Cochrane Db Syst Rev
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Cochrane Db Syst Rev · Sep 2012
Review Meta AnalysisInterventions for preventing nausea and vomiting in women undergoing regional anaesthesia for caesarean section.
Nausea and vomiting are distressing symptoms which are experienced commonly during caesarean section under regional anaesthesia and can also occur in the period following the procedure. ⋯ This review indicates that many different interventions have efficacy in preventing nausea and vomiting in women undergoing regional anaesthesia for caesarean section. There is little evidence that combinations of treatment are better than single agents.
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Cochrane Db Syst Rev · Sep 2012
Review Meta AnalysisPrimaquine for reducing Plasmodium falciparum transmission.
Mosquitoes become infected with malaria when they ingest gametocyte stages of the parasite from the blood of a human host. Plasmodium falciparum gametocytes are sensitive to the drug primaquine (PQ). The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends giving a single dose or short course of PQ alongside primary treatment for people ill with P. falciparum infection to reduce malaria transmission. Gametocytes themselves cause no symptoms, so this intervention does not directly benefit individuals. PQ causes haemolysis in some people with glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency so may not be safe. ⋯ We do not know whether PQ added to treatment regimens for patients with P. falciparum infection reduces transmission of malaria. In individual patients, it reduces gametocyte prevalence and density. In practical terms, even if PQ results in large reductions in gametocytes in people being treated for malaria, there is no reliable evidence that this will reduce transmission in a malaria-endemic community, where many people are infected but have no symptoms and are unlikely to be treated. Since PQ is acting as a monotherapy against gametocytes, there is a risk of the parasite developing resistance to the drug. In terms of harms, there is insufficient evidence from trials to know whether the drug can be used safely in this way in populations where G6PD deficiency occurs.In light of these doubts about safety, and lack of evidence of any benefit in reducing transmission, countries should question whether to continue to use PQ routinely in primary treatment of malaria. Further synthesis of observational data on safety and new trials may help elucidate a role for PQ in malaria elimination, or in situations where most infected individuals are symptomatic and receive treatment.
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Cochrane Db Syst Rev · Sep 2012
Review Meta AnalysisInterventions for preventing falls in older people living in the community.
Approximately 30% of people over 65 years of age living in the community fall each year. This is an update of a Cochrane review first published in 2009. ⋯ Group and home-based exercise programmes, and home safety interventions reduce rate of falls and risk of falling.Multifactorial assessment and intervention programmes reduce rate of falls but not risk of falling; Tai Chi reduces risk of falling.Overall, vitamin D supplementation does not appear to reduce falls but may be effective in people who have lower vitamin D levels before treatment.
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Cochrane Db Syst Rev · Sep 2012
Review Meta AnalysisAntibiotics versus placebo for acute bacterial conjunctivitis.
Acute bacterial conjunctivitis is an infection of the conjunctiva. Both the palpebral and the bulbar ocular conjunctival surfaces are usually affected and typically become red and inflamed. Antibiotic therapy is widely used for the treatment of acute bacterial conjunctivitis. This Cochrane Review was first published in The Cochrane Library in 1999; updated in 2006 and again in 2012. ⋯ Although acute bacterial conjunctivitis is frequently self limiting, the findings from this updated systematic review suggest that the use of antibiotic eye drops is associated with modestly improved rates of clinical and microbiological remission in comparison to the use of placebo. Use of antibiotic eye drops should therefore be considered in order to speed the resolution of symptoms and infection.
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Cochrane Db Syst Rev · Sep 2012
Review Comparative StudyPlanned hospital birth versus planned home birth.
Observational studies of increasingly better quality and in different settings suggest that planned home birth in many places can be as safe as planned hospital birth and with less intervention and fewer complications. This is an update of a Cochrane review first published in 1998. ⋯ There is no strong evidence from randomised trials to favour either planned hospital birth or planned home birth for low-risk pregnant women. However, the trials show that women living in areas where they are not well informed about home birth may welcome ethically well-designed trials that would ensure an informed choice. As the quality of evidence in favour of home birth from observational studies seems to be steadily increasing, it might be as important to prepare a regularly updated systematic review including observational studies as described in the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions as to attempt to set up new randomised controlled trials.