Clinical trials

Background: Colonoscopy reduces colorectal cancer mortality by enabling early detection and removal of adenomas. Its effectiveness, however, depends heavily on bowel preparation quality and mucosal visibility. Simethicone, an anti-foaming agent, decreases intraluminal bubbles and improves visualization; studies in conventional air-insufflation colonoscopy generally show benefits for cleanliness and patient comfort, but evidence in water-exchange (WE) colonoscopy remains limited.Objective: To evaluate whether adding oral simethicone to a split-dose polyethylene glycol (PEG) regimen further improves bowel cleanliness and procedural performance in WE colonoscopy.Methods: Adults undergoing outpatient colonoscopy will be randomly assigned (1:1) to a simethicone group or a control group, with a planned enrollment of 180 participants. All procedures will use the WE insertion technique, and endoscopists will be blinded to group allocation. The primary endpoint is the Boston Bowel Preparation Scale (BBPS); adequate preparation is defined as a total score ≥6 with all segment scores ≥2. Secondary endpoints include bubble score and CEBuS, adenoma detection rate (ADR), polyp detection rate (PDR), cecal intubation rate and time, withdrawal time, volume of water used and flushing/irrigation metrics, and patient-reported tolerability and satisfaction.Expected Results: Compared with PEG alone, adding simethicone is expected to (1) increase the proportion of adequate BBPS preparations, (2) reduce bubble coverage, (3) maintain or potentially improve ADR/PDR, and (4) enhance patient tolerability and satisfaction.Conclusion: If effective, this intervention would provide a simple, low-cost strategy to optimize the quality of WE colonoscopy.

Chronic pharyngolaryngitis is common and often make people suffer in many aspects. The etiology is numerous, for example, airway hypersensitivity, gastroesophageal acid regurgitation, sicca syndrome, anxiety, etc. The investigators aimed to investigate the effect of Jing Si herbal tea liquid packets on chronic pharyngolaryngitis by a design of randomized, double-blind clinical trial in this study. The subjects who were bed-ridden, without self-care ability, receiving hemodialysis, no idea about the details of this study, poor compliance for this study, alcohol and/or drugs additives, pregnancy and breast-feeding women were excluded from this study. A questionnaire for health and habits was performed at the start of the study, and a questionnaire for Reflux Symptom Index (RSI) was performed at the start and the end of the study. Finally, Student's t-test was used to test the difference between the Jing Si herbal tea group and the control group. And, multivariate linear regression was used to test the violation of clinical factors on the treatment outcome of Jing Si herbal tea liquid packets on chronic pharyngolaryngitis.

This study focuses on whole body vibration training (WBVT), a form of neuromuscular training that uses mechanical vibrations. WBVT has been shown to improve muscle function, bone mineral density, and quality of life. While some benefits have been observed in the elderly population, there remains a research gap concerning its effectiveness in older adults with dynapenic abdominal obesity. Therefore, the findings of this study will provide new evidence for health interventions targeting this specific group. This research targets outpatients aged 65 and above who meet the criteria for dynapenic abdominal obesity. It aims to evaluate the effects of WBVT on brain activity, osteoporosis, quality of life, and biological markers. The study period is from February 1, 2025, to January 31, 2027, with a planned sample size of 120 participants, equally divided into an experimental group and a control group (60 participants each).

This study investigates the effects of different prune juice dosages on bowel movement patterns, constipation symptoms, and quality of life in older adults. Using a factorial experimental design, 90 participants aged 65 to 100 with functional constipation will be randomly assigned to receive 100 mL, 150 mL, or 200 mL of prune juice daily for four weeks. The study aims to determine a safe and effective dosage for constipation management, offering a non-pharmacological approach to improving bowel health in older adults.

Inadequate postoperative pain management can lead to physical and psychological distress in patients as well as impact surgical wound healing and increase the risk of developing postoperative delirium and cardiopulmonary and thromboembolic events. Severe postoperative pain may also result in the development of chronic post-surgical pain (CPSP), which in turn can lead to prolonged use of opioids and increased health-care costs. A descriptive survey study in 60 postpartum women who received cesarean section suggested that the presence of postoperative pain significantly reduced the willingness of breastfeeding and infant care. The incidence of CPSP after cesarean delivery has been reported to vary from 1% to 18% up to 1 year after operation. Intrathecal morphine (ITM) injection is considered as the standard pain management strategy for post-cesarean pain. However, the overall analgesic effect of ITM is about 8-12h and it is associated with pruritus, nausea/vomiting, urinary retention, constipation, mental status change, and respiratory depression. Therefore, the development of a safe, conveniently operated, and long-lasting analgesic strategy, which serves as background pain control modality up to several days after cesarean section should provide clinically beneficial advantages in the management of acute postoperative pain and prevention of CPSP in postpartum women. Naldebain® is prodrug of nalbuphine, which was approved by the Taiwan FDA in 2017. Naldebain® is rapidly hydrolyzed by tissue of plasma esterase to release nalbuphine. The bioavailability of nalbuphine following intramuscular injection Naldebain® was 85.4%, and it took approximately 6 days for the complete release of Naldebain® into the blood circulation. Therefore, a single parenteral injection of Naldebain® could provide long lasting analgesic effect in several phase II trials. However, Naldebain® has not been tested in the pain control after cesarean section. Therefore, this PI-initiated prospective, randomized, open-label, non-inferiority trial aims to investigate the clinical efficacy of Naldebain® in management of acute postoperative pain in term parturient who receive elective cesarean section to provide analgesic effect that is not inferior to the standard ITM and prevent the development of CPSP.