The American journal of medicine
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Clinical Trial
Effects of randomized assignment to a smoking cessation intervention and changes in smoking habits on respiratory symptoms in smokers with early chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: the Lung Health Study.
To evaluate the effects of randomly assigning smokers who have early chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) to a smoking-cessation intervention on the symptoms of chronic cough, chronic phlegm production, wheezing and shortness of breath, and to determine the effects of quitting smoking on these symptoms. ⋯ In this prospective randomized trial using an intention-to-treat analysis, smokers with early COPD who were assigned to a smoking-cessation intervention had fewer respiratory symptoms after 5 years of follow-up.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
A randomized trial of short-course ciprofloxacin, ofloxacin, or trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole for the treatment of acute urinary tract infection in women. Ciprofloxacin Urinary Tract Infection Group.
Bladder infections are very common in otherwise healthy women, and short-course antimicrobial treatment appears effective for many episodes of cystitis. This study reports the results of short-course ciprofloxacin, ofloxacin, and trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole therapy. ⋯ Ciprofloxacin, ofloxacin, and trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole had similar efficacy when given for 3 days to treat acute, symptomatic, uncomplicated lower urinary tract infection in women.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
Long-term maintenance of weight loss after a very-low-calorie diet: a randomized blinded trial of the efficacy and tolerability of sibutramine.
Very-low-calorie diets are a well established method to achieve substantial short-term weight loss in obese patients, but long-term maintenance of the weight loss is very disappointing. A combined very-low-calorie diet and pharmacologic approach could be an effective means of prolonging its benefits. ⋯ Following a very-low-calorie diet, sibutramine is effective in maintaining and improving weight loss for up to 1 year.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of growth hormone in the treatment of fibromyalgia.
The cause of fibromyalgia (FM) is not known. Low levels of insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1), a surrogate marker for low growth hormone (GH) secretion, occur in about one third of patients who have many clinical features of growth hormone deficiency, such as diminished energy, dysphoria, impaired cognition, poor general health, reduced exercise capacity, muscle weakness, and cold intolerance. To determine whether suboptimal growth hormone production could be relevant to the symptomatology of fibromyalgia, we assessed the clinical effects of treatment with growth hormone. ⋯ Women with fibromyalgia and low IGF-1 levels experienced an improvement in their overall symptomatology and number of tender points after 9 months of daily growth hormone therapy. This suggests that a secondary growth hormone deficiency may be responsible for some of the symptoms of fibromyalgia.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
A four-year randomized controlled trial of hormone replacement and bisphosphonate, alone or in combination, in women with postmenopausal osteoporosis.
Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) with estrogen and treatment with bisphosphonates have been shown to increase bone mineral density (BMD) in postmenopausal women. This 4-year prospective randomized study was carried out to assess the effectiveness of the combined HRT plus etidronate on BMD in postmenopausal women with established osteoporosis. ⋯ This 4-year randomized study showed an additive effect of etidronate and HRT on hip and spine BMD in postmenopausal women with established osteoporosis.