Cochrane Db Syst Rev
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Cochrane Db Syst Rev · Jan 2007
Review Meta AnalysisCessation of medication for people with schizophrenia already stable on chlorpromazine.
Chlorpromazine, one of the first generation of antipsychotic drugs, is effective in the treatment of schizophrenia. For most people schizophrenia is a life-long disorder but about a quarter of those who have a first psychotic breakdown do not go on to experience further breakdowns. Most people with schizophrenia are prescribed antipsychotic drugs, although use is often intermittent. The effects of stopping medication are not well researched in the context of systematic reviews. ⋯ This review confirms clinical experience and quantifies the risks of stopping chlorpromazine medication for a group of people with schizophrenia who are stable on this drug. With its moderate adverse effects, chlorpromazine is likely to remain one of the most widely prescribed treatments for schizophrenia.
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Cochrane Db Syst Rev · Jan 2007
Review Meta AnalysisOral fluphenazine versus placebo for schizophrenia.
Fluphenazine is one of the first drugs to be classed as an 'antipsychotic' and has been widely available for five decades. ⋯ The findings in this review confirm much that clinicians and recipients of care already know, but they provide quantification to support clinical impression. Fluphenazine's global position as an effective treatment for psychoses is not threatened by the outcome of this review. However, fluphenazine is an imperfect treatment and If accessible, other inexpensive drugs less associated with adverse effects may be an equally effective choice for people with schizophrenia.
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Cochrane Db Syst Rev · Jan 2007
Review Meta AnalysisEicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, an omega-3 fatty acid from fish oils) for the treatment of cancer cachexia.
Cancer cachexia is a distressing weight loss syndrome commonly seen in advanced cancer patients. It is associated with reduced quality of life and shorter survival time. Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) is a long chain polyunsaturated fatty acid found naturally in some fish which has been used to decrease weight loss, promote weight gain and increase survival times in patients affected with cancer cachexia. ⋯ There were insufficient data to establish whether oral EPA was better than placebo. Comparisons of EPA combined with a protein energy supplementation versus a protein energy supplementation (without EPA) in the presence of an appetite stimulant (Megestrol Acetate) provided no evidence that EPA improves symptoms associated with the cachexia syndrome often seen in patients with advanced cancer.
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Cochrane Db Syst Rev · Jan 2007
Review Meta AnalysisEffects of glucocorticoids on radiological progression in rheumatoid arthritis.
Glucocorticoid use in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is widespread. Two Cochrane Reviews have been published examining the short term clinical benefit of low dose glucocorticoids compared to non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and demonstrate good short term and medium term clinical benefits. The possibility that glucocorticoids may have a fundamental 'disease modifying' effect in RA, which would be seen by a reduction in the rate of radiological progression, has been raised by several authors. ⋯ Even in the most conservative estimate, the evidence that glucocorticoids given in addition to standard therapy can substantially reduce the rate of erosion progression in rheumatoid arthritis is convincing. There remains concern about potential long-term adverse reactions to glucocorticoid therapy, such as increased cardiovascular risk, and this issue requires further research.
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Cochrane Db Syst Rev · Jan 2007
Review Meta AnalysisPhosphodiesterase inhibitors for erectile dysfunction in patients with diabetes mellitus.
Erectile dysfunction is a common multi-factorial complication of diabetes mellitus. Numerous strategies have been tried to overcome this diabetic complication. In recent years, phosphodiesterase type 5 (PDE-5) inhibitors have been introduced in the management of erectile dysfunction. ⋯ Sufficient evidence exists that PDE-5 inhibitors form a care that improves erectile dysfunction in diabetic men.