381,620 papers found

Continuing differences of opinion among obstetricians and neonatologists about the place of corticosteroid administration before preterm delivery have prompted us to carry out a systematic review of the relevant controlled trials, using methods designed to minimize systematic and random error. Data from 12 controlled t…

BACKGROUND: Patients who experience an ischemic stroke while on aspirin therapy present a clinical dilemma about optimal long-term secondary prevention. While switching to an alternative antithrombotic agent is often considered, the effectiveness of switching remains uncertain. METHODS: We conducted a systematic revie…

OBJECTIVES: To compare the effectiveness of different exercise interventions in improving sleep quality and alleviating insomnia severity among patients with insomnia. DESIGN: Our study design was a systematic review and network meta-analysis. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA: Our study eligibility criteria was restricted to inc…

INTRODUCTION: The pharmacists' role is varied and numerous articles evaluate the outcomes of pharmaceutical interventions. The main objectives of this study were to establish the characteristics of systematic reviews about pharmacists' interventions that were published in the last five years. METHODS: A literature sea…

PURPOSE: To determine the effect of levetiracetam (LEV) on partial seizure subtypes (simple partial, complex partial, and secondarily generalized seizures) in patients with refractory epilepsy. METHODS: Pooled results from three placebo-controlled trials were analyzed. RESULTS: A statistically significant reduction i…

A survey of basic ideas in statistical power analysis demonstrates the advantages and ease of using power analysis throughout the design, analysis, and interpretation of research. The power of a statistical test is the probability of rejecting the null hypothesis of the test. The traditional approach to power involves…

BACKGROUND: Controlled trials have yielded inconsistent results with regard to the efficacy of corticosteroids in the treatment of alcoholic hepatitis. Three meta-analyses suggest that they may be effective in patients with encephalopathy who have severe liver disease. METHODS: We conducted a randomized, double-blind…

The ability to vary the proton energy (depth of beam penetration) and modulate the dose distribution at the end of range permits delivery of an increased dose to the designated cancer-containing volume with a reduced dose to overlying normal brain tissue. The evolution of childhood CNS malignancy following therapy is r…

Atrial natriuretic factor (ANF) is a recently discovered, volume responsive hormone with multiple potent antihypertensive actions. This article reviews data supporting hypothetical associations between ANF and essential hypertension, examines reports of plasma ANF concentrations in hypertension, discusses the efficacy…

OBJECTIVE: To review the data on children with cerebral palsy in relation to quality of obstetric care. DATA SOURCES AND STUDY SELECTION: In our Institute, a regular Medline print-out, certain key journals and Current Contents are perused to create an updated computerised file of publications on the epidemiological, a…

Case-control studies dealing with breast cancer and oral contraceptives (OCs) were reviewed against a background of currently accepted rules for conducting and interpreting epidemiologic research. There is a strong consensus that OCs have not increased the risk of breast cancer in women over age 45, even when they have…

A possible link between presumed or measured household radon exposure and lung cancer is reviewed on the basis of published epidemiologic studies. Evidence of a link is reported as a result of studies in Sweden; findings are inconsistent elsewhere. A number of methodological problems were found. Many of the studies are…

Considerable epidemiological evidence has accumulated regarding the effect of postmenopausal estrogens on coronary heart disease risk. Five hospital-based case-control studies yielded inconsistent but generally null results; however, these are difficult to interpret due to the problems in selecting appropriate controls…

Analysis of significant trends in self-reported alcohol consumption by women is presented, using data from surveys carried out by the Australian Bureau of Statistics in three Australian States: Western Australia, South Australia and New South Wales. Three indices of alcohol consumption were used to characterize consump…

The efficacy, tolerability and safety of dilevalol in essential hypertension has been documented in an international clinical trials programme which was conducted with doses up to 1600mg daily. Initial double-blind trials confirmed the superiority of dilevalol over placebo in essential hypertensive patients and documen…

Despite widespread HPV vaccination, a comprehensive synthesis across populations and cancer outcomes is lacking. This umbrella review evaluates HPV vaccination's population impact on infection, precancerous lesions, and invasive cancers. We searched five databases for meta-analyses reporting prophylactic HPV vaccine ou…

BACKGROUND: Digital interventions including teledentistry are promising approaches to address some of the inadequacies of health care systems. Despite existing systematic reviews (SRs) on the benefits, implementation challenges, accuracy, and effectiveness of teledentistry, a comprehensive synthesis of evidence on its…

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Ultra-processed food (UPF) intake has increased sharply over the last few decades and has been consistently asserted to be implicated in the development of non-communicable diseases. We aimed to evaluate and update the existing observational evidence for associations between ultra-processed food (UPF…

ObjectivesImmortal time bias (ITB) occurs when a period during which, by design, participants cannot experience the outcome (like death) is incorrectly included in the treatment group's follow-up, artificially making the treatment look better than it truly is. We aimed to identify a systematic sample of cases of ITB in…

Bacille Calmette-Guérin osteomyelitis in infants is a known complication of Bacille Calmette-Guérin vaccination. Treatment consists of antituberculosis chemotherapy after biopsy/curettage; however, in cases of Bacille Calmette-Guérin osteomyelitis extending to the growth plate and epiphysis, the extent a…