Cochrane Db Syst Rev
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Cochrane Db Syst Rev · Jul 2013
Review Meta AnalysisSteroids for idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss.
This is an update of a Cochrane review first published in The Cochrane Library in Issue 1, 2006 and previously updated in 2009.Idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss (ISSHL) is a clinical diagnosis characterised by a sudden deafness of cochlear or retrocochlear origin in the absence of a clear precipitating cause. Steroids are commonly prescribed to treat this condition. There is no consensus on their effectiveness. ⋯ The value of steroids in the treatment of idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss remains unclear since the evidence obtained from randomised controlled trials is contradictory in outcome, in part because the studies are based upon too small a number of patients.
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Progestin-only contraceptives (POCs) are appropriate for many women who cannot or should not take estrogen. Many POCs are long-acting, cost-effective methods of preventing pregnancy. However, concern about weight gain can deter the initiation of contraceptives and cause early discontinuation among users. ⋯ The overall quality of evidence was moderate to low, given that the studies were evenly divided across the evidence quality groups (high, moderate, low, or very low quality). We found limited evidence of weight gain when using POCs. Mean gain was less than 2 kg for most studies up to 12 months. Weight change for the POC group generally did not differ significantly from that of the comparison group using another contraceptive. Two studies that assessed body composition showed that POC users had greater increases in body fat and decreases in lean body mass compared to users of non-hormonal methods. Appropriate counseling about typical weight gain may help reduce discontinuation of contraceptives due to perceptions of weight gain.
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Cochrane Db Syst Rev · Jul 2013
Review Meta AnalysisCognitive rehabilitation for spatial neglect following stroke.
Unilateral spatial neglect causes difficulty attending to one side of space. Various rehabilitation interventions have been used but evidence of their benefit is lacking. ⋯ The effectiveness of cognitive rehabilitation interventions for reducing the disabling effects of neglect and increasing independence remains unproven. As a consequence, no rehabilitation approach can be supported or refuted based on current evidence from RCTs. However, there is some very limited evidence that cognitive rehabilitation may have an immediate beneficial effect on tests of neglect. This emerging evidence justifies further clinical trials of cognitive rehabilitation for neglect. However, future studies need to have appropriate high quality methodological design and reporting, to examine persisting effects of treatment and to include an attention control comparator.
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Acetaminophen is frequently prescribed for treating patients with the common cold, but there is little evidence as to whether it is effective. ⋯ Acetaminophen may help relieve nasal obstruction and rhinorrhoea but does not appear to improve some other cold symptoms (including sore throat, malaise, sneezing and cough). However, two of the four included studies in this review were small and allocation concealment was unclear in all four studies. The data in this review do not provide sufficient evidence to inform practice regarding the use of acetaminophen for the common cold in adults. Further large-scale, well-designed trials are needed to determine whether this intervention is beneficial in the treatment of adults with the common cold.