Safety of low-dose oral minoxidil for hair loss: A multicenter study of 1404 patients.

BACKGROUND: The major concern regarding the use of low-dose oral minoxidil (LDOM) for the treatment of hair loss is the potential risk of systemic adverse effects. OBJECTIVE: To describe the safety of LDOM for the treatment of hair loss in a large cohort of patients. METHODS: Retrospective multicenter study of patients treated with LDOM for at least 3 months for any type of alopecia. RESULTS: A total of 1404 patients (943 women [67.2%] and 461 men [32.8%]) with a mean age of 43 years (range 8-86) were included. The dose of LDOM was titrated in 1065 patients, allowing the analysis of 2469 different cases. The most frequent adverse effect was hypertrichosis (15.1%), which led to treatment withdrawal in 14 patients (0.5%). Systemic adverse effects included lightheadedness (1.7%), fluid retention (1.3%), tachycardia (0.9%), headache (0.4%), periorbital edema (0.3%), and insomnia (0.2%), leading to drug discontinuation in 29 patients (1.2%). No life-threatening adverse effects were observed. LIMITATIONS: Retrospective design and lack of a control group. CONCLUSION: LDOM has a good safety profile as a treatment for hair loss. Systemic adverse effects were infrequent and only 1.7% of patients discontinued treatment owing to adverse effects.

Effectiveness and safety of oral dutasteride for male androgenetic alopecia in real clinical practice: A descriptive monocentric study.

The objective of our study was to describe the effectiveness and safety of oral dutasteride (OD) for male androgenetic alopecia in real clinical practice. A retrospective, monocentric, and descriptive study was designed. Male patients with androgenetic alopecia that had received OD for at least 12 months were included. Three or less capsules of 0.5 mg per week were considered low doses. Therapeutic response was assessed by comparison of pre- and post-treatment (at month 12) clinical images by three independent dermatologists with expertise in hair disorders, using a four-point scale (worsening, stabilization, mild improvement or marked improvement). In all, 307 patients with a mean age of 35.3 years (range 18-79) were included. Eight patients (2.6%) required the discontinuation of the drug due to decreased libido (n = 4), gynecomastia (n = 2), mood disorder (n = 1) and erectile dysfunction (n = 1). All these AE resolved after stopping the medication. No AE were detected in patients receiving low doses of OD. The effectiveness was evaluated in the subgroup of 42 patients (13.7%) who received OD in monotherapy: 38 patients improved (90%), 10 of them (23.8%) presenting a marked improvement, 4 patients (9.5%) were stable and none patient worsened. In conclusion, OD is an effective treatment for male androgenetic alopecia in real clinical practice, presenting a good safety profile, especially at lower doses.

Safety of low-dose oral minoxidil treatment for hair loss. A systematic review and pooled-analysis of individual patient data.

low dose oral minoxidil (OM) is an increasingly used treatment for androgenetic alopecia and other types of hair loss. to analyze available data of patients treated with OM, focusing on safety and adverse effects. a search in PubMed and EMBASE was performed for studies reporting the treatment of alopecia with OM. Individual patient data available for pooled-analysis were sex, dose of OM, presence of hypertrichosis and lower limb edema. 14 studies including 442 patients were analyzed. OM was used at doses between 0.25 and 5 mg, for eight different types of alopecia. Hypertrichosis was observed in 24% of patients. All doses had an increased odds ratio of hypertrichosis, compared to 0.25 to 0.5 mg (P < .001). Pedal edema was observed in 2% and was also associated with higher doses of OM (P = .009). Postural hypotension and heart rate alterations occurred only in 1.1% and 1.3% of the patients, respectively. Efficacy of OM could not be analyzed due to heterogeneous studies. However, four studies using OM for androgenetic alopecia reported a clinical response in 70% to 100% of the patients. Low dose OM is a safe and well-tolerated treatment for hair loss, presenting a lower adverse effect rate than standard doses.

Chest Wall Trauma Surgery Review.

Rib fractures are frequent in trauma patients, being most of them managed on a non-surgical way. However, in selected cases, it is advocated. Chest wall stabilization (CWS) only recently has been best characterized. Available data shows plenty of benefits related to CWS versus non-surgical treatment in selected cases. Even though, it is only performed in a small number of patients according to some national databases. There are lots of topics to define concerning CWS such as the subgroups that benefit most, the time of surgery, which ribs should be stabilized and which incision should be performed. Most of these subjects need to be tailored for each patient. So far, no guidelines for CWS are available, although some algorithms have been proposed based on a combination of clinical experience and risk factors. In high-volume trauma centers it has become a common procedure. The complexity of some cases demands a careful evaluation, especially in the context of multiple injuries, and it should be taken into account in the decision.

