Articles: chronic.
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Critical care medicine · Feb 2017
Comparative StudyA Comparison of Usage and Outcomes Between Nurse Practitioner and Resident-Staffed Medical ICUs.
To compare usage patterns and outcomes of a nurse practitioner-staffed medical ICU and a resident-staffed physician medical ICU. ⋯ We found no difference in mortality between an nurse practitioner-staffed medical ICU and a resident-staffed physician medical ICU. Our study adds further evidence that advanced practice providers can render safe and effective ICU care.
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The question of hormonal dysregulation in patients with CRPS I in whole was investigated very scantily. There are only a few studies concerning catecholamines, oestrogens and endorphins independently. Other hormones were studied in patients with different other chronic pain conditions. Considering the accumulation of sufficient knowledge about the role of disadaptation processes in CRPS I pathogenesis and the role of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal and hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian systems in the process of adaptation it was logical and consistent to define the role of hormonal dysregulation of these systems in patients with CRPS I. ⋯ This study determined the role of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal and hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian systems in pathogenesis of CRPS I.
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Two-stage exchange arthroplasty remains the preferred method for treating a chronic periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) in North America. However, infection recurrence may occur. Previously, recurrent infections have been classified as persistent (same isolated pathogen) or new (different pathogen identified). We sought to determine (1) recurrence rates among patients with chronic hip and knee PJI, treated with 2-stage exchange arthroplasty; (2) risk factors for infection recurrence; and (3) risk factors for developing persistent vs new infection. ⋯ Female gender, heart disease, and psychiatric disorders increase the risk of hip and knee PJI recurrence. Patients with PJI of the hip and with heart disease are at higher risk of infection persistence.
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Prior studies have documented an association of obesity with chronic pain, but the mechanism explaining the association remains unknown. This study evaluated the degree to which dietary intake of foods with anti-inflammatory effects mediates the relationship of body fat to body pain. Ninety-eight community-residing healthy adults (60% women; mean age = 43.2 ± 15.3 years; range: 20-78 years) participated in a home-based study of home environment, food-related behaviors, health, and adiposity. ⋯ Modeling in PROCESS revealed that Healthy Eating Index-2010 scores mediated the relationship between BMI and BP (bindirect = -0.34, 95% confidence interval = -0.68 to -0.13). The mediation model remained significant when controlling for biomechanical factors (arthritis/joint pain), medication use, psychological distress, age, and education, and models remained significant using the other 2 body fat measures. Thus, the data indicate that dietary intake of foods with anti-inflammatory effects mediates the relationship of body fat to body pain in healthy men and women.
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Nonmedical use of opioid medications constitutes a serious health threat as the rates of addiction, overdoses, and deaths have risen in recent years. Increasingly, inappropriate and excessively liberal prescribing of opioids by physicians is understood to be a central part of the crisis. Public health officials, hospital systems, and legislators are developing programs and regulations to address the problem in sustained and systematic ways that both insures effective treatment of pain and appropriate limits on the availability of opioids. ⋯ Academic detailing has successfully affected the management of health conditions, such as atrial fibrillation, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and recently, has targeted physicians who prescribe opioids. This article discusses the approach as a potentially effective preventative intervention to address the epidemic of opioid overuse. Key words: Opioid abuse, opioid misuse, academic detailing, health policy, interactive education,prevention.