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PubMed2004

Poststroke epilepsy: epidemiology, pathophysiology and management.

Seizures and status epilepticus can be a presenting feature of acute stroke. They may occur in its early (<7 days) clinical course or be a remote (>7 days) complication. Most seizures are single, either partial or generalised. Early and remote seizures seem to have different predictors and pathogenesis. Seizures are more frequent in severe and disabling strokes, haemorrhagic strokes and those with cortical involvement. The risk of epilepsy is higher for patients with early seizures, cortical infarctions and lobar haemorrhages and in dependent patients. Early or remote seizures do not have a significant influence on dependency or mortality, although seizures and status epilepticus can be a direct cause of death. Treatment can be started after a first or a recurrent seizure. Treatment options include phenytoin, carbamazepine, valproic acid (valproate sodium) and the new antiepileptic drugs (AEDs). New AEDs can be used to decrease the likelihood of drug interactions and adverse effects in patients who do not tolerate the classic AEDs and in treatment failures with classic AEDs. Large observational studies to define prognostic factors for poststroke seizures in specific stroke subtypes are needed. Randomised controlled trials of AED prophylaxis for acute and remote seizures are essential to improve the evidence level of current guidelines and recommendations.

Anticonvulsants↗
PubMed2001

[Physical therapy of frozen shoulder: literature review].

OBJECTIVE: To determine the efficacy of physical treatments in adhesive capsulitis of the shoulder by a systematic review of literature, attempting to perform a meta-analysis from randomised clinical trials. METHOD: A systematic literature search was conducted to retrieve all randomised controlled trials of physical therapy such as physiotherapy and manipulation, but also arthrographic distension, mobilisation under general anaesthesia or nerve block, arthroscopic distension or arthrolysis, and intra-articular corticoid injections. The main outcome for meta-analysis was the restoration of range of movement between the sixth week and the third month. RESULTS: Only 16 articles could be selected, and only three about capsular distension were included in a meta-analysis because of the heterogeneity of the criteria assessing the functional results and of the poor methodological value of most of the articles. DISCUSSION: Some open studies stressed the value of daily manipulations and physiotherapy, intra-articular corticosteroid injections, but their quality was poor or limited. Nothing was written about antalgic drugs to facilitate joint mobilisation, and the use of a thoraco-brachial abduction device between exercises was only quoted. The most refractory cases might need more aggressive interventions: arthrographic distension with local anaesthesia and steroid injection; mobilisation under general or local anaesthesia, specially interscalene brachial plexus block; arthroscopic release. But there was no randomised controlled study comparing these three techniques and it seemed impossible to come to any conclusion about the superiority of one of them. The meta-analysis showed yet that capsular distension with intra-articular corticoid injections was better than corticoid injections alone. CONCLUSION: This demonstrated the need of a consensus about the criteria of assessment, the time of evaluation, before assessing by randomised clinical trials of good quality their therapeutic value.

Adrenal Cortex Hormones↗
PubMed1999

Can pharmacokinetic monitoring improve clinical use of fluorouracil?

Fluorouracil is used clinically against a variety of solid tumors. It is a prodrug that undergoes a series of intracellular conversions to active cytotoxic species. There is wide interindividual variability in fluorouracil metabolism; furthermore, it has nonlinear kinetics that make it relatively more difficult to predict plasma concentrations after brief infusions compared with prolonged infusions. There is an increasing body of evidence that relates plasma fluorouracil concentrations to toxicity and effectiveness, and consequently there may be a definable mathematical relationship that describes a 'therapeutic window'. Dose nomograms and pharmacokinetic models based on limited sampling strategies have been developed, as have empirical dose escalation schedules based on multivariate analysis of the determinants of toxicity, The utility of these approaches should be tested in properly powered, prospective, randomised trials.

Age Factors↗
PubMed2002

Interventions for toxic epidermal necrolysis.

