Internal medicine journal
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Internal medicine journal · Dec 2012
Changes in serum phosphate during treatment of diabetic ketoacidosis: predictive significance of severity of acidosis on presentation.
Changes in serum phosphate during diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) treatment are not well characterised, although it is known that serum phosphate falls with treatment. We sought to define the nature of these changes and whether the severity of acidosis on admission influenced the severity of subsequent hypophosphataemia. We retrospectively reviewed data on all patients with confirmed DKA presenting to our unit between 2007 and 2010 inclusive. ⋯ The initial hyperphosphataemia is reflective of intravascular volume depletion and pre-renal renal impairment. The severity of subsequent hypophosphataemia can be predicted by the degree of metabolic acidosis on presentation. As profound hypophosphataemia can be associated with serious complications, clinicians should recognise the likelihood of this biochemical derangement in those DKA patients presenting with profound acidosis.
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Internal medicine journal · Dec 2012
Prevalence of food allergy in Taiwan: a questionnaire-based survey.
Food allergy is common in children and adults, and could be potentially fatal in minor groups. It is important for physicians to identify the prevalence of food allergies and to recognise common food allergens to make precise diagnosis and choose correct therapeutic approaches. ⋯ Less than 10% of the Taiwan population suffers from food allergy with different allergic symptoms to variable food allergens in different age groups.
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Internal medicine journal · Dec 2012
ReviewProbiotics in luminal gastroenterology: the current state of play.
In recent years, there has been a growing interest in the use of probiotics in various areas of gastrointestinal (GI) health. Probiotics are defined as live microorganisms that provide beneficial health effects on the host when administered in adequate amounts. ⋯ However, with better targeting and appropriate randomised controlled trials, this area may soon yield important therapeutic strategies to optimise GI health. Here, we review the current knowledge of probiotics of relevance to luminal GI health.
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Myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), a haematological disorder of the elderly, has been formally classified as a neoplastic disease for 10 years. ⋯ In New Zealand and Australia, MDS is a common haematological neoplasm. The marked difference between male and female incidence rates, especially with advancing age, may provide insights into the causes of this disease.