GEM/cochrane-simplification huggingface dataset:
Abstract: A total of 16 randomised trials with 1326 patients were included. One trial with 42 participants compared phyllanthus with placebo. The trial found no significant difference in HBeAg seroconversion after the end of treatment (RR 0.9; 95% CI 0.73 to 1.25) or follow-up (RR 1.00; 95% CI 0.63 to 1.60). No other outcomes could be assessed. Fifteen trials compared phyllanthus plus an antiviral drug like interferon alpha, lamivudine, adefovir dipivoxil, thymosin, vidarabine, or conventional treatment with the same antiviral drug alone. Phyllanthus did significantly affect serum HBV DNA (RR 0.69; 95% CI 0.52 to 0.91, P = 0.008; I2 = 71%), serum HBeAg (RR 0.70; 95% CI 0.60 to 0.81, P < 0.00001; I2 = 68%), and HBeAg seroconversion (RR 0.77; 95% CI 0.63 to 0.92, P = 0.005; I2 = 78%), but the heterogeneity was substantial. The result obtained regarding serum HBV DNA was not supported by trial sequential analysis. None of the trials reported mortality and hepatitis B-related morbidity, quality of life, or liver histology. Only two trials reported adverse events with numbers without significant differences. No serious adverse events were reported. There is no convincing evidence that phyllanthus compared with placebo benefits patients with chronic HBV infection. Phyllanthus plus an antiviral drug may be better than the same antiviral drug alone. However, heterogeneity, systematic errors, and random errors question the validity of the results. Clinical trials with large sample size and low risk of bias are needed to confirm our findings. Species of phyllanthus should be reported in future trials, and a dose-finding design is warranted.

Plain-language summary: The objective of this review was to evaluate the benefits and harms of phyllanthus species for patients with chronic HBV infection. Phyllanthus species appear to be safe and may potentially have effects on the clearance of viral markers in patients with HBV infection. However, all of the trials evaluated in this review were of low methodology quality, ie, have high risk of bias, and there was a risk of random errors in the majority of comparisons. Furthermore, all analyses showed substantial heterogeneity. Accordingly, randomised clinical trials with low risk of bias and large sample size should be conducted to confirm the effects of phyllanthus species before clinical use is considered.
Abstract: Five studies (338 patients) were included, four studies compared ESWL to PCNL and one compared ESWL with RIRS. Random sequence generation was reported in three studies and unclear in two. Allocation concealment was not reported in any of the included studies. Blinding of participants and investigators could not be undertaken due to the nature of the interventions; blinding of outcome assessors was not reported. Reporting bias was judged to be low risk in all studies. One study was funded by industry and in one study the number of participants in each group was unbalanced. The success of treatment at three months was significantly greater in the PCNL compared to the ESWL group (3 studies, 201 participants: RR 0.46, 95% CI 0.35 to 0.62). Re-treatment (1 study, 122 participants: RR 1.81, 95% CI 0.66 to 4.99) and using auxiliary procedures (2 studies, 184 participants: RR 9.06, 95% CI 1.20 to 68.64) was significantly increased with ESWL group compared to PCNL. The efficiency quotient (EQ; used to assess the effectiveness of procedures) higher for PCNL than ESWL; however EQ decreased when stone size increased. Duration of treatment (MD -36.00 min, 95% CI -54.10 to -17.90) and hospital stay (1 study, 49 participants: MD -3.30 days, 95% CI -5.45 to -1.15) were significantly shorter in the ESWL group. Overall more complications were reported with PCNL, however we were unable to meta-analyse the included studies due to the differing outcomes reported and the timing of the outcome measurements. One study compared ESWL versus RIRS for lower pole kidney stones. The success of treatment was not significantly different at the end of the third month (58 participants: RR 0.91, 95% CI 0.64 to 1.30). Mean procedural time and mean hospital stay was reported to be longer in the RIRS group. Results from five small studies, with low methodological quality, indicated ESWL is less effective for kidney stones than PCNL but not significantly different from RIRS. Hospital stay and duration of treatment was less with ESWL. Larger RCTs with high methodological quality are required to investigate the effectiveness and complications of ESWL for kidney stones compared to PCNL if there is any technological progress in the non-invasive elimination of the residual fragments. Moreover, further research is required for the outcomes of ESWL and RIRS in lower and non-lower pole studies including PCNL versus RIRS.

