Relapsing polychondritis: Best Practice & Clinical Rheumatology.

Relapsing polychondritis (RP) is an uncommon inflammatory disorder that predominantly targets cartilaginous structures. The disease frequently affects the nose, ears, airways, and joints, but it can also impact organs that aren't primarily cartilage-based, such as blood vessels, skin, inner ear, and eyes. Given its infrequent occurrence and recurrent symptoms, patients often experience delays in proper diagnosis.

Successful Implementation of a Multidisciplinary Chemotherapy Efficiency Initiative at a Community Hospital.

Purpose: Long wait times at chemotherapy infusion centers adversely affect patients' perception of quality of care and result in patient dissatisfaction. We conducted a quality improvement initiative at a busy community hospital to improve infusion center efficiency and reduce patient wait time, while maintaining patient safety and avoiding chemotherapy waste.

Methods: We used a coordinated and collaborative effort between providers, infusion center nurses, and pharmacists to ensure completion of orders, review of laboratory data, and prepreparation of chemotherapy 1 day ahead of each patient's scheduled infusion center appointment.

Reduction Mammoplasty in a Developing Country: A 10-year Review (2001-2010) at the National Orthopaedic Hospital, Enugu.

Context: Large breast is a major problem because of associated symptomatology and aesthetic concerns. Reduction mammoplasty (RM) resolves the symptom and at the same time improves the aesthetic appearance of the breast, hence improving self-esteem and social integration.

Aims: To describe the pattern of RM in a hospital in the developing world and its impact on postgraduate surgical training.

Outcome of nucleoplasty in patients with radicular pain due to lumbar intervertebral disc herniation.

Background: Nucleoplasty (percutaneous lumbar disc decompression) is a minimally invasive procedure that utilizes radiofrequency energy as a treatment for symptomatic lumbar disc herniation, against open microdiscectomy, which would be the mainstay treatment modality. The literature reports a favorable outcome in up to 77% of patients at 6 months.

Aim: To evaluate the effectiveness of nucleoplasty in the management of discogenic radicular pain.

Vagal nerve stimulator: Evolving trends.

Over three decades ago, it was found that intermittent electrical stimulation from the vagus nerve produces inhibition of neural processes, which can alter brain activity and terminate seizures. This paved way for the concept of vagal nerve stimulator (VNS). We describe the evolution of the VNS and its use in different fields of medicine.