Molecular insights into clinical trials for immune checkpoint inhibitors in colorectal cancer:Unravelling challenges and future directions

Colorectal cancer(CRC)is a complex disease with diverse etiologies and clinical outcomes.Despite considerable progress in development of CRC therapeutics,challenges remain regarding the diagnosis and management of advanced stage metastatic CRC(mCRC).In particular,the five-year survival rate is very low since mCRC is currently rarely curable.Over the past decade,cancer treatment has significantly improved with the introduction of cancer immunotherapies,specifically immune checkpoint inhibitors.Therapies aimed at blocking immune checkpoints such as PD-1,PD-L1,and CTLA-4 target inhibitory pathways of the immune system,and thereby enhance anti-tumor immunity.These therapies thus have shown promising results in many clinical trials alone or in combination.The efficacy and safety of immunotherapy,either alone or in combination with CRC,have been investigated in several clinical trials.Clinical trials,including KEYNOTE-164 and CheckMate 142,have led to Food and Drug Administration approval of the PD-1 inhibitors pembrolizumab and nivolumab,respectively,for the treatment of patients with unresectable or metastatic microsatellite instability-high or deficient mismatch repair CRC.Unfortunately,these drugs benefit only a small percentage of patients,with the benefits of immunotherapy remaining elusive for the vast majority of CRC patients.To this end,primary and secondary resistance to immunotherapy remains a significant issue,and further research is necessary to optimize the use of immunotherapy in CRC and identify biomarkers to predict the response.This review provides a comprehensive overview of the clinical trials involving immune checkpoint inhibitors in CRC.The underlying rationale,challenges faced,and potential future steps to improve the prognosis and enhance the likelihood of successful trials in this field are discussed.

How completely are randomized controlled trials of non-pharmacological interventions following concussion reported? A systematic review

Purpose:The study aimed to examine the reporting completeness of randomized controlled trials(RCTs)of non-pharmacological interventions following concussion.Methods:We searched MEDLINE,Embase,PsycInfo,CINAHL,and Web of Science up to May 2022.Two reviewers independently screened studies and assessed reporting completeness using the Template for Intervention Description and Replication(TIDieR),Consensus on Exercise Reporting Template(CERT),and international Consensus on Therapeutic Exercise aNd Training(i-CONTENT)checklists.Additional information was sought my study authors where reporting was incomplete.Risk of bias(ROB)was assessed with the Cochrane ROB-2 Tool.RCTs examining non-pharmacological interventions following concussion.Results:We included 89 RCTs(n=53 high ROB)examining 11 different interventions for concussion:sub-symptom threshold aerobic exercise,cervicovestibular therapy,physical/cognitive rest,vision therapy,education,psychotherapy,hyperbaric oxygen therapy,transcranial magnetic stimulation,blue light therapy,osteopathic manipulation,and head/neck cooling.Median scores were:TIDieR 9/12(75%;interquartile range(IQR)=5;range:5-12),CERT 17/19(89%;IQR=2;range:10-19),and i-CONTENT 6/7(86%;IQR=1;range:5-7).Percentage of studies completely reporting all items was TIDieR 35%(31/89),CERT 24%(5/21),and i-CONTENT 10%(2/21).Studies were more completely reported after publication of TIDieR(t_(87)=2.08;p=0.04)and CERT(t_(19)=2.72;p=0.01).Reporting completeness was not strongly associated with journal impact factor(TIDieR:rs=0.27;p=0.01;CERT:r_(s)=-0.44;p=0.06;i-CONTENT:r_(s)=-0.17;p=0.48)or ROB(TIDieR:rs=0.11;p=0.31;CERT:rs=0.04;p=0.86;i-CONTENT:rs=0.12;p=0.60).Conclusion:RCTs of non-pharmacological interventions following concussion demonstrate moderate to good reporting completeness,but are often missing key components,particularly modifications,motivational strategies,and qualified supervisor.Reporting completeness improved after TIDieR and CERT publication,but publication in highly cited journals and low ROB do not guarantee reporting completeness.

