São Paulo medical journal = Revista paulista de medicina
-
Assessment of central blood pressure (BP) has grown substantially over recent years because evidence has shown that central BP is more relevant to cardiovascular outcomes than peripheral BP. Thus, different classes of antihypertensive drugs have different effects on central BP despite similar reductions in brachial BP. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of nebivolol, a β-blocker with vasodilator properties, on the biochemical and hemodynamic parameters of hypertensive patients. ⋯ Nebivolol use seems to be associated with significant reduction of central BP in stage I hypertensive patients, in addition to reductions in brachial systolic and diastolic BP.
-
Comment
Neuraminidase inhibitors for preventing and treating influenza in healthy adults and children.
Neuraminidase inhibitors (NIs) are stockpiled and recommended by public health agencies for treating and preventing seasonal and pandemic influenza. They are used clinically worldwide. ⋯ Oseltamivir and zanamivir have small, non-specific effects on reducing the time to alleviation of influenza symptoms in adults, but not in asthmatic children. Using either drug as prophylaxis reduces the risk of developing symptomatic influenza. Treatment trials with oseltamivir or zanamivir do not settle the question of whether the complications of influenza (such as pneumonia) are reduced, because of a lack of diagnostic definitions. The use of oseltamivir increases the risk of adverse effects, such as nausea, vomiting, psychiatric effects and renal events in adults and vomiting in children. The lower bioavailability may explain the lower toxicity of zanamivir compared to oseltamivir. The balance between benefits and harms should be considered when making decisions about use of both NIs for either the prophylaxis or treatment of influenza. The influenza virus-specific mechanism of action proposed by the producers does not fit the clinical evidence.
-
Clinical Trial
Audiometric thresholds and auditory processing in children with early malnutrition: a retrospective cohort study.
Malnutrition is one of the causes of changes in cell metabolism. The inner ear has few energy reserves and high metabolism. The aim of this study was to analyze whether malnutrition at an early age is related to impairment of auditory processing abilities and hearing abnormalities. ⋯ Malnutrition at an early age caused lowering of the hearing levels, although this impairment could not be considered to be a hearing deficiency. Every child in this group presented abnormalities in auditory processing abilities.
-
Intrathoracic cystic lesions have been diagnosed in a wide variety of age groups, and the increasing use of prenatal imaging studies has allowed detection of these defects even in utero. ⋯ We believe that the association observed in this case was merely coincidental, since both conditions are relatively common. The chance of both events occurring simultaneously is estimated to be 1 in 1.5 million births.
-
Anemia is the most frequent extraintestinal complication of inflammatory bowel disease. This study aimed to: 1) determine the prevalence of anemia among patients with inflammatory bowel disease; 2) investigate whether routine laboratory markers are useful for diagnosing anemia; and 3) evaluate whether any association exists between anemia and clinical/laboratory variables. ⋯ Most patients present iron laboratory disorders, with or without anemia, mainly due to iron deficiency. The differential diagnosis between the two most prevalent types of anemia was made based on clinical data and routine laboratory tests. In ulcerative colitis, anemia was associated with the disease activity index.