Introduction: AsthmaTuner is a novel self-management system consisting of a patient app, a cloud-based storage solution and a healthcare interface. Patients use Bluetooth spirometers to measure lung function (forced expiratory volume in 1 s) and can register symptoms. They then receive immediate feedback on asthma control and an image of the correct inhaler(s) to use and the dose. The aim of this pilot study was to evaluate the effect of AsthmaTuner on symptom control and adherence compared with conventional treatment.
Material And Methods: This multicentre physician-blinded crossover trial randomised patients in two groups that started with 8 weeks of AsthmaTuner or conventional treatment using a personalised printed treatment plan, with 2 weeks of washout between the crossover treatments. Participants in a primary or paediatric care setting in Sweden with asthma diagnosis, uncontrolled symptoms and Asthma Control Test (ACT) score <20 points were included. Symptom control was analysed using t-tests for the difference between the group means of the sums of ACT scores at each treatment end-visit, with 95% confidence intervals. Medical Adherence Report Scale (MARS) scores captured differences in adherence (remembering to take asthma medication) between treatment periods.
Results: The study population consisted of 77 patients (60% females). The ACT score significantly improved with AsthmaTuner compared with conventional treatment (mean ACT difference 0.70, 95% CI 0.06-1.34; p=0.03). Adherence did not improve significantly in all participants, but did improve among those in primary care who used AsthmaTuner an average of once a week or more compared with conventional treatment (mean MARS difference 0.45, 95% CI 0.13-0.77; p=0.01).
Conclusions: AsthmaTuner improved symptom control in patients with uncontrolled asthma compared with conventional treatment.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
---|---|
http://dx.doi.org/10.1183/13993003.00983-2019 | DOI Listing |
Trials
January 2025
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Princeton University, Princeton, 08544, NJ, USA.
Background: Phase-3 clinical trials provide the highest level of evidence on drug safety and effectiveness needed for market approval by implementing large randomized controlled trials (RCTs). However, 30-40% of these trials fail mainly because such studies have inadequate sample sizes, stemming from the inability to obtain accurate initial estimates of average treatment effect parameters.
Methods: To remove this obstacle from the drug development cycle, we present a new algorithm called Trend-Adaptive Design with a Synthetic-Intervention-Based Estimator (TAD-SIE) that powers a parallel-group trial, a standard RCT design, by leveraging a state-of-the-art hypothesis testing strategy and a novel trend-adaptive design (TAD).
BMC Med
January 2025
Department of Cardiology, The Third Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Yuelu District, 138 Tongzipo Road, Changsha, 410013, Hunan, China.
Background: Guidelines recognized dual combination in initial antihypertensive therapy. Studies found that low-dose quadruple combination were superior to monotherapy. However, whether low-dose quadruple therapy is better than dual combination is unknown.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEvid Based Dent
January 2025
Division of Periodontics, Centre for Dental Education and Research, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India.
Design: A triple-armed, double-blind randomized controlled trial with cross-over design investigated patient-reported satisfaction and objective dental evaluation of a 3-unit, monolithic zirconium dioxide (ZrO2), implant-supported fixed dental prosthesis (iFDP) fabricated with 2 completely digital workflows and 1 mixed analog-digital workflow.
Case Selection: Participants enrolled required rehabilitation of 2 dental implants in posterior region of either of the arches with a 3-unit, ZrO2 iFDP. A total of 20 participants received the 3 types of ZrO2, iFDP fabricated by 3 different methods.
Sci Rep
January 2025
Division of Human Nutrition and Health, Wageningen University, Stippeneng 4, 6708 WE, Wageningen, The Netherlands.
Cannabidiol (CBD), a specialized metabolite (phytocannabinoid) abundant in Cannabis sativa, is attracting increasing attention for its alleged health-promoting properties. The present study aimed to investigate the pharmacokinetics of CBD and its primary metabolite, 7-hydroxy-cannabidiol (7-OH-CBD), following a single oral dose of a CBD-rich Cannabis sativa extract, equivalent to 70 mg CBD, in healthy male (n=5) and female (n=6) participants. Using a randomized crossover design, the study evaluated the impact of a standardized high-fat meal compared to fasting on the oral bioavailability of CBD.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInt J Psychophysiol
January 2025
Center for Cognitive & Brain Health, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Physical Therapy, Movement, & Rehabilitation Sciences, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA. Electronic address:
Introduction: Prolonged sitting can acutely reduce working memory (WM) in individuals with overweight and obesity (OW/OB) who show executive function deficits. Interrupting prolonged sitting with brief PA bouts may counter these effects. However, the benefits of such interventions on behavioral and neuroelectric indices of WM and whether neurocognitive responses are associated with postprandial glycemic responses in young and middle-aged adults with OW/OB remain unknown.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEnter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!