Search results for "Chronic"
showing 10 items of 3309 documents
Chronic sacral spinal nerve stimulation for fecal incontinence: long-term results with foramen and cuff electrodes.
2002
PURPOSE: Sacral spinal nerve stimulation is a new therapeutic approach for patients with severe fecal incontinence owing to functional deficits of the external anal sphincter. It aims to use the morphologically intact anatomy to recruit residual function. This study evaluates the long-term results of the first patients treated with this novel approach applying two techniques of sacral spinal nerve stimulator implantation. METHODS: Six patients underwent either of two techniques for electrode placement: one “closed” (electrodes placed through the sacral foramen) and one “open” (cuff electrodes placed after sacral laminectomy). Follow-up evaluation of their continence status ranged from 5 to …
Predicting Early and Sustained Virological Responses in Prior Nonresponders to Pegylated Interferon alpha-2b Plus Ribavirin Retreated With Peginterfe…
2013
GOALS: To evaluate the predictive value of complete early virological response (cEVR) on sustained virological response (SVR) following retreatment with peginterferon alpha-2a (40 kDa) plus ribavirin in previous nonresponders to peginterferon alpha-2b (12 kDa). BACKGROUND: In the randomized multinational retreatment with Pegasys in patients not responding to PegIntron therapy study, a 72-week regimen of peginterferon alpha-2a (40 kDa) plus ribavirin improved SVR rates over a standard 48-week regimen in previous nonresponders to peginterferon alpha-2b (12 kDa). cEVR, defined as hepatitis C virus RNA <50 IU/mL at treatment week 12, was an important predictor of SVR. STUDY: We conducted an exp…
Strength training and stretching versus stretching only in the treatment of patients with chronic neck pain: a randomized one-year follow-up study
2008
Objective: To compare the effectiveness of a 12-month home-based combined strength training and stretching programme against stretching alone in the treatment of chronic neck pain. Design: A randomized follow-up study. Participants: One hundred and one patients with chronic non-specific neck pain were randomized in two groups. Intervention: The strength training and stretching group was supported by 10 group training sessions and the stretching group was instructed to perform stretching exercises only as instructed in one group session. Main outcome measurements: Neck pain, disability, neck muscle strength and mobility of cervical spine were measured before and after the intervention. Resu…
Defer or treat? Reasons for treatment decisions in patients with chronic hepatitis C genotype 1 in the early era of directly acting antiviral agents
2013
Abstract Background In chronic genotype 1 hepatitis C, telaprevir or boceprevir plus peginterferon and ribavirin have become the new standard of care. Aim of this study was to identify factors contributing to the decision whether to defer or treat with the current triple regimens. Methods Prospective assessment of eight parameters on 0-4-point scales by the attending physician at a German tertiary referral centre between 1st September 2011 and 31st December 2012. Results 307 patients were evaluated at least once by one of the 11 hepatologists involved; 267 patients were considered, but only 163 were recommended to receive triple therapy. Multivariate regression analysis revealed that a high…
Effects of long-term home-based exercise on health-related quality of life in patients with chronic neck pain: A randomized study with a 1-year follo…
2012
To evaluate whether long-term neck and upper body exercises conducted in economical community-based outpatient clinic and home-based settings could improve health-related quality of life (HRQoL)for individuals affected by chronic neck pain. The effect of baseline HRQoL and neck pain values on training adherence was also studied.Subjects (n = 101, 91 women/10 men, mean age 41.0 ± 9.5 years) with chronic non-specific neck pain were randomized to a combined strength-training and stretching-exercise group (CSSG, n = 49) or to a stretching exercise group (SG, n = 52). HRQoL was assessed at baseline and after 12 months using the RAND-36 questionnaire. Comparisons between groups were performed usi…
Chronic graft-versus-host disease: long-term results from a randomized trial on graft-versus-host disease prophylaxis with or without anti-T-cell glo…
2011
Abstract Previous randomized graft-versus-host disease (GVHD)-prophylaxis trials have failed to demonstrate reduced incidence and severity of chronic GVHD (cGVHD). Here we reanalyzed and updated a randomized phase 3 trial comparing standard GVHD prophylaxis with or without pretransplantation ATG-Fresenius (ATG-F) in 201 adult patients receiving myeloablative conditioning before transplantation from unrelated donors. The cumulative incidence of extensive cGVHD after 3 years was 12.2% in the ATG-F group versus 45.0% in the control group (P < .0001). The 3-year cumulative incidence of relapse and of nonrelapse mortality was 32.6% and 19.4% in the ATG-F group and 28.2% and 33.5% in the contr…
Urinary metabolites of histamine and leukotrienes before and after placebo-controlled challenge with ASA and food additives in chronic urticaria pati…
2002
Background: The recovery of mediator metabolites from urine has the potential to provide a rapid, safe, and easily available index of release of mediators. We aimed to determine urinary metabolites of both histamine and leukotrienes (LTs) in patients affected by chronic urticaria (CU). Methods: Twenty patients with CU were studied. They were selected on the basis of double-blind placebo-controlled challenge (DBPC) with acetyl salicylic acid (ASA) and food additives. Ten patients (group B) were negative to both challenges. Ten patients (group C) presented urticaria and/or the appearance of angioedema during or 24 h after challenge, with reactions to ASA (five patients) or food additives (fiv…
Influence of somatosensory input on motor function in patients with chronic stroke.
2004
In healthy volunteers, reduction of somatosensory input from one hand leads to rapid performance improvements in the other hand. Thus, it is possible that reduction of somatosensory input from the healthy hand can influence motor function in the paretic hand of chronic stroke patients with unilateral hand weakness. To test this hypothesis, we had 13 chronic stroke patients perform motor tasks with the paretic hand and arm during cutaneous anesthesia of the healthy hand and healthy foot in separate sessions. Performance of a finger tapping task, but not a wrist flexion task, improved significantly with anesthesia of the hand, but not the foot. This effect progressed with the duration of anes…
Changes in plasma lecithin: cholesterol acyltransferase activity, HDL2, HDL3 amounts and compositions in patients with chronic renal failure after di…
2002
The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of hemodialysis duration on HDL(2) and HDL(3) compositions and lecithin:cholesterol acyltransferase (LCAT) activity in 58 patients on acetate hemodialysis using cuprophane membrane, after different periods of dialysis. Patients were divided into three groups-GI1 year, GII 1-5 years, GIII 5-13 years of dialysis and were compared with 22 controls. Increase by 34% of triacylglycerols (TG) was noted in GI and by 36% in GII versus GI. Hypertriglyceridemia was correlated with hemodialysis duration (HD) (r=0.75, P0.05). The LCAT activity decrease by 25% was noted in GII versus GI (P0.05) and by 45% in GIII versus GI (P0.01), this activity was neg…
Relationship of transforming growth factor-beta(1) with tumour necrosis factor-alpha and endothelial activation in patients with stable renal transpl…
2008
SUMMARY: Aim: To evaluate whether or not transforming growth factor-beta1 is related to inflammation markers and to intercellular and vascular cell adhesion molecules in patients with stable renal transplantation. Methods: Serum concentrations of transforming growth factor-beta1, tumour necrosis factor-alpha, C-reactive protein and adhesion molecules were analysed in 33 renal transplanted patients, 33 patients with chronic renal insufficiency (matched to the transplanted group for level of renal function), and 33 hypertensives with normal renal function. anova, Student's t-test and simple regression analysis were used to analyse the data. Results: Transplanted patients showed higher valu…