores (r = 0.561; p = 0.008. CONCLUSIONS: Diagnosis of glycogen storage disease type I is delayed in Brazil. Most patients undergo liver biopsy for diagnostic confirmation, even though the combination of a characteristic clinical presentation and molecular methods can provide a definitive diagnosis in a less invasive manner. Obesity is a side effect of cornstarch therapy, and appears to be associated with growth in these patients.

Clinical diagnosis and treatment of olfactory meningioma

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li Xiangdong; Wang Zhong; Zhang Shiming; Zhu Fengqing; Zhou Dai; Hui Guozhen

2005-01-01

Objective: To analyze the clinical diagnosis and treatment of olfactory meningioma. Methods: In this group 17 olfactory meningiomas were operated, and the clinical presentations and the surgery results were obtained. Results: The symptoms of psychiatrical disorder, visual disturbances and eclipse at presentation was higher. In 16 cases the grade of resection was Simpson II, 1 case Simpson III, most of the cases had a good recovery. Conclusion: Attention should be paid to the early symptom at presentation such as psychiatrical disorder to obtain an early diagnosis. Microsurgery is useful in the treatment of olfactory meningioma. (authors)

Reproducibility of mass spectrometry based protein profiles for diagnosis of breast cancer across clinical studies

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Callesen, Anne Kjærgaard; Vach, Werner; Jørgensen, Per E

2008-01-01

Serum protein profiling by mass spectrometry has achieved attention as a promising technology in oncoproteomics. We performed a systematic review of published reports on protein profiling as a diagnostic tool for breast cancer. The MEDLINE, EMBASE, and COCHRANE databases were searched for original...... studies reporting discriminatory protein peaks for breast cancer as either protein identity or as m/ z values in the period from January 1995 to October 2006. To address the important aspect of reproducibility of mass spectrometry data across different clinical studies, we compared the published lists...... of potential discriminatory peaks with those peaks detected in an original MALDI MS protein profiling study performed by our own research group. A total of 20 protein/peptide profiling studies were eligible for inclusion in the systematic review. Only 3 reports included information on protein identity...

Profile of idursulfase for the treatment of Hunter syndrome

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Sestito S

2015-07-01

Full Text Available Simona Sestito, Ferdinando Ceravolo, Michele Grisolia, Elisa Pascale, Licia Pensabene, Daniela Concolino Department of Pediatrics, University Magna Graecia of Catanzaro, Catanzaro, Italy Abstract: Mucopolysaccharidosis type II (MPS II; Hunter syndrome is a rare X-linked lysosomal storage disorder caused by deficiency of the enzyme iduronate-2-sulfatase (IDS. Enzyme replacement therapy (ERT with recombinant human IDS, available since 2005, is currently the most appropriate treatment for this progressive, multisystemic, chronic, and life-threatening disease. Efficacy and safety of therapy with idursulfase have been assessed in several clinical trials, and confirmed in many clinical reports. Long-term follow-up of patients receiving ERT has demonstrated the importance of an early onset of treatment with idursulfase, before irreversible pathological changes occur. Intravenously administered idursulfase is not able to cross the blood–brain barrier, so neurological signs and symptoms cannot benefit from ERT, still remaining a major challenge in the treatment of MPS II. Keywords: MPS II, glycosaminoglycans, enzyme replacement therapy, ERT

Changes in bacterial profiles after periodontal treatment associated with respiratory quality of asthmatic children

OpenAIRE

Wiyarni Pambudi; Imelda Fabiola; Retno Indrawati; Haryono Utomo; Anang Endaryanto; Ariyanto Harsono

2016-01-01

Background Despite the reduction phenomenon of asthma exacerbation after dental plaque control, no scientific report has been found to describe the link between bacterial profiles and respiratory quality in children with asthma. Objective To investigate association between bacterial profiles changes and improvement in respiratory quality after periodontal treatment. Methods Asthmatic children with FEV1 reversibility ~ 12% and dental plaque index ~ 2 who qualified for incl...

Clinical profile and outcome of critically ill pregnant females with H1N1 influenza

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Minal Shastri

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Background Record based review of the 2009 H1N1 Influenza pandemic suggests that pregnant women are at higher risk for hospitalization and death due to H1N1 Influenza. Aims To study the clinical profile and outcome of critically ill pregnant females admitted in intensive care unit (ICU with real-time recombinant polymerase chain reaction (rRT-PCR proven positive H1N1 cases. Methods A retrospective record-review based study was conducted at Sir SayajiRao General Hospital (SSGH and Medical College, Vadodara on data of confirmed rRT-PCR H1N1 pregnant females admitted during the pandemics of 2010and 2015. Demographics, clinical profile and laboratory investigations were recorded and outcomes (survived or expired were analysed. Results There were a total of 20 H1N1 positive pregnant females requiring ICU admission. With equal demographic distribution among rural and urban population, cough and fever were the most common presenting complaints. 65 per cent were in third trimester, the subgroup which also had the highest mortality. Mean days from onset until presentation was 5.05 days. 12 (60 per cent patients’ required invasive mode of ventilation and all died. Average hospital stay was 7 days. Foetus had favourable outcome in patients who recovered from H1N1 acute illness. Conclusion Pregnant females in our study had 60 per cent mortality. Thus, awareness, early diagnosis and treatment should be provided to them. Guidelines, policy changes and government protocols are required specifically for pregnant females with H1N1 Influenza A infection. Our study was an observational study and comparisons with non-pregnant females were not done, conclusions applicable to entire pregnant population was not derived.

Sociodemographic And Clinical Profile Of Men Assisted In A Psychiatric Detoxification Service In Natal, Rn, Brazil

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Romeika Carla Ferreira de Sena

2017-05-01

Full Text Available Introduction: The male population has a high probability of abandoning treatment, avoidance of health services, great exposure to violence, mainly due to abusive use of alcohol and other drugs, and high crime rates also associated with this problem. Objective: To characterize the sociodemographic and clinical profile of men admitted to a Psychiatric Detoxification Hospital Unit for alcohol and drug abuse. Method: It is a cross-sectional and retrospective study, with data collection in 2015, with a temporal cut in patients´ records between 2008 and 2014, reaching a sample of 1,152 medical records. The data collection instrument was composed of a structured form. The data were analyzed in a descriptive way. Results: Regarding the age, the age group between 21 and 50 years old had 30.73% between six and ten days hospitalized, and 11.98% had readmissions. The main diagnoses for this disorders were linked to the use of opiates, cannabinoids, sedatives and hypnotics. Conclusion: The profile of internal and assisted men was characterized such as adults of productive age, residents of the metropolitan area of the city, with long periods of hospitalization, generally with improved type discharge, low readmission and diagnoses of mental disorders related to the excessive use of alcohol and other drugs.

Tuberculosis lymphadenitis in a southeastern region in Tunisia: Epidemiology, clinical features, diagnosis and treatment.

Science.gov (United States)

Smaoui, Salma; Mezghanni, Mohamed Amine; Hammami, Bousaima; Zalila, Neila; Marouane, Chema; Kammoun, Sana; Ghorbel, Abdelmonoom; Ben Jemaa, Mounir; Messadi-Akrout, Férièle

2015-09-01

To evaluate patients' profiles, demographics, clinical and therapeutic approaches and strategies in patients with tuberculous lymphadenitis (TBG). A retrospective study of all TBG-confirmed cases admitted in a tuberculosis-specific health care facility between 1 January 2009 and 16 June 2013. A total of 181 clinical files were examined. Mean age was 32years old; the female/male ratio was 1.78 to 1. Raw milk consumption was noted in 1/3 of patients. Most cases involved the head and neck region (83.4%), nodes involvement, including axillary (12 cases), and mediastinal (9 cases). Clinical symptoms were present in only 55.2%. Tuberculin skin test (TST) was conducted with 82.6% positive responses. Diagnostics confirmation was done with anatomical pathology in most of the patients; only 56 of them had any microbiology analysis done. Demonstration of acid-fast bacilli in microscopy from either fine-needle aspirates or biopsies was done in 17.5% of cases, and cultures yielded positive results in 27%. Treatment duration was varied. Paradoxical reactions were noted in 12% and persistent lymphadenopathy after treatment completion was noted in 10% of cases. TBG remains a disease of interest. Today, its diagnosis and management is still a problem despite its increasing worldwide incidence, and especially in this study area. Disease control should be strengthened in this country. Copyright © 2015 Asian-African Society for Mycobacteriology. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Influence of religion and supernatural beliefs on clinical manifestation and treatment practices in patients with bipolar disorder.

Science.gov (United States)

Grover, Sandeep; Hazari, Nandita; Aneja, Jitender; Chakrabarti, Subho; Avasthi, Ajit

2016-08-01

Religious and supernatural beliefs influence help seeking and treatment practices in bipolar disorder, but these are rarely explored by clinicians. This study aimed to understand religiousness, magico-religious beliefs, prevalence of religious and supernatural psychopathology and treatment practices among patients with bipolar disorder in euthymic state. A total of 185 patients of bipolar disorder currently in remission were assessed cross-sectionally for their clinical profile, current clinical status on the Hamilton Depression Rating Sscale (HDRS), Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS) and the Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF). A semi structured instrument for magico-religious beliefs, aetiological models, treatment seeking and treatment practices was administered. More than a third of patients (37.8%) had psychopathology with either religious or supernatural content or both in their lifetime. Almost half (45.4%) the patients believed in a supernatural/religious aetiology for their illness. Among the specific causes, planetary influences (13.5%) and God's will (30.8%) were the most common supernatural and religious cause, respectively. Almost half (44.3%) of patients had first treatment contact with religious/supernatural treatment providers. More than 90% of patients reported belief in God, yet about 70% reported that their doctors did not ask them sufficient questions to understand their religiosity. Magico-religious beliefs are common in bipolar disorder and a large number of patients attribute these as aetiological factors for their illness. Consequently they tend to seek treatment from traditional practitioners prior to approaching medical practitioners and may continue treatment with them alongside medical management.

Impact of intramammary treatment on gene expression profiles in bovine Escherichia coli mastitis.

Science.gov (United States)

Sipka, Anja; Klaessig, Suzanne; Duhamel, Gerald E; Swinkels, Jantijn; Rainard, Pascal; Schukken, Ynte

2014-01-01

Clinical mastitis caused by E. coli accounts for significant production losses and animal welfare concerns on dairy farms worldwide. The benefits of therapeutic intervention in mild to moderate cases are incompletely understood. We investigated the effect of intramammary treatment with cefapirin alone or in combination with prednisolone on gene expression profiles in experimentally-induced E. coli mastitis in six mid-lactating Holstein Friesian cows. Cows were challenged with E. coli in 3 quarters and received 4 doses of 300 mg cefapirin in one quarter and 4 doses of 300 mg cefapirin together with 20 mg prednisolone in another quarter. At 24 h (n = 3) or 48 h (n = 3) post-challenge, tissue samples from control and treated quarters were collected for microarray analysis. Gene expression analysis of challenged, un-treated quarters revealed an up-regulation of transcripts associated with immune response functions compared to un-challenged quarters. Both treatments resulted in down-regulation of these transcripts compared to challenged, un-treated quarters most prominently for genes representing Chemokine and TLR-signaling pathways. Gene expression of Lipopolysaccharide Binding Protein (LBP), CCL2 and CXCL2 were only significantly down-regulated in cefapirin-prednisolone-treated quarters compared to un-treated controls. Down-regulation of chemokines was further confirmed on the basis of protein levels in milk whey for CXCL1, CXCL2 and CXCL8 in both treatments with a greater decrease in cefapirin-prednisolone-treated quarters. The data reveal a significant effect of treatment on cell recruitment with a more pronounced effect in cefapirin-prednisolone treated quarters. Provided a rapid bacteriological clearance, combination therapy may prevent neutrophil-induced tissue damage and promote recovery of the gland.

European AIDS Clinical Society (EACS) guidelines for the clinical management and treatment of HIV-infected adults

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Clumeck, N; Pozniak, A; Raffi, F

2008-01-01

A working group of the European AIDS Clinical Society (EACS) have developed these guidelines for European clinicians to help them in the treatment of adults with HIV infection. This third version of the guidelines includes, as new topics, the assessment of patients at initial and subsequent clinic...... virological failure and the treatment of HIV during pregnancy. In Europe, there is a wide range of clinical practices in antiretroviral therapy depending on various factors such as drug registration, national policies, local availability, reimbursement and access to treatment. These can vary greatly from one...

Clinical Implications of Cluster Analysis-Based Classification of Acute Decompensated Heart Failure and Correlation with Bedside Hemodynamic Profiles.

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Tariq Ahmad

Full Text Available Classification of acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF is based on subjective criteria that crudely capture disease heterogeneity. Improved phenotyping of the syndrome may help improve therapeutic strategies.To derive cluster analysis-based groupings for patients hospitalized with ADHF, and compare their prognostic performance to hemodynamic classifications derived at the bedside.We performed a cluster analysis on baseline clinical variables and PAC measurements of 172 ADHF patients from the ESCAPE trial. Employing regression techniques, we examined associations between clusters and clinically determined hemodynamic profiles (warm/cold/wet/dry. We assessed association with clinical outcomes using Cox proportional hazards models. Likelihood ratio tests were used to compare the prognostic value of cluster data to that of hemodynamic data.We identified four advanced HF clusters: 1 male Caucasians with ischemic cardiomyopathy, multiple comorbidities, lowest B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP levels; 2 females with non-ischemic cardiomyopathy, few comorbidities, most favorable hemodynamics; 3 young African American males with non-ischemic cardiomyopathy, most adverse hemodynamics, advanced disease; and 4 older Caucasians with ischemic cardiomyopathy, concomitant renal insufficiency, highest BNP levels. There was no association between clusters and bedside-derived hemodynamic profiles (p = 0.70. For all adverse clinical outcomes, Cluster 4 had the highest risk, and Cluster 2, the lowest. Compared to Cluster 4, Clusters 1-3 had 45-70% lower risk of all-cause mortality. Clusters were significantly associated with clinical outcomes, whereas hemodynamic profiles were not.By clustering patients with similar objective variables, we identified four clinically relevant phenotypes of ADHF patients, with no discernable relationship to hemodynamic profiles, but distinct associations with adverse outcomes. Our analysis suggests that ADHF classification using

Evaluation of stratification factors and score-scales in clinical trials of treatment of clinical mastitis in dairy cows.

Science.gov (United States)

Hektoen, L; Ødegaard, S A; Løken, T; Larsen, S

2004-05-01

There is often a need to reduce sample size in clinical trials due to practical limitations and ethical considerations. Better comparability between treatment groups by use of stratification in the design, and use of continuous outcome variables in the evaluation of treatment results, are two methods that can be used in order to achieve this. In this paper the choice of stratification factors in trials of clinical mastitis in dairy cows is investigated, and two score-scales for evaluation of clinical mastitis are introduced. The outcome in 57 dairy cows suffering from clinical mastitis and included in a clinical trial comparing homeopathic treatment, placebo and a standard antibiotic treatment is investigated. The strata of various stratification factors are compared across treatments to determine which other factors influence outcome. The two score scales, measuring acute and chronic mastitis symptoms, respectively, are evaluated on their ability to differentiate between patients classified from clinical criteria as responders or non-responders to treatment. Differences were found between the strata of the factors severity of mastitis, lactation number, previous mastitis this lactation and bacteriological findings. These factors influence outcome of treatment and appear relevant as stratification factors in mastitis trials. Both score scales differentiated between responders and non-responders to treatment and were found useful for evaluation of mastitis and mastitis treatment.

A clinical treatment intervention for dysphoria: externalizing metaphors therapy.

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McGuinty, Everett; Armstrong, David; Carrière, Anne-Marie

2014-01-01

The purpose of this article is to explore a novel, short-term treatment intervention for internalizing behaviours. This intervention is primarily based upon an externalizing process, transforming of metaphoric imagery, and shifting of underlying maladaptive emotional schemas. This article addresses the clinical population of children and youth, specifically through outlining the protocol, externalizing metaphors therapy. A selective review of significant works regarding the efficacy of short-term therapy was conducted, including the process of change within narrative therapy. It is proposed that two specific processes account for the mental health change experienced by clients who receive this new treatment intervention: (1) externalization of problems and (2) purposeful client-generated metaphor manipulation, impacting upon underlying schemas. From these theoretical constructs, the present article outlines a three-session treatment protocol that manualizes these key clinical processes. A case study is presented to illustrate this intervention for anxiety and depression. Further clinical research is underway to address the testable hypotheses resulting from the current theoretical model. Clinical trials in brief psychotherapy are suggested to empirically evaluate the efficacy of this new treatment intervention for dysphoria. This article outlines a short-term treatment intervention for anxiety and depression (dysphoira) through a novel 3-session model, where the clinician-practitioner can obtain competency through a one-day workshop.Its relevance for the clinical researcher and the mental health community is in its versatility in addressing internalizing behavior for four clinical populations: (1) children and adolescents; (2) children and adolescents on the autism spectrum; (3) adults in general; and, (4) adults with a dual-diagnosis. The treatment protocol described within is based upon the externalizing and deconstructive properties of Narrative Therapy, and the

HPV and high-risk gene expression profiles predict response to chemoradiotherapy in head and neck cancer, independent of clinical factors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jong, Monique C. de; Pramana, Jimmy; Knegjens, Joost L.; Balm, Alfons J.M.; Brekel, Michiel W.M. van den; Hauptmann, Michael; Begg, Adrian C.; Rasch, Coen R.N.

2010-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to combine gene expression profiles and clinical factors to provide a better prediction model of local control after chemoradiotherapy for advanced head and neck cancer. Material and methods: Gene expression data were available for a series of 92 advanced stage head and neck cancer patients treated with primary chemoradiotherapy. The effect of the Chung high-risk and Slebos HPV expression profiles on local control was analyzed in a model with age at diagnosis, gender, tumor site, tumor volume, T-stage and N-stage and HPV profile status. Results: Among 75 patients included in the study, the only factors significantly predicting local control were tumor site (oral cavity vs. Pharynx, hazard ratio 4.2 [95% CI 1.4-12.5]), Chung gene expression status (high vs. Low risk profile, hazard ratio 4.4 [95% CI 1.5-13.3]) and HPV profile (negative vs. Positive profile, hazard ratio 6.2 [95% CI 1.7-22.5]). Conclusions: Chung high-risk expression profile and a negative HPV expression profile were significantly associated with increased risk of local recurrence after chemoradiotherapy in advanced pharynx and oral cavity tumors, independent of clinical factors.

Clinical and pharmacoeconomic profile of esomeprazole in acid-related diseases

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Orietta Zaniolo

2006-09-01

Full Text Available Protonic pump inhibitors (PPIs are the most prescribed drugs for acute and maintenance therapy of gastroesophageal reflux disease, H. pylori-eradication (in association with antibacterial therapy, for ulcers prevention and cure and, recently, for prevention of NSAIDs-induced gastropathy. The high prevalence of these acid-related disorders induces a large consumption of PPIs; actually, they are the first drug class in terms of National Health Service pharmaceutical expenditure. This widespread and gradually increasing use enforces the need of a rational assessment of their impact on health care resources. This paper provides an updated profile of esomeprazole, the first PPI developed as a pure isomer, which property involves an advantageous metabolism, resulting in enhanced delivery to the proton pump compared with racemic omeprazole. Several studies showed that the success rate for healing reflux esophagitis is greater for esomeprazole than for omeprazole and some other PPIs. According to an Italian pharmacoeconomic model, esomeprazole therapy for erosive esophagitis is associated with higher benefits and lower costs as compared to omeprazole and pantoprazole. For long-term management of non-erosive gastroesophageal reflux disease, on-demand approach with esomeprazole shows clinical outcomes similar to daily treatment regimens, with substantial cost-saving. Furthermore, esomeprazole is the only PPI approved for 1-week triple therapy for both the eradication and the healing of H. pylori-associated duodenal ulcer, while the other PPIs registered the indication for H. pylori-eradication and, separately, a dosing scheme for ulcer healing (independently from etiology.

Clinical requirements in the treatment of today's respiratory tract infections.

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Höffken, G

1993-01-01

Respiratory tract infections (RTIs) are among the most frequent infections in man and lower tract infections account substantially for the overall mortality in hospitals. Regarding the etiology of pneumonias, one has to consider different pathogenic mechanisms, age of the patients, underlying diseases, concomitant medications, symptomatologies, seasonal influences, and clinical conditions, e.g. intensive care environment and mechanical ventilation. To optimize the rational management of respiratory infections, identification of the etiologic agent would be desirable. The decision of how to treat is often based on epidemiologic, clinical, and radiological assessments. Epidemiologic studies have shown a pronounced difference in the etiologic spectrum between community- and hospital-acquired RTIs. In community-acquired pneumonias, pneumococci, Haemophilus influenzae, Legionella, Mycoplasma and viruses predominate, whereas in nosocomially acquired pneumonias, Enterobacteriaceae, e.g. Klebsiella, Proteus, Enterobacter as well as Pseudomonas and staphylococci comprise the most frequent isolates. Empirical therapy has to cover all possible etiologic pathogens which most likely cause the infection. In addition, an adequate kinetic profile, e.g. once or twice daily dosing, sufficient pulmonary tissue or fluid penetration, and acceptable tolerance and costs are prerequisites for optimal therapy. Drugs of choice for the treatment of community-acquired pneumonia are aminobenzylpenicillins or macrolides. Oral cephalosporins exhibit excellent activity against many bacterial pathogens of typical community-acquired pneumonia, and are active against beta-lactamase-producing H. influenzae.

[Root resorption associated to orthodontic treatment: a clinical case].

Science.gov (United States)

Houb-Dine, Afaf; Rerhrhaye, Mariam; Ismaili, Zouheir; Rerhrhaye, Wiam

2011-12-01

Root resorption associated to orthodontic treatment is of multiple etiologies and a non intentional iatrogenic side effect which exists in almost all the orthodontic treatment. This clinical case of an apparently healthy patient illustrates the occurrence during the orthodontic treatment of a root resorption interesting the left central incisor, victims of previous traumatism and presenting a moderate periodontal attachment loss. The orthodontic treatment was carried out with light and continuous forces and a per-orthodontic periodontal maintenance in respect of periodontal requirements. As soon as the root resorption on the left central incisive was diagnosed, the active orthodontic treatment was interrupted in order to stabilize the lesion and a regular clinical and radiological monitoring was established.

Profile of brivaracetam and its potential in the treatment of epilepsy

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Ferlazzo E

2015-11-01

Full Text Available Edoardo Ferlazzo,1,2 Emilio Russo,3 Laura Mumoli,1 Chiara Sueri,2 Sara Gasparini,1,2 Caterina Palleria,3 Angelo Labate,1 Antonio Gambardella,1 Giovambattista De Sarro,3 Umberto Aguglia1,2 1Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, Magna Græcia University, Catanzaro, 2Regional Epilepsy Centre, Bianchi-Melacrino-Morelli Hospital, Reggio Calabria, 3Institute of Pharmacology, Magna Græcia University, Catanzaro, Italy Abstract: Brivaracetam (BRV (UCB 34714 is currently under review by the US Food and Drug Administration and European Medicines Agency for approval as an add-on treatment for adult patients with partial seizures. Similar to levetiracetam (LEV, BRV acts as a high-affinity ligand of the synaptic vesicle protein 2A, however, it has been shown to be 10- to 30-fold more potent than LEV. Moreover, BRV does not share the LEV inhibitory activity on the high voltage Ca2+ channels and AMPA receptors, and it has been reported to act as a partial antagonist on neuronal voltage-gated sodium channels. The pharmacokinetic profile of BRV is favorable and linear, and it undergoes an extensive metabolism into inactive compounds, mainly through the hydrolysis of its acetamide group. Furthermore, it does not significantly interact with other antiepileptic drugs and more than 95% is excreted through the urine, with an unchanged fraction of 8%–11%. BRV has a half-life of approximately 8–9 hours and it is usually given twice daily. To date, a wide range of experimental studies have reported the effectiveness of BRV with regards to partial and generalized seizures. In humans, six randomized, placebo-controlled trials and two meta-analyses highlighted the efficacy, or good tolerability, of BRV as an add-on treatment for patients with uncontrolled partial seizures. A wide dose range of BRV has been evaluated in those trials (5–200 mg, but the most suitable for clinical use appears to be 50–100 mg/day. The most common adverse reactions to BRV are mild

Tic-Related Versus Tic-Free Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder : Clinical Picture and 2-Year Natural Course

NARCIS (Netherlands)

de Vries, Froukje E; Cath, Danielle C; Hoogendoorn, Adriaan W; van Oppen, Patricia; Glas, Gerrit; Veltman, Dick J; van den Heuvel, Odile A; van Balkom, Anton J L M

2016-01-01

OBJECTIVE: The tic-related subtype of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) has a distinct clinical profile. The course of tic-related OCD has previously been investigated in treatment studies, with inconclusive results. This study aimed to compare clinical profiles between tic-related and tic-free

Prevalence and clinical profile of celiac disease in children with type 1 diabetes mellitus

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Rajesh Joshi

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Objective: To determine the prevalence of celiac disease (CD in children with type 1 diabetes mellitus (TIDM in follow-up in a Tertiary Care Referral Centre in Western India and to describe the clinical features indicative of CD in screened patients of TIDM. Study Design: In this single center observational cross-sectional study, 71 children who were diagnosed with TIDM were subjected to screening for CD with tissue transglutaminase antibody testing. Those who tested positive were offered intestinal biopsy for the confirmation of diagnosis. Clinical profiles of both groups of patients were compared and manifestations of CD were delineated. Results: The study revealed the prevalence of CD (based on serology in children with Type 1 diabetes as 15.49%. The prevalence of biopsy-confirmed CD was 7.04%. Of the diagnosed CD patients, one-third were symptomatic at the time of screening while the majority was asymptomatic. The major clinical features indicative of CD were intestinal symptoms, anemia, rickets, and short stature. Autoimmune thyroid disease was prevalent in 29.6% of the patients with TIDM followed by CD. Conclusions: The high prevalence of CD in children with Type 1 diabetes emphasizes the need for routine screening programs to be in place for these high-risk populations. The clinical profile of patients with CD further elaborates the indicators of CD and the need to screen for them.

Identification of Atuveciclib (BAY 1143572), the First Highly Selective, Clinical PTEFb/CDK9 Inhibitor for the Treatment of Cancer.

Science.gov (United States)

Lücking, Ulrich; Scholz, Arne; Lienau, Philip; Siemeister, Gerhard; Kosemund, Dirk; Bohlmann, Rolf; Briem, Hans; Terebesi, Ildiko; Meyer, Kirstin; Prelle, Katja; Denner, Karsten; Bömer, Ulf; Schäfer, Martina; Eis, Knut; Valencia, Ray; Ince, Stuart; von Nussbaum, Franz; Mumberg, Dominik; Ziegelbauer, Karl; Klebl, Bert; Choidas, Axel; Nussbaumer, Peter; Baumann, Matthias; Schultz-Fademrecht, Carsten; Rühter, Gerd; Eickhoff, Jan; Brands, Michael

2017-11-08

Selective inhibition of exclusively transcription-regulating PTEFb/CDK9 is a promising new approach in cancer therapy. Starting from lead compound BAY-958, lead optimization efforts strictly focusing on kinase selectivity, physicochemical and DMPK properties finally led to the identification of the orally available clinical candidate atuveciclib (BAY 1143572). Structurally characterized by an unusual benzyl sulfoximine group, BAY 1143572 exhibited the best overall profile in vitro and in vivo, including high efficacy and good tolerability in xenograft models in mice and rats. BAY 1143572 is the first potent and highly selective PTEFb/CDK9 inhibitor to enter clinical trials for the treatment of cancer. © 2017 The Authors. Published by Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA.

Control of Sewer systems and Wastewater treatment plants using pollutant concentration profiles

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bechmann, Henrik; Nielsen, Marinus K.; Madsen, Henrik

1998-01-01

On-line measurements of pollutants in the wastewater combined with grey-box modelling are used to estimate the amount of deposits in the sewer system. The pollutant mass flow at the wastewater treatment plant is found to consist of a diurnal profile minus the deposited amount of pollutants...

A clinical profile of compulsive exercise in adolescent inpatients with anorexia nervosa

OpenAIRE

Noetel, Melissa; Miskovic-Wheatley, Jane; Crosby, Ross D.; Hay, Phillipa; Madden, Sloane; Touyz, Stephen

2016-01-01

Background The aim of the current study was to contribute to the development of a clinical profile of compulsive exercise in adolescents with Anorexia Nervosa (AN), by examining associations between compulsive exercise and eating and general psychopathology. Method A sample of 60 female adolescent inpatients with AN completed a self-report measure of compulsive exercise and a series of standardized self-report questionnaires assessing eating and general psychopathology. Results Higher levels ...

Inflammation's Association with Metabolic Profiles before and after a Twelve-Week Clinical Trial in Drug-Naïve Patients with Bipolar II Disorder.

