HBNS: Cochrane Review Coverage

Calling All Smokers: Cell Phones Could Help You Quit
10/6/2009, Hooked on your cell phone and cigarettes? Fortunately, your mobile device could help you kick the nicotine habit, according to a new review from New Zealand.
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Exercise Training After Stroke Helps Patients Walk Faster, Longer
10/06/2009, An updated Cochrane review finds that stroke patients who participate in a post-stroke walking program walk faster, longer and more independently than non-exercisers.
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HRT Might Up Incontinence Risk in Postmenopausal Women  
10/06/2009, Grappling with the risks and benefits of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is nothing new for postmenopausal women. More fuel to the fire: evidence that HRT could play a role in incontinence.
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Bulimia, Binge Eating Respond to Talk Therapy
10/06/2009, Although most people with bulimia and binge eating disorders wait many years before seeking help, a new review shows that psychological treatment can make a large difference.
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Adding Diuretic to Drug Regimen Lowers Blood Pressure    
10/06/2009, A new review shows that diuretics -- inexpensive drugs often recommended as a first-line treatment for high blood pressure -- are also effective when added as a second agent to other blood-pressure lowering drugs.
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Cooling Patients After CPR Can Reduce Brain Damage, Boost Recovery 
10/06/2009, Cooling a person’s body within six hours of cardiac arrest with successful CPR might improve survival and lessen brain damage, according to a new Cochrane review.
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Opioids for Osteoarthritis: Problems Far Outweigh Benefits 
10/06/2009, Should you take opioid drugs for hip and knee pain caused by osteoarthritis? Probably not, suggests a new review of the best research on the subject.
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Smaller Surgical Margins Safe for Many Skin Cancer Patients
10/06/2009, Many skin cancer patients fare just as well when surgeons remove about one inch of normal-looking tissue around the lesion instead of a larger safety margin, according to a new systematic review.
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Brushing Dentures Might Be Best Cleaning Method  
10/06/2009, Brushing removable dentures with a paste product might be the best way to keep them clean, better than soaking in effervescent or enzyme cleaning solutions, suggests a new review of what little dental literature exists on the topic.
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Two Malaria Drugs for Travelers Have Fewer Side Effects
10/06/2009, A new research review finds that a combination drug and the common antibiotic doxycycline allow travelers to fend off malaria with the fewest side effects in areas where the parasite is resistant to a widely accepted preventive treatment.
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Ultrasound Probes Have High Success in Breaking Up Kidney Stones   
10/06/2009, When kidney stones become stuck in the urinary tract, the pain can be excruciating and debilitating. A relatively new ultrasound probe procedure has the highest success rate for breaking down kidney stones in the lower “funnel” area of the kidney.
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Combining Health, Contraceptive Education Reduces Teen Pregnancies
10/06/2009, When teenagers receive health education and information about contraception, the number of them having unintended pregnancies decreases, finds a new review.
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“Textbook” Treatment of Nursemaid’s Elbow Might Not Be the Best 
10/06/2009, It can happen in an instant: a father grabs his daughter’s arm before she runs out into traffic, and the sudden pull produces sharp pain and loss of movement in her arm. Pulled elbow or “nursemaid’s elbow” is a common injury among children.
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Blanket Support for Trauma Victims Not Best Way to Prevent PTSD
07/21/2009, Cochrane Library, Say a deadly campus shooting occurs. It might seem sensible to offer everyone on campus psychological support to prevent psychological repercussions, including posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
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No Evidence That Combined DTP-HBV-Hib Vaccine Works Better
07/21/2009, Cochrane Library, There is no evidence that giving infants a combination vaccine for diphtheria (D), tetanus (T), pertussis (P), hepatitis B (HBV), and Haemophilus influenza type B (Hib) protects them as effectively as separate vaccines, according to the results of a new Cochrane review.
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Seniors Benefit From Strength Training
07/21/2009, An updated Cochrane review finds that progressive resistance muscle training improves strength in older adults and enhances their ability to do daily tasks such as walking, climbing steps or getting out of a chair.
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Calming Parents Might Help Kids Cope With Anesthesia
07/14/2009, The start of anesthesia can be distressing for children. Although antianxiety drugs can help keep kids calm, side effects exist. Non-drug methods offer alternatives, but a new review of studies finds that no single method shows a clear advantage in keeping the child calm and cooperative. The most commonly used tactic - having the parent present while the child receives anesthesia medications - does not appear to have any benefit.
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Green Tea: Mixed Reviews for Cancer Prevention
07/14/2009, Lifestyle choices are pieces of the cancer prevention puzzle, but exactly which steps to take remain unclear, even to scientists. Still, more and more individuals are incorporating small changes into their daily routine - such as drinking green tea - in hopes of keeping cancer risk at bay.
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Review: Weak Support for Workplace Hearing Loss Programs
07/14/2009, A new review of existing research says there is little evidence to support mandatory hearing-loss prevention programs at the workplace.
