scholarly journals Effect of dexamethasone in patients with ARDS and COVID-19 – prospective, multi-centre, open-label, parallel-group, randomised controlled trial (REMED trial): A structured summary of a study protocol for a randomised controlled trial

Author(s):  
Jan Maláska ◽  
Jan Stašek ◽  
František Duška ◽  
Martin Balík ◽  
Jan Máca ◽  
...  

Abstract ObjectivesThe primary objective of this study is to test the hypothesis that administration of dexamethasone 20 mg is superior to a 6 mg dose in adult patients with moderate or severe ARDS due to confirmed COVID-19. The secondary objective is to investigate the efficacy and safety of dexamethasone 20 mg versus dexamethasone 6 mg. The exploratory objective of this study is to assess long-term consequences on mortality and quality of life at 180 and 360 days.

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Becky Dowson ◽  
Justine Schneider ◽  
Boliang Guo ◽  
Philip M. Bath ◽  
Orii McDermott ◽  
...  

Abstract Background As the number of people living with dementia grows, so does the need to provide them with adequate psychosocial support. Many people with dementia live at home with family carers, who also require social and emotional support to cope with their role. Community group singing has received attention for its potential to support people with dementia and their carers. It is postulated that singing can improve cognitive function, strengthen the bonds between care partners and help to establish social support networks. However, there is a lack of rigorous evidence of singing’s benefits for this population. This study aims to test the feasibility of a randomised controlled trial of community singing in dementia, to pave the way for a larger, conclusive study. Methods The PRESIDE study is designed as a two-arm, parallel-group randomised trial with a waiting list control. Dyads consisting of a person with dementia (n = 80) and their carer (n = 80) will be recruited. Each dyad will be randomised either to attend 10 weeks of community group singing sessions straight away or to wait for 3 months before attending the sessions. The singing sessions will be led by experienced professional musicians and will last about 90 min, including time for socialising. The primary outcome of this study is the attainment of feasibility criteria around recruitment, retention and the acceptability of the waiting list control. Secondary outcomes include the quality of life, mood, cognition, and musical engagement of the person with dementia, and quality of life, mood, and experiences/challenges of the carer. These data will be collected during home visits at baseline, and 3 and 6 months post-baseline. Discussion Despite growing public interest in the positive effects of singing, and encouraging findings from qualitative and non-randomised quantitative studies, there is a lack of rigorous evidence. This is the first randomised controlled trial of community group singing for people with dementia in Europe, to our knowledge. If the results favour a full trial, conclusively demonstrating the effectiveness of group singing could positively affect the opportunities available to community-dwelling people with dementia and their carers. Trial registration Unique identification number in ISRCTN registry: ISRCTN10201482. Date registered: 12 May 2020


BMJ ◽  
2004 ◽  
Vol 328 (7441) ◽  
pp. 673 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sara Schroter ◽  
Nick Black ◽  
Stephen Evans ◽  
James Carpenter ◽  
Fiona Godlee ◽  
...  

AbstractObjective To determine the effects of training on the quality of peer review.Design Single blind randomised controlled trial with two intervention groups receiving different types of training plus a control group.Setting and participants Reviewers at a general medical journal.Interventions Attendance at a training workshop or reception of a self taught training package focusing on what editors want from reviewers and how to critically appraise randomised controlled trials.Main outcome measures Quality of reviews of three manuscripts sent to reviewers at four to six monthly intervals, evaluated using the validated review quality instrument; number of deliberate major errors identified; time taken to review the manuscripts; proportion recommending rejection of the manuscripts.Results Reviewers in the self taught group scored higher in review quality after training than did the control group (score 2.85 v 2.56; difference 0.29, 95% confidence interval 0.14 to 0.44; P = 0.001), but the difference was not of editorial significance and was not maintained in the long term. Both intervention groups identified significantly more major errors after training than did the control group (3.14 and 2.96 v 2.13; P < 0.001), and this remained significant after the reviewers' performance at baseline assessment was taken into account. The evidence for benefit of training was no longer apparent on further testing six months after the interventions. Training had no impact on the time taken to review the papers but was associated with an increased likelihood of recommending rejection (92% and 84% v 76%; P = 0.002).Conclusions Short training packages have only a slight impact on the quality of peer review. The value of longer interventions needs to be assessed.


