Efficacy of Individual Auditory Training in Adults: A Systematic Review of the Evidence

2005 ◽  
Vol 16 (07) ◽  
pp. 494-504 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Sweetow ◽  
Catherine V. Palmer

A systematic review of the literature was conducted addressing the following question, "Is there evidence of improvement in communication skills through individual auditory training in an adult hearing-impaired population?" Keywords and authors were used as search terms in eight major indexes, and seven textbooks were reviewed for related references. The level of evidence that was accepted included randomized controlled trials, nonrandomized controlled trials, cohort, and before/after designs with or without control groups. Two hundred thirteen articles were identified during the preliminary search with 171 of these eliminated by review of abstracts because they did not meet the search criteria. Forty-two manuscripts were reviewed, with six meeting the evidence and search criteria. The strengths and weaknesses of these studies are highlighted, and the systematic review question is answered in light of these studies. In addition, elements critical to the future of auditory training research and clinical practice are offered.

2021 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Pierre Côté ◽  
Jan Hartvigsen ◽  
Iben Axén ◽  
Charlotte Leboeuf-Yde ◽  
Melissa Corso ◽  
...  

Abstract Background A small proportion of chiropractors, osteopaths, and other manual medicine providers use spinal manipulative therapy (SMT) to manage non-musculoskeletal disorders. However, the efficacy and effectiveness of these interventions to prevent or treat non-musculoskeletal disorders remain controversial. Objectives We convened a Global Summit of international scientists to conduct a systematic review of the literature to determine the efficacy and effectiveness of SMT for the primary, secondary and tertiary prevention of non-musculoskeletal disorders. Global summit The Global Summit took place on September 14–15, 2019 in Toronto, Canada. It was attended by 50 researchers from 8 countries and 28 observers from 18 chiropractic organizations. At the summit, participants critically appraised the literature and synthesized the evidence. Systematic review of the literature We searched MEDLINE, Embase, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health, and the Index to Chiropractic Literature from inception to May 15, 2019 using subject headings specific to each database and free text words relevant to manipulation/manual therapy, effectiveness, prevention, treatment, and non-musculoskeletal disorders. Eligible for review were randomized controlled trials published in English. The methodological quality of eligible studies was assessed independently by reviewers using the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN) criteria for randomized controlled trials. We synthesized the evidence from articles with high or acceptable methodological quality according to the Synthesis without Meta-Analysis (SWiM) Guideline. The final risk of bias and evidence tables were reviewed by researchers who attended the Global Summit and 75% (38/50) had to approve the content to reach consensus. Results We retrieved 4997 citations, removed 1123 duplicates and screened 3874 citations. Of those, the eligibility of 32 articles was evaluated at the Global Summit and 16 articles were included in our systematic review. Our synthesis included six randomized controlled trials with acceptable or high methodological quality (reported in seven articles). These trials investigated the efficacy or effectiveness of SMT for the management of infantile colic, childhood asthma, hypertension, primary dysmenorrhea, and migraine. None of the trials evaluated the effectiveness of SMT in preventing the occurrence of non-musculoskeletal disorders. Consensus was reached on the content of all risk of bias and evidence tables. All randomized controlled trials with high or acceptable quality found that SMT was not superior to sham interventions for the treatment of these non-musculoskeletal disorders. Six of 50 participants (12%) in the Global Summit did not approve the final report. Conclusion Our systematic review included six randomized clinical trials (534 participants) of acceptable or high quality investigating the efficacy or effectiveness of SMT for the treatment of non-musculoskeletal disorders. We found no evidence of an effect of SMT for the management of non-musculoskeletal disorders including infantile colic, childhood asthma, hypertension, primary dysmenorrhea, and migraine. This finding challenges the validity of the theory that treating spinal dysfunctions with SMT has a physiological effect on organs and their function. Governments, payers, regulators, educators, and clinicians should consider this evidence when developing policies about the use and reimbursement of SMT for non-musculoskeletal disorders.


2015 ◽  
Vol 105 (4) ◽  
pp. 357-366 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aditya K. Gupta ◽  
Deanne Daigle ◽  
Maryse Paquet

New therapies for onychomycosis continue to be developed, yet treatments are seldom directly compared in randomized controlled trials. The objective of this study was to compare the rates of mycological cure for oral and topical onychomycosis treatments using network meta-analysis. A systematic review of the literature on onychomycosis treatments published before March 25, 2013, was performed, and data were analyzed using network meta-analysis. Terbinafine, 250 mg, therapy was significantly superior to all treatments except itraconazole, 400 mg, pulse therapy; itraconazole, 200 mg, therapy was significantly superior to fluconazole and the topical treatments; and fluconazole, efinaconazole, ciclopirox, terbinafine nail solution, and amorolfine treatments were significantly superior to only placebo. These results support the superiority of 12-week continuous terbinafine, 250 mg, therapy and itraconazole, 400 mg, pulse therapy (1 week per month for 3 months) while suggesting the equivalence of topical therapies. These results reflect findings from the literature and treatment efficacy observed in clinical practice.


