Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0018801 (heart failure)
 72,216 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

The purposes of this study were to describe the quality of life (QOL) of terminally ill patients in a home-based hospice program and to examine the relationship between QOL data and patients' symptom distress, ability to function, interpersonal communication (support from family and friends), well-being (their affairs in order), and transcendence (religious comfort/support) as recorded in their charts. QOL was measured by the Missoula-Vitas Quality of Life Index (MVQOLI), an instrument designed specifically for use with terminally ill patients. The study was conducted over a three-year period with 129 terminally ill patients enrolled in a home-based hospice program of care. The MVQOLI was administered to patients within 20 days of their admission to hospice. A retrospective chart review was conducted to determine patients' levels of symptom distress, ability to function, social support, whether or not their affairs were in order, and religious comfort/support. The mean age of participants in this study was 67, with 54.3 percent male and 45.7 percent female. Cancer was the primary diagnosis for 92.2 percent of the sample, and 35 percent of these patients had a diagnosis of lung cancer. Of the 7.8 percent non-cancer diagnoses, five were diagnosed with AIDS, four with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and one with chronic heart failure. The results of this study revealed positive scores on the five dimensions of the MVQOLI QOL scale, indicating that within 20 days of admission to hospice, patients rated their QOL as good to very good. Data obtained from the chart review also indicated that patients did not experience a great deal of symptom distress (e.g., pain, nausea, shortness of breath, and restlessness). A significant correlation existed between age and QOL; number of interventions and pain levels; and marital status, well-being, interpersonal relationships, and transcendence. Shortness of breath and well-being were significantly correlated with QOL. There was no significant correlation between gender, race, or closeness to death and the five dimensions of the MVQOLI and chart review assessments.
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PMID:The quality of life of hospice patients: patient and provider perceptions. 1585 87

The objective was to improve understanding of adverse events occurring with celecoxib in the treatment of osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. Data were extracted from company clinical trial reports of randomised trials of celecoxib in osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis lasting 2 weeks or more. Outcomes were discontinuations (all cause, lack of efficacy, adverse event, gastrointestinal adverse event), endoscopically detected ulcers, gastrointestinal or cardio-renal events, and major changes in haematological parameters. The main comparisons were celecoxib (all doses) versus placebo, paracetamol (acetaminophen) 4,000 mg daily, rofecoxib 25 mg daily, or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) (naproxen, diclofenac, ibuprofen, and loxoprofen). For NSAIDs, celecoxib was compared both at all doses and at licensed doses (200 to 400 mg daily). Thirty-one trials included 39,605 randomised patients. Most patients had osteoarthritis and were women of average age 60 years or above. Most trials lasted 12 weeks or more. Doses of celecoxib were 50 to 800 mg/day. Compared with placebo, celecoxib had fewer discontinuations for any cause or for lack of efficacy, fewer serious adverse events, and less nausea. It had more patients with dyspepsia, diarrhoea, oedema, more adverse events that were gastrointestinal or treatment related, and more patients experiencing an adverse event. There were no differences for hypertension, gastrointestinal tolerability, or discontinuations for adverse events. Compared with paracetamol, celecoxib had fewer discontinuations for any cause, for lack of efficacy, or diarrhoea, but no other differences. Compared with rofecoxib, celecoxib had fewer patients with abdominal pain and oedema, but no other differences. Compared with NSAIDs, celecoxib had fewer symptomatic ulcers and bleeds, endoscopically detected ulcers, and discontinuations for adverse events or gastrointestinal adverse events. Fewer patients had any, or a gastrointestinal, or a treatment-related adverse event, or vomiting, abdominal pain, dyspepsia, or reduced haemoglobin or haematocrit. Discontinuations for lack of efficacy were higher. No differences were found for all-cause discontinuations, serious adverse events, hypertension, diarrhoea, nausea, oedema, myocardial infarction, cardiac failure, or raised creatinine. Company clinical trial reports present much more information than published papers. Adverse event information is clearly presented in company clinical trial reports, which are an ideal source of information for systematic review and meta-analysis.
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PMID:Tolerability and adverse events in clinical trials of celecoxib in osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis: systematic review and meta-analysis of information from company clinical trial reports. 1589 51

