Current medical research and opinion
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Meta Analysis Comparative Study
Retrograde versus antegrade intramedullary nailing for femoral fractures: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.
To conduct a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials assessing the effect on clinical outcomes of intramedullary nailing for femoral fractures via a retrograde or antegrade approach. ⋯ Both retrograde and antegrade intramedullary nailing produced high union rates. We found no significant difference in union rate between the retrograde nailing group and the antegrade nailing group for femoral fractures (RR 1.02, 95% CI: 0.94-1.11, p = 0.59, I (2 )= 0%).
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Observational Study
Occurrence of adverse events among patients with inflammatory bowel disease in the HealthCore Integrated Research Database.
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic condition commonly requiring lifelong care. Both IBD and IBD-related treatments can cause significant morbidity, and it is often difficult to differentiate their relative etiologic contribution to adverse events (AEs). The objectives of this study were to assess the rates of select AEs among patients with IBD as a function of disease severity and of the use of anti-tumor necrosis factor alpha (anti-TNFα) medications. ⋯ Results from this large US cohort provide descriptive information on AE rates in a population of IBD patients undergoing routine care, estimating background incidence rates of AEs that are not readily available in the published literature. Our study findings may be limited owing to a lack of generalizability and potential for misclassification due to reliance on medical diagnosis and treatment and procedure codes to identify disease, comorbidities, and treatments. Further research and validation of our findings in other populations and databases are needed.
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The risk of stroke in atrial fibrillation (AF) increases with number of risk factors (RFs). However, the combined effect from multiple RFs on the incidence of ischemic stroke and transient ischemic attack (TIA) among US patients without AF has not been fully examined. ⋯ In a large cohort of elderly patients without AF, the risk of ischemic stroke/TIA increased substantially in the presence of multiple RFs, highlighting potentially unmet medical needs. This observation implies that future studies may be warranted to investigate the effect of prophylactic anticoagulation in high risk non-AF patients.
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Observational Study
Adherence to denosumab in the treatment of osteoporosis and its utilization in the Czech Republic.
The objective was to analyze adherence and current trends in utilization and prescription practice patterns of the anti-RANKL monoclonal antibody denosumab in the treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis (OP). ⋯ Despite relatively high MPR and persistence rate observed in denosumab treatment, adherence enhancing strategies, focused on persistence in particular, are still needed. The uptake of denosumab has been rapid, its utilization keeps rising swiftly, and denosumab already represents a significant part of the osteoporosis therapy budget.
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To provide an overview of the drug profile of the orally active, selective endothelin A receptor antagonist ambrisentan, and its efficacy and safety in the treatment of patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). ⋯ The long-term efficacy and safety profile of ambrisentan in patients with PAH is supported by data from a comprehensive clinical trial program and real-life, post-marketing observations.