5,011,552 papers found

introduce PRISMA, an update of the QUOROM guidelines for reporting systematic reviews and meta-analyses

As evidence-based practitioners become more reliant on systematic reviews to inform treatment, it becomes important to systematize reporting details as well as improve the quality of the primary studies that will later be incorporated into this secondary literature. In this article, the authors consider several specifi…

Celiac disease (CD) is an immune-mediated enteropathy triggered by the ingestion of gluten in genetically susceptible individuals. Gluten is a protein component in wheat and other cereals, such as rye and barley. At present, the only available treatment is a strict gluten-free diet. Recent advances have increased our u…

Extraction of third molars is the operation most frequently performed by oral and maxillofacial surgeons. The American National Institute of Health (1979) and the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons (1993) have organised consensus conferences to systematically analyse the scientific evidence and pro…

The first guideline of the treatment of H. pylori infection was reported by the working party of the World Congresses of Gastroenterology in 1990. Subsequently, many international consensus statements for the indication and the methods of eradication therapy for H. pylori infection were reported. And, now the standard…

BACKGROUND: In 1983, the Southern Medical Journal advised its readers that a scientific basis might underlie the popular practice of ancient Chinese acupuncture. Recent studies have proven this to be correct, and a 1997 National Institutes of Health consensus panel recommended acupuncture as a useful clinical procedure…

Expert consensus is intended to guide clinical reasoning when evidence is scarce. In contemporary geriatrics, however, the Delphi method is increasingly used where data are not absent but abundant. Sarcopenia and frailty exemplify this dilemma. Repeated consensus statements have redefined diagnostic criteria and thresh…

Consensus conferences in medicine are frequently conducted to formulate recommendations primarily relating to contentious areas in the diagnosis and management of disease and in the assessment of prognostic markers. While these conferences have the potential to provide recommendations that will be of benefit to both th…

We present an overview of the research evidence on nurse staffing levels in acute hospitals, and how it has been applied to policy and practice, focussing primarily on the UK. Drawing on research reviews and examples of specific studies, we outline the current state of knowledge. Much of the evidence comes from cross-s…

Meta-analysis has become an integral part of evidence-based decision-making processes and is being increasingly used in medical and non-medical disciplines. Aggregate data or summary statistics continue to be the mainstay of meta-analysis and are used by many professional societies to support clinical practice guidelin…

With the increasing incidence of more pathogens that can cause microbial keratitis (MK), it is necessary to periodically reassess disinfection multipurpose solutions testing requirements to ensure that relevant organisms to challenge them are being used. Current testing protocols have included common pathogens such as…

The International Summit on Intellectual Disability and Dementia covered a range of issues related to dementia and intellectual disability, including the dearth of personal reflections of persons with intellectual disability affected by dementia. This article reflects on this deficiency and explores some of the persona…

In the GRADE approach, randomized trials are classified as high quality evidence and observational studies as low quality evidence but both can be rated down if a body of evidence is associated with a high risk of publication bias. Even when individual studies included in best-evidence summaries have a low risk of bias…

BACKGROUND: Successful implementation of newborn screening (NBS) for cystic fibrosis (CF) depends on robust protocols, good communication and appropriate management of recognised infants. In response to current varied practice, the ECFS Neonatal Screening Working Group developed a consensus on the early management of t…

Contrast-induced nephropathy (CIN) is the third leading cause of acute kidney injury in hospitalized patients and is associated with significant patient morbidity. The pathogenesis of CIN is complex and not fully understood, but iodinated contrast agents induce intense and prolonged vasoconstriction at the corticomedul…

High blood pressure has become increasingly prevalent and is an important risk factor for cardiovascular disease. The Seventh Report of the Joint National Committee on the Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure (JNC 7) has redefined normal blood pressure as less than 120/80 mm Hg and cr…

There is now considerable evidence that treatment of abnormalities of lipids and lipoproteins reduces the incidence of coronary heart disease (CHD). Treatment of hypertension, another major cardiovascular risk factor, has not been shown to have the same impact on CHD. Possible explanations for this are that cardiovascu…

Understanding risk factors for hepatitis C virus (HCV) is critical for targeting screening and prevention. We systematically reviewed risk factors associated with HCV seroprevalence among the general population in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Comprehensive systematic review of HCV seroprevalence of community-based observa…

OBJECTIVE: Surgery for mitral valve disease in patients with mitral annular calcification (MAC) remains challenging. There is no consensus on the ideal management strategy or patient selection, and perioperative and periprocedural morbidity and mortality rates remain high. The recent surge of patients presenting with M…

BACKGROUND: Some cohort studies have reported a decline in dementia prevalence and incidence over time, although these findings have not been consistent across studies. We reviewed evidence on changes in dementia prevalence and incidence over time using published population-based cohort studies that had used consistent…