Natl Med J India
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Clinical Trial
High dose chemotherapy followed by autologous haemopoietic stem cell transplant in multiple myeloma.
High dose chemotherapy followed by autologous stem cell transplant is currently used for the treatment of patients with advanced multiple myeloma. However, there are no reports of the results of this treatment modality in Indian patients. ⋯ High dose melphalan followed by autologous stem cell transplantation is an effective treatment for patients with advanced multiple myeloma and achievement of complete response is associated with improved survival.
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Acute fatty liver of pregnancy is an uncommon, potentially fatal disorder. Between 1998 and 2000, two patients with acute fatty liver of pregnancy presented at the Christian Medical College Hospital, Vellore. Both patients were in the thirty-sixth week of pregnancy. jaundice and encephalopathy were the predominant symptoms. ⋯ Extrahepatic and metabolic complications in both cases Included renal failure, sepsis, hypoglycaemia, disseminated intravascular coagulation and gastrointestinal bleeding. Liver biopsy done in both patients was consistent with the diagnosis of acute fatty liver of pregnancy. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report from India on acute fatty liver of pregnancy.
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Mechanical ventilation is being increasingly used in many disciplines by specialists who manage critically ill patients. Non-invasive ventilation (NIV) refers to the method of providing assisted ventilation without endotracheal intubation. This technique requires a positive-pressure ventilator, connected by a tubing to an interface device that directs intermittent positive pressure through the upper airway and actively assists ventilation. ⋯ Despite these limitations, NIV can be useful in many conditions that lead to respiratory failure. NIV is a relatively new technique and has not found a place in all intensive care units. It is expected that this modality will be used more frequently in the near future.