Trials
Background Epilepsy is the most common neurological problem that affects people with learning disabilities. The high seizure frequency, resistance to treatments, associated skills deficit and co-morbidities make the management of epilepsy particularly challenging for people with learning disabilities. The Books Beyond Words booklet for epilepsy uses images to help people with learning disabilities...
The online version of the original article can be found at 10.1186/1745-6215-14-269
Background Colorectal cancer (CRC) screening by fecal occult blood test (FOBT) significantly reduces CRC mortality, and compliance rates directly influence the efficacy of this screening method. The aim of this study is to investigate whether stool collection strategies affect compliance with the FOBT. Methods/Design In total, 3,596 study participants aged between 50 and 74 years will be recruited...
Background The only subgroups of patients with heart failure and atrial fibrillation in which the efficacy of cardiac resynchronization therapy has been scientifically proven are patients with indications for right ventricular pacing and patients after atrioventricular junction ablation. However it is unlikely that atrioventricular junction ablation would be a standard procedure in the majority of...
Carolina Marciela Herpich,
Ernesto Cesar Pinto Leal-Junior,
Ana Paula Amaral,
Juliana de Paiva Tosato,
more
Background According to the International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP), the term temporomandibular disorder (TMD) regards a subgroup of orofacial pain, the symptoms of which include pain or discomfort in the temporomandibular joint, ears, masticatory muscles and neck on one or both sides, as well as joint sounds, limited mandibular movements or mandibular deviation and difficulties chewing...
Background The early management of orthopaedic outpatients by physiotherapists may be useful in reducing public hospital waiting lists. Physiotherapists in Australia are prevented by legislation and funding models from investigating, prescribing, injecting and referring autonomously. This gap in service is particularly noticeable in the management of shoulder pain in early-access physiotherapy services,...
Background Light information is the most important cue of circadian rhythm which synchronizes biological rhythm with external environment. Circadian misalignment of biological rhythm and external environment is associated with increased risk of depression, insomnia, obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer. Increased light transmission by cataract surgery may improve circadian misalignment...
The online version of the original article can be found at 10.1186/1745-6215-12-158
Background Urinary incontinence (UI) affects half of patients hospitalised after stroke and is often poorly managed. Cochrane systematic reviews have shown some positive impact of conservative interventions (such as bladder training) in reducing UI, but their effectiveness has not been demonstrated with stroke patients. Methods We conducted a cluster randomised controlled feasibility trial of a...
Background Coronary artery bypass grafting using the radial artery has, since the 1990s, gone through a revival. Observational studies have indicated better long-term patency when using radial arteries. Therefore, radial artery might be preferred especially in younger patients where long time patency is important. During the last 10 years different endoscopic techniques to harvest the radial artery...
Background Through many years, the standard care has been to use continuous sedation of critically ill patients during mechanical ventilation. However, preliminary randomised clinical trials indicate that it is beneficial to reduce the sedation level. No randomised trial has been conducted comparing sedation with no sedation, a priori powered to have all-cause mortality as primary outcome. The objective...
Background Current interventions for haemorrhoidal disease include traditional haemorrhoidectomy (TH) and stapled haemorrhoidopexy (SH) surgery. However, uncertainty remains as to how they compare from a clinical, quality of life (QoL) and economic perspective. The study is therefore designed to determine whether SH is more effective and more cost-effective, compared with TH. Methods/Design eTHoS (e...
Background Maternal depression carries a major public health burden for mothers and their infants, yet there is a substantial treatment gap for this condition in low-resourced regions such as sub-Saharan Africa. To address this treatment gap, the strategy of “task sharing” has been proposed, involving the delivery of interventions by non-specialist health workers trained and supervised by specialists...
Pedro Emmanuel Alvarenga Americano do Brasil,
Andréa Pereira de Souza,
Alejandro Marcel Hasslocher-Moreno,
Sérgio Salles Xavier,
more
Background Heart disease progression occurs in 30% of patients with chronic Trypanosoma cruzi infection. Supplementation with selenium (Se) in animal model of T. cruzi infection produced promising results. There is evidence that patients with Chagas heart disease have lower Se levels than healthy individuals and patients with T. cruzi infection without of cardiac disease. The aim of this investigation...
Background Renal transplantation is the best treatment for kidney failure, in terms of length and quality of life and cost-effectiveness. However, most transplants fail after 10 to 12 years, consigning patients back onto dialysis. Damage by the immune system accounts for approximately 50% of failing transplants and it is possible to identify patients at risk by screening for the presence of antibodies...
Background The incidence of biliary complications following liver transplantation (LT) remains high, ranging from 10 to 50 % of patients, especially when the diameter of the bile duct is smaller than 7 mm. Biliary reconstruction is most often performed by duct-to-duct anastomosis. In a preliminary study (n = 20), we previously reported a technique of biliary reconstruction using an intraductal stent...
Background Childhood anemia is highly prevalent worldwide. Improving the hemoglobin level of preschool age children could yield substantial benefits in cognitive and psychosocial development and overall health. While evidence-based recommendations for reducing childhood anemia in high anemia prevalence countries are available, there is no experimental evidence of community centered education and counseling...
Background The focus in recent years on physical inactivity and metabolic disturbances in individuals with schizophrenia raises the question of potential effects of physical activity. Physical activity has shown beneficial effects on cognition in healthy older individuals as well as on symptom severity in depression. However, opinions diverge regarding whether aerobic high-intensity interval training...
Background Bone and joint infection in adults arises most commonly as a complication of joint replacement surgery, fracture fixation and diabetic foot infection. The associated morbidity can be devastating to patients and costs the National Health Service an estimated £20,000 to £40,000 per patient. Current standard of care in most UK centres includes a prolonged course (4–6 weeks) of intravenous...
Background Rectus sheath block (RSB) is used for postoperative pain relief in patients undergoing abdominal surgery with midline incision. Preoperative RSB has been shown to be effective, but it has not been compared with postoperative RSB. The aim of the present study is to evaluate postoperative pain, sleep quality and changes in the cytokine levels of patients undergoing gynaecological surgery...