Cochrane Db Syst Rev
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Cochrane Db Syst Rev · Mar 2012
Review Meta AnalysisMobile phone text messaging for promoting adherence to antiretroviral therapy in patients with HIV infection.
More than 34 million people are presently living with HIV infection. Antiretroviral therapy (ART) can help these people to live longer, healthier lives, but adherence to ART can be difficult. Mobile phone text-messaging has the potential to help promote adherence in these patients. ⋯ There is high-quality evidence from the two RCTs that mobile phone text-messaging at weekly intervals is efficacious in enhancing adherence to ART, compared to standard care. There is high quality evidence from one trial that weekly mobile phone text-messaging is efficacious in improving HIV viral load suppression. Policy-makers should consider funding programs proposing to provide weekly mobile phone text-messaging as a means for promoting adherence to antiretroviral therapy. Clinics and hospitals should consider implementing such programs. There is a need for large RCTs of this intervention in adolescent populations, as well as in high-income countries.
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Cochrane Db Syst Rev · Mar 2012
Review Meta AnalysisMilnacipran for neuropathic pain and fibromyalgia in adults.
Milnacipran is a serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (SNRI) that is sometimes used to treat chronic neuropathic pain and fibromyalgia. ⋯ The evidence available indicates that milnacipran 100 mg or 200 mg is effective for a minority in the treatment of pain due to fibromyalgia, providing moderate levels of pain relief (at least 30%) to about 40% of participants, compared with about 30% with placebo. There were insufficient data to assess substantial levels of pain relief (at least 50%), and the use of last observation carried forward imputation may overestimate drug efficacy. Milnacipran is associated with increased adverse events and adverse event withdrawals, which were significantly greater for the higher dose. There were no data for the use of milnacipran for other chronic neuropathic pain conditions.
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Cochrane Db Syst Rev · Mar 2012
Review Meta AnalysisAntioxidant supplements for prevention of mortality in healthy participants and patients with various diseases.
Our systematic review has demonstrated that antioxidant supplements may increase mortality. We have now updated this review. ⋯ We found no evidence to support antioxidant supplements for primary or secondary prevention. Beta-carotene and vitamin E seem to increase mortality, and so may higher doses of vitamin A. Antioxidant supplements need to be considered as medicinal products and should undergo sufficient evaluation before marketing.
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Cochrane Db Syst Rev · Mar 2012
Review Meta AnalysisRiluzole for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)/motor neuron disease (MND).
Riluzole is approved for the treatment of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis in most countries. Questions persist about its clinical utility because of high cost and modest efficacy. ⋯ Riluzole 100 mg daily is reasonably safe and probably prolongs median survival by about two to three months in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
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Cochrane Db Syst Rev · Mar 2012
Review Meta AnalysisNutrient-enriched formula versus standard term formula for preterm infants following hospital discharge.
Preterm infants are often growth-restricted at hospital discharge. Feeding infants after hospital discharge with nutrient-enriched formula rather than standard term formula might facilitate "catch-up" growth and improve development. ⋯ Current recommendations to prescribe "post-discharge formula" for preterm infants following hospital discharge are not supported by the available evidence. Some limited evidence exists that feeding preterm infants following hospital discharge with "preterm formula" (which is generally only available for in-hospital use) may increase growth rates up to 18 months corrected age.