Effectiveness of a novel interactive health care education tool on clinical outcomes and quality of life in acne patients: A randomized controlled pilot study

Abstract Background: Knee osteoarthritis (KOA) is a common disabling musculoskeletal disorder. Previous studies showed that Tuina manipulation and health care education were effective treatments for patients with KOA. However, there is no evidence to support the use of one intervention over the other. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of Tuina manipulation and health care education for the management of pain and dysfunction in patients with KOA.Methods/Design: This study is a single-centre, two-arm, open-label randomized controlled trial (RCT). A total of 170 eligible KOA patients will be randomly assigned to the Tuina manipulation group or the health education group in a 1:1 ratio. Patients in the Tuina manipulation group will receive a 30-minute 2-step treatment plan, including pain point assessment and manual therapy, which will be performed 12 times in 4 weeks. The health education group will receive 45 minutes of lecture and discussion three times a week for four weeks. The primary outcome is the Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS). Secondary outcomes include the McGill Pain Questionnaire (MPQ) and 36-item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36). The results of this study will help clarify the value of Tuina manipulation and health education as treatments for KOA and will highlight any differences in treatment outcomes.Discussion: The design and methodology of the trial is rigorous and allows the collection of valuable data to assess the efficacy of a specific Tuina regimen for the treatment of KOA. Therefore, the trial will provide a solid foundation for future clinical research on KOA and Tuina therapy.Trial registration: This trial was registered with the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry on 24 February 2020 (ChiCTR2000030154), http://www.chictr.org.cn/index.aspx

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Facilitating personal development for public involvement in health‐care education and research: A co‐produced pilot study in one UK higher education institute

Health Expectations ◽

10.1111/hex.13097 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 23 (5) ◽

pp. 1191-1201

Author(s):

Sue Read ◽

Alison M. Aries ◽

Sue M. Ashby ◽

Val Bambrick ◽

Steven J. Blackburn ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Higher Education ◽

Health Care ◽

Pilot Study ◽

Personal Development ◽

Public Involvement ◽

Health Care Education ◽

Care Education ◽

Uk Higher Education

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A Randomized Controlled Open-Label Pilot Study of Simvastatin Addition to Whole-Brain Radiation Therapy in Patients With Brain Metastases

Oncology Research Featuring Preclinical and Clinical Cancer Therapeutics ◽

10.3727/096504016x14719078133528 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 24 (6) ◽

pp. 521-528 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Manal El-Hamamsy ◽

Hesham Elwakil ◽

Amr S. Saad ◽

May A. Shawki

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Radiation Therapy ◽

Pilot Study ◽

Control Group ◽

Open Label ◽

Randomized Controlled ◽

Whole Brain Radiation ◽

Radiological Response ◽

Brain Radiation

Statins have been reported to have a potential radiosensitizing effect that has not been evaluated in clinical trials. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of simvastatin in addition to whole-brain radiation therapy (WBRT) in patients with brain metastases (BM). A prospective randomized, controlled, open-label pilot study was conducted on 50 Egyptian patients with BM who were randomly assigned to receive 30-Gy WBRT (control group: 25 patients) or 30 Gy WBRT + simvastatin 80 mg/day for the WBRT period (simvastatin group: 25 patients). The primary outcome was radiological response at 4 weeks after WBRT. Secondary outcomes were 1-year progression-free survival (PFS), 1-year overall survival (OS), and health-related quality of life (HRQL) that was assessed using the European Organization for the Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire C30 (EORTC QLQ-C30) and its brain module (BN-20), at baseline, after WBRT, and 4 weeks after WBRT. The addition of simvastatin was tolerated. Twenty-one patients were not evaluated for radiological response because of death (n = 16), noncompliance to follow-up (n = 4), and clinical deterioration (n = 1). Response rates were 60% and 78.6% (p = 0.427), 1-year PFS rates were 5.2% and 17.7% (p = 0.392), and 1-year OS rates were 12% and 8% (p = 0.880) for the control group and simvastatin group, respectively. Nonsignificant differences were found between the two arms regarding HRQL scales. The addition of simvastatin 80 mg/day did not improve the clinical outcomes of patients with BM receiving WBRT.

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