TrialPanorama/TrialPanorama-benchmark huggingface dataset:
Background: Depression occurs frequently in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) and is associated with a poor prognosis.
Objectives: To determine the effects of psychological and pharmacological interventions for depression in CAD patients with comorbid depression.
Selection criteria: RCTs investigating psychological and pharmacological interventions for depression in adults with CAD and comorbid depression were included. Primary outcomes were depression, mortality and cardiac events. Secondary outcomes were healthcare costs and health-related quality of life (QoL).
Background: Many women with ovarian cancer eventually develop resistance to conventional chemotherapy drugs, and so novel agents are being developed to target specific molecular pathways. One such class of drugs inhibits angiogenesis (the development of new blood vessels), which is essential for tumour growth. It is important to establish whether the addition of these new drugs to conventional chemotherapy regimens improves survival, and what the side-effects may be.
Objectives: To compare the effectiveness and toxicities of angiogenesis inhibitors in the treatment of ovarian cancer.
Selection criteria: Randomised controlled studies comparing angiogenesis inhibitors with either standard chemotherapy or no treatment, in women with ovarian cancer.
Background: Endometriosis is a prevalent gynaecological condition, significantly affecting women's lives. Clinical presentations may vary from absence of symptoms to complaints of chronic pelvic pain, most notably dysmenorrhoea. The management of pain in endometriosis is currently inadequate. Acupuncture has been studied in gynaecological disorders but its effectiveness for pain in endometriosis is uncertain.
Objectives: To determine the effectiveness and safety of acupuncture for pain in endometriosis.
Selection criteria: Randomised single or double-blind controlled trials enrolling women of reproductive age with a laparoscopically confirmed diagnosis of endometriosis and comparing acupuncture (body, scalp or auricular) to either placebo or sham, no treatment, conventional therapies or Chinese herbal medicine.
Background: Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are characterized by impairment in social interaction, impairment in communication and lack of flexibility of thought and behavior. Acupuncture, which involves the use of needles or pressure to specific points on the body, is used widely in Traditional Chinese Medicine and increasingly within a western medical paradigm. It has sometimes been used as a treatment aimed at improving ASD symptoms and outcomes, but its clinical effectiveness and safety has not been rigorously reviewed.
Objectives: To determine the effectiveness of acupuncture for people with ASD in improving core autistic features, as well as communication, cognition, overall functioning and quality of life, and to establish if it has any adverse effects.
Selection criteria: We included randomized and quasi-randomized controlled trials. We included studies comparing an acupuncture group with at least one control group that used no treatment, placebo or sham acupuncture treatment in people with ASD. We excluded trials that compared different forms of acupuncture or compared acupuncture with another treatment.
Background: High rates of HIV infection among women of reproductive age have dramatic consequences for personal and public health. Prophylaxis during sexual intercourse in the form of condoms has been the most effective way to prevent both STI and HIV transmission among people living with HIV.
Objectives: To investigate the effectiveness of behavioral interventions in promoting condom use among women living with HIV.
Selection criteria: Studies were included in the analysis if they conducted a randomized controlled trial that examined the effects of behavioral interventions on condom use among HIV-positive women; considered at least one HIV-related behavioral outcome (e.g., reported protected anal, vaginal, or oral sex) or biological outcome (e.g., acquisition of STIs); and one follow-up assessment three months or more after the intervention. Studies were assessed irregardless of langauge or publication status.
Background: Screening examinations for retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) are performed routinely in the neonatal intensive care unit and are a recognised cause of pain in the newborn.
Objectives: To determine the effect of instillation of topical anaesthetic eye drops compared with placebo or no treatment on pain in infants undergoing ROP screening.
Selection criteria: All randomised, or quasi-randomised controlled trials, or randomised cross-over trials.
Background: Surgical interventions are used for trigeminal neuralgia when drug treatment fails. Surgical treatments divide into two main categories, ablative (destructive) or non-ablative. These treatments can be done at three different sites: peripherally, at the Gasserian ganglion level, and within the posterior fossa of the skull.
Objectives: To assess the efficacy of neurosurgical interventions for classical trigeminal neuralgia in terms of pain relief, quality of life and any harms. To determine if there are defined subgroups of patients more likely to benefit.
Selection criteria: Randomised controlled trials and quasi-randomised controlled trials of neurosurgical interventions used in the treatment of classical trigeminal neuralgia.
Background: Primary healthcare (PHC) workers often work alone or in isolation. Healthcare managerial supervision is recommended to help assure quality; but this requires skilled supervisors and takes time and resources. It is therefore important to assess to what extent supervision is beneficial and the ways in which it can be implemented.
Objectives: To review the effects of managerial supervision of health workers to improve the quality of PHC (such as adherence to guidance or coverage of services) in low- and middle-income countries.
