Cochrane Db Syst Rev
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Oral submucous fibrosis (OSF) is a chronic disease of the oral cavity which is more commonly found in patients in the Asian subcontinent and the Far East. It is characterised by the progressive build up of constricting bands of collagen in the cheeks and adjacent structures of the mouth which can severely restrict mouth opening and tongue movement and cause problems with speech and swallowing. ⋯ The lack of reliable evidence for the effectiveness of any specific interventions for the management of oral submucous fibrosis is illustrated by the paucity, and poor methodological quality, of trials retrieved for this review.
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Cochrane Db Syst Rev · Oct 2008
ReviewAntenatal psychosocial assessment for reducing perinatal mental health morbidity.
Mental health conditions arising in the perinatal period, including depression, have the potential to impact negatively on not only the woman but also her partner, infant, and family. The capacity for routine, universal antenatal psychosocial assessment, and thus the potential for reduction of morbidity, is very significant. ⋯ While the use of an antenatal psychosocial assessment may increase the clinician's awareness of psychosocial risk, neither of these small studies provides sufficient evidence that routine antenatal psychosocial assessment by itself leads to improved perinatal mental health outcomes. Further studies with better sample size and statistical power are required to further explore this important public health issue. It will also be important to examine outcomes up to one year postpartum not only for mother, but also infant and family.
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In some countries extracts of the plant Hypericum perforatum L. (popularly called St. John's wort) are widely used for treating patients with depressive symptoms. ⋯ The available evidence suggests that the hypericum extracts tested in the included trials a) are superior to placebo in patients with major depression; b) are similarly effective as standard antidepressants; c) and have fewer side effects than standard antidepressants. The association of country of origin and precision with effects sizes complicates the interpretation.
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Among women with early breast cancer, the effects of ovarian ablation on recurrence and death have been assessed by several randomised trials that now have long follow-up. ⋯ In women aged under 50 with early breast cancer, ablation of functioning ovaries significantly improves long-term survival, at least in the absence of chemotherapy. Further randomised evidence is needed on the additional effects of ovarian ablation in the presence of other adjuvant treatments, and to assess the relevance of hormone-receptor measurements.
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Quit and Win contests were developed in the 1980s by the Minnesota Heart Health Program, and have been widely used since then as a population-based smoking cessation intervention at local, national and international level. Since 1994 an international contest has been held every two years in as many as 80 countries (2002). ⋯ Quit and win contests at local and regional level appear to deliver quit rates above baseline community rates, although the population impact of the contests seems to be relatively low. Contests may be subject to levels of deception which could compromise the validity of the intervention. International contests may prove to be an effective mechanism, particularly in developing countries, but a lack of well-designed comparative studies precludes any firm conclusions.