Cochrane Db Syst Rev
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Cochrane Db Syst Rev · Oct 2022
ReviewInterventions for treating fractures of the distal femur in adults.
Fractures of the distal femur (the far end of the thigh bone just above the knee) are a considerable cause of morbidity. Various different surgical and non-surgical treatments have been used in the management of these injuries but the best treatment remains unknown. ⋯ This review highlights the major limitations of the available evidence concerning current treatment interventions for fractures of the distal femur. The currently available evidence is incomplete and insufficient to inform clinical practice. Priority should be given to randomised controlled trials comparing contemporary treatments for people with fractures of the distal femur. At a minimum, these should report validated patient-reported functional and quality-of-life outcomes at one and two years, with an agreed core outcome set. All trials should be reported in full using the CONSORT guidelines.
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Cochrane Db Syst Rev · Oct 2022
ReviewSurvivor, family and professional experiences of psychosocial interventions for sexual abuse and violence: a qualitative evidence synthesis.
It is well-established that experiencing sexual abuse and violence can have a range of detrimental impacts; a wide variety of interventions exist to support survivors in the aftermath. Understanding the experiences and perspectives of survivors receiving such interventions, along with those of their family members, and the professionals who deliver them is important for informing decision making as to what to offer survivors, for developing new interventions, and enhancing their acceptability. ⋯ We had high or moderate confidence in all but one of our review findings. Further research in low- and middle-income settings, with male survivors of sexual abuse and violence and those from minority groups could strengthen the evidence for low and moderate confidence findings. We found that few interventions had published quantitative and qualitative evaluations. Since this QES has highlighted important aspects that could enable interventions to be more suitable for survivors, using a range of methodologies would provide valuable information that could enhance intervention uptake, completion and effectiveness. This study has shown that although survivors often found interventions difficult, they also appreciated that they needed to work through trauma, which they said resulted in a wide range of benefits. Therefore, listening to survivors and providing appropriate interventions, at the right time for them, can make a significant difference to their health and well-being.
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Cochrane Db Syst Rev · Oct 2022
ReviewPeriodontal therapy for primary or secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease in people with periodontitis.
There may be an association between periodontitis and cardiovascular disease (CVD); however, the evidence so far has been uncertain about whether periodontal therapy can help prevent CVD in people diagnosed with chronic periodontitis. This is the third update of a review originally published in 2014, and most recently updated in 2019. Although there is a new multidimensional staging and grading system for periodontitis, we have retained the label 'chronic periodontitis' in this version of the review since available studies are based on the previous classification system. ⋯ For primary prevention of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in people diagnosed with periodontitis and metabolic syndrome, very low-certainty evidence was inconclusive about the effects of scaling and root planning plus antibiotics compared to supragingival scaling. There is no reliable evidence available regarding secondary prevention of CVD in people diagnosed with chronic periodontitis and CVD. Further trials are needed to reach conclusions about whether treatment for periodontal disease can help prevent occurrence or recurrence of CVD.
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Cochrane Db Syst Rev · Oct 2022
ReviewUpper limb exercise for arteriovenous fistula maturation in people requiring permanent haemodialysis access.
The failure of arteriovenous fistulas (AVF) to mature is a major problem in patients with kidney failure who require haemodialysis (HD). Preoperative planning is an important factor in increasing functional AVF. Upper limb exercise has been recommended to gain AVF maturation. Studies of pre- and post-operative upper limb exercises in patients with kidney failure patients have been reported; however, the optimal program for this population is unknown due to inconsistent results among these programs. ⋯ Our findings suggest that the current research evidence examining upper limb exercise programs is of low quality, attributable to variability in the type of interventions used and the overall low number of studies and participants.