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Journal of Medical Internet Research Feb 2022Mobile health (mHealth) platforms show promise in the management of mental health conditions such as anxiety and depression. This has resulted in an abundance of mHealth... (Review)
Review
Characteristics of Mobile Health Platforms for Depression and Anxiety: Content Analysis Through a Systematic Review of the Literature and Systematic Search of Two App Stores.
BACKGROUND
Mobile health (mHealth) platforms show promise in the management of mental health conditions such as anxiety and depression. This has resulted in an abundance of mHealth platforms available for research or commercial use.
OBJECTIVE
The objective of this review is to characterize the current state of mHealth platforms designed for anxiety or depression that are available for research, commercial use, or both.
METHODS
A systematic review was conducted using a two-pronged approach: searching relevant literature with prespecified search terms to identify platforms in published research and simultaneously searching 2 major app stores-Google Play Store and Apple App Store-to identify commercially available platforms. Key characteristics of the mHealth platforms were synthesized, such as platform name, targeted condition, targeted group, purpose, technology type, intervention type, commercial availability, and regulatory information.
RESULTS
The literature and app store searches yielded 169 and 179 mHealth platforms, respectively. Most platforms developed for research purposes were designed for depression (116/169, 68.6%), whereas the app store search reported a higher number of platforms developed for anxiety (Android: 58/179, 32.4%; iOS: 27/179, 15.1%). The most common purpose of platforms in both searches was treatment (literature search: 122/169, 72.2%; app store search: 129/179, 72.1%). With regard to the types of intervention, cognitive behavioral therapy and referral to care or counseling emerged as the most popular options offered by the platforms identified in the literature and app store searches, respectively. Most platforms from both searches did not have a specific target age group. In addition, most platforms found in app stores lacked clinical and real-world evidence, and a small number of platforms found in the published research were available commercially.
CONCLUSIONS
A considerable number of mHealth platforms designed for anxiety or depression are available for research, commercial use, or both. The characteristics of these mHealth platforms greatly vary. Future efforts should focus on assessing the quality-utility, safety, and effectiveness-of the existing platforms and providing developers, from both commercial and research sectors, a reporting guideline for their platform description and a regulatory framework to facilitate the development, validation, and deployment of effective mHealth platforms.
Topics: Anxiety; Delivery of Health Care; Depression; Humans; Mobile Applications; Telemedicine
PubMed: 35119370
DOI: 10.2196/27388 -
International Journal of Women's Health 2015Evidence suggests that migraine activity is influenced by hormonal factors, and particularly by estrogen levels, but relatively few studies have investigated the... (Review)
Review
Evidence suggests that migraine activity is influenced by hormonal factors, and particularly by estrogen levels, but relatively few studies have investigated the prevalence and characteristics of migraine according to the menopausal status. Overall, population-based studies have shown an improvement of migraine after menopause, with a possible increase in perimenopause. On the contrary, the studies performed on patients referring to headache centers have shown no improvement or even worsening of migraine. Menopause etiology may play a role in migraine evolution during the menopausal period, with migraine improvement more likely occurring after spontaneous rather than after surgical menopause. Postmenopausal hormone replacement therapy has been found to be associated with migraine worsening in observational population-based studies. The effects of several therapeutic regimens on migraine has also been investigated, leading to nonconclusive results. To date, no specific preventive measures are recommended for menopausal women with migraine. There is a need for further research in order to clarify the relationship between migraine and hormonal changes in women, and to quantify the real burden of migraine after the menopause. Hormonal manipulation for the treatment of refractory postmenopausal migraine is still a matter of debate.
PubMed: 26316824
DOI: 10.2147/IJWH.S70073 -
Evidence-based Mental Health Aug 2017The aim of this systematic review is twofold: (1) to characterise the purpose and description of available social anxiety apps and (2) to review the evidence on the... (Review)
Review
QUESTION
The aim of this systematic review is twofold: (1) to characterise the purpose and description of available social anxiety apps and (2) to review the evidence on the effectiveness of social anxiety apps.
STUDY SELECTION AND ANALYSIS
A search was conducted on three major mobile platforms: Apple iTunes, Google Play and Windows Store. Apps were included if they addressed social anxiety and used an English language interface. A systematic review of the literature from MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO, Cochrane, Scopus and Web of Science to identify evidence-based evaluations of social anxiety apps was also undertaken.
FINDINGS
Of the 1154 apps identified, 38 apps met the inclusion criteria: iTunes (n=18), Google Play (n=16) and Windows Store (n=4). Over 60% of apps were exclusively focused on social anxiety, while the remainder targeted social anxiety and related conditions. Most developers did not provide information on their organisational affiliations or their content source. Most apps used multimedia while 17 apps used text only. Finally, although the systematic review of the literature identified 94 articles, none of which met inclusion criteria.
