To assess the effectiveness of an integrated early child development intervention , combining stimulation and micronutrient supplementation and delivered on a large scale in Colombia , for children 's development , growth , and hemoglobin levels .


Cluster randomized controlled trial , using a @ @ factorial design , with municipalities assigned to one of four groups : psychosocial stimulation , micronutrient supplementation , combined intervention , or control .


@ municipalities in Colombia , located across eight of its @ departments .


@ children aged @-@ months and their primary carers .


Psychosocial stimulation ( weekly home visits with play demonstrations ) , micronutrient sprinkles given daily , and both combined .


All delivered by female community leaders for @ months .


Cognitive , receptive and expressive language , and fine and gross motor scores on the Bayley scales of infant development-III ; height , weight , and hemoglobin levels measured at the baseline and end of intervention .


Stimulation improved cognitive scores ( adjusted for age , sex , testers , and baseline levels of outcomes ) by @ of a standard deviation ( P = @ ) .


Stimulation also increased receptive language by @ of a standard deviation ( P = @ ) .


Micronutrient supplementation had no significant effect on any outcome and there was no interaction between the interventions .


No intervention affected height , weight , or hemoglobin levels .


Using the infrastructure of a national welfare program we implemented the integrated early child development intervention on a large scale and showed its potential for improving children 's cognitive development .


We found no effect of supplementation on developmental or health outcomes .


Moreover , supplementation did not interact with stimulation .


The implementation model for delivering stimulation suggests that it may serve as a promising blueprint for future policy on early childhood development.Trial registration Current Controlled trials ISRCTN@ .


To study the influence of acupuncture at Waiguan ( TE@ ) on the functional connectivity of the central nervous system of patients with ischemic stroke .


Twenty-four patients with ischemic stroke in the left basal ganglia were randomized based on gender to receive TE@ acupuncture ( n = @ ) or nonacupoint acupuncture ( n = @ ) .


Each group underwent sham acupuncture and then verum acupuncture while being scanned with functional magnetic resonance imaging .


Six regions of interest ( ROI ) were defined , including bilateral motor , somatosensory , and bilateral basal ganglia areas .


The functional connectivity between these ROIs and all voxels of the brain was analyzed in Analysis of Functional NeuroImages ( AFNI ) to explore the differences between verum acupuncture and sham acupuncture at TE@ and between TE@ acupuncture and nonacupoint acupuncture .


The participants were blinded to the allocation .


The effect of acupuncture on six seed-associated networks was explored .


The result demonstrated that acupuncture at Waiguan ( TE@ ) can regulate the sensorimotor network of the ipsilesional hemisphere , stimulate the contralesional sensorimotor network , increase cooperation of bilateral sensorimotor networks , and change the synchronization between the cerebellum and cerebrum .


Furthermore , a lot of differences of effect existed between verum acupuncture and sham acupuncture at TE@ , but there was little difference between TE@ acupuncture and nonacupoint acupuncture .


The modulation of synchronizations between different regions within different brain networks might be the mechanism of acupuncture at Waiguan ( TE@ ) .


Stimulation of the contralesional sensorimotor network and increase of cooperation of bilateral hemispheres imply a compensatory effect of the intact hemisphere , whereas changes in synchronization might influence the sensorimotor function of the affected side of the body .


Severe acute pancreatitis is still a potentially life threatening disease with high mortality .


The aim of this study was to evaluate the therapeutic effect of thoracic epidural anaesthesia ( TEA ) on survival , microcirculation , tissue oxygenation and histopathologic damage in an experimental animal model of severe acute pancreatitis in a prospective animal study .


In this study , @ pigs were randomly assigned into @ treatment groups .


After severe acute pancreatitis was induced by intraductal injection of glycodesoxycholic acid in Group @ ( n = @ ) bupivacaine ( @ % ; bolus injection @ml , continuous infusion @ml/h ) was applied via TEA .


In Group @ ( n = @ ) no TEA was applied .


During a period of @hours after induction , tissue oxygen tension ( tpO@ ) in the pancreas and pancreatic microcirculation was assessed .


Thereafter animals were observed for @days followed by sacrification and histopathologic examination .


Survival rate after @days was @ % in Group @ ( TEA ) versus @ % in Group @ : ( Control ) ( P < @ ) .


Group @ ( TEA ) also showed a significantly superior microcirculation ( @,@ AU versus @,@ AU ; P < @ ) and tissue oxygenation ( @mmHg versus @ mmHG ; P < @ ) as compared to Group @ ( Control ) .


Consecutively , tissue damage in Group @ was reduced in the histopathologic scoring ( @ ( @ to @ ) versus @ ( @ to @ ) ; P < @ ) .


TEA led to improved survival , enhanced microcirculatory perfusion and tissue oxygenation and resulted in less histopathologic tissue-damage in an experimental animal model of severe acute pancreatitis .


Persistent atrial fibrillation frequently shows multiple different electrophysiological mechanisms of induction .


This heterogeneity causes a low success rate of single procedures of ablation and a high incidence of recurrence .


Surgical ablation through bilateral thoracotomy demonstrates better results after a single procedure .


Prospective observational studies in inhomogeneous populations without control groups report a remarkable @ % of success with hybrid or staged procedures of surgical ablation coupled with catheter ablation .


In this trial , we will examine the hypothesis that a staged approach involving initial minimally invasive surgical ablation of persistent atrial fibrillation , followed by a second percutaneous procedure in case of recurrence , has a higher success rate than repeated percutaneous procedures .


This is a controlled ( @:@ ) randomized trial comparing use of a percutaneous catheter with minimally invasive transthoracic surgical ablation of persistent atrial fibrillation .


The inclusion and exclusion criteria , definitions , and treatment protocols are those reported by the @ Expert Consensus Statement on catheter and surgical ablation of atrial fibrillation .


Patients will be randomized to either percutaneous catheter ( n = @ ) or surgical ( n = @ ) ablation as the first procedure .


After @ months , they are re-evaluated , according to the same guidelines , and receive a second procedure if necessary .


Crossover will be allowed and data analyzed on an `` intention-to-treat '' basis .


Primary outcomes are the incidence of sinus rhythm at @ and @ months and the proportions of patients requiring a second procedure .


The use of a staged strategy combining surgical and percutaneous approaches might be more favorable in treatment of persistent atrial fibrillation than the controversial single percutaneous ablation .


Postconditioning has been reported to reduce infarct size in ST-segment myocardial infarction ( STEMI ) .


However , recently , few other studies did not show any effect of postconditioning and suggested that it may be even harmful .


We sought to assess whether postconditioning could reduce infarct size and improve myocardial reperfusion in early presenters with STEMI .


@ STEMI patients treated with primary percutaneous coronary intervention ( PCI ) were randomly assigned to either the postconditioning ( n = @ ) or the standard PCI group ( control group ; n = @ ) .


Blood samples were obtained for creatine kinase ( CK ) and its MB isoform ( CK-MB ) within @ h.


The angiographic ( myocardial blush grade , MBG ) and electrocardiographic ( ST-segment resolution , STR ) data were evaluated and compared between groups .


The areas under the curve of CK and CK-MB release were significantly reduced in the postconditioning group compared with the control group ( @,@ @,@ vs. @,@ @,@ for CK and @,@ @,@ vs. @,@ @,@ for CK-MB , p < @ ) .


MBG was significantly better in the postconditioning group than in the control group ( MBG @ : @ vs. @ % , p = @ ) .


In the postconditioning group , STR > @ % was more often observed ( @ vs. @ % , p = @ ) .


In patients with STEMI , postconditioning could significantly reduce enzymatic infarct size and improve myocardial reperfusion .


There are several therapies for treating lupoid leishmaniasis .


We compared the effectiveness of intralesional meglumine antimoniate ( MA ) and topical application of trichloroacetic acid ( TCA ) @ % solution .


This study was a randomized clinical trial comprising @ lupoid leishmaniasis patients .


The first group received intralesional MA once a week , and the second group was treated once weekly with TCA @ % topical solution .


The results were recorded once after @ weeks and then @ months after the termination of treatment .


The total clearance rates after treatment and after the @-month follow-up were , respectively , @ % and @ % in the first group and @ % and @ % in the second group .


There was no significant difference between the two treatment groups ( p = @ and p = @ ) .


In both groups , the most common side effect was scarring .


Having almost the same efficacies , TCA as a topical approach could be as effective as MA in the lupoid leishmaniasis treatment plan .


The World Health Organization recommends the use of syndromic management for patients presenting with genital ulcer disease ( GUD ) in developing countries .


However , effective treatment guidelines depend on a current country-specific GUD etiological profile , which may change over time .


From @ to @ , we conducted a cross-sectional analysis of baseline data from patients presenting with GUD at a reference STI clinic in Lilongwe , Malawi .


Participants were enrolled in a randomized clinical trial of acyclovir added to syndromic management and followed up for up to @ days .


Serologies for HIV ( using parallel rapid tests ) , herpes simplex virus type @ ( HSV-@ ; using Focus HerpeSelect IgG@ ELISA -LSB- Focus Technologies , Cypress Hill , CA -RSB- ) , and syphilis ( rapid plasma reagin confirmed by Treponema pallidum hemagglutination ) were determined , with plasma HIV-@ RNA and CD@ count in HIV-positive patients .


Genital ulcer disease etiology was determined by real-time multiplex polymerase chain reaction from lesional swabs .


A total of @ patients with GUD ( @ men ; @ % ) were enrolled .


Overall seroprevalence of HIV-@ , HSV-@ , and syphilis were @ % , @ % , and @ % , respectively .


Ulcer etiology was available for @ patients and showed the following : HSV-@ , @ % ; Haemophilus ducreyi , @ % ; T. pallidum , @ % ; lymphogranuloma venereum , @ % ; mixed infections , @ % , and no etiology , @ % .


Most HSV-@ ulcers were recurrent ( @ % ) .


Among all patients with HSV-@ , HIV prevalence was high ( @ % ) and HIV seroprevalence was higher among patients with recurrent HSV-@ compared with patients with first-episode HSV-@ ( @ % vs. @ % , P < @ ) .


Herpes simplex virus type @ ulcers are highly prevalent in this symptomatic population and strongly associated with HIV .


Unlike most locations in sub-Saharan Africa , H. ducreyi remains prevalent in this population and requires periodic monitoring and an appropriate treatment regimen .


The basic difference between the various common medical laser systems is the wavelength of the emitted light , leading to altered light-tissue interactions due to the optical parameters of the tissue .


This study examines laser induced tissue effects in an in vitro tissue model using @,@ nm diode laser compared to our standard practice for endonasal applications ( @nm diode laser ) under standardised and reproducible conditions .


