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While the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic continues to present global challenges, sufficient time has passed to reflect on lessons learned and use those insights to inform policy and approaches to prepare for the next pandemic. In May 2022, the Duke Clinical Research Institute convened a think tank with thought leaders from academia, clinical practice, the pharmaceutical industry, patient advocacy, the National Institutes of Health, the US Food and Drug Administration, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to share, firsthand, expert knowledge of the insights gained from the COVID-19 pandemic and how this acquired knowledge can help inform the next pandemic response. The think tank focused on pandemic preparedness, therapeutics, vaccines, and challenges related to clinical trial design and scale-up during the early phase of a pandemic. Based on the multi-faceted discussions, we outline 10 key steps to an improved and equitable pandemic response. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the implementation of the new Data Management and Sharing (DMS) Policy by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in January 2023. Topics discussed include the profound impact of this shift on clinical research, citing examples from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute's successful data-sharing initiatives, and the broader trend of data sharing in both the public and private sectors.

The current COVID-19 outbreak has led to global efforts to care for those affected, contain the current outbreak, and develop vaccines and therapeutic approaches to prevent and treat COVID-19. In [...]

Finasteride therapy may reduce the need for prostate surgery and the risk of acute urinary retention in men with enlarged prostate glands. Researchers treated 3,040 men for four years with finasteride or placebo, and monitored urinary symptoms, complications, and the need for surgical treatment. During the study, 10% of men taking the placebo required prostate surgery, compared to 5% of men taking finasteride. An inability to urinate developed in 7% of men taking the placebo and 3% of men taking the drug. Finasteride therapy caused the prostate to shrink and increased the flow of urine.

As medical research moves toward the more open approach to data sharing from which physics, astronomy, and genetics currently benefit, the YODA Project offers one of several pioneering data-sharing mechanisms that are already in use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study, which investigated patient perception of the importance of negative effects of androgenetic alopecia (AGA) in women. Despite the prevalence of AGA and the acceptance of its associated psychological factors in women, few studies have directly queried women about which specific aspects of their lives are affected by hair thinning and the relative importance of such effects. Perceptions of such negative effects can influence patient satisfaction, health-related quality of life and the impetus to seek medical attention for hair loss. Most of the literature about the psychosocial impact of AGA has focused on men. The hair loss pattern in women typically differs from that found in men and is characterized by diffuse decrease in the density of the hair over the top of the scalp. In addition, the psychosocial impact of AGA may be more pronounced in women than in men, partially because of societal pressure for physical attractiveness, the greater psychological investment of women in their appearance, and the lower prevalence in women and, hence, the impression of deviating from normal.

The article discusses the authors' claim that additional physician engagement is required in order to manage conflicts of interest (COIs) involving industry-sponsored clinical research in America, and it mentions how real and perceived COIs can impact patient and physician trust in the research and development of drugs and medical devices. The U.S. Bayh-Dole Act and the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) group's Principles on Conduct of Clinical Trials are assessed.

The article discusses the notion of a learning health system. Topics include the role of data acquisition and curation in health systems, impediments to the sharing of health data, and the selection of data-sharing tools and platforms that encourage the sharing of health information throughout a healthcare system.

: ObjectivesTo summarize the 6-year clinical trial data with finasteride. Benign prostatic hyperplasia is a chronic and progressive disease and therefore assessment of long-term safety and efficacy is important.: MethodsThe North American and International Phase III Finasteride trials enrolled symptomatic men with enlarged prostate glands. The initial 1-year placebo-controlled study was followed by a 5-year open-label extension. In total, 6-year finasteride data were available in 487 patients originally randomized to finasteride, and 5-year data were available on 238 patients originally randomized to placebo.: ResultsAfter 6 years of treatment with finasteride 5 mg, the mean quasi-American Urological Association Symptom Score improved by 4.0 points, the median prostate volume decreased by 24%, and the mean maximal urinary flow rate increased by 2.9 mL/s (P <0.001 for all parameters). Long-term finasteride treatment was well tolerated, with a low incidence of drug-related sexual adverse events occurring during the first year and even fewer occurrences during the 5-year open extension.: ConclusionsTreatment with finasteride leads to durable improvement in urinary tract symptoms, flow rate, and prostate volume, with no increase in the prevalence of drug-related adverse events over time. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

: ObjectivesTo evaluate the incidence and resolution of sexual adverse experiences (AEs) in men with benign prostatic hyperplasia treated with finasteride 5 mg compared with placebo.: MethodsThe Proscar Long-term Efficacy and Safety Study (PLESS) was a 4-year, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial assessing the efficacy and safety of finasteride 5 mg in 3040 men, aged 45 to 78 years, with symptomatic benign prostatic hyperplasia, enlarged prostates, and no evidence of prostate cancer. Patients completed a questionnaire at screening regarding their history of sexual dysfunction. During treatment, spontaneously self-reported sexual AEs were recorded.: ResultsAt screening, 46% of patients in each treatment group reported some history of sexual dysfunction. During year 1 of the study, 15% of finasteride-treated patients and 7% of placebo-treated patients had sexual AEs that were considered drug related by the investigator (P <0.001). During years 2 to 4, no between-group difference was noted in the incidence of new sexual AEs (7% in each group). The drug-related sexual AE profile for finasteride was similar for men with or without a history of sexual dysfunction. Sexual AEs resolved while continuing therapy in 12% of finasteride patients and 19% of placebo patients. Only 4% of finasteride and 2% of placebo patients discontinued the study because of sexual AEs. In men who discontinued with a sexual AE, 50% and 41% experienced resolution of their sexual AE after discontinuing finasteride or placebo therapy, respectively.: ConclusionsCompared with placebo, men treated with finasteride experienced new drug-related sexual AEs with an increased incidence only during the first year of therapy. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Objectives: To assess the utility of voiding and filling symptom subscores in predicting features of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) progression, including acute urinary retention (AUR) and prostate surgery.Methods: The Proscar Long-term Efficacy and Safety Study (PLESS) was a 4-year study designed to evaluate the effects of finasteride versus placebo in men with lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS), clinical evidence of BPH, and no evidence of prostate cancer. A self-administered questionnaire was employed to quantify LUTS at baseline. Receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curves were used to assess baseline characteristics from patients treated with placebo as predictors of outcomes. The characteristics assessed included the overall symptom score (Quasi-AUA SI), separate voiding and filling subscores, prostate volume (PV) and serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels.Results: PV and PSA were superior to the symptom scores at predicting episodes of spontaneous AUR and all types of AUR. The Quasi-AUA SI and the filling and voiding subscores were effective at predicting progression to surgery; however, PSA was more effective at predicting this outcome. To better evaluate symptoms as predictors of surgery, patients who experienced a preceding episode of AUR were excluded from the surgery analysis. In the absence of preceding AUR, the best predictors of future surgery were the Quasi-AUA SI and the filling subscore.Conclusions: Among men with LUTS, clinical BPH and no history of AUR, the overall symptom score and storage subscore are useful parameters to aid clinicians in identifying patients at risk for future prostate surgery. PV and PSA were the best predictors of AUR, while PSA was the best predictor of prostate surgery (for all indications). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]