Dean Fergusson

..We sought to document the incidence of, the risk factors for and the reversibility of joint contractures among patients who stayed in a tertiary intensive care unit (ICU) for 2 weeks or longer...

..To evaluate the efficacy and effectiveness of red blood cell leukoreduction in reducing postoperative infection, mortality and cancer recurrence, two meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were conducted...

..The Age of Red Blood Cells in Premature Infants (ARIPI) trial is registered at the US National Institutes of Health (ClinicalTrials.gov) no. NCT00326924 and current controlled trials ISRCTN65939658...

..To examine the reporting and success of double blinding in a sample of randomised, placebo controlled trials from leading general medicine and psychiatry journals...

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..Premature infants, given their immature immune state, may be uniquely predisposed to the effects of transfused leukocytes...

..Randomized controlled trials of aprotinin evaluating its effect on the outcome of perioperative transfusion have been published since 1987, and systematic reviews were conducted in 1992 and 1997...

..The lack of epidemiologic data is a major impediment to providing appropriate treatment...

..To establish whether an association exists between use of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and suicide attempts...

..It is unclear whether asthma is overdiagnosed in developed countries, particularly among obese individuals, who may be more likely than nonobese people to experience dyspnea...

..Treatment of moderate or severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) with combinations of inhaled corticosteroids, long-acting beta-agonists, and long-acting anticholinergic bronchodilators is common but unstudied...

..The aim of this study was to determine if frequent pulmonary exacerbations are associated with greater declines in lung function, or an accelerated time to death or lung transplantation in adults with CF...

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..Surgeons, other healthcare professionals, and patients may identify different health-related concerns related to the quality of life of patients undergoing major surgery...

..A number of countries have implemented a policy of universal leukoreduction of their blood supply, but the potential role of leukoreduction in decreasing postoperative mortality and infection is unclear...

..This randomized controlled trial determined the feasibility of conducting a large trial testing resuscitation with pentastarch vs normal saline in early septic shock, powered for a difference in mortality...

..1 +/- 3.04 g x L(-1) to 87.5 +/- 2.5 g x L(-1)). CONCLUSION: We noted significant differences in the rates of red cell transfusion and nadir hemoglobin concentrations in various surgical and critical care settings...

..We sought to examine associations of the quantity and type of fluid administered in the first six hours after identification of severe sepsis and hospital mortality, intensive care unit (ICU) mortality, and organ failure...

..We conducted a systematic review of selenium for lung cancers, and assessed potential interactions with conventional therapies...

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..These results were an improvement compared to the MDRD and Schwartz equations, both of which had high median bias and reduced accuracy. The updated Schwartz equation also performed well...

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..These data suggest a possible detrimental clinical effect associated with the transfusion of stored RBCs; randomized clinical trials further evaluating the clinical consequences of transfusing older stored RBCs are required...

..We have outlined the major methodologic issues one must consider when undertaking a before/after study design. When properly conceived, conducted, and analyzed, such a before/after study design can yield informative associations...

..The objective of this survey was to characterize reported resuscitation practices of Canadian physicians caring for adult critically ill patients with early septic shock...

..The unit cost of allogenic RBCs and RBC transfusion in Canada in 1994 was estimated at 152.17 US dollars. The objective of this study was to determine the unit cost of allogenic RBC transfusion in Canada from a societal perspective...

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..We sought to determine the association between anticoagulation intensity and the risk of hemorrhagic and thromboembolic events. We also sought to determine how under-or overanticoagulation would influence patient outcomes...

..Studies from Australia and the United Kingdom have shown that some patients with cystic fibrosis are infected with common transmissible strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa...

..CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that 3 x 120 mg orlistat/d is effective for improving both weight loss and serum lipid profiles in obese patients at low and high cardiovascular disease risk and in obese patients with type 2 diabetes...

..Appropriately designed clinical trials are still needed to determine the relative effectiveness of different interventions to change practices...

..In addition, nosocomial infection, mortality, and duration of stay were identified and analyzed...

..However, these patients are also at increased risk of bleeding compared with the general population, and an aim was made to quantify this risk with antiplatelet agents...

..The performance of the new equation for kidney transplant recipients (KTRs) is unknown...

..There were no differences in prolonged respiratory, cardiovascular, or renal support after randomization (P > 0.05). A large clinical trial comparing red cell storage times is feasible and warranted given the limited available evidence...

