Therapeutics and clinical risk management
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Ther Clin Risk Manag · Jan 2014
ReviewTherapeutic implications of Epstein-Barr virus infection for the treatment of nasopharyngeal carcinoma.
Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is highly endemic in certain regions including the People's Republic of China and Southeast Asia. Its etiology is unique and multifactorial, involving genetic background, epigenetic, and environment factors, including Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection. The presence of EBV in all tumor cells, aberrant pattern of antibodies against EBV antigens in patient sera, and elevated viral DNA in patient circulation as well as nasopharyngeal site underline the role of EBV during NPC development. ⋯ However, this standard care has limitations, allowing recurrences and disease progression in a certain proportion of cases. Although the pathophysiological link and molecular process of EBV-induced oncogenesis are not fully understood, therapeutic approaches targeting the virus may increase the cure rate and add clinical benefit. The promising results of early phase clinical trials on EBV-specific immunotherapy, epigenetic therapy, and treatment with viral lytic induction offer new options for treating NPC.
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Ther Clin Risk Manag · Jan 2014
Determinants of decision-to-intervention time in the management and therapeutic outcome of emergency gynecological surgeries in south east Nigeria.
Prompt and timely response in the management of gynecological surgical cases can significantly affect the therapeutic surgical outcome of patients in emergency situations. The aim of this study was to evaluate the decision-to-intervention time (DIT), its determinants, and the significance in the therapeutic outcome of emergency gynecological surgeries managed at a federal teaching hospital in south east Nigeria over an 18-month period. ⋯ Inadequacies in health care services and policies due to poor infrastructure, organizational framework, and financing were the major determinants of the prolonged DIT and therapeutic outcomes.
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Ther Clin Risk Manag · Jan 2014
Actual preoperative fasting time in Brazilian hospitals: the BIGFAST multicenter study.
Prolonged fasting increases organic response to trauma. This multicenter study investigated the gap between the prescribed and the actual preoperative fasting times in Brazilian hospitals and factors associated with this gap. ⋯ Actual preoperative fasting time is significantly longer than prescribed fasting time in Brazilian hospitals. Most of these hospitals still adopt traditional rather than modern fasting guidelines. All patients are at risk of long periods of fasting, especially those in hospitals that follow traditional practices.
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Ther Clin Risk Manag · Jan 2014
ReviewManagement of malignant hyperthermia: diagnosis and treatment.
Malignant hyperthermia is a potentially lethal inherited disorder characterized by disturbance of calcium homeostasis in skeletal muscle. Volatile anesthetics and/or the depolarizing muscle relaxant succinylcholine may induce this hypermetabolic muscular syndrome due to uncontrolled sarcoplasmic calcium release via functionally altered calcium release receptors, resulting in hypoxemia, hypercapnia, tachycardia, muscular rigidity, acidosis, hyperkalemia, and hyperthermia in susceptible individuals. Since the clinical presentation of malignant hyperthermia is highly variable, survival of affected patients depends largely on early recognition of the symptoms characteristic of malignant hyperthermia, and immediate action on the part of the attending anesthesiologist. Clinical symptoms of malignant hyperthermia, diagnostic criteria, and current therapeutic guidelines, as well as adequate management of anesthesia in patients susceptible to malignant hyperthermia, are discussed in this review.
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Ther Clin Risk Manag · Jan 2014
ReviewAnti-N-methyl-D-aspartate-receptor encephalitis: diagnosis, optimal management, and challenges.
Anti-N-methyl-D-aspartate-receptor (NMDA-R) encephalitis is a new autoimmune disorder, often paraneoplastic in nature, presenting with complex neuropsychiatric symptoms. Diagnosed serologically, this disorder is often responsive to immunosuppressant treatment. The objective of this review is to educate clinicians on the challenges of diagnosis and management of this disorder. ⋯ There is an increasing need for clinicians of different specialties, including psychiatrists, neurologists, oncologists, neurooncologists, immunologists, and intensivists to become familiar with this disorder and its potential complications. Remission can be optimized with prompt detection and aggressive, collaborative treatment within a multidisciplinary team.