Side-effects of cancer treatment – Brazil 2019

Stimulated by Paim et al and D’Allessandro et al 2019.[1,2] Photo by Wolfgang Hasselmann on Unsplash. I selected these trials that were published online on consecutive days last week whilst I was attending a conference in Gramado, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. It was only after selecting them that I noticed that both trials were conducted in Brazil. … Continue reading Side-effects of cancer treatment – Brazil 2019

NREs and TTIs in the Netherlands

Stimulated by Prinsze et al 2019.[1] Photo by Cassi Josh on Unsplash. New acronyms are guaranteed to get me guessing, but these two were a challenge. They roll off the tongue pretty well as acronyms, but I had to check both! NREs are needle-related events, so that is relevant to the blog, and TTIs are transfusion-transmissible infections ie … Continue reading NREs and TTIs in the Netherlands

Strong EA & CPM in OAK

Stimulated by Lv et al 2019.[1] My eldest two cherubs demonstrating examination of the knee ;-)One is now an actor - guess which one! The paper that I am highlighting in this piece has two relatively novel features. First, and most interesting is the testing of two different doses of active EA (electroacupuncture) in a … Continue reading Strong EA & CPM in OAK

EA for frozen shoulder

Stimulated by Lo et al 2019.[1] Photo by Brooke Cagle on Unsplash. This paper caught my eye because I advocate the use of electroacupuncture (EA) in frozen shoulder, but I find it hard to know whether or not I am doing any good. There is little or no controlled trial data in this specific condition, whilst there is … Continue reading EA for frozen shoulder

Piriformis revisited

In regret triggered by the title of Probst et al 2019.[1] This diagram illustrates the anatomical location of piriformis relative to the pelvis, and the characteristic pain referral patterns that form part of the myofascial syndrome. The blue dots on the leg represent tingling that might occur if there is nerve entrapment in piriformis syndrome. … Continue reading Piriformis revisited

SAH headache 2019

Inspired by Dietzel et al 2019.[1] Image by Aarón Blanco Tejedor on Unsplash. This paper was published very recently in the journal Neurocritical Care. I was more familiar with it than you might expect because, on request of the senior author, I had checked the English a couple of times for submissions to different journals … Continue reading SAH headache 2019

PGLBP or LBPGP during pregnancy

Inspired by Nicolian et al 2019 and Vas et al 2019.[1,2] Image by Janko Ferlič on Unsplash. Nicolian et al 2019 is the first paper to report a cost-effectiveness analysis of adding acupuncture to usual care of pelvic girdle and low back pain (PGLBP) in pregnancy. It was a pragmatic open randomised controlled trial with … Continue reading PGLBP or LBPGP during pregnancy