Coronary artery disease and heart failure:Late-breaking trials presented at American Heart Association scientific session 2023

The late-breaking science presented at the 2023 scientific session of the American Heart Association paves the way for future pragmatic trials and provides meaningful information to guide management strategies in coronary artery disease and heart failure(HF).The dapagliflozin in patient with acute myocardial infarction(DAPA-MI)trial showed that dapagliflozin use among patients with acute MI without a history of diabetes mellitus or chronic HF has better cardiometabolic outcomes compared with placebo,with no difference in cardiovascular outcomes.The MINT trial showed that in patients with acute MI and anemia(Hgb<10 g/dL),a liberal transfusion goal(Hgb≥10 g/dL)was not superior to a restrictive strategy(Hgb 7-8 g/dL)with respect to 30-day all-cause death and recurrent MI.The ORBITA-2 trial showed that among patients with stable angina and coronary stenoses causing ischemia on little or no antianginal therapy,percutaneous coronary intervention results in greater improvements in anginal frequency and exercise times compared with a sham procedure.The ARIES-HM3 trial showed that in patients with advanced HF who received a HeartMate 3 levitated left ventricular assist device and were anticoagulated with a vitamin K antagonist,placebo was noninferior to daily aspirin with respect to the composite endpoint of bleeding and thrombotic events at 1 year.The TEAMMATE trial showed that everolimus with low-dose tacrolimus is safe in children and young adults when given≥6 months after cardiac transplantation.Providing patients being treated for HF with reduced ejection fraction(HFrEF)with specific out-of-pocket(OOP)costs for multiple medication options at the time of the clinical encounter may reduce‘contingency planning’and increase the extent to which patients are taking the medications decided upon.The primary outcome,which was cost-informed decisionmaking,defined as the clinician or patient mentioning costs of HFrEF medication,occurred in 49%of encounters with the checklist only control group compared with 68%of encounters in the OOP cost group.

Factors influencing willingness to participate in ophthalmic clinical trials and strategies for effective recruitment

AIM:To explore the factors influencing individuals’willingness to participate in ophthalmic clinical trials.METHODS:A questionnaire survey was conducted from January to April 2021 among patients and their family members at Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center,Sun Yat-sen University,in Guangzhou,China.The survey gathered data on respondents’willingness,demographic and socioeconomic profiles,as well as their reasons and concerns regarding engagement in clinical trials.RESULTS:Of the 1078 residents surveyed(mean age 31.2±13.1y;65.8%females)in Guangzhou,749(69.5%)expressed a willingness to participate in future ophthalmic clinical trials.Specific characteristics associated with greater willingness included a younger age,lower annual income,higher education,prior participation experience,previous ophthalmic treatment,and a better understanding of clinical trials.With the exception of age,these characteristics were significantly linked to a higher willingness.The primary barrier to participation,expressed by 64.8%of those willing and 54.4%of those unwilling,was“Uncertain efficacy”.In terms of motivations,the willing group ranked“Better therapeutic benefits”(35.0%),“Professional monitoring”(34.3%),and“Trust in healthcare professionals”(33.1%)as their top three reasons,whereas the unwilling participants indicated“Full comprehension of the protocol”(46.2%)as the key facilitator.CONCLUSION:This study reveals a substantial willingness to participate in ophthalmic clinical trials and demonstrates the predictive role of demographic and socioeconomic factors.Variations in motivators and concerns between willing and unwilling participants highlight the significance of tailored recruitment strategies.Importantly,the need for and trust in healthcare professionals stand out as powerful motivations,underscoring the importance of enhancing physician-patient relationships,adopting patient-centered communication approaches,and addressing individualized needs to improve accrual rates.

