Effect of colour of drugs: systematic review of perceived effect of drugs and of their effectiveness.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the impact of the colour of a drug''s formulation on its perceived effect and its effectiveness and to examine whether antidepressant drugs available in the Netherlands are different in colour from hypnotic, sedative, and anxiolytic drugs. DESIGN: Systematic review of 12 published studies. Six studies examined the perceived action of different coloured drugs and six the influence of the colour of a drug on its effectiveness. The colours of samples of 49 drugs affecting the central nervous system were assessed using a colour atlas. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Perceived stimulant action versus perceived depressant action of colour of drugs; the trials that assessed the effect of drugs in different colours were done in patients with different diseases and had different outcome measures. RESULTS: The studies on perceived action of coloured drugs showed that red, yellow, and orange are associated with a stimulant effect, while blue and green are related to a tranquillising effect. The trials that assessed the impact of the colour of drugs on their effectiveness showed inconsistent differences between colours. The quality of the methods of these trials was variable. Hypnotic, sedative, and anxiolytic drugs were more likely than antidepressants to be green, blue, or purple. CONCLUSIONS: Colours affect the perceived action of a drug and seem to influence the effectiveness of a drug. Moreover, a relation exists between the colouring of drugs that affect the central nervous system and the indications for which they are used. Research contributing to a better understanding of the effect of the colour of drugs is warranted.     

Anticonvulsant drugs for management of pain: a systematic review.

OBJECTIVE--To determine effectiveness and adverse effects of anticonvulsant drugs in management of pain. DESIGN--Systematic review of randomised controlled trials of anticonvulsants for acute, chronic, or cancer pain identified by using Medline, by hand searching, by searching reference lists, and by contacting investigators. SUBJECTS--Between 1966 and February 1994, 37 reports were found; 20 reports, of four anticonvulsants, were eligible. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES--Numbers needed to treat were calculated for effectiveness, adverse effects, and drug related withdrawal from study. RESULTS--The only placebo controlled study in acute pain found no analgesic effect of sodium valproate. For treating trigeminal neuralgia, carbamazepine had a combined number needed to treat of 2.6 for effectiveness, 3.4 for adverse effects, and 24 for severe effects (withdrawal from study). For treating diabetic neuropathy, anticonvulsants had a combined number needed to treat of 2.5 for effectiveness, 3.1 for adverse effects, and 20 for severe effects. For migraine prophylaxis, anticonvulsants had a combined number needed to treat of 1.6 for effectiveness, 2.4 for adverse effects, and 39 for severe effects. Phenytoin had no effect on the irritable bowel syndrome, and carbamazepine had little effect on pain after stroke. Clonazepam was effective in one study for temporomandibular joint dysfunction. No study compared one anticonvulsant with another. CONCLUSIONS--Anticonvulsants were effective for trigeminal neuralgia and diabetic neuropathy and for migraine prophylaxis. Minor adverse effects occurred as often as benefit.     

Analgesic efficacy and safety of paracetamol-codeine combinations versus paracetamol alone: a systematic review.

OBJECTIVES--To assess whether adding codeine to paracetamol has an additive analgesic effect; to assess the safety of paracetamol-codeine combinations versus paracetamol alone. DESIGN--Systematic literature review with meta-analysis, methodological quality of published trials being scored by means of 13 predefined criteria. TRIALS--24 of 29 trials that met the inclusion criteria. Models studied in the trials were postsurgical pain (21), postpartum pain (one), osteoarthritic pain (one), and experimentally induced pain (one). INTERVENTIONS--Dosages ranged from 400 to 1000 mg paracetamol and 10 to 60 mg codeine. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES--The sum pain intensity difference (efficacy analysis) and the proportion of patients reporting a side effect (safety analysis). RESULTS--Most trials were considered of good to very good quality. Only the single dose studies could be combined for analysis of analgesic efficacy. Pooled efficacy results indicated that codeine added to paracetamol provided a 5% increase in analgesia on the sum pain intensity difference. This effect was comparable to the difference in analgesic effect between codeine and placebo. The cumulative incidence of side effects with each treatment was comparable in the single dose trials. In the multidose studies a significantly higher proportion of side effects occurred with paracetamol-codeine preparations. CONCLUSION--The difference is analgesic effect between paracetamol-codeine combinations and paracetamol alone was small but statistically significant. In the multidose studies the proportion of patients reporting a side effect was significantly higher with paracetamol-codeine combinations. For occasional pain relief a paracetamol-codeine combination might be appropriate but repeated use increases the occurrence of side effects.     

