PubMed Health⌕ Search

SEARCH · PubMed Health

Results for “list randomization”

Explore indexed PubMed citations for clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health research. Read source abstracts and follow each citation to its original PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 1,081 records · Page 60Linked to original sources

Passage meditation reduces perceived stress in health professionals: a randomized, controlled trial.

The authors evaluated an 8-week, 2-hr per week training for physicians, nurses, chaplains, and other health professionals using nonsectarian, spiritually based self-management tools based on passage meditation (E. Easwaran, 1978/1991). Participants were randomized to intervention (n = 27) or waiting list (n = 31). Pretest, posttest, and 8- and 19-week follow-up data were gathered on 8 measures, including perceived stress, burnout, mental health, and psychological well-being. Aggregated across examinations, beneficial treatment effects were observed on stress (p = .0013) and mental health (p = .03). Treatment effects on stress were mediated by adherence to practices (p = .05). Stress reductions remained large at 19 weeks (84% of the pretest standard deviation, p = .006). Evidence suggests this program reduces stress and may enhance mental health.

Adult↗

Self-help for bulimia nervosa: a randomized controlled trial.

OBJECTIVE: The authors examined the effectiveness of unguided self-help as a first step in the treatment of bulimia nervosa. METHOD: A total of 85 women with bulimia nervosa who were on a waiting list for treatment at a hospital-based clinic participated. The patients were randomly assigned to receive one of two self-help manuals or to a waiting list control condition for 8 weeks. One of the self-help manuals addressed the specific symptoms of bulimia nervosa (cognitive behavior self-help), while the other focused on self-assertion skills (nonspecific self-help). RESULTS: Twenty patients (23.5%) dropped out of the study. The data were analyzed with intention-to-treat analysis. Although the group-by-time interaction for binge eating and purging was not statistically significant, simple effects showed that there was a significant reduction in symptom frequency in both self-help conditions at posttreatment but not in the waiting list condition. There were no statistically significant changes in levels of dietary restraint, eating concerns, concerns about shape and weight, or general psychopathology. A greater proportion of patients in the cognitive behavior self-help (53.6%) and nonspecific self-help (50.0%) conditions reported at least a 50% reduction in binge eating or purging at posttreatment, compared with the waiting list condition (31.0%). A lower baseline knowledge about eating disorders, more problems with intimacy, and higher compulsivity scores predicted a better response. CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest that a subgroup of patients with bulimia nervosa may benefit from unguided self-help as a first step in their treatment. Cognitive behavior self-help and nonspecific self-help had equivalent effects.

Adolescent↗

Poisson process approximation for sequence repeats, and sequencing by hybridization.

Sequencing by hybridization is a tool to determine a DNA sequence from the unordered list of all l-tuples contained in this sequence; typical numbers for l are l = 8, 10, 12. For theoretical purposes we assume that the multiset of all l-tuples is known. This multiset determines the DNA sequence uniquely if none of the so-called Ukkonen transformations are possible. These transformations require repeats of (l-1)-tuples in the sequence, with these repeats occurring in certain spatial patterns. We model DNA as an i.i.d. sequence. We first prove Poisson process approximations for the process of indicators of all leftmost long repeats allowing self-overlap and for the process of indicators of all left-most long repeats without self-overlap. Using the Chen-Stein method, we get bounds on the error of these approximations. As a corollary, we approximate the distribution of longest repeats. In the second step we analyze the spatial patterns of the repeats. Finally we combine these two steps to prove an approximation for the probability that a random sequence is uniquely recoverable from its list of l-tuples. For all our results we give some numerical examples including error bounds.

Algorithms↗

Two psychological treatments for hypochondriasis. A randomised controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Hypochondriasis is generally considered difficult to manage. This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of cognitive therapy and to compare it with an equally credible, alternative treatment. METHOD: Forty-eight patients with hypochondriasis were initially randomly assigned to either cognitive therapy, behavioural stress management or a no treatment waiting list control group. At the end of the waiting period, patients in the control group were randomly assigned to one of the two treatments. Assessments were at pre-, mid- and post-treatment or waiting list and at three-, six- and 12-month post-treatment follow-up. RESULTS: Comparisons with the waiting list group showed both treatments were effective. Comparisons between the treatments showed that cognitive therapy was more effective than behavioural stress management on measures of hypochondriasis, but not general mood disturbance at mid-treatment and at post-treatment. One year after treatment patients who had received either treatment remained significantly better than before treatment, and on almost all measures the two therapies did not differ from each other. CONCLUSIONS: Cognitive therapy is a specific treatment for hypochondriasis. Behavioural stress management is also effective but its specificity remains to be demonstrated.