Additionally , in vivo induced tissue effects following non-contact application with focus on mucosal healing were investigated in a controlled intra-individual design in patients treated for hypertrophy of nasal turbinate .


A certified diode laser system emitting the light of = @nm was evaluated with regards to its tissue effects ( ablation , coagulation ) in an in vitro setup on porcine liver and turkey muscle tissue model .


To achieve comparable macroscopic tissue effects the laser fibres ( @m core diameter ) were fixed to a computer controlled stepper motor and the laser light was applied in a reproducible procedure under constant conditions .


For the in vivo evaluation , @ patients with nasal obstruction due to hyperplasia of inferior nasal turbinates were included in this prospective randomised double-blinded comparative trial .


The endoscopic controlled endonasal application of = @nm on the one and = @nm on the other side , both in ` non-contact ' mode , was carried out as an outpatient procedure under local anaesthesia .


The postoperative wound healing process ( mucosal swelling , scab formation , bleeding , infection ) was endoscopically documented and assessed by an independent physician .


In the experimental setup , the @,@ nm laser diode system proved to be efficient in inducing tissue effects in non-contact mode with a reduced energy factor of @-@ for highly perfused liver tissue to @-@ for muscle tissue as compared to the @nm diode laser system .


In the in vivo evaluation scab formation following laser surgery as assessed clinically on endonasal endoscopy was significantly reduced on @,@ nm treated site compared to @nm diode laser treated site .


Diode laser system ( @,@ nm ) induces efficient tissue effects compared to @nm diode laser system as shown in the tissue model experiment .


From the clinical point of view , the healing process following non-contact diode laser application revealed to be improved using @,@ nm diode laser compared to our standard diode laser practise with @nm .


Relapsed multiple myeloma has no standard treatment , and the role of autologous stem-cell transplantation ( ASCT ) has not been fully defined .


We aimed to compare high-dose melphalan plus salvage ASCT with cyclophosphamide in patients with relapsed multiple myeloma who had previously undergone ASCT .


This multicentre , randomised , open-label , phase @ study recruited patients aged at least @ years with multiple myeloma who needed treatment for first progressive or relapsed disease at least @ months after a previous ASCT from @ centres across the UK .


Before randomisation , eligible patients received bortezomib , doxorubicin , and dexamethasone ( PAD ) induction therapy and then underwent peripheral blood stem-cell mobilisation and harvesting if applicable .


Eligible patients ( with adequate stem-cell harvest ) were randomly assigned ( @:@ ) , using an automated telephone randomisation line , to either high-dose melphalan @ mg/m ( @ ) plus salvage ASCT or oral cyclophosphamide ( @mg/m ( @ ) per week for @ weeks ) .


Randomisation was stratified by length of first remission or plateau and response to PAD re-induction therapy .


The primary endpoint was time to disease progression , analysed by intention to treat .


This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov , number NCT@ , and EudraCT , number @-@-@ .


Between April @ , @ , and Nov @ , @ , @ patients were registered , of whom @ received PAD re-induction therapy .


Between Aug @ , @ , and Nov @ , @ , @ patients with sufficient PBSCs were randomised to salvage ASCT ( n = @ ) or cyclophosphamide ( n = @ ) .


After a median follow-up of @ months ( IQR @-@ ) , median time to progression was significantly longer in the salvage ASCT than in the cyclophosphamide group ( @ months -LSB- @ % CI @-@ -RSB- vs @ months -LSB- @-@ -RSB- ; hazard ratio @ -LSB- @ % CI @-@ -RSB- ; p < @ ) .


Frequently reported ( in > @ % of patients ) grade @-@ adverse events with PAD induction , salvage ASCT , and cyclophosphamide were : neutropenia ( @ -LSB- @ % -RSB- of @ patients after PAD , and @ -LSB- @ % -RSB- of @ patients in the salvage ASCT group vs @ -LSB- @ % -RSB- of @ patients in the cyclophosphamide group ) , thrombocytopenia ( @ -LSB- @ % -RSB- after PAD , and @ -LSB- @ % -RSB- vs four -LSB- @ % -RSB- , respectively ) , and peripheral neuropathy ( @ -LSB- @ % -RSB- after PAD , and none vs none , respectively ) .


This study provides evidence for the improved efficacy of high-dose melphalan plus salvage ASCT when compared with cyclophosphamide in patients with relapsed multiple myeloma eligible for intensive therapy , which might help to guide clinical decisions regarding the management of such patients .


Laparoscopic skills training has evolved over recent years .


However , conveying a mentor 's directions using conventional methods , without realistic on-screen visual cues , can be difficult and confusing .


To facilitate laparoscopic skill transference , an augmented reality telementoring ( ART ) platform was designed to overlay the instruments of a mentor onto the trainee 's laparoscopic monitor .


The aim of this study was to compare the effectiveness of this new teaching modality to traditional methods in novices performing an intracorporeal suturing task .


Nineteen pre-medical and medical students were randomized into traditional mentoring ( n = @ ) and ART ( n = @ ) groups for a laparoscopic suturing and knot-tying task .


Subjects received either traditional mentoring or ART for @ h on the validated fundamentals of laparoscopic surgery intracorporeal suturing task .


Tasks for suturing were recorded and scored for time and errors .


Results were analyzed using means , standard deviation , power regression analysis , correlation coefficient , analysis of variance , and student 's t test .


Using Wright 's cumulative average model ( Y = aX ( b ) ) the learning curve slope was significantly steeper , demonstrating faster skill acquisition , for the ART group ( b = -@ , r ( @ ) = @ ) than the control group ( b = -@ , r ( @ ) = @ ) .


At the end of @ repetitions or @ h of practice , the ART group was faster versus traditional ( mean @ vs. @ s , p = @ ) .


The ART group also had fewer fails ( @ ) than the traditional group ( @ ) .


The ART Platform may be a more effective training technique in teaching laparoscopic skills to novices compared to traditional methods .


ART conferred a shorter learning curve , which was more pronounced in the first @ trials .


ART reduced the number of failed attempts and resulted in faster suture times by the end of the training session .


ART may be a more effective training tool in laparoscopic surgical training for complex tasks than traditional methods .


This study compared the long-term efficacy of a diabetes-specific cognitive behavioral group therapy ( CBT ) with sertraline in patients with diabetes and depression who initially responded to short-term depression treatment .


A randomized controlled single-blind trial was conducted in @ secondary care centers across Germany comparing @ weeks of CBT with sertraline in @ patients with type @ or @ diabetes ( mean HbA@c @ % , @ mmol/mol ) and major depression ( Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV -LSB- SCID -RSB- ) .


After @ weeks , treatment responders ( @ % reduction Hamilton Depression Rating Scale -LSB- HAMD-@ -RSB- ) were included in the @-year study phase where CBT patients were encouraged to use bibliotherapy and sertraline patients received continuous treatment .


We analyzed differences for HbA@c ( primary outcome ) and reduction ( HAMD-@ ) or remission ( SCID ) of depression from baseline to the @-year follow-up using ANCOVA or logistic regression analysis .


After @ weeks , @ % of patients responded to antidepressant treatment and were included in the @-year study phase .


Adjusted HbA@c mean score changes from baseline to the end of the long-term phase ( -@ , @ % CI -@ to @ ) revealed no significant difference between interventions .


Depression improved in both groups , with a significant advantage for sertraline ( HAMD-@ change : -@ , @ % CI @-@ @ , P < @ ) .


Depression improved under CBT and sertraline in patients with diabetes and depression , with a significant advantage for sertraline , but glycemic control remained unchanged .


CBT and sertraline as single treatment are insufficient to treat secondary care diabetes patients with depression and poor glycemic control .


Standing invoked change in QT interval has been identified as a promising autonomic maneuver for the assessment of QT/QTc prolongation in patients with underlying heart abnormalities or as a positive control in healthy volunteers for drug studies .


Criticism for its more widespread use is the high variability in reported results and the need for a more standardized methodology with defined normal ranges .


Forty healthy male subjects underwent continuous ECG collection on the day before dosing in a double-blind , placebo-controlled , randomized , single ascending dose trial .


A brisk supine to standing ( @ minutes ) response was conducted at three time points .


Results were grouped by treatment cohort or assessed as a pooled group at each time point .


Maximum time and median change from baseline ( Tmax QTcF , QTcF ) were calculated for each individual over sequential @-second periods staggered by @ seconds .


Maximum QTcF at all time points and in all groups was significant ( i.e. , the lower bound of @ % CI was > @ milliseconds ) which is the ICH E@ regulatory requirement for a positive control .


Variability of the time to maximum response was also reduced @-fold by the third time period .


Standing invoked QTcF can be utilized to validate the sensitivity of a study for assessment of the QT interval effect of drugs in early development .


The methodology may be used to further improve its diagnostic use of long QT syndromes by reducing the variability and allowing adequate definition of normal limits .


The purpose of this study was to explore the effect of Lavandula angustifolia ( lavender ) inhalation on the symptoms of dysmenorrhea and the amount of menstrual bleeding in female students with primary dysmenorrhea .


This study is an experimental clinical trial .


The subjects were @ female students residing in dormitory at Tehran University of Medical Sciences in @ and suffering from level two or three dysmenorrhea according to the verbal multi-dimensional scoring system .


The inclusion criteria were as : being single , suffering from primary dysmenorrhea , having no genital organs disorder , having no systemic disease , having regular menstrual cycles , using no contraceptives , etc. .


The follow-up time was @ menstrual cycles .


The subjects were randomized into two groups : experimental ( n = @ ) who inhaled lavender based on sesame oil , and placebo ( n = @ ) who inhaled sesame oil only .


The severity of dysmenorrhea symptoms was measured through a questionnaire , and the amount of menstrual bleeding was measured by sanitary towel usage .


Ordinal logistic regression and generalized estimating equation ( GEE ) were used to analyze the data .


The symptoms of dysmenorrhea were significantly lowered in the lavender group compared to the placebo group ( p < @ ) .


The amount of menstrual bleeding in the lavender group was reduced in comparison to the placebo group but the difference was not statistically significant ( p = @ ) .


No significant difference was observed for blood clot among the students ( p = @ ) .


This study showed that lavender inhalation was effective in alleviating dysmenorrhea symptoms , suggesting that it could be applied by midwives in a safe manner because of no side effects , simplicity and cost-effectiveness for all patients .


Ipilimumab is a fully human , monoclonal antibody that blocks cytotoxic T-lymphocyte antigen-@ .


The objective of the present study was to characterize the clinical pharmacology profile of ipilimumab using a population pharmacokinetic ( PPK ) approach .


