The effects of extracorporeal shock wave therapy on pain, disability, and depression of chronic low back pain patients.

[Purpose] The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of extracorporeal shock wave therapy on pain, disability, and depression of chronic low back pain patients. [Subjects] In this study, 30 chronic low back pain patients were divided into an extracorporeal shock wave therapy group (ESWTG, n=15) and a conservative physical therapy group (CPTG, n=15). [Methods] The ESWTG received extracorporeal shock wave therapy and the CPTG received general conservative physical therapy two times per week for six weeks.

Common characteristics of patients diagnosed with upper-extremity venous thromboembolism during hospitalization: a descriptive study.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to explore the common characteristics of patients diagnosed with upper-extremity venous thromboembolism (UEVTE) during hospitalization.

Design: This was a retrospective chart review.

Setting: This study was performed at a Midwest multisite hospital of 5 acute-care hospitals and 2051 beds.

Pediatric sepsis: a case study.

Abdominal pain with vomiting is a common pediatric complaint in the emergency department setting that can lead to a more insidious disease state. The article depicts a case study of a 21-month-old male child presenting with these signs and symptoms that ultimately resulted in a diagnosis of septic shock. The importance of physical assessment, rapid response to findings with time-constrained empirical interventions, the relevance of pediatric sepsis to the provider, the consideration of access to health care, and a holistic approach to treatment of the patient and the family are highlighted.

Epilepsy-induced behavioral changes during the ictal phase.

In epilepsy, experiential phenomena and behavioral manifestations may pose a number of problems in terms of differential diagnosis. From a clinical point of view, ictal psychiatric symptoms represent partial seizures, mainly partial ones. In the majority of cases, they are very brief (lasting from a few seconds to a few minutes), stereotyped, out of context, and frequently associated with subtle or overt automatisms and postictal confusion of variable duration.

Investigating psychotropic properties of antiepileptic drugs.

Antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) are currently used in both neurology and in psychiatry. It is generally accepted that GABA-ergic compounds have sedative and anxiolytic properties, whereas channel blockers are mood stabilizers. However, this paradigm is often challenged.

Profile of once-daily zonisamide as monotherapy for treatment of partial seizures in adults.

Epilepsy is one of the most common neurologic disorders, affecting about 50 million people around the world. It is recognized that around 50% of patients with newly diagnosed epilepsy become seizure-free with the first drug treatment, so the choice of first antiepileptic drug is crucial. This paper provides a comprehensive overview of zonisamide as monotherapy for partial seizures, with special attention to the possibility of a once-daily regimen.

The interictal dysphoric disorder of epilepsy: a still open debate.

Mood disorders represent a frequently encountered comorbidity in epilepsy, but the issue of phenomenology of depression is still matter of debate, having relevant implications in terms of treatment and prognosis. The interictal dysphoric disorder has been described by pre-modern psychiatry and recently revitalized by behavioral neurology identifying a pleomorphic pattern of symptoms claimed to be typical of patients with epilepsy. The present paper reviews current literature on this subject.

Treatment of anxiety disorders in epilepsy: an evidence-based approach.

During recent years growing attention has been paid to psychiatric comorbidities in epilepsy. However, anxiety disorders still remain underrecognized and undertreated. This is largely related to the lack of specific screening instruments and the frequent co-occurrence with mood disorders.

Historical evolution of neuroendovascular surgery of intracranial aneurysms: from coils to polymers.

Objectives: The backbone of neuroendovascular surgery was developed in the decades of the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. Catheter, balloon and coil technologies were further added to the armamentarium of endovascular treatment of cerebral arterial aneurysms and vasospasm.

Material And Methods: Development of detachable coils in the early 1990s was a major breakthrough in the management of intracranial arterial aneurysms.

Cerebral arterial aneurysms: the early period of neuroendovascular therapy.

Objectives: Anatomical concepts derived by surgical management of intracranial aneurysms provided a pathway to the current integration and practice of aneurysm treatment. These important early developments, such as the surgical microscope in the late 1960s, the development of new surgical techniques and catheters and the evolution of imaging technology, have all provided a fundamental sequence to current clinical practice.

Material And Methods: The 1960s can be recognized as the dawn of the current era of aneurysm management.

Neuro-Behçet's syndrome: differential diagnosis and management.

Behçet's syndrome (BS) is a multisystem disease of unknown etiology, characterized by chronic relapsing cardinal symptoms of orogenital ulcers, uveitis, and different skin lesions. Its major pathologic feature is vasculitis. Neuro-Behçet's syndrome (NBS) is defined as a constellation of neurologic manifestations with characteristic neuropathologic findings, usually confirmed by ancillary investigations, in patients who meet the diagnostic criteria for BS.

Mechanical ventilation in vascular coma patients.

Vascular coma is one of the leading complications in patients suffering cerebrovascular accidents and it is therefore entirely appropriate that we should consider what critical care has to offer in this devastating disease process. Vascular coma patients need ventilatory assistance; Intubation and mechanical ventilation represent a life saving intervention. As critical care is subjected to progressive changes, careful definition of the role of mechanical ventilation, its types, and the ability of such a form of life sustaining support to affect patient outcome in multi-sided directions is mandatory.

Cheyne stokes respiration in stroke patients.

Cerebral-vascular events represent a major cause of mortality worldwide. Resulting respiratory complications are common and possibly composing a marker of severe neurological disorder. Cheyne-Stokes respiration is a disorder characterised by recurrent central apnoeas during sleep, alternating with a crescendo-decrescendo pattern of tidal volume, thus constituting an additional burden to the patient.

Effect of standard-dose trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole on the serum potassium concentration in elderly men.

Objective: To determine the effect of standard-dose trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (TMP/SMX) (TMP 160 mg and SMX 800 mg q12h) on the serum potassium concentration.

Design: Retrospective and concurrent study.

Setting: A Veterans Affairs Medical Center.

Reengineering--impact on organizational culture.

There is no question that reengineering impacts organizational culture. In the case of a community-based hospital, it becomes more than just changing the culture--a new culture must emerge. However, cultural change does not have to be negative.

Seasonal recurrence of acute episodes of Menière's disease.

Yearly occurrence of acute episodes of Menière's disease has been studied in a group of 114 patients observed from January 1972 to December 1984. Monthly frequency variations were found to be casual and void of statistical significance. Primary episodes apparently occurred more often during the June-August period; statistical analysis confirmed the significance of the phenomenon at a level of 0,025 (chi 2 test).