Recently, high-dose FEC (fluorouracil, epirubicin, and cyclophosphamide) has been increasingly used in adjuvant chemotherapy for breast cancer in Japan. However, the safety and tolerability of high-dose FEC are not well evaluated in Japanese breast cancer patients. We studied the feasibility of FEC (75) (fluorouracil: 500 mg/m(2), epirubicin: 75 mg/m(2), and cyclophosphamide:500 mg/m(2), q 3 w, 6 cycles) as adjuvant chemotherapy for 59 primary breast cancer patients. Out of these patients, 56 (94.9%) finished 6 cycles-FEC. The mean epirubicin dose received was 431.7 mg/m(2) (95.9% of the intended dose of 450 mg/m(2)). Forty-five (76.2%) of 59 patients experienced neutropenia of grade 3 or 4, while the rates of febrile neutropenia (grade 3) and infection (grade 2) were 3.4% and 10.2%, respectively. Anemia (88.2%), fatigue (42.4%), nausea (40.6%), liver dysfunction (40.7%), and vomiting (18.7%) occurred, however most of them were mild and categorized into grade 1 or 2. No patients developed any cardiac failure symptoms. This study shows FEC (75) is well tolerable as adjuvant chemotherapy for Japanese breast cancer patients.
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PMID:[The feasibility of FEC (75) as adjuvant chemotherapy for Japanese breast cancer patients]. 1628 27

Patients with an untreated myocardial infarction may present with serious late complications. 3 patients are described. A 63-year-old woman became progressively more short of breath 4 days after an acute episode of chest pain accompanied by nausea and sweating. It proved to be a cardiogenic shock following a rupture of a papillary muscle. A man aged 65 collapsed 5 days after an episode of back pain and nausea. This was a cardiac tamponade due to rupture of the left ventricle. A woman aged 74 had transient aphasia and during investigations for this was seen to have anomalies on ECG. She had cerebral emboli and a cardiac aneurysm with associated thrombus. All 3 patients recovered following mitral-valve replacement, repair of the rupture and medicinal treatment for the clot, respectively. Around one-third of patients who have a myocardial infarction do not have chest pain but experience shortness of breath, autonomic nervous symptoms (sweating, nausea, vomiting), extreme and inexplicable tiredness and fainting. These atypical symptoms should suggest myocardial infarction. In order to avoid high morbidity and death from complications such as arrhythmias, heart failure, rupture and aneurysm formation it is important that a patient who has had a myocardial infarction should be treated as soon as possible, preferably by reperfusion therapy.
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PMID:[Complications of an unrecognized myocardial infarction]. 1635 69

Blockers of adrenergic beta-receptors (beta-blockers) are commonly administered in cardiology for coronary heart disease, arrhythmias, hypertension and some cardiopathic treatment. They have been also approved as a therapy of chronic heart failure recently. From pharmacological point of view, cardioselective and non selective beta-blockers (with or without intrinsic sympathomimetic activity) are distinguished. New drugs like celiprolol, carvedilol or sotalol have been developed and so the range of the group still continues to widen out. In toxicological routine practice we meet beta-blockers either in acute intoxication cases or in a control of patient's adherence to prescribed therapy. Dizziness, nausea, weakness, vasoconstriction and bradycardia are their usual undesirable effects, whilst in grave cases of a drug overdose bronchoconstriction, coronary spasms, hypotension and even cardiac insufficiency may occur. The article deals with the possibility of detection and identification of beta-blockers and their metabolites in urine by thin layer chromatography.
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PMID:[Identification of blockers of adrenergic beta-receptors by thin layer chromatography]. 1650 5

(1) For patients aged over 60 years who have essential thrombocythaemia, and are considered to be at increased risk of thromboembolism, the standard cytotoxic agent is hydroxycarbamide (hydroxyurea), which reduces the risk of thrombocytosis but adversely affects other blood cell lines. It may also increase the risk of progression to cancer. (2) Anagrelide, initially studied as an antiplatelet drug, was approved in Europe for the treatment of essential thrombocythaemia in high-risk patients when other treatments fail or are poorly tolerated. (3) Evaluation data includes a trial versus hydroxycarbamide that was prematurely halted because of an excess of cardiovascular events among patients on anagrelide. Among 809 patients who were also receiving aspirin as an antithrombotic (and who may not have met strict criteria for essential thrombocythaemia), arterial or venous thrombosis and haemorrhage were significantly more frequent with anagrelide, during a median follow-up of 39 months (55 versus 36 patients). (4) According to the results of 3 non comparative trials involving about 500 patients, and the European Medicines Agency report analysing these and other study populations, anagrelide reduces the platelet count to below 600 times 10 to the 9th power/litre in two-thirds of patients. No data are available on the clinical implications of this reduction in platelets. (5) Between 10% and 20% of patients treated with anagrelide experience cardiovascular adverse effects (palpitations, myocardial infarction, heart failure) or neurological adverse effects (headache, stroke, transient ischaemic attack). Gastrointestinal disturbances are also frequent (diarrhoea, nausea, abdominal pain, pancreatitis). Some of these adverse effects can be fatal. (6) Follow-up is too short to show whether anagrelide affects the risk of progression to cancer. (7) In practice, anagrelide has a less favourable risk-benefit balance than hydroxycarbamide, which remains the first-line cytotoxic agent in this setting. Anagrelide therapy can be considered if hydroxycarbamide fails or is poorly tolerated, provided patients are included in a long-term clinical trial.
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PMID:Anagrelide: new drug. Essential thrombocythaemia: further evaluation needed for this last-resort treatment. 1676 90