The PPK model was developed using @ ipilimumab serum concentration values from @ patients with unresectable stage III or IV melanoma from four phase II studies , with ipilimumab doses ranging from @ to @mgkg ( -@ ) .


The structural PK model was determined by developing a base PPK model .


The effect of covariates on model parameters was assessed by a full covariate model , which incorporated all pre-specified covariate-parameter relationships into the base model .


The final model was developed by backward elimination , followed by exclusion of covariates determined not to be of clinical relevance to ipilimumab , and was rigorously validated against both internal and external datasets .


Ipilimumab PK was linear and time-invariant , with dose-proportional exposures over the available dose range , yielding a terminal half-life of approximately @ days .


Clearance of ipilimumab increased with increasing body weight and baseline serum lactate dehydrogenase concentrations , but was not affected by age , gender , concomitant budesonide , Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status or prior systemic anticancer therapy .


Furthermore , ipilimumab exposure was not affected by moderate renal impairment or mild hepatic impairment .


Ipilimumab concentration-time data were well described by a linear , two compartment , zero order i.v. infusion model .


The model confirms that a body weight-normalized dosing regimen is appropriate for ipilimumab therapy in patients with advanced melanoma .


Optimal analgesia in ambulatory urology patients still remains a challenge .


The aim of this study was to examine if the pre-emptive use of intravenous tramadol can reduce pain after ureteroscopic lithotripsy in patients diagnosed with unilateral ureteral stones .


This prospective pilot cohort study included @ patients diagnosed with unilateral ureteral stones who underwent ureteroscopic lithotripsy under general anesthesia in the Urology Clinic at the Clinical Center of Serbia from March to June @ .


All patients were randomly allocated to two groups : one group ( @ patients ) received intravenous infusion of tramadol @ mg in @ mL @ % NaCl one hour before the procedure , while the other group ( @ patients ) received @ mL @ % NaCl at the same time .


Visual analogue scale ( VAS ) scores were recorded once prior to surgery and two times after the surgery ( @ h and @ h , respectively ) .


The patients were prescribed additional postoperative analgesia ( diclofenac @ mg i.m. ) when required .


Pre-emptive effects of tramadol were assessed measuring pain scores , VAS@ and VAS@ , intraoperative fentanyl consumption , and postoperative analgesic requirement .


The average VAS@ score in the tramadol group was significantly lower than that in the non-tramadol group .


The difference in average VAS@ score values between the two groups was not statistically significant ; however , there were more patients who experienced severe pain in the non-tramadol group ( p < @ ) .


The number of patients that required postoperative analgesia was not statistically different between the groups .


Pre-emptive tramadol did reduce early postoperative pain .


The patients who received pre-emptive tramadol were less likely to experience severe post-operative pain .


To investigate the effects of exenatide on blood glucose , body weight and hepatic enzymes in patients with type @ diabetes mellitus ( T@DM ) and concomitant non-alcoholic fatty liver disease ( NAFLD ) .


One hundred and seventeen patients with T@DM and NAFLD were randomly divided into exenatide group and metformin group .


Patients were treated with exenatide and metformin , respectively , for @ weeks .


After @ weeks of treatment , body weight , body mass index ( BMI ) , waist-to-hip ratio , HbA@c , FPG , @-h PPG , ALT , AST , - GT , and hs-CRP were significantly reduced , and the AST/ALT ratio and adiponectin were markedly increased in both groups .


BMI , waist-to-hip ratio , @-h PPG , ALT , AST , - GT , and hs-CRP were markedly lower , and AST/ALT ratio and adiponectin in the exenatide group were dramatically higher than in the metformin group .


Compared with metformin , exenatide is better to control blood glucose , reduces body weight and improves hepatic enzymes , attenuating NAFLD in patients with T@DM concomitant with NAFLD .


Although previous studies have demonstrated that children with high levels of fundamental movement skill competency are more active throughout the day , little is known regarding children 's fundamental movement skill competency and their physical activity during key time periods of the school day ( i.e. , lunchtime , recess and after-school ) .


The purpose of this study was to examine the associations between fundamental movement skill competency and objectively measured moderate-to-vigorous physical activity ( MVPA ) throughout the school day among children attending primary schools in low-income communities .


Eight primary schools from low-income communities and @ children ( @ @ years , @ % girls ) were involved in the study .


Children 's fundamental movement skill competency ( TGMD-@ ; @ locomotor and @ object-control skills ) , objectively measured physical activity ( ActiGraph GT@X and GT@X + accelerometers ) , height , weight and demographics were assessed .


Multilevel linear mixed models were used to assess the cross-sectional associations between fundamental movement skills and MVPA .


After adjusting for age , sex , BMI and socio-economic status , locomotor skill competency was positively associated with total ( P = @ , r = @ ) and after-school ( P = @ , r = @ ) MVPA .


Object-control skill competency was positively associated with total ( P < @ , r = @ ) , lunchtime ( P = @ , r = @ ) , recess ( P = @ , r = @ ) and after-school ( P = @ , r = @ ) MVPA .


Object-control skill competency appears to be a better predictor of children 's MVPA during school-based physical activity opportunities than locomotor skill competency .


Improving fundamental movement skill competency , particularly object-control skills , may contribute to increased levels of children 's MVPA throughout the day .


Low back pain ( LBP ) is chronic disease without a curative therapy .


Alternative and complementary therapies are widely used in the management of this condition .


To evaluate the efficacy of home application of Dead Sea mud compresses to the back of patients with chronic LBP .


Forty-six consecutive patients suffering from chronic LBP were recruited .


All patients were followed at the Soroka University Rheumatic Diseases Unit .


The patients were randomized into two groups : one group was treated with mineral-rich mud compresses , and the other with mineral-depleted compresses .


Mud compresses were applied five times a week for @ consecutive weeks .


The primary outcome was the patient 's assessment of the overall back pain severity .


The score of the Ronald & Morris questionnaire served as a secondary outcome .


Forty-four patients completed the therapy and the follow-up assessments : @ were treated with real mud packs and @ used the mineral-depleted packs .


A significant decrease in intensity of pain , as described by the patients , was observed only in the treatment group .


In this group , clinical improvement was clearly seen at completion of therapy and was sustained a month later .


Significant improvement in the scores of the Roland & Morris questionnaire was observed in both groups .


The data suggest that pain severity was reduced in patients treated with mineral-rich mud compresses compared with those treated with mineral-depleted compresses .


Whether this modest effect is the result of a `` true '' mud effect or other causes can not be determined in this study .


To compare magnetic imaging-assisted colonoscopy ( MIC ) with conventional colonoscopy ( CC ) .


Magnetic imaging technology provides a computer-generated image of the shape and position of the colonoscope onto a monitor to give visual guidance to the endoscopist .


It is designed to improve colonoscopy performance and tolerability for patients by enabling visualization of loop formation and endoscope position .


Recently , a new version of MIC technology was developed for which there are limited data.To evaluate this latest generation of MIC among experienced rather than inexperienced or trainee endoscopists , a prospective randomized trial was performed using only gastroenterologists with therapeutic endoscopy training .


Consecutive patients undergoing elective outpatient colonoscopy were randomized to MIC or CC , with patients blinded to their group assignment .


Endoscopic procedural metrics and quantities of conscious sedation medications were recorded during the procedures .


The procedure was classified as `` usual '' or `` difficult '' by the endoscopist at the conclusion of each case based on the need for adjunctive maneuvers to facilitate endoscope advancement .


After more than one hour post-procedure , patients completed a @ cm visual analogue pain scale to reflect the degree of discomfort experienced during their colonoscopy .


The primary outcome was patient comfort expressed by the visual analogue pain score .


Secondary outcomes consisted of endoscopic procedural metrics as well as a sedation score derived from standardized dose increments of the conscious sedation medications .


Two hundred fifty-three patients were randomized and underwent MIC or CC between September @ and October @ .


The groups were similar in terms of the indications for colonoscopy and patient characteristics .


There were no differences in cecal intubation rates ( @ % vs @ % ) , insertion distance-to-cecum ( @ cm vs @ cm ) , time-to-cecum ( @ min vs @ min ) , or polyp detection rate ( @ % vs @ % ) between the MIC and CC groups .


The primary outcome of mean pain score ( @ vs @ out of @ , P = @ ) did not differ between MIC and CC groups , nor did the mean sedation score ( @ vs @ , P = @ ) .


Within the subgroup of cases considered more challenging or difficult , time-to-cecum was significantly faster with MIC compared to CC , @ min vs @ min respectively ( P = @ ) .


Sensitivity analyses confirmed a similar pattern of overall findings when each endoscopist was considered separately , demonstrating that the mean results for the entire group were not unduly influenced by outlier results from any one endoscopist .


Although the latest version of MIC resulted in faster times-to-cecum within a subgroup of more challenging cases , overall it was no better than CC in terms of patient comfort , sedation requirements and endoscopic procedural metrics , when performed in experienced hands .


Iron deficiency is one of the most common nutritional deficiencies worldwide .


It is more prevalent when iron requirements are increased during pregnancy and during growth spurts of infancy and adolescence .


The last stage in the process of iron depletion is characterized by a decrease in hemoglobin concentration , resulting in iron deficiency anemia .


Iron deficiency , even before it is clinically identified as anemia , compromises the immune response , physical capacity for work , and intellectual functions such as attention level .


Therefore , interventions addressing iron deficiency should be based on prevention rather than on treatment of anemia .


The aim of this study was to compare short - and medium-term effects on ferritin concentration of daily supplementation with ferrous sulfate or iron bis-glycinate chelate in schoolchildren with iron deficiency but without anemia .


Two hundred schoolchildren from public boarding schools in Mexico City who had low iron stores as assessed by serum ferritin concentration but without anemia were randomly assigned to a daily supplement of @mg/day of elemental iron as ferrous sulfate or iron bis-glycinate chelate for @weeks .


Iron status was evaluated at baseline , one week post-supplementation ( short term ) , and @months ( medium term ) after supplementation .


Ferritin concentration increased significantly between baseline and post-supplementation as well as between baseline and @months after supplementation .


One week post-supplementation no difference was found in ferritin concentration between iron compounds , but @months after supplementation ferritin concentration was higher in the group that received bis-glycinate chelate iron .


However , there is no difference in the odds for low iron storage between @months after supplementation versus the odds after supplementation ; nor were these odds different by type of supplement .


Hemoglobin concentration did not change significantly in either group after supplementation .


Supplementing with @mg/d of elementary iron , either as ferrous sulfate or iron bis-glycinate chelate for @days , showed positive effects on increasing ferritin concentration in schoolchildren with low iron stores , and this effect persisted @months after supplementation .


