Cochrane Db Syst Rev
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Exercise therapy is a widely used treatment for low back pain. ⋯ The evidence summarised in this systematic review does not indicate that specific exercises are effective for the treatment of acute low back pain. Exercises may be helpful for chronic low back pain patients to increase return to normal daily activities and work.
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Cochrane Db Syst Rev · Jan 2000
ReviewCalcitonin for the treatment and prevention of corticosteroid-induced osteoporosis.
Corticosteroid-induced osteoporosis is a cause of morbidity in patients with chronic obstructive lung disease, asthma, and rheumatologic disorders. Corticosteroid treatment causes bone loss by a variety of complex mechanisms. It has been shown that bone mineral loss at the hip averages 14% in the first year after starting corticosteroid therapy. ⋯ Calcitonin appears to preserve bone mass in the first year of glucocorticoid therapy at the lumbar spine by about 3% compared to placebo, but not at the femoral neck. Our analysis suggests that the protective effect on bone mass may be greater for the treatment of patients who have been taking corticosteroids for more than three months. Efficacy of calcitonin for fracture prevention in steroid-induced osteoporosis remains to be established.
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Cochrane Db Syst Rev · Jan 2000
ReviewProstaglandins for prelabour rupture of membranes at or near term.
Induction of labour after prelabour rupture of membranes may reduce the risk of neonatal infection. However an expectant approach may be less likely to result in caesarean section. ⋯ Induction of labour with prostaglandins appears to decrease the risk of maternal infection (chorioamnionitis) and admission to neonatal intensive care. Induction of labour with prostaglandins does not appear to increase the rate of caesarean section, although it is associated with more frequent maternal diarrhoea and pain relief.
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Anti-psychotic drugs are the mainstay treatment for schizophrenia. Long-acting depot injections of drugs such as bromperidol decanoate are extensively used as a means of long-term maintenance treatment. ⋯ Currently, extrapolating from minimal trial data suggests that bromperidol decanoate may be better than a placebo injection but less valuable than fluphenazine or haloperidol decanoate. If bromperidol decanoate is available to the clinician it may be a viable choice, especially when there are reasons not to use fluphenazine or haloperidol decanoate. Well-conducted and reported randomised trials are urgently needed to inform practice in Belgium, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands.
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In most industrialized countries, drowning ranks second or third behind motor vehicles and fires as a cause of unintentional injury deaths to children under the age of 15. Death rates from drowning are highest in children less than five years old. Pool fencing is a passive environmental intervention designed to reduce unintended access to swimming pools and thus prevent drowning in the preschool age group. Because of the magnitude of the problem and the potential effectiveness of fencing we decided to evaluate the effect of pool fencing as a drowning prevention strategy for young children. ⋯ Pool fences should have a dynamic and secure gate and isolate (i.e., four-sided fencing) the pool from the house. Legislation should require isolation fencing with secure, self-latching gates for all pools, public, semi-public and private.