I am a
Home I AM A Search Login

Rejected

Share this

Comparative Study of 0.2% Glyceryl Trinitrate Ointment for Pain Reduction after Hemorrhoidectomy Surgery.

 Hemorrhoid is one of the most common diseases in both, men and women, affecting half of the world's population over the age of 50.  The aim of this study was to evaluate the analgesic effects of local ointment of glyceryl trinitrate ointment (GTN) after hemorrhoidectomy.  In this randomized double-blind, placebo-controlled study, the patients were grouped as the treatment, that is GTN, and placebo (P) group. After surgery, 0.2% gelatin GTN ointment (250 mg), and P ointment (  = 20 for each group) were applied topically on 1 cm on the anus using a standard ruler, three times a week in respective groups. visual analog scale was used to assess the intensity of the pain and complications of the drugs were observed at 6, 12, 18, and 24 hours.  Data and questionnaires were analyzed statistically using SPSS17 software and results were recorded in the tabular form.  Six hours after the application of the ointment, no significant difference was found among the groups, however, after 12, 18, and 24 hours significant reduction in pain was seen in GTN group, which was least after 18 hours. The mean values of the total pain score in the first 24 hours after surgery in the GTN group were 3.15 and 5.45 in the P group which were statistically significant. Nonetheless, headache was significantly increased in the GTN group.  Simple and safe topical GTN ointment can reduce the pain after hemorrhoidectomy, leading to the reduced need of other analgesics.

Learn More >

Utilization and outcomes of neuromuscular electric stimulation in patients with knee osteoarthritis: a retrospective analysis.

Knee osteoarthritis (OA) is a chronic debilitating condition that is estimated to affect approximately 12% of the current adult population in the United States, and is associated with severe pain and disability. Among these patients, quadriceps muscle atrophy and concomitant weakness are frequent findings that contribute significantly to the burden of this disease. One emerging method of quadriceps muscle strengthening and rehabilitation in knee OA patients is the use of neuromuscular electrical stimulation therapy (NMES). Among the currently available systems for NMES therapy are the mobile health (mHealth) platforms allowing clinicians to monitor patient compliance and utilization trends in addition to capturing certain clinical outcome points. The aim of this study was to analyze data collected by a commercially available mobile-app controlled NMES platform and to examine: (I) utilization trends, (II) range-of-motion (ROM) changes, (III) pain scores, and (IV) patient reported outcome scores in patients who used this device as part of management of their knee OA.

Learn More >

Posterior Scleritis.

The patient is a 19-year-old female who presented with 3 weeks of right eye pain, eyelid swelling, blurry vision, and headache. Visual acuity was counting fingers at 1 foot. Intraocular pressure was normal, and there was diffuse scleral injection on anterior examination. She had a mild anterior chamber reaction with 15 cells/high-powered field and a mild vitreous inflammatory reaction. Fundus examination revealed diffuse choroidal thickening with multilobulated serous retinal detachments worse inferiorly (Figures 1 and 2). Fluorescein angiography demonstrated severe optic disc leakage. Ultrasonography demonstrated diffuse choroidal thickening, a serous retinal detachment, and a prominent "T-sign" (Figure 3). The patient was diagnosed with posterior scleritis and treated with 80 mg of oral prednisone. [Ophthalmic Surg Lasers Imaging Retina. 2019;50:660.].

Learn More >

Is Opioid-Free General Anesthesia More Superior for Postoperative Pain Versus Opioid General Anesthesia in Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy?

Opioid-free anesthesia (OFA) is a new anesthesiological technique, where the giving of opioids (fentanyl) is avoided in the intra- and post-operative period. This leads to reduction in the opioid-related side effects and lower pain scores in the postoperative period.

Learn More >

Acute neurological adverse events during immune checkpoint inhibition therapy in patients with melanoma brain metastases.

The common adverse effects of immune checkpoint blockade therapy are well recognised. However, neurological adverse effects of checkpoint inhibitor therapy are less widely appreciated, and their clinical management remains challenging. Therefore, we report our experience of managing acute, life-threatening neurological toxicity during immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy. Five male patients with stage IV melanoma underwent anti-programmed cell death protein 1 therapy (monotherapy or combination therapy with anti-cytotoxic T-lymphocyte antigen-4 antibodies) and developed severe neurological symptoms and signs including headache, hemiparesis and dysarthria. The initial diagnosis of brain metastases actually occurred after initiation of checkpoint inhibitor therapy in three of the patients, whereas two patients had pre-existing central nervous metastases and developed cerebral oedema and haemorrhage during immunotherapy. A rapidly fatal outcome occurred in two patients treated with immunotherapy following the development of BRAF-inhibitor and MEK-inhibitor resistance. Four of the patients died owing to neurological complications, and one achieved a complete cerebral response. Immunotherapy and tumour progression can both result in the development of neurological symptoms and signs, making it difficult to determine causality. However, the temporal relationship between the development of neurological symptoms and the first administration of therapy means that patients should be closely monitored for the development of neurological sequelae, which may even herald the presence of occult brain metastases. The decision on whether to continue immunotherapy must balance the risks of symptom – versus disease progression. However, in our case series, it is encouraging to note that the initial acute neurological symptoms were often transient. Nevertheless, pretherapeutic brain imaging to exclude occult brain metastases and stratify the risk of intracerebral oedema and haemorrhage should be considered.

