Mayo Clinic proceedings
-
Mayo Clinic proceedings · May 2016
Strength of Validation for Surrogate End Points Used in the US Food and Drug Administration's Approval of Oncology Drugs.
To determine the strength of the surrogate-survival correlation for cancer drug approvals based on a surrogate. ⋯ The use of surrogate end points for drug approval often lacks formal empirical verification of the strength of the surrogate-survival association.
-
Multiple pharmacotherapies are available for the treatment of fibromyalgia (FM), including opioid analgesics. We postulate that the mechanism of action of traditional opioids predicts their lack of efficacy in FM. Literature searches of the MEDLINE and Cochrane Library databases were conducted using the search term opioid AND fibromyalgia to identify relevant articles, with no date limitations set. ⋯ Factors associated with opioid use include female sex; geographic variation; psychological factors; a history of opioid use, misuse, or abuse; and patient or physician preference. The long-term use of opioid analgesics is of particular concern in the United States given the ongoing public health emergency relating to excess prescription opioid consumption. The continued use of opioids to treat FM despite a proven lack of efficacy, lack of support from treatment guidelines, and the availability of approved pharmacotherapy options provides a cautionary tale for their use in other chronic pain conditions.
-
Mayo Clinic proceedings · May 2016
Androgen Therapy and Rehospitalization in Older Men With Testosterone Deficiency.
To assess whether the receipt of androgen therapy is associated with a reduced 30-day rehospitalization rate among older men with testosterone deficiency. ⋯ Androgen therapy may reduce the risk of rehospitalization in older men with testosterone deficiency. Given the high rates of early hospital readmission among older adults, further exploration of this intervention holds broad clinical and public health relevance.
-
Mayo Clinic proceedings · May 2016
Ethnicity, Socioeconomic Status, and Health Disparities in a Mixed Rural-Urban US Community-Olmsted County, Minnesota.
To characterize health disparities in common chronic diseases among adults by socioeconomic status (SES) and ethnicity in a mixed rural-urban community of the United States. ⋯ In a mixed rural-urban setting with a predominantly non-Hispanic white population, health disparities in chronic diseases still exist across SES. The extent to which SES modifies the effect of ethnicity on the risk of chronic diseases may depend on the nature of the disease.