This review of the evidence on the malignant transformation of oral proliferative verrucous leukoplakia included 17 mainly retrospective observational studies. The overall estimate for malignant transformation was 43.87% (95% CI; 31.93 to 56.13) but only 4 studies were at low risk of bias.
[read the full story...]Joining the dots: how can we support all young people to seek help for their mental health problems?
In her debut blog, Vanessa Bennett looks at a systematic review which examines barriers, facilitators and interventions for help-seeking in adolescents, and describes her Emerging Minds placement on characterising peer-support via the Childline online message-boards.
[read the full story...]Enhancing primary care support for informal carers
An informal carer refers to someone who, “provides unpaid help and support to a partner, child, relative, friend or neighbour who could not manage without this help” (Beesley, 2006). Comparatively, people who choose to be carers have a higher quality of life than those who provide care as it is expected of them. Though health [read the full story…]
Tooth loss during long-term periodontal maintenance
This review evaluating risk factors / predictors of tooth loss in patients with periodontitis having periodontal therapy and long-term periodontal maintenance (PM) included 33 studies only 3 of which were prospective. There findings suggest that patients having long-term PM suffer the loss of 1 tooth per patient every 10 years.
[read the full story...]The Care Ecosystem: telephone support to help people with dementia and their carers
A UCL MSc group of students review a US randomised controlled trial of the ‘Care Ecosystem’; collaborative care for dementia delivered by telephone and internet, which suggests improvements in quality of life and caregiver well-being, and reductions in health service use.
[read the full story...]Suicide risk in transgender and gender diverse people
Talen Wright explores trends in suicide death risk among transgender people by drawing on findings from the Amsterdam Cohort of Gender Dysphoria Study.
[read the full story...]Orthodontic retainers and periodontal health
This review comparing the effects of vacuum-formed retainers (VFR) and Hawley retainers (HR) on periodontal health included 6 RCTs. While the findings suggests a statistical benefit in favour of HR in the short term the studies are small, short-term and most ( 5) were considered to be at high risk of bias.
[read the full story...]Inpatient care: identifying factors that influence the length of stay
In her debut blog, Sophia Pillai looks at a recent retrospective case-cohort study on patient and service-level factors affecting the length of inpatient stay in an acute mental health service.
[read the full story...]Head and neck soft tissue sarcomas
This review of the distribution of histological subtypes, treatment and overall survival (OS) rates of head and neck sacomas included 8 studies from 6 countries. Meta-analysis (5 studies) found the 5-year OS = 74%(95%CI; 63 to 84%)
[read the full story...]Quality of life for people with multiple sclerosis: new systematic review looks at risk, protective factors and psychological interventions
Elena Marcus summarises a recent systematic review on quality of life in adults with multiple sclerosis, which identified a range of promising psychological interventions for improving quality of life.
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