..Pentoxifylline is a potential therapeutic agent for diabetic kidney disease because it has anti-inflammatory, antifibrotic, and hemorheological properties...

..Because a definitive trial will require thousands of patients, and because there is variability in transfusion practices, a pilot study was undertaken to determine adherence to proposed strategies...

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..We hypothesized that by continuously tracking individual patient HRV over time in patients as they develop sepsis, we would demonstrate reduced HRV in association with the onset of sepsis...

..The purpose of this study was to estimate the sensitivity and specificity of surface coil magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for prostate cancer stage using surgical pathologic data as the reference standard...

..Observational studies in the kidney transplant population have produced conflicting results with some studies showing benefit and others no benefit of renin-angiotensin system blockade...

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..Men recovering from low-grade testicular cancer frequently undergo serial abdominal-pelvic computerized tomography (CT) scanning to monitor for recurrent disease...

..Missed DVT diagnosis may result in fatal pulmonary embolism. Since many patients may have DVT, a selective and efficient diagnostic process is needed...

..An analysis from the prospective multicenter randomized controlled trial (Transfusion Requirements in Critical Care Trial) compared the use of restrictive and liberal transfusion strategies with resuscitated critically ill trauma patients...

..We undertook this study to test the hypothesis that catheter survival on PD is a function of the time a catheter is left embedded prior to use...

..We discuss here the study design and methods, often used for evaluation of complementary and adjunctive treatments for health maintenance in HIV infection, which are common interventions...

..Screening for malignant conditions can potentially diagnose more cases of cancer and at earlier stages, thereby preventing cancer-associated morbidity and perhaps mortality...

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..To review the current and future role of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in urology...

..A preliminary organizational framework of measures of clinical significance is presented in this article to facilitate the work of such a consensus forum...

..To compare the effect on renal function of partial and radical nephrectomy using creatinine clearance measurements from 24-hr urine collection...

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..Until 2005, all dermatology residents at the University of Ottawa were committed to return to their funding area at the completion of their training. This has left Eastern Ontario with a critical shortage of dermatologists...

..A new evaluative instrument tailored to patients undergoing major surgery may therefore be warranted...

..77; 95% CI, 0.46-1.31), or overall survival (RR, 1.22; 95 % CI, 0.96-1.54). UA appears effective for HVOD prophylaxis in patients undergoing HSCT and should be considered as a prevention strategy by HSCT centers to reduce HVOD...

..The effect of study-level factors, especially study setting, on anticoagulation control is unknown...

..Population-based studies have documented an association between obesity and an increased prevalence of asthma in women...

..To summarize the evidence concerning bias and confounding in conducting systematic reviews (SRs)...

..HIV-seropositive adults are at an increased risk for influenza infection. They also develop more severe influenza disease and are hyporesponsive to current influenza vaccinations...

..Patients with advanced breast disease appear to benefit more from longer term interventions which emphasize support. Recommendations are also made for future clinical trials...

..Longer follow-up is needed to determine if these changes will result in a significant improvement in patient and graft survival...

..We sought to determine whether patients receiving beta-blockers acutely (within 72 h) following AMI had a lower mortality rate at 6 weeks than patients receiving placebo...

..To determine the effectiveness of topical nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) in traumatic corneal abrasions...

..We conducted a systematic review to examine the efficacy and acceptability of long-term therapy with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors relative to placebo in the treatment of unipolar depression...

..To complete a systematic review of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that compare the cosmetic outcomes and complications of traumatic lacerations and surgical incisions closed with absorbable sutures versus nonabsorbable sutures...

..Based on a review of documents and stakeholder interviews, we report the potential advantages and disadvantages of a change to a new system of funding and make recommendations on how provinces should proceed...

..To gauge the potential impact on disease burden, we performed a systematic review of the evidence from randomized controlled trials...

..Unfractionated heparin is a known anticoagulant, which also possesses anti-inflammatory properties. Unfractionated heparin has been shown to increase survival in experimental models of septic shock...

..The utility of BTP has been limited by the lack of an equation to translate BTP into an estimate of GFR. The objectives of this study were to develop a BTP-based GFR estimation equation...

..To examine whether selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) antidepressants were associated with an increased or decreased risk of cardiovascular adverse events (AEs)...