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Sheng-Yu Lee

Full Text Available Inflammation is thought to be involved in the pathophysiology of bipolar disorder (BP and metabolic syndrome. Prior studies evaluated the association between metabolic profiles and cytokines only during certain mood states instead of their changes during treatment. We enrolled drug-naïve patients with BP-II and investigated the correlation between changes in mood symptoms and metabolic indices with changes in plasma cytokine levels after 12 weeks of pharmacological treatment. Drug-naïve patients (n = 117 diagnosed with BP-II according to DSM-IV criteria were recruited. Metabolic profiles (cholesterol, triglyceride, HbA1C, fasting serum glucose, body mass index (BMI and plasma cytokines (TNF-α, CRP, IL-6, and TGF-β were measured at baseline and 2, 8, and 12 weeks post-treatment. To adjust within-subject dependence over repeated assessments, multiple linear regressions with generalized estimating equation methods were used. Seventy-six (65.0% patients completed the intervention. Changes in plasma CRP were significantly associated with changes in BMI (P = 1.7E-7 and triglyceride (P = 0.005 levels. Changes in plasma TGF-β1 were significantly associated with changes in BMI (P = 8.2E-6, cholesterol (P = 0.004, and triglyceride (P = 0.006 levels. However, changes in plasma TNF-α and IL-6 were not associated with changes in any of the metabolic indices. Changes in Hamilton Depression Rating Scale scores were significantly associated with changes in IL-6 (P = 0.003 levels; changes in Young Mania Rating Scale scores were significantly associated with changes in CRP (P = 0.006 and TNF-α (P = 0.039 levels. Plasma CRP and TGF-β1 levels were positively correlated with several metabolic indices in BP-II after 12 weeks of pharmacological intervention. We also hypothesize that clinical symptoms are correlated with certain cytokines. These new findings might be important evidence that inflammation is the pathophysiology

Clinical profile of parkinson's disease: Experience of niger

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Hamid Assadeck

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Background: Parkinson's disease (PD is a chronic neurodegenerative pathology with unknown etiology. It is characterized clinically by the classic triad that associated tremors, bradykinesia, and rigidity. In Niger, there are no data on PD. Aims: We aimed to provide the demographic and clinical profile of PD in patients from Niger to create a database on PD in Niger. Patients and Methods: We conducted a retrospective study at the Neurology Outpatient Clinic of the Hôpital National de Niamey (HNN, Niger over a period of 4.42 years from February 2009 to July 2013 collecting all cases of PD. The demographic and clinical features of all patients were collected and analyzed. Results: During the period of the study, 1695 patients consulted at the Neurology Outpatient Clinic of the HNN, among which 76 patients (4.48% had secondary parkinsonism and 25 patients (1.47% had features compatible with PD. Only patients with PD were included in this study. The mean age at onset of symptoms was 58 years (range: 42–74 years. The male sex was predominant (60% with a sex ratio of 1.5. The mean time interval from the onset of symptoms to diagnosis of PD was 1.8 years (range: 1–5 years. The tremor was the most common symptom (84%. Bradykinesia represented 64% of the symptoms and rigidity 20%. At the time of the diagnosis of PD, 8 patients (32% were in Stage I of the classification of Hoehn and Yahr, 16 patients (64% in Stage II, and 1 patient (4% in Stage III. The levodopa/carbidopa combination was the most used antiparkinsonian drug in our patients (88%. The mean time of follow-up of the patients was 2.5 years (range: 1–4.42 years. During the course of the disease, 9 patients (36% were in Stage II of the classification of Hoehn and Yahr, 13 patients (52% in Stage III, and 3 patients (12% in Stage IV. Conclusion: Our study provides demographic and clinical data of PD in patients from Niger and shows that the hospital frequency of this disease is low (1

[Clinical and epidemiological profile of tuberculosis in a university hospital in Santiago, Chile].

Science.gov (United States)

Morgado, Alvaro; Köhnenkampf, Ruth; Navarrete, Pablo; García, Patricia; Balcells, M Elvira

2012-07-01

The incidence and epidemiological profile of tuberculosis (TB) has changed significantly in the recent years in Chile. To evaluate the clinical and epidemiological characteristics of TB cases diagnosed in the last decade at a university hospital in Santiago. The Mycobacterium tuberculosis culture registry of the microbiology laboratory was reviewed. Medical records of patients with a positive culture registered between 2000 and 2010 were retrieved and analyzed. Two hundred forty positive Mycobacterium tuberculosis cultures were identified and the medical records of 158 of these patients were accessed for analysis. The median age was 53 years (range: 3 to 89), 55.1% were female and nearly 42% had extra-pulmonary TB. Among known risk factors, 32.9% of patients were older than 65 years, 4.4% were health care workers and 3.9% immigrants. Twenty eight percent (41/145) had some type of immunosuppression at diagnosis: 11.7% HIV infection and 16.6% were using immunosuppressive drugs. In this group, a previous tuberculin skin test was done in only 5 cases (12.2%). Adverse events related to TB treatment were reported in 21.3% of cases (17/80). No cases of fulminant hepatitis or death from this cause were identified. Four of 92 patients that had a complete follow up during treatment, died. Two of these patients were receiving steroids. Almost one third of TB cases occurred among immunosuppressed patients and 42% were extra-pulmonary forms. The prevention of TB reactivation in this group should be strengthened.

Atrial fibrillation in patients on haemodialysis in Andalusia. Prevalence, clinical profile and therapeutic management.

Science.gov (United States)

Sánchez Perales, Carmen; Vázquez Sánchez, Teresa; Salas Bravo, Daniel; Ortega Anguiano, Sonia; Vázquez Ruiz de Castroviejo, Eduardo

Atrial fibrillation (AF) represents an important social and healthcare problem. There is wide variability in the prevalence of this arrhythmia in studies analysing patients on haemodialysis (HD). To investigate the prevalence, clinical profile and therapeutic management of patients with AF on HD in Andalusia. We asked the public healthcare system of Andalusia to provide us with the number of patients who were being treated with HD. We asked attending nephrologists from all hospital and outpatient centres in 5 of the 8 Andalusian provinces to perform an electrocardiogram and to fill out a questionnaire on patients selected by simple random sampling. A total of 2,348 patients were being treated with HD in the 5provinces included in the study. The estimated sample size was 285 patients. We obtained an electrocardiogram and information from 252 patients (88.4%); mean age 65.3±16 years; 40.9% women. Sixty-three patients (25%) had AF. Of these, 36 (14.3%) had AF in the recorded ECG and in the rest it had been documented previously. In the multivariate analysis, older age (OR: 1.071; 95% CI: 1.036-1.107; P=0.000) and greater time on HD (OR: 1.009; 95% CI: 1.004-1.014; P=0.000) were independently associated with the presence of AF. Of the patients with AF, 41.3% were on anticoagulant treatment at the time of the study; and 41.2% were on antiplatelet agents. AF in dialysis units is an important finding. Establishing the risk-benefit ratio of anticoagulant treatment constitutes a real challenge. Well-designed clinical trials are pivotal in order to define the rational use of antithrombotic drugs. Copyright © 2017 Sociedad Española de Nefrología. Published by Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Radioactive cDNA microarray (II): Gene expression profiling of antidepressant treatment by human cDNA microarray

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, Ji Hye; Kang, Rhee Hun; Ham, Byung Joo; Lee, Min Su; Shin, Kyung Ho; Choe, Jae Gol; Kim, Meyoung Kon [College of Medicine, Univ. of Korea, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

2003-07-01

Major depressive disorder is a prevalent psychiatric disorder in primary care, associated with impaired patient functioning and well-being. Fluoxetine is a selective serotonin-reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and is a commonly prescribed antidepressant compound. Its action is primarily attributed to selective inhibition of the reuptake of serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine) in the central nervous system. Objectives ; the aims of this study were two-fold: (1) to determine the usefulness for investigation of the transcription profiles in depression patients, and (2) to assess the differences in gene expression profiles between positive response group and negative response groups by fluoxetine treatment. This study included 53 patients with major depression (26 in positive response group with antidepressant treatment, 27 in negative response group with antidepressant treatment), and 53 healthy controls. To examine the difference of gene expression profile in depression patients, radioactive complementary DNA microarrays were used to evaluate changes in the expression of 1,152 genes in total. Using 33p-labeled probes, this method provided highly sensitive gene expression profiles including brain receptors, drug metabolism, and cellular signaling. Gene transcription profiles were classified into several categories in accordance with the antidepressant gene-regulation. The gene profiles were significantly up-(22 genes) and down-(16 genes) regulated in the positive response group when compared to the control group. Also, in the negative response group, 35 genes were up-regulated and 8 genes were down-regulated when compared to the control group. Consequently, we demonstrated that radioactive human cDNA microarray is highly likely to be an efficient technology for evaluating the gene regulation of antidepressants, such as selective serotonin-reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), by using high-throughput biotechnology.

Radioactive cDNA microarray (II): Gene expression profiling of antidepressant treatment by human cDNA microarray

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Ji Hye; Kang, Rhee Hun; Ham, Byung Joo; Lee, Min Su; Shin, Kyung Ho; Choe, Jae Gol; Kim, Meyoung Kon

2003-01-01

Major depressive disorder is a prevalent psychiatric disorder in primary care, associated with impaired patient functioning and well-being. Fluoxetine is a selective serotonin-reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and is a commonly prescribed antidepressant compound. Its action is primarily attributed to selective inhibition of the reuptake of serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine) in the central nervous system. Objectives ; the aims of this study were two-fold: (1) to determine the usefulness for investigation of the transcription profiles in depression patients, and (2) to assess the differences in gene expression profiles between positive response group and negative response groups by fluoxetine treatment. This study included 53 patients with major depression (26 in positive response group with antidepressant treatment, 27 in negative response group with antidepressant treatment), and 53 healthy controls. To examine the difference of gene expression profile in depression patients, radioactive complementary DNA microarrays were used to evaluate changes in the expression of 1,152 genes in total. Using 33p-labeled probes, this method provided highly sensitive gene expression profiles including brain receptors, drug metabolism, and cellular signaling. Gene transcription profiles were classified into several categories in accordance with the antidepressant gene-regulation. The gene profiles were significantly up-(22 genes) and down-(16 genes) regulated in the positive response group when compared to the control group. Also, in the negative response group, 35 genes were up-regulated and 8 genes were down-regulated when compared to the control group. Consequently, we demonstrated that radioactive human cDNA microarray is highly likely to be an efficient technology for evaluating the gene regulation of antidepressants, such as selective serotonin-reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), by using high-throughput biotechnology

Behavioral Profiles of Clinically Referred Children with Intellectual Giftedness

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Fabian Guénolé

2013-01-01

Full Text Available It is common that intellectually gifted children—that is, children with an IQ ≥ 130—are referred to paediatric or child neuropsychiatry clinics for socio-emotional problems and/or school underachievement or maladjustment. These clinically-referred children with intellectual giftedness are thought to typically display internalizing problems (i.e., self-focused problems reflecting overcontrol of emotion and behavior, and to be more behaviorally impaired when “highly” gifted (IQ ≥ 145 or displaying developmental asynchrony (i.e., a heterogeneous developmental pattern, reflected in a significant verbal-performance discrepancy on IQ tests. We tested all these assumptions in 143 clinically-referred gifted children aged 8 to 12, using Wechsler’s intelligence profile and the Child Behavior Checklist. Compared to a normative sample, gifted children displayed increased behavioral problems in the whole symptomatic range. Internalizing problems did not predominate over externalizing ones (i.e., acted-out problems, reflecting undercontrol of emotion and behavior, revealing a symptomatic nature of behavioral syndromes more severe than expected. “Highly gifted” children did not display more behavioral problems than the “low gifted.” Gifted children with a significant verbal-performance discrepancy displayed more externalizing problems and mixed behavioral syndromes than gifted children without such a discrepancy. These results suggest that developmental asynchrony matters when examining emotional and behavioral problems in gifted children.

Clinical utility, safety, and efficacy of pregabalin in the treatment of fibromyalgia

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Bhusal S

2016-02-01

Full Text Available Santosh Bhusal,1 Sherilyn Diomampo,1 Marina N Magrey2 1Division of Rheumatology, Metrohealth Medical Center, 2Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine at Metrohealth Medical Center, Cleveland OH, USA Abstract: Fibromyalgia is a chronic debilitating medical syndrome with limited therapeutic options. Pregabalin, an anticonvulsant and α-2-Δ subunit receptor ligand, is one of the anchor drugs approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of fibromyalgia. The drug has shown clinically meaningful benefits across multiple symptom domains of fibromyalgia. Efficacy of pregabalin in fibromyalgia pain has been evaluated in at least five high-quality randomized trials, two long-term extension studies, a meta-analysis, a Cochrane database systematic review, and several post hoc analyses. These studies also hint towards a meaningful benefit on sleep, functioning, quality of life, and work productivity. Side effects of pregabalin, although common, are mild to moderate in intensity. They are noted early during therapy, improve or disappear with dose reduction, and are not usually life- or organ threatening. In most patients, tolerance develops to the most common side effects, dizziness, and somnolence, with time. With close clinical monitoring at initiation or dose titration, pregabalin can be effectively used in primary care setting. Pregabalin is cost saving with long-term use and its cost-effectiveness profile is comparable, if not better, to that of other drugs used in fibromyalgia. In the present era of limited therapeutic options, pregabalin undoubtedly retains its role as one of cardinal drugs used in the treatment of fibromyalgia. This review intends to discuss the clinical utility of pregabalin in the management of fibromyalgia with a focus on efficacy, safety, and cost-effectiveness. Keywords: fibrositis, myofascial pain, diffuse pain syndrome, lyrica

Plague: Clinics, Diagnosis and Treatment.

Science.gov (United States)

Nikiforov, Vladimir V; Gao, He; Zhou, Lei; Anisimov, Andrey

2016-01-01

Plague still poses a significant threat to human health and as a reemerging infection is unfamiliar to the majority of the modern medical doctors. In this chapter, the plague is described according to Dr. Nikiforov's experiences in the diagnosis and treatment of patients, and also a review of the relevant literature on this subject is provided. The main modern methods and criteria for laboratory diagnosis of plague are briefly described. The clinical presentations include the bubonic and pneumonic form, septicemia, rarely pharyngitis, and meningitis. Early diagnosis and the prompt initiation of treatment reduce the mortality rate associated with bubonic plague and septicemic plague to 5-50 %; although a delay of more than 24 h in the administration of antibiotics and antishock treatment can be fatal for plague patients. Most human cases can successfully be treated with antibiotics.

Active multimodal psychotherapy in children and adolescents with suicidality: description, evaluation and clinical profile.

Science.gov (United States)

Högberg, Goran; Hällström, Tore

2008-07-01

The aim of this study was to describe and evaluate the clinical pattern of 14 youths with presenting suicidality, to describe an integrative treatment approach, and to estimate therapy effectiveness. Fourteen patients aged 10 to 18 years from a child and adolescent outpatient clinic in Stockholm were followed in a case series. The patients were treated with active multimodal psychotherapy. This consisted of mood charting by mood-maps, psycho-education, wellbeing practice and trauma resolution. Active techniques were psychodrama and body-mind focused techniques including eye movement desensitization and reprocessing. The patients were assessed before treatment, immediately after treatment and at 22 months post treatment with the Global Assessment of Functioning Scale. The clinical pattern of the group was observed. After treatment there was a significant change towards normality in the Global Assessment of Functioning scale both immediately post-treatment and at 22 months. A clinical pattern, post trauma suicidal reaction, was observed with a combination of suicidality, insomnia, bodily symptoms and disturbed mood regulation. We conclude that in the post trauma reaction suicidality might be a presenting symptom in young people. Despite the shortcomings of a case series the results of this study suggest that a mood-map-based multimodal treatment approach with active techniques might be of value in the treatment of children and youth with suicidality.

Ostosintesis of low profile in the treatment of the fractures of the tibial pylon

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Agudelo R, Juan Fernando; Kalb H, Juan Pedro

2001-01-01

The preliminary results are presented, among January 1999 - September 2000, in the General Hospital of Medellin - Clinica Leon XIII. Eight cases were revised of patient with intraarticular fractures of the tibial pylon, treaties with open reduction and osteosintesis of low profile following the modified protocol of Ruedi-Allgower, with the objective of describing the quality of the reduction and the postoperative complications. The data were obtained of the clinical history and personal interview with the patients. The time of pursuit average was of 5,2 months. Of the eight fractures, seven (87.5%) they were consequence of accidents of traffic and one for firearm projectile. Two fractures were presented type I (25%), three type II (37.5%) and three type III (37.5%), according to the classification of Ruedi-Allgower. The surgery was carries out on the average to the 13.4 days. In all the cases it uses traction transcalcanea intraoperative; six patients required osteosintesis of the fibula: The plaques of low profile in tibia were modeled to the anterolateral surface to diminish the medial desperiostization. In six cases the quality of the radiological reduction was good according to the approaches of Burwell and Charnley in one to regulate and in one bad. In all the cases it begins passive and active rehabilitation after the first week and the support was restricted by three months. In two cases superficial dehiscence of the surgical wound those were presented, which they evolved satisfactorily, and a case of asintomatic no union has not required reintervention. The results suggest that the osteosintesis of low profile is a sure method of treatment of these lesions if it is carried out when the conditions of soft tissues are good and the medial desperiostization is limited

Clinical treatment strategies and experimental studies in polytrauma

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Wessem, K.J.P.

2013-01-01

This thesis describes the clinical treatment of polytrauma patients and the underlying pathophysiological mechanisms causing injury-induced inflammatory response. Even though the treatment of polytrauma patients has improved over the years, trauma is still the leading cause of death

A prospective, longitudinal study to evaluate the clinical utility of a predictive algorithm that detects risk of opioid use disorder

Science.gov (United States)

Brenton, Ashley; Lee, Chee; Lewis, Katrina; Sharma, Maneesh; Kantorovich, Svetlana; Smith, Gregory A; Meshkin, Brian

2018-01-01

Purpose The purpose of this study was to determine the clinical utility of an algorithm-based decision tool designed to assess risk associated with opioid use. Specifically, we sought to assess how physicians were using the profile in patient care and how its use affected patient outcomes. Patients and methods A prospective, longitudinal study was conducted to assess the utility of precision medicine testing in 5,397 patients across 100 clinics in the USA. Using a patent-protected, validated algorithm combining specific genetic risk factors with phenotypic traits, patients were categorized into low-, moderate-, and high-risk patients for opioid abuse. Physicians who ordered precision medicine testing were asked to complete patient evaluations and document their actions, decisions, and perceptions regarding the utility of the precision medicine tests. The patient outcomes associated with each treatment action were carefully documented. Results Physicians used the profile to guide treatment decisions for over half of the patients. Of those, guided treatment decisions for 24.5% of the patients were opioid related, including changing the opioid prescribed, starting an opioid, or titrating a patient off the opioid. Treatment guidance was strongly influenced by profile-predicted opioid use disorder (OUD) risk. Most importantly, patients whose physicians used the profile to guide opioid-related treatment decisions had improved clinical outcomes, including better pain management by medication adjustments, with an average pain decrease of 3.4 points on a scale of 1–10. Conclusion Patients whose physicians used the profile to guide opioid-related treatment decisions had improved clinical outcomes, as measured by decreased pain levels resulting from better pain management with prescribed medications. The clinical utility of the profile is twofold. It provides clinically actionable recommendations that can be used to 1) prevent OUD through limiting initial opioid

Treatment of periodontitis improves the atherosclerotic profile : a systematic review and meta-analysis

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Teeuw, Wijnand J.; Slot, Dagmar E.; Susanto, Hendri; Gerdes, Victor E. A.; Abbas, Frank; D'Aiuto, Francesco; Kastelein, John J. P.; Loos, Bruno G.

AimSystematic review and meta-analyses to study the robustness of observations that treatment of periodontitis improves the atherosclerotic profile. Material and MethodsLiterature was searched in Medline-PubMed, Cochrane CENTRAL and EMBASE, based on controlled periodontal intervention trials,

Treatment of periodontitis improves the atherosclerotic profile: a systematic review and meta-analysis

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Teeuw, W.J.; Slot, D.E.; Susanto, H.; Gerdes, V.E.A.; Abbas, F.; D'Aiuto, F.; Kastelein, J.J.P.; Loos, B.G.

2014-01-01

Aim Systematic review and meta-analyses to study the robustness of observations that treatment of periodontitis improves the atherosclerotic profile. Material and Methods Literature was searched in Medline-PubMed, Cochrane CENTRAL and EMBASE, based on controlled periodontal intervention trials,

Treatment of periodontitis improves the atherosclerotic profile: a systematic review and meta-analysis

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Teeuw, Wijnand J.; Slot, Dagmar E.; Susanto, Hendri; Gerdes, Victor E. A.; Abbas, Frank; D'Aiuto, Francesco; Kastelein, John J. P.; Loos, Bruno G.

2014-01-01

AimSystematic review and meta-analyses to study the robustness of observations that treatment of periodontitis improves the atherosclerotic profile. Material and MethodsLiterature was searched in Medline-PubMed, Cochrane CENTRAL and EMBASE, based on controlled periodontal intervention trials,

Evaluation of clinical and inflammatory profile in opioid addiction patients with comorbid pain: results from a multicenter investigation

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Dennis BB

2014-11-01

Full Text Available Brittany B Dennis,1 M Constantine Samaan,2 Monica Bawor,3 James Paul,4 Carolyn Plater,5 Guillaume Pare,1 Andrew Worster,6 Michael Varenbut,5 Jeff Daiter,5 David C Marsh,5,7 Dipika Desai,8 Lehana Thabane,1,9,10 Zainab Samaan1,8,11 1Department of Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, 2Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Endocrinology, 3McMaster Integrative Neuroscience Discovery and Study Program, 4Department of Anesthesia, McMaster University, Hamilton, 5Ontario Addiction Treatment Centres, Richmond Hill, 6Department of Medicine, Hamilton General Hospital, Hamilton, 7Northern Ontario School of Medicine, Sudbury, 8Population Genomics Program, Chanchlani Research Centre, McMaster University, Hamilton, 9Centre for Evaluation of Medicine, 10System Linked Research Unit, Hamilton, 11Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada Background: Chronic pain is the most commonly reported comorbidity among patients with opioid addiction receiving methadone maintenance treatment (MMT, with an estimated prevalence ranging between 30% and 55%. Evidence suggests that patients with comorbid pain are at high risk for poor treatment response, including continued illicit substance use. Due to the important relationship between the presence of pain and illicit substance abuse within the MMT setting, it is imperative that we target our efforts toward understanding the characteristics of this patient population.Methods: The primary objective of this study was to explore the clinical and inflammatory profile of MMT patients reporting comorbid pain. This multicenter study enrolled patients (n=235 on MMT for the treatment of opioid dependence. Clinical history and blood and urine data were collected. Blood samples were obtained for estimating the serum levels of inflammatory markers (tumor necrosis factor [TNF]-α, interleukin-1 receptor antagonist [IL-1ra], IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, interferon [IFN]-γ and

CSF Hypocretin-1 Levels and Clinical Profiles in Narcolepsy and Idiopathic CNS Hypersomnia in Norway

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Heier, Mona Skard; Evsiukova, Tatiana; Vilming, Steinar; Gjerstad, Michaela D.; Schrader, Harald; Gautvik, Kaare

2007-01-01

Objective: To evaluate the relationship between CSF hypocretin-1 levels and clinical profiles in narcolepsy and CNS hypersomnia in Norwegian patients. Method: CSF hypocretin-1 was measured by a sensitive radioimmunoassay in 47 patients with narcolepsy with cataplexy, 7 with narcolepsy without cataplexy, 10 with idiopathic CNS hypersomnia, and a control group. Results: Low hypocretin-1 values were found in 72% of the HLA DQB1*0602 positive patients with narcolepsy and cataplexy. Patients with low CSF hypocretin-1 levels reported more extensive muscular involvement during cataplectic attacks than patients with normal levels. Hypnagogic hallucinations and sleep paralysis occurred more frequently in patients with cataplexy than in the other patient groups, but with no correlation to hypocretin-1 levels. Conclusion: About three quarters of the HLA DQB1*0602 positive patients with narcolepsy and cataplexy had low CSF hypocretin-1 values, and appear to form a distinct clinical entity. Narcolepsy without cataplexy could not be distinguished from idiopathic CNS hypersomnia by clinical symptoms or biochemical findings. Citation: Heier MS; Evsiukova T; Vilming S; Gjerstad MD; Schrader H; Gautvik K. CSF hypocretin-1 levels and clinical profiles in narcolepsy and idiopathic CNS hypersomnia in norway. SLEEP 2007;30(8):969-973. PMID:17702265

Clinical and Biochemical Profiles according to Homeostasis Model Assessment-insulin Resistance (HOMA-IR) in Korean Women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome.

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Lee, Da Eun; Park, Soo Yeon; Park, So Yun; Lee, Sa Ra; Chung, Hye Won; Jeong, Kyungah

2014-12-01

The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical and biochemical profiles according to homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) in Korean polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) patients. In 458 PCOS patients diagnosed by the Rotterdam European Society for Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE) criteria, measurements of somatometry, blood test of hormones, glucose metabolic and lipid profiles, and transvaginal or transrectal ultrasonogram were carried out. HOMA-IR was then calculated and compared with the clinical and biochemical profiles related to PCOS. The patients were divided into 4 groups by quartiles of HOMA-IR. The mean level of HOMA-IR was 2.18 ± 1.73. Among the four groups separated according to HOMA-IR, body weight, body mass index (BMI), waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, lipid accumulation product (LAP) index, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), Apoprotein B, free testosterone, and sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG) were found to be significantly different. TG, LAP index, glucose metabolic profiles, and hs-CRP were positively correlated with HOMA-IR after adjustment for BMI. Our results suggest that the clinical and biochemical profiles which are applicable as cardiovascular risk factors are highly correlated with HOMA-IR in Korean women with PCOS.

Clinical Profile, Etiology, and Treatment of Chronic Pancreatitis in North American Women: Analysis of a Large Multicenter Cohort.

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Romagnuolo, Joseph; Talluri, Jyothsna; Kennard, Elizabeth; Sandhu, Bimaljit S; Sherman, Stuart; Cote, Gregory A; Al-Kaade, Samer; Gardner, Timothy B; Gelrud, Andres; Lewis, Michele D; Forsmark, Christopher E; Guda, Nalini M; Conwell, Darwin L; Banks, Peter A; Muniraj, Thiruvengadam; Wisniewski, Stephen R; Tian, Ye; Wilcox, C Mel; Anderson, Michelle A; Brand, Randall E; Slivka, Adam; Whitcomb, David C; Yadav, Dhiraj

2016-08-01

Historically, chronic pancreatitis (CP) was considered a disease of alcoholic males, but recent data suggest its etiology to be complex. To better understand CP in women, we compared data on women and men with CP in a large, prospectively ascertained multicenter US cohort. Patients with CP enrolled in the NAPS2 Continuation and Validation study were studied. Information on demographics, etiology, risk factors, phenotype, and treatment(s) used was obtained from detailed questionnaires completed by the patients and physicians. Of 521 cases, 45% were women. Women were significantly (P etiology (30% vs 58.5%) and more likely to have nonalcoholic etiologies (idiopathic, 32% vs 18%; obstructive, 12% vs 2.4%; genetic, 12.8% vs 7.3%). Demographics, pain experience, morphologic findings, exocrine and endocrine insufficiency, CP-related disability, and use of medical therapies were mostly similar in both sexes. Sphincterotomy (biliary, 33% vs 24%; pancreatic, 38% vs 28%; P etiologies. In contrast to many other chronic diseases, clinical phenotype of CP is determined by the disease and is independent of sex.

Clinical and Autoimmune Profile of Scleroderma Patients from Western India

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Vandana Pradhan

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Background. Systemic sclerosis (SSc, scleroderma is a disorder characterized by fibrosis of skin and visceral organs. Pathogenesis of scleroderma is complex and is incompletely understood as yet. Autoantibodies in SSc represent a serologic hallmark which have clinical relevance, with diagnostic and prognostic potential. Objectives. To study distribution of clinical manifestations and to identify frequency of autoantibodies among subtypes of scleroderma patients from Western India. Methodology. One hundred and ten scleroderma patients were clinically classified according to the American College of Rheumatology/European League Against Rheumatism (ACR/EULAR criteria. All these patients were in active stage of disease. Clinical manifestations were recorded at the time of presentation. Autoantibodies were tested in them by indirect immunofluorescence test and ELISA. Immunoglobulin levels were estimated by nephelometer. These parameters were further correlated with clinical presentation of the disease. Results. Scleroderma patients had M : F ratio of 1 : 10 where mean age at evaluation was 34.7±10.7 years and a mean disease duration was 43.7±35 months. Clinical subtypes showed that 45 patients (40.9% had diffused cutaneous (dcSSc lesions, 32 patients (29.1% had limited cutaneous (lcSSc lesions, and 33 patients (30% had other autoimmune overlaps. The overall frequency of ANA in SSc patients studied was 85.5%. The frequency of anti-Scl70, anti-centromere, anti-endothelial cell antibodies (AECA, and anti-keratinocyte antibodies (AKA was 62.7%, 22.7%, 30%, and 40.9%, respectively. Anti-Scl70 antibodies were significantly high (75.6% versus 46.9% among dcSSc patients (P<0.0115 whereas anti-centromere antibodies were significantly high (9% versus 38% among lcSSc patients when these two subtypes were compared (P<0.0044. Conclusion. This study supports that there are geoepidemiological variations among scleroderma patients for their clinical

Safety and tolerability of atomoxetine in treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in adult patients: an integrated analysis of 15 clinical trials.

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Camporeale, Angelo; Porsdal, Vibeke; De Bruyckere, Katrien; Tanaka, Yoko; Upadhyaya, Himanshu; Deix, Claudia; Deberdt, Walter

2015-01-01

The safety profile of atomoxetine in the treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder has been studied in many clinical trials. We performed an integrated safety analysis of 15 clinical trials in adults with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. The analysis pooled patient data into three groups: acute placebo-controlled trials; long-term placebo-controlled trials; all trials. In total, 4829 adults (18-77 years, median: 36 years) were exposed to atomoxetine. Statistically significantly more atomoxetine-treated than placebo-treated patients experienced treatment-emergent adverse events (81.3% vs. 68.3% acute; 90.6% vs. 76.8% long term) and discontinued due to adverse events (8.9% vs. 4.0% acute; 17.9% vs. 6.3% long term). No statistically significant differences were observed in the proportion of patients experiencing serious adverse events. No previously unknown adverse events were identified. The most common adverse events included nausea, dry mouth, decreased appetite, insomnia and erectile dysfunction. Mean increases in heart rate (+5.2 beats per min) and blood pressure (systolic +2 mmHg, diastolic +1.9 mmHg) were modest. The proportion of patients experiencing clinically significant increases in blood pressure and heart rate at any time was statistically significantly higher with atomoxetine (systolic blood pressure 13-17%, diastolic blood pressure 37-40%, heart rate 42-43%) compared to placebo (systolic blood pressure 8-13%, diastolic blood pressure 29-34%, heart rate 21-26%). There was no increased risk of suicidal ideation or behaviour. Our findings confirm atomoxetine's known safety profile. From a safety perspective, atomoxetine is a useful treatment option for adults with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. © The Author(s) 2014.

Predicting Treatment Response for Oppositional Defiant and Conduct Disorder Using Pre-treatment Adrenal and Gonadal Hormones.

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Shenk, Chad E; Dorn, Lorah D; Kolko, David J; Susman, Elizabeth J; Noll, Jennie G; Bukstein, Oscar G

2012-12-01

Variations in adrenal and gonadal hormone profiles have been linked to increased rates of oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) and conduct disorder (CD). These relationships suggest that certain hormone profiles may be related to how well children respond to psychological treatments for ODD and CD. The current study assessed whether pre-treatment profiles of adrenal and gonadal hormones predicted response to psychological treatment of ODD and CD. One hundred five children, 6 - 11 years old, participating in a randomized, clinical trial provided samples for cortisol, testosterone, dehydroepiandrosterone, and androstenedione. Diagnostic interviews of ODD and CD were administered up to three years post-treatment to track treatment response. Group-based trajectory modeling identified two trajectories of treatment response: 1) a High-response trajectory where children demonstrated lower rates of an ODD or CD diagnosis throughout follow-up, and 2) a Low-response trajectory where children demonstrated higher rates of an ODD or CD diagnosis throughout follow-up. Hierarchical logistic regression predicting treatment response demonstrated that children with higher pre-treatment concentrations of testosterone were four times more likely to be in the Low-response trajectory. No other significant relationship existed between pre-treatment hormone profiles and treatment response. These results suggest that higher concentrations of testosterone are related to how well children diagnosed with ODD or CD respond to psychological treatment over the course of three years.