Long-term efficacy of antipsychotic drugs in initially acutely ill adults with schizophrenia: systematic review and network meta-analysis

Most acute phase antipsychotic drug trials in schizophrenia last only a few weeks, but patients must usually take these drugs much longer. We examined the long-term efficacy of antipsychotic drugs in acutely ill patients using network meta-analysis. We searched the Cochrane Schizophrenia Group register up to March 6, 2022 for randomized, blinded trials of at least 6-month duration on all second-generation and 18 first-generation antipsychotics. The primary outcome was change in overall symptoms of schizophrenia; secondary outcomes were all-cause discontinuation; change in positive, negative and depressive symptoms; quality of life, social functioning, weight gain, antiparkinson medication use, akathisia, serum prolactin level, QTc prolongation, and sedation. Confidence in the results was assessed by the CINeMA (Confidence in Network Meta-Analysis) framework. We included 45 studies with 11,238 participants. In terms of overall symptoms, olanzapine was on average more efficacious than ziprasidone (standardized mean difference, SMD=0.37, 95% CI: 0.26-0.49), asenapine (SMD=0.33, 95% CI: 0.21-0.45), iloperidone (SMD=0.32, 95% CI: 0.15-0.49), paliperidone (SMD=0.28, 95% CI: 0.11-0.44), haloperidol (SMD=0.27, 95% CI: 0.14-0.39), quetiapine (SMD=0.25, 95% CI: 0.12-0.38), aripiprazole (SMD=0.16, 95% CI: 0.04-0.28) and risperidone (SMD=0.12, 95% CI: 0.03-0.21). The 95% CIs for olanzapine versus aripiprazole and risperidone included the possibility of trivial effects. The differences between olanzapine and lurasidone, amisulpride, perphenazine, clozapine and zotepine were either small or uncertain. These results were robust in sensitivity analyses and in line with other efficacy outcomes and all-cause discontinuation. Concerning weight gain, the impact of olanzapine was higher than all other antipsychotics, with a mean difference ranging from –4.58 kg (95% CI: –5.33 to –3.83) compared to ziprasidone to –2.30 kg (95% CI: –3.35 to –1.25) compared to amisulpride. Our data suggest that olanzapine is more efficacious than a number of other antipsychotic drugs in the longer term, but its efficacy must be weighed against its side effect profile.     

Use of acid-suppressive drugs and risk of pneumonia: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background

Observational studies and randomized controlled trials have yielded inconsistent findings about the association between the use of acid-suppressive drugs and the risk of pneumonia. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to summarize this association.

Methods

We searched three electronic databases (MEDLINE [PubMed], Embase and the Cochrane Library) from inception to Aug. 28, 2009. Two evaluators independently extracted data. Because of heterogeneity, we used random-effects meta-analysis to obtain pooled estimates of effect.

Results

We identified 31 studies: five case–control studies, three cohort studies and 23 randomized controlled trials. A meta-analysis of the eight observational studies showed that the overall risk of pneumonia was higher among people using proton pump inhibitors (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 1.27, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.11–1.46, I² 90.5%) and histamine₂ receptor antagonists (adjusted OR 1.22, 95% CI 1.09–1.36, I² 0.0%). In the randomized controlled trials, use of histamine₂ receptor antagonists was associated with an elevated risk of hospital-acquired pneumonia (relative risk 1.22, 95% CI 1.01–1.48, I² 30.6%).

Interpretation

Use of a proton pump inhibitor or histamine₂ receptor antagonist may be associated with an increased risk of both community- and hospital-acquired pneumonia. Given these potential adverse effects, clinicians should use caution in prescribing acid-suppressive drugs for patients at risk.Recently, the medical literature has paid considerable attention to unrecognized adverse effects of commonly used medications and their potential public health impact.¹ One group of medications in widespread use is acid-suppressive drugs, which represent the second leading category of medication worldwide, with sales totalling US$26.9 billion in 2005.²Over the past 40 years, the development of potent acid-suppressive drugs, including proton pump inhibitors, has led to considerable improvements in the treatment of acid-related disorders of the upper gastrointestinal tract.³ Experts have generally viewed proton pump inhibitors as safe.⁴ However, potential complications such as gastrointestinal neoplasia, malabsorption of nutrients and increased susceptibility to infection have caused concern.⁵Of special interest is the possibility that acid-suppressive drugs could increase susceptibility to respiratory infections because these drugs increase gastric pH, thus allowing bacterial colonization.^6,7 Several previous studies have shown that treatment with acid-suppressive drugs might be associated with an increased risk of respiratory tract infections⁸ and community-acquired pneumonia in adults^6,7 and children.⁹ However, the association between use of acid-suppressive drugs and risk of pneumonia has been inconsistent.^10–13Given the widespread use of proton pump inhibitors and histamine₂ receptor antagonists, clarifying the potential impact of acid-suppressive therapy on the risk of pneumonia is of great importance to public health.¹⁴ Previous meta-analyses have focused on the role of acid-suppressive drugs in preventing stress ulcer,^11,13,15 but none have examined pneumonia as the primary outcome.The aim of this study was to summarize the association between the use of acid-suppressive drugs and the risk of pneumonia in observational studies and randomized controlled trials.     

