Cochrane

Growth monitoring is widely accepted and strongly supported by health professionals, and is a standard component of community paediatric services throughout the world. In this review, we define growth monitoring as the regular recording of a child's weight, coupled with some specified remedial actions if the weight is abnormal in some way. Although ...

Not enough evidence to show the effects of plasma volume expansion for women with pre-eclampsia. Blood plasma volume increases gradually in women during the second half of pregnancy. The increase is usually greater for women with multiple pregnancies and less for those with small babies. Plasma volume is reduced in women with pre-eclampsia (pregnancy ...

Women with polycystic ovary syndrome have menstrual disorders caused by the absence of ovulation. About 20% of women will not ovulate on clomiphene citrate, the primary treatment option. These women can be treated with a surgical procedure like laparoscopic electrocautery of the ovaries or by ovulation induction with gonadotrophins or gonadotrophin ...

Plain language summary pending

Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), enlargement of the prostate gland, is common in older men. An enlarged prostate can interfere with urination, increasing the frequency and urge, or causing problems emptying the bladder. Both surgery and drugs are used to try to treat BPH. However, using herbal medicines to try to relieve the symptoms of BPH is becoming ...

Malaria may cause anaemia. In areas where malaria is common and transmission is intense, many children are infected with the parasite, and severe anaemia can commonly cause death. Blood transfusions can be important for preventing deaths in very ill patients, although there are also some risks involved. This review was designed to assess the benefits ...

Cycling is a healthy and popular activity for people of all ages. Crashes involving bicyclists are, however, common and often involve motor vehicles. Head injuries are responsible for around three-quarters of deaths among bicyclists involved in crashes. Facial injuries are also common. The review found that wearing a helmet reduced the risk of head ...

About one third of injury deaths are due to shock from blood loss. Preventing shock in people with uncontrolled bleeding is therefore vital. Treatment aims to maintain blood pressure, so that tissue damage is minimised. Medical anti-shock trousers (MAST) are believed to increase blood pressure and blood flow to the heart and brain, helping to stabilise ...

Removal of the tonsils is one of the most common operations and adequate pain control following surgery is an important aspect of patient care. Some surgeons apply local anaesthetics (in addition to the general anaesthetic) to the area around the tonsils before, during, or after the operation in an attempt to improve pain control. The review found that ...

No randomised trials identified on treatments for toxoplasmosis in pregnancy. Toxoplasmosis is a widespread parasitic disease that usually causes no symptoms. However, infection in pregnant women may cause infection in the baby, resulting in possible mental disability and blindness. The risk to the baby is related to the gestational age at the time ...