Adult↗

[Anti-angina effect of amiodarone in therapy-resistant angina pectoris].

In a double-blind randomized trial 63 patients on the waiting list for coronary artery bypass grafting, with stable angina NYHA III and a positive stress test on triple (nitrates, beta- and calcium entry blockers) combination therapy, were studied for an additional antianginal effect of amiodarone over a period of 2 months. In the treatment group an increase in exercise duration and a decrease of the double product and of ST-depression were noted. Thus, amiodarone is an effective antianginal agent in patients with limiting angina pectoris on conventional triple therapy.

Adrenergic beta-Antagonists↗

Remote treatment of bulimia nervosa and binge eating disorder: a randomized trial of Internet-assisted cognitive behavioural therapy.

The present study investigated the efficacy of self-help based on cognitive behaviour therapy in combination with Internet support in the treatment of bulimia nervosa and binge eating disorder. After confirming the diagnosis with an in-person interview, 73 patients were randomly allocated to treatment or a waiting list control group. Treated individuals showed marked improvement after 12 weeks of self-help compared to the control group on both primary and secondary outcome measures. Intent-to-treat analyses revealed that 37% (46% among completers) had no binge eating or purging at the end of the treatment and a considerable number of patients achieved clinically significant improvement on most of the other measures as well. The results were maintained at the 6-month follow-up, and provide evidence to support the continued use and development of self-help programmes.

Adult↗

Body image treatment for a community sample of obligatory and nonobligatory exercisers.

OBJECTIVE: Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) was used to treat body dissatisfaction in obligatory and nonobligatory exercisers within a community sample of normal weight women. METHOD: Ninety-four women (36% obligatory exercisers, 64% nonobligatory exercisers) were assigned randomly to CBT or the waiting-list (WL) control group. RESULTS: The hypotheses that obligatory exercisers would show poorer pretreatment body image and greater compulsiveness than nonobligatory exercisers were supported partially. The prediction that obligatory exercisers would respond less favorably to treatment was not supported. Overall, CBT participants evidenced significantly better body image outcomes than the WL at posttreatment, but many effects were lost by the follow-up. DISCUSSION: Treatment response is considered in light of the unique characteristics of this ethnically diverse, older community sample when compared with the young students in earlier body image intervention studies. The high rate of physical activity among even the nonobligatory exercisers is highlighted for its mood-regulation properties and its treatment implications.

Adult↗

In-home intervention for depressive symptoms with low-income mothers of infants and toddlers in the United States.

Depressive symptoms in low-income mothers negatively affect infant-toddler development. This pilot study tested a short-term, home-based depressive symptom intervention with 16 African American and White, Non-Hispanic mothers in Early Head Start (EHS) programs who were randomly assigned to intervention and usual care/waiting list conditions. Mothers met in their homes with master's-prepared psychiatric mental health nurses who worked with them to improve their management of depressive symptoms and life issues, use of social support, and parenting. The intervention group showed a significantly greater decrease from baseline in depressive symptom severity at 8 and 16 weeks in contrast to the mothers receiving usual care. Observations of maternal interactions showed improvement in the intervention mothers. The results support testing on a larger scale.

Adult↗

Effects of self-management intervention on health outcomes of patients with heart failure: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials.

