Cochrane Db Syst Rev
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Cochrane Db Syst Rev · Nov 2015
ReviewNon-surgical adjunctive interventions for accelerating tooth movement in patients undergoing fixed orthodontic treatment.
Accelerating the rate of tooth movement may help to reduce the duration of orthodontic treatment and associated unwanted effects including root resorption and enamel demineralisation. Several methods, including surgical and non-surgical adjuncts, have been advocated to accelerate the rate of tooth movement. Non-surgical techniques include low-intensity laser irradiation, resonance vibration, pulsed electromagnetic fields, electrical currents and pharmacological approaches. ⋯ There is very little clinical research concerning the effectiveness of non-surgical interventions to accelerate orthodontic treatment. The available evidence is of very low quality and so it is not possible to determine if there is a positive effect of non-surgical adjunctive interventions to accelerate tooth movement. Although there have been claims that there may be a positive effect of light vibrational forces, results of the current studies do not reach either statistical or clinical significance. Further well-designed and rigorous RCTs with longer follow-up periods are required to determine whether non-surgical interventions may result in a clinically important reduction in the duration of orthodontic treatment, without any adverse effects.
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Cochrane Db Syst Rev · Nov 2015
ReviewInterventions for enhancing adherence to treatment in adults with bronchiectasis.
Bronchiectasis is characterised by a widening of the airways, leading to excess mucus production and recurrent infection. It is more prevalent in women and those in middle age. Many patients with bronchiectasis do not adhere to treatments (medications, exercise and airway clearance) prescribed for their condition. The best methods to change these adherence behaviours have not been identified. ⋯ We did not identify any studies that assessed the effect of interventions to enhance adherence to treatment in bronchiectasis. Adequately powered, well-designed trials of adherence interventions for bronchiectasis are needed.
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Cochrane Db Syst Rev · Nov 2015
ReviewOmega 6 fatty acids for the primary prevention of cardiovascular disease.
Omega 6 plays a vital role in many physiological functions but there is controversy concerning its effect on cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. There is conflicting evidence whether increasing or decreasing omega 6 intake results in beneficial effects. ⋯ We found no studies examining the effects of either increased or decreased omega 6 on our primary outcome CVD clinical endpoints and insufficient evidence to show an effect of increased or decreased omega 6 intake on CVD risk factors such as blood lipids and blood pressure. Very few trials were identified with a relatively small number of participants randomised. There is a need for larger well conducted RCTs assessing cardiovascular events as well as cardiovascular risk factors.
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Cochrane Db Syst Rev · Nov 2015
ReviewIntrathecal baclofen for treating spasticity in children with cerebral palsy.
Cerebral palsy is a disorder of movement and posture arising from a non-progressive lesion in the developing brain. Spasticity, a disorder of increased muscle tone, is the most common motor difficulty and is associated with activity limitation to varying degrees in mobility and self care.Oral baclofen, a gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) agonist, has been used in oral form to treat spasticity for some time, but it has a variable effect on spasticity and the dose is limited by the unwanted effect of excessive sedation. Intrathecal baclofen produces higher local concentrations in cerebrospinal fluid at a fraction of the equivalent oral dose and avoids this excessive sedation. ⋯ There is some limited short-term evidence that intrathecal baclofen is an effective therapy for reducing spasticity in children with cerebral palsy. The effect of intrathecal baclofen on long-term spasticity outcomes is less certain.The validity of the evidence for the effectiveness of intrathecal baclofen in treating spasticity in children with cerebral palsy from the studies in the review is constrained by the small sample sizes of the studies and methodological issues in some studies.Spasticity is a impairment in the domain of body structure and function. Consideration must also be given to the broader context in determining whether intrathecal baclofen therapy is effective. The aim of therapy may be, for example, to improve gross motor function, to increase participation at a social role level, to improve comfort, to improve the ease of care by others or to improve the overall quality of life of the individual. Intrathecal baclofen may improve gross motor function in children with cerebral palsy, but more reliable evidence is needed to determine this.There is some evidence that intrathecal baclofen improves ease of care and the comfort and quality of life of the individuals receiving it, but again small sample sizes and methodological issues in the studies mean that these results should be interpreted with caution.Further evidence of the effectiveness of intrathecal baclofen for treating spasticity, increasing gross motor function and improving comfort, ease of care and quality of life is needed from other investigators in order to validate these results.The short duration of the controlled studies included in this review did not allow for the exploration of questions regarding whether the subsequent need for orthopaedic surgery in children receiving intrathecal baclofen therapy is altered, or the safety and the economic implications of intrathecal baclofen treatment when long-term therapy is administered via an implanted device. Controlled studies are not the most appropriate study design to address these questions, cohort studies may be more appropriate.