Inpatient Treatment for Adolescents with Anorexia Nervosa: Clinical Significance and Predictors of Treatment Outcome.

Science.gov (United States)

Schlegl, Sandra; Diedrich, Alice; Neumayr, Christina; Fumi, Markus; Naab, Silke; Voderholzer, Ulrich

2016-05-01

This study evaluated the clinical significance as well as predictors of outcome for adolescents with severe anorexia nervosa (AN) treated in an inpatient setting. Body mass index (BMI), eating disorder (ED) symptoms [Eating Disorder Inventory-2 (EDI-2)], general psychopathology and depression were assessed in 238 patients at admission and discharge. BMI increased from 14.8 + 1.2 to 17.3 + 1.4 kg/m(2). Almost a fourth (23.6%) of the patients showed reliable changes, and 44.7% showed clinically significant changes (EDI-2). BMI change did not significantly differ between those with reliable or clinically significant change or no reliable change in EDI-2. Length of stay, depression and body dissatisfaction were negative predictors of a clinically significant change. Inpatient treatment is effective in about two thirds of adolescents with AN and should be considered when outpatient treatment fails. About one third of patients showed significant weight gain, but did not improve regarding overall ED symptomatology. Future studies should focus on treatment strategies for non-responders. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and Eating Disorders Association.

Impact of intramammary treatment on gene expression profiles in bovine Escherichia coli mastitis.

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Anja Sipka

Full Text Available Clinical mastitis caused by E. coli accounts for significant production losses and animal welfare concerns on dairy farms worldwide. The benefits of therapeutic intervention in mild to moderate cases are incompletely understood. We investigated the effect of intramammary treatment with cefapirin alone or in combination with prednisolone on gene expression profiles in experimentally-induced E. coli mastitis in six mid-lactating Holstein Friesian cows. Cows were challenged with E. coli in 3 quarters and received 4 doses of 300 mg cefapirin in one quarter and 4 doses of 300 mg cefapirin together with 20 mg prednisolone in another quarter. At 24 h (n = 3 or 48 h (n = 3 post-challenge, tissue samples from control and treated quarters were collected for microarray analysis. Gene expression analysis of challenged, un-treated quarters revealed an up-regulation of transcripts associated with immune response functions compared to un-challenged quarters. Both treatments resulted in down-regulation of these transcripts compared to challenged, un-treated quarters most prominently for genes representing Chemokine and TLR-signaling pathways. Gene expression of Lipopolysaccharide Binding Protein (LBP, CCL2 and CXCL2 were only significantly down-regulated in cefapirin-prednisolone-treated quarters compared to un-treated controls. Down-regulation of chemokines was further confirmed on the basis of protein levels in milk whey for CXCL1, CXCL2 and CXCL8 in both treatments with a greater decrease in cefapirin-prednisolone-treated quarters. The data reveal a significant effect of treatment on cell recruitment with a more pronounced effect in cefapirin-prednisolone treated quarters. Provided a rapid bacteriological clearance, combination therapy may prevent neutrophil-induced tissue damage and promote recovery of the gland.

Clinical diagnosis and treatment of thyroid microcarcinoma

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gao Xuemei; Zhang Yajing; Gao Zairong

2013-01-01

Thyroid cancer is the most common malignant carcinoma in the endocrine system. With the increasing incidence of thyroid cancer, the incidence of thyroid microcarcinoma has been elevating gradually. But there is still a large ambiguity on thyroid microcarcinoma about the diagnosis and treatment. The epidemiology, clinical diagnosis, biological behavior and treatment programs of thyroid microcarcinoma were reviewed in this article. (authors)

Orthodontic treatment simultaneous to or after periodontal cause-related treatment in periodontitis susceptible patients. Part I: Clinical outcome. A randomized clinical trial.

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Zasčiurinskienė, Eglė; Basevičienė, Nomeda; Lindsten, Rune; Slotte, Christer; Jansson, Henrik; Bjerklin, Krister

2018-02-01

To compare two treatment strategies regarding the effect of orthodontic treatment on periodontal status in patients with plaque-induced periodontitis. This was a randomized clinical trial. Fifty periodontal patients were randomly assigned to the test or control groups according to periodontal treatment timing. All patients received supra- and subgingival debridement following baseline examination. Control group patients received cause-related periodontal treatment before the start of orthodontic treatment and which was performed simultaneous to orthodontic treatment for the test group patients. No difference between the test and control groups was found regarding change of clinical attachment level (CAL) after periodontal-orthodontic treatment. Fewer sites with initial pocket depth (PD) of 4-6 mm healed after periodontal-orthodontic treatment in the test group (20.5%, IQR = 11.9%) in comparison with controls (30.4%, IQR = 27.1%) (p = .03). Anterior teeth [OR 2.5] and teeth in male patients [OR 1.6] had a greater chance for PD improvement ≥2 mm. Total periodontal-orthodontic treatment duration was significantly longer for the control group (p Orthodontic treatment, simultaneously to the periodontal treatment, could be used in the routine treatment of patients with plaque-induced periodontitis. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

CLINICAL PROFILE OF ACUTE LOWER RESPIRATORY TRACT INFECTIONS IN CHILDREN BETWEEN 2MONTHS TO 5 YEARS

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Amitoj Singh Chhina

2015-08-01

Full Text Available BACKGROUND : Acute respiratory infections are a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in under - five children in developing countries. Hence, the present study was undertaken to study the various risk factors, clinical profile and outcome of acute lower respiratory tract infections (ALRI in children aged 2 month to 5 years. OBJECTIVE : clinical features, laborato ry assessment and morbidity and mortality pattern associated with acute lower respiratory tract infections in children aged 2 months to 5 years. METHODS: 100 ALRI cases fulfilling WHO criteria for pneumonia, in the age group of 2 month to 5 years were evaluated for clinical profile as per a predesigned proforma in a rural medical college. RESULTS : Of cases 61% were infants and remaining 39%12 - 60 months age group, males outnumbered females with sex ratio of 1.3;1. Elevated total leukocyte counts for age were observed in only 22% of cases, of these 3% were having pneumonia, 9% severe pneumonia and 10% very severe pneumonia. Significant association was found between leukocytosis and ALRI severity (p= 0.0001 Positive blood culture was obtained in 8% of cases and was significantly associated with ALRI severity (p=. 0.027. Among the ALRI cases, 84% required oxygen supplementation at any time during the hospital stay and 8% required mechanical ventilation. The mortality rate was 1%; with 99% of cases recovering and getting discharged uneventfully. CONCLUSION : Among the clinical variables, the signs and symptoms of ALRI as per the WHO ARI Control Programme were found in almost all cases. Regarding the laboratory profile, leukocytosis and blood culture positivity w ere observed in a small percentage, but significant association with ALRI severity was observed for both. Thus, clinical signs, and not invasive blood tests are a better diagnostic tools, though the latter may provide additional therapeutic and prognostic information in severe disease

Surgery for vertigo: 10-year audit from a contemporary vertigo clinic.

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Patnaik, U; Srivastava, A; Sikka, K; Thakar, A

2015-12-01

To present the profile of patients undergoing surgical treatment for vertigo at a contemporary institutional vertigo clinic. A retrospective analysis of clinical charts. The charts of 1060 patients, referred to an institutional vertigo clinic from January 2003 to December 2012, were studied. The clinical profile and long-term outcomes of patients who underwent surgery were analysed. Of 1060 patients, 12 (1.13 per cent) were managed surgically. Of these, disease-modifying surgical procedures included perilymphatic fistula repair (n = 7) and microvascular decompression of the vestibular nerve (n = 1). Labyrinth destructive procedures included transmastoid labyrinthectomy (n = 2) and labyrinthectomy with vestibular nerve section (n = 1). One patient with vestibular schwannoma underwent both a disease-modifying and destructive procedure (translabyrinthine excision). All patients achieved excellent vertigo control, classified as per the American Academy of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery 1995 criteria. With the advent of intratympanic treatments, surgical treatments for vertigo have become further limited. However, surgery with directed intent, in select patients, can give excellent results.

Attitudes toward clinical and traditional treatment for the Buruli ulcer ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Satisfaction with clinical treatment is not higher than with traditional medicine; people tend to turn to clinical medicine after traditional treatments fail. Few social stigmas result from the disease other than avoidance of the unsightly ulcer and the unpleasant smell, and among children, some teasing. The major concern ...

Treatment of resistant tattoos using a new generation Q-switched Nd:YAG laser: influence of beam profile and spot size on clearance success.

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Karsai, Syrus; Pfirrmann, Gudrun; Hammes, Stefan; Raulin, Christian

2008-02-01

Multiple treatments of resistant tattoos often result in fibrosis and visible textural changes that lessen response to subsequent treatments. The aim of this study is to evaluate the influence of beam profile and spot size on clearance rates and side effects in the setting of resistant tattoos. Thirty-six professional, black tattoos (32 patients) were treated unsuccessfully with a Q-switched Nd:YAG laser (MedLite C3, HoyaConBio Inc., Fremont, CA). Because of therapy resistance all tattoos were re-treated using a new generation Nd:YAG laser (MedLite C6, HoyaConBio Inc.). Maximum energy fluence (E (max)), mean energy fluence, mean spot size, level of clearance, side effects and beam profile (irradiance distribution) of both laser systems were assessed and evaluated in a retrospective study. All tattoos were previously treated with the C3 laser at 1,064 nm using a mean E(max) of 5.8+/-0.8 J/cm(2) (range 3.8-7.5 J/cm(2)) as compared with a mean E(max) of 6.4+/-1.6 J/cm(2) (range 3.2-9.0 J/cm(2)) during the C6 treatment course. Corresponding spot sizes were larger during C6 treatments as compared with C3 (5.0+/-0.9 and 3.6+/-0.2 mm, respectively). The C6 laser had a "flat top" and homogenous profile regardless of the spot size. For the C3 laser the beam shape was "Gaussian," and the homogeneity was reduced by numerous micro-spikes and micro-nadirs. After the C6 treatment course 33.3% of the tattoos showed clearance of grade 1 (0-25%), 16.7% of grade 2 (26-50%), 16.7% of grade 3 (51-75%), 30.5% of grade 4 (76-95%), 2.8% of grade 5 (96-100%). The total rate of side effects due to C6 treatment was 8.3% in all tattoos (hyperpigmentation 5.6%, hypopigmentation 2.7%, textural changes/scars 0%). This clinical study documents for the first time the impact of a 1,064-nm Nd:YAG laser with a more homogenous beam profile and a larger spot size on the management of resistant tattoos. Only a few treatment sessions were necessary to achieve an additional clearance with a low rate of

Clinical profile of bronchiolitis in infants younger than 90 days in Saudi Arabia

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Syed Amir Ahmad

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Background: Bronchiolitis is a self-limiting disease of children caused by viral infections of the small airways with a wide spectrum of illness severity. Search of the literature reveals a need for refinement of criteria for testing for concomitant severe bacterial infections as well as appropriate therapeutic interventions for patients <90-day-old diagnosed with clinical bronchiolitis. We believe that a better understanding of the disease spectrum will help optimize health-care delivery to these patients. Aims: The aim of this study was to determine the clinical profile at presentation, disease course and outcome of bronchiolitis in <3-month-old infants who presented to our Pediatric Emergency Department (PED during one disease season. Settings: Retrospective chart review during one bronchiolitis season, from November 1, 2011 to April 20, 2012. Subjects: All <90-day-old infants presenting with clinical bronchiolitis presenting to Urban PED of a tertiary care university hospital during one bronchiolitis season. Materials and Methods: A retrospective chart review based on computer records of all emergency department visits of infants less than 90 days with a clinical diagnosis of bronchiolitis, covering the period between November 1, 2011 and April 30, 2012. Results: Out of the total of 1895 infants <90 days of age, 141 had a clinical diagnosis of bronchiolitis and 35 needed admission to hospital. Blood for culture was obtained from 47 infants, urine for culture was obtained from 46 infants and cerebrospinal fluid for culture was obtained from eight infants. One case of bacteremia was documented, but this was found to be a contaminant. No cases of meningitis occurred among these infants. However, one infant had a positive urine culture consistent with infection (Escherichia coli . Conclusion: Based on the results, it can be conclude that the risk of bacteremia or meningitis among infants <90 days of age with fever and bronchiolitis is low. The

Clinical profile, level of affection and therapeutic management of patients with osteoarthritis in primary care: The Spanish multicenter study EVALÚA.

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Castaño Carou, Ana; Pita Fernández, Salvador; Pértega Díaz, Sonia; de Toro Santos, Francisco Javier

2015-01-01

To determine the clinical profile, degree of involvement and management in patients with knee, hip or hand osteoarthritis. Observational study (health centers from 14 autonomous regions, n=363 primary care physicians), involving patients with clinical and/or radiological criteria for osteoarthritis from the American College of Rheumatology, consecutively selected (n=1,258). Sociodemographic variables, clinical and radiological findings, comorbidity and therapeutic management were analyzed. Mean age was 68.0±9.5 years old; 77.8% were women and 47.6% obese. Distribution by location was: 84.3% knee, 23.4% hip, 14.7% hands. All patients reported pain. The most frequent radiographic Kellgren-Lawrence grade was stage 3 for knee and hip (42.9% and 51.9%, respectively), and 3 (37.2%) and 2 (34.5%) for hip. Time since onset of osteoarthritis symptoms was 9.4±7.5 years, with a mean age at onset of around 60 years old and a family history of osteoarthritis in 66.0%. The most frequent comorbidities were: hypertension (55.1%), depression/anxiety (24.7%) and gastroduodenal diseases (22.9%). A total of 97.6% of the patients received pharmacological treatment, with oral analgesics (paracetamol) (70.5%) and oral NSAIDs (67.9%) being the most frequent drugs. Bilateral osteoarthritis was present in 76.9% of patients with knee osteoarthritis, 59.3% in hip and 94.7% in hands. Female gender and time since onset were associated with bilateral knee and hip osteoarthritis. The profile of the osteoarthritis patient is female, >65 years old, overweight/obese, with comorbidity, frequent symptoms and moderate radiologic involvement. Most of patients had bilateral osteoarthritis, associated with female gender and time since onset of disease. Paracetamol was the most common pharmacological treatment. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier España, S.L.U. y Sociedad Española de Reumatología y Colegio Mexicano de Reumatología. All rights reserved.

The relationship, structure and profiles of schizophrenia measurements: a post-hoc analysis of the baseline measures from a randomized clinical trial

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Chen Lei

2011-12-01

Full Text Available Background To fully assess the various dimensions affected by schizophrenia, clinical trials often include multiple scales measuring various symptom profiles, cognition, quality of life, subjective well-being, and functional impairment. In this exploratory study, we characterized the relationships among six clinical, functional, cognitive, and quality-of-life measures, identifying a parsimonious set of measurements. Methods We used baseline data from a randomized, multicenter study of patients diagnosed with schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, or schizophreniform disorder who were experiencing an acute symptom exacerbation (n = 628 to examine the relationship among several outcome measures. These measures included the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS, Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS, Brief Assessment of Cognition in Schizophrenia Symbol Coding Test, Subjective Well-being Under Neuroleptics Scale Short Form (SWN-K, Schizophrenia Objective Functioning Instrument (SOFI, and Quality of Life Scale (QLS. Three analytic approaches were used: 1 path analysis; 2 factor analysis; and 3 categorical latent variable analysis. In the optimal path model, the SWN-K was selected as the final outcome, while the SOFI mediated the effect of the exogenous variables (PANSS, MADRS on the QLS. Results The overall model explained 47% of variance in QLS and 17% of the variance in SOFI, but only 15% in SWN-K. Factor analysis suggested four factors: "Functioning," "Daily Living," "Depression," and "Psychopathology." A strong positive correlation was observed between the SOFI and QLS (r = 0.669, and both the QLS and SOFI loaded on the "Functioning" factor, suggesting redundancy between these scales. The measurement profiles from the categorical latent variable analysis showed significant variation in functioning and quality of life despite similar levels of psychopathology. Conclusions Researchers should consider collecting PANSS, SOFI, and

Safety Profile of Eslicarbazepine Acetate as Add-On Therapy in Adults with Refractory Focal-Onset Seizures: From Clinical Studies to 6 Years of Post-Marketing Experience.

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Gama, Helena; Vieira, Mariana; Costa, Raquel; Graça, Joana; Magalhães, Luís M; Soares-da-Silva, Patrício

2017-12-01

Eslicarbazepine acetate was first approved in the European Union in 2009 as adjunctive therapy in adults with partial-onset seizures with or without secondary generalization. The objective of this study was to review the safety profile of eslicarbazepine acetate analyzing the data from several clinical studies to 6 years of post-marketing surveillance. We used a post-hoc pooled safety analysis of four phase III, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled studies (BIA-2093-301, -302, -303, -304) of eslicarbazepine acetate as add-on therapy in adults. Safety data of eslicarbazepine acetate in special populations of patients aged ≥65 years with partial-onset seizures (BIA-2093-401) and subjects with moderate hepatic impairment (BIA-2093-111) and renal impairment (BIA-2093-112) are also considered. The incidences of treatment-emergent adverse events, treatment-emergent adverse events leading to discontinuation, and serious adverse events were analyzed. The global safety database of eslicarbazepine acetate was analyzed for all cases from post-marketing surveillance from 1 October, 2009 to 21 October, 2015. From a pooled analysis of four phase III studies, it was concluded that the incidence of treatment-emergent adverse events, treatment-emergent adverse events leading to discontinuation, and adverse drug reactions were dose dependent. Dizziness, somnolence, headache, and nausea were the most common treatment-emergent adverse events (≥10% of patients) and the majority were of mild-to-moderate intensity. No dose-dependent trend was observed for serious adverse events and individual serious adverse events were reported in less than 1% of patients. Hyponatremia was classified as a possibly related treatment-emergent adverse event in phase III studies (1.2%); however, after 6 years of post-marketing surveillance it represents the most frequently (10.2%) reported adverse drug reaction, with more than half of these cases occurring with eslicarbazepine acetate at

[Clinical and evolutive profile of Crohn's disease in Hospital Rebagliati (Lima-Peru)].

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Bendaño, Teófilo; Frisancho, Oscar

2010-01-01

Crohn's Disease (CD) is uncommon in Peru, in that respect, we don't know its clinical and developmental profile. This is a descriptive, retrospective, transversal and observational patients diagnosed with CD in the last 20 years in the Department of Gastroenterology, Hospital Nacional Edgardo Rebagliati Martins'. For the small size of the population, we used a census record. The diagnosis was made using the criteria of Lennard-Jones. We present seventeen cases, most female (11 / 6). The average age was 39.9 years (60% over 40 years). Only one patient had family history (second degree of consanguinity). Sixteen were latins and one white. Clinical manifestations were abdominal pain (88.2%), diarrhea (76.5%), weight loss (76, 5%), bleeding (58.8%) and fever (58.8%). Laboratory findings showed: anemia (76.5%), thrombocytosis (58.8%), hypoalbuminemia (52.9%), leukocytosis (23.5%), nitrogen retention (11.7%), leukopenia (5.9%), and elevated acute phase reactants ( c-reactive protein or erythrocyte sedimentation rate) 76.5%. Extraintestinal manifestations were cutaneous (29.4%), articular diseases (17.6%) and hepatobiliary (11.7%). Five patients (29.4%) received treatment of tuberculosis without success (before diagnosis). Nine patients (52.9%) had acute complications requiring emergency care. The phenotypic pattern type (Montreal's classification) was: non-stricturing non-penetrating 35.3%, stricturing 35.3% and penetrating 29.4%. Inflammation of the ileon was found in 70.5% (47% ileocolonic and ileal 23.5%), nine (53%) had perianal lesions. The activity at diagnosis was mild moderate disease in 8 (47.0%), moderate severe disease in 7 (41.2%) and severe ulminant 2 (11.8%). The macroscopic lesions were predominant stenosis 13 (76.5%), followed by ulcers in 12 (70.6%), erosive erythematous inflammation 11 (64.7%) and thickening of folds in 10 (58.8 %), seven (41%) had fistulas. As initial treatment were used aminosalicylates (13 patients) and systemic corticosteroids in 6

Testing for clinical inertia in medication treatment of bipolar disorder.

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Hodgkin, Dominic; Merrick, Elizabeth L; O'Brien, Peggy L; McGuire, Thomas G; Lee, Sue; Deckersbach, Thilo; Nierenberg, Andrew A

2016-11-15

Clinical inertia has been defined as lack of change in medication treatment at visits where a medication adjustment appears to be indicated. This paper seeks to identify the extent of clinical inertia in medication treatment of bipolar disorder. A second goal is to identify patient characteristics that predict this treatment pattern. Data describe 23,406 visits made by 1815 patients treated for bipolar disorder during the STEP-BD practical clinical trial. Visits were classified in terms of whether a medication adjustment appears to be indicated, and also whether or not one occurred. Multivariable regression analyses were conducted to find which patient characteristics were predictive of whether adjustment occurred. 36% of visits showed at least 1 indication for adjustment. The most common indications were non-response to medication, side effects, and start of a new illness episode. Among visits with an indication for adjustment, no adjustment occurred 19% of the time, which may be suggestive of clinical inertia. In multivariable models, presence of any indication for medication adjustment was a predictor of receiving one (OR=1.125, 95% CI =1.015, 1.246), although not as strong as clinical status measures. The associations observed are not necessarily causal, given the study design. The data also lack information about physician-patient communication. Many patients remained on the same medication regimen despite indications of side effects or non-response to treatment. Although lack of adjustment does not necessarily reflect clinical inertia in all cases, the reasons for this treatment pattern merit further examination. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A study of clinical and endoscopic profile of acute upper, gastrointestinal bleeding.

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Dewan, K R; Patowary, B S; Bhattarai, S

2014-01-01

Acute Upper Gastrointestinal Bleeding is a common medical emergency with a hospital mortality of approximately 10 percent. Higher mortality rate is associated with rebleeding. Rockall scoring system identifies patients at higher risk of rebleed and mortality. To study the clinical and endoscopic profile of acute upper gastrointestinal bleed to know the etiology, clinical presentation, severity of bleeding and outcome. This is a prospective, descriptive hospital based study conducted in Gastroenterology unit of College of Medical Sciences and Teaching Hospital, Bharatpur, Nepal from January 2012 to January 2013. It included 120 patients at random presenting with manifestations of upper gastrointestinal bleed. Their clinical and endoscopic profiles were studied. Rockall scoring system was used to assess their prognosis. Males were predominant (75%). Age ranged from 14 to 88 years, mean being 48.76+17.19. At presentation 86 patients (71.7%) had both hematemesis and malena, 24 patients (20%) had only malena and 10 patients (8.3%) had only hematemesis. Shock was detected in 21.7%, severe anemia and high blood urea were found in 34.2% and 38.3% respectively. Upper Gastrointestinal Bleeding endoscopy revealed esophageal varices (47.5%), peptic ulcer disease (33.3%), erosive mucosal disease (11.6%), Mallory Weiss tear (4.1%) and malignancy (3.3%). Median hospital stay was 7.28+3.18 days. Comorbidities were present in 43.3%. Eighty six patients (71.7%) had Rockall score 6. Five patients (4.2%) expired. Risk factors for death being massive rebleeeding, comorbidities and Rockall score >6. Acute Upper Gastrointestinal bleeding is a medical emergency. Mortality is associated with massive bleeding, comorbidities and Rockall score >6. Urgent, appropriate hospital management definitely helps to reduce morbidity and mortality.

Proteomic profiling in multiple sclerosis clinical courses reveals potential biomarkers of neurodegeneration.

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Maria Liguori

Full Text Available The aim of our project was to perform an exploratory analysis of the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF proteomic profiles of Multiple Sclerosis (MS patients, collected in different phases of their clinical course, in order to investigate the existence of peculiar profiles characterizing the different MS phenotypes. The study was carried out on 24 Clinically Isolated Syndrome (CIS, 16 Relapsing Remitting (RR MS, 11 Progressive (Pr MS patients. The CSF samples were analysed using the Matrix Assisted Laser Desorption Ionisation Time Of Flight (MALDI-TOF mass spectrometer in linear mode geometry and in delayed extraction mode (m/z range: 1000-25000 Da. Peak lists were imported for normalization and statistical analysis. CSF data were correlated with demographic, clinical and MRI parameters. The evaluation of MALDI-TOF spectra revealed 348 peak signals with relative intensity ≥ 1% in the study range. The peak intensity of the signals corresponding to Secretogranin II and Protein 7B2 were significantly upregulated in RRMS patients compared to PrMS (p<0.05, whereas the signals of Fibrinogen and Fibrinopeptide A were significantly downregulated in CIS compared to PrMS patients (p<0.04. Additionally, the intensity of the Tymosin β4 peak was the only signal to be significantly discriminated between the CIS and RRMS patients (p = 0.013. Although with caution due to the relatively small size of the study populations, and considering that not all the findings remained significant after adjustment for multiple comparisons, in our opinion this mass spectrometry evaluation confirms that this technique may provide useful and important information to improve our understanding of the complex pathogenesis of MS.

Clinical pharmacokinetics of Azilsartan medoxomil for the treatment of cardiovascular disease: A review

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Sangeetha, D.; Senthil Kumar, M.

2017-11-01

Hypertension related cardiovascular complications could be amplified by the presence of metabolic co-morbidities. Azilsartan medoxomil is a precise blocker of angiotensin 1 receptor that prevent angiotenin binding, resulting in vasodilation and decrease the effects of aldosterone. Azilsartan is a recently approved angiotensin 1 receptor blocker and appears to be more efficacious in reducing blood pressure than other blockers with a similar safety and tolerability profile. Its very high affinity to and slow dissociation from the angiotensin 1 receptor along with its inverse agonistic properties make it a very good candidate for clinical effects beyond simple blood pressure control, potentially counteracting cardiac hypertrohy and cardiac fibrosis. In drug discovery and the development is to optimize candidate selection for the target therapeutic area and to predict the dose and dosing regime for initial clinical trials with due consern to the requirements for effective treatment in the target therapeutic area these are the main role of preclinical pharmacokinetics. Both the pharmaceutical target and drug disposition like absorption, clearance and distribution of new chemical entities with clear understanding and consideration is required for the type of agent and in sequence for the successful approach.

[Clinical laboratory approaches to parodontitis treatment optimization].

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Soboleva, L A; Shul'diakov, A A; Oseeva, A O; Aleksandrova, E A

2010-01-01

In order to determine cycloferon liniment clinical-pathogenetic efficacy in comprehensive parodontitis therapy examination and treatment of 80 patients was done. It was determined that the cycloferon liniment use in comprehensive treatment of patients with parodontitis let to reduce infectious load in parodontal pockets and local inflammation intensity, to normalize the secretory immunoglobulin level and immune status indices that provided speed up of healing process and reduction relapse frequency.

[Evidence-based aspects of clinical mastitis treatment].

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Mansion-de Vries, E M; Hoedemaker, M; Krömker, V

2015-01-01

Mastitis is one of the most common and expensive diseases in dairy cattle. The decision to treat clinical mastitis is usually made without any knowledge of the etiology, and can therefore only be evidence-based to a limited extent. Evidence-based medicine relies essentially on a combination of one's own clinical competence and scientific findings. In mastitis therapy, those insights depend mostly on pathogen-specific factors. Therefore, in evidence-based therapeutic decision making the pathogen identification should serve as a basis for the consideration of scientifically validated therapeutic concepts. The present paper considers evidence-based treatment of clinical mastitis based on a literature review. The authors conclude that an anti-inflammatory treatment using an NSAID should be conducted regardless of the pathogen. However, the choice of an antibiotic therapy depends on the mastitis causative pathogen, clinical symptoms and the animal itself. In principle, a local antibiotic treatment should be chosen for mild and moderate mastitis. It should be noted, that the benefit of an antibiotic therapy for coliform infections is questionable. With knowledge concerning the pathogen, it appears entirely reasonable to refrain from an antibiotic therapy. For severe (i.   e. feverish) mastitis, a parenteral antibiotic therapy should be selected. An extension of the antibiotic therapy beyond the manufacturer's information is only reasonable for streptococcal infections. It is important to make the decision on a prolonged antibiotic therapy only with the knowledge of the mastitis-causative pathogen. In terms of the therapy of a staphylococcus or streptococcus infection, a narrow-spectrum antibiotic from the penicillin family should be adopted when selecting the active agents.

Do online prognostication tools represent a valid alternative to genomic profiling in the context of adjuvant treatment of early breast cancer? A systematic review of the literature.

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El Hage Chehade, Hiba; Wazir, Umar; Mokbel, Kinan; Kasem, Abdul; Mokbel, Kefah

2018-01-01

Decision-making regarding adjuvant chemotherapy has been based on clinical and pathological features. However, such decisions are seldom consistent. Web-based predictive models have been developed using data from cancer registries to help determine the need for adjuvant therapy. More recently, with the recognition of the heterogenous nature of breast cancer, genomic assays have been developed to aid in the therapeutic decision-making. We have carried out a comprehensive literature review regarding online prognostication tools and genomic assays to assess whether online tools could be used as valid alternatives to genomic profiling in decision-making regarding adjuvant therapy in early breast cancer. Breast cancer has been recently recognized as a heterogenous disease based on variations in molecular characteristics. Online tools are valuable in guiding adjuvant treatment, especially in resource constrained countries. However, in the era of personalized therapy, molecular profiling appears to be superior in predicting clinical outcome and guiding therapy. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Clinical profile and outcome of serpiginous choroiditis in a Uveitis ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Laterality, clinical presentation, presence of any systemic abnormality, best corrected visual acuity (BCVA), lens status, intraocular pressure, findings on funduscopic examination, type of serpiginous choroiditis and treatment modality offered were recorded. Information obtained was entered into SPSS 17.0 data base and ...

Effects of Clinical Pilates Exercises on Patients Developing Lymphedema after Breast Cancer Treatment: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

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Şener, Hülya Özlem; Malkoç, Mehtap; Ergin, Gülbin; Karadibak, Didem; Yavuzşen, Tuğba

2017-01-01

The aim of the present study was to compare the effects of clinical Pilates exercises with those of the standard lymphedema exercises on lymphedema developing after breast cancer treatment. The study comprised 60 female patients with a mean age of 53.2±7.7 years who developed lymphedema after having breast cancer treatment. The patients were randomized into two groups: the clinical Pilates exercise group (n=30), and the control group (n=30). Before, and at the 8th week of treatment, the following parameters were measured: the severity of lymphedema, limb circumferences, body image using the Social Appearance Anxiety Scale, quality of life with the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) quality of life questionnaire (QLQ-BR23), and upper extremity function using the Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand (DASH) outcome measure. Both groups performed one-hour exercises three days a week for 8 weeks. After treatment, the symptoms recovered significantly in both groups. Reductions in the severity of lymphedema, improvements in the social appearance anxiety scale scores, quality of life scores, and upper extremity functions scores in the clinical Pilates exercise group were greater than those in the control group. Clinical Pilates exercises were determined to be more effective on the symptoms of patients with lymphedema than were standard lymphedema exercises. Clinical Pilates exercises could be considered a safe model and would contribute to treatment programs.

