Revista médica de Chile
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Revista médica de Chile · Aug 2016
Review[Current evidence on health benefits of the mediterranean diet].
The Mediterranean diet is currently considered a functional diet with an increasing amount of scientific evidence that supports its beneficial effects in human health. Several observational cross-sectional and prospective cohort studies show an association between this diet and a lower prevalence and incidence of chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, metabolic syndrome, diabetes, and neurodegenerative diseases as well as a reduced overall mortality. Additionally, clinical interventional studies, particularly the PREDIMED (Prevención con Dieta Mediterránea) initiative, have shown, with high quality scientific evidence, that a Mediterranean diet -supplemented either with olive oil or nuts- can lower by 30% the incidence of cardiovascular disease, reverse the metabolic syndrome, and prevent the development of diabetes and aging-related cognitive decline. Chile has one of the five Mediterranean ecosystems in the world, and therefore the implementation of this food pattern and lifestyle in our country may determine large benefits to the health status and quality of life in the Chilean population.
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The use of thoracic ultrasound as a diagnostic tool in the emergency department, intensive care unit or in patients with pulmonary diseases is increasing steadily. It is used to guide percutaneous tracheostomies, to assess pleural effusions, to rule out pneumothorax, and to guide the placement of endovascular and pleural catheters. It is also useful in the assessment of patients with dyspnea. The aim of this review is to provide the practical and technical basics for the use of this diagnostic tool among internists and specialists in pulmonary diseases.
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Revista médica de Chile · May 2016
Review[Body dysmorphic disorder: clinical aspects, nosological dimensions and controversies with anorexia nervosa].
There is strong evidence about the co-existence of body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) and eating disorders (ED), particularly with anorexia nervosa (AN). An exhaustive review of the specialised literature regarding these disorders was carried out. The results show that their co-occurrence implies a more complex diagnosis and treatment, a more severe clinical symptomatology and a worse prognosis and outcome. ⋯ Their crossover involves higher levels of body dissatisfaction and body image distortion, depression, suicidal tendency, personality disorders, substance use/abuse, obsessive-compulsive disorder, social phobia, alexithymia and childhood abuse or neglect background. Treatment including cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy and selective reuptake serotonin inhibitors are effective for both, BDD and ED; nevertheless, plastic surgery could exacerbate BDD. Clinical traits of BDD must be systematically detected in patients suffering from ED and vice versa.
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This paper reviews the sentences dictated between 1993 and 2002 by the Supreme Courts of Canada and the Unites States, the House of Lords and Supreme Court of the United Kingdom and the European Human Rights Court, about the validity of the legal prohibition of assistance for suicide. These sentences constituted a judicial consensus about the right to die. This consensus recognized the legal right of patients to reject medical treatments but did not recognize the right to be assisted by a physician to commit suicide. This exclusion is changing in the recent case law of Canada and the United Kingdom, which accepts the fundamental right of terminal patients to medically assisted suicide.
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Revista médica de Chile · Apr 2016
Review[Towards an integral management of inflammatory bowel disease].
Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) is a chronic inflammatory condition of the gastrointestinal tract with medical and psychological complications. Addressing psychosocial aspects of treatment, such as quality of care and disability remains a challenge. ⋯ The delivery of healthcare for IBD patients is often complex and requires multidisciplinary teams. The ultimate objectives in the treatment of IBD should be to prevent bowel damage, reduce long-term disability and maintain a normal quality of life.