Refractary

INTRODUCTION: Mioclonic progressive epilepsy (MPE) includes a clinical and genetical heterogeneous group of neuro-degenerative disorders that associate spontaneous and action-induced myoclonus as well as progressive cognitive impairment. Lafora`s disease is a subtype of MPE with autosomical recessive inheritance due to a mutation in EPM2A or EPM2B genes. Seizures, especially myoclonus, are often refractary to antiepileptic drugs (AD). CASE REPORT: In this article we report a patient with Lafora´s disease diagnosis, previously resistant to several AD tested with good and sustained response to zonisamide...

Heel spur is a chronic inflammatory condition causing pain and other typical symptoms. Therapeutic recommendations include the use of several drug or orthotic/physical therapies, performed alone or in combination. Surgery is usually reserved for refractory conditions. Radiotherapy has been shown to ensure good clinical outcomes in this clinical setting. A systematic review was performed to describe the feasibility and effectiveness of radiotherapy in the treatment of heel spur, evaluating its role in alleviating pain and consequently ensuring a better quality of life...

Atelectasis is one of the most common respiratory complications in pediatric patients after open-heart surgery, and may lead to weaning failure and increased morbidity. We report the use of an original, minimally invasive approach to refractory left lung atelectasis after repair of an aortic coarctation in a 2 month-old infant, in which a CPAP system connected to a flexible endobronchial tube resolved the atelectasis.

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INTRODUCTION: Situs inversus totalis is the technical term used when there is a complete transposition of all organs to the opposite side referring to classical embryogenic orientation. Laparoscopic cholecystectomy is one of the most performed surgeries in the world. PRESENTATION OF CASE: We report the case of a 61-year-old female patient who had previously undergone videolaparoscopic gastroplasty 7 months ago, who developed refractary biliary colic and underwent videolaparoscopic cholecystectomy...

Endothelial dysfunction and the related increase in reactive oxygen species (ROS) production are important events in the pathophysiology of diabetes mellitus (DM). Methylene blue (MB) has been systematically investigated for its protective effects against refractory hypotension and mitochondrial dysfunction. We have previously demonstrated that MB improved mitochondrial respiration and partially decreased oxidative stress in diabetic rat hearts. The present study was aimed to investigate whether MB modulates vascular function and ROS production in thoracic aortic rings isolated from rats with streptozotocin-induced DM (after 4 weeks of hyperglycemia)...

Jejunal diverticular disease is a very uncommon pathology often asymptomatic. Associated complications appear in less than 30% of patients and they can present as diverticulitis, refractary inflammation, obstruction, hemorrhage, perforation or intraabdominal abscess formation. Clinical manifestations are usually unspecific and high suspicion index is required to reach the diagnosis. Treatment of complications includes volume replacement, transfusions, antibiotic therapy, percutaneous drainage or surgical intervention...

In most cases, the etiology of epilepsy is unknown, although some individuals may develop epilepsy as a result of certain brain injuries, following a stroke, a brain tumor or because of drugs and alcohol. Even some rare genetic mutations may be related to the onset of the condition. Seizures are the result of excessive and abnormal activity of neurons in the cerebral cortex. In this case report we show a clinical case of refractory epilepsy due to pain related to uncontrolled dysmenorrhea. The patient, 43 yrs old, had a history of epilepsy of 20 years and ovarian cancer...

INTRODUCTION: Pontocerebellar hypoplasia (PCH) is a reduction of the size of the cerebellum and pons secondary to an alteration in its development, and can be caused by neurodegenerative diseases of genetic origin, of which there are known 10 subtypes (PCH 1-10), cortical malformations, metabolic and genetic diseases. OBJECTIVE: To present the case of a child with microcephaly, PCH and West syndrome, in which the genetic study allowed to make the diagnosis of a deletion on chromosome X...

UNLABELLED: Objetive: To describe etanercept use and effectiveness on steroid- refractary acute graft-versus-host disease after hematopoietic cell transplantation. METHOD: Patients treated with etanercept as off label use for steroid-refractary acute graft-versus-host disease were selected and each patient's medical history was reviewed to assess the clinical response. RESULTS: The study included five patients: four presented with digestive manifestations and one presented pulmonary and liver manifestations...

Neurotrophins are important neurotrophic factors involved in the survival, differentiation and function of a wide variety of neuron populations. A common feature for most neurotrophins is that they are synthesized as precursor proteins (pro-neurotrophins) that upon being processed by proteolysis render the mature active form responsible for most of their trophic functions. However, some of the pro-neurotrophin form of these proteins, such as the precursor form of NGF (pro-NGF), have been shown to induce opposite effects and trigger apoptosis on neurons through the p75NTR receptor...

