Circulation
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Review Comparative Study Historical Article
Electronic cigarettes in North America: history, use, and implications for smoking cessation.
Designed to mimic the look and feel of tobacco cigarettes, electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) may facilitate smoking cessation. However, the efficacy and safety of e-cigarette use for this purpose remain poorly understood. Our objectives were to review the available data on the efficacy and safety of e-cigarettes for smoking cessation and to consider issues relevant to the context in which they are used, including product awareness and regulatory and ethical concerns. ⋯ Given the limited available evidence on the risks and benefits of e-cigarette use, large, randomized, controlled trials are urgently needed to definitively establish their potential for smoking cessation.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
STARTS-2: long-term survival with oral sildenafil monotherapy in treatment-naive pediatric pulmonary arterial hypertension.
The double-blind, placebo-controlled Sildenafil in Treatment-Naive Children, Aged 1 to 17 Years, With Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension (STARTS-1) study assessed sildenafil in pediatric patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension; improved hemodynamics and exercise capacity occurred in medium- and high-dose groups. STARTS-2 was the extension study. ⋯ http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT00159874 (extension study of NCT00149913). Unique identifier: NCT00159874.
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Comparative Study
Postmortem cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging in fetuses and children: a masked comparison study with conventional autopsy.
Perinatal and pediatric autopsies have declined worldwide in the past decade. We compared the diagnostic accuracy of postmortem, cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging with conventional autopsy and histopathology assessment in fetuses and children. ⋯ http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT01417962.