Lung Necrosis After Paraffin Aspiration.

BACKGROUND: Fire breather´s lung is a rare condition that occurs after hydrocarbon aspiration. Case reports published experienced a good clinical outcome with conservative treatment. To our knowledge, there are no reported cases treated with pulmonary resection. CASE PRESENTATION: We report the case of a 35-year-old female trapeze artist, who suffered an accidental ingestion/ aspiration of liquid paraffin. Persistent fever and elevated inflammatory markers without clinical improvement with antibiotics and bronchoscopy was seen. Computed tomography scan showing middle lobe necrosis and abscess motivated a middle lobectomy for infection control. Postoperative recovery was uneventful. CONCLUSION: There are some cases described in the literature, normally with a favourable evolution with conservative treatment. Therefore, it is important to acknowledge that, in patients where serious complications have arisen, despite medical therapy, surgery may have an important role, and resection of the necrotic lung may prevent its potential life-threatening consequences.

Major Complications of Videomediastinoscopy and their Resolution - a 5 year experience.

INTRODUCTION: Videomediastinoscopy is an invasive procedure for mediastinal assessment, with low rates of morbidity and mortality. Despite the low risk of complications, they can be potentially lethal if not immediately controlled. OBJECTIVE: The goal of this study is to analyse the overall incidence of complications of videomediastinoscopies, performed in the last 5 years at our department, as well as their resolution and outcomes. METHODS: A retrospective review of all videomediastinoscopies performed at a single institution during a 5-year period was performed. Major complications were defined as life-threatening events. RESULTS: During the study period, from July 2012 to July 2017, were performed 160 mediastinoscopies, 67 were diagnostic and 93 for staging. There were 3 major complications (1.87%), of which a severe haemorrhage from a bronchial artery, a tracheal rupture, and a massive haemorrhage from an innominate artery laceration. In this 3 cases, the diagnosis were lung cancer in 2 patients and lymphoma in the other one. There were no intraoperative deaths. One patient died in the postoperative period due to mediastinitis and disease progression. The patient who suffered innominate artery laceration, had a stroke due to dissection of the right carotid artery. During follow-up, one patient died from progression of oncologic disease, and the other one is alive 4 years later. CONCLUSION: Although mediastinoscopy has a low rate of complications, these can be potentially lethal and the thoracic surgeon should be able to resolve them rapidly. Due to the scarcity of publications on this subject, it is important to describe potential complications of this surgical procedure and their clinical resolution.

Severe Intraoperative Complications During VATS Anatomical Ressections and their Surgical Resolution in a Portuguese Thoracic Surgery Centre - A 9-Year Review.

INTRODUCTION: Many studies have demonstrated that video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) is not only feasible and safe but is actually the approach chosen for an increasing number of pulmonary anatomic resections. There are however few studies reporting on severe intraoperative complications during VATS anatomical ressections and their resolution. OBJECTIVE: Our aim is to analyse the incidence of severe intraoperative complications during VATS anatomical ressections, at our department, in the past nine years, and describe their technical resolution during the surgery. METHODS: We performed the retrospective analysis of the patients submitted to lobectomy, bilobectomy or segmentectomy by VATS or VATS converted to thoracotomy at Hospital de Santa Marta, between May 2008 and September 2017. Severe intraoperative complications were defined as an event that results in a life threatening situation or an injury to a proximal airway, blood vessel or organ that would lead to an unplanned additional anatomical resection. RESULTS: A total of 151 patients were submitted to anatomical ressections, 90,7% (n=137) of them for a primary lung cancer, other indications were metastatic disease 6%(n=9) and benign disease in 3,3% (n=5). The surgery was a lobectomy in 94% of the cases (n=142), a segmentectomy in 5% (n=8), and one bilobectomy. The conversion rate to thoracotomy was 12% (n=18), most of which were for technical/ oncological reasons (n=11), and 7 others were to control bleeding. Four (2,6%) severe intraoperative complications were identified. Three of them (2%) were erroneous transections of bronchovascular structures (left main bronchus, left main pulmonary artery and both left pulmonary veins); and one was a membranous airway injury proximal to the staple line. There were no intraoperative deaths. The three patients with erroneous bronchovascular transection were converted to thoracotomy and the bronchial or vascular re-anastomosis was performed, therefore avoiding a left pneumonectomy. In the patient with the membranous airway injury, the bronchoplastic suture was performed by VATS. All four patients were primary lung cancer patients. In all these cases the patients were discharged alive and well and are undergoing their follow-up program with no signs of disease recurrence. CONCLUSION: Albeit rare, severe complications during VATS Lobectomy can occur but when they happen the thoracic surgeon has to be ready to solve them with the minimal repercussion for the patient.