BACKGROUND: Toxic epidermal necrolysis is a rare condition where a drug reaction induces skin loss, similar to that seen in extensive burns. It is associated with high morbidity and mortality and there is no clear agreement on effective treatment. OBJECTIVES: To assess the effects of all interventions for the treatment of toxic epidermal necrolysis. SEARCH STRATEGY: We searched the Cochrane Skin Group Specialised Register (March 2001), the Cochrane Controlled Trials Register (March 2001), MEDLINE (1966 to December 2001), EMBASE (1980 to December 2001), DARE (4th Quarter 2001) and CINAHL (1982 to October 2001). SELECTION CRITERIA: Randomised controlled trials of therapeutic and supportive interventions that included participants clinically diagnosed with toxic epidermal necrolysis were included. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Two independent reviewers carried out study selection and assessment of methodological quality. MAIN RESULTS: Only one randomised controlled trial of treatment was identified. This trial compared the effectiveness of thalidomide with placebo and included 22 patients, 12 in the treatment group and 10 in the placebo group. Patients on the treatment arm received thalidomide 200 mg twice daily for 5 days. The main end point was the measurement of the progression of skin detachment after 7 days. Other end points were the overall mortality and severity of the disease evaluated with the simplified acute physiology score. The study was terminated as the mortality on the treatment arm was 83% compared to 30% on the control arm (relative risk 2.78, 95% confidence interval 1.04 to 7.40). No randomised controlled trials of the most commonly used current treatments i.e. systemic steroids, cyclosporin A and intravenous immunoglobulins were found. REVIEWER'S CONCLUSIONS: Treatment with thalidomide was not shown to be effective and was associated with significantly higher mortality than placebo. There is no reliable evidence on which to base treatment for toxic epidermal necrolysis, a disease commonly associated with mortality rates of around 30%. More research is required to understand the mechanisms of toxic epidermal necrolysis. International multi-centre studies are needed in the form of randomised controlled trials, to evaluate treatments for toxic epidermal necrolysis, especially those using high doses of steroid and intravenous immunoglobulins.

Dermatologic Agents↗
PubMed2006

Methotrexate for ankylosing spondylitis.

BACKGROUND: Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a chronic inflammatory disease of unknown cause, characterised by sacroiliitis and spondylitis. Generally, treatment is limited to the alleviation of symptoms using non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Recently, disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) have been used for patients for whom NSAIDs do not work. Methotrexate (MTX), a widely used DMARD, is effective for rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and so might work for AS too. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the efficacy and toxicity of MTX for treating AS. SEARCH STRATEGY: We conducted searches in any language in: CENTRAL (The Cochrane Library Issue 4, 2005); MEDLINE (1966 to November 20, 2005); EMBASE (1980 to November 20, 2005); CINAHL (1982 to November 20, 2005), and the reference sections of retrieved articles. SELECTION CRITERIA: Randomised and quasi-randomised trials examining the efficacy of MTX versus placebo, other medication, or no medication, for AS. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Two reviewers independently assessed unblinded trial reports for inclusion, assessed methodological quality and entered trial data into RevMan 4.2 using the double-entry facility. Disagreements were resolved by a third reviewer. In the absence of significant heterogeneity, results for continuous data were combined using weighted mean difference or standardised mean difference. Relative risk was used for dichotomous data. MAIN RESULTS: Three trials, involving 116 patients, were included. One 12-month trial compared naproxen plus MTX with naproxen alone. Two 24-week trials compared different doses of MTX with placebo. No statistically significant differences were found for the primary outcome measures of physical function, pain, spinal mobility, peripheral joints/entheses pain, swelling and tenderness, changes in spine radiographs and patient and physician global assessment. Only the response rate in one trial showed a statistically significant benefit of 36% in the MTX group compared to the placebo group (RR 3.18, 95% CI 1.03 to 9.79). This response rate was a composite index that included assessments of morning stiffness, physical well-being, Bath ankylosing spondylitis disease activity index (BASDAI), Bath ankylosing spondylitis functional index (BASFI), health assessment questionnaire for spondyloarthropathies (HAQ-S), and physician and patient global assessment. However, no single outcome showed a statistically significant difference between the MTX and placebo groups when endpoint results were compared. Therefore, this benefit of MTX is questionable. No serious side effects were reported in these trials. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: There is not enough evidence to support any benefit of MTX in the treatment of AS. High-quality randomised controlled trials of longer durations and with larger sample sizes are needed to clarify the effect(s) of MTX on AS.

Antirheumatic Agents↗
PubMed2006

Systematic reviews--triumph of form over substance?

Cochrane systematic reviews are conducted to identify level 1a evidence. So far the ENT group have published 24 reviews, while around 70 titles are in various stages of the review process. Only one review has been able to produce Ia evidence and the rest recommended further trials. The majority of otorhinolaryngology reviews are unable to identify level 1a evidence due to the paucity of high quality randomised control trials. This presents a challenge, therefore - to identify and discuss alternate methods of evidence gathering for future research?

