bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Correlation analysis and clinical significance of CA125, HE4, DDI, and FDP in type II epithelial ovarian cancer
Authors: Qiao Li , Chen Xinhua , Xi Xuxia , Chen Xueqin , Zhang Pengpeng , Dong Hua , Wu Xiaohua , Chen Xiaojun
Published: December 2020

Ovarian cancer is one of the common female malignant tumors. The early diagnosis and treatment of ovarian cancer has been a research hotspot. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the correlations between the levels of carbohydrate antigen 125 (CA125), human epididymis protein 4 (HE4), D-dimer (DDI), and fibrinogen degradation product (FDP) in patients with type II epithelial ovarian cancer.

From January 2018 to January 2019, a total of 952 patients who underwent initial surgery for epithelial ovarian cancer were enrolled in this study. Peripheral venous blood was taken before operation, and the levels of CA125, HE4, DDI, and FDP were tested. The correlations between the levels of CA125, HE4, DDI, and FDP and other clinical indicators (such as presence or absence of chemotherapy, surgical conditions) were analyzed.

The level of DDI or FDP was statistically associated with age, chemotherapy, Figo staging, surgical procedure, HE4 level, and CA125 level, respectively. Moreover, the Figo staging was statistically correlated with the levels of HE4 and CA125. Besides, we found the levels of CA125 and HE4 were positively correlated with the levels of DDI and FDP.

The levels of CA125 and HE4 are the traditional detection indexes for patients with type II epithelial ovarian cancer, and these 2 indicators reflected the degree of disease and prognosis. The levels of DDI and FDP were closely related to the levels of CA125 and HE4 in type II epithelial ovarian cancer, and they also helped to assess the prognosis of epithelial ovarian cancer. Further larger-scale prospective cohort studies are warranted to determine these associations in the future.
A retrospective study of ulinastatin for the treatment of severe sepsis
Authors: Meng Chao , Qian Yi , Zhang Wen-hao , Liu Ying , Song Xiao-chun , Liu Han , Wang Xiang
Published: December 2020

This retrospective study aimed to investigate the efficacy and safety of existing approach of ulinastatin for the treatment of severe sepsis (SS).

A total of 130 eligible patients with SS were included in this study. We divided them into an intervention group (n = 65) and a control group (n = 65). Patients in both groups received conventional therapy. In addition, patients in the intervention group received ulinastatin for 7 days. Outcomes were measured by Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II (APACHE II), Multiple Organ Failure (MOF), Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS), CD3+, CD4+, CD8+, CD4+/CD8+, and adverse events. We assessed all outcomes before and after treatment.

After treatment, patients in the intervention group showed better improvement in APACHE II (P < .01), MOF (P < .01), GCS (P < .01), CD3+ (P = .03), CD4+ (P = .03), and CD4+/CD8+ (P < .01), than those of patients in the control group. There are similar safety profiles between both groups.

This study suggests that ulinastatin may be beneficial for SS. Future studies are still needed to warrant the results of this study.
Two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2D-GE) image analysis based on CellProfiler
Authors: Molina-Mora Jose Arturo , Chinchilla-Montero Diana , Castro-Peña Carolina , García Fernando
Published: December 2020

Two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2D-GE) is an indispensable technique for the study of proteomes of biological systems, providing an assessment of changes in protein abundance under various experimental conditions. However, due to the complexity of 2D-GE gels, there is no systematic, automatic, and reproducible protocol for image analysis and specific implementations are required for each context. In addition, practically all available solutions are commercial, which implies high cost and little flexibility to modulate the parameters of the algorithms. Using the bacterial strain, Pseudomonas aeruginosaAG1 as a model, we obtained images from 2D-GE of periplasmic protein profiles when the strain was exposed to multiple conditions, including antibiotics. Then, we proceeded to implement and evaluate an image analysis protocol with open-source software, CellProfiler. First, a preprocessing step included a bUnwarpJ-Image pipeline for aligning 2D-GE images. Then, using CellProfiler, we standardized two pipelines for spots identification. Total spots recognition was achieved using segmentation by intensity, whose performance was evaluated when compared with a reference protocol. In a second pipeline with the same program, differential identification of spots was addressed when comparing pairs of protein profiles. Due to the characteristics of the programs used, our workflow can automatically analyze a large number of images and it is parallelizable, which is an advantage with respect to other implementations. Finally, we compared six experimental conditions of bacterial strain in the presence or absence of antibiotics, determining protein profiles relationships by applying clustering algorithms PCA (Principal Components Analysis) and HC (Hierarchical Clustering).
The efficacy of a nursing care and follow-up program for patients with heart failure
Authors: Zhang Zhimin , Bai Jincheng , Huang Yongmei
Published: December 2020

Background:

Heart failure (HF) is one of the primary causes of the increasing public health costs, incidence rate and mortality of heart disease. As treatment options for the HF have evolved, people have a better understanding of overall burden of HF, resulting a more centralized method for the treatment of these patients with chronic diseases. At present, with the rapid progress of medical technology, the nursing mode must be updated accordingly. The objective of this trial is to investigate the effects of the program of nursing care and follow-up on life quality, self-care, and the rehospitalization of patients with HF.

