Psychometric properties of the World Health Organization's Quality of Life (WHOQOL-BREF) questionnaire in Serbian medical students

Psychometric properties of the World Health Organization's Quality of Life (WHOQOL-BREF) questionnaire in Serbian medical students  </p

Malignant lymphatic and hematopoietic neoplasms (according to ICD-10: codes C 81–96).

<p>Age-standardized mortality rates, per 100 000 inhabitants, using World standard population (marked with diamonds). Based on the results of joinpoint regression analysis, one corresponding joinpoint and two trends (marked with two lines) had been identified for the overall mortality trend in Serbia 1991–2010. Annual Percentage Changes (APC) are given. * <i>p</i><0.05.</p

Malignant lymphatic and hematopoietic neoplasms mortality in Serbia, excluding the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohia, in the period 1991–2010, by gender: Number of cases, crude rate, and age standardized rate.

<p>ASR – Age Standardized Rate (per 100 000, using World standard population).</p><p>Malignant lymphatic and hematopoietic neoplasms mortality in Serbia, excluding the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohia, in the period 1991–2010, by gender: Number of cases, crude rate, and age standardized rate.</p

Joinpoint regression analysis^* (of age-specific and age-standardized rates) of malignant lymphatic and hematopoietic neoplasms mortality rates per 100,000 persons in Serbia, excluding the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohia, by type and age, in 1991–2010 period.

<p>* Joinpoint is significantly different from zero at alpha = 0.05;</p>†<p> ASR – Age Standardized Rate (per 100 000, using World standard population);</p>‡<p> Average Annual Percent Change;</p>§<p> CI − Confidence Interval;</p>**<p> Joinpoint results are not shown for this age subgroup, since there were less than 5 cases in any given year.</p><p> Abbreviations: HL (Hodgkin's lymphoma), NHL (Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma), MM (Multiple myeloma), LL (Lymphoid leukemia), ML (Myeloid leukemia).</p>††<p> Three joinpoints, for HL trend in overall: Trend 1 (1991–1993): annual percent change (APC) (95% CI) = +19.7 (−2.1 to 46.4); Trend 2 (1993–1999): APC (95% CI) = −9.3* (−13.3 to −5.1); Trend 3 (1999–2002): (APC) (95% CI) = +12.2 (−8.2 to 37.2); Trend 4 (2002–2010): (APC) (95% CI) = −3.4* (−5.5 to −1.2).</p>‡‡<p> One joinpoint, for leukemia trend in overall: Trend 1 (1991–1998): (APC) (95% CI) = −2.2 (−4.4 to 0.1); Trend 2 (1998–2010): APC (95% CI) = +1.3* (0.3 to 2.3).</p>§§<p> One joinpoint, for ML trend in overall: Trend 1 (1991–1999): (APC) (95% CI) = −3.1* (−6.0 to −0.1); Trend 2 (1999–2010): APC (95% CI) = +4.9* (2.9 to 6.9).</p>†‡<p> One joinpoint, for NHL trend in 70+ years old persons: Trend 1 (1991–1995): (APC) (95% CI) = −9.7 (−22.5 to 5.2); Trend 2 (1995–2010): APC (95% CI) = +7.3* (5.1 to 9.5).</p>†§<p> Two joinpoints, for all leukemia trend in 70+ years old persons: Trend 1 (1991–1993): annual percent change (APC) (95% CI) = −29.9 (−57.0 to 14.5); Trend 2 (1993–1996): APC (95% CI) = +25.9 (−22.9 to 105.6); Trend 3 (1996–2010): (APC) (95% CI) = −0.3 (−2.6 to 2.0).</p>‡§<p> One joinpoint, for LL trend in 70+ years old persons: Trend 1 (1991–1996): (APC) (95% CI) = −4.5 (−11.1 to 2.6); Trend 2 (1996–2010): APC (95% CI) = +4.3* (2.8 to 5.9).</p>§†<p> One joinpoint, for ML trend in 60–69 years old persons: Trend 1 (1991–2000): (APC) (95% CI) = −3.0 (−6.0 to 0.2); Trend 2 (2000–2010): APC (95% CI) = +7.6* (4.6 to 10.6).</p><p>Joinpoint regression analysis^{<a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0109379#nt111" target="_blank">*</a>} (of age-specific and age-standardized rates) of malignant lymphatic and hematopoietic neoplasms mortality rates per 100,000 persons in Serbia, excluding the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohia, by type and age, in 1991–2010 period.</p

Joinpoint regression analysis of malignant lymphatic and hematopoietic neoplasms mortality in Serbia, excluding the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohia, by sex and age, in 1991–2010 period.

