Mayo Clinic proceedings
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Mayo Clinic proceedings · Jul 2006
ReviewGenetic test indications and interpretations in patients with hereditary angioedema.
Patients with hereditary angioedema (HAE) present with recurrent, circumscribed, and self-limiting episodes of tissue or mucous membrane swelling caused by C1-inhibitor (CI-INH) deficiency. The estimated frequency of HAE is 1:50,000 persons. Distinguishing HAE from acquired angioedema (AAE) facilitates therapeutic interventions and family planning or testing. ⋯ Genetic tests would be particularly helpful in patients with no family history of angioedema, which occurs in about half of affected patients, and in patients whose C1q level is borderline and does not differentiate between HAE and AAE. Measuring autoantibodies against C1-INH also would be helpful, but the test is available in research laboratories only. Simple complement determinations are appropriate for screening and diagnosis of the disorder.
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Mayo Clinic proceedings · Jul 2006
Multicenter Study Comparative StudyAdult intensive care unit use at the end of life: a population-based study.
To determine population-based rates of intensive care unit (ICU) use at the end of life in adults and describe demographic and clinical variation in end-of-life ICU use. ⋯ The rate of ICU use at the end of life Increases significantly with age and with the number of coexisting chronic illnesses.
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Mayo Clinic proceedings · Jul 2006
Randomized Controlled TrialPhase 2 study of pegylated liposomal doxorubicin, vincristine, decreased-frequency dexamethasone, and thalidomide in newly diagnosed and relapsed-refractory multiple myeloma.
To evaluate the efficacy and safety of adding thalidomide to the pegylated liposomal doxorubicin, vincristine, and decreased-frequency dexamethasone (DVd) regimen for multiple myeloma. ⋯ The addition of thalidomide to the DVd regimen significantly improves the response rate and quality of responses compared with the DVd regimen alone. This improvement is associated with longer progression-free and overall survival. The rate of observed quality responses is comparable to responses seen with high-dose therapy.