Objective To evaluate the efficacy and safety of different doses of metoprolol in the treatment of primary hypertension.Methods We searched for randomized controlled trials of different doses of metoprolol in the treatment of primary hypertension. We screened relevant studies according to predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria, evaluated the quality of the included studies, and performed meta-analyses by using The Cochrane Collaboration’s Revman 4.2.8 software. Results Five randomized controlled trials of different doses of metoprolol in the treatment of primary hypertension were included. Two were of high quality and the other three were of low quality. No study reported mortality or the incidence of cardiovascular events, but four studies reported the means and standard deviations of systolic and diastolic blood pressures and heart rate. Based on the two self-control studies, meta-analyses of the levels of systolic and diastolic blood pressures before and after treatment of different doses of metoprolol showed that the combined OR for systolic blood pressure levels was -4.62 [95%CI (-7.77, -1.47), P=0.004]; and for the diastolic blood pressure levels, the combined OR was -5.71 [95%CI (-6.75, -4.68), Plt;0.000 01]. Four studies reported adverse reactions, and meta-analysis of the incidence of non-specific adverse reactions showed that the combined OR was 2.61 [95%CI (1.33, 5.13), P=0.005]. Conclusion A dose-effect relationship may exist between the dose of metoprolol and antihypertensive effect in the treatment of hypertension. When the antihypertensive effect of low-dose metoprolol was inadequate, an increase in the dose may lower blood pressure further. Although high-dose metoprolol has higher incidence of adverse reactions, it can be tolerated by most patients. Therefore, in the treatment of hypertension with metoprolol, an individualized dosing regimen can be applied according to the patient’s tolerance, and blood pressure may be controlled ideally by a gradual increase of the metoprolol dose to its maximum tolerated dose.
Cenobamate is one of the latest antiseizure medications (ASMs) developed for the treatment of focal onset seizures in adult patients. Cenobamate is characterized by a peculiar pharmacology. The mechanisms responsible for its anti-seizure activity include enhancement of the inactivated state of voltage-gated sodium channels with blockade of the persistent sodium current and positive allosteric modulation of GABAa receptors at a non-benzodiazepine binding site. Studies showed that cenobamate appears to be an effective treatment for focal epilepsy, showing reductions in seizure frequency, increased responder rates, and high rates of seizure freedom, and is well tolerated and safe. This article reviews the mechanism, pharmacokinetic characteristics, clinical efficacy, and safety of cenobamate as a novel anti-seizure drug
Precision medicine is a personalized medical system based on patients' individual biological information, clinical symptoms and signs, forming a new clinical research model and medical practice path. The basic idea of traditional Chinese medicine and the concept of precision medicine share many similarities. The basket trial developed for precision medicine is also suitable for clinical trials and evaluation of the efficacy of traditional Chinese medicine syndrome differentiation and treatment systems. Basket trials are used to evaluate the efficacy of a drug in the treatment of multiple diseases or disease subtypes. It has the advantages of sharing a master protocol, unifying management of subsidiary studies, simplifying the test implementation process, unifying statistical analysis, saving resources, reducing budgets and accelerating the drug evaluation progress. This is similar to the concept of using the "same treatment for different diseases" found in traditional Chinese medicine. This paper introduced the concept and method of basket trials and explored their application and advantages in clinical research into traditional Chinese medicine. This study is expected to provide references for the methodological innovation of clinical research into traditional Chinese medicine.
ObjectiveTo observe the clinical efficacy of temperature-controlled self-heated pain relief plasters in the treatment of chronic nonspecific lower back pain, and to investigate the quality of life of patients. MethodsPatients with chronic nonspecific lower back pain were randomly divided into a trial group and a control group. The trial group was treated with temperature-controlled self-heated pain relief plasters, while the control group was treated with meloxicam tablets for oral use. The outcome measures including the visual analogue pain scale (VAS), Japanese Orthopedic Association (JOA) scores for the management of lower back pain, and Oswestry disability index (ODI score) were collected before treatment and after 6-month follow-up. SPSS 13.0 software was used for statistical analysis. ResultsA total of 96 patients was included (48 patients in each group), of which 68 patients (36 in the trial group and 32 in the control group) completed the treatment. The results of intention-to-treat (ITT) and per-protocol (PP) analyses showed that the total effectiveness rate of the trial group was higher than that of the control group with significant differences (all P values < 0.05). Compared with those before treatment, the JOA scores and ODI scores of the two groups were all improved after 6-month follow-up (all P values < 0.05). But no significant difference was found between the two groups in the two scores after 6-month follow-up (all P values > 0.05). During the follow-up, there were 3 and 8 patients with recurrence of lower back pain in the trial group and the control group, respectively. ConclusionThe clinical effect of temperature-controlled self-heated pain relief plasters in the treatment of chronic nonspecific lower back pain is satisfactory, the quality of life of patients is improved obviously, and the therapy is simple, safe, inexpensive, and worthy of clinical promotion.
