Annals of medicine
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This article in the supplement on the Performance, Effectiveness, and Costs of Treatment episodes (PERFECT)-project describes the PERFECT Hip and Knee Replacement Database and its possibilities by evaluating regional and hospital-level differences in length of stay (LOS), costs and complication rates of total hip arthroplasty (THA) and total knee arthroplasty (TKA) in Finland. ⋯ The Finnish health care registers provide a monitoring system for evaluating hospital- and regional-level differences in THA and TKA. The differences in LOS, LUIC and revision rates between hospitals and regions are considerable.
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Hyponatremia is a common electrolyte abnormality with the potential for significant morbidity and mortality. Endocrine disorders, including adrenal deficiency and hypothyroidism, are uncommon causes of hyponatremia. Primary adrenal insufficiency (i.e. ⋯ Addison's disease is an important diagnosis not to be missed since the consequences can be grave. On the other hand, hypothyroidism and secondary adrenocortical insufficiency originating from diseases of the hypothalamus and/or pituitary (hypopituitarism) require a high index of suspicion, because the clinical signs can be quite subtle. This review focuses on clinical and pathophysiological aspects of hyponatremia due to endocrine disorders.
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Growth curves require regular updates due to secular trends in linear growth. We constructed contemporary growth curves, assessed secular trends in height, and defined body mass index (BMI) cut-off points for thinness, overweight, and obesity in Finnish children. ⋯ New Finnish references for length/height-for-age, weight-for-length/height, and BMI-for-age were constructed and should be implemented to monitor growth of children in Finland.
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Successful tumor targeting of systemically administered oncolytic adenoviruses may be hindered by interactions with blood components. ⋯ Serum and blood clots are relevant to estimate oncolytic adenovirus replication. Insight into viral interactions with blood cells may contribute to the development of new strategies for tumor delivery.
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The development of biological drugs blocking tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) has had a dramatic impact on the treatment of inflammatory arthritis in recent years. Golimumab is a fully human monoclonal antibody which inhibits TNF-α. It is licensed for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, and ankylosing spondylitis. In this review we evaluate the results of phase III studies using golimumab and explore the place of golimumab in the treatment of these diseases.