Medicina
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Review Comparative Study
Access to information supporting availability of medicines for patients suffering from rare diseases looking for possible treatments: the EuOrphan Service.
Currently in Europe, approximately 30 million people suffer from rare diseases, and a major problem is that many patients do not have access to quality healthcare for their disorders. Moreover, there is also a lack of quality information and a networking system aimed at supporting interaction among patients, clinicians, researchers, pharmaceutical industries, and governmental bodies. The purpose of this article is to inform physicians, public health care professionals, and other health care providers about EuOrphan service, the aim of which is to ensure easier access to quality information on rare diseases and their treatment. ⋯ Moreover, the service aims at providing consultancies for pharmaceutical companies to ultimately support the European legislation in bringing new drugs of a high ethical standard to the market and to exert a positive impact on the large population of patients suffering from rare diseases in Europe. The services provided by EuOrphan can facilitate concrete networking among patients, patient associations, doctors, and companies and also support the organization of clinical trials. In this perspective, EuOrphan could become a very valuable tool for globalizing the information about the availability of treatment (authorized or under development) of orphan patients.
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Beta-adrenergic receptor blocking drugs are used in the treatment of hypertension, angina, myocardial infarction, cardiac dysrhythmia, cardiomyopathy, migraine headache, thyrotoxicosis, and glaucoma. beta-adrenergic receptor blocking agents are competitive antagonist at beta(1), beta(2), or both types of adrenergic receptors. Overdoses of beta-adrenergic receptor blockers are uncommon, but are associated with significant morbidity and mortality. ⋯ Clinical presentation of overdose (the cardiovascular, neurologic manifestations, pulmonary and other complications), diagnosis, and treatment (gastrointestinal decontamination; the usage of atropine, phosphodiesterase inhibitors, glucagon, insulin; indications for cardiac pacing, extracorporeal procedures of drug removal, etc.) are analyzed. In addition, this article focuses on clinical course and prognosis of beta-blocker overdose.
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The purpose of this article is to present two cases of penetrating gunshot injuries to the lumbar spine with migration of the bullets within the dural sac and to describe the method of removal of the bullet from the dural sac. ⋯ The bullet in the dural sac at the level of the cauda equina must be removed. The method proposed by us can facilitate this procedure.
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Five years after the last issue of the guidelines for cardiopulmonary resuscitation and emergency cardiovascular care, in 2005 American Heart Association and European Resuscitation Council published new guidelines. In this review, basic life support (BLS) technique, indications for use of an automated external defibrillator (AED), recognition of sudden cardiac arrest, and management of choking (foreign-body airway obstruction) are presented according to the "Resuscitation Guidelines 2005."
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Various drugs can be associated with QT prolongation. A prolonged QT interval leads to an increased risk for the development of ventricular tachyarrhythmias, particularly polymorphic ventricular tachycardia (torsades de pointes). ⋯ Torsades de pointes is classically associated with early depolarization. This review article discusses the mechanisms of QTc prolongation and triggering factors for proarrhythmia, drugs that prolong QT interval (class III antiarrhythmic agents, antimicrobial agents - fluoroquinolone and macrolide antibiotics, antipsychotic and antidepressant drugs, agents used in general anesthesia, antimycotics, and several other drugs), nonpharmacological and pharmacological risk factors for arrhythmias (due to pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic interactions), the treatment and recommendations to prevent arrhythmia related to QT prolongation.