Search results for "randomized"

Medium-chain triglycerides may improve memory in non-demented older adults: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials

2022

Abstract Background Ketosis has been exploited for its neuroprotective impact and treatment of neurological conditions via ketone production. Exogenous medium-chain triglyceride (MCT) supplementation may induce nutritional ketosis. The aim of this systematic review is to explore the effects of MCTs on memory function in older adults without cognitive impairment. Methods A systematic literature search of PubMed, Cochrane Library, Scopus, and Web of Science was employed from inception until April 2022 for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, investigating the impact of MCT oils on com…

Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis: the therapeutic challenge of a global epidemic.

2011

Nonalcoholic fatty liver (NAFL) and especially its inflammatory variant nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) have become a major challenge to healthcare systems worldwide because of the increasing prevalence of its major risk factors obesity and type 2 diabetes, which are closely linked to overeating, physical inactivity, and the metabolic syndrome.Between 10 and 20% of patients with NAFL develop NASH, which can progress to cirrhosis, end-stage liver disease, and hepatocellular carcinoma. The overall mortality in these patients is significantly increased because of both cardiovascular and liver-related complications. Sustained weight loss by diet and exercise, which is the most effective the…

Active Learning of Recursive Functions by Ultrametric Algorithms

2014

We study active learning of classes of recursive functions by asking value queries about the target function f, where f is from the target class. That is, the query is a natural number x, and the answer to the query is f(x). The complexity measure in this paper is the worst-case number of queries asked. We prove that for some classes of recursive functions ultrametric active learning algorithms can achieve the learning goal by asking significantly fewer queries than deterministic, probabilistic, and even nondeterministic active learning algorithms. This is the first ever example of a problem where ultrametric algorithms have advantages over nondeterministic algorithms.

Economic impact of mepolizumab in uncontrolled severe eosinophilic asthma, in real life

2021

Abstract Background and aims Severe asthma is burdened by frequent exacerbations and use of oral corticosteroids (OCS) which worsen patients’ health and increase healthcare spending. Aim of this study was to assess the clinical and economic effect of adding mepolizumab (MEP) for the treatment of these patients. Methods Patients >18 years old, referred to 8 asthma clinics, starting MEP between May 2017 and December 2018, were enrolled and followed-up for 12 months. Information in the 12 months before mepolizumab were collected retrospectively. The evaluation parameters included: OCS use, number of exacerbations/hospitalizations, concomitant therapies, comorbidity, and annual number of workin…

Minimally invasive secondary cytoreduction plus HIPEC for recurrent ovarian cancer: a case series.

2014

Objective To analyze the feasibility of laparoscopic/robotic secondary cytoreductive surgery and hyperthermic intraperitoneal intra-operative chemotherapy (SCS + HIPEC) in a retrospective series of isolated platinum sensitive recurrent ovarian cancer. Methods We retrospectively evaluated a consecutive series of ovarian cancer patients with isolated platinum sensitive relapse. Isolated relapse was defined as the presence of a single nodule, in a single anatomic site. In all cases the presence of isolated relapse was assessed at pre-operative FDG-PET/CT scan, and confirmed with staging laparoscopy performed immediately before SCS + HIPEC. Results 84 women with platinum sensitive relapse recei…

Perceived barriers in the outdoor environment and development of walking difficulties in older people

2012

SIR—Older people with mobility limitations often report more barriers in their outdoor environment than people with intact mobility [1]. However, it is uncertain whether older people perceive their environment as problematic because of their mobility limitations or whether the environmental barriers precede incident mobility limitation, as most studies have been limited to cross-sectional analyses [2–5]. Only a few longitudinal studies have shown that barriers in the outdoor environment, such as poor street conditions, poor lighting and heavy traffic, increase the risk for overall functional loss [6, 7] and decrease physical activity participation [8]. More knowledge is needed about the cha…

2013

Background: Mental disorders are the main reasons for rising proportions of premature pension in most high-income countries. Although inpatient medical rehabilitation has increasingly targeted work-related stress, there is still a lack of studies on the transfer of work-specific interventions into work contexts. Therefore, we plan to evaluate an online aftercare program aiming to improve vocational reintegration after medical rehabilitation. Methods: Vocationally strained patients (n = 800) aged between 18 and 59 years with private internet access are recruited in psychosomatic, orthopedic and cardiovascular rehabilitation clinics in Germany. During inpatient rehabilitation, participants in…

The GiSAS study: Rationale and design of a pragmatic randomized controlled trial on aripiprazole, olanzapine and haloperidol in the long-term treatme…

2011

Given the controversy about the comparative efficacy of first- compared with second-generation antipsychotics in the treatment of schizophrenia, more large-scale evidence is needed to guide clinicians in their prescriptions. Most randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were conducted in centers of excellence on highly selected samples, poorly representative of real-world patients, and often suffered conflicts of interest as they were sponsored by drug companies. The primary aim of the present study is to compare the effectiveness of haloperidol, olanzapine and aripiprazole in a representative sample of schizophrenia patients. The GiSAS trial is an open-label, independent, pragmatic RCT in Itali…

Carboplatin plus paclitaxel versus carboplatin plus pegylated liposomal doxorubicin as first-line treatment for patients with ovarian cancer: the MIT…

2011

Purpose Carboplatin/paclitaxel is the standard first-line chemotherapy for patients with advanced ovarian cancer. Multicentre Italian Trials in Ovarian Cancer-2 (MITO-2), an academic multicenter phase III trial, tested whether carboplatin/pegylated liposomal doxorubicin (PLD) was more effective than standard chemotherapy. Patients and Methods Chemotherapy-naive patients with stage IC to IV ovarian cancer (age ≤ 75 years; Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status ≤ 2) were randomly assigned to carboplatin area under the curve (AUC) 5 plus paclitaxel 175 mg/m2 or to carboplatin AUC 5 plus PLD 30 mg/m2, every 3 weeks for six cycles. Primary end point was progression-free survival (…

Adjuvant Tamoxifen Plus Ovarian Function Suppression Versus Tamoxifen Alone in Premenopausal Women With Early Breast Cancer: Patient-Reported Outcome…

2016

Purpose The Suppression of Ovarian Function trial showed improved disease control for tamoxifen plus ovarian function suppression (OFS) compared with tamoxifen alone for the cohort of premenopausal patients who received prior chemotherapy. We present the patient-reported outcomes. Patients and Methods The quality-of-life (QoL) analysis includes 1,722 of 2,045 premenopausal patients with hormone receptor–positive breast cancer randomly assigned to receive adjuvant treatment with 5 years of tamoxifen plus OFS or tamoxifen alone. Chemotherapy use before enrollment was optional. Patients completed a QoL form consisting of global and symptom indicators at baseline, every 6 months for 24 months, …