Lancet
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Comparative Study Clinical Trial
Oral amoxicillin versus injectable penicillin for severe pneumonia in children aged 3 to 59 months: a randomised multicentre equivalency study.
Injectable penicillin is the recommended treatment for WHO-defined severe pneumonia (lower chest indrawing). If oral amoxicillin proves equally effective, it could reduce referral, admission, and treatment costs. We aimed to determine whether oral amoxicillin and parenteral penicillin were equivalent in the treatment of severe pneumonia in children aged 3-59 months. ⋯ Injectable penicillin and oral amoxicillin are equivalent for severe pneumonia treatment in controlled settings. Potential benefits of oral treatment include decreases in (1) risk of needle-borne infections; (2) need for referral or admission; (3) administration costs; and (4) costs to the family.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Clinical Trial
Intravenous immunoglobulin in secondary progressive multiple sclerosis: randomised placebo-controlled trial.
Several double-blind placebo-controlled trials of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis have shown beneficial effects of intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) on relapse rate and disability. The European Study on Intravenous Immunoglobulin in Multiple Sclerosis set out to test IVIG in the secondary progressive phase of the disease. ⋯ Treatment with IVIG in this study did not show any clinical benefit and therefore cannot be recommended for patients with secondary progressive multiple sclerosis.
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Multicenter Study Comparative Study
Effect of potentially modifiable risk factors associated with myocardial infarction in 52 countries (the INTERHEART study): case-control study.
Although more than 80% of the global burden of cardiovascular disease occurs in low-income and middle-income countries, knowledge of the importance of risk factors is largely derived from developed countries. Therefore, the effect of such factors on risk of coronary heart disease in most regions of the world is unknown. ⋯ Abnormal lipids, smoking, hypertension, diabetes, abdominal obesity, psychosocial factors, consumption of fruits, vegetables, and alcohol, and regular physical activity account for most of the risk of myocardial infarction worldwide in both sexes and at all ages in all regions. This finding suggests that approaches to prevention can be based on similar principles worldwide and have the potential to prevent most premature cases of myocardial infarction.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Clinical Trial
Treatment of lymph-node-negative, oestrogen-receptor-positive breast cancer: long-term findings from National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project randomised clinical trials.
Findings from the National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project B-14 and B-20 trials showed that tamoxifen benefited women with oestrogen-receptor-positive tumours and negative axillary nodes, and that chemotherapy plus tamoxifen was more effective than tamoxifen alone. We present long-term findings from those trials and relate them to age, menopausal status, and tumour oestrogen-receptor concentrations. We also discuss the extent of progress made in the treatment of such patients. ⋯ Much benefit has been achieved in treatment of women with oestrogen-receptor-positive tumours and negative nodes. When planning systemic therapy for such patients of all ages, it should be understood that some have tumours with variable concentrations of oestrogen-receptors, a surrogate for other biomarkers associated with tumour growth and response to treatment. Older women tend to have higher tumour oestrogen-receptor concentrations and are more likely to benefit from tamoxifen than from chemotherapy; in younger women, the converse is true. Consequently, the notion that use of tamoxifen or chemotherapy should be based only on age is too restrictive.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Comparative Study Clinical Trial
Comparison of endovascular aneurysm repair with open repair in patients with abdominal aortic aneurysm (EVAR trial 1), 30-day operative mortality results: randomised controlled trial.
Endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) is a new technology to treat patients with abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) when the anatomy is suitable. Uncertainty exists about how endovascular repair compares with conventional open surgery. EVAR trial 1 was instigated to compare these treatments in patients judged fit for open AAA repair. ⋯ In patients with large AAAs, treatment by EVAR reduced the 30-day operative mortality by two-thirds compared with open repair. Any change in clinical practice should await durability and longer term results.