Monitoring of patients with critical neurologic illness has expanded significantly over the past several decades. Prior to the advent and application of technologies such as continuous EEG (electroencephalogram), intracranial pressure monitoring, brain tissue oxygenation and multimodal monitoring, the care of these critically ill patients relied on frequent clinical examinations to detect subtle changes that may signal an acute neurologic deterioration. This type of monitoring was limited by the availability of highly trained clinicians and nursing staff. The severity of the patient's illness can also obscure clinical changes, and then the interventions taken in order to treat the illness, such as induced coma for status epilepticus or intracranial hypertension, could further mask the clinical signs that would be necessary for detection of an acute change.

Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) are characterized by chronic inflammation of the intestinal tract associated with an imbalance of the intestinal microbiota. Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) are the most widely known types of IBD and have been the focus of attention due to their increasing incidence. Recent studies have pointed out genes associated with IBD susceptibility that, together with environmental factors, may contribute to the outcome of the disease. In ulcerative colitis, there are several therapies available, depending on the stage of the disease. Aminosalicylates, corticosteroids, and cyclosporine are used to treat mild, moderate, and severe disease, respectively. Nowadays, advances in treatments for IBD have included biological therapies, based mainly on monoclonal antibodies or fusion proteins, such as anti-TNF drugs.

Handbook of Transplantation provides a complete and comprehensive overview of modern transplantation in all its complexity, from basic science to gold-standard surgical techniques to post-operative care.

A short review on surgical emergencies in orthopedic department for healthcare professionals.