Project description:The multicenter phase III preclinical trial concept is currently discussed to enhance the predictive value of preclinical stroke research. After public announcement, we collected a community feedback on the concept with emphasis on potential design features and guidelines by an anonymous survey. Response analysis was conducted after plausibility checks by applying qualitative and quantitative measures. Most respondents supported the concept, including the implementation of a centralized steering committee. Based on received feedback, we suggest careful, stepwise implementation and to leave selected competencies and endpoint analysis at the discretion of participating centers. Strict application of quality assurance methods is accepted, but should be harmonized. However, received responses also indicate that the application of particular quality assurance models may require more attention throughout the community. Interestingly, clear and pragmatic preferences were given regarding publication and financing, suggesting the establishing of writing committees similar to large-scale clinical trials and global funding resources for financial support. The broad acceptance among research community encourages phase III preclinical trial implementation.
Project description:A randomized clinical trial is widely regarded as the most rigorous study design to determine the efficacy of intervention because spurious causality and bias associated with other experimental designs can be avoided. The purpose of this article is to provide clinicians and clinical researchers the types of randomized clinical trials used in stroke studies and to discuss the advantages and the limitations for each type of randomized stroke clinical trials.
Project description:BackgroundEvidence suggests that there are substantial inconsistencies in the practice of anesthesia. There has not yet been a comprehensive summary of the anesthesia literature that can guide future knowledge translation interventions to move evidence into practice. As the first step toward identifying the most promising interventions for systematic implementation in anesthesia practice, this scoping review of multicentre RCTs aimed to explore and map the existing literature investigating perioperative anesthesia-related interventions and clinical patient outcomes.MethodsMulticenter randomized controlled trials were eligible for inclusion if they involved a tested anesthesia-related intervention administered to adult surgical patients (≥ 16 years old), with a control group receiving either another anesthesia intervention or no intervention at all. The electronic databases Embase (via OVID), MEDLINE, and MEDLINE in Process (via OVID), and Cochrane Central Register of Control Trials (CENTRAL) were searched from inception to February 26, 2021. Studies were screened and data were extracted by pairs of independent reviewers in duplicate with disagreements resolved through consensus or a third reviewer. Data were summarized narratively.ResultsWe included 638 multicentre randomized controlled trials (n patients = 615,907) that met the eligibility criteria. The most commonly identified anesthesia-related intervention theme across all studies was pharmacotherapy (n studies = 361 [56.6%]; n patients = 244,610 [39.7%]), followed by anesthetic technique (n studies = 80 [12.5%], n patients = 48,455 [7.9%]). Interventions were most often implemented intraoperatively (n studies = 233 [36.5%]; n patients = 175,974 [28.6%]). Studies typically involved multiple types of surgeries (n studies = 187 [29.2%]; n patients = 206 667 [33.5%]), followed by general surgery only (n studies = 115 [18.1%]; n patients = 201,028 [32.6%]) and orthopedic surgery only (n studies = 94 [14.7%]; n patients = 34,575 [5.6%]). Functional status was the most commonly investigated outcome (n studies = 272), followed by patient experience (n studies = 168), and mortality (n studies = 153).ConclusionsThis scoping review provides a map of multicenter RCTs in anesthesia which can be used to optimize future research endeavors in the field. Specifically, we have identified key knowledge gaps in anesthesia that require further systematic assessment, as well as areas where additional research would likely not add value. These findings provide the foundation for streamlining knowledge translation in anesthesia in order to reduce practice variation and enhance patient outcomes.
Project description:Background: Blocking the action of the pro-inflammatory cytokine interleukin-1 (IL-1) reduces beta-cell secretory dysfunction and apoptosis in vitro, diabetes incidence in animal models of Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1D), and glycaemia via improved beta-cell function in patients with T2D. We hypothesised that canakinumab, a monoclonal antibody to IL-1B, improves beta-cell function in patients with new-onset T1D. Methods: In an individually randomised, two-group parallel trial involving 12 sites in US, 69 patients aged 6-45 with T1D, < 12 weeks of symptoms, and assigned by centralised computer-generated blocked randomisation with locked computer-file concealment to treatment with 2 mg/kg (maximum 300 mg) canakinumab (n=45) or placebo (n=22) monthly for 12 months as add-on to conventional therapy. Participants and care-givers, but not data monitoring unit, were masked to group assignment. The primary end-point was change in the two-hour area-under-the-curve C-peptide response to MMT 12 months.
Project description:PurposeTo determine whether a structured mentoring curriculum improves research mentoring skills.MethodThe authors conducted a randomized controlled trial (RCT) at 16 academic health centers (June 2010 to July 2011). Faculty mentors of trainees who were conducting clinical/translational research ≥50% of the time were eligible. The intervention was an eight-hour, case-based curriculum focused on six mentoring competencies. The primary outcome was the change in mentors' self-reported pretest to posttest composite scores on the Mentoring Competency Assessment (MCA). Secondary outcomes included changes in the following: mentors' awareness as measured by their self-reported retrospective change in MCA scores, mentees' ratings of their mentors' competency as measured by MCA scores, and mentoring behaviors as reported by mentors and their mentees.ResultsA total of 283 mentor-mentee pairs were enrolled: 144 mentors were randomized to the intervention; 139 to the control condition. Self-reported pre-/posttest change in MCA composite scores was higher for mentors in the intervention group compared with controls (P < .001). Retrospective changes in MCA composite scores between the two groups were even greater, and extended to all six subscale scores (P < .001). More intervention-group mentors reported changes in their mentoring practices than control mentors (P < .001). Mentees working with intervention-group mentors reported larger changes in retrospective MCA pre-/posttest scores (P = .003) and more changes in their mentors' behavior (P = .002) than those paired with control mentors.ConclusionsThis RCT demonstrates that a competency-based research mentor training program can improve mentors' skills.
