Shorter versus longer duration antibiotic regimens for treatment of suspected neonatal sepsis This is a protocol for a Cochrane Review (intervention). The objectives are as follows: To assess the safety and effectiveness of shorter versus longer duration antibiotic regimens for the treatment of suspected neonatal sepsis. This is a protocol....

What are the benefits of transitional discharge care for people with schizophrenia? Key messages – Transitional discharge care (an intervention that supports a person move from a stay in hospital to the community) may make little to no difference in admissions to hospital and quality of life, and may improve how well a person functions in day-to-day life and how happy they are with their treatment when they return home, but we are very uncertain about the results. – The results on costs of running the transitional discharge care program are inconclusive, and the studies provided no...

Vascular access devices for prolonged intravenous therapy regimens in people diagnosed with cancer This is a protocol for a Cochrane Review (intervention). The objectives are as follows: To assess the relative effectiveness and vascular access device (VAD)-related complications of VADs in people requiring prolonged systemic anti-cancer treatment. This is a protocol....

Local corticosteroid injection compared to surgery for carpal tunnel syndrome Key messages – We found very uncertain evidence on improvements in symptoms, function and quality of life after treatment with corticosteroid injection or surgery for carpal tunnel syndrome, from which we could not draw conclusions. – We could not assess differences in unwanted effects, although serious unwanted effects were infrequent. – Electrical studies of nerve function may improve slightly more after surgery than after corticosteroid injection when measured at three months of follow-up (monitoring). What is...

Are there any treatments to prevent harm to the remaining leg in people with amputations resulting from disorders of blood vessels? Key messages • There is not enough evidence to know if any treatment helps to reduce injury to the remaining leg in amputees. • More research is needed into treatments to prevent harm to the remaining leg in this group. Why are amputations of the leg performed? Amputations of the leg are commonly performed due to problems with the blood supply of the leg, typically because of diabetes or problems with the circulation caused by older age, smoking, high blood...

What are healthcare workers' views, experiences and practices regarding their informal use of personal mobile phones to support their work? Key messages • Healthcare workers sometimes use their personal mobile (or 'cell') phones informally to plug gaps in the healthcare system. • Our findings suggest that this can help them work more efficiently. It can also help them be more responsive to patients and health workers' needs. • However, it can also lead to problems for patients and healthcare workers, and it can weaken the healthcare system. What is informal mobile phone use? Healthcare...

Does diabetes increase the risk of tuberculosis? Key messages Having diabetes probably increases the risk of developing tuberculosis disease to about double the population risk (1.5 to 2.4 times increased risk). These results apply to the general adult population; the risk for other groups, such as adolescents and children, is unclear. What is tuberculosis? Tuberculosis (TB) is an infection caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis. It primarily affects the lungs but can also affect other sites in the body. TB spreads through the air when a person with TB disease coughs or sneezes....

Nutritional therapy for reducing disability and improving activities of daily living in people after stroke Key messages ° Nutritional therapy using oral energy and protein supplements may improve daily activities (very uncertain evidence). ° Nutritional therapy using oral energy and protein supplements may not reduce disability (uncertain evidence). ° We identified various types of nutritional interventions for disabilities and daily activities. More high-quality studies are needed to determine the effect of each type of nutritional therapy on disability and daily activities in people after...

Olfactory stimulation for promoting development and preventing morbidity in preterm infants This is a protocol for a Cochrane Review (intervention). The objectives are as follows: To evaluate the benefits and harms of olfactory stimulation with different odorants in the NICU for promoting development and preventing morbidity in preterm infants. This is a protocol....

Care pathways versus usual care for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) This is a protocol for a Cochrane Review (intervention). The objectives are as follows: To assess the effects of care pathways (CPs) compared to usual care/no CPs for people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). This is a protocol....

How accurate are the FIB-4 score and Forns index (non-invasive tests) in diagnosing liver fibrosis (scarring) stages in adults with chronic hepatitis C? Key messages • Both the FIB-4 score and Forns index can be used in the initial phase of investigating whether someone has liver scarring. • It is best to use the FIB-4 score to rule out stage 3 (severe fibrosis) or stage 4 scarring (cirrhosis). • It is best to use the Forns index to diagnose people with stage 2 scarring (significant fibrosis). Why is improving the diagnosis of liver scarring important? Hepatitis C infection is a common cause...