Objective To explore the effectiveness, safety and applicability of focused ultrasound (FU) in rural patients with cervicitis-related diseases. Methods Patients with cervicitis-related diseases (n=8 352) from 80 township health centers of 9 counties in Chongqing were enrolled in this multicenter clinical study, and they were treated with CZF Model of FU for one time and then were visited in the following 3 months. According to the category 4 scoring method and the curative index, the effectiveness, safety and applicability in 7027 cases (1 156 mild cases, 5 312 moderate cases, 559 severe cases) with complete records were analyzed. The influencing factors were also analyzed with logistic regression analysis. Results A total of 6 413 cases (91.26%) were treated within 5 minutes. After 3-month follow-up, the total effective rate was 99.59%, and 5 012 cases (71.32%) were cured. Just little or medium amount of vaginal bleeding occurred in 656 cases (9.34%) after treatment, while only 12 cases (0.17%) had bleeding in the similar amount tomenstruation, which were relieved by hemostasis and anti-inflammatory treatment. Conclusion As a promising new therapy, focused ultrasound therapy for treating cervicitis-related diseases is safe and effective, with little postoperative bleeding and short-term of vaginal effusion, so it is suitable to be popularized in rural areas.
ObjectiveTo compare the curative effect of levetiracetam combined with lamotrigine and sodium valproate on postoperative patients with temporal lobe epilepsy. MethodsA total of 186 postoperative patients with temporal lobe epilepsy during August 2012 to August 2014 in our hospital were divided into levetiracetam combined with lamotrigine group (n=98), and sodium valproate group (n=88) based on postoperative different antiepileptic drugs treatment. Antiepileptic treatment were followed up for 12~48 months.Curative effect and adverse reaction were observed. Reservation rates and incidence rates of adverse reaction were calculated in the two groups. ResultsIn levetiracetam combined with lamotrigine group, EngelⅠratio was 72.4%(71), EngelⅡratio was 17.3%(17), EngelⅢratio was 7.1%(7), and EngelⅣratio was 3.2%(3);in sodium valproate group, EngelⅠratio was 67.0%(59), EngelⅡratio was 21.6%(19), EngelⅢratio was 9.1%(8), and EngelⅣratio was 2.3%(2), and the difference was not statistically significant in the same grade of two groups (P > 0.05).Reservation rate and incidence rate of adverse reaction in levetiracetam combined with lamotrigine group were 90.8%(89) and 15.3%(15) respectively.While those in sodium valproate group were 80.7%(71) and 36.4%(32) respectively.The differences were statistically significant between the two groups (P < 0.05). ConclusionsLevetiracetam combined with lamotrigine treatment on postoperative patients with temporal lobe epilepsy may have better curative effects than sodium valproate treatment, and levetiracetam combined with lamotrigine has its advantage in reservation rate and less adverse reaction.
Objective To systematically review the efficacy of oxygen therapy for diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs). MethodsThe PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, CNKI, WanFang Data, and VIP databases were electronically searched to collect randomized controlled trials (RCT) on the efficacy of different oxygen therapies for DFUs from inception to April 1, 2024. Two reviewers independently screened the literature, extracted data, and assessed the risk of bias of the included studies. Statistical analysis was performed using R software, and GraphPad Prism was used for graphical representations. ResultsA total of 61 RCTs involving 4 306 DFUs cases were included in the analysis. The oxygen therapies examined primarily included hyperbaric oxygen, topical oxygen, and ozone therapy. The surface under the cumulative ranking curve (SUCRA) indicated that hyperbaric oxygen therapy ranked highest for healing rate, area reduction rate, and healing time (SUCRA values were 0.957, 0.868, and 0.869, respectively). However, hyperbaric oxygen therapy also ranked higher for amputation rate and adverse events (SUCRA values were 0.616 and 0.718, respectively). Further subgroup analysis revealed that hyperbaric oxygen therapy maintained the highest ranking in area reduction rate across subgroups defined by publication language and treatment duration. ConclusionHyperbaric oxygen therapy has advantages in terms of healing rate, area reduction rate, and healing time for DFUs, but it is also associated with higher amputation rates and adverse events. Due to the limited quantity and quality of the included studies, more high-quality studies are needed to verify the above conclusion.