Quantitative systematic review of topically applied non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.

OBJECTIVE: To review the effectiveness and safety of topical non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in acute and chronic pain conditions. DESIGN: Quantitative systematic review of randomised controlled trials. DATA SOURCES: 86 trials involving 10,160 patients. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Measures of treatment success approximating at least 50% reduction in pain, local and systemic adverse effects. Analysis at 1 week for acute and 2 weeks for chronic conditions with relative benefit and number needed to treat. RESULTS: In acute pain conditions (soft tissue trauma, strains, and sprains) placebo controlled trials had a relative benefit of 1.7 (1.5 to 1.9), the number needed to treat was 3.9 (3.4 to 4.4). With analysis by drug (at least three trials), ketoprofen (number needed to treat 2.6), felbinac (3.0), ibuprofen (3.5), and piroxicam (4.2) had significant efficacy. Benzydamine and indomethacin were no different from placebo. In chronic pain conditions (osteoarthritis, tendinitis) placebo controlled trials had a relative benefit of 2.0 (1.5 to 2.7); the number needed to treat was 3.1 (2.7 to 3.8). Small trials (< 40 treated patients) exaggerated effectiveness of topical non-steroidals by 33% in acute conditions but not in chronic conditions. There was no relation between trial quality and treatment effect. In both acute and chronic pain local and systemic adverse events and withdrawal from the study related to the drug had a low incidence and were no different from placebo. CONCLUSION: Topical non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are effective in relieving pain in acute and chronic conditions.     

Antiparasitic drugs for paediatrics: systematic review, formulations, pharmacokinetics, safety, efficacy and implications for control

Drug development for paediatric applications entails a number of challenges, such as the wide age spectrum covered - from birth to adolescence - and developmental changes in physiology during biological maturation that influence the efficacy and toxicity of drugs. Safe and efficacious antiparasitic drugs for children are of pivotal importance given the large proportion of burden attributable to parasitic diseases in this age group, and growing efforts to administer, as widely as possible, antiparasitic drugs to at-risk populations, such as infants and school-aged children, often without prior diagnosis. The purpose of this review is to investigate whether antiparasitic drugs have been adequately studied for use in paediatrics. We approached this issue through a systematic review using PubMed and the Cochrane Central Register of Trials covering a period of 10 years and 8 months until the end of August 2010 to identify trials that investigated efficacy, safety and pharmacokinetic (PK) parameters of antiparasitic drugs for paediatrics. Overall, 269 clinical drug trials and 17 PK studies met our inclusion criteria. Antimalarial drugs were the most commonly studied medicines (82·6%). Most trials were carried out in Africa and children aged 2-11 years were the age group most often investigated. Additionally, we critically examined available drug formulations for anthelminthics and identified a number of shortcomings that are discussed. Finally, we shed new light on current proposals to expand 'preventive chemotherapy' to preschool-aged children and emphasise that new research, including risk-benefit analyses, are needed before such a strategy can be adopted more widely.     

Tetanic crisis and antiepileptic drugs. A case report

OBJECTIVE AND METHODS: We presented a rare case of tetanic crisis in a 23-year old mentally retarded woman with epilepsy after treatment by oxcarbazepine, the new anticonvulsant agent. We reviewed laboratory, radiographic and medical examinations and recommend a proper treatment in such cases. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: The laboratory tests revealed only severe hypocalcemia. We described the potential role of oxcarbazepine in the induction of activity of cytochrome P 450 system of hepar and increases of less active metabolism of vitamin D. Supplementation of vitamin D and calcium in patients taking antiepileptic drugs is in the same case crucial.     

Plant-based insect repellents: a review of their efficacy,development and testing

Background

Accurate parasitological diagnosis of malaria is essential for targeting treatment where more than one species coexist. In this study, three rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) (AccessBio CareStart (CSPfPan), CareStart PfPv (CSPfPv) and Standard Diagnostics Bioline (SDBPfPv)) were evaluated for their ability to detect natural Plasmodium vivax infections in a basic clinic setting. The potential for locally made evaporative cooling boxes (ECB) to protect the tests from heat damage in high summer temperatures was also investigated.

