Cochrane Db Syst Rev
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Cochrane Db Syst Rev · Jan 2012
Review Meta AnalysisCognitive-behavioural interventions for children who have been sexually abused.
Despite differences in how it is defined, there is a general consensus amongst clinicians and researchers that the sexual abuse of children and adolescents ('child sexual abuse') is a substantial social problem worldwide. The effects of sexual abuse manifest in a wide range of symptoms, including fear, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder and various externalising and internalising behaviour problems, such as inappropriate sexual behaviours. Child sexual abuse is associated with increased risk of psychological problems in adulthood. Cognitive-behavioural approaches are used to help children and their non-offending or 'safe' parent to manage the sequelae of childhood sexual abuse. This review updates the first Cochrane review of cognitive-behavioural approaches interventions for children who have been sexually abused, which was first published in 2006. ⋯ The conclusions of this updated review remain the same as those when it was first published. The review confirms the potential of CBT to address the adverse consequences of child sexual abuse, but highlights the limitations of the evidence base and the need for more carefully conducted and better reported trials.
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Cochrane Db Syst Rev · Jan 2012
Review Meta AnalysisEmpiric antibiotic coverage of atypical pathogens for community-acquired pneumonia in hospitalized adults.
Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is caused by various pathogens, traditionally divided into 'typical' and 'atypical'. Initial antibiotic treatment of CAP is usually empirical, customarily covering both typical and atypical pathogens. To date, no sufficient evidence exists to support this broad coverage, while limiting coverage is bound to reduce toxicity, resistance and expense. ⋯ No benefit of survival or clinical efficacy was shown with empirical atypical coverage in hospitalized patients with CAP. This conclusion relates mostly to the comparison of quinolone monotherapy to beta-lactams. Further trials, comparing beta-lactam monotherapy to the same combined with a macrolide, should be performed.
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Cochrane Db Syst Rev · Jan 2012
Review Meta AnalysisAntibiotics for otitis media with effusion in children.
Otitis media with effusion (OME) is characterised by an accumulation of fluid in the middle ear behind an intact tympanic membrane, without the symptoms or signs of acute infection. In approximately one in three children with OME, however, a bacterial pathogen is identified in the middle ear fluid. In most cases, OME causes mild hearing impairment of short duration. When experienced in early life and when episodes of (bilateral) OME persist or recur, the associated hearing loss may be significant and have a negative impact on speech development and behaviour. Since most cases of OME will resolve spontaneously, only children with persistent middle ear effusion and associated hearing loss potentially require treatment. Previous Cochrane reviews have focused on the effectiveness of ventilation tube insertion, adenoidectomy, autoinflation, antihistamines, decongestants, and oral and topical intranasal steroids in OME. This review focuses on the effectiveness of antibiotics in children with OME. ⋯ The results of our review do not support the routine use of antibiotics for children up to 18 years with otitis media with effusion. The largest effects of antibiotics were seen in children treated continuously for four weeks and three months. Even when clear and relevant benefits of antibiotics have been demonstrated, these must be balanced against the potential adverse effects when making treatment decisions. Immediate adverse effects of antibiotics are common and the emergence of bacterial resistance has been causally linked to the widespread use of antibiotics for common conditions such as otitis media.
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Cochrane Db Syst Rev · Jan 2012
Review Meta AnalysisProphylactic phototherapy for preventing jaundice in preterm or low birth weight infants.
Low birth weight and premature infants are at major risk for exaggerated hyperbilirubinaemia and jaundice that can lead to bilirubin encephalopathy. Phototherapy is the most common treatment for neonatal hyperbilirubinaemia and could be most effective in preventing the sequelae of hyperbilirubinaemia if initiated prophylactically. ⋯ Prophylactic phototherapy helps to maintain a lower serum bilirubin concentration and may have an effect on the rate of exchange transfusion and the risk of neurodevelopmental impairment. However, further well-designed studies are needed to determine the efficacy and safety of prophylactic phototherapy on long-term outcomes including neurodevelopmental outcomes.
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This review is an update of the Cochrane Review published in 2007, which assessed the role of beta-blockade as first-line therapy for hypertension. ⋯ Initiating treatment of hypertension with beta-blockers leads to modest reductions in cardiovascular disease and no significant effects on mortality. These effects of beta-blockers are inferior to those of other antihypertensive drugs. The GRADE quality of this evidence is low, implying that the true effect of beta-blockers may be substantially different from the estimate of effects found in this review. Further research should be of high quality and should explore whether there are differences between different sub-types of beta-blockers or whether beta-blockers have differential effects on younger and elderly patients.