University of Sydney CEPI5100 Assignment 2: Edaravone Effectiveness

This assignment, submitted for CEPI5100 Introduction to Clinical Epidemiology at the University of Sydney, explores the efficacy of Edaravone in slowing the progression of Lou Gehrig's disease (ALS). The student utilizes the PICO framework (Patient/Problem/Population, Intervention, Comparison, Outcome) to formulate the clinical question and analyze relevant research. The assignment focuses on whether Edaravone can reduce functional impairment in ALS patients. The student investigates this question by searching online resources like PubMed and Google Scholar, using search terms such as 'ALS,' 'Edaravone,' and 'functional impairment.' The assignment concludes that Edaravone can slow down the effects of Lou Gehrig's disease, such as muscle cramping, difficulty swallowing, and muscle weakening, by slowing down the breaking down of nerve cells. The assignment cites a peer-reviewed article from 2017 as a key reference, which discusses Edaravone's clinical development for ALS, and also refers to a previous study conducted on patients with ALS. The assignment adheres to the course's requirements, including individual work and proper citation to avoid plagiarism.

Student number 1
Question 1
Is Edaravone effective in slowing down the rate of functional impairment in patients suffering
from Lou Gehrig’s disease?
a) Using the PICO format the clinical question can be broken down. PICO stands for
Patient/Problem/Population, Intervention, Comparison, and Outcome. In the clinical
question chosen, the problem is Lou Gehrig’s disease. This disease affects the motor
neurons and muscles and affects the physical state of the patient. It is named after a
famous football player who was first diagnosed with the disease in 1930. Lou Gehrig’s
disease is also called amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. The intervention being considered is
reducing the rate of functional impairment in the patient using chemotherapy. Using
drugs there is hope that the rate that the symptoms will be slowed down. The Comparison
will be done by comparing a placebo group and a group that is being administered
Edaravone. The drug is known to reverse the weakening of the motor neurons. The
outcome is improved functionally and reduction in the weakening of the muscle. The
outcome is patient oriented [1].
The clinical question formulated in an intervention.
b) i) The online resource chosen was Pub Med and Google scholar. The search terms
that were used are ALS, Edaravone, Lou Gehrig’s disease and functional impairment.
Pub Med was chosen as a source because the entire articles published in this journal are
peer-reviewed. This ensures that the articles are free from biases and that the results are
accurate. Google scholar was chosen because most of the articles in this resource are free
and do not require a university key in order to access them.

Student number 2
ii) Edaravone is effective in slowing down the effects of Lou Gehrig’s disease. It
slows down symptoms such as muscle cramping, difficulty in swallowing and the
weakening of the muscles. It slows down the breaking down of the nerve cells. This drug,
however, does not provide a cure for the disease. This reference is effective in answering
this question because it reviews data from a previous study conducted on patients with
ALS. The data from the previous study analyses how Edaravone was used in treating
acute ischemic stroke. This helps to understand the history of Edaravone in obtaining
treatment of ALS. This reference also analyzed the potential mechanism of Edaravone
and the benefits it may have on patients suffering from ALS. The paper is peer-reviewed
and published within the last 5 years [1].
References

Student number 3
[1] Takei K, Watanabe K, Yuki S, Akimoto M, Sakata T, Palumbo J. Edaravone and its clinical
development for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and
Frontotemporal Degeneration. 2017 Oct 31;18(sup1):5-10.