Cochrane Db Syst Rev
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Cochrane Db Syst Rev · Jan 2004
ReviewHepatitis B vaccination for patients with chronic renal failure.
Chronic renal failure patients are at particular risk of hepatitis B virus infection. Early studies have demonstrated that renal failure patients benefit from vaccination; however, not all studies have consistently shown benefit. ⋯ Plasma derived vaccines are more effective than placebo in achieving hepatitis B antibodies, while no statistically significant difference was found between recombinant and plasma vaccines. No statistically significant difference of effectiveness was observed between a reinforced vaccination series versus routine vaccinations of three inoculations of recombinant vaccine.
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Cochrane Db Syst Rev · Jan 2004
ReviewPlasma exchange for chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy.
Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy is an uncommon progressive or relapsing paralysing disease caused by inflammation of the peripheral nerves. If the hypothesis that it is due to autoimmunity is correct, removal of autoantibodies in the blood by plasma exchange should be beneficial. ⋯ Evidence from two small trials showed that plasma exchange provides significant short-term benefit in about two-thirds of patients with chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy but rapid deterioration may occur afterwards. Adverse events related to difficulty with venous access, use of citrate and haemodynamic changes are not uncommon. More research is needed to identify agents which will prolong the beneficial action of plasma exchange.
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Bell's palsy or idiopathic facial palsy is an acute facial paralysis due to inflammation of the facial nerve. A number of studies published in China have suggested acupuncture is beneficial for facial palsy. ⋯ The quality of the included trials was inadequate to allow any conclusion about the efficacy of acupuncture. More research with high quality trials is needed.
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Cochrane Db Syst Rev · Jan 2004
ReviewAuditory integration training and other sound therapies for autism spectrum disorders.
Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are a heterogeneous group of disorders encompassing Autistic Disorder, Asperger's Disorder, Semantic-Pragmatic disorder and Pervasive Developmental Disorder Not Otherwise Specified. Auditory integration therapy (AIT) was developed as a technique for improving abnormal sound sensitivity in individuals with behavioural disorders including autism. Other sound therapies bearing similarities to AIT include the Tomatis Method and Samonas Sound Therapy. ⋯ More research is needed to inform parents', carers' and practitioners' decision making about this therapy for individuals with autism spectrum disorders.
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Herbal medicines are being used for treating viral diseases including viral myocarditis, and many controlled trials have been done to investigate their efficacy. ⋯ Some herbal medicines may have anti-arrhythmia effect in suspected viral myocarditis. However, interpretation of these findings should be careful due to the low methodological quality, small sample size, and limited number of trials on individual herbs. In the light of the findings, some herbal medicines deserve further examination in rigorous trials.