Cochrane Db Syst Rev
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Foot ulceration is thought to affect 15% of people with diabetes at some time in their lives. Debridement is widely regarded as an effective intervention to speed up ulcer healing. The most effective method is unclear. ⋯ There is evidence to suggest that hydrogel increases the healing rate of diabetic foot ulcers compared with gauze dressings or standard care and larval therapy resulted in significantly greater reduction in wound area than hydrogel. More research is needed to evaluate the effects of a range of widely used debridement methods and of debridement per se.
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Cochrane Db Syst Rev · Jan 2010
ReviewStrategies to improve recruitment to randomised controlled trials.
Recruiting participants to trials can be extremely difficult. Identifying strategies that improve trial recruitment would benefit both trialists and health research. ⋯ Trialists can increase recruitment to their trials by using the strategies shown to be effective in this review: telephone reminders; use of opt-out, rather than opt-in; procedures for contacting potential trial participants and open designs. Some strategies (e.g. open trial designs) need to be considered carefully before use because they also have disadvantages. For example, opt-out procedures are controversial and open designs are by definition unblinded.
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Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a leading cause of death and disability. Intracranial bleeding is a common complication of TBI, and intracranial bleeding can develop or worsen after hospital admission. Haemostatic drugs may reduce the occurrence or size of intracranial bleeds and consequently lower the morbidity and mortality associated with TBI. ⋯ There is no reliable evidence from randomised controlled trials to support the effectiveness of haemostatic drugs in reducing mortality or disability in patients with TBI. New randomised controlled trials assessing the effects of haemostatic drugs in TBI patients should be conducted. These trials should be large enough to detect clinically plausible treatment effects.
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Hypertension is considered a serious health problem worldwide. Controlling and lowering blood pressure have a significant benefit to the hypertensive patients because hypertension is a risk factor for stroke, heart disease and cardiovascular disease. A tropical plant called Roselle, or Red Sorrel in English-speaking countries, has been used both as a thirst-quenching drink and for medical purposes. ⋯ There is insufficient evidence to support the benefit of Roselle for either controlling or lowering blood pressure in patients with hypertension. Based on the information of this review, there is a clear need to develop well-designed studies to assess the efficacy of Roselle on hypertensive patients.
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Uterine fibroids (UFs) are benign growths within the uterine muscle and are present in 30% of women during their reproductive years. With the exception of hysterectomy, there are no effective medical and surgical treatments for women with uterine fibroids . Acupuncture is an ancient Chinese method which has been used for both the prevention and treatment of diseases for over three thousand years. There are many types of acupuncture used to manage UFs, with body acupuncture being the most commonly used. The literature reporting the benefits or harms of acupuncture for the management of UFs has not yet been systematically reviewed. ⋯ The effectiveness of acupuncture for the management of uterine fibroids remains uncertain. More evidence is required to establish the efficacy and safety of acupuncture for uterine fibroids.There is a continued need for well designed RCTs with long term follow up.