Profile of tofacitinib citrate and its potential in the treatment of moderate-to-severe chronic plaque psoriasis

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Di Lernia V

2016-01-01

Full Text Available V Di Lernia,1 F Bardazzi2 1Dermatology Unit, Arcispedale Santa Maria Nuova IRCCS, Reggio Emilia, 2Division of Dermatology, Department of Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy Abstract: The outlook for patients with psoriasis has improved significantly over the last 10 years with the introduction of targeted therapies. Cytokines exert their effects by activating intracellular signaling and transcription pathways, among which there are Janus kinases (JAKs and signal transducers and activators of transcription (STAT pathways. JAKs are intracellular second messengers that are crucial for transmitting extracellular cytokine signals to the cell. JAK inhibition interrupts intracellular signaling and can suppress immune cell activation and inflammation in T-cell-mediated disorders, such as psoriasis. Consequently, JAKs are the subject of intensive research activity, since they represent possible therapeutic targets. Tofacitinib is an orally available compound belonging to a novel category of nonbiologic drugs, the “JAK inhibitors”, which target JAKs. Recently, oral and topical formulations of tofacitinib have been demonstrated to be safe and effective for the treatment of plaque psoriasis in randomized clinical trials. In particular, a 10 mg bid dose of tofacitinib was shown to be noninferior to etanercept 50 mg subcutaneously twice weekly. Questions remain unresolved regarding the safety risk beyond the 5 mg bid dose. This review, assessing the available scientific literature, focuses on the profile of tofacitinib, as investigational compound in the treatment of plaque psoriasis. An overview of the efficacy and safety data from randomized clinical trials is provided. In addition, the authors highlight future potential applications of tofacitinib in other skin diseases, in particular alopecia areata and vitiligo. Keywords: treatment, therapy, systemic, JAKs, vitiligo, alopecia

Antimicrobial Resistance Profiles and Diversity in Salmonella from Humans and Cattle, 2004-2011.

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Afema, J A; Mather, A E; Sischo, W M

2015-11-01

Analysis of long-term anti-microbial resistance (AMR) data is useful to understand source and transmission dynamics of AMR. We analysed 5124 human clinical isolates from Washington State Department of Health, 391 cattle clinical isolates from the Washington Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory and 1864 non-clinical isolates from foodborne disease research on dairies in the Pacific Northwest. Isolates were assigned profiles based on phenotypic resistance to 11 anti-microbials belonging to eight classes. Salmonella Typhimurium (ST), Salmonella Newport (SN) and Salmonella Montevideo (SM) were the most common serovars in both humans and cattle. Multinomial logistic regression showed ST and SN from cattle had greater probability of resistance to multiple classes of anti-microbials than ST and SN from humans (P resistant ST and SN for people, occurrence of profiles unique to cattle and not observed in temporally related human isolates indicates these profiles are circulating in cattle only. We used various measures to assess AMR diversity, conditional on the weighting of rare versus abundant profiles. AMR profile richness was greater in the common serovars from humans, although both source data sets were dominated by relatively few profiles. The greater profile richness in human Salmonella may be due to greater diversity of sources entering the human population compared to cattle or due to continuous evolution in the human environment. Also, AMR diversity was greater in clinical compared to non-clinical cattle Salmonella, and this could be due to anti-microbial selection pressure in diseased cattle that received treatment. The use of bootstrapping techniques showed that although there were shared profiles between humans and cattle, the expected and observed number of profiles was different, suggesting Salmonella and associated resistance from humans and cattle may not be wholly derived from a common population. © 2014 The Authors. Zoonoses and Public Health Published by

Longitudinal metagenomic profiling of bovine milk to assess the impact of intramammary treatment using a third-generation cephalosporin

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Ganda, Erika K.; Bisinotto, Rafael S.; Lima, Svetlana F.; Kronauer, Kristina; Decter, Dean H.; Oikonomou, Georgios; Schukken, Ynte H.; Bicalho, Rodrigo C.

2016-01-01

Antimicrobial usage in food animals has a direct impact on human health, and approximately 80% of the antibiotics prescribed in the dairy industry are used to treat bovine mastitis. Here we provide a longitudinal description of the changes in the microbiome of milk that are associated with mastitis and antimicrobial therapy. Next-generation sequencing, 16 S rRNA gene quantitative real-time PCR, and aerobic culturing were applied to assess the effect of disease and antibiotic therapy on the milk microbiome. Cows diagnosed with clinical mastitis associated with Gram-negative pathogens or negative aerobic culture were randomly allocated into 5 days of Ceftiofur intramammary treatment or remained as untreated controls. Serial milk samples were collected from the affected quarter and the ipsilateral healthy quarter of the same animal. Milk from the mastitic quarter had a higher bacterial load and reduced microbial diversity compared to healthy milk. Resolution of the disease was accompanied by increases in diversity indexes and a decrease in pathogen relative abundance. Escherichia coli-associated mastitic milk samples had a remarkably distinct bacterial profile, dominated by Enterobacteriaceae, when compared to healthy milk. However, no differences were observed in culture-negative mastitis samples when compared to healthy milk. Antimicrobial treatment had no significant effect on clinical cure, bacteriological cure, pathogen clearance rate or bacterial load. PMID:27874095

Clinical features and hormonal profiles of cloprostenol-induced early abortions in heifers monitored by ultrasonography

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Beckers Jean-François

2006-11-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The present study describes the clinical features and plasma profiles of bovine pregnancy-associated glycoprotein 1 (bPAG1, the main metabolite of prostaglandin F2α (PG metabolite and progesterone (P4 in heifers in which early abortions were induced. Methods Early abortions were induced in four heifers with cloprostenol and monitored by ultrasonography. Blood samples were collected and the plasma were analyzed for bPAG 1, P4 and PG metabolite. Results The foetal heartbeat rates varied from 170–186 beats per minute for all foetuses up to the date of cloprostenol treatment. Foetal death was confirmed within two days after cloprostenol treatment. Prior to cloprostenol injection, blood plasma concentrations of bPAG1, PG metabolite and P4 varied from 8.4 – 40.0 ng/mL, 158 – 275 pmol/L and 20.7 – 46.9 nmol/L, respectively. After the foetus expelled, the plasma level of bPAG1 began to decrease but the decrease was small and gradual. The estimated half-life of bPAG1 was 1.8 – 6.6 days. The plasma level of the PG metabolite started to have short lasting peaks (above 300 pmol/L within three hours after cloprostenol treatment. The plasma concentrations of P4 dropped sharply to less than 4 nmol/L after 24 hours of cloprostenol injection. Conclusion The current findings indicated that after early closprostenol-induced foetal death, the plasma concentration of bPAG1 decreased gradually and showed a tendency of variation with the stages of pregnancy.

[Safety profile of dolutegravir].

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Rivero, Antonio; Domingo, Pere

2015-03-01

Integrase inhibitors are the latest drug family to be added to the therapeutic arsenal against human immunodeficiency virus infection. Drugs in this family that do not require pharmacological boosting are characterized by a very good safety profile. The latest integrase inhibitor to be approved for use is dolutegravir. In clinical trials, dolutegravir has shown an excellent tolerability profile, both in antiretroviral-naïve and previously treated patients. Discontinuation rates due to adverse effects were 2% and 3%, respectively. The most frequent adverse effects were nausea, headache, diarrhea and sleep disturbance. A severe hypersensitivity reaction has been reported in only one patient. In patients coinfected with hepatropic viruses, the safety profile is similar to that in patients without coinfection. The lipid profile of dolutegravir is similar to that of raltegravir and superior to those of Atripla® and darunavir/ritonavir. Dolutegravir induces an early, predictable and non-progressive increase in serum creatinine of around 10% of baseline values in treatment-naïve patients and of 14% in treatment-experienced patients. This increase is due to inhibition of tubular creatinine secretion through the OCT2 receptor and does not lead to a real decrease in estimated glomerular filtration rate with algorithms that include serum creatinine. The effect of the combination of dolutegravir plus Kivexa(®) on biomarkers of bone remodeling is lower than that of Atripla(®). Dolutegravir has an excellent tolerability profile with no current evidence of long-term adverse effects. Its use is accompanied by an early and non-progressive increase in serum creatinine due to OCT2 receptor inhibition. In combination with abacavir/lamivudine, dolutegravir has a lower impact than enofovir/emtricitabine/efavirenz on bone remodelling markers. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Profile of tofacitinib citrate and its potential in the treatment of moderate-to-severe chronic plaque psoriasis

Science.gov (United States)

Di Lernia, V; Bardazzi, F

2016-01-01

The outlook for patients with psoriasis has improved significantly over the last 10 years with the introduction of targeted therapies. Cytokines exert their effects by activating intracellular signaling and transcription pathways, among which there are Janus kinases (JAKs) and signal transducers and activators of transcription (STAT) pathways. JAKs are intracellular second messengers that are crucial for transmitting extracellular cytokine signals to the cell. JAK inhibition interrupts intracellular signaling and can suppress immune cell activation and inflammation in T-cell-mediated disorders, such as psoriasis. Consequently, JAKs are the subject of intensive research activity, since they represent possible therapeutic targets. Tofacitinib is an orally available compound belonging to a novel category of nonbiologic drugs, the “JAK inhibitors”, which target JAKs. Recently, oral and topical formulations of tofacitinib have been demonstrated to be safe and effective for the treatment of plaque psoriasis in randomized clinical trials. In particular, a 10 mg bid dose of tofacitinib was shown to be noninferior to etanercept 50 mg subcutaneously twice weekly. Questions remain unresolved regarding the safety risk beyond the 5 mg bid dose. This review, assessing the available scientific literature, focuses on the profile of tofacitinib, as investigational compound in the treatment of plaque psoriasis. An overview of the efficacy and safety data from randomized clinical trials is provided. In addition, the authors highlight future potential applications of tofacitinib in other skin diseases, in particular alopecia areata and vitiligo. PMID:26889081

Microbiological profile and clinical outcome of severe foot ulcers of diabetic inpatients

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Marivaldo Loyola Aragão(

2010-09-01

Full Text Available Objectives: To describe the microbiological profile and clinical outcomes of diabetic foot ulcers of inpatients of a tertiary university hospital, at Ceara, Brazil. Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of medical charts data of all diabetic inpatients of the Endocrine and Diabetes Unit of Walter Cantídio University Hospital (Federal University of Ceará, admitted from January, 2006 to June, 2007 for severe foot ulcers (minimum of grade 2 of Wagner`s classification, which were refractory to ambulatory treatment. Clinical data from each patient were recorded (sex, age, diabetes duration, and comorbidities as well as microbiological characteristics of foot ulcers and surgical (amputations material. Results: We identified 17 diabetic patients, all type 2, aged 58.11 ± 10.8 years and 12.4 ± 8.4 years of disease, 58.8% male. Of ulcers, 41.1% were grade 2; 35.2% grade 3; 11.7% grade 4 and 11.7% grade 5 of Wagner; 64.7% with less than 3 months of evolution. Debridement was performed in 82.3% of patients and amputation in 47%; osteomyelitis was identified in 47% of cases. All patients started empiric antibiotic therapy, where ciprofloxacin/metronidazole was the most used scheme (76.5%. Cultures were negative in 12.5% of the patients. In the positive ones, the most prevalent bacterial pathogens detected in the culture materials were: S. aureus (57.1%; S. viridans (28.7%; P. aeruginosas (28.7%; M. morganii (28.7%. The majority (75% of isolated S. aureus were methicillin-resistant, but were sensitive to vacomicin. Conclusion: We observed the presence of polymicrobial flora with a large number of multiresistant pathogens and high prevalence of osteomyelitis and amputations in diabetic patients with severe ulcers, neuropathy and peripheral vascular disease.

Late-onset hypogonadism: etiology, clinical features, diagnostics, treatment

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E. Yu. Pashkova

2015-04-01

Full Text Available In a critical review of the literature current data concerning etiology, clinical features, diagnostics, treatment of late-onset hypogonadism (LOH are given. LOH is a multidisciplinary problem, because a patient with LOH can have osteoporosis, anemia, depression, obesity, diabetes mellitus, erectile dysfunction. Sometimes it is hard to realize that all this complaints are symptoms of LOH. LOH has a negative impact on a patient,s quality of life and it,s impossible to help without androgen replacement therapy. Furthermore doctors often have doubts about testosterone replacement therapy safety because of lack of accurate information. In a convenient for medical practitioners form clinical and laboratory diagnostic criteria of LOH are presented together with formulas for conversion from one measurement unit of main sex hormones into another. Based on latest ISSAM guidelines (International Society for the Study of the Aging Male modern treatment options of LOH are summarized, full information about available testosterone preparations (oral, transdermal, injectable with comparative analysis of advantages and disadvantages of each is given. A full description of indications and contraindications for androgen replacement treatment is presented, also treatment regimen and medical supervision algorithm during treatment are described. 

Late-onset hypogonadism: etiology, clinical features, diagnostics, treatment

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E. Yu. Pashkova

2015-01-01

Full Text Available In a critical review of the literature current data concerning etiology, clinical features, diagnostics, treatment of late-onset hypogonadism (LOH are given. LOH is a multidisciplinary problem, because a patient with LOH can have osteoporosis, anemia, depression, obesity, diabetes mellitus, erectile dysfunction. Sometimes it is hard to realize that all this complaints are symptoms of LOH. LOH has a negative impact on a patient,s quality of life and it,s impossible to help without androgen replacement therapy. Furthermore doctors often have doubts about testosterone replacement therapy safety because of lack of accurate information. In a convenient for medical practitioners form clinical and laboratory diagnostic criteria of LOH are presented together with formulas for conversion from one measurement unit of main sex hormones into another. Based on latest ISSAM guidelines (International Society for the Study of the Aging Male modern treatment options of LOH are summarized, full information about available testosterone preparations (oral, transdermal, injectable with comparative analysis of advantages and disadvantages of each is given. A full description of indications and contraindications for androgen replacement treatment is presented, also treatment regimen and medical supervision algorithm during treatment are described. 

PSORIATIC ARTHRITIS: CLASSIFICATION, CLINICAL PRESENTATION, DIAGNOSIS, TREATMENT

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T. V. Korotaeva

2014-01-01

Full Text Available The lecture gives basic information about psoriatic arthritis (PsA, a chronic inflammatory disease of the joints, spine, and enthesises from a group of spondyloarthritis. It describes the epidemiology of the disease and considers current ideas on its pathogenesis and factors influencing the development of PsA in psoriatic patients. The classification and clinical forms of PsA are presented. The major clinical manifestations of the disease are indicated to include peripheral arthritis, enthesitis, dactylitis, and spondylitis. The diagnosis of the disease is noted to be established on the basis of its detected typical clinical and radiological signs, by applying the CASPAR criteria. A dermatologist, rheumatologist, and general practitioner screen PsA, by actively detecting complaints, characteristic clinical and radiological signs of damage to the joints, and/or spine, and/or enthesises and by using screening questionnaires. There are data that patients with PsA are observed to be at higher risk for a number of diseases type 2 diabetes mellitus hypertension, coronary heart disease, obesity, metabolic syndrome, inflammatory bowel diseases, etc. The aim of current pharmacotherapy for PsA is to achieve remission or minimal activity of clinical manifestations of the disease, to delay or prevent its X-ray progression, to increase survival, to improve quality of life in patients, and to reduce the risk of comorbidities. The paper considers groups of medicines used to treat the disease, among other issues, information about biological agents (BA registered in the Russian Federation for the treatment of PsA. Most patients are mentioned to show a good response to this therapy option just 3–6 months after treatment initiation; however, some of them develop primary inefficiency. In this case, switching one BA to another is recommended. Some patients using a BA develop secondary treatment inefficiency, which is firstly due to the appearance of

Risk profiles of treatment noncompletion for inpatients and outpatients undergoing alcohol disorder rehabilitation treatment

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Preuss UW

2012-05-01

Full Text Available Ulrich W Preuss,1 Jörg Zimmermann,2,3 Gabriele Schultz,2 Anna Watzke,2 Peggy Schmidt,4 Bärbel Löhnert,5 Michael Soyka2,61Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, University of Halle-Wittenberg, Halle, Germany; 2Ev Krankenhaus Bethanien GmbH, Fachklinik Gristower Wiek, Johanna-Odebrecht-Stiftung, Germany; 3Karl-Jaspers-Klinik, Fachkrankenhaus für Psychiatrie und Psychotherapie, Psychiatrieverbund Oldenburger Land, Germany; 4Department of Psychiatry, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität Munich, Germany; 5Klientenzentrierte Problemberatung, Dachau/Munich, Germany; 6Privatklinik Meiringen, Meiringen, Switzerland Background: Rehabilitation treatment noncompletion is considered a risk factor for long term relapse in alcohol-dependent individuals. The aim of this analysis of in- and outpatients in alcohol dependence rehabilitation in Germany is to identify social, mental, and somatic risk profiles for treatment noncompletion.Methods: A total of 92 individuals from an outpatient program and 303 individuals from two inpatient rehabilitation treatment units in three different locations in Germany were recruited and assessed with a structured interview and several measures of psychopathology (personality disorders, anxiety, depression, and impulsivity at treatment admission, with termination at 12 months follow-up. Participants were subdivided into treatment completers and noncompleters for any reason.Results: A total of 10.2% of inpatients and 16.1% of outpatients did not complete treatment. Compared with treatment completers, noncompleters had a significantly lower rate of continuous abstinence at 1-year follow-up, more recent alcohol consumption before admission, and a higher rate of borderline personality disorders. Among inpatients, an elevated rate of lifetime mental disorders, depression, and suicide attempts was found among treatment noncompleters; among outpatients, treatment noncompleters were more often than completers to be

TREATMENT OF HYPERTENSION IN PREGNANCY: GUIDELINES AND CLINICAL EXPERIENCE

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O. V. Gaisenok

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Topical issues of the treatment of hypertension in pregnancy are presented. Examples from clinical practice are discussed as well as possible medical treatment of hypertension in pregnant women taking into account actual recommendations.

Correlation between MRI and clinical profiles of periventricular leukomalacia in children

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fan Xiaoying; Xiao Jiangxi; Jiang Xuexiang; Tang Guangjian

2003-01-01

Objective: To study the relationship between MRI and clinical profiles of periventricular leukomalacia (PVL) in children. Methods: The clinical and MRI findings in 34 cases with PVL were retrospectively analyzed. Results: (1) Periventricular hyperintensity on T 2 WI was more prominent in the preterm-group than that in the term-group, and P value was 0.000; (2) Cortical lesion and subcortical leukomalacia was seen in 9 of 19 cases in the children with PVL born at term, but detected in only 1/15 in the preterm-group. P value was 0.020; (3) Seizure was common in term children. P value was 0.036; (4) The degree of reduction of periventricular white matter correlated with motor impairment and mental retardation in all children, and P values were 0.002 and 0.000, respectively. The thinning of the corpus callosum also correlated with mental retardation and P value was 0.012. The degree of reduction of periventricular white matter correlated with visual impairment in preterm-group. Conclusion: The end-stage PVL can been clearly displayed by MRI, and gestational age and clinical manifestation were closely related to the findings of MRI

Semi-empirical procedures for correcting detector size effect on clinical MV x-ray beam profiles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sahoo, Narayan; Kazi, Abdul M.; Hoffman, Mark

2008-01-01

profiles of clinical high-energy x-ray beams.

Blood antioxidant profile and lipid peroxides in dairy cows with clinical mastitis

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Rajesh Rathore

2013-10-01

Full Text Available Aim: To evaluate blood antioxidant profile and lipid peroxides in dairy cows with clinical mastitis. Materials and Methods: Twelve cases of clinical mastitis in cross-bred cows were selected based on physical examination of udder and milk, California Mastitis Test (CMT, Somatic Cell Count (SCC and confirmation by bacteriological examination of milk and requisite biochemical tests. Twelve lactating cows showing negative CMT reaction and SCC <2x105 cells/ml were considered as healthy control. Antioxidant parameters measured in blood were superoxide dismutase (SOD, catalase activities and reduced glutathione (GSH concentration. Erythrocytic lipid peroxidation (LPO was measured in terms of malondialdehyde (MDA production. Results: Significant (P<0.05 decrease in blood SOD and catalase activities, GSH concentration and an increase in erythrocytic lipid peroxides was observed in cows with clinical mastitis. Conclusion: It is concluded that there is a compromise in antioxidant defense of the body in dairy cows with clinical mastitis resulting in oxidative damage, therefore, necessitate the use of antioxidants and other protective compounds along with conventional therapy for mastitis control. [Vet World 2013; 6(5.000: 271-273

Optimized high-throughput microRNA expression profiling provides novel biomarker assessment of clinical prostate and breast cancer biopsies

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Fedele Vita

2006-06-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Recent studies indicate that microRNAs (miRNAs are mechanistically involved in the development of various human malignancies, suggesting that they represent a promising new class of cancer biomarkers. However, previously reported methods for measuring miRNA expression consume large amounts of tissue, prohibiting high-throughput miRNA profiling from typically small clinical samples such as excision or core needle biopsies of breast or prostate cancer. Here we describe a novel combination of linear amplification and labeling of miRNA for highly sensitive expression microarray profiling requiring only picogram quantities of purified microRNA. Results Comparison of microarray and qRT-PCR measured miRNA levels from two different prostate cancer cell lines showed concordance between the two platforms (Pearson correlation R2 = 0.81; and extension of the amplification, labeling and microarray platform was successfully demonstrated using clinical core and excision biopsy samples from breast and prostate cancer patients. Unsupervised clustering analysis of the prostate biopsy microarrays separated advanced and metastatic prostate cancers from pooled normal prostatic samples and from a non-malignant precursor lesion. Unsupervised clustering of the breast cancer microarrays significantly distinguished ErbB2-positive/ER-negative, ErbB2-positive/ER-positive, and ErbB2-negative/ER-positive breast cancer phenotypes (Fisher exact test, p = 0.03; as well, supervised analysis of these microarray profiles identified distinct miRNA subsets distinguishing ErbB2-positive from ErbB2-negative and ER-positive from ER-negative breast cancers, independent of other clinically important parameters (patient age; tumor size, node status and proliferation index. Conclusion In sum, these findings demonstrate that optimized high-throughput microRNA expression profiling offers novel biomarker identification from typically small clinical samples such as breast

Lyme disease: clinical diagnosis and treatment

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Hatchette, TF; Davis, I; Johnston, BL

2014-01-01

Background Lyme disease is an emerging zoonotic infection in Canada. As the Ixodes tick expands its range, more Canadians will be exposed to Borrelia burgdorferi, the bacterium that causes Lyme disease. Objective To review the clinical diagnosis and treatment of Lyme disease for front-line clinicians. Methods A literature search using PubMed and restricted to articles published in English between 1977 and 2014. Results Individuals in Lyme-endemic areas are at greatest risk, but not all tick bites transmit Lyme disease. The diagnosis is predominantly clinical. Patients with Lyme disease may present with early disease that is characterized by a “bull’s eye rash”, fever and myalgias or with early disseminated disease that can manifest with arthralgias, cardiac conduction abnormalities or neurologic symptoms. Late Lyme disease in North America typically manifests with oligoarticular arthritis but can present with a subacute encephalopathy. Antibiotic treatment is effective against Lyme disease and works best when given early in the infection. Prophylaxis with doxycyline may be indicated in certain circumstances. While a minority of patients may have persistent symptoms, evidence does not demonstrate that prolonged courses of antibiotics improve outcome. Conclusion Clinicians need to be aware of the signs and symptoms of Lyme disease. Knowing the regions where Borrelia infection is endemic in North America is important for recognizing patients at risk and informing the need for treatment. PMID:29769842

THORACOLUMBAR BURST FRACTURE: STRUCTURAL CHANGES AND CLINICAL OUTCOME OF TREATMENT

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Rodrigo Arnold Tisot

2016-03-01

Full Text Available ABSTRACT Objective: To evaluate the correlation between structural changes in burst fractures of thoracic and lumbar spine with clinical outcome of the treatment. Methods: A retrospective study in 25 patients with fractures of thoracic and lumbar spine burst fractures without neurological deficit. Eleven patients underwent conservative treatment and for the remaining the treatment was surgical. All patients were followed up for at least 24 months. The cases were evaluated by a protocol that included: posttraumatic measurement of kyphosis, vertebral body collapse and narrowing of the spinal canal, the visual analog scale of pain, and the quality of life questionnaire SF-36 at the follow-up. For statistical analysis, the significance level was 5% and the software SPSS 18.0 was used. Results: No statistically significant difference was observed when comparing the clinical outcomes of one treatment over another. Similarly, there was no statistically significant correlation between kyphosis and post-traumatic narrowing of the spinal canal with clinical worsening in the follow-up, regardless of the treatment used. We found a positive correlation (p<0.05 between initial collapse and SF-36 domains in both groups (operated and non-operated. Conclusion: There was no significant superiority of one treatment over the other, and no correlation was found between kyphosis and spinal canal narrowing in burst fractures of the thoracic and lumbar spine without neurological deficit. However, there was correlation between initial collapse and clinical outcome in some domains of the SF-36 questionnaire.

JAK Inhibitors: Treatment Efficacy and Safety Profile in Patients with Psoriasis

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Leeyen Hsu

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Janus kinase (JAK pathways are key mediators in the immunopathogenesis of psoriasis. Psoriasis treatment has evolved with the advent of targeted therapies, which inhibit specific components of the psoriasis proinflammatory cascade. JAK inhibitors have been studied in early phase trials for psoriasis patients, and the data are promising for these agents as potential treatment options. Tofacitinib, an oral or topically administered JAK1 and JAK3 inhibitor, and ruxolitinib, a topical JAK1 and JAK2 inhibitor, have been most extensively studied in psoriasis, and both improved clinical symptoms of psoriasis. Additional JAK1 or JAK3 inhibitors are being studied in clinical trials. In phase III trials for rheumatoid arthritis, tofacitinib was efficacious in patients with inadequate responses to tumor necrosis factor inhibitors, methotrexate monotherapy, or disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs. The results of phase III trials are pending for these therapies in psoriasis, and these agents may represent important alternatives for patients with inadequate responses to currently available agents. Further investigations with long-term clinical trials are necessary to verify their utility in psoriasis treatment and assess their safety in this patient population.

[Clinical-epidemiological study in children with cleft lip palate in a secondary-level hospital].

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Pons-Bonals, Alicia; Pons-Bonals, Leticia; Hidalgo-Martínez, Sandra Margarita; Sosa-Ferreyra, Carlos Francisco

One of the most common congenital disorders that affects the facial structures is the cleft lip palate (CLP). The aim of this study was to generate the clinical-epidemiological profile of CLP patients from Hospital de Especialidades del Niño y la Mujer (HENM) Dr. Felipe Nuñez Lara, from the Ministry of Health, Queretaro, Mexico, from 2011 to 2014, who received treatment from the Cleft Lip Palate Clinic in order to provide interdisciplinary treatments for CLP patients based on the information from the pediatric records. Retrospective, cross-sectional, observational study using univariate analysis frequencies for qualitative variables; central statistical and dispersion for quantitative variables and clinical profile. One hundred records were reviewed, from which 15 were discarded for being syndromic cases. Epidemiological, clinical, and socio-demographic variables were studied. The epidemiological profile (variables associated with mother's pregnancy, patient's health at birth, nutritional and psychomotor development; family medical records, addictions, and socioeconomic factors) and clinical profile (disease classification by sex, structure, and side; surgeries classification and order in which they took place) of the treated population were registered. The results showed the need to standardize the data registration on medical records to improve the monitoring and treatment of patients and emphasize actions to maintain low incidence of CLP in Queretaro. Copyright © 2017 Hospital Infantil de México Federico Gómez. Publicado por Masson Doyma México S.A. All rights reserved.

Clinical and etiological profile of refractory rickets from western India.

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Joshi, Rajesh R; Patil, Shailesh; Rao, Sudha

2013-07-01

To present clinical and etiological profile of refractory rickets from Mumbai. Case records of 36 patients presenting over 2½ y with refractory rickets were evaluated with respect to clinical presentation, biochemical, radiological features and where needed, ophthalmological examination, ultrasonography and special tests on blood and urine. Twenty three (63 %) patients had renal tubular acidosis (RTA)-distal RTA in 20 and proximal RTA in 3 patients; 5 (14 %) had vitamin D dependent rickets (VDDR I in 2 and VDDR II in 3 patients), 4 (11 %) had chronic renal failure (CRF) and 2 each (6 %) had hypophosphatemic rickets and chronic liver disease as cause of refractory rickets. A significant proportion of patients with RTA and VDDR showed skeletal changes of rickets in the first 2 y of life, while those with hypophosphatemic rickets presented later. Patients with hypophosphatemic rickets had predominant involvement of lower limbs, normal blood calcium and PTH levels and phosphorus leak in urine. All patients with RTA presented with failure to thrive, polyuria and marked rickets; blood alkaline phosphatase levels being normal in almost 50 % patients. Three (75 %) patients with rickets due to CRF had GFR rickets inspite of taking high dose of vitamin D orally. Refractory rickets is a disorder of multiple etiologies; a good history and clinical examination supplemented with appropriate investigations helps to determine its cause.

Surgical treatment of class II malocclusion in the orthodontic boundaries: a case report.

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Bandeca, Matheus Coelho; Porto, Alessandra Nogueira; Valieri, Sidnei; Valieri, Matheus; Borges, Alvaro H; Mattos, Fernanda Zanol

2014-01-01

The aim of this study was to report a clinical case of treatment of Class II division I malocclusion with facial aesthetic impairment, whose therapeutic approach comprised the association of orthodontic treatment with orthognathic surgery. The treatment for the present case consisted of decompensation oflower incisors and extraction oftwo lower premolars, in order to obtain horizontal discrepancy allowing the surgery for mandibular advancement. At the end of treatment, we could clinically observe a Class I molar/canine relationship, normal overbite and overjet, presence of lip seal, type I facial profile with considerable aesthetic improvement. We can conclude that the ortho-surgical treatment is a therapeutic alternative providing the best prognosis in terms of aesthetic correction in patients with unpleasant facial profile.

