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Systematic review articles are considered as a part of relevant scientific and professional literature which has become an infallible part of everyday medical practice and a vital part in decision making. This scientific work is based on the systematic and strictly defined methodology of research, selection and analysis of available medical evidence which provides and answer to a specific scientific question. The Cochrane Collaboration is a world non-profit organizaton whose goal is to publish high qualitiy systematic reviews through detailed and rigorous methodology. Through out different scientific groups, authors publish Cochrane systematic reviews of interventions and diagnostic tests which are published in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. These reviews develope in several steps: question formulation, Cochrane group selection, title registration, writing and publishing a protocol and writing, publishing and updating a systematic review. In this article we wish to present the methodology of Cochrane systematic review development as a general insight into its complexity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Physicians are very often invited by their patients to give lifestyle advice to reduce the odds of contracting a certain disease. Also, it is necessary for physicians to choose adequately among different therapeutic modalities for any disease. The data that may make these choices easier come from cohort and case-control studies. These studies are of relatively low cost and simple to undertake and the results are available in a relatively short time. However, one must be aware of advantages and disadvantages of these types of studies so that the results can be interpreted with certainty in order to make correct clinical decisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Endoscopy is corner stone in diagnostics of gastrointestinal, urological and pumological malignancies. Some newer imaging enhancement techniques improve diagnostics accuracy during endoscopy. Endoscopy now offers a greater possibility of removing malignant lesions or performing palliative procedure sin order to maintain patency of gastrointestinal tract. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Acute renal failure (ARF) is still a considerable factor in hospital morbidity and mortality. This clinical condition occurs in up to 25% of critically ill patients. Mortality in these patients varies widely depending on the cause. ARF in the context of a large pericardial effusion and pericardial tamponade has not often been reported. This paper presents a case of life-threatening pericardial tamponade and a consecutive rapid onset of ARF. Successful treatment with pericardiocentesis was performed, which was followed by restitution of renal function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aims: We aimed to compare the efficacy of prophylactic, parenterally administered ceftazidime and rectally applied diclofenac sodium for the prophylaxis of post-endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) pancreatitis (PEP).Methods: We prospectively enrolled patients who underwent ERCP. In a double-blind, randomized, controlled trial, patients received a suppository containing diclofenac sodium rectally (100 mg) and placebo intravenously (group A) or ceftazidime intravenously (1 g) and placebo rectally (group B) immediately before the procedure. The serum and urine amylase levels were recorded and the patients were clinically evaluated after ERCP.Results: Of the 272 patients enrolled (group A: 129; group B: 143), 32 developed pancreatitis (group A: 11 [8.5 %]; group B: 21 [14.7 %]; P = 0.17; relative risk = 1.72; 95 % confidence interval [CI] = 0.86-3.43). The severity of the pancreatitis or complications did not significantly differ between the groups. A serum amylase level of ≥560 U/L and urine amylase level of ≥1150 U/L indicated a positive likelihood ratio for post-ERCP pancreatitis of ≥10. Moreover, the threshold visual analog scale score of ≤5 for abdominal pain after ERCP had excellent diagnostic potential for predicting the presence or absence of post-ERCP pancreatitis.Conclusions: The PEP incidence did not differ between the ceftazidime and diclofenac sodium groups. In patients with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug contraindications, antibiotics can be considered a safe alternative to diclofenac sodium for PEP prevention. Moreover, the visual analog scale for abdominal pain has excellent diagnostic value for predicting PEP. CLINICAL TRIALS.Gov Number: NCT 01784445. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A correction to the article "Diclofenac sodium versus ceftazidime for preventing pancreatitis after endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography: a prospective, randomized, controlled trial" by Goran Hauser and colleagues is presented.

Although celiac disease (CD) may occur in patients with other immune-mediated disorders, its coexistence with multiple autoimmune diseases is not frequently described. We report the case of a 23-year-old woman referred to our centre because of jaundice and diarrhoea, who was diagnosed with CD in childhood. She complied with a gluten-free diet until puberty. Laboratory tests and liver biopsy were performed to establish the diagnosis of autoimmune hepatitis. Her thyroid- specific peroxides levels and thyroid gland function tests were altered as well, indicating the presence of an autoimmune disorder of the thyroid gland. Immunosuppressive treatment led to normalization of transaminases levels and bilirubin. In conclusion, other autoimmune diseases should be ruled out in patients with CD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]