Deep brain stimulation for Tourette's syndrome This is a protocol for a Cochrane Review (intervention). The objectives are as follows: To assess the efficacy and harm of deep brain stimulation for motor symptoms, with psychiatric and behavioural comorbidities, either individually or in combination, in adults and adolescents with Tourette's syndrome compared to placebo, sham intervention, or the best available behavioural and pharmacological treatment. This is a protocol....

Is immunotherapy plus chemotherapy better than chemotherapy alone for older people with non-small cell lung cancer? Key messages • For people 65 years and older with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who have not previously been treated for cancer, adding immunotherapy to chemotherapy prolongs life and extends the time before their cancer progresses. This finding comes from studies that mainly included people between 65 and 75 years old. • We did not find these same beneficial effects of adding immunotherapy to chemotherapy in people over 75 years old. What is advanced non-small...

What are the benefits and harms of tamoxifen for treating people with hepatocellular carcinoma? Key messages We are not sure whether tamoxifen benefits survival, disease progression (disease getting worse), or well-being in people with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (the most common type of liver cancer) when compared with no active treatment, supportive treatment (to relieve symptoms), or a dummy pill. We are not sure whether tamoxifen changes how often serious and non-serious unwanted effects occur in people with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (where the cancer has spread) when...

Are education and psychological therapies effective for managing eczema? Key messages • Face-to-face education for individuals and groups may reduce eczema severity. Using technology to deliver education, such as the internet, may have little or no effect on disease severity. • Using nurse practitioners instead of dermatologists to deliver group education may have lower costs and be similarly effective. • People's circumstances vary and this will affect delivery of, and and how they receive information. Educational and psychological interventions for people with eczema should be developed...

Is transarterial (chemo)embolisation better than systemic chemotherapy for treating bowel cancer that has spread to the liver? Key messages – Transarterial chemoembolisation (abbreviated as TACE) is a method of destroying cancer cells by giving anticancer medicines and tiny beads that block the blood supply to the tumour directly or giving beads that are coated with anticancer medication. TACE may reduce deaths compared with an anticancer medicine that is given by injection into a blood vessel travelling to cells all over the body (called systemic chemotherapy), but the evidence is very...

Alcohol consumption and heart failure: a dose-response meta-analysis This is a protocol for a Cochrane Review (prototype). The objectives are as follows: Main objective To assess the effects of alcohol consumption on the progression to symptomatic (stage C) heart failure in people at risk for heart failure (stage A) or in people with pre-heart failure (stage B). Secondary objectives To assess the effects of alcohol consumption on progression of left ventricular dysfunction in people with stage A or stage B heart failure. We will assess the effect of alcohol consumption on the development of...

Surgery for normal pressure hydrocephalus of unknown cause Key messages - Surgery to move excessive fluid away from the brain (cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)-shunting) likely improves walking speed and disability in the short term (less than six months post-surgery) in people with idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus (iNPH). - CSF-shunting did not cause any deaths, and repeat surgery was rare, but unwanted effects were common in the studies assessed. - More evidence on the effect of CSF-shunting on quality of life is needed. What is idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus? Normal pressure...

Comparing skin treatments for eczema Key messages: ° Strong corticosteroids, JAK inhibitors and tacrolimus 0.1% (all drugs that suppress the immune system) are consistently effective at reducing signs and symptoms of eczema. ° Unwanted effects, such as burning and stinging, are more likely with tacrolimus, pimecrolimus and crisaborole and less likely with corticosteroids; other unwanted effects, such as skin thinning, are only likely when strong corticosteroids are used long term. ° Given uncertainty about long-term effectiveness and safety, other factors such as availability, cost and...

How accurate are routine laboratory tests in predicting mortality and deterioration to severe or critical COVID-19 in people with SARS-CoV-2? What are routine laboratory tests? Routine laboratory tests are a set of commonly performed blood tests that provide information about a patient's health status. These tests can be used to identify disease or monitor health. What did we want to find out? It is important to identify patients, presenting at a doctor's appointment at an outpatient service or at the emergency department who are at high risk of developing severe COVID-19 disease or dying....