Combination therapy focusing

Sachs G, Bowden C, Chou J, et al. Risperidone versus placebo as combination therapy to mood stabilizers in the treatment of the manic phase of bipolar disorder focus on efficacy. Presented at the American Psychiatric Association Annual Meeting, Chicago, May 13-18, 2000. 

Bleomycin is inactivated in many normal tissues by deaminase. Thus, toxicity focuses on lungs and skin, which lack deaminase. Bleomycin is often used in combination therapy because it does not immunosuppress. 

In an analysis of the Valsartan in Heart Failure Trial (Val-HeFT), focusing on chronic kidney disease, the benefits and harms of dual blockade of the RAAS have been explored [29. Compared with the addition of placebo to ACE inhibition, the addition of valsartan led to higher rates of discontinuation and hyperkalemia in those with chronic kidney disease at baseline. However, the authors argued that the overall benefits of combined therapy would outweigh the risks even in those with chronic kidney disease. 

Sureshkumar KK. Renin inhibition with aliskiren in hypertension focus on aliskiren/hydrochlorothiazide combination therapy. Vase. Health Risk Manag. 2008 4(6) 1205-1220. 

Okada K, Fukui K, Himeno H, Endo T, Shimizu M, Kobayashi S, Shigemasa T, Morita Y, Wada A, Shimizu T, Mochida Y, Sawada R, Ishigami T, Uchino K, Iwahashi N, Kimura K, Umemura S. Long-term effect of ezetimibe-statin combination therapy on low-density lipoprotein cholesterol lowering in patents with coronary artery disease focus on cholesterol absorption and synthesis. J. Am. Coll. Cardiol. 2011 57(14 Suppl S) E524. 

Urinary incontinence can result from abnormalities within (intrinsic to) and outside of (extrinsic to) the urinary tract. Within the urinary tract, abnormalities may occur in the urethra (including the bladder outlet and urinary sphincters), the bladder, or a combination of both structures. Focusing on abnormalities in these two structures, a simple classification scheme emerges for all but the rarest intrinsic causes of UI. Accurate diagnosis and classification of UI type is critical to the selection of appropriate drug therapy. 

ACE inhibitors and angiotensin-receptor blockers (ARB) have definite benefits in patients with nephropathy and are believed to have renoprotective effects in most patients. Due to their ability to cause an initial bump in serum creatinine, these agents should be used cautiously when employed in combination with the calcineurin inhibitors. The dihydropyridine calcium channel blockers have demonstrated an ability to reverse the nephrotoxicity associated with cyclosporine and tacrolimus (Table 52-8). In general, antihypertensive therapy should focus on agents with proven benefit in reducing the progression of cardiovascular disease and should be chosen on a patient-specific basis.55 See Chapter 2 for further recommendations for treating HTN. 

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