Evidence map›Paper›PMID 23249098›Full record

Trial reportBMC neurology2012

Two randomized controlled clinical trials to study the effectiveness of prednisolone treatment in preventing and restoring clinical nerve function loss in leprosy: the TENLEP study protocols.

Inge Wagenaar, Wim Brandsma, Erik Post, Wim van Brakel, Diana Lockwood, Peter Nicholls, Paul Saunderson, Cairns Smith, Einar Wilder-Smith, Jan Hendrik Richardus

Open access · goldAbstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
In one paragraph

Trial report in BMC neurology, 2012. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 10 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
10citing papers in PubMed
1.1field-weighted citation impact, top 23% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

10 citing papers in PubMed, 25 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Trial
  2. Trial
  3. Article
  4. Article
  5. Treatment and Evaluation Advances in Leprosy Neuropathy.Neurotherapeutics : the journal of the American Society for Experimental NeuroTherapeutics · 2021
    Review
  6. Article
  7. Article
  8. Review
  9. Article
  10. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors at 8 institutions in 4 countries.

Inge WagenaarErasmus MC, University Medical Center Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands. i.wagenaar@erasmusmc.nl
Wim Brandsma
Erik Post
Wim van Brakel
Diana Lockwood
Peter Nicholls
Paul Saunderson
Cairns Smith
Einar Wilder-Smith
Jan Hendrik Richardus
Erasmus MC · NLRoyal Tropical Institute · NLAmerican Leprosy Missions · USLondon School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine · GBNational University of Singapore · SGNetherlands Leprosy Relief · NLUniversity of Aberdeen · GBUniversity of Southampton · GB

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundNerve damage in leprosy often causes disabilities and deformities. Prednisolone is used to treat nerve function impairment (NFI). However, optimal dose and duration of prednisolone treatment has not been established yet. Besides treating existing NFI it would be desirable to prevent NFI. Studies show that before NFI is clinically detectable, nerves often show subclinical damage. Within the 'Treatment of Early Neuropathy in LEProsy' (TENLEP) study two double blind randomized controlled trials (RCT) will be carried out: a trial to establish whether prednisolone treatment of 32 weeks duration is more effective than 20 weeks in restoring nerve function in leprosy patients with clinical NFI (Clinical trial) and a trial to determine whether prednisolone treatment of early sub-clinical NFI can prevent clinical NFI (Subclinical trial).

methodsTwo RCTs with a follow up of 18 months will be conducted in six centers in Asia. In the Clinical trial leprosy patients with recent (< 6 months) clinical NFI, as determined by Monofilament Test and Voluntary Muscle Test, are included. The primary outcomes are the proportion of patients with restored or improved nerve function. In the Subclinical trial leprosy patients with subclinical neuropathy, as determined by Nerve Conduction Studies (NCS) and/or Warm Detection Threshold (WDT), and without any clinical signs of NFI are randomly allocated to a placebo group or treatment group receiving 20 weeks prednisolone. The primary outcome is the proportion of patients developing clinical NFI. Reliability and normative studies are carried out before the start of the trial. DISCUSSION: This study is the first RCT testing a prednisolone regimen with a duration longer than 24 weeks. Also it is the first RCT assessing the effect of prednisolone in the prevention of clinical NFI in patients with established subclinical neuropathy. The TENLEP study will add to the current understanding of neuropathy due to leprosy and provide insight in the effectiveness of prednisolone on the prevention and recovery of NFI in leprosy patients. In this paper we present the research protocols for both Clinical and Subclinical trials and discuss the possible findings and implications.

trial registrationNetherlands Trial Register: NTR2300 Clinical Trial Registry India: CTRI/2011/09/002022.

Indexed as

AdolescentAdultClinical ProtocolsDouble-Blind MethodDrug Administration ScheduleFemaleGlucocorticoidsHumansLeprosyMaleMiddle AgedPeripheral Nervous System DiseasesPrednisoloneTreatment OutcomeGlucocorticoidsPrednisolone

Identifiers

PMID23249098
PMCPMC3547773
OpenAlexW2106550363

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.