Dtsch Arztebl Int
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Review Meta Analysis
Declining Bowel Cancer Incidence and Mortality in Germany.
In October 2002, screening colonoscopy from age 55 onward was introduced as part of the German national statutory cancer screening program. Screening colonoscopy is intended to lower both the mortality and the incidence of bowel cancer by enabling the detection and removal of precursor lesions. ⋯ Within 10 years of the introduction of screening colonoscopy in Germany, the incidence of bowel cancer in persons over age 55 fell by 17-26%, after having risen steadily over the preceding decades.
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Inflammatory bowel diseases are common in Europe, with prevalences as high as 1 in 198 persons (ulcerative colitis) and 1 in 310 persons (Crohn's disease). ⋯ The treatment of chronic inflammatory bowel diseases requires individually designed therapeutic strategies and the close interdisciplinary collaboration of internists and surgeons.
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Review Meta Analysis
The Presentation, Diagnosis, and Treatment of Sexually Transmitted Infections.
The reported incidence of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in Germany is rising. For example, the number of new reported cases of syphilis rose from 3034 in 2010 to 4410 in 2012. ⋯ Sexually transmitted infections are common around the world, and any such infection increases the patient's risk of contracting other types of sexually transmitted infection. Molecular genetic diagnostic techniques should be made widely available.
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Review Meta Analysis
The Effects of Climate Change on Patients With Chronic Lung Disease. A Systematic Literature Review.
Ever since higher overall mortality rates due to heat stress were reported during the European heat waves of 2003 and 2006, the relation between heat waves and disease-specific events has been an object of scientific study. The effects of heat waves on the morbidity and mortality of persons with chronic lung disease remain unclear. ⋯ Heat waves significantly increase morbidity and mortality in patients with chronic lung disease. The argument that the excess mortality during heat waves is compensated for by a decrease in mortality in the subsequent weeks/months (mortality displacement) should not be used as an excuse for delay in implementing adaptive strategies to protect lung patients from this risk to their health.
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Systematic reviews provide a structured summary of the results of trials that have been carried out on any particular subject. If the data from multiple trials are sufficiently homogenous, a meta-analysis can be performed to calculate pooled effect estimates. Traditional meta-analysis involves groups of trials that compare the same two interventions directly (head to head). Lately, however, indirect comparisons and network metaanalyses have become increasingly common. ⋯ Indirect comparisons and network metaanalyses are an important further development of traditional meta-analysis. Clear and detailed documentation is needed so that findings obtained by these new methods can be reliably judged.