Der Internist
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The multiple myeloma (MM) has an incidence of 3-4/100,000 in the Caucasian population. MM has to be distinguished from smouldering MM and monoclonal gammopathy of uncertain significance (MGUS). In younger patients (<65 years) a good long-term remission is the aim of therapy, while in the elderly patients with comorbidities the aim is a good partial remission with good quality of life. ⋯ High-dose chemotherapy, often as a tandem transplantation, is part of standard therapy of MM patients <65 years. However, allogeneic stem cell transplantation is the only curative approach. New substances approved for treatment of relapsed MM include bortezomib, thalidomide, and lenalidomide.
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Review
[Adjuvant chemotherapy of solid tumors of the gastrointestinal tract: where is the progress?].
Surgical therapy of any malignancy always attempts the complete removal of a cancer from the organism. An adjuvant chemotherapy has the goal to remove remaining tumor-cells, to prevent recurrence of the disease and to improve long term survival. Within the last years there has been a substantial improvement in prognosis due to multi-modal therapeutic regimens including combination-chemo-therapy and innovative radiation-protocols. This review aims to present and to critically review current concepts in the treatment of selected tumors of the gastrointestinal tract.
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The introduction of Drug Eluting Stents was an important step to reduce restenosis rate after coronary stent implantation. Unfortunately, reduction of restenosis was paid off by the price of potential increased late (>30 days) stent thrombosis. However, current data are not completely conclusive with respect to extent and duration of stent thrombosis and cardiovascular risk after drug eluting stent implantation. ⋯ However in selected high-risk patients (e.g. left main or multivessel stent implantation) control angiography may be useful. Medical therapy of risk factors (hyperlipidemia, hypertension, and diabetes mellitus) is essential also after coronary stent implantation. It is important to screen patients for diabetes mellitus, since approximately 1/3 of patients after coronary intervention have an otherwise unrecognized diabetes mellitus or glucose tolerance disturbance.
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Immunoglobulin is a blood product prepared from the plasma of healthy donors. The therapeutic use of polyvalent immunoglobulins is an established therapy in primary antibody deficiencies, in idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) and in Guillain-Barré syndrome. ⋯ The paper presented here critically discusses the modern studies investigating the use of immunoglobulins in different diseases. The main focus is the use of immunoglobulins in patients with sepsis or septic shock.
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Case Reports
[Acute thrombo-embolic elevated ST infarct in a patient with essential thrombocytosis].
A 48-year-old man presented with acute chest pain and a greatly increased platelet count. Emergency coronary angiographic revealed thrombotic occlusion of the right coronary artery. ⋯ Due to inadequate postinterventional platelet inhibition an intensified dual antiplatelet therapy with acetylsalicylic acid (ASS) and clopidogrel was applied to prevent stent thrombosis. Due to the thrombo-embolic complication and a platelet count over 1 million/microl a cytoreductive treatment with hydroxyurea was initiated.