Tyrosine kinase inhibitor maintenance therapy after stem cell transplantation for FLT3-mutated acute myeloid leukemia This is a protocol for a Cochrane Review (intervention). The objectives are as follows: To assess the effects of FLT3 TKIs as maintenance therapy compared to no maintenance therapy or alternative strategies for participants with FLT3-mutated AML after allo-HSCT. This is a protocol....

Do supplements (like lutein and zeaxanthin) reduce illnesses and death in preterm infants? Key messages • Lutein and zeaxanthin supplementation probably reduces severe eye disease in preterm infants. • We found no evidence of any other clear beneficial or harmful effects of the interventions in reducing gut (stomach/digestive system) or brain problems in preterm babies. However, all five studies were conducted in Italy and the USA. • Future studies should be conducted in a variety of countries and settings. These studies should evaluate major outcomes such as death, gut or brain problems,...

Exercise interventions for treating work-related complaints of the arm, neck or shoulder in adults This is a protocol for a Cochrane Review (intervention). The objectives are as follows: To assess the effects of exercise interventions for work-related complaints of the arm, neck or shoulder (CANS) in adults. The outcomes of interest are pain, function, work outcomes, adverse events, quality of life, healthcare use and injury recurrence. This is a protocol....

Are there any treatments that can prevent haemolytic uraemic syndrome in individuals already infected with high-risk bacteria? Key messages • There is not enough evidence to determine the best method for preventing haemolytic uraemic syndrome (HUS) in patients with Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC)-associated diarrhoea. • More studies with a larger group of patients are required before any recommendation can be made. What is haemolytic uraemic syndrome? Haemolytic uraemic syndrome (HUS) is a serious illness that primarily affects children and can have severe side effects such as...

Do different ways of giving blood or blood products to treat bleeding affect the risk of death or the risk of developing a blood clot in people who are bleeding heavily after a traumatic injury? Key messages - No particular transfusion strategy (method of giving blood products) seems to change the overall chance of a patient dying or getting a blood clot. - We found 18 studies that tested different ways of giving blood transfusions. This variety made it difficult to combine the results and means we do not have clear answers to our questions. What is traumatic injury? A traumatic injury is a...

For those receiving a procedure to open up vessels after an ischaemic stroke, is clot-busting medicine better than no clot-busting medicine? Key messages For people who received a procedure to open up blood vessels after a stroke, adding a clot-busting medicine: did not make a difference, on average, in their ability to perform daily activities on their own with slight or moderate disability, in the number of deaths, or in bleeding inside the brain with or without symptoms. resulted in a higher flow of blood that could be seen going through the previously blocked blood vessels. What is acute...

Is entecavir better than no treatment or placebo for treating people with chronic hepatitis B? Key messages We could not estimate the effects of entecavir (a medicine used to treat infections caused by viruses) on death due to any cause in people with chronic hepatitis B (a common liver disease) as there were no deaths. No studies looked at health-related quality of life (a measure of a person's satisfaction with their life and health). We do not know whether entecavir is better than no treatment or placebo (a pretend treatment) regarding the proportion of people with serious harmful...

Are there risks in providing anti-cancer treatment in people's homes and is it cost-effective? Key messages 1. Compared to receiving intravenous (directly into a vein (IV)) anti-cancer therapy in hospital outpatient clinics, we are uncertain whether receiving the same therapy at home affects the management of unwanted effects, admission to hospital or visits to the emergency department after therapy, and IV line complications. 2. People receiving treatment at home may be more likely to prefer future treatments at home after receiving treatment there, compared to participants' preference...

What steps can be taken to prevent infections after surgeries to fix the aortic or the aortoiliac segment (the largest arteries in the body)? Key messages • Antibiotics seem to reduce surgical site infections in people undergoing aortic or aortoiliac surgery. • Other interventions assessed appear to make little or no difference in reducing the incidence of surgical site infections. • Other outcomes evaluated were minimally or not affected by the interventions studied. What are peripheral arterial disease and aortic aneurysms? Peripheral arterial disease happens when arteries narrow, and...

What are the effects of acupuncture in managing pain in babies undergoing painful procedures? Key messages • Due to a lack of evidence, the benefits and harms of acupuncture for babies undergoing painful procedures are unclear. • Well-designed and thoroughly reported studies are needed to shed light on the benefits and harms of acupuncture, also compared to medicines, or different ways of using acupuncture. Pain in babies and acupuncture Newborns in intensive care units experience many invasive and painful procedures (like blood tests). Newborns who undergo repetitive episodes of untreated...

