Cochrane Db Syst Rev
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Cochrane Db Syst Rev · Apr 2008
Review Meta AnalysisChemoprophylaxis and intermittent treatment for preventing malaria in children.
Malaria causes repeated illness in children living in endemic areas. Policies of giving antimalarial drugs at regular intervals (prophylaxis or intermittent treatment) are being considered for preschool children. ⋯ Prophylaxis and intermittent treatment with antimalarial drugs reduce clinical malaria and severe anaemia in preschool children.
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Cochrane Db Syst Rev · Apr 2008
ReviewWITHDRAWN: Antibiotics for persistent nasal discharge (rhinosinusitis) in children.
Nasal discharge (rhinosinusitis) is extremely common in children. It is the result of inflammation of the mucosa of the upper respiratory tract, and is usually due to either infection or allergy. Infections may be caused by bacteria. ⋯ For children with persistent nasal discharge or older children with radiographically confirmed sinusitis, the available evidence suggests that antibiotics will reduce the probability of persistence in the short to medium-term. The benefits appear to be modest and around eight children must be treated in order to achieve one additional cure (number needed to treat (NNT) 8, 95% CI 5 to 29). No long term benefits have been documented. These conclusions are based on a small number of small randomised controlled trials and may require revision as additional data become available.
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Cochrane Db Syst Rev · Apr 2008
ReviewAntenatal lower genital tract infection screening and treatment programs for preventing preterm delivery.
Preterm birth is birth before 37 weeks' gestation. Genital tract infection is one of the causes of preterm birth. Infection screening during pregnancy has been used to reduce preterm birth. However, infection screening may have some adverse effects, e.g. increased antibiotic drug resistance, increased costs of treatment. ⋯ There is evidence that infection screening and treatment programs in pregnant women may reduce preterm birth and preterm low birthweights. Future trials should evaluate the effects of types of infection screening program, gestational ages at screening test and the costs of introducing an infection screening program.
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Cochrane Db Syst Rev · Apr 2008
Review Meta AnalysisFive-alpha-reductase Inhibitors for prostate cancer prevention.
Five-alpha-reductase inhibitors (5ARI) are frequently used to treat bothersome lower urinary tract symptoms associated with benign prostatic hyperplasia and male androgenic alopecia. They have potential as chemopreventive agents. ⋯ 5ARI reduce prostate cancer risk but may increase the risk of high-grade disease in men who are undergoing regular screening for prostate cancer using prostate specific antigen and digital rectal examination. Effects are consistent across race, family history and age and possibly 5ARI but were limited to men with baseline PSA values <4.0 ng/mL. The impact of 5ARI on absolute or relative rates of prostate cancer in men who are not being regularly screened is not clear. Information is inadequate to assess the impact of 5ARI on mortality.
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Cochrane Db Syst Rev · Apr 2008
Review Meta AnalysisExercise therapy in juvenile idiopathic arthritis.
Exercise therapy is considered an important component of the treatment of arthritis. The efficacy of exercise therapy has been reviewed in adults with rheumatoid arthritis but not in children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA). ⋯ Overall, based on 'silver-level' evidence (www.cochranemsk.org) there was no clinically important or statistically significant evidence that exercise therapy can improve functional ability, quality of life, aerobic capacity or pain. The low number of available RCTs limits the generalisability. The included and excluded studies were all consistent about the adverse effects of exercise therapy; no short-term detrimental effects of exercise therapy were found in any study. Both included and excluded studies showed that exercise does not exacerbate arthritis. The large heterogeneity in outcome measures, as seen in this review, emphasises the need for a standardised assessment or a core set of functional and physical outcome measurements suited for health research to generate evidence about the possible benefits of exercise therapy for patients with JIA. Although the short-term effects look promising, the long-term effect of exercise therapy remains unclear.