<p>* Joinpoint is significantly different from zero at alpha = 0.05;</p>†<p> Average Annual Percent Change;</p>‡<p> CI − Confidence Interval.</p>§<p> Two joinpoints, for trend in 45–59 years old males: Trend 1 (1991–1993): annual percent change (APC) (95% CI) = +17.0 (−6.3 to 46.1); Trend 2 (1993–1998): APC (95% CI) = −7.2* (−13.5 to −0.4); Trend 3 (1998–2010): (APC) (95% CI) = +3.2* (1.9 to 4.6).</p><p>** One joinpoint, for trend in 60–69 years old males: Trend 1 (1991–1997): (APC) (95% CI) = −3.5* (−6.7 to −0.2); Trend 2 (1997–2010): APC (95% CI) = +3.5* (2.5 to 4.6).</p>††<p> One joinpoint, for trend in all males: Trend 1 (1991–1998): (APC) (95% CI) = −2.7* (−4.0 to −1.4); Trend 2 (1998–2010): APC (95% CI) = +2.4* (1.8 to 3.1).</p>‡‡<p> Three joinpoints, for trend in 15–44 years old females: Trend 1 (1991–1994): annual percent change (APC) (95% CI) = +4.8 (−8.5 to 20.0); Trend 2 (1994–1999): APC (95% CI) = −8.1 (−15.6 to 0.1); Trend 3 (1999–2003): (APC) (95% CI) = +10.1 (−3.8 to 26.0); Trend 4 (2003–2010): (APC) (95% CI) = −4.3* (−7.7 to −0.8).</p>§§<p> One joinpoint, for trend in 70+ years old females: Trend 1 (1991–1993): (APC) (95% CI) = −16.8 (−40.3 to 16.0); Trend 2 (1993–2010): APC (95% CI) = +4.6* (3.4 to 5.8).</p>†‡<p> One joinpoint, for trend in all females: Trend 1 (1991–1998): (APC) (95% CI) = −1.3 (−3.3 to 0.8); Trend 2 (1998–2010): APC (95% CI) = +1.8* (0.9 to 2.8).</p><p>Joinpoint regression analysis of malignant lymphatic and hematopoietic neoplasms mortality in Serbia, excluding the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohia, by sex and age, in 1991–2010 period.</p

Characteristics of included clinical trials.

Characteristics of included clinical trials.</p

Funnel plot for publication bias assessment regarding overall survival.

Abbreviation: SE = Standard Error.</p

Bevacizumab Combined with Chemotherapy Improves Survival for Patients with Metastatic Colorectal Cancer: Evidence from Meta Analysis

<div><p>Background</p><p>Colorectal cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer deaths in both sexes in the world. Improvement of existing therapy modalities and implementing new ones in order to improve survival of patients with colorectal cancer represents a great challenge for medicine. The aim of this paper was to assess the impact that adding bevacizumab to chemotherapy has on survival in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer, compared to the use of chemotherapy alone.</p><p>Methods</p><p>Hazard ratios (HRs) with their 95% confidence intervals (CI) were determined from the studies and pooled. Two-sided <i>p</i> values were reported and considered to indicate statistical significance if less than 0.05.</p><p>Results</p><p>A total of 12 studies that meet the inclusion criteria were identified in the literature search, 3 phase II studies and 9 phase III studies. Based on the random effects meta-analysis, a statistically significant improvement was identified for both overall survival (HR = 0.84; 95% CI: 0.74–0.94; <i>p</i> = 0.003) and progression free survival (HR = 0.64; 95% CI: 0.55–0.73; <i>p</i><0.00001) in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer when bevacizumab was added to chemotherapy, compared to chemotherapy treatment alone.</p><p>Conclusion</p><p>The findings of this meta analysis confirm the benefit of adding bevacizumab to chemotherapy in terms of survival and progression free survival, but the magnitude of this effect is not consistent throughout the included studies. This suggests the need for further research of interaction of bevacizumab with chemotherapeutic agents as well as recognition of patients’ characteristics important for the treatment selection criteria.</p></div

Meta-analysis of overall survival data by chemotherapy regimen.

<p>Abbreviations: SE = Standard Error; 95% CI = 95% Confidence Interval; Chi² = Chi-squared test; df = degree of freedom; Tau² = Tau-squared; I² = I- squared; P = Probability.</p

Meta-analysis of overall survival data by trial phase.

<p>Abbreviations: SE = Standard Error; 95% CI = 95% Confidence Interval; Chi² = Chi-squared test; df = degree of freedom; Tau² = Tau-squared; I² = I- squared; P = Probability.</p