CONCLUSIONS
Social anxiety apps have the potential to overcome barriers to accessing treatment; however, none of the apps identified have had studies on their effectiveness published. As the evidence base is lacking, it is therefore not currently possible to recommend their use.
Topics: Humans; Mobile Applications; Phobia, Social; Therapy, Computer-Assisted
PubMed: 28666986
DOI: 10.1136/eb-2017-102664 -
Journal of Pediatric Psychology Mar 2016To examine the effectiveness of Audiovisual (AV) interventions at reducing preoperative anxiety and its associated outcomes in children undergoing elective surgery. (Review)
Review
OBJECTIVE
To examine the effectiveness of Audiovisual (AV) interventions at reducing preoperative anxiety and its associated outcomes in children undergoing elective surgery.
METHODS
A systematic review of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and nonrandomized studies where the primary outcome was children's preoperative anxiety was conducted. Secondary outcomes included postoperative pain, behavioral changes, recovery, induction compliance, satisfaction, and cost-effectiveness. The risk of bias of each study was assessed.
RESULTS
In all, 18 studies were identified. A meta-analytic approach and narrative synthesis of findings were used to summarize the results of the studies.
CONCLUSIONS
This systematic review suggests that AV interventions can be effective in reducing children's preoperative anxiety. Videos, multi-faceted programs, and interactive games appear to be most effective, whereas music therapy and Internet programs are less effective. While AV interventions appear potentially useful, adequately powered RCTs are required to conclusively pinpoint the components and mechanisms of the most effective AV interventions and guide practice.
Topics: Anxiety; Attention; Audiovisual Aids; Child; Child, Preschool; Elective Surgical Procedures; Female; Humans; Internet; Male; Music Therapy; Play and Playthings; Preoperative Care; Preoperative Period; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic
PubMed: 26476281
DOI: 10.1093/jpepsy/jsv094 -
Medicine Jun 2016Toll-like receptors (TLRs), as the most important pattern recognition receptors in innate immunity, play a pivotal role in inducing immune response through recognition... (Review)
Review
Toll-like receptors (TLRs), as the most important pattern recognition receptors in innate immunity, play a pivotal role in inducing immune response through recognition of microbial invaders or specific agonists. Recent studies have suggested that TLRs could serve as important regulators in the development of a variety of cancer. However, increasing evidences have shown that TLRs may display quite opposite outcomes in cancer development. Although several potential therapeutic Toll-like receptor ligands have been found, the mechanism and therapy prospect of TLRs in cancer development has to be further elucidated to accelerate the clinical application. By performing a systematic review of the present findings on TLRs in cancer immunology, we attempted to evaluate the therapeutic potential of TLRs in cancer therapy and elucidate the potential mechanism of cancer progress regulated by TLR signaling and the reported targets on TLRs for clinical application. An electronic databases search was conducted in PubMed, Chinese Scientific Journal Database, and Chinese Biomedical Literature Database from their inception to February 1, 2016. The following keywords were used to search the databases: Toll-like receptors, cancer therapy, therapeutic target, innate immunity. Of 244 studies that were identified, 97 nonrelevant studies were excluded. In total, 147 full-text articles were assessed, and from these, 54 were excluded as they did not provide complete key information. Thus, 93 studies were considered eligible and included in the analysis. According to the data from the included trials, 14 TLR ligands (77.8%) from 82 studies have been demonstrated to display antitumor property in various cancers, whereas 4 ligands (22.2%) from 11 studies promote tumors. Among them, only 3 TLR ligands have been approved for cancer therapy, and 9 ligands were in clinical trials. In addition, the potential mechanism of recently reported targets on TLRs for clinical application was also evaluated in this review. We show that targeting TLRs in cancer immunotherapy is a promising strategy for cancer therapy, and the specific TLR ligands, either alone or combination, exhibit antitumor potential.
Topics: Humans; Immunity, Innate; Immunotherapy; Neoplasms; Toll-Like Receptors
PubMed: 27336891
DOI: 10.1097/MD.0000000000003951 -
Annals of Medicine Dec 2024Ischaemic encephalopathy is a common cerebrovascular disease caused by insufficient blood supply to the cerebral vessels. The ischaemic encephalopathy is closely...
