42,310 papers found

OBJECTIVES: The study systematically reviewed the effectiveness of pharmacological treatments alone or combined with brief cognitive-behavioural therapy (BCBT) for treating Iranian amphetamine abusers. The secondary aim was to review the efficacy of BCBT alone or combined with pharmacological treatments for treating am…

INTRODUCTION: Recruitment is an important aspect of clinical research, as poor recruitment could undermine the scientific value of a trial or delay the development process of new treatments. The development of electronic medical records provides a new way to identify potential participants for trials by matching the el…

Previous studies have shown that opioids can reduce chronic breathlessness in advanced disease. However, physicians remain reluctant to prescribe opioids for these patients, commonly due to fear of respiratory adverse effects. The aim of this study was to systematically review reported respiratory adverse effects of op…

Our objective was to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis for the use of modified (heat-killed or sonicated) probiotics for the efficacy and safety to prevent and treat various diseases. Recent clinical research has focused on living strains of probiotics, but use in high-risk patients and potential adverse re…

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: To identify, appraise and synthesise current evidence regarding organisation-wide interprofessional practice issues that facilitate or inhibit effective recognition and response to clinical deterioration, using a theoretical rapid response system model. BACKGROUND: Recognition and response to clin…

OBJECTIVES: To determine, using systematic review of the biomedical literature, whether pacing reduces risk of recurrent syncope and relevant clinical outcomes among adult patients with reflex-mediated syncope. METHODS: MEDLINE (through PubMed), EMBASE, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (through O…

BACKGROUND: Stellate ganglion blockade (SGB) is mainly used to relieve symptoms of neuropathic pain in conditions such as complex regional pain syndrome and has several potential complications. Noninvasive SGB performed using physical agent modalities (PAMs), such as light irradiation and electrical stimulation, can be…

BACKGROUND: Universities are significant contributors to research and technologies in health; however, the health needs of the world's poor are historically neglected in research. Medical discoveries are frequently licensed exclusively to one producer, allowing a monopoly and inequitable pricing. Similarly, research is…

AIM: This article aimed to assess the efficacy of Schwann cell transplantation on motor function recovery in animal model of spinal cord injuries via meta-analysis. METHODS: An extended search was carried out in the electronic databases of Medline (via PubMed), EMBASE (via OvidSP), CENTRAL, SCOPUS, Web of Science (BIO…

BACKGROUND: The peer review process is a cornerstone of biomedical research. We aimed to evaluate the impact of interventions to improve the quality of peer review for biomedical publications. METHODS: We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis. We searched CENTRAL, MEDLINE (PubMed), Embase, Cochrane Database…

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Neuromuscular electric stimulation (NMES) has been used to reduce spasticity and improve range of motion in patients with stroke. However, contradictory results have been reported by clinical trials. A systematic review of randomized clinical trials was conducted to assess the effect of treatmen…

OBJECTIVE:   Information regarding the relative risks of developing knee osteoarthritis (OA) as a result of sport participation is critical for shaping public health messages and for informing knee-OA prevention strategies. The purpose of this systematic review was to investigate the association between particip…

OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether early tracheostomy leads to improved outcomes compared with late tracheostomy. DATA SOURCES: Ovid MEDLINE (including PubMed), Embase, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials. REVIEW METHODS: A systematic search was performed of the above-mentioned databases according t…

Human milk (HM) contains critical nutrients and possibly other neurotrophic factors that could benefit the less developed brain of preterm infants, particularly those with very low birth weight (VLBW). This study aims to systematically review the original studies to determine whether there is a reproducible independent…

A previous meta-analysis of six randomized head-to-head trials suggests that the blood pressure (BP)-lowering capabilities of telmisartan may be comparable to those of valsartan. We performed an updated meta-analysis of telmisartan vs. valsartan therapy for the reduction of BP in hypertensive patients. MEDLINE, EMBASE…

INTRODUCTION: The first decade of the 21st century has witnessed three major influenza public health emergencies: (1) the severe acute respiratory syndrome of 2002-2003; (2) the avian flu of 2006; and (3) the 2009 H1N1 pandemic influenza. An effective public health response to an influenza public health emergency depen…

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this systematic review was to evaluate the best timing for placing implants after tooth extraction, by comparing early vs. delayed implant placement and evaluating the hard and/or soft tissue ridge dimensional changes and the outcomes related with implant survival and prosthesis success. MATERIA…

BACKGROUND: Poor voice quality due to a voice disorder can lead to a reduced quality of life. In occupations where voice use is substantial it can lead to periods of absence from work. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the effectiveness of interventions to prevent voice disorders in adults. SEARCH STRATEGY: We searched MEDLINE…

BACKGROUND: Chronic bronchitis is a disease of the bronchi that is manifested by cough and sputum expectoration occurring on most days for at least 3 months of the year and for at least 2 consecutive years when other respiratory or cardiac causes for the chronic productive cough are excluded. The disease is caused by a…