User:Adonaldson66/sandbox

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This is place to practice clicking the "edit" button and practice adding references (via the citation button). Please see Help:My_sandbox or contact User_talk:JenOttawa with any questions.

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 * Note: Please use your sandbox to submit assignment # 3 by pasting it below. When uploading your improvements to the article talk page please share your exact proposed edit (not the full assignment 3).


 * Talk Page Template: CARL Medical Editing Initiative/Fall 2019/Talk Page Template

Giant Cell Arteritis

Assignment # 2
I am focussing on adding information about prednisone treatment side effects to the article.

How you searched for a source (search strategy – where you went to find it).

I used the PubMed database, applying the filters of “human” and “review article.” I searched using the terms “side effects of glucocorticoids.” Many of the articles that came up focused on long-term side effects, so I did a subsequent search using the terms “short-term side effects of glucocorticoids.”

What potential sources were identified and considered (give examples of 1 or 2).

Regarding long-term side effects:

Oray, M., Samra, K. A., Ebrahimiadib, N., Meese, H., & Foster, C. S. (2016). Long-term side effects of glucocorticoids. Expert Opinion on Drug Safety, 15(4), 457–465. doi: 10.1517/14740338.2016.1140743

Regarding short-term side effects:

Youssef, J., Novosad, S. A., & Winthrop, K. L. (2016). Infection Risk and Safety of Corticosteroid Use. Rheumatic Disease Clinics of North America, 42(1), 157–176. doi: 10.1016/j.rdc.2015.08.004

Why the source was chosen (what made it better than other choices).

Both of the sources I chose are review articles, meaning they utilise data from numerous sources, decreasing the effects of bias. Additionally, these articles both examined a wide variety of side effects associated with steroid use rather than narrowing in on a specific adverse effect. Between the two articles, a vast array of side effects are covered.

List at least three reasons why the source that was selected meets Wikipedia’s reliable medical sources (MEDRS) criteria.

1. Both articles are review papers, therefore they are secondary sources.

2. Both articles come from peer-reviewed, non-predatory journals.

3. Both articles were published in the last 3 years, so they are quite current.

How do you plan to use the source for improving the article?

I plan to use the information in these sources to add a sentence or two about the potential side effects of corticosteroid use (since prednisone is the most commonly used treatment for giant cell arteritis). For patients using this page to help understand their condition, understanding the potential side effects of their treatment would be beneficial.

Assignment # 3
 Giant Cell Arteritis 

I am focusing on adding information about prednisone treatment side effects to the article.

 Rationale : I plan to add two sentences about the potential side effects of corticosteroid use (since prednisone is the most commonly used treatment for giant cell arteritis). For patients using this page to help understand their condition, understanding the potential side effects of their treatment would be beneficial. I plan to insert these sentences into the "Treatment" section (after the sentence ending with "benefit over oral steroids"). This is a great choice for editing. Side effects from prednisone are the major cause of problems that occur with these patients. If a patient read this before going to their physician, they would not be shocked to hear all the side effects.

 Ambiguity : Possible ambiguity/controversy could arise due to the side-effects that were chosen to be mentioned in the edits. Prednisone can have numerous side-effects and it would be unreasonable to include an exhaustive list. These side-effects were chosen because they were most commonly mentioned in the literature and were discussed in the articles cited. This is correct. There are so many side effects. It would be challenging to list them all, without actually causing distress. Good that you chose a few, and stated that these were the most common.

 Validity : The cited sources are review articles, which decreases their susceptibility to bias. A potential threat to validity would be that the articles may not have included all potential sources in their review. Richards only used Medline as a database from which to select articles for review. Evidence from Youssef et al has high external validity; they included both randomized controlled trials and observational studies in their review, and used sources published in many different countries and languages. Oray et al provided a very extensive review of the long-term side effects of glucocorticoid use, but only reviewed English-language publications, which could introduce bias. All that being said, the information utilized in the proposed edits arises from reliable secondary sources and has relatively strong validity. Great description of sources.

 References :

*note to Dr. Joneja - I added a third reference for completeness, as it specifically focused on short-term side effects (the original source I used for short-term was actually broader, including short- and long-term effects)

Oray, M., Samra, K. A., Ebrahimiadib, N., Meese, H., & Foster, C. S. (2016). Long-term side effects of glucocorticoids. Expert Opinion on Drug Safety, 15(4), 457–465. doi: 10.1517/14740338.2016.1140743

Richards, R. N. (2008). Side Effects of Short-Term Oral Corticosteroids. Journal of Cutaneous Medicine and Surgery, 12(2), 77–81. https://doi.org/10.2310/7750.2008.07029

Youssef, J., Novosad, S. A., & Winthrop, K. L. (2016). Infection Risk and Safety of Corticosteroid Use. Rheumatic Disease Clinics of North America, 42(1), 157–176. doi: 10.1016/j.rdc.2015.08.004

 PROPOSED EDITS: 

Short-term side effects of prednisone use are uncommon but can include mood changes, avascular necrosis, and an increased risk of infection. Some of the side effects associated with long-term use include weight gain, diabetes mellitus, osteoporosis, avascular necrosis, glaucoma, cataracts, cardiovascular disease, and an increased risk of infection. Should read increased risk of infection, instead of increased risk on infection. The second sentence is good in that it includes all common side effects, but it is not necessary to have the the last phrase 'but side-effects in most organ systems can occur as that is repetitive. I would take that out. Good use of wiki links. Is there a link for avascular necrosis?