Current medical research and opinion
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Meta Analysis
Meta-analysis of cannabis based treatments for neuropathic and multiple sclerosis-related pain.
Debilitating pain, occurring in 50-70% of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, is poorly understood and infrequently studied. We summarized efficacy and safety data of cannabinoid-based drugs for neuropathic pain. ⋯ This review was based on a small number of trials and patients. Pain related to MS was assumed to be similar to neuropathic pain.
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The safety and tolerability of duloxetine for major depressive disorder (MDD), generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), diabetic peripheral neuropathic pain (DPNP), fibromyalgia, and lower urinary tract disorders (LUTD) (including female stress urinary incontinence [SUI] and other LUTDs) has been established in individual clinical studies. The objective of this manuscript is to characterize the overall safety profile of duloxetine, regardless of indication, based on data from the duloxetine exposures integrated safety database. ⋯ The safety profile for the molecule from the overall duloxetine exposures integrated safety database suggests that benign and common pharmacologic side effects occur with duloxetine treatment. Because these pooled analyses do not allow for statistical comparison to placebo or active comparator, and include data from five different studied indications, these data do not suggest causality for AEs, nor are they necessarily generalizable to each disease stated studied.
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This study examined patterns and determinants of antipsychotic prescribing in children and adolescents receiving outpatient care in the United States. ⋯ Although the findings were based on cross-sectional analyses of outpatient visit data, the study revealed that atypical antipsychotic medications are being commonly and extensively prescribed to children and adolescents despite the relatively limited scientific evidence to support their pediatric use. Well-designed studies are urgently needed in children and adolescents to address atypical antipsychotic use for a variety of psychiatric disorders.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Comparative Study
The efficacy of rofecoxib 50 mg and hydrocodone/acetaminophen 7.5/750 mg in patients with post-arthroscopic pain.
To compare the efficacy and tolerability of rofecoxib, hydrocodone/acetaminophen 7.5 mg/750 mg (H/A) and placebo in treating pain after arthroscopy of the knee. ⋯ Rofecoxib 50 mg did not provide significantly different pain relief than placebo at 6 h, and the primary endpoint TOPAR was not attained, although it did show several efficacy benefits at 24 h, including a significant opioid-sparing effect. All treatments were well tolerated, with no significant differences observed. The limited efficacy of rofecoxib in this study contrasts to the results of previous surgical studies evaluating rofecoxib, and may be partially explained by the postoperative dosing in this arthroscopic surgical model.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Cost-effectiveness of linezolid and vancomycin in the treatment of surgical site infections.
This decision-analytic study was intended to determine the expected cost-effectiveness of linezolid compared to vancomycin for treating surgical site infections (SSIs) caused by methicillin-resistant Staphyloccocus aureus (MRSA) from the perspective of a tertiary-care academic medical center. ⋯ Using decision-analytic modeling, treatment with oral linezolid during hospitalization and after discharge is expected to be the most cost-effective approach for treating SSIs caused by MRSA.