Evaluating the methodology of studies conducted during the global COVID-19 pandemic: A systematic review of randomized controlled trials / 中西医结合学报

BACKGROUND@#The therapeutic evidence collected from well-designed studies is needed to help manage the global pandemic of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Evaluating the quality of therapeutic data collected during this most recent pandemic is important for improving future clinical research under similar circumstances.@*OBJECTIVE@#To assess the methodological quality and variability in implementation of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) for treating COVID-19, and to analyze the support that should be provided to improve data collected during an urgent pandemic situation.@*SEARCH STRATEGY@#PubMed, Excerpta Medica Database, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang, and Chongqing VIP, and the preprint repositories including Social Science Research Network and MedRxiv were systematically searched, up to September 30, 2020, using the keywords "coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)," "2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV)," "severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2)," "novel coronavirus pneumonia (NCP)," "randomized controlled trial (RCT)" and "random."@*INCLUSION CRITERIA@#RCTs studying the treatment of COVID-19 were eligible for inclusion.@*DATA EXTRACTION AND ANALYSIS@#Screening of published RCTs for inclusion and data extraction were each conducted by two researchers. Analysis of general information on COVID-19 RCTs was done using descriptive statistics. Methodological quality was assessed using the risk-of-bias tools in the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions (Version 5.1.0). Variability in implementation was assessed by comparing consistency between RCT reports and registration information.@*RESULTS@#A total of 5886 COVID-19 RCTs were identified. Eighty-one RCTs were finally included, of which, 45 had registration information. Methodological quality of the RTCs was not optimal due to deficiencies in five main domains: allocation concealment, blinding of participants and personnel, blinding of outcome assessment, incomplete outcome data, and selective reporting. Comparisons of consistency between published protocols and registration information showed that the 45 RCTs with registration information had common deviations in seven items: inclusion and exclusion criteria, sample size, outcomes, research sites of recruitment, interventions, and blinding.@*CONCLUSION@#The methodological quality of COVID-19 RCTs conducted in early to mid 2020 was consistently low and variability in implementation was common. More support for implementing high-quality methodology is needed to obtain the quality of therapeutic evidence needed to provide positive guidance for clinical care. We make an urgent appeal for accelerating the construction of a collaborative sharing platform and preparing multidisciplinary talent and professional teams to conduct excellent clinical research when faced with epidemic diseases of the future. Further, variability in RCT implementation should be clearly reported and interpreted to improve the utility of data resulting from those trials.

Clinical efficacy of Yangjing Decoction on idiopathic asthenozoospermia / 中华男科学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To evaluate the clinical effect of the Chinese medicine Yangjing Decoction on idiopathic asthenospermia.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>This study included 62 patients with idiopathic asthenospermia diagnosed with the computer-assisted semen analysis system and other methods based on the WHO guidelines. The patients were equally randomized to a trial and a control group, the former treated with Yangjing Decoction at the dose of 400 ml bid, and the latter with Yougui Capsules tid, both for a course of 6 months. Then we analyzed the changes in sperm concentration and percentage of grade a + b sperm in the patients, as well as the pregnancy in their wives.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Compared with the controls, the patients of the trial group showed a significantly elevated percentage of grade a + b sperm after 6 months medication (P < 0.01), though no statistically significant differences were observed in sperm concentration (P > 0.05). The total rate of effectiveness was 87.09% and 7 pregnancies were achieved in the trial group, as compared with 66.74% and 3 pregnancies in the controls (P < 0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Yangjing Decoction can significantly improve sperm vitality, and has a desirable effect on idiopathic asthenospermia.</p>

Effect of snoring on facial growth in children / 中华耳鼻咽喉头颈外科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To evaluate the effect of snoring on facial growth in children and the changes after surgery.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Observations on facial growth were taken by X-ray 1.5 - 2 years before and after surgery on 40 children snorers aged between 2 - 5 years old, whose tonsils and (or) adenoids were completely removed. The data collected before surgery in the 2 - 3 years old snorers and in the 4 - 5 years old ones were compared with the data from healthy children at the same age respectively.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The comparison of data between 21 children snorers aged from 2 - 3 and 17 healthy children of the same ages showed that there was no significant difference in the diameter of pharyngeal cavity at tongue base (PAS), the diameter of nasopharyngeal cavity (UPW-PNS) and the angle between mandibular plane and frankfort horizontal plane (FH-MP) within 2 - 3 years group by statistically (P > 0.05). There is no significance in UPW-PNS and FH-MP angle within 4 - 5 years group by statistics (P > 0.05). Others results is significance in all groups (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01). There was no significant difference in all groups expect Y-axis Angle 1.5 - 2 years after surgery (P > 0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Abnormal facial growth was caused by the consistent force from the changed way of breathing due to the increasing narrowness of upper airway obstruction and the long-existing obstructive sleep. Surgery done as soon as possible is helpful to reduce the force caused by the obstruction and helpful to the normal facial growth.</p>

A Clinical Study on Conservative Treatment of Incomplete Pharmaceutical Abortion / 中国医师杂志

Objective To study the clinical effects of conservative treatment of incomplete pharmaceutical abortion. Methods 149 cases of incomplete pharmaceutical abortion were randomly divided into two groups. Group A(86 cases) was intramuscularly given progesterone or orally medroxyprogesterone. Group B (63 cases)was given methotrexate intramuscularly or orally. The therapeutic effects of two groups were observed. Results The successful rate in group A and group B was 79 07%(68/86) and 96 82%(61/63). The successful rate of the patients with lower HCG level in group A and group B was 86 89%(53/61) and 100%(32/32) respectively, which had significant difference (P