Anti-oxidative stress treatment and current clinical trials

Oxidative stress disturbs the balance between the production of reactive oxygen species(ROS)and the detoxification biological process.It plays an important role in the development and progression of many chronic diseases.Upon exposure to oxidative stress or the inducers of ROS,the cellular nucleus undergoes some biological processes via different signaling pathways,such as stress adaption through the forkhead box O signaling pathway,inflammatory response through the IκB kinase/nuclear factor-κB signaling pathway,hypoxic response via the hypoxia-inducible factor/prolyl hydroxylase domain proteins pathway,DNA repair or apoptosis through the p53 signaling pathway,and antioxidant response through the Kelch-like ECH-associated protein 1/nuclear factor E2-related factor 2 signaling pathway.These processes are involved in many diseases.Therefore,oxidative stress has gained more attraction as a targeting process for disease treatment.Meanwhile,anti-oxidative stress agents have been widely explored in pre-clinical trials.However,only limited clinical trials are performed to evaluate the efficacy of anti-oxidative stress agents or antioxidants in diseases.In this letter,we further discuss the current clinical trials related to anti-oxidative stress treatment in different diseases.More pre-clinical studies and clinical trials are expected to use anti-oxidative stress strategies as disease treatment or dietary supplementation to improve disease treatment outcomes.

Can propensity score matching replace randomized controlled trials?

Randomized controlled trials(RCTs)have long been recognized as the gold standard for establishing causal relationships in clinical research.Despite that,various limitations of RCTs prevent its widespread implementation,ranging from the ethicality of withholding potentially-lifesaving treatment from a group to relatively poor external validity due to stringent inclusion criteria,amongst others.However,with the introduction of propensity score matching(PSM)as a retrospective statistical tool,new frontiers in establishing causation in clinical research were opened up.PSM predicts treatment effects using observational data from existing sources such as registries or electronic health records,to create a matched sample of participants who received or did not receive the intervention based on their propensity scores,which takes into account characteristics such as age,gender and comorbidities.Given its retrospective nature and its use of observational data from existing sources,PSM circumvents the aforementioned ethical issues faced by RCTs.Majority of RCTs exclude elderly,pregnant women and young children;thus,evidence of therapy efficacy is rarely proven by robust clinical research for this population.On the other hand,by matching study patient characteristics to that of the population of interest,including the elderly,pregnant women and young children,PSM allows for generalization of results to the wider population and hence greatly increases the external validity.Instead of replacing RCTs with PSM,the synergistic integration of PSM into RCTs stands to provide better research outcomes with both methods complementing each other.For example,in an RCT investigating the impact of mannitol on outcomes among participants of the Intensive Blood Pressure Reduction in Acute Cerebral Hemorrhage Trial,the baseline characteristics of comorbidities and current medications between treatment and control arms were significantly different despite the randomization protocol.Therefore,PSM was incorporated in its analysis to create samples from the treatment and control arms that were matched in terms of these baseline characteristics,thus providing a fairer comparison for the impact of mannitol.This literature review reports the applications,advantages,and considerations of using PSM with RCTs,illustrating its utility in refining randomization,improving external validity,and accounting for non-compliance to protocol.Future research should consider integrating the use of PSM in RCTs to better generalize outcomes to target populations for clinical practice and thereby benefit a wider range of patients,while maintaining the robustness of randomization offered by RCTs.

Knowledge and Attitudes of Oncology Nurses Toward Clinical Trials-A Secondary Publication

Purpose:The purpose of this study was to identify the knowledge and attitudes of oncology nurses toward clinical trials and to provide evidence for the development of clinical trial education programs for oncology nurses.Methods:The study was conducted on 142 nurses who had more than six months of nursing experience working with cancer patients at a tertiary hospital in Seoul,Korea.A structured questionnaire was used to measure the knowledge and attitudes of oncology nurses toward clinical trials.Results:The participants scored an average of 15.03±3.52 out of 19 in terms of knowledge about clinical trials.In terms of attitudes toward clinical trials,the participants scored an average of 5.91±1.37 out of 8.There was a significant positive correlation between the knowledge and attitudes of the participants toward clinical trials(r=0.23,P=0.007).Conclusion:This study found that there was a relationship between the knowledge and attitudes of oncology nurses toward clinical trials.To improve the competency of oncology nurses and provide high-quality care to patients participating in clinical trials,more systematic and sustainable education is required.

