Indocyanine green fluorescence versus blue dye, technetium-99M, and the dual-marker combination of technetium-99M + blue dye for sentinel lymph node detection in early breast cancer-meta-analysis including consistency analysis.

Background: Axillary sentinel lymph node biopsies are standard of care in patients with breast cancer and no clinically apparent metastases. Traditionally, technetium-99m, blue dye, or both have been used to identify sentinel lymph nodes. However, blue dyes miss up to 40% of sentinel lymph nodes, while technetium-99m use is complex, costly, and exposes patients to radiation.

[Health care of geriatric patients with urinary incontinence].

Urinary incontinence occurs frequently in geriatric patients. In the doctor's practice, the symptoms are often not mentioned by the patients; this may lead to loss of autonomy and social isolation. A screening for urinary incontinence should therefore be part of each geriatric assessment.

Pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of calcium-vitamin D(3) chewable tablets: a single-blind, multiple-dose study in postmenopausal women.

Objective: The objective of this study is to investigate the effect of a newly developed calcium carbonate-vitamin D₃ chewable tablet formulation (600 mg of calcium + 400 IU of vitamin D₃) on serum/urine calcium and serum parathyroid hormone (PTH) as measures of intestinal calcium absorption compared to a placebo.

Methods: This is a subject-blind, sequential study in 24 healthy postmenopausal women. Each subject received two placebo tablets once daily for 3 days (days -3 to -1) immediately followed by two calcium-vitamin D₃ tablets (test) during the subsequent 3 days (days 1-3).

Efficacy and tolerability of oral lactoferrin supplementation in mild to moderate acne vulgaris: an exploratory study.

Objective: Lactoferrin, an innate defense iron-binding protein, possesses antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory activities. Beneficial systemic effects on inflammatory diseases have been proposed. The aim of the present study was to explore the efficacy and tolerability of oral bovine lactoferrin supplementation in subjects with mild to moderate facial acne vulgaris.

[Antimicrobial and clinical efficacy of nitrofurantoin in the treatment of acute lower urinary tract infections in adults].

Background And Purpose: In the light of increasing resistance to antibiotics used for the treatment of acute urinary tract infections, nitrofurantoin currently experiences a renaissance. Nitrofurantoin shows good efficacy against most bacteria expected in urinary tract infection, and the development of resistance is low. A study on the antimicrobial and clinical efficacy of nitrofurantoin in the treatment of acute lower urinary tract infections was conducted in Mexico City, an area where resistance rates of uropathogens to trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (cotrimoxazole) are high.

Tolerability and efficacy of a pediatric granule formulation of artesunate-mefloquine in young children from Cameroon with uncomplicated falciparum malaria.

A fixed-dose pediatric formulation of artesunate and mefloquine (Artequin Pediatric) has been developed. In this open, non-comparative study in Cameroonian children with uncomplicated falciparum malaria, the safety and efficacy of this formulation was tested, with a particular emphasis on the risk of neuropsychiatric adverse events (AEs). In total, 220 subjects, weighing between 10 and 20 kg, were enrolled; 213 qualified for analysis.

Extent and time course of pain intensity upon treatment with a topical diclofenac sodium patch versus placebo in acute traumatic injury based on a validated end point: post hoc analysis of a randomized placebo-controlled trial.

Objective: To investigate the extent and time course of pain intensity upon treatment with a topical diclofenac patch compared with placebo in acute traumatic sport injury based on a validated and established end point.

Methods: Post hoc analysis of a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, multicentre, 1-week study in 120 patients with traumatic blunt soft tissue injury. Visual analogue scale (VAS) scores (in millimetres) for pain on movement were analysed.

[Risks associated with drug therapy. What do patients need to know? What can they do].

Background: Errors can occur at any time during drug therapy. A not inconsiderable percentage of hospital admissions to internal medicine departments are caused by adverse drug events (ADEs), many of which could be avoided. Avoidable ADEs mainly result from suboptimal procedures in the medication process.

[Cost-effectiveness evaluation of drugs: multidisciplinary collaboration and transparency are key].

Background: A new German law introduced the cost-effectiveness evaluation of drugs. In Germany, the Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG) is responsible for such evaluations. Currently, however, there is a heavy and controversial debate about the correct method to be applied.

Comparative efficacy and tolerability of two sustained-release formulations of diclofenac: results of a double-blind, randomised study in patients with osteoarthritis and a reappraisal of diclofenac's use in this patient population.

Objective: To compare the analgesic efficacy and tolerability of a sustained-release pellet formulation of diclofenac (Olfen-100 SR Depocaps, SR-CAP, Mepha Ltd, Aesch, Switzerland) with the standard reference formulation (Voltaren retard 100, SR-TAB, Novartis Pharma AG, Basel, Switzerland), both containing 100 mg diclofenac sodium, in patients with osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee and/or hip. In addition, diclofenac's current place in the symptomatic therapy of OA is briefly reviewed.

Methods: In this 2-week double-blind, active-controlled, non-inferiority trial, 210 OA patients were randomised to receive either SR-CAP once daily or SR-TAB once daily (n = 105 for both groups).

Therapeutic drug monitoring of mycophenolic acid in solid organ transplant patients treated with mycophenolate mofetil: review of the literature.

Mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) has conventionally been administered at a fixed dose without routinely monitoring blood levels of mycophenolic acid (MPA), the active metabolite. The contribution of therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) during MMF therapy remains controversial. A literature review was performed to explore the usefulness of TDM for MPA in solid organ transplantation.

Efficacy and safety of the six-dose regimen of artemether-lumefantrine for treatment of uncomplicated Plasmodium falciparum malaria in adolescents and adults: a pooled analysis of individual patient data from randomized clinical trials.

To demonstrate the superiority of the six-dose over the four-dose regimen of artemether-lumefantrine (co-artemether, Coartem) in patients >12 years, data from 11 randomized clinical trials were pooled and analyzed. A total of 1368 patients with uncomplicated Plasmodium falciparum malaria (six-dose: 598; four-dose: 770) were included in the analysis, together with 717 patients treated with comparators. Analysis of the 28-day cure rate based on the ITT and evaluable populations yielded corrected cure rates for the six-dose regimen of 87% and 97% compared with 74% and 87%, respectively, with the four-dose regimen (P<0.

Efficacy and safety of the six-dose regimen of artemether-lumefantrine in pediatrics with uncomplicated Plasmodium falciparum malaria: a pooled analysis of individual patient data.

Patient data from eight clinical trials were pooled and analyzed to study the efficacy and safety of the six-dose versus four-dose regimen of artemether-lumefantrine (coartemether; Coartem) in children weighing 5-25 kg. A total of 544 patients with uncomplicated P. falciparum malaria (six-dose: 343; four-dose: 201), matched for demographic and baseline characteristics and individual coartemether doses were included in the analysis.