Presse Med
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There has been a good deal of discussion and though on the notion of health. The most widely employed definitions can be termed "physiological", focusing on organs and normality. These definitions result from the development of medicine around the concept of disease, leading Boissier de Sauvages, author of a disease classification that continued to be used until the current classification proposed by the WHO, to state that "health, considered in its historical context, is the concourse of phenomena designating life and perfect structures". ⋯ Thus, as proposed by René Dubos, health is a "relatively trouble-free state devoid of suffering". We integrate the notions of handicap that we have developed in a four-dimensional approach where subjectivity plays a very important role. Our proposal totally changes the notion of cure: one can be diabetic and cured, paraplegic and cured.
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A COMMON OBSERVATION: Ketoprofene gels, widely used to treat benign conditions, can provoke local intolerance. The most commonly reported clinical features include eczema, sometimes severe acute contact photoallergy that often spread beyond the site of application and may even lead to a long-duration generalized reaction.
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DRUG PHARMACOKINETICS: One of the first steps in the clinical development of drugs consists in studies of their pharmacokinetics. Dosage and administration interval necessary to ensure secure and efficient plasma levels are derived from the values of pharmacokinetic parameters. ⋯ PATHOPHYSIOLOGICAL CHANGES: In this article we describe potential alteration in drugs absorption, distribution (volume of distribution, binding to plasma proteins), hepatic or renal metabolism, and parent compound and/or metabolites elimination in patients with renal insufficiency. Furthermore, in patients with end-stage renal disease treated by dialysis, drugs are likely to be removed by extracorporal epuration and dosage and/or interval modifications should thus be applied to treatments in those patients.
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Improved management of pain, particularly in inpatients, is a public health priority. We conducted this study to ascertain current practices and identify indications useful for measuring their impact. ⋯ Regular and simple indications, specifically the number of patients complaining of pain who have not been given an antalgesic, would provide the health care team with a measurement of pain management useful for assessing its impact and improving patient care.
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Review Comparative Study
[Cancer of the prostate: influence of nutritional factors. Vitamins, antioxidants and trace elements].
CANCER OF THE PROSTATE AND VITAMINS: Four vitamins have been studied, vitamins A, E, D and C. the results of these studies have been contradictory. Vitamin A and vitamin E would have a protective effect. ANTIOXIDANTS: Carotenes have an activity similar to that of vitamin A. Beta-carotene was positively associated with risk of cancer of the prostate in one study while two others were unable to demonstrate any relationship. Lycopene, the red color in fruits and vegetables, particularly tomatoes, would contribute to a lower risk of prostate cancer. ⋯ Cadmium would increase the risk of cancer while selenium would have a protective effect. However studies concerning selenium carry certain methodological biases.