Annals of agricultural and environmental medicine : AAEM
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Ann Agric Environ Med · Jan 2013
ReviewThe role of neurostimulation in the treatment of neuropathic pain.
The treatment of chronic pain syndromes may include pharmacological, physiotherapeutic, and invasive methods. Considerable number of patients do not achieve sufficient pain relief with pharmacotherapy, in these patients with neuropathic pain, electrical neurostimulation may be applied. ⋯ Neurostimulation therapy is also used in addition to the current medical treatment in different neurological disorders, including Parkinson's disease, dystonia, obsessive-compulsive disorder, refractory pain, epilepsy and migraine. The article provides the physicians the knowledge on different neurostimulation techniques for treatment of chronic neuropathic pain and their effectiveness.
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Ann Agric Environ Med · Jan 2013
Case ReportsAcute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) complicating influenza A/H1N1v infection--a clinical approach.
ARDS is defined as an acute inflammatory syndrome characterized with bilateral parenchymal lung infiltrates on chest radiograph and PaO2/FiO2 ratio<200 resulting from causes other than acute left ventricular dysfunction. Inflammatory lung lesions may be induced by different disorders, with sepsis being the leading cause of ARDS. ⋯ Influenza A/H1N1 infection seems to be responsible for the development of extremely severe type of ARDS with poor response to routine treatment. Despite great progress in the management of ARDS with novel agents and sophisticated techniques, including antimicrobial drugs, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, prostaglandins, nitric oxide, prostacyclin, exogenous surfactant administration and activated protein C, supportive treatment based mostly on advanced mechanical ventilation in the intensive care units seems to be the most important for the prognosis.
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Ann Agric Environ Med · Jan 2013
ReviewChemical exposure early in life and the neurodevelopment of children--an overview of current epidemiological evidence.
A number of chemicals have been shown to demonstrate neurotoxic effects either in human or laboratory animal studies. This article aims at evaluating the impact of exposure to several chemicals including: organophosphate, organochlorine pesticides, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), mercury and lead on the neurodevelopment of children by reviewing the most recent published literature, and answer the question whether any progress has been made in the epidemiology of the neurodevelopment of children induced by exposure to those chemicals. The result of the presented studies show that exposure to the above-mentioned chemicals may impair the neurodevelopment of children. ⋯ Concerning the covariates and confounders affecting the endpoints in most of the presented studies, confounders were included in data analysis. In order to recognize the early cognitive, motor and language outcomes of chemical exposures, well standardized tools were used for evaluating the neurodevelopmental effects and offer an early and fairly comprehensive measure of child development. Because the neurotoxicants may cross the placenta and the fetal brain, exposure consideration regarding the reduction of exposure to those chemicals should be implemented.
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Ann Agric Environ Med · Jan 2013
Case ReportsAcute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) in the course of influenza A/H1N1v infection--genetic aspects.
Influenza is a contagious respiratory disease caused by viruses belonging to the family Ortomyxoviridae. Among the influenza viruses type A, B and C, the A type virus shows the most pathogenic potential. ⋯ The case is described of a male patient with severe acute respiratory distress syndrome in the course of influenza A/N1H1v infection, confirmed by virological molecular analysis. During diagnostic procedures based on the MSSCP genotyping it was observed that the WHO recommended RT-PCR kits and/or procedure of sample collection from patients for molecular investigation could lead to false positive A/H1N1 pandemic strain detection because of the co-amplification during the RT-PCR fragments of the human genome.
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The elderly are more susceptible to feeling pain than young people. Pain is described as a complex, subjective feeling causing significant limitation of physical, psychical and social functioning. In the literature, there are many classifications of pain. ⋯ In the pharmacological treatment of old people there are also non-opioid pain relieving medicine, opioids and supportive medicine. Among non-pharmacological treatments are rehabilitation and psychological therapy. In pain treatment, awareness among the elderly, their families and carers, and medical staff that the pain is not an attribute of old age; thus, it can be correctly diagnosed and treated.