Postoperative parathyroidectomy hypocalcemia probably results from acute reversal of the parathyroid hormone induced contribution of bone to maintain serum calcium concentration .


Compare the effective treatment of calcitriol regimens ( loaded and titrated ) in control hypocalcemic hyperparathyroid ( HPT ) patients who were referred for parathyroidectomy .


A randomized control , open labeled study of @ patients who underwent parathyroidectomy in Rajavithi Hospital from August @ to September @ was conducted .


The authors randomized @ patients with chronic kidney disease in two treatment arms of calcitriol ( A : Titrated dose regimen , B : Loaded dose regimen ) , that met criteria .


Biochemical factors available within @ weeks before and after surgery were recorded and analyzed .


No significant difference was observed in amount of calcium gluconate intravenous use , hypocalcemia and hospital admission durations between titrated and loaded regimen groups , i.e. , p = @ , @ and @ , respectively .


Loaded regimen ameliorated the mean reduction of day @ postoperative mean change of serum calcium level by @ mg/dl and median change by @ mg/dl ( min , max = -@ , @ ) compared with titrate regimen mean change ofserum calcium level by @ mg/dl ; median change @ mg/dl ( min , max = -@ , @ ) with significance , p = @ .


Loaded calcitriol regimen was superior to titrated calcitriol regimen compared with the control group the first @ days postparathyroidectomy .


Amount of calcium gluconate intravenous used , hypocalcemia and duration of hospital stay did not show any significance .


To discuss the curative effect of traditional treatment and combination therapy for senile hip fracture .


Using prospective methods to choose @ cases of elderly patients with hip fractures from February @ to December @ , which were randomly divided into comprehensive treatment group and conventional treatment group .


After screening , @ case were in comprehensive treatment group , including @ males and @ females with an average age of ( @ + / - @ ) years old ranging from @ to @ ; @ cases were intertrochanteric fracture of femur , @ cases were fracture of neck of femur ; Singh index > or = IV in @ cases , < IV in @ cases ; preoperative Harris score was @ + / - @ .


There were @ cases in conventional treatment group , including @ males and @ females with an average age of ( @ + / - @ ) years old ranging from @ to @ ; @ cases were intertrochanteric fracture of femur , @ cases were fracture of neck of femur ; Singh index > or = IV in @ cases , < IV in @ cases ; preoperative Harris score was @ + / - @ .


Preoperative general situation , leaving bed time and hospital stay , the incidence of postoperative @ weeks Singh index > or = IV and DPD/Cr value , Harris score at @ months after operation and the incidence of fracture again of two groups were observed and compared .


In comprehensive treatment group @ patients were followed up for @ to @ months with an anverage of @ + / - @ .


In conventional treatment group @ patients were followed up for @ to @ months with an average of @ + / - @ .


There were no significant differences in age , gender , the classification of fracture , preoperative Harris hip score , preoperative Singh index > or = IV level and DPD/Cr value between the two groups ( P > @ ) .


Comprehensive treatment group had shorter leaving bed time and hospital stay , smaller postoperative @ weeks DPD/Cr value and higher postoperative Harris score , higher incidence of postoperative @ weeks Singh index > or = IV level , lower incidence of fracture again than conventional treatment group , there was statistically significant difference between two groups ( P < @ ) .


For the anti-osteoporosis effect , the comprehensive treatment group has more advantage than traditional treatment group in elderly hip fracture , which can further improve the elderly hip fracture treatment and provide the reference of evidence-based medicine cooperate with rehabilitation department .


To assess the role of toothbrushing self-efficacy ( TBSE ) in diabetes management by comparing health education ( HE ) and health coaching ( HC ) in type @ diabetes .


The data -LSB- HbA@c , Clinical Attachment Loss ( CAL ) , TBSE -RSB- were collected initially and after intervention .


Participants were allocated randomly to HC ( n = @ ) and HE ( n = @ ) groups .


The low TBSE subgroup showed greater improvement in TBSE in the HC group ( mean :@ ) than the HE group ( mean :@ ) , ( P < @ ) .


The moderate TBSE group showed significant improvements only in the HC group ( P < @ ) .


There was a significant reduction in HbA@c and CAL in all the TBSE subgroups in HC ( P < @ ) , which was significantly higher than in the HE groups ( P < @ ) .


Improvements in TBSE and CAL were explanatory variables for the reduction in HbA@c among the HC patients in all the TBSE subgroups ( P < @ ) .


Among HE patients , improvement in CAL was an explanatory variable for change at HbA@c in the low TBSE subgroup .


The present findings show that HC is more effective in terms of reduced HbA@c and CAL compared with HE .


The data suggest that HC unlocks positive self-intrinsic motivation , anchoring the self-efficacy/competency beliefs for adjustment of healthy lifestyles .


Thus , TBSE may be a practical starting point for empowerment and more effective outcomes .


To investigate the efficacy and safety of telmisartan @mg/amlodipine @mg ( T@/A@ ) single-pill combination versus A@ in patients with essential hypertension not adequately controlled on A@ monotherapy .


Asian patients @ years old , with inadequately controlled blood pressure ( BP ) at enrolment , who failed to achieve a seated diastolic BP ( DBP ) goal ( @mmHg ) following @-weeks ' open-label A@ treatment , were randomly allocated @:@ to @ weeks ' double-blind treatment with T@/A@ single-pill combination or A@ .


A total of @ patients entered the double-blind treatment phase .


The adjusted meanSE reduction in seated trough DBP from baseline to week @ was significantly greater with T@/A@ ( @ mmHg ) than A@ ( @ mmHg -LSB- primary endpoint , n = @ -RSB- ) .


Results were similar in the subset of @ Chinese patients .


Treatment-related adverse events were @ % with T@/A@ and @ % with A@ .


In Asian patients with hypertension , T@/A@ single-pill combination provided improved BP reduction after @ weeks ' treatment compared with A@ monotherapy .


Both treatments were well tolerated .


A new acquisition scheme for T@-weighted spin-echo BOLD fMRI is introduced .


It uses a T@-preparation module to induce blood-oxygenation-level-dependent ( BOLD ) contrast , followed by a single-shot three-dimensional ( @D ) fast gradient-echo readout with short echo time ( TE ) .


It differs from most spin-echo BOLD sequences in that BOLD contrast is generated before the readout , which eliminates the `` dead time '' due to long TE required for T@ contrast , and substantially improves acquisition efficiency .


This approach , termed `` @D T@prep-GRE , '' was implemented at @ Tesla ( T ) with a typical spatial ( @ mm ( @ ) ) and temporal ( TR = @ s ) resolution for functional MRI ( fMRI ) and whole-brain coverage ( @ slices ) , and compared with the widely used @D spin-echo EPI sequence .


In fMRI experiments of simultaneous visual/motor activities , @D T@prep-GRE showed minimal distortion and little signal dropout across the whole brain .


Its lower power deposition allowed greater spatial coverage ( @ versus @ slices with identical TR , resolution and power level ) , temporal SNR ( @ % higher ) and CNR ( @ % higher ) efficiency than @D spin-echo EPI .


It also showed smaller T@ * contamination .


This approach is expected to be useful for ultra-high field fMRI , especially for regions near air cavities .


The concept of using T@-preparation to generate BOLD contrast can be combined with many other sequences at any field strength .


Poor response to ovarian stimulation is still a major problem in IVF .


The study presents a new stimulation protocol evaluated in a suppopulation of very difficult young poor ovarian responders .


The study consists in two sections .


The first includes data from a randomized controlled study involving forty-three young patients with a poor ovarian response in at least two previous cycles ( intended as cycle cancellation or with @ collected oocytes ) .


Patients were randomized in two groups : group A ( control ) received FSH ( @IU/day ) , while group B received the new stimulation protocol consisting in a sequential association of @IU r-LH for @ days followed by @IU r-FSH/after downregulation with daily GnRh agonist .


The second includes data from the overall results in @ patients treated with the new protocol compared to their previous performance with conventional cycles ( historical control ) .


Both in the RCT and in the historical control study , LH pretreatment was able to decrease the cancellation rate , to improve the in vitro performance , and to significantly increase the live birth rates .


LH pretreatment improved oocyte quantity and quality in young repeated poor responders selected in accordance with the Bologna criteria .


Procedural and clinical outcomes still remain unfavorable for patients with long coronary lesions who undergo percutaneous coronary intervention .


The current study , therefore , evaluated @ innovative drug-eluting stents for the management of long-lesion coronary artery disease .


This randomized , multicenter , prospective trial , called the Long Drug-Eluting Stent ( LONG-DES ) V trial , compared the biodegradable polymer-based biolimus A@-eluting stent ( BES ) and the durable polymer-based platinum chromium everolimus-eluting stent ( PtCr-EES ) in @ patients with long ( @ mm ) coronary lesions .


The primary end point of the trial was in-segment late luminal loss at the @-month angiographic follow-up .


The BES and PtCr-EES groups had similar baseline characteristics , with a slightly shorter lesion length in the BES group versus the PtCr-EES group ( @ @ versus @ @ mm ; P = @ ) .


In-segment late luminal loss was comparable between the @ groups at the @-month angiographic follow-up ( BES , @ @ versus PtCr-EES , @ @ mm ; difference , @ ; @ % confidence interval , -@ to @ ; P = @ for a noninferiority margin of @ , P = @ for superiority ) , as was in-stent late luminal loss ( @ @ versus @ @ mm ; P = @ ) .


The incidence of in-segment ( @ % versus @ % ; P = @ ) and in-stent ( @ % versus @ % ; P = @ ) binary restenosis was also similar between the groups .


There was no significant between-group difference in the rate of composite outcome of death , myocardial infarction , and target vessel revascularization ( @ , @ % in BES versus @ , @ % in PtCr-EES ; P = @ ) .


BES and PtCr-EES implantation showed analogous angiographic and clinical outcomes for patients with de novo long coronary lesions .


To examine whether use of functional capacity evaluation ( FCE ) leads to better outcomes for injured workers .


Cluster randomized controlled trial conducted with analysis at level of claimant .


Rehabilitation facility .


Participants included claimants ( N = @ ) ; of these , @ were tested with FCE .


Data were collected on all claimants undergoing RTW assessment at the facility for musculoskeletal conditions .


Participants were predominantly employed ( @ % ) men ( @ % ) with chronic musculoskeletal conditions ( median duration , @d ) .


FCEs are commonly used to identify work abilities and inform return-to-work ( RTW ) decisions .


Therefore , FCE results have important consequences .


Clinicians who were trained and experienced in performing FCEs were randomized into @ groups .


