TrialPanorama/TrialPanorama-benchmark huggingface dataset:
Background: Dehydration associated with gastroenteritis is a serious complication. Oral rehydration is an effective and inexpensive treatment, but some physicians prefer intravenous methods.
Objectives: To compare oral with intravenous therapy for treating dehydration due to acute gastroenteritis in children.
Selection criteria: Randomized and quasi-randomized controlled trials comparing intravenous rehydration therapy (IVT) with oral rehydration therapy (ORT) in children up to 18 years of age with acute gastroenteritis.
Background: Treating the world's 40.3 million persons currently infected with HIV/AIDS is an international responsibility that involves unprecedented organizational challenges. Key issues include whether care should be concentrated or decentralized, what type and mix of health workers are needed, and which interventions and mix of programs are best. High volume centres, case management and multi-disciplinary care have been shown to be effective for some chronic illnesses. Application of these findings to HIV/AIDS is less well understood.
Objectives: Our objective was to evaluate the association between the setting and organization of care and outcomes for people living with HIV/AIDS.
Selection criteria: Articles were considered for inclusion if they were observational or experimental studies with contemporaneous comparison groups of adults and/or children currently infected with HIV/AIDS that examined the impact of the setting and/or organization of care on outcomes of mortality, opportunistic infections, use of HAART and prophylaxis, quality of life, health care utilization, and costs for patient with HIV/AIDS.
Background: Recent trials suggest improved response rates for purine antagonists compared to alkylator-based regimens in the treatment of B-CLL. However, none was able to show a survival advantage.
Objectives: To determine if there is any advantage of purine antagonists compared to alkylating agents (alone or in combination) in the treatment of patients with previously untreated B-CLL.
Selection criteria: Randomised controlled trials comparing purine antagonists as single agents with alkylator-based regimens in patients with previously untreated B-CLL were included. We included full-text and abstract publications as well as unpublished data.
Background: Napkin dermatitis is a common condition that occurs in otherwise healthy infants. It causes discomfort to infants, anxiety to parents and caregivers and contributes to the load on the health care system. A large variety of napkins, both disposable and non-disposable, are available. Evidence is required to assist carers and health care workers in making informed decisions when balancing the pros and cons of different napkin choices.
Objectives: To assess whether disposable napkins prevent napkin dermatitis in infants.
Selection criteria: Randomised controlled trials in which disposable napkins were compared with other types of disposable napkins or non-disposable napkins, in infants up to two years of age, for preventing napkin dermatitis.
Background: Diabetes in pregnancy may result in unfavourable maternal and neonatal outcomes. Exercise was proposed as an additional strategy to improve glycaemic control. The effect of exercise during pregnancies complicated by diabetes needs to be assessed.
Objectives: To evaluate the effect of exercise programs, alone or in conjunction with other therapies, compared to no specific program or to other therapies, in pregnant women with diabetes on perinatal and maternal morbidity and on the frequency of prescription of insulin to control glycaemia. To compare the effectiveness of different types of exercise programs on perinatal and maternal morbidity.
Selection criteria: All known randomised controlled trials evaluating the effect of exercise in diabetic pregnant women on perinatal outcome and maternal morbidity.
Background: Drugs can prevent postoperative nausea and vomiting, but their relative efficacies and side effects have not been compared within one systematic review.
Objectives: The objective of this review was to assess the prevention of postoperative nausea and vomiting by drugs and the development of any side effects.
Selection criteria: We included randomized controlled trials that compared a drug with placebo or another drug, or compared doses or timing of administration, that reported postoperative nausea or vomiting as an outcome.
Background: Currently inhaled corticosteroids are the main stay in the maintenance treatment of chronic asthma in children. Although inhaled corticosteroids play a crucial role in the management of childhood asthma, the long-term side effects of inhaled corticosteroids used in the management of chronic asthma in children are not clearly known.
Objectives: The objective of this review is to compare the safety and efficacy of inhaled nedocromil sodium with placebo in the treatment of chronic asthma in children.
