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Relevant Databases (relevant + databases)
Selected AbstractsCurrent Evidence on the Unit Equivalence of Different Botulinum Neurotoxin A Formulations and Recommendations for Clinical Practice in DermatologyDERMATOLOGIC SURGERY, Issue 1 2009SYRUS KARSAI MD BACKGROUND The unit equivalence between the two main Botulinum neurotoxin A (BoNTA) preparations, Dysport (Ipsen Ltd., Slough, Berkshire, UK) and BOTOX (Allergan Inc., Irvine, CA), is a matter of discussion. The UK assay used to test Dysport is more sensitive than the U.S. assay used for BOTOX, resulting in a different efficacy per unit in both formulations. Ratios ranging from 6:1 to 1:1 can be found in the literature, but the more recently published literature suggests that 1 unit of BOTOX is equivalent to approximately 2 to 4 units of Dysport (ratio 2:1,4:1). OBJECTIVE Because the number of BoNTA treatments is constantly increasing, these differences warrant a systematic review of published evidence about the unit equivalence of UK and U.S. formulations. METHODS The review is based on a detailed literature research in all relevant databases (MEDLINE, PubMed, Cochrane Library, specialist textbooks). RESULTS The present review supports the recent assumption that dose ratios of less than 3:1 (e.g., 2.5:1 or even 2:1) between Dysport and BOTOX are probably more suitable. CONCLUSIONS The current evidence is still insufficient, and further investigation of lower dose ratios is recommended. [source] Advanced glycation end-products and the kidneyEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF CLINICAL INVESTIGATION, Issue 8 2010Martin Busch Eur J Clin Invest 2010; 40 (8): 742,755 Abstract Background, Advanced glycation end-products (AGEs) are increased in situations with hyperglycemia and oxidative stress such as diabetes mellitus. They are products of nonenzymatic glycation and oxidation of proteins and lipids. The kidney plays an important role in clearance and metabolism of AGEs. Methods, Medline© and other relevant databases were searched. In addition, key review articles were scanned for relevant original publication. Finally, original data from our research group were also included. Results, Kidney podocytes and endothelial cells express specific receptors for AGEs. Their activation leads to multiple pathophysiological effects including hypertrophy with cell cycle arrest and apoptosis, altered migration, and generation of proinflammatory cytokines. AGEs have been primarily implicated in the pathophysiology of diabetic nephropathy and diabetic microvascular complications. AGEs are also involved in other primary renal diseases as well as in the development and progression of atherosclerosis. However, serum or plasma concentrations of AGEs do not correlate well with cardiovascular events in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). This is likely due to the fact that serum concentrations failed to correlate with AGEs deposited in target tissues. Several inhibitors of the AGE-RAGE axis are currently tested for various indications. Conclusion, AGEs and their receptors are involved in the pathogenesis of vascular and kidney disease. The role of circulating AGEs as biomarkers for cardiovascular risk estimation is questionable. Whether putative inhibitors of AGEs will get the maturity for its therapeutic use in the future remains open. [source] Homocapsaicin: nomenclature, indexing and identificationFLAVOUR AND FRAGRANCE JOURNAL, Issue 4 2007Robert Q. Thompson Abstract The complete literature of homocapsaicin, one of the spicy principals of chilli pepper (Capsicum spp.), is reviewed and analysed. Name, structure, and topic searches in Chemical Abstracts and other relevant databases, conducted in September 2006, found 74 references to the homocapsaicin isomers. Nearly all resulted from searches on homocapsaicin or homocapsaicin I or 7-decenamide, N -[(4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)methyl]-9-methyl, (7E)-, names treated, unfortunately, as synonyms by Chemical Abstracts. A mere nine citations were linked to the 6-ene homocapsaicin isomers. Of the 74 citations, 28 did not refer to a specific homocapsaicin isomer and another 27 provided no evidence for their particular structural assignments. Consequently, the name ,homocapsaicin isomer', meaning a homocapsaicin isomer with unspecified positions of the double bond and methyl group along the acyl chain, would be a more accurate indexing term for the majority (74%) of the literature. Only nine journal articles described analytical studies with convincing evidence for the existence of specific homocapsaicin isomers. These studies found (E)-6-ene-8-methyl homocapsaicin and (E)-6-ene-9-methyl homocapsaicin, but not the (E)-7-ene-9-methyl isomer, in chilli peppers. The need, relevant to all the capsaicinoids, for new nomenclature, better indexing, more accurate identification of isomers, and available chemical standards is presented, and suggestions for improvements are made. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Effectiveness of interventions that assist caregivers to support people with dementia living in the community: a systematic reviewINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF EVIDENCE BASED HEALTHCARE, Issue 2 2008Deborah Parker BA, MSocSci Executive summary Objectives, The objective of this review was to assess the effectiveness of interventions that assist caregivers to provide support for people living with dementia in the community. Inclusion criteria, Types of participants, Adult caregivers who provide support for people with dementia living in the community (non-institutional care). Types of interventions, Interventions designed to support caregivers in their role such as skills training, education to assist in caring for a person living with dementia and support groups/programs. Interventions of formal approaches to care designed to support caregivers in their role, care planning, case management and specially designated members of the healthcare team , for example dementia nurse specialist or volunteers trained in caring for someone with dementia. Types of studies, This review considered any meta-analyses, systematic reviews, randomised control trials, quasi-experimental studies, cohort studies, case control