Using pathology-specific laboratory profiles in Clinical Pathology to reduce inappropriate test requesting: two completed audit cycles

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2012-01-01

Background Systematic reviews have shown that, although well prepared, the Consensus Guidelines have failed to change clinical practice. In the healthcare district of Castelnovo né Monti (Reggio Emilia, Italy), it became necessary for the GPs and Clinical Pathologists to work together to jointly define laboratory profiles. Methods Observational study with two cycles of retrospective audit on test request forms, in a primary care setting. Objectives of the study were to develop pathology-specific laboratory profiles and to increase the number of provisional diagnoses on laboratory test request forms. A Multiprofessional Multidisciplinary Inter-hospital Work Team developed pathology-specific laboratory profiles for more effective test requesting. After 8 training sessions that used a combined strategy with multifaceted interventions, the 23 General Practitioners (GPs) in the trial district (Castelnovo nè Monti) tested the profiles; the 21 GPs in the Puianello district were the control group; all GPs in both districts participated in the trial. All laboratory tests for both healthcare districts are performed at the Laboratory located in the trial district. A baseline and a 1-year audit were performed in both districts on the GPs’ request forms. Results Seven pathology-specific laboratory profiles for outpatients were developed. In the year after the first audit cycle: 1) the number of tests requested in the trial district was distinctly lower than that in the previous year, with a decrease of about 5% (p < 0.001); 2) the provisional diagnosis on the request forms was 52.8% in the trial district and 42% in the control district (P < 0.001); 3) the decrease of the number of tests on each request form was much more marked in the trial district (8.73 vs. 10.77; p < 0.001). Conclusions The first audit cycle showed a significant decrease in the number of tests ordered only in the trial district. The combined strategy used in this study improved the

Features of clinical course and treatment principles of endodontic-periodontal lesions

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P I Moroz

2018-06-01

Full Text Available Aim. To study the characteristic differences in the clinical course of chronic generalized periodontitis in the presence of periapical infection focus and the principles of combined treatment of endodontium and periodontium. Methods. A clinical and X-ray examination of 1525 patients of different age groups was performed. As a result, a clinical group of 68 patients with chronic generalized moderate and severe periodontitis was formed, who were divided into two groups depending on the presence or absence of periapical destruction. In group 1, 32 patients with the presence of chronic generalized periodontitis and signs of chronic apical periodontitis were united. Group 2 included 36 patients with chronic generalized periodontitis and no periapical infection and damage. The index estimation of the periodontal tissues state in the dynamics of combined endodontic and periodontal treatment was performed. Results. The initial task of treating endodontic periodontal lesions, regardless of the localization of the primary lesion focus, is the elimination or reversal of chronic periapical inflammatory processes of the teeth. The proposed monitoring system in the course of treatment and dynamic follow-up for 18 months for patients suffering from endodontic periodontal lesions using clinical and radiological methods of examination involves: (1 interim epicrisis or conclusion about negative or positive compliance 1-2 months after the completion of endodontic treatment and hygiene procedures; (2 periodontal treatment (according to indications with the assessment of clinical efficacy 6 and 12 months after the start of treatment; (3 epicrisis after 18 months. Conclusion. The use of proposed concept of complex treatment of endodontic-periodontal lesions, monitoring system in the course of dental therapeutic and preventive measures and dynamic follow-up for 18 months allows achieving positive compliance in 85% of patients according to the clinical examination and

Clinical and laboratory profile of different dengue sub types in dengue virus infection

OpenAIRE

Niloy Gan Chaudhuri; S. Vithyavathi; K. Sankar

2016-01-01

Background: Dengue infection, an arthropod-borne viral hemorrhagic fever is caused by Arbovirus of Flavivirus genus and transmitted by Aedes aegypti, Aedes albopictus. Liver involvement in dengue fever is manifested by the elevation of transaminases representing reactive hepatitis, due to direct attack of virus itself or the use of hepatotoxic drugs. The objective of the study was to investigate clinical and laboratory profile of different dengue sub type's patients admitted for dengue fever....

Clinical Profiles, Occurrence, and Management of Adolescent Patients with HAIR-AN Syndrome

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Hatim A. Omar

2004-01-01

Full Text Available The syndrome of hyperandrogenism, insulin resistance, and acanthosis nigricans (HAIR-AN is a subphenotype of the polycystic ovary syndrome. It is one of the most common causes of menstrual problems, hyperandrogenic symptoms, and insulin resistance among young women. Review of clinical data in an outpatient adolescent clinic showed that of the 1,002 young women (ages 10—21 years attending the clinic over a 2-year period, 50 (5% were diagnosed with HAIR-AN syndrome. Mean age of the patients was 15.5, initial mean weight at diagnosis was 94.5 kg, and the mean BMI was 33.33 kg/m2. Patients were treated with a weight-stabilization and -reduction program, oral contraceptive pills, and in most cases metformin. Of the patients, 80% were compliant with the follow-up and treatment regimen, 60% maintained or reduced their weight, 95% had regular menstrual cycles, and in most patients, the acne and/or hirsutism were the same or better than at the start of treatment. We conclude that HAIR-AN syndrome is a common disease in young women and multifaceted, aggressive treatment appears to be effective in reducing the severity of symptoms and preventing further consequences.

Strategies for maximizing clinical effectiveness in the treatment of schizophrenia.

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Tandon, Rajiv; Targum, Steven D; Nasrallah, Henry A; Ross, Ruth

2006-11-01

The ultimate clinical objective in the treatment of schizophrenia is to enable affected individuals to lead maximally productive and personally meaningful lives. As with other chronic diseases that lack a definitive cure, the individual's service/recovery plan must include treatment interventions directed towards decreasing manifestations of the illness, rehabilitative services directed towards enhancing adaptive skills, and social support mobilization aimed at optimizing function and quality of life. In this review, we provide a conceptual framework for considering approaches for maximizing the effectiveness of the array of treatments and other services towards promoting recovery of persons with schizophrenia. We discuss pharmacological, psychological, and social strategies that decrease the burden of the disease of schizophrenia on affected individuals and their families while adding the least possible burden of treatment. In view of the multitude of treatments necessary to optimize outcomes for individuals with schizophrenia, effective coordination of these services is essential. In addition to providing best possible clinical assessment and pharmacological treatment, the psychiatrist must function as an effective leader of the treatment team. To do so, however, the psychiatrist must be knowledgeable about the range of available services, must have skills in clinical-administrative leadership, and must accept the responsibility of coordinating the planning and delivery of this multidimensional array of treatments and services. Finally, the effectiveness of providing optimal individualized treatment/rehabilitation is best gauged by measuring progress on multiple effectiveness domains. Approaches for efficient and reliable assessment are discussed.

Clinical Profile and Electroencephalogram Findings in Children with Seizure Presenting to Dhulikhel Hospital.

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Poudyal, P; Shrestha, R Pb; Shrestha, P S; Dangol, S; Shrestha, N C; Joshi, A; Shrestha, A

Background Seizure disorder is the most common childhood neurologic condition and a major public health concern. Identification of the underlying seizure etiology helps to identify appropriate treatment options and the prognosis for the child. Objective This study was conducted to investigate the clinical profile, causes and electroencephalogram findings in children with seizure presenting to a tertiary center in Kavre district. Method This was a hospital based prospective study carried out in the Department of Pediatrics, Dhulikhel Hospital, Kavre from 1st April 2015 to 31st March 2016. Variables collected were demographics, clinical presentations, laboratory tests, brain imaging studies, electroencephalography, diagnosis and outcome. Result Study included 120 (age 1 month to 16 years) children attending Dhulikhel Hospital. Majority of the patients were male (60.84%). Age at first seizure was less than 5 years in 75.83% of children. Seizure was generalized in 62.50%, focal in 31.67% and unclassified in 5.83%. Common causes of seizure were - Primary generalized epilepsy (26.66%), neurocysticercosis (10%) and hypoxic injury (6.6%) which was diagnosed in the perinatal period. Febrile seizure (26.66%) was the most common cause of seizure in children between 6 months to 5 years of age. Neurological examination, electroencephalography and Computed Tomography were abnormal in 71.66%, 68.92% and 58.14% cases respectively. Seizure was controlled by monotherapy in 69.16% cases and was resistant in 7.50% of the cases. Conclusion Primary generalized epilepsy and febrile seizure were the most common causes of seizures in children attending Dhulikhel Hospital. Electroencephalogram findings help to know the pattern of neuronal activity. Response to monotherapy was good and valproic acid was the most commonly used drug.

Clinical and epidemiological profile of patients with valvular heart disease admitted to the emergency department

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Moraes, Ricardo Casalino Sanches de [Instituto do Coração, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP (Brazil); Katz, Marcelo [Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein, São Paulo, SP (Brazil); Tarasoutchi, Flávio [Instituto do Coração, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP (Brazil)

2014-07-01

To evaluate the clinical and epidemiological profile of patients with valvular heart disease who arrived decompensated at the emergency department of a university hospital in Brazil. A descriptive analysis of clinical and echocardiographic data of 174 patients with severe valvular disease, who were clinically decompensated and went to the emergency department of a tertiary cardiology hospital, in the State of São Paulo, in 2009. The mean age of participants was 56±17 years and 54% were female. The main cause of valve disease was rheumatic in 60%, followed by 15% of degenerative aortic disease and mitral valve prolapse in 13%. Mitral regurgitation (27.5%) was the most common isolated valve disease, followed by aortic stenosis (23%), aortic regurgitation (13%) and mitral stenosis (11%). In echocardiographic data, the mean left atrial diameter was 48±12mm, 38±12mm for the left ventricular systolic diameter, and 54±12mm for the diastolic diameter; the mean ejection fraction was 56±13%, and the mean pulmonary artery pressure was 53±16mmHg. Approximately half of patients (44%) presented atrial fibrillation, and over one third of them (37%) had already undergone another cardiac surgery. Despite increased comorbidities and age-dependent risk factors commonly described in patients with valvular heart disease, the clinical profile of patients arriving at the emergency department represented a cohort of rheumatic patients in more advanced stages of disease. These patients require priority care in high complexity specialized hospitals.

Clinical and epidemiological profile of patients with valvular heart disease admitted to the emergency department

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moraes, Ricardo Casalino Sanches de; Katz, Marcelo; Tarasoutchi, Flávio

2014-01-01

To evaluate the clinical and epidemiological profile of patients with valvular heart disease who arrived decompensated at the emergency department of a university hospital in Brazil. A descriptive analysis of clinical and echocardiographic data of 174 patients with severe valvular disease, who were clinically decompensated and went to the emergency department of a tertiary cardiology hospital, in the State of São Paulo, in 2009. The mean age of participants was 56±17 years and 54% were female. The main cause of valve disease was rheumatic in 60%, followed by 15% of degenerative aortic disease and mitral valve prolapse in 13%. Mitral regurgitation (27.5%) was the most common isolated valve disease, followed by aortic stenosis (23%), aortic regurgitation (13%) and mitral stenosis (11%). In echocardiographic data, the mean left atrial diameter was 48±12mm, 38±12mm for the left ventricular systolic diameter, and 54±12mm for the diastolic diameter; the mean ejection fraction was 56±13%, and the mean pulmonary artery pressure was 53±16mmHg. Approximately half of patients (44%) presented atrial fibrillation, and over one third of them (37%) had already undergone another cardiac surgery. Despite increased comorbidities and age-dependent risk factors commonly described in patients with valvular heart disease, the clinical profile of patients arriving at the emergency department represented a cohort of rheumatic patients in more advanced stages of disease. These patients require priority care in high complexity specialized hospitals

Clinical and academic profile of children with specific learning disorder-mixed type: An Indian study

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Anamika Sahu

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Background: Specific learning disorder (SLD in the past decade has gained recognition as a disabling condition among children by parents and teachers in India. However, there are still gaps in knowledge about its clinical presentation and understanding. Therefore, the present study was planned to evaluate the clinical and academic profile of children with SLD. Methods: The sample comprised 30 children with their age range between 7 and 12 years with a diagnosis of SLD-mixed type. All children were assessed through specifically designed structured pro forma for clinical details (i.e., nature of birth, developmental milestones, and comorbidities and academic history (i.e., history of failure, promoted in next class, repetition in the class, school change, etc. and SLD-comprehensive battery. Results: The mean age of the participants was 9.6 years (standard deviation [SD] = 1.5. 76.7% of participants were male and their mean years of education was 4.7 (SD = 1.5. Thirty percent of children had a history of delayed developmental milestones in terms of speech (16.7%, walking (6.7% and in speech and walking (6.7%, 23% of children had comorbid conditions of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder/attention-deficit disorder. Thirty percent of children repeated classes in their academic career. Conclusions: A significant number of children had delayed milestones and other problems. Moreover, it is important to understand the clinical and academic profile in the cultural context so that early identification and intervention can be planned.

Disease spectrum and treatment patterns in a local male infertility clinic.

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Ho, K L; Tsu, James H L; Tam, P C; Yiu, M K

2015-02-01

To review disease spectrum and treatment patterns in a local male infertility clinic. Case series. Male infertility clinic in a teaching hospital in Hong Kong. Patients who were seen as new cases in a local male infertility clinic between January 2008 and December 2012. Infertility assessment and counselling on treatment options. Disease spectrum and treatment patterns. A total of 387 new patients were assessed in the male infertility clinic. The mean age of the patients and their female partners was 37.2 and 32.1 years, respectively. The median duration of infertility was 3 years. Among the patients, 36.2% had azoospermia, 8.0% had congenital absence of vas deferens, and 48.3% of patients had other abnormalities in semen parameters. The commonest causes of male infertility were unknown (idiopathic), clinically significant varicoceles, congenital absence of vas deferens, mumps after puberty, and erectile or ejaculatory dysfunction. Overall, 66.1% of patients chose assisted reproductive treatment and 12.4% of patients preferred surgical correction of reversible male infertility conditions. Altogether 36.7% of patients required either surgical sperm retrieval or correction of male infertility conditions. The present study provided important local data on the disease spectrum and treatment patterns in a male infertility clinic. The incidences of azoospermia and congenital absence of vas deferens were much higher than those reported in the contemporary literature. A significant proportion of patients required either surgical sperm retrieval or correction of reversible male infertility conditions.

Cow-specific treatment of clinical mastitis: an economic approach

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Steeneveld, W.; Werven, van T.; Barkema, H.W.; Hogeveen, H.

2011-01-01

Under Dutch circumstances, most clinical mastitis (CM) cases of cows on dairy farms are treated with a standard intramammary antimicrobial treatment. Several antimicrobial treatments are available for CM, differing in antimicrobial compound, route of application, duration, and cost. Because cow

Use of betahistine in the treatment of peripheral vertigo.

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Ramos Alcocer, Rubén; Ledezma Rodríguez, José Gregorio; Navas Romero, Antonio; Cardenas Nuñez, José Luis; Rodríguez Montoya, Vicente; Deschamps, Jose Junior; Liviac Ticse, Jorge Anibal

2015-01-01

Clinical studies and meta-analyses demonstrated that betahistine is effective and safe in the treatment of Ménière's disease, BPPV (benign paroxysmal positional vertigo), vestibular neuronitis, and other types of peripheral vertigo. The goal of this paper is to review the pharmacological profile of betahistine and the evidence for its effectiveness and safety in the treatment of peripheral vertigo. Selection criteria for the publications on betahistine included randomized clinical trials that evaluated the effectiveness and safety of betahistine vs placebo or active control in the treatment of peripheral vertigo. Recent meta-analyses were also included. Databases searched included PubMed, the Cochrane Ear, Nose and Throat Disorders Group Trials Register, and ICTRP. The review also presents an update on the mechanisms of action, pharmacodynamics, and pharmacokinetics of betahistine. Efficacy and safety of betahistine has been demonstrated in numerous clinical trials. The precise mechanism of action of betahistine is still not completely understood, but the clinical experience demonstrated the benefit of betahistine in different types of peripheral vertigo. In more than 40 years of clinical use, betahistine has shown an excellent safety profile with the usual dose range from 8-48 mg daily. According to clinical studies, betahistine 48 mg daily during 3 months is an effective and safe option for the treatment of peripheral vertigo.

Combining clinical variables to optimize prediction of antidepressant treatment outcomes.

Science.gov (United States)

Iniesta, Raquel; Malki, Karim; Maier, Wolfgang; Rietschel, Marcella; Mors, Ole; Hauser, Joanna; Henigsberg, Neven; Dernovsek, Mojca Zvezdana; Souery, Daniel; Stahl, Daniel; Dobson, Richard; Aitchison, Katherine J; Farmer, Anne; Lewis, Cathryn M; McGuffin, Peter; Uher, Rudolf

2016-07-01

The outcome of treatment with antidepressants varies markedly across people with the same diagnosis. A clinically significant prediction of outcomes could spare the frustration of trial and error approach and improve the outcomes of major depressive disorder through individualized treatment selection. It is likely that a combination of multiple predictors is needed to achieve such prediction. We used elastic net regularized regression to optimize prediction of symptom improvement and remission during treatment with escitalopram or nortriptyline and to identify contributing predictors from a range of demographic and clinical variables in 793 adults with major depressive disorder. A combination of demographic and clinical variables, with strong contributions from symptoms of depressed mood, reduced interest, decreased activity, indecisiveness, pessimism and anxiety significantly predicted treatment outcomes, explaining 5-10% of variance in symptom improvement with escitalopram. Similar combinations of variables predicted remission with area under the curve 0.72, explaining approximately 15% of variance (pseudo R(2)) in who achieves remission, with strong contributions from body mass index, appetite, interest-activity symptom dimension and anxious-somatizing depression subtype. Escitalopram-specific outcome prediction was more accurate than generic outcome prediction, and reached effect sizes that were near or above a previously established benchmark for clinical significance. Outcome prediction on the nortriptyline arm did not significantly differ from chance. These results suggest that easily obtained demographic and clinical variables can predict therapeutic response to escitalopram with clinically meaningful accuracy, suggesting a potential for individualized prescription of this antidepressant drug. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Omalizumab for severe asthma: toward personalized treatment based on biomarker profile and clinical history

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Tabatabaian F

2018-04-01

Full Text Available Farnaz Tabatabaian, Dennis K Ledford Division of Allergy and Immunology, Department of Internal Medicine, Morsani College of Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA Abstract: Asthma is a heterogeneous syndrome with numerous underlining molecular and inflammatory mechanisms contributing to the wide spectrum of clinical phenotypes. Multiple therapies targeting severe asthma with type 2 (T2 high inflammation are or soon will be available. T2 high inflammation is defined as inflammation associated with atopy or eosinophilia or an increase in cytokines associated with T-helper 2 lymphocytes. Omalizumab is a humanized anti-IgE monoclonal antibody and the first biologic therapy approved for moderate–severe allergic asthma. Despite the specificity of biologic therapies like omalizumab, clinical response is variable, with approximately 50% of treated patients achieving the primary outcome. A prior identification of the ideal candidate for therapy would improve patient outcomes and optimize the use of health care resources. As the number of biologic therapies for asthma increases, the goal is identification of biomarkers or clinical phenotypes likely to respond to a specific therapy. This review focuses on potential biomarkers and clinical history that may identify responders to omalizumab therapy for asthma. Keywords: severe persistent asthma, asthma phenotype and endotype, T2 high inflammation, omalizumab, asthma biomarkers, eosinophils, fractional exhaled nitric oxide, IgE

Profiling Patients’ Healthcare Needs to Support Integrated, Person-Centered Models for Long-Term Disease Management (Profile: Research Design

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Arianne MJ Elissen

2016-04-01

Full Text Available Background: This article presents the design of PROFILe, a study investigating which (biomedical and non-(biomedical patient characteristics should guide more tailored chronic care. Based on this insight, the project aims to develop and validate ‘patient profiles’ that can be used in practice to determine optimal treatment strategies for subgroups of chronically ill with similar healthcare needs and preferences. Methods/Design: PROFILe is a practice-based research comprising four phases. The project focuses on patients with type 2 diabetes. During the first study phase, patient profiles are drafted based on a systematic literature research, latent class growth modeling, and expert collaboration. In phase 2, the profiles are validated from a clinical, patient-related and statistical perspective. Phase 3 involves a discrete choice experiment to gain insight into the patient preferences that exist per profile. In phase 4, the results from all analyses are integrated and recommendations formulated on which patient characteristics should guide tailored chronic care. Discussion: PROFILe is an innovative study which uses a uniquely holistic approach to assess the healthcare needs and preferences of chronically ill. The patient profiles resulting from this project must be tested in practice to investigate the effects of tailored management on patient experience, population health and costs.

Clinical profile of breast cancer in Arab and Jewish women in the Jerusalem area.

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Nissan, Aviram; Spira, Ram M; Hamburger, Tamar; Badrriyah, Mahmud; Prus, Diana; Cohen, Tzeela; Hubert, Ayala; Freund, Herbert R; Peretz, Tamar

2004-07-01

The clinical profile of breast cancer may vary among different ethnic groups living in the same country and therefore affect the yield of a breast cancer screening program. The present study attempts to better characterize the breast cancer clinical profile of Arab women compared with Jewish women in the greater Jerusalem area with a future aim of establishing a comprehensive and effective screening program for this population. Retrospective chart review was conducted and the following covariates were correlated with survival: ethnicity, age at diagnosis, and American Joint Committee on Cancer (TNM) stage at diagnosis. A total of 312 women were operated on for breast cancer between 1994 and 1999; 51% were Ashkenazi Jews (AJ), 26% were Sephardic Jews (SJ), 21% were Palestinian Arabs (PA), and 2% patients did not fit into those ethnic groups. The mean age at diagnosis was 51.5 years for the PA group, 53.4 +/- 1.5 for the SJ group, and 55.9 years for the AJ group (P Arab patients compared with the Jewish patients. These findings were associated with lower 5-year survival and disease-free survival of the Arab patients.

Managing migraine by patient profile: role of frovatriptan.

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Cady, Roger K; Farmer, Kathleen

2016-01-01

For the last quarter of a century, triptans have been available for acute treatment of migraine but with little guidance on which of the different triptan products to use for which patient or which attack of migraine. In this article, we propose a structured approach to analysis of individual migraine attacks and patient characteristics as a means of defining and optimizing acute intervention. Assessment of patient and attack profiles includes the "5-Ps": pattern, phenotype, patient, pharmacology, and precipitants. Attending to these five components of information can assist in developing an individualized behavioral, pharmacological, and nonpharmacological comprehensive treatment plan for most migraine patients. This clinical approach is then focused on frovatriptan because of its unique molecular signature and potential novel clinical applications. Frovatriptan like all triptans is indicated for acute treatment of migraine but its role has been explored in management of several unique migraine phenotypes. Frovatriptan has the longest half-life of any triptan and consequently is often promoted for acute treatment of migraine of longer duration. It has also been studied as a short-term preventive treatment in women with menstrual-related migraine. Given that 60% of female migraineurs suffer from menstrual-related migraine, this population is the obvious group for continued study. Small studies have also explored frovatriptan's use in treating migraine predicted by premonitory symptoms as a preventive for the headache phase of migraine. By identifying patient and attack profiles, clinicians may effectively determine the viability of frovatriptan as an effective pharmacological intervention for migraine.

Risk profile of patients developing nonunion of the clavicle and outcome of treatment

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ban, Ilija; Troelsen, Anders

2016-01-01

PURPOSE: The most common complication following treatment of a clavicle fracture is nonunion. Most nonunions are symptomatic and treatment is mostly operative. The aim of this study was to describe risk profiles of patients developing nonunion and what outcome is observed following operative...... of functionality and patient reported satisfaction and remission of symptoms was done a minimum of six months post-operatively by mail. Response rate was 60%. RESULTS: The overall nonunion rate was 7.5%. Nine nonunions were initially treated operatively. Risk factors associated with nonunion of our series...

The clinical profile of employees with mental health problems working in social firms in the UK.

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Milton, Alyssa; Parsons, Nicholas; Morant, Nicola; Gilbert, Eleanor; Johnson, Sonia; Fisher, Adrian; Singh, Swaran; Cunliffe, Di; Marwaha, Steven

2015-08-01

UK social firms are under-researched but are a potentially important vocational option for people with mental health problems. To describe the clinical profile, satisfaction levels and experiences of social firms employees with mental health problems. Clinical, work and service use characteristics were collected from social firms' employees with mental health problems in England and Wales. Workplace experience and satisfaction were explored qualitatively. Predominantly, social firms' employees (N = 80) report that they have a diagnosis of depression (56%) and anxiety (41%). People with schizophrenia (20%) or bipolar disorder (5%) were a minority. Respondents had low symptom and disability levels, high quality of life and job satisfaction and experienced reductions in secondary mental health service use over time. High-workplace satisfaction was related to flexibility, manager and colleague support and workplace accommodations. The clinical profile, quality of life and job satisfaction level of employees with mental health problems suggest social firms could be a useful addition to UK vocational services for some people. Current employees mainly have common mental disorders, and social firms will need to shift their focus if they are to form a substantial pathway for the vocational recovery of people currently using community mental health teams.

Profile of blinatumomab and its potential in the treatment of relapsed/refractory acute lymphoblastic leukemia

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Ribera JM

2015-06-01

Full Text Available Josep-Maria Ribera, Albert Ferrer, Jordi Ribera, Eulàlia GenescàClinical Hematology Department, ICO-Hospital Germans Trias i Pujol, Josep Carreras Research Institute, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Badalona, SpainAbstract: The CD19 marker is expressed on the surface of normal and malignant immature or mature B-cells. On the other hand, immunotherapy involving T-cells is a promising modality of treatment for many neoplastic diseases including leukemias and lymphomas. The CD19/CD3-bispecific T-cell-engaging (BiTE® monoclonal antibody blinatumomab can transiently engage cytotoxic T-cells to CD19+ target B-cells inducing serial perforin-mediated lysis. In the first clinical trial, blinatumomab showed efficacy in non-Hodgkin’s lymphomas, but the most important trials have been conducted in relapsed/refractory (R/R acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL and in ALL with minimal residual disease. Encouraging reports on the activity of blinatumomab in R/R Philadelphia chromosome-negative B-cell precursor ALL led to its approval by the US Food and Drug Administration on December 3, 2014 after an accelerated review process. This review focuses on the profile of blinatumomab and its activity in R/R ALL.Keywords: acute lymphoblastic leukemia, relapsed/refractory, BiTE® monoclonal antibodies, blinatumomab

Solitary rectal ulcer syndrome: clinical findings, surgical treatment, and outcomes.

Science.gov (United States)

Torres, Carlos; Khaikin, Marat; Bracho, Jorge; Luo, Cheng Hua; Weiss, Eric G; Sands, Dana R; Cera, Susan; Nogueras, Juan J; Wexner, Steven D

2007-11-01

Solitary rectal ulcer syndrome (SRUS) is a rare disorder often misdiagnosed as a malignant ulcer. Histopathological features of SRUS are characteristic and pathognomonic; nevertheless, the endoscopic and clinical presentations may be confusing. The aim of the present study was to assess the clinical findings, surgical treatment, and outcomes in patients who suffer from SRUS. A retrospective chart review was undertaken, from January 1989 to May 2005 for all patients who were diagnosed with SRUS. Data recorded included: patient's age, gender, clinical presentation, past surgical history, diagnostic and preoperative workup, operative procedure, complications, and outcomes. During the study period, 23 patients were diagnosed with SRUS. Seven patients received only medical treatment, and in three patients, the ulcer healed after medical treatment. Sixteen patients underwent surgical treatment. In four patients, the symptoms persisted after surgery. Two patients presented with postoperative rectal bleeding requiring surgical intervention. Three patients developed late postoperative sexual dysfunction. One patient continued suffering from rectal pain after a colostomy was constructed. Median follow-up was 14 (range 2-84) months. The results of this study show clearly that every patient with SRUS must be assessed individually. Initial treatment should include conservative measures. In patients with refractory symptoms, surgical treatment should be considered. Results of anterior resection and protocolectomy are satisfactory for solitary rectal ulcer.

Do treatment manuals undermine youth–therapist alliance in community clinical practice?

OpenAIRE

Langer, David A.; McLeod, Bryce D.; Weisz, John R

2011-01-01

Objective: Some critics of treatment manuals have argued that their use may undermine the quality of the client–therapist alliance. This notion was tested in the context of youth psychotherapy delivered by therapists in community clinics. Method: Seventy-six clinically referred youths (57% female, age 8–15 years, 34% Caucasian) were randomly assigned to receive nonmanualized usual care or manual-guided treatment to address anxiety or depressive disorders. Treatment was provided in community c...

Clinical and Histologic Effects of Fractional Microneedling Radiofrequency Treatment on Rosacea.

Science.gov (United States)

Park, Seon Yong; Kwon, Hyuck Hoon; Yoon, Ji Young; Min, Seonguk; Suh, Dae Hun

2016-12-01

Fractional microneedling radiofrequency (FMR) is an emerging treatment modality, but its effect on rosacea has not been studied yet. To investigate the potential impact of FMR treatment on clinical improvement and histologic changes in rosacea patients. A 12-week, prospective, randomized, split-face clinical trial was conducted. Two sessions of FMR were performed on one side of the cheeks with 4-week interval and the other side remained untreated. Erythema index from DermaSpectrometer and a* value from Spectrophotometer CM-2002 were measured at each visit for the objective measurement of erythema. Histologic analysis of skin samples was also carried out. Clinical evaluation and photometric measurement revealed the reduction of redness in the treated side compared with untreated side and baseline. Erythema index decreased 13.6% and a* value decreased 6.8% at Week 12 compared with baseline. Reduced expression of markers related to inflammation, innate immunity, and angiogenesis was observed in immunohistochemical staining of tissue obtained after FMR treatment. Fractional microneedling radiofrequency treatment showed modest clinical and histologic improvement of rosacea, and it might be used as an alternative or in combination with other treatment methods.

CLINICAL AND ETIOLOGICAL PROFILE OF PATIENTS WITH LUNG ABSCESS AT A TERTIARY CARE CENTRE

OpenAIRE

Manoj Kumar; Amit; Sanjay; Ankit

2015-01-01

BACKGROUND: Lung abscess is a type of liquefactive necrosis of the lung tissue and formation of cavities (more than 2 cm) containing necrotic debris or fluid caused by microbial infection. This pus - filled cavity is often caused by aspiration, which may occur during altered consciousness. OBJECTIVE: To study the clinical and etiological profile of lung abscess in patients admitted at a tertiary care centre. MATERIAL ...

Dactylitis in psoriatic arthritis: clinical features, diagnosis, immunopathogenesis, and treatment

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T. V. Korotaeva

2018-01-01

Full Text Available When dactylitis is detected in a patient with psoriatic arthritis (PsA, it is necessary to use active treatment as soon as possible, since in the absence of therapy the disease progresses to joint erosion and  functional disorders. The paper considers the clinical signs and  diagnosis of PsA and notes the importance of differential diagnosis in this sign with other joint inflammatory diseases. It points to the  necessity of elaborating common approaches to an objective  assessment of the severity of dactylitis. Its immunopathogenesis and main treatment areas, including the use of biological agents (BAs,  are detailed. There are data of clinical trials that have evaluated the  efficiency of treatment for dactylitis and established that in most  cases, the use of BAs considerably reduce not only the severity of its clinical signs, but also concomitant bone marrow edema. It is noted  that the development of new pathogenetic treatments targeting a number of currently established biologically active molecules that  play an important role in the pathogenesis of dactylitis will enhance  the efficiency of treatment in patients with PsA.

