http://sbu.se/ Some description..... EN http://sbu.se/en/Published/Yellow/Methods-to-Estimate-and-Measure-Renal-Function-Glomerular-Filtration-Rate/ Accurate estimates of kidney function are essential for appropriate treatment decisions. The best measure of kidney function is the glomerular filtration rate (GFR). To measure GFR is complicated in clinical practice, requiring substantial time and resources. Alternatively, GFR can be estimated from a blood sample by using equations (eGFR) based on the plasma concentration of creatinine or... 2013-04-18T15:56:00.0000000 SBU Thursday, 18 Apr 2013 15:56:00 +02:00 http://sbu.se/en/Published/Yellow/Implementation-of-Psychiatric-Guidelines-and-Evidence-Based-Knowledge-in-the-Primary-Care-Sector/ SBU’s Conclusions An effective implementation strategy involves strengthening the primary care organisation with specially trained professionals, eg nurses (referred to as care managers in the studies) responsible for support and continual contact with patients suffering from depression; and combining this with other interventions, eg education of care teams and feedback of patient data to... 2013-02-14T15:56:00.0000000 SBU Thursday, 14 Feb 2013 15:56:00 +01:00 http://sbu.se/en/Published/Yellow/Occupational-Exposures-and-Neck-and-Upper-Extremity-Disorders/ SBU’s Conclusions The scientific evidence suggests that the following exposures involve risks for disorders and diseases in the:− neck/shoulders – work involving bending/twisting the torso, heavy work (lifting, carrying, pushing, pulling), highly demanding work, little control, narrow parametersfor decision making, or a combination of highly demanding work and little control− shoulders – heavy... 2012-11-21T12:11:00.0000000 SBU Wednesday, 21 Nov 2012 12:11:00 +01:00 http://sbu.se/en/Published/Yellow/Benign-Prostatic-Obstruction/ SBU’s conclusions Benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH) is a condition associated with ageing that affects nearly all men. Some of these men have urinaryproblems, and annually in Sweden around 4 500 receive surgery for an enlarged prostate. Many with mild or moderate bother are treated with medication, or require no treatment at all. If left untreated, obstructed urinary outflow can cause serious... 2012-11-21T11:58:00.0000000 SBU Wednesday, 21 Nov 2012 11:58:00 +01:00 http://sbu.se/en/Published/Alert/Analysis-of-Fetal-DNA-in-Maternal-Blood-Non-Invasive-Fetal-Diagnostic-Tests-for-Blood-Group-and-Sex-Determination/ Summary and conclusions There is a fetal diagnostic technique available today that involves analysing blood taken from the pregnant woman for the genetic characteristics of her fetus. Non-invasive prenatal diagnosis (NIPD), exploits the presence of cell-free fetal DNA in the blood of the pregnant woman, and often eliminates the need for invasive sampling of e. g. the placenta or amniotic fluid.... 2012-03-16T09:43:00.0000000 SBU Friday, 16 Mar 2012 09:43:00 +01:00 http://sbu.se/en/Published/Alert/Vacuum-Assisted-Wound-Closure-Therapy/ This report was produced in collaboration between SBU and the Regional HTA Centre of Region Västra Götaland  Summary and conclusions SBU’s appraisal of the evidence Vacuum assisted closure (VAC) therapy is a method intended to accelerate the healing of surgical wounds and wounds that fail to heal on their own (primary healing), e. g. after suturing. In recent years, Swedish hospitals have... 2012-03-12T09:58:00.0000000 SBU Monday, 12 Mar 2012 09:58:00 +01:00 http://sbu.se/en/Published/Alert/Computer-Aided-Detection-CAD-in-Mammography-Screening/ Summary and conclusions In Sweden, all women aged 50 through 69 years are offered mammography at regular intervals. Most county councils even offer this type of examination