The Infona portal uses cookies, i.e. strings of text saved by a browser on the user's device. The portal can access those files and use them to remember the user's data, such as their chosen settings (screen view, interface language, etc.), or their login data. By using the Infona portal the user accepts automatic saving and using this information for portal operation purposes. More information on the subject can be found in the Privacy Policy and Terms of Service. By closing this window the user confirms that they have read the information on cookie usage, and they accept the privacy policy and the way cookies are used by the portal. You can change the cookie settings in your browser.
Obesity is now one of the most important global public health issues and preventable causes of disease and mortality. Worldwide, its prevalence continues to increase, with some of the most rapid increases occurring in developing countries. An ever-increasing range of diseases and health problems have been linked to obesity. In 2004, increased BMI alone was estimated to account for 2.8 million deaths,...
Pain can usually be managed using conventional oral analgesics and co-analgesics according to the WHO analgesic ladder. However, about 10% of patients have pain that is more difficult and they may benefit from interventions, such as nerve blocks, intrathecal drug delivery (ITDD) or percutaneous cordotomy. Early referral for specialist pain management is needed if interventional techniques are being...
Palliative care developed in the later part of the 20th century as a social movement and medical speciality. Central to its modern development were the ideas of Dr Cicely Saunders, whose vision for improving the care of the dying encompassed the physical, psychological, social and spiritual domains while emphasizing the importance of rigorous clinical practice, training and research. St Christopher’s...
Breathlessness is a distressing symptom that arises in many diseases. It has several pathophysiological causes, involving the interplay between peripheral and central chemoreceptors, pulmonary and bronchial receptors, chest wall and diaphragmatic muscles, and cortical processing. Older people and patients with cachexia are more susceptible to breathlessness on exertion. Most patients can be assessed...
Despite medical advances over the past 20 years, pain remains a problem in 60% of patients with advanced cancer and end-of-life care. In this article, we focus on how to assess and diagnose pain, and explore basic pharmacological and other pain-relieving interventions. Important issues highlighted are the need for skilled assessment and timely decisions in getting to grips with pain control quickly...
Chemotherapy with cytotoxic anticancer agents remains the mainstay of therapy targeted at specific cellular mechanisms in malignant disease. Increasingly it is being used earlier on in a patient’s treatment as an adjunct to either surgery or radiotherapy. Recent years have seen the introduction of ‘targeted agents’ into clinical use with increasing success.
Radiation therapy involves the use of high-energy radiation from X-rays, γ rays, neutrons, electrons, protons, and other sources to kill cancer cells and shrink tumours. Radiation may come from a machine outside the body (external-beam radiation therapy), or it may come from radioactive material placed in the body near cancer cells or within the tumour (brachytherapy or internal radiation therapy)...
Medical imaging techniques are an important element in the early detection for many cancers. They are also essential for determining the location, extension and stage of the lesion for diagnosis, for guiding treatment and therapeutic interventions, and for assessing tumour response during and after treatment. Imaging methods range from anatomical-based methods (ultrasound, conventional plain X-rays...
Cytotoxic chemotherapy drugs damage proliferating cells primarily by interfering with mitosis and we now know the molecular target of most of the drugs in clinical use. Even so, non-specificity of cytotoxic agents is a major drawback and their ability to damage normal as well as malignant cells means that cure with chemotherapy is not often achieved. Various strategies have been adopted to enhance...
Cancer is caused by aberrant patterns of gene expression. Most common cancers are caused by acquired mutations in somatic cells. In contrast, specific germline mutations can account for rare hereditary cancer syndromes. In general, the genes affected in cancers can be divided into two groups: oncogenes and tumour suppressor genes. Oncogenes undergo activation and are phenotypically dominant, while...
Set the date range to filter the displayed results. You can set a starting date, ending date or both. You can enter the dates manually or choose them from the calendar.