One group included @ clinicians who were trained to conduct a semistructured functional interview ; the other group ( control group ) continued to use standard FCE procedures .


Outcomes included RTW recommendations after assessment , functional work level at time of assessment and @ , @ , and @ months after assessment , and compensation outcomes .


Analysis included Mann-Whitney U , chi-square , and t tests .


All outcomes were similar between groups , and no statistically or clinically significant differences were observed .


Mean differences between groups on functional work levels at assessment and follow-up ranged from @ to @ out of @ ( @ % -@ % difference , P > @ ) .


Performance-based FCEs did not appear to enhance RTW outcomes beyond information gained from semistructured functional interviewing .


Use of functional interviewing has the potential to improve efficiency of RTW assessment without compromising clinical , RTW , or compensation outcomes .


Tension pneumothorax can rapidly progress to cardiac arrest and death if not promptly recognized and appropriately treated .


We sought to evaluate the effectiveness of traditional didactic slide-based lectures ( SBLs ) as compared with fresh tissue cadaver-based training ( CBT ) for placement of needle thoracostomy ( NT ) .


Forty randomly selected US Navy corpsmen were recruited to participate from incoming classes of the Navy Trauma Training Center at the LAC + USC Medical Center and were then randomized to one of two NT teaching methods .


The following outcomes were compared between the two study arms : ( @ ) time required to perform the procedure , ( @ ) correct placement of the needle , and ( @ ) magnitude of deviation from the correct position .


During the study period , a total of @ corpsmen were enrolled , @ randomized to SBL and @ to CBT arms .


When outcomes were analyzed , time required to NT placement was not different between the two arms .


Examination of the location of needle placement revealed marked differences between the two study groups .


Only a minority of the SBL group ( @ % ) placed the NT correctly in the second intercostal space .


In comparison , the majority of corpsmen assigned to the CBT group demonstrated accurate placement in the second intercostal space ( @ % ) .


In a CBT module , US Navy corpsmen were better trained to place NT accurately than their traditional didactic SBL counterparts .


Further studies are indicated to identify the optimal components of effective simulation training for NT and other emergent interventions .


Follicular lymphoma has been shown to be highly radiosensitive with responses to doses as low as @ Gy in two fractions .


This trial was designed to explore the dose response for follicular lymphoma comparing @ Gy in two fractions with @ Gy in @ fractions


FORT is a prospective randomised , unblinded , phase @ non-inferiority study comparing radiotherapy given as @ Gy in two fractions with a standard dose of @ Gy in @ fractions .


Entry criteria included all patients aged over @ years , having local radiotherapy for radical or palliative local control , with follicular lymphoma or marginal zone lymphoma , who had received no previous treatment for at least @ month before .


The primary outcome was time to local progression analysed on an intention-to-treat basis .


Randomisation was centralised through the Cancer Research UK and University College London Cancer Trials Centre .


Radiotherapy target sites were randomised ( @:@ ) with minimisation stratified by histology ( follicular lymphoma vs marginal zone lymphoma ) , treatment intent ( palliative or curative ) and centre .


This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov number , NCT@ .


@ sites were randomly assigned to @ Gy and @ sites to @ Gy between April @ , @ , and June @ , @ , at @ centres in the UK .


After a median follow-up of @ months ( range @-@ ) , @ local progressions had been recorded ( @ in the @ Gy group and @ in the @ Gy group ) .


Time to local progression with @ Gy was not non-inferior to @ Gy ( hazard ratio @ , @ % CI @-@ , p < @ ) .


Eight ( @ % ) of @ patients in the @ Gy group and four ( @ % ) of @ in the @ Gy group had acute grade @-@ toxic effects .


Four ( @ % ) patients in the @ Gy group and four ( @ % ) patients in the @ Gy group had late toxic effects .


Mucositis was the most common event in the @ Gy group ( two patients with acute mucositis and two with late mucositis ; all grade @ ) and was not reported in the @ Gy group .


The most common acute effect was pain at the site of irradiation ( two patients in the @ Gy group , one patient in the @ Gy group ; all grade @ ) , and the most common late effect was fatigue ( two patients in the @ Gy group , one patient in the @ Gy group ; all grade @ ) .


@ Gy in @ fractions is the more effective radiation schedule for indolent lymphoma and should be regarded as the standard of care .


However , @ Gy remains a useful alternative for palliative treatment .


Single-ventricle patients undergoing pediatric heart surgery are a high-risk group owing to reoxygenation injury during cardiopulmonary bypass ( CPB ) .


The present study investigated the effects of controlled reoxygenation CPB on biomarkers of organ damage , inflammation , stress , and long-term functional outcomes in cyanotic patients with either a single or double ventricle during open heart surgery .


Cyanotic patients with either a single ( n = @ ) or double ( n = @ ) ventricle undergoing surgical correction were randomized to receive CPB using either standard oxygen levels or controlled reoxygenation .


The markers of cardiac injury , inflammation , stress , and cerebral and hepatic injury were measured preoperatively , at @ and @ minutes after starting CPB , and at @ minutes and @ and @ hours after CPB .


The data were analyzed using a mixed regression model .


No difference was found in the pre - or intraoperative characteristics between the standard and controlled reoxygenation CPB groups for single - or double-ventricle patients .


In the single-ventricle patients , controlled reoxygenation CPB significantly ( P < @ ) decreased the markers of organ damage , inflammation , stress , and oxidative stress .


In contrast , the markers of inflammation and cardiac injury were not altered by controlled reoxygenation CPB in the double-ventricle patients .


Controlled reoxygenation CPB decreased the markers of organ damage , stress , inflammation , and oxidative stress in single-ventricle patients undergoing cardiac surgery .


Testosterone @ % solution is applied to axillae and is indicated for testosterone replacement therapy in males deficient in endogenous testosterone .


This open-label crossover study evaluated the effect of deodorant/antiperspirant use and presence or absence of axillary hair on absorption of testosterone solution .


Healthy males ( N = @ ; @ years of age with baseline testosterone < @ng/dL ) were randomized to one of four treatment sequences involving six treatments .


Each treatment consisted of one @-mL dose of testosterone @ % solution ( @mg of testosterone ) applied to each axilla .


Axillae were unshaved or shaved , and were untreated or pretreated with deodorant/antiperspirant .


Blood samples were taken over @ hours after each dose for measuring serum testosterone concentrations .


Profiles of mean testosterone concentrations were similar across treatments .


For all treatments , area under the concentration-time curve through @ hours ( AUC -LSB- @-@ -RSB- ) and @ hours ( AUC -LSB- @-@ -RSB- ) , and maximum total testosterone concentration ( Cmax ) were similar except for @ % lower Cmax when treatment was applied after deodorant/antiperspirant to shaved vs. unshaved axillae ( least squares mean , @ng/dL vs. @ng/dL , respectively ; P = @ ) .


This difference is not considered clinically significant .


The @ % confidence intervals for AUC ( @-@ ) , AUC ( @-@ ) , and Cmax fell within the traditional bioequivalence limits of @ to @ .


Incidence of treatment-emergent adverse events ( TEAEs ) was low ( < @ % ) in each treatment arm , and most TEAEs were mild .


Absorption of testosterone @ % solution was unaffected by use of deodorant/antiperspirant or by the presence or absence of axillary hair .


Testosterone solution was generally well tolerated .


To observe the effect of electroacupuncture ( EA ) treatment on the quality of ovum , stem cell factor ( SCF ) and the pregnancy outcome in patients with polycystic ovarian syndrome ( PCOS ) , so as to explore its mechanism underlying improving pregnancy rate .


A total of @ PCOS patients undergoing in vitro fertilization-embryo transplantation ( IVF-ET ) were randomly divided into control ( medication ) group ( n = @ ) and EA group ( n = @ ) .


For patients of the EA group who were undergoing controlled ovarian hyperstimulation , EA stimulation ( @ Hz/@ Hz , @-@ V ) was applied to bilateral Shenshu ( BL @ ) , Qihai ( CV@ ) , bilateral Zusanli ( ST @ ) - Sanyinjiao ( SP @ ) , and bilateral Neiguan ( PC@ ) - Zigong ( EX-CA @ ) for @ min , once daily till accepting embryo transplant .


Patients of the medication group were treated with controlled ovarian hyperstimulation using Diane-@ , Decepepty , Gonadotrophin , human Chorionic Gonadotrophin , etc. .


Serum follicle-stimulating hormone ( FSH ) , luteinizing hormone ( LH ) , testosterone ( T ) , estradiol ( E@ , and progesterone ( P ) contents were detected using chemiluminescent method .


SCF contents in the serum and follicular fluid were assayed by ELISA .


The number of retrieved oocytes , fertilization rate , cleavage rate , high quality embryo rate , ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome ( OHSS ) incidence rate , cycle cancellation rate , clinical pregnancy rate , early abortion rate , Gn dosage and administration duration , and the correlation between the high quality embryo rate and SOF level were determined .


Comparison between the two groups showed that the high quality embryo rate , and serum and follicular fluid SCF contents were significantly higher in the EA group than in the medication group ( P < @ , P < @ ) , while the dosage and administration duration of Gn were significantly lower in the EA group than in the medication group ( P < @ ) .


A positive correlation was found between the high quality embryo rate and the SCF level in both follicular fluid and serum ( P < @ ) .


No significant differences were found between the two groups in the number of retrieved oocytes , fertilization rate , cleavage rate , clinical pregnancy rate , OHSS incidence rate , cycle cancellation rate , early abortion rate , serum LH , E@ and P contents ( P > @ ) .


EA can improve the high quality embryo rate , which may be related to its effect in increasing serum and follicular fluid SCF levels .


To examine the post-exercise cross-transfer effects of acute whole body vibration ( WBV ) .


Seventeen healthy male volunteers ( @ @ y ) performed three unilateral vibration conditions in a randomized order : @ ) WBV-@ Hz -LSB- high amplitude -RSB- ; @ ) WBV-@ Hz -LSB- low amplitude -RSB- ; and @ ) a control no WBV condition ( Sham ) applied to the dominant leg .


Each condition involved maximal voluntary isometric contractions ( MVC ) followed by three leg press explosive repetitions ( @ % MVC ) with non-dominant and dominant legs ; which were conducted prior to and post vibration ( immediately ; @ min and @ min ) .


Surface electromygraphy ( sEMG ) of the vastus lateralis ( VL ) and medial gastrocnemius ( MG ) were measured throughout each condition .


A condition x leg x time interaction effect was detected ( p = @ ) where @ Hz-High in the stimulated leg enhanced mean velocity at post-@ min compared to @ Hz-Low and Sham , remaining elevated at post-@ min .