Clinical profile of parkinsonism and Parkinson's disease in Lagos, Southwestern Nigeria

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Ojo Oluwadamilola O

2010-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Current data on the pattern of parkinsonism and Parkinson's disease in Nigerians are sparse. This database was designed to document the clinical profile of PD in Nigerians, and compare this to prior observations. Methods A database of patients presenting to the Neurology out-patients clinic of the Lagos University Teaching Hospital was established in October 1996. Demographic and clinical data at presentation (disease stage using Hoehn and Yahr scale; 'off' state severity on the Unified Parkinson's disease Rating Scale were documented for patients diagnosed with parkinsonism between October 1996 and December 2006. Cases were classified as Parkinson's disease or secondary parkinsonism (in the presence of criteria suggestive of a secondary aetiology. Results The hospital frequency of parkinsonism (over a 2-year period, and relative to other neurologic disorders was 1.47% (i.e. 20/1360. Of the 124 patients with parkinsonism, 98 (79.0% had PD, while 26 (21.0% had secondary parkinsonism. Mean age (SD at onset of PD (61.5 (10.0 years was slightly higher than for secondary parkinsonism (57.5 (14.0 years (P = 0.10. There was a male preponderance in PD (3.3 to 1 and secondary parkinsonism (2.7 to 1, while a positive family history of parkinsonism was present in only 1.02% (1/98 of PD. There was a modestly significant difference in age at onset (SD of PD in men (60.3 (10.4 compared to women (65.2 (7.9 (T = 2.08; P = 0.04. The frequency of young onset PD (≤ 50 years was 16.3% (16/98. The mean time interval from onset of motor symptoms to diagnosis of PD was 24.6 ± 26.1 months with majority presenting at a median 12 months from onset. On the H&Y scale, severity of PD at presentation was a median 2.0 (range 1 to 4. PD disease subtype was tremor-dominant in 31 (31.6%, mixed 54 (55.1% and akinetic-rigid 14 (14.3%. Hypertension was present as a co-morbidity in 20 (20.4%, and diabetes in 6 (6.12%. Conclusions The clinical profile of PD in

Foreign body aspiration in children: clinical aspects, radiological aspects and bronchoscopic treatment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fraga, Andrea de Melo Alexandre; Reis, Marcelo Conrado dos; Zambon, Mariana Porto; Toro, Ivan Contrera; Ribeiro, Jose Dirceu; Baracat, Emilio Carlos Elias

2008-01-01

Objective: To describe the clinical manifestations and bronchoscopic treatment of foreign body aspiration in children under 14 years of age, correlating the clinical aspects with the bronchoscopic findings. Methods: A retrospective, descriptive study analyzing data related to children under 14 years of age undergoing bronchoscopy due to clinical suspicion of foreign body aspiration at the State University at Campinas Hospital das Clinicas from January of 2000 to December of 2005. Results: The sample consisted of 69 patients, ranging in age from 8 months to 12 years/7 months (75.4% under 3 years of age), 62.3% of whom were male. The principal complaint was sudden-onset cough (75.4%), auscultation was abnormal in 74%, and dyspnea was observed in 29%. Radiological abnormalities were seen in 88% of the cases. Aspirations were primarily into the right lung (54.8%), and 30.7% of the foreign bodies were of vegetal origin (principally beans and peanuts). In the follow-up period, 29% presented complications (most commonly pneumonia), which were found to be associated with longer aspiration time (p = 0.03). Mechanical ventilation was required in 7 children (10.1%), and multiple bronchoscopies were performed in 5 (7.2%). Conclusions: A history of sudden-onset choking and cough, plus abnormal auscultation and radiological findings, characterizes the profile of foreign body aspiration. In such cases, bronchoscopy is indicated. Longer aspiration time translates to a higher risk of complications. The high prevalence of foreign bodies of vegetal origin underscores the relevance of prevention at children younger than three years of age. (author)

Foreign body aspiration in children: clinical aspects, radiological aspects and bronchoscopic treatment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fraga, Andrea de Melo Alexandre; Reis, Marcelo Conrado dos; Zambon, Mariana Porto [Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP), Campinas, SP (Brazil). Pediatric Emergency Room]. E-mail: andreafrag@gmail.com; Toro, Ivan Contrera [Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP), Campinas, SP (Brazil). Dept. of Thoracic Surgery; Ribeiro, Jose Dirceu; Baracat, Emilio Carlos Elias [Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP), Campinas, SP (Brazil). Dept. of Pediatric Pulmonology

2008-02-15

Objective: To describe the clinical manifestations and bronchoscopic treatment of foreign body aspiration in children under 14 years of age, correlating the clinical aspects with the bronchoscopic findings. Methods: A retrospective, descriptive study analyzing data related to children under 14 years of age undergoing bronchoscopy due to clinical suspicion of foreign body aspiration at the State University at Campinas Hospital das Clinicas from January of 2000 to December of 2005. Results: The sample consisted of 69 patients, ranging in age from 8 months to 12 years/7 months (75.4% under 3 years of age), 62.3% of whom were male. The principal complaint was sudden-onset cough (75.4%), auscultation was abnormal in 74%, and dyspnea was observed in 29%. Radiological abnormalities were seen in 88% of the cases. Aspirations were primarily into the right lung (54.8%), and 30.7% of the foreign bodies were of vegetal origin (principally beans and peanuts). In the follow-up period, 29% presented complications (most commonly pneumonia), which were found to be associated with longer aspiration time (p = 0.03). Mechanical ventilation was required in 7 children (10.1%), and multiple bronchoscopies were performed in 5 (7.2%). Conclusions: A history of sudden-onset choking and cough, plus abnormal auscultation and radiological findings, characterizes the profile of foreign body aspiration. In such cases, bronchoscopy is indicated. Longer aspiration time translates to a higher risk of complications. The high prevalence of foreign bodies of vegetal origin underscores the relevance of prevention at children younger than three years of age. (author)

Clinical Application of Antimicrobial Bone Graft Substitute in Osteomyelitis Treatment: A Systematic Review of Different Bone Graft Substitutes Available in Clinical Treatment of Osteomyelitis

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T. A. G. van Vugt

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Osteomyelitis is a common occurrence in orthopaedic surgery, which is caused by different bacteria. Treatment of osteomyelitis patients aims to eradicate infection by debridement surgery and local and systemic antibiotic therapy. Local treatment increases success rates and can be performed with different antimicrobial bone graft substitutes. This review is performed to assess the level of evidence of synthetic bone graft substitutes in osteomyelitis treatment. According to the PRISMA statement for reporting systematic reviews, different types of clinical studies concerning treatment of osteomyelitis with bone graft substitutes are included. These studies are assessed on their methodological quality as level of evidence and bias and their clinical outcomes as eradication of infection. In the fifteen included studies, the levels of evidence were weak and in ten out of the fifteen studies there was a moderate to high risk of bias. However, first results of the eradication of infection in these studies showed promising results with their relatively high success rates and low complication rates. Due to the low levels of evidence and high risks of bias of the included studies, these results are inconclusive and no conclusions regarding the performed clinical studies of osteomyelitis treatment with antimicrobial bone graft substitutes can be drawn.

Clinical and demographic profile of HIV/AIDS patients diagnosed at a tertiary care centre in Kashmir

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mir, M.A.; Ahmad, P.M.; Siddeque, M.A.; Sofi, F.A.; Ahmad, S.N.; Dar, M.R.

2010-01-01

Objectives: To study the clinical and demographic profile of HIV/AIDS patients diagnosed at a tertiary care centre. Methods: The study was conducted on a group of 1141 patients suspected of having HIV/AIDS on clinical grounds. Screening was done using different Elisa's as advised by NACO and those confirmed as HIV positive were studied for their clinical spectrum and different demographic parameters. Results: Out of 1141 patients tested, 26 proved to have HIV 1 infection with no case of HIV 2 detected. Mean age of presentation was 40.04 +- 7 years, main age group affected 31-40 years and a male: female ratio of 4.2:1 was observed. More than 42% were non Kashmiris with armed forces outnumbering all other occupational classes. Heterosexual transmission was the commonest with married out numbering unmarried. Fever, asthenia and weight loss were the predominant symptoms and pulmonary tuberculosis and oropharyngeal candidiasis commonest opportunistic infections. Conclusion: The clinical and demographic profile of HIV/AIDS patients in Kashmir is largely similar to the rest of India. Kashmir no longer stands immune to the menace of HIV/AIDS. With increasing globalization, frequent travel and change in social values the state is likely to witness an alarming rise in new cases unless a multi pronged approach is undertaken to control the spread. (author)

A network meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials for comparing the effectiveness and safety profile of treatments with marketing authorization for relapsing multiple sclerosis.

Science.gov (United States)

Hadjigeorgiou, G M; Doxani, C; Miligkos, M; Ziakas, P; Bakalos, G; Papadimitriou, D; Mprotsis, T; Grigoriadis, N; Zintzaras, E

2013-12-01

The relative effectiveness and safety profile of the treatments with marketing authorization for relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS) are not well known because randomized controlled trials with head-to-head comparisons between these treatments do not exist. Thus, a network of multiple-treatments meta-analysis was performed using four clinical outcomes: 'patients free of relapse', 'patients without disease progression', 'patients without MRI progression' and 'patients with adverse events'. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on MS were systematically searched in PubMed and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trial. The network analysis performed pairwise comparisons between the marketed treatments (Betaferon 250mcg, Avonex 30mcg, Rebif 44mcg, Rebif 22mcg, Aubagio 7 mg, Aubagio 14 mg, Copaxone 20 mg, Tysabri 300 mg, Gilenya 0·5 mg and Novantrone 12 mg/m(2)) using direct and indirect analyses. The analysis included 48 articles, involving 20 455 patients with MS. The direct analysis showed better response for more than one outcome for Gilenya compared with Avonex ('patients free of relapse' and 'patients without MRI progression') and for Betaferon compared with Avonex ('patients without disease progression' and 'patients without MRI progression'). The indirect analysis indicated that Tysabri may have better relative effectiveness compared with the other treatments for two outcomes: 'patients free of relapse' and 'patients without MRI progression'. Regarding 'patients with adverse events', no data were available for all comparisons to make fair inferences. This was an attempt, for the first time, to compare the efficacy and safety profile of existing approved treatments for relapsing MS. Although some treatments have shown better response, the results of the network analysis should be interpreted with caution because of the lack of RCTs with head-to-head comparisons between treatments. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Epidemiological profile of patients with nephropathy and the difficulties in access to treatment

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Rafaella Maria Monteiro Sampaio

2013-03-01

Full Text Available Objective: To describe the epidemiological profile of patients undergoing treatment for renal replacement therapy in dialysis modality, and to identify the difficulties in its realization. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study conducted in Itapipoca-CE, comprising 35 patients with chronic renal failure (CRF. The general data was analyzed descriptively using absolute and percentage frequencies. Results: The epidemiological profile of patients shows a higher frequency of: males (19 - 54.3% aged between 31 and 60 (24 - 68.6%, low education (29 - 82.8%, family incomes of 1 to 2 minimum wages (25 - 71.4%, living in houses of masonry (30 - 85.7% with treated water provided in their homes (17 - 48.6%. The main signs and symptoms that led to seeking medical consultation were: general weakness (21 - 60.0%, nausea (19 - 54.3%, edema (18 - 51.4% and lack of appetite (14 - 40.0%. The features most frequently mentioned by the patients as probable causes to CRF were: association of hypertension with diabetes mellitus (11 - 31.4%, hypertension (9 - 25.7% and glomerulonephritis (5 - 14.3%. Most patients reported difficulty in obtaining medical appointment (25 - 71.4% and scheduling/receiving exams (20 - 57.1%. Conclusion: The epidemiological profile of patients studied is marked by a low socioeconomic status. As aggravating factors to this situation, there was the difficulty in getting appointments, scheduling and performing diagnostic tests, which undermines the treatment.

[The clinical features and surgical treatment strategies of cervical kyphosis].

Science.gov (United States)

Fang, Jia-hu; Jia, Lian-shun; Zhou, Xu-hui; Song, Li-jun; Cai, Wei-hua; Li, Xiang

2010-10-15

To analyze the clinical characteristics and the surgical treatment strategy of cervical kyphosis. From March 2006 to October 2009, 31 cases of cervical kyphosis were treated. According to the clinical features and imaging findings, different treatment methods were used. There were 9 patients in operation group, including 4 male and 5 female patients, aged from 17 to 72 years (average age of 35 years). Among them, 5 cases were idiopathic kyphosis and 4 cases were caused by laminectomy or other reasons. There were 22 patients in conservative treatment group, including 11 male and 11 female patients, aged from 14 to 40 years (average age of 29 years), who were all idiopathic cervical kyphosis. Before and 1 week after operation, clinical assessment were taken for the patients in operation group using Spinal Cord Injuries Classification Standard of American Spinal Injury Association (AISA). During the periodic review, the anteroposterior, normal sagittal films of cervical spine were taken. At 1 week and every 6 months after operation, MRI films were also taken. These films were studied to evaluate the effects of the operations. In the conservative group, assessment of treatment results by studying anteroposterior and normal lateral views of cervical spine were were taken every month. The clinical characteristics and the surgical treatment strategies of these patients were analyzed. In operation group, 9 cases were followed up for 6 to 18 months, all patients did not failed in internal fixation and fusion. AISA neurological score and neurological function significantly improved. Three days after operation the average Cobb angle was -1.29 ° (preoperative 54.24 °). In conservative group, the average Cobb angle was -5.41 ° (before treatment 11.20 °) 4 months after the treatment. The symptoms of neck shoulder and back pain disappeared, and all patients were followed up for 3 to 24 months, with no recurrence of symptoms. In the early period of cervical kyphosis, adopt

Clinical outcome comparison of immediate blanket treatment versus a delayed pathogen-based treatment protocol for clinical mastitis in a New York dairy herd.

Science.gov (United States)

Vasquez, A K; Nydam, D V; Capel, M B; Eicker, S; Virkler, P D

2017-04-01

The purpose was to compare immediate intramammary antimicrobial treatment of all cases of clinical mastitis with a selective treatment protocol based on 24-h culture results. The study was conducted at a 3,500-cow commercial farm in New York. Using a randomized design, mild to moderate clinical mastitis cases were assigned to either the blanket therapy or pathogen-based therapy group. Cows in the blanket therapy group received immediate on-label intramammary treatment with ceftiofur hydrochloride for 5 d. Upon receipt of 24 h culture results, cows in the pathogen-based group followed a protocol automatically assigned via Dairy Comp 305 (Valley Agricultural Software, Tulare, CA): Staphylococcus spp., Streptococcus spp., or Enterococcus spp. were administered on-label intramammary treatment with cephapirin sodium for 1 d. Others, including cows with no-growth or gram-negative results, received no treatment. A total of 725 cases of clinical mastitis were observed; 114 cows were not enrolled due to severity. An additional 122 cases did not meet inclusion criteria. Distribution of treatments for the 489 qualifying events was equal between groups (pathogen-based, n = 246; blanket, n = 243). The proportions of cases assigned to the blanket and pathogen-based groups that received intramammary therapy were 100 and 32%, respectively. No significant differences existed between blanket therapy and pathogen-based therapy in days to clinical cure; means were 4.8 and 4.5 d, respectively. The difference in post-event milk production between groups was not statistically significant (blanket therapy = 34.7 kg; pathogen-based = 35.4 kg). No differences were observed in test-day linear scores between groups; least squares means of linear scores was 4.3 for pathogen-based cows and 4.2 for blanket therapy cows. Odds of survival 30 d postenrollment was similar between groups (odds ratio of pathogen-based = 1.6; 95% confidence interval: 0.7-3.7) as was odds of survival to 60 d (odds ratio

Clinical efficacy of entecavir in treatment of hepatogenous diabetes

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GOU Wei

2013-06-01

Full Text Available ObjectiveTo observe the clinical efficacy of entecavir in the treatment of hepatogenous diabetes (HD. MethodsA retrospective analysis was performed on the clinical data of 72 HD patients, who were divided into treatment group (n=36 and control group (n=36. Both groups were given diabetic diet and received liver-protecting treatment, symptomatic treatment, and supportive treatment. In addition, the treatment group received oral entecavir (0.5 mg once daily. The therapeutic effect was assessed after 52 weeks of treatment; the serum hepatitis B virus (HBV DNA level, liver function (alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, total bilirubin, and albumin, blood glucose, and glycosylated hemoglobin were measured before and after treatment. The two groups were compared by t test (for measurement data and chi-square test (for numeration data. ResultsAfter 52 weeks of treatment, 29 (80.56% of the patients in treatment group had virological response, versus 7 (19.44% of those in control group (χ2 = 18.00, P＜0.01; 26 (72.22% of the patients in treatment group had liver function recovery and controlled diabetes, versus 16 (44.44% of those in control group (χ2=5.774, P＜0.05. The treatment group showed significant improvements in liver function and blood glucose after treatment (P＜0.05; the treatment group had significantly lower glycosylated hemoglobin and fasting blood glucose than the control group (P＜0.01. ConclusionIn the treatment of HBV DNA-positive hepatitis B cirrhosis with HD, entecavir not only can effectively inhibit the replication of viral DNA and promote the recovery of liver function, but also can effectively control HD.

Adherence to headache treatment and profile of previous health professional seeking among patients with chronic headache: a retrospective analysis.

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Krymchantowski, Abouch Valenty; Adriano, Marcus Vinicius; de Góes, Renemilda; Moreira, Pedro Ferreira; da Cunha Jevoux, Carla

2007-04-26

Chronic headache is common among patients in neurology clinics. Patients may suffer important economic and social losses because of headaches, which may result in high expectations for treatment outcomes. When their treatment goals are not reached quickly, treatment may be difficult to maintain and patients may consult with numerous health professionals. This retrospective study evaluated the relationship between treatment and the profiles of previous health professionals consulted by patients in a tertiary headache center. The records were reviewed of all patients from a headache center who were seen in initial consultation between January 2000 and June 2003. Data related to patient demographic characteristics (sex and age), headache diagnosis, and the profile (quality and quantity) of previous healthcare consultations exclusively related to headache, were collected. The headache diagnoses were confirmed according to the IHS criteria (1988) and to the Silberstein criteria (1994,1996). Although adherence includes taking the prescribed medicines, discontinuing overused symptomatic medications, and changing behavior, among other things, for this study, adherence was defined as when the patient returned at least 2 times within a 3- to 3.5-month period. Patients were separated into groups depending on the number of different healthcare professionals they had consulted, from none to more than 7. Data from 495 patients were analyzed; 357 were women and 138 were men (ages 6 to 90 years; mean, 41.1 +/- 15.05 years). The headache diagnoses included migraine without aura (43.2%), chronic (transformed) migraine (40%), cluster headache (6.5%), episodic tension-type headache (0.8%), and hemicrania continua (0.4%). The 24.2% of patients who sought care from no more than 1 health professional showed a 59.8% adherence rate; 29% of the total had consulted 7 or more health professionals and showed an adherence rate of 74.3% (P = .0004). In Brazil, the belief is widespread that

Clinical use of extended-release oral treprostinil in the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension

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Pugliese SC

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Steven C Pugliese,1 Todd M Bull1,2 1Division of Pulmonary Sciences and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Medicine, 2UCD Pulmonary Vascular Disease Center, Division of Pulmonary Sciences and Critical Care Medicine and Cardiology, Department of Medicine, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA Abstract: The development of parenteral prostacyclin therapy marked a dramatic breakthrough in the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH. Intravenous (IV epoprostenol was the first PAH specific therapy and to date, remains the only treatment to demonstrate a mortality benefit. Because of the inherent complexities and risks of treating patients with continuous infusion IV therapy, there is great interest in the development of an oral prostacyclin analog that could mimic the benefits of IV therapy. Herein, we highlight the development of oral prostacyclin therapy, focusing on oral treprostinil, the only US Food and Drug Administration approved oral prostacyclin. Recent Phase III clinical trials have shown the drug to improve exercise tolerance in treatment-naïve PAH patients, but not patients on background oral therapy. Oral treprostinil appears to be most efficacious at higher doses, but its side effect profile and complexities with dosing complicate its use. While oral treprostinil’s current therapeutic role in PAH remains unclear, ongoing studies of this class of medication should help clarify their role in the treatment of PAH. Keywords: oral treprostinil, pulmonary arterial hypertension, selexipag

Characteristics and clinical implications of the pharmacokinetic profile of ibuprofen in patients with knee osteoarthritis.

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Gallelli, L; Galasso, O; Urzino, A; Saccà, S; Falcone, D; Palleria, C; Longo, P; Corigliano, A; Terracciano, R; Savino, R; Gasparini, G; De Sarro, G; Southworth, S R

2012-12-01

Ibuprofen is a non-selective cyclo-oxygenase (COX)-1/COX-2 inhibitor used to treat pain conditions and inflammation. Limited data have been published concerning the pharmacokinetic profile and clinical effects of ibuprofen in patients with osteoarthritis (OA). In this paper we compared the pharmacokinetic and clinical profile of ibuprofen (at a dosage of from 800 mg/day to 1800 mg/day) administered in patients affected by severe knee OA. Ibuprofen was administered for 7 days to patients who were scheduled to undergo knee arthroplasty due to OA. After 7 days, the ibuprofen concentration in plasma and synovial fluid was measured through both high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)-UV and gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy (GC/MS), while clinical effects were evaluated through both visual analogue scale (VAS) and Western Ontario and McMaster Universities (WOMAC) scores. The Naranjo scale and the WHO causality assessment scale were used for estimating the probability of adverse drug reactions (ADRs). The severity of ADRs was assessed by the modified Hartwig and Siegel scale. Ibuprofen showed a dose-dependent diffusion in both plasma and synovial fluid, which was related to the reduction of pain intensity and improvement of health status, without the development of ADRs. Ibuprofen at higher dosages can be expected to provide better control of OA symptoms as a result of higher tissue distribution.

Acute Clinically Mastitic Animals in villages of Assiut Governance: Diagnosis and Treatment

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Mohammad Sayed and Ahmed Abdel Rady

Full Text Available This investigation was run in some villages in Assiut governance during summer 2007 to diagnose acute clinical mastitis in different animal species and to apply different lines of treatment for evaluating which treatment line of choice giving cure, aiming to another goal by preventing the conversion of acute mastitis towards the chronic one which is difficult to be treated and the dairy animal will be excluded. Therefore, 2150 animals were clinically examined in 5 villages located north to Assiut city, Egypt, including 400 cows, 950 ewes and 800 she goats, and the incidence of acute clinical mastitis was 22.50%, 2.63% and 4.63%, respectively. Milk samples were collected from all clinically mastitic cows for bacteriological examination to identify the causative agents of the intra-mammary infection (IMI. It was found the major causative agents isolated were Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus agalactiae, Escherichia coli and Corynebacterium pyogenes, causing either single or mixed type of infection. When applying different lines of treatment, all diseased animals were classified into 3 groups: 1st group received local treatment by intra-mammary infusion antibiotic. 2nd group received systematic treatment by intra-muscular (I/M injection of both antibiotic and anti-inflammatory drugs. While, 3rd group received combination of both local and systematic treatment lines together. Cure% was achieved as 50% for 1st group, 90% for 2nd group, while 3rd group gave complete cure by 100%. It was noticed that the incidence of acute clinical mastitis among examined cows was worrisome and can be considered as indicator of the epidemiology of the disease. While, spreading of the disease among ewes and she goats was somewhat low in comparison with that of cows. In conclusion, combination of both local and systematic treatment lines together should be advised in treatment of acute clinical mastitis to ensure complete cure. The obtained results highlighted the

Clinical and pulmonary functions profiling of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease experiencing frequent acute exacerbations

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Prem Parkash Gupta

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Purpose: The present study aimed at clinical and pulmonary functions profiling of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD to anticipate future exacerbations. Methods: The study included 80 COPD patients; 40 patients had ≥2 acute exacerbations during preceding 1 year (frequent exacerbation [FECOPD] group and 40 patients had <2 acute exacerbations during preceding 1 year (infrequent exacerbation [I-FECOPD] group. Clinical profile, sputum microbiology, blood gas analysis, spirometric indices, and diffusion capacity (transfer test variables were assessed. Groups' comparison was performed using an independent t-test for numeric scale parameters and Chi-square test for nominal parameters. Pearson's and Spearman's correlation coefficients were derived for numeric scale parameters and numeric nominal parameters, respectively. Multinomial logistic regression analysis was done using SPSS software. Results: FECOPD group contained younger patients than in I-FECOPD group although the difference was not statistically significant. There was no significant difference between two groups regarding smoking pack-years and duration of illness. FECOPD group had significantly more expectoration score and Modified Medical Research Council dyspnea scores. Cough score and wheeze score did not differ significantly between two groups. More patients in FECOPD group (12/40 vs. 4/40 had lower airway bacterial colonization. Arterial blood gas parameters were more deranged in FECOPD group. Spirometric indices (forced expiratory volume during 1st s as well as transfer test (both diffusing capacity for carbon monoxide and transfer coefficient of the lung values were significantly reduced in FECOPD group. Conclusions: The patients in FECOPD group had clinical, spirometric, and transfer test profiling suggestive of a severe COPD phenotype, the recognition will help in predicting future exacerbations and a better management.

Clinical study on the treatment of vertigo by ant vertigo

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Liu, Xiaobin; Li, Chongxian; Hao, Shaojun; Lian, Linlin; Chen, Weiliang; Wang, Hongyu; Guan, Zhijiang; Zhang, Zhengchen

2018-04-01

To observe the clinical curative effect of antiglare granule in the treatment of hypertension, cerebral arteriosclerosis, vertebrobasilar artery insufficiency, Meniere's disease, autonomic dysfunction caused by vertigo etc, the patients with vertigo were randomly divided into 300 cases of cerebral arteriosclerosis, vertebral basilar artery insufficiency, Meniere's disease into three groups, treatment group: control group 1, 2 groups of. 3 times a day, 30 days for a course of treatment, once a two treatment, observation and treatment effect. Control group: conventional doses of Yangxue Qingnao Granule, enteric coated aspirin treatment ibid. After 2 courses of treatment were observed and recorded the key concept of vertigo degree change number. Compare the outcome of TCM symptom medication after February, the total effective rate of treatment group was 96%, 1 in the control group the total efficiency of 69.7%, 2 in the control group the total efficiency of 71.7%, the treatment group curative effect on the treatment of hypertension, cerebral arteriosclerosis, vertebral basilar artery insufficiency vertigo, Meniere's disease, head weight light, walking foot stable curative effect is better than that of Yangxue Qingnao Granule, enteric coated aspirin effect. Aanti glare granule in the treatment of hypertension, cerebral arteriosclerosis and vertebral basilar artery insufficiency, Meniere's disease, autonomic dysfunction caused by vertigo has good clinical curative effect.

Outcomes Assessment of Treating Completely Edentulous Patients with a Fixed Implant-Supported Profile Prosthesis Utilizing a Graftless Approach. Part 1: Clinically Related Outcomes.

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Alzoubi, Fawaz; Bedrossian, Edmond; Wong, Allen; Farrell, Douglas; Park, Chan; Indresano, Thomas

To assess outcomes of treating completely edentulous patients with a fixed implant-supported profile prosthesis utilizing a graftless approach for the maxilla and for the mandible, with emphasis on clinically related outcomes, specifically implant and prosthesis survival. This was a retrospective study with the following inclusion criteria: completely edentulous patients rehabilitated with a fixed implant-supported profile denture utilizing a graftless approach. Patients fulfilling the inclusion criteria were asked to participate in the study during their follow-up visits, and hence a consecutive sampling strategy was used. Data regarding implant and prosthesis cumulative survival rates (CSRs) were gathered and calculated. Thirty-four patients were identified with a total of 220 implants placed. An overall CSR of 98.2% was recorded with an observation of up to 10 years. For tilted, axial, and zygomatic implants, CSRs of 96.9%, 98.0%, and 100%, respectively, were observed for up to 10 years. For provisional prostheses, CSRs of 92.3% at 1 year, and 84.6% at 2 years were observed. For final prostheses, a CSR of 93.8% was observed at 10 years. The results suggest that treating completely edentulous patients with a fixed profile prosthesis utilizing a graftless approach in the maxilla and the mandible can be a reliable treatment option.

Improving clinical trial design for hepatocellular carcinoma treatments

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Robert G. Gish

2011-12-01

Full Text Available Despite its place as the third leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide, there are currently no approved chemotherapeutic agents, devices or techniques to treat hepatocellular carcinoma. Importantly, there have been no phase III studies demonstrating survival benefit, nor any randomized studies of treatment except for transarterial chemoembolization and most recently sorafenib. The importance of well-designed clinical trials of agents to treat HCC has never been greater. However, general clinical study design issues, combined with HCC-specific issues pose significant challenges in structuring such studies. HCC-related challenges include the heterogeneity of this cancer and the fact that it is frequently accompanied by significant comorbidities at diagnosis, such as active hepatitis B or C virus replication, substantial past or on-going alcohol use, and cirrhosis, itself often a fatal disease. The recently published comparison of a newer treatment, nolatrexed to doxorubicin, and comments about this study’s initial HCC diagnostic criteria, staging system, comparator therapy and choice of endpoints have provided a platform to discuss the challenges unique to the design of HCC clinical trials. The difficulty in accurately framing study results obtained from the constantly changing HCC clinical landscape and approaches to meet these challenges will be reviewed.

Radio-guided sentinel lymph node identification by lymphoscintigraphy fused with an anatomical vector profile: clinical applications.

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Niccoli Asabella, A; Antonica, F; Renna, M A; Rubini, D; Notaristefano, A; Nicoletti, A; Rubini, G

2013-12-01

To develop a method to fuse lymphoscintigraphic images with an adaptable anatomical vector profile and to evaluate its role in the clinical practice. We used Adobe Illustrator CS6 to create different vector profiles, we fused those profiles, using Adobe Photoshop CS6, with lymphoscintigraphic images of the patient. We processed 197 lymphoscintigraphies performed in patients with cutaneous melanomas, breast cancer or delayed lymph drainage. Our models can be adapted to every patient attitude or position and contain different levels of anatomical details ranging from external body profiles to the internal anatomical structures like bones, muscles, vessels, and lymph nodes. If needed, more new anatomical details can be added and embedded in the profile without redrawing them, saving a lot of time. Details can also be easily hidden, allowing the physician to view only relevant information and structures. Fusion times are about 85 s. The diagnostic confidence of the observers increased significantly. The validation process showed a slight shift (mean 4.9 mm). We have created a new, practical, inexpensive digital technique based on commercial software for fusing lymphoscintigraphic images with built-in anatomical reference profiles. It is easily reproducible and does not alter the original scintigraphic image. Our method allows a more meaningful interpretation of lymphoscintigraphies, an easier recognition of the anatomical site and better lymph node dissection planning.

