Current medical research and opinion
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Randomized Controlled Trial
A randomized study on the usefulness of an electronic outpatient hypoglycemia risk calculator for clinicians of patients with diabetes in a safety-net institution.
Objective: Hypoglycemia (HG) occurs in up to 60% of patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) each year. We assessed a HG alert tool in an electronic health record system, and determined its effect on clinical practice and outcomes. Methods: The tool applied a statistical model, yielding patient-specific information about HG risk. ⋯ Frequency of HG events was unchanged. Conclusions: Informing PCPs about risk of HG led to fewer sulfonylurea refills and visits. Longer-term studies are needed to assess potential for long-term benefits.
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Systematic review of topical diclofenac for the treatment of acute and chronic musculoskeletal pain.
Aim: The objective was to systematically review the efficacy and safety of topical diclofenac in both acute and chronic musculoskeletal pain in adults. Methods: We used standard Cochrane methods. Searches were conducted in MEDLINE, EMBASE and The Cochrane Register of Studies; date of the final search was November 2018. ⋯ Conclusion: This systematic review of 11,000+ participants demonstrates that topical diclofenac is effective for acute pain, such as sprains, with minimal AEs. The effectiveness of topical diclofenac was also demonstrated in chronic musculoskeletal pain but with a higher NNT (worse) compared with acute pain. Formulation does play a part in effectiveness but needs further studies.
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Objective: To estimate the avoided costs associated with reductions in end-stage kidney disease (ESKD), certain CV events (non-fatal myocardial infarction [MI], non-fatal stroke, hospitalization for heart failure [HHF]), and renal and CV death for patients treated with canagliflozin versus placebo, based on CREDENCE trial results. Methods: Renal (including ESKD) and CV events averted, based on the differences in adjusted rates of events between the canagliflozin and placebo arms in CREDENCE, were projected to the proportion of the members of a managed care organization (MCO) fitting the inclusion criteria in CREDENCE (i.e. diabetic nephropathy, at least 30 years old). The number of events averted for the population was multiplied by the unit-cost of the event, extracted from a targeted literature review, to obtain costs avoided per member per year (PMPY). ⋯ Costs avoided PMPY were $0.54 (-$0.28-$1.16) for non-fatal MI, $0.30 (-$0.22-$0.65) for non-fatal stroke, $1.56 ($0.80-$2.11) for HHF, $0.06 ($0.05-$0.07) for renal death, and $0.51 ($0.00-$0.91) for CV death. For non-fatal MI and non-fatal stroke, the lower bound of the range is interpreted as an incremental cost. Conclusions: Positive costs avoided for each of the outcomes considered were predicted in the main analysis, with ESKD as the outcome predicted to have the greatest costs avoided at $2.92 PMPY.
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Background: Blood purification therapy has not been applied in the detoxification of germanium compounds. This report described a case of germanium poisoning with renal failure, liver dysfunction, and acute pancreatitis which was successfully treated by continuous venovenous hemodiafiltration (CVVHDF) combined with plasmapheresis. Case report: A 58-year-old male was admitted to a local hospital due to polydipsia, polyuria, and weight loss for 2 months. ⋯ However, the urinary germanium concentration exceeded the normal level after three months, indicating an accumulation of germanium in the organs and tissues. The patient's clinical symptoms ameliorated and the functions of kidney, liver and pancreatitis gradually recovered. Conclusion: Combined CVVHDF with plasmapheresis is an effective treatment for germanium poisoning and the associated multiple organ dysfunctions.
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Pragmatic Clinical Trial
Validation of Spanish version of the human papilloma virus impact profile (HIP).
Objective: To examine the construct validity and reliability of the Spanish version of the HPV Impact Profile scale (HIP) among women in Medellin, Colombia. Methods: We conducted a nested analysis of data from the pragmatic randomized controlled trial "Evaluation of Strategies for Optimal Clinical Management of Women with Atypical Squamous Cells of Undetermined Significance" (ASCUS-COL; NCT02067468). Women with Atypical Squamous Cells of Undetermined Significance (ASCUS) were randomly assigned to one of three triage strategies (Pap smear, colposcopy, HPV). ⋯ The factor structure was similar among the tree measures and the model preserved acceptable goodness of fit (RMSEA = 0.079, CFI:0.86). The Cronbach's alpha for the total score was 0.91, with the lowest score for sexual impact (0.49) and the highest score for worries and concerns (0.90). Conclusions: The Spanish version of the HIP had adequate reliability and construct validity, and its use could be considered in clinic and research settings.