A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of low-level laser therapy (LLLT) in 90 subjects with chronic neck pain was conducted with the aim of determining the efficacy of 300 mW, 830 nm laser in the management of chronic neck pain. Subjects were randomized to receive a course of 14 treatments over 7 weeks with either active or sham laser to tender areas in the neck. The primary outc...

CONTEXT The stool softener docusate is widely used in the management of constipation in hospice patients. There is little experimental evidence to support this practice, and no randomized trials have been conducted in the hospice setting. OBJECTIVES To assess the efficacy of docusate in hospice patients. METHODS This was a 10-day, prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled tr...

OBJECTIVES To assess the efficacy and safety of tramadol for relieving neuropathic pain after spinal cord injury (SCI). METHODS Thirty-six patients with SCI and neuropathic pain were enrolled in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, and 35 patients were included in the intention-to-treat analysis based on all patients taking at least 1 dose of study medication. Of the intentio...

At present, no consensus exists among clinical and academic experts regarding an appropriate placebo for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of spinal manipulative therapy (SMT). Therefore, we investigated whether it was possible to conduct a chiropractic manual-therapy RCT with placebo. Seventy migraineurs were randomized to a single-blinded placebo-controlled clinical trial that consisted of ...

Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) is a severe chronic pain condition that most often develops following trauma. The pathophysiology of CRPS is not known but both clinical and experimental evidence demonstrate the important of the NMDA receptor and glial activation in its induction and maintenance. Ketamine is the most potent clinically available safe NMDA antagonist that has a well establis...

Method: Five hundred forty-two outpatients with bipolar I (N=360) or 11 (N=182) disorder experiencing a major depressive episode (DSM-IV) were randomly assigned to 8 weeks of quetiapine (600 or 300 mgl day) or placebo. The prima ry efficacy measure was mean change from base))ne to week 8 in the Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale total score. Additional efficacy assessments included the H...

Background. Acute sinusitis-like complaints are very common and are usually treated with antibiotics in spite of the lack of evidence for the effectiveness of antibiotic therapy and the increasing number of resistant strains. Aim. To assess the effectiveness of doxycycline in adults with acute sinusitis-like complaints in general practice. Method. The effects of doxycycline in a placebo-control...

OBJECTIVES This study sought to evaluate the dose-dependent effects of adenosine A1-receptor blockade on diuresis and renal function in patients with acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF) and renal impairment or diuretic resistance. BACKGROUND Intravenous loop diuretics are the mainstay of therapy for patients with ADHF. Treatment, however, may be complicated by diuretic resistance and/or ...

OBJECTIVE To investigate clinical efficacy and safety of 2 certolizumab pegol (CZP) maintenance dosing regimens plus methotrexate (MTX) in active rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients achieving the American College of Rheumatology 20% improvement criteria (ACR20) after the CZP 200 mg every 2 weeks open-label run-in period. METHODS DOSEFLEX (dosing flexibility) was a double-blind, placebo-control...