Cochrane Db Syst Rev
-
Cochrane Db Syst Rev · Apr 2015
Review Meta AnalysisMelatonin for pre- and postoperative anxiety in adults.
Anxiety in relation to surgery is a well-known problem. Melatonin offers an atoxic alternative to benzodiazepines in ameliorating this condition in the pre- and postoperative period. ⋯ When compared to placebo, melatonin given as premedication (tablets or sublingually) can reduce preoperative anxiety in adults (measured 50 to 100 minutes after administration). Melatonin may be equally as effective as standard treatment with midazolam in reducing preoperative anxiety in adults (measured 50 to 100 minutes after administration). The effect of melatonin on postoperative anxiety (measured 90 minutes and 6 hours after surgery) in adults is mixed but suggests an overall attenuation of the effect compared to preoperatively.
-
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.
-
Mind-body interventions are based on the holistic principle that mind, body and behaviour are all interconnected. Mind-body interventions incorporate strategies that are thought to improve psychological and physical well-being, aim to allow patients to take an active role in their treatment, and promote people's ability to cope. Mind-body interventions are widely used by people with fibromyalgia to help manage their symptoms and improve well-being. Examples of mind-body therapies include psychological therapies, biofeedback, mindfulness, movement therapies and relaxation strategies. ⋯ Psychological interventions therapies may be effective in improving physical functioning, pain and low mood for adults with fibromyalgia in comparison to usual care controls but the quality of the evidence is low. Further research on the outcomes of therapies is needed to determine if positive effects identified post-intervention are sustained. The effectiveness of biofeedback, mindfulness, movement therapies and relaxation based therapies remains unclear as the quality of the evidence was very low or low. The small number of trials and inconsistency in the use of outcome measures across the trials restricted the analysis.
-
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.
-
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.