Co management

BACKGROUND: Lymphatic filariasis (LF) is a neglected tropical disease (NTD) targeted for global elimination by 2020. Currently there is considerable international effort to scale-up morbidity management activities in endemic countries, however there remains a need for rapid, cost-effective methods and adaptable tools for obtaining estimates of people presenting with clinical manifestations of LF, namely lymphoedema and hydrocele. The mHealth tool 'MeasureSMS-Morbidity' allows health workers in endemic areas to use their own mobile phones to send clinical information in a simple format using short message service (SMS)...

Paediatric severe therapy resistant asthma (STRA) affects a very small proportion of all children with asthma, but results in significant morbidity, has a high risk of mortality and utilises approximately half of all healthcare resources for childhood asthma. children with STRA need add-on 'beyond guidelines' therapies because of poor control despite maximal conventional treatments and optimisation of basic asthma management. however, STRA is heterogeneous with marked phenotypic variation between patients and mechanisms from adult severe asthma cannot be extrapolated to children...

PURPOSE: There is a growing emphasis on self-management of cancer aftercare. Little is known about patient's self-efficacy (confidence) to manage illness-related problems and how this changes over time. This paper describes the patterns of self-efficacy for managing illness-related problems amongst colorectal cancer patients in the 2 years following diagnosis. METHODS: In this prospective cohort study, questionnaires were administered at baseline (pre-surgery), 3, 9, 15 and 24 months to 872 colorectal cancer patients...

INTRODUCTION: This study aimed to determine the prevalence of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade 3 or worse (≥CIN3) and cost-effectiveness of human papillomavirus (HPV) genotyping with reflex liquid-based cytology (LBC) for cervical cancer screening in Singapore. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Women who were ≥25 years old and undertook co-testing with LBC and HPV-genotyping (Cobas-4800, Roche, USA) for HPV-16, HPV-18 and 12 high-risk HPV types in a single institution were studied retrospectively...

INTRODUCTION: Heterologous breast reconstruction after mastectomy sometimes requires the management of the contralateral breast to achieve symmetric long lasting aesthetic results. Some techniques could be used for the symmetrization of contralateral breast with or without implants as breast augmentation, reduction mammoplasty, mastopexy, with T inverted, J, vertical, periareolar, semi-circular, or axillary scars. The aim of this study is to present the use of crescent mastopexy technique with implants in contralateral adjustment following monolateral breast reconstruction compared with a control group in which patients underwent other contralateral procedures...

BACKGROUND: Intracerebral aneurysms co-existing with meningiomas are rare. Treatment strategies for intracerebral aneurysms co-existing with meningiomas have not yet been established. METHODS: We studied 62 patients with intracerebral aneurysms co-existing with meningiomas in the literature including our seven cases, evaluated the various managements and outcomes, and discussed the strategy for intracerebral aneurysms, especially unruptured cases, co-existing with meningiomas...

Hypertension is very prevalent in South Dakota affecting approximately one-third of the adult population. Management and treatment of the disease has recently been the subject of considerable debate centered on what should be the blood pressure goal depending on the patient's age and co-morbid conditions. Recently, a randomized trial of intensive versus standard blood pressure control indicated that a systolic blood pressure of less than 120 mmHg in patients at high risk for cardiovascular events but without diabetes, resulted in significantly lower rates of non-fatal major cardiovascular events and death from any cause...

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: In spite of the increasing prevalence of severe and complex obesity in children, surgery as a potential management option is still not widely accepted. The purpose of this review is to examine the evidence for surgical options in the severely obese paediatric population. Increasing evidence supports early rather than later use of bariatric surgery in the treatment of extreme obesity. RECENT FINDINGS: Prior to 2007, the feasibility and safety of surgery have been reported by predominantly small, sporadic single-centre retrospective case series...

BACKGROUND: Because jellyfish are capable of provoking envenomation in humans, they are considered hazardous organisms. Although the effects of their toxins are a matter of concern, information on the venom components, biological activity and pathological mechanisms are still scarce. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to investigate a serine protease component of Nemopilema nomurai jellyfish venom (NnV) and unveil its characteristics. METHODS: To determine the relationship between fibrinolytic activity of NnV and the serine protease, fibrin zymography was performed using metalloprotease and serine protease inhibitors...

Long-acting bronchodilators are the mainstay of the treatment of COPD. With the advent of several combination inhalers with long-acting antimuscarinic agents (LAMAs) and long-acting beta agonists (LABAs), the choice of therapy in the treatment of COPD has been ever expanding. With the focus of COPD management shifting from FEV1-based treatment escalation to symptoms and risk-based treatment, we are seeing a paradigm shift in COPD treatment with early introduction of LAMA-LABA combination as a single inhaler...

