Interventions to increase COVID-19 vaccine uptake Background Vaccines are effective in preventing death or severe illness from COVID-19, a disease for which few treatments are available. Widespread vaccination against COVID-19 may help protect those not yet able to get vaccinated. However, many people do not want to get vaccinated against COVID-19. This can put them at increased risk of severe disease and death. What was our aim? We wanted to find out which interventions to increase COVID-19 vaccine uptake have been or are currently evaluated. Methods We searched medical databases and trial...

Impact of computed tomography (CT) on lung cancer screening Background Lung cancer is the most common cause of cancer-related death worldwide. Lung cancer survival is significantly dependent on when a person is diagnosed with the disease. It is essential to detect the disease as early as possible by radiography (chest x-ray) or by computed tomography (CT) scan, which is a more detailed type of radiography where multiple images of the lung are taken. The aim of this review was to gather information on the use of CT scan to detect lung cancer earlier and to find out if early detection of lung...

Stem cell transplantation for the treatment of systemic sclerosis We conducted a review of the medical literature in February 2022to study the benefits and harms of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) in people with systemic sclerosis (SSc). What is systemic sclerosis and hematopoietic stem cell transplantation? SSc is an autoimmune disease (where the body's natural defense system attacks normal cells) that affects the skin and internal organs (lungs, digestive system, etc.). Symptoms associated with SSc include thickening of the skin, shortness of breath, digestive symptoms, and...

Liver support systems for adults with acute liver failure This is a protocol for a Cochrane Review (intervention). The objectives are as follows: To assess the benefits and harms of liver support systems for adults with acute liver failure. This is a protocol....

Topical anti-inflammatory treatments for eczema: network meta-analysis This is a protocol for a Cochrane Review (intervention). The objectives are as follows: To compare the efficacy and safety of topical anti-inflammatory treatments for reducing eczema symptoms or signs or improving eczema-related quality of life in children and adults with eczema, by undertaking a network meta-analysis. To provide a clinically useful ranking of these treatments according to their efficacy and safety. This is a protocol....

What is the accuracy of different combinations of ultrasound imaging and blood tests to diagnose ovarian cancer in women before and after the menopause? Why is improving the diagnosis of ovarian cancer important? Many women diagnosed with ovarian cancer (OC) die from the disease, because it has usually spread outside the tubes/ovaries at the time of diagnosis. Missing OC (a false-negative result) may need major surgery and a lower chance of survival. An incorrect diagnosis of OC (a false-positive result) may result in anxiety, unnecessary further tests and surgery. What did we aim to do? We...

Corticosteroids for treatment of leptospirosis This is a protocol for a Cochrane Review (intervention). The objectives are as follows: To assess the benefits and harms of corticosteroids for treatment of people with leptospirosis. This is a protocol....

Aspirin and similar drugs for the treatment of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) Key messages - When used after standard initial treatment with anticoagulants, aspirin and similar drugs (antiplatelet agents) in addition to best medical practice (BMP), may reduce recurrent venous thromboembolism (VTE), i.e. deep vein thrombosis (DVT) or pulmonary embolism (PE), when compared to BMP plus placebo in a chronic DVT setting. There is no clear difference in side effects, major bleeding or PE with the use of antiplatelet agents. - Studies of high methodological quality that are large and long enough to...

Mucolytics for children with chronic suppurative lung disease This is a protocol for a Cochrane Review (intervention). The objectives are as follows: To assess the effects of mucolytics for reducing exacerbations and improving quality of life in children with CSLD (including PBB and bronchiectasis), and to assess the risk of harm due to adverse events. This is a protocol....

Predictive factors for BK polyomavirus infection in solid organ transplant recipients This is a protocol for a Cochrane Review (prognosis). The objectives are as follows: To (a) define the prognostic factors that predict the development of BKPyV infections in kidney and kidney-pancreas transplant recipients, and (b) explore sources of heterogeneity. This is a protocol....

