Medical principles and practice : international journal of the Kuwait University, Health Science Centre
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Seizures are common in palliative care patients and its control is essential in the management of these patients as it helps to reduce suffering at the end of life. Subcutaneous levetiracetam has been used off-license for seizure control in palliative care. ⋯ Subcutaneous levetiracetam was well tolerated and effective in controlling seizures in palliative care when oral administration or intravenous access was not an option. Randomized controlled trials are needed to elucidate the efficacy and tolerability of subcutaneous levetiracetam in clinical practice.
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Observational Study
Association of socioeconomic status and oral cancer mortality in Brazil: temporal trends and spatial distribution.
The objective of this observational study was to evaluate the relationship between the oral cancer mortality rate and socioeconomic indicators throughout the Brazilian territory, between 2010 and 2019. ⋯ Despite the higher number of oral cancer deaths in regions with higher social indices, increasing temporal trends are more accentuated in regions with lower socioeconomic levels.
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The Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia International Prognostic Index (CLL-IPI) is a powerful prognostic tool validated in multiple Western populations. However, its utility in the young Middle Eastern population is unknown. ⋯ The CLL-IPI and the IPS-E are valid stratification tool in our young Middle Eastern population.
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Angiotensin converting enzyme 2 is the functional receptor that the SARS-Cov-2 virus requires to enter cells and cause dysregulated inflammatory conditions that contribute towards acute lung injuries. The renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system with its physiological surveillance and regulation system can be implicated in both harm and therapeutic benefit. ⋯ Understanding the biological plausibility of this pathway alongside the emerging therapeutic evidence may yield new modes of treatment. Such developments appear fundamentally important in the battle against the inevitable emergence of new variants and their potential to drive future waves of COVID-19 pandemics.
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The 3-meter backward walk (3MBW) test is an outcome performance measure to assess backward walking mobility, balance, and risk of fall. However, the lack of baseline values is a potential limitation for its use as a rehabilitation target value or predictor of outcomes. This study aimed at ascertaining a gender- and age-reference value of 3MBW and determining its correlation with sociodemographic and anthropometric variables. ⋯ This study provided a reference set of values according to age and gender for 3MBW in healthy individuals. Males have shorter 3MBW than females, and the time taken to accomplish 3MBW increases with age.