Hemorrhagic transformation in acute ischemic stroke. The MAST-E study. MAST-E Group.
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BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Hemorrhagic transformation (HT) is the most critical complication of thrombolytics in clinical trials in acute stroke. The aim of this study was to determine the rates and the predictors of HT in the Multicenter Acute Stroke Trial-Europe (MAST-E) study. METHODS: We performed a post hoc analysis of MAST-E data designed to assess the safety and efficacy of streptokinase administered intravenously within 6 hours of stroke onset. HT included all intracerebral hemorrhages and symptomatic hemorrhages (SHT) associated with clinical worsening. The predictors of HT and SHT were determined using multivariate modeling. RESULTS: Among the 310 patients included, 159 patients had HT and 37 SHT (97 and 33 in the streptokinase group and 62 and 4 in the placebo group, respectively). Patients with SHT had significantly more atrial fibrillation, diabetes mellitus, no heparin use, streptokinase treatment, and early CT signs. In the multivariate analysis, HT was predicted by early CT signs and streptokinase treatment. SHT was predicted by diabetes mellitus, early CT signs, streptokinase treatment, and the interaction between streptokinase treatment and decreased level of consciousness. Among the streptokinase-treated patients, the same predictors remained. CONCLUSIONS: The relative risks of HT after streptokinase were in the same range in MAST-E as in other streptokinase and tPA trials. Early CT signs were strong predictors of both HT and SHT, stressing that these patients are at high risk of bleeding. In our study, the predictors of HT and SHT were similar to those of tPA trials in acute stroke. (+info)
Effectiveness of interventions designed to increase mammography use: a meta-analysis of provider-targeted strategies.
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The objective of this study was to determine the effectiveness of interventions targeted at providers to enhance the use of mammography. We performed a meta-analysis and included United States studies that used a randomized or nonrandomized concurrent control design, had defined outcomes, and presented data that could be abstracted for reanalysis. Interventions were classified as behavioral, cognitive, or sociological and further categorized by the type of control group (active versus usual care). Data were combined using DerSimonian and Laird random effects models to yield summary effect sizes. Thirty-five studies met the inclusion criteria. All types of interventions targeted at providers were effective in increasing mammography rates. Behavioral interventions increased screening by 13.2% [95% confidence interval (CI), 7.8-18.4] as compared with usual care and by 6.8% (95% CI, 4.8-8.7) as compared with active controls. Cognitive intervention strategies improved mammography rates by 18.6% (95% CI, 12.8-24.4). Sociological interventions also had a similar magnitude of effect on screening rates (13.1% increase; 95% CI, 6.8-19.3). Interventions targeting both patients and providers were not significantly better at increasing screening than those targeting providers alone, and multiple approaches (e.g., behavioral and cognitive) were generally not more effective than a single approach. All interventions targeted at physicians were effective in increasing screening rates. Decisions to use a particular approach will depend on resources, expertise, feasibility, and cost effectiveness. (+info)
Hepatitis C and iron.
(11/433)
Hepatitis C is the commonest form of chronic viral hepatitis in most western countries. A significant proportion of patients develop cirrhosis, hepatic failure and hepatocellular carcinoma. The results of controlled trials have shown that interferon alpha is an effective treatment for hepatitis C. Treatment results in normalization of elevated transaminase levels in up to 50% of patients, although only 15-25% of patients have a sustained response. Recent studies have shown that iron influences the response of chronic hepatitis C to treatment and the natural history of hepatitis C. The mechanisms responsible for the effects of iron are not clear but emerging data suggest that the cellular location of iron within the liver lobule and the subsequent effects on immune function are likely to be critical determinants for these effects. It is likely that therapies for chronic hepatitis C which either remove iron or interfere with the action of iron at the cellular level may not only prove useful clinically but may also elucidate further the mechanisms of cellular injury in this disease. (+info)
Weighing the risks and benefits of tamoxifen treatment for preventing breast cancer.
