Current medical research and opinion
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Comparative Study
A comparison of levofloxacin and moxifloxacin use in hospitalized community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) patients in the US: focus on length of stay.
Length of stay (LOS) and hospitalization costs were compared among patients admitted for community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) and initially treated with either levofloxacin 750 mg intravenous (IV) or with moxifloxacin 400 mg IV. Hospital-related complications and relationship of LOS and comorbidities were descriptively examined. ⋯ This retrospective study suggests that among patients hospitalized with CAP, initial treatment with levofloxacin 750 mg IV is associated with a significantly shorter mean hospital LOS compared with treatment with moxifloxacin 400 mg IV. The clinical implications of a shorter hospital LOS include improved patient and economic outcomes.
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Comparative Study
A comparison of direct medical costs across racial and ethnic groups among children with cancer.
Previous studies reported that some minority childhood cancer patients are likely to develop worse outcomes than white children. This study examines whether there are racial and ethnic disparities in health expenditures among children with cancer. ⋯ This study did not identify significant racial and ethnic disparities in health care costs. However, one important study limitation is the small sample size of the minority populations in the study sample.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Clinical Trial
The effect of budesonide and formoterol in one pressurized metered-dose inhaler on patient-reported outcomes in adults with mild-to-moderate persistent asthma.
To determine the effects of budesonide and formoterol administered via one pressurized metered-dose inhaler (budesonide/formoterol pMDI) on patient-reported outcomes (PROs) and to determine the contributions of budesonide and formoterol to those effects in adults with asthma. ⋯ Patients receiving treatment with budesonide/formoterol pMDI experienced significantly greater improvements from baseline in asthma-related quality of life, quality of sleep, and asthma control and greater satisfaction with treatment than patients receiving placebo. The combination of budesonide and formoterol in one pMDI is beneficial in improving how a patient feels and functions as a result of treatment.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
Relationship between bone mass, invasive breast cancer incidence and raloxifene therapy in postmenopausal women with low bone mass or osteoporosis.
To evaluate the relationship between bone mass and risk of breast cancer and to determine the effect of raloxifene therapy on breast cancer incidence in women categorized by bone mass into low bone mass and osteoporosis subgroups. ⋯ In this post hoc analysis of postmenopausal women participating in MORE and CORE, bone mass was a predictor of invasive ER-positive breast cancer. Raloxifene treatment reduced the risk of invasive and invasive ER-positive breast cancers in women with low bone mass and those with osteoporosis. Since participants were older postmenopausal women with low bone mass, whether these findings can be generalized to other postmenopausal women is unclear.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Comparative Study Clinical Trial
Effects of exenatide versus insulin analogues on weight change in subjects with type 2 diabetes: a pooled post-hoc analysis.
In two previously reported multi-center, randomized, open-label, comparator (insulin) controlled trials in patients with type 2 diabetes sub-optimally controlled with metformin and a sulfonylurea, treatment with exenatide and insulin analogue therapy produced similar reductions in glycosylated hemoglobin A(1c) (A1C). However, treatment with exenatide was associated with a reduction in body weight while insulin analogue therapy was associated with weight gain. This analysis further characterizes the relative impact of commonly employed insulin analogues versus exenatide on weight change over a 6-month period. ⋯ These findings support the use of exenatide as a treatment option in insulin-naïve subjects with type 2 diabetes and who are overweight and sub-optimally controlled by metformin and sulfonylurea. However, these results should be interpreted with caution given the exploratory nature of this post-hoc analysis.