382,384 papers found

INTRODUCTION: Behavioural variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD) characterisation has evolved, but diagnosis remains challenging, relying on clinical diagnostic criteria that have undergone revisions over time. In this systematic review, our aims are to evaluate the accuracy of clinical diagnostic criteria for bvFTD b…

BACKGROUND: Postintensive care syndrome (PICS) is common in critically ill adults who were treated in the intensive care unit (ICU). Although comparative analyses between types of non-pharmacological measures and usual care to prevent PICS have been performed, it remains unclear which of these potential treatments is t…

INTRODUCTION: Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) has become an important treatment in patients with aortic valve disease with the continuous advancement of technology and the improvement of outcomes. However, TAVR-related complications still increase patient morbidity and mortality. Remote ischaemic precondi…

INTRODUCTION: Mounting evidence has suggested that novel teaching strategies have a positive impact on the quality and efficiency of medical education. However, the comprehensive evidence about the superiority among various strategies is not clear. To address this issue, we aim to conduct a systematic review and networ…

OBJECTIVE: To subvert issues of low sample sizes and high attrition rates and generate epidemiologically-sound evidence, collaborative research-through international consortia and multi-centric studies-and meta-analysis approaches are encouraged in spinal cord injury (SCI) research. We investigated the use of systemati…

BACKGROUND: Meta-analyses of the voluminous scientific literature on the impact of very preterm (VPT, <32&#x2009;weeks' gestation) birth on cognition find a marked deficit in intelligence quotient (IQ) among children born VPT relative to term-born peers, but with unexplained between-study heterogeneity in effect size.…

INTRODUCTION: Carotid atherosclerosis (CAS) is a disease of the aorta caused by lipid metabolism disorders and local inflammation. Acupuncture combined with traditional western medicine (such as aspirin or atorvastatin) for the treatment of CAS has been widely applied in clinical practice, but there is still a lack of…

BACKGROUND: Birth asphyxia accounted for nearly 50% of neonatal mortality in Sub-Saharan African countries. This scenario has been worst in Ethiopia where every two out of three deaths attributed to birth asphyxia. Moreover, studies conducted in Ethiopia were highly variable and inconclusive to estimate the pooled prev…

BACKGROUND: School feeding programs are beneficial for the physical, mental, and psychosocial development of school-age children and adolescents, particularly those in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). While school feeding programs are ubiquitous in LMICs, the specific benefits of school feeding programs are un…

INTRODUCTION: Loneliness is an emerging public health problem that is associated with social, emotional, mental and physical health issues. The application of digital technology (DT) interventions to reduce loneliness has significantly increased in the recent years. The effectiveness of DT interventions needs to be ass…

INTRODUCTION: In recent years, important advances have been made in the treatment of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). This protocol proposes a methodology for carrying out a systematic review and meta-analysis that aims to: (1) improve the evidence of the benefits of different pharmacological treatments in boys with…

BACKGROUND: Individual participant data meta-analysis (IPD-MA) is considered the gold standard for investigating subgroup effects. Frequently used regression-based approaches to detect subgroups in IPD-MA are: meta-regression, per-subgroup meta-analysis (PS-MA), meta-analysis of interaction terms (MA-IT), naive one-sta…

INTRODUCTION: Cervical spondylotic radiculopathy (CSR) is the most common pattern of cervical spondylosis, which is a serious and common degenerative disease. Both acupotomy and acupuncture have been widely used clinically to treat CSR in China with satisfied efficacy. However, there is no systematic review comparing t…

INTRODUCTION: Exercise is considered as an effective intervention in the management of patients with chronic low back pain (cLBP). However, the relative effectiveness as well as the hierarchy of exercise interventions have not been well established, although various exercise options are available. Therefore, the presen…

INTRODUCTION: Pressure ulcers (PUs) are associated with substantial health burden. Patients in intensive care units (ICUs) are at high risk for developing PU. In the absence of large randomised controlled trials (RCTs) that compare commonly known interventions for preventing PU in ICUs, uncertainty remains around the b…

INTRODUCTION: Surgical and invasive procedures are widely used in adults with degenerative lumbar spinal stenosis when conservative treatments fail. However, little is known about the comparative efficacy and safety of these interventions. To address this, we will perform a network meta-analysis (NMA) and systematic re…

INTRODUCTION: With increasing diabetes trends worldwide, morbidity, mortality and associated costs due to diabetes-related complications are a global public health concern. Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is among the leading causes of vision loss at the global level; accurate estimates of DR burden is of crucial importance…

INTRODUCTION: Although evidence exists for the efficacy of psychosocial interventions in preventing depression, little is known about its prevention through online interventions. The objective of this study is to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials assessing the effectiveness o…

INTRODUCTION: Fracture healing is a complex physiological process. Impaired healing will increase the need for care and cause serious complications. Thus, identifying strategies to accelerate the rate of healing, preventing delayed unions and non-unions, is essential. Parathyroid hormone (PTH) is a key systemic regulat…

INTRODUCTION: Major depression is a leading cause of disability and has been associated with adverse effects in older persons. While many pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions have been shown to be effective to address major depression in older persons, there has not been a meta-analysis that consolidat…