BACKGROUND: Heart failure is the most common cause of hospitalization among adults over 65. Over 60% of patients die within 10 years of first onset of symptoms. The objective of this study is to determine the effectiveness of self-management interventions on hospital readmission rates, mortality, and health-related quality of life in patients diagnosed with heart failure. METHODS: The study is a systematic review of randomized controlled trials. The following data sources were used: MEDLINE (1966-11/2005), EMBASE (1980-11/2005), CINAHL (1982-11/2005), the ACP Journal Club database (to 11/2005), the Cochrane Central Trial Registry and the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (to 11/2005); article reference lists; and experts in the field. We included randomized controlled trials of self-management interventions that enrolled patients 18 years of age or older who were diagnosed with heart failure. The primary outcomes of interest were all-cause hospital readmissions, hospital readmissions due to heart failure, and mortality. Secondary outcomes were compliance with treatment and quality of life scores. Three reviewers independently assessed the quality of each study and abstracted the results. For each included study, we computed the pooled odds ratios (OR) for all-cause hospital readmission, hospital readmission due to heart failure, and death. We used a fixed effects model to quantitatively synthesize results. We were not able to pool effects on health-related quality of life and measures of compliance with treatment, but we summarized the findings from the relevant studies. We also summarized the reported cost savings. RESULTS: From 671 citations that were identified, 6 randomized trials with 857 patients were included in the review. Self-management decreased all-cause hospital readmissions (OR 0.59; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.44 to 0.80, P = 0.001) and heart failure readmissions (OR 0.44; 95% CI 0.27 to 0.71, P = 0.001). The effect on mortality was not significant (OR = 0.93; 95% CI 0.57 to 1.51, P = 0.76). Adherence to prescribed medical advice improved, but there was no significant difference in functional capabilities, symptom status and quality of life. The reported savings ranged from 1300 to 7515 dollars per patient per year. CONCLUSION: Self-management programs targeted for patients with heart failure decrease overall hospital readmissions and readmissions for heart failure.

Health Status↗

Cognitive and behavioral treatment of pathological gambling: a controlled study.

This study evaluated the efficacy of a cognitive-behavioral treatment package for pathological gambling. Twenty-nine men who met criteria for pathological gambling in accordance with the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (3rd ed., revised; DSM-III-R; American Psychiatric Association, 1987) were randomly assigned to treatment or wait-list control. The treatment included 4 components: (a) cognitive correction of erroneous perceptions about gambling, (b) problem-solving training, (c) social skills training, and (d) relapse prevention. The dependent variables were the South Oaks Gambling Screen, perception of control, frequency of gambling, perceived self-efficacy, desire to gamble, and number of DSM-III-R criteria met by participants. Posttest results indicated highly significant changes in the treatment group on all outcome measures, and analysis of data from 6- and 12-month follow-ups revealed maintenance of therapeutic gains. Recommendations for clinical interventions are discussed and focus on the cognitive correction of erroneous perceptions of gambling.

Adult↗

The effectiveness of self-management training for individuals with HIV/AIDS.

This study tested the effects of a 7-week individual self-management and coping skills training program on various measures of health and well-being of persons with HIV/AIDS. Forty men and women were randomly assigned the treatment or wait-list control group. Treated participants showed significant posttreatment changes on all four major measures of mood, coping, and health attitudes. Treatment significantly improved coping strategies as measured by the use and effective measures of the Jalowiec Coping Scale and several of its subscales, including decreases in use of emotive, fatalistic, and palliative coping styles. Psychological mood was improved, as measured by the Profile of Moods Total Mood Disturbance (POMS TMD) score and specific subscales of the POMS, which were targeted in the intervention (e.g., Anger). Treated participants also showed significant increases on the Internal subscale of the Health Attribution Test.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

The PROEF diet--a new postoperative regimen for oral early feeding.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to determine if immediate postoperative feeding of a new oral elemental diet (PROEF diet) would be tolerated by patients and to determine its effect on gastrointestinal function after cesarean section. STUDY DESIGN: One hundred eighteen patients undergoing cesarean section were randomly assigned by a computer-generated list of numbers to receive either the PROEF diet (60 patients) or routine postoperative dietary management (58 patients). Gastrointestinal morbidity was analyzed by an independent-samples t test. RESULTS: The PROEF diet group has a more rapid return of normal bowel sounds, 10.3 versus 14.5 hours (p = 0.001), and earlier acceptance of a regular diet, 2.0 versus 2.3 days (p = 0.008). CONCLUSION: The PROEF diet was well tolerated in cesarean section patients with no increase in gastrointestinal morbidity when compared with a control group of patients. This dispels the classic teaching that postoperative patients may not have oral intake until the return of normal bowel function. Further study is necessary to support the theoretic benefits that may accrue from early feeding of an elemental diet.

Cesarean Section↗

Early transition to oral antibiotic therapy for community-acquired pneumonia: duration of therapy, clinical outcomes, and cost analysis.