Molecular identification, antifungal susceptibility profile, and biofilm formation of clinical and environmental Rhodotorula species isolates.

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Nunes, Jorge Meneses; Bizerra, Fernando César; Ferreira, Renata Carmona E; Colombo, Arnaldo Lopes

2013-01-01

Rhodotorula species are emergent fungal pathogens capable of causing invasive infections, primarily fungemia. They are particularly problematic in immunosuppressed patients when using a central venous catheter. In this study, we evaluated the species distribution of 51 clinical and 8 environmental Rhodotorula species isolates using the ID32C system and internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequencing. Antifungal susceptibility testing and biofilm formation capability using a crystal violet staining assay were performed. Using ITS sequencing as the gold standard, the clinical isolates were identified as follows: 44 R. mucilaginosa isolates, 2 R. glutinis isolates, 2 R. minuta isolates, 2 R. dairenensis isolates, and 1 Rhodosporidium fluviale isolate. The environmental isolates included 7 R. mucilaginosa isolates and 1 R. slooffiae isolate. Using the ID32C system, along with a nitrate assimilation test, only 90.3% of the isolates tested were correctly identified. In the biofilm formation assay, R. mucilaginosa and R. minuta exhibited greater biofilm formation ability compared to the other Rhodotorula species; the clinical isolates of R. mucilaginosa showed greater biofilm formation compared to the environmental isolates (P = 0.04). Amphotericin B showed good in vitro activity (MIC ≤ 1 μg/ml) against planktonic cells, whereas voriconazole and posaconazole showed poor activity (MIC(50)/MIC(90), 2/4 μg/ml). Caspofungin and fluconazole MICs were consistently high for all isolates tested (≥64 μg/ml and ≥ 4 μg/ml, respectively). In this study, we emphasized the importance of molecular methods to correctly identify Rhodotorula species isolates and non-R. mucilaginosa species in particular. The antifungal susceptibility profile reinforces amphotericin B as the antifungal drug of choice for the treatment of Rhodotorula infections. To our knowledge, this is the first study evaluating putative differences in the ability of biofilm formation among different Rhodotorula

Orthodontic treatment effects on inflammatory marker profiles in saliva before and after 2 archwire changes

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Yamamoto, Zulham; Jaafar, Ikmal Mohamad; Rohaya, M. A. W.; Abidin, Intan Zarina Zainol; Senafi, Sahidan; Ariffin, Zaidah Zainal; Ariffin, Shahrul Hisham Zainal

2013-11-01

Periodontal tissue changes exerted by external forces in orthodontic treatment allow tooth movement. The changes in periodontal tissues i.e. inflammation can be monitored using gingival crevicular fluid (GCF). GCF is a component of saliva. Saliva could be used to monitor periodontal disease progression. The use of saliva to monitor periodontal tissues changes during orthodontic treatment is still unknown. Therefore, we observed the profiles of inflammatory markers namely creatine kinase ('CK), nitric oxide (NO), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) in saliva of orthodontic patients to evaluate their importance in orthodontic treatment. A total of 21 subjects (13 female and 8 male) participated in this study. Samples were collected from gingival crevicular fluid at three period of archwire changes: baseline (M0), 2 weeks after 0.014" NiTi archwire (M1), and 2 weeks after 0.018" NiTi archwire (M2). All enzyme activities i.e. CK, LDH and AST were measured spectrophotometrically at 340 nm. Griess assay was used to measure nitric oxide level. CK activity, NO level, LDH activity and AST activity in saliva samples did not show significant differences among period of archwire changes. The use of inflammatory marker profiles in saliva may not represent the changes in periodontal tissues during orthodontic treatment.

Travellers' profile, travel patterns and vaccine practices--a 10-year prospective study in a Swiss Travel Clinic.

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Boubaker, Rim; Meige, Pierrette; Mialet, Catherine; Buffat, Chantal Ngarambe; Uwanyiligira, Mediatrice; Widmer, Francine; Rochat, Jacynthe; Fossati, Annie Hérard; Souvannaraj-Blanchant, Manisinh; Payot, Sylvie; Rochat, Laurence; de Vallière, Serge; Genton, Blaise; D'Acremont, Valérie

2016-01-01

The travel clinic in Lausanne serves a catchment area of 700 000 of inhabitants and provides pre- and post-travel consultations. This study describes the profile of attendees before departure, their travel patterns and the travel clinic practices in terms of vaccination over time. We included all pre-travel first consultation data recorded between November 2002 and December 2012 by a custom-made program DIAMM/G. We analysed client profiles, travel characteristics and vaccinations prescribed over time. Sixty-five thousand and forty-six client-trips were recorded. Fifty-one percent clients were female. Mean age was 32 years. In total, 0.1% were aged travellers had pre-existing medical conditions. Forty-six percent were travelling to Africa, 35% to Asia, 20% to Latin America and 1% (each) to Oceania and Europe; 19% visited more than one country. India was the most common destination (9.6% of travellers) followed by Thailand (8.6%) and Kenya (6.4%). Seventy-three percent of travellers were planning to travel for ≤ 4 weeks. The main reasons for travel were tourism (75%) and visiting friends and relatives (18%). Sixteen percent were backpackers. Pre-travel advice were sought a median of 29 days before departure. Ninety-nine percent received vaccine(s). The most frequently administered vaccines were hepatitis A (53%), tetanus-diphtheria (46%), yellow fever (39%), poliomyelitis (38%) and typhoid fever (30%). The profile of travel clinic attendees was younger than the general Swiss population. A significant proportion of travellers received vaccinations that are recommended in the routine national programme. These findings highlight the important role of travel clinics to (i) take care of an age group that has little contact with general practitioners and (ii) update vaccination status. The most commonly prescribed travel-related vaccines were for hepatitis A and yellow fever. The question remains to know whether clients do attend travel clinics because of compulsory

Bladder cancer treatment response assessment with radiomic, clinical, and radiologist semantic features

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Gordon, Marshall N.; Cha, Kenny H.; Hadjiiski, Lubomir M.; Chan, Heang-Ping; Cohan, Richard H.; Caoili, Elaine M.; Paramagul, Chintana; Alva, Ajjai; Weizer, Alon Z.

2018-02-01

We are developing a decision support system for assisting clinicians in assessment of response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy for bladder cancer. Accurate treatment response assessment is crucial for identifying responders and improving quality of life for non-responders. An objective machine learning decision support system may help reduce variability and inaccuracy in treatment response assessment. We developed a predictive model to assess the likelihood that a patient will respond based on image and clinical features. With IRB approval, we retrospectively collected a data set of pre- and post- treatment CT scans along with clinical information from surgical pathology from 98 patients. A linear discriminant analysis (LDA) classifier was used to predict the likelihood that a patient would respond to treatment based on radiomic features extracted from CT urography (CTU), a radiologist's semantic feature, and a clinical feature extracted from surgical and pathology reports. The classification accuracy was evaluated using the area under the ROC curve (AUC) with a leave-one-case-out cross validation. The classification accuracy was compared for the systems based on radiomic features, clinical feature, and radiologist's semantic feature. For the system based on only radiomic features the AUC was 0.75. With the addition of clinical information from examination under anesthesia (EUA) the AUC was improved to 0.78. Our study demonstrated the potential of designing a decision support system to assist in treatment response assessment. The combination of clinical features, radiologist semantic features and CTU radiomic features improved the performance of the classifier and the accuracy of treatment response assessment.

Power analysis to detect treatment effects in longitudinal clinical trials for Alzheimer's disease.

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Huang, Zhiyue; Muniz-Terrera, Graciela; Tom, Brian D M

2017-09-01

Assessing cognitive and functional changes at the early stage of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and detecting treatment effects in clinical trials for early AD are challenging. Under the assumption that transformed versions of the Mini-Mental State Examination, the Clinical Dementia Rating Scale-Sum of Boxes, and the Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale-Cognitive Subscale tests'/components' scores are from a multivariate linear mixed-effects model, we calculated the sample sizes required to detect treatment effects on the annual rates of change in these three components in clinical trials for participants with mild cognitive impairment. Our results suggest that a large number of participants would be required to detect a clinically meaningful treatment effect in a population with preclinical or prodromal Alzheimer's disease. We found that the transformed Mini-Mental State Examination is more sensitive for detecting treatment effects in early AD than the transformed Clinical Dementia Rating Scale-Sum of Boxes and Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale-Cognitive Subscale. The use of optimal weights to construct powerful test statistics or sensitive composite scores/endpoints can reduce the required sample sizes needed for clinical trials. Consideration of the multivariate/joint distribution of components' scores rather than the distribution of a single composite score when designing clinical trials can lead to an increase in power and reduced sample sizes for detecting treatment effects in clinical trials for early AD.

Pericoronitis: treatment and a clinical dilemma.

LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

Moloney, Justin

2009-06-01

Pericoronitis is an infection associated with impacted lower third molars that can necessitate the removal of these teeth. The clinical features of this condition are described and its treatment outlined, emphasising local measures. A case of pericoronitis in a 52-year-old patient is discussed, which illustrates the risks and benefits of removal of wisdom teeth; removal can lead to nerve damage, retention can precipitate serious, even life-threatening infection.

Pericoronitis: treatment and a clinical dilemma.

LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

Moloney, Justin

2009-08-01

Pericoronitis is an infection associated with impacted lower third molars that can necessitate the removal of these teeth. The clinical features of this condition are described and its treatment outlined, emphasising local measures. A case of pericoronitis in a 52-year-old patient is discussed, which illustrates the risks and benefits of removal of wisdom teeth; removal can lead to nerve damage, retention can precipitate serious, even life-threatening infection.

Prospective Genomic Profiling of Prostate Cancer Across Disease States Reveals Germline and Somatic Alterations That May Affect Clinical Decision Making.

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Abida, Wassim; Armenia, Joshua; Gopalan, Anuradha; Brennan, Ryan; Walsh, Michael; Barron, David; Danila, Daniel; Rathkopf, Dana; Morris, Michael; Slovin, Susan; McLaughlin, Brigit; Curtis, Kristen; Hyman, David M; Durack, Jeremy C; Solomon, Stephen B; Arcila, Maria E; Zehir, Ahmet; Syed, Aijazuddin; Gao, Jianjiong; Chakravarty, Debyani; Vargas, Hebert Alberto; Robson, Mark E; Joseph, Vijai; Offit, Kenneth; Donoghue, Mark T A; Abeshouse, Adam A; Kundra, Ritika; Heins, Zachary J; Penson, Alexander V; Harris, Christopher; Taylor, Barry S; Ladanyi, Marc; Mandelker, Diana; Zhang, Liying; Reuter, Victor E; Kantoff, Philip W; Solit, David B; Berger, Michael F; Sawyers, Charles L; Schultz, Nikolaus; Scher, Howard I

2017-07-01

A long natural history and a predominant osseous pattern of metastatic spread are impediments to the adoption of precision medicine in patients with prostate cancer. To establish the feasibility of clinical genomic profiling in the disease, we performed targeted deep sequencing of tumor and normal DNA from patients with locoregional, metastatic non-castrate, and metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). Patients consented to genomic analysis of their tumor and germline DNA. A hybridization capture-based clinical assay was employed to identify single nucleotide variations, small insertions and deletions, copy number alterations and structural rearrangements in over 300 cancer-related genes in tumors and matched normal blood. We successfully sequenced 504 tumors from 451 patients with prostate cancer. Potentially actionable alterations were identified in DNA damage repair (DDR), PI3K, and MAP kinase pathways. 27% of patients harbored a germline or a somatic alteration in a DDR gene that may predict for response to PARP inhibition. Profiling of matched tumors from individual patients revealed that somatic TP53 and BRCA2 alterations arose early in tumors from patients who eventually developed metastatic disease. In contrast, comparative analysis across disease states revealed that APC alterations were enriched in metastatic tumors, while ATM alterations were specifically enriched in CRPC. Through genomic profiling of prostate tumors representing the disease clinical spectrum, we identified a high frequency of potentially actionable alterations and possible drivers of disease initiation, metastasis and castration-resistance. Our findings support the routine use of tumor and germline DNA profiling for patients with advanced prostate cancer, for the purpose of guiding enrollment in targeted clinical trials and counseling families at increased risk of malignancy.

Temporomandibular joint dysfunction syndrome. A clinical report.

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Passero, P L; Wyman, B S; Bell, J W; Hirschey, S A; Schlosser, W S

1985-08-01

We have presented two clinical case reports of patients with TMJ dysfunction syndrome as an example of coordinated treatments between dentists and physical therapists. The clinical profiles of these patients with craniocervical pain were compiled from comprehensive physical therapy and dental-orthopedic evaluations. The significance of the relationship between the rest position of the mandible and forward head posture has been shown by the changes observed after correction of the postural deviations and vertical resting dimensions by dental treatments and physical therapy. Additional research is necessary to determine long-term effects of this combined approach in TMJ dysfunction syndrome.

Profile of rifaximin and its potential in the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome

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Iorio N

2015-06-01

Full Text Available Natalya Iorio, Zubair Malik, Ron Schey Section of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Temple University Hospital, Philadelphia, PA, USA Abstract: Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS is a chronic functional gastrointestinal disorder characterized by recurrent abdominal pain and abnormal bowel patterns. Alteration in gut flora, visceral hypersensitivity, and abnormal bowel motility are among numerous factors in the complex pathophysiology of IBS. Antibiotics have been used adjunctively to treat IBS for many years but are associated with various systemic side effects. Rifaximin is a nonabsorbable, broad-spectrum antimicrobial that inhibits bacterial RNA synthesis by binding the β-subunit of microbial RNA polymerase. It targets the gastrointestinal tract and works by reducing the quantity of gas-producing bacteria and altering the predominant species of bacteria present. In vivo animal studies suggest additional beneficial mechanisms of rifaximin, including reducing mucosal inflammation and visceral hypersensitivity. Clinical studies have demonstrated that rifaximin improves symptoms associated with IBS, such as bloating, flatulence, stool consistency, and abdominal pain, and has a side-effect profile similar to placebo. Although additional investigation into optimal dosing, treatment duration, and potential resistance is required, rifaximin presents as a safe and beneficial addition to the current management options for IBS. Keywords: irritable bowel syndrome, rifaximin, small intestinal bacterial overgrowth, mucosal inflammation

Clinical Profile and Response to Chemotherapeutic Agents in Non-specific Urethritis

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R K Pandhi

1984-01-01

Full Text Available The epidemiological and clinical profile of 159 patients having non-specific iiretbritis is repoed. The majority (67.39o of patients were unm and most (70.4% of the we m re in the age group of 21-30 years. The incubation period in the majority (69.2% of patients was 1-4 weeks. Almost all the (98.1% patients complained of dysuria but urethral discharge was seen only in 48.4% of patients. Out of tetracycline′s doxycline, erythromycin and cotrimoxazole tried in this study, tetracycline′s in the dosage of 2 gm/day for 3 weeks was found to give the best (90.5%′cure rate.

Analysis of clinical data to determine the minimum number of sensors required for adequate skin temperature monitoring of superficial hyperthermia treatments.

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Bakker, Akke; Holman, Rebecca; Rodrigues, Dario B; Dobšíček Trefná, Hana; Stauffer, Paul R; van Tienhoven, Geertjan; Rasch, Coen R N; Crezee, Hans

2018-04-27

Tumor response and treatment toxicity are related to minimum and maximum tissue temperatures during hyperthermia, respectively. Using a large set of clinical data, we analyzed the number of sensors required to adequately monitor skin temperature during superficial hyperthermia treatment of breast cancer patients. Hyperthermia treatments monitored with >60 stationary temperature sensors were selected from a database of patients with recurrent breast cancer treated with re-irradiation (23 × 2 Gy) and hyperthermia using single 434 MHz applicators (effective field size 351-396 cm 2 ). Reduced temperature monitoring schemes involved randomly selected subsets of stationary skin sensors, and another subset simulating continuous thermal mapping of the skin. Temperature differences (ΔT) between subsets and complete sets of sensors were evaluated in terms of overall minimum (T min ) and maximum (T max ) temperature, as well as T90 and T10. Eighty patients were included yielding a total of 400 hyperthermia sessions. Median ΔT was 50 sensors were used. Subsets of sensors result in underestimation of T max up to -2.1 °C (ΔT 95%CI), which decreased to -0.5 °C when >50 sensors were used. Thermal profiles (8-21 probes) yielded a median ΔT 50 stationary sensors or thermal profiles. Adequate coverage of the skin temperature distribution during superficial hyperthermia treatment requires the use of >50 stationary sensors per 400 cm 2 applicator. Thermal mapping is a valid alternative.

Orthodontic Camouflage: A Treatment Option - A Clinical Case Report.

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Mazzini, William Ubilla; Torres, Fátima Mazzini

2017-01-01

Orthodontic camouflage provides an alternative treatment for angle III malocclusion since patients with limited economic resources cannot opt for orthognathic surgery, it being clear that correction will be achieved at the dental level and not at the bone complex. To determine an alternative treatment for patients who do not have the possibility of having orthognathic surgery. A 13-year-old female patient, dolico facial biotype with slightly concave profile, with Class III Skeletal by mandibular prognathism, anterior crossbite, anterior diastema, and large mandibular body, molar class, and canine III. Alexander technique brackets were placed; premolar extraction was not planned. Once the case was completed, the correction of the anterior crossbite was achieved, thanks to the use of the spaces that existed at the beginning of the treatment and also that a correct distalization of canines and retraction of the lower anterior segment were performed.

Clinical indicators for success of misoprostol treatment after early pregnancy failure.

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Robledo, C; Zhang, J; Troendle, J; Barnhart, K; Creinin, M D; Westhoff, C; Huang, X; Frederick, M

2007-10-01

To identify clinical indicators for success of misoprostol treatment after early pregnancy failure. A total of 473 women with early pregnancy failure received 800 microg of vaginal misoprostol on treatment day 1. At the follow-up visit on day 3, a second dose was given if expulsion was incomplete. On day 8, vacuum aspiration was offered if expulsion had not occurred. Ultrasonography was used as gold standard for success. A Classification and Regression Tree analysis was undertaken to derive two decision trees for the success of misoprostol treatment on study days 3 and 8. Heavy bleeding after the first dose and an open cervical os were identified as clinical indicators of treatment success on day 3. Treatment success occurred in 84% of women with either or both indicators. Reporting passage of tissue after a second misoprostol dose and old blood in the vagina were potential indicators of treatment success or failure on day 8. A woman with either of these indicators has a 65% chance of treatment success after the second dose. Conversely, a woman with neither indicator on day 8 has a 94% chance of treatment failure. Standard clinical findings may be useful as indicators for success or failure of medical management of early pregnancy failure in settings with limited or no access to ultrasonography. More research to identify even better indicators is warranted.

Clinical efficacy of terlipressin in treatment of type II hepatorenal syndrome

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DING Xiaohong

2015-05-01

Full Text Available ObjectiveTo investigate the clinical efficacy of domestic terlipressin in the treatment of type II hepatorenal syndrome (HRS-II. MethodsA total of 25 HRS-II patients admitted to our hospital from November 2011 to June 2014 were recruited into the treatment group, and 28 HRS-II patients treated with dopamine before 2011 were recruited into the control group. Patients in the treatment group were randomly divided into two subgroups: one subgroup (n=12 was given terlipressin once every 8 h, and the other subgroup (n=13 was given terlipressin once every 12 h. Both groups received albumin (Alb infusion to expand the blood volume before treatment with terlipressin or dopamine, and the course of treatment was 7 days. The improvement in clinical symptoms, levels of blood urea nitrogen (BUN, serum creatinine and electrolytes, urine volume, changes in liver function, and ascites disappearance in the two groups before and after treatment were compared. Comparison of categorical data between the two groups was made by χ2 test, and comparison of continuous data was made by t test. ResultsPatients in the control group showed no obvious symptom relief, but those in the treatment group had varying degrees of improvement in clinical symptoms. Neither group had significant changes in liver function and serum sodium level after treatment. The treatment group had significantly more patients whose ascites volume had decreased from large to medium than the control group (χ2=5.705, P＜0.05. There was a slight but not significant decrease in the levels of BUN and serum creatinine in the control group after treatment with dopamine (all P＞0.05, whereas the urine volume showed significant difference after the treatment (t=15.534, P＜0.01. The treatment group showed significant differences in the levels of BUN and serum creatinine and urine volume after terlipressin treatment (t=11.535, 9.941, and 19.685, respectively; all P＜0.01, and significant differences in

Clinical profile and treatment outcome of febrile infection-related epilepsy syndrome in South Indian children

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Sandeep B Patil

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Purpose: To describe the clinical features and outcome of febrile infection-related epilepsy syndrome (FIRES, a catastrophic epileptic encephalopathy, in a cohort of South Indian children. Materials and Methods: We performed a retrospective chart review of a cohort of children with previously normal development who presented with status epilepticus or encephalopathy with recurrent seizures following a nonspecific febrile illness during the period between January 2007 and January 2012. They were divided into two groups super refractory status epilepticus (SRSE and refractory status epilepticus (RSE depending on the duration and severity of the seizures. Key Findings: Fifteen children who met the inclusion criteria were included for the final analysis. The age of the children at presentation ranged 3-15 years (median 6.3 years. All the children presented with prolonged or recurrent seizures occurring 1-12 days (median 4 days after the onset of fever. Eight children had SRSE while seven children had refractory seizures with encephalopathy. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF analysis was done in all the children in the acute phase, and the cell count ranged 0-12 cells/μL (median 2 cells/μL with normal sugar and protein levels. Initial neuroimaging done in all children (MRI in 10 and CT in 5, and it was normal in 13 children. Treatment modalities included multiple antiepileptic drugs (AEDs (4-9 drugs (median 5 drugs. Midazolam (MDZ infusion was administered in seven patients. Eight patients required barbiturate coma to suppress the seizure activity. The duration of the barbiturate coma ranged 2-90 days (median 3 days. Steroids were used in 14 children and intravenous immunoglobulin (2 g/kg in 7 children. Three children died in the acute phase. All children were maintained on multiple AEDs till the last follow-up, the number of AEDs ranged 1-6 (median 5 AEDs. The patients with super refractory status in the acute phase were found to be more severely disabled

Challenges of implementing fibromyalgia treatment guidelines in current clinical practice.

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Arnold, Lesley M; Clauw, Daniel J

2017-09-01

The current diagnostic and treatment pathway for patients with fibromyalgia (FM) is lengthy, complex, and characterized by multiple physician visits with an average 2-year wait until diagnosis. It is clear that effective identification and appropriate treatment of FM remain a challenge in current clinical practice. Ideally, FM management involves a multidisciplinary approach with the preferable patient pathway originating in primary care but supported by a range of health care providers, including referral to specialist care when necessary. After the publication of individual clinical studies, high-quality reviews, and meta-analyses, recently published FM treatment guidelines have transitioned from an expert consensus to an evidence-based approach. Evidence-based guidelines provide a framework for ensuring early diagnosis and timely adoption of appropriate treatment. However, for successful outcomes, FM treatments must adopt a more holistic approach, which addresses more than just pain. Impact on the associated symptoms of fatigue and cognitive problems, sleep and mood disturbances, and lowered functional status are also important in judging the success of FM therapy. Recently published guidelines recommend the adoption of a symptom-based approach to guide pharmacologic treatment. Emerging treatment options for FM may be best differentiated on the basis of their effect on comorbid symptoms that are often associated with pain (e.g. sleep disturbance, mood, fatigue). The current review discusses the most recently published Canadian guidelines and the implications of the recent European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) recommendations, with a focus on the challenges of implementing these guidelines in current clinical practice.

Progress in the clinical treatment of chronic dacryocystitis

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Xiang-Lei Chen

2018-04-01

Full Text Available Chronic dacryocystitis is often seen in middle-aged and old women, especially in menopause. The opening of the obstruction of the nasolacrimal duct is the key to the treatment of chronic dacryocystitis. At present, surgical treatment is the main type of operation. The commonly used methods include the transnasal canthus skin dacryocystorhinostomy and the endoscopic dacryocystorhinostomy. With the development of technology, the application of laser technology and new lacrimal duct silicon rubber tube makes the clinical treatment of chronic dacryocystitis more perfect. Lacrimal endoscope technology can obtain more intuitive image of lacrimal duct data, to determine the nature, location and degree of obstruction of lacrimal passage and treatment plan is particularly important, is a major breakthrough in the field of diagnosis and treatment of lacrimal duct obstruction, diagnosis and treatment method is currently the most advanced in the field.

[Kleptomania: clinical characteristics and treatment].

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Grant, Jon E; Odlaug, Brian L

2008-05-01

Kleptomania, a disabling impulse control disorder, is characterized by the repetitive and uncontrollable theft of items that are of little use to the afflicted person. Despite its relatively long history, kleptomania remains poorly understood to the general public, clinicians, and sufferers. This article reviews the literature for what is known about the clinical characteristics, family history, neurobiology, and treatment options for individuals with kleptomania. Kleptomania generally has its onset in late adolescence or early adulthood and appears to be more common among women. Lifetime psychiatric comorbidity is frequent, mainly with other impulse control (20-46%), substance use (23-50%) and mood disorders (45-100%). Individuals with kleptomania suffer significant impairment in their ability to function socially and occupationally. Kleptomania may respond to cognitive behavioral therapy and various pharmacotherapies (lithium, anti-epileptics, and opioid antagonists). Kleptomania is a disabling disorder that results in intense shame, as well as legal, social, family, and occupational problems. Large scale treatment studies are needed.

Clinical pharmacology in leishmaniasis: treatment optimization of a neglected disease

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Dorlo, T.P.C.

2013-01-01

This thesis presents various novel applications of clinical pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics in the treatment of leishmaniasis, by which diverse clinically relevant issues, mainly related to the efficacy and safety of miltefosine, could be elucidated. Throughout this thesis, the added value of

Adjuvant tamoxifen influences the lipid profile in breast cancer patients.

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Lin, Che; Chen, Li-Sheng; Kuo, Shou-Jen; Chen, Dar-Ren

2014-02-01

Currently there is a debate regarding whether tamoxifen used in breast cancer has an impact on lipid profiles. The aim of this study was to determine whether tamoxifen has an impact on the serum lipid profile in Taiwanese women. Data of 109 patients were collected from the routine clinical follow-up for women with hormone receptor-positive breast cancer who were treated between July 2005 and March 2008. These patients were divided into 2 subgroups, based on their tumor grade and lymph node status. Subgroup 1 patients had tumor grade I/II and a negative lymph node status. Those patients with tumor grade III or a positive lymph node status were defined as subgroup 2. In the 109 patients, the mean serum total cholesterol (TC) levels after tamoxifen treatment, as well as the serum low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels, were lower than the baseline levels, with statistically significant differences. Treatment with tamoxifen lowered the serum TC and LDL-C levels in both subgroups. The results indicate that tamoxifen has an impact on the serum lipid profile of breast cancer patients in Taiwan. Physicians should follow up the lipid profile in these patients.

[Profile of silodosin].

Science.gov (United States)

Montorsi, Francesco

2013-01-01

Silodosin is a highly selective alpha1A-adrenoceptor antagonist approved for the treatment of the signs and symptoms of benign prostatic hyperplasia. Its clinical pharmacology profile offers a number of advantages, including uroselectivity, once-daily (QD) dosing, a standard dose of 8 mg QD that does not need to be adjusted according to age, and the feasibility of concomitant treatment with phosphodiesterase type 5 (PDE5) inhibitors and antihypertensive agents. Three phase 3 double-blind, randomised trials using the dosage regimen of 8 mg QD in > 800 patients have shown that silodosin is significantly more effective than placebo (p nocturia (p = 0.03). Safety data collected in 1581 patients exposed to chronic treatment with silodosin 8 mg QD have shown that the drug is safe and well tolerated. As was to be expected with a uroselective compound, cardiovascular effects have been minimal. The most common adverse reaction is "retrograde ejaculation" (anejaculation), which led to treatment discontinuation in only 3.9% of patients. The rare, drug class-related safety issue of intraocular floppy iris syndrome can be satisfactorily managed by warning patients simply to inform their ophthalmologist that they are or were on treatment with an alpha1-adrenoceptor blocker.

Self-image profile in children and adolescents with attention deficit/ hyperactivity disorder and the quality of life in their parents.

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Gormez, Vahdet; Forbes, Fiona C M

2015-01-01

We explored the impact of clinical response to treatment for Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in children and adolescents on the subsequent changes in their self-image profile, the quality of life of their parents, and its effect on socio-demographic variables. Conners Rating Scales for Parents (CPRS-R) and for Teachers (CTRS-R) completed at the time of entry to the service were repeated to measure clinical response to treatment; the Self-image Profiles for Children (SIP-C) and Adolescents (SIP-A), the World Health Organization Quality of Life (WHOQoL) questionnaire and postcode data were used to evaluate other domains. Data was collected for 53 boys (84%) and 10 girls (16%) with current mean age 11.5 years. Four-fifths (51/63) received pharmacological treatment and all parents were offered group parent training program. The only subscale in CPRS-R to show significance was the ADHD Index. The CTRS-R demonstrated statistically significant improvement (p Self-image Profile, children reported themselves as more Kind (p Self-image Profile of children and adolescents, but its impact on the QoL in parents was limited. © 2015 The Author(s).

Managing migraine by patient profile: role of frovatriptan

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Cady RK

2016-04-01

Full Text Available Roger K Cady, Kathleen Farmer Headache Care Center, Springfield, MO, USA Abstract: For the last quarter of a century, triptans have been available for acute treatment of migraine but with little guidance on which of the different triptan products to use for which patient or which attack of migraine. In this article, we propose a structured approach to analysis of individual migraine attacks and patient characteristics as a means of defining and optimizing acute intervention. Assessment of patient and attack profiles includes the “5-Ps”: pattern, phenotype, patient, pharmacology, and precipitants. Attending to these five components of information can assist in developing an individualized behavioral, pharmacological, and nonpharmacological comprehensive treatment plan for most migraine patients. This clinical approach is then focused on frovatriptan because of its unique molecular signature and potential novel clinical applications. Frovatriptan like all triptans is indicated for acute treatment of migraine but its role has been explored in management of several unique migraine phenotypes. Frovatriptan has the longest half-life of any triptan and consequently is often promoted for acute treatment of migraine of longer duration. It has also been studied as a short-term preventive treatment in women with menstrual-related migraine. Given that 60% of female migraineurs suffer from menstrual-related migraine, this population is the obvious group for continued study. Small studies have also explored frovatriptan’s use in treating migraine predicted by premonitory symptoms as a preventive for the headache phase of migraine. By identifying patient and attack profiles, clinicians may effectively determine the viability of frovatriptan as an effective pharmacological intervention for migraine. Keywords: frovatriptan, acute treatment, preventive therapy, early intervention

Profiling Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR) of Family Health History based on the Clinical Element Models.

