Cochrane Db Syst Rev
-
Cochrane Db Syst Rev · Jan 2008
Review Meta AnalysisPsychosocial interventions for people with both severe mental illness and substance misuse.
Even low levels of substance misuse by people with a severe mental illness can have detrimental effects. ⋯ We included 25 RCTs and found no compelling evidence to support any one psychosocial treatment over another to reduce substance use (or improve mental state) by people with serious mental illnesses. Furthermore, methodological difficulties exist which hinder pooling and interpreting results; high drop out rates, varying fidelity of interventions, varying outcome measures, settings and samples and comparison groups may have received higher levels of treatment than standard care. Further studies are required which address these concerns and improve the evidence in this important area.
-
Cochrane Db Syst Rev · Jan 2008
Review Meta AnalysisCranberries for preventing urinary tract infections.
Cranberries have been used widely for several decades for the prevention and treatment of urinary tract infections (UTIs). ⋯ There is some evidence that cranberry juice may decrease the number of symptomatic UTIs over a 12 month period, particularly for women with recurrent UTIs. It's effectiveness for other groups is less certain. The large number of dropouts/withdrawals indicates that cranberry juice may not be acceptable over long periods of time. It is not clear what is the optimum dosage or method of administration (e.g. juice, tablets or capsules). Further properly designed studies with relevant outcomes are needed.
-
Cochrane Db Syst Rev · Jan 2008
Review Meta AnalysisChinese herbal medicine suxiao jiuxin wan for angina pectoris.
Suxiao jiuxin wan is widely used in China for angina pectoris. ⋯ Suxiao jiuxin wan appears to be effective in the treatment of angina pectoris and no serious side effects were identified. However, the evidence remains weak due to poor methodological quality of including studies.
-
Cochrane Db Syst Rev · Jan 2008
Review Meta AnalysisCorticosteroids for managing tuberculous meningitis.
Tuberculous meningitis, a serious form of tuberculosis that affects the meninges covering the brain and spinal cord, is associated with high mortality and disability among survivors. Corticosteroids have been used as an adjunct to antituberculous drugs to improve the outcome, but their role is controversial. ⋯ Corticosteroids should be routinely used in HIV-negative people with tuberculous meningitis to reduce death and disabling residual neurological deficit amongst survivors. However, there is not enough evidence to support or refute a similar conclusion for those who are HIV positive.
-
Cochrane Db Syst Rev · Jan 2008
Review Meta AnalysisAntidepressants for non-specific low back pain.
Antidepressants are commonly used in the management of low-back pain. However, their use is controversial. ⋯ There is no clear evidence that antidepressants are more effective than placebo in the management of patients with chronic low-back pain. These findings do not imply that severely depressed patients with back pain should not be treated with antidepressants; furthermore, there is evidence for their use in other forms of chronic pain.