Search results for "trials"
showing 10 items of 966 documents
Acetyl-L-Carnitine Supplementation and the Treatment of Depressive Symptoms: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
2017
Objective: Deficiency of acetyl-l-carnitine (ALC) seems to play a role in the risk of developing depression, indicating a dysregulation of fatty acid transport across the inner membrane of mitochondria. However, data about ALC supplementation in humans are limited. We thus conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis investigating the effect of ALC on depressive symptoms across randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Methods: A literature search in major databases, without language restriction, was undertaken from inception until 30 December 2016. Eligible studies were RCTs of ALC alone or in combination with antidepressant medications, with a control group taking placebo/no intervention or…
Anti-Tumour Necrosis Factor-?? Therapy for Rheumatoid and Other Inflammatory Arthropathies
2006
Anti-tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha represents a major advance in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), ankylosing spondylitis and psoriatic arthritis. It is usually well tolerated, but a potential increase in the incidence of some infections in patients taking anti-TNFalpha agents has been reported. Compared with younger people, elderly patients have more co-morbidities and are likely to be taking more medications. Moreover, the aging process induces an increase in the rate of infections. Nevertheless, in recent studies analysing the databases of etanercept trials, the normalised incidence of adverse events, serious adverse events, medically important infections and deaths was no…
A systematic review of neuropsychiatric symptoms in mild cognitive impairment.
2009
Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is a clinical concept proposed as an intermediate state between normal aging and dementia. This condition has multiple heterogeneous sources, including clinical presentation, etiology, and prognosis. Recently, the prevalence and associated features of neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS) in MCI have been described. We systematically searched the PubMed database (last accessed on August 31, 2008) for articles on NPS in MCI. Included articles used strict selection criteria, and outcome variables were extracted in duplicate; of the 27 articles included, 14 (52%) used prospective cohorts. The global prevalence of NPS in MCI ranged from 35% to 85%. The most common beha…
Pharmacogenetics and Pharmacotherapy of Military Personnel Suffering from Post-traumatic Stress Disorder
2017
Background Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a severe problem among soldiers with combating experience difficult to treat. The pathogenesis is still not fully understood at the psychological level. Therefore, genetic research became a focus of interest. The identification of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) may help to predict, which persons are at high risk to develop PTSD as a starting point to develop novel targeted drugs for treatment. Methods We conducted a systematic review on SNPs in genes related to PTSD pathology and development of targeted pharmacological treatment options based on PubMed database searches. We focused on clinical trials with military personnel. Results…
Prognostic value of cardiac CT
2020
In the past decades, coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) has become a powerful tool in the management of coronary artery disease. The diagnostic and prognostic value of CCTA has been extensively demonstrated in both large observational studies and clinical trials among stable chest pain patients. The quantification of coronary artery calcium score (CACS) is a well-established predictor of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in asymptomatic subjects. Besides CACS, the main strength of CCTA is the accurate assessment of the individual total atherosclerotic plaque burden, which holds important prognostic information. In addition, CCTA, by providing detailed information on corona…
Iron Chelation Therapy in thalassaemia major: a sistematic review with meta-analyses of 1520 patients included on randomized clinical trials
2011
The effectiveness of deferoxamine (DFO), deferiprone (DFP), or deferasirox (DFX) in thalassemia major was assessed. Outcomes were reported as means±SD, mean differences with 95% CI, or standardized mean differences. Statistical heterogeneity was tested using χ2 (Q) and I2. Sources of bias and Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation system (GRADE) were considered. Overall, 1520 patients were included. Only 7.4% of trials were free of bias. Overall measurements suggest low trial quality (GRADE). The meta-analysis suggests lower final liver iron concentrations during associated versus monotherapy treatment (p<0.0001), increases in serum ferritin levels during DFX 5, 1…
Quality assurance in the treatment of colorectal cancer: the EURECCA initiative
2014
Colorectal cancer is one of the most common cancers in Europe. Over the past few decades, important advances have been made in screening, staging and treatment of colorectal cancer. However, considerable variation between and within European countries remains, which implies that further improvements are possible. The most important remaining question now is: when are we, health care professionals, delivering the best available care to patients with colon or rectal cancer? Currently, quality assurance is a major issue in colorectal cancer care and quality assurance awareness is developing in almost all disciplines involved in the treatment of colorectal cancer patients. Quality assurance has…
Is arthrocentesis of temporomandibular joint with corticosteroids beneficial? A systematic review
2018
Background Temporomandibular disorders (TMDs) are musculoskeletal conditions that can inhibit the normal function of temporomandibular joints (TMJs) and affect the patient’s quality of life, negatively. Arthrocentesis (AC) is a minimally invasive surgical procedure used for treating TMDs. The aim of present paper is to evaluate the advantages of administrating corticosteroid (CS) during AC by reviewing high quality released articles. Material and Methods Searching on Cochrane Library, Web of Science, Google Scholar, PubMed, ProQuest, and Scopus databases were performed with focusing on proper key words. Related titles and abstracts, up to December 2017, were screened and selected based on i…
Is 5-ASA Still the Treatment of Choice for Ulcerative Colitis?
2010
5-Amino-salacylic acid (5-ASA) is up to now the treatment of choice in the induction and maintenance of remission of mild-to-moderate ulcerative colitis (UC). Sulfasalazine, despite similar efficacy, is hampered by more side effects, but in presence of peripheral arthopaties it remains the treatment of choice. The new delayed release MMX formulation seems to be promising in reducing compliance problems, but further studies are warranted to show the superiority of new MMX formulation compared with the older formulations of 5-ASA. Some trials evaluated also the efficacy and safety of once-daily dosing of older 5-ASA formulations in maintenance of remission, finding a greater adherence to ther…
Non-Celiac Gluten Sensitivity: The New Frontier of Gluten Related Disorders
2013
Non Celiac Gluten sensitivity (NCGS) was originally described in the 1980s and recently a “re-discovered” disorder characterized by intestinal and extra-intestinal symptoms related to the ingestion of gluten-containing food, in subjects that are not affected with either celiac disease (CD) or wheat allergy (WA). Although NCGS frequency is still unclear, epidemiological data have been generated that can help establishing the magnitude of the problem. Clinical studies further defined the identity of NCGS and its implications in human disease. An overlap between the irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and NCGS has been detected, requiring even more stringent diagnostic criteria. Several studies sug…