Comparison of two statistical methods for handling missing values of quantitative data in Bayesian N-of-1 trials: a simulation study

Background:Missing data are frequently occurred in clinical studies.Due to the development of precision medicine,there is an increased interest in N-of-1 trial.Bayesian models are one of main statistical methods for analyzing the data of N-of-1 trials.This simulation study aimed to compare two statistical methods for handling missing values of quantitative data in Bayesian N-of-1 trials.Methods:The simulated data of N-of-1 trials with different coefficients of autocorrelation,effect sizes and missing ratios are obtained by SAS 9.1 system.The missing values are filled with mean filling and regression filling respectively in the condition of different coefficients of autocorrelation,effect sizes and missing ratios by SPSS 25.0 software.Bayesian models are built to estimate the posterior means by Winbugs 14 software.Results:When the missing ratio is relatively small,e.g.5%,missing values have relatively little effect on the results.Therapeutic effects may be underestimated when the coefficient of autocorrelation increases and no filling is used.However,it may be overestimated when mean or regression filling is used,and the results after mean filling are closer to the actual effect than regression filling.In the case of moderate missing ratio,the estimated effect after mean filling is closer to the actual effect compared to regression filling.When a large missing ratio(20%)occurs,data missing can lead to significantly underestimate the effect.In this case,the estimated effect after regression filling is closer to the actual effect compared to mean filling.Conclusion:Data missing can affect the estimated therapeutic effects using Bayesian models in N-of-1 trials.The present study suggests that mean filling can be used under situation of missing ratio≤10%.Otherwise,regression filling may be preferable.

Comparative Study on the Policy of Multiplicity Issues in Clinical Trials at Home and Abroad

Objective To study the content of China’s guiding principles on multiplicity issues in clinical trials,and to provide reference for the revision of China’s relevant guiding principles.Methods Based on ICH E9,the similarities and differences of the guiding principles of US Food and Drug Administration(FDA),European Medicines Agency(EMA),and National Medical Products Administration(NMPA)on the multiplicity issues in clinical trials were compared one by one.Results and Conclusion In general,NMPA guidelines are based on ICH E9,but in detail,the guidelines of FDA and EMA focus differently on the multiplicity issues.Therefore,NMPA guidelines need to be detailed and comprehensive.NMPA guidelines can be refined by referring to foreign guidelines to improve the practical guiding significance for clinical research and promote the level of domestic clinical trials in line with international standards.

An Overview of Quality Management of Therapeutic Vaccines in Clinical Trials in China

Objective To provide suggestions and a reference for improving the quality management system of clinical trials of therapeutic vaccines and promoting the development of therapeutic vaccines in China.Methods Literature research,case study and comparative study were used to analyze the quality management system of clinical trials of therapeutic vaccines.Results and Conclusion From the perspective of the sponsor,investigators and the thirdparty technical service company,the problems such as the low efficiency of clinical trial sample preparation and the lax implementation of the protocol by hospital departments in the quality management of clinical trials of therapeutic vaccines in China were found.Then,the optimization plan for the quality management of clinical trials of therapeutic vaccines is proposed,including optimizing the preparation process of therapeutic vaccines and strengthening the training of hospital department personnel.

Short-term outcomes of single-incision compared to multi-port laparoscopic gastrectomy for gastric cancer:A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

Objective:Single-incision laparoscopic sugery has emerged as a safe and less invasive approach to conventional multi-port laparoscopy.The present meta-analysis aimed to assess the collective outcomes of single-incision laparoscopic gastrectomy(SILG)compared to multi-port laparoscopic gastrectomy(MLG)for gastric cancer.Methods:A PRISMA-compliant systematic review of randomized controlled trials(RCTs)that compared SILG and MLG for gastric cancer in PubMed and Scopus through January 2023 was conducted.The main outcomes of the review were complications,postoperative pain,conversion to open surgery,hospital stay,and recovery.Results:Three RCTs including 301 patients(61.8%male)were incuded.A total of 151 patients underwent SILG,and 150 underwent MLG.SILG was associated with a shorter operative time(WMD=-16.39,95%CI:=27.38 to=5.40,p=0.003;2=0%)and lower pain scores at postoperative day 3(WMD=-1.18,95%CI:=2.27 to=0.091,p=0.033;I^(2)=99%)than MLG.There were no statistically significant differences between the two groups in es timated blood loss(WMD=-16.95,95%CI:-35.84 to 1.95,p=0.078;I^(2)=82%),complications(OR=0.71,95%Cl:0.36 to 1.42,p=0.337;I^(2)=0%),conversion to open surgery(OR=0.33,95%C:0.01 to 8.38,p=0.504),hospital stay(WMD=0.72,95%CI:-0.92 to 2.36,p=0.056;P=84%),time to first flatus(WMD=0.06,95%CI:=0.14 to 0.26,p=0.566;I^(2)=0%),time to first defecation(WMD=-0.14,95%CI:=0.46 to 0.18,p=0.392;I^(2)=0%),or time to first oral intake(WMD=0.37,95%a:=0.75 to 1.49,p=0.520;I^(2)=94%).Conclusions:SILG is associated with shorter operative times and less early postoperative pain than MLG.The odds of complications,blood loss,hospital stay,and gastrointestinal recovery were similar between the two procedures.

