ABSTRACT
We present the case of a patient with chronic low back pain with an unfavourable progression despite the prescribed pharmacological treatment. The patient had symptoms associated with compression of the sciatic nerve in an atypical area. As it passed through the piriformis muscle, it was diagnosed as piriformis muscle syndrome. This diagnosis was based on the clinical signs and symptoms and the determination of the tests performed, with the imaging tests being absolutely normal. Treatment is basically with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, muscle relaxants and stretching exercises of this muscle.
Subject(s)
Low Back Pain/therapy , Piriformis Muscle Syndrome/therapy , Adult , Humans , Low Back Pain/etiology , Male , Piriformis Muscle Syndrome/complications , Piriformis Muscle Syndrome/diagnosisABSTRACT
We report the case of a 55 year-old man who consulted for pruritic bullous lesions of three months onset located on the body, hands and scalp. After ruling out various illnesses to justify the situation described, it was thought that the cause could be pharmacological. The patient had been on treatment with hydrochlorothiazide for several years due to hypertension. The lesions improved with the withdrawal of diuretic therapy, and the introduction of oral corticosteroids.
Subject(s)
Antihypertensive Agents/adverse effects , Hydrochlorothiazide/adverse effects , Pemphigoid, Bullous/chemically induced , Humans , Male , Middle AgedABSTRACT
Cirrhosis is one of the most common causes of mortality worldwide, because hepatic dysfunction constitutes a potentially lethal condition. Having demonstrated the hepatoprotective effect of adenosine against CCl(4)-induced cirrhosis, the present study was aimed at assessing adenosine's effect on an already-established micronodular cirrhosis. Chronic administration of CCl(4) (10 weeks) induced a cirrhotic state, characterized by increased liver fibronectin and collagen types I and III content, enhanced expression of alpha-1 (I) collagen mRNA, portal hypertension, and liver dysfunction. After CCl(4) discontinuation (5 weeks), increased persitance of alpha-1 (I) collagen mRNA expression and deposition, enhanced proline incorporation into collagen and prolyl hydroxylase activity evidenced active fibrogenesis. Several weeks after CCl(4) withdrawal, deposited collagen showed an enhanced type I/III ratio, which was associated with deficient collagenolytic activity in cirrhotic livers. Liver expression of some metalloproteinases (MMPs) and of tissue inhibitors of MMPs (TIMPs) also indicated decreased collagen breakdown in cirrhotic livers. Parameters indicative of oxidative stress (mainly protein oxidation) were persistently augmented. These events were coincident with diminished regenerative capacity of the cirrhotic liver. Intraperitoneal adenosine administration to CCl(4)-induced cirrhotic rats blocked active fibrogenesis and increased the collagen degradation (most probably by decreasing liver TIMPs levels), normalizing collagen-type ratios. In addition, the nucleoside promoted an effective hepatocyte's proliferation in the cirrhotic liver and accelerated normalization of parameters indicative of liver function and oxidative stress. Thus, adenosine readily reversed an experimental cirrhosis through stimulating liver collagenolytic and proliferative capacities, as well as by accelerating functional recovery.
Subject(s)
Adenosine/therapeutic use , Carbon Tetrachloride/toxicity , Collagen/metabolism , Hepatocytes/drug effects , Liver Cirrhosis, Experimental/drug therapy , Animals , Cell Division/drug effects , Collagen/analysis , DNA/biosynthesis , Fibronectins/analysis , Hepatocytes/metabolism , Hypertension, Portal/prevention & control , Liver/chemistry , Liver/metabolism , Liver Cirrhosis, Experimental/metabolism , Liver Regeneration/drug effects , Male , Oxidative Stress , Rats , Rats, WistarABSTRACT
Sixteen males with erectile failure, married or living with their partners, were assigned to either 12 bi-weekly sessions (6 weeks) of Rational Emotive Therapy (RET) or a 6-week waiting-list control group. Active treatment administered by a graduate student in psychology with special training in RET resulted in patients making significantly more sexual intercourse attempts, reporting significantly reduced sexual anxiety, and having a significantly higher number of successful intercourse attempts than the waiting-list control group. While 6-9 month follow-up revealed that most treated patients had fallen back toward the pretest baseline (lower rates of successful intercourse), group means as a whole were still significantly higher than pretreatment intercourse success rates. The significance of these findings are discussed.
Subject(s)
Erectile Dysfunction/therapy , Psychotherapy, Rational-Emotive/methods , Psychotherapy/methods , Adult , Anxiety/therapy , Erectile Dysfunction/psychology , Follow-Up Studies , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Sexual BehaviorABSTRACT
Assigned depressed outpatients (N = 32) to either group assertion training or "traditional" group psychotherapy. The results showed that over a relatively short period of time, assertion training was more effective than traditional psychotherapy in increasing self-reported assertiveness and in alleviating depression.
Subject(s)
Assertiveness , Behavior Therapy/methods , Depression/therapy , Depression/psychology , Humans , MMPISubject(s)
Adenosine/pharmacology , Cycloheximide/pharmacology , Fatty Liver/chemically induced , Animals , Cycloheximide/antagonists & inhibitors , Fatty Acids, Nonesterified/blood , Fatty Liver/metabolism , Female , Ketone Bodies/blood , Liver/drug effects , Liver/metabolism , Male , Protein Biosynthesis , Rats , Sex Factors , Triglycerides/blood , Triglycerides/metabolismSubject(s)
Adenosine/pharmacology , Ketone Bodies/biosynthesis , Liver/metabolism , Palmitates/metabolism , Palmitic Acids/metabolism , Acetoacetates/blood , Adrenalectomy , Animals , Cell-Free System , Coenzyme A Ligases/antagonists & inhibitors , Depression, Chemical , Hydroxybutyrates/blood , Kinetics , Mitochondria, Liver/metabolism , Rats , Ribonucleosides/pharmacology , Subcellular Fractions/metabolismABSTRACT
The effect of several cations on the inhibition by PPi of the enzyme myo-inositol-1-phosphate synthase (1L-myo-inositol-1-phosphate lyase (isomerizing) EC 5.5.1.4) from Neurospora crassa was studied. The study wastol biosynthesis can occur in the presence of an intracellular PPi concentration which exceeds the Ki for the enzyme by 350-fold. The inhibition of enzyme activity by PPi,at pH 7.7, was reversed, in decreasing order of effectiveness, by Mn-2, Fe-3
