Internal medicine journal
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Internal medicine journal · Jul 2020
ReviewPractical management of inflammatory bowel disease patients during the COVID-19 pandemic: expert commentary from the Gastroenterological Society of Australia Inflammatory Bowel Disease faculty.
The COVID-19 pandemic, caused by the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, has emerged as a public health emergency and challenged healthcare systems globally. In a minority of patients, SARS-CoV-2 manifests with a severe acute respiratory illness and currently there is insufficient data regarding the virulence of COVID-19 in inflammatory bowel disease patients taking immunosuppressive therapy. This review aims to summarise the current literature and provide guidance on the management of inflammatory bowel disease patients in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic in the Australasian setting.
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Internal medicine journal · Jul 2020
Observational StudyShort-term colectomy is avoided in over half of regional patients failing medical therapy for acute severe ulcerative colitis with co-ordinated transfer and tertiary care.
Many patients presenting with an acute severe ulcerative colitis to a regional hospital are transferred to a metropolitan hospital for specialised care. This study aimed to evaluate the outcomes and characteristics of these patients. ⋯ Over 50% of the patients failing therapy in a regional centre and requiring transfer avoided short term colectomy with co-ordinated referral for rescue therapy in a tertiary metropolitan inflammatory bowel disease unit. These patients would have ultimately required colectomy in their regional hospital without intervention.
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Internal medicine journal · Jul 2020
Randomized Controlled TrialModel-based analysis on systemic availability of co-administered cannabinoids after controlled vaporised administration.
The most important two medicinal cannabinoids are Δ9 -tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD). Vaporised administration is superior due to its higher systemic availability, lower individual variability and faster drug delivery. Although it is common THC is co-administered with CBD, the influence of CBD on the pharmacokinetics, especially the systemic availability of THC after vaporised administration, is unknown. ⋯ The results observed in this study are useful for guiding future pharmacokinetic studies of medicinal cannabinoids, and for development of dosing guidelines for medical use of cannabis in the 'real-world' setting.