Interventions for alcohol cessation in people with atrial fibrillation This is a protocol for a Cochrane Review (intervention). The objectives are as follows: To assess the effects of interventions for alcohol cessation compared to usual treatment for people with atrial fibrillation. This is a protocol....

Factors that influence the provision of home- based rehabilitation services for people needing rehabilitation: a qualitative evidence synthesis The aim of this Cochrane qualitative evidence synthesis was to explore factors that influence rehabilitation services that are delivered in people’s own homes. The synthesis looked at services that were delivered in person as well as services that were delivered through telerehabilitation. To answer this question, we analysed 53 qualitative studies. Key messages Home-based rehabilitation, delivered in-person or through telerehabilitation, can be...

Pharmacological interventions to treat adults with cancer-related fatigue This is a protocol for a Cochrane Review (intervention). The objectives are as follows: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of pharmacological interventions aimed at treating cancer-related fatigue in adults, compared to a) no intervention, placebo, or b) each other. This is a protocol....

Antibiotics for children with a neurodisability and long-term lung infection 'Neurodisability' refers to a group of conditions that result primarily from a neurological problem (e.g. cerebral palsy), neuromuscular problem (e.g. a muscular dystrophy) or developmental problems (e.g. developmental impairment, Down syndrome). Children and young people with these conditions may have similar problems with mobility, feeding and coughing. Chest and breathing problems (including lung infections) are commonly experienced by children and young people with neurodisabilities and are often a cause for...

Do services to support the education of children and teenagers with chronic health conditions help to engage them more in school activities and improve learning outcomes? Key Messages - We are still unclear of the effect of education support interventions on school engagement, learning outcomes and the likelihood of students to return to school (during periods of wellness). - There is some evidence that education support interventions may improve mental health slightly, as measured in two studies as self-esteem, but quality of life was not measured in the studies. - We need more good quality...

Can combined mechanical and oral antibiotic bowel preparation reduce the risk of complications after scheduled colon or rectal resections compared with purely mechanical, purely oral antibiotic or no bowel preparation? Key messages - A combined mechanical (using laxatives) and oral antibiotic bowel preparation probably reduces the occurrence of infections of the surgical site (wound infections and infections in the abdominal cavity) as well as the likelihood of anastomotic leakage (leakage of the suture connection of the bowel) compared with mechanical bowel preparation alone. - Oral...

Clinical effectiveness of telepharmacy services in patients with non‐communicable diseases in ambulatory care settings This is a protocol for a Cochrane Review (intervention). The objectives are as follows: To assess the clinical effectiveness of telepharmacy services on clinical outcomes and medication adherence in patients with non-communicable diseases in ambulatory care settings. This is a protocol....

Do digital technologies help people with cystic fibrosis stick to their inhaled treatments? Key messages In the short term, technology may help people with cystic fibrosis (CF) adhere (or 'stick to') their inhaled treatments, but have little or no effect on lung function or pulmonary exacerbations (flare-ups of disease). In the medium term, combining digital monitoring with tailored support via an online platform probably encourages people to adhere to inhaled treatment and reduces treatment burden (demands on people with CF made by their healthcare needs and the impact this has on their...

Antiepileptic drugs for treating seizures in people with brain tumours This is a protocol for a Cochrane Review (intervention). The objectives are as follows: To compare the efficacy and tolerability of antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) taken as monotherapy or add-on therapy for seizures in people with brain tumours. This is a protocol....

What are the benefits and risks of erythromycin given before endoscopy for people with intestinal bleeding? Key messages • Erythromycin may improve the quality of visualisation of the stomach and may also slightly reduce the need for blood transfusion. • Larger, well-designed studies are needed to give better estimates of the benefits and potential harms of different doses of erythromycin in people with upper gastrointestinal bleeding. Introduction to the review topic The upper gastrointestinal tract includes the oesophagus (food pipe), stomach, and duodenum (first part of the small...

Local steroid injection for carpal tunnel syndrome Key messages Corticosteroid injection into the wrist probably improves symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome (compression of a nerve in the wrist) and function of the hand for up to six months. Quality of life assessments, and tests of nerve conduction measured up to three months after injection, may also improve. Corticosteroid injection may reduce the need for surgery, assessed at one-year follow-up. Side effects appear to be rare. However, spontaneous improvement without treatment can occur in up to a third of people. What is carpal tunnel...

