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Background: While constraint‐induced movement therapy is strongly recommended as an intervention for infants with unilateral cerebral palsy, the optimal dosage remains undefined. This systematic review aims to identify the most effective level of intensity of constraint‐induced movement therapy to enhance manual function in infants at high risk of asymmetric brain lesions or unilateral cerebral palsy diagnosis. Methods: This systematic review with meta‐analysis encompassed a comprehensive search across four electronic databases to identify articles that met the following criteria: randomised controlled trials, children aged 0–6 with at high risk or with unilateral cerebral palsy, and treatment involving constraint‐induced movement therapy for upper limb function. Studies with similar outcomes were pooled by calculating the standardised mean difference score for each subgroup, and subgroups were stratified every 30 h of total intervention dosage (30–60, 61–90, >90 h). Risk of bias was assessed with Cochrane Collaboration's tool. Results: Seventeen studies were included. Meta‐analyses revealed significant differences among subgroups. The 30–60 h subgroup showed a weak effect for spontaneous use of the affected upper limb during bimanual performance, grasp function, and parents' perception of how often children use their affected upper limb. Additionally, this subgroup demonstrated a moderate effect for the parents' perception of how effectively children use their affected upper limb. Conclusions: Using a dosage ranging from 30 to 60 h when applying a constraint‐induced movement therapy protocol holds promise as the most age‐appropriate and cost‐effectiveness approach for improving upper limb functional outcomes and parent's perception. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Accumulation of bilirubin above normal levels is considered a neurological risk factor for both premature and full‐term newborns. This systematic review aimed to determine the effect of neonatal hyperbilirubinemia on neurodevelopment in preterm and full‐term newborns. Methods: PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, CINAHL, PsycINFO, Scopus and Lilacs databases were searched for articles published until 1 June 2022. The quality of cohort and case–control studies was assessed with the Newcastle–Ottawa Scale, and the MINCir scale was used to evaluate the methodological quality of therapy studies or the therapeutic procedures. Premature neonates without neurological conditions and those born at term with hyperbilirubinemia as the sole risk factor were included. Studies reporting one or more neurodevelopmental outcomes were included with an inter‐group comparison of a hyperbilirubinemia group versus a non‐hyperbilirubinemia or non‐pathological hyperbilirubinemia group. The main outcomes were auditory function, visual function, cognitive function, motor function, behavior, global development and neurological risk. Results: The search identified 951 studies, 19 of which (n = 2210 newborns) were finally included. Fifteen of the cohort and case–control studies presented low risk of bias, and six studies showed high methodological quality. Within the preterm population, hyperbilirubinemia as the sole risk factor was not shown to affect neurodevelopment. Auditory, neurological and motor development alterations were found in the population of full‐term newborns with hyperbilirubinemia, which were more evident during the first year of life. Conclusions: Elevated bilirubin levels may be a trigger for the onset of neurodevelopmental disorders in full‐term infants during the first year of life. More studies are warranted in the preterm population with hyperbilirubinemia to draw conclusions about its impact on their neurodevelopment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Purpose: Carpal tunnel syndrome is the most common peripheral neuropathy of the upper extremities and kinesio taping is one of the tools used as a complementary tool within the conventional treatment of carpal tunnel syndrome. To investigate the short‐term effects of kinesio taping on pain, functionality, strength, and nerve conduction in subjects suffering from carpal tunnel syndrome. Methods: Systematic review with meta‐analysis. Seven electronic databases (MEDLINE‐Pubmed, Web of Science, Scopus, Cochrane Library, PEDro, CINAHL, and SPORTDiscus) were searched for full‐text articles published from inception to March 1st, 2023. Studies had to meet the following inclusion criteria: randomised clinical trials, including patients of legal age with mild, moderate, or severe symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome without associated pathologies, and treating the studied body area with kinesio taping, whether or not in combination with other therapies. The DerSimonian and Laird method was employed using random effects models to calculate the pooled estimate of the effect size with confidence intervals of 95%. The risk of bias was assessed with the Cochrane Collaboration's tool and the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation approach was used to judge the certainty of the evidence for all outcomes. Results: Thirteen studies were included, comprising 665 participants with carpal tunnel syndrome. This meta‐analysis revealed a strong effect of kinesio taping on distal sensory latency and a weak effect on functionality and pain, while no significantly superior effects were found on the symptom severity, strength, or neurophysiological outcomes (distal motor latency and sensory conduction velocity) compared to other physical therapy techniques or untreated control group in the short term, with moderate‐certainty evidence. Discussion: Kinesio taping is a complementary tool to the conventional treatment of carpal tunnel syndrome that improves functionality, pain, and distal sensory latency in the short term. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]