A phase II, multicenter, open-label study of obatoclax mesylate in patients with previously untreated myelodysplastic syndromes with anemia or thrombocytopenia.

Background: Obatoclax mesylate is a small-molecule Bcl-2 homology domain-3 mimetic that neutralizes antiapoptotic Bcl-2-related proteins. We evaluated obatoclax in untreated MDS patients with anemia/thrombocytopenia.

Patients And Methods: Twenty-four patients with a bone marrow blast count of ≤ 10% and anemia (hemoglobin level < 10 g/dL) or thrombocytopenia (platelet count < 50 × 10(9)/L) were eligible to receive intravenous obatoclax 60 mg over 24 hours every 2 weeks.

Sedation and chemical relaxation in critical pulmonary illness: suggestions for patient assessment and drug monitoring.

Anxiety, fear, and pain are common occurrences for patients with acute respiratory failure. These symptoms may influence patients' ability to tolerate mechanical ventilation because of the development of asynchronous breathing patterns. The administration of sedatives and neuromuscular blocking agents may be necessary to facilitate ventilation and enhance oxygenation.

Evaluation and revision of a vasopressin/nitroglycerin protocol for use in variceal bleeding.

Background: Continuous infusion of IV vasopressin have been widely used to lower portal pressure and reduce bleeding from esophageal varices. Recently, the combination of vasopressin and nitroglycerin has been noted to be superior to vasopressin alone. This is due to the ability of nitroglycerin to reduce the detrimental effects of vasopressin while preserving its beneficial effects.