Current medical research and opinion
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Comparative Study
Disability in COPD and its relationship to clinical and patient-reported outcomes.
To assess the presence of disability in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients and its relationships with disease severity, comorbidities, and patient-reported outcomes. ⋯ Disability can be identified in each disease stage, with dyspnea serving as the most relevant inducing factor. Since disability substantially impacts patient perception of and experience with COPD, its presence must be taken into account during disease management. The cross-sectional nature of the study and the characteristics of the sample size represent a limitation in the possibility to generalize the results.
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Multicenter Study Clinical Trial
Epidemiological data, efficacy and safety of a paracetamol-tramadol fixed combination in the treatment of moderate-to-severe pain. SALZA: a post-marketing study in general practice.
To evaluate the efficacy and safety of the paracetamol-tramadol combination (PTC) in treating moderate-to-severe pain, in patients aged 65 years and over within general practitioner (GP) practice centers. ⋯ PTC, due to the complementary action of its two analgesics, is effective in treating the different types of pain in a GP's practice setting and is well-tolerated, even in an elderly population. Study limitations include all those inherent to non-interventional and open-label observations.
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Multicenter Study Clinical Trial
Clinical outcomes after insulin initiation in patients with type 2 diabetes: 6-month data from the INSTIGATE observational study in five European countries.
To examine insulin regimens and factors that affect glycaemic control at 6 months after initiation of insulin therapy in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. ⋯ Differences in insulin regimen were observed between countries, and appeared to reflect the guidelines and treatment regimens used.
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Review Comparative Study
Cost-effectiveness analysis of a new 8% capsaicin patch compared to existing therapies for postherpetic neuralgia.
The purpose of this study was to compare the cost effectiveness of a new 8% capsaicin patch, compared to the current treatments for postherpetic neuralgia (PHN), including tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs), topical lidocaine patches, duloxetine, gabapentin, and pregabalin. ⋯ The effectiveness results demonstrated that 8% capsaicin and topical lidocaine patches had significantly higher effectiveness rates than the oral agents used to treat PHN. In addition, this cost-effectiveness analysis found that the 8% capsaicin patch was similar to topical lidocaine patch and within an accepted cost per QALY gained threshold compared to the oral products.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study
Efficacy and tolerability of sitagliptin monotherapy in elderly patients with type 2 diabetes: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.
Type 2 diabetes in the elderly is an important and insufficiently studied public health problem. This study evaluated sitagliptin monotherapy in patients with type 2 diabetes aged ≥ 65 years. ⋯ In this study, sitagliptin treatment significantly and rapidly improved glycemic measures and was well tolerated in patients aged ≥ 65 years with type 2 diabetes.