Cochrane Db Syst Rev
-
Cochrane Db Syst Rev · Jan 2012
Review Meta AnalysisLosigamone add-on therapy for partial epilepsy.
Epilepsy is a common neurologic disorder, affecting approximately 50 million people worldwide; nearly a third of these people are not well controlled by a single antiepileptic drug and usually require treatment with a combination of two or more antiepileptic drugs. In recent years, many newer antiepileptic drugs have been investigated as add-on therapy for partial epilepsy; losigamone is one of these drugs and is the focus of this systematic review. ⋯ The results of this review showed losigamone can reduce seizure frequency but was associated with more treatment withdrawals when used as an add-on therapy for people with partial epilepsy. However, trials included were of short-term duration and uncertain quality. Future well-designed randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials with a longer-term duration are needed.
-
Cochrane Db Syst Rev · Jan 2012
Review Meta AnalysisAntenatal cardiotocography for fetal assessment.
Cardiotocography (CTG) is a continuous recording of the fetal heart rate obtained via an ultrasound transducer placed on the mother's abdomen. CTG is widely used in pregnancy as a method of assessing fetal well-being, predominantly in pregnancies with increased risk of complications. ⋯ There is no clear evidence that antenatal CTG improves perinatal outcome, but further studies focusing on the use of computerised CTG in specific populations of women with increased risk of complications are warranted.
-
Cochrane Db Syst Rev · Jan 2012
Review Meta AnalysisImmunosuppressant and immunomodulatory treatment for dermatomyositis and polymyositis.
Idiopathic inflammatory myopathies are chronic diseases with significant mortality and morbidity. Whilst immunosuppressive and immunomodulatory therapies are frequently used, the optimal therapeutic regimen remains unclear. This is an update of a review first published in 2005. ⋯ This systematic review highlights the lack of high quality RCTs that assess the efficacy and toxicity of immunosuppressants in inflammatory myositis.
-
Cochrane Db Syst Rev · Jan 2012
Review Meta AnalysisHigh-carbohydrate, high-protein, low-fat versus low-carbohydrate, high-protein, high-fat enteral feeds for burns.
Severe burn injuries increase patients' metabolic needs. Aggressive high-protein enteral feeding is used in the post-burn period to improve recovery and healing. ⋯ The available evidence suggests that use of high-carbohydrate, high-protein, low-fat enteral feeds in patients with at least 10% TBSA burns might reduce the incidence of pneumonia compared with use of a low-carbohydrate, high-protein, high-fat diet. The available evidence is inconclusive regarding the effect of either enteral feeding regimen on mortality. Note that the available evidence is limited to two small studies judged to be of moderate risk of bias. Further research is needed in this area before strong conclusions can be drawn.
-
Leg ulcers affect up to one percent of people at some time in their life. Leg ulceration is chronic in nature with ulcers being present for months and in some cases years without healing, and with a high risk of recurrence. Management approaches include dressings and the treatment of underlying medical problems such as malnutrition, lack of minerals and vitamins, poor blood supply or infection. ⋯ Oral zinc sulphate does not appear to aid healing of arterial and venous leg ulcers, however all included studies were small and of mediocre quality.