Objective To evaluate the efficacy and safety of latanoprost versus travoprost for primary open-angle glaucoma (OAG) and ocular hypertension (OH). Methods All the randomized controlled trials (RCTs) about treating primary open-angle glaucoma and ocular hypertension with latanoprost and travoprost were collected by searching MEDLINE, EMbase, OVID and CNKI. The assessment of methodological quality and data extraction of the included studies were performed independently by two reviewers, and the meta-analysis was conducted with RevMan 5.0 software. Results A total of 13 RCTs involving 1 433 patients were included. The results of meta-analyses showed that, a) At the second week, travoprost showed greater intraocular pressure (IOP) lowering efficacy compared with latanoprost (WMD= –1.47, 95%CI –2.62 to –0.33). At the first month (WMD= –0.50, 95%CI –1.52 to 0.52) and the sixth month (WMD= –0.12, 95%CI –0.85 to 0.61), the difference of IOP reduction between latanoprost and travoprost group was not significant; and b) The latanoprost-treated group showed fewer reported conjunctival congestion than the travoprost-treated group (OR=0.47, 95%CI 0.35 to 0.63). The difference in adverse events of eye pain (OR=0.55, 95%CI 0.27 to 1.12) and iris or skin depigmentation (OR=1.25, 95%CI 0.53 to 2.92) between latanoprost and travoprost group was not significant. Conclusion Latanoprost and travoprost are comparable in lowering IOP for OAG and OH patients. Latanoprost shows greater ocular tolerability with lower incidence of side effects as conjunctival congestion. This conclusion is not powerful enough in proof due to the medium methodology quality of the included studies, so a large number of high-quality RCTs with large sample are needed for objectively, entirely and precisely evaluating the efficacy.
ObjectiveTo systematically review the efficacy and safety of laryngeal mask versus endotracheal tubes for laparoscopic surgery.MethodsPubMed, EMbase, The Cochrane Library, CNKI, WanFang Data and CBM databases were electronically searched to collect the randomized controlled trials (RCTs) about the efficacy and safety of laryngeal mask versus endotracheal tubes for laparoscopic surgery from inception to April, 2017. Two reviewers independently screened literature, extracted data and assessed the risk of bias of included studies. Then meta-analysis was performed by using RevMan 5.3 software.ResultsA total of 16 RCTs involving 1 593 patients were included. The results of meta-analysis showed that: there was no significant difference in the success rate of the first insertion (RR=0.99, 95%CI 0.96 to 1.02, P=0.55). The airway pressure of patients whose position were head higher than foot was significantly lower in the laryngeal mask group than in the tracheal intubation group (MD=–1.20, 95%CI –1.81 to –0.59, P=0.000 1), but there was no significant difference between two groups in reverse position patients (MD=0.48, 95%CI –0.90 to 1.87, P=0.49). The incidence of sore throat (RR=0.58, 95%CI 0.46 to 0.74, P<0.000 01), the incidence of blood stain (RR=0.48, 95%CI 0.30 to 0.77, P=0.002), the incidence of laryngeal spasm/bronchial spasm (OR=0.30, 95%CI 0.11 to 0.80, P=0.02) and the incidence of cough/hiccup (RR=0.10, 95%CI 0.07 to 0.15, P<0.000 01) in the laryngeal mask group were significantly lower than those in the tracheal intubation group.ConclusionThe current evidence shows that compared with tracheal intubation, laryngeal mask can effectively reduce airway pressure of patients whose position are head higher than foot. The risks of various complications are significant higher in tracheal intubation in laparoscopic surgery. Laryngeal mask can maintain patients' normal respiratory functions while reduce damage and do not increase the occurrence of reflux aspiration. Due to limited quantity and quality of the included studies, more high quality studies are needed to verify above conclusion.
Objective To develop a preliminary "pulmonary nodule symptom scale" based on the Delphi method, providing a tailored, standardized, normalized, and promotable symptomatic evaluation tool for the efficacy assessment of pulmonary nodule patients treated with traditional Chinese medicine or integrated traditional Chinese and Western medicine interventions. Methods A preliminary pool of scale items was formed through literature review, interviews with doctors and patients, and reference to guidelines and consensus on pulmonary nodules and patient-reported outcome (PRO) scales related to lung cancer. Two rounds of expert consultation were conducted using the Delphi method. Based on the concentration and variation indicators of expert evaluations, and considering experts’ suggestions for specific item deletions and modifications, a core group meeting was held to screen and refine the scale items. Results Invitations were sent to 54 experts, with 51 accepting the consultation. The active coefficient for the first round of consultation was 94.4%, and for the second round, it was 100%. The average authority coefficient for the 51 experts was 0.896. The Kendall’s coefficient of concordance and the average coefficient of variation for the first and second rounds of consultation were 0.215 (P<0.001) and (0.34±0.07), 0.162 (P<0.001) and (0.24±0.05), respectively. Through two rounds of Delphi expert consultation, a preliminary "pulmonary nodule symptom scale" covering 17 items across four dimensions - respiratory symptoms, systemic manifestations, psychological state, and overall assessment - was formed. Conclusion The experts participating in this Delphi consultation had high authority and enthusiasm, and they have a good level of acceptance and consistency for the preliminary "pulmonary nodule symptom scale". Subsequent empirical research will be conducted on a large sample cohort of pulmonary nodule patients to verify the scale’s stability and effectiveness.