INTRODUCTION Primary pulmonary hypertension and its associated forms is a progressive and often fatal disease, the course of which has been favourably modified by prostacyclin therapy in the last decade. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study is to analize retrospectively the efficacy of continuous intravenous epoprostenol (synthetic prostacyclin) therapy in pulmonary arterial hypertension, and to c...

OBJECTIVE Although there is scientific evidence that stress adversely affects metabolic control, only a few studies have examined the role of stress management in improving glycemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM). In this study, we investigated the effect of a relaxation technique on levels of stress and glycemic control. DESIGN A total of 53 patients with type 2 DM we...

Intra-arterial (IA) chemotherapy has achieved no obvious clinical superiority as a treatment for glioblastoma multiforme despite the many theoretical advantages. The clinical courses of 38 patients who underwent surgery and radiotherapy with IA 1-(4-amino-2-methyl-5-pyrimidinyl)-methyl-3-(2-chloroethyl)-3-nitrosourea hydrochloride (ACNU) and cisplatin were reviewed. Tumor regrowth was evaluated...

BACKGROUND Amputation rates and mortality in patients with severe acute limb ischemia remain high. The protective effect of controlled reperfusion (CR) on tissue damage because of local and systemic reperfusion injury is unclear. METHODS AND RESULTS A total of 174 patients from 14 centers were randomized between conventional treatment (CT) by thrombembolectomy and normal blood reperfusion and...

OBJECTIVE To assess the efficacy of maggot therapy for treating foot and leg ulcers in diabetic patients failing conventional therapy. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS Retrospective comparison of changes in necrotic and total surface area of chronic wounds treated with either maggot therapy or standard (control) surgical or nonsurgical therapy. RESULTS In this cohort of 18 patients with 20 nonhe...

We describe a 78-year-old Japanese patient with angiosarcoma on the scalp. Interestingly, immunohistochemical staining revealed this tumor as positive for matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP-9). After conventional therapy for angiosarcoma with surgical treatment and radiation therapy, we intravenously administered docetaxel at 40 mg/m(2) body surface area together with oral administration of 17.5 m...

Deregulated Myc expression drives many human cancers, including Burkitt's lymphoma and a highly aggressive subset of diffuse large cell lymphomas. Myc-driven tumors often display resistance to chemotherapeutics because of acquisition of mutations that impair the apoptosis pathway regulated by the Bcl-2 protein family. Given the need to identify new therapies for such lymphomas, we have evaluate...

Objectives: Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common and costly bone and joint disease in the elderly. Recently, viscosupplementation, an intra-articular injection of artificial joint fluid in order to restore rheological properties affecting lubrication and shock absorption, has introduced as an alternative conservative treatment. To assess the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of Hylan G-F 2...

INTRODUCTION Two cases of viral hepatitis that had failed conventional therapy are presented. Both were subsequently treated with protocols using homeopathic medicines as detailed below. Both patients sustained remissions for 2 years after taking ultradilute natural medicines after their conventional treatment had been discontinued. METHODS The treatment protocol included Chelidonium majus 6X...

Honey has been described in ancient and modern medicine as being effective in the healing of various infected wounds. In this report we present our experience in nine infants with large, open, infected wounds that failed to heal with conventional treatment. Conventional treatment was defined as having failed if after > or = 14 d of intravenous antibiotic and cleaning the wound with chlorhexidin...