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News Sequential Treatment of Schizophrenia – Interactive Case Study
Sequential treatment of schizophrenia helps psychiatrists clarify the stage of the patient's treatment and how to further guide pharmacotherapy. The following case study illustrates the possibilities for reducing negative and cognitive symptoms of schizophrenia while adhering to a metabolically sparing treatment approach.
News Criteria for Progression in Fibrotic Non-IPF Interstitial Lung Disease
Fibrotic interstitial lung disease (fILD) is a challenging condition to manage with limited therapeutic options and a poor prognosis. The currently published review analyzes the criteria for its progression defining the presence of progressive pulmonary fibrosis (PPF), describes their relative prevalence, and prognostic significance.
News Memantine in Dementia Therapy – Current Findings and Possible Future Applications
Memantine is an inhibitor of NMDA receptors, which are pathologically activated by excessive concentrations of glutamate in the synaptic cleft in Alzheimer's disease. It is indicated in the treatment of moderate to severe cases of Alzheimer's disease, often in combination with acetylcholinesterase inhibitors. At the experimental level, its administration shows a number of promising effects, including an impact on diabetes associated with the development of neurodegenerative diseases.
News How does Benzalkonium Chloride and Prostaglandins Affect Meibomian Gland Epithelial Cells?
Benzalkonium chloride is commonly used in eye drops intended for glaucoma treatment due to its preservative effect. However, in recent years, it has been shown to cause damage to both superficial and deeper eye tissues and also provoke other difficulties. The study presented below examined its effect on the epithelium of the Meibomian glands.
News The main advantage of sartans is a very good safety profile. Now it is about increasing adherence in hypertensive patients
The rules for initiating hypertension treatment have been simplified. The trend is to achieve blood pressure control as early as possible, making it unnecessary to wait for a longer period for the effect of non-pharmacological measures. One of the 4 main classes of antihypertensives is AT1 receptor blockers for angiotensin II – sartans, which bring several advantages. These include a low incidence of side effects, a good antihypertensive effect, or the possibility of use in fixed combinations. We will take a closer look at the current position of sartans in the treatment of hypertension with Assoc. Prof. Ondřej Petrák, MD, PhD, from the Center for Research, Diagnosis, and Treatment of Hypertension at the 3rd Internal Clinic - Clinic of Endocrinology and Metabolism at the 1st Faculty of Medicine, Charles University in Prague, and General University Hospital in Prague.
News Prof. Miloš Broďák: Introduction of new drugs has significantly improved results even in progressive and recurrent prostate cancers
The prognosis and treatment outcomes for patients with various stages of prostate cancer have significantly improved over the past two decades thanks to a number of new or improved modalities of diagnosis and therapy. We should soon benefit from newly introduced screening, or early detection programs, for these tumors. We briefly speak with Prof. MUDr. Miloš Broďák, Ph.D., head of the Urology Clinic of the Medical Faculty of Charles University and University Hospital Hradec Králové, about the latest advancements and challenges in this field, and comprehensively summarize the current options and procedures available today.
News New Recommendations for Intravenous Thrombolysis in the Treatment of Acute Ischemic Stroke – ESO Guidelines 2021
Intravenous thrombolysis is the only approved systemic reperfusion therapy for patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS). The most commonly used thrombolytic is alteplase. Earlier this year, the European Stroke Organisation (ESO) issued new evidence-based recommendations for this clinical situation. They contain 40 points, summarized below are the most important ones.
News When to Suspect Dravet Syndrome?
In 2022, an international consensus panel of experts on the diagnosis and treatment of Dravet syndrome was published. This was created due to the recently approved specific treatments for this disease and the development of disease-modifying therapies. The goal of the consensus is to improve diagnosis, set therapeutic goals, and optimal treatment procedures. We summarize the symptoms of the disease and situations in which genetic testing of the causal mutation is appropriate.
News Angiodysplasia as a Serious Problem in Patients with von Willebrand Disease − Case Study
Bleeding into the gastrointestinal tract can become a very significant cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with von Willebrand disease (vWD). It has been described that gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding associated with angiodysplasia is more common in individuals with vWD compared to other causes. Evidence suggests that von Willebrand factor (vWF) is associated with the regulation of angiogenesis, and its deficiency increases the risk of angiodysplasia. It is also known that this type of bleeding is difficult to treat because it is associated with recurrences. The following case study also very well illustrates and summarizes this issue.
