Medicine
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Randomized Controlled Trial
The research on long-term clinical effects and patients' satisfaction of gabapentin combined with oxycontin in treatment of severe cancer pain.
Gabapentin has been used as an adjuvant for treatment of cancer pain. Previous studies showed that opioids combined with gabapentin for management of cancer pain reduced the dosage of opioids. The objective of this study was to explore the clinical effect and patients' satisfaction of oxycontin combined with gabapentin in treatment of severe cancer pain. ⋯ Life quality score increased in all of the patients in both group post-treatment (P < 0.05); while life quality score in trail group was greater than in control group 3 months (46.8 ± 4.5 vs 43.5 ± 4.6, P = 0.007) and 6 months (46.5 ± 4.8 vs 41.4 ± 4.3, P < 0.001) post-treatment. The incidence of drowsiness and dizziness was comparable between the 2 groups (P > 0.05), while the incidence of nausea and vomiting (P = 0.038), and constipation (P < 0.001) was higher in the control group. We concluded that oxycontin combined with gabapentin used in severe cancer pain management can control pain effectively, decreased the dose of oxycontin and the cost of cancer pain relief, and reduced the incidence of nausea and vomiting, and constipation, increased the life quality.
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Multicenter Study
Predicting mortality from change-over-time in the Charlson Comorbidity Index: A retrospective cohort study in a data-intensive UK health system.
Multimorbidity is common among older people and presents a major challenge to health systems worldwide. Metrics of multimorbidity are, however, crude: focusing on measuring comorbid conditions at single time-points rather than reflecting the longitudinal and additive nature of chronic conditions. In this paper, we explore longitudinal comorbidity metrics and their value in predicting mortality. ⋯ The model that included gender and time-dependent age, CCI, and CCI change across consecutive time windows had the best fit to the data but equivalent discrimination to the other time-dependent models. The absolute CCI score gave a constant hazard ratio (HR) of around 1.3 per unit increase, while CCI change afforded greater prognostic impact, particularly when it occurred in shorter time windows (maximum HR value for the 3-month time window, with 1.63 and 95% confidence interval 1.59-1.66). Change over time in comorbidity is an important but overlooked predictor of mortality, which should be considered in research and care quality management.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Robot-assisted gait training improves brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity and peak aerobic capacity in subacute stroke patients with totally dependent ambulation: Randomized controlled trial.
Brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) evaluates arterial stiffness and also predicts early outcome in stroke patients. The objectives of this study were to investigate arterial stiffness of subacute nonfunctional ambulatory stroke patients and to compare the effects of robot-assisted gait therapy (RAGT) combined with rehabilitation therapy (RT) on arterial stiffness and functional recovery with those of RT alone. ⋯ Robot-assisted gait therapy combined with conventional rehabilitation therapy represents an effective method for reversing arterial stiffness and improving peak aerobic capacity in subacute stroke patients with totally dependent ambulation. However, further large-scale studies with longer term follow-up periods are warranted to measure the effects of RAGT on secondary prevention after stroke.
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Multicenter Study Observational Study
The influence factors of medical professionalism: A stratified-random sampling study based on the physicians and patients in ambulatory care clinics of Chengdu, China.
As the relationship between physicians and patients deteriorated in China recently, medical conflicts occurred more frequently now. Physicians, to a certain extent, also take some responsibilities. Awareness of medical professionalism and its influence factors can be helpful to take targeted measures and alleviate the contradiction. ⋯ Higher patient-assessment was in line with elder patients, the physicians' more working years, and higher satisfaction on the payment mode. Elder patients, encountering with physicians who worked more years in health care services or with higher satisfaction on the payment mode, contribute to higher scores in patient assessment part. The government should strengthen the medical professionalism for young physicians and improve the payment mode.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Percutaneous radiofrequency thermocoagulation for trigeminal neuralgia using neuronavigation-guided puncture from a mandibular angle.
Percutaneous radiofrequency thermocoagulation (RFT) of the Gasserian ganglion is an effective treatment for primary trigeminal neuralgia (pTN). Currently Hartel anterior approach is the most commonly used method to access the Gasserian ganglion. However, this approach is associated with high recurrence rate and technical difficulties in certain patients with foramen ovale (FO) anatomical variations. ⋯ In Group H, the 24- and 36-month recurrence rates were 12/51 (23.53%) and 20/51 (39.22%), respectively; in Group G, these recurrence rates were 7/49 (12.24%) and 9/49 (16.33%, P = 0.03), respectively. CT- and neuronavigation-guided puncture from a mandibular angle through the FO into the Gasserian ganglion can be safely and effectively used to deliver RFT for the treatment of pTN. This method may represent a viable option to treat TN in addition to Hartel approach.