Immunomodulatory treatment for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis/motor neuron disease This is a protocol for a Cochrane Review (intervention). The objectives are as follows: To assess the efficacy and harms or adverse events of immunomodulatory therapies in people with ALS compared with a placebo, no additional treatment, or a standard-of-care protocol (with or without riluzole, edaravone, or both). This is a protocol....

Mesh versus non-mesh for emergency groin hernia repair This is a protocol for a Cochrane Review (intervention). The objectives are as follows: Main objective To assess the benefits and harms of mesh compared with non-mesh in emergency groin hernia repair in adult patients with an inguinal or femoral hernia. Secondary objective To assess whether the effects of mesh versus non-mesh in emergency groin hernia repair differ according to the degree of contamination. This is a protocol....

Short-acting inhaled bronchodilators for cystic fibrosis Review question We reviewed the evidence for using short-acting inhaled bronchodilators (treatments which widen and open the airways, making it easier to breathe) in people with cystic fibrosis. Short-acting bronchodilators take effect quickly and generally last 4 to 6 hours. We were interested in any type of short-acting inhaled bronchodilator, given at any dose, and by any type of device (inhalers or nebulisers). Both nebulisers and inhalers deliver medicine. Nebulisers turn liquid medication into an easily-inhaled mist. They vary in...

Transplantation versus other therapies for patients with polycystic liver disease This is a protocol for a Cochrane Review (intervention). The objectives are as follows: This review aims to look at the benefits and harms of transplant versus other therapies in patients with PLD. This is a protocol....

Exercise versus airway clearance for people with cystic fibrosis Review question Can exercise replace other methods of airway clearance for people with cystic fibrosis (CF)? Background CF affects many systems in the body, mainly the respiratory system. It causes a build-up of thick, sticky mucus in the lungs which causes irritation and damage to the lining of the airways. CF treatment involves chest physiotherapy, also called airway clearance, which uses a range of devices or techniques to get rid of this mucus. It has been suggested that exercise may have a similar effect. Exercising...

Immunosuppressive therapy for IgA nephropathy in children This is a protocol for a Cochrane Review (intervention). The objectives are as follows: To determine the benefits and harms of immunosuppressive therapy for the treatment of IgA nephropathy in children. This is a protocol....

Serum and urine nucleic acid screening tests for polyomavirus-associated nephropathy in kidney and kidney-pancreas transplant recipients This is a protocol for a Cochrane Review (diagnostic). The objectives are as follows: This is a protocol....

Pharmacological interventions for the treatment of bleeding in people treated for blunt force or penetrating injury in an emergency department: a systematic review and network meta-analysis This is a protocol for a Cochrane Review (intervention). The objectives are as follows: To systematically review the optimal administration and relative efficacy of pharmacological interventions for preventing blood loss in people treated in an emergency department for bleeding caused by a blunt force or penetrating injury. This is a protocol....

Antimicrobial sutures for the prevention of surgical site infection This is a protocol for a Cochrane Review (intervention). The objectives are as follows: To compare the effects of antimicrobial sutures versus standard sutures for the prevention of SSI. This is a protocol....

Interventions to improve water, sanitation, and hygiene for preventing soil-transmitted helminth infection What is the aim of this review? This review summarizes randomized controlled trials (RCTs) (studies where participants are randomly assigned to one of two or more treatment groups) and non-randomized trials (non-RCTs) evaluating the effect of water, sanitation, and hygiene interventions on preventing soil-transmitted helminth infections. Soil-transmitted helminths (STHs) comprise a group of intestinal parasites that are transmitted to humans through ingestion of infective eggs or...

Which combinations of medicines are best for the prevention and treatment of anaemia in people with cancer? Key messages • Giving medicines that stimulate the bone marrow to produce red blood cells (ESAs) with iron supplements probably decreases the number of blood transfusions, but may also cause more deaths and increase the number of unwanted effects, such as blood clots. • Because of missing data from the studies we could not compare the different treatment options to each other and rank them. • We need more studies that compare these medicines directly against each other. What is anaemia...

Are laboratory-made COVID-19-specific monoclonal antibodies effective to prevent COVID-19 in adults? Key messages Pre-exposure prophylaxis of COVID-19: – tixagevimab/cilgavimab probably reduces number of people infected with COVID-19 and development of COVID-19 symptoms, and may reduce number of people admitted to hospital; – casirivimab/imdevimab may reduce number of people infected with COVID-19 and development of COVID-19 symptoms, and may increase number of unwanted effects (any severity) slightly. Postexposure prophylaxis of COVID-19: – bamlanivimab probably reduces number of people...

Why is improving dementia diagnosis important? Dementia refers to a group of brain conditions that lead to progressive problems with memory, working-things-out, or functioning in everyday life. Doctors use a variety of tests to diagnose dementia. People have often reported that it can take a long time to get a diagnosis of dementia from initially presenting to a healthcare provider with symptoms suggestive of dementia. Cognitive impairment is a broader term that includes people whose brain is not functioning as well as expected given their age, but they do not have dementia, as well as...

Psychoeducation for the parents of people with severe mental illness This is a protocol for a Cochrane Review (intervention). The objectives are as follows: To assess the effects (benefits and harms) of psychoeducation specifically for parents of people with SMI. This is a protocol....

Care planning or case management for frequent emergency department attendance in adults This is a protocol for a Cochrane Review (intervention). The objectives are as follows: To assess the effectiveness of case management or care planning for frequent attendance at emergency departments (EDs). To use subgroup analysis to assess the effectiveness of different types of intervention. This is a protocol....

Methods for promoting sleep in children and young people in hospital without using medicines (non-medicinal) Key messages We are uncertain how effective non-medicinal sleep promotion methods are for children and young people in hospital. Studies that use established, reliable research methods are needed to investigate non-medicinal sleep promotion in hospitalized children and young people, to identify methods that work. Why is sleep important for children in hospital? Sleep is an important part of healthy childhood development and helps to keep children healthy. Sleep patterns change...

Postoperative nutritional support after pancreaticoduodenectomy in adults This is a protocol for a Cochrane Review (intervention). The objectives are as follows: To assess the effects of postoperative nutritional support strategies on complications and recovery in adults after pancreaticoduonectomy. This is a protocol....

Prophylactic arterial embolization in patients with bleeding peptic ulcers following endoscopic control of bleeding This is a protocol for a Cochrane Review (intervention). The objectives are as follows: To assess the effects of prophylactic arterial embolization compared with endoscopic haemostasis only on the risk of re-bleeding for peptic ulcer bleeding, in patients where endoscopic haemostasis has been successful. This is a protocol....

Are systemic Janus kinase inhibitors an effective treatment for people with COVID-19? Key messages We found moderate- to high-certainty evidence from 6 studies to conclude that systemic Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitors are an effective treatment for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in hospitalised people, because they resulted in fewer deaths and a lower rate of clinical deterioration. Evaluation of systemic JAK inhibitors is ongoing in 13 studies whilst the results of 9 further studies are awaiting publication. We will update this review and may adapt our conclusions when their results...

Digital technologies to help people with asthma take their medication as prescribed Background to the question Asthma is one of the most common long-term conditions worldwide. There are effective medicines available to treat symptoms, such as inhalers containing steroids. However, for best effect, maintenance medication need to be taken as prescribed. Many people do not take their medication, due to busy schedules and the belief that medication is only needed short-term. This is known as 'non-adherence', which can lead to more symptoms and attacks. Non-adherence is a major health problem;...