to women aged 40 through 49 years and 70 through 74 years. Swedish and European guidelines recommend that two specially trained radiologists (breast radiologists) review the breast images. Computer-aided detection (CAD) is a... 2011-05-18T06:00:00.0000000 SBU Wednesday, 18 May 2011 06:00:00 +02:00 http://sbu.se/en/News/Peripherally-Inserted-Central-Venous-Catheter-PICC/ 2012-01-23T16:27:00.0000000 SBU Monday, 23 Jan 2012 16:27:00 +01:00 http://sbu.se/en/Published/Alert/Dabigatran-to-Prevent-Stroke-in-Patients-With-Atrial-Fibrillation/ Summary and conclusions Atrial fibrillation is the most common type of cardiac arrhythmia. Atrial fibrillation increases the risk of forming blood clots, clots that the circulatory system carries through the body. These clots may cause vascular events such as stroke. To prevent stroke, doctors use drugs that reduce the blood’s ability to coagulate (anticoagulants) when treating many patients... 2011-12-15T12:49:00.0000000 SBU Thursday, 15 Dec 2011 12:49:00 +01:00 http://sbu.se/en/Published/Alert/Molecular-Diagnostic-Tests-for-Men-at-Higher-Probability-for-Prostate-Cancer/ Summary and Conclusions SBU’s appraisal of the evidence Many men, on their own initiative, are tested for the concentration of prostate specific antigen (PSA) in their blood. A high PSA concentration suggests an increased probability of cancer. Men at higher probability often receive further examination by prostate biopsy, an invasive procedure. Since prostate biopsy can lead to complications,... 2011-12-15T13:52:00.0000000 SBU Thursday, 15 Dec 2011 13:52:00 +01:00 http://sbu.se/en/Published/Alert/Computed-Tomography-for-Suspected-Coronary-Artery-Disease/ Summary and conclusions Computed tomography coronary angiography (CTCA) is a rapid and noninvasive radiographic imaging method to identify stenoses in the coronary arteries. It is used to investigate suspected coronary artery disease. This technology has advanced rapidly in recent years, enabling improved imaging of vessels while reducing radiation. CTCA is being promoted as a potential triage... 2011-07-06T15:22:00.0000000 SBU Wednesday, 6 Jul 2011 15:22:00 +02:00 http://sbu.se/en/Published/Alert/Kyphoplasty-and-Vertebroplasty-for-Back-Pain-Caused-by-Vertebral-Compression/ Summary and conclusions Percutaneous vertebroplasty and balloon kyphoplasty are methods that may be used to treat severe back pain resulting from vertebral compression fractures in patients not receiving adequate pain relief from conventional, nonsurgical interventions. SBU’s appraisal of the evidence The scientific evidence is insufficient to determine if percutaneous vertebroplasty or... 2007-11-02T10:02:00.0000000 SBU Friday, 2 Nov 2007 10:02:00 +01:00 http://sbu.se/en/Published/Yellow/Treatment-methods-for-child-molesters-or-those-at-risk-of-committing-sexual-offences-againt-children-/ A Systematic Review The primary goal in treating individuals at risk of committing sexual offences against children is to prevent more children from becoming victims. Few crimes are considered to be as repugnant as sexual offences against children, and society highly values every offence that can be prevented. However, relatively little interest has been directed at research intended to... 2011-06-07T11:30:00.0000000 SBU Tuesday, 7 Jun 2011 11:30:00 +02:00 http://sbu.se/en/Published/Yellow/Treatment-of-insomnia-in-adults-/ This is a summary of the results of SBU’s evaluation of “Treatment of insomnia in adults”. Insomnia is a general term which encompasses several types of sleep disorders. Most people who seek treatment for insomnia do so because of perceived problems such as inadequate hours of sleep or poor sleep quality, leading to a diminished sense of well-being and impaired