2,445 research outputs found
Implications of bleeding in acute coronary syndrome and percutaneous coronary intervention
The advent of potent antiplatelet and antithrombotic agents over the past decade has resulted in significant improvement in reducing ischemic events in acute coronary syndrome (ACS). However, the use of antiplatelet and antithrombotic combination therapy, often in the settings of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), has led to an increase in the risk of bleeding. In patients with non-ST elevation myocardial infarction treated with antithrombotic agents, bleeding has been reported to occur in 0.4%–10% of patients, whereas in patients undergoing PCI, periprocedural bleeding occurs in 2.2%–14% of cases. Until recently, bleeding was considered an intrinsic risk of antithrombotic therapy, and efforts to reduce bleeding have received little attention. There have been increasing data demonstrating that bleeding is associated with adverse outcomes, including myocardial infarction, stroke, and death. Therefore, it is imperative to optimize patient outcomes by adopting pharmacological and nonpharmacological strategies to minimize bleeding while maximizing treatment efficacy. In this paper, we present a review of the bleeding classifications used in large-scale clinical trials in patients with ACS and those undergoing PCI treated with antiplatelets and antithrombotic agents, adverse outcomes, particularly mortality associated with bleeding complications, and suggested predictive risk factors. Potential mechanisms of the association between bleeding and mortality and strategies to reduce bleeding complications are also discussed
2017 update on pain management in patients with chronic kidney disease
The prevalence of pain has been reported to be \u3e60–70% among patients with advanced and end-stage kidney disease. Although the underlying etiologies of pain may vary, pain per se has been linked to lower quality of life and depression. The latter is of great concern given its known association with reduced survival among patients with end-stage kidney disease.We herein discuss and update the management of pain in patients with chronic kidney disease with and without requirement for renal replacement therapy with the focus on optimizing pain control while minimizing therapy-induced complications
Antithrombotic strategies in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention for acute coronary syndrome
In patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for acute coronary syndrome (ACS), both periprocedural acute myocardial infarction and bleeding complications have been shown to be associated with early and late mortality. Current standard antithrombotic therapy after coronary stent implantation consists of lifelong aspirin and clopidogrel for a variable period depending in part on the stent type. Despite its well-established efficacy in reducing cardiac-related death, myocardial infarction, and stroke, dual antiplatelet therapy with aspirin and clopidogrel is not without shortcomings. While clopidogrel may be of little beneficial effect if administered immediately prior to PCI and may even increase major bleeding risk if coronary artery bypass grafting is anticipated, early discontinuation of the drug may result in insufficient antiplatelet coverage with thrombotic complications. Optimal and rapid inhibition of platelet activity to suppress ischemic and thrombotic events while minimizing bleeding complications is an important therapeutic goal in the management of patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention. In this article we present an overview of the literature on clinical trials evaluating the different aspects of antithrombotic therapy in patients undergoing PCI and discuss the emerging role of these agents in the contemporary era of early invasive coronary intervention. Clinical trial acronyms and their full names are provided in Table 1
BeWith: A Between-Within Method to Discover Relationships between Cancer Modules via Integrated Analysis of Mutual Exclusivity, Co-occurrence and Functional Interactions
The analysis of the mutational landscape of cancer, including mutual
exclusivity and co-occurrence of mutations, has been instrumental in studying
the disease. We hypothesized that exploring the interplay between
co-occurrence, mutual exclusivity, and functional interactions between genes
will further improve our understanding of the disease and help to uncover new
relations between cancer driving genes and pathways. To this end, we designed a
general framework, BeWith, for identifying modules with different combinations
of mutation and interaction patterns. We focused on three different settings of
the BeWith schema: (i) BeME-WithFun in which the relations between modules are
enriched with mutual exclusivity while genes within each module are
functionally related; (ii) BeME-WithCo which combines mutual exclusivity
between modules with co-occurrence within modules; and (iii) BeCo-WithMEFun
which ensures co-occurrence between modules while the within module relations
combine mutual exclusivity and functional interactions. We formulated the
BeWith framework using Integer Linear Programming (ILP), enabling us to find
optimally scoring sets of modules. Our results demonstrate the utility of
BeWith in providing novel information about mutational patterns, driver genes,
and pathways. In particular, BeME-WithFun helped identify functionally coherent
modules that might be relevant for cancer progression. In addition to finding
previously well-known drivers, the identified modules pointed to the importance
of the interaction between NCOR and NCOA3 in breast cancer. Additionally, an
application of the BeME-WithCo setting revealed that gene groups differ with
respect to their vulnerability to different mutagenic processes, and helped us
to uncover pairs of genes with potentially synergetic effects, including a
potential synergy between mutations in TP53 and metastasis related DCC gene
Developing an instrument for assessing fidelity of motivational care planning: The Aboriginal and Islander Mental health initiative adherence scale
PurposeThe aim of this study was to design and trial an Adherence Scale to measure fidelity of Motivational Care Planning (MCP) within a clinical trial. This culturally adapted therapy MCP uses a client centered holistic approach that emphasises family and culture to motivate healthy life style changes.MethodsThe Motivational Care Planning-Adherence Scale (MCP-AS) was developed through consultation with Aboriginal and Islander Mental Health Initiative (AIMhi) Indigenous and non-Indigenous trainers, and review of MCP training resources. The resultant ten-item scale incorporates a 9-Point Likert Scale with a supporting protocol manual and uses objective, behaviourally anchored criteria for each scale point. A fidelity assessor piloted the tool through analysis of four audio-recordings of MCP (conducted by Indigenous researchers within a study in remote communities in Northern Australia). File audits of the remote therapy sessions were utilised as an additional source of information. A Gold Standard Motivational Care Planning training video was also assessed using the MCP-AS.ResultsThe Motivational Care Planning-Adherence Scale contains items measuring both process and content of therapy sessions. This scale was used successfully to assess therapy through observation of audio or video-recorded sessions and review of clinical notes. Treatment fidelity measured by the MCP-AS within the pilot study indicated high fidelity ratings. Ratings were high across the three domains of rapport, motivation, and self-management with especially high ratings for positive feedback and engagement, review of stressors and goal setting.ConclusionsThe Motivational Care Planning-Adherence Scale has the potential to provide a measure of quality of delivery of Motivation Care Planning. The pilot findings suggest that despite challenges within the remote Indigenous community setting, Indigenous therapists delivered therapy that was of high fidelity. While developed as a research tool, the scale has the potential to support fidelity of delivery of Motivation Care Planning in clinical, supervision and training settings. Larger studies are needed to establish inter-rater reliability and internal and external validity
Catà leg de les molses d'Andorra
El catà leg és una recopilació de totes les dades publicades que fan referència a les molses d'Andorra. S'han revisat tots els exemplars d'herbari assequibles corresponents a les espècies publicades. Aquest treball representa l'estat actual del coneixement de la brioflora (molses) d'Andorra.The catalogue is a compilation of all the data published relating to the species of mosses collected in Andorra. All the available specimens published have been revised. This work represents the current knowledge of the Andorran bryoflora (mosses)
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