2016 ◽  
Vol 5 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 39-50 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammed Hussain ◽  
Mohammad Moussavi ◽  
Daniel Korya ◽  
Siddhart Mehta ◽  
Jaskiran Brar ◽  
...  

Background: Recent advances in the treatment of ischemic stroke have focused on revascularization and led to better clinical and functional outcomes. A systematic review and pooled analyses of 6 recent multicentered prospective randomized controlled trials (MPRCT) were performed to compare intravenous tissue plasminogen activator (IV tPA) and endovascular therapy (intervention) with IV tPA alone (control) for anterior circulation ischemic stroke (AIS) secondary to large vessel occlusion (LVO). Objectives: Six MPRCTs (MR CLEAN, ESCAPE, EXTEND IA, SWIFT PRIME, REVASCAT and THERAPY) incorporating image-based LVO AIS were selected for assessing the following: (1) prespecified primary clinical outcomes of AIS patients in intervention and control arms: good outcomes were defined by a modified Rankin Scale score of 0-2 at 90 days; (2) secondary clinical outcomes were: (a) revascularization rates [favorable outcomes defined as modified Thrombolysis in Cerebral Infarction scale (mTICI) score of 2b/3]; (b) symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage (sICH) rates and mortality; (c) derivation of number needed to harm (NNH), number needed to treat (NNT), and relative percent difference (RPD) between intervention and control groups, and (d) random effects model to determine overall significance (forest and funnel plots). Results: A total of 1,386 patients were included. Good outcomes at 90 days were seen in 46% of patients in the intervention (p < 0.00001) and in 27% of patients in the control groups (p < 0.00002). An mTICI score of 2b/3 was achieved in 70.2% of patients in the intervention arm. The sICH and mortality in the intervention arm compared with the control arm were 4.7 and 14.3% versus 7.9 and 17.8%, respectively. The NNT and NNH in the intervention and control groups were 5.3 and 9.1, respectively. Patients in the intervention arm had a 50.1% (RPD) better chance of achieving a good 90-day outcome as compared to controls. Conclusions: Endovascular therapy combined with IV tPA (in appropriately selected patients) for LVO-related AIS is superior to IV tPA alone. These results support establishing an endovascular therapy in addition to IV tPA as the standard of care for AIS secondary to LVO.


2016 ◽  
Vol 2016 ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qin Yao ◽  
Shanshan Li ◽  
Xiaoxu Liu ◽  
Zongshi Qin ◽  
Zhishun Liu

Background. Acupuncture might have effectiveness in relieving the symptoms of chronic urticaria. There are currently no systematic reviews of acupuncture for chronic urticaria published in English.Objective. We conducted a systematic review to assess the effectiveness and safety of acupuncture for chronic urticaria.Methods. A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized, controlled trials were performed. The primary outcome was global symptom improvement.Results. We included 6 studies with 406 participants. Three trials showed significant difference between acupuncture and drugs in global symptom improvement (relative risk 1.37; 95% CI 1.11–1.70;P=0.003). As an adjuvant to medication, acupuncture was also beneficial for global symptom improvement (relative risk 1.77; 95% CI 1.41–2.22;P<0.01). There were no severe adverse events related to acupuncture.Limitations. Some methodological limitations were observed. The overall risk of bias in the 6 included trials was high and all included RCTs were conducted in China and published in Chinese. Besides, the lack of proper control groups and the use of different rating methods and cut-offs in the included trials also made the evidence of this review limited.Conclusions. Acupuncture might be effective and safe for chronic urticaria in relieving symptoms, based on a low level of evidence. To draw a reliable conclusion, more high quality trials are needed in the future. This trial is registered with PROSPEROCRD42015015702.


