Cochrane Db Syst Rev
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Fungal keratitis is a fungal infection of the cornea. It is common in lower income countries, particularly in agricultural areas but relatively uncommon in higher income countries. Although there are medications available, their effectiveness is unclear. ⋯ The trials included in this review were of variable quality and were generally underpowered. There is evidence that natamycin is more effective than voriconazole in the treatment of fungal ulcers. Future research should evaluate treatment effects according to fungus species.
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Cochrane Db Syst Rev · Apr 2015
Review Meta AnalysisOmega 3 fatty acids for preventing or slowing the progression of age-related macular degeneration.
Evidence from animal models and observational studies in humans has suggested that there is an inverse relationship between dietary intake of omega 3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPUFA) and risk of developing age-related macular degeneration (AMD) or progression to advanced AMD. ⋯ This review found that omega 3 LCPUFA supplementation in people with AMD for periods up to five years does not reduce the risk of progression to advanced AMD or the development of moderate to severe visual loss. No published randomised trials were identified on dietary omega 3 fatty acids for primary prevention of AMD. Currently available evidence does not support increasing dietary intake of omega 3 LCPUFA for the explicit purpose of preventing or slowing the progression of AMD.
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Cochrane Db Syst Rev · Apr 2015
Review Meta AnalysisPsychoeducation (brief) for people with serious mental illness.
Those with serious/severe mental illness, especially schizophrenia and schizophrenic-like disorders, often have little to no insight regarding the presence of their illness. Psychoeducation may be defined as the education of a person with a psychiatric disorder regarding the symptoms, treatments, and prognosis of that illness. Brief psychoeducation is a short period of psychoeducation; although what constitutes 'brief psychoeducation' can vary. A previous systematic review has shown that the median length of psychoeducation is around 12 weeks. In this current systematic review, we defined 'brief psychoeducation' as programmes of 10 sessions or less. ⋯ Based on mainly low to very low quality evidence from a limited number of studies, brief psychoeducation of any form appears to reduce relapse in the medium term, and promote medication compliance in the short term. A brief psychoeducational approach could potentially be effective, but further large, high-quality studies are needed to either confirm or refute the use of this approach.
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Cochrane Db Syst Rev · Apr 2015
Review Meta AnalysisPharmacological treatment for pain in Guillain-Barré syndrome.
Pain in Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) is common, yet it is often under recognised and poorly managed. In recent years, a variety of pharmacological treatment options have been investigated in clinical trials for people with GBS-associated pain. This is an updated version of the original Cochrane review published in Issue 10, 2013. ⋯ Since the last version of this review we found no new studies. While management of pain in GBS is essential and pharmacotherapy is widely accepted as being an important component of treatment, this review does not provide sufficient evidence to support the use of any pharmacological intervention in people with pain in GBS. Although reductions in pain severity were found when comparing gabapentin and carbamazepine with placebo, the evidence was limited and its quality very low. Larger, well-designed RCTs are required to further investigate the efficacy and safety of potential interventions for patients with pain in GBS. Additionally, interventions for pain in the convalescent phase of GBS should be investigated.
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Telerehabilitation, an emerging method, extends rehabilitative care beyond the hospital, and facilitates multifaceted, often psychotherapeutic approaches to modern management of patients using telecommunication technology at home or in the community. Although a wide range of telerehabilitation interventions are trialed in persons with multiple sclerosis (pwMS), evidence for their effectiveness is unclear. ⋯ There is currently limited evidence on the efficacy of telerehabilitation in improving functional activities, fatigue and quality of life in adults with MS. A range of telerehabilitation interventions might be an alternative method of delivering services in MS populations. There is insufficient evidence to support on what types of telerehabilitation interventions are effective, and in which setting. More robust trials are needed to build evidence for the clinical and cost effectiveness of these interventions.