Liver and spleen stiffness for the diagnosis of oesophageal varices in adults with chronic liver disease This is a protocol for a Cochrane Review (diagnostic). The objectives are as follows: To assess the diagnostic accuracy of liver stiffness and spleen stiffness, separately or in combination, as measured by vibration-controlled transient elastography (VCTE) in detection of any oesophageal varices in adults with chronic liver disease. We will regard a combination of tests as positive when at least one is positive. To compare the diagnostic accuracy of individual tests (liver stiffness and...

Immunosuppressive and immunomodulatory therapies for idiopathic inflammatory myopathies This is a protocol for a Cochrane Review (intervention). The objectives are as follows: This protocol is for two separate reviews to assess the effects (benefits and harms) of immunosuppressant and immunomodulatory treatments for the idiopathic inflammatory myopathies. Targeted treatments To assess the effects (benefits and harms) of targeted immunosuppressant and immunomodulatory treatments for the idiopathic inflammatory myopathies: dermatomyositis (DM, including juvenile dermatomyositis, jDM), immune...

Endovascular treatment for thromboangiitis obliterans (Buerger’s disease) This is a protocol for a Cochrane Review (intervention). The objectives are as follows: To assess the effectiveness and safety of endovascular treatment for thromboangiitis obliterans (Buerger’s disease). This is a protocol....

Calcium and vitamin D for improving bone health in healthy premenopausal women Key messages The evidence suggests that calcium, vitamin D, or calcium plus vitamin D supplementation has no effect on bone mineral density at any site (hip or spine) in healthy premenopausal women. What is osteoporosis? Osteoporosis is characterised by low levels of calcium and other types of minerals in the bones (called bone mineral density). This causes holes to form inside the bones and the outer walls of the bone to become thin making the bones more fragile, which may lead to increased fractures and breaks....

Therapeutic donor hypothermia following brain death to improve the quality of transplanted organs This is a protocol for a Cochrane Review (intervention). The objectives are as follows: This review aims to examine the benefits and harms of therapeutic donor hypothermia in recipients or organs donated after brain death. This is a protocol....

Are concentrated antibodies from people who have recovered from COVID-19 or animals an effective treatment for people with COVID-19? Key messages • We do not know whether hyperimmune immunoglobulin (a preparation made with antibodies from people who have recovered from COVID-19) reduces deaths or serious unwanted effects in people with moderate to severe COVID-19. But a similar preparation made by injecting animals with certain antibodies may reduce deaths, and serious unwanted effects and may stop people’s condition getting worse. • We found no studies that investigated people with COVID-19...

Interventions to improve sanitation for preventing diarrhoea What is the aim of this review? The aim of this Cochrane Review was to assess if diarrhoea is reduced by sanitation interventions to provide, upgrade, or encourage people to use toilets or latrines. We collected and analysed all relevant studies of certain prespecified rigorous study design types and found 51 studies involving 238,535 people. Key messages We found evidence that sanitation interventions may be protective against diarrhoea. However, the effects varied by the type of intervention and setting, and the certainty of the...

Immunoglobulin treatment for Kawasaki disease Key message In children with Kawasaki disease, high-dose intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) regimens: • probably reduce the risk of coronary artery abnormalities formation compared to aspirin or medium- or low-dose IVIG regimens; • show no clear safety concerns; • probably reduce the duration of fever, but there was little or no difference detected in the need for additional treatment compared to aspirin; • may reduce the duration of fever and need for additional treatment compared to medium- or low-dose IVIG. Why is this question important?...

Prognostic models for colorectal cancer incidence and mortality in patients with inflammatory bowel disease This is a protocol for a Cochrane Review (prognosis). The objectives are as follows: Primary objectives The primary objectives are to identify, describe, and appraise all prognostic models developed to predict colorectal cancer incidence or mortality in patients with IBD, at any time point after the clinical diagnosis of IBD, and if possible meta-analyse their predictive performances. Investigation of sources of heterogeneity between studies Sources of heterogeneity to be investigated...