daytime functioning. Examples of... 2010-06-15T13:15:00.0000000 SBU Tuesday, 15 Jun 2010 13:15:00 +02:00 http://sbu.se/en/Published/Yellow/Rehabilitation-of-patients-with-chronic-pain-conditions-/ SBU’s Conclusions Multimodal rehabilitation denotes a combination of psychological measures and physical activity/exercise, manual or physical methods. Health care personnel work in a team, of which the patient is also a member. The measures need to be coordinated and continued over a lengthy period of time. Multimodal rehabilitation is usually carried out at a hospital, in special clinics. •... 2010-03-31T13:00:00.0000000 SBU Wednesday, 31 Mar 2010 13:00:00 +02:00 http://sbu.se/en/Published/Yellow/Triage-Methods-and-Patient-Flow-Processes-at-Emergency-Departments-/ SBU’s Conclusions This report uses the term triage in referring to systematic categorisation of emergency department (ED) patients according to their level of medical urgency, i. e., how quickly patients need to receive care based on their medical condition. Flow processes refer to various means used to organise the work of processing patients in the ED, with the aim of speeding up patient... 2010-05-19T13:00:00.0000000 SBU Wednesday, 19 May 2010 13:00:00 +02:00 http://sbu.se/en/Published/Yellow/Diabetic-diet/ SBU’s Conclusions • In type 2 diabetes, low-fat and moderate low-carbohydrate diets (30–40% of the energy from carbohydrates) have similar, favorable effects on HbA1c (long-term blood glucose) and bodyweight. The absence of sufficient-quality studies in people with diabetes prevents evaluation of the long-term effects of more extreme diets involving low-carbohydrate and high-fat intake, eg,... 2010-09-01T15:00:00.0000000 SBU Wednesday, 1 Sep 2010 15:00:00 +02:00 http://sbu.se/en/Published/Alert/Laser-induced-Interstitial-Thermal-Therapy-for-Liver-Metastases/ Summary and conclusions SBU’s appraisal of the evidence Laser-induced thermotherapy is a non-surgical method for treating tumors in solid organs. The method is experimental and considered primarily in treating patients with liver metastases1 when surgery is not an option. It is uncertain whether or not laser-induced thermotherapy extends life in patients with liver metastases. Comparative... 2011-05-17T14:51:00.0000000 SBU Tuesday, 17 May 2011 14:51:00 +02:00 http://sbu.se/en/Published/Yellow/Treatment-of-Hemophilia-A-and-B-and-von-Willebrand-disease/ A systematic review In hemophilia A and B and von Willebrand disease, coagulation factors are absent or deficient. This impairs the capacity of theblood to coagulate and increases the risk of bleeding. The diseases are hereditary. If inadequately treated, hemophilia causes painfulbleeding in joints and leads to disability. Bleeds can also occur in internal organs, e. g., the... 2011-03-23T12:54:00.0000000 SBU Wednesday, 23 Mar 2011 12:54:00 +01:00 http://sbu.se/en/Published/Alert/Catheter-Ablation-for-Atrial-Fibrillation/ Summary and conclusions SBU’s appraisal of the evidence This document updates a report published by SBU Alert in 2005. Atrial fibrillation is an abnormal irregular heart rhythm (atrial tachyarrhythmia) characterized by a rapid and uncoordinated activation of the upper chambers of the heart (atria), leading to an irregular and unsynchronized activation of the lower chambers (ventricles). Atrial... 2007-03-20T10:23:00.0000000 SBU Tuesday, 20 Mar 2007 10:23:00 +01:00 http://sbu.se/en/Published/Alert/Urine-Specimens-in-Diagnosing-Chlamydia-in-Women/ Summary and conclusions Chlamydia is by far the most commonly reported sexually transmitted infection (STI) in Sweden. It is mandatory to report all new cases to the Swedish Institute for Infectious Disease Control and to the county council’s physician in charge of infectious disease control. Chlamydia is transmitted through unprotected sexual contact. Most people infected do not present obvious... 