Method:

This is a randomized controlled study to be carried out from November 2020 to March 2021 and was granted through the Ethics Committee of Changshan County People's Hospital (CCPH002376). The patients meet the following criteria will be included: the age of the patients is 18 years and above, and the functional classification is NYHA II or NYHA III. The patients with the following criteria will be excluded: patients who have received the by-pass surgery in the last 6 months; cancer patients are given radiotherapy or chemotherapy; patients with severe renal failure requiring dialysis; patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease who need ventilation; and patients with hearing or visual impairment. In our experiment, patient information scale, the life quality scale (The Left Ventricular Dysfunction Scale) and Self-Care of HF Index are utilized for the assessment. All the analyses are implemented with SPSS for Windows Version 20.0.

Results:

Impact of experimental programs on outcomes will be illustrated in the Table.

Conclusion:

We hypothesize that the nursing care conducted for the HF patients may improve the life quality and self-care.

Trial registration number:

researchregistry 6129.
Efficacy and safety of antimicrobial de-escalation of treatment for sepsis
Authors: Zhu Hong , Peng Pai , Zhao Rui , Fang Kai-Yu , Han Shi-Quan
Published: December 2020

Background:

Sepsis has become a global healthcare problem and continues to be one of the leading causes of death due to infection. In essence, early recognition and diagnosis of sepsis is needed to inhibit the transition into septic shock, which is correlated with higher mortality. Many studies have suggested antimicrobial de-escalation as one of the strategies to replace the empirical broad-spectrum antimicrobial treatment using a narrower antimicrobial therapy, especially among patients with sepsis. However, antimicrobial de-escalation therapeutic effects in sepsis remains unclear. We therefore performed the present study in an attempt to assess efficacy and safety of antimicrobial de-escalation therapy in patients with sepsis.

Methods:

We will carry out a systematic literature search to establish the potentially eligible trials from electronic databases, including EMBASE (1980 to October 16, 2020), MEDLINE via PubMed (1966 to October 16, 2020), Web of Science (1965 to October 16, 2020), Cochrane Library (CENTRAL; 2020, Issue 10), WanFang databases (last searched October 16, 2020), and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI; last searched October 16, 2020). For this study, the language restrictions are English or Chinese. Two authors independently examined quality based on the Cochrane Risk of Bias Tool V.2.0 and extracted data. Data obtained from the study will be synthesised using applicable statistical methods.

Results:

The results of the present study will systematically assess efficacy and safety of antimicrobial de-escalation therapy among patients with sepsis.

Conclusion:

The results of the present study will help to establish the efficacy and safety of antimicrobial de-escalation to treat patients with sepsis. It can also help to identify the most efficient and safe therapeutically-relevant method.

Ethics and dissemination:

The present study is a meta-analysis and the pooled results are based on published evidence. Therefore, ethics approval is not necessary.

OSF registration number:

October 22, 2020.osf.io/93wym. (https://osf.io/93wym/).
Preventive effect and safety of Chinese herbal medicine mouthwash in chemotherapy-induced oral mucositis
Authors: Zhang Jianfeng , Feng Junfei , Liu Yunxia
Published: December 2020

Background:

Oral mucositis (OM), one of the most common side effects for cancer patients who have undergone chemotherapy, can cause severe impairment to patients’ functional ability and impact their quality of life, resulting in delayed and/or incomplete treatment. Traditional Chinese medicine offers empirical herbal decoctions to gargle for the prevention of chemotherapy-induced OM; however, evidence for its clinical efficacy and safety is lacking. Therefore, we provide a protocol to evaluate the preventive effect and safety of Chinese herbal medicine mouthwash in chemotherapy-induced OM.

Methods:

We will comprehensively retrieve relevant articles published till August 15, 2020, in the following electronic databases: the Cochrane Library, PubMed, EMBASE, Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure Database, Chinese Biomedical Literature Database, Chinese Science and Technique Journals Database, and the Wan-fang Database. Only randomized controlled trials will be included. We will use the criteria provided by the Cochrane Handbook for quality assessment and risk assessment of the included studies and use the RevMan 5.3 software for meta-analysis of the preventive effect and safety.

Results:

This study will assess the preventive effect and safety of Chinese herbal medicine mouthwash in chemotherapy-induced OM.

Conclusion:

This systematic review will provide evidence-based medical corroboration for the clinical application of the Chinese herbal medicine mouthwash in chemotherapy-induced OM.

PROSPERO registration number:

CRD42020206614.
Ten years’ disease-free survival of advanced epithelial ovarian cancer treated by cytoreductive surgery plus hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy
Authors: Zhang Jue , Mei Liejun , Wang Fubing , Li Yan
Published: December 2020

Rationale:

One of the most distinctive features of epithelial ovarian cancer is tendency to disseminate into peritoneal cavity to form peritoneal carcinomatosis, indicating advanced disease with poor prognosis.

Patient concerns:

A fifty-year-old patient had a chief complaint of an abdominal distension lasting 1 month.

Diagnoses:

The patient was diagnosed with advanced epithelial ovarian cancer with peritoneal carcinomatosis by computed tomography scan, tumor markers, endoscopy examination, and pathology.

Interventions:

The patient was treated with cytoreductive surgery plus hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy followed by 8 cycles of systemic chemotherapy.

