Loperamide therapy for acute diarrhea in children
The drug loperamide is widely used as a treatment for diarrhoea in adults, but most authorities, including the World Health Organization recommend that it should not be given to young children. The wisdom of this approach is supported by new evidence published in PLoS Medicine. Researchers reviewed the evidence from 13 trials, involving over 900 children. They concluded that loperamide should not be given if a child is less than 3 years old, or if he or she is malnourished, seriously dehydrated or has bloody diarrhoea. In any of these situations the risks outweighs the benefits, even at low doses. In other children the drug may play a useful part in the treatment of diarrhoea.
Citation: Li ST, Grossman DC, Cummings P (2007) Loperamide therapy for acute diarrhea in children: Systematic review and meta-analysis. PLoS Med 4(3): e98.
PLEASE ADD THE LINK TO THE PUBLISHED ARTICLE IN ONLINE VERSIONS OF YOUR REPORT:
http://medicine.plosjournals.org/perlserv/?request=get-document&doi=10.1371/journal.pmed.0040098
PRESS-ONLY PREVIEW OF THE ARTICLE: http://www.plos.org/press/plme-04-03-su-ting-li.pdf
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- Caption: Meta-Analysis of Prevalence of Diarrhea at 24 Hours Among Those on Loperamide Compared with Controls The x-axis is on the log scale. Random effects prevalence ratio: 0.66 (95% CI: 0.57-0.77) Test for heterogeneity, p=0.914
CONTACT:
Su-Ting Li
University of California Davis
Department of Pediatrics
2516 Stockton Blvd
Sacramento, CA 95616
United States of America
+1 916-734-3211
+1 916-456-2236 (fax)
su-ting.li@ucdmc.ucdavis.edu
Insecticide-treated nets in pregnancy
New research published in PLoS Medicine supports current recommendations that pregnant women who live in areas where malaria is common should sleep under insecticide-treated mosquito nets (ITNs). The researchers reviewed evidence from five trials (four of them conducted in Africa) and found that women who sleep under ITNs are less likely to have miscarriages than other women. They have fewer malaria parasites in their blood and their babies are less likely to be of low birth weight.
Citation: Gamble C, Ekwaru PJ, Garner P, ter Kuile FO (2007) Insecticide-treated nets for the prevention of malaria in pregnancy: A systematic review of randomised controlled trials. PLoS Med 4(3): e107.
PLEASE ADD THE LINK TO THE PUBLISHED ARTICLE IN ONLINE VERSIONS OF YOUR REPORT:
http://medicine.plosjournals.org/perlserv/?request=get-document&doi=10.1371/journal.pmed.0040107
PRESS-ONLY PREVIEW OF THE ARTICLE: http://www.plos.org/press/plme-04-03-ter-kulie.pdf
CONTACT:
Feiko ter Kulie
Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine
Child and Reproductive Health
Pembroke Place
Liverpoo L3 5QA
United Kingdom
+44 151 705 3287
+44 151 705 3329 (fax)
terkuile@liv.ac.uk
Characteristics of systematic reviews
A key part of the ‘evidence-based’ approach to medicine is the use of ‘systematic reviews’, which seek to bring together and assess the findings of all the research that has been conducted on each specific medical question. Some 2500 systematic reviews are now being published every year. However, research by David Moher and colleagues, published in the latest PLoS Medicine, has found a huge variation in published reviews regarding the details that reviewers have given about the methods they used in their work. This raises doubts as to how well some reviews have been conducted. Moher and colleagues conclude that “…readers should not accept systematic reviews uncritically”. In an Editorial in the same issue, the Editors of PLoS Medicine discuss how medical journals should respond to the findings of this study and what needs to be done to ensure that published systematic rev iews are of good quality .
Citation: Moher D, Tetzlaff J, Tricco AC, Sampson M, Altman DG (2007) Epidemiology and reporting characteristics of systematic reviews. PLoS Med 4(3): e78.
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http://medicine.plosjournals.org/perlserv/?request=get-document&doi=10.1371/journal.pmed.0040078
PRESS-ONLY PREVIEW OF THE ARTICLE: http://www.plos.org/press/plme-04-03-moher.pdf
CONTACT:
David Moher
Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute
Chalmers Research Group
401 Smyth Road
Ottawa, Ontario K1H 8L1
Canada
+1 613-738-3591
+1 613-738-4800 (fax)
dmoher@uottawa.ca
Related PLoS Medicine Editorial:
Citation: The PLoS Medicine Editors (2007) Many reviews are systematic but some are more transparent and completely reported than others. PLoS Med 4(3): e147.
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http://medicine.plosjournals.org/perlserv/?request=get-document&doi=10.1371/journal.pmed.0040147
PRESS-ONLY PREVIEW OF THE ARTICLE: http://www.plos.org/press/plme-04-03-editors.pdf
Clonal waves of Neisseria meningitidis
Gerd Pluschke and colleagues from the Swiss Tropical Institute, Basel analysed throat carriage of meningococci in one district of Ghana, and identified features of the isolates that might contribute to the susceptibility of residents in the African meningitis belt to the meningococcal epidemics that occur here.
