Rheumatic Fever 21st Century Clinical And Experimental Insights

Acute Rheumatic Fever and Rheumatic Heart Disease is a concise, yet comprehensive, clinical resource highlighting must-know information on rheumatic heart disease and acute rheumatic fever from a global perspective. Covering the major issues dominating the field, this practical resource presents sufficient detail for a deep and thorough understanding of the latest treatment options, potential complications, and disease management strategies to improve patient outcomes. Divided into four distinct sections for ease of navigation: Acute Rheumatic Fever, Rheumatic Heart Disease, Population-Based Strategies for Disease Control, and Acute and Emergency Presentations. International editors and chapter authors ensure a truly global perspective. Covers all clinical aspects, including epidemiology, pathophysiology, clinical features, diagnosis, management, and treatment. Includes key topics on population-based measures for disease control for effective primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention. Consolidates today’s available information and guidance into a single, convenient resource.

Dyskinesias: New Insights for the Healthcare Professional: 2013 Edition is a ScholarlyPaper™ that delivers timely, authoritative, and intensively focused information about Additional Research in a compact format. The editors have built Dyskinesias: New Insights for the Healthcare Professional: 2013 Edition on the vast information databases of ScholarlyNews.™ You can expect the information about Additional Research in this book to be deeper than what you can access anywhere else, as well as consistently reliable, authoritative, informed, and relevant. The content of Dyskinesias: New Insights for the Healthcare Professional: 2013 Edition has been produced by the world’s leading scientists, engineers, analysts, research institutions, and companies. All of the content is from peer-reviewed sources, and all of it is written, assembled, and edited by the editors at ScholarlyEditions™ and available exclusively from us. You now have a source you can cite with authority, confidence, and credibility. More information is available at http://www.ScholarlyEditions.com/.

Streptococci and enterococci are the etiologic agents of infectious diseases that rank among the most severe in human pathology. The diagnosis, antibiotherapy, and prevention of the streptococcal diseases have improved considerably. However, the reemergence of severe streptococcal and enterococcal diseases constitutes a growing public health con cern, which remains open to scientific and medical debate. The XIII'h Lancefield International Symposium on Streptococci and Streptococcal Diseases, held at Institut Pasteur, Paris, France, September 16---2el, 1996, attracted 505 par ticipants from 43 countries. Twenty-two percent of the participants were students, a clear sign of the intense interest in this field. Of the 390 presentations made at the symposium, 260 were submitted as manuscripts for the Proceedings; we have included 249 of these in this volume. This symposium provided a forum for the presentation of the most recent findings and approaches to understanding several important fields, such as new aspects of infec tion, bacteria~host interactions, epidemiology, and molecular genetics of streptococci and enterococci. Over the last three years, the study of these subjects has expanded as increas ingly sophisticated methods of molecular analysis have been applied to investigate the bi ology of pathogenic streptococci and enterococci. Virulence, vaccine strategies, genetics, antibiotic resistance, epidemiology, and immunology are now being examined through the lens of molecular biology. The application of recently developed techniques to this field will continue to yield insight into the mechanism by which these organisms cause disease.

The prevalence of autoimmune diseases and rheumatic conditions is constantly increasing. Autoimmune diseases affect approximately 7-10% of the population of the United States, while more than 50,000,000 American adults suffer from some type of arthritis. The Heart in Rheumatic, Autoimmune and Inflammatory Diseases examines the complex mechanisms relating to cardiac diseases from a pathophysiological and clinical point of view. Autoimmune rheumatic diseases can affect the coronary vessels, myocardium, pericardium, heart valves and the conduction system. The diagnosis of these unique cardiac complications necessitates medical awareness and a high index of suspicion. Increased risk of advanced atherosclerosis plays a pivotal role in the development of cardiac diseases in systemic, rheumatic and autoimmune illnesses. Yet, other complex immune medicated mechanisms may contribute to the pathogenesis. Patients' optimal care requires coordination between the primary caregiver, the rheumatologist, immunologist and cardiologist. Screening for cardiovascular risk factors, recognition of high-risk patients and identification of subclinical cardiac conditions are of great importance. Moreover, regulation of inflammation, as well as abnormal immune responses and the initiation of early treatments should be the focus of patient management. A continuous attempt to identify novel therapeutic targets and change the natural history of the underlying disease and its cardiac manifestations is in progress. The book aims at providing the readers with a state of the art collection of up to date information regarding clinically important topics based on experts' perspectives. This book was a result of an extended coordinated collaboration of one-hundred and fifty-four distinguished scientists from thirty-one countries around the globe. A review of common, as well as unusual (yet clinically significant) medical cardiac complications of prevalent rheumatic, autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. Focuses on aspects of pathophysiological processes, clinical presentations, screening tests, prognostic implications and novel therapeutic approaches. Presents an up-to-date “level of evidence and “strengths of recommendations for suggested therapies and reviews all randomized clinical trials, meta-analyses and other supporting published clinical findings.