Similarly , @ Hz-High in the non-stimulated leg increased mean velocity at post-immediately and post-@ min compared to @ Hz-Low and Sham .


There were no changes in sEMG of VL and GM in the stimulated and non-stimulated post-conditions .


WBV ( @ Hz ) can augment cross-transfer in neuromuscular performance .


WBV could provide an alternate method of unilateral training to promote cross education explosive strength .


To assess the effectiveness of fennel on primary dysmenorrhea symptoms and menorrheal duration .


Clinical trial study .


Islamic Azad University , Toyserkan .


@ female students were randomly divided in to two groups of intervention ( n = @ ) and control ( n = @ ) .


The intervention group was given one soft capsule Fennel ( @ mg ) every @ hours , @ days before menstruation till the @th day and continued for @ months .


The control group received no medication .


The severity of samples pain was graded using a visual analogue scale .


@ standard questionnaires include of Visual analog scale pain ( VAS ) , McGill pain questionnaire , the range of stress about dysmenorrheal ( VASA ) , Perceived stress scale , Well being scale were filled out in intervals of before , during and after fennel capsule uptake .


Data were analyzed by SPSS @ software .


P < @ was considered to be statistically significant .


The mean of nausea intensity and weakness decreased to @ , and @ after @ months , whereas they were @ , @ in control group which indicated a significant difference .


Reduce the duration of menstrual period , a significant difference was found after two and three months of use .


Concern in terms of quality and feelings of well-being after @ and @ months , was observed significant difference compared with before using .


Considering the safety of herbal medicines , this drug can use to relieve dysmenorrheal signs and menstrual duration .


Vascular access devices ( VADs ) , such as peripheral or central venous catheters , are vital across all medical and surgical specialties .


To allow therapy or haemodynamic monitoring , VADs frequently require administration sets ( AS ) composed of infusion tubing , fluid containers , pressure-monitoring transducers and/or burettes .


While VADs are replaced only when necessary , AS are routinely replaced every @-@days in the belief that this reduces infectious complications .


Strong evidence supports AS use up to @days , but there is less evidence for AS use beyond @days .


AS replacement twice weekly increases hospital costs and workload .


This is a pragmatic , multicentre , randomised controlled trial ( RCT ) of equivalence design comparing AS replacement at @ ( control ) versus @ ( experimental ) days .


Randomisation is stratified by site and device , centrally allocated and concealed until enrolment .


@ adult/paediatric patients with a central venous catheter , peripherally inserted central catheter or peripheral arterial catheter will be enrolled over @years .


The primary outcome is VAD-related bloodstream infection ( BSI ) and secondary outcomes are VAD colonisation , AS colonisation , all-cause BSI , all-cause mortality , number of AS per patient , VAD time in situ and costs .


Relative incidence rates of VAD-BSI per @ devices and hazard rates per @ device days ( @ % CIs ) will summarise the impact of @-day relative to @-day AS use and test equivalence .


Kaplan-Meier survival curves ( with log rank Mantel-Cox test ) will compare VAD-BSI over time .


Appropriate parametric or non-parametric techniques will be used to compare secondary end points .


p Values of < @ will be considered significant .


Applying mobile phones in healthcare is increasingly prioritized to strengthen healthcare systems .


Antenatal care has the potential to reduce maternal morbidity and improve newborns ' survival but this benefit may not be realized in sub-Saharan Africa where the attendance and quality of care is declining .


We evaluated the association between a mobile phone intervention and antenatal care in a resource-limited setting .


We aimed to assess antenatal care in a comprehensive way taking into consideration utilisation of antenatal care as well as content and timing of interventions during pregnancy .


This study was an open label pragmatic cluster-randomised controlled trial with primary healthcare facilities in Zanzibar as the unit of randomisation .


@ pregnant women ( @ interventions and @ controls ) who attended antenatal care at selected primary healthcare facilities were included at their first antenatal care visit and followed until @ days after delivery .


@ primary health care facilities in six districts were randomized to either mobile phone intervention or standard care .


The intervention consisted of a mobile phone text-message and voucher component .


Primary outcome measure was four or more antenatal care visits during pregnancy .


Secondary outcome measures were tetanus vaccination , preventive treatment for malaria , gestational age at last antenatal care visit , and antepartum referral .


The mobile phone intervention was associated with an increase in antenatal care attendance .


In the intervention group @ % of the women received four or more antenatal care visits versus @ % in the control group ( OR , @ ; @ % CI , @-@ @ ) .


There was a trend towards improved timing and quality of antenatal care services across all secondary outcome measures although not statistically significant .


The wired mothers ' mobile phone intervention significantly increased the proportion of women receiving the recommended four antenatal care visits during pregnancy and there was a trend towards improved quality of care with more women receiving preventive health services , more women attending antenatal care late in pregnancy and more women with antepartum complications identified and referred .


Mobile phone applications may contribute towards improved maternal and newborn health and should be considered by policy makers in resource-limited settings .


To compare the differences in pain reaction , hemodynamics and clinical efficacy between extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy ( ESWL ) after injection with flurphen mixture ( mixture of droperidol and fentanyl citrate ) at Shenshu ( BL @ ) and simple ESWL in the patients .


Sixty-four cases of urinary calculi with ESWL were randomized into an observation group and a control group , @ cases in each one .


In the observation group , @ to @ min before ESWL , flurphen mixture ( droperidol injection @ mg and fentanyl citrate injection @ mg were diluted to @ mL with @ % sodium chloride solution @ mL ) was injected at bilateral Shenshu ( BL @ ) .


In the control group , no any adjuvant therapy and medication were used before ESWL .


The changes in blood pressure and heart rate , visual analogue scale ( VAS ) score , lithotripsy frequency till calculi complete removal and the rate of calculi complete removal after the first lithotripsy were observed in the two groups .


In the control group , blood pressure and heart rate were higher during lithotripsy than those before lithotripsy ( both P < @ ) .


In the observation group , the differences in blood pressure and heart rate were not significant statistically as compared with those before lithotripsy ( both P > @ ) .


The blood pressure and heart rate during lithotripsy in the observation group were apparently lower than those in the control group ( both P < @ ) .


VAS scores during lithotripsy in the observation group were lower apparently than those in the control group ( both P < @ ) .


The lithotripsy frequency in the observation group was less than that in the control group .


The rate of calculi complete removal in @ week after the first lithotripsy in the observation group was higher than that in the control group -LSB- @ % ( @/@ ) vs @ % ( @/@ ) , P < @ -RSB- .


The flurphen mixture at Shenshu ( BL @ ) significantly alleviates pain reaction in patients undergoing ESWL , avoids the fluctuation of hemodynamics and improves the clinical effect of lithotripsy .


Despite progress , models that incorporate antecedent and mediating factors associated with shared decision making ( SDM ) - related outcomes remain limited .


An experimental study tests patient decision aid ( DA ) effects on a network of antecedents and mediators associated with patient empowerment prior to a medical decision-making consultation regarding cancer treatment .


A pilot study initially evaluated measurement scales , model fit , and the overall effect of the DA experience .


The pilot compared matched treatment and control group samples of US adult online panel members exposed to a vignette about meeting their dermatologist to decide on skin cancer treatment .


The treatment group also experienced a skin cancer DA with treatment options and value clarification activity , while the control group did not .


The main study employed a randomized experimental design to formally test hypothesized path coefficients across the groups .


The pilot study suggested an overall enhanced DA effect on self-empowerment .


In the experimental study , the DA experience strengthened the direct path from desire for medical information to self-empowerment and the indirect path from comprehension/participation confidence to self-empowerment through cancer attitude .


The DA had no strengthening effect on the direct path from life satisfaction to self-empowerment , but in the DA condition , the factor appeared to play a role by contributing to the enhanced association between confidence and cancer attitude .


Evidence from this research indicates that experiencing a DA prior to treatment decision making affects patient empowerment through a network that includes desire for information , life satisfaction , and multiple mediators .


The studies also demonstrate the role that theory-based , multigroup structural equation modeling ( SEM ) can play in increasing understanding of DA effects .


Such understanding is critical to improving SDM between patients and their physicians .


Randomized controlled trial .


To determine the validity of a previously suggested clinical prediction rule ( CPR ) for identifying patients most likely to experience short-term success following lumbar stabilization exercise ( LSE ) .


Background Although LSE is commonly used by physical therapists in the management of low back pain , it does not seem to be more effective than other interventions .


A @-item CPR for identifying patients most likely to benefit from LSE has been previously suggested but has yet to be validated .


One hundred five patients with low back pain underwent a baseline examination to determine their status on the CPR ( positive or negative ) .


Patients were stratified by CPR status and then randomized to receive an LSE program or an intervention consisting of manual therapy ( MT ) and range-of-motion/flexibility exercises .


Both interventions included @ treatment sessions delivered over @ weeks .


Low back pain-related disability was measured by the modified version of the Oswestry Disability Index at baseline and upon completion of treatment .


The statistical significance for the @-way interaction between treatment group and CPR status for the level of disability at the end of the intervention was P = @ .


However , among patients receiving LSE , those with a positive CPR status experienced less disability by the end of treatment compared with those with a negative CPR status ( P = @ ) .


Also , among patients with a positive CPR status , those receiving LSE experienced less disability by the end of treatment compared with those receiving MT ( P = @ ) .


In addition , there were main effects for treatment and CPR status .


Patients receiving LSE experienced less disability by the end of treatment compared to patients receiving MT ( P = @ ) , and patients with a positive CPR status experienced less disability by the end of treatment compared to patients with a negative CPR status , regardless of the treatment received ( P = @ ) .


When a modified version of the CPR ( mCPR ) containing only the presence of aberrant movement and a positive prone instability test was used , a significant interaction with treatment was found for final disability ( P = @ ) .


Of the patients who received LSE , those with a positive mCPR status experienced less disability by the end of treatment compared to those with a negative mCPR status ( P = @ ) , and among patients with a positive mCPR status , those who received LSE experienced less disability by the end of treatment compared to those who received MT ( P = @ ) .


The previously suggested CPR for identifying patients likely to benefit from LSE could not be validated in this study .


However , due to its relatively low level of power , this study could not invalidate the CPR , either .


A modified version of the CPR that contains only @ items may possess a better predictive validity to identify those most likely to succeed with an LSE program .


Because this modified version was established through post hoc testing , an additional study is recommended to prospectively test its predictive validity .


Prognosis , level @b - .


To evaluate the safety , tolerability and bioactivity of ascending doses of MP@ , a designed ankyrin repeat protein ( DARPin ) that binds with high affinity to vascular endothelial growth factor-A ( VEGF-A ) , in treatment-naive patients with exudative age-related macular degeneration ( AMD ) .