Are there good ways to find out if people living with HIV are taking their medicines every day? The issue For people with HIV, taking their HIV medicines every day (adherence), is vital to keep HIV under control. The best way to measure peoples’ adherence to HIV medicines is with ‘viral load testing’, which tells us how much virus there is in the blood. Viral load testing is not available everywhere, such as in places where there is lack of funds. If we could measure adherence with a more readily available measure, this might help detect people who need more help with taking their medicines....

Treatment of sudden hearing loss with corticosteroids applied into the middle ear What is sudden hearing loss? Sudden hearing loss is a condition characterised by the sudden onset (usually within 72 hours) of reduced or absent hearing. How is it treated? People have often used corticosteroids – a type of anti-inflammatory medicine - to treat the condition. These medicines are usually taken by mouth or injected into the body (known as systemic corticosteroids), but can also be given as an injection directly into the middle ear, through the eardrum (known as intratympanic corticosteroids)....

Non-pharmacological interventions for the prevention of hospitalisations in stable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: component network meta-analysis This is a protocol for a Cochrane Review (intervention). The objectives are as follows: We aim to assess, via component based network meta-analysis, the effects of non-pharmacological intervention components, and their combinations, in people with COPD. Specific objectives are to: estimate the relative effects of components of non-pharmacological interventions, and their combinations for prevention of hospital admissions; estimate the...

Cognitive behavioural therapy without medication for schizophrenia This is a protocol for a Cochrane Review (intervention). The objectives are as follows: To investigate the effects of CBT for schizophrenia when administered without a concomitant pharmacological treatment with antipsychotics. This is a protocol....

Misoprostol for intrauterine device placement This is a protocol for a Cochrane Review (intervention). The objectives are as follows: To examine the effectiveness of misoprostol for routine intrauterine device placement, on patient (e.g. pain, side effects, satisfaction) and provider outcomes (e.g. ease of placement, need for adjunctive placement measures, placement success), compared with placebo or no treatment. This is a protocol....

Red flags to screen for vertebral fracture in patients presenting with low back pain This is a protocol for a Cochrane Review (diagnostic). The objectives are as follows: The objective of this review is to assess the diagnostic accuracy of red flags used to screen for vertebral fracture in patients presenting with low back pain. Where possible, we will report the results of red flags separately for different types of vertebral fracture as follows. Osteoporotic vertebral compression fracture Vertebral traumatic fracture Vertebral stress fracture Secondary objectives The secondary objective of...

Does the type of anaesthesia for recanalisation therapies for acute ischaemic stroke affect patient outcomes? What was the review about? Acute ischaemic stroke is a sudden loss of blood circulation in a specific brain area, caused by a blockage in one of the blood vessels, promoting neurological damage. Urgent (recanalisation) treatment to remove the blockage can be beneficial. We wanted to know whether the type of anaesthesia used for this procedure influences treatment to restore blood flow after blood vessels are blocked (recanalisation therapies). What are recanalisation therapies and...

A meta-ethnography of how children and young people with chronic non-cancer pain and their families experience and understand their condition, pain services, and treatments This is a protocol for a Cochrane Review (qualitative). The objectives are as follows: To synthesise qualitative studies that examine the experiences and perceptions of children with chronic pain and their families regarding chronic pain, treatments, and services to inform the design and delivery of health and social care services, interventions, and future research. To explore whether our review findings help to explain...

Surgical (percutaneous pinning or plate fixation) versus non-surgical interventions for distal radius fractures in adults: an individual participant data review This is a protocol for a Cochrane Review (intervention). The objectives are as follows: To assess the benefits and harms of surgical and non-surgical treatments in adults with distal radius fracture. To examine the interactions between individual-level participant characteristics and the interventions of distal radius fracture. This is a protocol....

Non-opioid analgesics for procedural pain in neonates This is a protocol for a Cochrane Review (intervention). The objectives are as follows: To determine the effects of non-opioid analgesics in neonates (term or preterm) exposed to procedural pain compared to placebo or no drug, non-pharmacological intervention, other analgesics, or different routes of administration. This is a protocol....