Curēus
-
Review
The Association Between Cannabis Use and Schizophrenia: Causative or Curative? A Systematic Review.
Marijuana is one of the most abused substances in the world. Marijuana is getting legalized around the world. So, it is crucial to understand its effect on our mental health. ⋯ Even though CBD shows therapeutic effects and THC opposing effects, the data is minimal and low safety and efficacy warrants more research. The relation between cannabis and schizophrenia needs further investigation. We need more case-control studies and clinical trials with a larger population to get conclusive data.
-
Given their ease of use, safety, and efficacy, direct-acting oral anticoagulants (DOACs) are nowadays widely used in patients with atrial fibrillation or venous thromboembolism, with or without an association with malignancy. Andexanet alfa (andexanet) is a recombinant modified human factor Xa decoy protein that reverses the inhibition of factor Xa. After Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval in May 2018, andexanet has been used for life-threatening bleeding in patients treated with apixaban or rivaroxaban. ⋯ A total of four patients in a period of 10 months received andexanet for intracranial bleeding, 50% (2) had excellent hemostasis, 30 days mortality was 75% (3), and 25% (1) had a thromboembolic event. Anticoagulation was never started in all patients. This review tends to show the real-world utilization data of andexanet in a community hospital setting.
-
The spread of COVID-19 has been exponential throughout the globe. Though only a small percentage of infected individuals reach the critical stage of the disease, i.e., acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), this percentage represents a significant number of patients that can overwhelm the healthcare system. Patients presenting with ARDS need mechanical ventilation, as their lungs are unable to oxygenate blood on their own due to fluid accumulation. One way to manage this excess pressure of fluid build-up around the lung tissues is to relieve the dorsal alveoli by prompting the patient to lie face down on the stomach; this is called awake proning. It is a procedure that is directed towards the recruitment of lung parenchyma when infected with pneumonia or when the condition has worsened into ARDS. This helps in relieving the pressure from the dorsal lung surface that has markedly higher perfusion than the ventral surface. Awake proning delays the use of mechanical ventilation and facilitates the patients with severe ARDS or severe pneumonia in maintaining the supply of oxygen to the body tissues. Since medical institutes are overburdened and limited ventilators are available, awake proning can reduce not only the burden on hospitals but also decrease the need for ventilators.