***TASK*** the task is to summarize an input biomedical literature in six sentences 
    ***INPUT*** the input is a biomedical literature 
    ***OUTPUT*** the output is the summary of an input biomedical literature in six sentences 
    ***DOCUMENTATION*** 
    ***EXAMPLES*** 
    Input: INTRODUCTION Lack of r and omized controlled trials ( RCTs ) that compare pure laparoscopic radical prostatectomy ( LRP ) with robot-assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomy ( RALRP ) is an important gap of the literature related to the surgical treatment of the clinical ly localized prostate cancer ( PCa ) . AIM To provide the first prospect i ve r and omized comparison on the functional and oncological outcomes of LRP and RALRP for the treatment of the clinical ly localized PCa . METHODS Between 2007 and 2008 , 128 consecutive male patients were r and omized in two groups and treated by a single experienced surgeon with traditional LRP ( Group I-64 patients ) or RALRP ( Group II-64 patients ) in all cases with intent of bilateral intrafascial nerve sparing . MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Primary end point was to compare the 12 months erectile function ( EF ) outcomes . Complication rates , continence outcomes , and oncological results were also compared . The sample size of our study was able , with an adequate power ( 1-beta > 0.90 ) , to recognize as significant large differences ( above 0.30 ) between incidence proportions of considered outcomes . RESULTS No statistically significant differences were observed for operating time , estimated blood loss , transfusion rate , complications , rates of positive surgical margins , rates of biochemical recurrence , continence , and time to continence . However , the 12-month evaluation of capability for intercourse ( with or without phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors ) showed a clear and significant advantage of RALRP ( 32 % vs. 77 % , P < 0.0001 ) . Time to capability for intercourse was significantly shorter for RALRP . Rates of return to baseline International Index of Erectile Function ( IIEF-6 ) EF domain score question naires ( questions 1 - 5 and 15 ) ( 25 % vs. 58 % ) and to IIEF-6 > 17 ( 38 % vs. 63 % ) were also significantly higher for RALRP ( P = 0.0002 and P = 0.008 , respectively ) . CONCLUSIONS Our study offers the first high-level evidence that RALRP provides significantly better EF recovery than LRP without hindering the oncologic radicality of the procedure . Larger RCTs are needed to confirm if a new gold-st and ard treatment in the field of RP has risen Purpose : We sought to compare directly elicited valuations for EQ-5D health states between the US and UK general adult population s. Methods : We analyzed data from 2 EQ-5D valuation studies where , using similar time trade-off protocol s , values for 42 common health states were elicited from representative sample s of the US and UK general adult population s. First , US and UK population mean valuations were estimated and compared for each health state . Second , r and om-effect models were used to compare the US and UK valuations while adjusting for known predictors of EQ-5D valuations ( ie , age , sex , health state descriptors ) and to investigate whether and how the valuations differ . Results :  Population mean valuations of the 42 health states ranged from −0.38 to 0.88 for the United States and from −0.54 to 0.88 for the United Kingdom , with the US mean scores being numerically higher than the UK for 39 health states ( mean difference : 0.11 ; range : −0.01 to 0.25 ) . After adjusting for the main effects of known predictors , the average difference in valuations was 0.10 ( P < 0.001 ) . The magnitude of the difference in the US and UK valuations was not constant across EQ-5D health states ; greater differences in valuations were present in health states characterized by extreme problems . Conclusions : Meaningful differences exist in directly elicited TTO valuations of EQ-5D health states between the US and UK general population s. Therefore , EQ-5D index scores generated using valuations from the US general population should be used for studies aim ing to reflect health state preferences of the US general public BACKGROUND Mitoxantrone-based chemotherapy palliates pain without extending survival in men with progressive and rogen-independent prostate cancer . We compared docetaxel plus estramustine with mitoxantrone plus prednisone in men with metastatic , hormone-independent prostate cancer . METHODS We r and omly assigned 770 men to one of two treatments , each given in 21-day cycles : 280 mg of estramustine three times daily on days 1 through 5 , 60 mg of docetaxel per square meter of body-surface area on day 2 , and 60 mg of dexamethasone in three divided doses before docetaxel , or 12 mg of mitoxantrone per square meter on day 1 plus 5 mg of prednisone twice daily . The primary end point was overall survival ; secondary end points were progression-free survival , objective response rates , and post-treatment declines of at least 50 percent in serum prostate-specific antigen ( PSA ) levels . RESULTS Of 674 eligible patients , 338 were assigned to receive docetaxel and estramustine and 336 to receive mitoxantrone and prednisone . In an intention-to-treat analysis , the median overall survival was longer in the group given docetaxel and estramustine than in the group given mitoxantrone and prednisone ( 17.5 months vs. 15.6 months , P=0.02 by the log-rank test ) , and the corresponding hazard ratio for death was 0.80 ( 95 percent confidence interval , 0.67 to 0.97 ) . The median time to progression was 6.3 months in the group given docetaxel and estramustine and 3.2 months in the group given mitoxantrone and prednisone ( P<0.001 by the log-rank test ) . PSA declines of at least 50 percent occurred in 50 percent and 27 percent of patients , respectively ( P<0.001 ) , and objective tumor responses were observed in 17 percent and 11 percent of patients with bidimensionally measurable disease , respectively ( P=0.30 ) . Grade 3 or 4 neutropenic fevers ( P=0.01 ) , nausea and vomiting ( P<0.001 ) , and cardiovascular events ( P=0.001 ) were more common among patients receiving docetaxel and estramustine than among those receiving mitoxantrone and prednisone .  Pain relief was similar in both groups . CONCLUSIONS The improvement in median survival of nearly two months with docetaxel and estramustine , as compared with mitoxantrone and prednisone , provides support for this approach in men with metastatic , and rogen-independent prostate cancer Background and Purpose — Oral anticoagulants are effective at reducing stroke compared with aspirin in atrial fibrillation patients older than 75 years . Although the benefits of reduced stroke risk outweigh the risks of bleeding , the cost effectiveness of warfarin in this patient population has not yet been established . Methods — An economic evaluation was conducted alongside a r and omized , controlled trial ; 973 patients ≥75 years of age with atrial fibrillation were recruited from primary care and r and omly assigned to either take warfarin or aspirin . Follow-up was for a mean of 2.7 years . Costs of thrombotic and hemorrhagic events , anticoagulation clinic visits , and primary care utilization were determined . Clinical benefits were expressed in terms of a primary event avoided : fatal/nonfatal disabling stroke , intracranial hemorrhage , or systemic embolism . A cost-utility analysis was performed using quality -adjusted life years as the benefit measure . Results — Total costs over 4 years were lower in the warfarin group ( difference , −£165 ; 95 % CI , −£452–£89 ) , primarily driven by the difference in primary event costs . The primary event rate over 4 years was lower in the warfarin group ( 0.049 versus 0.099 ) , and the quality -adjusted life years score was higher ( difference , 0.02 ; 95 % CI , −0.07–0.11 ) . With lower costs and a higher quality -adjusted life years score , warfarin is the dominant treatment , but the differences in both costs and effects are small . Conclusions — Warfarin is cost-effective compared with aspirin in atrial fibrillation patients age ≥75 years . These data support the anticoagulant therapy option in this high-risk patient population . However , the small differences in costs and effects indicate the importance of exploring patient preferences Aims /hypothesisThe aim of this study was to develop a simulation model for Type 2 diabetes that can be used to estimate the likely occurrence of major diabetes-related complications over a lifetime , in order to calculate health economic outcomes such as quality -adjusted life expectancy . Methods Equations for forecasting the occurrence of seven diabetes-related complications and death were estimated using data on 3642 patients from the United Kingdom Prospect i ve Diabetes Study ( UKPDS ) . After examining the internal validity , the UKPDS Outcomes Model was used to simulate the mean difference in expected quality -adjusted life years between the UKPDS regimens of intensive and conventional blood glucose control . Results The model ’s forecasts fell within the 95 % confidence interval for the occurrence of observed events during the UKPDS follow-up period . When the model was used to simulate event history over patients ’ lifetimes , those treated with a regimen of conventional glucose control could expect 16.35 undiscounted quality -adjusted life years , and those receiving treatment with intensive glucose control could expect 16.62 quality -adjusted life years , a difference of 0.27 ( 95 % CI : −0.48 to 1.03 ) . Conclusions /interpretationsThe UKPDS Outcomes Model is able to simulate event histories that closely match observed outcomes in the UKPDS and that can be extrapolated over patients ’ lifetimes . Its validity in estimating outcomes in other groups of patients , however , remains to be evaluated . The model allows simulation of a range of long-term outcomes , which should assist in informing future economic evaluations of interventions in Type 2 diabetes To evaluate the efficacy and safety of degarelix , a new gonadotrophin‐releasing hormone ( GnRH ) antagonist ( blocker ) , vs leuprolide for achieving and maintaining testosterone suppression in a 1‐year phase III trial involving patients with prostate cancer The data for medical decision analyses are often unreliable . Traditional sensitivity analysis --varying one or more probability or utility estimates from baseline values to see if the optimal strategy changes -- is cumbersome if more than two values are allowed to vary concurrently . This paper describes a practical method for probabilistic sensitivity analysis , in which uncertainties in all values are considered simultaneously . The uncertainty in each probability and utility is assumed to possess a probability distribution . For ease of application we have used a parametric model that permits each distribution to be specified by two values : the baseline estimate and a bound ( upper or lower ) of the 95 percent confidence interval . Following multiple simulations of the decision tree in which each probability and utility is r and omly assigned a value within its distribution , the following results are recorded : ( a ) the mean and st and ard deviation of the expected utility of each strategy ; ( b ) the frequency with which each strategy is optimal ; ( c ) the frequency with which each strategy " buys " or " costs " a specified amount of utility relative to the remaining strategies . As illustrated by an application to a previously published decision analysis , this technique is easy to use and can be a valuable addition to the armamentarium of the decision analyst Background —The AFFIRM Study showed that treatment of patients with atrial fibrillation and a high risk for stroke or death with a rhythm-control strategy offered no survival advantage over a rate-control strategy in an intention-to-treat analysis . This article reports an “ on-treatment ” analysis of the relationship of survival to cardiac rhythm and treatment as they changed over time . Methods and Results —Modeling techniques were used to determine the relationships among survival , baseline clinical variables , and time-dependent variables . The following baseline variables were significantly associated with an increased risk of death : increasing age , coronary artery disease , congestive heart failure , diabetes , stroke or transient ischemic attack , smoking , left ventricular dysfunction , and mitral regurgitation . Among the time-dependent variables , the presence of sinus rhythm ( SR ) was associated with a lower risk of death , as was warfarin use . Antiarrhythmic drugs ( AADs ) were associated with increased mortality only after adjustment for the presence of SR . Consistent with the original intention-to-treat analysis , AADs were no longer associated with mortality when SR was removed from the model . Conclusions —Warfarin use improves survival . SR is either an important determinant of survival or a marker for other factors associated with survival that were not recorded , determined , or included in the survival model . Currently available AADs are not associated with improved survival , which suggests that any beneficial antiarrhythmic effects of AADs are offset by their adverse effects . If an effective method for maintaining SR with fewer adverse effects were available , it might be beneficial To determine the relative yields of Holter monitoring ( HM ) , memory loop recording ( MLR ) , and autotriggered MLR ( AT-MLR ) , we retrospectively interrogated the very large data base of Lifewatch ( a Card Guard company and a commercial monitoring company ) and compared the results obtained by each method . From among a total data base of approximately 100,000 patients , records of 1,800 patients from 2003 were r and omly selected and examined , 600 from each of the 3 different monitoring groups . Each session of MLR and AT-MLR was applied for 30 days . For each patient we determined the symptomatic and asymptomatic events that were documented , including those that met predefined immediate physician notification criteria and the time 
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The modelled results suggested ' economic priorities ' for an up date that differed from priorities expressed in the stakeholder survey .
Discrete event simulation can be used to model full guideline pathways for CEA , although this requires a substantial investment of clinical and analytic time and expertise .
For some topics lack of data may limit the potential for modelling .
There are also uncertainties over the accessibility and adaptability of full guideline models .
However , full guideline modelling offers the potential to strengthen and extend the analytical basis of NICE 's CGs .