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Glucose monitoring technologies for the management of insulin-dependent diabetes

Description

Presents the findings and conclusions of a provincial health technology assessment on the clinical effectiveness and patient perspectives of using glucose monitors to help manage glucose levels in... More ≫

Description

Presents the findings and conclusions of a provincial health technology assessment on the clinical effectiveness and patient perspectives of using glucose monitors to help manage glucose levels in patients with insulin-dependent Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes. The technologies included in this review are self monitoring of blood glucose (e.g., finger sticks), continuous glucose monitors (CGMs), flash glucose monitors (FGMs), closed loop systems (CL), and sensor augmented pumps (SAP).

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Transarterial radioembolization for the treatment of hepatic neoplasia : update of the 2010 STE report

Description

The present report is an update to the November 2010 STE Report: Transarterial Radioembolization for the treatment of Hepatic Neoplasia. The past report assessed the effectiveness of TARE for... More ≫

Description

The present report is an update to the November 2010 STE Report: Transarterial Radioembolization for the treatment of Hepatic Neoplasia. The past report assessed the effectiveness of TARE for onsideration as a publically funded health service in Alberta. This update assesses literature published between February 2010 and March 2012 on the effectiveness of TARE for hepatic neoplasia. The results of this update will provide information on the amount of recent research activity into TARE and changes in TARE’s effectiveness.

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STE report : transarterial radioembolization for the treatment of hepatic neoplasia : final STE report

Description

The report reviews the use of transarterial radioembolization (TARE) for the treatment of primary and secondary hepatic neoplasia for the purpose of considering its potential as a publically... More ≫

Description

The report reviews the use of transarterial radioembolization (TARE) for the treatment of primary and secondary hepatic neoplasia for the purpose of considering its potential as a publically funded health service in Alberta.

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Vitamin D testing : rapid literature review

Description

The clinical utility of testing individuals deemed at average risk for vitamin D deficiency has received the attention of the medical community in recent years. The objectives of this literature... More ≫

Description

The clinical utility of testing individuals deemed at average risk for vitamin D deficiency has received the attention of the medical community in recent years. The objectives of this literature review were: to outline the specific indications for vitamin D testing as reflected in the literature; to identify the number and type of studies for each indication; to review the abstracts of vitamin D randomized controlled trials, systematic reviews and meta-analyses; and to review the Health Technology Assessment reports available.

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Point-of-care testing for oral anticoagulant management with portable prothrombin time systems

Description

Atrial fibrillation, venous thrombosis and thromboembolism are common diseases which require oral anticoagulant therapy (OAT). The current gold-standard method for monitoring the international... More ≫

Description

Atrial fibrillation, venous thrombosis and thromboembolism are common diseases which require oral anticoagulant therapy (OAT). The current gold-standard method for monitoring the international normalized ratio (INR) is laboratory testing of blood obtained by venepuncture. However, patients may find testing to be time consuming and inconvenient. With the development of portable coagulometers it is now possible to measure INR outside the laboratory setting. This review looks at the effectiveness of patient self-management (PSM), patient self-testing (PST) and point-of-care testing (POCT) by health care practitioners using portable coagulometers, compared to conventional laboratory testing.

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Artificial disc arthroplasty (ACDA)

Description

Artificial cervical disc arthroplasty (ACDA) is a surgical procedure that may replace cervical fusion in selected patients suffering from cervical degenerative disc disease. The main outcome of... More ≫

Description

Artificial cervical disc arthroplasty (ACDA) is a surgical procedure that may replace cervical fusion in selected patients suffering from cervical degenerative disc disease. The main outcome of ACDA that sets it apart from fusion is the preservation of the spine mobility. The aim of this report is to review the literature for evidence of effectiveness and safety of the cervical artificial disks approved by Health Canada.

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Hip replacement and resurfacing : current considerations regarding metal-on-metal arthroplasty

Description

This review summarizes the findings of seven recent health technology reviews on metal-on-metal hip resurfacing (M-MHR). Specifically, this review assesses findings pertaining to the appropriate... More ≫

Description

This review summarizes the findings of seven recent health technology reviews on metal-on-metal hip resurfacing (M-MHR). Specifically, this review assesses findings pertaining to the appropriate clinical indications for M-MHR, its safety, efficacy/effectiveness, cost and cost-effectiveness, and patient outcomes of M-MHR.

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Fly ash utilization in bridge works

Description

The primary purpose of this project was to determine the extent to which two fly ashes readily available in Alberta affect the properties of concrete considered for use in bridge works, and... More ≫

Description

The primary purpose of this project was to determine the extent to which two fly ashes readily available in Alberta affect the properties of concrete considered for use in bridge works, and accordingly to establish the conditions under which fly ash can safely be specified in such bridge works. The results confirm many potential advantages of using fly ash in air-entrained concrete, including reduced heat of hydration, the option to increase specified strength or reduce the unit volume cost, or some combination of both, particularly in massive bridge components, along with the prospect of satisfactory freeze-thaw durability under moist salt­-free exposure conditions, increased resistance to chloride ion penetration, and reduced shrinkage potential. Most of these benefits are realized more fully using a superplasticizing admixture instead of a conventional water-reducing admixture. The main concern and limitation associated with fly ash utilization in bridge works is unsatisfactory...

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