Harnessing innate lung anti-cancer effector functions with a novel bacterial-derived immunotherapy.

Acute infection is known to induce strong anti-tumor immune responses, but clinical translation has been hindered by the lack of an effective strategy to safely and consistently provoke a therapeutic response. These limitations are overcome with a novel treatment approach involving repeated subcutaneous delivery of a -derived investigational immunotherapeutic, QBKPN. In preclinical models of lung cancer, QBKPN administration consistently showed anti-cancer efficacy, which was dependent on pre-exposure, but was independent of adaptive immunity.

Exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation for coronary heart disease.

Background: The burden of coronary heart disease (CHD) worldwide is one of great concern to patients and healthcare agencies alike. Exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation aims to restore patients with heart disease to health.

Objectives: To determine the effectiveness of exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation (exercise training alone or in combination with psychosocial or educational interventions) on mortality, morbidity and health-related quality of life of patients with CHD.

Blood pressure lowering efficacy of potassium-sparing diuretics (that block the epithelial sodium channel) for primary hypertension.

Background: Potassium-sparing diuretics, which block the epithelial sodium channel (ENaC), are widely prescribed for hypertension as a second-line drug in patients taking other diuretics (e.g. thiazide diuretics) and much less commonly prescribed as monotherapy.

Blood pressure lowering efficacy of beta-blockers as second-line therapy for primary hypertension.

Background: Beta-blockers are one of the more commonly prescribed classes of anti-hypertensive drugs, both as first-line and second-line.

Objectives: To quantify the effect on systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), heart rate and withdrawals due to adverse effects of beta-blocker therapy when given as a second-line drug in adult patients with primary hypertension.

Search Strategy: CENTRAL (The Cochrane Library 2009, Issue 2), MEDLINE (1966-Aug 2009), EMBASE (1988-Aug 2009) and bibliographic citations of articles and reviews were searched.

Blood pressure lowering efficacy of diuretics as second-line therapy for primary hypertension.

Background: Diuretics are widely prescribed for hypertension not only as a first-line drug but also as a second-line drug. Therefore, it is essential to determine the effects of diuretics on blood pressure (BP), heart rate and withdrawals due to adverse effects (WDAEs) when given as a second-line drug.

Objectives: To quantify the additional reduction in systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) of diuretic therapy as a second-line drug in patients with primary hypertension

Search Strategy: CENTRAL (The Cochrane Library 2008, Issue 2), MEDLINE (1966-July 2008), EMBASE (1988-July 2008) and bibliographic citations of articles and reviews were searched.