News Micronized Diosmin and Flavonoid Fraction – What Do They Have in Common?
Micronized diosmin and micronized purified flavonoid fraction are medications from the flavonoid group that are used as venopharmaceuticals/venoprotectives in the treatment of chronic venous insufficiency and hemorrhoidal disease. Both have many common properties, which we discuss in the following text. Their differences will be covered in a follow-up article on this topic.
News Causes, Consequences, and Solutions to Weight Gain in Schizophrenia Treatment
The use of antipsychotics in the treatment of schizophrenia is often associated with the development of overweight and obesity, which poses a risk for the onset of many diseases and increases morbidity and mortality in these patients. Concern about weight gain is also a common reason for non-adherence to antipsychotic treatment. The cause of weight gain may also lie in the symptoms of the disease itself. We, therefore, provide a summary of the causes, consequences, and possible solutions to this undesirable impact of schizophrenia and its treatment.
News Epilepsy with Generalized Tonic-Clonic Seizures in an Adolescent Patient – A Case Study
This is the story of Anička, a 16-year-old girl who has been treated for epilepsy since she was 14. Her condition is accompanied by generalized tonic-clonic seizures, which may need to be managed acutely with rescue medication, either at home or at school. Instead of the previously used rectally administered diazepam, a new, safer and more comfortable option for rescue medication is now available: buccally administered midazolam. This modality may also help alleviate anxiety and other psychological impacts related to the condition, as illustrated by our case study.
News MUDr. Tomáš Mašek: In the prevention of hemorrhoids, more use of venopharmaceuticals is needed
While in the past the diagnosis of hemorrhoids was inextricably linked to traditional surgical solutions, today - thanks to the expansion of the indication for venopharmaceuticals for this condition - the number of patients who have to undergo these procedures is a minority. We asked coloproctologist MUDr. Tomáš Mašek how the potential of venopharmaceuticals can be utilized in the prevention and treatment of hemorrhoid disease.
News Metamizole in Pain Therapy in the General Practitioner and Pediatric Office
Metamizole is a pyrazole analgesic-antipyretic with spasmolytic effects, indicated for the treatment of post-traumatic or postoperative pain, visceral colic, cancer pain, and high fever unresponsive to other treatments. The advantage of this drug is its good tolerance without serious adverse effects on the gastrointestinal system, no impact on platelet aggregation, and usability in adults and children of all ages.
News How many heart failure patients do not take adequate doses of beta-blockers even though they could?
A British study published last year investigated the proportion of heart failure patients with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) who do not take an adequate dose of beta-blockers (BB), despite having no contraindications to their use. The authors analyzed the mortality of these patients over 7.6 years and looked for factors associated with the prescription of suboptimal BB doses.
News Memantine and Donepezil – Unity is Strength
Memantine and donepezil are both used in the therapy of Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, how does the combination of these drugs fare in the treatment of moderate to severe AD?
News MUDr. Libor Dvořáček: Microinvasiveness of surgery involves not only the method but also targeted solutions to varicose vein sources
Varicose veins, or chronic venous insufficiency of the lower extremities, are primarily a health issue, not purely a cosmetic one. This is because they are associated with the risk of complications that necessitate long-term therapy and complex treatment of these issues. As MUDr. Libor Dvořáček, the head physician of the Vasmedic Clinic, mentions in our brief interview on this topic, the approach of health insurance companies and the Ministry of Health has fortunately been changing in favor of day surgery – that is, microinvasive and much gentler surgery.
News Effect of Initiation of Warfarin Therapy on the Risk of Ischemic Stroke
Anticoagulant therapy is essential in patients with atrial fibrillation for the prevention of thromboembolic events. Warfarin is a highly effective anticoagulant, but the introduction of new oral anticoagulants (NOACs) has offered certain advantages over it. Shortly after starting warfarin therapy, patients have repeatedly been shown to have a paradoxically increased risk of developing ischemic stroke. The aim of the study presented below was to determine whether this increase in risk is associated with the initiation of anticoagulant therapy.