BMJ ◽  
2019 ◽  
pp. l4993
Author(s):  
Rob Cook ◽  
Duncan Fortescue-Webb ◽  
Rosie Martin

The studyGilbert R, Brown M, Rainford N et al. Antimicrobial-impregnated central venous catheters for prevention of neonatal bloodstream infection (PREVAIL): an open-label, parallel-group, pragmatic, randomised controlled trial. Lancet Child Adolesc Health 2019;3:381-90.The study was funded by the NIHR Health Technology Assessment programme (project number 12/167/02).To read the full NIHR Signal, go to https://discover.dc.nihr.ac.uk/content/signal-000782/antimicrobial-central-venous-catheters-for-pre-term-babies-do-not-reduce-infections


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Becky Dowson ◽  
Justine Schneider ◽  
Boliang Guo ◽  
Philip M Bath ◽  
Orii McDermott ◽  
...  

Abstract BackgroundAs the number of people living with dementia grows, so does the need to provide them with adequate psychosocial support. Many people with dementia live at home with family carers, who also require social and emotional support to cope with their role. Community group singing has received attention for its potential to support people with dementia and their carers. It is postulated that singing can improve cognitive function, strengthen the bonds between care partners, and help to establish social support networks. However, there is a lack of rigorous evidence of singing’s benefits for this population. This study aims to test the feasibility of a randomised controlled trial of community singing in dementia, to pave the way for a larger, conclusive study.MethodsThe PRESIDE study is designed as a two-arm, parallel group randomised trial with a waiting list control. Dyads consisting of a person with dementia (n=80) and their carer (n=80) will be recruited. Each dyad will be randomised either to attend 10 weeks of community group singing sessions straight away, or to wait for three months before attending the sessions. The singing sessions will be led by experienced professional musicians and will last about 90 minutes, including time for socialising. The primary outcome of this study is the attainment of feasibility criteria around recruitment, retention and the acceptability of the waiting list control. Secondary outcomes include the quality of life, mood, cognition, and musical engagement of the person with dementia, and quality of life, mood, and experiences/challenges of the carer. These data will be collected during home visits at baseline, and three and six months post-baseline. DiscussionDespite growing public interest in the positive effects of singing, and encouraging findings from qualitative and non-randomised quantitative studies, there is a lack of rigorous evidence. This is the first randomised controlled trial of community group singing for people with dementia in Europe, to our knowledge. If the results favour a full trial, conclusively demonstrating the effectiveness of group singing could positively affect the opportunities available to community-dwelling people with dementia and their carers.Trial RegistrationUnique identification number in ISRCTN registry: ISRCTN10201482 https://www.isrctn.com/ISRCTN10201482. Date registered: 12/05/2020


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Babita Yadav ◽  
Amit Rai ◽  
Pallavi Suresh Mundada ◽  
Richa Singhal ◽  
BCS Rao ◽  
...  

Abstract Objectives: Primary Objective• To assess the efficacy of Ayurveda interventions and Yoga in rehabilitation of COVID-19 cases suffering with long term effects of COVID 19 as compared to WHO Rehabilitation Self-Management after COVID-19- Related Illness.Secondary Objective• To assess the safety of Ayurvedic interventions in cases suffering with long term effects of COVID 19Trial design: Multi-centric, randomized, controlled, parallel group, open-label, exploratory study. The study duration is 9 months and the intervention period is 90 days from the day of enrolment of the participant.


2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric P. F. Chow ◽  
Kate Maddaford ◽  
Jane S. Hocking ◽  
Catriona S. Bradshaw ◽  
Rebecca Wigan ◽  
...  

Abstract New treatments for oropharyngeal gonorrhoea are required to address rising antimicrobial resistance. We aimed to examine the efficacy of a 14-day course of mouthwash twice daily compared to standard treatment (antibiotic) for the treatment of oropharyngeal gonorrhoea. The OMEGA2 trial was a parallel-group and open-labelled randomised controlled trial among men with untreated oropharyngeal gonorrhoea that was conducted between September 2018 and February 2020 at Melbourne Sexual Health Centre in Australia. Men were randomised to the intervention (rinsing, gargling and spraying mouthwash twice daily for 14 days) or control (standard treatment) arm and followed for 28 days. Participants in both arms were advised to abstain from sex and kissing with anyone for 14 days after enrolment. Oropharyngeal swabs were collected at baseline, Day 14 and Day 28 and tested for Neisseria gonorrhoeae by nucleic acid amplification test (NAAT) and culture. The primary outcome was the detection of oropharyngeal N. gonorrhoeae by NAAT at Day 14 after treatment. This trial was registered on the Australian and New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ACTRN12618001380280). This trial stopped early due to a high failure rate in the mouthwash arm. Twelve men were randomly assigned to either mouthwash (n = 6) or standard treatment (n = 6). Of the 11 men who returned at Day 14, the cure rate for oropharyngeal gonorrhoea in the mouthwash arm was 20% (95% CI 1–72%; 1/5) and in the standard treatment arm was 100% (95% CI 54–100%; 6/6). A 14-day course of mouthwash failed to cure a high proportion of oropharyngeal gonorrhoea cases.


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