Plain-language summary: This review aimed to compare the effectiveness and complications between ESWL and stones removing using the nephroscopy through the skin at kidney level (PCNL) or ureteroscope through the bladder and ureter to the kidney (RIRS). Five small randomised studies (338 patients) were included. Four studies compared ESWL with PCNL and one study compared ESWL with RIRS. Patients with kidney stones who undergo PCNL have a higher success rate than ESWL whereas RIRS was not significantly different from ESWL. However, ESWL patients spent less time in hospital, duration of treatment was shorter and there were fewer complications.
Abstract: There were two small randomised controlled trials including a total of 23 infants eligible for inclusion in the review. Only one trial involving 16 infants included in the analysis reported on either of the primary outcomes of the review. This found no difference in failure of modality between NIV-NAVA and NIPPV (RR 0.33, 95% CI 0.02 to 7.14; RD −0.13, 95% CI -0.41 to 0.16; 1 study, 16 infants; heterogeneity not applicable). Both trials reported on secondary outcomes of the review, specific for cross-over trials (total 22 infants; 1 excluded due to failure of initial modality). One study involving seven infants reported a significant reduction in maximum FiO₂ with NIV-NAVA compared to NIPPV (MD −4.29, 95% CI −5.47 to −3.11; heterogeneity not applicable). There was no difference in maximum electric activity of the diaphragm (Edi) signal between modalities (MD −1.75, 95% CI −3.75 to 0.26; I² = 0%) and a significant increase in respiratory rate with NIV-NAVA compared to NIPPV (MD 7.22, 95% CI 0.21 to 14.22; I² = 72%) on a meta-analysis of two studies involving a total of 22 infants. The included studies did not report on other outcomes of interest. Due to limited data and very low certainty evidence, we were unable to determine if diaphragm-triggered non-invasive respiratory support is effective or safe in preventing respiratory failure in preterm infants. Large, adequately powered randomised controlled trials are needed to determine if diaphragm-triggered non-invasive respiratory support in preterm infants is effective or safe.

Plain-language summary: We found 15 studies that assessed the effect of diaphragm-triggered non-invasive respiratory support in infants through searches of medical databases up to 10 May 2019. Of these 15, two studies (involving a total of 23 preterm infants) were eligible for inclusion in the review. Ten studies were either awaiting publication or are ongoing. There is limited data from randomised controlled trials to determine the effect of diaphragm-triggered non-invasive respiratory support on important outcomes. We were able to include only two small randomised controlled trials in the review. Both studies involved infants switching from one type of support to the other and were focused on short-term changes in breathing patterns. We were not able to make any meaningful conclusions in this review due to limited data and very low quality evidence. Large, high-quality studies are needed to determine whether diaphragm-triggered non-invasive respiratory support can prevent respiratory failure.
Abstract: We identified 26 trials (2736 patients). Twenty trials investigated pTE (thymostimulin or thymosin fraction 5) and six trials investigated sTP (thymopentin or thymosin α1). Twenty-one trials reported results for OS, six for DFS, 14 for TR, nine for AE and 10  for safety of pTE and sTP. Addition of pTE conferred no benefit on OS (RR 1.00, 95% CI 0.79 to 1.25); DFS (RR 0.97, 95% CI 0.82 to 1.16); or TR (RR 1.07, 95% CI 0.92 to 1.25). Heterogeneity was moderate to high for all these outcomes. For thymosin α1 the pooled RR for OS was 1.21 (95% CI 0.94 to 1.56, P = 0.14), with low heterogeneity; and 3.37 (95% CI 0.66 to 17.30, P = 0.15) for DFS, with moderate heterogeneity. The pTE reduced the risk of severe infectious complications (RR 0.54, 95% CI 0.38 to 0.78, P = 0.0008; I² = 0%). The RR for severe neutropenia in patients treated with thymostimulin was 0.55 (95% CI 0.25 to 1.23,  P = 0.15). Tolerability of pTE and sTP was good. Most of the trials had at least a moderate risk of bias. Overall, we found neither evidence that the addition of pTE to antineoplastic treatment reduced the risk of death or disease progression nor that it improved the rate of tumour responses to antineoplastic treatment. For thymosin α1, there was a trend for a reduced risk of dying and of improved DFS. There was preliminary evidence that pTE lowered the risk of severe infectious complications in patients undergoing chemotherapy or radiotherapy.