Gastrointestinal Fistula as First Presentation of Lung Cancer.

The initial manifestation of lung cancer as gastrointestinal tract metastasis is an extremely rare event. In most cases, these metastases are diagnosed after the primary lung tumor, when potentially life-threatening complications develop, often requiring emergency surgery. Regardless of treatment, these patients have a poor prognosis, due to the advanced stage of their disease. We report a clinical case of a gastrointestinal fistula arising from a small bowel non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) metastasis as a first manifestation of the disease, in a 43-years-old man. He underwent laparatomy with segmental small bowel and colon resection, followed by pulmonary lobectomy. A few months later the patient presented a cerebellum metastasis and was submitted to metastasectomy and holocranial radiation. After that event, systemic chemotherapy was prescribed, due to bone metastasis. Twenty-nine month after diagnosis, the patient is alive with a stable general condition. Aggressive surgical treatment of both primary and metastatic tumors can provide palliation and may improve short-term survival.

The configuration of the Brazilian scientific field.

This article describes the configuration of the scientific field in Brazil, characterizing the scientific communities in every major area of knowledge in terms of installed capacity, ability to train new researchers, and capacity for academic production. Empirical data from several sources of information are used to characterize the different communities. Articulating the theoretical contributions of Pierre Bourdieu, Ludwik Fleck, and Thomas Kuhn, the following types of capital are analyzed for each community: social capital (scientific prestige), symbolic capital (dominant paradigm), political capital (leadership in S & T policy), and economic capital (resources). Scientific prestige is analyzed by taking into account the volume of production, activity index, citations, and other indicators. To characterize symbolic capital, the dominant paradigms that distinguish the natural sciences, the humanities, applied sciences, and technology development are analyzed theoretically. Political capital is measured by presidency in one of the main agencies in the S & T national system, and research resources and fellowships define the economic capital. The article discusses the composition of these different types of capital and their correspondence to structural capacities in various communities with the aim of describing the configuration of the Brazilian scientific field.

Correction: The Meaning of Lymphadenopathies During Adjuvant Durvalumab After Chemoradiotherapy for Lung Cancer: Thinking Beyond Disease Progression.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.7759/cureus.26729.].

National Vaccine Coverage Survey 2020: methods and operational aspects.

OBJECTIVE: The national vaccination coverage survey on full vaccination at 12 and 24 months of age was carried out to investigate drops in coverage as of 2016. METHODS: A sample of 37,836 live births from the 2017 or 2018 cohorts living in capital cities, the Federal District, and 12 inner cities with 100 thousand inhabitants were followed for the first 24 months through vaccine record cards. Census tracts stratified according to socioeconomic levels had the same number of children included in each stratum. Coverage for each vaccine, full vaccination at 12 and 24 months and number of doses administered, valid and timely, were calculated. Family, maternal and child factors associated with coverage were surveyed. The reasons for not vaccinating analyzed were: medical contraindications, access difficulties, problems with the program, and vaccine hesitancy. RESULTS: Preliminary results showed that less than 1% of children were not vaccinated, full coverage was less than 75% at all capitals and the Federal District, vaccines requiring more than one dose progressively lost coverage, and there were inequalities among socioeconomic strata, favorable to the highest level in some cities and to the lowest in others. CONCLUSION: There was an actual reduction in full vaccination in all capitals and the Federal District for children born in 2017 and 2018, showing a deteriorating implementation of the National Immunization Program from 2017 to 2019. The survey did not measure the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, which may have further reduced vaccination coverage.

Successes and failures in the control of infectious diseases in Brazil: social and environmental context, policies, interventions, and research needs.

Despite pronounced reductions in the number of deaths due to infectious diseases over the past six decades, infectious diseases are still a public health problem in Brazil. In this report, we discuss the major successes and failures in the control of infectious diseases in Brazil, and identify research needs and policies to further improve control or interrupt transmission. Control of diseases such as cholera, Chagas disease, and those preventable by vaccination has been successful through efficient public policies and concerted efforts from different levels of government and civil society. For these diseases, policies dealt with key determinants (eg, the quality of water and basic sanitation, vector control), provided access to preventive resources (such as vaccines), and successfully integrated health policies with broader social policies. Diseases for which control has failed (such as dengue fever and visceral leishmaniasis) are vector-borne diseases with changing epidemiological profiles and major difficulties in treatment (in the case of dengue fever, no treatment is available). Diseases for which control has been partly successful have complex transmission patterns related to adverse environmental, social, economic, or unknown determinants; are sometimes transmitted by insect vectors that are difficult to control; and are mostly chronic diseases with long infectious periods that require lengthy periods of treatment.