Mayo Clinic proceedings
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Mayo Clinic proceedings · Nov 2009
Review Case ReportsDiagnosis and treatment of viral myocarditis.
Myocarditis, an inflammatory disease of heart muscle, is an important cause of dilated cardiomyopathy worldwide. Viral infection is also an important cause of myocarditis, and the spectrum of viruses known to cause myocarditis has changed in the past 2 decades. Several new diagnostic methods, such as cardiac magnetic resonance imaging, are useful for diagnosing myocarditis. ⋯ We review diagnostic and therapeutic strategies for the treatment of viral myocarditis. English-language publications in PubMed and references from relevant articles published between January 1, 1985, and August 5, 2008, were analyzed. Main keywords searched were myocarditis, dilated cardiomyopathy, endomyocardial biopsy, cardiac magnetic resonance imaging, and immunotherapy.
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Mayo Clinic proceedings · Nov 2009
ReviewCancer and pregnancy: parallels in growth, invasion, and immune modulation and implications for cancer therapeutic agents.
Many proliferative, invasive, and immune tolerance mechanisms that support normal human pregnancy are also exploited by malignancies to establish a nutrient supply and evade or edit the host immune response. In addition to the shared capacity for invading through normal tissues, both cancer cells and cells of the developing placenta create a microenvironment supportive of both immunologic privilege and angiogenesis. Systemic alterations in immunity are also detectable, particularly with respect to a helper T cell type 2 polarization evident in advanced cancers and midtrimester pregnancy. ⋯ Our PubMed search strategy included combinations of terms such as immune tolerance, pregnancy, cancer, cytokines, angiogenesis, and invasion. We did not place any restrictions on publication dates. The knowledge gained from analyzing similarities and differences between the physiologic state of pregnancy and the pathologic state of cancer could lead to identification of new potential targets for cancer therapeutic agents.
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Mayo Clinic proceedings · Nov 2009
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter StudyArmodafinil for treatment of excessive sleepiness associated with shift work disorder: a randomized controlled study.
To assess the effect of armodafinil, 150 mg, on the physiologic propensity for sleep and cognitive performance during usual night shift hours in patients with excessive sleepiness associated with chronic (> or =3 months) shift work disorder (SWD) of moderate or greater severity. ⋯ In patients with excessive sleepiness associated with chronic SWD of moderate or greater severity, armodafinil significantly improved wakefulness during scheduled night work, raising mean nighttime sleep latency above the level considered to indicate severe sleepiness during the daytime. Armodafinil also significantly improved measures of overall clinical condition, long-term memory, and attention.
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Mayo Clinic proceedings · Oct 2009
ReviewAcute coronary syndromes: diagnosis and management, part I.
The term acute coronary syndrome (ACS) refers to any group of clinical symptoms compatible with acute myocardial ischemia and includes unstable angina (UA), non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI), and ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). These high-risk manifestations of coronary atherosclerosis are important causes of the use of emergency medical care and hospitalization in the United States. A quick but thorough assessment of the patient's history and findings on physical examination, electrocardiography, radiologic studies, and cardiac biomarker tests permit accurate diagnosis and aid in early risk stratification, which is essential for guiding treatment. ⋯ Evidence-based guidelines provide recommendations for the management of ACS; however, therapeutic approaches to the management of ACS continue to evolve at a rapid pace driven by a multitude of large-scale randomized controlled trials. Thus, clinicians are frequently faced with the problem of determining which drug or therapeutic strategy will achieve the best results. This article summarizes the evidence and provides the clinician with the latest information about the pathophysiology, clinical presentation, and risk stratification of ACS and the management of UA/NSTEMI.