In 1900, for every 1,000 babies born in the United States, 100 would die before their first birthday, often due to infectious diseases. Today, vaccines exist for many viral and bacterial diseases. The National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act, passed in 1986, was intended to bolster vaccine research and development through the federal coordination of vaccine initiatives and to provide relief to vaccine manufacturers facing financial burdens. The legislation also intended to address concerns about the safety of vaccines by instituting a compensation program, setting up a passive surveillance system for vaccine adverse events, and by providing information to consumers. A key component of the legislation required the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to collaborate with the Institute of Medicine to assess concerns about the safety of vaccines and potential adverse events, especially in children. Adverse Effects of Vaccines reviews the epidemiological, clinical, and biological evidence regarding adverse health events associated with specific vaccines covered by the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP), including the varicella zoster vaccine, influenza vaccines, the hepatitis B vaccine, and the human papillomavirus vaccine, among others. For each possible adverse event, the report reviews peer-reviewed primary studies, summarizes their findings, and evaluates the epidemiological, clinical, and biological evidence. It finds that while no vaccine is 100 percent safe, very few adverse events are shown to be caused by vaccines. In addition, the evidence shows that vaccines do not cause several conditions. For example, the MMR vaccine is not associated with autism or childhood diabetes. Also, the DTaP vaccine is not associated with diabetes and the influenza vaccine given as a shot does not exacerbate asthma. Adverse Effects of Vaccines will be of special interest to the National Vaccine Program Office, the VICP, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, vaccine safety researchers and manufacturers, parents, caregivers, and health professionals in the private and public sectors.

The Social Security Administration (SSA) administers two programs that provide disability benefits: the Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) program and the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program. SSDI provides disability benefits to people (under the full retirement age) who are no longer able to work because of a disabling medical condition. SSI provides income assistance for disabled, blind, and aged people who have limited income and resources regardless of their prior participation in the labor force. Both programs share a common disability determination process administered by SSA and state agencies as well as a common definition of disability for adults: "the inability to engage in any substantial gainful activity by reason of any medically determinable physical or mental impairment which can be expected to result in death or which has lasted or can be expected to last for a continuous period of not less than 12 months." Disabled workers might receive either SSDI benefits or SSI payments, or both, depending on their recent work history and current income and assets. Disabled workers might also receive benefits from other public programs such as workers' compensation, which insures against work-related illness or injuries occurring on the job, but those other programs have their own definitions and eligibility criteria. Selected Health Conditions and Likelihood of Improvement with Treatment identifies and defines the professionally accepted, standard measurements of outcomes improvement for medical conditions. This report also identifies specific, long-lasting medical conditions for adults in the categories of mental health disorders, cancers, and musculoskeletal disorders. Specifically, these conditions are disabling for a length of time, but typically don't result in permanently disabling limitations; are responsive to treatment; and after a specific length of time of treatment, improve to the point at which the conditions are no longer disabling.

Diet and Health examines the many complex issues concerning diet and its role in increasing or decreasing the risk of chronic disease. It proposes dietary recommendations for reducing the risk of the major diseases and causes of death today: atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases (including heart attack and stroke), cancer, high blood pressure, obesity, osteoporosis, diabetes mellitus, liver disease, and dental caries.