Significant Difference In Improvement Rate Research Articles

Combination of Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine to Improve the Cure Rate of Elderly Patients with Severe Novel Coronavirus Infection

Objective: To study the curative effect of traditional Chinese and western medicine on novel coronavirus's (COVID-19) patients in Jiangmen Central Hospital. Methods: This study was a retrospective cohort study. A total of 582 cases of COVID-19 patients admitted to Jiangmen Central Hospital from January 2020 to March 31, 2023 were collected, and five indicators, such as cure rate, improvement rate, inefficiency rate, mortality rate and hospitalization time, were analyzed, and the curative effects and treatment days under different treatment methods were compared among the integrated traditional Chinese and western medicine group, the western medicine group and the Chinese medicine group. Results: There was no significant difference in the cure rate, improvement rate, inefficiency rate and mortality rate of ordinary patients of all ages and severe middle and light years (≤65 years old) after treatment with integrated traditional Chinese and western medicine, pure western medicine or pure Chinese medicine (P > 0.05). The cure rate and effective rate of severe elderly patients (> 65 years old) were significantly higher than that of pure western medicine group (P < 0.05) and the ineffective rate was significantly lower than that of western medicine group (P < 0.01). There was no significant difference in improvement rate and mortality (P > 0.05). Except severe young patients (≤40 years old), the treatment time of western medicine group was significantly shorter than that of traditional Chinese medicine group and traditional Chinese and western medicine treatment group (P < 0.05). Conclusion: The combination of traditional Chinese and western medicine can significantly improve the cure rate and effective rate of elderly patients and reduce the inefficiency of their treatment. Compared with Chinese medicine, western medicine has a better effect in shortening hospitalization time.

Comparison of clinical effects of different anterior surgical methods for the treatment of single segment cervical disc herniation

To compare the clinical effects of different anterior surgical methods in treating single segment cervical disc herniation. The clinical data of 46 patients with single-segment cervical disc herniation underwent surgical treatment from September 2013 to September 2018 were retrospectively analyzed. The patients were divided into three groups according to different surgical methods. Among them, 23 patients in the anterior percutanousendomic cervical dissection (APECD) group, there were 8 males and 15 females, aged (47±3) years old, prominent segments were C3,4 of 1 case, C4,5 of 6 cases, and C5,6 of 16 cases;10 patients in cervical disc replacement(CDR) group, there were 4 males and 6 females, aged (46± 3) years old, prominent segments were C3,4 of 1 case, C4,5 of 6 cases, C5,6 of 3 cases;13 patients in transcervical anterior cervical disc fusion (ACDF) group, there were 8 males and 5 females, aged (53±2) years old, protruding segments were C3,4 of 1 case, C4,5 of 3 cases, C5,6 of 9 cases. The operation time, intraoperative blood loss, and length of hospitalization were compared among three groups;visual analogue scale (VAS) and Japanese Orthopaedic Association(JOA) score were used to evaluate the clinical efficacy. All 46 patients were followed up for 12 to 24 (17.57±3.15)months. The follow-up time of APECD, CDR, ACDF groups were (17.30±3.25), (17.80±3.16), (17.85±2.88) months, and operation time were (95.48 ±13.85), (58.50±7.09), (76.00±15.72) min, respectively, there were no significant differences in follow-up time and operation time between two groups(P>0.05). The intraoperative blood loss of APECD, CDR, ACDF groups were (80.00±20.22), (82.60±7.20), (121.54±18.75) ml, there was significant difference between CDR group and ACDF group (P<0.05);and there was no significant difference between other groups (P>0.05). The length of hospitalization was (6.95±1.50) days in APECD group, (6.60± 0.80) days in CDR group, (6.54±0.75) days in ACDF group, and there was no significant difference between two groups (P> 0.05). At the latest follow up, VAS scores were decreasedfrom preoperative 6.78±0.83 to 2.57±0.65 in APECD group, decreased from 5.70±0.78 to 2.00±0.45 in CDR group, decreased from 6.77±0.42 to 1.38±0.49 in ACDF group. The JOA scores at final follow-up were increased from 8.91±0.97 to 13.04±1.40 in APECD group, and the improvement rate of (65±15)%;increased from 11.50±1.20 to 14.90±1.14 in CDR group, and the improvement rate of (76±19)%;increased from 8.54±0.93 to 14.00±0.96 in ACDF group, and the improvement rate of (74±8)%;there was significant difference in improvement rate between APECD group and CDR group (P<0.05). At final follow-up, the activities of the responsible segment in APECD group and CDR group were well preserved and improved (P<0.05). In the APECD group, the symptoms of two cases recurred during the mid-term follow-up (4 months and 6 months after surgery), one of which improved after strictly conservative treatment;the other one received ACDF surgery a second time, and the postoperative follow-up effect was satisfactory. The three anterior surgical approaches can achieve satisfactory clinical results for the treatment of single-segment cervical disc herniation. However, the improvement rate of the CDR group and the activity of the retained responsibility segment are better than those of the other two groups. APECD surgery may have recurrence.

Relationship between starting age of cranial-remolding-orthosis therapy and effectiveness of treatment in children with deformational plagiocephaly

The aim of this study was to investigate the optimal age for starting cranial-remolding-orthosis therapy in children with deformational plagiocephaly. Medical records of 310 patients with deformational plagiocephaly were retrospectively reviewed and the initial and final cranial vault asymmetry index (CVAI), age when starting therapy, duration of therapy, mean change of CVAI, improvement rate, and treatment success were analyzed. We compared outcomes according to the groups divided by ages starting therapy. There were no significant differences in improvement rate and duration of cranial-remolding-orthosis therapy among patients starting therapy at the age of 3, 4, and 5months. However, when starting therapy after the age of 6months, the rates of CVAI improvement were significantly lower and the duration of therapy was significantly increased. Considering the spontaneous resolution effect according to the head growth nature, the age 5month is the optimal period to start cranial-remolding-orthosis therapy for deformational plagiocephaly.

