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HSC Medicine, Dentistry and Healthcare Sciences Current Awareness Bulletins: Guidelines and Cochrane Reviews

Guidelines and Cochrane Reviews

Frequency: Monthly

Links to articles in the current and previous 2 issues of this bulletin are displayed below.

To receive email notifications about new issues of this bulletin, please email: richard.fallis@healthcarelibrary.qub.ac.uk

June 2025

All content new unless marked as updated

Cochrane reviews

Adjuvant epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) for the treatment of people with resected stage I to III non‐small‐cell lung cancer and EGFR mutation

Anti‐IL‐12/23p40 antibodies for induction of remission in Crohn's disease (updated)

Atypical antipsychotics for autism spectrum disorder: a network meta‐analysis

Clinical pathways for secondary care and the effects on professional practice, patient outcomes, length of stay and hospital costs (updated)

Clinical utility of limited channel sleep studies versus polysomnography for obstructive sleep apnoea

Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) for the primary and secondary prevention of cardiovascular diseases

Early discharge with home support of gavage feeding for stable preterm infants who have not established full oral feeds (updated)

Electromechanical‐assisted training for walking after stroke (updated)

Exercise for patellar tendinopathy

Fenestrated endovascular repair for abdominal aortic aneurysms

Interventions for idiopathic steroid‐resistant nephrotic syndrome in children (updated)

Melatonin in cancer treatment

Post‐incident debriefing for people with schizophrenia after coercive measures

Prognostic factors for return to work in breast cancer survivors

Prophylactic abdominal drainage for pancreatic surgery (updated)

Proton pump inhibitors for the prevention of non‐steroidal anti‐inflammatory drug‐induced ulcers and dyspepsia

Selected laboratory‐based biomarkers for assessing vitamin A deficiency in at‐risk individuals

Sustained‐release naltrexone for opioid dependence (updated)

Typhoid conjugate vaccines for preventing typhoid fever (enteric fever)

Ultrasound guidance versus anatomical landmarks for neuraxial anaesthesia in adults

Vaccines for preventing infections in adults with haematological malignancies

Yoga for fatigue in people with cancer

NICE guidelines

Abortion care (NG140 – updated)

Artificial intelligence (AI) technologies for assessing and triaging skin lesions referred to the urgent suspected skin cancer pathway: early value assessment (HTE24)

Brentuximab vedotin in combination for untreated stage 3 or 4 CD30-positive Hodgkin lymphoma (TA1059)

Capivasertib with fulvestrant for treating hormone receptor-positive HER2-negative advanced breast cancer after endocrine treatment (TA1063)

Cenobamate for treating focal onset seizures in epilepsy (TA753 – updated)

COVID-19 rapid guideline: managing COVID-19 (NG191 – updated)

Digital therapy for chronic tic disorders and Tourette syndrome: early value assessment (HTE25)

Dostarlimab with platinum-based chemotherapy for treating primary advanced or recurrent endometrial cancer with high microsatellite instability or mismatch repair deficiency (TA1064)

Drug-eluting stents for treating coronary artery disease: late-stage assessment (HTE26)

Erdafitinib for treating unresectable or metastatic urothelial cancer with FGFR3 alterations after a PD-1 or PD-L1 inhibitor (TA1062)

Nirmatrelvir plus ritonavir, sotrovimab and tocilizumab for treating COVID-19 (TA878 – updated)

Nivolumab plus ipilimumab for untreated unresectable or metastatic colorectal cancer with high microsatellite instability or mismatch repair deficiency (TA1065)

Osimertinib with pemetrexed and platinum-based chemotherapy for untreated EGFR mutation-positive advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (TA1060)

Suspected cancer: recognition and referral (NG12 – updated)

Sources

Cochrane Library (May); NICE website (May)

May 2025

All content new, unless marked as ‘updated’

Cochrane reviews

Abdominal drainage to prevent intraperitoneal abscess after appendectomy for complicated appendicitis (updated)

Acupuncture for procedural pain in newborn infants

Blood transfusion strategies for major bleeding in trauma

Clinical rating scales for assessing pain in newborn infants

Closure of mesenteric defects for prevention of internal hernia after Roux‐en‐Y gastric bypass in bariatric surgery

Delayed initiation or reduced initial dose of calcineurin‐inhibitors for kidney transplant recipients at high risk of delayed graft function

Delivery of intravenous anti‐cancer therapy at home versus in hospital or community settings for adults with cancer

Digital tracking, provider decision support systems, and targeted client communication via mobile devices to improve primary health care

Drug treatment for myotonia (updated)

Endovascular thrombectomy with versus without intravenous thrombolysis for acute ischaemic stroke

Entecavir for children and adults with chronic hepatitis B

Factors that influence caregivers’ and adolescents’ views and practices regarding human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination for adolescents: a qualitative evidence synthesis

Gonadotropins for ovulation induction in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (updated)

Interventions for preventing diarrhoea‐associated haemolytic uraemic syndrome (updated)

Interventions for smokeless tobacco use cessation

Lutein and zeaxanthin for reducing morbidity and mortality in preterm infants

Melatonin in cancer treatment

Preoperative medical therapy before surgery for uterine fibroids

Prevention of infection in aortic or aortoiliac peripheral arterial reconstruction

Prophylactic antibiotics for uterine evacuation procedures to manage miscarriage

Psychological interventions for treatment of inflammatory bowel disease (updated)

Surgical interventions for presbyopia

Switching antipsychotics versus continued current treatment in people with non‐responsive schizophrenia

