376,015 papers found

To demonstrate the advantages of various endoscopic hemostatic methods (laser photocoagulation, electrocautery, injection therapy) for bleeding gastroduodenal ulcer in patients at high risk for continued or recurrent bleeding, a critical review of published randomized clinical trials was made with meta-analytic methods…

BACKGROUND: Neuraxial block failure in obese parturients is a significant clinical challenge, leading to inadequate pain relief and increased maternal risk. Novel techniques such as the Combined Spinal-Epidural (CSE) and Dural Puncture Epidural (DPE) have emerged as promising alternatives to standard epidural, but thei…

The role of the addition of anti-androgen therapy to surgical or chemical castration in metastatic prostate cancer is still unclear. The impact on time to progression and mortality of this treatment modality is, however, likely to be moderate at most. Is this therapeutic approach of real benefit? A reliable answer to t…

A review of the literature dealing with the relationship between coffee consumption and coronary heart disease revealed that most of the studies did not find coffee consumption to be a risk factor. However, many studies are plagued with methodological difficulties which operate to minimize the probability of identifyin…

80 reports of randomised clinical trials in four leading general medical journals were reviewed. The reporting of the methodology of randomisation was inadequate. In 30% of trials there was no clear evidence that the groups had been randomised. Among trials that used simple randomisation the sample sizes in the two gro…

While the loss of a parent during childhood may put a person at risk for depression, many studies have failed to confirm the importance of this risk factor. Nevertheless, the relationship between the loss of a parent and depression is of clinical importance. This paper reviews studies of the loss of a parent as a risk…

Oral enteric vaccines are reviewed with particular reference to cholera and typhoid. Enterotoxigenic E. coli, Shigella and Rotavirus vaccines are also considered. Clinical trials of those potentially useful vaccines are surveyed.

To clarify the role of radiation therapy in the treatment of carcinoma of the pancreas studies with radiotherapy alone, combined interventional or concurrent radio-chemotherapy are reviewed. It is shown that in the case of inoperable tumour radiotherapy alone is inadequate, but by the means of a combination of chemothe…

Pharmacologic choices afford physicians the opportunity to tailor drug therapy to the individual patient's profile, and we are bolstered by a broad understanding of controllable risk factors. Choice of regimen--whether or not it involves drugs--requires accurate diagnostic information. Success depends on both control o…

Hidradenitis Suppurativa is a challenging, heterogeneous inflammatory skin disease, with three approved biologic therapies. No head-to-head studies exist comparing these therapeutic modalities, and previous work has identified the influence of baseline disease severity upon clinical response. We aimed to perform a netw…

BACKGROUND: Choosing analgesics after third molar surgery requires balancing efficacy with safety. This network meta-analysis (NMA) aimed to compare and rank the safety profiles, measured by adverse events (AEs) related to medication use, of various single-dose oral analgesic regimens. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Electronic…

CONTEXT: Neuromuscular training (NMT) enhances balance among recreational athletes, but the effectiveness of single- versus multicomponent NMT remains unclear. OBJECTIVE: To compare the effectiveness of single- and multicomponent NMT on balance performance among recreational athletes and explore the influence of age,…

OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to evaluate video-assisted dispatcher cardiopulmonary resuscitation (V-DACPR) versus audio-assisted dispatcher CPR impacts on compression quality in simulated out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) scenarios. METHODS: Network meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCT…

Venous thromboembolism (VTE), including deep vein thrombosis (DVT), and pulmonary embolism (PE), is a common complication in patients with ischemic stroke. Several prophylactic strategies are used to reduce the risk of VTE. However, there is still a lack of consensus on the optimal strategy due to the lack of randomize…

OBJECTIVES: A systematic review and network meta-analysis were conducted to address the following research question: "What is the most effective preventive treatment for reducing the risk of jaw osteonecrosis after tooth extraction in patients receiving medications associated with osteonecrosis?" MATERIAL AND METHODS:…

OBJECTIVE: This article aims to assess systematic reviews and/or meta-analyses on calcium-based caries preventive agents, evaluating reported evidence, thereby summarizing a critical appraisal on the subject. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A systematic search was done using PubMed, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science. System…

OBJECTIVE: To obtain a quantitative estimate of the impact on infectious complications of using transparent dressings with intravenous catheters. DATA SOURCES: Meta-analysis of all studies published in the English literature, including abstracts, letters, and reports that examined the primary research question of infe…

A systematic review (SR) is the unbiased appraisal of systematically identified relevant studies. Implicit in its definition is a robust and scientifically valid process, and when performed as such, SR is an important clinical research tool and influence in health policy decision-making. This educational paper outlines…

Despite official support for the efficacy of cholesterol reduction, considerable controversy exists, and meta-analyses of this topic have produced conflicting results. The authors assessed the variability of meta-analyses, evaluating the cardiovascular value of cholesterol reduction while attempting to explain the vari…

Geographical differences may exist in the risk of gastric stump cancer. Therefore, we performed meta-analysis of literature reports in Japan (n = 3), the USA (n = 4), and Europe (n = 20) on the risk of postgastrectomy cancer. The weighted mean relative risk of stump cancer in Japan was 0.28, 95% confidence limits 0.21-…