Meditation for the primary and secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease.

Background: Interventions incorporating meditation to address stress, anxiety, and depression, and improve self-management, are becoming popular for many health conditions. Stress is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD) and clusters with other modifiable behavioural risk factors, such as smoking. Meditation may therefore be a useful CVD prevention strategy.

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and associated disruptions in health-care provision on clinical outcomes in people with diabetes: a systematic review.

The COVID-19 pandemic triggered disruptions to health care and lifestyles that could conceivably impact diabetes management. We set out to identify the impact of disruptions caused by COVID-19 on clinical outcomes in people with diabetes. We performed a systematic review of the available literature in the MEDLINE and OVID databases from Jan 1, 2020, to June 7, 2023, and included 138 studies (n>1 000 000 people).

Exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation for adults with heart failure - 2023 Cochrane systematic review and meta-analysis.

Aims: Despite strong evidence, access to exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation (ExCR) remains low across global healthcare systems. We provide a contemporary update of the Cochrane review randomized trial evidence for ExCR for adults with heart failure (HF) and compare different delivery modes: centre-based, home-based (including digital support), and both (hybrid).

Methods And Results: Databases, bibliographies of previous systematic reviews and included trials, and trials registers were searched with no language restrictions.

Exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation for coronary heart disease: a meta-analysis.

Aims: Coronary heart disease is the most common reason for referral to exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation (CR) globally. However, the generalizability of previous meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) is questioned. Therefore, a contemporary updated meta-analysis was undertaken.

The effectiveness of group-based gardening interventions for improving wellbeing and reducing symptoms of mental ill-health in adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: There is increasing interest in the association between nature, health and wellbeing. Gardening is a popular way in which interaction with nature occurs and numerous gardening projects aim to facilitate wellbeing among participants. More research is needed to determine their effectiveness.

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on glycaemic control in people with diabetes: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Aim: To identify, appraise and synthesize the available evidence on the impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and lockdown (LD) on glycaemic control in people with diabetes.

Materials And Methods: We searched multiple databases up to 2 February 2021 for studies reporting HbA1c, time in range (TIR), average or fasting glucose, severe hypoglycaemia and diabetic ketoacidosis. Data were pooled using random effects meta-analysis and are presented as mean difference (MD) with 95% confidence intervals (CI).

Evaluating interventions to improve ethical decision making in clinical practice: a review of the literature and reflections on the challenges posed.

Since the 1980s, there has been an increasing acknowledgement of the importance of recognising the ethical dimension of clinical decision-making. Medical professional regulatory authorities in some countries now include ethical knowledge and practice in their required competencies for undergraduate and post graduate medical training. Educational interventions and clinical ethics support services have been developed to support and improve ethical decision making in clinical practice, but research evaluating the effectiveness of these interventions has been limited.

Risks of infection, hospital and ICU admission, and death from COVID-19 in people with asthma: systematic review and meta-analyses.

Objectives: To determine if and to what degree asthma may predispose to worse COVID-19 outcomes in order to inform treatment and prevention decisions, including shielding and vaccine prioritisation.

Design: Systematic review and meta-analysis.

Setting: Electronic databases were searched (October 2020) for clinical studies reporting at least one of the following stratified by asthma status: risk of infection with SARS-CoV-2; hospitalisation, intensive care unit (ICU) admission or mortality with COVID-19.

Risks of and From SARS-CoV-2 Infection and COVID-19 in People With Diabetes: A Systematic Review of Reviews.

Background: This review was commissioned by the World Health Organization and presents a summary of the latest research evidence on the impact of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on people with diabetes (PWD).

Purpose: To review the evidence regarding the extent to which PWD are at increased risk of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection and/or of suffering its complications, including associated mortality.

Data Sources: We searched the Cochrane COVID-19 Study Register, Embase, MEDLINE, and LitCOVID on 3 December 2020.

