scholarly journals The Role of Macrolides in Noncystic Fibrosis Bronchiectasis

2011 ◽  
Vol 2011 ◽  
pp. 1-5 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bruna de Campos Guimarães e Figueiredo ◽  
Cássio da Cunha Ibiapina
Keyword(s):  
Antimicrobial Treatment ◽  
Immunomodulatory Effects ◽  
Future Studies ◽  
Diffuse Panbronchiolitis ◽  
Sputum Volume ◽  
Inflammatory Action ◽  
Key Words Macrolides ◽  
The Ideal

Objective. The present study aims at reviewing the main publications on the use of macrolides as immunomodulators in patients with noncystic fibrosis bronchiectasis.Source of Data. The Medline database was our source of data for this research carried out until June 2011, using the key words: macrolides and bronchiectasis, while searching for original articles and reviews.Summary of Data. Seven clinical studies that evaluated the action of the macrolides in patients with bronchiectasis were found. There was the sputum volume, reduction in pulmonary exacerbation frequency, and in the use of antimicrobial treatment, in addition to pulmonary function improvement.Conclusions. Anti-inflammatory action and immunomodulatory effects can be attributed to macrolides when administered in low doses and on the long term. This use has been well established both in diffuse panbronchiolitis and in cystic fibrosis. Evidence indicates possible benefits in bronchiectasis. Future studies are needed, though, to establish the ideal dose and treatment duration and to understand the implications in the generation of microbial resistance.

scholarly journals Long-term macrolide antibiotics in asthma therapy

2011 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
pp. 243-258
Author(s):  
Daisuke Takekoshi ◽  
Patrick Belvitch ◽  
Israel Rubinstein
Keyword(s):  
Clinical Trials ◽  
Antimicrobial Properties ◽  
Inflammatory Cells ◽  
Macrolide Antibiotics ◽  
Oxygen Species ◽  
Immunomodulatory Effects ◽  
Diffuse Panbronchiolitis ◽  
Heterogeneous Nature

Macrolide antibiotics drew worldwide attention when their use was dramatically successful in the treatment of diffuse panbronchiolitis in 1980s. The success was attributed to their immunomodulatory effects, rather than their antimicrobial properties. Since then, studies have shown that macrolides exert their immunomodulatory effects through several mechanisms, including suppression of proinflammatory cytokines, promoting apoptosis of inflammatory cells, improving phagocytic function, ameliorating airway hypersecretion, and inhibiting production of reactive oxygen species. Macrolides have also been studied in the treatment of asthma. This review highlights the role of macrolides in the treatment of asthma, presenting an overview of the main clinical trials. Despite favourable preclinical data and reports of anecdotal successes, the results of clinical trials are conflicting. This may be due to the heterogeneous nature of asthma. Further studies are needed to identify particular subgroup of asthma that will respond to macrolides.

scholarly journals Long-term macrolide antibiotics in asthma therapy

2011 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
pp. 243
Author(s):  
Daisuke Takekoshi ◽  
Patrick Belvitch ◽  
Israel Rubinstein
Keyword(s):  
Clinical Trials ◽  
Antimicrobial Properties ◽  
Inflammatory Cells ◽  
Macrolide Antibiotics ◽  
Oxygen Species ◽  
Immunomodulatory Effects ◽  
Diffuse Panbronchiolitis ◽  
Heterogeneous Nature

Macrolide antibiotics drew worldwide attention when their use was dramatically successful in the treatment of diffuse panbronchiolitis in 1980s. The success was attributed to their immunomodulatory effects, rather than their antimicrobial properties. Since then, studies have shown that macrolides exert their immunomodulatory effects through several mechanisms, including suppression of proinflammatory cytokines, promoting apoptosis of inflammatory cells, improving phagocytic function, ameliorating airway hypersecretion, and inhibiting production of reactive oxygen species. Macrolides have also been studied in the treatment of asthma. This review highlights the role of macrolides in the treatment of asthma, presenting an overview of the main clinical trials. Despite favourable preclinical data and reports of anecdotal successes, the results of clinical trials are conflicting. This may be due to the heterogeneous nature of asthma. Further studies are needed to identify particular subgroup of asthma that will respond to macrolides.

