Cochrane Db Syst Rev
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Cochrane Db Syst Rev · Jun 2014
Review Meta AnalysisNon-steroidal antiandrogen monotherapy compared with luteinising hormone-releasing hormone agonists or surgical castration monotherapy for advanced prostate cancer.
Non-steroidal antiandrogens and castration are the main therapy options for advanced stages of prostate cancer. However, debate regarding the value of these treatment options continues. ⋯ Currently available evidence suggests that use of non-steroidal antiandrogen monotherapy compared with medical or surgical castration monotherapy for advanced prostate cancer is less effective in terms of overall survival, clinical progression, treatment failure and treatment discontinuation due to adverse events. Evidence quality was rated as moderate according to GRADE. Further research is likely to have an important impact on results for patients with advanced but non-metastatic prostate cancer treated with non-steroidal antiandrogen monotherapy. However, we believe that research is likely not necessary on non-steroidal antiandrogen monotherapy for men with metastatic prostate cancer. Only high-quality, randomised controlled trials with long-term follow-up should be conducted. If further research is planned to investigate biochemical progression, studies with standardised follow-up schedules using measurements of prostate-specific antigen based on current guidelines should be conducted.
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Cochrane Db Syst Rev · Jun 2014
Review Meta AnalysisPrimaquine or other 8-aminoquinoline for reducing P. falciparum transmission.
Mosquitoes become infected with Plasmodium when they ingest gametocyte-stage parasites from an infected person's blood. Plasmodium falciparum gametocytes are sensitive to the drug primaquine (PQ) and other 8-aminoquinolines (8AQ); these drugs could prevent parasite transmission from infected people to mosquitoes, and consequently reduce the incidence of malaria. However, PQ will not directly benefit the individual, and could be harmful to those with glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency.In 2010, The World Health Organization (WHO) recommended a single dose of PQ at 0.75 mg/kg, alongside treatment for P. falciparum malaria to reduce transmission in areas approaching malaria elimination. In 2013 the WHO revised this to 0.25 mg/kg due to concerns about safety. ⋯ In individual patients, PQ added to malaria treatments reduces gametocyte prevalence when given in doses greater than 0.4 mg/kg. Whether this translates into preventing people transmitting malaria to mosquitoes has rarely been tested in controlled trials, but there appeared to be a strong reduction in infectiousness in the two small studies that evaluated this. No included trials evaluated whether this policy has an impact on community malaria transmission either in low-endemic settings approaching elimination, or in highly-endemic settings where many people are infected but have no symptoms and are unlikely to be treated.For the currently recommended low dose regimen, there is little direct evidence to be confident that the effect of reduction in gametocyte prevalence is preserved.Most trials excluded people with G6PD deficiency, and thus there is little reliable evidence from controlled trials of the safety of PQ in single dose or short course.
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Otitis media is inflammation of the middle ear and is usually caused by infection. It affects people of all ages but is particularly common in young children. Around 164 million people worldwide have long-term hearing loss caused by this condition, 90% of them in low-income countries. As zinc supplements prevent pneumonia in disadvantaged children, we wanted to investigate whether zinc supplements could also prevent otitis media. ⋯ Evidence on whether zinc supplementation can reduce the incidence of otitis media in healthy children under the age of five years living in low- and middle-income countries is mixed. There is some evidence of benefit in children being treated for marasmus (severe malnutrition), but this is based on one small trial and should therefore be treated with caution.
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Cochrane Db Syst Rev · Jun 2014
Review Meta AnalysisHeparin versus placebo for non-ST elevation acute coronary syndromes.
Non-ST elevation acute coronary syndromes (NSTEACS) represent a spectrum of disease including unstable angina and non-ST segment myocardial infarction (NSTEMI). Despite treatment with aspirin, beta-blockers and nitroglycerin, unstable angina/NSTEMI is still associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Although evidence suggests that low molecular weight heparin (LMWH) is more efficacious compared to unfractionated heparin (UFH), there is limited data to support the role of heparins as a drug class in the treatment of NSTEACS. This is an update of a review last published in 2008. ⋯ Compared with placebo, patients treated with heparins had a similar risk of mortality, revascularization, recurrent angina, and thrombocytopenia. However, those treated with heparins had a decreased risk of myocardial infarction and a higher incidence of minor bleeding. Overall, the evidence assessed in this review was classified as low quality according to the GRADE approach. The results presented in this review must therefore be interpreted with caution.
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Cochrane Db Syst Rev · Jun 2014
Review Meta AnalysisSentinel node assessment for diagnosis of groin lymph node involvement in vulval cancer.
Vulval cancer is usually treated by wide local excision with removal of groin lymph nodes (inguinofemoral lymphadenectomy) from one or both sides, depending on the tumour location. However, this procedure is associated with significant morbidity. As lymph node metastasis occurs in about 30% of women with early vulval cancer, accurate prediction of lymph node metastases could reduce the extent of surgery in many women, thereby reducing morbidity. Sentinel node assessment is a diagnostic technique that uses traceable agents to identify the spread of cancer cells to the lymph nodes draining affected tissue. Once the sentinel nodes are identified, they are removed and submitted to histological examination. This technique has been found to be useful in diagnosing the nodal involvement of other types of tumours. Sentinel node assessment in vulval cancer has been evaluated with various tracing agents. It is unclear which tracing agent or combination of agents is most accurate. ⋯ There is little difference in diagnostic test accuracy between the technetium and combined tests. The combined test may reduce the number of women with 'missed' groin node metastases compared with technetium only. Blue dye alone may be associated with more 'missed' cases compared with tests using technetium. Sentinel node assessment with technetium-based tests will reduce the need for IFL by 70% in women with early vulval cancer. It is not yet clear how the survival of women with negative sentinel nodes compares to those undergoing standard surgery (IFL). A randomised controlled trial of sentinel node dissection and IFL has methodological and ethical issues, therefore more observational data on the survival of women with early vulval cancer are needed.