Research Paper of the Year finalists' showcase

Category sponsored by:

The AQUAMAT Trial Group, MORU, Mahidol University, Thailand
See entry

Dondorp AM, Fanello CI, Hendriksen ICE, Gomes E, Seni A, Chhaganlal KD, et al, for the AQUAMAT group. Artesunate versus quinine in the treatment of severe falciparum malaria in African children (AQUAMAT): an open-label, randomised trial. Lancet 2010;376:1647-57.

Arjen Dondorp and colleagues’ trial found that parenteral artesunate led to significantly lower mortality than parenteral quinine in children in hospitals in nine African countries. The relative reduction in mortality was 22·5% and the overall number needed to treat to prevent one death was 41.

CRASH-2 trial collaborators, Clinical Trials Unit, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, UK
See entry

CRASH-2 trial collaborators, Shakur H, Roberts R, Bautista R, Caballero J, Coats T, et al. Effects of tranexamic acid on death, vascular occlusive events, and blood transfusion in trauma patients with significant haemorrhage (CRASH-2): a randomised, placebo-controlled trial. Lancet 2010;376:23-32.

Haleema Shakur and collaborators compared infused tranexamic acid against placebo among more than 20000 recently injured patients in 40 countries who had major bleeding or were at risk of it. The drug significantly reduced both the overall mortality in hospital over the next month and deaths owing to bleeding.

 UK Flexible Sigmoidoscopy Trial Investigators, Department of Surgery and Cancer, Imperial College London, UK
See entry

Atkin WS, Edwards R, Kralj-Hans I, Wooldrage K, Hart AR, Northover JMA, et al, for the UK Flexible Sigmoidoscopy Trial Investigators. Once-only flexible sigmoidoscopy screening in prevention of colorectal cancer: a multicentre randomised controlled trial. Lancet 2010;375:1624-33.

Wendy Atkin and colleagues investigated whether a one-off flexible sigmoidoscopy could be a cost-effective and acceptable method of population screening for colorectal cancer. Their trial randomised more than 170000 men and women aged 55-64 years to an offer of flexible sigmoidoscopy screening or to no invitation. After 11 years the incidence of colorectal cancer was reduced by 33% and related mortality by more than 40% in those in the screening group.