Psychological interventions in inflammatory bowel disease Will persons with inflammatory bowel disease IBD) feel better when they get psychological therapy as well as their normal medication? Key messages 1. Psychological treatments probably have small beneficial effects on quality of life and symptoms of depression and anxiety in grown-up persons with IBD. 2. There may be no effect on inflammation and bodily symptoms, but we are very uncertain about these results. 3. In adolescents, psychotherapy is probably effective in improving quality of life. We are uncertain about the effects on...

Blood pressure lowering efficacy of dual glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide/glucagon-like peptide-1 (GIP/GLP-1) receptor agonists compared to glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists This is a protocol for a Cochrane Review (intervention). The objectives are as follows: To compare the blood pressure effects of dual glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide/glucagon-like peptide-1 (GIP/GLP-1) receptor agonists with the blood pressure effects of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists. This is a protocol....

What are the benefits and risks of vaccines for the prevention of infectious diseases in adults with cancer (solid tumours)? Key messages - In adults with cancer (solid tumours), vaccines to prevent herpes zoster reduce the occurrence of herpes zoster but increase unwanted effects such as pain or redness at the injection site. - We are uncertain about the effects of influenza vaccines on death from any cause, unwanted effects of any severity, and serious unwanted effects. The occurrence of influenza was not measured. - Vaccines to prevent COVID-19 probably reduce the occurrence of COVID-19...

Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists and sodium-glucose co-transporter-2 inhibitors combination therapy for adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus: a network meta-analysis This is a protocol for a Cochrane Review (intervention). The objectives are as follows: Primary objective To evaluate the relative benefits and harms of therapy with glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RA), sodium-glucose co-transporter-2 inhibitors (SGLT2i), and their combination in adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Secondary objectives To determine the relative rankings of GLP-1RA, SGLT2i, and their...

Which medication is best for reducing excessive blood loss after childbirth and has the fewest unwanted effects? Key messages Most medications (uterotonics) to prevent excessive blood loss after childbirth (postpartum haemorrhage (PPH)) are more effective than no treatment. Ergometrine plus oxytocin, and misoprostol plus oxytocin are most effective compared with oxytocin (standard treatment). All uterotonics, except for carbetocin, are associated with an increased risk of unwanted effects compared with oxytocin. What is postpartum haemorrhage, and how is it treated? Postpartum haemorrhage...

What are the best ways to help people to stop using smokeless tobacco? Key messages Counselling, brief advice, varenicline and nicotine replacement therapy may all be effective ways to help people quit using smokeless tobacco. We need more research from countries in South and Southeast Asia, where smokeless tobacco is most commonly used and where there are the most different kinds of smokeless tobacco. What is smokeless tobacco? Smokeless tobacco is tobacco that, instead of being smoked in a cigarette or pipe, is used by chewing, sniffing or holding in the mouth. Over 300 million people...

Training to increase parental participation in the care of infants in neonatal units This is a protocol for a Cochrane Review (intervention). The objectives are as follows: To assess the effects of training to increase parental participation in the care of infants in neonatal units, compared to no training or a different type of training. This is a protocol....

What factors influence caregivers’ and adolescents’ views and practices around human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination for adolescents? Key messages • Many complex factors may influence caregivers’ and adolescents’ views and actions about human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination for adolescents. We divided them into 8 themes relating to individual knowledge and perceptions, family and social relationships, and the wider contexts in which caregivers and adolescents live. • Healthcare planners and policy-makers could use the themes to help them understand specific contexts in which people are...

Antibiotics to prevent infection after surgery to manage miscarriage Key messages We are uncertain whether routine antibiotics have any effect on the risk of getting a uterine infection (infection in the womb) after surgery to manage a miscarriage, based on the combined results from all six trials. However, based on the results from only the well-done trials (85% of the total number of women in the studies), we are confident that routine antibiotics reduce the risk of getting a uterine infection after surgery to manage a miscarriage. We are uncertain whether routine antibiotics have any...

What are the benefits and risks of different types of surgery for people with presbyopia? Key Messages Based on current evidence, the relative benefits and risks of different types of surgery for treating people with presbyopia (difficulties in reading or seeing close up) are unclear at three to six months after treatment. There was no information about the effects beyond six months after treatment. No study looked at the balance of costs and how well the different treatments worked. Future well-designed studies should measure the longer-term benefits and risks of different types of surgery...