Postgraduate medical journal
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Increasing pressure on general practice prompts innovative change in service organisation. This study sought to evaluate the impact of introducing a telephone-first consultation system in a socioeconomically deprived population. ⋯ A telephone-first system in a deprived urban general practice can decrease delays to GP-patient contacts. The number of patients seeking a medical intervention did not differ irrespective of the consultation system used. The telephone-first system did not affect GP out-of-hours, laboratory investigations or secondary care contacts.
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Review Meta Analysis
Effect of vitamin E in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials.
The efficacy of vitamin E among patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is unclear. The current qualitative and quantitative analyses aimed to ascertain the efficacy of vitamin E on clinical outcomes of patients with NAFLD. A systematic search of randomised controlled trials (RCTs) was performed using databases (PubMed, ProQuest, Scopus, EBSCOhost and Ovid) from inception to July 2018. ⋯ Lifestyle interventions along with vitamin E can provide much better results. Data, including the impact of vitamin E on hepatic histology, are still lacking. Moreover, the short duration of trials limits the conclusion on the safety and efficacy of proposed treatments.
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Meta Analysis
Association between outdoor PM2.5 and prevalence of COPD: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
There were conflictions and differences among the results of cross-sectional studies association between PM2.5 and COPD prevalence. We aimed to explore the real association between outdoor PM2.5 and COPD prevalence, analyze the possible cause to the differences and conflictions in previous cross-sectional studies. Cross-sectional literatures about the association between outdoor PM2.5 and COPD prevalence were selected up to 12 September 2018. ⋯ This meta-analysis study demonstrated a conclusive association between PM2.5 and prevalence of COPD (OR: 2.32, 95%CI 1.91-2.82). The significant heterogeneity among selected studies was mainly caused by age (over 60 or not). High PM2.5 concentration should be needed in further research of the relationship between PM2.5 and chronic diseases.