Phase I/II , open-label , multicenter , dose-escalation study .


Patients were to receive a single intravitreal injection of MP@ at doses ranging from @ to @ mg and be monitored for @ weeks for safety , efficacy , pharmacokinetics , and dose response .


Altogether , @ patients received a single injection of MP@ .


The maximum tolerated dose was @ mg because of a case of endophthalmitis in the @ mg cohort .


Drug-related adverse events were reported by @ ( @ % ) of @ patients ; they included ocular inflammation in @ patients ( @ mild , @ moderate in severity ) .


Visual acuity scores were stable or improved compared with baseline for @ weeks following injection ; both retinal thickness and fluorescein angiography leakage decreased in a dose-dependent manner .


Rescue therapy was administered to @ ( @ % ) of @ patients who received @-@ @ mg MP@ compared with @ of @ ( @ % ) patients who received @ or @ mg .


Of patients in the higher-dose cohorts who did not require rescue treatment , @ % ( @/@ ) maintained reductions in central retinal thickness through week @ .


A single injection of @ or @ mg MP@ resulted in mean decreases in retinal thickness and leakage area despite ocular inflammation .


Larger-scale studies are warranted to confirm these observations .


Major depressive disorder ( MDD ) imposes a considerable disease burden on individuals and societies .


Web-based interventions have shown to be effective in reducing depressive symptom severity .


However , it is not known whether web-based interventions may also be effective in preventing the onset of MDD .


The aim of this study is to evaluate the ( cost - ) effectiveness of an indicated web-based guided self-help intervention ( GET.ON Mood Enhancer Prevention ) on the onset of MDD .


A randomised controlled trial ( RCT ) will be conducted to compare the ( cost - ) effectiveness of the GET.ON Mood Enhancer Prevention training with a control condition exclusively receiving online-based psychoeducation on depression .


Adults with subthreshold depression ( N = @ ) will be recruited from the general population and randomised to one of the two conditions .


The primary outcome is time to onset of MDD within a @-months follow-up period .


MDD will be assessed according to DSM-IV criteria as assessed by the telephone-administered Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV ( SCID ) .


Time to onset of MDD will be assessed using life charts .


Secondary outcomes include changes on various indicators of depressive symptom severity , anxiety and quality of life from baseline to post-treatment , to a @-month and a @-month follow up .


Additionally , an economic evaluation using a societal perspective will be conducted to examine the intervention 's cost-effectiveness .


This is one of the first randomised controlled trials that examines the effect of an indicated guided self-help web-based intervention on the incidence of major depression .


If shown to be effective , the intervention will contribute to reducing the disease burden due to MDD in the general population .


Due to improved treatments and ageing population , many countries now report increasing prevalence in rates of ischemic heart disease and heart failure .


Cardiac rehabilitation has potential to reduce morbidity and mortality , but not all patients complete .


In light of favourable effects of cardiac rehabilitation it is important to develop patient education methods which can enhance adherence to this effective program .


The LC-REHAB study aims to compare the effect of a new patient education strategy in cardiac rehabilitation called ` learning and coping ' to that of standard care .


Further , this paper aims to describe the theoretical basis and details of this intervention .


Open parallel randomised controlled trial conducted in three hospital units in Denmark among patients recently discharged with ischemic heart disease or heart failure .


Patients are allocated to either the intervention group with learning and coping strategies incorporated into standard care in cardiac rehabilitation or the control group who receive the usual cardiac rehabilitation program .


Learning and coping consists of two individual clarifying interviews , participation of experienced patients as educators together with health professionals and theory based , situated and inductive teaching .


Usual care in cardiac rehabilitation is characterised by a structured deductive teaching style with use of identical pre-written slides in all hospital units .


In both groups , cardiac rehabilitation consists of training three times a week and education once a week over eight weeks .


The primary outcomes are adherence to cardiac rehabilitation , morbidity and mortality , while secondary outcomes are quality of life ( SF-@ , Health education impact questionnaire and Major Depression Inventory ) and lifestyle and risk factors ( Body Mass Index , waist circumference , blood pressure , exercise work capacity , lipid profile and DXA-scan ) .


Data collection occurs four times ; at baseline , at immediate completion of cardiac rehabilitation , and at three months and three years after the finished program .


It is expected that learning and coping incorporated in cardiac rehabilitation will improve adherence in cardiac rehabilitation and may decrease morbidity and mortality .


By describing learning and coping strategies the study aims to provide knowledge that can contribute to an increased transparency in patient education in cardiac rehabilitation .


Health Economists in Denmark have reported poor outcomes and low and delayed return to work for patients treated for Sub-Acromial Impingement syndrome ( SAIS ) by Arthroscopic Sub-Acromial Decompression ( ASAD ) .


In this setting it is important to evaluate outcomes following this commonly performed operation to justify undertaking it on our patients .


The purpose of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness of ASAD for patients with SAIS and correlate clinical outcome with rate of return to work .


Prospective cohort study and retrospective review of data from the Nottingham Shoulder database .


Inclusion criteria : Patients diagnosed clinically with SAIS by an experienced shoulder surgeon , who have failed conservative treatment ( physiotherapy and sub-acromial injection ) , undergoing ASAD .


Pre-operative and @-month post-operative Oxford Shoulder Score ( OSS ) and Constant Score ( CS ) were compared .


The rates of return to pre-operative work and hobbies were also analysed .


Statistical analysis was carried out using the Wilcoxon signed rank test .


@ patients with OSS ( @ also with CS documentation ) were included .


The improvement in median OSS between pre-operative ( @ ) and @-month follow-up ( @ ) was +@ ( Z = -@ , p < @ , T = @ , r = @ ) .


The difference in median CS between pre-operative ( @ ) and @-month follow-up ( @ ) was +@ ( Z = -@ , p < @ , T = @ , r = @ ) .


Improvement in median pain score was +@ ( @,@ , p < @ ) median ADL was +@ ( @,@ , p < @ ) median ROM was +@ ( @,@ , p < @ ) and median strength was +@ ( @,@ , p < @ ) .


@ % returned to their pre-operative level of work ( mean time = @ weeks post surgery ) .


@ % returned to pre-operative hobbies at a mean of @ weeks after surgery .


There is a significant improvement in both subjective and objective outcome @ months after ASAD in patients with SAIS who have had previous failed conservative treatment .


The rate of return to work was good for these patients in contrast to that reported for Danish patients .


ASAD is a successful method of treatment for patients with SAIS who have had an initial trial of failed conservative treatment .


Up to @ % of Dutch children aged @-@ are overweight and up to @ % are obese , with higher levels in girls .


This study assessed the effect of a multidisciplinary intervention programme on health-related quality of life ( HRQoL ) in this patient group .


We randomised @ children to a multidisciplinary intervention , comprising dietary advice , exercise sessions and psychological counselling for parents or the standard care programme , providing healthy lifestyle advice .


The parents completed quality of life and child health questionnaires at baseline and after @weeks and @months .


At @weeks , children in the intervention group experienced more bodily pain and less mental health than the standard care group , but at @months , this difference disappeared and they showed a more positive change in HRQoL than the standard care group , especially for the physical domain .


When we combined both groups , a decreased BMIz-score over @months was associated with increased global health and reduced visceral fat correlated with increased general health .


At @months , a multidisciplinary intervention programme for overweight and obese children aged @-@years had beneficial effects on HRQoL , especially for the physical domain .


Reduced obesity parameters correlated with several increased HRQoL parameters .


The study aimed to evaluate the effect of @ % sodium hypochlorite twice-weekly oral rinse on plaque and gingivitis in patients with minimally treated periodontitis .


The study included @ patients with periodontitis , it lasted @mo , and it was performed as a randomized , controlled , single-blinded , clinical trial in parallel groups .


Fifteen patients rinsed for @s with @mL of a fresh solution of @ % sodium hypochlorite ( test ) and @ patients rinsed with @mL of water ( control ) .


Clorox ( ) regular bleach was the source of the sodium hypochlorite .


At baseline and at @wk , the study patients received professional subgingival irrigation for @min with either @ % sodium hypochlorite or water , but no subgingival or supragingival scaling .


The presence or absence of supragingival plaque on facial and lingual surfaces was determined by visual inspection ; each tooth was dried with air and mouth mirror rotation was used to provide light reflection to identify plaque on smooth surfaces and at the tooth line angles .


Gingival bleeding within @s after probing to full pocket depth was assessed in six sites of each tooth .


Adverse events were evaluated by questionnaire and visual examination .


All @ patients in the study completed the baseline and the @wk parts of the study and a subset of @ participants completed the @mo part of the study .


The sodium hypochlorite rinse group and the water rinse group , respectively , showed increases from baseline to @mo of @ % and @ % ( @-fold difference ) in plaque-free facial surfaces , of @ % and @ % ( @-fold difference ) in plaque-free lingual surfaces , and of @ % and @ % ( @-fold difference ) in number of teeth with no bleeding on probing .


The differences in clinical improvement between the sodium hypochlorite rinse group and the water rinse group were statistically significant .


No adverse events were identified in any of the study patients , except for minor complaints about the taste of bleach .


A twice-weekly oral rinse with @ % sodium hypochlorite produced marked decreases in dental plaque level and bleeding on probing and may constitute a promising new approach to the management of periodontal disease .


Long-term controlled studies on the effectiveness of sodium hypochlorite oral rinse are needed and encouraged .


There is no evidence regarding the several short-term prophylaxis protocols for contrast-induced nephropathy ( CIN ) that may be most feasibly convenient in emergency settings .


The purpose of this study was to compare the efficacies of short-term CIN prophylaxis protocols of normal saline , N-acetylcysteine ( NAC ) plus saline , and sodium bicarbonate plus saline in emergency department ( ED ) patients at moderate or high risk of CIN after receiving intravenous ( IV ) contrast agent .


This single-center , randomized , nonblinded clinical trial was conducted in the ED with adult patients requiring contrast-enhanced computed tomography ( CT ) .


Patients with moderate to high risk of CIN according to the Mehran risk score , who consented to participate , were eligible .


Patients with continuous renal replacement therapy or who reported contrast allergy were excluded .


Enrolled patients were randomly assigned to receive @ mg/kg NAC in @ mL of @ % sodium chloride ( NaCl ) , @ mEq of sodium bicarbonate in @ mL of @ % NaCl , or @ mL of IV saline infusion , all given at @ mL/hr for @ hours .


All of the patients were administered less than @ mL of nonionic , low-osmolality contrast agent .


The primary outcome of CIN was defined as a @ % increase or a greater than @ mg/dL increase in the serum creatinine level @ to @ hours later compared with the baseline measurement .


