Current medical research and opinion
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Successful treatment of chronic low back pain (LBP) is difficult in clinical practice and hard to measure in trials. One reason might be the use of insufficient outcome parameters. The aim was to investigate the importance of typical clinical characteristics of chronic LBP on QoL and functionality. ⋯ Results suggest the consideration of impairment of QoL and functionality in addition to symptom intensity for treatment evaluation of chronic LBP. This can help to improve overall well-being of the patients and enhance efficacy in clinical pain trials and patient-centered treatment.
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Naloxone hydrochloride, an opioid antagonist, has been approved as a concentrated 4 mg dose intranasal formulation for the emergency treatment of known or suspected opioid overdose. This new formulation is easier to use and contains a higher dose of naloxone compared with earlier, unapproved kits. A survey of first responders and community-based organizations was conducted to understand initial real-world experiences with this new formulation for opioid overdose reversal. ⋯ This survey of data provided by first-responder and community-based organizations indicated that NNS was successful at reversing the effects of opioid overdose in most reported cases.
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To better understand the economic burden of gout patients in Taiwan, a nationwide retrospective study was conducted to compare the healthcare costs and utilization between gout and gout-free patients. ⋯ Gout patients had higher medical utilization and costs than gout-free patients. In gout patients, all-cause and gout-related utilization were mostly outpatient visits, whereas most of the all-cause and gout-related costs were due to hospitalization. The study findings could be useful for future economic evaluations and healthcare resource allocation.
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Peripheral vascular abnormalities caused by a dysregulation between peripheral vasoconstriction and vasodilatation, clinically appearing with Raynaud's phenomenon, have been described in anorexia nervosa but specific characteristics of microcirculation in anorexic patients have not yet been studied. ⋯ Our study reveals that patients with AN suffering from RP exhibit NVC findings typical of connective tissue diseases.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study
A randomized controlled trial comparing a xyloglucan-based nasal spray with saline in adults with symptoms of rhinosinusitis.
This study assessed the efficacy, safety and tolerability of a xyloglucan-based nasal spray in the treatment of symptoms of rhinosinusitis. ⋯ A xyloglucan-based nasal spray provided greater relief of rhinosinusitis symptoms than a physiological saline spray and was well tolerated. Trial registration number (EUDRACT): 2014-000143-32.