Apparent Organic Disease Research Articles

Brief classification and latest therapy for lactose intolerance

Lactose intolerance is a digestive problem with a high incidence worldwide. The disease occurs mainly due to a lack or deficiency of lactase in the body, which prevents effective digestion of lactose. Congenital lactose intolerance is caused by a genetic defect that prevents the body from producing enough lactase, and its incidence is relatively low. Secondary lactose intolerance is caused by other gastrointestinal disorders, such as celiac disease, and is relatively common. Functional lactose intolerance is the most common form of lactose intolerance, in which lactase activity is reduced or lactose absorption is impaired, but there is no apparent organic disease. This article lists several possible solutions for different types of lactose intolerance based on the latest research. In studies of lactose intolerance, scientists have found that the rate of lactose intolerance varies widely across populations, with significant differences in prevalence by race and region. In addition, several studies have shown a link between lactose intolerance and the composition of the gut microbiome. Therefore, the study of lactose intolerance has important implications for understanding how the human digestive system works and the relationship between the gut microbiome and health.

Pentoxifylline's Theoretical Efficacy in the Treatment of Fibromyalgia Syndrome

To the Editor: Fibromyalgia is a syndrome characterized by chronic, widespread pain in combination with tenderness to palpation at specific tender point sites on the body, in the absence of otherwise apparent organic disease [1]. Given the unclear etiology of fibromyalgia, and the heterogeneous presentations of the disease, it has become clear that no one therapy is broadly efficacious. Drugs known to attenuate glial activation and secretion of proinflammatory cytokines such as naltrexone have already been tested and found efficient in the reduction of fibromyalgia symptoms [2]. Glial cell activation and subsequent secretion of cytokines constitute one of the theories underlying fibromyalgia syndrome. Glial cells, long …

Fibromialgia: chi deve rimodulare la percezione del dolore in questi pazienti?

Fibromyalgia (FM), a poorly-understood chronic condition, is characterized by widespread musculoskeletal pain, fatigue, non-restorative sleep, psychological distress, and specific regions of localized tenderness, all in the absence of otherwise apparent organic disease (1). While the etiology of FM is unclear, accumulating data suggests that disordered central pain processing likely plays a role in the pathogenesis of symptoms (2). Although various pharmacological treatments have been studied for treating FM, no single drug or group of drugs has proved to be particularly useful in treating FM patients as a whole; and to date, only two drugs (pregabalin and duloxetine) have earned U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for treating the syndrome in the United States (USA) (3, 4)...

Electrocardiographic and blood pressure alterations during electroconvulsive therapy in young adults.

To study cardiovascular alterations in young patients with no apparent organic disease who underwent electroconvulsive therapy. The study comprised 47 healthy patients (22 males and 25 females) with a mean age of 30.3 years, who underwent electroconvulsive therapy. Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring and continuous electrocardiographic monitoring (Holter monitor) were performed during 24 hours. Blood pressure and heart rate were assessed 4 hours prior to electric shock administration, during electric shock administration, and 3 hours after electric shock administration. Arrhythmias and alterations in the ST segment in 24 hours were recorded. On electroconvulsive therapy, a significant increase in blood pressure and heart rate was observed and the measurements returned to basal values after 25 minutes. Three females had tracings with depression of the ST segment suggesting myocardial ischemia prior to and after electroconvulsive therapy. Coronary angiography was normal. No severe cardiac arrhythmias were diagnosed. 1) Electroconvulsive therapy is a safe therapeutic modality in psychiatry; 2) it causes a significant increase in blood pressure and heart rate; 3) it may be associated with myocardial ischemia in the absence of coronary obstructive disease; 4) electroconvulsive therapy was not associated with the occurrence of severe cardiac arrhythmias.

Paroxysmal atrial tachycardia with atrioventricular block--a five year experience in Singapor.

Summary: A prospective analysis of 17 cases of paroxysmal atrial tachycardia with block was carried out over a five-year period from June 1968 to June 1973 in a medical unit in Singapore. Seventy-six percent had prior digitalis therapy, and all except one were more than 50 years old. Of the 17 cases, eight patients (46%) with chronic obstructive lung disease and cor pulmonale developed this arrhythmia after digitalis administration, five had severe chronic ischaemic heart disease, two chronic renal failure, one hypertensive heart disease and one had no apparent organic disease. Digitalis was stopped in all those patients who had received digitalis as it was assumed to be one of the contributing factors which precipitated the arrhythmia. Intravenous potassium chloride was used successfully in nine out of 10 patients. The use of potassium and its dangers are discussed. Intravenous diphenylhydantoin and propanolol were used in three and two patients respectively. Sixteen patients had their arrhythmia terminated but the mortality rate remained high (59%) reflecting the severity of the underlying disease. The incidence of this arrhythmia (1: 2,000 ECGs per annum) in our department was low compared to other series.