Decline in coral cover and flattening of the reefs around Mauritius (1998-2010).

Coral reefs are degrading through the impacts of multiple anthropogenic stressors. How are coral reef communities going to change and how to protect them for future generations are important conservation questions. Using coral reef data from Mauritius, we examined changes in cover in 23 benthic groups for a 13-yr period and at 15 sites.

Intravenous corticosteroid therapy for bilateral parsonage-turner syndrome: a case report and review of the literature.

Objective: Parsonage-Turner syndrome (PTS) is a distinct clinical disorder characterized by pain, sensory loss, and impaired mobility of the upper extremities and, less commonly, the lower extremities. Manifestations vary from minor to fairly extensive involvement of the brachial and/or lumbosacral plexus. No evidence-based treatment protocol exists, with only anecdotal support of varied palliative efforts.

Endocrine effects of chronic opioid therapy: implications for clinical management.

SUMMARY Over the past few decades, the use of opioids in the management of chronic pain conditions has greatly increased. As opioid utilization has expanded, so has the recognition of associated hormonal derangements. These hormonal disturbances involve disruption, predominantly of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis, and can affect both men and women treated with opioids.

Opioid-induced androgen deficiency (OPIAD).

Opioid therapy is one of the most effective forms of analgesia currently in use. In the past few decades, the use of opioids as a long-term treatment for chronic pain has increased dramatically. Accompanying this upsurge in the use of long-term opioid therapy has been an increase in the occurrence of opioid associated endocrinopathy, most commonly manifested as an androgen deficiency and therefore referred to as opioid associated androgen deficiency (OPIAD).

Non-analgesic effects of opioids: opioids and the endocrine system.

Opioids are among the oldest known and most widely used analgesics. The application of opioids has expanded over the last few decades, especially in the treatment of chronic non-malignant pain. This upsurge in opioid use has been accompanied by the increasingly recognized occurrence of opioid-associated endocrinopathy.

The endocrine effects of long-term oral opioid therapy: a case report and review of the literature.

The negative effects of long-term opioid administration on the body's endocrine system have been known for decades. These effects have been observed and studied with the use of intrathecal opioids and in heroin addicts. However, they have also been noted to occur with the use of oral opioids, especially in those patients who require chronic opioids for the management of nonmalignant and cancer-associated pain.