Xylitol may not protect teeth from decay Cochrane reviewers have found little or no good-quality evidence to prove xylitol has a protective effect against tooth decay.…
Newborn deaths cut by cleaning umbilical stump with chlorhexidine, study finds Chlorhexidine applied to the umbilical cord of newborns reduces the risk of infection of the umbilical stump by 50% and neonatal mortality by 12%, review finds.…
Tamiflu shortens flu symptoms by a day, study finds Oseltamivir (Roche’s Tamiflu) shortens the duration of flu symptoms by approximately a day, in infected patients, according to an analysis published in The Lancet.…
Cochrane researchers call for better ways of studying medicines adherenceMethods to improve patients’ adherence to medicines are generally unproven and there is an urgent need to develop more effective approaches, say researchers.…
Biomarker test could help reduce unnecessary antibiotic prescribingPoint-of-care testing for a biomarker of bacterial infection would help to limit unnecessary antibiotic prescribing by GPs, suggests a systematic review.…
Review considers strategies for intracranial artery stenosis Percutaneous transluminal angioplasty with stenting (PTAS) and medical therapy is linked with a higher risk of stroke than medical therapy alone.…
Lack of evidence for treating symptoms of sleep disturbance There is little evidence to support the efficacy of drugs used to treat sleep disturbance associated with shift work, Cochrane reviewers have concluded.…
Personal contact from pharmacist enhances patients’ adherence to medicinesInterventions that include counselling by a pharmacist help patients with cardiovascular diseases adhere to their medicines, UK research shows.…
