Day: 11/03/2010

Omega-3 Supplements Do Not Slow Cognitive Decline in Alzheimer Disease

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Contrary to epidemiological studies suggesting that docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) might lower risk for Alzheimer disease, a randomized trial in JAMA has found that DHA does not slow cognitive decline in patients with AD.

Researchers randomized some 400 adults with mild-to-moderate AD to receive DHA (2 g daily) or placebo for 18 months. At the end of treatment, there was no difference between the groups in the rate of cognitive decline, as measured by the Alzheimer’s Disease Assessment Scale and the Clinical Dementia Rating sum of boxes.

Given their findings, the authors conclude that “there is no basis for recommending DHA supplementation” for patients with AD.

 

Management of Chronic Upper Abdominal Pain in Cancer: Transdiscal Blockade of the Splanchnic Nerves Regional Anesthesi

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Plancarte R et al. – The use of celiac plexus block to relieve the intractable pain caused by upper abdominal malignancies is well established. However, its effects are inconsistent for many reasons, mainly because of structural anatomic distortion as a consequence for the malignancy. The splanchnic nerve blockade (SNB) seems to be a useful alternative to the celiac plexus block in upper abdominal pain relief. Splanchnic nerve blockade via a transdiscal approach is a technique that provides analgesia and the alleviation of the secondary undesirable effects of analgesic drugs resulting from the decrease of morphine consumption in patients with upper abdominal malignancies. In experienced teams, the reliability of its analgesic effect is high, with a low rate of severe complications.