scholarly journals Pneumocafé project: an inquiry on current COPD diagnosis and management among General Practitioners in Italy through a novel tool for professional education

2014 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claudio M. Sanguinetti ◽  
Fernando De Benedetto ◽  
Claudio F. Donner ◽  
Stefano Nardini ◽  
Alberto Visconti
Keyword(s):  
Early Diagnosis ◽  
General Practitioners ◽  
Professional Education ◽  
Term Treatment ◽  
Diagnosis And Management ◽  
Copd Patients ◽  
Number Of Patients ◽  
Long Term Treatment ◽  
Copd Diagnosis

Background: Symptoms of COPD are frequently disregarded by patients and also by general practitioners (GPs) in early stages of the disease, that consequently is diagnosed when already at an advanced grade of severity. Underdiagnosis and undertreatment of COPD and scarce use of spirometry are widely recurrent, while a better knowledge of the disease and a wider use of spirometry would be critical to diagnose more patients still neglected, do it at an earlier stage and properly treat established COPD. The aim of Pneumocafè project is to improve, through an innovative approach, the diagnosis and management of COPD at primary care level increasing the awareness of issues pertaining to early diagnosis, adequate prevention and correct treatment of the disease. Methods: Pneumocafè is based on informal meetings between GPs of various geographical zones of Italy and their reference respiratory specialist (RS), aimed at discussing the current practice in comparison to suggestions of official guidelines, analyzing the actual problems in diagnosing and managing COPD patients and sharing the possible solution at the community level. In these meetings RSs faced many issues including patho-physiological mechanisms of bronchial obstruction, significance of clinical symptoms, patients’ phenotyping, and clinical approach to diagnosis and long-term treatment, also reinforcing the importance of a timely diagnosis, proper long term treatment and the compliance to treatment. At the end of each meeting GPs had to fill in a questionnaire arranged by the scientific board of the Project that included 18 multiple-choice questions concerning their approach to COPD management. The results of the analysis of these questionnaires are here presented. Results: 1, 964 questionnaires were returned from 49 RSs. 1,864 questionnaires out of those received (94.91% of the total) resulted properly compiled and form the object of the present analysis. The 49 RSs, 37 males and 12 females, were distributed all over the Italian country and practiced their profession both in public and private hospitals and in territorial sanitary facilities. GPs were 1,330 males (71.35%) and 534 females (28.64%), mean age 56,29 years (range 27-70 yrs). Mean duration of general practice was 25.56 years (range: 0,5-40 yrs) with a mean of 1,302.43 patients assisted by each GP and 2,427,741 patients assisted in all. The majority of GPs affirmed that in their patients COPD has a mean-to-great prevalence and a mean/high impact on their practice, preceded only by diabetes and heart failure. Three-quarters of GPs refer to COPD guidelines and most of them believe that a screening on their assisted patients at risk would enhance early diagnosis of COPD. Tobacco smoking is the main recognized cause of COPD but the actions carried out by GPs to help a patient to give up smoking result still insufficient. The majority of GPs recognize spirometry as necessary to early COPD diagnosis, but the main obstacle pointed out to its wider use was the too long time for the spirometry to be performed. GPs’ main reason for prescribing a bronchodilator is dyspnea and bronchodilators preferably prescribed are LABA and LAMA. Control of patient’s adherence to therapy is mainly carried out by GPs checking the number of drugs annually prescribed or asking the patient during a control visit. Finally, about how many COPD patients GPs believe are in their group of assisted patients, a mean range of 25-40 patients was reported, that is consistently below the forecast based on epidemiological data and number of patients assisted by each GP. Conclusions: The results obtained with this project confirm the validity of this informal approach to professional education. Furthermore, this inquiry provided important insights about the general management of COPD and the process of integration between RS and GPs activities on this disease condition in the long run.

The Role of Arthroscopy in the Treatment of Gouty Arthritis of the Knee Case presentation

2018 ◽  
Vol 69 (8) ◽  
pp. 2236-2239
Author(s):  
Marius Moga ◽  
Mark Edward Pogarasteanu ◽  
Dumitru Ferechide ◽  
Antoine Edu ◽  
Chen Feng Ifrim
Keyword(s):  
Gouty Arthritis ◽  
Surgical Techniques ◽  
Term Treatment ◽  
Clinical Aspects ◽  
Associated Lesions ◽  
Number Of Patients ◽  
Long Term Treatment ◽  
Functional Scores ◽  
Urate Crystals

