Minerva medica
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The benefits of inhaled medication for the treatment of respiratory diseases are immense. Inhalers are unquestionably the most important medical devices for the treatment of asthma and in Europe today there are more than 230 different device and drug combinations of inhaled therapies many of which are available for the treatment of asthma. They are designed to alleviate the symptoms of asthma by controlling inflammation and minimizing exacerbations and are intended to be simple enough to operate by all patients regardless of their age and education. ⋯ The reality is that despite advances in the diagnosis of asthma, the availability of comprehensive asthma management guidelines and potent asthma medications combined with efficient delivery systems, uncontrolled disease is still linked to substantial morbidity and mortality. Despite the enormous benefits of delivering topically acting medication directly to the site of disease in the lungs adherence to treatment still remains one of the biggest challenges in asthma control. This current review looks at why patients have difficulty in using their inhalers and why adherence is so poor and how this may be improved through the use of innovation in inhaler design.
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Patients with acute asthma attack usually access the emergency room with severe functional impairment, despite low perception of symptoms. In this scenario, early functional assessment is essential focusing on vital parameters and respiratory function, alongside perceived dyspnea. ⋯ Therapeutic planning at patient's discharge is no less important than treatment management during emergency room access as educating the patient about therapeutic adherence significantly impact long-term outcomes of asthma. With this review we aimed at exploring current evidence on acute asthma attack management, focusing of pharmacological and ventilatory strategies of care and highlighting the importance of patient education once clinical stability allows discharge from the emergency department.
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There was significant surge in the academic publications after the onset of COVID-19 outbreak. The aim of this study was to scientometrically analyze all the medical publications on COVID-19 in 2020 as well as the top 100 cited articles. ⋯ Scientific publications amount on COVID-19 disease grew at an astonishing pace during 2020. We caution the readers that this rapidity of publication could have missed out on the rigorous review process and the scientific basis of the methods followed.
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Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and type 2 diabetes mellitus are two conditions that commonly co-exist in the context of metabolic syndrome. Several scientific advances in understanding this association have identified insulin resistance as the key point in the pathogenesis of both diseases. ⋯ AW is defined as the early cereals that were domesticated in their places of origin in the "Fertile Crescent" of the Middle East, and played a central role as a main source of food for the early civilizations in that region. The present narrative review aims at providing a systematic overview of the state of the art on the effects of AW on insulin resistance.
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Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and type 2 diabetes mellitus are two conditions that commonly co-exist in the context of metabolic syndrome. Several scientific advances in understanding this association have identified insulin resistance as the key point in the pathogenesis of both diseases. ⋯ AW is defined as the early cereals that were domesticated in their places of origin in the "Fertile Crescent" of the Middle East, and played a central role as a main source of food for the early civilizations in that region. The present narrative review aims at providing a systematic overview of the state of the art on the effects of AW on insulin resistance.