Community-based intervention to improve dietary habits and promote physical activity among older adults: a cluster randomized trial

BackgroundThe fastest growing age group globally is older adults, and preventing the need for long-term nursing care in this group is important for social and financial reasons. A population approach to diet and physical activity through the use of social services can play an important role in prevention. This study examined the effectiveness of a social health program for community-dwelling older adults aimed at introducing and promoting physical activity in the home at each individual’s pace, helping participants maintain good dietary habits by keeping self-check sheets, and determining whether long-standing unhealthy or less-than-ideal physical and dietary habits can be changed.MethodThis cluster randomized trial conducted at 6 community centers in an urban community involved 92 community-dwelling older adults aged 65–90 years. The intervention group (3 community centers; n = 57) participated in the social health program “Sumida TAKE10!” which is an educational program incorporating the “TAKE10!® for Older Adults” program, once every 2 weeks for 3 months. The control group (3 community centers; n=35) was subsequently provided with the same program as a crossover intervention group. The main outcome measures were changes in food intake frequency, food frequency score (FFS), dietary variety score (DVS), and frequency of walking and exercise. The secondary outcome measures were changes in self-rated health, appetite, and the Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology (TMIG) Index of Competence score.ResultsCompared to baseline, post-intervention food intake frequency for 6 of 10 food groups (meat, fish/shellfish, eggs, potatoes, fruits, and seaweed), FFS, and DVS were significantly increased in the intervention group, and interaction effects of FFS and DVS were seen between the two groups. No significant differences were observed between baseline and post-intervention in the control group. Frequency of walking and exercise remained unchanged in both groups, and no significant difference in improvement rate was seen between the groups. Self-rated health was significantly increased in the intervention group. Appetite and TMIG Index of Competence score were unchanged in both groups.ConclusionsThe social health program resulted in improved dietary habits, as measured by food intake frequency, FFS, and DVS, and may improve self-rated health among community-dwelling older adults.Trial registration numberUMIN000007357

突発性難聴におけるリポＰＧＥ１の有用性―ステロイド非使用例の検討―

In this study we examined 310 patients with sudden deafness treated in our hospital between 1996 and 2001. Seventy-one patients were treated with steroid only (steroid group), 130 patients were treated with steroid and Lipo-PGE1 combined therapy (steroid-LipoPGE1 group) and 53 patients were treated with Lipo-PGE1 only (LipoPGE1 group).The improvement rate was 39.4, 67.7 and 81.1% in the steroid, steroid-LipoPGE1 and LipoPGE1 groups, respectively. The improvement rate was significantly higher in the steroid-LipoPGE1 and LipoPGE1 groups than in the steroid group (p<0.01). No significant difference in improvement rate was noted between steroid-LipoPGE1 group and LipoPGE1 group (p<0.05).These results suggest that the improvement of blood flow in the inner ear may be very important and Lipo-PGE1 is effective in treating sudden deafness.

A 1- to 4-year follow-up review of treatment of sciatica using chemonucleolysis or laminectomy

To help clarify the comparative effects of chemonucleolysis and discectomy, the author studied 178 consecutive patients with sciatica who did not respond to conservative treatment. None had previously undergone laminectomy or chemonucleolysis or had spinal stenosis. All received postmyelography computerized tomography (CT) and, if the radiological interpretation was that of an extruded migrated disc, a laminectomy was performed; otherwise, the patient was given a choice of the two procedures. Of the 178 patients, 106 underwent chemonucleolysis and 72 laminectomy. Workers' compensation was being paid to 21.6% of the chemonucleolysis patients and 20.8% of the laminectomy patients. Postoperatively, substantial improvement was noted in 82.7% of the chemonucleolysis patients and 92.5% of the laminectomy patients at 6 weeks and in 92.8% of the chemonucleolysis patients and 89.7% of the laminectomy patients at 6 months. The majority of patients in both groups had improved neurological signs. Follow-up questionnaires at 1 to 4 years postoperatively revealed an overall success rate of 86.5% for chemonucleolysis patients and 83.8% for laminectomy patients. In patients not receiving workers' compensation, 90.1% of the chemonucleolysis patients and 88.6% of the laminectomy patients had a successful outcome; in those receiving workers' compensation, 69.6% of the chemonucleolysis patients and 60.0% of the laminectomy patients had a successful outcome. No statistically significant differences in improvement rate in neurological symptoms or signs were identified between the two procedures. Overall, 85.1% of the chemonucleolysis patients and 78.5% of the laminectomy patients were employed at follow-up review. To achieve optimum results and eliminate noncandidates for chemonucleolysis, routine use of postmyelography CT is recommended. When properly used, chymopapain chemonucleolysis is an acceptable alternative to surgical discectomy.

The use of Trivial Pursuit in teaching community living skills to adults with developmental disabilities.

The use of gaming provides variety, motivation, and renewed interest in activities developing community living skills. In this study, Trivial Pursuit, a popular adult game, was adapted for use with 16 adults with mental retardation attending a developmental center day treatment program. Game questions were developed for six categories of independent living based on the McCarron-Dial Street Survival Skills Questionnaire (SSSQ) and Curriculum Guide. A two-group, pretest-posttest design was used to evaluate the effectiveness of the game in teaching independent living skills. An analysis of variance on the measurement scale and for the total score on the SSSQ indicated significant differences in improvement rate after eight sessions with the game. Additionally, subjects found the Trivial Pursuit format interesting and absorbing. Results suggest that the gaming approach can be a valuable adjunct to traditional independent living training programs.