Search results for "AGENTS"

Treatment options for leishmaniasis.

2021

Leishmaniasis is broadly classified into three types: cutaneous, mucocutaneous and visceral. The visceral form is most dangerous and can result in death. Although leishmaniasis is an ancient disease, its treatment is still challenging. Several drugs, differing in their cost, toxicity, treatment duration and emergence of drug resistance, are used for different types of leishmaniasis. To overcome these limitations, the search for newer drugs and other treatments continues. In this article, we discuss conventional drugs, other treatments, including newer options such as immunotherapy and immunochemotherapy, and future prospects for leishmaniasis treatment.

Treatment of pulmonary hypertension in patients undergoing cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass: a randomized, prospective, double-blind study

2006

Pulmonary hypertension can already be present in patients undergoing cardiac surgery or can be exacerbated by cardiopulmonary bypass. Postoperative treatment is still a challenge for physicians. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of inhaled prostacyclin (iPGI2) and nitric oxide (iNO) compared with those of intravenous vasodilators.This prospective, randomized, double-blind study included 58 patients affected by severe mitral valve stenosis and pulmonary hypertension with high pulmonary vascular resistance (250 dynes x s x cm(-5)) and a mean pulmonary artery pressure25 mmHg. All patients were monitored by central venous, radial arterial and Swan-Ganz catheters. Data were recor…

Inhaled nitric oxide as a rescue therapy in a preterm neonate with severe pulmonary hypertension: a case report

2018

Abstract Background Inhaled nitric oxide (iNO) has been approved for the treatment of persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn (PPHN) in term and near-term newborns. Its role in the management of persistent pulmonary hypertension in preterm infants is not clear. Although guidelines do not exist, some studies have shown that iNO could be used as a rescue therapy in preterm neonate with severe pulmonary hypertension. Case presentation We describe the case of a preterm neonate, born at 30 + 1 weeks of gestation, with hypoxic respiratory failure not responding to maximal conventional therapy. On the third day of life echocardiography showed severe pulmonary hypertension with right to le…

Chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension from the perspective of patients with pulmonary embolism

2018

Chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) is a rare but feared long-term complication of acute pulmonary embolism (PE), although CTEPH may occur in patients with no history of symptomatic venous thromboembolism. It represents the most severe presentation of the so-called 'post-PE syndrome', a phenomenon of permanent functional limitations after PE caused by deconditioning after PE or ventilatory or circulatory impairment as a result of unresolved pulmonary artery thrombi. Because the post-PE syndrome may occur in up to 50% of PE survivors, and CTEPH tends to have an insidious and non-specific clinical presentation, CTEPH is often not diagnosed or diagnosed after a very long dela…

Use of corticosteroids and immunosuppressive drugs in inflammatory bowel disease: Clinical practice guidelines of the Italian Group for the Study of …

2017

Abstract The two main forms of intestinal bowel disease, namely ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease, are not curable but can be controlled by various medical therapies. The Italian Group for the Study of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IG-IBD) has prepared clinical practice guidelines to help physicians prescribe corticosteroids and immunosuppressive drugs for these patients. The guidelines consider therapies that induce remission in patients with active disease as well as treatment regimens that maintain remission. These guidelines complement already existing guidelines from IG-IBD on the use of biological drugs in patients with inflammatory bowel diseases.

Complex regional pain syndrome: An optimistic perspective.

2014

Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) presents with clinical symptoms that can no longer be explained by the initial trauma, including pain, sensory, motor, and trophic symptoms, and impairment of autonomic control of the limb. These symptoms spread distally and go beyond single nerve innervation territories. Typically, the symptoms change through the course of CRPS as a result of the varying pathophysiology. Diagnosis is made clinically after the rigorous elimination of other possible causes, and 3-phase bone scintigraphy can be a useful tool for confirming CRPS. In acute stages, inflammatory symptoms prevail and should be treated with anti-inflammatory agents (steroids), bisphosphonates, …

Lung involvement and drug-induced lung disease in patients with rheumatoid arthritis

2013

Interstitial lung disease (ILD) is a common extra-articular manifestation of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and a significant cause of morbidity and mortality. Usual interstitial pneumonia and nonspecific interstitial pneumonia seem to be the most frequent patterns in RA patients with ILD, although the proportion of patients with usual interstitial pneumonia is higher than among patients with other systemic rheumatic autoimmune diseases. RA patients with ILD most frequently present with chronic symptoms of cough and dyspnea when climbing stairs or walking uphill. A physical examination may reveal inhalatory crackles and a pulmonary function test demonstrates restrictive physiology, often with re…

Targeted synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs in spondyloarthritis

2017

Clinical evaluation and treatment of acute asthma exacerbations in children

2009

This update on treatment of asthma exacerbations in children is the result of an Italian Pediatric Society Task-force, made up of a panel of experts working in 2007–2008. The aim is to give clear indications on the use of the drugs most employed in children, grading the quality of evidence and the strength of recommendations. Suggestions on their limits due to unlicensed and off-label use are reported. The level of evidence and the strength of recommendations for different therapeutic approaches demonstrate that frequently the use of drugs in children is extrapolated from the experience in adults and that more studies are required to endorse the correct use of different drugs in asthmatic …

The skin in autoimmune diseases-Unmet needs.

2016

Treatment of skin manifestations in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), systemic sclerosis (SSc), and dermatomyositis (DM) is based on the results of only few randomized controlled trials. The first-line treatment for disfiguring and widespread cutaneous involvement in SLE is antimalarials, but some patients are therapy resistant. Recently, the monoclonal antibody belimumab was approved for SLE as an adjunct therapy for patients with autoantibody-positive disease who despite standard therapy show high disease activity, intolerance of other treatments, or an unacceptably high need for corticosteroids. However, a validated skin score has not been used to confirm the efficacy of belimumab on m…