Selection criteria: Randomised controlled trials, controlled before-and-after studies, and interrupted time series studies, conducted in PHC in low- and middle-income countries. Supervision includes site visits from a central level of the health system, plus at least one supervisory activity. We excluded studies aimed solely at improving the clinical skills of PHC workers.
Background: Latent autoimmune diabetes in adults (LADA) is a slowly developing type 1 diabetes.
Objectives: To compare interventions used for LADA.
Selection criteria: Randomised controlled trials (RCT) and controlled clinical trials (CCT) evaluating interventions for LADA or type 2 diabetes with antibodies were included.
Background: Reconstruction of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) commonly involves patellar tendon (PT) or hamstring tendon(s) (HT) autografts. There is no consensus with respect to the choice between these two grafts in ACL surgery.
Objectives: This review compared the outcomes of ACL reconstruction using PT versus HT autografts in ACL deficient patients.
Selection criteria: Randomized and quasi-randomized controlled trials comparing outcomes (minimum two year follow-up) following ACL reconstruction using either PT or HT autografts in skeletally mature adults, irrespective of the number of bundles, fixation method or incision technique.
Background: Vomiting is a common manifestation of acute gastroenteritis in children and adolescents. When untreated it can be a hindrance to oral rehydration therapy, which is the cornerstone in the management of acute gastroenteritis. Evidence is needed concerning the safety and efficacy of antiemetic use for vomiting in acute gastroenteritis in children.
Objectives: To assess the safety and effectiveness of antiemetics on gastroenteritis induced vomiting in children and adolescents.
Selection criteria: Randomized controlled trials comparing antiemetics with placebo or no treatment, in children and adolescents under the age of 18, for vomiting due to gastroenteritis.
Background: Cord drainage in the third stage of labour involves unclamping the previously clamped and divided umbilical cord and allowing the blood from the placenta to drain freely into an appropriate receptacle.
Objectives: The objective of this review was to assess the specific effects of placental cord drainage on the third stage of labour following vaginal birth, with or without prophylactic use of uterotonics in the management of the third stage of labour.
Selection criteria: Randomised controlled trials comparing placental cord draining with no placental cord drainage as part of the management of the third stage of labour.
Background: Uncorrected developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH) is associated with long term morbidity such as gait abnormalities, chronic pain and degenerative arthritis.
Objectives: To determine the effect of different screening programmes for DDH on the incidence of late presentation of congenital hip dislocation.
Selection criteria: Randomised, quasi-randomised or cluster trials comparing the effectiveness of screening programmes for DDH.
Background: This is an updated version of the original review published in Issue 4, 2004 of The Cochrane Library. Lung cancer is one of the leading causes of death globally. Despite advances in treatment, the outlook for the majority of patients remains grim and most face a pessimistic future accompanied by sometimes devastating effects on emotional and psychological health. Although chemotherapy is accepted as an effective treatment for advanced lung cancer, the high prevalence of treatment-related side effects as well the symptoms of disease progression highlight the need for high-quality palliative and supportive care to minimise symptom distress and to promote quality of life.
Objectives: To assess the effectiveness of non-invasive interventions delivered by healthcare professionals in improving symptoms, psychological functioning and quality of life in patients with lung cancer.
Selection criteria: Randomised or quasi-randomised clinical trials assessing the effects of non-invasive interventions in improving well-being and quality of life in patients diagnosed with lung cancer.
Background: Preterm birth is a significant perinatal problem contributing to perinatal morbidity and mortality. Heavy vaginal ureaplasma colonisation is suspected of playing a role in preterm birth and preterm rupture of the membranes. Antibiotics are used to treat infections and have been used to treat pregnant women with preterm prelabour rupture of the membranes, resulting in some short-term improvements. However, the benefit of using antibiotics in early pregnancy to treat heavy vaginal colonisation is unclear.
Objectives: To assess whether antibiotic treatment of pregnant women with heavy vaginal ureaplasma colonisation reduces the incidence of preterm birth and other adverse pregnancy outcomes.
Selection criteria: Randomised controlled trials comparing any antibiotic regimen with placebo or no treatment in pregnant women with ureaplasma detected in the vagina.
Background: This is an update of a Cochrane Review first published in The Cochrane Library in Issue 4, 2006.Otitis media with effusion (OME) is common and may cause hearing loss with associated developmental delay. Treatment remains controversial. The effectiveness of antihistamines, decongestants and antihistamine/decongestant combinations in promoting the resolution of effusions has been assessed by randomized controlled trials.
Objectives: The objective of this review was to determine whether antihistamine, decongestant or combination therapy is effective in treating children who present with OME.
Selection criteria: Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) using antihistamines, decongestants or antihistamine/decongestant combinations as treatment for OME in children. We excluded trials that randomized on the basis of acute otitis media (AOM) even though OME was also studied in follow up.