Methods

Venous blood was drawn from P. vivax positive patients in Jalalabad, Afghanistan and tested against a panel of six RDTs. The panel comprised two of each test type; one group was stored at room temperature and the other in an ECB. RDT results were evaluated against a consensus gold standard based on two double-read reference slides and PCR. The sensitivity, specificity and a measure of global performance for each test were determined and stratified by parasitaemia level and storage condition.

Results

In total, 306 patients were recruited, of which 284 were positive for P. vivax, one for Plasmodium malariae and none for Plasmodium falciparum; 21 were negative. All three RDTs were specific for malaria. The sensitivity and global performance index for each test were as follows: CSPfPan [98.6%, 95.1%], CSPfPv [91.9%, 90.5%] and SDBPfPv [96.5%, 82.9%], respectively. CSPfPv was 16% less sensitive to a parasitaemia below 5,000/μL. Room temperature storage of SDBPfPv led to a high proportion of invalid results (17%), which reduced to 10% in the ECB. Throughout the testing period, the ECB maintained ~8°C reduction over ambient temperatures and never exceeded 30°C.

Conclusions

Of the three RDTs, the CSPfPan test was the most consistent and reliable, rendering it appropriate for this P. vivax predominant region. The CSPfPv test proved unsuitable owing to its reduced sensitivity at a parasitaemia below 5,000/μL (affecting 43% of study samples). Although the SDBPfPv device was more sensitive than the CSPfPv test, its invalid rate was unacceptably high. ECB storage reduced the proportion of invalid results for the SDBPfPv test, but surprisingly had no impact on RDT sensitivity at low parasitaemia.     

Plant-based insect repellents: a review of their efficacy, development and testing

Plant-based repellents have been used for generations in traditional practice as a personal protection measure against host-seeking mosquitoes. Knowledge on traditional repellent plants obtained through ethnobotanical studies is a valuable resource for the development of new natural products. Recently, commercial repellent products containing plant-based ingredients have gained increasing popularity among consumers, as these are commonly perceived as "safe" in comparison to long-established synthetic repellents although this is sometimes a misconception. To date insufficient studies have followed standard WHO Pesticide Evaluation Scheme guidelines for repellent testing. There is a need for further standardized studies in order to better evaluate repellent compounds and develop new products that offer high repellency as well as good consumer safety. This paper presents a summary of recent information on testing, efficacy and safety of plant-based repellents as well as promising new developments in the field.     

糖尿病患者肠道菌群特征及其相关性的系统评价

目的对糖尿病患者肠道菌群特征及其相关性进行系统评价。方法检索知网、维普、万方、PubMed、Cochrane library、Embase等数据库关于糖尿病患者肠道菌群特征及其相关性的文献,同时追踪纳入文献的参考文献,时限为2009年3月至2019年3月,采用统一提取表,由两名研究者独立按照规定的纳入排除标准进行文献提取和方法学质量评估。最后采用RevMan 5.3软件进行Meta合并,Stata 12.0软件进行亚组分析与发表性偏倚识别。结果共纳入25篇研究,合计2 209例患者。Meta分析显示:(1)糖尿病患者菌群总量(SMD=-0.30,P=0.53)、乳杆菌数量(SMD=-0.79,P=0.20)下降,拟杆菌数量(SMD=1.43,P=0.12)、梭菌数量(SMD=0.28,P=0.40)增加,差异均无统计学意义,双歧杆菌数量(SMD=-1.82,P=0.02)下降,差异有统计学意义。(2)糖尿病患者菌群Shannon指数I~2=91%,r=-0.21[-0.32,0.09],P0.05;Chao1指数I~2=0%,r=-28.17[-40.85,-15.48],P0.05;均下降。(3)拟杆菌、双歧杆菌、梭菌与空腹血糖的相关性分别为:I~2=0%,r=-0.15[-0.27,-0.03];I~2=0%,r=-1.16[-1.42,0.91];I~2=0%,r=-0.28[-0.42,-0.14],均P0.05。而乳杆菌的相关性差异无统计学意义:I~2=47%,r=-0.00[-0.30,0.29],P=0.98。(4)乳杆菌和拟杆菌与炎症因子(TNF-α、IL-6)呈负相关,乳杆菌(r=-0.43;r=-0.60),P0.05;拟杆菌(r=-0.58;r=-0.58),P0.05,差异有统计学意义。结论糖尿病患者肠道菌群总量无明显变化,但有益菌含量和多样性下降,拟杆菌、双歧杆菌和梭菌含量与血糖水平呈负相关,而乳杆菌无相关,其结果还需要大样本、高质量的研究加以论证。