Characteristics of Xiao Chai Hu decoction based on randomized controlled trials: A bibliometric analysis

Objective:To explore the characteristics of Xiao Chai Hu(XCH)decoction in randomized controlled trials(RCTs)using a bibliometric method.Methods:Seven databases including PubMed,Web of Science,Embase,Cochrane library,China National Knowledge Infrastructure(CNKI),Chinese Scientific Journal Database(VIP)and Wanfang database were retrieved from inception to May 27,2022.In the study,XCH decoction(or modified)used alone or combined with conventional Western medicine as an intervention measure was included.The basic characteristics,funding support,relevant diseases,intervention methods,and adverse events(AEs)were analyzed.Data analysis was performed using SPSS 26.0 software.Results:A total of 813 RCTs were included,published from 1989 to 2022.There was only one Englishlanguage literature with the recent impact factor of 5.374.There were 147 studies were from Chineselanguage core journals,with the highest impact factor of 2.414.Only 6.15%of the literatures mentioned funding support.96.31%of the included literature reported the statistical significance of using XCH decoction.The diseases treated mainly included chronic hepatitis B(9.35%),cough variant asthma(5.66%),dizziness(5.54%),bile reflux gastritis(4.43%),and fever(4.18%).However,the overall research design of the included literature was poor,and large sample size,multicenter RCTs are needed.The incidence of AEs of XCH decoction alone was 8.86%,which was significantly lower than that of conventional Western medicine treatment.The combination of XCH decoction and conventional Western medicine treatment could reduce the incidence of AEs,and no serious adverse event was reported.Conclusion:Although the included studies show that XCH decoction is widely used,and has good efficacy and few AEs.Due to the low quality of the included RCTs,there may be some bias,and its rational use based on the specific conditions is recommended in clinical practice.

Unveiling the hidden world of gut health:Exploring cutting-edge research through visualizing randomized controlled trials on the gut microbiota

BACKGROUND The gut microbiota plays a crucial role in gastrointestinal and overall health.Randomized clinical trials(RCTs)play a crucial role in advancing our knowledge and evaluating the efficacy of therapeutic interventions targeting the gut microbiota.AIM To conduct a comprehensive bibliometric analysis of the literature on RCTs involving the gut microbiota.METHODS Using bibliometric tools,a descriptive cross-sectional investigation was conducted on scholarly publications concentrated on RCTs related to gut microbiota,spanning the years 2003 to 2022.The study used VOSviewer version 1.6.9 to examine collaboration networks between different countries and evaluate the frequently employed terms in the titles and abstracts of the retrieved publications.The primary objective of this analysis was to identify key research areas and focal points associated with RCTs involving the gut microbiota.RESULTS A total of 1061 relevant articles were identified from the 24758 research articles published between 2003 and 2022.The number of publications showed a notable increase over time,with a positive correlation(R2=0.978,P<0.001).China(n=276,26.01%),the United States(n=254,23.94%),and the United Kingdom(n=97,9.14%)were the leading contributing countries.Københavns Universitet(n=38,3.58%)and Dankook University(n=35,3.30%)were the top active institutions.The co-occurrence analysis shows current gut microbiota research trends and important topics,such as obesity interventions targeting the gut microbiota,the efficacy and safety of fecal microbiota transplantation,and the effects of dietary interventions on humans.CONCLUSION The study highlights the rapid growth and importance of research on RCTs that involve the gut microbiota.This study provides valuable insight into research trends,identifies key players,and outlines potential future directions in this field.Additionally,the co-occurrence analysis identified important topics that play a critical role in the advancement of science and provided insights into future research directions in this field.

