Cochrane Db Syst Rev
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The efficacy of pancreatic enzymes in reducing pain and improving steatorrhoea is debatable and the evidence base for their utility needs to be determined. ⋯ The role of pancreatic enzymes for abdominal pain, weight loss, steatorrhoea, analgesic use and quality of life in patients with chronic pancreatitis remains equivocal. Good quality, adequately powered studies are much warranted.
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Acupuncture is often used for tension-type headache prophylaxis but its effectiveness is still controversial. This review (along with a companion review on 'Acupuncture for migraine prophylaxis') represents an updated version of a Cochrane review originally published in Issue 1, 2001, of The Cochrane Library. ⋯ In the previous version of this review, evidence in support of acupuncture for tension-type headache was considered insufficient. Now, with six additional trials, the authors conclude that acupuncture could be a valuable non-pharmacological tool in patients with frequent episodic or chronic tension-type headaches.
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Cochrane Db Syst Rev · Jan 2009
Review Meta AnalysisAdjuvant (post-surgery) chemotherapy for early stage epithelial ovarian cancer.
Epithelial ovarian cancer kills about 1700 in the UK each year. Ten to fifteen percent of all cases are diagnosed early when there is still a good chance of cure. The treatment of early stage disease involves surgery to remove disease often followed by chemotherapy. The largest clinical trials of this adjuvant therapy show an overall survival (OS) advantage with adjuvant platinum based chemotherapy but the precise role of this treatment in sub-groups of patients with differing prognoses needs to be defined. ⋯ Adjuvant platinum based chemotherapy is effective in prolonging the survival of the majority of patients who are assessed as having early stage epithelial ovarian cancer. However, even given the limits of sub-group analyses, there is strong evidence that optimal surgical staging identifies patients who have either little or nothing to gain from adjuvant chemotherapy. Taken together with the lack of a survival advantage seen in patients with "low-risk" cancers in the ICON1 trial, it appears safe to withhold adjuvant chemotherapy from optimally staged patients with well differentiated tumours.
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Cochrane Db Syst Rev · Jan 2009
Review Meta AnalysisInterventions for treatment of neonatal hyperglycemia in very low birth weight infants.
Early neonatal hyperglycemia is common among very low birth weight (VLBW) neonates. Increased risks for death and major morbidities have been observed among VLBW neonates who develop hyperglycemia. It is uncertain whether the hyperglycemia per se is a cause of adverse clinical outcomes or whether the incidence of adverse outcomes can be reduced by treatment. ⋯ Evidence from randomized trials in hyperglycemic VLBW neonates is insufficient to determine the effects of treatment on death or major morbidities. It remains uncertain whether the hyperglycemia per se is a cause of adverse clinical outcomes or how the hyperglycemia should be treated. Much larger randomized trials in hyperglycemic VLBW neonates that are powered on clinical outcomes are needed in order to determine whether, and how, the hyperglycemia should be treated.
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Cochrane Db Syst Rev · Jan 2009
Review Meta AnalysisOverground physical therapy gait training for chronic stroke patients with mobility deficits.
Overground gait training forms a major part of physical therapy services for chronic stroke patients in almost every setting. Overground gait training refers to physical therapists' observation and cueing of the patient's walking pattern along with related exercises, but does not include high-technology aids such as functional electrical stimulation or body weight support. ⋯ We found insufficient evidence to determine if overground physical therapy gait training benefits gait function in patients with chronic stroke, though limited evidence suggests small benefits for uni-dimensional variables such as gait speed or 6MWT. These findings must be replicated by large, high quality studies using varied outcome measures.