Current medical research and opinion
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study
A multicenter, randomized, parallel-group, clinical trial comparing the safety and efficacy of loteprednol etabonate 0.5%/tobramycin 0.3% with dexamethasone 0.1%/tobramycin 0.3% in the treatment of Chinese patients with blepharokeratoconjunctivitis.
To compare the efficacy and safety of loteprednol etabonate 0.5%/tobramycin 0.3% (LE/T) and dexamethasone 0.1%/tobramycin 0.3% (DM/T) ophthalmic suspensions in a Chinese population with ocular inflammation associated with blepharokeratoconjunctivitis (BKC). ⋯ Treatment with LE/T was at least as effective as DM/T in Chinese patients with BKC and had a better safety profile with respect to change in IOP.
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Postmenopausal osteoporosis is a chronic disease requiring treatment that balances long-term fracture efficacy against risk. ⋯ Robust long-term studies are relatively rare for the osteoporosis treatments, and generally show maintenance of BMD and, for some agents, an additional reduction in fracture incidence.
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Multicenter Study
Taxane-based mono- or combination therapy for managing metastatic breast cancer (MBC) in routine practice: a multinational prospective observational study.
Taxanes are standard for first-line chemotherapy of metastatic breast cancer (MBC), but indications for single-agent versus combination treatment remain controversial. This non-interventional study in 12 different countries explored treatment patterns and progression-free survival (PFS) in routine practice. ⋯ In patients from 12 different countries treated during routine practice, TCs were prescribed more frequently than single agents. HER2+ status was significantly associated with TC use. 41% of HER2+ patients received no anti-HER2 treatment; PFS results for TC with and without trastuzumab (19.7 and 18.8 months) suggested TCs without trastuzumab might be worth further investigation in these patients. However, the study was not randomized; treatment evaluation bias can therefore not be excluded.
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The management of opioid-induced constipation (OIC) is often complicated by the fact that clinical measures of constipation do not always correlate with patient perception. As the discomfort associated with OIC can lead to poor compliance with the opioid treatment, a shift in focus towards patient assessment is often advocated. ⋯ Altogether, the available data suggest that the BFI will be useful in clinical trials and in daily practice.