2010-11-03T06:00:00.0000000 SBU Wednesday, 3 Nov 2010 06:00:00 +01:00 http://sbu.se/en/Published/Alert/Home-Blood-Pressure-Monitoring/ Summary and conclusions SBU’s appraisal of the evidence Home blood pressure monitoring, as referred to in this assessment, is performed by patients themselves using automated devices at home. Office blood pressure monitoring refers to the conventional way of managing treatment by measuring blood pressure in a clinical setting. In people with hypertension, home blood pressure monitoring is... 2010-10-20T06:00:00.0000000 SBU Wednesday, 20 Oct 2010 06:00:00 +02:00 http://sbu.se/en/Published/Yellow/Prosthetic-rehabilitation-of-partially-dentate-or-edentulous-patients/ Conclusions With tooth loss there is an associated deterioration in quality of life. Life becomes restricted – the existence of many people with tooth loss is characterized by loss of self-esteem, lower social status and deterioration in function. Treatment of tooth loss is very important for those afflicted. In several ways, receiving treatment for tooth loss signifies a return to normal... 2010-12-15T12:00:00.0000000 SBU Wednesday, 15 Dec 2010 12:00:00 +01:00 http://sbu.se/en/Published/Yellow/Methods-of-Diagnosis-and-Treatment-in-Endodontics/ Because of the lack of studies it is not possible to determine which diagnostic methods can disclose whether a vital but injured pulp can be maintained or whether it should be removed and replaced with a root filling. The available research provides limited direction as to what distinguishes a treatable from a non-treatable pulpal inflammation (pulpitis). The effects of different methods used... 2010-12-15T12:00:00.0000000 SBU Wednesday, 15 Dec 2010 12:00:00 +01:00 http://sbu.se/en/Published/Alert/Early-and-Focused-Ultrasonography-in-Physical-Trauma/ Summary and conclusions Focused Assessment with Sonography for Trauma (FAST) is an ultrasound examination used in the early management of patients subjected to physical trauma. The aim is to detect the presence of free blood in the abdomen or pericardium. FAST cannot be used to confirm or rule out injuries in the internal organs. Most of the studies on this topic present results from abdominal... 2010-06-16T06:00:00.0000000 SBU Wednesday, 16 Jun 2010 06:00:00 +02:00 http://sbu.se/en/Published/Yellow/Intensive-Glucose-Lowering-Therapy-in-Diabetes/ Conclusions Intensive insulin therapy for type 1 diabetes is demanding forhealth services and the patient alike, but reduces the risk forcardiovascular disease and substantially reduces the risk for damageto the retina, kidneys, and nerves. The risk is increasedfor serious hypoglycemia, which places the greatest limitationon treatment. In many patients, successful intensive therapyshould... 2010-11-09T09:26:00.0000000 SBU Tuesday, 9 Nov 2010 09:26:00 +01:00 http://sbu.se/en/Published/Alert/Cilostazol-in-Treating-Intermittent-Claudication/ Summary and conclusions SBU’s appraisal of the evidence Intermittent claudication (cladicatio intermittens) is a symptom of atherosclerosis. The disorder causes pain in the muscles of the legs while walking, and pain subsides after a few moments of rest. In patients with intermittent claudication, cilostazol enables some extension in the maximum walking distance (when pain prevents further... 