Wiener klinische Wochenschrift
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Wien. Klin. Wochenschr. · May 2015
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative StudyPrevention of post-herpetic neuralgia using transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation.
Post-herpetic neuralgia (PHN) is the most common complication of herpes zoster (HZ) and is difficult to treat. The role of antiviral agents and nonpharmacologic procedures in preventing PHN is not entirely clear. Recent retrospective study showed that transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) may completely prevent PHN. The aim of our study was to identify predictors for PHN and evaluate the treatment with antiviral agents and TENS. ⋯ PHN cannot be completely prevented. TENS as a single therapy was found the most successful among the tested treatments in reducing the incidence of subacute herpetic neuralgia.
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Wien. Klin. Wochenschr. · May 2015
Physicians' exodus: why medical graduates leave Austria or do not work in clinical practice.
Austria has the highest number of medical graduates of all Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries in relation to its population size, but over 30% choose not to pursue a career as physicians in the country. ⋯ Extensive reforms regarding occupational conditions and the structure of postgraduate medical education are necessary to avoid a further exodus of junior doctors.
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Wien. Klin. Wochenschr. · Apr 2015
Does neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio predict active ulcerative colitis?
Inflammatory markers have been studied in ulcerative colitis (UC) for diagnosis, disease activity, and prediction of relapse. Blood neutrophil-to-lymphocyte (N/L) ratio has been used to determine outcomes of some malignancies and coronary artery disease. Blood N/L ratio is a simple sign of clinical inflammation. In this study, we examined N/L ratio in recurrent patients suffering from UC. ⋯ Present study shows that in patients with UC, the blood N/L ratio is associated with active disease. N/L ratio may be used as an activity parameter in UC.
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Wien. Klin. Wochenschr. · Apr 2015
Geriatric patients with known acute kidney injury and normal renal function at the time of admittance to the intensive care unit/assessment of RRT requirement and mortality: retrospective case-control study.
The objective of our study was to investigate the renal functions on admittance, chronic disease status, the diagnosis on admittance to the intensive care unit (ICU), need for mechanical ventilation and medication groups and their impact over mortality and renal replacement treatment (RRT) requirement in geriatric patients with and without known acute kidney injury (AKI) at the time of admittance. ⋯ Presence of known AKI in the geriatric population at the time of their admittance to the respiratory ICU remarkably increased both the need for RRT and the mortality with respect to the geriatric population with normal renal functions. After having assessed the reasons justifying RRT and increasing the mortality during the intensive care, gastrointestinal bleeding and hypotension which necessitate the combined use of dopamine and noradrenaline were concluded to be prominent.