Our objective was to compare therapeutic outcome and analyse cost-benefit of a 'conventional' (7-day course of i.v. antibiotic therapy) vs. an abbreviated (2-day i.v. antibiotic course followed by 'switch' to oral antibiotics) therapy for in-patients with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). We used a multicenter prospective, randomized, parallel group with a 28 day follow-up, at the University-based teaching hospitals: The Medical Center of Louisiana in New Orleans, LA and hospitals listed in the acknowledgement. Ninety-five patients were randomized to receive either a 'conventional' course of intravenous antibiotic therapy with cefamandole 1 g i.v. every 6 h for 7 days (n = 37), or an abbreviated course of intravenous therapy with cefamandole (1 g i.v. every 6 h for 2 days) followed by oral therapy with cefaclor (500 mg every 8 h for 5 days). No difference was found in the clinical courses, cure rates, survival or the resolution of the chest radiograph abnormalities among the two groups. The mean duration of therapy (6.88 days for the conventional group compared to 7-30 days for the early oral therapy group) and the frequencies of overall symptomatic improvement (97% vs. 95%, respectively) were similar in both groups. Patients who received early oral therapy had shorter hospital stays (7.3 vs. 9.71 days, P = 0.01), and a lower total cost of care ($2953 vs. $5002, P < 0.05). It was concluded that early transition to an oral antibiotic after an abbreviated course of intravenous therapy in CAP is substantially less expensive and has comparable efficacy to conventional intravenous therapy. Altering physicians' customary management of hospitalized patients with CAP can reduce costs with no appreciable additional risk of adverse patient outcome.

Administration, Oral↗

A randomized, prospective, multisite comparison of pediatric prehospital training methods.

OBJECTIVE: Results of prehospital pediatric continuing education using train-the-trainer and CD-ROM training methods were compared to each other and to a control group. The null hypothesis was that no differences would be found in pretraining and posttraining measurements of knowledge and performance by either training method. METHODS: This was a prospective trial involving 12 sites. Random selections were made from ambulance service lists provided by 3-state emergency medical services (EMS) agencies. Preintervention and postintervention (12-month) measurements included a written examination and 2 performance scenarios videotaped for independent panel evaluation. Training was either an interactive CD-ROM or standard classroom instruction using a train-the-trainer model. Mean differences in written, performance, and combined scores were analyzed. RESULTS: Differences were noted in the combined and performance scores for the CD-ROM intervention group. No differences were noted in written measurements between or among the groups. CONCLUSION: In this small sample, interactive CD-ROM training shows promise for improving performance. The research design, with additional guards against sample size attrition, may provide a model for multisite EMS education research.

CD-ROM↗

Electro-acupuncture versus conventional analgesia: a comparison of pain levels during oocyte aspiration and patients' experiences of well-being after surgery.

BACKGROUND: The primary aims were to compare the pain-relieving effect and post-operative well-being between electro-acupuncture analgesia (EA) and conventional analgesia (CA) comprising opiates. Further aims were to compare time for mobilization, and costs for time and drug consumption. METHODS: In all, 160 women undergoing IVF were randomized, according to a computer-generated list, to EA or CA. Well-being was evaluated with the State Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI). Pain and subjective expectations and experiences were recorded on a visual analogue scale (VAS). Time and drug consumption were recorded. RESULTS: Although VAS pain ratings were significantly higher at oocyte aspiration (P < 0.0001) and after retrieval (P < 0.01) in the EA than in the CA group, they were similar 60 min after surgery. Both groups had similar STAI well-being scores. The EA group was significantly less tired and confused than the CA group after oocyte aspiration. No significant differences in time and costs for drug consumption were noted. CONCLUSION: EA cannot generally be recommended as a pain-relieving method at oocyte aspiration but might be an alternative for women desiring a non-pharmacological method. An advantage of EA is less post-operative tiredness and confusion compared with CA.

Acupuncture Analgesia↗

Venepuncture versus heel lance for blood sampling in term neonates.

