Articles: chronic.
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Semin Respir Crit Care Med · Aug 2022
ReviewBronchoscopic Lung Volume Reduction for Emphysema: Review and Update.
In carefully selected patients with severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, characterized by emphysema and hyperinflation, lung volume reduction is an option to reduce lung hyperinflation, improve lung function, quality of life, and exercise capacity. Currently, there are several bronchoscopic and surgical treatment options to achieve lung volume reduction. ⋯ Other bronchoscopic lung volume reduction options include treatment with coils, thermal vapor ablation, and sclerosant agents. In this review, we aim to summarize the current clinical evidence on the bronchoscopic lung volume reduction therapies and important aspects regarding optimal patient selection.
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Chronic pain has widespread, detrimental effects on the human nervous system and its prevalence and burden increase with age. Machine learning techniques have been applied on brain images to produce statistical models of brain aging. Specifically, the Gaussian process regression is particularly effective at predicting chronological age from neuroimaging data which permits the calculation of a brain age gap estimate (brain-AGE). ⋯ As brain-AGE expression differs across distinct pain disorders with a pronounced sex effect for female subjects. Younger women with TN may therefore represent a vulnerable subpopulation requiring expedited chronic pain intervention. To this end, brain-AGE holds promise as an effective biomarker of pain treatment response.
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Telehealth video visits are essential for delivering timely care while mitigating exposure during the COVID-19 pandemic. Telehealth video visits have the potential to improve missed appointments, reduce costs associated with Veterans Affairs (VA) travel reimbursement, and lead to positive patient and provider satisfaction. ⋯ The use of telehealth video visits during the COVID-19 pandemic reduced missed appointments, exhibited cost savings in VA travel reimbursement, and led to positive patient and provider satisfaction.
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Quantitative data on longitudinal associations between catastrophizing and pain or physical function are patchy. The study aimed to quantify the prognostic value of catastrophizing for pain and function in fibromyalgia and low back pain before and after rehabilitation. ⋯ Our study showed surprisingly high associations between state and change in catastrophizing to pain relief and functional improvement in chronic pain patients. This is supported by clinical experience and research data, even if the construct and measurement of catastrophizing is under debate. Our findings and those of literature point to more pessimistic self-rating of pain and catastrophizing in fibromyalgia when compared to other conditions. This might obscure positive effects on pain and function achieved by adaptive coping in fibromyalgia.
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Anesthesia and analgesia · Aug 2022
Historical ArticleJohn Henry Evans, MD: Founding Chairman of the Board of Governors of the International Anesthesia Research Society, and a Forgotten Pioneer of Oxygen Therapy.
The theoretical and practical foundations of modern oxygen therapy were established during the first half of the 20th century. John Henry Evans, MD, inaugural chairman of the Board of Governors of the International Anesthesia Research Society (IARS), was an early pioneer in this field. ⋯ Additionally, Evans experimented with the subcutaneous injection and intravenous infusion of oxygen, reporting significant benefits of the former in several acute inflammatory conditions, as well as a variety of chronic ailments. While these contributions have largely been forgotten, Evans expanded the remit of anesthesiology beyond the operating theater and the original charter of the IARS and helped lay the foundations for the rational use of oxygen as a therapeutic agent in all areas of medicine.