Fri, April 27 – 10 Stories of The Day!

1 – Microbial Preparations (Probiotics) for the Prevention of Clostridium difficile: Infection in Adults and Children: An Individual Patient Data Meta-analysis of 6,851 Participants – Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology (free)

Commentary: Probiotics may be safe, low-cost prevention tool for Clostridium difficile infections – News Medical (free)

Related Articles: The use of probiotics to prevent Clostridium difficile diarrhea associated with antibiotic use – Cochrane Library (free) AND Probiotics for the Prevention of Antibiotic-Associated Diarrhea in Outpatients—A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis – Antibiotics (free) AND Timely Use of Probiotics in Hospitalized Adults Prevents Clostridium difficile Infection: A Systematic Review With Meta-Regression Analysis – Gastroenterology (free)

2 – Anticholinergic drugs and risk of dementia: case-control study – The BMJ (free)

Editorial: Anticholinergic drugs and dementia in older adults (free)

Commentaries: Expert reaction to study investigating the association between different types of anticholinergic drugs and risk of dementia – Science Media Centre (free) AND Anticholinergic drugs may be linked to increased risk of dementia – OnMedica (free)

“The effect of anticholinergic therapy is relatively small (odds ratio 1.1 – 1.2) and establishing an association does not prove a causal link. Nevertheless, the paper may act as a useful guide for future research and clinical practice”. (by Prof Les Iversen, in Science Media Centre)

3 – Age and sex of surgeons and mortality of older surgical patients: observational study – The BMJ (free)

Editorial: Links between age and sex of surgeons and patients’ outcomes (free)

Commentary: Study Suggests Older Surgeons Produce Lower Mortality Rates in Emergency Procedures – UCLA, via NewsWise (free)

4 – Uterotonic agents for preventing postpartum haemorrhage: a network meta-analysis – Cochrane Library (free for a limited period)

News Release: Featured Review: Uterotonic agents for preventing postpartum haemorrhage – Cochrane Library (free)

Commentary: Review finds more effective drugs to stop bleeding after childbirth – University of Birmingham (free)

“New Cochrane Review suggests ergometrine plus oxytocin; misoprostol plus oxytocin; & carbetocin on its own, are more effective drugs for reducing excessive bleeding at childbirth rather than the current standard use of oxytocin on its own” (via @CochraneUK see Tweet)

5 – Optimised care of elderly patients with acute coronary syndrome – European Heart Journal: Acute Cardiovascular Care (free) (via @krychtiukmd see Tweet)

6 – Perspective: The Mediterranean Diet’s Fight Against Frailty – JAMA (free for a limited period)

7 – Committee Opinion: Adolescents and Long-Acting Reversible Contraception: Implants and Intrauterine Devices – American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology (free)

Commentary: ACOG Committee Opinion: adolescents should be offered LARC – Univadis (free registration required)

8 – Australasian Society for HIV, Viral Hepatitis and Sexual Health Medicine HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis: clinical guidelines. Update April 2018 – Journal of Virus Eradication (free)

Related guidelines: WHO implementation tool for pre-exposure prophylaxis of HIV infection – World Health Organization (free) AND Canadian guideline on HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis and nonoccupational postexposure prophylaxis – Canadian Medical Association Journal (free) AND Preexposure Prophylaxis for the Prevention of HIV Infection in the United States – 2017 Update: a Clinical Practice Guideline (free)

9 – Being patient with EBM. “Just because we can, doesn’t mean we should” – supporting informed decision-making – Evidently Cochrane Blog (free)

10 – NT-proBNP (N-Terminal pro-B-Type Natriuretic Peptide)-Guided Therapy in Acute Decompensated Heart Failure – Circulation (link to abstract – $ for full-text)

Related Systematic Review: Effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of serum B-type natriuretic peptide testing and monitoring in patients with heart failure in primary and secondary care: an evidence synthesis, cohort study and cost-effectiveness model – Health Technology Assessment (free) AND Commentary: Uncertain benefits of BNP blood tests to monitor heart failure treatment – NIHR Signal (free)

Related AHA Scientific Statement: Role of Biomarkers for the Prevention, Assessment, and Management of Heart Failure (free)

Source:  EvidenceAlerts

“NT Pro BNP guided heart failure treatment no better than usual care”. (via @doctorvec)