Journal of evaluation in clinical practice
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Meta Analysis
Effects of eradicating Helicobacter pylori on metachronous gastric cancer prevention: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
Helicobacter pylori (H pylori) infection is closely associated with the incidence of gastric cancer. However, whether H pylori eradication prevents metachronous gastric cancer remains uncertain. The aim of our study is to assess how eradicating H pylori influences metachronous gastric cancer onset following treatment of early stage gastric cancer via endoscopic resective surgery. ⋯ Eradicating H pylori via therapeutic treatment can effectively reduce rates of metachronous gastric cancer, and as such, it should be implemented in H pylori-infected individuals recently treated for early stage gastric cancers via endoscopic resection.
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Current meta-analysis was conducted aiming to assess the efficacy and safety of recombinant human interleukin-11 (rhIL-11) in the treatment of acute leukaemia (AL) patients with chemotherapy-induced thrombocytopenia (CIT). ⋯ Our findings suggest that rhIL-11 is effective and safe in the treatment of CIT in patients with AL.
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Laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) and laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (LRYGB) are widely performed to cure obesity and obesity-related diseases. Our aim was to compare these two procedures. ⋯ Both LSG and LRYGB can be performed with very low conversion to open rate and mortality rate. The readmission rate and re-operation rate are comparable between these two surgeries. The efficacy of these two surgeries on EWL and T2DM is equivalent, but LSG has an advantage over LRYGB in operation time and early complications rate.
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Review Meta Analysis
Comparison of four heterogeneity measures for meta-analysis.
Heterogeneity is a critical issue in meta-analysis, because it implies the appropriateness of combining the collected studies and impacts the reliability of the synthesized results. The Q test is a traditional method to assess heterogeneity; however, because it does not have an intuitive interpretation for clinicians and often has low statistical power, many meta-analysts alter to use some measures, such as the I2 statistic, to quantify the extent of heterogeneity. This article aims at providing a summary of available tools to assess heterogeneity and comparing their performance. ⋯ The I2 and R ̂ I statistics are recommended for measuring heterogeneity. Meta-analysts should use the heterogeneity measures as descriptive statistics which have intuitive interpretations from the clinical perspective, instead of determining the significance of heterogeneity simply based on their magnitudes.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Comprehensive medication reviews by ward-based pharmacists in Swedish hospitals: What does the patient have to say?
Inappropriate medication prescribing and use amongst older patients is a major patient safety and health care problem. To promote appropriate medication prescribing and use, comprehensive medication reviews (CMRs) by ward-based pharmacists, including follow-up telephone calls after hospital discharge, have been conducted in older patients in the context of a randomized controlled trial (RCT). One of the key actors in a CMR is the patient. To support the understanding of the effects of CMRs on patients' health outcomes and improve clinical practice, knowledge about the patient perspective is needed. We therefore aimed to explore older patients' experiences with, and views on, hospital-initiated CMRs and follow-up telephone calls by ward-based clinical pharmacists within an RCT. ⋯ Older patients generally have positive experiences with and views on CMRs and follow-up telephone calls. However, some factors, like the unclear role of the ward-based pharmacist and problems with receiving and retaining information, may negatively impact the effectiveness of these interventions. Future initiatives on hospital-initiated CMRs by clinical pharmacists should address these negative factors and utilize the positive views.