Paradoxical embolism is a known complication with intra-cardiac shunts. It should be considered in the differential as the pathophysiologic mechanism of simultaneous thromboembolism in the venous and systemic vasculature. We present a case of simultaneous deep venous thrombosis, pulmonary embolism and myocardial infarction in the presence of a confirmed patent foramen ovale on echocardiography. Thrombolytic therapy was administered. Subsequent concerns of intracranial hemorrhage on imaging of the brain complicated the management and added to the challenge of co-managing the clot burden in our patient...

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has been conceptualized as an inability to cope with overwhelming stress that is followed by a distinctive pattern of symptoms. This concept has made it possible to develop therapeutic approaches for PTSD that include medication and psychotherapy options. In this article we summarize research studies on pharmacotherapies for PTSD and review new findings in the neurobiology of PTSD that are promoting the development of targeted treatment options. Research findings that have improved our understanding of psychobiological abnormalities associated with PTSD offer clinicians improved treatment strategies...

OBJECTIVE: Between 30% and 62% of patients with schizophrenia present with co-morbid anxiety disorders that are associated with increased overall burden. Our aim was to summarize current and potential interventions for anxiety in schizophrenia. DESIGN: Structured review, summarizing pharmacological and psychosocial interventions used to reduce anxiety in schizophrenia and psychosis. RESULTS: Antipsychotics have been shown to reduce anxiety, increase anxiety, or have no effect...

The 19th annual international Targeted Therapies meeting brought together over 100 leading basic scientists and clinical researchers from around the world in the field of immunology, molecular biology and rheumatology and other specialties. During the meeting, breakout sessions were held consisting of 5 disease-specific groups with 20-40 experts assigned to each group based on clinical or scientific expertise. Specific groups included: rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, axial spondyloarthritis, systemic lupus erythematous, connective tissue diseases (e...

Persistent infection contributes to wound chronicity. At the wound-site, NADPH oxidase activity in immune cells fights infection to enable the healing process. Fermented Papaya Preparation (FPP) is a carbohydrate-rich nutritional supplement that has demonstrated ability to bolster respiratory burst in experimental rodent systems. In FPP, glucose co-exists with fructose and maltose in addition to multiple other sugar alcohols such as inositol. We have previously reported that FPP supplementation augments wound healing in diabetic mice via improvement of respiratory-burst activity of wound innate immune cells...

BACKGROUND: KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa (SA), has long been the epicentre of the HIV epidemic, but the impact of HIV co-infection on the clinical outcomes of emergency surgical patients with sepsis remains largely unknown. OBJECTIVE: To review our experience with the management of patients with HIV co-infection and to compare the disease spectrum and outcome with those without HIV infection. METHODS: A retrospective study was undertaken at the Pietermaritzburg Metropolitan Surgical Service (PMSS), SA over a 5-year period from January 2010 to December 2014...

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore how healthcare first-line managers think about and act regarding workplace survey processes. Design/methodology/approach This interview study was performed at a hospital in south Sweden. First-line healthcare managers ( n=24) volunteered. The analysis was inspired by phenomenography, which aims to describe the ways in which different people experience a phenomenon. The phenomenon was a workplace health promotion (WHP) survey processes. Findings Four main WHP survey process approaches were identified among the managers: as a possibility, as a competition, as a work task among others and as an imposition...

Heart failure is a prevalent, progressive chronic disease costing in excess of $1billion per year in Australia alone. Disease self-management has positive implications for the patient and decreases healthcare usage. However, adherence to recommended guidelines is challenging and existing literature reports sub-optimal adherence. mHealth applications in chronic disease education have the potential to facilitate patient enablement for disease self-management. To the best of our knowledge no heart failure self-management application is available for safe use by our patients...

The ambulatory setting offers potential advantages for elderly patients undergoing elective surgery due to the advancement in both surgical and anesthetic techniques resulting in quicker recovery times, fewer complications, higher patient satisfaction, and reduced costs of care. This review article aims to provide a practical guide to anesthetic management of elderly outpatients. Important considerations in the preoperative evaluation of elderly outpatients with co-existing diseases, as well as the advantages and disadvantages of different anesthetic techniques on a procedural-specific basis, and recommendations regarding the management of common postoperative complications (e...

BACKGROUND: Sirupeelai Samoola Kudineer (SK), a polyherbal decoction containing four medicinal plants has been used in Siddha system of medicine, practiced in Southern parts of India for the management of urolithiasis. OBJECTIVE: The present study is carried out to scientifically validate the traditional claim and to study the mechanism of action of the drug. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In the present study, anti-urolithiatic effect of SK was evaluated in Sprague-Dawley rats using ethylene glycol through drinking water and intraperitoneal injection of sodium oxalate...