Cochrane Db Syst Rev
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To assess the effects of salazopyrin, auranofin, etretinate, fumaric acid, IMI gold, azathioprine, and methotrexate, in psoriatic arthritis. ⋯ Parenteral high dose methotrexate and salazopyrin are the only two agents with well demonstrated published efficacy in psoriatic arthritis. The magnitude of the effect seen with azathioprine, etretinate, oral low dose methotrexate and perhaps colchicine suggests that they may be effective but that further multicentre clinical trials are required to establish their efficacy. Furthermore, the magnitude of the improvement observed in the placebo group strongly suggests that uncontrolled trials should not be used to guide management decisions in this condition.
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Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), nonmalignant enlargement of the prostate, can lead to obstructive and irritative lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS). The pharmacologic use of plants and herbs (phytotherapy) for the treatment of LUTS associated with BPH has been growing steadily. Cernilton, prepared from the rye-grass pollen Secale cereale, is one of the several phytotherapeutic agents available for the treatment of BPH. ⋯ The Cernilton trials analyzed were limited by short duration, limited number of enrollees, gaps in reported outcomes, and unknown quality of the preparations utilized. The comparative trials lacked a proven active control. The available evidence suggests Cernilton is well tolerated and modestly improves overall urologic symptoms including nocturia. Additional randomized placebo and active-controlled trials are needed to evaluate the long-term clinical effectiveness and safety of Cernilton.
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Cochrane Db Syst Rev · Jan 2000
ReviewAntiplatelet therapy for preventing stroke in patients with nonrheumatic atrial fibrillation and a history of stroke or transient ischemic attacks.
People with nonrheumatic atrial fibrillation who have had a transient ischemic attack or minor ischemic stroke are at risk of recurrent stroke. ⋯ Aspirin may reduce the risk of vascular events in people with nonrheumatic atrial fibrillation, but the effect shown in the single trial was not statistically significant.
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Cochrane Db Syst Rev · Jan 2000
ReviewMultiple versus single dose natural surfactant extract for severe neonatal respiratory distress syndrome.
This section is under preparation and will be included in the next issue. ⋯ In infants with established respiratory distress, a policy of multiple doses of natural surfactant extract results in greater improvements regarding oxygenation and ventilatory requirements, a decreased risk of pneumothorax and a trend toward improved survival. The ability to give multiple doses of surfactant to infants with ongoing respiratory insufficiency leads to improved clinical outcome and appears to be the most effective treatment policy.
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Cochrane Db Syst Rev · Jan 2000
ReviewPramipexole versus bromocriptine for levodopa-induced complications in Parkinson's disease.
To compare the efficacy and safety of adjuvant pramipexole versus bromocriptine therapy in patients with Parkinson's disease, already established on levodopa and suffering from motor complications. ⋯ Although pramipexole and bromocriptine improved off time and reduced parkinsonian motor impairments and disability compared with placebo, no conclusions regarding their comparative effectiveness and safety can be drawn as this single trial did not have adequate power to assess such differences. Further larger trials are required to examine this issue in the future.