A total of @ patients were randomized to NAC ( n = @ ) , sodium bicarbonate ( n = @ ) , and saline prophylaxis ( n = @ ) .


The mean age of the patients was @ years ( @ % confidence interval -LSB- CI -RSB- = @ to @ years ) , and @ ( @ % ) were male .


The groups were similar regarding baseline characteristics and nephropathy risks .


Of the @ ( @ % ) patients who eventually developed CIN , seven ( @ % ) were in the NAC plus saline group , four ( @ % ) were in the sodium bicarbonate plus saline group , and five ( @ % ) were in the saline group .


There were no significant differences between the groups in terms of the prevention of CIN ( p = @ ) .


None of the short-term protocols with normal saline , NAC , or sodium bicarbonate was superior in ED patients requiring contrast-enhanced CT who had a moderate or high risk of CIN .


To evaluate the erectile function of male patients treated by neoadjuvant radiochemotherapy and neoadjuvant chemotherapy alone for mid-low rectal cancer .


The clinical data of @ patients with rectal cancer from March @ to March @ were prospectively analyzed .


Of all the patients , @ cases were finally included in the study and were randomly allocated to two groups .


Thirty patients were treated by neoadjuvant radiochemotherapy followed by surgery ( RCS group ) , and @ were treated by neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by surgery ( NCS group ) .


The five-item version of the international index of erectile function ( IIEF-@ ) questionnaire were used to determine erectile function before therapy and at least @ months after surgery .


The impacts of age , location , size of tumor , and body mass index on erectile function were analyzed .


Total score was decreased significantly at follow-up compared to initial assessment in both RCS and NCS groups ( @ @ vs. @ @ , t = @ , P < @ ; @ @ vs. @ @ , t = @ , P < @ , respectively ) .


Score difference was statistically higher in RCS group compared with NCS group ( @ @ vs. @ @ , t = @ , P = @ ) .


In terms of tumor location for RCS group , difference was statistically higher in the patients with low rectal cancer compared with those with middle rectal cancer ( @ @ vs. @ @ , t = @ , P = @ ) .


The erectile functions of patients treated by neoadjuvant radiochemotherapy followed by surgery are more affected than that of patients treated by neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by surgery in mid-low rectal cancer .


Also low rectal cancer are significantly associated with erectile dysfunction in the patients treated by neoadjuvant radiochemotherapy followed by surgery .


We planned to compare the impact of two beta blockers , metoprolol and nebivolol , on arterial blood pressure during exercise in patients with mild hypertension .


A total of @ patients ( @ males , @ females ; mean age : @ @ years ) were enrolled in the present study .


The patients were randomly selected to receive either nebivolol @mg/day ( n = @ ) or metoprolol @mg/day ( n = @ ) for @ weeks .


At the end of the @th week , each of the patients received exercise stress test according to Bruce protocol and their blood pressures were remeasured after rest , exercise , and recovery .


Blood pressures were determined to be similar between metoprolol and nebivolol groups during rest , exercise , and recovery periods .


Metoprolol and nebivolol achieved similar reductions in blood pressures during rest and exercise .


However , five patients in nebivolol group and four patients in metoprolol group developed exaggerated BP response to exercise but the difference between metoprolol and nebivolol was not meaningful ( P = @ ) .


The results of the present study showed that metoprolol and nebivolol established comparable effects on the control of blood pressures during exercise in the patients with mild hypertensions .


To compare the efficacy of Dexmedetomidine and Propofol for short-term controlled sedation and analgesia in the early postoperative period after cardiac surgery .


We performed open randomized prospective comparative study in @ cardiovascular surgery patients .


In the early postoperative period @ patients received infusion of Dexmedetomidine ( @-@ @ microg/kg per hour ) while @ patients -- Propofol ( @-@ ( system text of symbol ) ) .


Analgesia was carried out with Ketoprofen @ mg/@h and additional @ mg of Trimeperidine in case of pain intensity > or = @ points ( @-level verbal pain score ) .


Sedation and agitation level ( RASS scale ) , speed of awakening ( Aldrete score ) , duration of mechanical ventilation and stay in the ICU , need for additional opioid injections , type and frequency of side effects were evaluated .


We did n't find any significant differences in the duration of mechanical ventilation or rate of awakening after the end of infusion between the groups .


Dexmedetomidine in the majority of cases resulted in mild or moderate sedation , Propofol -- in deeper level of sedation .


Retrograde amnesia was reached significantly more often ( p < @ ) in Dexmetomedine group .


The daily dose of Trimeperidine in Propofol group was significantly higher ( @ mg and @ mg on average , p = @ ) .


Differences in side effects between the groups were noted -- bradycardia ( Dexmetomedine -- @ ( @ % ) , Propofol -- @ ( @ % ) , p = @ ) arterial hypotension ( Dexmetomedine -- @ ( @ % ) , Propofol -- @ ( @ % ) , p = @ ) and general malaise ( Dexmetomedine -- @ ( @ % ) , Propofol -- @ ( @ % ) , p = @ ) .


The length of stay in the ICU in Dexmetomedine group was significantly lower ( @,@ days vs @,@ days respectively , p = @ ) .


To compare with Propofol Dexmetomedine induces less sedation level and more often provides retrograde amnesia with the same duration of mechanical ventilation and awakening rate .


Dexmetomedine provides its own analgesic effect and shortens the length of patient 's stay in ICU .


Bradycardia was noted more frequently in Dexmedetomidine while arterial hypotension , general malaise and delirium -- in Propofol group .


To characterize genital mycotic infections with canagliflozin , a sodium glucose co-transporter @ inhibitor , in patients with type @ diabetes mellitus ( T@DM ) using pooled data from Phase @ studies .


Genital mycotic infections with canagliflozin @ and @mg were evaluated in Population @ ( N = @ ; mean exposure -LSB- weeks -RSB- : canagliflozin , @ ; placebo , @ ) , including patients from four placebo-controlled studies , and Population @ ( N = @ ; mean exposure -LSB- weeks -RSB- : canagliflozin , @ ; control , @ ) , including patients from eight placebo/active-controlled studies ( including older patients and those with renal impairment or high cardiovascular disease risk ) .


ClinicalTrials.gov , NCT@ ; NCT@ ; NCT@ ; NCT@ ; NCT@ ; NCT@ ; NCT@ ; NCT@ .


Adverse events suggestive of genital mycotic infections were recorded , with additional information collected using supplemental electronic case report forms .


In Population @ , genital mycotic infection incidence was higher with canagliflozin @ and @mg than placebo ( @ % confidence intervals excluded zero ) in females ( @ % , @ % , @ % ) and males ( @ % , @ % , @ % ) .


These were generally mild to moderate in intensity , none were serious , and few led to discontinuation .


Most events with canagliflozin were treated with antifungal therapies , and median symptom duration following treatment initiation was similar across groups ; few patients had > @ event ( females , @ % ; males , @ % ) .


Findings with canagliflozin @ and @mg versus control were similar in Population @ ( females : @ % , @ % , @ % ; males : @ % , @ % , @ % ) ; a low proportion of males underwent circumcision across groups .


Most events with canagliflozin occurred within the first @ months in females and first year in males ; no consistent evidence of dose dependence was observed .


Key limitations included lack of laboratory confirmation for most events and variable treatment methods .


Genital mycotic infection incidences were higher with canagliflozin than control in patients with T@DM ; events were generally mild to moderate in intensity and responded to standard treatments .


Psychiatric stigma is a major barrier to the recovery of persons with serious mental illnesses .


This study tested the efficacy of an innovative peer-run photography-based intervention , called antistigma photovoice , which targets self-stigma and promotes proactive coping with public stigma .


A total of @ individuals with serious mental illnesses enrolled at a university-based recovery center were randomly assigned to the antistigma photovoice program or to a wait-list control group .


Mixed-effects regression models were used to examine the impact of photovoice on self-stigma , coping with stigma , empowerment , perceived recovery , self-efficacy , and depression .


Participation in the photovoice intervention was associated with significantly reduced self-stigma , greater use of proactive coping with societal stigma , greater increase in a sense of community activism , and perceived recovery and growth .


The photovoice intervention demonstrated promise for reducing self-stigma and enhancing proactive coping with prejudice and discrimination .


Accurate immunosuppression is of critical importance in preventing rejection , while avoiding toxicity following lung transplantation .


The mainstay immunosuppressants are calcineurin inhibitors , which require regular monitoring due to interactions with other medications and diet .


Adherence to immunosuppression and patient knowledge is vital and can be improved through patient education .


Education using tablet-computers was investigated .


To compare tablet-PC education and conventional education in improving immunosuppression trough levels in target range @ months after a single education .


Secondary parameters were ratio of immunosuppression level measurements divided by per protocol recommended measurements , time and patient satisfaction regarding education .


Single-centre , open labelled randomised controlled trial .


Patients > @ months after lung-transplantation with < @ % of calcineurin inhibitor trough levels in target range .


Tablet-pc education versus personal , nurse-led education .


Calcineurin inhibitor levels in target range @ months after education , level variability , interval adherence , knowledge and adherence was studied .


As outcome parameter , renal function was measured and adverse events registered .


Sixty-four patients were @:@ randomised for either intervention .


Levels of immunosuppression @ months after education were equal ( tablet-PC @ % vs. conventional @ % , p = @ ) , both groups improved in achieving a CNI trough level within target range by either education method ( delta tablet-PC @ % vs. conventional @ % ) .


In all patients , level variability decreased ( -@ % ) , whereas interval adherence remained unchanged .


Knowledge about immunosuppression improved by @ % and compliance tests demonstrated universal improvements with no significant difference between groups .


Education is a simple , effective tool in improving adherence to immunosuppression .


Tablet-PC education was non-inferior to conventional education .


Surgery for colorectal liver metastases results in an overall survival of about @ % at @ years .


Progression-free survival is increased with the addition of oxaliplatin and fluorouracil chemotherapy .


The addition of cetuximab to these chemotherapy regimens results in an overall survival advantage in patients with advanced disease who have the KRAS exon @ wild-type tumour genotype .


We aimed to assess the benefit of addition of cetuximab to standard chemotherapy in patients with resectable colorectal liver metastasis .


Patients with KRAS exon @ wild-type resectable or suboptimally resectable colorectal liver metastases were randomised in a @:@ ratio to receive chemotherapy with or without cetuximab before and after liver resection .


Randomisation was done using minimisation with factors of surgical centre , poor prognostic tumour ( one or more of : @ metastases , N@ disease , or poor differentiation of primary tumour ) , and previous adjuvant treatment with oxaliplatin .