Selection criteria: Randomised placebo controlled trials comparing nedocromil sodium to placebo in the treatment of chronic asthma in children (0 to 18 years).
Background: Osteoarthritis (OA) of the hip is a progressive condition that has no cure and often requires a total hip arthroplasty (THA). The principal methods for THA are the posterior and direct lateral approaches. The posterior approach is considered to be easy to perform, however, increased rates of dislocation have been reported. The direct lateral approach facilitates cup positioning which may decrease rates of hip dislocation and diminishes the risk of injury to the sciatic nerve. However, there is an increased risk of limp. Dislocation of a hip prosthesis is a clinically important complication after THA, in terms of morbidity implications and costs.
Objectives: To determine the risks of prosthesis dislocation, postoperative Trendelenburg gait and sciatic nerve palsy after a posterior approach, compared to a direct lateral approach, for adult patients undergoing THA for primary OA and to update the previous review made in 2003.
Selection criteria: Published trials comparing posterior and direct lateral surgical approaches to THA in participants 18 years and older with a diagnosis of primary hip OA.
Background: Uncomplicated acute cystitis is one of the most common bacterial infections in adults. The percentage of women who have at least one episode of acute cystitis is estimated to be between 40% to 50%. Quinolones are recommended for acute cystitis in regions where the level of resistance to other antimicrobials namely co-trimoxazole is high. However the efficacy, safety and tolerance of quinolones needs investigation.
Objectives: To compare the efficacy, safety and tolerance of different quinolones in women with uncomplicated acute cystitis.
Selection criteria: Randomised and quasi-randomised controlled trials comparing two or more different quinolones in women (>/= 16 years) with uncomplicated acute cystitis were selected.
Background: Immunosuppressive and cytotoxic agents have been used as both an alternative to oral corticosteroids, and as a means of maintaining a low dose of steroids in the treatment of pulmonary sarcoidosis.
Objectives: To determine the efficacy of immunosuppressive and cytotoxic agents in the treatment of pulmonary sarcoidosis.
Selection criteria: Randomised controlled trials comparing an immunosuppressive or cytotoxic therapy with a control in patients with pulmonary sarcoidosis were included in the review.
Background: Schizophrenia is a severe mental illness characterised by delusions and hallucinations. Antipsychotic drugs does reduce these symptoms, but at least half of people given these drugs do not comply with the treatment regimen prescribed.
Objectives: To assess the effects of compliance therapy on antipsychotic medication adherence for people with schizophrenia.
Selection criteria: We included all randomised controlled trials of 'compliance therapy' for people with schizophrenia or related severe mental disorders.
Background: Side effects caused by oral contraceptives discourage compliance with, and continuation of, oral contraceptives. A suggested disadvantage of biphasic compared to triphasic oral contraceptive pills is an increase in breakthrough bleeding. We conducted this systematic review to examine this potential disadvantage.
Objectives: To compare biphasic with triphasic oral contraceptives in terms of efficacy, cycle control, and discontinuation due to side effects.
Selection criteria: We included randomized controlled trials comparing any biphasic with any triphasic oral contraceptive when used to prevent pregnancy.
Background: Pain is the most frequent symptom experienced by cancer patients, its intensity dependent on the site of the tumour. Tumours that compromise bone or nervous structures due to the bone destruction process are the most painful. There are several treatments to deal with pain (and other symptoms) caused by bone metastases. The hormone, calcitonin, has the potential to relieve pain, and also retain bone density, thus reducing the risk of fractures. This review is an update of a previously published review in The Cochrane Library (Issue 3, 2003) on this topic.
Objectives: To assess the effectiveness of calcitonin in controlling metastatic bone pain and reducing bone complications (hypercalcemia, fractures and nerve compression) in patients with bone metastases.
Selection criteria: Studies were included if they were randomised, double-blind clinical trials of patients with metastatic bone pain, treated with calcitonin, where the major outcome measure was pain, assessed at four weeks or longer.
