Cochrane Db Syst Rev
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Cochrane Db Syst Rev · Oct 2005
ReviewIntra-uterine insemination versus timed intercourse for cervical hostility in subfertile couples.
The postcoital test has poor diagnostic and prognostic characteristics. Nevertheless, some physicians believe it can identify scanty or abnormal mucus that might impair fertility. One way to avoid 'hostile' cervical mucus is intrauterine insemination. With this technique, the physician injects sperm directly into the uterine cavity through a small catheter passed through the cervix; the theory is to bypass the "hostile" cervical mucus. Although most gynaecological societies do not endorse use of intrauterine insemination for hostile cervical mucus, some physicians consider it an effective treatment for women with infertility thought due to cervical mucus problems. ⋯ There is no evidence from the published studies that intrauterine insemination is an effective treatment for cervical hostility. Given the poor diagnostic and prognostic properties of the postcoital test and the observation that the test has no benefit on pregnancy rates, intrauterine insemination (with or without ovarian stimulation) is unlikely to be a useful treatment for putative problems identified by postcoital testing.
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Cochrane Db Syst Rev · Jul 2005
Review Meta AnalysisCombination injectable contraceptives for contraception.
Combination injectable contraceptives provide a highly effective, reversible method of preventing pregnancy, and they do not require daily administration or use at the time of coitus. Although they are used in many countries, their acceptability could be limited by method characteristics, such as the need to obtain a monthly injection or bleeding pattern changes. ⋯ While discontinuation rates can be viewed as a measure of method acceptability, the findings should be interpreted with caution since discontinuation rates are dependent on many other factors. Future research should be directed toward interventions to improve the acceptability of combination injectable contraceptives, such as providing injections in settings more convenient than clinical sites, methods for women to administer their own injections, and counseling about possible bleeding pattern changes.
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HIV-infected people and AIDS patients often seek complementary therapies including herbal medicines due to reasons such as unsatisfactory effects, high cost, non-availability, or adverse effects of conventional medicines. ⋯ There is insufficient evidence to support the use of herbal medicines in HIV-infected individuals and AIDS patients. Potential beneficial effects need to be confirmed in large, rigorous trials.
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Cochrane Db Syst Rev · Jul 2005
Review Meta AnalysisShort term benefits for laparoscopic colorectal resection.
Colorectal resections are common surgical procedures all over the world. Laparoscopic colorectal surgery is technically feasible in a considerable amount of patients under elective conditions. Several short-term benefits of the laparoscopic approach to colorectal resection (less pain, less morbidity, improved reconvalescence and better quality of life) have been proposed. ⋯ Under traditional perioperative treatment, laparoscopic colonic resections show clinically relevant advantages in selected patients. If the long-term oncological results of laparoscopic and conventional resection of colonic carcinoma show equivalent results, the laparoscopic approach should be preferred in patients suitable for this approach to colectomy.
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Cochrane Db Syst Rev · Jul 2005
Review Meta AnalysisVitamin A for non-measles pneumonia in children.
Acute respiratory infections, mostly in the form of pneumonia, are the leading causes of death in children under five years of age in developing countries. Some clinical trials have demonstrated that vitamin A supplementation reduces the severity of respiratory infection and mortality in children with measles. ⋯ The evidence did not suggest a significant reduction with vitamin A adjunctive treatment in mortality, measures of morbidity, nor an effect on the clinical course of pneumonia in children with non-measles pneumonia. However, not all studies measured all outcomes, limiting the number of studies that could be incorporated into the meta-analyses, so that there may have been a lack of statistical power to detect statistically significant differences.