Annals of medicine
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Positive-word stimuli via a smartphone application have no immediate-term effects on multi-directional reach ability in standing position: a randomized controlled trial.
The purpose of the study was to examine the immediate-term effect of positive-word stimuli via a smartphone application on the multi-directional reach ability in standing position in young adults. ⋯ Among young adults, positive-word stimuli via a smartphone application did not significantly improve multi-directional reach ability in standing position. These findings do not support the superiority of this intervention among young adults. Trial Registration: Clinicaltrials.gov, NCT03546218. Registered 6 June 2018, https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03546218KEY MESSAGESIn our study, among young adults, positive-word stimuli via an SPSRS application did not significantly improve the multi-directional reach ability in the standing position.These findings do not support the superiority of this intervention among young adults.
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Meta Analysis
Estimating the prevalence of overweight and obesity in Nigeria in 2020: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Targeted public health response to obesity in Nigeria is relatively low due to limited epidemiologic understanding. We aimed to estimate nationwide and sub-national prevalence of overweight and obesity in the adult Nigerian population. ⋯ Our findings suggest a high prevalence of overweight and obesity in Nigeria. This is marked in urban Nigeria and among women, which may in part be due to widespread sedentary lifestyles and a surge in processed food outlets, largely reflective of a trend across many African settings.KEY MESSAGESAbout 12 million persons in Nigeria were estimated to be obese in 2020, with prevalence considerably higher among women. Nutritional and epidemiological transitions driven by demographic changes, rising income, urbanization, unhealthy lifestyles, and consumption of highly processed diets appear to be driving an obesity epidemic in the country.
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Letter Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study
Effect of a genetically engineered interferon-alpha versus traditional interferon-alpha in the treatment of moderate-to-severe COVID-19: a randomised clinical trial.
There are few effective therapies for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) upon the outbreak of the pandemic. To compare the effectiveness of a novel genetically engineered recombinant super-compound interferon (rSIFN-co) with traditional interferon-alpha added to baseline antiviral agents (lopinavir-ritonavir or umifenovir) for the treatment of moderate-to-severe COVID-19. ⋯ rSIFN-co was associated with a shorter time of clinical improvement than traditional interferon-alpha in the treatment of moderate-to-severe COVID-19 when combined with baseline antiviral agents. rSIFN-co therapy alone or combined with other antiviral therapy is worth to be further studied.Key messagesThere are few effective therapies for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) upon the outbreak of the pandemic. Interferon alphas, by inducing both innate and adaptive immune responses, have shown clinical efficacy in treating severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus and Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus.In this multicenter, head-to-head, randomized, clinical trial which included 94 participants with moderate-to-severe COVID-19, the rSIFN-co plus antiviral agents (lopinavir-ritonavir or umifenovir) was associated with a shorter time of clinical improvement than interferon-alpha plus antiviral agents.
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Meta Analysis
Performance of COPD population screener questionnaire in COPD screening: a validation study and meta-analysis.
This study aimed to validate the chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) Population Screener (COPD-PS) questionnaire as a screening tool in a cohort of Chinese subjects who underwent a health examination, and to summarise its overall performance through a meta-analysis. We enrolled 997 subjects aged ≥40 years who underwent a health examination, both lung function and COPD-PS data were collected. The screening performance of COPD-PS was evaluated with a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis, using the area under the curve (AUC) to assess the screening accuracy. ⋯ COPD-PS appears to be a useful tool for screening individuals with a high risk of COPD and guiding the selection of individuals for subsequent spirometry examination. KEY MESSAGESCOPD-PS is a simple and useful method to screen COPD. The combination of COPD-PS with other tools may improve the screen performance.
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Acute leukemia (AL) occurring in pregnancy is extremely rare, and its treatment is a clinical dilemma. ⋯ In general, initiation of chemotherapy as early as possible may increase the CR rate. Combined with literature data, we proposed that, for patients diagnosed in early and late stages of pregnancy (>30 weeks), elective termination or induced delivery before chemotherapy may be a good choice for better maternal (and fetal) outcome.KEY MESSAGESAcute leukaemia diagnosed in pregnancy is extremely rare, and its treatment is a clinical dilemma.In general, initiation of chemotherapy as early as possible may increase the CR rate.For patients who are diagnosed in the first trimester or late stage of pregnancy (>30 weeks), elective termination or induced delivery before starting chemotherapy may be a good choice for better maternal (and fetal) outcome.