Articles: function.
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Chemotherapy-induced painful peripheral neuropathy (CIPPN) affects up to 90% of cancer patients treated with chemotherapy agents. Despite the fact that it is relatively common, the underlying pathophysiology is still unclear and its treatment remains generic. Mechanisms of CIPPN are multifactorial, dependent on the specific chemotherapeutic agent used, and include multiple patient-related factors, including genetic factors that may predispose patients to either develop or not develop CIPPN. The purpose of this article is to review mechanisms, clinical signs and symptoms, diagnosis, treatment options, and prognosis for patients who develop CIPPN. We also offer research considerations for this complex and unpredictable phenomenon. ⋯ The management of CIPPN remains a clinical challenge for pain practitioners. As more research is being carried out to elucidate its pathophysiology and therapy, the innovative use of several non-traditional categories of drugs seems promising in the management of this complex phenomenon. Studies addressing predictability and possible genetic predisposition are necessary not only for preventive measures but also for targeted treatments.
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FEV1, measured using spirometry, provides a straightforward, widely available, and inexpensive global measurement of airflow limitation and lung function. For decades, FEV1 has remained the main intermediate endpoint used in research studies and for the development of new chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) therapies. Not surprisingly, treatments that acutely improve FEV1 dominate as COPD therapies. ⋯ In individual patients and in COPD cohort studies, thoracic imaging using X-ray computed tomography, and magnetic resonance imaging (conventional (1)H as well as hyperpolarized noble gases such as (129)Xe, (3)He, and inhaled O2 and (19)F) can be used to directly visualize the structural and functional consequences of COPD and thus provide a clearer picture of COPD mechanisms, disease progression, and response to therapy. We briefly describe pulmonary imaging methods that provide a way to visualize and quantify, with high spatial and temporal resolution, regional ventilation abnormalities, gas trapping, emphysema, and airway remodeling in COPD. Finally, we discuss the implications of recent imaging findings and their impact on future biomarker and therapy research aimed at improving COPD outcomes.
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The advent of techniques such as microarrays and high-throughput sequencing has revolutionized our ability to examine messenger RNA (mRNA) expression within the respiratory system. Importantly, these approaches have also uncovered the widespread expression of "noncoding RNAs," including microRNAs and long noncoding RNAs, which impact biologic responses through the regulation of mRNA transcription and/or translation. To date, most studies of the role of noncoding RNAs have focused on microRNAs, which regulate mRNA translation via the RNA interference pathway. ⋯ Because these investigations into long noncoding RNAs were performed almost exclusively in non-small cell lung cancer, future work will need to extend these into other respiratory diseases and to analyze how microRNAs and long noncoding RNAs interact to regulate mRNA expression. From a clinical perspective, the targeting of noncoding RNAs as a novel therapeutic approach will require a deeper understanding of their function and mechanism of action. However, in the short term, changes in miRNA and long noncoding RNA expression are likely to be of use as biomarkers for disease stratification and/or assessment of drug action.
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Review
A review of echocardiography in anaesthetic and peri-operative practice. Part 1: impact and utility.
Echocardiography is migrating rapidly across speciality boundaries and clinical demand is expanding. Echocardiography shows promise for evolving applications in the peri-operative assessment and therapeutic management of patients undergoing non-cardiac surgery, whether it be elective or emergency. ⋯ The discussion around more widespread incorporation of cardiac ultrasound into anaesthetic practice must take into account competency, training and governance. Failure to do so adequately may mean that the use of echocardiography is poorly applied and costly.
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Exposure to the undersea environment has unique effects on normal physiology and can result in unique disorders that require an understanding of the effects of pressure and inert gas supersaturation on organ function and knowledge of the appropriate therapies, which can include recompression in a hyperbaric chamber. The effects of Boyle's law result in changes in volume of gas-containing spaces when exposed to the increased pressure underwater. These effects can cause middle ear and sinus injury and lung barotrauma due to lung overexpansion during ascent from depth. ⋯ Usual therapy is recompression in a hyperbaric chamber following well-established protocols. Many recreational diving candidates seek medical clearance for diving, and healthcare providers must be knowledgeable of the environmental exposure and its effects on physiologic function to properly assess individuals for fitness to dive. This review provides a basis for understanding the diving environment and its accompanying disorders and provides a basis for assessment of fitness for diving.