Chest
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Review Meta Analysis
Diagnostic accuracy and safety of semirigid thoracoscopy in exudative pleural effusions: a meta-analysis.
The usefulness of semirigid thoracoscopy in undiagnosed exudative pleural effusions (EPEs) has been variably reported in different studies. Herein, we perform a systematic review and meta-analysis to estimate the overall diagnostic yield and safety of semirigid thoracoscopy in EPE. ⋯ Semirigid thoracoscopy is an efficacious and safe procedure in diagnosis of EPE. Because of the small sample size, larger well-designed trials are required to confirm the results of this study. There is also a need for head-to-head comparison of semirigid and rigid thoracoscopy.
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Review Meta Analysis
Short- versus long-duration antibiotic regimens for ventilator-associated pneumonia: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of short- vs long-duration antibiotic regimens for ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP). ⋯ Short-course treatment of VAP was associated with more antibiotic-free days. No difference was found regarding mortality and relapses; however, a strong trend for fewer relapses was observed in favor of the long-course treatment, being mostly driven by one study in which the observed relapses were probably more microbiologic than clinical. Additional research is required to elucidate the issue.
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Comparative Study
Characteristics of under-treatment in COPD in the general population.
We wished to characterize undertreatment in COPD. ⋯ In this study, we observed important characteristics of a major undertreatment in individuals with COPD in the general population. Previous reported respiratory infections were the strongest predictors of treatment with medications, which indicates that most COPD treatment is initiated because of acute exacerbations.
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Comparative Study
Attitudes and beliefs toward lung cancer screening among US Veterans.
Lung cancer (LC) is the leading cause of cancer-related death for veterans cared for by the US Veterans Health Administration. The LC burden among veterans is almost double that of the general population. Before implementation of an LC screening program, we set out to assess the role of beliefs and attitudes toward LC screening among veterans. ⋯ Veterans are overwhelmingly willing to undergo screening for LC, and it seems that participation will not be a barrier to implementation of an LC screening program. The mortality benefit of LC screening, however, may not be generalizable to the veteran population because of a higher number of comorbid conditions.
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Physicians are constantly navigating the overwhelming body of medical literature available on the Internet. Although early citation managers were capable of limited searching of index databases and tedious bibliography production, modern versions of citation managers such as EndNote, Zotero, and Mendeley are powerful web-based tools for searching, organizing, and sharing medical literature. ⋯ In addition to easily creating manuscript bibliographies, various citation managers allow physicians to readily access medical literature, share references for teaching purposes, collaborate with colleagues, and even participate in social networking. If physicians are willing to invest the time to familiarize themselves with modern citation managers, they will reap great benefits in the future.