Fluoridation of public water systems is known as a safe and effective strategy for preventing dental caries based on evidence from non-randomized studies. Yet 110 million Americans do not have access to a fluoridated public water system and many others do not drink tap water. This article describes the study protocol for the first randomized controlled trial (RCT) of fluoridated...
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is known as a chronic systemic autoimmune disorder that primarily targets synovial joints, and may cause pain and functional limitations. Studies show diet can have beneficial effects on symptoms and oxidative stress of this disease. Intermittent fasting (IF) is a dietary approach with cycles of fasting and intake. The current study aims to investigate...
Research into the neurobiological underpinnings of learning and memory has demonstrated the cognitive-enhancing effects associated with diverse classes of phosphodiesterase (PDE) inhibitors. Specific PDE inhibitors have been identified to improve neuronal communication through selective inhibition of PDE activity. Roflumilast, a PDE4 inhibitor, has demonstrated efficacy in...
Harms, also known as adverse events (AEs), are recorded and monitored in randomised controlled trials (RCTs) to ensure participants’ safety. Harms are recorded poorly or inconsistently in RCTs of Behaviour Change Interventions (BCI); however, limited guidance exists on how to record harms in BCI trials. This qualitative study explored experiences and perspectives from multi...
Mortality, cerebral injury, and necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) are common complications of very preterm birth. An important risk factor for these complications is hemodynamic instability. Pre-clinical studies suggest that the timing of umbilical cord clamping affects hemodynamic stability during transition. Standard care is time-based cord clamping (TBCC), with clamping...
In the Lake Victoria basin of western Kenya, malaria remains highly endemic despite high coverage of interventions such as mass distribution of long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLIN), indoor residual spraying (IRS) programs, and improvement of availability and accessibility of rapid diagnostic tests (RDT) and artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT) at community healthcare...
Endovascular thrombectomy (EVT) is a standard treatment for acute ischemic stroke (AIS) with large vessel occlusion. Hypertension and increased blood pressure variability within the first 24 h after successful reperfusion are related to a higher risk of symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage and higher mortality. AIS patients might suffer from ischemia-reperfusion injury following...
Within England, children and young people (CYP) who come into police custody are referred to Liaison and Diversion (L&D) teams. L&D teams have responsibility for liaising with healthcare and other support services while working to divert CYP away from the criminal justice system but have traditionally not provided targeted psychological interventions to CYP. Considering evidence...
Burn injuries are important medical problems that, aside from skin damage, cause a systemic response including inflammation, oxidative stress, endocrine disorders, immune response, and hypermetabolic and catabolic responses which affect all the organs in the body. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) supplementation on inflammation, oxidative...
Outcome assessment in perioperative exercise trials for lung cancer is heterogeneous, often omitting those that are important and patient-relevant. This heterogeneity hinders the synthesis of evidence. To address this issue, a core outcome set, an agreed-upon standardized set of outcomes to be measured and reported, is required to reduce heterogeneity among outcome measurements...
Emerging adulthood is often associated with mental health problems. About one in three university students report symptoms of depression and anxiety that can negatively affect their developmental trajectory concerning work, intimate relationships, and health. This can interfere with academic performance, as mood and anxiety disorders are key predictors of dropout from higher...
The ProMPT-2 trial (Propofol for Myocardial Protection Trial #2) aims to compare the safety and efficacy of low- and high-dose propofol supplementation of the cardioplegia solution during adult cardiac surgery versus sham supplementation. This update presents the statistical analysis plan, detailing how the trial data will be analysed and presented. Outlined analyses are in line...
Substance use disorder is associated with unhealthy lifestyle choices, resulting in adverse social and health consequences. People with opioid use disorder receiving opioid agonist therapy, in particular, have high morbidity and reduced quality of life. Physical activity is recommended as an adjunctive treatment for people with substance use disorder, but there is minimal...
Aspirin is typically discontinued in cranial and spinal surgery because of the increased risk of hemorrhagic complications, but comes together with the risk of resulting in an increase of cardiac and neurologic thrombotic perioperative events. The aim of this study is to investigate the non-inferiority of perioperative continuation of aspirin patients undergoing low complex...
Patients with obesity often experience psychological distress, specifically depression symptoms. Due to various barriers, such as limitations of healthcare offers, digital interventions, for example medical apps, can provide a suitable approach to support affected people. In the envisaged prospective randomized controlled trial, we aim to examine the efficacy of the LightMood...
Recruitment of participants is the greatest risk to completion of most clinical trials, with 20–40% of trials failing to reach the targeted enrollment. This is particularly true of trials of central nervous system (CNS) therapies such as intervention for chronic stroke. The PISCES III trial was an invasive trial of stereotactically guided intracerebral injection of CTX0E03, a...
The massive scale-up of long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLIN) has led to a major reduction in malaria burden in many sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries. The World Health Organization (WHO) has recently issued a strong recommendation for the use of chlorfenapyr-pyrethroid LLINs compared to standard pyrethroid-only LLINs in areas of high insecticide resistance intensity. However...
Obesity and its associated health complications have become a global public health concern, necessitating innovative approaches to weight management. One emerging area of research focuses on the influence of chronotype, an individual’s preferred timing for daily activities, on eating habits, weight regulation, and metabolic health. Recent observational studies suggest that the...
The war in South Sudan has displaced more than four million people, with Uganda hosting the largest number of South Sudanese refugees. Research in Uganda has shown elevated levels of alcohol misuse and psychological distress among these refugees. The World Health Organization (WHO) has developed a trans-diagnostic scalable psychological intervention called Problem Management Plus...
Besides motor impairments, up to 90% of the children and adolescents with unilateral cerebral palsy (uCP) present with somatosensory impairments in the upper limb. As somatosensory information is of utmost importance for coordinated movements and motor learning, somatosensory impairments can further compromise the effective use of the impaired upper limb in daily life activities...
Radiofrequency catheter ablation (RFCA) may lead to decreased quality of life (QOL) and increased anxiety and depression in patients with paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia (PSVT), possibly due to the lack of selectivity of the ablation tissue and the long ablation time. In recent years, pulsed field ablation (PFA) has been used for the first time in China to treat PSVT...
Adolescence is a period of heightened vulnerability to developing mental health problems, and rates of mental health disorder in this age group have increased in the last decade. Preventing mental health problems developing before they become entrenched, particularly in adolescents who are at high risk, is an important research and clinical target. Here, we report the protocol...
The ageing population has increased the prevalence of disabling and high-cost diseases, such as dementia and mild cognitive impairment (MCI). The latter can be considered a prodromal phase of some dementias and a critical stage for interventions to postpone the impairment of functionality. Working memory (WM) is a pivotal cognitive function, representing the fundamental element...
Up to 27% of the German population suffers from recurrent or persistent pain (lasting more than three months). Therefore, prevention of chronic pain is one major object of pain management interventions. The aim of this nationwide, multicentre, randomised controlled trial is to evaluate the efficacy of a 10-week ambulatory (outpatient) interdisciplinary multimodal pain therapy (A...