JAMA : the journal of the American Medical Association
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Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
Topical tretinoin improves photoaged skin. A double-blind vehicle-controlled study.
In a 16-week randomized, double-blind, vehicle-controlled study of topical tretinoin in the treatment of photoaging, all patients applied topical tretinoin to one forearm and vehicle cream to the other. Half of the patients received tretinoin to the face, and half received vehicle cream. ⋯ Statistically significant histologic changes were seen in forearm skin treated with tretinoin, but not with vehicle cream. Side effects were limited to irritation of tretinoin-exposed skin.
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Perinatal transmission of hepatitis B virus is associated with substantial morbidity and mortality, yet controversy still exists regarding the value of routine screening of pregnant women in the United States and subsequent immunization of their at-risk neonates. To evaluate the cost-effectiveness of such a screening and immunization program, we developed a decision analysis model and obtained data from published reports, chart review, and a Delphi survey to determine outcome probabilities and costs. ⋯ At an annual national birth rate of 3.5 million births, a national policy of routine screening of all pregnant women would result in an annual net savings of more than $105 million. In the high-risk groups, as many as 140 cases of acute neonatal hepatitis and as many as 1400 cases of chronic liver disease would be prevented yearly per 100,000 pregnant women screened, at a net annual savings of as much as $765 million.
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Patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) provides improved titration of analgesic drugs, thereby minimizing individual pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic differences. Patient-controlled analgesia decreases patient anxiety resulting from delays in receiving pain-relieving medication and from the slow onset of analgesic action when these drugs are administered either intramuscularly or in the extradural space. ⋯ The potential for overdose can be minimized if small bolus doses are used with a mandatory lockout interval between successive doses. Finally, studies of the cost-effectiveness of PCA therapy are important if this therapeutic approach is to achieve more widespread acceptance.