Articles: cross-over-studies.
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Anesthesia and analgesia · Jun 2018
Randomized Controlled TrialEffects of Electrical Transcutaneous Vagus Nerve Stimulation on the Perceived Intensity of Repetitive Painful Heat Stimuli: A Blinded Placebo- and Sham-Controlled Randomized Crossover Investigation.
Transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation (TVNS) is a promising treatment for acute and chronic pain. However, experimental studies yielded controversial results. We examined if TVNS reduces the perceived intensity of repetitive painful heat stimulation and temporal summation of pain (TSP) in healthy volunteers in comparison with placebo and sham stimulation, as well as no intervention. ⋯ TVNS, placebo, and sham stimulation exerted comparable effects under experimental heat pain stimulation. Only in male participants, TVNS was superior to sham and placebo conditions in the reduction of heat pain before the onset of TSP.
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Altern Ther Health Med · Mar 2018
Potential Facilitators and Barriers to Awareness of N-of-1 Trials for Physicians in Traditional Chinese Medicine.
Context • N-of-1 trials are multiple crossover trials with randomized and blinded methods, conducted with a single participant to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of a therapy. They can be a helpful tool for enriching clinical research for traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), but the approach has gained little traction in TCM. Information is needed before supporters of the trials can pursue a change to that status. ⋯ Conclusions • The results highlight the possible interest of TCM clinicians in the methods of N-of-1 trials; meanwhile, the study's data stress the need for appropriate medical education and recommendations based on available evidence. Further efforts in the area should emphasize the benefits for patients and funders. The training is necessary in TCM clinical practice to improve the evidence quality of studies on TCM.
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Journal of neurology · Feb 2018
Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical TrialA randomized double-blind, placebo-controlled, cross-over trial (Vestparoxy) of the treatment of vestibular paroxysmia with oxcarbazepine.
Vestibular paroxysmia (VP) is characterized by short, often oligosymptomatic attacks of vertigo which occur spontaneously or are sometimes provoked by turning the head. Despite the description of the disease almost 40 years ago (first termed "disabling positional vertigo"), no controlled treatment trial has been published to date. The Vestparoxy trial was designed as a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind cross-over trial to examine the therapeutic effect of oxcarbazepine (OXA) in patients with definite or probable VP. ⋯ The Vestparoxy trial showed a significant reduction of VP attacks under OXA compared to placebo treatment, confirming the known and revealing no new side effects.
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Critical care medicine · Feb 2018
Multicohort Analysis of Whole-Blood Gene Expression Data Does Not Form a Robust Diagnostic for Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome.
To identify a novel, generalizable diagnostic for acute respiratory distress syndrome using whole-blood gene expression arrays from multiple acute respiratory distress syndrome cohorts of varying etiologies. ⋯ The whole-blood gene expression signature across a wide clinical spectrum of acute respiratory distress syndrome is likely confounded by systemic inflammation, limiting the utility of whole-blood gene expression studies for uncovering a generalizable diagnostic gene signature.
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The typical response to the Tsui test performed via an epidural catheter placed in the lumbar area is the unilateral motor response of the lower limbs. Studies show that longer pulse widths can stimulate peripheral nerves at a lower threshold current from a farther distance. Therefore, we designed a study to test the hypothesis that epidural catheter stimulation with a 1.0-msec pulse width would increase the incidence of bilateral motor response in parturients when compared with stimulation with a 0.1-msec pulse width. ⋯ The motor response pattern following the stimulation of a lumbar epidural catheter with pulse widths of 0.1 msec or 1 msec is similar and typically unilateral. The threshold current is lower with the 1-msec pulse width stimulus.