scholarly journals Psychotherapeutic benefits of compassion-focused therapy: an early systematic review

2014 ◽  
Vol 45 (5) ◽  
pp. 927-945 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Leaviss ◽  
L. Uttley

Background.Compassion-focused therapy (CFT) is a relatively novel form of psychotherapy that was developed for people who have mental health problems primarily linked to high shame and self-criticism. The aim of this early systematic review was to draw together the current research evidence of the effectiveness of CFT as a psychotherapeutic intervention, and to provide recommendations that may inform the development of further trials.Method.A comprehensive search of electronic databases was undertaken to systematically identify literature relating to the effectiveness of CFT as a psychotherapeutic intervention. Reference lists of key journals were hand searched and contact with experts in the field was made to identify unpublished data.Results.Fourteen studies were included in the review, including three randomized controlled studies. The findings from the included studies were, in the most part, favourable to CFT, and in particular seemed to be effective for people who were high in self-criticism.Conclusions.CFT shows promise as an intervention for mood disorders, particularly those high in self-criticism. However, more large-scale, high-quality trials are needed before it can be considered evidence-based practice. The review highlights issues from the current evidence that may be used to inform such trials.

2016 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 332-336 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elisa F. Ogawa ◽  
Tongjian You ◽  
Suzanne G. Leveille

This paper provides a systematic review of current research findings using exergaming as a treatment for improving cognition and dual-task function in older adults. A literature search was conducted to collect exergaming intervention studies that were either randomized controlled or uncontrolled studies. Of the seven identified studies (five randomized controlled studies and two uncontrolled studies), three studies focused on cognitive function alone, two studies focused on dual-task function alone, and two studies measured both cognitive function and dual-task function. Current evidence supports that exergaming improves cognitive function and dual-task function, which potentially leads to fall prevention. However, it is unclear whether exergaming, which involves both cognitive input and physical exercise, has additional benefits compared with traditional physical exercise alone. Further studies should include traditional exercise as a control group to identify these potential, additional benefits.


VASA ◽  
2020 ◽  
pp. 1-6
Author(s):  
Hanji Zhang ◽  
Dexin Yin ◽  
Yue Zhao ◽  
Yezhou Li ◽  
Dejiang Yao ◽  
...  

Summary: Our meta-analysis focused on the relationship between homocysteine (Hcy) level and the incidence of aneurysms and looked at the relationship between smoking, hypertension and aneurysms. A systematic literature search of Pubmed, Web of Science, and Embase databases (up to March 31, 2020) resulted in the identification of 19 studies, including 2,629 aneurysm patients and 6,497 healthy participants. Combined analysis of the included studies showed that number of smoking, hypertension and hyperhomocysteinemia (HHcy) in aneurysm patients was higher than that in the control groups, and the total plasma Hcy level in aneurysm patients was also higher. These findings suggest that smoking, hypertension and HHcy may be risk factors for the development and progression of aneurysms. Although the heterogeneity of meta-analysis was significant, it was found that the heterogeneity might come from the difference between race and disease species through subgroup analysis. Large-scale randomized controlled studies of single species and single disease species are needed in the future to supplement the accuracy of the results.


Life ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 121
Author(s):  
Sarah Cheour ◽  
Chouaib Cheour ◽  
Nicola Luigi Bragazzi ◽  
Liye Zou ◽  
Armin H. Paravlic ◽  
...  

Background: The objectives of this systematic review and meta-analysis were to quantify the effectiveness of endurance training (ET) on aerobic performance (i.e., peak oxygen uptake (VO2peak)) in healthy and unhealthy middle and very old adults aged 70 years and older, and to provide dose–response relationships of training prescription variables (in terms of frequency, and volume). Methods: Several scholarly databases (i.e., PubMed/MEDLINE, SpringerLink, ScienceDirect Journals, and Taylor & Francis Online—Journals) were searched, identifying randomized controlled studies that investigated the effectiveness of ET on VO2peak in older adults. Standardized mean differences (SMD) were calculated. Results: In terms of changes differences between experimental and control group, ET produced significant large effects on VO2peak performance (SMD = 2.64 (95%CI 0.97–4.31)). The moderator analysis revealed that “health status” variable moderated ET effect onVO2peak performance. More specifically, ET produced larger SMD magnitudes on VO2peak performance in healthy compared with unhealthy individuals. With regard to the dose–response relationships, findings from the meta-regression showed that none of the included training prescription variables predicted ET effects on VO2peak performance. Conclusions: ET is an effective mean for improving aerobic performance in healthy older adults when compared with their unhealthy counterparts.


