Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38655443›Full record

ArticleBrain circulation

Patients' experiences with methylcobalamin injections in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

Adeel S Zubair, Lea Saab, Kirsten Scharer, Babar Khokhar

Open access · diamondAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Brain circulation. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
1.5field-weighted citation impact, top 19% 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

2 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 4 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Review
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

4 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Adeel S ZubairDepartment of Neurology, School of Medicine, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA.
Lea SaabDepartment of Neurology, School of Medicine, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA.
Kirsten ScharerDepartment of Neurology, School of Medicine, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA.
Babar KhokharDepartment of Neurology, School of Medicine, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA.
Yale University · US

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND

objectivesAmyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive motor neuron disease with no definitive treatment. Vitamin B12 is not a Food and Drug Administration-approved treatment in the United States, although it has been prescribed off-label as ultra-high-dose methylcobalamin, which has been shown to be safe and effective in slowing functional decline in patients with ALS. This study evaluates the impact of Vitamin B12 injections on the quality of life of five patients.

methodsSemi-structured interviews were conducted with the patients and caregivers. The data was carefully read, coded, and organized into themes and sub-themes by two independent researchers.

resultsThe study found four themes and 11 subthemes from the data, including initial circumstances, administration of the injection, subjective experience with Vitamin B12, and outcomes and expectations. All participants recognized some benefits from Vitamin B12 injections, specifically increased energy, reduced fatigue, and improved balance. However, some patients had difficulty monitoring its specific effect due to the progressive nature of the disease. DISCUSSION: The flexibility offered by this intervention is beneficial for patients with declining mobility and strength who wish to adapt their treatment to their schedule. This work is a modest call to fill the existing gap in the literature and push for more randomized controlled trials investigating and clarifying the effects of Vitamin B12 injections on disease progression, muscle function, and quality of life in a small but diverse pool of patients with ALS.

Indexed as

ALSB12 injectionpatient experience

Identifiers

PMID38655443
PMCPMC11034440
OpenAlexW4393061635

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-SA
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.