Evidence-Based Medicine↗
PubMed1994

Warfarin or aspirin for non-rheumatic atrial fibrillation?

Atrial fibrillation (AF) predisposes to stroke, particularly in patients with rheumatic heart disease, congestive heart failure, arterial hypertension, diabetes mellitus or uncontrolled thyrotoxicosis. In those with rheumatic heart disease it is usual to give warfarin to reduce the incidence of stroke, although there has been no randomised controlled trial on which to base this approach. Whether patients with non-rheumatic AF should be anticoagulated was unclear when we tackled this subject five years ago. This article reviews the evidence from recent randomised controlled trials and considers whether anticoagulation with warfarin, or antiplatelet therapy with aspirin, should now be routine for patients with non-rheumatic AF.

Aspirin↗
PubMed1994

The Cochrane Lecture. The best and the enemy of the good: randomised controlled trials, uncertainty, and assessing the role of patient choice in medical decision making.

This lecture aimed to create a bridge to span the conceptual and ideological gap between randomised controlled trials and systematic observational comparisons and to reduce unwanted and unproductive polarisation. The argument, simply put, is that since randomisation alone eliminates the selection effect of therapeutic decision making, anything short of randomisation to attribute cause to consequent outcome is a waste of time. If observational comparison does have any significant part in evaluating medical outcomes, there is a grave danger of "the best", to paraphrase Voltaire, becoming "the enemy of the good". The first section aims to emphasise the advantages of randomised controlled trials. Then the nature of an essential precondition--medical uncertainty--is discussed in terms of its extent and effect. Next, the role of patient choice in medical decision making is considered, both when outcomes can safely be attributed to treatment choice and when they cannot. There may be many important situations in which choice itself affects outcome and this could mean that random comparisons give biased estimates of true therapeutic effects. In the penultimate section, the implications of this possibility both for randomised controlled trials and for outcome research is pursued and lastly there are some simple recommendations for reliable outcome research.

Consumer Behavior↗
PubMed2006

Patient preference randomised controlled trials in mental health research.

The relationship between psychiatric patients'preferences for different treatments and the outcome of interventions is unclear, as the few relevant trials have tended to be underpowered. Strong patient preferences result in patients refusing to enter a trial. This leads to bias and limits generalisability, and the patient preference randomised controlled trial (RCT) design has been proposed as an alternative. Limitations and advantages of patient preference RCTs are discussed.

Humans↗
PubMed2003

Current status and replies to frequently posed questions on atovaquone plus proguanil (Malarone) for the prevention of malaria.

Each year at least 30 000 Western travellers acquire malaria and approximately 1-4% of those who acquire Plasmodium falciparum malaria will die as a result of infection. Almost all cases and fatalities are preventable with the use of measures to reduce mosquito bites and appropriate chemoprophylaxis for those at high risk of infection. There are currently a limited number of licensed drugs available to prevent malaria in travellers. New effective and well tolerated agents are urgently needed because of increasing resistance to antimalarials such as chloroquine and proguanil, and real and perceived intolerance to standard drugs such as mefloquine. A newly licensed antimalarial (atovaquone plus proguanil; Malarone) compares favourably with other drug options, although some prescribers may be unfamiliar with the specific advantages and disadvantages of this antimalarial. This article reviews recent clinical experience and randomised controlled trial data in order to address frequently asked questions about this new combination drug.

Antimalarials↗
PubMedDate not supplied

A critical approach to evidence provided through clinical trials.

Debates continue about what is the best and most worthwhile approach to healthcare research. This article aims to encourage a critical approach to the concept of evidence and in particular suggests some reasons to question the prominence of randomised controlled trials (RCTs).

Attitude of Health Personnel↗
PubMed1995

Maximum androgen blockade in advanced prostate cancer: an overview of 22 randomised trials with 3283 deaths in 5710 patients. Prostate Cancer Trialists' Collaborative Group.

A systematic overview, or meta-analysis, of the randomised evidence on maximum androgen blockade (MAB) in advanced prostate cancer identified 25 trials that compared conventional castration (surgical or medical) versus MAB (castration plus prolonged use of an antiandrogen such as flutamide, cyproterone acetate, or nilutamide). Individual patient data were obtained from 22 of the trials. Median follow-up was 40 months, during which 57% of patients died (3283/5710). Crude mortality rates were 58% for castration alone and 56% for MAB. Life-table estimates of the corresponding 5-year survival rates were 22.8% and 26.2%, representing a non-significant improvement of 3.5% (95% CI 0-7%). Logrank time-to-death analyses found no significant heterogeneity between trials (or between the effects of different types of MAB) and no significant evidence of additional benefit in an overview of all these MAB trial results (2p > 0.1). The currently available evidence from randomised trials does not show that MAB results in longer survival than conventional castration.

