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News Current Insights into the Etiology of Community Pneumonia: Pneumococci Still Leading?
The etiology of community-acquired pneumonias has undergone certain changes since the beginning of the antibiotic era. According to current guidelines, it is still recommended to initiate empirical antibiotic therapy upon diagnosing community-acquired pneumonia. However, there are certain concerns associated with the recommendation of empirical antibiotic therapy, especially regarding the increasing occurrence of bacterial antibiotic resistance. The aim of the study presented below was to specify the most frequently isolated pathogens of community-acquired pneumonia between 1945 and 2020.
News Pain Management After Day Surgery
Effective pain control is a crucial part of recovery for patients after painful surgical procedures. In clinical practice, combined analgesia using paracetamol and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) is commonly utilized, which, however, is not suitable for up to a quarter of patients. An alternative could be metamizole. A study published in the European Journal of Anaesthesiology evaluated the non-inferiority of the combination of paracetamol/metamizole versus paracetamol/ibuprofen in pain management for patients after day surgery.
News Neuroprotective Efficacy and Safety of Vinpocetine in Patients with Acute Ischemic Stroke
A meta-analysis of 4 randomized placebo-controlled studies demonstrated the benefits of vinpocetine in patients with ischemic stroke (iCMP). Administering vinpocetine within 14 days of the onset of the stroke significantly reduced the level of disability and the proportion of those who died or were dependent on others after 1 and 3 months. The results showed benefits in several other parameters and indicated very good tolerability of this drug used to increase cerebral blood flow.
News Conditions for the Use of Mucolytics in Children Are Tightening in Europe − Which Treatment Is Preferred?
There has been a long-standing discussion among experts regarding the benefits of individual mucomodulatory drugs in the treatment of productive cough in children. According to current recommendations, erdosteine remains the preferred treatment for children. At what age can mucolytic treatment be safely recommended?
News Levodropropizine – a non-codeine antitussive with minimal side effects, contraindications, and drug interactions
For symptomatic treatment of dry, irritating, and exhausting cough, both codeine and non-codeine antitussives can be used. One of the non-codeine antitussives is levodropropizine. Its antitussive effect is comparable to centrally acting codeine antitussives, but with a significantly lower incidence of side effects. Compared to codeine, it has a much narrower range of contraindications, and no interactions with benzodiazepines or drugs used in the treatment of bronchopulmonary diseases have been observed.
News Diabetic Nephropathy and COVID-19: Fatal Connection?
People with diabetes and diabetic kidney disease exhibit higher mortality and risk of severe illness in connection with COVID-19. The worse prognosis of these patients likely has multiple reasons; in the following overview, we will focus mainly on the cellular receptor of the SARS-CoV-2 virus – angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2).
News Effect of Itopride on Esophageal Motility and Lower Esophageal Sphincter Function
Itopride is a prokinetic used in the therapy of functional non-ulcerous upper dyspeptic difficulties. The mechanism of action involves inhibition of acetylcholinesterase and antagonism at dopamine D2 receptors. A clinical study by Belgian authors from the Catholic University of Leuven evaluated whether the effect of itopride is due to its influence on esophageal motility and lower esophageal sphincter function.
News Comparison of Pharmacological Properties of Micronized Diosmin and Hesperidin in the Treatment of Chronic Venous Insufficiency and Hemorrhoids
Diosmin and hesperidin belong to the group of bioflavonoids, which currently find wide application in the treatment of chronic venous insufficiency and hemorrhoidal disease. Both flavonoids have been described to have a similar, but still not fully understood mechanism of action. Nevertheless, diosmin significantly differs from hesperidin, especially in pharmacokinetic parameters, which makes it the main carrier of the effect of venotonics.
News Diosmin and Hesperidin: What Does Pharmacokinetics Show?
Flavonoids are plant-derived compounds that have a number of beneficial pharmacological effects. Among the most well-known flavonoids, alongside rutin, are diosmin and hesperidin, which are used as venotonics and vasoprotectives in chronic venous insufficiency (CVI).
News Aloe vera Extract in the Therapy of Irritable Bowel Syndrome
The therapy options for irritable bowel syndrome are relatively limited, thus complementary and alternative treatments besides conventional therapy are applied. Many patients report that using Aloe vera extract helps reduce their disease symptoms, although there is a lack of valid evidence from clinical studies. The pilot study presented below focused on evaluating the efficacy of Aloe vera extract compared to placebo in several dozen patients with irritable bowel syndrome.