Dtsch Arztebl Int
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Osteoarthritis is the most common joint disease of adults worldwide. Its incidence rises with age. Both intrinsic and extrinsic risk factors promote its development. In men aged 60 to 64, the right knee is more commonly affected; in women, the right and left knees are affected with nearly equal frequency. ⋯ Osteoarthritis is not yet a curable disease, and its pathogenesis remains unclear. The best treatment for osteoarthritis of the knee is prevention. The goal of therapy is to alleviate clinical manifestations. The therapeutic spectrum ranges from physiotherapy and orthopedic aids to pharmacotherapy and surgery.
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Good vision depends on the normal anatomy and function of the eyelids and orbital structures. The goals of periocular ophthalmic plastic surgery are the anatomical and functional preservation and restoration of the lids, orbits, and periorbital structures when they are affected by congenital or acquired malpositions, defects and mass lesions. In this region, functional and esthetic considerations are closely linked. ⋯ Modern periocular plastic surgery exploits an extensive range of specialized surgical techniques to treat a wide variety of abnormalities and diseases in this region. The success of such procedures depends on thorough knowledge of the complex anatomy and physiology of these structures as well as on the surgeon's expertise in microsurgical techniques.
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Review
Patient safety and error management: what causes adverse events and how can they be prevented?
Even in industrialized countries, health care is not as safe as it should be. The term "patient safety" denotes the non-occurrence of adverse events and the presence of measures to prevent them. ⋯ Three main strategies should be pursued to improve patient safety. A safety management system involving error reporting, learning from errors, and the fair exchange of information should be established in hospitals and in doctors' outpatient practices. An error management system should be implemented in which critical incidents are identified, reported, and analyzed so that similar events can be prevented, and measures for the prevention of critical incidents and errors should also be implemented and evaluated. Finally, whenever preventable adverse events do occur, the persons involved should take action to prevent further harm to the patient and other involved individuals.
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Review
Recurrent breast cancer: treatment strategies for maintaining and prolonging good quality of life.
Recurrent breast cancer remains a challenge for interdisciplinary treatment even though new therapeutic options are available. ⋯ While locoregional recurrences of breast cancer should be treated with curative intent, breast cancer with distant metastases is currently not curable. It is treated with the intention of restoring and maintaining good quality of life and relieving symptoms due to the metastases, rather than prolonging survival.