European journal of internal medicine
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Eur. J. Intern. Med. · Nov 2008
Case ReportsOccult nasal sinus tumours causing oncogenic osteomalacia.
Oncogenic osteomalacia (OOM) is a rare but curable cause of metabolic bone disease. We report 9 patients with OOM, including 2 patients with occult nasal sinus tumours and 1 in whom a progressive increase in the post-operative FGF23 level heralded the development of metastatic pulmonary disease. The median duration of symptoms before definitive surgical treatment was 6 years, and in one patient was more than 10 years. This series demonstrates that careful imaging of the nasal sinuses should be part of the work-up of cases of oncogenic osteomalacia, that serum FGF23 can be helpful in both diagnosis and monitoring treatment outcomes, and emphasizes that serum phosphate should be measured in patients with metabolic bone disease and/or unexplained musculoskeletal symptoms.
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Eur. J. Intern. Med. · Nov 2008
Prevalence of COPD: first epidemiological study of a large region in Turkey.
Although chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is one of the leading causes of mortality and morbidity worldwide, epidemiological data on COPD is very limited. This study was designed to obtain some baseline data on COPD in the Malatya region of Turkey. ⋯ Smoking rate and COPD prevalence were found to be unexpectedly high in the region, and biomass exposure is still an important cause of COPD, particularly among females living in rural areas. We think that national policies against smoking and biomass exposure should be implemented immediately.
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Eur. J. Intern. Med. · Oct 2008
Prevalence of drug-drug interactions at hospital entry and during hospital stay of patients in internal medicine.
The aim of this study was to assess potential drug-drug interactions (pDDIs) at hospital admission, during hospitalization and at discharge and to evaluate the number of pDDIs created during hospitalization. ⋯ Although the number of major and moderate pDDIs per patient did not increase from hospital admission to discharge, it is important to realize that 47% of all major and moderate DDIs at hospital discharge were created during hospitalization. Prescribing drugs with a low risk for pDDIs as well as careful monitoring for adverse drug reactions are important measures to minimize harm associated with DDIs.
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Eur. J. Intern. Med. · Oct 2008
Plasma visfatin levels in normal weight women with polycystic ovary syndrome.
The present study was designed to measure plasma visfatin levels in normal weight women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and to assess possible correlations between visfatin and the hormonal or metabolic parameters of the syndrome. ⋯ Visfatin levels are positively associated with obesity in healthy women of reproductive age. Moreover, the present study indicates, for the first time, a possible involvement of increased visfatin levels in PCOS-associated metabolic and hormonal disturbances.