Plain-language summary: This review looked at the evidence from 26 clinical trials with a total of 2736 adult cancer patients. Many of the trials were small and of moderate quality. Only three studies were less than 10 years old. Thymosin α1 is a synthetic peptide that shows some promise as a treatment option for patients with metastatic melanoma when used in addition to chemotherapy. Severe problems occur during chemotherapy and radiotherapy due to low white blood cell counts and infections. These were reduced by using purified thymus extracts. However, the use of purified thymus extracts should be investigated more thoroughly before the extracts are used routinely in patients. The findings were not conclusive and caution is advised. Overall, thymic peptides seem to be well tolerated.
Abstract: Six trials (1343 participants) of risperidone as monotherapy or as adjunctive treatment to lithium, or an anticonvulsant, were identified. Permitted doses were consistent  with those recommended by the manufacturers of Haldol (haloperidol) and Risperdal (risperidone) for treatment of mania and trials involving haloperidol allowed antiparkinsonian treatment. Risperidone monotherapy was more effective than placebo in reducing manic symptoms, using the Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS) (weighted mean difference (WMD) -5.75, 95% confidence interval (CI) -7.46 to -4.04, P<0.00001; 2 trials) and in leading to response, remission and sustained remission. Effect sizes for monotherapy and adjunctive treatment comparisons were similar. Low levels of baseline depression precluded reliable assessment of efficacy for treatment of depressive symptoms. Risperidone as monotherapy and as adjunctive treatment was more acceptable than placebo, with lower incidence of failure to complete treatment (RR 0.66, 95% CI 0.52 to 0.82, P = 0.0003; 5 trials). Overall risperidone caused more weight gain, extrapyramidal disorder, sedation and increase in prolactin level than placebo. There was no evidence of a difference in efficacy between risperidone and haloperidol either as monotherapy or as adjunctive treatment. The acceptability of risperidone and haloperidol in incidence of failure to complete treatment was comparable. Overall risperidone caused more weight gain than haloperidol but less extrapyramidal disorder and comparable sedation. Risperidone, as monotherapy and adjunctive treatment, is effective in reducing manic symptoms. The main adverse effects are weight gain, extrapyramidal effects and sedation. Risperidone is comparable in efficacy to haloperidol. Higher quality trials are required to provide more reliable and precise estimates of its costs and benefits.

Plain-language summary: This review included six trials and investigated the efficacy and tolerability of risperidone, an atypical antipsychotic, as treatment for mania compared to placebo or other medicines. High withdrawal rates from the trials limit the confidence that can be placed on the results. Risperidone, both as monotherapy and combined with lithium, or an anticonvulsant, was more effective at reducing manic symptoms than placebo but caused more weight gain, sedation and elevation of prolactin levels. The efficacy of risperidone was comparable to that of haloperidol both as monotherapy and as adjunctive treatments to lithium, or an anticonvulsant. Risperidone caused less movement disorders than haloperidol but there was some evidence for greater weight gain.
Abstract: This update included 49 trials containing 12,045 participants. Risk of treatment failure was higher with short courses of antibiotics (OR 1.34, 95% CI 1.15 to 1.55) at one month after initiation of therapy (21% failure with short-course treatment and 18% with long-course; absolute difference of 3% between groups). There were no differences found when examining treatment with ceftriaxone for less than seven days (30% failure in those receiving ceftriaxone and 27% in short-acting antibiotics administered for seven days or more) or azithromycin for less than seven days (18% failure in both those receiving azithromycin and short-acting antibiotics administered for seven days or more) with respect to risk of treatment failure at one month or less. Significant reductions in gastrointestinal adverse events were observed for treatment with short-acting antibiotics and azithromycin. Clinicians need to evaluate whether the minimal short-term benefit from longer treatment of antibiotics is worth exposing children to a longer course of antibiotics.