Outcomes:

Till March 9, 2020, the patient has disease-free survival over 10 years.

Lessons:

The application of cytoreductive surgery plus hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy combined with systematic chemotherapy may improve survival dramatically for the patients with epithelial ovarian cancer and peritoneal carcinomatosis and should be considered as an option of a relatively new regime.
Sonography-guided trigger point injections in abdominal myofascial pain syndrome
Authors: Rhim Hye Chang , Cha Jae Hyun , Cha Jaehyung , Kim Dong Hwee
Published: December 2020

Even though chronic abdominal pain is 1 of the most common reasons for hospital visits, diagnostic testing is often time-consuming and treatment is inadequate. Abdominal myofascial pain syndrome (AMPS) is usually not included as a differential diagnosis, but it should be considered in cases of chronic abdominal pain. The purpose of this study was to investigate the clinical characteristics of AMPS and to assess the effect of sonography-guided trigger point injections (TPI).

A total of 100 patients with AMPS from 2012 to 2018 were retrospectively evaluated for clinical characteristics and TPI effects. AMPS was diagnosed using Srinivasan and Greenbaum's criteria, and the TPIs were performed at intervals of 2 to 4 weeks. The Visual Analog Scale (VAS) ratio was calculated by subtracting the final VAS from the initial VAS score and dividing it by the initial VAS score after injections, and the patients were divided into 4 groups: non-responders, mild, moderate, and good responders.

The median duration of pain was 12 months, and the median number of hospital visits before TPI was 2. Of the 100 patients, 66 (66%) were categorized as good responders, 11 (11%) as moderate responders, 7 (6.9%) as mild responders, and 16 (15.7%) as non-responders. When the initial and final VAS scores were compared, the sonography-guided injections were found to be effective in alleviating pain (P < .001). Moreover, patients who received the injections 2 or more times tended to have more significant pain reduction than those who received a single injection (P < .001).

Patients with AMPS suffer from long-term pain and undergo many hospital visits and diagnostic tests. TPI with lidocaine can be an effective and safe treatment for patients with chronic AMPS.
Auricular therapy improves gastrointestinal function in patients with gynecological laparoscopic surgery
Authors: Hu Ying , Cheng Xianying , Su Xinglin , Fu Yun
Published: December 2020

Background:

Gynecological laparoscopic surgery is the main method to treat gynecological diseases, but postoperative gastrointestinal reactions are more common in patients. Auricular therapy, as a characteristic therapy of Traditional Chinese Medicine, can improve gastrointestinal symptoms such as nausea and vomiting by stimulating the conduction of acupoints through the nervous system on internal organs, but there are studies questioning the efficacy of auricular therapy. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to prove the efficacy and safety of auricular therapy in promoting gastrointestinal function recovery after gynecological laparoscopic surgery, and to provide reference value for future clinical practice.

Methods:

To search English databases (PubMed, Excerpta Medical Database [Embase], Web of Science, the Cochrane Library) and Chinese databases (Chinese National Knowledge Internet [CNKI], WanFang, Viper, Chinese Biomedical Literature Database) by computer, and conduct a randomized controlled trial on the effect of aural point therapy on gastrointestinal function recovery of patients after gynecological laparoscopic surgery from the establishment of the database to October 2020. Two researchers independently evaluate the quality of the included studies and extract the data, and meta-analysis of the included literature is carried out using RevMan5.3 software.

Results:

In this study, the efficacy and safety of auricular therapy in the recovery of gastrointestinal function after gynecological laparoscopic surgery are evaluated from the aspects of first anal exhaust time, bowel sound recovery time, and incidence of gastrointestinal complications.

Conclusion:

This study will provide reliable evidence-based evidence for auricular therapy in the treatment of gastrointestinal function after gynecologic laparoscopic surgery.

Ethics and dissemination:

Private information from individuals will not be published. This systematic review also does not involve endangering participant rights. Ethical approval was not required. The results may be published in a peer-reviewed journal or disseminated at relevant conferences.

OSF Registration number:

DOI 10.17605 / OSF.IO / ZSPGA
Applying the Ecological Model to understand pregnant women's perspectives on the modifiable constraints to physical activity during pregnancy
Authors: Okafor Uchenna Benedine , Goon Daniel Ter
Published: December 2020

The benefits of physical activity (PA) during pregnancy are widely reported; however, PA practice is seemingly not a valued habit among pregnant women attending public antenatal health centres in the Eastern Cape of South Africa. Guided by the ecological model, we sought to explore modifiable barriers to PA among pregnant women.

Semi-structured interviews involved a purposive sample of 15 pregnant women. Interview questions were guided by the ecological model constructs at intrapersonal, interpersonal, and environmental level. Thematic analysis was applied to summarise the modifiable barriers to PA during pregnancy.

Three main themes emerged, based on the modifiable barriers to PA during pregnancy that belong to the varying Ecological Model constructs. On the intrapersonal level, 5 themes emerged, namely, time-constraint beliefs, feeling of tiredness, low energy, lack of motivation, and a lack of knowledge on benefits and types of PA. Two themes emerged for the interpersonal level, lack of PA advice and lack of information on PA recommendations and guidelines. Another theme defined the environmental level lacking resources. Most themes related to individual factors, which prevent PA-promoting behaviour.

