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Objective: To compare the efficacy of adalimumab, etanercept, and infliximab in patients with established rheumatoid arthritis (RA) taking concomitant methotrexate (MTX) by calculating the number needed to treat (NNT) using three different methods. Methods: A systematic literature search of the Cochrane Library, MEDLINE, and EMBASE was conducted from inception to 30 June 2006. Two pairs of investi
STUDY OBJECTIVE: Previous studies of neighbourhood effects on ischaemic heart disease (IHD) have used census or administrative data to characterise the residential context, most commonly its socioeconomic level. Using the ecometric approach to define neighbourhood social interaction variables that may be relevant to IHD, neighbourhood social cohesion and safety were examined to see how they relate
Objectives This study investigated the association between cancer of the extrahepatic biliary tract and exposure to endocrine-disrupting compounds. Methods Altogether 183 men with histologically confirmed carcinoma of the extrahepatic biliary tract and 1938 matched controls were interviewed between 1995 and 1997 in the frame of an international multicenter case-control study in six European countr
Objective: The aim of this study was to construct a rating scale to predict long-term outcome on the basis of clinical and sociodemographic characteristics in patients with symptoms of psychosis who seek psychiatric help for the first time. Method: Patients (N = 153) experiencing their first episode of psychosis (DSM-IV schizophrenia, schizophreniform disorder, schizoaffective disorder, brief psyc
Forest leaf area index (LAI), is an important variable in carbon balance models. However, understory vegetation is a recognized problem that limits the accuracy of sate I lite-estimated forest LAI. A canopy reflectance model was used to investigate the impact of the understory vegetation on LAI estimated from reflectance values estimated from satellite sensor data. Reflectance spectra were produce
Objective: High levels of sex steroid hormones and prolactin have been suggested to enhance breast cancer development. Low levels of SHBG may indicate high levels of (bio-available) steroid hormones. The present study investigates whether high levels of sex steroid hormones and prolactin, and/or low levels of SHBG, are associated with high breast cancer risk. Methods: Blood samples were collected
Study objective: Prior studies have shown that children are particularly sensitive to air pollution. This study examined whether children of low socioeconomic status suffered greater exposure to outdoor nitrogen dioxide than more affluent ones, both at their place of residence and at school, in a country with widespread state intervention for social equity. Design: Local scale data on outdoor nitr
At the end of the summer, drifting filamentous red algae cover shallow bottoms and accumulate in huge cast walls on the open shores of the non-tidal central Baltic Sea. The hypotheses that beach cleaning increases water clarity, decreases the organic content of the sand, and increases the species diversity in the shallow zone closest to the shore, were tested through field investigations and exper
Chicks of obligate brood parasites employ a variety of morphological and behavioral strategies to outcompete nest mates. Elevated competitiveness is favored by natural selection because parasitic chicks are not related to their host parents or nest mates. When chicks of conspecific brood parasites (CBPs) are unrelated to their hosts, they and their parents would also benefit from traits that enhan
Patients with mild asthma may benefit from increasing their inhaled corticosteroid dose, adding a tong-acting beta(2)-agonist, or both. This study assessed the cost-effectiveness of these options. Patients aged greater than or equal to12 years with mild-to-moderate persistent asthma (n = 1272) were randomised to twice-daily, double-blind treatment with budesonide 100 mug, budesonide 100 mug plus f