Transversus abdominis plane (TAP) blocks for prevention of postoperative pain in women undergoing laparoscopic and robotic gynaecological surgery

Treatment for ulnar neuropathy at the elbow (updated)

Uterotonic agents for preventing postpartum haemorrhage: a network meta‐analysis (updated)

Vaccines for preventing infections in adults with solid tumours

NICE guidelines

Balloon disimpaction of the baby's head at emergency caesarean during the second stage of labour (IPG800)

Burosumab for treating X-linked hypophosphataemia in children and young people (HST8 – updated)

Cladribine for treating active relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (TA1053)

Early and locally advanced breast cancer: diagnosis and management (NG101 – updated)

Efanesoctocog alfa for treating and preventing bleeding episodes in haemophilia A in people 2 years and over (TA1051)

Falls (QS86 – updated)

Falls: assessment and prevention in older people and in people 50 and over at higher risk (NG249)

Leniolisib for treating activated phosphoinositide 3-kinase delta syndrome in people 12 years and over (HST33)

Molnupiravir for treating COVID-19 (TA1056)

Olipudase alfa for treating acid sphingomyelinase deficiency (Niemann–Pick disease) type AB and type B (HST32)

Relugolix–estradiol–norethisterone for treating symptoms of endometriosis (TA1057)

Robot-assisted surgery for orthopaedic procedures: early value assessment (HTE22)

Robot-assisted surgery for soft tissue procedures: early value assessment (HTE21)

Rucaparib for maintenance treatment of advanced ovarian, fallopian tube and peritoneal cancer after response to first-line platinum-based chemotherapy (TA1055)

Ruxolitinib for treating acute graft versus host disease that responds inadequately to corticosteroids in people 12 years and over (TA1054)

Slide sheets for moving or repositioning a person: late-stage assessment (HTE23)

RQIA review report

Analysis of Serious Adverse Incidents Reported to RQIA Where the diagnosis is Addictions / Substance Misuse, September 2024 (Updated April 2025)

SIGN guideline

SIGN 50: a guideline developer's handbook

Sources

Cochrane Library (Apr); NICE website (Apr); RQIA website (Apr); SIGN website (Mar-Apr)

April 2025

All content new unless specified as updated

Cochrane reviews

Antibiotic treatment for non‐tuberculous mycobacteria lung infection in people with cystic fibrosis

Antidepressants for low back pain and spine‐related leg pain (updated)

Audit and feedback: effects on professional practice (updated)

Cervical preparation for dilation and evacuation at 12 to 24 weeks gestation (updated)

Combined pharmacological and psychosocial interventions for alcohol use disorder

Effect of adrenergic agonist oral decongestants on blood pressure

Effect of amphetamines on blood pressure

Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7‐item (GAD‐7) and 2‐item (GAD‐2) scales for detecting anxiety disorders in adults

Models of care for managing non‐specific low back pain

Molecular assays for the diagnosis of sepsis in neonates: a diagnostic test accuracy review (updated)

Mucolytics for children with chronic suppurative lung disease

Multimodal interventions for cachexia management

Music‐based therapeutic interventions for people with dementia (updated)

Next‐generation sequencing for guiding matched targeted therapies in people with relapsed or metastatic cancer

Nonsteroidal anti‐inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) for acute renal colic (updated)

Non‐pharmacological and non‐surgical treatments for low back pain in adults: an overview of Cochrane reviews

Pelvic floor muscle training with feedback or biofeedback for urinary incontinence in women (updated)

Positron emission tomography‐adapted therapy for first‐line treatment in adults with Hodgkin lymphoma (updated)

Postoperative nutritional support after pancreaticoduodenectomy in adults

Red blood cell transfusion management for people undergoing cardiac surgery for congenital heart disease (updated)

Rituximab for people with multiple sclerosis (updated)

Safety and efficacy of proton pump inhibitors in preterm infants with gastroesophageal reflux disease

Sex as a prognostic factor for mortality in adults with acute symptomatic pulmonary embolism

Stakeholders’ perceptions and experiences of factors influencing the commissioning, delivery, and uptake of general health checks: a qualitative evidence synthesis

Sulfonylurea drugs for people with severe hemispheric ischemic stroke

Truenat MTB assays for pulmonary tuberculosis and rifampicin resistance in adults and adolescents

Ultrasound‐guided versus anatomic landmark‐guided percutaneous femoral artery access

Vasodilators for women undergoing fertility treatment (updated)

Withdrawal of antihypertensive drugs in older people (updated)

NICE guidelines

12 SQ-HDM SLIT for treating allergic rhinitis and allergic asthma caused by house dust mites (TA1045)

Alcohol-mediated perivascular renal sympathetic denervation for resistant hypertension (IPG801)

Blinatumomab with chemotherapy for consolidation treatment of Philadelphia-chromosome-negative CD19-positive minimal residual disease-negative B-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (TA1049)

Fenfluramine for treating seizures associated with Lennox–Gastaut syndrome in people 2 years and over (TA1050)

Lisocabtagene maraleucel for treating relapsed or refractory large B-cell lymphoma after first-line chemoimmunotherapy when a stem cell transplant is suitable (TA1048)

Zolbetuximab with chemotherapy for untreated claudin-18.2-positive HER2-negative unresectable advanced gastric or gastro-oesophageal junction adenocarcinoma (TA1046)

Sources

Cochrane Library (Mar); NICE website (Mar)

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