Interventions for the management of abdominal pain in Crohn's disease

This is a protocol for a Cochrane Review (Intervention). The objectives are as follows: To assess the efficacy and safety of interventions for managing abdominal pain in people with Crohn's disease

Interventions for the management of abdominal pain in ulcerative colitis

Objectives This is a protocol for a Cochrane Review (intervention). The objectives are as follows: To assess the efficacy and safety of interventions for managing abdominal pain in ulcerative colitis

Sample-size estimation is not reported in 24% of randomised controlled trials of inflammatory bowel disease: A systematic review

Background Sample-size estimation is an important factor in designing a clinical trial. A recent study found that 65% of Cochrane systematic reviews had imprecise results. Objective This study set out to review the whole body of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) randomised controlled trials systematically in order to identify the reporting of sample-size estimation. Methods We conducted a comprehensive hand search of the Cochrane Library and Cochrane IBD Specialized Trials Register. We extracted information on relevant features and the results of the included studies. We produced descriptive statistics for our results. Results A total of 242 randomised controlled trials were included from 44 Cochrane systematic reviews. About 25% of the studies failed to report on sample-size estimation. Of those that did report on sample-size estimation, 33% failed to recruit their target sample size. Conclusions Around half of the randomised controlled trials in IBD either do not report sample-size estimation or reach their recruitment target with the level of detail in reporting being limited

Probiotics for maintenance of remission in ulcerative colitis

Ulcerative colitis is an inflammatory condition affecting the colon, with an annual incidence of approximately 10 to 20 per 100,000 people. The majority of people with ulcerative colitis can be put into remission, leaving a group who do not respond to first‐ or second‐line therapies. There is a significant proportion of people who experience adverse effects with current therapies. Consequently, new alternatives for the treatment of ulcerative colitis are constantly being sought. Probiotics are live microbial feed supplements that may beneficially affect the host by improving intestinal microbial balance, enhancing gut barrier function and improving local immune response

Periodontal therapy for primary or secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease in people with periodontitis

Background There may be an association between periodontitis and cardiovascular disease (CVD); however, the evidence so far has been uncertain about whether periodontal therapy can help prevent CVD in people diagnosed with chronic periodontitis. This is the second update of a review originally published in 2014, and first updated in 2017. Although there is a new multidimensional staging and grading system for periodontitis, we have retained the label 'chronic periodontitis' in this version of the review since available studies are based on the previous classification system. Objectives To investigate the effects of periodontal therapy for primary or secondary prevention of CVD in people with chronic periodontitis. Search methods Cochrane Oral Health's Information Specialist searched the Cochrane Oral Health's Trials Register, CENTRAL, MEDLINE, Embase, and CINAHL, two trials registries, and the grey literature to September 2019. We placed no restrictions on the language or date of publication. We also searched the Chinese BioMedical Literature Database, the China National Knowledge Infrastructure, the VIP database, and Sciencepaper Online to August 2019. Selection criteria We included randomised controlled trials (RCTs) that compared active periodontal therapy to no periodontal treatment or a different periodontal treatment. We included studies of participants with a diagnosis of chronic periodontitis, either with CVD (secondary prevention studies) or without CVD (primary prevention studies). Data collection and analysis Two review authors carried out the study identification, data extraction, and 'Risk of bias' assessment independently and in duplicate. They resolved any discrepancies by discussion, or with a third review author. We adopted a formal pilot‐tested data extraction form, and used the Cochrane tool to assess the risk of bias in the studies. We used GRADE criteria to assess the certainty of the evidence. Main results We included two RCTs in the review. One study focused on the primary prevention of CVD, and the other addressed secondary prevention. We evaluated both as being at high risk of bias. Our primary outcomes of interest were death (all‐cause and CVD‐related) and all cardiovascular events, measured at one‐year follow‐up or longer. For primary prevention of CVD in participants with periodontitis and metabolic syndrome, one study (165 participants) provided very low‐certainty evidence. There was only one death in the study; we were unable to determine whether scaling and root planning plus amoxicillin and metronidazole could reduce incidence of all‐cause death (Peto odds ratio (OR) 7.48, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.15 to 376.98), or all CVD‐related death (Peto OR 7.48, 95% CI 0.15 to 376.98). We could not exclude the possibility that scaling and root planning plus amoxicillin and metronidazole could increase cardiovascular events (Peto OR 7.77, 95% CI 1.07 to 56.1) compared with supragingival scaling measured at 12‐month follow‐up. For secondary prevention of CVD, one pilot study randomised 303 participants to receive scaling and root planning plus oral hygiene instruction (periodontal treatment) or oral hygiene instruction plus a copy of radiographs and recommendation to follow‐up with a dentist (community care). As cardiovascular events had been measured for different time periods of between 6 and 25 months, and only 37 participants were available with at least one‐year follow‐up, we did not consider the data to be sufficiently robust for inclusion in this review. The study did not evaluate all‐cause death and all CVD‐related death. We are unable to draw any conclusions about the effects of periodontal therapy on secondary prevention of CVD. Authors' conclusions For primary prevention of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in people diagnosed with periodontitis and metabolic syndrome, very low‐certainty evidence was inconclusive about the effects of scaling and root planning plus antibiotics compared to supragingival scaling. There is no reliable evidence available regarding secondary prevention of CVD in people diagnosed with chronic periodontitis and CVD. Further trials are needed to reach conclusions about whether treatment for periodontal disease can help prevent occurrence or recurrence of CVD

Interventions for treating iron deficiency anaemia in inflammatory bowel disease: a network meta-analysis

This is a protocol for a Cochrane Review (Intervention). The objectives are as follows: The primary objective will be to evaluate the efficacy and harms of the interventions for the treatment of iron deficiency anaemia in people with inflammatory bowel disease and rank the treatments in order of effectiveness in a network meta‐analysis