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Lee, Jaehoon; Hulse, Nathan C; Wood, Grant M; Oniki, Thomas A; Huff, Stanley M

2016-01-01

In this study we developed a Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR) profile to support exchanging a full pedigree based family health history (FHH) information across multiple systems and applications used by clinicians, patients, and researchers. We used previously developed clinical element models (CEMs) that are capable of representing the FHH information, and derived essential data elements including attributes, constraints, and value sets. We analyzed gaps between the FHH CEM elements and existing FHIR resources. Based on the analysis, we developed a profile that consists of 1) FHIR resources for essential FHH data elements, 2) extensions for additional elements that were not covered by the resources, and 3) a structured definition to integrate patient and family member information in a FHIR message. We implemented the profile using an open-source based FHIR framework and validated it using patient-entered FHH data that was captured through a locally developed FHH tool.

Systemic treatment of cancer of unknown primary origin

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Reckova, M.

2013-01-01

Cancer of unknown primary origin (CUP) comprises a heterogenous group of cancers with distinct biology and prognosis. There is, however, a specific group of patients with curable diseases, or incurable diseases with good prognosis. The main aim of treatment in the group of patients with CUP is timely initiation of therapy in the cases of curable disease. There is no known standard of care in the cases of CUP with poor prognosis, but most frequently, platinum-based regimens are used. In the cases of specific immunohistochemistry (IHC) or molecular gene expression profile, there are used the treatment regimens similar to those used in the patients with known primary tumor and similar IHC or molecular profile. Currently, most of data in patients with CUP are from phase II clinical trials. Thus proficiently designed phase III randomized clinical trials with translation research is priority, with aim to improve our knowledge and personalize treatment of such heterogenous group of patients as is a group of patients with CUP. (author)

Profiling persistent tubercule bacilli from patient sputa during therapy predicts early drug efficacy.

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Honeyborne, Isobella; McHugh, Timothy D; Kuittinen, Iitu; Cichonska, Anna; Evangelopoulos, Dimitrios; Ronacher, Katharina; van Helden, Paul D; Gillespie, Stephen H; Fernandez-Reyes, Delmiro; Walzl, Gerhard; Rousu, Juho; Butcher, Philip D; Waddell, Simon J

2016-04-07

New treatment options are needed to maintain and improve therapy for tuberculosis, which caused the death of 1.5 million people in 2013 despite potential for an 86 % treatment success rate. A greater understanding of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M.tb) bacilli that persist through drug therapy will aid drug development programs. Predictive biomarkers for treatment efficacy are also a research priority. Genome-wide transcriptional profiling was used to map the mRNA signatures of M.tb from the sputa of 15 patients before and 3, 7 and 14 days after the start of standard regimen drug treatment. The mRNA profiles of bacilli through the first 2 weeks of therapy reflected drug activity at 3 days with transcriptional signatures at days 7 and 14 consistent with reduced M.tb metabolic activity similar to the profile of pre-chemotherapy bacilli. These results suggest that a pre-existing drug-tolerant M.tb population dominates sputum before and after early drug treatment, and that the mRNA signature at day 3 marks the killing of a drug-sensitive sub-population of bacilli. Modelling patient indices of disease severity with bacterial gene expression patterns demonstrated that both microbiological and clinical parameters were reflected in the divergent M.tb responses and provided evidence that factors such as bacterial load and disease pathology influence the host-pathogen interplay and the phenotypic state of bacilli. Transcriptional signatures were also defined that predicted measures of early treatment success (rate of decline in bacterial load over 3 days, TB test positivity at 2 months, and bacterial load at 2 months). This study defines the transcriptional signature of M.tb bacilli that have been expectorated in sputum after two weeks of drug therapy, characterizing the phenotypic state of bacilli that persist through treatment. We demonstrate that variability in clinical manifestations of disease are detectable in bacterial sputa signatures, and that the changing M.tb m

Poster - 34: Clinical Implementation of Prone Breast Treatment

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Jiang, Runqing; Fleming, Katrina; Kobeleva, Sofya; Osei, Ernest [Grand River Regional Cancer Centre (Canada)

2016-08-15

Purpose: Prone breast treatment is used to reduce acute and late toxicities for large or pendulous breast patients. This study developed and implemented the clinical workflow of prone breast radiotherapy treatment. Methods: Varian kVue Access360™ Prone Breast Couchtop was used as prone breast board. The treatment planning (TP)is performed in Eclipse TP system. TP comparisons between supine deep inspiration breathing hold (DIBH) and prone breast; prone forward field-in-field (FinF) planning and inverse IMRT planning were performed and discussed. For the daily setup, breast coverage was assessed in the room using light field and MV imaging was used at day 1 and weekly. Results: The first ten patients are CT scanned and planned both supine and prone. The coverage was all excellent for supine DIBH plan and prone breast plan. The plan in the prone position demonstrated improvements in lung sparing comparing to the DIBH plan. Both forward FinF plan and inverse IMRT plan achieved acceptable coverage of the breast, and heart dose is comparable. Considering the daily setup variations and MLC leakage, forward FinF plan was recommended for routine clinical use. The procedure has been tested in phantom and patients were treated clinically. Conclusions: Prone breast irradiation has been advocated for women with large pendulous breasts in order to decrease acute and late toxicities. The workflow for prone breast radiation therapy has been developed and the technique is ready to treat patients.

Gas composition of sludge residue profiles in a sludge treatment reed bed between loadings

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Larsen, Julie Dam; Nielsen, Steen M; Scheutz, Charlotte

2017-01-01

Treatment of sludge in sludge treatment reed bed systems includes dewatering and mineralization. The mineralization process, which is driven by microorganisms, produces different gas species as by-products. The pore space composition of the gas species provides useful information on the biological...... processes occurring in the sludge residue. In this study, we measured the change in composition of gas species in the pore space at different depth levels in vertical sludge residue profiles during a resting period of 32 days. The gas composition of the pore space in the sludge residue changed during...

Demographic and clinical profile of Multiple Sclerosis in Kashmir: A short report.

Science.gov (United States)

Zahoor, Insha; Asimi, Ravouf; Haq, Ehtishamul; Yousuf Wani, Irfan

2017-04-01

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic autoimmune and inflammatory disease of the central nervous system (CNS). There have been only few population/hospital based studies on MS in India, and at the same time there is no data on its profile in Kashmir. A total of 41 MS patients diagnosed on the basis of 2010 Revised Mc Donald criteria were enrolled in this study from Kashmir region of India. Clinical, demographic, radiological and biochemical parameters were analyzed for most of the patients. Male to female ratio was found to be 1:3.1 with mean age at the time of analysis 32.26±7.54 (range 18-48) years. The mean disease duration was found to be 3.2±3.6 years. The most common course was relapsing-remitting (RR) present in 87.80% of cases followed by secondary progressive (SP) in 9.76% and primary progressive (PP) in 2.44%. Numbness, weakness of limbs, prickling and tingling sensations, muscle stiffness, and visual disturbances were most common manifestations. Condition of bilateral internuclear ophthalmoplegia (INO) and vertigo was rarely observed. Oligoclonal bands (OCB) were present in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of majority of the patients. Symptomatic and steroidal treatment mode was given to majority of the patients (92.68%) and only 7.32% patients were given disease modifying drug. This is the first preliminary report on MS profile in Kashmir. The high prevalence of female patients and RR course of MS, low prevalence of progressive cases, predominance of OCB positive cases, insignificant family history in all cases, predominance of cases with low socio-economic status, and high rate of less educated and unemployed cases are the most important findings. By and large MS pattern in Kashmir was found to be relatively similar to West and rest of the Asia. Larger comprehensive studies are mandatory to completely understand MS pattern in Kashmir. There is utmost requirement to maintain a local MS registry in Kashmir so as to get an idea about the actual number of

Hypnosis or cognitive behavioral training for the reduction of pain and nausea during cancer treatment: a controlled clinical trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Syrjala, K L; Cummings, C; Donaldson, G W

1992-02-01

Few controlled clinical trials have tested the efficacy of psychological techniques for reducing cancer pain or post-chemotherapy nausea and emesis. In this study, 67 bone marrow transplant patients with hematological malignancies were randomly assigned to one of four groups prior to beginning transplantation conditioning: (1) hypnosis training (HYP); (2) cognitive behavioral coping skills training (CB); (3) therapist contact control (TC); or (4) treatment as usual (TAU; no treatment control). Patients completed measures of physical functioning (Sickness Impact Profile; SIP) and psychological functioning (Brief Symptom Inventory; BSI), which were used as covariates in the analyses. Biodemographic variables included gender, age and a risk variable based on diagnosis and number of remissions or relapses. Patients in the HYP, CB and TC groups met with a clinical psychologist for two pre-transplant training sessions and ten in-hospital "booster" sessions during the course of transplantation. Forty-five patients completed the study and provided all covariate data, and 80% of the time series outcome data. Analyses of the principal study variables indicated that hypnosis was effective in reducing reported oral pain for patients undergoing marrow transplantation. Risk, SIP, and BSI pre-transplant were found to be effective predictors of inpatient physical symptoms. Nausea, emesis and opioid use did not differ significantly between the treatment groups. The cognitive behavioral intervention, as applied in this study, was not effective in reducing the symptoms measured.

CLINIC, DIFFERENTIAL DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT OF GALACTOSEMIA

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N.V. Zhurkova

2008-01-01

Full Text Available The data of different firms of hereditary galactosemia was analyzed in this article. Clinical and biochemical characteristics and molecular and genetic features of diagnostics of this disease were described. The information about differential diagnosis and problems, related with hereditary galactozemia screening in Russia was given.Key words: children, galactosemia, treatment, screening.

Comparison of zero-profile anchored spacer versus plate-cage construct in treatment of cervical spondylosis with regard to clinical outcomes and incidence of major complications: a meta-analysis

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Liu WJ

2015-09-01

Full Text Available Weijun Liu,1,* Ling Hu,2,* Junwen Wang,1 Ming Liu,1 Xiaomei Wang3 1Department of Orthopedics, Pu Ai Hospital, Affiliated to Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 2Department of Anesthesiology, Tianyou Hospital, Affiliated to Wuhan University of Science and Technology, 3Department of Biological Science and Technology, Wuhan Bioengineering Institute, Wuhan, People’s Republic of China *These authors contributed equally to this work Purpose: Meta-analysis was conducted to evaluate whether zero-profile anchored spacer (Zero-P could reduce complication rates, while maintaining similar clinical outcomes compared to plate-cage construct (PCC in the treatment of cervical spondylosis. Methods: All prospective and retrospective comparative studies published up to May 2015 that compared the clinical outcomes of Zero-P versus PCC in the treatment of cervical spondylosis were acquired by a comprehensive search in PubMed and EMBASE. Exclusion criteria were non-English studies, noncomparative studies, hybrid surgeries, revision surgeries, and surgeries with less than a 12-month follow-up period. The main end points including Japanese Orthopedic Association (JOA and Neck Disability Index (NDI scores, cervical lordosis, fusion rate, subsidence, and dysphagia were analyzed. All studies were analyzed with the RevMan 5.2.0 software. Publication biases of main results were examined using Stata 12.0. Results: A total of 12 studies were included in the meta-analysis. No statistical difference was observed with regard to preoperative or postoperative JOA and NDI scores, cervical lordosis, and fusion rate. The Zero-P group had a higher subsidence rate than the PCC group (P<0.05, risk difference =0.13, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.00–0.26. However, the Zero-P group had a significantly lower postoperative dysphagia rate than the PCC group within the first 2 weeks (P<0.05, odds ratio [OR] =0.64, 95% CI 0.45–0.91, at the 6th month [P

Profile of aripiprazole in the treatment of bipolar disorder in children and adolescents

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Kirino E

2014-11-01

Full Text Available Eiji Kirino1–3 1Department of Psychiatry, Juntendo University School of Medicine, 2Department of Psychiatry, Juntendo University Shizuoka Hospital, 3Juntendo Institute of Mental Health, Shizuoka, Japan Abstract: Bipolar disorder is a pernicious illness. Compared with the later-onset form, early onset bipolar disorder is associated with worse psychosocial outcomes, and is characterized by rapid cycling and increased risks of substance abuse and suicide attempts. Controlling mood episodes and preventing relapse in this group of pediatric patients requires careful treatment. Here, we review the effectiveness of aripiprazole for bipolar disorder in children and adolescents, with discussion of this drug's unique pharmacological profile and various clinical study outcomes. Aripiprazole acts as a serotonin 5-HT2A receptor antagonist, as well as a partial agonist of the serotonin 5-HT1A and dopamine D2 receptors. It can be safely used in children and adolescents, as it is highly tolerated and shows lower rates of the side effects typically observed with other antipsychotic drugs, including sedation, weight gain, hyperprolactinemia, and extrapyramidal syndrome. The presently reviewed randomized controlled trials (RCTs and non-RCTs generally reported aripiprazole to be effective and well-tolerated in children and adolescents with bipolar disorder. However, due to the limited number of RCTs, the present conclusions must be evaluated cautiously. Furthermore, aripiprazole cannot yet be considered a preferred treatment for children and adolescents with bipolar disorder, as there is not yet evidence that aripiprazole shows greater efficacy compared to other second-generation antipsychotics. Additional data are needed from future head-to-head comparison studies. Keywords: child, mania, mixed state

Psychobehavioral Profiles to Assist Tailoring of Interventions for Patients With Hypertension: Latent Profile Analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Tanaka, Rika; Nolan, Robert P

2018-05-11

Practice guidelines advocate combining pharmacotherapy with lifestyle counseling for patients with hypertension. To allow for appropriate tailoring of interventions to meet individual patient needs, a comprehensive understanding of baseline patient characteristics is essential. However, few studies have empirically assessed behavioral profiles of hypertensive patients in Web-based lifestyle counseling programs. The objectives of this study were to (1) specify baseline psychobehavioral profiles of patients with hypertension who were enrolled in a Web-based lifestyle counseling trial, and (2) examine mean differences among the identified profile groups in demographics, psychological distress, self-reported self-care behaviors, physiological outcomes, and program engagement to determine prognostic implications. Participants (N=264; mean age 57.5 years; 154/264, 58.3% female; 193/264, 73.1% white) were recruited into a longitudinal, double-blind, randomized controlled trial, designed to evaluate an online lifestyle intervention for hypertensive patients. A series of latent profile analyses identified psychobehavioral profiles, indicated by baseline measures of mood, motivation, and health behaviors. Mean differences between profile groups were then explored. A 2-class solution provided the best model fit (the Bayesian information criterion (BIC) is 10,133.11; sample-size adjusted BIC is 10,006.54; Lo-Mendell-Rubin likelihood ratio test is 65.56, P=.001). The 2 profile groups were (1) adaptive adjustment, marked by low distress, high motivation, and somewhat satisfactory engagement in health behaviors and (2) affectively distressed, marked by clinically significant distress. At baseline, on average, affectively distressed patients had lower income, higher body mass index, and endorsed higher stress compared with their adaptive adjustment counterparts. At 12-months post intervention, treatment effects were sustained for systolic blood pressure and Framingham risk index

Generalization and extrapolation of treatment effects from clinical studies in rheumatoid arthritis

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Nair, S.C.; Kievit, W.; Janse, R.W.; Bijlsma, J.W.J.; Fransen, J.; Lafeber, F.P.J.G.; Welsing, P.M.J.

2014-01-01

OBJECTIVE: Pragmatic clinical trials have been proposed as a solution for nongeneralizability of randomized clinical trial (RCT) results. We investigated whether treatment effects of pragmatic clinical trials are indeed generalizable to clinical practice and how efficacy estimates from published

Periodontal treatment effects on endothelial function and cardiovascular disease biomarkers in subjects with chronic periodontitis: protocol for a randomized clinical trial

Science.gov (United States)

2011-01-01

center. The primary outcomes are FMD differences baseline, 24 hours and 3 months after treatment. The secondary outcomes are differences in C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), glucose serum levels, blood lipid profile, and HOMA index. Discussion This RCT is expected to provide more evidence on the effects of different periodontal treatment modalities on FMD values, as well as to correlate such findings with different surrogate markers of systemic inflammation with cardiovascular effects. Trial registration number ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT00681564. PMID:21324167

Periodontal treatment effects on endothelial function and cardiovascular disease biomarkers in subjects with chronic periodontitis: protocol for a randomized clinical trial

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Arce Roger M

2011-02-01

through a coordinating center. The primary outcomes are FMD differences baseline, 24 hours and 3 months after treatment. The secondary outcomes are differences in C-reactive protein (hs-CRP, glucose serum levels, blood lipid profile, and HOMA index. Discussion This RCT is expected to provide more evidence on the effects of different periodontal treatment modalities on FMD values, as well as to correlate such findings with different surrogate markers of systemic inflammation with cardiovascular effects. Trial registration number ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT00681564.

Clinical Heterogeneity in Patients with the Hypermobility Type of Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome

Science.gov (United States)

De Wandele, Inge; Rombaut, Lies; Malfait, Fransiska; De Backer, Tine; De Paepe, Anne; Calders, Patrick

2013-01-01

EDS-HT is a connective tissue disorder characterized by large inter-individual differences in the clinical presentation, complicating diagnosis and treatment. We aim to describe the clinical heterogeneity and to investigate whether differences in the symptom profile are also reflected as disparity in functional impairment and pain experience. In…

Spot Scanning Proton Therapy for Malignancies of the Base of Skull: Treatment Planning, Acute Toxicities, and Preliminary Clinical Outcomes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Grosshans, David R., E-mail: dgrossha@mdanderson.org [Department of Radiation Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas (United States); Zhu, X. Ronald; Melancon, Adam [Department of Radiation Physics, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas (United States); Allen, Pamela K. [Department of Radiation Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas (United States); Poenisch, Falk; Palmer, Matthew [Department of Radiation Physics, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas (United States); McAleer, Mary Frances; McGovern, Susan L. [Department of Radiation Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas (United States); Gillin, Michael [Department of Radiation Physics, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas (United States); DeMonte, Franco [Department of Neurosurgery, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas (United States); Chang, Eric L. [Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine, Los Angeles, California (United States); Brown, Paul D.; Mahajan, Anita [Department of Radiation Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas (United States)

2014-11-01

Purpose: To describe treatment planning techniques and early clinical outcomes in patients treated with spot scanning proton therapy for chordoma or chondrosarcoma of the skull base. Methods and Materials: From June 2010 through August 2011, 15 patients were treated with spot scanning proton therapy for chordoma (n=10) or chondrosarcoma (n=5) at a single institution. Toxicity was prospectively evaluated and scored weekly and at all follow-up visits according to Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events, version 3.0. Treatment planning techniques and dosimetric data were recorded and compared with those of passive scattering plans created with clinically applicable dose constraints. Results: Ten patients were treated with single-field-optimized scanning beam plans and 5 with multifield-optimized intensity modulated proton therapy. All but 2 patients received a simultaneous integrated boost as well. The mean prescribed radiation doses were 69.8 Gy (relative biological effectiveness [RBE]; range, 68-70 Gy [RBE]) for chordoma and 68.4 Gy (RBE) (range, 66-70) for chondrosarcoma. In comparison with passive scattering plans, spot scanning plans demonstrated improved high-dose conformality and sparing of temporal lobes and brainstem. Clinically, the most common acute toxicities included fatigue (grade 2 for 2 patients, grade 1 for 8 patients) and nausea (grade 2 for 2 patients, grade 1 for 6 patients). No toxicities of grades 3 to 5 were recorded. At a median follow-up time of 27 months (range, 13-42 months), 1 patient had experienced local recurrence and a second developed distant metastatic disease. Two patients had magnetic resonance imaging-documented temporal lobe changes, and a third patient developed facial numbness. No other subacute or late effects were recorded. Conclusions: In comparison to passive scattering, treatment plans for spot scanning proton therapy displayed improved high-dose conformality. Clinically, the treatment was well tolerated, and

Anthracycline extravasation: a comprehensive review of experimental and clinical treatments

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Langer, S.W.; Sehested, M.; Jensen, P.B.

2009-01-01

, and is the only approved treatment against anthracyline extravasation. It is thus now widely recommended. The present article represents a comprehensive review of, and historical insight to, the experimental and clinical studies of surgical and non-surgical treatments of extravasation during forty years...

(1)H-Nuclear magnetic resonance-based plasma metabolic profiling of dairy cows with clinical and subclinical ketosis.

Science.gov (United States)

Sun, L W; Zhang, H Y; Wu, L; Shu, S; Xia, C; Xu, C; Zheng, J S

2014-03-01

The purpose of this study was to assess the metabolic profile of plasma samples from cows with clinical and subclinical ketosis. According to clinical signs and 3-hydroxybutyrate plasma levels, 81 multiparous Holstein cows were selected from a dairy farm 7 to 21 d after calving. The cows were divided into 3 groups: cows with clinical ketosis, cows with subclinical ketosis, and healthy control cows. (1)H-Nuclear magnetic resonance-based metabolomics was used to assess the plasma metabolic profiles of the 3 groups. The data were analyzed by principal component analysis, partial least squares discriminant analysis, and orthogonal partial least-squares discriminant analysis. The differences in metabolites among the 3 groups were assessed. The orthogonal partial least-squares discriminant analysis model differentiated the 3 groups of plasma samples. The model predicted clinical ketosis with a sensitivity of 100% and a specificity of 100%. In the case of subclinical ketosis, the model had a sensitivity of 97.0% and specificity of 95.7%. Twenty-five metabolites, including acetoacetate, acetone, lactate, glucose, choline, glutamic acid, and glutamine, were different among the 3 groups. Among the 25 metabolites, 4 were upregulated, 7 were downregulated, and 14 were both upregulated and downregulated. The results indicated that plasma (1)H-nuclear magnetic resonance-based metabolomics, coupled with pattern recognition analytical methods, not only has the sensitivity and specificity to distinguish cows with clinical and subclinical ketosis from healthy controls, but also has the potential to be developed into a clinically useful diagnostic tool that could contribute to a further understanding of the disease mechanisms. Copyright © 2014 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Active epilepsy prevalence, the treatment gap, and treatment gap risk profile in eastern China: A population-based study.

Science.gov (United States)

Ding, Xiaoyan; Zheng, Yang; Guo, Yi; Shen, Chunhong; Wang, Shan; Chen, Feng; Yan, Shengqiang; Ding, Meiping

2018-01-01

We measured the prevalence of active epilepsy and investigated the treatment gap and treatment gap risk profile in eastern China. This was a cross-sectional population-based survey conducted in Zhejiang, China, from October 2013 to March 2014. A total 54,976 people were selected using multi-stage cluster sampling. A two-stage questionnaire-based process was used to identify patients with active epilepsy and to record their demographic, socioeconomic, and epilepsy-related features. Logistic regression analysis was used to analyze risk factors of the treatment gap in eastern China, as adjusted for age and sex. We interviewed 50,035 people; 118 had active epilepsy (2.4‰), among which the treatment gap was 58.5%. In multivariate analysis, failure to receive appropriate antiepileptic treatment was associated with higher seizure frequency of 12-23 times per year (adjusted odds ratio=6.874; 95% confidence interval [CI]=2.372-19.918), >24 times per year (adjusted odds ratio=19.623; 95% CI=4.999-77.024), and a lack of health insurance (adjusted odds ratio=7.284; 95% CI=1.321-40.154). Eastern China has relatively lower prevalence of active epilepsy and smaller treatment gap. Interventions aimed at reducing seizure frequency, improving the health insurance system should be investigated as potential targets to further bridge the treatment gap. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Vardenafil for the treatment of erectile dysfunction: an overview of the clinical evidence

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Antonio Martín Morales

2009-12-01

Full Text Available Antonio Martín Morales1, Vincenzo Mirone2, John Dean3, Pierre Costa41Department of Urology, Hospital Carlos Haya, Malaga, Spain; 2Department of Urology, University Federico II, Naples, Italy; 3St. Peter’s Sexual Medicine, The London Clinic, London, UK; 4Center Hospitalier Caremeau, Nîmes, FranceAbstract: Many men with erectile dysfunction (ED also have associated underlying cardiovascular and metabolic conditions, for which they are likely to be taking medication. Therefore, cardiovascular safety and potential drug interactions are two of the major concerns when using PDE-5 inhibitors in these patients. The PDE-5 inhibitor, vardenafil, is characterized by a rapid onset of action, increased duration of erection, high rates of first-dose success and reliable efficacy that can be maintained with continued use. In both clinical trials and real-life observational studies, vardenafil has demonstrated a favorable efficacy and safety profile in men with ED, including those with associated underlying conditions such as diabetes, hypertension and dyslipidemia. Importantly, the concomitant use of medication for these conditions is not associated with any noteworthy changes in the efficacy and safety of vardenafil. The evidence presented in this review supports the use of vardenafil as a first-line treatment for men with ED, including those with underlying conditions.Keywords: vardenafil, erectile dysfunction, efficacy, safety, underlying conditions

Gambling disorder in financial markets: Clinical and treatment-related features.

Science.gov (United States)

Shin, Young-Chul; Choi, Sam-Wook; Ha, Juwon; Choi, Jung-Seok; Kim, Dai-Jin

2015-12-01

To date, few studies have examined the clinical manifestation of disordered gamblers in financial markets. This study examined the differences in the clinical and treatment-related features of gambling disorder between financial markets and horse races. Subjects who met the DSM-IV criteria for pathological gambling (PG) and who sought treatment were assessed by retrospective chart review. One hundred forty-four subjects were included in this sample, which consisted of the following groups: financial markets (n = 45; 28.6%) and horse races (n = 99; 71.4%). Multiple similar manifestations were found between the groups, including severity of PG, age of PG onset, amounts of gambling debts, drinking days per week, depressive mood, duration of seeking treatment after the onset of PG, and treatment follow-up duration. However, disordered gamblers who invested in the financial market were significantly more likely to be educated (p = 0.003), live with their spouses (p = 0.007), have full-time jobs (p = 0.006), and they were more likely to participate in the first type of gambling than the horse races group (pfinancial markets group received the anti-craving medication less often than the horse races group (p = 0.04). These findings suggest that disordered gamblers in financial markets show different socio-demographic, clinical and treatment-related features compared with the horse race gamblers, despite a similar severity of gambling disorder. Understanding these differential manifestations may provide insight into prevention and treatment development for specific types of gambling.

Gene Expression Profiling of Bronchoalveolar Lavage Cells Preceding a Clinical Diagnosis of Chronic Lung Allograft Dysfunction.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S Samuel Weigt

Full Text Available Chronic Lung Allograft Dysfunction (CLAD is the main limitation to long-term survival after lung transplantation. Although CLAD is usually not responsive to treatment, earlier identification may improve treatment prospects.In a nested case control study, 1-year post transplant surveillance bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL fluid samples were obtained from incipient CLAD (n = 9 and CLAD free (n = 8 lung transplant recipients. Incipient CLAD cases were diagnosed with CLAD within 2 years, while controls were free from CLAD for at least 4 years following bronchoscopy. Transcription profiles in the BAL cell pellets were assayed with the HG-U133 Plus 2.0 microarray (Affymetrix. Differential gene expression analysis, based on an absolute fold change (incipient CLAD vs no CLAD >2.0 and an unadjusted p-value ≤0.05, generated a candidate list containing 55 differentially expressed probe sets (51 up-regulated, 4 down-regulated.The cell pellets in incipient CLAD cases were skewed toward immune response pathways, dominated by genes related to recruitment, retention, activation and proliferation of cytotoxic lymphocytes (CD8+ T-cells and natural killer cells. Both hierarchical clustering and a supervised machine learning tool were able to correctly categorize most samples (82.3% and 94.1% respectively into incipient CLAD and CLAD-free categories.These findings suggest that a pathobiology, similar to AR, precedes a clinical diagnosis of CLAD. A larger prospective investigation of the BAL cell pellet transcriptome as a biomarker for CLAD risk stratification is warranted.

Lymphogranuloma Venereum 2015: Clinical Presentation, Diagnosis, and Treatment.

Science.gov (United States)

Stoner, Bradley P; Cohen, Stephanie E

2015-12-15

Lymphogranuloma venereum (LGV) has emerged as an important cause of proctitis and proctocolitis in men who have sex with men; classical inguinal presentation is now increasingly uncommon. We report summary findings of an extensive literature review on LGV clinical presentation, diagnosis, and treatment that form the evidence base for the 2015 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention treatment guidelines for sexually transmitted diseases. Proctitis and proctocolitis are now the most commonly reported clinical manifestations of LGV, with symptoms resembling those of inflammatory bowel disease. Newer molecular tests to confirm LGV infection are sensitive and specific, but are generally restricted to research laboratory or public health settings. Doxycycline (100 mg twice daily for 21 days) remains the treatment of choice for LGV. Patients with rectal chlamydial infection and signs or symptoms of proctitis should be tested for LGV, or if confirmatory testing is not available, should be treated empirically with a recommended regimen to cover LGV infection. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Infectious Diseases Society of America. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Bayesian Nonparametric Estimation of Targeted Agent Effects on Biomarker Change to Predict Clinical Outcome

Science.gov (United States)

Graziani, Rebecca; Guindani, Michele; Thall, Peter F.

2015-01-01

Summary The effect of a targeted agent on a cancer patient's clinical outcome putatively is mediated through the agent's effect on one or more early biological events. This is motivated by pre-clinical experiments with cells or animals that identify such events, represented by binary or quantitative biomarkers. When evaluating targeted agents in humans, central questions are whether the distribution of a targeted biomarker changes following treatment, the nature and magnitude of this change, and whether it is associated with clinical outcome. Major difficulties in estimating these effects are that a biomarker's distribution may be complex, vary substantially between patients, and have complicated relationships with clinical outcomes. We present a probabilistically coherent framework for modeling and estimation in this setting, including a hierarchical Bayesian nonparametric mixture model for biomarkers that we use to define a functional profile of pre-versus-post treatment biomarker distribution change. The functional is similar to the receiver operating characteristic used in diagnostic testing. The hierarchical model yields clusters of individual patient biomarker profile functionals, and we use the profile as a covariate in a regression model for clinical outcome. The methodology is illustrated by analysis of a dataset from a clinical trial in prostate cancer using imatinib to target platelet-derived growth factor, with the clinical aim to improve progression-free survival time. PMID:25319212