Overall, intrapersonal factors relating to tiredness and exhaustion, lack of time beliefs, work and household commitments, and lack of motivation were key modifiable barriers to PA by the women. The findings provide insights into possible interventional strategies to optimise PA during pregnancy among women in this setting. Appropriate knowledge, education and advice on the benefits, types, and intensity of PA in pregnancy are needed.
Comparison of anterior chamber angle changes following phakic intraocular lens with and without a central hole implantation for moderate to high myopic eyes
Authors: Zhou Tian’an , Jiang Hui , Wang Yang , Xie Chen , Xia Jianhua , Shen Ye
Published: December 2020

The aim of this study was to compare the anterior chamber angle changes after implantation of phakic intraocular lens with and without a central hole for moderate to high myopic eyes in Chinese people.

This study enrolled 106 eyes of 54 people with intraocular lens V4 implantation and 105 eyes of 53 people with intraocular lens V4c implantation. Postoperative vault, intraocular pressure, and anterior chamber angle changes were assessed using noncontract tonometer and ultrasound biomicroscope, respectively, at 1, 3, 6, and 12months after the surgery.

There were no significant differences (all P > .05) between the 2 groups in the depth of the central vault, intraocular pressure, or the width of anterior chamber angle at any time point post-surgery. The anterior chamber angle width in degree had a baseline of 54.40 ± 10.51 in V4c group, and decreased to 27.80 ± 5.62, 26.95 ± 5.56, 27.32 ± 5.66, 27.04 ± 5.47 at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months post-surgery, respectively. Mean preoperative value of 50.62 ± 11.77 decreased to 27.28 ± 6.53, 26.82 ± 6.03, 26.61 ± 5.80, 26.83 ± 5.76 at 1, 3, 6, 12 months, respectively, in V4 group. It had sufficient evidence (P < .001) that anterior chamber angle will narrow done after surgery, but there were no statistically significant differences within groups at any time point after surgery.

The anterior chamber angle changes of the V4c group was essentially equivalent to that of conventional V4 group, although implantation of both models will lead to the decrease in anterior chamber angle width.
Effects of Chaihu-Shugan-San for reflux esophagitis
Authors: Zhou Yan , Zeng Zhi , Dong Xiaoyu , Fei Jianping , Li Baoliang
Published: December 2020

Background:

Reflux esophagitis (RE) is a common disease which is caused by the reflux of stomach and duodenal contents. As a classic prescription of traditional Chinese medicine, Chaihu-Shugan-San (CSS) has been used in the treatment of RE. However, no critically designed overview to evaluate the systematic review of CSS for RE has been carried out. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the efficacy and safety of CSS in the treatment of RE.

Methods and analysis:

We will search the following sources without restrictions for date, language, or publication status: PubMed, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) Cochrane Library, EMBASE, MEDLINE, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wan Fang Database, Chinese Bio-medicine Database, and VIP Chinese Periodical Database. Study selection, data extraction, and assessment of the risk of bias will be performed by 2 reviewers independently. Revman software (v.5.3) will be used to perform the meta-analyses.

Results:

This study will provide a comprehensive evaluation of the efficacy and safety of CSS for patients with RE.

Conclusion:

The findings will be an available reference to evaluate the efficacy and safety of CSS on RE and provide decision-making reference on which method to choose for clinicians.

Trial registration number:

10.17605/OSF.IO/5398R.
Modified Maimendong decoction in the treatment of patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis
Authors: Gan Wenfan , Huang Qun , Xiao Guojin , Luo Ying , Wang Jundong , Zhang Chuantao , Liang Yuancheng , Huang Niao , Liao Tingting
Published: December 2020

Introduction:

With dissatisfaction of western medicine, traditional Chinese medicine becomes alternative treatment for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis patients. The common syndrome of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is qi and yin deficiency syndrome. The prescription, Modified Maimendong Decoction (MMD), is usually used for IPF patients with qi and yin deficiency syndrome. However, there is no convinced evidence for the efficacy and safety of MMD to treat IPF.

Methods:

A double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized clinical trial was put forward by us. After a 1-day run-in period, 60 eligible patients will be included in the study. These subjects will be allocated to the experiment group or control group in a 1:1 ratio. Patients in the experiment group will take MMD plus Pirfenidone capsule. At the same time, patients in the control group will receive a matched placebo plus Pirfenidone capsule. All subjects will receive 24 weeks of treatment and follow-up period. The primary outcomes are the mean change from the baseline in forced vital capacity and times of acute exacerbations at week 4, 12, 24. Secondary outcomes are the mean change from baseline in the St. George's respiratory questionnaire total score, forced expiratory volume in 1 second percentage/forced vital capacity, diffusing capacity of Carbon monoxide, brain natriuretic peptide, and curative effect of traditional Chinese medicine syndrome at week 4, 12, and 24. Any side effects of the treatment will be recorded.

Discussion:

The results of this trial will provide the evidence for the effect of MMD in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.
Music intervention improves the physical and mental status for patients with breast cancer
Authors: Li Xiuting , Du Guangpeng , Liu Wei , Wang Fangfei
Published: December 2020

Background:

Breast cancer is the most familiar cancer and the major cause of the cancer death in women worldwide. The breast cancer patients may suffer from severe mental and physical trauma. At present, there are few studies on the music therapy for patients with breast cancer. The objective of our paper is to assess the effect of music intervention on mental and physical state of breast cancer patients.

