Secondary prevention in concurrent coronary artery, cerebrovascular, and chronic kidney disease: focus on pharmacological therapy.

Patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) commonly have varying degrees of coexisting cerebrovascular disease (CVD) and chronic kidney disease (CKD), and proper management is complicated partly because of a lack of unifying guidelines. The aim of this article is to review the current literature and propose the optimal treatment regimen in patients with all three disease states. Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACE-I) should be universally administered.

Beneficial hematologic effects of daily oral ascorbic acid therapy in ESRD patients with anemia and abnormal iron homeostasis: a preliminary study.

Aim: To determine the efficacy and effects of the oral administration of ascorbic acid on anemia management in ESRD patients with hyperferritinemia.

Methods: Twenty-one anemic hemodialysis patients with ferritin levels greater than 350 ng/mL had received oral daily ascorbic acid at a dose of 500 mg/day and were retrospectively studied. Hemoglobin, hematocrit, EPO dose, ferritin, and transferrin saturation were recorded at baseline and after three months of treatment.

The anti-inflammatory effect of curcumin in an experimental model of sepsis is mediated by up-regulation of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma.

Objective: Although phytochemical curcumin has been shown to possess anti-inflammatory properties, it remains unknown whether this agent has any beneficial effects in sepsis. The purpose of this study was to demonstrate whether curcumin protects septic animals and, if so, whether activation of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)-gamma, an anti-inflammatory nuclear receptor, plays any role.

Design: Prospective, controlled, and randomized animal study.

Spontaneous cholecystocutaneous fistula.

Spontaneous cholecystocutaneous fistula is rarely observed today because of the early diagnosis and management made possible by ultrasonography, broad-spectrum antibiotics, and effective surgical management of biliary tract disease. We present a case of spontaneous cholecystocutaneous fistula due to cholecystitis.