Objective We searched the Cochrane Library（Issue 3, 2005 ）to identity evidence related to palliative treatment. We found that Opioids are effective for the palliation of breathlessness in terminal illness. Oral Morphine and hydromorphone is effective for cancer pain. Radiotherapy and Bisphosphonates can relief pain secondary to bone metastases. Corticosteroids can resolve malignant bowel obstruction in advanced gynaecological and gastrointestinal cancer.
The treatment of ocular fundus diseases is of significant issue in the clinic, but there exists large controversy on how to standardize the clinical treatment and how to evaluate the effectiveness of treatment on ocular fundus diseases. Emerging application of evidencebased medicine (EBM) provides us a rigorous and feasible pathway for the clinical treatment of ocular fundus diseases. We can improve the quality of clinical treatment research by exploring high quality randomized control trial (RCT) on the basis of patients with ocular fundus diseases in China; and by making full use of the best clinical evidences at home and abroad according to the EBM methods, which may further improve diagnosis and treatment of common ocular fundus diseases in China.
Objective To compare the effectiveness of integrated traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) with Western medicine and Western medicine alone for acute episodes of withdrawal in alcoholism. Methods According to the criteria of alcohol dependence and acute alcochol withdrawal syndrome of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-Fourth Edition (DSM-Ⅳ) , 62 consecutive patients were divided into two groups: 31 patients with odd numbers were allocated to the treatment group (4 patients were excluded because they left hospital early), 31 patients with even numbers were allocated to the control group. According to the four diagnostic methods of TCM, all patients in the treatment group were further divided into 4 types. The treatment group received valium, tiopronin, transfusion therapy and herbs (potion per day). The control group received the same therapy as the treatment group did but without oral herbs. Results Liver function, especially the difference between before and after treatment of GOT and γ-GT,the treatment group showed more improvement than the control group (P=0.046 and 0.001). The scores of anxiety and depression test, especially the HAMD, the treatment group showed more improvement than the control group (t=3.165, P=0.003). The treatment group used significantly less time than the control group (P=0.01), but no statistically significant difference was seen in the dosage of valium between the two groups (P=0.434). Conclusions The efficacy of integrated TCM with Western medicine is better than Western medicine alone for acute episodes of withdrawal in alcoholism.
This paper tried to address how to apply the relative concepts and methods of evidence-based medicine in clinical practice of cardiology, especially in diagnosis and treatment, with an aim to promote the cardiovascular evidence-based medicine in China.
Diabetic neuropathic pain (DNP) is one of the most common and complex complications of diabetes. In recent years, studies have shown that gut microbiota can regulate inflammatory response, intestinal permeability, glucose metabolism, and fatty acid oxidation, synthesis, and energy consumption by regulating factors such as lipopolysaccharides, short chain fatty acids, bile acids, and branched chain amino acids, achieving the goal of treating DNP. This paper summarizes the relevant mechanisms of gut microbiota in the treatment of DNP, the relevant intervention measures of traditional Chinese and western medicine, in order to provide new ideas for clinical treatment of DNP.
Medicine is a very important health resource in China. Although numerous efforts are paid to pre-marketed medicines, little is done to address practical problems in marketed medicines. The rational use and allocation of marketed medicines remain a major concern for decision-makers in China. It has been recognized that economic evaluation is an efficient tool for prioritizing the choice, and optimizing the use of medicines. This paper has explored the methods and principles for conducting economic evaluation of marketed medicines. Different strategies will be adopted for economic evidence for marketed medicines in terms of adequacy and sufficiency.However, a standard study pathway should be applied in economic evaluation of marketed medicines. Besides, the aspects for developing economic framework and the methods for reviewing existing economic evidence are also introduced in this paper, particularly, for marketed medicines within the same therapeutic group.
Testing Treatments is a book to help the public understand how to validate the efficacy of testing treatments and the possible bias and error in clinical trial, as well as to call for help to promote good study thus to improve the quality of health care. No matter for the first or the second edition, this book is very popular around the world, and its second edition has been translated into more than ten languages. To help the readers understand the content of the book, we established a website (www.testingtreatments.org) and other sibling sites in different languages. The website not only provided the full-texts to download, but also collected various popular science resources (videos, audios and cartoons) to help the readers assimilate more knowledge. The editors of all the different language websites have established an TTi Editorial Alliance to share experience and provide each other with mutual support, thus to promote health professionals, patients and public around the world to use reliable research to inform their health decisions.
Since the concept of core outcome set (COS) was introduced into clinical trials of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), researchers have paid much more attention to develop COS for specific diseases. Although researchers believe that the characteristics of TCM, such as syndromes, should be considered in the COS of TCM, it was insufficiently addressed. In addition, the naming of TCM syndromes has not been standardized, and the classification and diagnostic criteria for specific diseases have been inconsistent. Thus, it is difficult to include TCM syndromes in the COS. Different diseases may show similar TCM syndromes which makes research difficult. Based on previous studies, this paper provided methods of developing core TCM syndromes set according to the model of combination of disease and syndrome and the model of syndrome dominating disease to provide references for future researches.
Objective The purpose of this study, which focuses on the number of the Cochrane Systematic Review’s (CSR) full texts, protocols and registered titles from Chinese authors, is to show the development of evidence-based medicine (EBM) and promote EBM’s further development in China. Methods On the basis of The Cochrane Library (Issue 1, 2009) and the Cochrane Collaboration (March 2009) periodicals, we performed statistical analysis of different countries that released CSR’s full texts, protocols and registered titles, as well as the time, authors and distribution of the CSR’s full texts, protocols and registered titles in China. Results The publishing rates of the CSR’s full texts, protocols and registered titles in China ranked the seventh, fifth and second, respectively. Although the number of CSR’s full texts and protocols showed an increased annual trend in China, the development of area distribution was unbalanced. Moreover, China’s published articles contained 47 Cochrane collaboration groups, without effective practice and health care groups, consumers and communication groups, and methodology and multiple stenosis groups. Conclusions The current Chinese EBM situation has a great potential in writing CSR. However, there are still many problems that need to be resolved.
A core outcome set (COS) is an agreed minimum set of outcomes that should be reported in all clinical trials in specific areas of health care. The use of COS can reduce the heterogeneity of outcomes reporting in different trials and enhance evidence synthesis in systematic review/meta-analysis by including more studies with the same outcome. It can also enhance the value of trials and reduce cost waste to some extent. Recently, Core Outcome Measures in Effectiveness Trials (COMET) initiative has developed the COMET handbook (version 1.0). This handbook discussed the problems of COS research and made some recommendations. This paper interprets the COMET handbook (version 1.0) and analyses its insight on the construction of TCM clinical research COS, combined with the characteristics of TCM clinical research, in order to provide a reference for related researchers.