Background: Disease-related malnutrition has been reported in 10% to 55% of people in hospital and the community. Dietary advice encouraging the use of energy- and nutrient-rich foods rather than oral nutritional supplements has been suggested as the initial approach for managing disease-related malnutrition.
Objectives: To examine evidence that dietary advice in adults with disease-related malnutrition improves survival, weight and anthropometry; to estimate the size of any additional effect of nutritional supplements combined with dietary advice and to compare the effects of dietary advice with oral nutritional supplements.
Selection criteria: Randomised controlled trials of dietary advice with or without oral nutritional supplements in people with disease-related malnutrition in any health-care setting compared with no advice, oral nutritional supplements or dietary advice given alone.
Background: Lung disease in preterm infants is often complicated with lung edema.
Objectives: To assess the risks and benefits of diuretics acting on distal segments of the renal tubule (distal diuretics) in preterm infants with or developing chronic lung disease (CLD).
Selection criteria: Included in this analysis are trials in which preterm infants with or developing CLD and at least five days of age were randomly allocated to receive a diuretic acting on the distal renal tubule. Eligible studies needed to assess at least one of the outcome variables defined a priori for this systematic review.
Background: The presence of bowel contents during colorectal surgery has been related to anastomotic leakage, but the belief that mechanical bowel preparation (MBP) is an efficient agent against leakage and infectious complications is based on observational data and expert opinions only.An enema before the rectal surgery to clean the rectum and facilitate the manipulation for the mechanical anastomosis is used for many surgeons. This is analysed separately
Objectives: To determine the security and effectiveness of MBP on morbidity and mortality in colorectal surgery.
Selection criteria: Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) including participants submitted for elective colorectal surgery. Eligible interventions included any type of MBP compared with no MBP. Primary outcomes included anastomosis leakage - both rectal and colonic - and combined figures. Secondary outcomes included mortality, peritonitis, reoperation, wound infection, extra-abdominal complications, and overall surgical site infections.
Background: Lung disease in preterm infants is often complicated with lung edema.
Objectives: To assess the risks and benefits of administration of a diuretic acting on the loop of Henle (loop diuretic) in preterm infants with or developing chronic lung disease (CLD).
Selection criteria: Trials in which preterm infants with or developing chronic lung disease and at least five days of age were all randomly allocated to receive a loop diuretic either enterally or intravenously were included in this analysis.
Background: The prevalence of mental health and psychosocial problems in primary care is high. Counselling is a potential treatment for these patients, but there is a lack of consensus over the effectiveness of this treatment in primary care.
Objectives: To assess the effectiveness and cost effectiveness of counselling for patients with mental health and psychosocial problems in primary care.
Selection criteria: Randomised controlled trials of counselling for mental health and psychosocial problems in primary care.
Background: The majority of strokes are due to cerebral infarction. Ischaemic cerebral tissue tends to develop cytotoxic oedema which, if the blood-brain barrier is disrupted, may be followed by vasogenic oedema. Large infarcts can develop life-threatening massive oedema. Early treatment with corticosteroids could theoretically help reduce both cytotoxic and vasogenic oedema and so improve the clinical outcome after a stroke.
Objectives: To assess the effect of corticosteroids in acute presumed ischaemic stroke.
Selection criteria: Published randomised trials comparing corticosteroids with placebo or a control group in people with acute (presumed or definite) ischaemic stroke. Trials were included if treatment began within 48 hours of stroke onset and if clinical outcomes were assessed.
Background: Checking reference lists to identify relevant studies for systematic reviews is frequently recommended by systematic review manuals and is often undertaken by review authors. To date, no systematic review has explicitly examined the effectiveness of checking reference lists as a method to supplement electronic searching.
Objectives: To investigate the effectiveness of checking reference lists for the identification of additional, relevant studies for systematic reviews. Effectiveness is defined as the proportion of relevant studies identified by review authors solely by checking reference lists.
Selection criteria: Studies of any design which examined checking reference lists as a search method for systematic reviews in any area. The primary outcome was the additional yield of relevant studies (i.e. studies not found through any other search methodologies); other outcomes were publication types identified and data pertaining to the costs (e.g. cost-effectiveness, cost-efficiency) of checking reference lists.
Background: Seizures are a common symptom of brain tumours. The mainstay of treatment for seizures is medical therapy with antiepileptic drugs.
Objectives: To evaluate the relative effectiveness and tolerability of antiepileptic drugs commonly used to treat seizures in adults with brain tumours.
Selection criteria: Controlled clinical trials with random allocation of the use of antiepileptic drugs to treat seizures in adults with brain tumours.
