Obesity interventions in children have limited effect
Many diet and exercise interventions aimed at preventing childhood obesity promote healthy diets and increased physical activity, but do not appear to have radical impacts on reducing overweight and obesity gain.
Metformin works well in type 2 diabetes especially where patients are overweight or obese
People with type 2 diabetes who are overweight or obese are at increased risk of cardiovascular diseases like strokes and heart attacks. Metformin can help tackle their diabetes while also protecting against diabetes-related organ damage.
Bisphosphonates - a successful treatment for metastatic bone disease associated with breast cancer
Secondary tumours in bone cause a lot of pain and tissue damage in half the women who have advanced breast cancer, but bisphosphonates can reduce the risk of bone disease in women already undergoing cancer therapy.
Inhale magnesium sulphate along with beta-2-agonists during asthma attacks
Severe asthma attacks can be life threatening and intravenous magnesium sulphate is known to help, but inhaling nebulised magnesium sulphate can also improve lung function.
Combined injectable contraceptives find high early acceptance
Providing safe and effective contraception by injecting a mixture of progestins and oestrogens causes fewer side-effects than injecting progesterone-like chemicals alone.
Oral contraceptives are well tolerated when taken continuously
Traditionally, oral contraceptives are taken for 21 days followed by a placebo week. This placebo week causes an artificial withdrawal bleed that gives the appearance of a normal monthly menstrual cycle, but now evidence shows that women tolerate contraceptives well if they skip this bleed.
Pain generated by damage to the nervous system can be treated with antidepressants
Antidepressant drugs such as amitriptyline are effective against a variety of neuropathic pains.
Biologic drug adalimumab is effective in treating rheumatoid arthritis
There is good evidence that adding adalimumab (Humira) to the treatment of people with long-standing rheumatoid arthritis is more effective than using oral methotrexate alone.