41,029 papers found

PURPOSE: Epidural/spinal opioids are increasingly used to relieve parturients' pain in labour. Some studies indicate that opioids can induce side effects in neonates, such as respiratory depression and neurobehavioural changes. This meta-analysis aimed to clarify the effects of opioids in labour analgesia on neonates.…

BACKGROUND: Differentiating acute chest pain caused by myocardial ischaemia from other, potentially more benign causes of chest pain is a frequent diagnostic challenge faced by Emergency Department (ED) clinicians. Only 30% of patients presenting with chest pain will have a cardiac origin for the pain, and gastro-oesop…

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of Songling Xuemaikang Capsule (, SXC) for the treatment of primary hypertension. METHODS: An extensive search including Cochrane Library, PubMed, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), Chinese Biomedical Literature Database (CBM), Chinese National…

BACKGROUND: Infection occurs commonly among patients hospitalized after traumatic brain injury (TBI) and has been associated with increased intensive care unit and hospital lengths of stay and an elevated risk of poor neurological outcome and mortality. However, as many relevant published studies to date have varied in…

OBJECTIVES: The objective of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to estimate the effectiveness of problem-based learning in developing nursing students' critical thinking. DATA SOURCES: Searches of PubMed, EMBASE, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), Proquest, Cochrane Central Re…

BACKGROUND: Perforated peptic ulcer is a common abdominal disease that is treated by surgery. The development of laparoscopic surgery has changed the way to treat such abdominal surgical emergencies. The results of some clinical trials suggest that laparoscopic surgery could be a better strategy than open surgery in th…

BACKGROUND: Nasal pharyngolaryngoscopy (NPL) is performed as an outpatient and inpatient procedure on a daily basis, for a variety of indications. It frequently causes some degree of discomfort to the patient. Various different topical agents, which are intended to reduce this discomfort, are in common use. This review…

BACKGROUND: Caesarean delivery (CD) is a common form of delivery of a baby, rising in frequency. One reason for its performance is to preserve maternal pelvic floor function, part of which is anal continence. OBJECTIVES: To assess the ability of CD in comparison to vaginal delivery (VD) to preserve anal continence in…

BACKGROUND: Adenoidectomy, surgical removal of the adenoids, is a common ENT operation worldwide in children with recurrent or chronic nasal symptoms. A systematic review on the effectiveness of adenoidectomy in this specific group has not previously been performed. OBJECTIVES: To assess the effectiveness of adenoidec…

BACKGROUND: Liver metastases are often the dominant site of metastatic disease in colorectal cancer. Selective internal radiation therapy (SIRT) involves embolising radiolabeled spheres (SIR-Spheres) into the arterial supply of the liver with the aim of improving the control of liver metastases. OBJECTIVES: To assess…

OBJECTIVE: CYP2C19 polymorphisms have been inconsistently reported to associate with the efficacy of proton pump inhibitor (PPI)-based triple therapies for eradicating Helicobacter pylori infection. The aim of this meta-analysis was to determine whether CYP2C19 polymorphism affect H. pylori eradication rates obtained w…

BACKGROUND: Trachoma is a leading cause of avoidable blindness. The World Health Organization recommends eliminating trachoma blindness by the SAFE strategy incorporating Surgery, Antibiotic treatment, Facial cleanliness and Environmental hygiene. OBJECTIVES: This review examined the evidence for the effectiveness of…

BACKGROUND: While the aims of multicomponent screening of older people are broad, any benefit arising from the inclusion of a vision component in the assessment will necessarily be dependent on improving vision. OBJECTIVES: To assess the effects on vision of mass screening of older people for visual impairment. SEARC…

BACKGROUND: Preparations of the plant Echinacea (family Compositae) are widely used in some European countries and in North America for common colds. Most consumers and physicians are not aware that products available under the term Echinacea differ appreciably in their composition, mainly due to the use of variable pl…

The inflammatory skin condition known as diaper dermatitis (DD) often affects infants and preschoolers. Barrier preparations are commonly used in their management, but their effectiveness remains unclear. This systematic review aimed to evaluate the extent to which barrier preparations reduce DD compared to a placebo o…

Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) are considered the gold standard for evaluating surgical interventions for benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). However, the validity and reliability of their findings depend critically on adequate sample size determination and power estimations. Inadequate or absent reporting of thes…

Caffeine, one of the most widely consumed psychoactive substances, is well known to disturb sleep, yet the extent to which its impact varies by age and dose has not been completely quantified. We searched PubMed, Web of Science, CINAHL, and the Cochrane Library (through March 25, 2025) for controlled crossover trials t…

BACKGROUND: Laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) is associated with significant postoperative pain despite being minimally invasive. External oblique intercostal block (EOIB) has emerged as a novel regional anesthesia technique targeting upper abdominal wall innervation. In this systematic review and meta-analysis wit…

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The best management approach for renin-angiotensin system (RAS) inhibitor use before surgery is controversial. Some studies have suggested that continuation could increase the risk of clinically significant peri-operative hypotension and, thus, organ injury. By contrast, others believe that withhol…