Background: Excessive daytime sleepiness is a common symptom of myotonic dystrophy. Psychostimulants are drugs increasingly used to treat hypersomnia in myotonic dystrophy.
Objectives: To search systematically for, and combine all evidence from, randomised trials relating to the effects of psychostimulants in myotonic dystrophy patients with hypersomnia.
Selection criteria: We considered all randomised or quasi randomised trials that have evaluated any type of psychostimulants (versus a placebo or no treatment) in children or adults with proven myotonic dystrophy and hypersomnia.
Background: Congenital cataracts are opacities of the lens in one or both eyes of children that cause a reduction in vision severe enough to require surgery. Cataract is the largest treatable cause of visual loss in childhood. Paediatric cataracts provide different challenges to those in adults. Intense inflammation, amblyopia and posterior capsule opacification can affect results of treatment. Two treatments commonly considered for congenital cataract are lensectomy and lens aspiration.
Objectives: The objective of this review was to assess the effects of surgical treatments for bilateral symmetrical congenital cataracts. Success was measured according to the vision attained and occurrence of adverse events.
Selection criteria: We included all prospective, randomised controlled trials that compared one type of cataract surgery to another, or to no surgery, in children with bilateral congenital cataracts aged 15 years or younger.
Background: The invasive nature of surgery, with its increased exposure to blood, means that during surgery there is a high risk of transfer of pathogens. Pathogens can be transferred through contact between surgical patients and the surgical team, resulting in post-operative or blood borne infections in patients or blood borne infections in the surgical team. Both patients and the surgical team need to be protected from this risk. This risk can be reduced by implementing protective barriers such as wearing surgical gloves. Wearing two pairs of surgical gloves, triple gloves, glove liners or cloth outer gloves, as opposed to one pair, is considered to provide an additional barrier and further reduce the risk of contamination.
Objectives: The primary objective of this review was to determine if additional glove protection reduces the number of surgical site or blood borne infections in patients or the surgical team. The secondary objective was to determine if additional glove protection reduces the number of perforations to the innermost pair of surgical gloves. The innermost gloves (next to skin) compared with the outermost gloves are considered to be the last barrier between the patient and the surgical team.
Selection criteria: Randomised controlled trials involving: single gloving, double gloving, triple gloving, glove liners, knitted outer gloves, steel weave outer gloves and perforation indicator systems.
Background: Arterial reconstructions with prosthetic graft materials or vein are susceptible to infection with a resultant high patient mortality and risk of limb loss. To reduce the risk of infection effective perioperative measures are essential.
Objectives: To determine the effectiveness of perioperative strategies to prevent infection in patients undergoing peripheral arterial reconstruction.
Selection criteria: All randomised controlled trials (RCTs) evaluating measures intended to reduce or prevent infection in arterial surgery.
Background: Exercise is generally recommended for people with type 2 diabetes mellitus. However, some studies evaluate an exercise intervention including diet or behaviour modification or both, and the effects of diet and exercise are not differentiated. Some exercise studies involve low participant numbers, lacking power to show significant differences which may appear in larger trials.
Objectives: To assess the effects of exercise in type 2 diabetes mellitus.
Selection criteria: All randomised controlled trials comparing any type of well-documented aerobic, fitness or progressive resistance training exercise with no exercise in people with type 2 diabetes mellitus.
Background: In most pregnancies that miscarry, arrest of embryonic or fetal development occurs some time (often weeks) before the miscarriage occurs. Ultrasound examination can reveal abnormal findings during this phase by demonstrating anembryonic pregnancies or embryonic or fetal death. Treatment before 14 weeks has traditionally been surgical but medical treatments may be effective, safe, and acceptable, as may be waiting for spontaneous miscarriage.
Objectives: To assess the effectiveness, safety and acceptability of any medical treatment for early pregnancy failure (anembryonic pregnancies or embryonic and fetal deaths before 24 weeks).
Selection criteria: Randomised trials comparing medical treatment with another treatment (e.g. surgical evacuation), or placebo, or no treatment for early pregnancy failure. Quasi-random studies were excluded.
