Clinical effectiveness of very low calorie diets. Systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials

Appetite ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 87 ◽  
pp. 379
Author(s):  
H. Parretti ◽  
D. Johns ◽  
A. Lewis ◽  
A. Christian ◽  
S. Jebb ◽  
...  
2006 ◽  
Vol 188 (5) ◽  
pp. 410-415 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jaap Wijkstra ◽  
Jeroen Lijmer ◽  
Ferdi J. Balk ◽  
John R. Geddes ◽  
Willem A. Nolen

BackgroundThe optimal pharmacological treatment of unipolar psychotic depression is uncertain.AimsTo compare the clinical effectiveness of pharmacological treatments for patients with unipolar psychotic depression.MethodSystematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials.ResultsTen trials were included in the review. We found no evidence that the combination of an antidepressant with an antipsychotic is more effective than an antidepressant alone. This combination was statistically more effective than an antipsychotic alone.ConclusionsAntidepressant mono-therapy and adding an antipsychotic if the patient does not respond, or starting with the combination of an antidepressant and an antipsychotic, both appear to be appropriate options for patients with unipolar psychotic depression. However, clinically the balance between risks and benefits may suggest the first option should be preferred for many patients. Starting with an antipsychotic alone appears to be inadequate.


2018 ◽  
Vol 25 (7) ◽  
pp. 389-401 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jen-Wu Huang ◽  
Yi-Ying Lin ◽  
Nai-Yuan Wu

Object The purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinical effectiveness of telemedicine on changes in body mass index for overweight and obese people as well as for diabetes and hypertension patients. Methods A systematic review of articles published before 31 August 2014, was conducted using searches of Medline, Cochrane Library, EMBASE, and CINAHL Plus. The inclusion criteria were randomised controlled trials that compared telemedicine interventions with usual care or standard treatment in adults and reported a change in body mass index. A meta-analysis was conducted for eligible studies, and the primary outcome was a change in body mass index. Subgroup analysis was performed for the type of telemedicine, main purpose of intervention, and length of intervention. Results Twenty-five randomised controlled trials comprising 6253 people were included in the qualitative and quantitative analyses. The length of intervention ranged from nine weeks to two years. The meta-analysis revealed significant differences in body mass index changes (pooled difference in means = –0.49, 95% confidence interval –0.63 to –0.34, p < 0.001) between the telemedicine and control groups. The subgroup analyses found that either Internet-based or telephone-based intervention was associated with greater changes in body mass index than in controls. Telemedicine intervention was effective in improving body mass index whether it was used for diabetes control, hypertension control, weight loss, or increasing physical activity and was also effective for people with and without diabetes or hypertension. However, only interventions with a duration ≥ 6 months significantly decreased body mass index compared to controls. Conclusion Both patients with chronic disease and overweight/obese people could benefit from telemedicine interventions. We suggest that an effective telemedicine approach should be longer than six months and emphasise the importance of post-interventional follow-ups.


2021 ◽  
pp. 101498
Author(s):  
LouiseJ. Fangupo ◽  
Jillian J. Haszard ◽  
Andrew N. Reynolds ◽  
Albany W. Lucas ◽  
Deborah R. McIntosh ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. e001129
Author(s):  
Bill Stevenson ◽  
Wubshet Tesfaye ◽  
Julia Christenson ◽  
Cynthia Mathew ◽  
Solomon Abrha ◽  
...  

BackgroundHead lice infestation is a major public health problem around the globe. Its treatment is challenging due to product failures resulting from rapidly emerging resistance to existing treatments, incorrect treatment applications and misdiagnosis. Various head lice treatments with different mechanism of action have been developed and explored over the years, with limited report on systematic assessments of their efficacy and safety. This work aims to present a robust evidence summarising the interventions used in head lice.MethodThis is a systematic review and network meta-analysis which will be reported in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses statement for network meta-analyses. Selected databases, including PubMed, Embase, MEDLINE, Web of Science, CINAHL and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials will be systematically searched for randomised controlled trials exploring head lice treatments. Searches will be limited to trials published in English from database inception till 2021. Grey literature will be identified through Open Grey, AHRQ, Grey Literature Report, Grey Matters, ClinicalTrials.gov, WHO International Clinical Trials Registry and International Standard Randomised Controlled Trials Number registry. Additional studies will be sought from reference lists of included studies. Study screening, selection, data extraction and assessment of methodological quality will be undertaken by two independent reviewers, with disagreements resolved via a third reviewer. The primary outcome measure is the relative risk of cure at 7 and 14 days postinitial treatment. Secondary outcome measures may include adverse drug events, ovicidal activity, treatment compliance and acceptability, and reinfestation. Information from direct and indirect evidence will be used to generate the effect sizes (relative risk) to compare the efficacy and safety of individual head lice treatments against a common comparator (placebo and/or permethrin). Risk of bias assessment will be undertaken by two independent reviewers using the Cochrane Risk of Bias tool and the certainty of evidence assessed using the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluations guideline for network meta-analysis. All quantitative analyses will be conducted using STATA V.16.DiscussionThe evidence generated from this systematic review and meta-analysis is intended for use in evidence-driven treatment of head lice infestations and will be instrumental in informing health professionals, public health practitioners and policy-makers.PROSPERO registration numberCRD42017073375.


2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 41-54
Author(s):  
Ru Wang ◽  
Patricia L. Danielsen ◽  
Magnus S. Ågren ◽  
Janine Duke ◽  
Fiona Wood ◽  
...  

Keloid scars are difficult to manage and remain a therapeutic challenge. Corticosteroid therapy alone or ionising radiation (radiotherapy) alone or combined with surgery are first-line treatments, but the scientific justification for these treatments is unclear. The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials (RCTs) is to assess the effects of intralesional corticosteroid injection in treating keloids or preventing their recurrence after surgical removal. Searches for RCTs were conducted through the MEDLINE, EMBASE, EBSCO and Cochrane databases from January 1974 to September 2017. Two authors independently reviewed study eligibility, extracted data, analysed the results, and assessed methodological quality. Sixteen RCTs that included more than 814 patients were scrutinised. The quality of evidence for most outcomes was moderate to high. In 10 RCTs, corticosteroid intralesional injections were compared with 5-fluorouracil, etanercept, cryosurgery, botulinum toxin, topical corticosteroid under a silicone dressing, and radiotherapy. Corticosteroid intralesional injections were more effective than radiotherapy (RR 3.3, 95% CI: 1.4–8.1) but equipotent with the other interventions. In conjunction with keloid excision, corticosteroid treatment was compared with radiotherapy, interferon α-2b and verapamil. In two RCTs, there were fewer keloid recurrences (RR 0.43, 95% CI: 0.21–0.89) demonstrated with adjuvant radiotherapy than with corticosteroid injections. More high-quality, large-scale RCTs are required to establish the effectiveness of corticosteroids and other therapies in keloid management.


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