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At least 109 records · Page 6Linked to original sources
PubMed1986

The treatment of heart failure. A methodological review of the literature.

In this article literature concerning the major drugs used in the treatment of heart failure is reviewed. Because of major discrepancies in results from short term and uncontrolled studies versus long term randomised control trials, only the latter group of studies are addressed in detail. Of 3 randomised control trials of digoxin, 1 has been positive, and 2 negative. Digoxin is probably of benefit to a minority of heart failure patients. Four randomised control trials of oral nitrates have shown a reduction in left ventricular filling pressure, and trends favouring active treatment for the indices of exercise capacity and functional status. Of 2 randomised control trials of hydralazine one is totally negative, the other difficult to interpret because of major loss of patients to followup. Of 5 trials of quinazolone derivatives (prazosin and trimazosin), 2 have been positive, 2 showed non-statistically significant trends favouring active treatment, and 1 was completely negative. These results are consistent with a modest benefit of prazosin and trimazosin in some heart failure patients. Five trials of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (captopril and enalapril) have shown dramatic and consistent benefit in exercise capacity and functional status. These results support a clinical policy of initial treatment with diuretics and addition of either captopril or enalapril for patients who remain symptomatic on optimal diuretic therapy. A trial of digoxin is warranted in patients whose functional capacity remains reduced on this regimen.

Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors↗
PubMed2000

[Determining priorities in the development of medical guidelines. 1: Criteria, procedures and actors: a methodological review of international experiences].

Setting priorities for the development of clinical practice guidelines has--similar to other decision-making procedures in health care--as much a political as a scientific component. Prioritizing guidelines aims to allocate resources to those health problems likely to maximize medical, social and economic outcomes associated with the use of these guidelines. This is a review and critical appraisal of international initiatives of systematically setting priorities for the development of clinical practice guidelines. Priority-setting criteria, both quantitative and qualitative methods as well as participation by relevant stakeholders will be discussed. This review provides possible decision-makers with an information basis which may assist in the development of concepts for setting priorities in a given context.

Forecasting↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Culture of vascular cells in tridimensional (3-D) collagen: a methodological review.

Experimental models based on the culture of cells within tridimensional (3-D) gels add a 3-D organization to the classical 2-D culture of vascular cells. They allow the study of cell structure in an environment which is more representative of the in vivo situation and the investigation of cellular functions which cannot be studied using the basic 2-D models. This review shows examples of the use of cultures of vascular cells (endothelial cells, smooth muscle cells as well as fibroblasts) in 3-D collagen matrices for the study of cellular functions as diverse as angiogenesis, extracellular matrix reorganization, migration through 3-D collagen gels or phenotype modulation. It also describes recent advances in the in vitro reconstruction of biological blood vessels by bioengineering. A method for the preparation of 3-D collagen gels is described.

Cells, Cultured↗
PubMed2002

Application of high resolution 31P NMR spectroscopy to the characterization of the phospholipid composition of tissues and body fluids - a methodological review.

The detailed analysis of lipids, especially phospholipids, has become progressively important, since these molecules represent intercellular messenger molecules and are involved in a number of diseases. Therefore, the analysis of the lipid pattern of blood, for example, may also be useful as a diagnostic tool. Unfortunately, suitable methods of phospholipid analysis are often time-consuming and tedious, since most of them include a variety of separation and derivatization steps. Methods allowing lipid analysis in a single step would be highly useful. The aim of this review is to show that high resolution 31P NMR spectroscopy is a convenient and precise analytical tool for the phospholipid analysis of extracts from biological samples (tissues and body fluids). The first part of this review discusses the physiological relevance of individual kinds of phospholipids and related, established analytical techniques for their investigation. The second part contains an overview on the requirements for 31P NMR to improve spectral resolution and sensitivity, its capabilities and its limitations. In the third part, we discuss the application of 31P NMR to the most important phospholipid classes, as well as different tissue and body fluid extracts. The article concludes with a brief look at future developments and potential applications of this technique.

Animals↗
PubMed1991

The research on temporomandibular joint clicking: a methodological review.

