Medicine
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Acupuncture has a long history in China and is currently widely used in clinical practice. However, there is no large sample data confirming the effectiveness of acupuncture in treating stroke and its sequelae. This article presents a study protocol for a multicenter, randomized, controlled trial for evaluating the efficacy of acupuncture in treating post-stroke dysphagia. ⋯ This trial could clarify the effectiveness of acupuncture in stroke; moreover, it will determine whether acupuncture can improve swallowing function.
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Observational Study
Effectiveness of electroacupuncture for the treatment of sudden sensorineural hearing loss: A retrospective study.
This retrospective study investigated the use of electroacupuncture (EA) for the treatment of patients with sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL). Between May 2016 and April 2020, 140 patients with SSNHL were retrospectively analyzed. They were allocated to a treatment group (n = 70, received EA) and a control group (n = 70, received acupuncture). ⋯ When it comes to AEs, both modalities had similar safety profile. The findings of this retrospective study indicated that the effectiveness of EA is superior to acupuncture in treating SSNHL. Future high quality studies are needed to warrant the present findings.
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Observational Study
Modified Glasgow coma scale for predicting outcome after subarachnoid hemorrhage surgery.
There are many grading scales that attempt to predict outcome following aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH). Most scales used to assess outcome are based on the neurological status of the patient. Here, we propose a new scale for aSAH patients that combines the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) and the modified Fisher scale (mFS). ⋯ On the receiver operating characteristic curve analysis for vasospasm, the AUC for World Federation of Neurosurgical Societies, mFS and GCS-F scores were 0.912, 0.704, and 0.936, respectively. A simple arithmetic combination of the GCS score and mFS, the GCS-F score, includes the radiographic status as well as the clinical status of the patient, so that the state of the patient can be known in more detail than other single scales. The GCS-F score may be a useful scale for predicting outcome and the occurrence of vasospasm in patients with aSAH.
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Observational Study
Determinants of first-line biological treatment in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: Results from an observational study.
Guidelines for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) recommend the use of conventional synthetic disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (cs-DMARDs) at the onset of the disease and only in the case of therapeutic failure, the addition of a biological drug (b-DMARD) is suggested. The study aimed to evaluate determinants for first-line biological treatment in patients with RA in clinical practice. A cohort of patients with RA, resident in Lazio, a central Italian Region, where Rome is located, and with at least one disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARD) prescription between 2010 and 2016 was selected using health information systems linkable with each other by an individual unique anonymous identifier. ⋯ In the first year of treatment, we observed a percentage of switch from cs-DMARDs to b-DMARDs of 7.9%. In clinical practice, about 7% of patients with RA are prescribed with a b-DMARD as first-line treatment. This therapeutic option, even if not supported by guide lines, is mostly link to younger age and clinical profile of the patients.
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Observational Study
Analysis of psychological status and effect of psychological intervention in quarantined population during the epidemic of SARS-CoV-2.
During outbreaks of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), many countries adopted quarantine to slow the spread of the virus of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Quarantine will cause isolation from families, friends, and the public, which consequently leads to serious psychological pressure with potentially long-lasting effects on the quarantined population. Experience of specific practices to improve the psychological status of the mandatory quarantined population was limited. ⋯ The SCL-90 factor scores of participants with psychological intervention significantly decreased in somatization, obsessive-compulsive, depression, anxiety, phobic anxiety, paranoid ideation, and psychoticism. In contrast, most factor scores of the SCL-90 inventory changed little without statistical significance in participants without psychological intervention. Psychological problems should be emphasized in the quarantined individuals and professional psychological intervention was a feasible approach to improve the psychological status of the mandatory quarantined population in the epidemic of SARS-CoV-2.