Postgraduate medical journal
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Effects of a Pilates programme in spinal curvatures and hamstring extensibility in adolescents with thoracic hyperkyphosis: a randomised controlled trial.
To evaluate the effects of a 9-month Pilates exercise programme on the sagittal spinal posture and hamstring extensibility of adolescents with thoracic hyperkyphosis. ⋯ The adolescents with thoracic hyperkyphosis from the PG had a decreased thoracic kyphosis in relaxed standing position, and improved hamstring extensibility as compared with the CG. More than 50% of the participants obtained kyphosis values inside normality, showing an adjusted mean difference between groups in the thoracic curve of about 73% of the baseline mean, resulting in a large improvement and high clinical importance.
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Hypertension, a prevalent component of metabolic syndrome (MetS), is a well-known risk factor for cardiovascular diseases (CVD). Psychosis is a feature in the schizophrenia spectrum. Meta-analysis suggests that the prevalence of hypertension in schizophrenia and related disorders is 39%. ⋯ Interleukin-6, a marker and driver of inflammation, is related to obesity and plays a role in the pathogenesis of MetS and hypertension. The lack of preventive care of hypertension and other MetS risk factors for patients on antipsychotic medication is reflected in the high incidence of CVD in this population. It is important to detect and treat MetS and hypertension in patients with psychosis in order to reduce cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in this population.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Educational impact and recommendations from implementation of student-led clinical trial recruitment: a mixed-methods study.
Medical students have an essential role in medical research, yet often lack opportunities for involvement within randomised trials. This study aimed to understand the educational impact of clinical trial recruitment for medical students. Tracking wound infection with smartphone technology (TWIST) was a randomised controlled trial that included adult patients undergoing emergency abdominal surgery across two university teaching hospitals. ⋯ Student recruitment in clinical trials is feasible and accelerates recruitment to clinical trials. Students demonstrated novel clinical research competencies and increased their likelihood of future involvement. Adequate training, support and selection of suitable trials are essential for future student involvement in randomised trials.
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Our aim was to use the constructed machine learning (ML) models as auxiliary diagnostic tools to improve the diagnostic accuracy of non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI). ⋯ The ML model constructed based on clinical data can be used as an auxiliary tool to improve the accuracy of NSTEMI diagnosis. According to our comprehensive evaluation, the performance of the extreme gradient boosting model was the best.