Clinical Reviews & Editorials

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  Management of cancer pain: Challenging the evidence of the recent guidelines for opioid use in palliative care

  This narrative review outlines the role of guidelines on opioid use and summarizes recent knowledge regarding the consequences of long-term opioid therapy (L-TOT), in particular opioid addiction and deficiencies of the immune and endocrine systems. It also addresses new strategies to strengthen the L-TOT in the management of cancer-related pain among patients receiving palliative care.

  2021-12-15
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  Biologic agents and small-molecule inhibitors in systemic autoimmune conditions: An update

  This review provides an updated overview of the mechanisms of action, therapeutic indications, efficacy, and safety of the currently available biologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (bDMARDs) and targeted synthetic DMARDs (tsDMARDs), based on the results of randomized clinical trials and real-world studies.

  2021-03-02
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  Investigations and management of chronic cough: A 2020 update from the ERS Chronic Cough Task Force

  Chronic cough is a common condition that affects 7% to 11% of adults worldwide and accounts for a major burden of primary care visits in both developed and developing countries. The purpose of this review was to highlight the key messages on the management of chronic cough from the task force commissioned by the European Respiratory Society.

  2020-10-01
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  Human-important outcomes and EBM during the COVID-19 pandemic

  The pandemic brought with it an entire new realm of human suffering that is only indirectly related to disease itself—it relates to the societies’ ways of dealing with the illness. We propose that when making decisions about health-care interventions during this and during future pandemics, those “human-important outcomes” are carefully considered.

  2020-07-17
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  Aspirin for primary cardiovascular prevention: Why the wonder drug should not be precipitously dismissed

  This review provides an overview of the available evidence on aspirin for primary cardiovascular prevention, focusing on the results of meta-analyses and strengths and pitfalls of meta-analytic assessments.

  2020-03-06
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  Reinvigorating the clinical examination for the 21st century

  In the modern American hospital, clinicians spend as little as 12% of their time in direct contact with patients and their families. This has led to a decline in clinical examination skills and contributes to diagnostic error. In 2017, the Society of Bedside Medicine was formed to encourage innovation, education, and research on the role of the clinical encounter in 21st century medicine.

  2020-01-13
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  Risk mitigation for travelers: Managing endemic and emerging threats

  International travel has become an increasingly complex issue as a risk factor for infectious diseases. This review examines important considerations when evaluating travelers, with a special focus on the risk of emerging infectious diseases, by placing clinical syndromes in a travel context.

  2019-10-22
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  Thyroid emergencies

  This review discusses the clinical presentation, diagnosis, and management of patients presenting with myxedema coma or thyroid storm. If not promptly and appropriately diagnosed and treated, both conditions are associated with poor outcomes and high mortality rates.

  2019-10-17
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  Clinical significance of CMV and other herpes virus infections in ulcerative colitis

  This review discusses herpes virus infection in patients with ulcerative colitis (UC), focusing on the prevalence and diagnosis of cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection and prevalence of single or mixed herpes virus infection in addition to CMV. The significance of CMV genotyping in UC is also examined.

  2019-10-15
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  Gastroesophageal reflux disease and Barrett esophagus: An overview of evidence-based guidelines

  This review discusses new guidelines addressing the management of patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and Barrett esophagus.

  2019-10-10