Advances in Medicine and Biology. Volume 156

Advances in Medicine and Biology. Volume 156 first defines endovascular aortic aneurysm repair as the treating of an abdominal aortic aneurysm by placing a stent graft device over guide wires inside the aneurysmal aorta, with the aim of achieving secure fixation and sealing at non-diseased proximal and distal landing zones. Abdominal aortic aneurysm has an atherosclerotic origin; however, rare cases are immune-related, such as those from IgG4 or infections. Among the infectious agents, the authors discuss tuberculosis bacillus, the Salmonella typhi, but also Streptococcus sp., Staphylococcus sp., Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Treponema pallidum. Next, the authors discuss fentanyl, a piperidine derivative opioid analgesic agent that has clinical uses worldwide, originally developed by Janssen and his collegues (Janssen 1959, 309). The systematic name is N-(1-(2-phenethyl)-4-piperidinyl-N-phenylpropanamide. Since its discovery in the heroin supply in 1979, fentanyl and fentanyl analogs have been linked with epidemics of accidental overdose and death. More recently, the increased contamination of heroin with fentanyl and fentanyl analogs has been associated with accelerated national opioid overdose death rates in the United States. Following this, an overview of the systemic and topical corticosteroids used in dermatology is provided, and new classification methods to improve efficacy and minimize side effects are discussed. The authors go on to discuss prostatitis, an infectious disease caused by several bacteria. Approximately 8.2% of men have been affected by prostatitis which damages the ejaculatory ducts, causing infertility. The silver tree, Abies alba Mill. is a monoecious tree from the Pinaceae family. The fir has several uses in food and cosmetic industry, as well as in phototherapy and traditional medicine. As such, the antimicrobial activities of the essential oils of Abies species against some gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria and yeasts are explored. The penultimate chapter focuses on arthrosis or osteoarthritis of the knee, a local disease of the knee joint, and presents a clinical manifestation of degenerative changes in affected joints. The authors explore how procedures of physical therapy and rehabilitation alone or in combination with pharmacologic treatment can relieve pain and improve function in patients with knee osteoarthritis. The concluding chapter describes current concepts regarding the correlation between tinnitus and cochlear implants. Possible physiopathological mechanisms of tinnitus reduction after cochlear implant may involve several aspects, such as habituation, acoustic masking, direct electrical nerve stimulation and cortical reorganization.