Methods:

The experiment will be implemented from June 2021 to June 2022 at Jinan Central Hospital. The experiment was granted through the Research Ethics Committee of Jinan Central Hospital (no.08847765). The inclusion criteria requires that the age of female patients ranges from 25 to 65 years old, and the pathological diagnosis of breast cancer requires radical mastectomy (containing extensive radical mastectomy and modified radical mastectomy). Patients who do not like to listen to music or have severe debilitating diseases or are allergic to the sound will be excluded. Patients in the intervention group are given music intervention, and in control group, patients do not receive any information about the music therapy in the period of this study. The primary outcome is quality of life, psychological distress. The secondary outcomes are the heart rate, blood pressure, as well as Visual Analog Scale (VAS).

Results:

Table 1 will illustrate the postoperative outcomes after music interventions between groups.

Conclusion:

Music intervention can improve the mental and physical health of the breast cancer patients.

Trial registration:

This study protocol was registered in Research Registry (researchregistry6168).
To assess the effective and safety of berberine hydrochloride in ulcerative colitis
Authors: Zhang Yong , Wang Jin , Hou Daorui , Yan Shuguang , Dang Sijie
Published: December 2020

Background:

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is an inflammatory bowel disease characterized by a relapsing and remitting course, and the curative medical therapy of UC is not yet available with its precise etiology unknown. Berberine hydrochloride, one of the main alkaloids in rhizomes of Coptis chinensis, has been reported the efficacy in patients with UC. However, there is no systematic review related to berberine hydrochloride for UC published. In this work, we will systematically evaluate the effectiveness and safety of berberine hydrochloride for UC by a meta-analysis method to provide a substantial conclusion for clinical practice.

Methods and analysis:

In this study, we will search the Chinese and English databases by electronic and manual search to find the related literature of berberine hydrochloride in the treatment of UC published from the inception date of each predefined database up to October 2020. Databases include PubMed, Embase, MEDLINE, Cochrane Library Central Register of Controlled Trials, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) database, Wanfang Data Knowledge Service Platform, the VIP information resource integration service platform (cqvip), China Biology Medicine Disc (Sino Med), the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (ChiCTR), and ClinicalTrials.gov. The 2 professional trained authors will independently select the qualified studies for data extraction and assess the risk of bias in included studies. Then the synthesis and analyses of data will be carried out in RevMan 5.4. The heterogeneity of statistics will be assessed by a heterogeneity X

2
test and I

2
tests. Sensitivity analysis is used to evaluate whether the outcomes of systematic review or meta-analysis are robust and reliable. The funnel plot is the main method to evaluate the bias of reporting. Finally, we will use The Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation to evaluate the quality of evidence.

Results:

The results of this study will be published in a peer-reviewed journal.

Conclusion:

Whether berberine hydrochloride is an effectiveness and safety for patients with UC will be judged in the conclusion of this systematic review.

OSF registration number:

10.17605/OSF.IO/X57U3.
Effectiveness and safety of moxibustion for De Quervain disease
Authors: Liu Min , Liu Meinian , Yang Wenlong , Mei Ou , Xia Hanting , Tu Hong , Wang Li , Deng Xuyong , Yang Fengyun
Published: December 2020

Background:

De Quervain disease (DQD) is a common clinical disease. As a strainingdisease, DQD is more common in women who frequently engage in manual operations. The main clinical symptoms are local pain and dysfunction. Many clinical studies have reported that moxibustion has a good effect on the treatment of DQD, but there is no relevant systematic review. So the purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of moxibustion in treating DQD.

Methods:

The following 8 electronic databases will be searched, including PubMed, Embase, the Cochrane Library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Web of Science, Chinese Scientific Journal Database (VIP), Wanfang Database, and Chinese Biomedical Literatures Database (CBM) from their inception to 1 October 2020 without any restrictions. Researchers retrieve the literature and extracted the data, evaluation of research methods, quality of literature. The outcomes will include a visual analogue scale, Finkelsteins, resisted thumb extension, total effective rate, incidence of any adverse events. We use the Cochrane Risk of a bias assessment tool to evaluate methodological qualities. Data synthesis will be completed by RevMan 5.3.0.

Results:

We will show the results of this study in a peer-reviewed journal.

Conclusions:

This meta-analysis will provide reliable evidence for moxibustion treatment of DQD.

INPLASY registration number:

INPLASY2020100111.
Healing of partial tear of the supraspinatus tendon after atelocollagen injection confirmed by MRI
Authors: Jo Youbin , Kim Won-Joong , Lee Heeseung
Published: December 2020

Rationale:

Recently, collagen therapy has been made available for treating rotator cuff tendon injuries. However, to our knowledge, there are no clinical studies objectively investigating the effect of collagen therapy.

Patient concerns:

A 53-year-old female patient visited our pain clinic because of pain in the right shoulder. Although she had never experienced trauma and had not overused her shoulder and arm, the patient showed limited range of motion with painful arc syndrome. Moreover, the Neer test and Hawkins–Kennedy test were positive with subacromial tenderness.

