Is acupuncture effective in chronic nonspecific low back pain? - A Cochrane Review summary with commentary.

PM & R : the Journal of Injury, Function, and Rehabilitation

Acute pancreatitis (AP) represents one of the most common reasons for hospital admission and intensive care treatment in internal medicine. The incidence of AP is increasing, posing significant financial burden on healthcare systems due to the necessity for frequent medical interventions. Severe acute pancreatitis (SAP) is a potentially life-threatening condition with substantial morbidity and mortality. The management of SAP requires prolonged hospitalization and the expertise of a multidisciplinary team, comprising emergency physicians, intensivists, internists, gastroenterologists, visceral surgeons, and experts in nutrition, infectious disease, endoscopy, as well as diagnostic and interventional radiology. Effective management and beneficial patient outcomes depend on continuous interdisciplinary collaboration. This review synthesizes recent evidence guiding the practical management of SAP, with a particular focus on emergency and intensive care settings. Both established as well as new diagnostic and therapeutic paradigms are highlighted, including workup, risk stratification, fluid management, analgesia, nutrition, organ support, imaging modalities and their timing, along with anti-infective strategies. Furthermore, the review explores interventions for local and vascular complications of SAP, with particular attention to the indications, timing and selection between endoscopic (both endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) and endoscopic ultrasound (EUS)), percutaneous and surgical approaches. Similarly, the management of biliary AP due to obstructive gallstones, including the imaging, timing of ERCP and cholecystectomy, are discussed. By integrating new evidence with relevant guidance for everyday clinical practice, this review aims to enhance the interdisciplinary approach essential for improving outcomes in SAP management.

Practical management of severe acute pancreatitis.

European Journal of Internal Medicine

Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is a severe complication of critical illness, characterized by bilateral lung infiltrates and hypoxemia. Its clinical and pathophysiological heterogeneity poses challenges for both diagnosis and treatment. This review outlines the evolution of ARDS definitions, discusses the underlying pathophysiology of ARDS, and examines the clinical implications of its heterogeneity. Traditional ARDS definitions required invasive mechanical ventilation and relied on arterial blood gas measurements to calculate the PaO2 /FiO2 ratio. Recent updates have expanded these criteria to include patients receiving noninvasive respiratory support, such as high-flow nasal oxygen, and the adoption of the SpO2 /FiO2 ratio as an alternative to the PaO2 /FiO2 ratio. While these changes broaden the diagnostic criteria, they also introduce additional complexity. ARDS heterogeneity-driven by varying etiologies, clinical subphenotypes, and underlying biological mechanisms-highlights the limitations of a uniform management approach. Emerging evidence highlights the presence of distinct ARDS subphenotypes, each defined by unique molecular and clinical characteristics, offering a pathway to more precise therapeutic targeting. Advances in omics technologies-encompassing genomics, proteomics, and metabolomics-are paving the way for precision-medicine approaches with the potential to revolutionize ARDS management by tailoring interventions to individual patient profiles. This paradigm shift from broad diagnostic categories to precise, subphenotype-driven care holds promise for redefining the landscape of treatment for ARDS and, ultimately, improving outcomes in this complex, multifaceted syndrome.

A narrative review on the future of ARDS: evolving definitions, pathophysiology, and tailored management.

Critical Care : the Official Journal of the Critical Care Forum

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a global public health issue characterized by progressive loss of kidney function, of which end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) is the last stage. The global increase in the prevalence of CKD is linked to the increasing prevalence of traditional risk factors, including obesity, hypertension, and diabetes mellitus, as well as metabolic factors, particularly insulin resistance, dyslipidemia, and hyperuricemia. Mortality and comorbidities, such as cardiovascular complications, rise steadily as kidney function deteriorates. Patients who progress to ESKD require long-term kidney replacement therapy, such as transplantation or hemodialysis/peritoneal dialysis. It is currently understood that a crucial aspect of CKD involves persistent, low-grade inflammation. In addition, increased oxidative and metabolic stress, endothelial dysfunction, vascular calcification from poor calcium and phosphate metabolism, and difficulties with coagulation are some of the complex molecular pathways underlying CKD-related and ESKD-related issues. Novel mechanisms, such as microbiome dysbiosis and apolipoprotein L1 gene mutation, have improved our understanding of kidney disease mechanisms. High kidney disease risk of Africa has been linked to APOL1 high-risk alleles. The 3-fold increased risk of ESKD in African Americans compared to European Americans is currently mainly attributed to variants in the APOL1 gene in the chromosome 22q12 locus. Additionally, the role of new therapies such as SGLT2 inhibitors, mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists, and APOL1 channel function inhibitors offers new therapeutic targets in slowing down the progression of chronic kidney disease. This review describes recent molecular mechanisms underlying CKD and emerging therapeutic targets.

Advances in kidney disease: pathogenesis and therapeutic targets.

Frontiers in Medicine

Insomnia is a common and challenging complaint in older adults (&gt; 65 years) because of age-related alterations in sleep physiology. Cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia is the gold standard for treatment of insomnia in young as well as older patients. Both clinicians and patients often prefer the simplicity of medication, but risks associated with some hypnotics increase with age. Pharmacologic options for older adults include low-dose doxepin, melatonin, ramelteon, and the dual orexin receptor antagonists. A well-informed clinician can help patients navigate the risks and benefits of both pharmacologic and behavioral options.

Is acupuncture effective in chronic nonspecific low back pain? - A Cochrane Review summary with commentary.

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Is acupuncture effective in chronic nonspecific low back pain? - A Cochrane Review summary with commentary.

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