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Drug Used to Treat Anemia in Cancer Is Harmful, Review Confirms
07/9/2009, A new review of data confirms that erythropoietin - a drug to treat anemia in many cancer patients - might be harmful. The review found that patients with head and neck cancers who received erythropoietin in combination with radiation had poorer outcomes than those who received radiation treatment alone.
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Review: Weight-loss Drug Raises Blood Pressure
07/9/2009, A new review of existing research confirms that a weight-loss drug raises blood pressure, posing a risk to obese patients who hope to reduce hypertension by shedding pounds.
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Sport Creams, Heat Rubs Not So Hot for Treating Muscle Pain
07/9/2009, Popular over-the-counter creams, heat gels and other rub-on or spray-on remedies for sports injuries and arthritis aches are unproven and a waste of money, said the author of a new systematic review.
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College Students Might Drink Less If They Knew Peers' True Habits
07/7/2009, Blame it on peer pressure. When college students think that other undergrads drink a lot of alcohol, they drink more themselves. However, a new systematic review suggests that when college students learn they are mistaken about the actual normal drinking habits of their peers, they sometimes imbibe less often.
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Garlic Might Fight Vampires Better Than It Fights Colds
07/7/2009, With the recall of the cold remedy Zicam nasal spray for possibly causing some people to lose their sense of smell and the prior failures of vitamin C and echinacea to prove effective in trials, viruses seem to be winning the war on colds.
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NSAIDs Can Reduce Common Cold Symptoms
07/7/2009, The common cold is the most pervasive recurring illness on earth.
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Tackling Several Allergens at Once to Prevent Asthma in Kids
07/7/2009, Reducing children's exposure to a variety of allergens, rather than targeting a single "trigger," might be a better way to avoid asthma, according to a new review of studies.
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Teaching Families to Manage Asthma Can Reduce E.R. Visits
05/26/2009, The key to reducing the leading cause of pediatric emergency room visits could be to educate young patients and their parents about how to manage asthma, according to an updated review of studies. Moreover, such programs could lead to fewer hospitalizations for children.
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Inexpensive TENS Unit Can Ease Labor Pain
05/14/2009, There are many ways to deal with the pain of giving birth, but women and their obstetricians can always benefit from having another choice. A Cochrane review has concluded that women in labor should have the option of using transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) - a non-drug method of pain management.
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Review: Long-term Use of Lymphoma Drug Extends Lives
05/14/2009, A new Cochrane Library review confirms that years-long use of a drug called rituximab extends the lifespan of people with one of the milder forms of lymphoma.
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Simple Hygiene, Focus on Children Could Contain Flu Spread
05/12/2009, Although many have touted strategies from travel avoidance to Tamiflu to halt the spread of H1N1 flu or swine flu, a large body of evidence from the Cochrane Library suggests that concentrating on children’s hygiene might be the best way to reduce the spread of respiratory illnesses.
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Newer Antidepressants Not Always Better
05/05/209, New antidepressants might be no more effective than the best existing drugs, according to two new systematic reviews that compared 12 commonly used medications.
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Lower Doses of Dementia Drug Boost Brain Function, Reduce Side Effects
04/23/2009, Sometimes less is more: Lower doses of an Alzheimer's drug delivered via skin patches improve cognition with fewer serious side effects than higher doses, researchers have found in an updated review.
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Two-pronged Attack Works Best for Psoriasis Treatment
04/23/2009, A new Cochrane review finds that two commonly used topical treatments work best together to treat chronic psoriasis, but are not a cure.
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Combo Inhaler Might Simplify Treatment for Asthma
04/14/2009, People suffering from chronic asthma might have a new treatment option that allows them to manage their condition with a single prescribed inhaler that contains two medicines, according to a new review.
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Electrical Implant Might Help With Bladder Control, Review Finds
04/14/2009, For people with urinary incontinence who have run out of options, an electrical device might help, according to a new Cochrane Library review.
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Exercise Is Safe Bet to Prevent Falls in Older People
04/14/2009, Exercise programs that lend strength, flexibility and balance might be one of the best ways to prevent falls among people age 65 and older, according to a Cochrane review of more than 100 studies.
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Heart Procedure? Bring Your iPod Along, Review Suggests
04/14/2009, The right mix of Portuguese instrumentals calms Philadelphia researcher Joke Bradt. That's what she'd want to hear during a serious medical procedure - that or classical music.
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Homeopathic Medicine Can Coexist With Conventional Cancer Treatment
04/14/2009, A new Cochrane review did not find serious side effects relating to the use of homeopathic medicine in patients having orthodox cancer care.
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Review Supports Circumcision in HIV Prevention
04/14/2009, An analysis of three recent studies finds that heterosexual African men reduced their risk of HIV infection by half after undergoing circumcision.
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Review: Do Feeding Tubes Help or Harm in Advanced Dementia?
