Cochrane Db Syst Rev
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Cochrane Db Syst Rev · Jan 2003
ReviewEarly intravenous nutrition for the prevention of neonatal jaundice.
The early institution of enteral feeding in the first few days of life is known to impact on the development of unconjugated hyperbilirubinaemia. However, the effect of early intravenous nutrition on neonatal jaundice remains unknown. ⋯ Decisions regarding the institution of early intravenous nutrition must continue to be based upon factors others than its effect on neonatal jaundice.
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Cochrane Db Syst Rev · Jan 2003
Review Meta AnalysisOxatomide for stable asthma in adults and children.
Oxatomide is a histamine H1-receptor antagonist. As an oral agent, oxatomide may be useful in managing asthma. Some guidelines recommend oxatomide for long-term prophylaxis of asthma in children. There is no clear evidence whether children or adults with asthma benefit from oxatomide. ⋯ There is no evidence to show that oxatomide has a significant effect on the control of stable asthma. Some studies reported significant benefits in subjective parameters. There was improvement in some lung function outcomes reported, but this were not consistent across measures or studies and may represent reporting bias. Adverse events, including drowsiness, were significantly greater with oxatomide than placebo.
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Constraints on resources and time often render treatments for anxiety such as psychological interventions impracticable, while synthetic anxiolytic drugs are effective, but are often burdened with adverse events. Options which are effective and safe would be of considerable interest and a welcome addition to the therapeutic repertoire. ⋯ Compared with placebo, kava extract appears to be an effective symptomatic treatment option for anxiety. The data available from the reviewed studies suggest that kava is relatively safe for short-term treatment (1 to 24 weeks), although more information is required. Further rigorous investigations, particularly into the long-term safety profile of kava are warranted.
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Osteoarthritis is a degenerative joint disease that affects mostly the weight-bearing joints in the knees and hips. As the affected joint degenerates pain and restriction of movement often occur. Inflammation can also occur sometimes resulting in edema of the joint with OA. Treatment focuses on decreasing pain and improving movement. ⋯ Ice massage compared to control had a statistically beneficial effect on ROM, function and knee strength. Cold packs decreased swelling. Hot packs had no beneficial effect on edema compared with placebo or cold application. Ice packs did not effect pain significantly compared to control in patients with OA. More well designed studies with a standardized protocol and adequate number of subjects are needed to evaluate the effect of thermotherapy in the treatment of OA of the knee.
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Cochrane Db Syst Rev · Jan 2003
ReviewVitamin E supplementation for prevention of morbidity and mortality in preterm infants.
Treating very low birth weight (VLBW) infants with pharmacologic doses of vitamin E as an antioxidant agent has been proposed for preventing or limiting retinopathy of prematurity, intracranial hemorrhage, hemolytic anemia, and chronic lung disease. However, excessive doses of vitamin E may result in side effects. ⋯ Vitamin E supplementation in preterm infants reduced the risk of intracranial hemorrhage but increased the risk of sepsis. In very low birth weight infants it increased the risk of sepsis, and reduced the risk of severe retinopathy and blindness among those examined. Evidence does not support the routine use of vitamin E supplementation by intravenous route at high doses, or aiming at serum tocopherol levels greater than 3.5 mg/dl.