Background: Ovarian cancer is the sixth most common cancer among women. In addition to diagnosis and staging, primary surgery is performed to achieve optimal cytoreduction (surgical efforts aimed at removing the bulk of the tumour) as the amount of residual tumour is one of the most important prognostic factors for survival of women with epithelial ovarian cancer. An optimal outcome of cytoreductive surgery remains a subject of controversy to many practising gynae-oncologists. The Gynaecologic Oncology group (GOG) currently defines 'optimal' as having residual tumour nodules each measuring 1 cm or less in maximum diameter, with complete cytoreduction (microscopic disease) being the ideal surgical outcome. Although the size of residual tumour masses after surgery has been shown to be an important prognostic factor for advanced ovarian cancer, it is unclear whether it is the surgical procedure that is directly responsible for the superior outcome that is associated with less residual disease.
Objectives: To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of optimal primary cytoreductive surgery for women with surgically staged advanced epithelial ovarian cancer (stages III and IV).To assess the impact of various residual tumour sizes, over a range between zero and 2 cm, on overall survival.
Selection criteria: Retrospective data on residual disease from randomised controlled trials (RCTs) or prospective and retrospective observational studies which included a multivariate analysis of 100 or more adult women with surgically staged advanced epithelial ovarian cancer and who underwent primary cytoreductive surgery followed by adjuvant platinum-based chemotherapy. We only included studies that defined optimal cytoreduction as surgery leading to residual tumours with a maximum diameter of any threshold up to 2 cm.
Background: Brief interventions involve a time-limited intervention focusing on changing behaviour. They are often motivational in nature using counselling skills to encourage a reduction in alcohol consumption.
Objectives: To determine whether brief interventions reduce alcohol consumption and improve outcomes for heavy alcohol users admitted to general hospital inpatient units.
Selection criteria: All prospective randomised controlled trials and controlled clinical trials were eligible for inclusion. Participants were adults and adolescents (16 years or older) admitted to general inpatient hospital care for any reason other than specifically for alcohol treatment and received brief interventions (of up to 3 sessions) compared to no or usual care.
Background: This is an update of a Cochrane Review first published in The Cochrane Library in Issue 1, 2003.Tonsillectomy continues to be one of the most common surgical procedures performed worldwide. Despite advances in anesthetic and surgical techniques, post-tonsillectomy morbidity remains a significant clinical problem.
Objectives: To assess the clinical efficacy of a single intraoperative dose of dexamethasone in reducing post-tonsillectomy morbidity.
Selection criteria: Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials of a single dose of intravenous, intraoperative corticosteroid for pediatric patients (age < 18 years) who underwent tonsillectomy or adenotonsillectomy.
Background: Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common chronic gastrointestinal disorder. The role of pharmacotherapy for IBS is limited and focused mainly on symptom control.
Objectives: The objective of this systematic review was to evaluate the efficacy of bulking agents, antispasmodics and antidepressants for the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome.
Selection criteria: Randomized controlled trials comparing bulking agents, antispasmodics or antidepressants with a placebo treatment in patients with irritable bowel syndrome aged over 12 years were considered for inclusion. Only studies published as full papers were included. Studies were not excluded on the basis of language. The primary outcome had to include improvement of abdominal pain, global assessment or symptom score.
Background: Treatment of cerebral venous sinus thrombosis with anticoagulants has been controversial. Anticoagulants may prevent new venous infarcts, neurologic deterioration and pulmonary embolism but may also promote haemorrhages.
Objectives: To assess the effectiveness and safety of anticoagulant therapy in patients with confirmed cerebral venous sinus thrombosis.
Selection criteria: Unconfounded randomised controlled trials in which anticoagulant therapy was compared with placebo or open control in patients with cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (confirmed by intra-arterial contrast, or venography with magnetic resonance, or venography with computed tomography imaging).
Background: Clinical practice is not always evidence-based and, therefore, may not optimise patient outcomes. Opinion leaders disseminating and implementing 'best evidence' is one method that holds promise as a strategy to bridge evidence-practice gaps.
Objectives: To assess the effectiveness of the use of local opinion leaders in improving professional practice and patient outcomes.
Selection criteria: Studies eligible for inclusion were randomised controlled trials investigating the effectiveness of using opinion leaders to disseminate evidence-based practice and reporting objective measures of professional performance and/or health outcomes.
Background: There is considerable interest in the effectiveness of financial incentives in the delivery of health care. Incentives may be used in an attempt to increase the use of evidence-based treatments among healthcare professionals or to stimulate health professionals to change their clinical behaviour with respect to preventive, diagnostic and treatment decisions, or both. Financial incentives are an extrinsic source of motivation and exist when an individual can expect a monetary transfer which is made conditional on acting in a particular way. Since there are numerous reviews performed within the healthcare area describing the effects of various types of financial incentives, it is important to summarise the effectiveness of these in an overview to discern which are most effective in changing health professionals' behaviour and patient outcomes.
Objectives: To conduct an overview of systematic reviews that evaluates the impact of financial incentives on healthcare professional behaviour and patient outcomes.