Plain-language summary: This review of 49 trials found that treating children with a short course (less than seven days) of antibiotics, compared to treatment with a long course (seven days or greater) of antibiotics, increases the likelihood of treatment failure in the short term. No differences are seen one month later. The amount of gastrointestinal adverse events decreased with a shorter course of antibiotics.
Abstract: We found 28 published studies and one unpublished study. Only two studies were sufficiently similar to allow pooling of data for statistical analyses. Studies were divided into three groups; children, older people and the general population/mixed age group. None of the studies focusing on children or older people demonstrated a reduction in injuries that were a direct result of environmental modification in the home. One study in older people demonstrated a reduction in falls and one a reduction in falls and injurious falls that may have been due to hazard reduction. One meta-analysis was performed which examined the effects on falls of multifactorial interventions consisting of home hazard assessment and modification, medication review, health and bone assessment and exercise (RR 1.09, 95% CI 0.97 to 1.23). There is insufficient evidence to determine whether interventions focused on modifying environmental home hazards reduce injuries. Further interventions to reduce hazards in the home should be evaluated by adequately designed randomised controlled trials measuring injury outcomes. Recruitment of large study samples to measure effect must be a major consideration for future trials. Researchers should also consider using factorial designs to allow the evaluation of individual components of multifactorial interventions.

Plain-language summary: The review found that there is insufficient evidence from studies to show that such changes reduce the number of injuries in the home but does not conclude that these interventions are ineffective. Home alterations need to be evaluated by larger and better designed studies which include injuries in their outcomes.
Abstract: Twenty-nine trials were included, with 23019 participants, among whom 1503 vascular deaths and 3438 fatal and non-fatal vascular events occurred during follow up. Compared with control, dipyridamole had no clear effect on vascular death (relative risk (RR) 0.99, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.87 to 1.12). This result was not influenced by the dose of dipyridamole or type of presenting vascular disease. Compared with control, dipyridamole appeared to reduce the risk of vascular events (RR 0.88, 95% CI 0.81 to 0.95). This effect was only statistically significant in patients presenting with cerebral ischaemia. For patients who presented with arterial vascular disease, there was no evidence that dipyridamole, in the presence or absence of another antiplatelet drug reduced the risk of vascular death, though it reduces the risk of further vascular events. This benefit was found only in patients presenting after cerebral ischaemia. There was no evidence that dipyridamole alone was more efficacious than aspirin.

Plain-language summary: This review included 29 studies involving 23019 participants. When we compared the effects of dipyridamole (alone or together with aspirin) with aspirin alone there was no evidence of an effect on death from vascular causes. When we compared the effects on the occurrence of vascular events (strokes, heart attacks, and deaths from vascular diseases) the combination of aspirin and dipyridamole had an advantage over aspirin alone. This result holds particularly true for patients with ischaemic stroke.
Abstract: One trial with 103 participants studied the effect of impaction of the fracture at the time of surgery. The only outcome measure reported was bone scintimetry. There was some evidence that impaction, particularly of displaced fractures, resulted in a reduction of blood flow to the femoral head as assessed by bone scintimetry. One quasi-randomised trial with 220 participants compared compression of the fracture with no compression. Results for 156 individuals at one year showed a tendency to a lower incidence of non-union for those fractures treated without compression. Two trials, one involving 102 young adults under 50 years old and the other involving 49 older people aged 65 years or over, compared open versus closed reduction of the fracture. Both found open reduction significantly increased length of surgery. None of the other differences between open and closed reduction in the outcomes reported by the two trials were statistically significant. Insufficient evidence exists from randomised trials to confirm the relative effects of open versus closed reduction of intracapsular fractures, or the effects of intra-operative impaction or compression of an intracapsular fracture treated by internal fixation.