Meritocracy and its Enemies: Is There an Alternative to the “Tyranny of the Merit”?

2021 ◽  
pp. 30
Author(s):  
Dmitriy Davydov
Keyword(s):  
Technological Development ◽  
Social Institutions ◽  
Practical Application ◽  
Skilled Workers ◽  
Highly Educated ◽  
Technical Competencies ◽  
State Of Affairs ◽  
The Ideal

The article examines  the idea of meritocracy, now increasingly criticized. It is shown that the relevance of the discourse on meritocracy is due to the objectively increased role of education and various creative and technical talents in the context of rapid technological development. At the same time, critics rightly point out that meritocracy today has become largely a myth that plutocrats turn to justify their privileges, status and wealth. The very idea of a meritocracy that focuses exclusively on the technical competencies and abilities demanded by the neoliberal economy is also criticized. Many authors talk about the need to fairly reward and respect low-skilled workers, who often (especially in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic) bring more public benefit than highly educated financiers or bankers. Nevertheless, the article shows that this criticism is a hidden apology for meritocracy. In this case, critics justify deeper inequalities associated with long-term prospects and self-realization. It leads to cementing the “secondary” status of workers of the “hand” and “heart”, whose fate in the context of automation and the development of artificial intelligence technologies may turn out to be unenviable. In the author's opinion, the only alternative to this state of affairs is the rejection of meritocracy as a normative concept. It should be recognized as an inevitable evil associated with the imperfection of social institutions and, in part, human nature. Accordingly, the author contrasts the meritocratic pursuit of status and power with the ideal of universal striving for the maximum possible and, what is remarkable, all-round development and practical application of the talents of all without exception.

So No One Dies Alone: A Study of Hospice Volunteering with Rural Seniors

2007 ◽  
Vol 23 (3) ◽  
pp. 163-172 ◽  
Author(s):  
Margaret Mckee ◽  
Mary Lou Kelley ◽  
Manal Guirguis-Younger
Keyword(s):  
Rural Communities ◽  
End Of Life ◽  
End Of Life Care ◽  
Northwestern Ontario ◽  
Hospice Volunteers ◽  
Adequate Care ◽  
Volunteer Programs ◽  
The Ideal

This paper summarizes the results of a qualitative study of hospice volunteering in the rural communities of northwestern Ontario. In this region, there are 13 independent and active hospice volunteer programs serving communities ranging in population from 1,000 to 15,000. The 13 volunteer coordinators in these communities participated in a phone interview in which they described the role of hospice volunteers in their community and the kinds of clients they serve. The results indicate that the hospice volunteers in this rural region spend a large part of their time visiting medically frail and lonely seniors who are at risk of dying alone or without adequate care and companionship at the end of life. Long-term visiting to build relationships of trust and genuine caring are considered the ideal in these communities. Implications for end-of-life care for rural seniors are discussed.

scholarly journals Immune Responses Following Locoregional Treatment for Hepatocellular Carcinoma: Possible Roles of Adjuvant Immunotherapy

Pharmaceutics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (9) ◽  
pp. 1387
Author(s):  
Ji-Won Han ◽  
Seung-Kew Yoon
Keyword(s):  
Hepatocellular Carcinoma ◽  
Immune Responses ◽  
Immunomodulatory Effects ◽  
Long Term Outcomes ◽  
Locoregional Treatment ◽  
Adjuvant Immunotherapy ◽  
Common Cause ◽  
Cell Responses

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a common cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Unlike other types of cancer, HCC can be treated with locoregional treatments (LRTs) such as radiofrequency ablation (RFA) or transarterial chemoembolization (TACE). However, recurrences following LRTs are common, and strategies to improve long-term outcomes need to be developed. The exhaustion of anti-tumor immunity in HCC has been well established in many reports and the immunomodulatory effects of LRTs (enhancement of tumor antigen-specific T cell responses after RFA, reduction of effector regulatory T cells after TACE) have also been reported in several previous studies. However, a comprehensive review of previous studies and the possible roles of immunotherapy following LRTs in HCC are not known. In this review, we discuss the immunological evidence of current clinical trials using LRTs and combined immunotherapies, and the possible role of this strategy.

