Background AIDS (acquired immune deficiency syndrome) has become the most devastating disease which humankind has ever encountered. Human immune-deficiency virus (HIV) is transmitted through blood, sexual behavior and mother-to-baby, with more efficient transmission through blood transfusion. HIV risk among blood transfusion was severe due to lack of effective and correctly applied screening method and rigorous management, especially in some developing countries. Since the first HIV screening reagent was approved by FDA to screen the blood in 1985, the fourth generation test has been produced till now. Initially, HIV test was primarily used to screen the blood supply, it also became an important aspect of HIV prevention, especially screening among people donating blood. Today, HIV testing is seen as an integral part of both the nation’s prevention and treatment efforts. Objective To assess the effectiveness of any intervention tests for HIV screening among people donating blood, and find appropriate tests for HIV screening to decrease the risk of HIV transmission by blood transfusion. Search strategy MEDLINE, Cochrane Controlled Trials Register (CENTRAL/CCTR), AIDSLINE, EMBASE, CBM were be searched with the terms: "HIV", "AIDS", "screening", "test", "blood donor", "blood bank" and the detailed screening method. The websites of WHO, UNAIDS, CDC, FDA, and their related links were searched. Letters were mailed to various agencies and experts in this field to acquire unpublished reports. Inclusion criteria RCT and CCT for screening HIV among blood. donors will be included. Observational studies such as cohort studies, cased-control studies, and historical controlled studies will be used for sensitivity analysis. Method of the review According to the principles of Cochrane Review, selection of trials for inclusion, quality assessment of studies, data extraction and syntheses were conducted by reviewers.
Objective To assess the efficacy of medical expulsive therapy for ureteral calculi with tamsulosin. Methods We searched PubMed, MEDLINE, EMBASE, BIOSIS, International Pharmaceutical Abstracts (IPA) Database, The Cochrane Library and Chinese Journal Full-text Database from 1995 to September 2006, as well as the proceedings of urological scientific conferences from 2000 to 2006. Randomized controlled trials(RCTs) comparing tamsulosin and other therapies for ureteral calculi among adults were included. Data were extracted by two reviewers independently and synthesized by STATA 9.0 software. Results A total of 16 studies involving 1521 patients with distal or juxtavesical ureteral calculi were included. Compared with conservative therapy, tamsulosin showed higher expulsion rate [RR 1.50, 95%CI (1.20 to 1.87), Plt;0.0001], shorter expulsion time [SMD –1.29, 95%CI (–2.27, –0.31)] and fewer patients requiring ESWL or ureteroscopy [RR 0.40, 95%CI (0.27, 0.59), Plt;0.05]. Compared with conservative therapy, the combination of tamsulosin plus deflazacort also showed higher expulsion rate [RR 1.59, 95%CI (1.31, 1.93)], shorter expulsion time [SMD –0.8, 95%CI (–1.18, –0.42)] and fewer patients requiring ESWL or ureteroscopy [RR 0.13, 95%CI (0.06, 0.31), Plt;0.05]. Compared with deflazacort alone, the combination of tamsulosin plus deflazacort demonstrated similar expulsion rate [RR 1.31, 95%CI (0.78, 2.23), P=0.31], but significantly reduced the dosage of analgesics [SMD 15.20, 95%CI (14.98, 15.52)] and decreased the proportion of patients requiring ESWL or ureteroscopy [RR 0.09,, 95%CI (0.02, 0.47), Plt;0.05]. Compared with deflazacort plus nifedipine, the combination of tamsulosin plus deflazacort showed higher expulsion rate [RR 1.20, 95%CI (1.07, 1.35), P=0.002], but similar expulsion time [SMD –1.34, 95%CI (–3.47, 0.79)] and proportion of patients requiring ESWL or ureteroscopy [RR 0.34, 95%CI (0.05, 2.22), Pgt;0.05]. As for side effects, tamsulosin-based treatment and conservative therapy were comparable (Pgt;0.05). Conclusions Tamsulosin has a beneficial effect on the expulsion of ureteral calculi, especially for distal and juxtavesical ureteral calculi. Tamsulosin-based medical expulsive therapy at the dosage of 0.4mg daily is effective and safe for patients with distal ureteral calculi. More large-scale studies are required to define the efficacy of combination therapy of tamsulosin plus deflazacort.
Objective To investigate the causes of chronic cough in Chongqing City and assess the efficacy of specific therapy. Methods A total of 233 consecutively non-selected referred patients ( 136 females) whose cough duration more than eight weeks were studied. Their age[ median ( range) ] was 44. 5( 15-78) yrs and cough duration was 2. 6 ( 0. 2-30) yrs. They were diagnosed using a diagnostic protocol based on the Guideline on Diagnosis and Treatment of Chronic Cough established by China Medical Association and American College of Chest Physicians. The etiological diagnosis was made according to clinical manifestations, lab examinations, and response to specific therapy. The effects was assessed four weeks after the drug withdraw. Results The cause of chronic cough was confirmed in 216 patients ( 92. 7% ) . Seventeen patients( 7. 3% ) had not been definitely diagnosed. Cough due to a single cause was found in 163 patients ( 75. 45% ) , and due to multiple causes in 53 patients ( 24. 53% ) . The causes included upper airway cough syndrome ( UACS) in 127 patients( 44. 4% ) , cough variant asthma ( CVA) in 73 patients( 25. 5% ) , gastro-esophageal reflux cough ( GERC) in 26 patients( 9. 1%) , postinfectious cough and angiotensin converting enzyme ( ACE) inhibitor-induced cough in 6 patients( 2. 1% ) , atopic cough in 5 patients( 1. 7% ) , chronic bronchitis in 3 patients ( 1. 0% ) , respectively. After specific therapy based on diagnosis, cough cured in 59 patients ( 25. 3% ) , and alleviated in 114 patients ( 49. 3% ) , no response in 40 patients( 17. 1% ) . Conclusion The causes of chronic cough in different areas maybe variant. UACS, CVA and GREC are the main causes of chronic cough in Chongqing City. Specific therapy is effective in majority of patients with chronic cough.