There is an increasing body of research that suggests that inflammation plays an important role in the development of schizophrenia. It is therefore logical to consider using anti-inflammatory drugs as a component within the overall treatment approach for people with schizophrenia. This new systematic review and meta-analysis carried out by researchers from the University Medical [read the full story…]
Scaling and root planning (SRP) is the main therapeutic approach to treating periodontitis. The adjunctive use of local antimicrobials has demonstrated some improvement in outcomes. The aim of this review was to assess the effect on clinical outcomes of local antimicrobials as adjuncts to SRP, compared to SRP alone or plus placebo, in chronic periodontitis [read the full story…]
There are many different antidepressants to choose from when treating acute depression, so it’s always helpful to see a systematic review that looks at the efficacy, acceptability and tolerability of the different drugs. This new Cochrane review compares duloxetine hydrochloride (one of the newer drugs) with other antidepressants and finds little high quality evidence upon [read the full story…]
As MSK elves we already know shoulder pain is one of the most common presenting musculoskeletal conditions accounting for between 7 -26% of general practitioner consultations in the UK. There are a variety of causes of shoulder pain and some of our previous blogs have discussed challenges to developing an acurate diagnosis. Once we have our appropriately [read the full story…]
About 50% of benign salivary gland disease results from obstructive sialadenitis. The majority of cases are seen in the submandibular gland (80-90%) with 10-15% in the parotid and < 1% in the sublingual gland. The aim of this review was to summarize the current literature and determine the efficacy and safety of sialendoscopy in the [read the full story…]
Sjögren’s syndrome (SS) is one potential cause of dry mouth. It is thought to affect 0.5-1% of the population and is more common in females (M/F ratio 1:9). SS is an autoimmune disease characterised by chronic T- and B-cell infiltration of the salivary glands or lachrymal glands that results in gland dysfunction. SS has a [read the full story…]
Orofacial pain is a relatively common and is categorized into musculoskeletal; neuropathic; vascular; neurovascular; idiopathic; pain caused by local, distant, or systemic pathology; and psychogenic. Diagnosis can be challenging when psychosocial factors are present and while antidepressants have been used as a treatment there remains some controversy. The aim of this review was to assess [read the full story…]
In the low back pain (LBP) research there has been quite an interest in recent years as to which psychosocial factors are the most predictive of a poor outcome, both in terms of activity limitations and work absence. A systematic review by Iles et al (2009) showed that recovery expectations measured within three weeks of the onset [read the full story…]
My last blog (Boys, don’t cry!) addressed the many challenges that can present themselves to boys during childhood and adolescence, and cause them to veer off the road from healthy development. Girls by no means have it easy! When compared to boys, girls are more likely to present with mental health problems (Merikangas, 2010). Furthermore, [read the full story…]
Saturday 20 October is World Osteoporosis day raising awareness about osteoporosis and fragile bones. In a previous blog The Musculoskeletal Elf discussed Best risk assessment advice for people with fragility fractures. However, despite the availability of effective treatments it appears that the majority of people presenting with a minimal trauma fracture (also known as ‘osteoporotic’, [read the full story…]