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BACKGROUND: In response to findings from the Breast Cancer Prevention Trial that tamoxifen treatment produced a 49% reduction in the risk of invasive breast cancer in a population of women at elevated risk, the National Cancer Institute sponsored a workshop on July 7 and 8, 1998, to develop information to assist in counseling and in weighing the risks and benefits of tamoxifen. Our study was undertaken to develop tools to identify women for whom the benefits outweigh the risks. METHODS: Information was reviewed on the incidence of invasive breast cancer and of in situ lesions, as well as on several other health outcomes, in the absence of tamoxifen treatment. Data on the effects of tamoxifen on these outcomes were also reviewed, and methods were developed to compare the risks and benefits of tamoxifen. RESULTS: The risks and benefits of tamoxifen depend on age and race, as well as on a woman's specific risk factors for breast cancer. In particular, the absolute risks from tamoxifen of endometrial cancer, stroke, pulmonary embolism, and deep vein thrombosis increase with age, and these absolute risks differ between white and black women, as does the protective effect of tamoxifen on fractures. Tables and aids are developed to describe the risks and benefits of tamoxifen and to identify classes of women for whom the benefits outweigh the risks. CONCLUSIONS: Tamoxifen is most beneficial for younger women with an elevated risk of breast cancer. The quantitative analyses presented can assist health care providers and women in weighing the risks and benefits of tamoxifen for reducing breast cancer risk. (+info)
First-line high-dose chemotherapy compared with standard-dose PEB/VIP chemotherapy in patients with advanced germ cell tumors: A multivariate and matched-pair analysis.
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PURPOSE: To compare first-line high-dose chemotherapy (HD-CT) with autologous blood stem-cell transplantation to standard-dose chemotherapy (SD-CT) in male patients with advanced germ cell tumors (GCTs), a matched-pair analysis was performed within a homogenous group of patients classified as having either Indiana advanced disease or a poor prognosis according to International Germ Cell Cancer Consensus Group (IGCCCG) criteria. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A multivariate analysis was performed that included 147 consecutive patients who had received sequential high-dose cisplatin, etoposide, and ifosfamide (VIP) therapy (HD-CT) in a German multicenter trial between 1993 and 1997 and 309 patients who had been treated with standard-dose cisplatin, etoposide, and bleomycin (PEB) or VIP chemotherapy (SD-CT) within two randomized trials at Indiana University between 1984 and 1992. RESULTS: Multivariate analysis demonstrated HD-CT to be significantly superior to SD-CT when adjustments were made for prognostic factors (P =.021). Primary tumor site (mediastinal v retroperitoneal/gonadal, P =.035) and presence of visceral metastases (P =.0004) were shown to be significant prognostic factors for overall survival. On the basis of these factors, as well as on tumor marker levels (good, intermediate, or poor, according to IGCCCG criteria), 146 of 147 HD-CT patients were fully matched to an SD-CT patient. Median follow-up was 21 months (range, 0 to 70 months) for the HD-CT patients and 22 months (range, 0 to 90 months) for the SD-CT patients. Two-year progression-free survival (75% v 59%) and overall survival (82% v 71%) were significantly prolonged in HD-CT patients (P =.0056 and P =.0184, respectively). CONCLUSION: The results indicate that first-line HD-CT in patients with poor-prognosis GCT may result in a significant improvement of progression-free and overall survival as compared with SD-CT. Salvage HD-CT seems not to compensate this survival advantage. (+info)
Decision aids for triage of patients with chest pain: a systematic review of field evaluation studies.
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We performed an overview of published controlled trials to assess the overall effectiveness of decision aids directed at improving triage of patients with acute chest pain. Searches of the Medline database identified 11 randomized or quasi-randomized controlled trials testing various decision aids: risk stratification system (n = 6), practice guidelines (n = 3), and formalized protocols of care (n = 2). Sensitivity, specificity of the decision aid and length of stay (LOS) in the intensive care unit (ICU) were the main outcomes. Decision aids slightly modified sensitivity and specificity (available in 5 studies), but sensitivity was already high in reference groups. Among the 9 studies providing information on LOS, 7 showed a statistically significant difference favoring the decision aid. The level of evidence concerning the efficacy of decision aids in this domain is relatively low. Larger and appropriately designed clinical trials are required to show an impact on acute cardiac ischaemia complications and mortality. (+info)
Different risk factors for different stroke subtypes: association of blood pressure, cholesterol, and antioxidants.
