Clinical trials

Current understanding suggests that the majority of cardiovascular events are driven by vulnerable plaques. Nonetheless, the impact of PCSK9 inhibitors on the stability of carotid plaques remains insufficiently elucidated, with a notable scarcity of relevant clinical studies. This investigation seeks to address this gap through a real-world study conducted among patients with arterial sclerosis in Asia. The primary aim is to evaluate the effects of small interfering RNA (inclisiran) on carotid plaque characteristics as assessed by ultrasound, thereby contributing valuable data to inform clinical practice.

The presence of coronary atherosclerotic vulnerable plaque significantly impacts the clinical outcomes of patients diagnosed with coronary artery disease (CAD). However, the influence of PCSK9 inhibitors on stabilizing coronary atherosclerotic plaques in individuals with early-onset CAD, evaluated through optical coherence tomography (OCT), remains inadequately understood. Moreover, there is a notable absence of relevant randomized controlled trials investigating this phenomenon. This current study represents a single-center, randomized, controlled, open-label trial conducted among Asian patients with early-onset CAD. Its principal objective was to explore the effects of PCSK9 inhibitors on coronary atherosclerotic plaque morphology as assessed by OCT.

Prosthetic Joint Infection (PJI) is a severe complication following joint replacement surgery, imposing significant economic and health burdens on patients. For acute PJI, the DAIR (Debridement, Antibiotics, and Implant Retention) procedure is a necessary and effective treatment method, as it effectively clears the infection while preserving the prosthesis, thereby avoiding more complex surgical interventions. However, the practice of using drainage tubes postoperatively is controversial. Some studies suggest that drainage tubes may increase the risk of infection, while other literature indicates no statistically significant difference in infection risk associated with their use.In this context, Professor Li Cao's team at Xinjiang Medical University has improved the traditional DAIR procedure by incorporating long-term local antibiotic injections post-surgery, achieving positive results. Despite this, the specific method of antibiotic injection, particularly whether to use a drug infusion tube, remains under debate. The use of an infusion tube can reduce patient discomfort, shorten the local disinfection process, and theoretically decrease the time the incision is exposed to the external environment, potentially lowering the infection risk. However, the validity of these theoretical assumptions needs further confirmation through high-level scientific research. This study aims to evaluate whether there are differences in joint function recovery, changes in blood infection markers, and the incidence of postoperative complications between using and not using an infusion tube for local antibiotic injection after knee DAIR surgery. To assess the value of the infusion tube in local antibiotic injection post-knee DAIR surgery, a randomized controlled trial (RCT) will be conducted. Eligible patients will be randomly assigned to the infusion tube group (experimental group) or the non-infusion tube group (control group). The study will prospectively collect basic information, joint function scores, blood infection markers, and postoperative complication data from both groups, including patient age, gender, educational background, and postoperative blood test results. Ultimately, the RCT aims to demonstrate the therapeutic efficacy of the infusion tube method.

Prosthetic Joint Infection (PJI) is one of the severe complications following arthroplasty. With the global aging population, the number of patients undergoing primary joint replacement surgeries is increasing, leading to a rise in PJI cases. Although the incidence of PJI is generally low, the impact on patients can be catastrophic. Once an infection occurs, it is further complicated by the rising global antibiotic resistance, imposing a significant economic burden on patients. Therefore, improving the diagnostic rate of PJI is crucial. Currently, various infection markers are used in the diagnosis of PJI. However, there is still a lack of highly sensitive and specific markers to effectively diagnose PJI, necessitating the exploration of new infection markers. This study aims to investigate novel infection markers for the diagnosis of PJI, providing evidence for its diagnosis and subsequent treatment. In this research, we will prospectively collect data from patients undergoing primary joint replacement and those developing PJI from June 2024 to December 2026. These patients will be categorized into non-infection and infection groups. By collecting and analyzing general patient data, surgery-related information, and infection-related indicators from preoperative joint fluid and blood samples, we aim to further evaluate the predictive value of these infection markers for PJI.

The efficacy of using self-adhesive silicone gel waterproof dressings versus conventional gauze dressings for recovery after total joint arthroplasty (TJA) remains unclear. In our study, we conducted a prospective, randomized controlled trial to compare these two types of dressings. Patients were divided into two groups following TJA, and we collected primary outcome measures such as skin infection rate and re-operation rate. Additionally, we gathered blood inflammatory indicators, including C-reactive protein (CRP) and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), to evaluate the effectiveness of the two treatments. Finally, we perform one year follow up including REEDA score, MSS score to evaluate the recovery of the skin.