Pharmacological research : the official journal of the Italian Pharmacological Society
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Efficacy of Huoxiang Zhengqi dropping pills and Lianhua Qingwen granules in treatment of COVID-19: A randomized controlled trial.
With the global epidemic of coronavirus disease (COVID-19), China has made progress in the prevention and control of the epidemic, and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has played a key role in dealing with the disease's effects on the respiratory system. This randomized controlled clinical trial evaluated the clinical efficacy and prognosis of Huoxiang Zhengqi dropping pills and Lianhua Qingwen granules in patients with COVID-19. ⋯ The use of Huoxiang Zhengqi dropping pills and Lianhua Qingwen granules combined with western medicine may have clinical advantages for COVID-19 patients in improving clinical symptoms, reducing utilization rate of anti-infective drugs, and improving patient prognosis, which could pave the way for the use of complementary medicine in treating this infection.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Targeting matrix metalloproteinases with intravenous doxycycline in severe sepsis--A randomised placebo-controlled pilot trial.
An overwhelming inflammatory process is the hallmark of severe sepsis and septic shock. Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs)-8 and -9 are released from neutrophils and activated in sepsis to participate in inflammation in several ways. High levels of MMP-8 may associate with increased ICU mortality. ⋯ No serious adverse effects of the drug were recorded. We observed no differences over time up to 72 or up to 120 h in the concentrations or activities of MMP-8, -9 or TIMP-1 in any of the groups. We found intravenous doxycycline 100, 50 and 50mg to be adequate to achieve a sub-antimicrobial concentration in patients with severe sepsis or septic shock but having no impact on MMP-8, -9 or TIMP-1 concentrations or activities.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study
Homocysteine is a novel risk factor for suboptimal response of blood platelets to acetylsalicylic acid in coronary artery disease: a randomized multicenter study.
The incomplete inhibition of platelet function by acetylsalicylic acid (ASA), despite the patients are receiving therapeutic doses of the drug ('aspirin-resistance'), is caused by numbers of risk factors. In this study we verified the idea that plasma homocysteine (Hcy) contributes to 'aspirin-resistance' in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) and with or without type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). A cross-designed randomized controlled intervention study has been performed (126 CAD pts incl. 26 with T2DM) to determine whether increasing ASA dose from 75mg to 150mg daily may result in the increased antiplatelet effect, in the course of four-week treatment. ⋯ Hyperhomocysteinaemia may be a novel risk factor for the suppressed blood platelet response to ASA, and homocysteine may act as a specific sensitizer of blood platelets to some agonists. While homocysteine per se acts as a proaggregatory agent to blood platelets, its acetylated form is able to reverse this effect. Thus, these findings reveal a possibly new challenging potential of the acetylating properties of ASA therapy.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Morphine at "sub-analgesic" background infusion rate plus low-dose PCA bolus control pain better and is as safe as twice a bolus-only PCA regimen: a randomized, double blind study.
Morphine for postoperative pain control is commonly titrated via intravenous patient-controlled analgesia (IV-PCA). An IV morphine background infusion is rarely used. We investigated whether analgesia is effectively attained and morphine consumption is reduced if PCA titration is coadjuvated by a continuous infusion protocol. ⋯ Four BI and three B0 patients required treatment for postoperative nausea and vomiting. One BI patient had transient pruritus and one B0 69-year individual became disoriented 24h into treatment; either event subsided soon after stopping their respective regimen without the need for treatment. The main conclusions of the results are that very-low-dose background morphine infusion combined with small-dose PCA boluses may provide better pain relief, lower morphine consumption, and minimal complication rate as a 1.5mg PCA bolus-only protocol.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Quercetin supplementation and upper respiratory tract infection: A randomized community clinical trial.
Quercetin in culture with target cells and pathogens exerts anti-pathogenic activities against a wide variety of viruses and bacteria. A few small-scale human quercetin supplementation studies have produced conflicting results regarding quercetin's effects on upper respiratory tract infection rates, and little is known regarding the appropriate human dose. The purpose of this randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial was to measure the influence of two quercetin doses (500 and 1000 mg/day) compared to placebo on upper respiratory tract infection (URTI) rates in a large community group (N=1002) of subjects varying widely in age (18-85 years). ⋯ A separate analysis of subjects 40 years of age and older rating themselves in the top half of the entire group for fitness level (N=325) showed lower URTI severity (36% reduction, P=0.020) and URTI total sick days (31% reduction, P=0.048) for the Q-1000 group compared to placebo. In summary, for all subjects combined, quercetin supplementation over 12 weeks had no significant influence on URTI rates or symptomatology compared to placebo. A reduction in URTI total sick days and severity was noted in middle aged and older subjects ingesting 1000 mg quercetin/day for 12 weeks who rated themselves as physically fit.