Current medical research and opinion
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The International Society for Medical Publication Professionals (ISMPP) is an independent, nonprofit professional association with members from the pharmaceutical, medical device, and biotechnology industries; publication planning and medical communications companies; academia; and medical journal staffs, including editors and publishers. ISMPP's mission is to support the educational needs of medical publication professionals by providing a forum to facilitate awareness and development of best practices in publication planning and implementation, and fostering consensus policies related to medical publishing. This position statement reflects our concern about the current climate of mistrust regarding the use of professional medical writers in the preparation of manuscripts. ⋯ ISMPP endorses use of the contributorship model, which offers detailed information on the roles of all who participated in planning, conducting, developing, and publishing medical research. Further, we propose that this model be integrated into the standard operating procedures of the diverse organizations that comprise our membership because the responsibility for authorship disclosure is shared by sponsors, authors, study investigators, and medical writers. Finally, we commend the many organizations that have worked to increase recognition and understanding of the legitimate role of the medical writer, and are eager to work in concert with them to ensure the rigorous maintenance of all ethical standards for reporting the results of medical research.
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Practice Guideline
Evidence-based guidelines for the management of lower urinary tract symptoms related to uncomplicated benign prostatic hyperplasia in Italy: updated summary.
Despite the high prevalence and huge socio-economic impact of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) in Italy, no national guidelines have been produced so far. This is a summary of the first Italian guidelines on the diagnosis and treatment of lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) related to uncomplicated BPH, prepared by a multidisciplinary panel under the auspices of the Italian Association of Urologists and introduced in Italy in 2003. An update compiled by the authors is also included. ⋯ These guidelines are intended to provide a framework for health professionals involved in BPH management in order to facilitate decision-making in all areas and at all levels of healthcare.
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Epilepsy is a chronic disorder requiring long-term management. Communication between emergency physicians, neurologists, and primary care physicians (PCPs) is especially critical for the continuity of care for patients who present in an emergency department (ED) with a breakthrough seizure. Therefore, maximizing communication between the emergency physician and the PCP is of the utmost importance. The emergency physician, who is on the front line, must gather the information necessary to identify the underlying cause of the seizure and decide whether the pharmaceutical management must be changed. ⋯ Clinical management decisions, especially when considering adjustment in an antiepileptic drug (AED) regimen, are often best made in coordination with a consulting neurologist. Increasing emergency physicians' comfort level regarding the use of newer-generation AEDs can improve the dialogue between the emergency physician and neurologist and the dialogue with the patient. Understanding the risks and benefits of the newer AEDs will assist the emergency physician in clinical decision making and, it is hoped, improve clinical outcomes. To preserve continuity of patient care, a patient's treating physician should be notified of all the particulars of the ED visit, and an appointment should be scheduled at the time of discharge for follow-up evaluation.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Association of baseline disease and patient characteristics with response to etoricoxib and indomethacin for acute gout.
Disease history and clinical features can influence treatment response in patients with acute gout. The purpose of this pooled subgroup analysis was to assess the association of baseline disease and patient characteristics with response to treatment in acute gout using data from two identical studies. ⋯ This pooled subgroup analysis demonstrated significantly greater response of acute gout to either etoricoxib or indomethacin among those with monoarticular disease, severe/extreme baseline pain, and non-use of colchicine and/or allopurinol. These results should be interpreted in the context of a pooled subgroup analysis with a limited sample size, and with the understanding that associations identified in such analyses do not define causation. Despite limitations, the results provide insights into the types of patients more likely to respond better to anti-inflammatory medication, and reiterate the importance of earlier effective control of the disease.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Pain relief and pain-related sleep disturbance with extended-release tramadol in patients with osteoarthritis.
This analysis evaluated changes in pain and pain-related sleep disturbance with extended-release tramadol (tramadol ER) in patients with moderate, chronic osteoarthritis pain, and the influence of pain reduction on pain-related sleep disturbance. ⋯ In patients with chronic osteoarthritis pain, pain reduction is associated with decreased pain-related sleep disturbance.