Cochrane Db Syst Rev
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Antipsychotic drugs are the mainstay treatment for schizophrenia and similar psychotic disorders. Long-acting depot injections of drugs such as fluspirilene are extensively used as a means of long-term maintenance treatment. ⋯ Participant numbers in each comparison were small and we found no clear differences between fluspirilene and oral medication or other depots. The choice of whether to use fluspirilene as a depot medication and whether it has advantages over other depots cannot, at present, be informed by trial-derived data. Well-conducted and reported randomised trials are still needed to inform practice.
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Preterm birth causes 60% to 80% of neonatal deaths. Survivors can experience life-long complications. The risk of preterm labour in the presence of maternal infection is thought to be 30% to 50%. Probiotics are defined as live micro-organisms which, when administered in an adequate amount, confer a health benefit on the host. They have been shown to displace and kill pathogens and modulate the immune response by interfering with the inflammatory cascade that leads to preterm labour and delivery. During pregnancy, local treatment restoring normal vaginal flora and acidity without systemic effects could be preferable to other treatment in preventing preterm labour. ⋯ Although the use of probiotics appears to treat vaginal infections in pregnancy, there are currently insufficient data from trials to assess impact on preterm birth and its complications.
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Cochrane Db Syst Rev · Jan 2007
Review Meta AnalysisEicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, an omega-3 fatty acid from fish oils) for the treatment of cancer cachexia.
Cancer cachexia is a distressing weight loss syndrome commonly seen in advanced cancer patients. It is associated with reduced quality of life and shorter survival time. Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) is a long chain polyunsaturated fatty acid found naturally in some fish which has been used to decrease weight loss, promote weight gain and increase survival times in patients affected with cancer cachexia. ⋯ There were insufficient data to establish whether oral EPA was better than placebo. Comparisons of EPA combined with a protein energy supplementation versus a protein energy supplementation (without EPA) in the presence of an appetite stimulant (Megestrol Acetate) provided no evidence that EPA improves symptoms associated with the cachexia syndrome often seen in patients with advanced cancer.
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Cochrane Db Syst Rev · Jan 2007
Review Meta AnalysisCessation of medication for people with schizophrenia already stable on chlorpromazine.
Chlorpromazine, one of the first generation of antipsychotic drugs, is effective in the treatment of schizophrenia. For most people schizophrenia is a life-long disorder but about a quarter of those who have a first psychotic breakdown do not go on to experience further breakdowns. Most people with schizophrenia are prescribed antipsychotic drugs, although use is often intermittent. The effects of stopping medication are not well researched in the context of systematic reviews. ⋯ This review confirms clinical experience and quantifies the risks of stopping chlorpromazine medication for a group of people with schizophrenia who are stable on this drug. With its moderate adverse effects, chlorpromazine is likely to remain one of the most widely prescribed treatments for schizophrenia.
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Cochrane Db Syst Rev · Jan 2007
Review Meta AnalysisCombined psychotherapy plus antidepressants for panic disorder with or without agoraphobia.
Panic disorder can be treated with pharmacotherapy, psychotherapy or in combination, but the relative merits of combined therapy have not been well established. ⋯ Either combined therapy or psychotherapy alone may be chosen as first line treatment for panic disorder with or without agoraphobia, depending on patient preference.