Robot-assisted surgery for benign and malignant liver lesions This is a protocol for a Cochrane Review (intervention). The objectives are as follows: To evaluate the benefits and harms of robotic liver resections compared with open and laparoscopic liver resections, for benign and malignant hepatic lesions. This is a protocol....

Rhythmic auditory stimulation for motor rehabilitation in Parkinson’s disease This is a protocol for a Cochrane Review (intervention). The objectives are as follows: To assess the effects of rhythmic auditory stimulation on motor rehabilitation in Parkinson's disease. This is a protocol....

Smartphone apps for people with overweight or obesity Key messages - The results we identified are insufficient to show that smartphone apps help teenagers and adults with overweight or obesity. When we compared smartphone apps to doing nothing or personal coaching, the differences we found were small and might not have an important impact on everyday life. - We do not have much information about teenagers. We also do not know how well smartphone apps work in different countries, or for people who have less money or different backgrounds. - Thirty-four studies on this topic are ongoing, and...

Infliximab for the maintenance of successful treatment in Crohn's Disease Key messages Infliximab is probably superior to placebo for preventing disease relapse for patients who have shown response to infliximab. It may also be superior to placebo for preventing loss of response in patients with fistulating disease. It may be similar to placebo in terms of total adverse events. Infliximab combined with purine analogues is probably superior to purine analogues alone for preventing disease relapse, both clinically and endoscopically, for patients in remission, who have shown response to...

Vagus nerve stimulation to improve post-stroke motor function and activity This is a protocol for a Cochrane Review (intervention). The objectives are as follows: To assess the effectiveness and safety of vagus nerve stimulation as an add-on treatment to rehabilitate people with post-stroke motor function impairments and activity limitations. This is a protocol....

Does meditation help prevent people from developing cardiovascular disease or from worsening cardiovascular disease? Key messages · We looked primarily at two main types of meditation, mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) and transcendental meditation (TM), compared to receiving something else or nothing else (referred to as active and inactive comparison groups, respectively). We found inconsistent results for many of the outcomes of interest. · Compared to inactive comparators, MBIs probably reduce stress, and may also reduce anxiety and depression and blood pressure. TM may reduce blood...

Oestrogen therapy for preventing pelvic organ prolapse in postmenopausal women This is a protocol for a Cochrane Review (intervention). The objectives are as follows: To assess the effects of local and systemic oestrogen therapy in preventing pelvic organ prolapse in postmenopausal women. This is a protocol....

Are mobile health technologies useful for improving walking distance in people with intermittent claudication? Key messages Large, well-designed studies of mobile health (mhealth) technologies are needed to measure the distance a person with intermittent claudication can walk pain-free and the maximum distance they can walk. What is the condition? In peripheral arterial disease (PAD), the large blood vessels of the legs are narrowed or blocked, which makes it more difficult for oxygen from the blood to get to the muscles when needed. PAD may have no symptoms or may cause a muscle pain called...

What is the best method for rescuing clotted haemodialysis access? Key messages • There was insufficient evidence to suggest that a specific intervention was better than another for the outcomes of failure, function at 30 days, technical success and adverse events (both major and minor). • Function at 30 days may improve with surgical compared to mechanical thrombectomy; however, the evidence is very uncertain. • Death, access dysfunction, successful dialysis, and SONG (Standardised Outcomes in Nephrology) outcomes were rarely reported. Why is it important to treat thrombosed (clotted)...

Endovascular thrombectomy with versus without intravascular thrombolysis for acute ischaemic stroke This is a protocol for a Cochrane Review (intervention). The objectives are as follows: To assess the effects of receiving endovascular thrombectomy with intravascular thrombolysis versus without intravascular thrombolysis on functional independence (defined as a modified Rankin Scale score (mRS) of < 3) at up to 90 days in people with acute ischaemic stroke. This is a protocol....

What are the benefits and risks of nonsurgical and surgical treatments for Morton's neuroma (pain in the forefoot on walking)? Key messages • The benefits and risks of nonsurgical and surgical treatments for Morton's neuroma (nerve enlargement in the foot that causes pain on walking) are unclear. • Well-designed studies are required to determine the benefits and risks of treatments for Morton's neuroma. What is Morton's neuroma? Morton's neuroma occurs when a nerve in the ball of the foot (the forefoot, i.e. the area connected to the toes) enlarges and causes pain. Its cause is unknown....