Author(s):  
Ahmad Shamabadi ◽  
Shahin Akhondzadeh

Abstract Pharmacotherapy is the conventional treatment for depression, with only half of the patients responding to the first trial of monotherapy with first-line medicines. One way to overcome this resistance is to use complementary and alternative medicine. The antidepressant effects of Lavandula angustifolia, which is commonly called lavender, have been investigated in previous studies. This study aims to provide the first systematic review of lavender in treating patients with depression diagnosis. ISI Web of Science, Scopus, PubMed, Embase, PsycINFO, Google Scholar, and three trial registries were searched until May 2020 to find randomized controlled trials on lavender for depressed patients. The primary outcome was difference between the intervention and control groups in changing depression scores from baseline to endpoint. The included studies were assessed for effect size and methodological quality. Seven clinical trials were identified, in which 852 patients were studied. In six trials, the effectiveness of lavender in treating depression was reported, as being more pronounced adjunct to a typical antidepressant in one study. Significant reported side effects include headaches and eructation. Lavender is beneficial, tolerable, and safe in treating depression. Despite obtaining promising results, they are not enough to recommend prescribing lavender to depressed patients. Further high-quality, large-scale studies for rectifying the shortcomings of existing studies are recommended.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Penglei Yang ◽  
Jing Wang ◽  
Ruiqiang Zheng ◽  
Rui Tan ◽  
Xianghui Li ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: Convalescent plasma treatment of severe and critically ill Corona Virus Disease 2019(COVID-19) patients is still controversial.Objective: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of convalescent plasma in patients with severe COVID-19 infection and critically ill patients, We performed a meta-analysis and systematic review of convalescent plasma therapy in severe and critically ill COVID-19 patients.Methods: We conducted a literature search in electronic data and citations of previously published systematic reviews. We included only randomized controlled studies on convalescent plasma for the treatment of severe and critically ill COVID-19 patients. Results: A total of 7 randomized controlled trials and 1363 patients were included in the meta-analysis. Compared to patients of the control group, there was no difference in clinical improvement (Four studies, RR 1.06, 95% CI 0.96 to 1.17, p = 0.22, moderate certainty) and mortality (seven studies, RR 0.86, 95% CI 0.66 to 1.11, p = 0.48, moderate certainty) for patients of convalescent plasma therapy group.Conclusion: Convalescent plasma does not reduce the improvement of symptoms and the risk of death in severely infected and critically ill COVID-19 patients


2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 ◽  
pp. 1-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zeng-Hua Bai ◽  
Zhi-Xing Zhang ◽  
Chun-Ri Li ◽  
Mei Wang ◽  
Meong-Ju Kim ◽  
...  

There were applications of eye acupuncture for stroke patients. Unfortunately, similar to many other Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) treatments, it lacks comprehensive evaluation and system review for its effect and safety.Objective. This study is a systematic review to appraise the safety and effectiveness of eye acupuncture for stroke.Methods. “Eye acupuncture therapy” in eleven databases was searched by randomized controlled trials and quasi-randomized controlled trials. The search activity was ended in April 2014. The data were extracted and assessed by three independent authors. Rev Man 5.0 software was used for data analysis with effect estimate presented as relative risk (RR) and mean difference (MD) with a 95% confidence interval.Results. Sixteen trials (1120 patients) were involved with generally poor methodological quality. The study indicated that when eye acupuncture was combined with western medicine compared to western medicine, there was a significant difference in the areas of mental state, swallow function, and NDS. When eye acupuncture was combined with western medicine and rehabilitation compared to western medicine and rehabilitation, there was significant difference in the changes of SSS, FMA, and constipation symptoms evaluation. No adverse events or side effects have been reported.Conclusions. The current evidence is insufficient and the rigorously designed trials are warranted.


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