Cochrane Db Syst Rev
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Cochrane Db Syst Rev · Dec 2019
Meta AnalysisIntermittent preventive treatment for malaria in infants.
Intermittent preventive treatment could help prevent malaria in infants (IPTi) living in areas of moderate to high malaria transmission in sub-Saharan Africa. The World Health Organization (WHO) policy recommended IPTi in 2010, but its adoption in countries has been limited. ⋯ In areas of sub-Saharan Africa, giving antimalarial drugs known to be effective against the malaria parasite at the time to infants as IPT probably reduces the risk of clinical malaria, anaemia, and hospital admission. Evidence from SP studies over a 19-year period shows declining efficacy, which may be due to increasing drug resistance. Combinations with ACTs appear promising as suitable alternatives for IPTi. 2 December 2019 Up to date All studies incorporated from most recent search All eligible published studies found in the last search (3 Dec, 2018) were included.
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Cochrane Db Syst Rev · Dec 2019
Meta AnalysisPressure modification or humidification for improving usage of continuous positive airway pressure machines in adults with obstructive sleep apnoea.
Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) is the repetitive closure of the upper airway during sleep. This results in disturbed sleep and excessive daytime sleepiness. It is a risk factor for long-term cardiovascular morbidity. Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machines can be applied during sleep. They deliver air pressure by a nasal or oronasal mask to prevent the airway from closing, reducing sleep disturbance and improving sleep quality. Some people find them difficult to tolerate because of high pressure levels and other symptoms such as a dry mouth. Switching to machines that vary the level of air pressure required to reduce sleep disturbance could increase comfort and promote more regular use. Humidification devices humidify the air that is delivered to the upper airway through the CPAP circuit. Humidification may reduce dryness of the throat and mouth and thus improve CPAP tolerability. This updated Cochrane Review looks at modifying the delivery of positive pressure and humidification on machine usage and other clinical outcomes in OSA. ⋯ In adults with moderate to severe sleep apnoea starting positive airway pressure therapy, auto-CPAP probably increases machine usage by about 13 minutes per night. The effects on daytime sleepiness scores with auto-CPAP are not clinically meaningful. AHI values are slightly lower with fixed CPAP. Use of validated quality of life instruments in the studies to date has been limited, although where they have been used the effect sizes have not exceeded proposed clinically important differences. The adoption of a standardised approach to measuring tolerability would help decision-makers to balance benefits with harms from the different treatment options available. The evidence available for other pressure modification strategies does not provide a reliable basis on which to draw firm conclusions. Future studies should look at the effects of pressure modification devices and humidification in people who have already used CPAP but are unable to persist with treatment.
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Epilepsy is a common neurological condition, with an estimated incidence of 50 per 100,000 persons. People with epilepsy may present with various types of immunological abnormalities, such as low serum immunoglobulin A (IgA) levels, lack of the immunoglobulin G (IgG) subclass and identification of certain types of antibodies. Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) treatment may represent a valuable approach and its efficacy has important implications for epilepsy management. This is an update of a Cochrane review first published in 2011 and last updated in 2017. ⋯ We cannot draw any reliable conclusions regarding the efficacy of IVIg as a treatment for epilepsy. Further randomised controlled trials are needed.
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Cochrane Db Syst Rev · Dec 2019
Review Meta AnalysisTransient neurological symptoms (TNS) following spinal anaesthesia with lidocaine versus other local anaesthetics in adult surgical patients: a network meta-analysis.
Spinal anaesthesia has been implicated as one of the possible causes of neurological complications following surgical procedures. This painful condition, occurring during the immediate postoperative period, is termed transient neurological symptoms (TNS) and is typically observed after the use of spinal lidocaine. Alternatives to lidocaine that can provide high-quality anaesthesia without TNS development are needed. This review was originally published in 2005, and last updated in 2009. ⋯ Results from both NMA and pair-wise meta-analysis indicate that the risk of developing TNS after spinal anaesthesia is lower when bupivacaine, levobupivacaine, prilocaine, procaine, and ropivacaine are used compared to lidocaine. The use of 2-chloroprocaine and mepivacaine had a similar risk to lidocaine in terms of TNS development after spinal anaesthesia. Patients should be informed of TNS as a possible adverse effect of local anaesthesia with lidocaine and the choice of anaesthetic agent should be based on the specific clinical context and parameters such as the expected duration of the procedure and the quality of anaesthesia. Due to the very low- to moderate-quality evidence (GRADE), future research efforts in this field are required to assess alternatives to lidocaine that would be able to provide high-quality anaesthesia without TNS development. The two studies awaiting classification and one ongoing study may alter the conclusions of the review once assessed.
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Cochrane Db Syst Rev · Nov 2019
Meta AnalysisTreatment and prevention of pouchitis after ileal pouch-anal anastomosis for chronic ulcerative colitis.
Pouchitis occurs in approximately 50% of patients following ileal pouch-anal anastomosis (IPAA) for chronic ulcerative colitis (UC). ⋯ The effects of antibiotics, probiotics and other interventions for treating and preventing pouchitis are uncertain. Well designed, adequately powered studies are needed to determine the optimal therapy for the treatment and prevention of pouchitis.