Diagnoses:

The MRI findings revealed partial tears on the articular surface of the anterior supraspinatus tendon in the rotator cuff.

Interventions:

The patient was treated with injections of exogenous collagen at the site of the partial tear under ultrasound guidance.

Outcomes:

Follow-up MRI after injection of collagen revealed healing of the previous partial rupture of the tendon without any complications. Moreover, the patient reported reduction in pain and improvement in the movement of her shoulder during the follow-up period.

Lessons:

In this report, we demonstrate healing of a partial tear of the supraspinatus tendon in the rotator cuff after injection of exogenous collagen, as confirmed by MRI.
The effect of Tai Chi on the quality of life in the elderly patients recovering from coronavirus disease 2019
Authors: Luo Ziyu , Chen Ying , Wang Lina , Chi Wenxin , Cheng Xiaoxuan , Zhu Xiangyu
Published: December 2020

Background:

coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is spreading fast starting late 2019. As their cardiopulmonary and immune functions gradually decline, elderly people are prone to COVID-19. Tai Chi has a positive impact on heart function, blood pressure, lung function, blood circulation, and so on, and it's suitable for the elderly. Quality of life (QoL)can reflect of individuals’ physical and mental health, it can also reflects their ability to participate in society. This systematic review and meta-analysis will summarize the current evidence that Tai Chi improve the QoL in the elderly patients recovering from COVID-19.

Methods:

We will search PubMed, EMBASE, MEDLINE, the Cochrane Library, Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure, Chinese Biomedical Literature Database, Chinese Science and Technology Periodical Database, Wanfang Database, Clinical Trials and Chinese Clinical Trial Registry. The complete process will include study selection, data extraction, risk of bias assessment and meta-analyses. Endnote X9.3 will be used to manage data screening. The statistical analysis will be completed by Stata/SE 15.1 software.

Results:

This proposed study will evaluate the effectiveness and safety of Tai Chi for the improvement of QoL in elderly COVID-19 patients during the recovery period.

Conclusion:

The conclusion of this study will provide evidence to prove the safety and effectiveness of Tai Chi on elderly COVID-19 patients during the recovery period.

Ethics and dissemination:

This protocol will not evaluate individual patient information or infringe patient rights and therefore does not require ethical approval.

Registration:

PEROSPERO CRD42020206875
Effect of home-based reablement program on improving activities of daily living for patients with stroke
Authors: Han Der-Sheng , Chuang Po-Wen , Chiu En-Chi
Published: December 2020

Background:

Administering activities of daily living (ADL) and recovery of ADL functions are the main treatment goals in rehabilitation for patients with stroke. Reablement is one form of rehabilitative intervention, which aims to restore ADL functions performed in the community. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of home-based reablement from 3 concepts of ADL (ie, actual performance, ability, and self-perceived difficulty) for patients with stroke.

Methods:

This was a single-blind pilot randomized clinical trial. Twenty-six patients were randomly assigned into 2 groups: home-based reablement group (n = 12) and control group (n = 14). The home-based reablement group received ADL training in the home environment for 6 weeks. The control group received conventional rehabilitation in the hospital. Outcome measures contained the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM) and the Barthel Index-based Supplementary Scales (BI-SS). The COPM was applied to identify patients’ level of performance and satisfaction with ADL training. The BI-SS included 3 ADL scales: actual performance, ability, and self-perceived difficulty.

Results:

The patients in the home-based reablement group showed statistically significant improvements in the ability scale and total score of the BI-SS than the control group (P < .05) and demonstrated moderate effect size (success rate difference = 0.34–0.42). No significant differences were noticed in the COPM and the other 2 scales of the BI-SS (actual performance and self-perceived difficulty), but small effect sizes were found (success rate difference = 0.17–0.22).

Conclusions:

For patients with stroke, the 6-week home-based reablement program had similar effects with the control group on patients’ perceived performance, satisfaction, and difficulty in ADL, but it displayed potential for enhancing their ability in executing ADL tasks.
Relationship between long non-coding RNA TUG1 and prognosis of patients with gastric carcinoma
Authors: Xia Wei , Zhang Qiang , Li Qian , Liang Xianchun
Published: December 2020

Background:

Long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) can predict the prognosis of patients with various cancers. The relationship between lncRNA taurine upregulated gene 1 (TUG1) and the prognosis of patients with gastric carcinoma still needs to be further explored. Therefore, this study attempted to explore the relationship between TUG1 and the prognosis of patients suffering from gastric carcinoma.

Methods:

The database was retrieved from China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Chinese Biomedical literature Database (CBM), Chinese Scientific and Journal Database (VIP), Wan Fang database, PubMed, and EMBASE. Hazard ratios (HRs) and its 95% confidence interval (CIs) were applied to assess the prognostic effects of TUG1 on overall survival (OS). RevMan 5.3 software was adopted to perform meta-analysis.

Results:

The results of this meta-analysis would be submitted to peer-reviewed journals for publication.