Revealing the Fluttering Motions of Mid-Water Trawl Codend Through Sea Trials:Case Study of Antarctic Krill Trawl Codend

The dynamic coupling between the fluttering motions and hydrodynamic characteristics of codend is essential in understanding the trawl selectivity through fish response and the drag force acting on the whole trawl.This study investigated the effect of towing speed,warp length,warp tension,and catch size on the fluttering motions of Antarctic krill trawl codend during net shooting,towing,and hauling by using sea trial data.The time-periodicity of codend oscillation was analyzed by the Morlet wavelet transform method.Results indicated that the period of codend oscillation was between 50 s and 90 s and showed an increasing trend with the warp tension but a decreased value at the towing stage.The coefficient amplitude of codend oscillation was between 0 and 4 at the net shooting and hauling stages,and between 0.2 and 0.6 at the towing stage.The amplitude of codend oscillation increased with the warp tension,towing speed,and catch size,but decreased with the increase of the warp length.In addition,the period of codend oscillation increased with the towing speed at the net shooting and hauling stages,but decreased at the towing stage.These results from codend fluttering motions can improve the understanding of fish behavior and gear shape that modify the hydrodynamic force on the codend instantaneously.

Current status of outcome reporting in randomized controlled trials of traditional Chinese medicine for mammary gland hyperplasia: A systematic review

Objective:To assess outcome indicators in clinical trials and provide a reference for establishing a core outcome set to treat hyperplasia of mammary gland(HMG)with traditional Chinese medicine(TCM).Methods:Eight online databases were searched from their inception to December 31,2022,to assess outcomes reported in randomized controlled trials(RCTs)of HMG treated with TCM.The quality of the included studies was assessed according to the Cochrane Risk of Bias Assessment Tool.All outcomes were extracted,classified,and described.Results:A total of 8249 articles were initially retrieved.Of these,70 articles were eligible and involved 10618 participants with HMG.A total of 17 outcome indicators with a frequency of 271 times were involved and were collected according to six outcome domains.Conclusions:The core outcomes of RCTs of HMG treated with TCM are large and divergent.There are problems in evaluation standards,primary and secondary outcomes,TCM characteristic indicators,long-term prognosis,and standardization of reporting.It is recommended to strengthen the trial design and actively construct the core outcome sets with TCM characteristics for HMG.

Traditional Chinese medicine for acute mountain sickness prevention: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) for preventing acute mountain sickness(AMS).Methods: We included randomized controlled trials(RCTs) which evalueded the effect of TCM for preventing AMS, compared with a placebo, no treatment or acetazolamide. The literature was searched in 6major databases. RevMan 5.4 software was used for the meta-analysis. The relative risk for discrete variables and the mean difference for continuous variables with 95% confidence intervals(CIs) were applied to express the effect size. The risk of bias in the included studies was evaluated using the Cochrane risk assessment tool 2.0(RoB 2.0), and the evidence certainty was assessed using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment and the Development and Evaluation(GRADE) approach.Results: Twenty RCTs involving 3015 participants and 16 TCM patent drugs were included. The overall risk of bias in the majority of studies(15/20) was of some concerns. In terms of the AMS incidence,Rhodiola rosea(R. rosea, Hong Jing Tian) and Ginkgo biloba(G. biloba, Yin Xing Ye) were equivalent to the placebo/no treatment [RR(95% CI): 0.66(0.43-1.01), 0.82(0.63-1.06), respectively]. The AMS incidence in the G. biloba group was higher than that in the acetazolamide group [RR(95% CI): 2.92(1.69-5.06)]. In terms of improving the AMS symptom score on days 1 and 3 in the plateau, R. rosea and G. biloba were superior to the placebo or no treatment [MD(95% CI):-0.98(-1.71,-0.25),-2.05(-3.14,-0.95), respectively]. The other 14 Chinese patent medicines were evaluated in a single trial, and the majority of the results were negative. The subgroup analysis showed that the effect of R. rosea was related to the intervention time, way of ascending, and altitude.Conclusion: R. rosea and G. biloba were effective in improving AMS symptoms but had no effect in reducing the AMS incidence. There was insufficient evidence to support the use of other TCM patent drugs to prevent AMS. More randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trials are warranted to evaluate and screen effective Chinese patent medicines for AMS prevention.