2010-02-24T06:00:00.0000000 SBU Wednesday, 24 Feb 2010 06:00:00 +01:00 http://sbu.sehttp://www.sbu.se/upload/Publikationer/Content1/1/Self-Monitoring%20of%20Blood%20Glucose%20in%20Noninsulin-Treated%20Diabetes.pdf 2010-06-16T14:43:00.0000000 SBU Wednesday, 16 Jun 2010 14:43:00 +02:00 http://sbu.sehttp://www.sbu.se/upload/Publikationer/Content1/1/Patient%20Education%20in%20Managing%20Diabetes.pdf 2010-06-16T14:39:00.0000000 SBU Wednesday, 16 Jun 2010 14:39:00 +02:00 http://sbu.se/en/News/New-issue-SBU-Newsletter-Medical-Science--Practice/ Issue in English 2010 » 2010-06-15T14:37:00.0000000 SBU Tuesday, 15 Jun 2010 14:37:00 +02:00 http://sbu.se/en/Published/Alert/Silver-Releasing-Dressings-in-Treating-Chronic-Wounds/ Summary and Conclusions SBU’s appraisal of the evidence Silver-releasing dressings are used to treat chronic (hard-to-heal) wounds, ie, wounds that do not heal within the time expected. Common causes of chronic wounds include poor blood circulation or infection in the wound. Silver-containing dressings release silver ions intended to reduce the amount of bacteria in the wound and thereby... 2010-03-03T06:00:00.0000000 SBU Wednesday, 3 Mar 2010 06:00:00 +01:00 http://sbu.se/en/News/Recently-started-ongoing-projects-/ Diagnosis of depressive syndrome  » Medicinal treatment of psychosis/schizophrenia  » Diagnostics and treatment of ADHD and ASDs (autism spectrum disorders)  » 2010-04-28T10:46:00.0000000 SBU Wednesday, 28 Apr 2010 10:46:00 +02:00 http://sbu.se/en/Published/Yellow/How-Can-Drug-Consumption-among-the-Elderly-be-Improved/ The report summarises the results of SBU’s systematic review of the literature concerning potential improvements to drug consumption among the elderly (from the patient’s perspective). The report does not address specific diseases or groups of drugs, nor does it compare the merits of different drug distribution systems. SBU’s conclusions Drug therapy is an important medical intervention that... 2010-01-20T13:56:00.0000000 SBU Wednesday, 20 Jan 2010 13:56:00 +01:00 http://sbu.se/en/Published/Alert/Computerized-Training-for-Children-with-ADHD/ Summary and Conclusions SBU’s appraisal of the evidence Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is the most common neuropsychiatric diagnosis in children and adolescents. ADHD is characterized by inattention, impulsiveness and hyperactivity to the extent that it affects the child’s school results and relationships with friends and family. Computerized training of working memory and... 2010-04-06T14:15:00.0000000 SBU Tuesday, 6 Apr 2010 14:15:00 +02:00 http://sbu.se/en/Published/Alert/Dopaminergic-Agents-Treating-Restless-Legs-Syndrome/ Summary and Conclusions SBU’s appraisal of the evidence Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is a neurological disorder associated with uncomfortable and occasionally painful creeping sensations in the legs and/or arms. Restless legs syndrome can be categorized as primary or secondary, depending on the onset mechanism. Dopaminergic agents, which include dopamine agonists1 and levodopa, are used to... 2010-01-07T10:00:00.0000000 SBU Thursday, 7 Jan 2010 10:00:00 +01:00 http://sbu.se/en/Published/Alert/Leukocytapheresis-in-Inflammatory-Bowel-Disease-Primarily-Ulcerative-Colitis/ Summary and Conclusions SBU’s appraisal of the evidence Ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease are the most common chronic inflammatory bowel diseases. Leukocytapheresis is a method aimed at ameliorating symptoms in patients with moderately severe to severe inflammatory bowel disease. Few studies of sufficient quality address leukocytapheresis in the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease.... 2009-05-20T06:00:00.0000000 SBU Wednesday, 20 May 2009 06:00:00 +02:00 http://sbu.se/en/News/Dementia-3-vol/ Dementia – Etiology and Epidemiology (Vol 1)  »   Dementia – Diagnostic and Therapeutic Interventions (Vol 2)  »   Dementia – Caring, Ethics, Ethnical and Economical Aspects (Vol 3)  » 2009-03-01T10:28:00.0000000 SBU Sunday, 1 Mar 2009 10:28:00 +01:00