Plain-language summary: This review examines the effects of different surgical techniques. It found insufficient evidence from randomised trials to assess the effects of compression or of impaction of the fracture during surgery. It found limited evidence that open reduction (surgically exposed) as compared with closed reduction (under X-ray control) resulted in a greater length of surgery. The lack of evidence showing benefit of open reduction supports the use of closed reduction of these fractures.
Abstract: We included 11 studies with 212 participants with cervical SCI. The meta-analysis revealed a statistically significant effect of RMT for three outcomes: vital capacity (MD mean end point 0.4 L, 95% CI 0.12 to 0.69), maximal inspiratory pressure (MD mean end point 10.50 cm/H2O, 95% CI 3.42 to 17.57), and maximal expiratory pressure (MD mean end point 10.31 cm/H2O, 95% CI 2.80 to 17.82). There was no effect on forced expiratory volume in one second or dyspnoea. We could not combine the results from quality of life assessment tools from three studies for meta-analysis. Respiratory complication outcomes were infrequently reported and thus we could not include them in the meta-analysis. Instead, we described the results narratively. We identified no adverse effects as a result of RMT in cervical SCI. In spite of the relatively small number of studies included in this review, meta-analysis of the pooled data indicates that RMT is effective for increasing respiratory muscle strength and perhaps also lung volumes for people with cervical SCI. Further research is needed on functional outcomes following RMT, such as dyspnoea, cough efficacy, respiratory complications, hospital admissions, and quality of life. In addition, longer-term studies are needed to ascertain optimal dosage and determine any carryover effects of RMT on respiratory function, quality of life, respiratory morbidity, and mortality.

Plain-language summary: This review compared any type of respiratory muscle training with standard care or sham treatments. We reviewed 11 studies (including 212 people with cervical spinal cord injury) and suggested that for people with cervical spinal cord injury there is a small beneficial effect of respiratory muscle training on lung volume and on the strength of the muscles used to take a breath in and to breathe air out and cough. No effect was seen on the maximum amount of air that can be pushed out in one breath, or shortness of breath. An insufficient number of studies had examined the effect of respiratory muscle training on the frequency of lung infections or quality of life, so we could not assess these outcomes in the review. We identified no adverse effects of training the breathing muscles for people with a cervical spinal cord injury.
Abstract: Eighty-six trials (10,716 participants) were included. Ten trials (4,950 participants) were considered to be low risk of bias. Pooled analysis of all trials showed that off-pump CABG increased all-cause mortality compared with on-pump CABG (189/5,180 (3.7%) versus 160/5144 (3.1%); RR 1.24, 95% CI 1.01 to 1.53; P =.04). In the trials at low risk of bias the effect was corroborated (154/2,485 (6.2%) versus 113/2,465 (4.5%), RR 1.35,95% CI 1.07 to 1.70; P =.01). TSA showed that the risk of random error on the result was unlikely. Off-pump CABG resulted in fewer distal anastomoses (MD -0.28; 95% CI -0.40 to -0.16, P <.00001). No significant differences in myocardial infarction, stroke, renal insufficiency, or coronary re-intervention were observed. Off-pump CABG reduced post-operative atrial fibrillation compared with on-pump CABG, however, in trials at low risk of bias, the estimated effect was not significantly different. Our systematic review did not demonstrate any significant benefit of off-pump compared with on-pump CABG regarding mortality, stroke, or myocardial infarction. In contrast, we observed better long-term survival in the group of patients undergoing on-pump CABG with the use of cardiopulmonary bypass and cardioplegic arrest. Based on the current evidence, on-pump CABG should continue to be the standard surgical treatment. However, off-pump CABG may be acceptable when there are contraindications for cannulation of the aorta and cardiopulmonary bypass. Further randomised clinical trials should address the optimal treatment in such patients.

Plain-language summary: Systematic review of 86 randomised clinical trials including 10,716 patients and statistical analyses of the data showed that coronary artery bypass surgery performed on the beating heart results in an increased risk of death. No firm evidence for benefit or harm was found regarding the outcome measures myocardial infarction, stroke, atrial fibrillation, renal insufficiency, or coronary reintervention. Our data raises a warning regarding coronary artery bypass surgery on the beating heart and cardiac arrest and cardiopulmonary bypass seem less risky. In patients with contraindications for cannulation of the aorta and cardiopulmonary bypass coronary artery bypass surgery on the beating heart may be a solution but we need randomised clinical trials in these patients to identify the most beneficial approach.