This study explored the prevalence and burden of symptoms in a community-based sample of patients aged >60 with symptomatic heart failure. Five hundred forty-two patients were recruited from UK general practices. Participants completed the Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire every 3 months for 2 years. Data are presented at baseline alongside findings from in-depth interviews with patients and focus groups with primary care professionals. Over half the participants experienced breathlessness and/or fatigue daily. Factors identified as predictive of symptom prevalence and burden were as follows: being female; being staged at New York Heart Association Class III or IV; having symptoms of depression; and having two or more comorbidities. Interviews identified other symptoms, including chest pain, nausea, sleep disruption, and confusion. Participants felt that symptoms restricted activities of daily living. Health professionals reported symptom control as being a concern of patients and identified their own educational needs in this area. Findings suggest that symptom prevalence and burden for this population is high. Primary care professionals should offer comprehensive assessment and treatment of symptoms.
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PMID:Prevalence of symptoms in a community-based sample of heart failure patients. 1693 45

We present a case of a 53-year-old man with complaints of severe abdominal pain and nausea. Emergency department abdominal workup was non-diagnostic. Physical examination revealed signs of right- and left-heart failure. A past medical history of dysrhythmias and chronic abdominal complaints prompted hospital admission. Subsequent right heart catheterization revealed a significant left-to-right shunt. CT scan of the chest and angiography confirmed the diagnosis of an abnormal ascending vein between the innominate vein and the left superior pulmonary vein. After the anomalous vein was ligated, the patient's abdominal pain resolved.
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PMID:Congenital heart disease manifested as acute abdominal pain. 1743 25

A 62-year-old woman was admitted to hospital because of nausea. A grade 5/6 continuous murmur was audible near the left sternal border at the second intercostal space. Chest X-ray showed cardiomegaly and bilateral pleural effusion. She was diagnosed as heart failure and a diuretic was prescribed. After remission of the heart failure, echocardiography showed shunt flow from the right coronary cusp to the right ventricle. Aortography revealed that an aneurysm of the right coronary sinus of Valsalva had ruptured into the right ventricle. Coronary angiography revealed a single coronary artery. Chest computed tomography revealed persistent left superior vena cava. Surgical repair was carried out and the patient made an uneventful recovery. In addition to these cardiovascular abnormalities, she had Wildervanck syndrome (Klippel-Feil syndrome, Duane syndrome and sensorineural hearing disturbance), blepharoptosis and short stature. This rare combination has not been reported previously.
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PMID:Ruptured aneurysm of the sinus of Valsalva with Wildervanck syndrome (cervico-oculo-acoustic syndrome), blepharoptosis and short stature: case report. 1772 Oct 33

Amiodarone chlorhydrate is a diiodated benzofuran derivative, and it is used to treat cardiac rhythm abnormalities. Hepatotoxicity is a relatively uncommon side effect of amiodarone, and symptomatic hepatic dysfunction occurs in fewer than 1% of the patients taking amiodarone. Cirrhosis is a rare complication that's been confirmed in 12 cases. Peripheral neuropathy occurs in 10% of patients taking aminodarone. We report here on an unusual case of amiodarone-induced hepatotoxicity and peripheral neurotoxicity. A 75 year old man with normal liver function was given amiodarone for treating his atrial fibrillation and heart failure. He developed nausea, vomiting, muscle weakness and wasting after 17.8 months therapy with amiodarone (400 mg orally once per day). Liver biopsy showed the presence of foam cells in the hepatic sinusoids and Mallory bodies in the periportal hepatocytes on light microscopy. Sural nerve biopsy showed demyelination, and nerve conduction studies showed mixed sensorimotor polyneuropathy. These observations show the necessity of monitoring the hepatic function and conducting neurologic examination of the patients treated with amiodarone.
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PMID:Amiodarone-induced hepatitis and polyneuropathy. 1793 44


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