Patient Recruitment in Clinical Trials: Areas of Challenges and Success, a Practical Aspect at the Private Research Site

Enrolling in clinical trials could be time-sensitive and time-demanding tasks for the research site, especially if it is a private research organization compared to the research conducted at an academic or medical center. Every study differs in various aspects, such as phases, study indication, eligibility criteria, etc. In terms of meeting the enrollment deadline, typically, the study indication and availability of the patient’s population at the geographical area of the research site would decide if the trial could be time-consuming. Patient recruitment and retention are critical for the success of every clinical trial;however, worldwide, this area is facing tremendous pressure and challenges. Globally 55% of clinical trials terminated due to low recruitment, with an average enrollment success rate of 40% for Phase III and IV trials. Over 80% of clinical trial attempts fail to enroll, extending the study and adding new study sites. In the United States, more than 80% of clinical trials fail to achieve targeted patient enrollment, and 30% of study participants discontinue participation. This article reviewed various factors hindering clinical trial recruitment and retention and suggested strategies to make the research site successful.

Competing Patterns in Bernoulli Sequence of Trials

Consider performing a sequence of Bernoulli trials (each resulting in either a success, denoted S, or a failure F, with a probability of p and q := 1 - p respectively) until one of m specific strings (or patterns) of consecutive outcomes is generated. This can be seen as a game where m players select one such pattern each and the one whose pattern occurs first wins. We present symbolic formulas for the m probabilities of winning, and for the mean number of trials and the corresponding standard deviation to complete this game. Several numerical examples are presented, including a search for optimal strategy.

Probability Distributions Arising in Connection with the Inspection Paradox for Bernoulli Trials

In renewal theory, the Inspection Paradox refers to the fact that an interarrival period in a renewal process which contains a fixed inspection time tends to be longer than one for the corresponding uninspected process. We focus on the paradox for Bernoulli trials. Probability distributions and moments for the lengths of the interarrival periods are derived for the inspected process, and we compare them to those for the uninspected case.

Efficacy and Safety of Traditional Chinese Patent Medicine Qizhi Weitong Granules(气滞胃痛颗粒)in Irritable Bowel Syndrome with Predominant Constipation:A Meta-Analysis and Trial Sequential Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

Objective:To systematically review the efficacy and clinical safety of Qizhi Weitong Granules(气滞胃痛颗粒)(QZWT)in the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome with predominant constipation(IBS-C).Methods:Randomized controlled trials(RCTs)of QZWT in patients with IBS-C were retrieved from Pub Med,EMBASE,Cochrane Library,China National Knowledge Infrastructure(CNKI),Wanfang,Chinese Scientific Journals Database(VIP),and Chinese Biological Medical Database(CBM)from inception to December 3,2022.Conventional meta-analysis with random-effects model or fixed-effects model and trial sequential analysis(TSA)were performed by Review Manager 5.4,Stata and TSA software.Results:A total of 4 RCTs and 368 patients with IBS-C were included in this study.The findings of the meta-analysis indicated that the cure and efficacy rate of the experimental group was significantly higher than that of the control group[RR=2.19;(95%CI,1.35–3.55),P<0.01;RR=1.14;(95%CI,1.03–1.27),P<0.05],while the result of Bristol Score was negative.The funnel plot was probably symmetry,and the P value was>0.05 in the Egger test,which confirmed the nonexistence of significant publication bias in this outcome.TSA showed the cumulative z-value crossed the traditional threshold and TSA threshold,while it didn't get to the required information size.Finally,2 studies reported adverse events after QZWT treatment,including 3 cases of diarrhea.No serious adverse events were reported.Conclusion:QZWT was an effective and safe complementary therapy in the treatment of IBS-C with no obvious adverse reactions.TSA analysis confirmed our meta-analysis results.Therefore,QZWT may be a potential candidate for the treatment of IBS-C.However,due to the limited quality of current studies,more long-term,randomized,double-blinded clinical trials are needed in future studies.