Citing and referencing habits in medicine and social sciences journals in 2019

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Erika Alves dos Santos ◽  
Silvio Peroni ◽  
Marcos Luiz Mucheroni
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Information Science ◽  
Descriptive Representation ◽  
Functional Requirements ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Future Studies ◽  
Bibliographic Records

PurposeThis article explores citing and referencing systems in social sciences and medicine articles from different theoretical and practical perspectives, considering bibliographic references as a facet of descriptive representation.Design/methodology/approachThe analysis of citing and referencing elements (i.e. bibliographic references, mentions, quotations and respective in-text reference pointers) identified citing and referencing habits within disciplines under consideration and errors occurring over the long term as stated by previous studies now expanded. Future expected trends of information retrieval from bibliographic metadata was gathered by approaching these referencing elements from the Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records (FRBR) entities concepts.FindingsReference styles do not fully accomplish with their role of guiding authors and publishers on providing concise and well-structured bibliographic metadata within bibliographic references. Trends on representative description revision suggest a predicted distancing on the ways information is approached by bibliographic references and bibliographic catalogs adopting FRBR concepts, including the description levels adopted by each of them under the perspective of the FRBR entities concept.Research limitations/implicationsThis study was based on a subset of medicine and social sciences articles published in 2019 and, therefore, it may not be taken as a final and broad coverage. Future studies expanding these approaches to other disciplines and chronological periods are encouraged.Originality/valueBy approaching citing and referencing issues as descriptive representation's facets, findings on this study may encourage further studies that will support information science and computer science on providing tools to become bibliographic metadata description simpler, better structured and more efficient facing the revision of descriptive representation actually in progress.

scholarly journals The use of hyaluronic acid preparations for the treatment of osteoarthritis of the major joints

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 11-16
Author(s):  
O Kalashnikov ◽  
O Sulyma ◽  
T Osadchuk ◽  
V Zayets ◽  
T Nizalov ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Side Effects ◽  
Adverse Side Effects ◽  
Inflammatory Drugs ◽  
Anti Inflammatory ◽  
High Level ◽  
Time Of Administration ◽  
Inflammatory Effect ◽  
The Ideal

The authors of the article analyzed the experience of domestic and foreign experts in the effectiveness of the use of HA preparations in the treatment of osteoarthritis of major joints. Background  and  Objective. To analyze the literature sources in order to determine the effectiveness of the use of HA preparations in the treatment of osteoarthritis of major ligaments. Materials and methods. Articles in specialized scientific journals and collections, Internet resource.Results. The analysis of literature sources determined the important role of HA preparations in the supplying and functioning of the articular cartilage. Researchers are inclined to believe that the ideal HA preparation should be as close as possible to the physiological HA of the synovial fluid of the joint. The developed domestic drug Artro-Patch fully corresponds to these parameters. Conclusions. The use of modern injectable HA preparations is advisable at stages 1–3 of OA. Anti-inflammatory effect of HA preparations makes it possible to reduce the dose and time of administration of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and, as a consequence, reduce the risk of developing many adverse side effects of NSAIDs. The high level of safety of HA preparations, the absence of serious side effects during their long-term use determine their widespread use in the clinical practice of modern orthopedists.

scholarly journals TRPV1 Responses in the Cerebellum Lobules VI, VII, VIII Using Electroacupuncture Treatment for Chronic Pain and Depression Comorbidity in a Murine Model

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (9) ◽  
pp. 5028
Author(s):  
Bernice Lottering ◽  
Yi-Wen Lin
Keyword(s):  
Chronic Pain ◽  
Patient Outcomes ◽  
Sham Group ◽  
Future Studies ◽  
Protein Levels ◽  
Voltage Gated Sodium Channels ◽  
Electroacupuncture Treatment ◽  
Subtype 3

