This new Cochrane review compares methods of fixing tubes on back (molar) teeth to allow the wires need to move the teeth pass through them. These can be welded to bands cemented to teeth or glued (bonded) directly to the teeth. They only found two well designed trials which suggest that bonded molar tubes are [read the full story…]
Active Support is a coherent package of training in staff working practices and home organisational procedures to help staff to provide more direct support for resident participation, and increase levels of engagement in activities by residents. This systematic review identified two studies in which researchers reported three experimental evaluations of active support. Two of the [read the full story…]
A new Cochrane review has found 7 randomised controlled trials that investigate the efficacy of amphetamine derivatives against placebo or an active intervention. Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a childhood onset psychiatric disorder that can persist into adulthood in up to 50% of patients. From a clinical point of view, ADHD is characterized by hyperactivity, [read the full story…]
The Cochrane Scizophrenia Group have updated the systematic review that brings together all randomised controlled trials (RCTs) designed to prevent progression to psychosis in people showing prodromal symptoms, or to improve outcome for people with first-episode psychosis. The reviewers found 18 RCTs this time around, but (as is often the case with systematic reviews) the [read the full story…]
Regular physical activity is a cornerstone of good health and previous studies have shown that many people with learning disabilities do not engage in such activity. This systematic review set out to critically assess the evidence on the effectiveness of physical activity interventions for adults with learning disabilities. The authors found eleven clinical studies that [read the full story…]
A research team from the Institute of Psychiatry in London have conducted a systematic review of qualitative and quantitative studies of General Practitioners’ and Practice Nurses’ attitudes to managing depression in primary care. They found 7 qualitative and 10 quantitative studies, none of which looked at depressed people with co-morbid physical illness. Two contrasting understandings of depression were [read the full story…]
Researchers in Hong Kong have published a systematic review that explores suicidal behaviour in old age. They found 22 gender-specific quantitative studies and revealed a range of risk factors for different socio-demographic groups. Unsurprisingly for a team of suicide researchers, they concluded that further exploration of gender-specific issues in suicide was needed. They also said: [read the full story…]
Depression has a habit of attaching itself to lots of health problems, not just for the patient, but also sometimes for carers and other family members. This systematic review and meta-analysis looks at the association between activity restriction and depression in medical patients and their caregivers. The review found a clear positive relationship between lack [read the full story…]
The Aussies are at it again with this systematic review which examines the role of oxytocin in mother-infant relations, attachment, and bonding in humans. Oxytocin plays an important role in the reproductive life of mammals. The hormone facilitates nest building and pup retrieval in rats, acceptance of offspring in sheep, and the formation of adult [read the full story…]
There’s an updated Cochrane review which evaluates the effects of naltrexone maintenance treatment versus placebo or other treatments in preventing relapse in opioid addicts after detoxification. The Cochrane reviewers concluded: Oral naltrexone as maintenance treatment to prevent relapse in opioid addicts who have undergone detoxification Opioid dependence is considered to be a lifelong, chronic relapsing [read the full story…]