studies and observational studies without control groups that addressed the effectiveness of interventions that assist caregivers to provide support for people living with dementia in the community. Search strategy, The search sought to identify published studies from 2000 to 2005 through the use of electronic databases. Only studies in English were considered for inclusion. The initial search was conducted of the databases, CINAHL, MEDLINE and PsychINFO using search strategies adapted from the Cochrane Dementia and Cognitive Improvement Group. A second more extensive search was then conducted using the appropriate Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) and keywords for other available databases. Finally, hand searching of reference lists of articles retrieved and of core dementia, geriatric and psycho geriatric journals was undertaken. Assessment of quality, Methodological quality of each of the articles was assessed by two independent reviewers using appraisal checklist developed by the Joanna Briggs Institute and based on the work of the Cochrane Collaboration and Centre for Reviews and Dissemination. Data collection and analysis, Standardised mean differences or weighted mean differences and their 95% confidence intervals were calculated for each included study reported in the meta-analysis. Results from comparable groups of studies were pooled in statistical meta-analysis using Review Manager Software from the Cochrane Collaboration. Heterogeneity between combined studies was tested using standard chi-square test. Where statistical pooling was not appropriate or possible, the findings are summarised in narrative form. Results, A comprehensive search of relevant databases, hand searching and cross referencing found 685 articles that were assessed for relevance to the review. Eighty-five papers appeared to meet the inclusion criteria based on title and abstract, and the full paper was retrieved. Of the 85 full papers reviewed, 40 were accepted for inclusion, three were systematic reviews, three were meta-analysis, and the remaining 34 were randomised controlled trials. For the randomised controlled trials that were able to be included in a meta-analysis, standardised mean differences or weighted mean differences and their 95% confidence intervals were calculated for each. Results from comparable groups of studies were pooled in statistical meta-analysis using Review Manager Software and heterogeneity between combined studies was assessed by using the chi-square test. Where statistical pooling was not appropriate or possible, the findings are summarised in narrative form. The results are discussed in two main sections. Firstly it was possible to assess the effectiveness of different types of caregiver interventions on the outcome categories of depression, health, subjective well-being, self-efficacy and burden. Secondly, results are reported by main outcome category. For each of these sections, meta-analysis was conducted where it was possible; otherwise, a narrative summary describes the findings. Effectiveness of intervention type, Four categories of intervention were included in the review , psycho-educational, support, multi-component and other. Psycho-educational Thirteen studies used psycho-educational interventions, and all but one showed positive results across a range of outcomes. Eight studies were entered in a meta-analysis. No significant impact of psycho-educational interventions was found for the outcome categories of subjective well-being, self-efficacy or health. However, small but significant results were found for the categories of depression and burden. Support Seven studies discussed support only interventions and two of these showed significant results. These two studies were suitable for meta-analysis and demonstrated a small but significant improvement on caregiver burden. Multi-component Twelve of the studies report multi-component interventions and 10 of these report significant outcomes across a broad range of outcome measures including self-efficacy, depression, subjective well-being and burden. Unfortunately because of the heterogeneity of study designs and outcome measures, no meta-analysis was possible. Other interventions Other interventions included the use of exercise or nutrition which resulted in improvements in psychological distress and health benefits. Case management and a computer aided support intervention provided mixed results. One cognitive behavioural therapy study reported a reduction in anxiety and positive impacts on patient behaviour. Effectiveness of interventions using specific outcome categories, In addition to analysis by type of intervention it was possible to analyse results based on some outcome categories that were used across the studies. In particular the impact of interventions on caregiver depression was available for meta-analysis from eight studies. This indicated that multi-component and psycho-educational interventions showed a small but significant positive effect on caregiver depression. Five studies using the outcome category of caregiver burden were entered into a meta-analysis and findings indicated that there were no significant effects of any of interventions. No meta-analysis was possible for the outcome categories of health, self-efficacy or subjective well-being. Implications for practice, From this review there is evidence to support the use of well-designed psycho-educational or multi-component interventions for caregivers of people with dementia who live in the community. Factors that appear to positively contribute to effective interventions are those which: ,,Provide opportunities within the intervention for the person with dementia as well as the caregiver to be involved ,,Encourage active participation in educational interventions for caregivers ,,Offer individualised programs rather than group sessions ,,Provide information on an ongoing basis, with specific information about services and coaching regarding their new role ,,Target the care recipient particularly by reduction in behaviours Factors which do not appear to have benefit in interventions are those which: ,,Simply refer caregivers to support groups ,,Only provide self help materials ,,Only offer peer support [source] Measuring job satisfaction of UK pharmacists: a pilot studyINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PHARMACY PRACTICE, Issue 4 2007Professor Karen Hassell chair in social pharmacy Objective To review the UK published literature on pharmacy job satisfaction, in order to describe and assess the strengths of their methods and the findings and to validate an existing instrument to measure work satisfaction, with a sample of locum pharmacists. Method A literature review of relevant databases was used to identify UK studies exploring any aspect of job, role, career or work satisfaction. A search of the grey literature was also undertaken. A satisfaction scale, the Warr-Cook-Wall scale, previously used with general practitioners (GPs), was adapted and administered to a sample of locum pharmacists (n = 175, response rate = 75%). Validity and reliability analyses were undertaken in SPSS v13. Key findings Three articles, two reports, one thesis abstract and one conference abstract were identified through the search. The findings of the review indicate that the way in which pharmacist satisfaction has been measured to date renders it difficult to determine historical trends or make cross-sectoral comparisons. A Cronbach alpha coefficient of 0.90 was obtained for the job satisfaction scale, indicating that the job satisfaction scale is a satisfactory and reliable tool for use with this group of pharmacists. In terms of substantive findings, these suggest that locum pharmacists in general derive high levels of job satisfaction and higher levels than those reported by GPs. Conclusion Limited evidence is available regarding pharmacists' job satisfaction in the UK. The review highlights the need for a universal, multifaceted measure of satisfaction. The findings of this study suggest that the Warr-Cook-Wall satisfaction scale has very high reliability and is suitable for use with pharmacists without any further amendments. Although the study suggests relatively high satisfaction scores in this group of pharmacists, it would be instructive to determine the applicability of the job satisfaction measure and to explore the satisfaction levels of pharmacists in a wide range of roles and sectors, to determine relative levels of satisfaction. [source] Meta-analysis: octreotide prevents post-ERCP pancreatitis, but only at sufficient dosesALIMENTARY PHARMACOLOGY & THERAPEUTICS, Issue 11 2009Y. ZHANG Summary Background, Effects of octreotide on post-endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography pancreatitis have been studied in many clinical trials. These trials have yielded inconclusive results. Results of more recent studies using larger doses, however, seem to be more optimistic. Aim, To examine effects of octreotide at different doses on PEP. Methods, A comprehensive search of relevant databases, including Medline, Embase, the Cochrane Controlled Trials Register, the Cochrane Library and Science Citation Index yielded 18 randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Trials were divided into two groups according to the total dosage of octreotide: <0.5 mg (OCT1), ,0.5 mg (OCT2). The rate of PEP was analysed using a fixed effect model. Results, At doses of ,0.5 mg, octreotide reduced the rate of PEP. In the OCT2 group, analysis revealed a statistically significant difference on PEP between the octreotide group and the controls (3.4% vs. 7.5%, pooled OR = 0.45; 95% CI: 0.28,0.73; P = 0.001, NNT = 25). In the OCT1 group, the rate of PEP was similar between patients receiving octreotide and the controls (7.2% vs. 6.0%, pooled OR = 1.23; 95% CI: 0.80,1.91; P = 0.35). Conclusion, Octreotide is effective in preventing PEP, but only at sufficient doses (,0.5 mg). [source] HIV/AIDS among midlife African American women: An integrated review of literatureRESEARCH IN NURSING & HEALTH, Issue 4 2005Cheryl D. Stampley Abstract HIV occurs among African American women at rates exceeding those among White women, and the prevalence of HIV/AIDS is rising disproportionately among African American adults over 40. The literature between 1987 and 2003 was reviewed for data on prevention and risk taking behavior regarding HIV transmission among midlife African American women. A search of relevant databases revealed four reports specifically targeting African American women aged 40,65. Five reports including this population also included men and other ethnic/racial groups. Content analysis revealed that factors related to risk for HIV included socioeconomic factors, knowledge, perceived vulnerability, sexual assertiveness, and risk taking behavior. Findings suggest that further research on the relationships between sociocultural variables and individual factors may explain prevention and risk taking behaviors in midlife African American women. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Res Nurs Health 28:295,305, 2005 [source] Facial transplantation as an option in reconstructive surgery: no mountains too high?ANZ JOURNAL OF SURGERY, Issue 12 2009Wojciech B, ogowski Abstract Background:, Human facial allotransplantation (FA) is a testament to the impressive progress, which was and is still happening in the field of transplantation medicine and reconstructive surgery. Like every pioneering treatment option, FA faces both the clinicians' and public opinion with a huge amount of medical and psychosocial dilemmas, which, in order to introduce FA as a scientifically and socially accepted procedure into clinical practice, need to be discussed, answered and solved. Methods:, This review is based on a detailed literature research in all relevant databases (MEDLINE, PubMed, Cochrane Library, specialist textbooks), however, recent papers (published between 2006 and 2008) were given highest priority for inclusion. Results:, In this review, two main limitations associated with facial tissue allotransplantation, that is, shortage of donations and life-long need for immunosuppressive treatment, are discussed and presented in both psychosocial and medical terms. Conclusion:, Although both of these limitations potentially could successfully inhibit the transformation of FA from an experimental therapy to the treatment of choice for patients with severe functional facial impairment, recent literature suggest that FA will find a meaningful place in facial reconstructive surgery. [source] | ||||||||||