Learn More >

Sulfamates in drug design and discovery: Pre-clinical and clinical investigations.

In the present article, we reviewed the sulfamate-containing compounds reported as bioactive molecules. The possible molecular targets of sulfamate derivatives include steroid sulfatase enzyme, carbonic anhydrases, acyl transferase, and others. Sulfamate derivatives can help treat hormone-dependent tumors including breast, prostate, and endometrial cancers, Binge eating disorder, migraine, glaucoma, weight loss, and epilepsy. Sulfamate derivatives can act also as calcium sensing receptor agonists and can aid in osteoporosis. Furthermore, acyl sulfamate derivatives can act as antibacterial agents against Gram-positive bacteria. A recent study revealed a new side effect of topiramate, a sulfamate-containing compound, which is sialolithiasis. The structural and biological characteristics of the reviewed compounds are presented in detail.

Learn More >

Exogenous activation of tumor necrosis factor receptor 2 promotes recovery from sensory and motor disease in a model of multiple sclerosis.

Tumor necrosis factor receptor 2 (TNFR2) is a transmembrane receptor that promotes immune modulation and tissue regeneration and is recognized as a potential therapeutic target for multiple sclerosis (MS). However, TNFR2 also contributes to T effector cell function and macrophage-TNFR2 recently was shown to promote disease development in the experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) model of MS. We here demonstrate that systemic administration of a TNFR2 agonist alleviates peripheral and central inflammation, and reduces demyelination and neurodegeneration, indicating that protective signals induced by TNFR2 exceed potential pathogenic TNFR2-dependent responses. Our behavioral data show that systemic treatment of female EAE mice with a TNFR2 agonist is therapeutic on motor symptoms and promotes long-term recovery from neuropathic pain. Mechanistically, our data indicate that TNFR2 agonist treatment follows a dual mode of action and promotes both suppression of CNS autoimmunity and remyelination. Strategies based on the concept of exogenous activation of TNFR2 therefore hold great promise as a new therapeutic approach to treat motor and sensory disease in MS as well as other inflammatory diseases or neuropathic pain conditions.

Learn More >

Reducing Length of Stay after Microsurgical Breast Reconstruction with a Standardized Postoperative Protocol.

 Despite widespread acceptance of enhanced recovery after surgery protocols in other surgical specialties, plastic surgery has been slow to adopt fast-track principles. Recently, however, studies have shown that patients undergoing microsurgical breast reconstruction may benefit from a comprehensive postoperative protocol.

Learn More >

A new OPIATE (Optimizing Positive Ibuprofen and Acetaminophen Treatment Expectations) model: A brief comment on “Concurrent and lagged associations of prescription opioid use with pain and negative affect in the daily lives of chronic pain patients” (Carp

This commentary expands upon the clinical implications arising from the Carpenter et al. (2019) negative reinforcement model of opioid use. A new model called OPIATE-which stands for Optimizing Positive Ibuprofen and Acetaminophen Treatment Expectations-is introduced. This commentary highlights possible strategies for reducing the supply and demand of opioids through enhancing expectations for alternative pain medications.

Learn More >

Pheochromocytoma: Positive predictive values of mildly elevated urinary fractionated metanephrines in a large cohort of community-dwelling patients.

The diagnostic utility of different thresholds of elevated urinary fractionated metanephrine (UFM) for pheochromocytoma-paraganglioma (PPGL) was evaluated in 10 164 community-dwelling subjects (2012-2017). Levels were ≥1.5× the upper normal limit (UNL) in 276 subjects (2.7%) and ≥2×UNL in 138 (1.4%). PPGL was subsequently diagnosed in 59 (mean age 51.9 ± 14.3, 64% female); 58 (98.3%) with UFM ≥ 2×UNL. Positive predictive values (PPV) were 42% for UFM ≥ 2×UNL, 55% for UFM ≥ 2.5×UNL, and 69% for UFM ≥ 3×UNL. The main reason for PPGL screening (52.5%) was adrenal incidentaloma. Mean (median) metanephrine/normetanephrine levels were 6.7 ± 9×UNL (3 × UNL) and 6.1 ± 8.9×UNL (2.5 × UNL). Six patients (10.2%) had an extra-adrenal tumor (one malignant paraganglioma); one had bilateral pheochromocytoma. Only one patient presented with the "classic triad" (headache, palpitations, sweating). In conclusion, after excluding obvious reasons for false-positive results, thorough diagnostic assessment for PPGL is justified in all subjects with UFM ≥ ×2UNL. The PPV of milder UFM elevations is very low.

Learn More >

Search