In western countries we assist at the paradox that fertility is socially discouraged by a mindset that depicts fertility as a resource to exploit as late as possible. So, couples have high expectative about the advantages of delayed parenthood, but they are scarcely informed about its risks. Scientific data suggests to anticipate the first pregnancy, but social pressures impose to wait, though ...

Glucocorticoids are commonly used in the treatment of patients with thyroid disorders, in particular Graves' ophthalmopathy. Thyrotoxic hypokalemic periodic paralysis (TPP) is an infrequent but potentially serious condition characterised by recurrent episodes of weakness associated with hypokalemia. We describe the development of acute hypokalemic paralysis in a middle-aged Caucasian man with r...

Bacterial overgrowth and high intraluminal concentrations of deconjugated bile acids are thought to be responsible for mucosal hyperplasia in self-filling blind loops of rat jejunum. To investigate this hypothesis further we have assessed the three dimensional architecture of these loops created in germ free animals without or with di- or mono-association of different bacterial species. It was ...

CASE REPORT We report the case of a 34 year-old man with progressive loss of visual acuity in his left eye, who was diagnosed with pigmentary glaucoma with an intraocular pressure of 32mmHg. Eight years previously, the patient had undergone refractive surgery (LASIK). Hypotensive treatment led to a significant refractive change accompanied by flattening of the corneal curvature. DISCUSSION We...

Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) is an atherosclerotic condition that can provoke symptoms of leg pain ("intermittent claudication") during exercise. Because PAD is often observed with comorbid conditions such hypertension, dyslipidemia, diabetes, cigarette smoking, and/or physical inactivity, the pathophysiology of PAD is certainly complex and involves multiple organ systems. Patients with PA...

Outcomes for patients diagnosed with the bone cancer osteosarcoma have not improved significantly in the last four decades. Only around 60% of patients and about a quarter of those with metastatic disease survive for more than five years. Although DNA-damaging chemotherapy drugs can be effective, they can provoke serious or fatal adverse effects including cardiotoxicity and therapy-related canc...

Takotsubo cardiomyopathy (TCM) is an underrecognized transient left ventricular dysfunction that mimics clinically an acute coronary syndrome. It has been linked to emotional stress and several clinical entities that provoke a catecholamine surge in the blood stream. We investigated the case of a young female patient who was admitted to the intensive care unit after a significant blood loss due...

Australian states exclude unvaccinated children from early education and care via ‘No Jab No Play’ policies, but some offer exemptions for the socially disadvantaged. Such mandatory vaccination policies provoke heated arguments about morality potential downstream impacts, politics of which kinds people get exempted mandates are often fraught. Synthesising existing frameworks considering role mo...