Low back pain is a costly illness for which spinal manipulative therapy is commonly recommended. Previous systematic reviews and practice guidelines have reached discordant results on the effectiveness of this therapy for low back pain.

Rofecoxib and celecoxib (coxibs) effectively treat chronic arthritis pain and reduce ulcer complications by 50% compared with nonselective nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). However, their absolute risk reduction is small and the cost-effectiveness of treatment is uncertain.

Coronary stents are widely used in interventional cardiology, but a current quantitative systematic overview comparing routine coronary stenting with standard percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) and restricted stenting (provisional stenting) has not been published.

Site-specific validation of the activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT) therapeutic range is required to ensure administration of the optimal dose of unfractionated heparin. Therapeutic ranges of 1.5 to 2.5 times the control value are subtherapeutic for most modern aPTT reagents.

Hypertension in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus is a prevalent condition that leads to substantial morbidity and mortality.

Sudden cardiac death is common in persons with cardiovascular disease.

Many patients with cancer use complementary and alternative medical (CAM) therapies. Physicians need authoritative information on CAM therapies to responsibly advise patients who seek these interventions. This article summarizes current evidence on the efficacy and safety of selected CAM therapies that are commonly used by patients with cancer. The following major categories of interventions are covered: dietary modification and supplementation, herbal products and other biological agents, acupuncture, massage, exercise, and psychological and mind-body therapies. Two categories of evidence on efficacy are considered: possible effects on disease progression and survival and possible palliative effects. In evaluating evidence on safety, two types of risk are considered: the risk for direct adverse effects and the risk for interactions with conventional treatments. For each therapy, the current balance of evidence on efficacy and safety points to whether the therapy may be reasonably recommended, accepted (for example, dietary fat reduction in well-nourished patients with breast or prostate cancer), or discouraged (for example, high-dose vitamin A supplementation). This strategy allows the development of an approach for providing responsible, evidence-based, patient-centered advice to persons with cancer who seek CAM therapies.

To assess the effect of cardioselective beta-blockers on respiratory function of patients with reactive airway disease.

To synthesize new data on breast cancer screening for the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force.

To evaluate the value of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) in the primary prevention of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and coronary artery disease (CAD).

Bloodstream infections related to use of catheters, particularly central-line catheters, are an important cause of patient morbidity, mortality, and increased health care costs. This study evaluated the efficacy of skin disinfection with chlorhexidine gluconate compared with povidone-iodine solution in preventing catheter-related bloodstream infection.

To clarify whether screening adults for depression in primary care settings improves recognition, treatment, and clinical outcomes.

Postmenopausal estrogen replacement is widely used in the United States but poses important health risks.

The relative effectiveness of the diverse approaches used to promote preventive care activities, such as cancer screening and adult immunization, is unknown. Despite many high-quality published studies, practices and policymakers attempting to improve preventive care have little definitive information on which to base decisions. Thus, we quantitatively assessed the relative effectiveness of previously studied approaches for improving adherence to adult immunization and cancer screening guidelines.

Physical activity has been associated with reduced blood pressure in observational epidemiologic studies and individual clinical trials. This meta-analysis of randomized, controlled trials was conducted to determine the effect of aerobic exercise on blood pressure.

Population-based longitudinal studies of hypertension have usually shown a continuous and positive relationship between blood pressure and mortality. However, several studies in hypertensive patients receiving treatment have described this relationship as J-shaped, with an increased risk for events in patients with low blood pressure.

The use of aspirin to prevent cardiovascular disease events in patients without a history of cardiovascular disease is controversial.

To conduct a systematic review assessing chemotherapeutic regimens in patients at least 60 years of age with previously untreated, advanced-stage, aggressive-histology non-Hodgkin lymphoma.