Isr Med Assoc J
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Comparative Study
A comparison of two new technologies for percutaneous vertebral augmentation: confidence vertebroplasty vs. sky kyphoplasty.
Cement vertebroplasty has been performed for over a decade to treat painful osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures (OVCFs). Kyphoplasty is considered a further step in the evolution of vertebral augmentation. ⋯ The SK system is technically superior in restoring the vertebral height and repairing the kyphotic deformity, an advantage that was not manifested in pain relief - the most important variable. Both systems have a high level of safety. The cost-benefit balance clearly favors the CV system.
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Hypercholesterolemia is one of the main factors in the development of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. The advent of statins led to huge progress in the treatment of hypercholesterolemia, yet the proportion of patients with prohibitive lipid values and the high incidence of cardiovascular events despite treatment are still very high. Niacin, one of the older drugs used to treat hyperlipidemia, was shown to reduce low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C) and triglycerides and to markedly increase high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C) levels. ⋯ Lately, a new compound, laropiprant, which selectively antagonizes the prostaglandin 2 (PGD2) receptor responsible for flushing, has been developed. Laropiprant, when combined with ERN, significantly reduces the incidence of flushing. New and ongoing trials will definitively prove in the long term whether this drug combination significantly reduces the severity of flushing and the incidence of cardiovascular events.
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Review Case Reports
Cardiopulmonary resuscitation in the pregnant patient--an update.
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Insuception is the most common cause of intestinal obstruction in early childhood. The cause of most intussusceptions is unknown but it can complicate the course of Henoch-Schonlein purpura (HSP) as a result of the vasculitic process. ⋯ We describe two patients with an unusual clinical course of severe abdominal pain as a result of intusucception. The correlation between intusucception, HSP and FMF are discussed.