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Objective: To investigate up-to-date evidence of the effectiveness of neural mobilisation techniques compared with any type of comparator in improving pain, function, and physical performance in people with musculoskeletal pain. Data sources: The following sources were consulted: PubMed, Web of Science, CENTRAL, CINAHL, Scopus, and PEDro databases; scientific repositories; and clinical trial registers. The last search was performed on 01/06/2023. Methods: Two reviewers independently assessed the studies for inclusion. We included randomised, quasi-randomised, and crossover trials on musculoskeletal pain in which at least one group received neural mobilisation (alone or as part of multimodal interventions). Meta-analyses were performed where possible. The RoB 2 and the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation tools were used to assess risk of bias and to rate the certainty of evidence, respectively. Results: Thirty-nine trials were identified. There was a significant effect favouring neural mobilisation for pain and function in people with low back pain, but not for flexibility. For neck pain, there was a significant effect favouring neural mobilisation as part of multimodal interventions for pain, but not for function and range of motion. Regarding other musculoskeletal conditions, it was not possible to conclude whether neural mobilisation is effective in improving pain and function. There was very low confidence for all effect estimates. Conclusions: Neural mobilisation as part of multimodal interventions appears to have a positive effect on pain for patients with low back pain and neck pain and on function in people with low back pain. For the other musculoskeletal conditions, results are inconclusive. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims Endovascular therapy (EVT) is a highly effective stroke treatment, but it requires the administration of contrast media which puts patients at risk of acute kidney injury (AKI). AKI is associated with increased morbidity and mortality in cardiovascular patients. Methods PubMed, Scopus, ISI and the Cochrane Library were systematically searched for observational and experimental studies assessing the occurrence of AKI in adult acute stroke patients submitted to EVT. Two independent reviewers collected study data regarding study setting, period, source of data, and AKI definition and predictors, the outcomes of interest being AKI incidence and 90-day death or dependency (modified Rankin Scale score ≥3). These outcomes were pooled using random effect models, and heterogeneity was measured using the I² statistic. results 22 studies were identified and included in the analysis, involving 32 034 patients. Pooled incidence of AKI was 7% (95% CI 5% to 10%), but heterogeneity was high across studies (I²=98%), and not accounted for by the definition of AKI used. The most frequently reported AKI predictors were impaired baseline renal function (5 studies) and diabetes (3 studies); 3 studies (2103 patients) reported data on death and 4 studies (2424 patients) reported data on dependency. Overall, AKI was associated with both outcomes, with ORs of 6.21 (95% CI 3.52 to 10.96) and 2.86 (95% CI 1.88 to 4.37), respectively. Heterogeneity was low for both analyses (I²=0%). Conclusions AKI affects 7% of acute stroke patients submitted to EVT and identifies a subgroup of patients for which treatment outcomes are suboptimal, with an increased risk of death and dependency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Objectives: This umbrella review aimed to understand the clinical benefits and adverse events associated with different modalities of intradialytic exercise in patients with end-stage renal disease undergoing hemodialysis. Data Sources: The search was performed until September 10th, 2020 on Scopus, Web of Science, the Cochrane Database, CINAHL, and PubMed. Methods: This umbrella review was conducted following the PRISMA guideline statement. The methodological quality of the reviews was assessed with the AMSTAR-2. Standardized mean differences with 95% confidence intervals were estimated. The I-squared statistic was used to assess heterogeneity and the Eggers' test was performed to test asymmetry/small-study effects. Results: Eleven reviews were included and 48 unique meta-analyses were examined. Nine were supported by suggestive evidence (P < 0.05, small heterogeneity, absence of small-study effects, and excess significance bias). Clinical benefits were found for functional capacity associated with aerobic exercise (d = 0.81; k = 6), resistance training (d = 0.58; k = 6), neuromuscular electrical stimulation (d = 0.70; k = 5), and inspiratory muscle training (d = 1.13; k = 2), measured by the distance covered in the 6-minutes walking test. This outcome was also associated with aerobic exercise (d = 0.28; k = 7) and combined exercise, measured by VO2peak (d = 1.01; k = 5) and by the duration of the cardiopulmonary test (d = 1.07; k = 4). Isometric quadriceps muscle strength improved with neuromuscular electrical stimulation (d = 1.19; k = 7) while patients' perception of vitality improved with combined exercise (d = 0.60; k = 3). Conclusions: Suggestive evidence was found for the associations between various modalities of intradialytic exercise and functional capacity. Combined exercise was associated with improvements in physical and psychosocial variables. Few or no adverse events were reported. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective The purpose of this study was to systematically review the association between handgrip strength (HGS) and mortality, morbidity, and health-related quality of life (HRQL) in individuals with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Methods The following databases were used: CENTRAL, CINAHL, EMBASE, MEDLINE Ovid, SPORTDiscus, and PsycINFO. Studies published between 2000 and 2020 in English, Portuguese, or French that examined the association of HGS with mortality, morbidity, and HRQL in individuals with stable COPD were selected. Two authors independently extracted data and assessed the quality of evidence using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation framework. The study effects were pooled using random effects meta-analysis models after assessing heterogeneity. The search generated 710 studies, and 18 were included in the review. Studies evaluated a total of 12,046 individuals with stable COPD (mean percent of the predicted forced expiratory volume in 1 second = 34%–80%) using over 10 diverse protocols for HGS measurement. Statistically significant, small, and negative relationships were found between HGS and mortality (r  = −0.03; 95% CI = −0.05 to −0.02). Independent of the outcome measure used to assess morbidity, the estimate of the overall relationship was small to moderate and negative: Body Mass Index, Airflow Obstruction, Dyspnea, and Exercise Index Updated (r  = −0.42; 95% CI = −0.61 to −0.03); exacerbations (r  = −0.02; 95% CI = −0.04 to −0.00); and hospitalizations (r  = −0.69; 95% CI = −1.70 to 0.32). Similarly, for HRQL, independent of the outcome measure, the estimate of the overall relationship was small to fair and negative: COPD Assessment Test (weighted r  = −0.22; 95% CI = −0.32 to −0.12), Chronic Respiratory Disease Questionnaire domains (−0.24 <  r  < −0.14), EuroQol Five-Dimension Questionnaire (utility score) (r  = −0.17; 95% CI = −0.26 to −0.07), EuroQol Five-Dimension Questionnaire domains (−0.32 <  r  < −0.06), and St George Respiratory Questionnaire total (r  = −0.26; 95% CI = −0.33 to −0.17). The quality of the evidence ranged from low to very low across outcomes. Conclusion Although heterogeneity was present among HGS measurement protocols, small to moderate associations were found, indicating that those with lower HGS have an increased likelihood of death, a higher risk of increased COPD morbidity (as assessed with Body Mass Index, Airflow Obstruction, Dyspnea and Exercise Capacity indexes), and poorer HRQL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This systematic review aimed to systematise the different designs used to deliver pulmonary rehabilitation during acute exacerbations of COPD (AECOPD) and explore which ones are the most effective. PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, EBSCO and Cochrane were searched. Randomised controlled trials comparing pulmonary rehabilitation or at least one of its components with usual care or comparing different components of pulmonary rehabilitation were included. Network meta-analysis was conducted in MetaXL 5.3 using a generalised pairwise modelling framework. Pooled effects compared each treatment to usual care. 42 studies were included. Most studies were conducted in an inpatient setting (57%) and started the intervention 24–48 h after hospital admission (24%). Exercise training (71%), education and psychosocial support (57%) and breathing techniques (55%) were the most used components. Studies combining exercise with breathing techniques presented the larger effects on exercise capacity (weighted mean difference (WMD) −41.06, 95% CI −131.70–49.58) and health-related quality of life (WMD 16.07, 95% CI 10.29–21.84), and breathing techniques presented the larger effects on dyspnoea (WMD 1.90, 95% CI 0.53–3.27) and length of hospitalisation (effect size =0.15, 95% CI −0.28–0.57). A few minor adverse events were found. Pulmonary rehabilitation is a safe intervention during AECOPD. Exercise, breathing techniques, and education and psychosocial support seem to be the core components for implementing pulmonary rehabilitation during AECOPD. Studies may now focus on comparisons of optimal timings to start the intervention, total duration of the intervention, duration and frequency of sessions, and intensity for exercise prescription. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Mini-hysteroscopy is believed to be pain-free or in the least bearable. Office procedures are therefore usually performed without analgesia or anesthesia. Is it indeed as tolerable as papers and authors suggest?Objectives: To estimate what proportion of women reports moderate to severe discomfort during examination using the smaller diameter scopes.Search Strategy: Online sources were search with key words "hysteroscopy" and "pain" from 2000 to December 2014. Thirty-five articles were retrieved for detailed analysis.Selection Criteria: Randomized controlled trials (RCT) and well-designed prospective trials (PT) studying pain as main outcome, in office mini-hysteroscopy in at least one arm. Studies or arms within a study where conscientious sedation, anesthesia, or non-steroidal drugs were used were excluded. Chosen data collected was the number of women referring moderate to severe pain compared to total women with intervention in the arm or study. Authors were contacted to try to retrieve unpublished data for analysis.Data Collection and Analysis: We performed a meta-analysis from eight studies (six RCT and two PT) comparing pain reported as moderate or severe to total women in mini-hysteroscopy.Main Results: A meta-analysis estimated the pooled prevalence of pain (>3-10 on 10 cm visual analog scale) for all studies and by two subgroups: (1) RCT and (2) PT. Due to significant heterogeneity between studies, we used the random effects model. Results revealed a high prevalence of pain in outpatient mini-hysteroscopy.Conclusions: Office mini-hysteroscopy is painful. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Group sports interventions have been developed to improve health-related physical fitness of overweight/obese youth. However, its benefits are not systematically documented. This study synthesizes the evidence about the effects of group sports on health-related physical fitness of overweight/obese youth. Pubmed, Web of Knowledge, Scopus, Medline, CINAHL, SportDiscus, and Academic Search Complete were searched in February 2016. Studies assessing the effects of group sports on body composition, cardiorespiratory endurance, muscle strength, flexibility, and neuromotor fitness of overweight/obese youth (aged <18 years) were included. Effect sizes ( ES) were calculated with Cohen's d and its 95% confidence intervals ( CI). Improvements were found in (i) body composition - percentage of fat body mass (pooled ES = 0.67; 95% CI = 0.24-1.10) and waist circumference ( ES = 0.69; P = 0.004); (ii) cardiorespiratory endurance - peak oxygen consumption (pooled ES = 0.53; 95% CI = 0.13-0.92) and (iii) muscle strength - hand grip strength ( ES = 0.72; P = 0.003). No significant effects were found for body mass index (pooled ES = 0.27; 95% CI = −0.14 to 0.69), percentage of lean body mass ( ES = 0.01; P > 0.05), maximal power output ( ES from 0 to 0.06; P > 0.05), sit-and-reach test (pooled ES = 0.26; 95% CI = −0.16 to 0.68) and agility test ( ES = 0; P = 0.48). Group sports improve body composition, cardiorespiratory endurance, and hand grip strength of overweight/obese youth. Flexibility and neuromotor fitness do not seem to change following group sports. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Women of advanced maternal age, defined as ≥ 35 years at delivery, are at increased risk of multiple complications during pregnancy, with perinatal death being one of the most feared. For instance, the risk of stillbirth at term in this subgroup of women is higher than in younger women, and particularly high beyond 39 weeks of gestation. Induction of labor at 39-40 weeks might help prevent some cases of perinatal death, however, the fact that induction of labor has been historically associated with an increased risk of cesarean delivery and the knowledge that advanced maternal age is an independent risk factor for cesarean delivery are some of the major reasons why clinicians are reluctant to offer elective induction of labor in this particular group.Objective: The aim of the study was to assess if induction of labor in advanced maternal age was associated with increased rates of cesarean delivery when compared to expectant management.Material and Methods: We performed an electronic search limited to published articles available between January 2000 and March 2020. Randomized clinical trials and retrospective studies with large cohorts comparing induction of labor with expectant management in singleton pregnancies at term, of women aged ≥ 35 years were included. The primary outcome was the rate of cesarean delivery in induction of labor versus expectant management, and secondary outcomes were the occurrence of assisted vaginal delivery and postpartum hemorrhage.Results: Eight studies, including 81151 pregnancies (26,631 in the induction group and 54,520 expectantly managed), were included in the analysis. Six of the included studies were randomized clinical trials with the remaining two being observational and retrospective cohort studies. Induction of labor was not associated with a significant increased risk of cesarean delivery (OR 0.97, 95 % CI 0.86-1.1), assisted vaginal delivery (OR 1.12, 95 % CI 0.96-1.32) or postpartum hemorrhage (OR 1.11, 95 % CI 0.88-1.41).Discussion: The belief that induction of labor is associated with an increased risk of cesarean delivery is based on the results of retrospective studies comparing induction with spontaneous labor at the same gestational age. However, at any point in a pregnancy, the comparison should be between induction of labor and expectant management, with the latter contributing to a pregnancy of greater gestation age and not always leading to spontaneous labor. When comparing induction to expectant management, our study shows no significant increase of cesarean section, assisted vaginal delivery or postpartum hemorrhage. Our study was not powered to assess neonatal outcomes, and additional research is needed to confirm whether induction of labor might have a positive effect in preventing stillbirth.Conclusion: Induction of labor at term in advanced maternal age has no significant impact on cesarean delivery rates, assisted vaginal delivery or postpartum hemorrhage, giving additional reassurance to obstetricians who would consider this intervention in this particular subgroup. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]