2020 ◽  
Vol 37 (1) ◽  
pp. 19-27 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hong Je Ko ◽  
Jae Hee Yoo ◽  
Min Wook Kim ◽  
Jeong Cheol Shin

The effectiveness of fire needling or warm needling treatment in clinical studies for the treatment of ankle sprains was reviewed using 4 international (PubMed, Cochrane library, EMBASE, CNKI) and 5 Korean databases (NDSL, RISS, KISS, OASIS, KTKP). Randomized controlled trials, that performed fire needling or warm needling treatment for ankle sprains until October, 2018 were retrieved (<i>n</i> = 8). All studies were performed in China, and 7 out of 8 studies were published within the last 5 years. There were 4 studies that used fire needling treatment, 3 studies used warm needling treatment, and 1 study used fire and warm needling treatment. The ashi-points and gallbladder meridian were the most frequently selected acupoint and meridian each. All intervention groups in the 8 studies showed statistically significant beneficial effects compared with control groups. The results of this study could provide preliminary data as the basis for welldesigned randomized controlled trials on fire needling or warm needling treatment for ankle sprains.


2018 ◽  
Vol 35 (5) ◽  
pp. 445-452 ◽  
Author(s):  
André L. N. Gobatto ◽  
Bruno A. M. P. Besen ◽  
Mino Cestari ◽  
Paolo Pelosi ◽  
Luiz M. S. Malbouisson

Introduction: Percutaneous dilational tracheostomy (PDT) is a common and increasingly used procedure in the intensive care unit (ICU). It is usually performed with bronchoscopy guidance. Ultrasound has emerged as a useful tool in order to assist PDT, potentially improving its success rate and reducing procedural-related complications. Objective: To investigate whether the ultrasound-guided PDT is equivalent or superior to the bronchoscopy-guided or anatomical landmarks–guided PDT with regard to procedural-related and clinical complications. Methods: A systematic review of randomized clinical trials was conducted comparing an ultrasound-guided PDT to the control groups (either a bronchoscopy-guided PDT or an anatomical landmark–guided PDT) in patients undergoing a PDT in the ICU. The primary outcome was the incidence of major procedural-related and clinical complication rates. The secondary outcome was the incidence of minor complication rates. Random-effect meta-analyzes were used to pool the results. Results: Four studies fulfilled the inclusion criteria and they were analyzed. The studies included 588 participants. There were no differences in the major complication rates between the patients who were assigned to the ultrasound-guided PDT when compared to the control groups (pooled risk ratio [RR]: 0.48; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.13-1.71, I2 = 0%). The minor complication rates were not different between the groups, but they had a high heterogeneity (pooled RR: 0.49; 95% CI 0.16-1.50; I2 = 85%). The sensitivity analyzes that only included the randomized controlled trials that used a landmark-guided PDT as the control group showed lower rates of minor complications in the ultrasound-guided PDT group (pooled RR: 0.55; 95% CI: 0.31-0.98, I2 = 0%). Conclusion: The ultrasound-guided PDT seems to be safe and it is comparable to the bronchoscopy-guided PDT regarding the major and minor procedural-related or clinical complications. It also seems to reduce the minor complications when compared to the anatomical landmark–guided PDT.


2016 ◽  
Vol 24 (6) ◽  
pp. 875-888 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zoe Young ◽  
Nima Moghaddam ◽  
Anna Tickle

Objective: To systematically review the literature on published randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for adult ADHD and to establish the effectiveness of CBT in reducing ADHD symptoms. Method: A systematic review of nine RCTs and two subsequent meta-analyses of eight of the studies were conducted. Results: Just nine studies were identified, of generally good quality but with some limitations. Four trials (total N = 160) compared CBT with waiting list controls, and three trials (total N = 191) compared CBT with appropriate active control groups. Meta-analyses showed that CBT was superior to waiting list with a moderate to large effect size (standardized mean difference [SMD] = 0.76, 95% confidence interval [CI] [0.21, 1.31], p = .006) and superior to active control groups with a small to moderate effect size (SMD = 0.43, 95% CI [0.14, 0.71], p = .004). Conclusion: These results give support to the efficacy of CBT in reducing symptoms of ADHD post-intervention.


2016 ◽  
Vol 22 (14) ◽  
pp. 1841-1850 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Theodora Oikonomou ◽  
Marios Arvanitis ◽  
Robert L Sokolove

Recent studies have shown that mindfulness training has a promising potential for smoking treatment. In order to examine the efficacy of mindfulness training in smoking cessation, we performed a systematic review of the literature and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Four randomized controlled trials with 474 patients were included in our analysis. The results showed that 25.2 percent of participants remained abstinent for more than 4 months in the mindfulness group compared to 13.6 percent of those who received usual care therapy (relative risk, 1.88; 95 percent confidence interval, 1.04–3.40). Our results suggest that mindfulness training may have an important role to play in efforts to lower cigarette smoking rates.


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