Latest Articles
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Meta Analysis
Concurrent ipsilateral fractures of the hip and shaft of the femur. A systematic review of 722 cases.
Ipsilateral fracture of the hip and femoral shaft is encountered in high-energy trauma, and warrants special diagnostic and therapeutic considerations, which are not available in any single report. Therefore, a meta-analysis was performed. ⋯ Early diagnosis of all injuries and operative treatment of all fracture components are the key factors in reducing complications and improving the outcome in ipsilateral hip and shaft fractures. Locked nails and hip screws yield improved results compared with plates and unlocked nails combined with hip screws. Cephalo-medullary nails have yielded results similar to the first-generation locked nails.
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Depression and anxiety · Jan 1997
Meta AnalysisFluoxetine and concomitant centrally acting medication use during clinical trials of depression: the absence of an effect related to agitation and suicidal behavior.
Concomitant use of psychoactive medications is a common practice in most clinical trials of antidepressant medications. However, the relative therapeutic impact of such use on trial results has not been the subject of much attention. We conducted a meta-analysis to determine whether concomitant use of psychoactive medications confounded the efficacy or safety results of a series of fluoxetine trials. ⋯ Fluoxetine was superior to placebo in treating suicidal ideation, and the concomitant use of sedatives did not influence this effect. Overall, concomitant use of psychotropic medications in the fluoxetine depression clinical trials was uncommon. Our meta-analysis demonstrated that the clinical efficacy and safety of fluoxetine were not confounded by the concomitant use of medications.
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Meta Analysis
Psoriatic arthritis: a quantitative overview of therapeutic options. The Psoriatic Arthritis Meta-Analysis Study Group.
The objective of this study was to use the technique of meta-analysis to undertake a systematic review of published and unpublished randomized controlled trials of pharmacological agents to determine their relative efficacy and toxicity in the treatment of psoriatic arthritis. The main outcome measure was the change in pooled disease index with component variables derived from OMERACT. Nineteen randomized trials were identified, of which 12 were included in the quantitative analysis with data from 792 subjects. ⋯ In conclusion, parenteral high-dose methotrexate and salazopyrin are the only two agents with well-demonstrated published efficacy in psoriatic arthritis. The magnitude of the effect seen with etretinate, oral low-dose methotrexate, azathioprine and perhaps colchicine suggests that they may be effective, but that further multicentre clinical trials are required to establish their efficacy. Furthermore, the magnitude of the improvement observed in the placebo group strongly suggests that uncontrolled trials should not be used to guide management decisions in this condition.
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Critical care medicine · Dec 1996
Meta AnalysisUltrasound guidance for placement of central venous catheters: a meta-analysis of the literature.
To evaluate the effect of real-time ultrasound guidance using a regular or Doppler ultrasound technique for placement of central venous catheters. ⋯ When used for vessel location and catheter placement real-time, ultrasound guidance or Doppler ultrasound guidance improves success rates and decreases the complications associated with internal jugular and subclavian venous catheter placement.
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The objective of this study was to review the effectiveness and safety of antidepressants in neuropathic pain. In a systematic review of randomised controlled trials, the main outcomes were global judgements, pain relief or fall in pain intensity which approximated to more than 50% pain relief, and information about minor and major adverse effects. Dichotomous data for effectiveness and adverse effects were analysed using odds ratio and number needed-to-treat (NNT) methods. ⋯ Compared with placebo, of 100 patients with neuropathic pain who are given antidepressants, 30 will obtain more than 50% pain relief, 30 will have minor adverse reactions and four will have to stop treatment because of major adverse effects. With very similar results for anticonvulsants it is still unclear which drug class should be first choice. Treatment would be improved if we could harness the dramatic improvement seen on placebo in some of the trials.