Depression is a prominent complex psychiatric disorder, usually complicated through expression of comorbid conditions, with chronic pain being among the most prevalent. This comorbidity is consistently associated with a poor prognosis and has been shown to negatively impact patient outcomes. With a global rise in this condition presenting itself, the importance of discovering long-term, effective, and affordable treatments is crucial. Electroacupuncture has demonstrated renowned success in its use for the treatment of pain and is a widely recognized therapy in clinical practice for the treatment of various psychosomatic disorders, most notably depression. Our study aimed to investigate the effects and mechanisms of Acid-Saline (AS) inducing states of chronic pain and depression comorbidity in the cerebellum, using the ST36 acupoint as the therapeutic intervention. Furthermore, the role of TRPV1 was relatedly explored through the use of TRPV1−/− mice (KO). The results indicated significant differences in the four behavioral tests used to characterize pain and depression states in mice. The AS and AS + SHAM group showed significant differences when compared to the Control and AS + EA groups in the von Frey and Hargreaves’s tests, as well as the Open-Field and Forced Swimming tests. This evidence was further substantiated in the protein levels observed in immunoblotting, with significant differences between the AS and AS + SHAM groups when compared to the AS + EA and AS + KO groups being identified. In addition, immunofluorescence visibly served to corroborate the quantitative outcomes. Conclusively these findings suggest that AS-induced chronic pain and depression comorbidity elicits changes in the cerebellum lobules VI, VII, VIII, which are ameliorated through the use of EA at ST36 via its action on TRPV1 and related molecular pathways. The action of TRPV1 is not singular in CPDC, which would suggest other potential targets such as acid-sensing ion channel subtype 3 (ASIC3) or voltage-gated sodium channels (Navs) that could be explored in future studies.

scholarly journals Use of antipsychotic drugs and lithium in mania

2001 ◽  
Vol 178 (S41) ◽  
pp. s148-s156 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Cookson
Keyword(s):  
Bipolar Disorder ◽  
Antipsychotic Drugs ◽  
Antipsychotic Agents ◽  
Routine Practice ◽  
Efficacy And Safety ◽  
First Line ◽  
Future Studies ◽  
Atypical Antipsychotic Agents

BackgroundStudies highlighting the difficulties associated with lithium suggest that the role of antipsychotic drugs and mood stabilisers in bipolar disorder should be reconsidered.AimsTo review the efficacy and mode of action of antipsychotic drugs in mania, and to consider the differences between official guidelines and routine clinical practice in the use of these agents for mania.MethodReview of research, guideline- and practice-based literature.ResultsGuidelines recommend lithium or valproate as first-line treatments for mania, and antipsychotic agents only as ‘adjuncts’ for agitation, dangerous behaviour or psychosis. However, in routine practice, antipsychotic drugs are often prescribed. The effectiveness of these agents in mania has been established by several studies; newer atypical compounds demonstrate antimanic efficacy with a reduced incidence of neurological side-effects.ConclusionAntipsychotic drugs are important in the treatment of bipolar disorder and mania. Future studies should evaluate the long-term efficacy and safety of newer atypical antipsychotic agents, and the place of anticonvulsants in combination with antipsychotics in bipolar disorder.

Provision, Suitability and Stability of Standards for Quantitative Powder Diffractometry

1973 ◽  
Vol 17 ◽  
pp. 32-43
Author(s):  
Ron Jenkins
Keyword(s):  
Absolute Intensity ◽  
Dual Role ◽  
Preferred Orientation ◽  
Type Analysis ◽  
Calibration Curves ◽  
Analytical Standards ◽  
The Ideal

Standards required for quantitative powder diffractometry are essentially of three types as shown in Table 1 - external instrument standards for the initial and long term check of instrument alignment (i.e., an “instrument” standard), external analytical standards, which are similar in composition to the specimens to be analysed, for the preparation of calibration curves for “in-type“ analysis; and internal analytical standards for the minimization of problems due to variations in specimen absorption.The ideal equipment alignment standard should be free from preferred orientation, stable and available in large quantities, since it should serve the dual role of providing a continuing indication of the performance of a given diffractometer, as well as allowing absolute intensity comparisons to be made between different diffractometers.

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