Office based therapies for complex lower extremity epithelial defects.

The chronic wound environment and the ideal way in which to regenerate healthy tissue remain enigmas in the field of wound healing. There are multiple modalities that have been evaluated in an attempt to discern the most clinically beneficial and cost-effective treatment strategies for the millions of individuals who suffer from chronic wounds and their associated morbidity. Engineered skin substitutes represent one of the novel and continuously evolving approaches to providing wound coverage and regenerating functional skin.

Phase II trial of erlotinib and capecitabine for patients with previously untreated metastatic colorectal cancer.

Background: This Simon 2-stage phase II trial was designed to document antitumor activity of capecitabine in combination with erlotinib in patients with previously untreated metastatic colorectal cancer (CRC).

Patients And Methods: Time to tumor progression, objective response rate, and time to treatment failure were to be assessed. Secondary objectives included determination of toxicity.

Legionella pneumonia and HIV: case reports and review of the literature.

Although Legionnaires' disease occurs more commonly in patients with some degree of immunosuppression (diabetes, chronic lung disease, end stage renal disease, cancer, etc.), it has been infrequently described in patients infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and AIDS. Some studies suggest that pneumonia caused by Legionella tends to present with more severe clinical features and complications in the HIV-infected population.

The transposed forearm loop arteriovenous fistula: a valuable option for primary hemodialysis access in diabetic patients.

The distal forearm is the site of first choice for creation of an arteriovenous fistula for hemodialysis. The archetypal procedure, the primary radial-cephalic fistula as described by Brescia, yields excellent functional patency for many patients. Results are much less favorable in patients with diabetes mellitus, for whom non-maturation rates as high as 70% have been reported.

Recombinant erythropoietin overdose.

Deliberate self-administration of recombinant human erythropoietin (rHuEpo) in a patient without anemia has never been documented. The case of a 62-year-old man who worked in an allied health care field and surreptitiously injected the drug, causing his hematocrit to increase to a dangerously high level is presented. Resultant complications of the misuse of erythropoietin in this patient included worsening hypertension, exacerbation of chronic lung disease and development of new onset angina.

Effect of azidothymidine (AZT) on HIV P24 antigen, beta 2-microglobulin, neopterin, soluble CD8, soluble interleukin-2 receptor and tumor necrosis factor alpha levels in patients with AIDS-related complex or AIDS.

Circulating HIV P24 antigen, beta 2-microglobulin, neopterin, soluble CD8, soluble interleukin-2 receptor and TNF alpha levels were measured in 20 patients (9 with ARC and 11 with AIDS) treated with azidothymidine (AZT) and in 12 patients (3 with ARC and 9 with AIDS) who were in a placebo group. Mean levels of HIV P24 antigen, beta 2-microglobulin, neopterin and SCD8 decreased significantly (P less than 0.05) after 12 to 16 weeks of AZT administration.