Mayo Clinic proceedings
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Mayo Clinic proceedings · May 2004
ReviewPrimer on medical genomics. Part XIV: Introduction to systems biology--a new approach to understanding disease and treatment.
The advent of the "-omics revolution" has forced us to reevaluate our ability to acquire, measure, and handle large data sets. Omic platforms such as expression arrays and mass spectrometry, with their exquisite selectivity, sensitivity, and specificity, are unrivaled technologies for detection, quantitation, and identification of DNA, messenger RNA, proteins, and metabolites derived from complex body tissue and fluids. More recently, attempts have been made to capture the utility of these platform technologies and combine them under the umbrella of systems biology, also referred to as pathway, network, or integrative biology. ⋯ Ultimately, this requires a perspective on how complex systems behave and are modulated. In this regard, systems biology, more appropriately considered as a process containing a series of modules, aims to provide tools and capabilities to carry out such tasks. We describe the essentials required to carry out systems biology experiments, the method in which integrated data in the form of a systems biology correlation network affords new insight into understanding disease, and the vista of developing more efficient biomarkers and therapeutic agents.
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Mayo Clinic proceedings · May 2004
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Clinical TrialEfficacy and safety of ezetimibe coadministered with simvastatin in patients with primary hypercholesterolemia: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.
To compare the efficacy and safety of 10 mg of ezetimibe coadministered with simvastatin with the safety and efficacy of simvastatin monotherapy for patients with hypercholesterolemia. ⋯ Through dual inhibition of cholesterol absorption and synthesis, coadministration of ezetimibe/simvastatin offers a highly efficacious and well-tolerated lipid-lowering strategy for treating patients with primary hypercholesterolemia.
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Mayo Clinic proceedings · May 2004
Review Case ReportsEpidural abscess and meningitis after epidural corticosteroid injection.
Epidural abscess with and without associated meningitis after epidural corticosteroid injections for radicular back pain is a rarely reported complication. We report the occurrence of an epidural abscess and meningitis in a 70-year-old man after 2 epidural corticosteroid injections for treatment of acute radicular lumbar back pain. At the time of diagnosis, cerebrospinal fluid cultures grew Staphylococcus aureus, and the patient was treated with intravenous antibiotics. ⋯ A literature search identified 11 reported cases of epidural abscess, 2 of epidural abscess and meningitis, and 1 of meningitis attributed to epidural corticosteroid injections. Eight of the 14 reported patients were immunocompromised, and 8 (67%) of the 12 in whom cultures of blood, cerebrospinal fluid, or epidural pus were performed had results positive for S. aureus. Antibiotic prophylaxis for S. aureus should be considered for immunocompromised patients undergoing epidural corticosteroid injections.
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Mayo Clinic proceedings · May 2004
Outcomes and in-hospital treatment of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest patients resuscitated from ventricular fibrillation by early defibrillation.
To describe and evaluate the in-hospital treatment of ventricular arrhythmias and underlying structural heart disease in patients who survive ventricular fibrillation (VF) out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) in a region with a high survival rate after hospital discharge. ⋯ The VF OHCA survival rate is high in the setting of rapid defibrillation, with 40% of patients being discharged from the hospital. By the end of the 10-year study, more patients were receiving antiarrhythmic therapy, in particular ICD implantation, after hospital admission. Overall, the long-term survival in patients with VF OHCA is favorable.