Gout is a metabolic disease involving the impregnation of joints and other tissues with urate crystals. The onset is often brutal, and it manifests itself with pain and inflammation in the affected joint. The treatment usually involves rest, ice, NSAIDs and anti-gout medication. The long-term treatment involves medication and dietary changes. In the joint, urate crystals are deposited in the synovial, in the cartilage and in the menisci. In the arthroscopic practice, the gouty knee is a rare occurrence. We present a relevant case, that of a 57 years old patient without a prior gout diagnosis where we found urate crystal deposits covering the synovium, cartilage and meniscus, and we discuss the current and recent year Pub Med indexed literature in order to evaluate the possibilities for arthroscopic treatment of this pathology. We looked at the number of patients involved, their characteristics, and the surgical techniques used. We also looked at the temporal relation of the arthroscopic intervention to the recent gout attacks, and at the described lesions that were found. Also, we evaluated the papers for joint liquid analysis, gout drug treatment, and description of clinical aspects involved and associated lesions. Finally, we looked at the follow-up, at the functional scores used to monitor the patient�s evolution, at the associated medication and at the long-term outcomes, if described. We have found opinions to vary. In the end, we draw conclusions pertaining to the practical short-term and long-term use of knee arthroscopy in the treatment of gout.

scholarly journals Diagnostics of medullary thyroid cancer and the strategy of its management in the absence of biochemical remission

2011 ◽  
Vol 57 (6) ◽  
pp. 45-51
Author(s):  
D O Gazizova ◽  
D G Bel'tsevich ◽  
A N Tiul'pakov ◽  
O V Simakina ◽  
T V Soldatova
Keyword(s):  
Thyroid Cancer ◽  
Early Diagnosis ◽  
Successful Treatment ◽  
Medullary Thyroid Cancer ◽  
Diagnostic Techniques ◽  
Term Treatment ◽  
Medullary Thyroid ◽  
Long Term Treatment ◽  
Biochemical Remission

Early diagnosis greatly facilitates successful treatment of medullary thyroid cancer. The present paper is designed to report the results of analysis of the studies carried out with the use of various diagnostic techniques and the data obtained during the long-term treatment of the patients with this pathology in the absence of biochemical remission.

scholarly journals Long-Term Treatment of Cuban Policosanol Attenuates Abnormal Oxidative Stress and Inflammatory Response via Amyloid Plaques Reduction in 5xFAD Mice

Antioxidants ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (8) ◽  
pp. 1321
Author(s):  
Jin-Ho Kim ◽  
Dong-Kyun Lim ◽  
Yoo-Hun Suh ◽  
Keun-A Chang
Keyword(s):  
Neurodegenerative Disorder ◽  
Lipid Peroxide ◽  
Amyloid Plaques ◽  
Term Treatment ◽  
Number Of Patients ◽  
Tnf Α ◽  
Long Term Treatment ◽  
5Xfad Mice ◽  
The Brain

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder resulting in cognitive decline or dementia, the number of patients with AD is continuously increasing. Although a lot of great progress has been made in research and development of AD therapeutics, there is no fundamental cure for this disease yet. This study demonstrated the memory-improving effects of Cuban policosanol (PCO) in 5xFAD mice, which is an animal model of AD. Following 4-months of treatment with PCO in 5xFAD mice, we found that the number of amyloid plaques decreased in the brain compared to the vehicle-treated 5xFAD mice. Long-term PCO treatment in 5xFAD mice resulted in the reduction of gliosis and abnormal inflammatory cytokines level (interleukin [IL]-1β, IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor [TNF]-α) in the cortex and hippocampus. Levels of lipid peroxide (4-hydroxynonenal [4-HNE]) and superoxide dismutase (SOD1 and SOD2) levels were also recoverd in the brains of PCO-treated 5xFAD mice. Notably, PCO administration reduced memory deficits in the passive avoidance test, as well as synaptic loss (PSD-95, synaptophysin) in 5xFAD mice. Collectively, we identified the potential effects of PCO as a useful supplement to delay or prevent AD progression by inhibiting the formation of Aβ plaques in the brain.

Good Safety and Tolerance Profiles of Long Term Treatment of Advanced Multiple Myeloma (MM) with Bortezomib.

Blood ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 110 (11) ◽  
pp. 4811-4811
Author(s):  
Jean El-Cheikh ◽  
Anne-Marie Stoppa ◽  
Reda Bouabdallah ◽  
Diane Coso ◽  
Jean-Marc Schiano de Collela ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dose Reduction ◽  
Term Treatment ◽  
Term Therapy ◽  
Cycle Duration ◽  
Disease Response ◽  
Number Of Patients ◽  
Long Term Treatment ◽  
Grade 3

