Arch Intern Med
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Review Meta Analysis
Sildenafil for male erectile dysfunction: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
To determine the efficacy and safety of sildenafil citrate in the treatment of male erectile dysfunction. ⋯ Sildenafil improves erectile function and is generally well tolerated. Treatment response seems to vary between patient subgroups, although sildenafil has greater efficacy than placebo in all evaluated subgroups.
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Elevated total plasma homocysteine (tHcy) level is a risk factor for occlusive disease in the coronary, cerebral, and peripheral vessels and is related to several lifestyle factors associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD). ⋯ Plasma tHcy level is a strong predictor of CVD hospitalizations only in elderly individuals, and especially among those with preexisting CVD. Our findings are compatible with the theory that tHcy interacts with conventional CVD risk factors to provoke the acute event of CVD.
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The quality of care provided to patients hospitalized for heart failure has been shown to vary by physician, hospital, and region. Hospitalists appear to reduce costs and length of stay, yet their impact on quality of care is less certain. ⋯ Compared with nonhospitalists, hospitalists were more likely to document assessment of left ventricular function and their patients had a shorter length of stay.
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To assess the potential impact of controlling risk factors on the incidence of venous thromboembolism by estimating the population attributable risk (defined as the percentage of all cases of a disease in a population that can be "attributed" to a risk factor) for deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism associated with venous thromboembolism risk factors. ⋯ Factors associated with institutionalization independently account for more than 50% of all cases of venous thromboembolism in the community. Greater emphasis should be placed on prophylaxis for hospitalized medical patients. Other recognized risk factors account for about 25% of all cases of venous thromboembolism, while the remaining 25% of cases are idiopathic.
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Multicenter Study Comparative Study
Asthma in older patients: factors associated with hospitalization.
Although older adults (> or =65 years) with asthma have higher rates of hospitalization and death from asthma than younger adults, the reasons for this are not known. ⋯ Although the older adults with asthma had greater respiratory symptoms and more comorbidity than their younger counterparts, chronologic age was not an independent risk for hospitalization. Appropriate care for older adults with asthma should address asthma symptoms and other chronic conditions.