Trial reportMuscle & nerve2025
Placebo-Controlled, Randomized Double-Blind N-Of-1 Trial to Study Safety and Potential Efficacy of TJ-68 for Improving Muscle Cramps in Patients With Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: A Pilot Study.
Trial report in Muscle & nerve, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.
What it found
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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.
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.
Who cites it
3 citing papers in PubMed.
- Trial
- Metabolomic analyses of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, muscle cramps, and TJ-68 treatment.Metabolomics : Official journal of the Metabolomic Society · 2026Article
- Therapeutic Challenges and Future Breakthroughs in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: From Precision Medicine to Innovative Trial Design.Drug design, development and therapy · 2026Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
11 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
INTRODUCTION/
aimsMuscle cramps are a common symptom in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Ameliorating muscle cramps may improve quality of life in devastating diseases like ALS. A traditional Japanese medicine (Kampo, TJ-68) is widely prescribed in Japan for muscle cramps. However, it is not available in the USA. This study evaluated the safety, tolerability, and efficacy of TJ-68 in ALS.
methodsThis study was a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled crossover trial, consisting of four periods, conducted at three centers in the USA. Safety was evaluated using multiple measures. The primary efficacy outcome was the Visual Analog Scale for Muscle Cramps Affecting Overall Daily Activity (item #5 of the Muscle Cramp Scale (MCS)). The secondary outcomes included the remaining items of the MCS and the Clinical Global Impression of Changes (CGIC), among others. The study was planned to enroll 22 participants with ALS within 2 years.
resultsThe enrollment was slow and was completed with 11 participants. There were no serious safety issues and TJ-68 was well tolerated. Although the primary outcome measure did not reach statistical significance (p = 0.35), several secondary measures showed significant results: MCS #1 triggering of cramps (p = 0.01), MCS #2 cramp frequency (p = 0.03), MCS Additional 1 change of motor behaviors (p = 0.02), and CGIC assessed by the evaluator (p = 0.009). Other outcome measures did not reach statistical significance. DISCUSSION: The study revealed that N-of-1 trial design can detect changes in a small sample size, and TJ-68 appeared to be safe. Larger studies are needed to confirm the efficacy of TJ-68.
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