Cochrane Db Syst Rev
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Cochrane Db Syst Rev · Sep 2022
ReviewInterventions for the management of fatigue in adults with a primary brain tumour.
Fatigue is a common and disabling symptom in people with a primary brain tumour (PBT). The effectiveness of interventions for treating clinically significant levels of fatigue in this population is unclear. This is an updated version of the original Cochrane Review published in Issue 4, 2016. ⋯ There is currently insufficient evidence to draw reliable and generalisable conclusions regarding potential effectiveness or harm of any pharmacological or non-pharmacological treatments for fatigue in people with PBT. More research is needed on how best to treat people with brain tumours with high fatigue.
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Cochrane Db Syst Rev · Sep 2022
Review Meta AnalysisInterventions for increasing immunosuppressant medication adherence in solid organ transplant recipients.
Non-adherence to immunosuppressant therapy is a significant concern following a solid organ transplant, given its association with graft failure. Adherence to immunosuppressant therapy is a modifiable patient behaviour, and different approaches to increasing adherence have emerged, including multi-component interventions. There has been limited exploration of the effectiveness of interventions to increase adherence to immunosuppressant therapy. ⋯ Interventions to increase taking and dosing adherence to immunosuppressant therapy may be effective; however, our findings suggest that current evidence in support of interventions to increase adherence to immunosuppressant therapy is overall of low methodological quality, attributable to small sample sizes, and heterogeneity identified for the types of interventions. Twenty-four studies are currently ongoing or awaiting assessment (3248 proposed participants); therefore, it is possible that findings may change with the inclusion of these large ongoing studies in future updates.
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Cochrane Db Syst Rev · Sep 2022
ReviewEndovascular therapy versus medical treatment for spontaneous isolated dissection of the superior mesenteric artery.
Spontaneous isolated dissection of the superior mesenteric artery (SIDSMA) occurs when a tear in the inner layer of the superior mesenteric artery (SMA) allows blood to flow between the layers of the SMA, forcing the layers apart, and creating two lumens. Abdominal pain is the most prevalent clinical manifestation. Other people may have no symptoms or experience nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, or blood in their stools. For people with SIDSMA who are not suspected of intestinal necrosis or intra-abdominal bleeding, medical treatment and endovascular therapy are the main treatment options. There is no consensus on the optimum first-line management strategy. ⋯ We were not able to include any RCTs that compared endovascular therapy versus medical treatment in people with SIDSMA. High-quality RCTs that evaluate the benefits and harms of these interventions are needed to help determine the optimal strategy for managing SIDSMA.
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Cochrane Db Syst Rev · Sep 2022
ReviewSurgery for the treatment of obesity in children and adolescents.
Child and adolescent overweight and obesity have increased globally and are associated with significant short- and long-term health consequences. ⋯ Laparoscopic gastric banding led to greater body weight loss compared to a multi-component lifestyle program in one small study with 50 participants. These results have very limited application, primarily due to more recent recommendations derived from observation studies to avoid the use of banding in youth due to long-term reoperation rates. This systematic review update still highlights the lack of RCTs in this field. The authors are concerned that there may be ethical barriers to RTCs in this field, despite the lack of other effective therapies for severe obesity in children and adolescents and the significant morbidity and premature mortality caused by childhood obesity. Nevertheless, future studies, whether pre-registered and planned non-randomised or pragmatic randomised trials, should assess the impact of the surgical procedure and post-operative care to minimise adverse events, including the need for post-operative adjustments and revisional surgery. Long-term follow-up is also critical to comprehensively assess the impact of surgery as participants enter adulthood.
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Cochrane Db Syst Rev · Sep 2022
ReviewAdding rapid diagnostic tests to community-based programmes for treating malaria.
The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends parasitological testing of all suspected malaria cases using malaria rapid diagnostic tests (mRDTs) or microscopy prior to treatment. Some governments have extended this responsibility to community health workers (CHWs) to reduce malaria morbidity and mortality through prompt and appropriate treatment. This is an update of a Cochrane Review first published in 2013. ⋯ Use of mRDTs by CHWs and drug shop vendors compared to clinical diagnosis reduces prescribing of antimalarials to people without malaria. Deaths were uncommon in both groups. Antibiotic prescribing was higher in those with a negative mRDT than in those with a negative clinical diagnosis.