The large variance in the reported prevalence of TMJ clicking is a result of the study of nonrepresentative groups, the use of different instruments, and the lack of a definition of "abnormal" clicking. Etiologic studies must be regarded with caution because it is not clear which mechanisms trigger TMJ clicking (or how) and because TMJ research is usually quasi-experimental, which precludes definitive conclusions concerning cause and effect. The lack of objective criteria makes diagnosis difficult. It is suggested that psychological factors such as symptom perception and report play a role in the decision to seek help, in the diagnosis, and in the treatment.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

[Determination of pH in the body: methodologic review].

The maintenance of a defined free H+ concentration within narrow limits is a prerequisite and feature of living organisms. In recent years the different disciplines of biological science have made considerable progress in the elucidation of the mechanisms involved in pH homeostasis. Recent advances have occurred also in the field of pH measurement. This review focuses mainly on the modern instruments for pH and blood gas analysis. The techniques of intracellular pH currently in general use are described together with some of the techniques for determination of pH in subcellular compartments.

Blood Gas Analysis↗
PubMed1995

[A methodological review of specific techniques of time series analysis in epidemiology and public health].

Time series analysis of health indicator can contribute to the improvement of knowledge in epidemiology and public health. It is necessary to use models and methods appropriate to the time domain. A class of models proposed by Box & Jenkins are presented together with the necessary tools for identifying such models. Two useful generalisations are also discussed. To study the link between two time series, regression models need to include autocorrelated error terms while to evaluate the effect of an intervention, the use of intervention models are appropriate. This paper presents basic concepts of such analyses in a simple way to encourage the use of those methods.

Analysis of Variance↗
PubMed1998

[Mitochondrial DNA and Parkinson disease. Methodologic review].

UNLABELLED: Parkinson's disease (PD), a disorder of unknown etiology, is associated with the degeneration of dopaminergic neurons in nigro-striatal pathways. MPTP, a meperidine analog, causes parkinsonism in human and nonhuman primates. MPP+, the active metabolite of MPTP, inhibits the activity of respiratory chain complex I. In patients with PD, a reduced complex I activity was found in substantia nigra, skeletal muscle, and platelets. Because complex I is partially encoded by the mitochondrial genome, several studies have searched for mitochondrial (mt) DNA abnormalities in patients with PD. Our aim was to answer the following questions: (1) are there some abnormalities of mtDNA in PD? (2) if there are some, what are these abnormalities? and (3) what is the pathogenic role of these abnormalities? METHODS: The literature review was performed using Medline [National Library of Medicine, Washington] and Current Contents [Institute for Scientific Information, Philadelphia] databases. Periods screened were 1966-March, 1998 (Medline) and March 17, 1997-March 9, 1998 (Current Contents). Keywords were: "Parkinson" or "Parkinson's", and "mitochondrial DNA" or "mtDNA". We limited our research to articles in English and French. RESULTS: Medline search provided 59 articles. Current Contents search provided 22 articles. Twelve articles were found in both databases. Thirty-eight of the 69 articles were either reviews about mitochondrial diseases (19 articles) or original articles not related to mtDNA (19 articles). Our final selection included the remaining 31 articles.

1-Methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine↗
PubMed2005

Eating disorders and personality: a methodological and empirical review.

Methodological approaches utilized to evaluate models of the relationship between personality and eating disorders, as well as empirical support for each model, are reviewed. Limited prospective research suggests that negative emotionality, perfectionism, drive for thinness, poor interoceptive awareness, ineffectiveness, and obsessive-compulsive personality traits are likely predisposing factors. Limited family study research suggests that obsessive-compulsive personality disorder (OCPD) and anorexia nervosa share a common familial liability. Potential pathoplastic personality factors include Cluster B personality disorders and OCPD, which predict a poorer course and/or outcome, and histrionic personality traits and self-directedness, which predict a more favorable course and/or outcome. Future research should focus upon sophisticated prospective and family study research in order to best evaluate competing models of the eating disorder-personality relationship.

Anorexia Nervosa↗