Background: Dysmenorrhoea refers to the occurrence of painful menstrual cramps of uterine origin and is a common gynaecological condition. One possible treatment is spinal manipulation therapy. One hypothesis is that mechanical dysfunction in certain vertebrae causes decreases spinal mobility. This could affect the sympathetic nerve supply to the blood vessels supplying the pelvic viscera, leading to dysmenorrhoea as a result of vasoconstriction. Manipulation of these vertebrae increases spinal mobility and may improve pelvic blood supply. Another hypothesis is that dysmenorrhoea is referred pain arising from musculoskeletal structures that share the same pelvic nerve pathways. The character of pain from musculoskeletal dysfunction can be very similar to gynaecological pain as it can present as cyclic pain altered by hormonal influences associated with menstruation.
Objectives: To determine the safety and efficacy of spinal manipulative interventions for the treatment of primary or secondary dysmenorrhoea when compared to each other, placebo, no treatment, or other medical treatment.
Selection criteria: Any randomised controlled trials (RCTs) including spinal manipulative interventions (for example chiropractic, osteopathy, or manipulative physiotherapy) versus each other, placebo, no treatment, or other medical treatment were considered. Exclusion criteria were: mild or infrequent dysmenorrhoea or dysmenorrhoea from an intrauterine device (IUD).
Background: Side effects caused by oral contraceptives discourage compliance with, and continuation of, oral contraceptives. Three approaches have been used to decrease these adverse effects: reduction of steroid dose, development of new steroids, and new formulas and schedules of administration. The third strategy led to the biphasic oral contraceptive pill.
Objectives: To compare biphasic with monophasic oral contraceptives in terms of efficacy, cycle control, and discontinuation due to side effects. Our a priori hypotheses were: (a) biphasic oral contraceptives are less effective than monophasic oral contraceptives in preventing pregnancy; (b) biphasic oral contraceptives cause more side effects, give poorer cycle control, and have lower continuation rates.
Selection criteria: We included randomized controlled trials comparing any biphasic with any monophasic oral contraceptive when used to prevent pregnancy.
Background: Lung disease in preterm infants is often complicated with lung edema.
Objectives: The aim of this review is to assess the risks and benefits of aerosolized diuretic administration in preterm infants with or developing chronic lung disease (CLD). Primary objectives are to assess effects on short term outcome (changes in need for oxygen or ventilatory support) and effects on long-term outcome. Secondary objectives are to assess changes in pulmonary mechanics and potential complications of therapy.
Selection criteria: For the purpose of this analysis, we included trials in which preterm infants with or developing chronic lung disease and at least five days of age were all randomly allocated to receive an aerosolized loop diuretic. Eligible studies needed to assess at least one of the outcome variables defined a priori for this systematic review. Primary outcome variables included need for ventilator support, chronic lung disease, mortality and other important clinical outcomes. Secondary outcome variables included pulmonary mechanics and potential complications of therapy.
Background: Dentine hypersensitivity may be defined as the pain arising from exposed dentine, typically in response to external stimuli, and which cannot be explained by any other form of dental disease. Many treatment regimens have been recommended over the years, and in recent years particular attention has been focused on toothpastes containing various potassium salts.
Objectives: To compare the effectiveness of potassium containing toothpastes with control toothpastes in reducing dentine hypersensitivity.
Selection criteria: Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) in which the effect on dentine hypersensitivity of potassium containing toothpastes was tested against non-potassium containing control toothpastes.
Background: Adherence to prescribed regimens is required to derive maximal benefit from many highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) regimens in people living with HIV/AIDS.
Objectives: To conduct a systematic review of the research literature on the effectiveness of patient support and education to improve adherence to HAART.
Selection criteria: Randomized controlled trials examining the effectiveness of patient support and education to improve adherence to HAART were considered for inclusion. Only those studies that measured adherence at a minimum of six weeks were included.
