Cochrane Db Syst Rev
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Cochrane Db Syst Rev · Dec 2012
Review Meta AnalysisNeoadjuvant chemotherapy plus surgery versus surgery for cervical cancer.
A previous systematic review found that giving neoadjuvant chemotherapy before surgery improved survival compared with radiotherapy. However, the role of neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by surgery versus surgery alone is still unclear. ⋯ Both OS and PFS were improved with neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Although the effects were less clear on all other pre-specified outcomes, they all tended to be in favour of neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Whilst these results appear to indicate that neoadjuvant chemotherapy may offer a benefit over surgery alone for women with early-stage or locally-advanced cervical cancer, the evidence is based on only a small number of trials, and further research may be warranted.
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Cochrane Db Syst Rev · Dec 2012
ReviewAntibiotics for persistent cough or wheeze following acute bronchiolitis in children.
Bronchiolitis is a common acute respiratory infectious condition, with a high prevalence worldwide. It is a clinically diagnosed syndrome, manifested by tachypnoea (rapid breathing), with crackles or wheeze in young children. In the acute phase of bronchiolitis (< 14 days), antibiotics have only been recommended when a secondary bacterial infection is suspected. Although bronchiolitis is usually a self-limiting condition, a number of children have persistent respiratory symptoms such as cough and wheezing in post-acute bronchiolitis, and they present or re-present to secondary care. ⋯ There is currently insufficient evidence to inform whether antibiotics should be used to treat or prevent persistent respiratory symptoms in the post-acute bronchiolitis phase. Future RCTs that evaluate the efficacy of antibiotics to reduce persistent respiratory symptoms are required, especially in areas where both acute and post-bronchiolitis morbidity is high such as in Indigenous communities in the US, New Zealand and Australia.
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Maternal oxygen administration has been used in an attempt to lessen fetal distress by increasing the available oxygen from the mother. This has been used for suspected fetal distress during labour, and prophylactically during the second stage of labour on the assumption that the second stage is a time of high risk for fetal distress. ⋯ Implications for practice There is not enough evidence to support the use of prophylactic oxygen therapy for women in labour, nor to evaluate its effectiveness for fetal distress.Implications for research In view of the widespread use of oxygen administration during labour and the possibility that it may be ineffective or harmful, there is an urgent need for randomized trials to assess its effects.
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Cochrane Db Syst Rev · Dec 2012
Review Meta AnalysisCreatine for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis/motor neuron disease.
Creatine, a naturally-occurring nitrogenous organic acid involved in adenosine triphosphate (ATP) production, has been shown to increase survival in mouse models of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as motor neuron disease (MND). Results from human trials, however, have been mixed. Given conflicting results regarding the efficacy of creatine, we conducted a systematic review, which was updated in 2012. ⋯ In patients already diagnosed with clinically probable or definite ALS, creatine at doses ranging from 5 to 10 g per day did not have a statistically significant effect on survival, ALSFRS-R progression or percent predicted FVC progression.
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Cochrane Db Syst Rev · Dec 2012
Review Meta AnalysisInterventions for providers to promote a patient-centred approach in clinical consultations.
Communication problems in health care may arise as a result of healthcare providers focusing on diseases and their management, rather than people, their lives and their health problems. Patient-centred approaches to care delivery in the patient encounter are increasingly advocated by consumers and clinicians and incorporated into training for healthcare providers. However, the impact of these interventions directly on clinical encounters and indirectly on patient satisfaction, healthcare behaviour and health status has not been adequately evaluated. ⋯ Interventions to promote patient-centred care within clinical consultations are effective across studies in transferring patient-centred skills to providers. However the effects on patient satisfaction, health behaviour and health status are mixed. There is some indication that complex interventions directed at providers and patients that include condition-specific educational materials have beneficial effects on health behaviour and health status, outcomes not assessed in studies reviewed previously. The latter conclusion is tentative at this time and requires more data. The heterogeneity of outcomes, and the use of single item consultation and health behaviour measures limit the strength of the conclusions.