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BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Blood pressure is an important risk factor for stroke, but the roles of serum total and HDL cholesterol, alpha-tocopherol, and beta-carotene are poorly established. We studied these factors in relation to stroke subtypes. METHODS: Male smokers (n=28 519) aged 50 to 69 years without a history of stroke participated in the Alpha-Tocopherol, Beta-Carotene Cancer Prevention (ATBC) Study, a controlled trial to test the effect of alpha-tocopherol and beta-carotene supplementation on cancer. From 1985 to 1993, a total of 1057 men suffered from primary stroke: 85 had subarachnoid hemorrhage; 112, intracerebral hemorrhage; 807, cerebral infarction; and 53, unspecified stroke. RESULTS: Systolic blood pressure > or = 160 mm Hg increased the risk of all stroke subtypes 2.5 to 4-fold. Serum total cholesterol was inversely associated with the risk of intracerebral hemorrhage, whereas the risk of cerebral infarction was raised at concentrations > or = 7.0 mmol/L. The risks of subarachnoid hemorrhage and cerebral infarction were lowered with serum HDL cholesterol levels > or = 0.85 mmol/L. Pretrial high serum alpha-tocopherol decreased the risk of intracerebral hemorrhage by half and cerebral infarction by one third, whereas high serum beta-carotene doubled the risk of subarachnoid hemorrhage and decreased that of cerebral infarction by one fifth. CONCLUSIONS: The risk factor profiles of stroke subtypes differ, reflecting different etiopathology. Because reducing atherosclerotic diseases, including ischemic stroke, by lowering high serum cholesterol is one of the main targets in public health care, further studies are needed to distinguish subjects with risk of hemorrhagic stroke. The performance of antioxidants needs confirmation from clinical trials. (+info)
Cholesterol-lowering effects of psyllium intake adjunctive to diet therapy in men and women with hypercholesterolemia: meta-analysis of 8 controlled trials.
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BACKGROUND: Soluble fibers, including those from psyllium husk, have been shown to augment the cholesterol-lowering effects of a low-fat diet in persons with hypercholesterolemia. As evidence of this, the US Food and Drug Administration recently authorized the use of health claims on food products containing soluble fiber from psyllium that state that they are associated with a decreased risk of coronary heart disease. OBJECTIVE: This meta-analysis was conducted to more precisely define the hypolipidemic effects and safety of psyllium when used adjunctive to a low-fat diet in men and women with hypercholesterolemia. DESIGN: The 8 studies in the meta-analysis included a total of 384 and 272 subjects receiving psyllium or cellulose placebo, respectively. All studies evaluated the hypocholesterolemic effects of 10.2 g psyllium/d adjunctive to a low-fat diet for >/=8 wk in individuals with mild-to-moderate hypercholesterolemia after a low-fat diet lead-in phase lasting >/=8 wk. The safety and adverse events associated with psyllium consumption were summarized from pooled data of 19 clinical studies ranging from 6 wk to 6 mo in duration. RESULTS: Consumption of 10.2 g psyllium/d lowered serum total cholesterol by 4% (P < 0.0001), LDL cholesterol by 7% (P < 0.0001), and the ratio of apolipoprotein (apo) B to apo A-I by 6% (P < 0.05) relative to placebo in subjects already consuming a low-fat diet, with no effect on serum HDL or triacylglycerol concentrations. CONCLUSIONS: Psyllium supplementation significantly lowered serum total and LDL-cholesterol concentrations in subjects consuming a low-fat diet. Psyllium is well tolerated and safe when used adjunctive to a low-fat diet in individuals with mild-to-moderate hypercholesterolemia. (+info)