Ethical and clinical aspects of intensive care unit admission in patients with hematological malignancies: guidelines of the ethics commission of the French society of hematology.

Admission of patients with hematological malignancies to intensive care unit (ICU) raises recurrent ethical issues for both hematological and intensivist teams. The decision of transfer to ICU has major consequences for end of life care for patients and their relatives. It also impacts organizational human and economic aspects for the ICU and global health policy.

Results of a Prospective Study of High-Dose or Conventional Anthracycline-Cyclophosphamide Regimen Plus Radiotherapy for Localized Adult Non-Hodgkin's Primary Bone Lymphoma.

Background. Primary bone lymphoma (PBL) is a rare entity that has only been reviewed in one prospective and small retrospective studies, from which it is difficult to establish treatment guidelines. We prospectively evaluated high-dose or conventional anthracycline-cyclophosphamide dose and radiotherapy for PBL.

Chemonucleolysis versus surgical discectomy for sciatica secondary to lumbar disc herniation. A cost and quality-of-life evaluation.

The objective of this study was to evaluate and compare the cost and effects on quality of life [using quality-adjusted life years (QALYs)] of 2 treatments for sciatica secondary to lumbar disc herniation: chemonucleolysis and surgical discectomy. The design involved a combination of decision analysis and Rosser index, with assessment of probabilities from long term clinical series. Utility was based on patients' subjective assessment using a simplified self-administered Health Measurement Questionnaire (HMQ).

Complications of plasma exchange in the treatment of polyarteritis nodosa and Churg-Strauss angiitis and the contribution of adjuvant immunosuppressive therapy: a randomized trial in 72 patients.

We recorded side effects and other complications of 813 plasma exchanges used in early treatment of polyarteritis nodosa and Churg-Strauss angiitis in a prospective study of 72 patients (22-75 years old). All the patients were also treated with a corticosteroid (1 mg/kg/day), and half were included in a randomized trial of cyclophosphamide (2 mg/kg/day during 1 year). Centrifugation was used in 678 plasma exchange sessions (83.