Cochrane Db Syst Rev
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Cochrane Db Syst Rev · Jul 2007
ReviewWITHDRAWN: Maternal iodine supplements in areas of deficiency.
Iodine deficiency is the leading preventable cause of intellectual impairment in the world. Although iodine supplementation is generally considered to be safe, there is a possibility of high doses of iodine suppressing maternal thyroid function. ⋯ Iodine supplementation in a population with high levels of endemic cretinism results in an important reduction in the incidence of the condition with no apparent adverse effects.
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Cochrane Db Syst Rev · Jul 2007
Review Meta AnalysisInhaled nitric oxide for respiratory failure in preterm infants.
Inhaled nitric oxide (iNO) has been proven to be effective in term infants with hypoxic respiratory failure. The pathophysiology of respiratory failure, and the potential risks, differ substantially in preterm infants. Therefore, analysis of the efficacy and toxicities of iNO in infants born before 35 weeks is necessary. ⋯ iNO as rescue therapy for the very ill ventilated preterm infant does not appear to be effective and may increase the risk of severe IVH. Later use of iNO to prevent BPD also does not appear to be effective. Early routine use of iNO in mildly sick preterm infants may decrease serious brain injury and may improve survival without BPD. Further studies are needed to confirm these findings, to define groups most likely to benefit, and to describe long term outcomes.
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Ileocolic anastomoses are commonly performed for right-sided colon cancer and Crohn's disease. The anastomosis may be constructed using a linear cutter stapler or by suturing. Individual trials comparing stapled versus handsewn ileocolic anastomoses have found little difference in the complication rate but they have lacked adequate power to detect potential small difference. To our knowledge, this is the first systematic review specifically investigating ileocolic anastomosis. ⋯ Stapled functional end to end ileocolic anastomosis is associated with fewer leaks than handsewn anastomosis.
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Cochrane Db Syst Rev · Jul 2007
Review Meta AnalysisAntipsychotic medications for cocaine dependence.
Cocaine dependence is a public health problem characterized by recidivism and a host of medical and psychosocial complications. Cocaine dependence remains a disorder for which no pharmacological treatment of proven efficacy exists, although considerable advances in the neurobiology of this addiction could guide future medication development ⋯ Although caution is needed when assessing results from a limited number of small clinical trials there is no current evidence, at the present , supporting the clinical use of antipsychotic medications in the treatment of cocaine dependence. Furthermore, most of the included studies did not report useful results on important outcomes such as side effects, use of cocaine during the treatment and craving. Aiming to answer the urgent demand of clinicians, patients, families, and the community as a whole for an adequate treatment for cocaine dependence, larger randomised investigations should be designed investigating relevant outcomes and reporting data to allow comparison of results between studies. Moreover some efforts should be done also to investigate the efficacy of other type medications, like anticonvulsant, currently used in clinical practice.
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Cochrane Db Syst Rev · Jul 2007
Review Meta AnalysisInterventions before consultations for helping patients address their information needs.
Patients often do not get the information they require from doctors and nurses. To address this problem, interventions directed at patients to help them gather information in their healthcare consultations have been proposed and tested. ⋯ Interventions before consultations designed to help patients address their information needs within consultations produce limited benefits to patients. Further research could explore whether the quality of questions is increased, whether anxiety before consultations is reduced, the effects on other outcomes and the impact of training and the timing of interventions. More studies need to consider the timing of interventions and possibly the type of training provided to clinicians.