04/14/2009, Family members grappling with the decision to allow a feeding tube for a relative with advanced dementia will find little comfort from a new review of evidence.
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Stand and Deliver? Upright Labor Positions Reduce Pain, Speed Birth
04/14/2009, Women who walk, sit, kneel or otherwise avoid lying in bed during early labor can shorten the first stage of labor by about an hour, according to a new Cochrane evidence review. Women who labored out of bed during the early stages were also 17 percent less likely to seek pain relief through epidural analgesia, the review found.
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Statins Do Not Help Prevent Alzheimer's Disease, Review Finds
04/14/2009, An increasing number of studies show that elevated serum cholesterol levels might be part of the cause of Alzheimer disease, but a new review of studies says that, even so, the most successful class of cholesterol-lowering medicines will not stave off the condition.
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Weight-Loss Surgery Works Even for Moderately Obese
04/14/2009, Surgeons once recommended weight-loss surgery only for severely obese patients who failed to drop pounds with conventional weight-loss methods, but a new review finds that bariatric surgery helps the moderately obese lose more weight, too.
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Wrist Acupuncture or Acupressure Prevents Nausea From Anesthesia
04/14/2009, Up to 80 percent of patients who have surgery complain of nausea and vomiting afterwards, but stimulating an acupoint in their wrists can help reduce these symptoms, finds a new evidence review.
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Arkansas Health Plan Sees Higher Costs for Unhealthy Behaviors
04/14/2009, Your insurance company would like you to stop smoking, lose weight and get off the couch - for your health and its financial well-being.
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Street Lighting Can Be Low-Cost Way to Prevent Traffic Accidents
2/10/2009, Street lighting can help prevent car crashes, injuries and fatalities, and might be a relatively low-cost way to reduce the burden of traffic accidents in low- and middle-income countries, according to a new review of studies.
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Benefits of 'Hospital at Home' Unclear for Early Discharge Patients
2/3/2009, Faced with a shortage of beds and costly patient care, some hospitals are turning to programs that provide acute care for patients at home. However, there is not yet enough information to know whether these "hospital at home" programs improve health and reduce costs for patients discharged early from the hospital, according to a new research review.
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Kids Need More Physical Activity in School, Review Says
2/3/2009, Did your daughter work up a sweat playing basketball in gym class today or did she spend half the class hanging out on the bleachers? Most likely, physical education is not even part of her daily schedule.
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No Proven Role for Diet in Treating Rheumatoid Arthritis
1/27/2009, A new review finds no definitive connection between diet and rheumatoid arthritis (RA), a disease in which the body's immune system attacks the lining of the joints.
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Ankle Splints Improve Mobility After Stroke
1/22/2009, A new review shows that ankle and foot splints can help stroke patients regain the ability to walk and keep their balance, although splints - also called orthotics - offer less improvement for other activities, like climbing stairs.
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Fatigued Cancer Patients Might Benefit From Specialized Counseling
1/22/2009, Addressing the psychological, social and behavioral aspects of fatigue during active cancer treatment is "a promising type of intervention," according to a new systematic review.
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'Positive' Studies More Likely to Make It Into Medical Journals
1/20/2009, Confirming suspicions that studies with low-key results often get neglected, a review finds that research is more likely to end up in print if it has a certain 'wow' factor.
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Ex-Smokers Have Few Proven Weapons Against Relapse, Weight Gain
1/20/2009, U.S. President-elect Barack Obama has pledged to keep the White House a "smoke-free zone" when he takes office on January 20, despite his admitted struggles with tobacco relapse.
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Help Possible for People Obsessed With Imaginary Physical Flaws
1/20/2009, Worrying about a bad hair day or idly wishing for a more-perfect profile: we've all been there. However, people suffering from body dysmorphic disorder go far beyond that, obsessing over exaggerated or even imaginary physical defects, to the point where it affects their ability to work, attend school or have ordinary social contacts.
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Lifestyle Changes Help Reduce Child Obesity, New Review Finds
1/20/2009, A new review of studies spread over five continents finds that overweight or obese children and teens can lose weight with lifestyle changes - sometimes coupled with medication.
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Low Glycemic Diets Help Diabetics Control Blood Sugar
1/20/2009, A new Cochrane review finds that following a low glycemic index diet helps people with type 1 and type 2 diabetes to improve their blood glucose (blood sugar) control significantly.
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Migraines, Tension Headaches Respond to Acupuncture, Reviews Conclude
1/20/2009, Two new systematic reviews have found that acupuncture therapy can provide patients who suffer from tension and migraine headache an alternative treatment for their pain.
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Radiation Lowers Relapse Risk in Noninvasive Breast Cancer
1/20/2009, A new review confirms that the addition of radiation therapy to lumpectomy in the treatment of ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), a noninvasive early form of breast cancer, substantially decreases the risk of recurrence of either DCIS or invasive breast cancer in the affected breast.
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