Medicine
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Integrated Chinese and western medicine for SLE: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis.
The efficacy and safety of integrated Chinese and western medicine in the treatment of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) have not been systematically evaluated. ⋯ https://osf.io/mabxh.
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Piriformis syndrome (PS) is a condition in which the sciatic nerve is compressed when passing through the inferior mouth of the piriformis muscle, mainly caused by pain in one hip and leg. In severe cases, patients may experience severe buttock and lower limb pain, discomfort, difficulty walking, and claudication. It is estimated that the annual incidence of low back pain and sciatica is about 40 million cases, and the annual incidence of piriformis syndrome is about 2.4 million cases. The aim of this systematic review is to assess the effectiveness and safety of Little needle-scalpel therapy for Piriformis syndrome. ⋯ This systematic review will be disseminated in a peer-reviewed journal or presented at relevant conferences. It is not necessary for a formal ethical approval because the data are not individualized.
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Lumbar disc herniation (LDH) is the most common cause of low back pain and severely affects people's quality of life and ability to work. Although many clinical trials and medical reports conducted over the years have shown that acupuncture treatments are effective for LDH, the comparative effectiveness of these different acupuncture therapies is still unclear. This protocol of a network meta-analysis was designed to compare the effects and safety of acupuncture treatment regimens on LDH using both direct and indirect evidence. ⋯ This proposed systematic review will evaluate the comparative efficacy and safety of various acupuncture methods and combination protocols for LDH.
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Observational Study
Epidemiology of asymptomatic and symptomatic Coronavirus Disease 2019 confirmed cases in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates: Observational study.
This study was conducted to describe demographics, clinical features, and outcomes of 3827 confirmed cases of Coronavirus Disease 2019 between March 12 and April 22, 2020 in the Emirates of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE). Data were extracted from the Infectious Diseases Notification Surveillance System of the Department of Health. The descriptive analysis was done using Statistical Package for Social Sciences v26 and reported according to Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) statement. ⋯ Only 51 patients (4%) required admission to the intensive care units, and 4 patients died (0.1%). The significant number of asymptomatic patients was identified by active case finding and contact tracing from the early period of the epidemic. A small percentage of severe, critical cases, and death reported in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi which may have been due to public health measures implemented for early detection, contact tracing, and treatment.
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Topical hemostatic agents are commonly used for reducing perioperative blood loss and transfusion requirement in primary total knee arthroplasty (TKA), although the optimal option has yet to be defined. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of topical hemostatic agents and rank the best intervention using the network meta-analysis (NMA) method. ⋯ Current evidence supports that administration of TXA+DEP may be the optimal topical hemostatic agent to decrease blood loss and transfusion requirement in primary TKA. More direct studies that focused on the topical application of TXA+DEP versus other treatments are needed in the future.