Evidence map›Paper›PMID 35788069›Full record

ArticleBMJ open2022

Melatonin supplementation for the treatment of infantile spasms: protocol for a randomised placebo-controlled triple-blind trial.

Yulin Sun, Weiwei Feng, Jian Chen, Miao Liu, Xiuyu Shi, Jing Wang, Liping Zou, Tao Xu, Guang Yang

Open access · goldAbstract readClinical Trial Protocol
In one paragraph

Article in BMJ open, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
0.4field-weighted citation impact, top 39% 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

1 citing paper in PubMed, 4 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. 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

9 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Yulin SunDepartment of Pediatrics, Medical School of Chinese PLA, Beijing, China.ORCID 0000-0003-0749-5221
Weiwei FengNational Center for Women and Children's Health, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China.ORCID 0000-0003-4395-1263
Jian ChenDepartment of Pediatrics, The First Medical Center of PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China.
Miao LiuDepartment of Pediatrics, Medical School of Chinese PLA, Beijing, China.ORCID 0000-0002-7975-6702
Xiuyu ShiDepartment of Pediatrics, The First Medical Center of PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China.
Jing WangDepartment of Pediatrics, The First Medical Center of PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China.
Liping ZouDepartment of Pediatrics, The First Medical Center of PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China.
Tao XuNational Center for Women and Children's Health, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China yangg301@126.com xutao6622@chinawch.org.cn.
Guang YangDepartment of Pediatrics, The First Medical Center of PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China yangg301@126.com xutao6622@chinawch.org.cn.
Chinese PLA General Hospital · CNNational Center for Women and Children’s Health, China CDC · CN

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionInfantile spasms (IS) is a type of severe epileptic encephalopathy that occurs in infancy and early childhood. IS is characterised clinically by epileptic spasms, often accompanied by sleep disorder and abnormal circadian rhythm. The endogenous circadian rhythm disorder, in turn, can make spasms worse. Melatonin has also been found to have anticonvulsant and neuroprotective properties by adjusting the circadian rhythm. However, there are lack of relevant studies on controlling IS by using melatonin. This study aims to analyse the therapeutic effect of melatonin supplementation for the treatment of IS. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: This is a triple-blinded (trial participant, outcome assessor and the data analyst), prospective, randomised controlled trial to be conducted in the Department of Paediatrics, The First Medical Center of Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China from November 2020. Patients (n=70) aged 3 months to 2 years with IS will be recruited in this study after receiving written consent from their parents or guardians. Patients will be randomly divided into two equal groups and treated with a combination of adrenocorticotropic hormone, magnesium sulfate and either melatonin or placebo. Clinical data from the patients in the two groups before and after the treatment will be collected and compared. The primary outcome will be assessed 2 weeks later by seizure diaries and reported as the average reduced rate of spasms frequency. Secondary outcomes include the response rate (the rate of spasms-free), electroencephalogram hypsarrhythmia assessment and the psychomotor development assessment (Denver Developmental Screening Test). Sleep quality and safety will also be assessed. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: The protocol for this study was approved by the Ethics Committee of Chinese PLA General Hospital (reference number S2020-337-01) and was reported according to the Standard Protocol Items: Recommendations for Interventional Trials statement. Findings of this research will be disseminated through national and international meetings, conferences and peer-reviewed journals. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: ChiCTR2000036208.

Indexed as

AnticonvulsantsMelatoninSpasms, InfantileChild, PreschoolDietary SupplementsHumansInfantNeuroprotective AgentsProspective StudiesRandomized Controlled Trials as TopicSleep Disorders, Circadian RhythmAnticonvulsantsMelatoninNeuroprotective Agentsepilepsypaediatric neurologysleep medicine

Identifiers

PMID35788069
PMCPMC9255389
OpenAlexW4283813932

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC
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.