Articles: ninos.
-
Annals of family medicine · Jan 2021
Association between Opioid Overdose and Health Plan Disenrollment with Mitigating Impact of Buprenorphine Initiation.
Context: Health plan disenrollment has been associated with higher mortality in patients with opioid use disorder. Insurance loss and health plan disenrollment might be downstream social consequences of opioid misuse and overdose that may heighten patient mortality risks during a period of heightened need for professional assistance. Objective: To test hypotheses that: 1) overdose events in patients prescribed long-term opioids are associated with subsequent health plan disenrollment; and 2) buprenorphine initiation after overdose would attenuate this association. ⋯ Among patients with overdose events, subsequent buprenorphine initiation was associated with substantially reduced risk of health plan disenrollment [aIRR 0.36 (0.17-0.74)]. Conclusions: Overdose events in patients prescribed long-term opioids may portend other social consequences, such as health insurance loss, which may exacerbate patient risk at a time of heightened need and vulnerability. Buprenorphine may mitigate the risk of health plan disenrollment in opioid-prescribed patients who overdose.
-
Background: Substantial evidence shows that crosstalk between cartilage and subchondral bone may play an important role in cartilage repair. Animal models have shown that hydroxyapatite-grafted-chitosan implant (HA-g-CS) and moderate-intensity exercise promote regeneration of osteochondral defects. However, no in vivo studies have demonstrated that these two factors may have a synergistic activity to facilitate subchondral bone remodeling in mice, thus supporting bone-cartilage repair. ⋯ Clinical Relevance: Combination of HA-g-CS implantation and moderate-intensity exercise may be considered potentially in clinic to promote osteochondral defect repair. Also, cartilage and subchondral bone forms a functional unit in an articular joint and subchondral bone may regulate cartilage repair by secreting growth factors in its remodeling process. However, a deeper insight into the exact role of HA-g-CS implantation and moderate-intensity exercise in promoting osteochondral repair in other animal models should be explored before they can be applied in clinic in the future.
-
J Coll Physicians Surg Pak · Jan 2021
The Effect of Tocilizumab on Inflammatory Markers in Survivors and Non-survivors of Severe COVID-19.
To determine the effects of tocilizumab (TCZ) on inflammatory markers, laboratory indices; and short-term outcome in patients with severe COVID-19. ⋯ Tocilizumab results in a significant reduction in CRP, while mean change in LDH and D-dimers was not substantial. The mean change in inflammatory markers did not predict survival. Key Words: Tocilizumab, COVID-19, Biomarkers, Outcome, Mortality.