Minerva medica
-
Pneumonias continue to be major public health issues and are commonly encountered in the intensive care setting. The most common types of pneumonia leading to critical illness include severe community acquired pneumonia, hospital acquired pneumonia, and ventilator associated pneumonia. ⋯ Treatment remains challenging with the need to balance antibiotic stewardship and minimizing patient harm. As evidenced in the most recent society guidelines, the identification of risk factors for severe disease and the causative pathogens are crucial in guiding the most appropriate therapy.
-
We know that excessive short-acting β2-agonists (SABA) use in asthma may be associated to high exacerbation risks. We studied whether such excessive SABA consumption is connected with different higher oral corticosteroid (OC) prescriptions in the two sexes. ⋯ Poor adherence to maintenance treatment appears to associated with excessive SABA prescriptions that may lead to a higher OC consumption particularly noticeable in women.
-
Electrical spinal cord stimulation (SCS) is an alternative to conventional medication for chronic pain relief. Several hypotheses exist concerning the neurophysiological, vascular, and neurochemical mechanism behind SCS. ⋯ High-frequency stimulation can block the conduction of spikes but the distance of the fiber to the lead is a critical factor.