Unlocking the closed door: arguments for open access hospice.

The traditional view of standard hospice (SH) care is that once begun, the doorway toward curative and other forms of nonpalliative treatment is irrevocably locked. We will argue that such a traditional view needs to be reassessed in light of new arguments and data regarding access to these avenues of treatment. We will argue that patients should be supported in their transition from SH to open access hospice (OAH).

The vascular endothelin system is not overactive in normotensive hemodialysis patients.

Background: The hemodynamic significance of elevated endothelin-1 (ET) plasma levels in hemodialysis (HD) patients is unknown. Therefore, we studied the role of ET in the regulation of vascular tone in normotensive HD patients and matched healthy controls (C).

Methods: The forearm blood flow (FBF) responses to adenosine, norepinephrine, the ET-A receptor antagonist BQ-123 (40 nmol/min), the ET-B receptor antagonist BQ-788 (1 and 50 nmol/min), and ET (5 pmol/min) were measured.

Extrafine beclomethasone dipropionate breath-actuated inhaler (400 micrograms/day) versus budesonide dry powder inhaler (800 micrograms/day) in asthma.

Hydrofluoroalkane-134a beclomethasone dipropionate extrafine aerosol breath-actuated inhaler (Qvar Autohaler; BDP-AH) provides an alternative to chlorofluorocarbon metered dose inhalers or dry powder inhalers (DPIs). The aim of this six-week, open-label study was to determine whether BDP-AH demonstrates equivalent asthma control to twice the dose of budesonide (BUD)-DPI (Pulmicort Turbuhaler). Adults with symptomatic asthma inadequately controlled on BUD-DPI 400 micrograms/day and beta-agonist were enrolled.