Objective: To evaluate the effect and safety of acupuncture for the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) through comparisons with those of polyethylene glycol (PEG) 4000 and pinaverium bromide. Patients and Methods: This multicenter randomized controlled trial was conducted at 7 hospitals in China and enrolled participants who met the Rome III diagnostic criteria for IBS between May 3, 2015, and June 29, 2018. Participants were first stratified into constipation-predominant or diarrheapredominant IBS group. Participants in each group were randomly assigned in a 2:1 ratio to receive acupuncture (18 sessions) or PEG 4000 (20 g/d, for IBS-C)/pinaverium bromide (150 mg/d, for IBS-D) over a 6-week period, followed by a 12-week follow-up. The primary outcome was change in total IBS-Symptom Severity Score from baseline to week 6. Results: Of 531 patients with IBS who were randomized, 519 (344 in the acupuncture group and 175 in the PEG 4000/ pinaverium bromide group) were included in the full analysis set. From baseline to 6 weeks, the total IBS-Symptom Severity Score decreased by 123.51 (95% CI, 116.61 to 130.42) in the acupuncture group and 94.73 (95% CI, 85.03 to 104.43) in the PEG 4000/pinaverium bromide group. The between-group difference was 28.78 (95% CI, 16.84 to 40.72; P<.001). No participant experienced severe adverse effects. Conclusion: Acupuncture may be more effective than PEG 4000 or pinaverium bromide for the treatment of IBS, with effects lasting up to 12 weeks.
nCD64 and PCT are better diagnostic biomarkers for early diagnosis of neonatal sepsis as compared to CRP. With the help of optimal cut-off value based on ROC curve and logistic regression analysis, the combination of these biomarkers could improve the sensitivity for the diagnosis of suspected late-onset neonatal sepsis based on common serum biomarkers.
Mechanical ventilation (MV) is a life-supporting modality frequently performed in critically ill patients to mechanically assist or replace spontaneous breathing. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of hypophosphatemia on the withdrawal of MV in patients with acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD). The medical records of 67 AECOPD cases, treated with MV between 2011 and 2013, were analyzed retrospectively. The patients were assigned to the hypophosphatemic and the normophosphatemic groups according to their serum phosphate levels (with the threshold of 0.87 mmol/l). The results showed that the morbidity rate of hypophosphatemia in these AECOPD patients was 56.72%. A significantly higher percentage of failure-to-wean from MV was observed in the hypophosphatemia group vs. the normophosphatemic group (34.21 vs. 10.34%, P<0.05). Furthermore, hypophosphatemia was associated with respiratory muscular weakness, as reflected by a decrease in the tidal volume of spontaneous respiration, reduced static lung compliance and impaired pulmonary function, leading to weaning failure. The findings suggested that hypophosphatemia significantly affected the weaning from MV in AECOPD patients. Serum phosphorus levels may therefore serve as a reference index to determine the success of weaning.
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