Dtsch Arztebl Int
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Review
Urolithiasis--an interdisciplinary diagnostic, therapeutic and secondary preventive challenge.
The prevalence of urolithiasis in Germany is 4.7%; its incidence has trebled in the last three decades. The risk of recurrence is 50-80%, depending on the type of stone, unless secondary prevention is instituted. Risk-adapted secondary prevention lowers this risk to 10-15%. ⋯ Urolithiasis has many causes and can be treated in many different ways. An extensive metabolic work-up is often necessary for secondary prevention. The various treatment options must be considered for their suitability in each individual patient. Robust data are now available on surgical and interventional methods, but there are as yet no high-quality trials of secondary prevention. Further research should concentrate on the etiology and pathogenesis of urolithiasis.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Willingness to participate in mammography screening: a randomized controlled questionnaire study of responses to two patient information leaflets with different factual content.
From 2010 onward, a new leaflet about mammography screening for breast cancer, more informative than the preceding version, has been sent to women in Germany aged 50 to 69 with the invitation to undergo screening. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of different informational content on the decision whether or not to be screened. ⋯ The greater or lesser informativeness of the leaflet affected neither the participants' knowledge of mammography screening nor their willingness to undergo it. The leaflet was not seen as an aid to decision-making. The best way to assure an informed decision about screening may be for the patient to discuss the matter personally with a qualified professional.
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Dry eye disease (DED) is common; its prevalence around the world varies from 5% to 34%. Its putative pathogenetic mechanisms include hyperosmolarity of the tear film and inflammation of the ocular surface and lacrimal gland. Dry eye is clinically subdivided into two subtypes: one with decreased tear secretion (aqueous-deficient DED), and one with increased tear evaporation (hyperevaporative DED). ⋯ The treatment of dry eye has evolved from tear substitution alone to a rationally based therapeutic algorithm. Current research focuses on pathophysiology, new diagnostic techniques, and novel therapies including secretagogues, topical androgens, and new anti- inflammatory drugs.
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Over 3000 persons undergo allogeneic hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) in Germany every year. Advances in allo-HSCT have prolonged the survival of treated patients but have concomitantly increased the risk of long-term complications that impair their quality of life. ⋯ Measures should be taken to prevent the potential long-term complications of allo-HSCT. All patients who have been treated with allo-HSCT should receive individualized, risk-adapted, and multidisciplinary follow-up care, so that any complications that arise can be correctly diagnosed and appropriately treated. Long-term follow-up care could be improved by prospective clinical trials investigating the long-term sequelae of allo-HSCT, as well as by consistent, uniform documentation of these sequelae in supraregional data registries.