Cochrane Db Syst Rev
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Cochrane Db Syst Rev · Jul 2006
Review Meta AnalysisOral anticoagulants versus antiplatelet therapy for preventing further vascular events after transient ischaemic attack or minor stroke of presumed arterial origin.
Patients with limited cerebral ischaemia of arterial origin have an annual risk of major vascular events between 4% and 11%. Aspirin reduces this risk by 20% at most. Secondary prevention trials after myocardial infarction indicate that treatment with oral anticoagulants is associated with a risk reduction approximately twice that of treatment with antiplatelet therapy. ⋯ For secondary prevention of further vascular events after limited ischaemic stroke of arterial origin, there is insufficient evidence to justify the routine use of medium-intensity oral anticoagulants; such treatment should only be used as part of a clinical trial. More intense anticoagulation is not safe and should not be used in this setting. Low-intensity anticoagulation is not likely to be more or less efficacious than aspirin.
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Tramadol is increasingly used for the treatment of osteoarthritis because, in contrast to nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), tramadol does not produce gastrointestinal bleeding or renal problems, and does not affect articular cartilage. ⋯ Tramadol or tramadol/paracetamol decreases pain intensity, produces symptom relief and improves function, but these benefits are small. Adverse events, although reversible and not life threatening, often cause participants to stop taking the medication and could limit tramadol or tramadol plus paracetamol usefulness.
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Cochrane Db Syst Rev · Jul 2006
Review Meta AnalysisNedocromil sodium for chronic asthma in children.
Currently inhaled corticosteroids are the main stay in the maintenance treatment of chronic asthma in children. Although inhaled corticosteroids play a crucial role in the management of childhood asthma, the long-term side effects of inhaled corticosteroids used in the management of chronic asthma in children are not clearly known. ⋯ A limited number of small studies have shown that nedocromil is of benefit in improving lung function and some measures of symptoms, but the evidence with regard to the primary outcome of the review was conflicting. Two long-term trials did not show consistent effects on lung function outcomes, whereas several small short-term trials have shown benefit in these outcomes. Differing severities at baseline may explain this difference with milder participants experiencing less benefit, although the discrepancy between study findings may also reflect publication bias. Nedocromil sodium is associated with a very good safety profile with no significant short term or long- term adverse side effects. Although nedocromil may have advantages over inhaled corticosteroids in terms of side effects, there is a need for head to head trials of nedocromil and inhaled corticosteroids to establish whether asthma control is similar, especially in mild asthma. It is not yet clear where nedocromil should sit in relation to other therapies in the treatment of asthma in children.
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Cochrane Db Syst Rev · Jul 2006
Review Meta AnalysisPreoperative chemotherapy for resectable thoracic esophageal cancer.
Surgery has been the treatment of choice for localized esophageal cancer. A number of studies have investigated whether preoperative chemotherapy followed by surgery leads to an improvement in cure rates but the individual reports have been conflicting. An explicit systematic update of the role of preoperative chemotherapy in the treatment of resectable thoracic esophageal cancer is, therefore, warranted. ⋯ In summary, preoperative chemotherapy plus surgery may offer a survival advantage compared to surgery alone for resectable thoracic esophageal cancer, but the evidence is inconclusive. There is some evidence of toxicity and preoperative mortality associated with chemotherapy.
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Cochrane Db Syst Rev · Jul 2006
Review Meta AnalysisAddition of drug/s to a chemotherapy regimen for metastatic breast cancer.
The addition of a chemotherapy drug or drugs to an established regimen is one method used to increase the dose and intensity of treatment for metastatic breast cancer. ⋯ The addition of one or more drugs to the regimen shows a statistically significant advantage for tumour response in women with metastatic breast cancer but the results suggest no difference in survival time or time to progression. The positive effect on tumour response observed with addition of a drug to the regimen was also associated with increased toxicity.