Medicine
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Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
Safety and efficacy of Galgeun-tang-ga-cheongung-sinyi, a herbal formula, for the treatment of chronic rhinosinusitis: A study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.
A herbal formula, Galgeun-tang-ga-cheongung-sinyi (GGTCS), is traditionally used for the treatment of rhinosinusitis in East Asian countries. However, there is a dearth of clinical evidence supporting the effects of this medication. Here, we describe the protocol for a randomized controlled study designed to investigate the efficacy and safety of GGTCS for the treatment of chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS). ⋯ The key elements for conducting a high-quality randomized clinical trial have been addressed in this protocol. In summary, the findings of this study are expected to provide a base for large-scale randomized controlled trials to confirm the safety and efficacy of GGTCS for the treatment of CRS and may consequently serve to improve future treatment strategies for this condition.
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Comparative Study Observational Study
Comparison of the value of Mini-Cog and MMSE screening in the rapid identification of Chinese outpatients with mild cognitive impairment.
Patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) are at high risk of dementia, but early identification and active intervention can reduce its morbidity and the incidence of dementia. There is currently no suitable neuropsychological assessment scale to effectively identify MCI in neurological outpatient departments in China. The Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) is often used to screen for MCI in outpatient departments in China. ⋯ Mini-Cog was less affected by age and education level than MMSE. The Mini-Cog assessment was short (3-4 minutes) and easily accepted by the patients. Mini-Cog could be more suitable for application in outpatient department in primary hospitals.
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Observational Study
A new 3D printed titanium metal trabecular bone reconstruction system for early osteonecrosis of the femoral head.
Presently, biomechanical support therapy for the femoral head has become an important approach in the treatment of early osteonecrosis of the femoral head (ONFH). Previous studies have reported that the titanium metal trabecular bone reconstruction systems (TMTBRS) achieved satisfactory clinical results for the treatment of early femoral head necrosis. Electron beam melting technology (EBMT) is an important branch of 3D printing technology, which enables the construction of an interface that is required for support of bone in-growth. ⋯ Hip-preserving rates were 100% for IIA, 100% for IIB, and 50% for IIC. The effect of TMTBRS treatment for early ONFH in ARCO IIA and ARCO IIB is satisfactory. However, it is not recommended for a relatively large area of necrosis such as in ARCO IIC.
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Clinical Trial
Integrated assessment of differentially expressed plasma microRNAs in subtypes of nonsyndromic orofacial clefts.
Orofacial clefts include cleft lip only (CLO), cleft palate only (CPO), and cleft lip with palate (CLP). Previously, we reported the expression profile of plasma microRNAs in CLO, CPO, and CLP, respectively. However, the interaction of each subtype remains poorly investigated. ⋯ The results showed that distinct or overlapping signaling pathways were involved in CLO, CPO, and CLP. The common key gene targets reflected functional relationships to the Wnt, Notch, TGF-beta, and Hedgehog signaling pathways. Further studies should examine the mechanism of the potential target genes, which may provide new avenues for future clinical prevention and therapy.
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Observational Study
Diagnostic value of fractional exhaled nitric oxide for asthma-chronic obstructive pulmonary disease overlap syndrome.
To examine the difference in the fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) between chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients with asthma-COPD overlap syndrome (ACOS) and patients with Non-ACOS COPD (Non-ACOS) and to investigate the correlation between FeNO levels and the differential cell counts of eosinophils in induced sputum, in order to explore the diagnostic value of FeNO in ACOS. A prospective, case-control study was performed on 53 cases of ACOS group and 53 cases of Non-ACOS group in the Respiratory Medicine Outpatient of Zhangzhou Municipal TCM Hospital, Affiliated to Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine. The FeNO levels and induced sputum cell counts were determined and the correlation between FeNO levels and eosinophile percentage was analyzed by Pearson linear correlation analysis. ⋯ The area under the receiver operating curve of FeNO for the diagnosis of ACOS phenotype was 0.815 (P < .01), the sensitivity and specificity reach highest when the cut off value was 25.50 ppb. The FeNO in patients from the ACOS group were significantly higher than those in Non-ACOS group and were moderately correlated with the percentage of eosinophils in induced sputum. The results indicated that FeNO may be used as a diagnostic index for ACOS, in addition to the induced sputum.