Current medical research and opinion
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Sulfonylurea therapy among patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) can be disrupted due to adverse events, including hypoglycemia. A retrospective study using the MarketScan claims database quantified the frequency of sulfonylurea discontinuation or down-titration and identified associated risk factors. ⋯ More than half of T2DM patients who initiated sulfonylurea therapy discontinued or down-titrated within 1 year. Insulin use and hypoglycemia were associated with sulfonylurea therapy change.
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To assess whether maintenance of labor epidural analgesia using programmed intermittent epidural bolus (PIEB) is associated with reduced local anesthetic (LA) consumption, patient-controlled epidural analgesia (PCEA) use, and rescue analgesia requirements compared to continuous epidural infusion (CEI). ⋯ The epidural maintenance regimen used (CEI vs. PIEB) was not associated with differences in LA consumption, motor blockade or delivery mode. Main limitations of the study include its single center retrospective design and the fact that patients were not randomized to treatment groups.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Comparative Study
Preservative-free versus preserved latanoprost eye drops in patients with open-angle glaucoma or ocular hypertension.
This study compared the efficacy, safety, and pharmacokinetics of a preservative-free latanoprost formulation to an established, benzalkonium chloride (BAK) containing formulation for the treatment of open-angle glaucoma or ocular hypertension. ⋯ Preservative-free latanoprost showed similar efficacy at all time points compared to BAK preservative containing formulation, with no difference in tolerance, allowing progression to phase III clinical development.
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With anesthesia awareness as a model of study we debate the both fascinating and dangerous phenomenon called consciousness fluctuation that takes place during surgical anesthesia. In accordance with current scientific knowledge this paradox is the consequence of our limits in both precise knowledge of anesthesia mechanisms and our inability to accurately assess the level of anesthesia with brain monitoring. We also focus on the relationships between memory and anesthesia, as well as the possibility of interfering with memory during general anesthesia.