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The presence of adverse reactions, inherent to all treatments, justifies the necessity of deep knowledge, by the medical team of the prevention and treatment of occasional organic dysfunctions, reducing its impact. The purpose of this paper is to report a case comprising the several systemic adverse reactions after perfusion of limb with melphalan and hyperthermia. CASE REPORT: A white female, 64-years old patient with diagnosis of melanoma in the medial malleoli region of the left lower limb...

The use of pedicled buccal fat pad flap (BFP) has proved of value for the closure of oroantral and oronasal communications and is a well-established tool in oral and maxillofacial surgery. Otherwise, the perceived limitations of surgical therapy for bisphosphonate-related osteonecrosis of the jaws (BRONJ) have been widely discussed, and recommendations have largely been made to offer aggressive surgery only to stage 3 patients refractary to conservative management. Oroantral communication may be a common complication after sequestrectomy and bone debridement in upper maxillary BRONJ...

OBJECTIVES:   To report about our first short series of laparoscopic implantation of neuroprothesis-LION procedure-to the sacral plexus for treatment of different neurogenic bladder dysfunctions in patients in whom percutaneous sacral nerve stimulation (SNS) failed. MATERIAL AND METHODS:   A unilateral sacral LION procedure was performed in four patients with a refractary interstitial cystitis, in 13 patients with refractory bladder overactivity (multiple sclerosis N= 8, spina bifida N= 1, incomplete paraplegia N= 2, diabetic cystopathy N= 1), one patient with a neurogenic bladder incontinence by Parkinson syndrome, and in four patients for treatment for bladder atonia (Fowler's syndrome)...

INTRODUCTION: Vasodilatory refractory shock is common in patients with severe burns. It is defined by resistance to high doses of volume and vasopressor therapy. OBJECTIVE: Our objective was to investigate effects of vasopressin therapy in severe burn patients with vasodilatory refractory shock. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We carried out an open, prospective study in 15 patients with severe burns with vasodilatory refractary shock. Patients were monitored with arterial line, pulmonary artery catheter, transtoracic echocardiography, arterial and central venous gases, gastric-arterial CO2 gradient, serum and urinary osmolality, urinary electrolytes, dieresis, and trooping T and CPK-MB levels...

DNA topoisomerase I is a nuclear enzyme which catalyzes the conversion of the DNA topology by introducing single-strand breaks into the DNA molecule. This enzyme represents a novel and distinct molecule target for cancer therapy by antitopoisomerase drugs belonging to the campthotecin series of antineoplastics. As many tumors can acquire resistance to drug treatment and become refractary to the chemotherapy it is very important to investigate the mechanisms involved in such a drug resistance for circumventing the phenomenon...

Inflammatory bowel diseases are complex diseases due to the combination of genetic and environmental factors. Many genes have a limited effect and none is necessary nor sufficient. It has been observed that many of these genes confer susceptibility to specific clinical forms of the disease. So, HLADRB1*0103 confer susceptibility to the pancolitis form of ulcerative colitis and also to Crohn's disease but only with colonic localization. IKBL gene confer susceptibility only to ulcerative colitis, also the pancolitis form and refractary to treatment...

BACKGROUND: Tumor necrosis factor antagonists are useful in the treatment of several chronic inflammatory immune mediated diseases. AIM: To assess the effects of infliximab in 21 patients with inflammatory arthropaties, refractary to conventional treatment. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Eleven patients with rheumatoid arthritis, seven with psoriatic arthritis and three with spondyloarthritis were treated. The mean duration of the diseases was 10 years...

In order to investigate the relationship between Ganhuo shangyanzheng and Can-shengyin xuzheng in herpes simplex karatitis patients, we observed corneal pathologic changes and examined blood levels of prostaglandin F2 (PGF2), prostaglandin E2 (PGF2), tumor necrosis factor (TNF), arginine vasopressin (AVP), norepinephrine (NR), epinephrine (E) in sixty herpes simplex karatitis patients with Ganhou shangyanzheng or Gan-shengyinxuzheng. The results showed that the corneal pathologic changes were corneal ulcer infiltrating to stroma of cornea in Ganhuo shangyanzheng patients, and refractary corneal ulcer with large amount of corneal neovascularizaton and infiltration of corneal stroma in Gan-shengyinxuzheng patients, the blood levels of PGF2, PGE2, TNF, AVP, NE, E in Ganhuo shangyanzheng patients were higher than those in Gan-shengyinxuzheng patients or healthy persons...

A case of primary adrenal bilateral non-Hodgking lymphoma, with depressed adrenal reserve is presented. This rare neoplasm causes rapid evolution and fatal outcome in most cases. In our patient, lethal outcome was associated with severe hypercalcemia and refractary hypotension. Many other complications are due to tumoral lysis syndrome associated with high steroid doses in adrenal insufficiency. This rare entity must be included in the differencial diagnosis of adrenal masses, uni or bilateral, because early diagnostic is important for preventing complications, potentially lethals and for improving survival...