Conclusion:

This review provided a comprehensive overview of the relationship between TUG1 and the prognosis of patients with gastric carcinoma, and offered recommendations for clinical practices or guidelines.
Epidural steroids following percutaneous endoscopic interlaminar discectomy
Authors: Ran Qiang , Yu Yang , Li Tong , Fan Xiaohong
Published: December 2020

Background:

Percutaneous endoscopic interlaminar discectomy (PEID) has been widely used in the treatment of lumbar disc herniation and spinal stenosis, epidural steroids following PEID in an effort to reduce the incidence and duration of postoperative pain. Although steroids are widely thought to reduce the effect of surgical trauma, the observation index is not uniform, so the issue is still controversial. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to systematically evaluate the efficacy and safety of local epidural steroids application following PEID.

Methods:

We will search the following databases from their inception to August 2020, PubMed, Embase, Medline, Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure, Chinese Biomedical Literature Database, Web of Science, Wan Fang Database, Cochrane Library. The search strategy includes the MeSH terms. Meta-analysis will be performed using Rev Man V.5.3.5 statistical software.

Results:

This study will provide a high-quality synthesis to evaluate the efficacy and safety of local epidural steroids following PEID.

Conclusion:

This systematic review will provide evidence to judge whether local epidural steroids application following PEID is an effective and safe intervention for patients. It will provide reliable evidence for its extensive application.

Registration number:

INPLASY2020100085
Low-residue versus clear liquid diet before colonoscopy
Authors: Chen Engeng , Chen Li , Wang Fei , Zhang Wei , Cai Xianlei , Cao Gaoyang
Published: December 2020

Great value in the early identification and treatment of adenomatous polyps or early canceration using colonoscopy has been recognized. A clear colonoscopic vision brought by good intestinal preparation will become crucial. Several studies have completed using the low-residue diet (LRD) versus a clear liquid diet (CLD) the day before colonoscopy that presenting contradictory results. Therefore, a more comprehensive and updated meta-analysis is needed to summarize the findings on the effects of LRD and CLD on intestinal preparation and the quality of coloscopy.

The comprehensive search was performed in PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, Cochrane databases (February 2020). LRD vs CLD before colonoscopy were included in this study. Mantel-Haenszel or DerSimonian and Laird models with the relative risk (RR) to evaluate differences in intestinal preparation, tolerance, readiness to repeat preparation, detected of a polyp, and overall adverse reactions.

Total 16 studies (N = 3413) were eligible. Patients with LRD compared with CLD indicated significantly better of tolerability (RR 0.92;95% CI,0.85–0.99; P < .05) and willingness to repeat intestinal preparation (RR 0.86; 95% CI 0.79–0.93; P < .05), but no differences with adequate intestinal preparations, detected polyp or overall adverse reactions (all P > .05).

Patients with LRD the day before colonoscopy show better tolerance and willingness to repeat intestinal preparation, and no difference with adequate intestinal preparations compared with CLD, but the recommended level of evidence is weak. However, in terms of the detection rate of intestinal adenomas, the LRD group is not weaker than the CLD group, for its evidence level is high, and can significantly reduce the hunger experience of patients.
The Cost of Implementing and Sustaining the COMprehensive Post-Acute Stroke Services Model
Authors: Bayliss William S. , Bushnell Cheryl D. , Halladay Jacqueline R. , Duncan Pamela W. , Freburger Janet K. , Kucharska-Newton Anna M. , Trogdon Justin G.
Published: December 2020

Background:

The COMprehensive Post-Acute Stroke Services (COMPASS) model, a transitional care intervention for stroke patients discharged home, was tested against status quo postacute stroke care in a cluster-randomized trial in 40 hospitals in North Carolina. This study examined the hospital-level costs associated with implementing and sustaining COMPASS.

Methods:

Using an activity-based costing survey, we estimated hospital-level resource costs spent on COMPASS-related activities during approximately 1 year. We identified hospitals that were actively engaged in COMPASS during the year before the survey and collected resource cost estimates from 22 hospitals. We used median wage data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and COMPASS enrollment data to estimate the hospital-level costs per COMPASS enrollee.

Results:

Between November 2017 and March 2019, 1582 patients received the COMPASS intervention across the 22 hospitals included in this analysis. Average annual hospital-level COMPASS costs were $2861 per patient (25th percentile: $735; 75th percentile: $3,475). Having 10% higher stroke patient volume was associated with 5.1% lower COMPASS costs per patient (P=0.016). About half (N=10) of hospitals reported postacute clinic visits as their highest-cost activity, while a third (N=7) reported case ascertainment (ie, identifying eligible patients) as their highest-cost activity.

Conclusions:

We found that the costs of implementing COMPASS varied across hospitals. On average, hospitals with higher stroke volume and higher enrollment reported lower costs per patient. Based on average costs of COMPASS and readmissions for stroke patients, COMPASS could lower net costs if the model is able to prevent about 6 readmissions per year.
Association of Mandatory Bundled Payments for Joint Replacement With Postacute Care Outcomes Among Medicare and Medicaid Dual Eligible Patients
Authors: Li Yue , Ying Meiling , Cai Xueya , Thirukumaran Caroline P.
Published: December 2020

Importance:

The Medicare comprehensive care for joint replacement (CJR) model, a mandatory bundled payment program started in April 2016 for hospitals in randomly selected metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs), may help reduce postacute care (PAC) use and episode costs, but its impact on disparities between Medicaid and non-Medicaid beneficiaries is unknown.

Objective:

To determine effects of the CJR program on differences (or disparities) in PAC use and outcomes by Medicare-Medicaid dual eligibility status.

