Comparative effectiveness of surgical interventions aimed at treating underlying venous pathology in patients with chronic venous ulcer.

Objective: Chronic venous ulcers (CVUs) remain the leading causes for nonhealing wounds in the lower extremities. Although multilayer compression dressing remains the treatment gold standard, there are various surgical procedures aimed at healing CVUs with little or no evidence on the efficacy of these treatment methods. We conducted a systematic review of the effects of various surgical treatments for CVUs, in terms of ulcer healing rates, complete time to heal, recurrence rates, mortality, pain, and quality of life.

Comparative effectiveness and safety of methods of insulin delivery and glucose monitoring for diabetes mellitus: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Patients with diabetes mellitus need information about the effectiveness of innovations in insulin delivery and glucose monitoring.

Purpose: To review how intensive insulin therapy (multiple daily injections [MDI] vs. rapid-acting analogue-based continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion [CSII]) or method of monitoring (self-monitoring of blood glucose [SMBG] vs.

Impact of tobacco control interventions on smoking initiation, cessation, and prevalence: a systematic review.

Background: Policymakers need estimates of the impact of tobacco control (TC) policies to set priorities and targets for reducing tobacco use. We systematically reviewed the independent effects of TC policies on smoking behavior.

Methods: We searched MEDLINE (through January 2012) and EMBASE and other databases through February 2009, looking for studies published after 1989 in any language that assessed the effects of each TC intervention on smoking prevalence, initiation, cessation, or price participation elasticity.