Cochrane Db Syst Rev
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Cochrane Db Syst Rev · Jan 2000
ReviewInterventions for deliberately altering blood pressure in acute stroke.
It is unclear whether hypertension should be treated after acute stroke, and some have hypothesised that blood pressure should be increased to improve cerebral perfusion. ⋯ There is not enough evidence to evaluate the effect of altering blood pressure after acute stroke. Although oral calcium channel blockers appear to reduce blood pressure following acute stroke, the balance of benefit and risk remains unclear.
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Cochrane Db Syst Rev · Jan 2000
ReviewPlasma volume expansion for treatment of women with pre-eclampsia.
Plasma volume is reduced amongst women with pre-eclampsia. This association has led to the suggestion that expanding the plasma volume might improve maternal and uteroplacental circulation, and so potentially improve outcome for both the woman and her baby. ⋯ There is insufficient evidence for any reliable estimates of the effects of plasma volume expansion for women with pre-eclampsia.
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Heat and cold therapy are often used as adjuncts in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis by rehabilitation specialists. ⋯ Since patients enjoy thermotherapy, and there are no harmful effects, thermotherapy should be recommended as a therapy which can be applied at home as needed to relieve pain. There is no need for further research on the effects of heat or cold for RA.
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Gangliosides may have a protective effect on the central and peripheral nervous systems. ⋯ There is not enough evidence to conclude that gangliosides are beneficial in acute stroke. Caution is warranted because of reports of sporadic cases of Guillain-Barré syndrome after ganglioside therapy.
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The false-negative rate of cervical smears varies between 1.5% and 55%. This variation may be partly due to differences in sampling device and technique. The objective of this review was to assess different cervical sampling devices for collecting endocervical cells, which are thought to be a surrogate for detection of abnormal cells and adequate smear rates. ⋯ Extended tip spatulas of various designs appear to be better for collecting endocervical cells than the commonly used Ayre spatula. The most effective combination appears to be the cytobrush with an extended tip spatula. The rate of detection of endocervical cells appears to be a valid and convenient surrogate for the ability to detect dyskaryosis and for adequate smear rates. The ability of the extended tip spatula with the cytobrush compared with the extended tip spatula alone to detect disease, needs to be evaluated in a trial.