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE
Ischaemic encephalopathy is a common cerebrovascular disease caused by insufficient blood supply to the cerebral vessels. The ischaemic encephalopathy is closely associated with the development of many chronic diseases such as obesity, hypertension and diabetes. Neurotrophic therapy has become the main therapeutic strategy for ischaemic encephalopathy. However, neurotrophic drugs only slightly recover the neurological function of patients, and their long-term efficacy is uncertain. Previous reports revealed that the active ingredients of natural medicines play important roles in the treatment of cerebral ischemia. In this study, we reviewed clearing herbs with anti-ischaemic encephalopathy functions using the data from quantitative statistical and network pharmacological exploration methods. We also discussed the different bioactive components and pharmacological effects of these herbs.
METHODS
First, we collected Chinese herbal prescriptions against ischaemic encephalopathy in four databases. Then, we statistically analysed the frequency of application of heat-clearing herbs to obtain the commonly used heat-clearing herbs against ischaemic encephalopathy, and classified them according to their efficacy according to the statistical results, to summarize the mechanism of anti-ischaemic effects of different bioactive components; Second, the network database was used to obtain the above components of heat-clearing Chinese medicines and their corresponding targets of action, disease targets of ischaemic stroke; Venny 2.1.0 was used to obtain component-disease target intersections; Cytoscape was used to construct the 'Drug-Active Ingredient-Target Network Graph '; DAVID was used for GO and KEGG enrichment analysis.
RESULTS
Literature and database screening involved 149 prescriptions, with a total of 269 flavours of Chinese medicines and 20 flavours of single-flavour heat-clearing Chinese medicines; The top nine in terms of frequency of use were Radix Paeoniae Rubra、Rehmanniae Radix Praeparata、Figwort Root、Cortex Moutan、Scutellariae Radix、Coptidis Rhizoma、Gardeniae Fructus、Cassiae Semen、Lonicerae Japonicae Flos. The common components obtained from network pharmacology were beta-sitosterol, quercetin, and stigmasterol, which mainly act on key targets such as RELA, AKT1, JUN, PRKACA, PTGS2, RAF1 and CHUK; and their active ingredients are mainly involved in signalling pathways such as Calcium, PI3K-Ak, MAPK, cAMP, IL-17, HIF-1, TNF, T-cell receptor, NF-kappa B and JAK-STAT.
CONCLUSIONS
Heat-clearing herbs are useful and promising for the protection against and prevention of ischemic encephalopathy. The results of the network pharmacological studies are similar to the mechanisms of anti-ischemic encephalopathy of the active ingredients of the purgative herbs we have listed; Thin either directly protects cerebrovascular tissues by improving vascular permeability and reducing the area of infarcted tissues, or produces protective effects through molecular signaling pathways. It can be seen that the components of heat-clearing Chinese medicines can exert cerebroprotective effects through multiple pathways, which provides us with a reference for further development and study of heat-clearing Chinese medicines in the treatment of ischemic cerebrovascular diseases.
Topics: Humans; Brain Ischemia; Hot Temperature; Network Pharmacology; Stroke; Ischemic Stroke
PubMed: 38285889
DOI: 10.1080/07853890.2024.2308077 -
Cureus Jun 2023Groin pain is a common problem in athletes, leading to significant distress and long periods of absence from sports. Nonsurgical interventions are usually the first line... (Review)
Review
Groin pain is a common problem in athletes, leading to significant distress and long periods of absence from sports. Nonsurgical interventions are usually the first line of treatment. However, the most effective intervention for groin pain is unknown and recommendations are scarce. The primary objective of this systematic review was to assess the effectiveness of nonsurgical interventions in the treatment of long-standing groin pain in athletes and to provide some guidance for clinical practice and further research. A search strategy was performed in March 2020 in Pubmed, Google Scholar, PEDro, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials databases, without any time restrictions. Only randomized controlled trials (RCT) were included for full-text analysis. Data on the patient's characteristics, duration of pain, study groups, outcome measures results, follow-up time, and return to play time were extracted. The risk of bias in each study was assessed using the Cochrane risk-of-bias assessment tool. Data for analysis could not be pooled for meta-analysis and, as such, a narrative summary of the outcomes was instead performed. The certainty of the evidence was assessed using a variation of the GRADE approach for when a meta-analysis is not possible to perform. Seven RCTs were included for analysis. Most studies were classified as uncertain risk of bias. All studies provided evidence that nonsurgical interventions have significant positive effects and may lead to good outcomes concerning pain, function, and return to sports at previous levels. The certainty of the evidence was assessed to be low using the modified GRADE approach. Despite the low quality of the available evidence, nonsurgical treatments demonstrated efficacy in the management of groin pain and should probably be the initial approach to treatment. More RCTs of high quality are necessary to provide clear recommendations on the most efficient nonsurgical treatment strategy for groin pain.
