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Many Treatments (many + treatment)

Distribution by Scientific Domains

Medical Sciences	75%

Selected Abstracts

Managing amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: Slowing disease progression and improving patient quality of life,

ANNALS OF NEUROLOGY, Issue S1 2009
Benjamin Rix Brooks MD
It is now possible to slow the disease progression of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), but documented improvement in the quality of life of ALS patients has been difficult to quantitate. Putative mechanisms involved in motor neuron degeneration in ALS include oxidative damage, mitochondrial dysfunction, neuroinflammation, growth factor deficiency, and glutamate excitotoxicity. Several pharmacological agents that target these potential targets have demonstrated therapeutic potential in animal models with mutations in the gene encoding Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase (SOD1). Many treatments that have been moderately effective in this animal model have not been successfully translated into effective treatments for humans with ALS. Only the glutamate modulator riluzole has demonstrated efficacy in clinical trials and is approved for treating ALS. Combination treatments may represent a potential therapeutic strategy to more robustly prolong life and preserve function, but only vitamin E with riluzole has been formally studied in clinical trials, and to date, no combination treatments have been found to be more effective than currently available single agents. Ann Neurol 2009;65 (suppl):S17,S23 [source]

Assessment of zinc phytoavailability by diffusive gradients in thin films

ENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY & CHEMISTRY, Issue 4 2005
Osman Sonmez
Abstract Asessment of Zn phytoavailability can be predicted with routine soil extractants, but these methods generally do not perform well across a wide range of soils. The newly developed technique of diffuse gradients in thin films (DGT) has been employed to determine phytoavailable Cu concentrations, but its suitability for determining plant available Zn concentrations has not been evaluated. A greenhouse study was conducted to assess the phytotoxicity thresholds and the phytoavailability of Zn to sorghum-sudan (Sorghum vulgare var. sudanese) grass by DGT, compared with CaCl2 extraction. A range of phytoavailable Zn concentrations was created by amending sand with ZnSO4 or with two different Zn mine wastes. Plant nutrients were added as Hoagland solution. In general, increasing Zn concentrations in the sand mixtures increased Zn adsorption by DGT and decreased the sorghum-sudan yield. A critical value for 90% of the control yield was chosen as an indicator of Zn toxicity. Critical values of DGT Zn, CaCl2 -extractable Zn, and plant tissue Zn were similar statistically across the three Zn sources. The performances of DGT and CaCl2 extraction for assessing Zn phytoavailability were similar. Shoot and root Zn concentrations of sorghum-sudan grass exceeded 500 mg kg,1 for many treatments. Calcium-to-Zn ratios for shoots were <32, suggesting Zn phytotoxicity. The data suggested that Zn phytotoxicity can be induced with mine wastes, although further evaluation is needed to establish a link between mine waste and Zn phytotoxicity. [source]

Poly- l -lactic acid: a perspective from my practice

JOURNAL OF COSMETIC DERMATOLOGY, Issue 1 2008
Neil S Sadick MD
Summary Lipoatrophic sagging in the periorbital and cheek areas is a characteristic feature of the aging face. Soft tissue regeneration in these areas using a volumizer such as poly- l -lactic acid (PLLA) can help reduce the impact of these features. PLLA generates semipermanent correction, lasting for 2 years, and is a resorbable biocompatible device with a history of successful use in many clinical applications. This practice has administered many treatments of PLLA over the past 2 years with excellent results and with minimal complications. Minimization of adverse events and optimal cosmetic results are achieved when PLLA is diluted appropriately, injected in the proper plane and with posttreatment massage. The physician can fine-tune tissue volume correction with PLLA by spacing treatment sessions at least 4 to 6 weeks apart. Although approved for the correction of facial lipoatrophy in patients with human immunodeficiency virus, approval for the use of PLLA for cosmetic indications is currently pending. [source]

Easy to diagnose, difficult to treat: keratosis lichenoides chronica

CLINICAL & EXPERIMENTAL DERMATOLOGY, Issue 1 2010
E. Adi
Summary Keratosis lichenoides chronica (KLC) is a rare disease, with approximately 70 cases reported in the literature. The problem in this long-lasting disease is generally the treatment, not the diagnosis. In the literature, many treatments failed to show any beneficial effect. We present a 20-year-old man with KLC that was successfully treated with a combination of phototherapy, acitretin and calcipotriol ointment. The patient's lesions showed a marked improvement with this combination. To our knowledge, this is the first report of this type of combination treatment being used successfully in KLC. This approach might help reduce doses of retinoids or psoralen ultraviolet A required when these are used separately, and limit the potential toxicity of these treatments. [source]