Articles: chronic.
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Multicenter Study Observational Study
Oxygen therapy in non-intubated adult intensive care patients: a point prevalence study.
Oxygen is commonly administered to intensive care unit patients. Although there is knowledge of how oxygen is administered to mechanically ventilated patients, there are few data about its use in non-intubated ICU patients. ⋯ Oxygen therapy is commonly administered to non-intubated adult patients in New Zealand and Australian ICUs. Most patients received oxygen by simple nasal cannulae, and oxygen therapy prescriptions were often absent or incomplete. We advise continuing education to ensure that oxygen is prescribed, administered and documented correctly.
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Asthma is a common chronic disease characterized by variable respiratory distress with underlying airway inflammation and airflow obstruction. The incidence of asthma has risen inexorably over the past 50 years, suggesting that environmental factors are important in its etiology. All inhaled environmental stimuli interact with the lung at the respiratory epithelium, and it is a testament to the effectiveness of the airway innate defenses that the majority of inhaled substances are cleared without the need to elicit an inflammatory response. ⋯ The potential of a susceptible epithelium and the underlying mesenchyme to create a microenvironment that enables deviation of immune and inflammatory responses to external stimuli may be crucial in the development and progression of asthma. In this review, we consider three important groups of environmental stimuli on the epithelium in asthma: oxidants, such as environmental pollution and acetaminophen; viruses, including rhinovirus; and agents that cause barrier disruption, such as house dust mite allergens. The pathology associated with each stimulus is considered, and potential future treatments arising from research on their effects are presented.
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The Journal of urology · Dec 2013
Does the number of cycles of cisplatin based chemotherapy have any effect on renal function in patients with testicular germ cell tumor?
We assessed the effects of the number of cisplatin, etoposide and bleomycin cycles on long-term renal function. ⋯ Patients with testicular tumors who received cisplatin based chemotherapy showed a significant decrease in the estimated glomerular filtration rate and a significant increase in new onset stage 3 chronic kidney disease compared to patients who received no cycle. However, in patients at high risk with stage I nonseminomatous germ cell tumor who elected 2 cycles of cisplatin, etoposide and bleomycin the chemotherapy had no statistically significant effect on these parameters compared to those in patients who received no chemotherapy.
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This article describes the methods and results of the early part (experimental pain tests and postoperative analgesia) of a study that assesses genetic and other factors related to acute pain and persistent pain after treatment of breast cancer in a prospective cohort of 1,000 women. ⋯ Contact heat and cold pressure tests identify variability in pain sensitivity which is modified by factors such as anxiety, chronic pain, previous surgery, and smoking. High levels of anxiety are connected to increased pain sensitivity in experimental and acute postoperative pain.