PubMed: 37425562
DOI: 10.7759/cureus.40149 -
Inflammopharmacology Jun 2022The inflammatory process is a biological response of the organism to remove injurious stimuli and initiate homeostasis. It has been recognized as a key player in the... (Review)
Review
The inflammatory process is a biological response of the organism to remove injurious stimuli and initiate homeostasis. It has been recognized as a key player in the most severe forms of SARS-CoV-2, characterized by significantly increased pro-inflammatory cytokine levels, the so-called "cytokine storm" that appears to play a pivotal role in this disease. Therefore, the aim of this systematic review was to select clinical trials with anti-inflammatory plants and relate the activity of these plants to inflammatory markers of SARS-CoV-2 infection. PRISMA guidelines are followed, and studies of interest are indexed in PubMed and ClinicalTrials.gov databases. As a result, 32 clinical trials encompassing 22 plants were selected. The main anti-inflammatory mechanisms described in the studies are the inhibition of inflammatory cytokines, such as IL-6, TNF-a, IFN-γ, and IL-1; decreased CRP and oxidative marker levels; increased endogenous antioxidant levels; modulation of cardiovascular risk markers. The data found are not directly related to SARS-CoV-2 infection. However, they provide possibilities for new studies as plants have a wide array of phytochemicals, and detecting which ones are responsible for anti-inflammatory effects can provide invaluable contribution to studies aiming to evaluate efficacy in scenarios of SARS-CoV-2 infection.
Topics: Anti-Inflammatory Agents; COVID-19; Cytokine Release Syndrome; Cytokines; Humans; SARS-CoV-2
PubMed: 35389124
DOI: 10.1007/s10787-022-00981-5 -
Radiotherapy and Oncology : Journal of... Jun 2020To compare the efficacy and safety of stent insertion alone to stent insertion combined with any active oncological treatment in the palliative care of esophageal cancer. (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
AIM
To compare the efficacy and safety of stent insertion alone to stent insertion combined with any active oncological treatment in the palliative care of esophageal cancer.
METHODS
A meta-analysis and systematic review were performed according to the PRISMA Statement. Comparative studies with patients receiving stent insertion alone (control group) were compared to patients receiving oncological therapy in addition to stent placement (intervention group). For mean dysphagia grade before stenting, weighted mean differences (WMD), for the complications of stenting, risk ratios (RR) were calculated, both were interpreted with 95% confidence intervals (CI). Whenever possible, subgroup analyses were performed for studies with irradiation stents as intervention. Survival, late dysphagia, esophageal perforation and medical costs were analyzed via systematic review. The protocol of the study was registered prior on PROSPERO.
RESULTS
17 studies with 1177 esophageal cancer patients were included in the final analysis, with 629 and 548 in the control and intervention groups, respectively. We found no significant difference in any complications of stenting between the two groups. 13 studies reported mean or median survival, and 8 found that combined therapy resulted in a significantly longer life expectancy. In the other 5 studies, there was no difference in survival between the two groups. Furthermore, additional treatment may be more effective in the long-term relief of dysphagia than stenting alone.
CONCLUSIONS
Irradiation stents may prolong survival, and stenting combined with oncological treatment does not increase the risk of complications as compared to stenting alone. However, further studies are warranted.
CORE TIP
Esophageal cancer is the eighth most common type of malignancy worldwide, and its prognosis is very poor. This suggests that palliative treatment modalities are paramount in its treatment. Self-expanding metal stents play an important role in the management of dysphagia caused by the tumor. However, it is unclear whether any additional oncological therapy should be administered to patients besides stenting. In this meta-analysis and systematic review, we evaluated the safety and efficacy of additional oncological therapies alongside stenting versus stenting alone in case of unresectable esophageal cancer.
Topics: Deglutition Disorders; Esophageal Neoplasms; Humans; Palliative Care; Prognosis; Stents; Treatment Outcome
PubMed: 32422302
DOI: 10.1016/j.radonc.2020.05.015 -
International Journal of Developmental... 2024The target group of this study concerns young people with a mild intellectual disability. The central research question is: What evidence can be found in the literature... (Review)
Review
The target group of this study concerns young people with a mild intellectual disability. The central research question is: What evidence can be found in the literature for common and specific factors for a play therapy intervention for young people with a mild intellectual disability struggling with aggression regulation. The criteria used for selecting articles are presented according to the PRISMA, and the PRISMA guidelines for writing a review have been applied. Common factors have been found in the literature that relate to the relationship between therapist and client and the therapeutic skills of the play therapist. Clues have also been found for specific factors of play therapy, such as the use of play as a language and a connection with the child's inner world. In addition, certain factors have been found that are specific to the target group of this article. The non-verbal element of play therapy is an active part of this.
PubMed: 38699499
DOI: 10.1080/20473869.2022.2086433