BACKGROUND: Heel lance has been the conventional method of blood sampling in neonates for screening tests. Neonates undergoing this procedure experience pain. Despite various studies evaluating the role of pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions to date, there are no effective and practical methods to alleviate pain from heel lance. OBJECTIVES: To determine whether venepuncture or heel lance is less painful and more effective for blood sampling in term neonates. SEARCH STRATEGY: Systematic search in accordance with Cochrane Neonatal Collaborative Review Group. All randomized controlled trials which compared pain response to venepuncture vs. heel lance were searched using MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, the Cochrane Library, reference lists of identified trials and personal files. No language restrictions were applied. SELECTION CRITERIA: Randomized controlled trials which compared pain response to venepuncture vs. heel lance were selected for this review. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Data regarding the primary outcome of pain response to venepuncture vs. heel lance as assessed by validated pain measures were abstracted. Secondary outcomes including the need of repeat blood sampling, bruising/hematoma at local site, and parental perception of their own anxiety and infant's pain were also abstracted. All data were analysed using Revman 3.1. When possible, meta-analysis was done using relative risk (RR) and event rate difference (ERD), along with their 95% confidence intervals (CI). If ERD was significant, number needed to treat (NNT) was calculated. MAIN RESULTS: Two trials were eligible for inclusion in the review. One study using Neonatal Infant Pain Scale (NIPS) and one study using Neonatal Facial Action Coding System (NFCS) and cry duration showed statistically significantly lower pain scores for venepuncture as compared to heel lance. In one study, maternal anxiety was noted to be higher in the venepuncture group as compared to heel lance group prior to the procedure; however, after observing the procedure, mothers rated their infant's pain to be lower in the venepuncture group. A meta-analysis was performed on the need for at least one additional skin puncture to obtain the required amount of blood using venepuncture as compared to heel lance. The relative risk for requiring more than one skin puncture for venepuncture versus heel lance was 0.19 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.10, 0.38]. The risk difference was -53% (95% CI -66%, -40%). The number needed to treat (NNT) to avoid one repeat skin puncture was 1.9 (95% CI 1.5, 2.5). REVIEWER'S CONCLUSIONS: Venepuncture, when performed by a trained phlebotomist, appears to be the method of choice for blood sampling in term neonates. For each two venepunctures instead of heel lance, the need for one additional skin puncture can be avoided. In view of the promising results derived from small studies with some methodological limitations, further well designed randomized controlled trials need to be conducted. The interventions should be compared in settings where several individuals perform the venepuncture and/or the heel lance.

Blood Specimen Collection↗

[The STF Project: Female Tumor Screening].

A pilot study has been carried out to evaluate women's compliance to a screening program for cervical cancer. The study, initiated in 1994, was performed in conjunction with the ACRO project of the CNR by the Italian National Health Institute, in collaboration with La Sapienza University of Rome and the National Institute for Cancer Research in Genoa. A preliminary telephone survey was carried out on a sample of 400 women (200 in Rome and 200 in Genoa) to assess, among other factors, their attitude towards the screening program. Afterwards, an ad hoc advertising campaign was launched and 21,827 women, randomly chosen from the register office's lists, were sent a personal invitation to participate in the screening. Most women showed interest in attending the screening program at the interview, but the percentages of participation were low (25.7% in Genoa and 27.3% in Rome). On the other hand, a high percentage of women who participated in the screening had already had a Pap test in the previous three years (Genoa, 73%; Rome, 76%). The recruiting techniques that were used in this study, and that are commonly used, do not seem to reach the core of the target population for cervical screening, i.e. women who have never had a Pap test or who had a Pap test more than 5 years earlier. New methods of recruiting aimed at categories at risk and based more on direct contacts need to be developed.

Adult↗

Efficacy and adverse effects of prophylactic antiemetics during patient-controlled analgesia therapy: a quantitative systematic review.

UNLABELLED: Nausea and vomiting are frequent adverse effects of patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) with opioids. To identify the optimal prophylactic antiemetic intervention in this setting, we performed a systematic search for randomized trials (MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane library, reference lists, hand-searching, no language restriction) published up to May 1998 that compared prophylactic antiemetic interventions with placebo or no treatment in the postoperative PCA-setting with opioids. Fourteen placebo-controlled trials (1117 patients) with different regimens of droperidol, ondansetron, hyoscine TTS, tropisetron, metoclopramide, propofol, and promethazine were analyzed. One PCA was with tramadol, all others were with morphine. At 24 h, the cumulative incidence of nausea and vomiting without antiemetics was approximately 50%. Droperidol 0.017-0.17 mg/mg of morphine (0.5-11 mg/d droperidol) was statistically significantly more effective than placebo without evidence of dose-responsiveness; the number needed to treat to prevent nausea compared with placebo was 2.7 (95% confidence interval 1.8-5.2), and that to prevent vomiting was 3.1 (2.3-4.8). Compared with placebo, the incidence of minor adverse effects with droperidol was increased with doses >4 mg/d. IMPLICATIONS: Of 100 patients treated with droperidol added in a patient-controlled analgesia pump with morphine, 30 who would have vomited or been nauseated had they not received droperidol will not suffer these effects. There is no evidence of dose-responsiveness for efficacy with droperidol, but the risk of adverse effects is dose-dependent. There is a lack of evidence for other antiemetics.

Analgesia, Patient-Controlled↗