Project description:BackgroundHealthcare costs are rising, and a substantial proportion of medical care is of little value. De-implementation of low-value practices is important for improving overall health outcomes and reducing costs. We aimed to identify and synthesize randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on de-implementation interventions and to provide guidance to improve future research.MethodsMEDLINE and Scopus up to May 24, 2021, for individual and cluster RCTs comparing de-implementation interventions to usual care, another intervention, or placebo. We applied independent duplicate assessment of eligibility, study characteristics, outcomes, intervention categories, implementation theories, and risk of bias.ResultsOf the 227 eligible trials, 145 (64%) were cluster randomized trials (median 24 clusters; median follow-up time 305 days), and 82 (36%) were individually randomized trials (median follow-up time 274 days). Of the trials, 118 (52%) were published after 2010, 149 (66%) were conducted in a primary care setting, 163 (72%) aimed to reduce the use of drug treatment, 194 (85%) measured the total volume of care, and 64 (28%) low-value care use as outcomes. Of the trials, 48 (21%) described a theoretical basis for the intervention, and 40 (18%) had the study tailored by context-specific factors. Of the de-implementation interventions, 193 (85%) were targeted at physicians, 115 (51%) tested educational sessions, and 152 (67%) multicomponent interventions. Missing data led to high risk of bias in 137 (60%) trials, followed by baseline imbalances in 99 (44%), and deficiencies in allocation concealment in 56 (25%).ConclusionsDe-implementation trials were mainly conducted in primary care and typically aimed to reduce low-value drug treatments. Limitations of current de-implementation research may have led to unreliable effect estimates and decreased clinical applicability of studied de-implementation strategies. We identified potential research gaps, including de-implementation in secondary and tertiary care settings, and interventions targeted at other than physicians. Future trials could be improved by favoring simpler intervention designs, better control of potential confounders, larger number of clusters in cluster trials, considering context-specific factors when planning the intervention (tailoring), and using a theoretical basis in intervention design.RegistrationOSF Open Science Framework hk4b2.
Project description:Background: Blocking the action of the pro-inflammatory cytokine interleukin-1 (IL-1) reduces beta-cell secretory dysfunction and apoptosis in vitro, diabetes incidence in animal models of Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1D), and glycaemia via improved beta-cell function in patients with T2D. We hypothesised that anakinra, a recombinant human IL-1 receptor antagonist, improves beta-cell function in patients with new-onset T1D. Methods: In an individually randomised, two-group parallel trial involving 14 European tertiary referral centers, 69 patients aged 18-35 with T1D, < 12 weeks of symptoms, and standard mixed meal test (MMT) stimulated C-peptide ≥ 200 pM were enrolled between January, 2009 and July, 2011 and assigned by centralised computer-generated blocked randomisation with locked computer-file concealment to treatment with 100 mg anakinra (n=35) subcutaneously once daily or placebo (n=34) for 9 months as add-on to conventional therapy. Participants and care-givers, but not data monitoring unit, were masked to group assignment. The primary end-point was change in the two-hour area-under-the-curve C-peptide response to MMT, and secondary end-points changes in insulin requirements, glycaemia, and inflammatory markers at one, three, six, and nine months. Findings: The study was prematurely terminated due to slow accrual and is closed to follow-up. No interim analysis was performed. Ten patients withdrew in the anakinra and eight in the placebo arm, leaving 25 and 26 patients to be analysed, respectively. There was no statistical difference in adverse event category reporting between arms. Interpretation: Anakinra-treatment in T1D was safe, but the trial failed to meet primary and secondary outcome measures.
Project description:In September of 2011, the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), the International Rett Syndrome Foundation (IRSF) and the Rett Syndrome Research Trust (RSRT) convened a workshop involving a broad cross-section of basic scientists, clinicians and representatives from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the pharmaceutical industry and private foundations to assess the state of the art in animal studies of Rett syndrome (RTT). The aim of the workshop was to identify crucial knowledge gaps and to suggest scientific priorities and best practices for the use of animal models in preclinical evaluation of potential new RTT therapeutics. This review summarizes outcomes from the workshop and extensive follow-up discussions among participants, and includes: (1) a comprehensive summary of the physiological and behavioral phenotypes of RTT mouse models to date, and areas in which further phenotypic analyses are required to enhance the utility of these models for translational studies; (2) discussion of the impact of genetic differences among mouse models, and methodological differences among laboratories, on the expression and analysis, respectively, of phenotypic traits; and (3) definitions of the standards that the community of RTT researchers can implement for rigorous preclinical study design and transparent reporting to ensure that decisions to initiate costly clinical trials are grounded in reliable preclinical data.
Project description:BackgroundResults from clinical studies on acupuncture for stroke rehabilitation are contradictory. The reason for the inconsistent findings especially lie in the transparency and accuracy of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) reports. This study aims to analyze the quality of reporting and its correlates in RCTs on acupuncture for stroke rehabilitation.MethodsQuality of reporting for included papers was assessed against a subset of criteria adapted from the CONSORT 2010 statement and STRICTA. An overall quality score (OQS) and a combined key methodological index score (MIS) was calculated for each trial. Then, factors associated with OQS and MIS were identified.ResultsA total of 15 RCTs were included in full text. The median OQS based on the CONSORT statement and STRICTA was 8 and 12, respectively. The significant predictors for CONSORT OQS was funding source, for STRICTA was year of publication. With regard to the MIS, no variable was associated with improved methodological quality.ConclusionsOur study found that the overall quality of reporting on RCTs of acupuncture for stroke rehabilitation was general or good. But some items' reporting was found where information was insufficient or inadequate in most studies which needed substantial improvement.