Prescrire international
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Constipation is a frequent complaint, especially in women and the elderly. It is sometimes drug-induced, and is only occasionally secondary to a functional or organic disorder. The risks associated with constipation are often overestimated. ⋯ In addition, all women of child-bearing age should use effective contraception while taking prucalopride. In practice, prucalopride should be avoided. It is better to focus on lifestyle and behavioural changes, and rational use of laxatives.
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Prescrire international · May 2011
Autologous chondrocytes. Autologous chondrocyte implantation: more data needed.
There is no standard surgical treatment for young adults with persistent, incapacitating symptoms of knee cartilage damage. ChondroCelect is the first cell therapy product to be authorised in the European Union. It contains a dense suspension of chondrocytes cultured from a biopsy of the patient's knee cartilage for 4 weeks before being reimplanted. ⋯ Autologous chondrocyte implantation is more complex than microfracture. During routine use, there is a risk that one patient will inadvertently receive chondrocytes collected from another patient, leading to a risk of rejection. In practice, this autologous chondrocyte product should only be used by highly specialised teams, and its assessment must continue.