Search results for "alternative"

Cost Of Multimorbidity: The Influence Of Ambulatory Pharmaceutical And Hospital Expenditure.

2015

The timing of introduction of pharmaceutical innovations in seven European countries

2014

RATIONALE, AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: Differences in the performance of medical care may be due to variation in the introduction and diffusion of medical innovations. The objective of this paper is to compare seven European countries (United Kingdom, the Netherlands, West Germany, France, Spain, Estonia and Sweden) with regard to the year of introduction of six specific pharmaceutical innovations (antiretroviral drugs, cimetidine, tamoxifen, cisplatin, oxalaplatin and cyclosporin) that may have had important population health impacts. METHODS: We collected information on introduction and further diffusion of drugs using searches in the national and international literature, and questionnaires to …

Antiproliferative Potential of African Medicinal Plants

2013

Increasingly, cancer is recognized as a critical public health problem in Africa. Medicinal plants constitute a good alternative treatment, considering the rich biodiversity of the continent. Scientific evidence of the antiproliferative activity of African medicinal plants is more and more common. The most prominent results reported include the cytotoxic effects of plants of the families Moraceae, Guttiferae, Fabaceae, as well as compounds of the groups of terpenoids and phenolics derived from African plants.

Quality Control for Medicinal Plants

2012

The scientific basis of evidence-based medicine is still poor in herbal medicine. For the integration of herbal medicine into western medicine, internationally accepted standards are necessitated, including quality control of herbal products as well as preclinical and clinical evidence of safety and efficacy. In recent years, thriving innovative technologies emerged in phytotherapy research, e.g. DNA-based technologies for the authentication of plant species, good practice guidelines for standardized experimentations. High-quality herbal materials should undergo rigorous examination by analytical techniques for chemoprofiling of medicinal herbs, as well as toxicological methods to detect co…

Virtual reality exposure-based therapy for the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder: a review of its efficacy, the adequacy of the treatment p…

2015

Introduction The essential feature of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is the development of characteristic symptoms following exposure to one or more traumatic events. According to evidence-based intervention guidelines and empirical evidence, one of the most extensively researched and validated treatments for PTSD is prolonged exposure to traumatic events; however, exposure therapy can present some limitations. Virtual reality (VR) can help to improve prolonged exposure because it creates fictitious, safe, and controllable situations that can enhance emotional engagement and acceptance. Objective In addition to carrying out a review to evaluate the efficacy of VR exposure-based thera…

Efficacy and safety of ranibizumab with or without panretinal laser photocoagulation versus laser photocoagulation alone in proliferative diabetic re…

2019

Purpose Panretinal photocoagulation (PRP) is the current standard of care in proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR). However, treatment with anti-vascular endothelial growth factor agents might offer better patient outcomes with fewer side-effects. The PRIDE study aimed to assess the efficacy and safety of ranibizumab with or without PRP compared with PRP alone in patients with PDR. Methods A total of 106 PDR patients without diabetic macular oedema were randomized to receive ranibizumab 0.5 mg monotherapy (n = 35), PRP (n = 35) or combined ranibizumab 0.5 mg/PRP (n = 36). The primary objective of this 12-month, multicentre, phase II study was to investigate the change in area of retinal …

Objectifying acupuncture effects by lung function and numeric rating scale in patients undergoing heart surgery.

2012

Rationale. Poststernotomy pain and impaired breathing are common clinical problems in early postoperative care following heart surgery. Insufficiently treated pain increases the risk of pulmonary complications. High-dose opioids are used for pain management, but they may cause side effects such as respiratory depression.Study Design. We performed a prospective, randomized, controlled, observer-blinded, three-armed clinical trial with 100 patients. Group 1 (n=33) and Group 2 (n=34) received one 20 min session of standardized acupuncture treatment with two different sets of acupoints. Group 3 (n=33) served as standard analgesia control without additional intervention. Results. Primary endpoin…

Mindful Exercise (Baduanjin) as an Adjuvant Treatment for Older Adults (60 Years Old and Over) of Knee Osteoarthritis: A Randomized Controlled Trial

2020

Background. The postural stability is a major factor that helps prevent developing knee osteoarthritis with aging. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of Baduanjin qigong on postural control and physical function in older adults with knee osteoarthritis. Methods. Fifty-six individuals over 60 years of age with knee osteoarthritis were randomly assigned to either an experimental group (n = 28) or a control group (n = 28). Participants in the experimental group received a 12-week Baduanjin training, while those in the control group did not receive any additional physical exercise during the study period. The postural control was quantified by perimeter and ellipse area of cen…

Reaching and Grasping a Glass of Water by Locked-In ALS Patients through a BCI-Controlled Humanoid Robot

2017

Locked-in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) patients are fully dependent on caregivers for any daily need. At this stage, basic communication and environmental control may not be possible even with commonly used augmentative and alternative communication devices. Brain Computer Interface (BCI) technology allows users to modulate brain activity for communication and control of machines and devices, without requiring a motor control. In the last several years, numerous articles have described how persons with ALS could effectively use BCIs for different goals, usually spelling. In the present study, locked-in ALS patients used a BCI system to directly control the humanoid robot NAO (Aldebar…

Translation and testing of the Risk Assessment Pressure Ulcer Sore scale used among residents in Norwegian nursing homes.

2012

Published version of an article in the journal: BMJ Open. Also available from the publisher at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2012-001575 Open access Objective. The purpose of this study was to translate and test the psychometric properties of the Norwegian-language version of the Risk Assessment Pressure Sore scale. Background. Risk assessment scales for pressure ulcer prevention have become an aspect of quality improvement in healthcare, but their effectiveness depends on the reliability and validity of the scale. Methods. A convenience sample of 481 residents in 15 nursing homes in rural Norway was included between January and June 2007. The English-language version of the Risk Asses…