BACKGROUND The role of biologic therapies in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis has expanded, but dosing patterns in the first versus subsequent lines of therapy have not been thoroughly explored. METHODS In order to describe patterns of biologic agent utilization among patients with rheumatoid arthritis, health care claims data on use of abatacept, rituximab, or the anti-tumor necrosis fa...

Background The optimal stimulation protocol for poor responder patients is a therapeutic challenge. GnRH antagonist protocol has been proposed as a potentially proper option for poor responders. Nevertheless, there is no significant difference in terms of clinical pregnancy and cancellation rates be tween the GnRH antagonist and agonist cycles. Therefore, this subset of patients might be the be...

BACKGROUND Congenital hypothyroidism (CH) is the most frequent endocrine disorder during the neonatal period, and a delay in diagnosis and treatment leads to irreversible complications. A high L-thyroxine (LT4) dose is recommended for treatment, while the optimal starting dose is still a matter of debate. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of various starting doses of LT4 ...

BACKGROUND High-dose short-term methylprednisolone is the recommended treatment in the management of multiple sclerosis relapses, although it has been suggested that lower doses may be equally effective. Also, glucocorticoids are associated with multiple and often dose-dependent adverse effects. This quantitative benefit-risk assessment compares high- and low-dose methylprednisolone (at least 2...

Human fibroblast cells obtained from a normal individual and immortalized by introduction of the hTERT gene were irradiated with 0 to 5 Gy of acute high-dose-rate radiation (1.8 Gy/min) or chronic low-dose-rate radiation (0.3 mGy/min) in the G0 phase, and p53 activation was studied. After high-dose-rate irradiation, a dose-dependent induction of Ser15 phosphorylation was observed, whereas after...

OBJECTIVES To compare a new low-dose warfarin induction regimen with the Fennerty regimen in elderly inpatients. DESIGN Age-stratified, randomized prospective study. SUBJECTS 120 age-stratified elderly inpatients. INTERVENTIONS Each patient was randomized to either the new induction regimen or to a modified Fennerty regimen. MAIN OUTCOMES MEASURES Days to therapeutic International Norma...

Background Cabozantinib is a potent, multitarget inhibitor of MET and vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 (VEGFR2). This open-label, phase II trial evaluated cabozantinib in patients with recurrent or progressive glioblastoma (GBM). Methods Patients were initially enrolled to a starting cabozantinib dose of 140 mg/day, but the starting dose was amended to 100 mg/day because of safet...

OBJECTIVE A number of randomised controlled trials have been performed to determine the effectiveness or efficacy of acupuncture in primary dysmenorrhoea. The objective of this review was to explore the relationship between the 'dose' of the acupuncture intervention and menstrual pain outcomes. METHODS Eight databases were systematically searched for trials examining penetrating body acupunct...

Whole-gland low-dose rate (LDR) brachytherapy has been a well-established modality of treating low-risk prostate cancer. Treatment in a focal manner has the advantages of reduced toxicity to surrounding organs. Focal treatment using LDR brachytherapy has been relatively unexplored, but it may offer advantages over other modalities that have established experiences with a focal approach. This is...