Design, Setting, and Participants:

Observational cohort study of 2013–2017, based on difference-in-differences (DID) analyses on Medicare data for 1,239,452 Medicare-only patients, 57,452 dual eligibles with full Medicaid benefits, and 50,189 dual eligibles with partial Medicaid benefits who underwent hip or knee surgery in hospitals of 75 CJR MSAs and 121 control MSAs.

Main Outcome Measures:

Risk-adjusted differences in rates of institutional PAC [skilled nursing facility (SNF), inpatient rehabilitation, or long-term hospital care] use and readmissions; and for the subgroup of patients discharged to SNF, risk-adjusted differences in SNF length of stay, payments, and quality measured by star ratings, rate of successful discharge to community, and rate of transition to long-stay nursing home resident.

Results:

The CJR program was associated with reduced institutional PAC use and readmissions for patients in all 3 groups. For example, it was associated with reductions in 90-day readmission rate by 1.8 percentage point [DID estimate=−1.8; 95% confidence interval (CI), −2.6 to −0.9; P<0.001] for Medicare-only patients, by 1.6 percentage points (DID estimate=−1.6; 95% CI, −3.1 to −0.1; P=0.04) for full-benefit dual eligibles, and by 2.0 percentage points (DID estimate=−2.0; 95% CI, −3.6 to −0.4; P=0.01) for partial-benefit dual eligibles. These CJR-associated effects did not differ between dual eligibles (differences in above DID estimates=0.2; 95% CI, −1.4 to 1.7; P=0.81 for full-benefit patients; and −0.3; 95% CI, −1.9 to 1.3; P=0.74 for partial-benefit patients) and Medicare-only patients. Among patients discharged to SNF, the CJR program showed no effect on successful community discharge, transition to long-term care, or their persistent disparities.

Conclusions:

The CJR program did not help reduce persistent disparities in readmissions or SNF-specific outcomes related to Medicare-Medicaid dual eligibility, likely due to its lack of financial incentives for reduced disparities and improved SNF outcomes.
Association Between State Policies on Improving Opioid Prescribing in 2 States and Opioid Overdose Rates Among Reproductive-aged Women
Authors: Ji Xu , Haight Sarah C. , Ko Jean Y. , Cox Shanna , Barfield Wanda D. , Zhang Kun , Guy Gery P. , Li Rui
Published: December 2020

Background:

The opioid overdose epidemic has been declared a public health emergency. Women are more likely than men to be prescribed opioid medications. Some states have adopted policies to improve opioid prescribing, including prescription drug monitoring programs (PDMPs) and pain clinic laws.

Objective:

Among reproductive-aged women, we examined the association of mandatory use laws for PDMPs in Kentucky (concurrent with a pain clinic law) and New York with overdose involving prescription opioids or heroin and opioid use disorder (OUD).

Study Design, Subjects, and Outcome Measures:

We conducted interrupted time series analyses estimating outcome changes after policy implementation in Kentucky and New York, compared with geographically close states without these policies (comparison states), using 2010–2014 State Inpatient and State Emergency Department Databases. Outcomes included rates of inpatient discharges and emergency department visits for overdoses involving prescription opioids or heroin and OUD among reproductive-aged women.

Results:

Relative to comparison states, following Kentucky’s policy change, we found an immediate postpolicy decrease and a decreasing trend in the rate of overdoses involving prescription opioids, an immediate postpolicy increase in the rate of overdoses involving heroin, and a decreasing trend in the OUD rate (P<0.01); New York’s policy change was not associated with the assessed outcomes.

Conclusions:

PDMPs and pain clinic laws, such as those implemented in Kentucky, may be promising strategies to reduce the adverse impacts of high-risk opioid prescribing among reproductive-aged women. As states continue efforts to improve inappropriate opioid prescribing, similar strategies as those adopted in Kentucky merit consideration.
How to Identify Team-based Primary Care in the United States Using Medicare Data
Authors: Kuo Yong-Fang , Lin Yu-Li , Jupiter Daniel
Published: December 2020

Background:

Studying team-based primary care using 100% national outpatient Medicare data is not feasible, due to limitations in the availability of this dataset to researchers.

Methods:

We assessed whether analyses using different sets of Medicare data can produce results similar to those from analyses using 100% data from an entire state, in identifying primary care teams through social network analysis. First, we used data from 100% Medicare beneficiaries, restricted to those within a primary care services area (PCSA), to identify primary care teams. Second, we used data from a 20% sample of Medicare beneficiaries and defined shared care by 2 providers using 2 different cutoffs for the minimum required number of shared patients, to identify primary care teams.

Results:

The team practices identified with social network analysis using the 20% sample and a cutoff of 6 patients shared between 2 primary care providers had good agreement with team practices identified using statewide data (F measure: 90.9%). Use of 100% data within a small area geographic boundary, such as PCSAs, had an F measure of 83.4%. The percent of practices identified from these datasets that coincided with practices identified from statewide data were 86% versus 100%, respectively.

Conclusions:

Depending on specific study purposes, researchers could use either 100% data from Medicare beneficiaries in randomly selected PCSAs, or data from a 20% national sample of Medicare beneficiaries to study team-based primary care in the United States.