Latest Articles
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Support Care Cancer · Sep 1998
Meta AnalysisRationale for the use of a single fixed intravenous dolasetron dose for the prevention of cisplatin-induced nausea and vomiting. Pooled analysis of 14 clinical trials.
Dolasetron mesilate is a selective 5-HT3 receptor antagonist that prevents chemotherapy-induced and postoperative nausea and vomiting. For the majority of patients in intravenous dolasetron trials for chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting, dosing has been based on body weight (mg/kg). The approved weight-based dose is 1.8 mg/kg based on results of controlled clinical trials. ⋯ Fixed-dose groups were established at doses of 50, 75, 100, 125, 150, and 200 mg. Doses less than or equal to the midpoint between two dose groups were included in the lower dose group. Pooled results showed that the 100 mg intravenous dolasetron dose group (who received actual doses of 88-112 mg) produced the highest rate (53%) of complete response (0 emetic episodes and no rescue medication in the 24-h period following initiation of chemotherapy).
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To assess the risks and benefits of antibiotic treatment in children with symptoms of upper respiratory tract infection (URTI). ⋯ In view of the lack of efficacy and low complication rates, antibiotic treatment of children with URTI is not supported by current evidence from randomised trials.
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To determine the effect, if any, of histamine type 2 receptor antagonists (H2RAs) on serum alcohol levels under various conditions including type of H2RA receptor antagonist, alcohol dose, and fed status of the subject. ⋯ Cimetidine and ranitidine, but not the other H2RAs, can cause small elevations of serum alcohol level when alcohol and drug are administered concurrently. Studies with larger numbers of participants were less likely to demonstrate this effect. Relative to accepted, legal definitions of intoxication, the effect of any H2RA on blood alcohol level is unlikely to be clinically relevant.
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Functional dyspepsia is a common disorder with a diverse pathophysiological background, but the role of motility disorders in functional dyspepsia remains unclear. We aimed to quantify the relationship between disturbed gastric emptying and functional dyspepsia, using a meta-analytic approach. ⋯ Gastric emptying in patients with functional dyspepsia was 1.46 (1.23-1.69) times slower than controls; the proportion of patients with abnormally slow emptying was either 37% (34-40%, simple numeric pooling) or 39% (29-49%, weighted pooling). We conclude that gastric emptying of solids in patients with functional dyspepsia is 1.5 times slower than in healthy controls and that a significant delay of emptying is present in almost 40% of patients with functional dyspepsia.
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Meta Analysis
A systematic review of the effects of screening for colorectal cancer using the faecal occult blood test, hemoccult.
To review effectiveness of screening for colorectal cancer with faecal occult blood test, Hemoccult, and to consider benefits and harms of screening. ⋯ Although benefits of screening are likely to outweigh harms for populations at high risk of colorectal cancer, more information is needed about the harmful effects of screening, the community's responses to screening, and costs of screening for different healthcare systems before widespread screening can be recommended.