Finasteride as a model for personalized medicine

The side effects of Finasteride are currently a subject of controversy. Some studies report minor or acceptable adverse effects, which decrease after a variable period of time so that they do not necessitate terminating Finasteride administration. However, several clinical and neuro-endocrine studies show that some adverse effects persist indefinitely in the form of post-Finasteride syndrome, even after the drug cessation. This paper presents a possible explanation for these inconsistent findings. First, the study design of either informing or not informing patients prior therapy about possible adverse effects can influence the incidence and magnitude of reported adverse effects. Second, structural and information dichotomies of the brain generate four distinct neuronal networks, which are activated through specific cerebral neuromodulators and that are able to support four distinct minds within an individual body. As a conclusion, the “mind psychophysiology” and the corresponding mental impairments differ across individuals, such that not only the prediction of adverse effects should be addressed from a more individualized medical perspective, but also the therapeutic strategies could be tailored to the four distinct mental profiles described. It is a personalized approach that would be applicable to several interrelated domains of neuroscience, like psychology, psychiatry and sexuality. Finally, this perspective may represent a starting point for a more individualized understanding of mental events, perhaps even a step forward in the understanding of the mind-body problem

Occlusive stenosis – atypical presentation of right colon cancer

Colorectal cancers are one of the most frequent malignancies worldwide. Significant differences are described in relation to the location of tumors within the colon. Thus, between right and left colon cancer there are epidemiological, clinical, genetic, evolutionary and prognostic differences. Considering these premises, right and left colon cancers can be seen as distinct pathological entities. In right colon cancer the initial phases are often asymptomatic and the presence of symptoms is in relation to advanced phases and complications. We report the case of a 64-year-old man with no significant medical history who was admitted and operated as an emergency for stenotic and perforated tumor of the right colon. Operative exploration revealed distended small bowel loops and caecum up to the ascending colon where a stenosing tumor is found. The tumor extends to a small bowel loop and also exhibit a perforation. Right hemicolectomy was performed, with favorable postoperative evolution and discharge on 7th day

Cholecystectomy in cirrhotic patients – how safe is it?

Liver cirrhosis is a major health problem worldwide with a prevalence that varies greatly from one geographical area to another. Besides the risk factors common to the general population to develop gallstone disease such as advanced age, female sex or positive family history of gallstones, in patients with liver cirrhosis there are additional risk factors that contribute to the occurrence of gallstones. They are more frequent in patients with a longer duration of the disease and in Child B and C stages. Gallstones disease occurs three times more frequently in patients with liver cirrhosis than in noncirrhotic patients. Surgery is required if symptoms or complications related to the presence of gallstones occur and a thorough preoperative evaluation and optimization of patient’s condition is necessary prior to surgery. The procedure of choice in these situations is laparoscopic cholecystectomy. The technique has some particularities resulting from local anatomical changes and conversion to open technique remains low and morbidity and mortality rates are within acceptable limits

Gallstone ileus - the double challenge: case report and review of the literature

Gallstone ileus is a rare condition which occurs as an evolutive complication of biliary lithiasis. It occurs after stone migration from extrahepatic biliary tree to the digestive lumen, mostly through a biliary-enteric fistula. This condition involves repeated inflammatory relapses with the formation of local adhesions and generally requires a long evolution. The vast majority of patients with biliary ileus are third aged women who often have concomitant medical illnesses. Gallstone ileus surgery deals with the two components: bowel obstruction and biliary pole. Obstruction solving is approached as a surgical emergency and it requires an attitude adapted to the local situation. The attitude towards biliary surgery for gallstone ileus is a matter in debate. It could be one-stage surgery, elective surgery or expectancy and its choice is imposed by both local and general condition of the patient. We report the case of a middle-age woman whose first symptom of cholelithiasis was the gallstone ileus. Plain upright abdominal radiography revealed air-fluid levels with distended loops of the small bowel and pneumobilia. Laparotomy was decided and exploration revealed an impacted gallstone into the ileum and dense adhesions were found under the liver region. Enterolithotomy for gallstone removal was made. Postoperative evolution was uneventful with discharge on 7th day