The New Zealand medical journal
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Randomized Controlled Trial
An open-label six-month extension study to investigate the safety and efficacy of an extract of Artemisia annua for managing pain, stiffness and functional limitation associated with osteoarthritis of the hip and knee.
This six-month single-centre open-label extension study, conducted at the University of Otago, Dunedin, follows from a previously published 12-week pilot double-blind randomised placebo-controlled study of dietary supplement, Arthrem® (ART) in patients with osteoarthritis (OA) of the hip or knee. The pilot double-blind study showed that treatment with ART 150 mg twice-daily was associated with clinically relevant pain reduction. The extension study aims were to assess longer-term safety and efficacy during six months' treatment following the pilot trial. ⋯ ART appears to be a safe and effective alternative for managing the symptoms of OA over an extended period.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study
Costs of bariatric surgery in a randomised control trial (RCT) comparing Roux en Y gastric bypass vs sleeve gastrectomy in morbidly obese diabetic patients.
To provide a longitudinal analysis of the direct healthcare costs of providing laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) and laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (LRYGB) surgery service in the context of a randomised control trial (RCT) of obese patients with type 2 diabetes in Waitemata District Health Board, Auckland, New Zealand. ⋯ Among patients with type 2 diabetes and morbid obesity undergoing LSG and LRYGB, health service costs were greater in the year after surgery than in the year before, although prescription costs were lower post-operatively. There was no significant difference in reduction in prescription cost by surgical procedure at 12 months. However, the LRYGB surgery was more expensive than LSG, primarily because of the longer operative time required.