Dtsch Arztebl Int
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The treatment options for patients with progressive malignant tumors despite primary radiotherapy are often limited. In selected cases, re-irradiation can be offered. This article concerns the selection criteria and results of re-irradiation for certain types of cancer. ⋯ Re-irradiation is a treatment option for selected cancer patients. As the available scientific evidence is limited, multidisciplinary collaboration and participatory decision-making are particularly important.
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Chronic wounds on the leg (below the knee) are called leg ulcers. They have many causes, and thus patients with leg ulcers are treated by many different kinds of medical specialist. Appproximately 80% of sufferers have chronic venous insufficiency (CVI) and/or peripheral arterial occlusive disease (PAOD). Knowledge of the relevant differential diagnoses is important for appropriate treatment, particularly for patients with atypical findings or an intractable course. ⋯ A timely differential-diagnostic evaluation for the many diseases that can cause leg ulcers, which require treatment from representatives of many different medical specialties and health professions, is a prerequisite for their effective individualized treatment.
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Observational epidemiologic studies often yield different results on the same question. In this article, we explain how this comes about. ⋯ The above reasons why epidemiologic study results can be heterogeneous are explained in this review. Quantitative bias analyses and sensitivity analyses with alternative data evaluation strategies can help explain divergent results on one and the same question.
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Single-use medical gloves achieve their purpose only when properly used. Proper use also helps avoid undesired consequences such as excessive waste and CO2 emissions, as well as inadequate hand hygiene. ⋯ Limiting the use of single-use medical gloves to its proper indications promotes the safety of health-care professionals and patients and has beneficial ecological and economic effects as well.
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Sudden cardiac death (SCD) is the death of an apparently healthy person within one hour of the onset of symptoms, or within 24 hours of last being seen alive and well-with no evidence of an extra-cardiac cause. In autopsied cases, SCD is defined as the natural unexpected death of unknown or cardiac cause. The reported incidence figures for SCD vary widely. ⋯ The affected families should be investigated systematically so that appropriate diagnoses and treatments can be established.