Abstract Bortezomib is a first-in-class proteasome inhibitor approved for the treatment of MM patients who have received at least one prior therapy. Classically, patients receive bortezomib 1.3 or 1.0 mg/m2 by IV bolus on days 1, 4, 8, and 11 of a 21-day cycle, associated or not to dexamethasone, for a total number of 8 cycles. Such administration schema is associated with a remarkable anti-tumor activity and response. However, a significant number of patients who are initially responders to bortezomib, will progress after drug discontinuation, raising the question of long term or maintenance treatment with bortezomib. The objective of this analysis was to evaluate the tolerance and safety profiles of long term treatment with bortezomib in a cohort of 16 patients with relapsed and/or refractory MM treated in a single institution. Eligible patients for this analysis are those who had relapsed MM, and who continued to receive bortezomib (1.3 or 1.0 mg/m2) as a long term therapy beyond the classical 8 cycles. All medical charts were uniformly reviewed in detail for assessment of toxicity, safety and response. The median age was 53 (range, 27–74) years. The majority of patients had already received at least one prior autologous or allogeneic stem cell transplantation (n=12; 75%). Also, 12 patients (75%) had received prior treatment with thalidomide at a median dose of 200 mg/day, for a median duration of 7 months. Before treatment with bortezomib, 7 patients (44%) already had some form of peripheral neuropathy (PN). With a median follow-up of 16 months from bortezomib initiation, patients from this series received a median of 10 (range, 9–16) cycles of bortezomib administered over a median period of 11 (range, 7–35) months. Overall, 6 patients had evidence of bortezomib-associated PN (38%; 4 grade 1, 1 grade 2 and 1 grade 3; sensory symptoms in all cases). Other bortezomib-related toxicities included thromobopenia (n=8; 50%; 1 grade 1, 5 grade 2, and 2 grade 3–4). General fatigue was also common and was encountered in 5 (31%) patients. Overall, bortezomib-associated toxicities led to dose reduction or increase of treatment cycle duration in 9 patients (56%), but none of the patients had to definitively discontinue treatment because of unacceptable toxicity. At last follow-up, 6 patients are still receiving bortezomib, 4 patients died from disease progression, no patient died from treatment-related causes, and the remaining 12 patients are still alive. Long term treatment with bortezomib was associated with an objective disease response rate in 87% (95%CI, 60–98%) of patients (n=14; 3 CR, 8 VGPR, 3 PR). The Kaplan-Meier estimate for overall survival is shown in the figure below. Though relatively small, results from this series suggest that long term treatment with bortezomib is feasible. Toxicity, tolerance and safety profiles of long term treatment are comparable to those observed with the standard schedule and manageable after dose reduction. Therefore, prospective studies aiming to optimize bortezomib administration schedule and duration (beyond the classical 8 cycles) are warranted, since such long term treatment can yield major objective disease response. Figure Figure

scholarly journals LONG-TERM RESULTS OF SURGICAL TREATMENT OF DIVERTICULAR DISEASE OF COLON

2016 ◽  
Vol 175 (2) ◽  
pp. 101-104
Author(s):  
V. I. Pomazkin ◽  
V. V. Khodakov
Keyword(s):  
Diverticular Disease ◽  
Emotional Disorders ◽  
Elective Surgery ◽  
Term Treatment ◽  
Long Term Results ◽  
Number Of Patients ◽  
Sf 36 ◽  
Long Term Treatment

The work evaluated the long-term treatment results of 103 patients with complicated diverticular disease, who underwent the elective surgery in the volume of left hemicolectomy. The first group included 53 patients with recurrent diverticula. The second group consisted of 50 patients, who underwent the operation on diverticula of sigmoid colon with formation of sigmostoma on the first stage. The number of patients with functional gastro-intestinal and psyco-emotional disorders was more significant in the first group compared with the second group and it was associated with presence of these disorders before the operation. There was noted the reliable decrease of quality of life rates according to questionnaire scales MOS-SF 36 in the first group. The average indices of scales had some matching to the rates of health people in the patients of the second group. The authors came to conclusion, that indications for elective surgery should be determined very carefully in case of recurrent diverticula.

scholarly journals Effects of Low-Dose and Long-Term Treatment with Erythromycin on Interleukin-17 and Interleukin-23 in Peripheral Blood and Induced Sputum in Patients with Stable Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

2016 ◽  
Vol 2016 ◽  
pp. 1-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Caimei Tan ◽  
Huijuan Huang ◽  
Jianquan Zhang ◽  
Zhiyi He ◽  
Xiaoning Zhong ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Peripheral Blood ◽  
Treated Group ◽  
Term Treatment ◽  
Induced Sputum ◽  
Chronic Obstructive ◽  
Obstructive Pulmonary Disease ◽  
Copd Patients ◽  
Long Term Treatment ◽  
Group B