Androgen Antagonists↗
PubMed1976

[Double-blind study on the therapy of postural hypotension in psychotic patients under psychotropic medication (author's transl)].

13 psychotic patients developing various degrees of postural hypotension during neuroleptic or antidepressant treatment were additionally given either placebo or a mineralocorticoid or a sympathomimetic drug. As shown by Schellong tests during therapy the best effect on postural hypotension was achieved by the mineralocorticoid. The statistical evaluation of the randomised study was significant.

Adult↗
PubMed2003

[ADVANCE study: objectives, design and current status].

UNLABELLED: Patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus have markedly increased risks of developing vascular diseases. These risks are reduced by lowering blood pressure in hypertensive individuals. However, the association between blood pressure and vascular risk appears continuous, with no clearly defined blood pressure level below which the risks fail to further decline. Intensive glucose lowering in these patients has also been shown to reduce microvascular disease, but effects on macrovascular disease remain uncertain. OBJECTIVES: ADVANCE (Action in Diabetes and Vascular disease; preterAx and diamicroN-MR Controlled Evaluation) will examine the hypotheses that intensive blood pressure lowering (with an angiotensin-converting enzyme [ACE] inhibitor-diuretic combination) and glucose control in high-risk hypertensive or non-hypertensive individuals with type 2 diabetes reduce the incidence of vascular diseases. The study will also provide an opportunity to examine the effects of blood pressure lowering against a background of ACE inhibition among such patients. DESIGN: This 2 x 2 factorial randomised controlled trial will recruit 10 000 adults with type 2 diabetes at elevated risk of vascular disease, from approximately 200 clinical centres in 20 countries worldwide. Eligible patients are randomised to, first, the fixed combination of perindopril 2mg/indapamide 0.625 mg then perindopril 4 mg/indapamide 1.25mg or matching placebo, and, second, to an intensive sulphonylurea-based glucose control regimen (target glycosylated haemoglobin [HbA(1c)] </= 6.5%), or usual guidelines-based therapy. Any participant in whom ACE inhibition is thought to be indicated is provided with background perindopril therapy. The scheduled period of treatment and follow-up is 4.5 years. Primary outcomes are a composite of macrovascular and a composite of microvascular events. CURRENT STATUS: By mid-September 2002, more than 8000 patients had been recruited from 17 countries, with registrations expected to be completed by December 2002. Approximately half the participants recruited will be from Asia or from Eastern Europe. Final results are expected early in 2007. (Author's note: registration closed on January 24, 2003, with sufficient participants to exceed the target of 10 000 randomised subjects.)

Adult↗
PubMed2002

Association between competing interests and authors' conclusions: epidemiological study of randomised clinical trials published in the BMJ.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the association between competing interests and authors' conclusions in randomised clinical trials. DESIGN: Epidemiological study of randomised clinical trials published in the BMJ from January 1997 to June 2001. Financial competing interests were defined as funding by for profit organisations and other competing interests as personal, academic, or political. STUDIES: 159 trials from 12 medical specialties. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Authors' conclusions defined as interpretation of extent to which overall results favoured experimental intervention. Conclusions appraised on 6 point scale; higher scores favour experimental intervention. RESULTS: Authors' conclusions were significantly more positive towards the experimental intervention in trials funded by for profit organisations alone compared with trials without competing interests (mean difference 0.48 (SE 0.13), P=0.014), trials funded by both for profit and non-profit organisations (0.30 (SE 0.10), P=0.003), and trials with other competing interests (0.45 (SE 0.13), P=0.006). Other competing interests and funding from both for profit and non-profit organisations were not significantly associated with authors' conclusions. The association between financial competing interests and authors' conclusions was not explained by methodological quality, statistical power, type of experimental intervention (pharmacological or non-pharmacological), type of control intervention (for example, placebo or active drug), or medical specialty. CONCLUSIONS: Authors' conclusions in randomised clinical trials significantly favoured experimental interventions if financial competing interests were declared. Other competing interests were not significantly associated with authors' conclusions.

Analysis of Variance↗