Citation: Leimkugel J, Hodgson A, Forgor AA, Pfluger V, Dangy JP, et al. (2007) Clonal waves of Neisseria meningitidis colonisation and disease in the African meningitis belt: An eight-year longitudinal study in northern Ghana. PLoS Med 4(3): e101.
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http://medicine.plosjournals.org/perlserv/?request=get-document&doi=10.1371/journal.pmed.0040101
PRESS-ONLY PREVIEW OF THE ARTICLE: http://www.plos.org/press/plme-04-03-pluschke.pdf
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- Caption: Dwelling compound in northern Ghana during the dry meningitis season; Photographer: G. Pluschke
CONTACT:
Gerd Pluschke
Swiss Tropical Institute
Molecular Immunology
Socinstr. 57
Basel, CH 4002
Switzerland
++41 61 2848235
gerd.pluschke@unibas.ch
THE FOLLOWING RESEARCH ARTICLES WILL ALSO BE PUBLISHED ONLINE:
CNS lymphoma and Epstein-Barr virus T cell responses
In a case-control study from the Swiss HIV cohort, Christoph Hess and colleagues report that T-helper responses against Epstein-Barr virus are specifically absent in patients developing CNS lymphoma.
Citation: Gasser O, Bihl FK, Wolbers M, Loggi E, Steffen I, et al. (2007) HIV patients developing primary central nervous system lymphoma lack Epstein-Barr–specific CD4þ T cell function irrespective of absolute CD4þ T cell counts. PLoS Med 4(3): e96.
PLEASE ADD THE LINK TO THE PUBLISHED ARTICLE IN ONLINE VERSIONS OF YOUR REPORT:
http://medicine.plosjournals.org/perlserv/?request=get-document&doi=10.1371/journal.pmed.0040096
PRESS-ONLY PREVIEW OF THE ARTICLE: http://www.plos.org/press/plme-04-03-hess.pdf
Related image for press use: http://www.plos.org/press/plme-04-03-hess.jpg
- Caption: Dissociation of absolute CD4+ T cell-counts and EBV-specific CD4+ T cell-function
CONTACT:
Christoph Hess
University Hospital Basel
Internal Medicine and Research
4 Hebelstrasse
Basel, Basel CH-4031
Switzerland
+41 61-265 44 75
+41 61-265 24 10 (fax)
chess@uhbs.ch
Related PLoS Medicine Perspective article:
Citation: Jacobson MA (2007) Do CD4+ T cell functional responses to Epstein–Barr virus provide protective immunity against CNS lymphoma in AIDS? PLoS Med 4(3): e110.
PLEASE ADD THE LINK TO THE PUBLISHED ARTICLE IN ONLINE VERSIONS OF YOUR REPORT:
http://medicine.plosjournals.org/perlserv/?request=get-document&doi=10.1371/journal.pmed.0040110
PRESS-ONLY PREVIEW OF THE ARTICLE: http://www.plos.org/press/plme-04-03-jacobson.pdf
CONTACT:
Mark Jacobson
University of California San Francisco
AIDS Research Institute
3180 18th Street, Suite 305
Box 0874, SFGH Bldg 80 WD84
San Francisco, CA 94143 - 0874
United States of America
+1 415-476-9296
+1 415-514-0550x407 (fax)
mjacobson@php.ucsf.edu
OLIG1 in human lung cancer
Christopher Plass and colleagues find that OLIG1 expression correlates with survival in lung cancer patients and suggest that it could be used in deciding which patients are likely to benefit from more aggressive therapy.
Citation: Brena RM, Morrison C, Liyanarachchi S, Jarjoura D, Davuluri RV, et al. (2007) Aberrant DNA Methylation of OLIG1, a Novel Prognostic Factor in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer. PLoS Med 4(3): e108.
PLEASE ADD THE LINK TO THE PUBLISHED ARTICLE IN ONLINE VERSIONS OF YOUR REPORT:
http://medicine.plosjournals.org/perlserv/?request=get-document&doi=10.1371/journal.pmed.0040108
PRESS-ONLY PREVIEW OF THE ARTICLE: http://www.plos.org/press/plme-04-03-plass.pdf
CONTACT:
Christopher Plass
Ohio State University
Molecular Virology, Immunology and Medical Genetics
420 West 12th Ave
Room 464A
Columbus, Ohio 43210
United States of America
+1 614-292-6505
+1 614-688-4761 (fax)
christoph.plass@osumc.edu
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PLoS Medicine is an open access, freely available international medical journal. It publishes original research that enhances our understanding of human health and disease, together with commentary and analysis of important global health issues. For more information, visit http://www.plosmedicine.org
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