The Quality of Romanian Breast Cancer Websites: a Five-Year Longitudinal Assessment.

The Internet has become an important source of overall health information and seems to be the second common source of information used by patients in the process of decision-making before breast surgery. The goal of this study was to monitor Romanian breast cancer websites and their quality over a period of 5 years. We evaluated a sample of 20 websites selected from Google's first search results pages using specific rating scores for e-health quality, completeness, accuracy, and potential risk, in 2011 and 2016, respectively. Only 15 (75%) of the websites in the 2011 sample were accessible in 2016 and only two (10%) retained real-life visibility (Google PageRank < 20). The mean quality scores at baseline (2011) and follow-up (2016), respectively, were as follows: e-health quality 3.80 vs. 4.05; completeness 4.23 vs. 5.43; accuracy 5.74 vs. 6.35; and potential risk score 7.60 vs. 7.30. All quality scores were low or, at best, modest and did not improve significantly over the 5-year period. The results of the study draw attention to the need for programs aiming to improve the ability of breast cancer patients to screen the online health resources and to better regulate the medical Internet to safeguard the best interest of health information seekers.

Efficacy and safety of APT198K for the treatment of infantile colic: a pilot study.

AIM: Comparing efficacy and safety of APT198K (xyloglucan plus heat-killed Lactobacillus reuteri SGL01 and Bifidobacterium brevis SGB01) versus a lactase dietary supplement as first-line treatment of infantile colic. METHODS: Randomized, multicenter, open-label, parallel group, active-controlled study, in 46 infants aged 3-16 weeks with infantile colic, receiving APT198K or a lactase dietary supplement for 10 days. RESULTS: Number and duration of crying episodes decreased significantly versus baseline in both groups. On day 8, the mean duration of crying per episode was significantly shorter in the APT198K group compared with the lactase group (9.14 ± 5.34 vs 13.22 ± 5.29 min; p = 0.014) and remained so up to day 11. CONCLUSION: APT198K decreased the mean duration per crying episode significantly more than a lactase dietary supplement in infants with colic. Further evaluation in larger studies is warranted. Clinical trial registry: EudraCT number 2014-002860-334; https://eudract.ema.europa.eu .

Xyloglucan for the treatment of acute diarrhea: results of a randomized, controlled, open-label, parallel group, multicentre, national clinical trial.

BACKGROUND: There is a strong rationale for the use of agents with film-forming protective properties, like xyloglucan, for the treatment of acute diarrhea. However, few data from clinical trials are available. METHODS: A randomized, controlled, open-label, parallel group, multicentre, clinical trial was performed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of xyloglucan, in comparison with diosmectite and Saccharomyces in adult patients with acute diarrhea due to different causes. Patients were randomized to receive a 3-day treatment. Symptoms (stools type, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain and flatulence) were assessed by a self-administered ad-hoc questionnaire 1, 3, 6, 12, 24, 48 and 72 h following the first dose administration. Adverse events were also recorded. RESULTS: A total of 150 patients (69.3 % women and 30.7 % men, mean age 47.3 ± 14.7 years) were included (n = 50 in each group). A faster onset of action was observed in the xyloglucan group compared with the diosmectite and S. bouliardii groups. At 6 h xyloglucan produced a statistically significant higher decrease in the mean number of type 6 and 7 stools compared with diosmectite (p = 0.031). Xyloglucan was the most efficient treatment in reducing the percentage of patients with nausea throughout the study period, particularly during the first hours (from 26 % at baseline to 4 % after 6 and 12 h). An important improvement of vomiting was observed in all three treatment groups. Xyloglucan was more effective than diosmectite and S. bouliardii in reducing abdominal pain, with a constant improvement observed throughout the study. The clinical evolution of flatulence followed similar patterns in the three groups, with continuous improvement of the symptom. All treatments were well tolerated, without reported adverse events. CONCLUSIONS: Xyloglucan is a fast, efficacious and safe option for the treatment of acute diarrhea. TRIAL REGISTRATION: EudraCT number 2014-001814-24 (date: 2014-04-28) ISRCTN number: 90311828.