Current Drug Safety - Volume 8, Issue 4, 2013

Inflammatory neuropathies are treatable immune-mediated disorders of the peripheral nerves, the prevalence of which is higher than previously believed. Although there are now established treatments of proven benefit for acute and chronic inflammatory neuropathies consisting of intravenous immunoglobulins, corticosteroids and plasma exchanges, there are patients who fail to respond to these therapies. Immuno Read More

Background: Fluid resuscitation is widely practiced in intensive care units for the treatment of sepsis. A comparison of the evidence base of different fluids may inform therapeutic choice. Methods: The risks of mortality and morbidity (the need for renal replacement therapies (RRT)) were assessed in patients with severe sepsis. A network meta-analysis compared trials for crystalloids, albumin and hydroxyethyl starch (HES) Read More

Objectives: The objective of this study was to evaluate the pharmacotherapy of bipolar II disorder during pregnancy and the postpartum period. Methods: The use of psychotropic drugs and recurrence risk during and after pregnancy was studied in a prospective, observational study of 37 women with bipolar II disorder. Results: During pregnancy the majority of participants (54.0%) were not on any psychotropic medication, Read More

Objective: The objective of this study was to determine if patients who weigh ≥100 kg are more likely to receive under-dosing of etomidate compared to those who weigh <100 kg for rapid sequence intubation in the emergency department (ED). Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study conducted in an academic ED in the United States. Adult patients who received etomidate for rapid sequence intubation were eval Read More

Background: Lithium is one of the most effective medications in the treatment of mood disorders. The long-term lithium therapy can alter kidney morphology and function. Objective: To evaluate the relation of Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the kidneys and renal function in patients undergoing chronic lithium therapy. Methods: Thirty five consecutive patients with mood disorders who were undergoing lithium therapy Read More

Background and Aims: The association between gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding and subsequent detection of GI cancer in patients using antiplatelet/anticoagulant medications is unclear. We investigated the association between the occurrence of GI bleeding and the detection of GI cancer and assessed whether this association differs in patients treated with clopidogrel or warfarin compared to non-treated patients. Read More

Forty five crude extracts of nine selected medicinal plants, based on their use in respiratory and other disorders in traditional systems of medicine were analyzed for their potential activity against three pathogenic species of Aspergillus. The presence of phenols, tannins, flavanoids, terpenoid, steroids, alkaloids and saponins in the different extracts was established. The crude extracts were examined for antifungal activity in co Read More

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the frequency of metformin-associated lactic acidosis in our metformin-intoxicated patients, the general approach for their management, and determine the frequency of hypoglycemia and outcome in these patients. We also wanted to see if there was a significant difference in the course and outcome of metformin poisoning between our patients and those reported in the lite Read More

Eisenmenger syndrome is associated with irreversible increase in pulmonary vascular resistance causing reduced survival. Bosentan, a non-selective endothelin receptor antagonist is the commonly used specific pulmonary arterial hypertension drug in Eisenmenger syndrome. In this paper, we present a case of recurrent gastrointestinal bleeding in a 23-year-old female with Eisenmenger syndrome who was only unde Read More

Introduction: Hyperammonemia is one of the rare nevertheless serious side effects associated with valproic acid treatment. Two cases of valproic acid induced hyperammonemia are detailed in this article. Cases: Case one describes an adult male who developed hyperammonemia after acute exposure to valproic acid as a treatment for his bipolar disorder-manic episode. Case two developed a similar pattern of toxicity but afte Read More

Background: Arrhythmia induced by etoposide is exceedingly rare. There are only a very few individual case histories of arrhythmias during etoposide infusion, including atrial fibrillation. Objective: Through this uncommon case, we propose to study the pathophysiology, the diagnosis and the management of this entity. Case Report: We report a case of a 57-year-old man, without cardiac history, followed for endocrine tum Read More