AmBisome: adds to the body of knowledge and familiarity of use.

Liposomal amphotericin B has a wide array of indications and recent data support the ability to escalate the dose in very serious infection. There is an extensive body of knowledge and history of use (familiarity) regarding the use of liposomal amphotericin B which has been published in the scientific and clinical literature since 1990. The number of publications implies a significant level of use and reflects the number of patients who have been exposed to the drug. So far, over 250,000 patients have been treated. The case reports presented in this supplement of Acta Bio Medica increase the body of knowledge and our familiarity with liposomal amphotericin B. A case report describes and discusses an instance of disease in a patient. The essential characteristic of a publishable case report is its educational value. Some case reports are published because they support the findings in previously published cases or because they are useful reminders of an important point in diagnosis or treatment. They are by their nature little mysteries that hold readers’ interest and take less time to prepare than several other types of papers. Most case reports fall into one of these five topics: (1) an unexpected association between diseases or symptoms; (2) an unexpected event in the course of observing or treating a patient; (3) findings that shed new light on the possible pathogenesis of a disease or an adverse effect; (4) unique or rare features of a disease; and (5) unique therapeutic approaches or extensions of existing therapeutic practice. It should be recognized that collecting good evidence can be extremely difficult, even with the best planning. For example, it is clearly not possible to answer all clinical questions with randomized controlled trials. For some questions, the infrequency of the outcomes (requiring large sample sizes), the long natural history of the diseases (requiring long-follow-up periods), variations across patients, and high costs, can all conspire to make a randomized controlled trial impossible. This review of the disease areas highlighted by the illustrative case histories presented in this Supplement shows background information and examines the contribution made by liposomal amphotericin B in the clinical practice.