Purpose: Poor sleep quality in intensive care unit (ICU) can be associated with poor outcome. Excessive noise and lights in ICU are known to disrupt patients' sleep by causing arousals. Study design: A prospective randomized controlled study. Materials and methods:The patients admitted to the medical ICU were prospectively included and randomized to receive earplugs and eye masks or no intervention during their first 5 nights in ICU. Their arousal index and other sleep parameters were measured during the first night by polysomnography. Secondary outcomes including wrist actigraphy profiles and subjective sleep quality were recorded during all study nights. Results: Seventeen patients were enrolled. Eight patients were randomized to earplugs and eye masks group and nine patients were randomized to control group during their first 5 nights in the ICU. The use of earplugs and eye masks demonstrated the trend toward lower arousal index during the first night (21.15 (14.60) vs 42.10 (18.20) events per hour, p = 0.086) and increased activity index (activity count/hour) (16.12 (7.99) vs 10.84 (10.39) count/hour, p = 0.059) compared to control group. Polysomnography and actigraphy did not demonstrate good agreement. Conclusion:The use of earplugs and eye masks has a trend toward reduction in arousal index and increased activity in patients admitted to ICU. Limited sample size most likely explained insignificant difference in outcomes. Wrist actigraphy did not accurately measure sleep parameters in ICU patients. Trial registration: www.clinicaltrials.in.th, TCTR20170727003.
Background: Effective anti-severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) drugs are not only the next defense after vaccines but also the key part of establishing a multi-tiered coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) prevention and control system. Previous studies had indicated that Lianhua Qingwen (LHQW) capsules could be an efficacious Chinese patent drug for treating mild to moderate COVID-19.However, pharmacoeconomic evaluations are lacking, and few trials have been conducted in other countries or regions to evaluate the efficacy and safety of LHQW treatment. So, this study aims to explore the clinical efficacy, safety, and economy of LHQW for treating adult patients with mild to moderate COVID-19.Methods: This is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, international multicenter clinical trial protocol. A total of 860 eligible subjects are randomized at a 1:1 ratio into the LHQW or placebo group to receive two-week treatment and follow-up visits on days 0, 3, 7, 10, and 14. Clinical symptoms, patient compliance, adverse effects, cost scale, and other indicators are recorded. The primary outcomes will be the measured median time to sustained improvement or resolution of the nine major symptoms during the 14-day observation period. Secondary outcomes regarding clinical efficacy will be evaluated in detail on the basis of clinical symptoms (especially body temperature, gastrointestinal symptoms, smell loss, and taste loss), viral nucleic acid, imaging (CT/chest X-ray), the incidence of severe/critical illness, mortality, and inflammatory factors. Moreover, we will assess health care cost, health utility, and incremental costeffectiveness ratio (ICER) for economic evaluation.Discussion: This is the first international multicenter randomized controlled trial (RCT) of Chinese patent medicine for the treatment of early COVID-19 in accordance with WHO guidelines on COVID-19 management. This study will help clarify the potential efficacy and cost-effectiveness of LHQW in the Registration: This study is registered at the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry, with registration number: ChiCTR2200056727 (date of first registration: 11/02/2022).
A 56-year-old previously healthy female presented with chronic productive cough and fever. Chest X-ray revealed right middle lung opacities. Sputum acid fast bacilli smear was positive, however polymerase chain reaction was negative for Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Further investigations were pursued, which identified Mycobacterium asiaticum. Appropriate therapy with isoniazid, rifampin and clarithromycin for total 18 months (including pyrazinamide and ethambutol for first 4 months) resulted in clinical and radiographic improvement. Recognition of the possibility of this rarely described pulmonary pathogen is essential for successful treatment.
Background: Telemedicine and e-health services are crucial tools to help patients undergo complex treatments, such as radioactive iodine treatment (RIT), during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the efficacy of such tools in real-life practice in Thailand is unknown. Objective: To investigate the usability, acceptability, and user needs for the Love Thyroid application and book among patients with hyperthyroidism. Methods: A descriptive study, 120 patients with hyperthyroidism who received RIT were given the chance to use both the Love Thyroid application and book. Then, all patients completed the electronic questionnaire that gathers information, including the usability, acceptability and user needs for both media. Results: The Love Thyroid application was more helpful in following patients up after RIT and has a more attractive design than the book (P < .05). The book was easier to search for information than the application (P < .05). Furthermore, the application had higher acceptability than the book in terms of the confidence in data security, ease of handling, and satisfaction (P < .05). The usefulness of the educational contents was comparable for both media. The application was more likely to be recommended by the patients to others than the book (P < .05). Conclusions: Mobile applications, such as the Love Thyroid application, had good usability and acceptability as informative tools for patients with hyperthyroidism underwent RIT.
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