The time-to-event index is a kind of common evaluation index. It measures the speed of intervention effect. It is different from other index in research design, source material filling, data checking and statistical analysis. To obtain the time-to-event index, investigators can fill in the table directly and statistical analyst can compute after clinical observation. When filling in the source material or data checking, it is should be noticed that the logical relation between the time-to-event index and the visiting point and between the time-to-event index and the correlative other indicator. When statistical analyzing, it is an important issue how to deal with the cases whose time-to-event index does not appear till the observation period ends. Understanding the difference clearly can make the time-to-event index evaluate the effect of the intervention truly and make the clinical observation results reliable.
Clinical Trials as Topic ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Observational Studies as Topic ; Research ; Research Design

Objective T_O analyze the electrophysiological features of shoulder-hand syndrome(SHS)fol- lowing stroke and investigate the relationships between peripheral nerve damage and the factors causing SHS.Meth- ods Fifty-eight stroke patients were divided into an SHS group(39 patients with shoulder-hand syndrome)and a model group(19 patients without shoulder-hand syndrome).Standard sensory and motor nerve conduction studies were performed with 58 of the patients,including sensory nerve conduction velocity(SCV),amplitude of the sensory nerve action potential(SNAP),distal motor latency(DMI)and the amplitude of the compound muscle action poten- tial(CMAP)of the median nerve.A needle electromyogram(EMG)test was performed on the abductor pollicis of the affected side with both groups.Results The needle EMG showed abnormal insertion potential,fibrillation po- tential and positive sharp waves in all 39 cases of the SHS group,which was significantly higher than in the model group.The amplitude of the sensory nerve action potential(7.77?4.34 mV)and the amplitude of the compound muscle action potential(10.13?3.15 mV)were significantly lower than those of the model group.Abnormal ampli- tude was more severe in sensory nerves than in motor nerves.Conclusion Peripheral nerve damage was found in the shoulder-hand syndrome patients,and this damage was mainly the dystrophy of axonal neuropathy.The damage severity was more in sensory nerves than in motor nerves.The study could offer an useful clue of prevention and treat- ment of shoulder-hand syndrome.

Apnea ; epidemiology ; pathology ; therapy ; Birth Weight ; China ; epidemiology ; Female ; Gestational Age ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn ; Infant, Very Low Birth Weight ; Male ; Risk Factors ; Time Factors

Humans ; Infant, Newborn ; Male ; Protein C ; metabolism ; Protein C Deficiency

Polysaccharides with multiple biological activities are usually considered as one of the major bioactive compounds in Chinese medicines (CMs). At present, the development of drug and functional foods related to polysaccharides have attracted a great deal of attention due to their great potential effects and diverse action mechanisms. However, quality control of polysaccharides is the bottleneck and a challenge due to their complexity and chemical diversity. Actually, the bioactivities of polysaccharides are closely related to their molecular structures. In order to ensure their safety and efficacy, the development of novel approaches based on the molecular structures for the improvement of quality control of polysaccharides is significantly important. Therefore, in this article, the relationship between biological activities and chemical structures, as well as the action mechanisms of polysaccharides from CMs were summarized first. Furthermore, saccharide mapping, a novel strategy for quality control of bioactive polysaccharides from CMs, was introduced and the application and perspectives were also discussed.
Carbohydrate Sequence ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; chemistry ; Molecular Sequence Data ; Polysaccharides ; chemistry ; Quality Control

China ; Clinical Trials as Topic ; methods ; Humans ; Organizational Policy ; Publishing ; standards ; Registries

China ; Humans ; Occupational Health Services

Objective To analyze the central effect of Qi-Yin Deficiency Syndrome (QYDS) scoring in clinical trials of diabetes.Methods Dispensation degree analysis and multiple linear regression analysis were adopted to compare the differences of central effects among the Qi-Yin deficiency syndrome scoring,fasting plasma glucose (FPG) level and 2-hour postprandial blood sugar (2 hPG)level before and after treatment in the suited databases from two phase Ⅲclinical trials of type two diabetes performed in 2004～2005.Results The variation coefficients of QYDS scoring treated with drug A and drug B varied from one tenth to half times of those of FPG and 2 hPG levels before and after treatment.And the influence of centers on QYDS is weaker than those on blood sugar levels (FPG &2 hPG) either referring to the numbers of significant centers or referring to the absolute values of standard regression coefficients in multiple linear regression equation.Conclusion There exists a central effect in QYDS scoring before and after treatment,and the central effect of QYDS scoring is weaker than that of blood sugar levels (FPG &2 hPG) in clinical trials of diabetes.

Objective To explore the utility of Kinect motion sensing technology in the rehabilitation of shoulder joint dysfunction caused by surgical neck fracture of the humerus.Methods Fifty-one patients with shoulder joint dysfunction caused by surgical neck fracture of the humerus were randomly divided into a Kinect group (26 cases) and a control group (25 cases).Both groups were given routine joint mobilization and rehabilitation training,while the Kinect group additionally spent time on a computer with Kinect software in activities such as picking peaches,playing golf,climbing ladders,throwing balls and with a game called open sesame.Before and after 4 weeks of treatment,both groups were assessed for pain,ability in the activities of daily living (ADL),and range of motion (ROM) of the shoulder joint using the Constant-Murley shoulder functional rating score scale (CMS) and a muscle test scale.Results After the treatment,significant improvement in all of the measurements was observed in the Kinect group,and in all except the average ROM in the control group.The average pain,ADL,ROM and muscular strength of the Kinect group were then all significantly better compared to the control group.After the treatment,the average total CMS score of the Kinect group was also significantly better.Among all the patients in the Kinect group,88.46％ had good or excellent treatment effect.Conclusion Kinect-based motion sensing technology can significantly improve rehabilitation outcomes for such patients.

Adult ; Altitude ; Case-Control Studies ; Humans ; Immunoglobulins ; blood ; Occupational Exposure ; T-Lymphocyte Subsets ; immunology