Vegan dietary pattern for the primary and secondary prevention of cardiovascular diseases.

Background: Diet plays a major role in the aetiology of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and as a modifiable risk factor is the focus of many prevention strategies. Recently vegan diets have gained popularity and there is a need to synthesise existing clinical trial evidence for their potential in CVD prevention.

Objectives: To determine the effectiveness of following a vegan dietary pattern for the primary and secondary prevention of CVD.

Mediterranean-Style Diet for the Primary and Secondary Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease: A Cochrane Review.

Background: Diet plays a major role in cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk.

Objectives: To determine the effectiveness of a Mediterranean-style diet for the primary and secondary prevention of CVD.

Methods: We searched for randomised controlled trials (RCTs) of Mediterranean-style diets in healthy adults and those at increased risk of CVD (primary prevention) and with established CVD (secondary prevention).

The experiences of health care professionals, patients, and families of the process of referral and admission to intensive care: A systematic literature review.

Treatment in an intensive care unit can be life-saving but it can be distressing and not every patient can benefit. Decisions to admit a patient to an intensive care unit are complex. We wished to explore how the decision to refer or admit is experienced by those involved, and undertook a systematic review of the literature to answer the research question: What are the experiences of health care professionals, patients, and families, of the process of referral and admission to an intensive care unit? Twelve relevant studies were identified, and a thematic analysis was conducted.

Exercise-Based Rehabilitation for Heart Failure: Cochrane Systematic Review, Meta-Analysis, and Trial Sequential Analysis.

Objectives: This study performed a contemporary systematic review and meta-analysis of exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation (ExCR) for heart failure (HF).

Background: There is an increasing call for trials of models of ExCR for patients with HF that provide alternatives to conventional center-based provision and recruitment of patients that reflect a broader HF population.

Methods: The Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, and PsycINFO databases were searched between January 2013 and January 2018.

Correction: Interventions for treating children and adolescents with overweight and obesity: an overview of Cochrane reviews.

This paper was originally published under a standard licence. This has now been amended to a CC BY licence in the PDF and HTML.

Mediterranean-style diet for the primary and secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease.

Background: The Seven Countries study in the 1960s showed that populations in the Mediterranean region experienced lower coronary heart disease (CHD) mortality probably as a result of different dietary patterns. Later observational studies have confirmed the benefits of adherence to a Mediterranean dietary pattern on cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors but clinical trial evidence is more limited.

Objectives: To determine the effectiveness of a Mediterranean-style diet for the primary and secondary prevention of CVD.

Exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation for adults with heart failure.

Background: Chronic heart failure (HF) is a growing global health challenge. People with HF experience substantial burden that includes low exercise tolerance, poor health-related quality of life (HRQoL), increased risk of mortality and hospital admission, and high healthcare costs. The previous (2014) Cochrane systematic review reported that exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation (CR) compared to no exercise control shows improvement in HRQoL and hospital admission among people with HF, as well as possible reduction in mortality over the longer term, and that these reductions appear to be consistent across patient and programme characteristics.

Omega-6 fats for the primary and secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease.

Background: Omega-6 fats are polyunsaturated fats vital for many physiological functions, but their effect on cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk is debated.

Objectives: To assess effects of increasing omega-6 fats (linoleic acid (LA), gamma-linolenic acid (GLA), dihomo-gamma-linolenic acid (DGLA) and arachidonic acid (AA)) on CVD and all-cause mortality.

Search Methods: We searched CENTRAL, MEDLINE and Embase to May 2017 and clinicaltrials.

Interventions for treating children and adolescents with overweight and obesity: an overview of Cochrane reviews.

Children and adolescents with overweight and obesity are a global health concern. This is an integrative overview of six Cochrane systematic reviews, providing an up-to-date synthesis of the evidence examining interventions for the treatment of children and adolescents with overweight or obesity. The data extraction and quality assessments for each review were conducted by one author and checked by a second.