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News What Did 3 Years of Data from the Czech National COPD Database Reveal?
In December of last year, the Czech multicenter research database on COPD was completed. This was an extensive 5-year project in which researchers included 784 patients with significant chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (FEV1 ≤ 60%) from 14 centers. This represents approximately 1% of the total number of patients with this diagnosis in the Czech Republic, making the study sample fairly representative for obtaining data on treatment in Czech real practice. Three-year data are currently available. What have they shown so far? This was summarized during this year's Hradec Pulmonology Days by Dr. Jaromír Zatloukal, Ph.D., from the Clinic of Pulmonary Diseases and TB at the Faculty of Medicine, Palacký University and University Hospital Olomouc.
News Diabetic Foot Syndrome: An Unpleasant Scare for Diabetics and Their Attending Doctors
Diabetic foot syndrome is a very serious complication of diabetes mellitus (DM). It often leads to destructive tissue damage distal to the ankle. Due to the complex therapy, it is advisable to focus on thorough and meticulous prevention of this complication.
News Treatment of COPD in Individuals with Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency
A mutation in the gene for alpha-1 antitrypsin (AAT), leading to its deficiency (AATD), causes progressive irreversible destruction of lung tissue. Patients develop chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and early emphysema. Several studies evaluating COPD treatment have excluded patients with AATD. The aim of the following systematic literature review was to find and analyze works that include patients with concurrent COPD and AATD and summarize key findings that may form the basis for treatment decisions.
News How to Maintain Hygiene for Incontinent Patients Without Using Water?
Urinary incontinence brings numerous health risks. Due to frequent continuous contact of aggressive urine with the skin, a significant number of patients develop skin complications such as eczema, rashes, or even pressure sores. Maximum care should therefore be devoted to the hygiene of intimate areas in all incontinent patients.
News Effectiveness of Compression Therapy in Patients with Leg Ulcers
Up to 2% of the population suffers from leg ulcers. The standard treatment for ulcers of venous etiology is compression. The following French study, whose results were recently published in the International Journal of Angiology, examined its effectiveness and safety in patients with mixed (arteriovenous) etiology ulcers.
News Memantine, Acetylcholinesterase Inhibitors, and Their Combination in the Treatment of Alzheimer's Disease − Findings from Meta-Analyses
Is memantine, an acetylcholinesterase inhibitor (donepezil), or their combination more advantageous in the therapy of Alzheimer's disease? Two meta-analyses tried to answer this question, and we summarize their conclusions in the following article.
News How to Most Effectively Delay Skeletal Events in Patients with Bone Metastases from Solid Tumors?
In a randomized Phase III study, the effectiveness of denosumab and zoledronic acid in preventing skeletal events in patients with multiple myeloma or solid tumors (excluding breast and prostate cancer) and bone metastases was evaluated. An ad hoc analysis of this study then involved only a subgroup of patients with solid tumors.
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 Efficacy and Safety of the Combination of Telmisartan and Amlodipine with Hydrochlorothiazide in the Treatment of Hypertension
The aim of the study by Korean authors was to evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of the triple combination of telmisartan/amlodipine + hydrochlorothiazide (TAH) compared to the combination of telmisartan/amlodipine (TA) alone in patients with essential hypertension who did not respond sufficiently to a 4-week treatment with TA.
News Benefit of Short-term Androgen-deprivation Therapy Added to Radiotherapy of Localized Prostate Cancer for Long-term Survival
Androgen-deprivation therapy is associated with several adverse effects that also affect quality of life or increase the risks of serious age-related health problems. An extensive study focused on the benefits of short-term administration of androgen-deprivation therapy as an adjunct to radiotherapy in patients with prostate cancer and monitored its long-term impact on survival and the rate of late treatment toxicity.
News Minimum and Optimal Factor Levels in Physically Active Hemophiliacs
Authors of a recently published study attempted to determine the value of minimum and optimal levels of coagulation factors in patients with severe hemophilia who engage in physical activities.
Journal articles Fertility preserving methods in women with breast cancer before gonadotoxic therapy
News Compression therapy in combination with surgical intervention in the treatment of venous leg ulcers and prevention of their recurrence
Compression therapy represents an important part of the treatment of venous leg ulcers; it also plays a role in preventing possible recurrences. The 4-year British ESCHAR study evaluated the impact of combining compression therapy with surgical correction of reflux in the superficial venous system on the healing and potential recurrence of venous leg ulcers compared to compression therapy alone.
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 Hemorrhoidal Disease – A Civilization Illness Responsible for Perianal Discomfort
According to estimates, almost every second Czech will experience at least one attack of hemorrhoidal disease. Symptomatic hemorrhoids are found in about 5% of the population. Prevalence depends to some extent on lifestyle and dietary habits.
News Overlap of SGLT2 Inhibitors from Diabetology to Cardiology
As recent research shows, one of the modern groups of antidiabetic drugs - SGLT2 inhibitors, also known as gliflozins - brings benefits not only in diabetology but also in cardiology and nephrology. It has been confirmed that representatives of this class of drugs prolong patients' lives, reduce the incidence of major cardiovascular (CV) events and the risk of heart failure (HF), and improve renal function. A recently published study additionally indicates that the CV benefit of empagliflozin is independent of the number of compensated CV risk factors and manifests within the first 3 months of treatment.
News Composition of the Intestinal Microbiota of Patients with IBS May Predetermine the Success of a Diet with Low Fermentable Carbohydrates
Some patients with irritable bowel syndrome may benefit from a diet low in fermentable carbohydrates, but the mechanism of this intervention is not yet satisfactorily explained. A study published in Gut focused on the relationship between the composition of the intestinal microbiota and clinical response to dietary intervention.
News Is there a link between Parvovirus B19 infection and autoimmune thyroid diseases?
Autoimmune thyroid diseases are among the most common autoimmune disorders, with a worldwide prevalence of around 10%. The study presented below, recently published in the International Journal of Endocrinology and Metabolism, examined the connection between Parvovirus B19 infection (the cause of erythema infectiosum in children) and these diseases.
News Overview of Regimen Measures for House Dust Mite Allergy
House dust mite allergy is one of the significant causes of respiratory allergies in both children and adult patients. In addition to pharmacological treatment, the cornerstone of therapy also includes non-pharmacological approaches, whether through regimen measures or with the help of products designed to eliminate mites.
News When to Consider Gaucher Disease and How to Diagnose It Early and Correctly
Considering Gaucher disease (GD) as a cause of a patient's problems, especially in the case of splenomegaly and bleeding manifestations, is very important, regardless of age. Screening using the dry blood spot method is available and very simple.