Background: Limited evidence supports a hypothesis suggesting that schizophrenic symptoms may be the result of altered neuronal membrane structure and metabolism. The structure and metabolism is dependent on blood plasma levels of certain essential fatty acids and their metabolites.
Objectives: To review the effects of polyunsaturated fatty acids for people with schizophrenia.
Selection criteria: We included all randomised clinical trials of polyunsaturated fatty acid treatment for schizophrenia.
Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is characterised by partially reversible airflow limitation. Many patients have little reversibility to short acting bronchodilators, but long acting bronchodilators are frequently advocated.
Objectives: To determine the effectiveness of long acting beta-2 adrenoceptor agonists (LABAs) in COPD patients demonstrating poor reversibility to short-acting bronchodilators.
Selection criteria: All RCTs comparing inhaled LABAs (salmeterol or formoterol) with placebo in the treatment of patients with stable, poorly reversible COPD. Studies were a minimum of four weeks in duration.
Background: Physiological responses of the fetus (especially increase in heart rate) to single, brief bouts of maternal exercise have been documented frequently. Many pregnant women wish to engage in aerobic exercise during pregnancy but are concerned about possible adverse effects on the outcome of pregnancy.
Objectives: The objective of this review was to assess the effects of advising healthy pregnant women to engage in regular aerobic exercise (at least two to three times per week), or to increase or reduce the intensity, duration, or frequency of such exercise, on physical fitness, the course of labour and delivery, and the outcome of pregnancy.
Selection criteria: Acceptably controlled trials of prescribed exercise programs in healthy pregnant women.
Background: Controversy exists as to whether adjuvant chemotherapy improves survival in patients with invasive bladder cancer, despite a number of randomised controlled trials.
Objectives: To evaluate the effect of adjuvant chemotherapy in invasive bladder cancer. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of updated individual patient data from all available randomised controlled trials comparing local treatment plus adjuvant chemotherapy versus the same local treatment alone.
Selection criteria: Trials that aimed to randomise patients with biopsy proven invasive (i.e. clinical stage T2-T4a) transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder to receive local definitive treatment with or without adjuvant chemotherapy were eligible for inclusion.
Background: A malaria vaccine is badly needed. SPf66 was one of the earliest vaccines developed. It is a synthetic peptide vaccine containing antigens from the blood stages of malaria linked together with an antigen from the sporozoite stage, and is targeted mainly against the blood (asexual) stages.
Objectives: To assess the effect of SPf66 malaria vaccines against Plasmodium falciparum, P. vivax, P. malariae, and P. ovale in preventing infection, disease, and death.
Selection criteria: Randomized and quasi-randomized controlled trials comparing SPf66 vaccine with placebo or routine antimalarial control measures in people of any age receiving an artificial challenge or natural exposure to malaria infection (any species).
Background: The World Health Organization recommends artemether-lumefantrine, an expensive drug, as a treatment for uncomplicated malaria. We sought evidence of the superiority of the four-dose regimen over existing treatments.
Objectives: To evaluate the four-dose regimen of artemether-lumefantrine for treating uncomplicated falciparum malaria.
Selection criteria: Randomized controlled trials comparing four doses of artemether-lumefantrine with standard treatment regimens (single drug or combination), or six doses of artemether-lumefantrine, for treating uncomplicated falciparum malaria.
Background: The association between an increase in regular physical activity and a reduction in the risk of hypertension is well documented for non-pregnant people. It has been suggested that exercise may help prevent pre-eclampsia and its complications. Possible adverse effects of increased physical activity during pregnancy, particularly on the risk of preterm birth and fetal growth restriction, are unclear. It is, therefore, important to assess whether exercise reduces the risk of pre-eclampsia and its complications and, if so, whether these benefits outweigh the risks.
Objectives: To assess the effects of exercise, or increased physical activity, on prevention of pre-eclampsia and its complications.
Selection criteria: Studies were included if these were randomised trials evaluating the effects of exercise or increased physical activity during pregnancy for women at risk of pre-eclampsia.