COMPARISION OF TWO ARTICLES

Comparison of Two Articles

Contents

Introduction2

Discussion3

Literature Review3

Systematic Approach towards Paper Selection4

Overview of the Selected Articles5

First Research5

Second Research5

Critical Summary6

First Research6

Second Research6

Background of Previous Testing and Nature of Disease Progression7

Patho-physiology of Retinopathy in Diabetes7

Appraisal of Methodology8

First Research8

Second Research8

Research Credibility9

Synthesis on Finding10

Reflection on My Practice12

Conclusion13

References14

Comparison of Two Articles

Introduction

According to ever- advancing scientific methodology and research processes the proclaimed value of critical appraisal and analysis in Ophthalmology and related fields are mandatory for medical practitioners in order to judge the authenticity of provided conclusions. The term 'Critical Appraisal' is characterized by the process of systematically examining the worth, value and relevance of specific research field. It has been an important aspect for 'Evidence-Based medicine' which includes analyzing actions, patterns, literature related queries, evaluation of outcomes in unbiased terms.

The two researches under considerations are related to the Ophthalmological phenomenon of Patho-Physiological effects of a drug named “Ranibizumab” or “Lucentis”, on Macular edema in diabetic patients. First research work selected for this assignment includes the study that was carried out for a span of 3 years for months ranging from 24 and 36 in randomized control clinical trial. On the other hand, the second selected research includes additional studies of induction of Ranibizumab intravitreally with “on time” and “postponed” assessment for laser treatments for 3 years observation for 24 weeks.

I have selected these researches due to my professional affiliation with the field of ophthalmology because I am a nurse. I wanted to study and evaluate the effects of Ranibizumab in control study groups in order to learn and forecast the physiological effects of the drug in macular degeneration because this medicine may be of value in future pathologies related to ophthalmology.

Ever increasing tendencies in elderly people for seeking treatments related to visual insufficiencies led to the start of a new array of drugs. I found these research studies on official web-sites of “American Academy of Ophthalmology” and “JAMA network” respectively. These articles are also accessible from “PubMed.com”. This paper aims in critically evaluating the study based trials in analyzing quantitative and qualitative terms. In addition to this, it also evaluates the scope of study, conduct of trial, utilization of comprehensive tools, systemic validity of data collected and various others on the basis of evidence cited approach (Elman MJ, 2012).

Discussion

Literature Review

Macular edema and associated retinopathy has been a major cause of loss of visual acuity for the past few years. The vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) has been identified as the cause of initiating the accumulation of excessive fluid in the interstitial spaces around macula in retina. VEGF is an inflammatory mediator which crosses the blood-retinal barrier and causes the disruption in normal ion conduction across membranes. In order to improve visual acuity and stabilize vision, state of art techniques like Laser Photocoagulation has been in practice (Do DV, 2013).

Pharmacokinetic and Pharmacodynamic research methods reveal that Ranibizumab is successful in limiting angiogenic activities for a month after intravitreal injections. To inhibit Neovasculization in age related macular degenerations, Ranibizumab is used on monthly ...