Objective.To study the effects of low-dose and long-term treatment with erythromycin on IL-17 and IL-23, in peripheral blood and induced sputum, in patients with stable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).Methods. Patients were randomly divided into placebo-treated group, group A (12 months of additive treatment with erythromycin,N=18), and group B (6 months of additive treatment with erythromycin followed by 6 months of follow-up,N=18). Inflammatory cells in induced sputum, pulmonary function, and the 6-minute walk distance (6MWD) were analyzed. Concentrations of IL-17 and IL-23 in peripheral blood and sputum were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays.Results. After treatment, sputum and peripheral blood concentrations of IL-17 and IL-23 significantly decreased in groups A and B compared with placebo-treated group. There were no significant differences after erythromycin withdrawal at months 9 and 12 in group B compared with placebo-treated group. An increase in 6MWD was observed after treatment.Conclusions. Erythromycin was beneficial and reduced airway inflammation in COPD patients. Underlying mechanisms may involve inhibition of IL-17 and IL-23 mediated airway inflammation. COPD patients treated with erythromycin for 6 months experienced improved exercise capacity. Finally, treatment for 12 months may be more effective than treatment for 6 months.

scholarly journals Results of long-term treatment with short-acting bronchodilators of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and COPD combined with asthma

2005 ◽  
pp. 101-106
Author(s):  
E. I. Shmelev ◽  
M. A. Khmelkova ◽  
Z. O. Grineva
Keyword(s):  
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease ◽  
Lung Function ◽  
Pulmonary Disease ◽  
Term Treatment ◽  
Chronic Obstructive ◽  
Obstructive Pulmonary Disease ◽  
Short Acting ◽  
Copd Patients ◽  
Long Term Treatment

This study was designed to investigate long term treatment effects of short acting bronchodilators on respiratory symptoms, lung function, and the mean pulmonary artery pressure (mPAP) in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and COPD combined with asthma (COPD + BA). The study involved 14 COPD patients and 16 COPD+BA patients, males and females (the average age, 60 yrs) with moderate to severe disease and the mPAP higher than 20 mm Hg. Clinical examination with scoring of cough, sputum, dyspnea, and lung auscultation signs; spirometry, ECG, echocardiography, chest X ray, and blood analysis were used. Clinical status and lung function were evaluated primarily and in 4, 12, and 24 wks; the mPAP was measured initially and in 12 and 24 wks. Before the study no one patient received persistent supporting therapy with bronchodilators, 15 COPD + BA patients and 7 COPD patients were given inhaled steroids. Persistent therapy of all the patients with Berodual 2 doses 4 times daily for 24 wks resulted in improvement in the clinical symptoms and lung function parameters, reduction in mPAP in both the groups but the results were better and they were reached faster in the patients with combined pathology. Thus, the regularly combined therapy with short acting β2 agonists and anticholinergics (Berodual) can be included in the algorithm of therapy of pulmonary hypertension in patients with COPD and COPD + BA.

scholarly journals Experience with Low-Dose Sodium Valproate in Idiopathic Generalized Epilepsy Patients: A Long-Term Follow-Up Study on Selective Cohort from North India

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (01) ◽  
pp. 046-050
Author(s):  
Deepak Goel ◽  
Manish Mittal
Keyword(s):  
Low Dose ◽  
Term Treatment ◽  
North India ◽  
High Dose ◽  
Idiopathic Generalized Epilepsy ◽  
Number Of Patients ◽  
Long Term Treatment ◽  
Generalized Epilepsy

Abstract Background Idiopathic generalized epilepsy (IGE) is found in 20 to 30% of all patients presenting with seizures. Most of the patients require lifelong drug treatment. Efficacy and tolerability are important issues while selecting the most appropriate drug for a person with IGE. Objective The aim of this study was to look for usefulness of small dose valproate (<1,000 mg/day) in long-term treatment of IGE patients. Methods Diagnosis of IGE made with standard criteria among all patients presenting with seizures. Patients put on full doses of valproate (>1,000 mg/day) in first year, then reduction started in next year in patients with full seizure remission, and finally maintained on lowest possible dose of valproate. Lowest dose was defined as the minimum dose without seizures (between 200 and 900 mg/day). Patients, who were refractory on monotherapy, were put on add-on drug and followed for remission and reduction in doses of valproate at minimum possible dose. Results IGE was diagnosed in 21% of all patients presenting with seizures. Among 420 patients of IGE 368 (87.5%) were started on high-dose valproate monotherapy, 155 (42.1%) were responsive to single drug while 213 (57.9%) had been given add-on drug either lamotrigine or clonazepam or both. After minimum 3-year follow-up, 298 (81%) could be managed on low-dose valproate (<1,000 mg) without any relapse during 12 to 80 months follow-up. Conclusion Significant number of patients with IGE can be managed on low-dose valproate with good seizure control and less side effects.

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