Complementary and alternative therapies and conventional medical therapies
...l clinical studies to them. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) are the gold standard for providing evidence of efficacy, the committee said, but other study designs can generate useful information on treatments that do not lend themselves to RCTs. Observational studies, case control studies, and studies ...Rotary blood pump shows promise for pediatric patients
...y and safety of VADs were demonstrated in numerous trials along the way. After 50 years of use, VADs are still considered to be in their infancy, but today, the technology has contributed to prolonging support for patients, and has helped to maintain healthy, functioning hearts. "[This is] of significant v...New study reveals treatment for 'silent killer' using diet, not drugs
...dings in the article this way: Randomized clinical trials have shown that BP [blood pressure] is lowered when animal products are replaced with vegetable products in both normotensives and hypertensives (5,7,26). The beneficial expected consequences of a reduction in BP include a reduction in major coronary...New guidelines conclude all aerosol therapy devices equally effective
...tematic review of pertinent randomized, controlled trials (RCT), panel members compared metered-dose inhalers (MDIs) with or without spacers/holding chambers, dry powder inhalers, and nebulizers, delivering both bronchodilators (beta2-agonists) and inhaled corticosteroids in order to determine the best reco...Jefferson scientists help explain statins' effects in Alzheimer's disease
...duction, and currently is being tested in clinical trials for their possible effects in slowing the progress...hemed, for example, which currently is in clinical trials at Jefferson's Farber Institute for Neurosciences, breaks up amyloid aggregates. Vaccines stimulate ...Review supports link between HRT and stroke
...ke, especially ischaemic stroke, finds a review of trials published on bmj.com today. These results support previous trials that have suggested a link between HRT and stroke. Researchers at the University of Nottingham revie...New 'ITN Scholars Program' provides junior faculty opportunity to develop clinical trials expertise
...y trained academic researchers with broad clinical trials experience in the emerging field of immune toleran...committee, says that effectively planning clinical trials of emerging immune-based therapies requires a rare combination of skills that are difficult to acqui...Reduced progression of atherosclerosis tied to statin drugs lowering fats, protein
... Results of prospective, randomized clinical trials could be helpful in resolving that question, he said. They also should contribute to important decisions about improving guideline recommendations. "Patients who are on low-dose statin therapy may benefit by increases in their statin therapy...NIH action plan charts future challenges for liver disease research
...e both in clinical practice as well as in clinical trials of new therapies. Availability of reliable and safe means of measuring fibrosis (tissue scarring) and cirrhosis (excessive scarring and destruction of liver structure) would improve management of liver disease and facilitate clinical research. De...Stanford study shows hypnosis helps kids undergoing difficult procedure
...Pediatrics, is one of only a handful of randomized trials to look at whether hypnosis reduces pain and stress during medical procedures in children. Four or five patients undergo the stressful VCUG catheterization on any given day at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford. Many doctors wish that the...Treating individuals: How generalisable are trial data?
...limit the generalisability of data from randomised trials and systematic reviews into clinical practice. Subsequent articles will reflect common clinician concerns about subgroups, meta-analyses, and risk. Peter Rothwell (University of Oxford, UK), co-ordinator of the series and author of the first article,...BMJ turns missing murder case documents over to FDA
...nts, dated November 1988, reports that in clinical trials fluoxetine can cause behavioural disturbances. The FDA recently issued a warning that antidepressants can cause stimulatory side effects such as agitation, panic attacks, insomnia, and aggressiveness. These documents provide "the missing link" betwee...What is driving the rise in over the counter drugs?
...e counter medicine, as there have been no clinical trials of over the counter statins for prevention of heart disease. Concern has been raised that the main motive behind the government's decision to allow simvastatin to be sold directly to the public is to save NHS costs. But this is unlikely because high ...Pegaptanib provides benefit for neovascular age-related macular degeneration
..., prospective, double-blind, multi-center clinical trials show that pegaptanib (Macugen), an anti-vascular ...w England Journal of Medicine details two clinical trials that were held at 117 sites in the Unites States, Canada, Europe, Israel, Australia and South Americ...Veterans in better health than other residents of nursing homes, new test for evaluating tinnitus
...Eight transtibial amputees performed three walking trials with the pin and suction suspension systems. During the swing phase of walking, the pin system compressed the upper residual limb and had significantly higher suction at the end of the residual limb than the suction system. Investigators conclude tha...Poor response to chemotherapy does not mean poor outcome for patients with rare breast cancer
...ts came from a retrospective study of six clinical trials that treated 1,034 women with stage II and III inv...apy for breast cancer through a series of clinical trials conducted at the institution between 1985 and 2002. But patients were not divided by tumor histology...Specialist available to discuss the polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and patient quality of life
... dysfunction in PCOS sufferers for use in clinical trials and other research. The Polycystic Ovary Syndrome Questionnaire (PCOSQ) is described in the December issue of the Journal of Clinical Epidemiology. One of the authors of the article, "Health-Related Quality of Life in Women With Polycystic Ovary Synd...LA BioMed Medical/Research briefs January 2005
...icipants in the Women's Health Initiative clinical trials and observational study. Information was collected...wer insulin levels, providing support for clinical trials evaluating insulin level change and breast cancer risk. To contact t...OHSU researcher says FDA could broaden access to results of clinical drug trials
...g concern about selection bias in the way clinical trials results are published," said Turner. The debate in...d remedies for the selective reporting of clinical trials results have been to register all clinical trials and to make their results publicly available. "Reg...Special JAMA commentary on lessons learned from troubles with COX-2 inhibitors
...cardiovascular morbidity.' Unfortunately, no such trials were ever initiated and the official warnings for ...ation) to shape and require the execution of vital trials is perhaps the most important lesson from the coxibs," Dr. Topol writes. " legislation is needed ...