Physical exercise training to increase cardiorespiratory fitness in people with spinal cord injury This is a protocol for a Cochrane Review (intervention). The objectives are as follows: This review aims to determine the effects (benefits and harms) of physical exercise training for increasing cardiorespiratory fitness compared with control (i.e. no intervention or placebo intervention) in people with spinal cord injury. This is a protocol....

Positions adopted by mothers in late pregnancy to improve the position of the baby Key messages We found no evidence for guiding practice with respect to the best positions for the mother to adopt in late pregnancy to change the position of the baby. What is the issue? The ideal position for the baby during labour and birth is with the baby's well-flexed head downwards, and the back of the head facing forwards (occipito-anterior). When the back of the baby's head faces backwards or to the side, labour may be more difficult. Various positions adopted by the mother, such as hands-knees or...

Antipsychotics for antipsychotic-naïve people with psychosis This is a protocol for a Cochrane Review (intervention). The objectives are as follows: To investigate the efficacy and side effects of antipsychotics for antipsychotic-naïve people with psychosis. This is a protocol....

Cognitive behavioural therapy without antipsychotics for people with schizophrenia Key messages • There is not enough information to allow any strong conclusions about cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) without medication for people with schizophrenia. • Additional studies are needed to look at the effectiveness and safety of CBT without medication for people with schizophrenia. Introduction Schizophrenia is a severe mental disorder. People with the illness struggle to differentiate between their own thoughts, beliefs, and ideas versus reality. For example, they may hear voices in their...

How useful is ultrasound for diagnosing giant cell arteritis? Key messages • Whether ultrasound (US) can replace biopsy for the diagnosis of giant cell arteritis (GCA) is uncertain. • We suggest that future studies use a different set of criteria to determine whether patients have GCA to allow US and biopsy to be compared more reliably. What is giant cell arteritis? Giant cell arteritis (GCA) is an inflammatory disease that affects blood vessels. It causes swelling and blockage of the arteries, particularly around the eye and at the side of the head, which can lead to sudden and permanent...

Is changing dietary fat intake beneficial or harmful for people with gallstones? Key message – Evidence about the effects of dietary fat intake on the wellbeing of people with gallstones is uncertain. What are gallstones? Gallstones, also known as cholelithiasis, are deposits from digestive fluid which consist of solidified substances such as cholesterol and bile pigments that are found in bile (a fluid that breaks down fats and is made and released by the liver and stored in the gallbladder). Cholesterol (a fat-like substance) circulates in the blood and all the body's cells contain...

Surgical and non-surgical procedures for management of pituitary tumours that secrete growth hormones in adults Key messages - The evidence on the effects of surgical and non-surgical (for example, medication) approaches for the management of pituitary tumours that secrete growth hormone is very limited. - Outcomes that are particularly important for people with the disease, such as disease-related complications, side effects and disease recurrence, were not, or only sparsely, reported. - When reported, we found that surgery may have little or no effect on the outcomes compared to...

Is LipiFlow more effective than other dry eye disease treatments? Key messages • LipiFlow performs similarly to other commonly used DED treatments with regard to DED signs and symptoms, but the evidence is very uncertain. • LipiFlow did not appear to cause any adverse events. What is dry eye disease? Dry eye disease is a common condition with several risk factors, including patient age, sex, race, hormonal imbalances, digital device use, and meibomian gland dysfunction. Meibomian gland dysfunction is the primary cause of dry eye disease. Meibomian glands in the eyelids, when functioning...

Is favipiravir useful in treating people with COVID‐19? Key messages Due to a lack of robust evidence, we are unclear if favipiravir provides any benefit in the treatment of people with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infections who do not require hospital admission, as well as those admitted to hospital. Favipiravir might lead to mild side effects, but doesn't seem to cause major or severe side effects. What is favipiravir? Favipiravir is a medicine that can fight viruses. It is usually taken by mouth. Originally used for treating other viral infections, favipiravir has been suggested...