Medicine
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Randomized Controlled Trial
The efficacy and safety of ginger (Zingiber officinale) rhizome extract in outpatients with COVID-19: A randomized double-blind placebo-control clinical trial.
Ginger, a potent antiviral, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant remedy, is a potential therapeutic option for COVID-19. However, there was not enough clinical evidence about ginger and COVID-19. We evaluated the efficacy and safety of ginger on clinical and paraclinical features in outpatients with COVID-19. ⋯ Ginger had no significant impact on the clinical and paraclinical parameters of patients. However, this intervention demonstrated a safe profile of adverse events and reduced pulmonary infiltrate.
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The impact of intraosseous (IO) access on resuscitation outcomes, as compared to intravenous (IV) administration, is subject to ongoing debate. This review aims to provide a comprehensive evaluation of the methodological, reporting, and evidence quality of existing Systematic Reviews/Meta-Analyses (SRs/MAs) on IO use during resuscitation. ⋯ Despite the perceived utility of IO access when IV access is unachievable, the impact of IO on survival, return of spontaneous circulation, and neurological outcomes remains ambiguous due to the inconsistency in the existing evidence. This review underscores the critical need for more rigorous and consistent primary research in this area to strengthen clinical guidelines and improve patient outcomes.
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This study aims to systematically evaluate the clinical efficacy and adverse reactions associated with Jintiange capsule (JTG capsule)-assisted percutaneous vertebral augmentation (PVA) in the treatment of osteoporotic vertebral compression fracture (OVCF). ⋯ JTG capsule has demonstrated promising outcomes in alleviating the pain experienced by OVCF patients following PVP. Additionally, it has shown efficacy in enhancing postoperative lumbar and back function. Furthermore, JTG capsule has been associated with improvements in postoperative vertebral BMD and serum bone-γ-carboxyglutamic acid-containing protein levels. These findings suggest that JTG capsule could potentially serve as a viable adjunctive treatment option for managing osteoporosis following PVA.
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This study aimed to evaluate the readability, reliability, and quality of responses by 4 selected artificial intelligence (AI)-based large language model (LLM) chatbots to questions related to cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). This was a cross-sectional study. Responses to the 100 most frequently asked questions about CPR by 4 selected chatbots (ChatGPT-3.5 [Open AI], Google Bard [Google AI], Google Gemini [Google AI], and Perplexity [Perplexity AI]) were analyzed for readability, reliability, and quality. ⋯ The readability of the text content provided by all 4 chatbots was found to be above the 6th-grade level. We believe that enhancing the quality, reliability, and readability of PEMs will lead to easier understanding by readers and more accurate performance of CPR. So, patients who receive bystander CPR may experience an increased likelihood of survival.
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Sarcopenia is a contributing factor in the development of long-COVID syndrome. We aimed to investigate how intercostal muscle mass changes over 3 months compared to other chest wall muscles following COVID-19 infection, along with identifying factors contributing to intercostal muscle loss during follow-up. We retrospectively studied 110 COVID-19 patients, analyzing muscle masses in the intercostal, pectoralis, and thoracic 12th vertebra level (T12) on initial and follow-up CT scans. ⋯ Stepwise logistic regression identified steroid use (3.494 (1.419-8.604), P = .007) and a follow-up period > 3 months [3.006 (1.339-6.748), P = .008] as predictors of intercostal MDR ≥ 25%. The intercostal muscle wasting was profound compared to that in the pectoralis and T12 skeletal muscles in a follow-up CT scan, and the intercostal muscle wasting was further aggravated after 3 months of COVID-19 infection. The use of steroids and a follow-up period exceeding 3 months were significant predictors for ≥ 25% of intercostal muscle wasting in follow-up.