Cochrane Db Syst Rev
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Cochrane Db Syst Rev · Jan 2008
Review Meta AnalysisAzithromycin for acute lower respiratory tract infections.
Acute lower respiratory tract infections (LRTI) range from acute bronchitis and acute exacerbations of chronic bronchitis to pneumonia. Approximately five million people die of acute respiratory tract infections annually. Among these, pneumonia represents the most frequent cause of mortality, hospitalization and medical consultation. Azithromycin is a new macrolide antibiotic, structurally modified from erythromycin and noted for its activity against some gram-negative organisms associated with respiratory tract infections, particularly Haemophilus influenzae (H. influenzae). ⋯ There is unclear evidence that azithromycin is superior to amoxicillin or amoxyclav in treating acute LRTI. In patients with acute bronchitis of a suspected bacterial cause, azithromycin tends to be more effective in terms of lower incidence of treatment failure and adverse events than amoxicillin or amoxyclav. Future trials of high methodological quality are needed.
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Pain is a global public health problem affecting the lives of large numbers of patients and their families. Touch therapies (Healing Touch (HT), Therapeutic Touch (TT) and Reiki) have been found to relieve pain, but some reviews have suggested there is insufficient evidence to support their use. ⋯ Touch therapies may have a modest effect in pain relief. More studies on HT and Reiki in relieving pain are needed. More studies including children are also required to evaluate the effect of touch on children.
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This is the protocol for a review and there is no abstract. The objectives are as follows: To assess the efficacy and adverse effects of single dose parecoxib in studies of acute postoperative pain using methods that permit comparison with other analgesics evaluated in standardised trials using almost identical methods and outcomes.
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Cochrane Db Syst Rev · Jan 2008
Review Meta AnalysisOpen surgical procedures for incisional hernias.
Incisional hernias occur frequently after abdominal surgery and can cause serious complications. The choice of a type of open operative repair is controversial. Determining the type of open operative repair is controversial, as the recurrence rate may be as high as 54%. ⋯ There is good evidence from three trials that open mesh repair is superior to suture repair in terms of recurrences, but inferior when considering wound infection. Six trials yielded insufficient evidence as to which type of mesh or which mesh position (on- or sublay) should be used. There was also insufficient evidence to advocate the use of the components separation technique.
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Cochrane Db Syst Rev · Jan 2008
Review Meta AnalysisBuprenorphine maintenance versus placebo or methadone maintenance for opioid dependence.
Buprenorphine has been reported as an alternative to methadone for maintenance treatment of opioid dependence, but differing results are reported concerning its relative effectiveness indicating the need for an integrative review. ⋯ Buprenorphine is an effective intervention for use in the maintenance treatment of heroin dependence, but it is less effective than methadone delivered at adequate dosages.