To improve proper application of evidence in clinical practice．six relevant problems were reviewed．The problems included：① How to evaluate and use evidence from systenaatic reviews of randomized controlled trials?② How to evaluate and use evidence from randomized controlled trials?③ How to evaluate and use evidence from non—randomized controled trials?④ How to evaluate and use evidence from case series?⑤ How to evaluate and use expert opinions?⑥ How to evaluate and use chnical practice guidelines?
This article reviews the progress, problems and future development of evidence-based neurology; introduces sources of clinical evidence and evidence-based recommendations on some common neurological disorders from the Quality Standards Subcommittee of the American Academy of Neurology. It promotes high quality clinical research to provide good evidence and the use of current best evidence in patient care.
To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of anticoagulants in ischaemic stroke primary or secondary prevention and treatment, we searched The Cochrane Library and MEDLINE to find high quality evidence and summarized the available evidence. The results showed that routine immediate anticoagulant therapy in patients with acute ischaemic stroke should not be recommended because it increased the risk of hemorrhage with ineffective reduction to the risk of death or disability. For the high risk group with cardiogenic embolism, anticoagulant therapy could safely and effectively reduce the incidence of stroke or other vascular events. However, for non-cardiogenic embolism group, anticoagulant therapy was hard to balance the benefits and harms.
Hot flashes are a common syndrome in postmenopausal women. The treatment is complex and different for specific patients. A clinical case and hormonal replacement therapy selection are provided to show evidence-based practice in this field.
Objective To explore an approach of evidence-based treatment for acute hypertensive cerebral hemorrhage. Methods (1) Thoroughly evaluating the patient’s condition. (2) Formulating clinical problems. (3) We searched The Cochrane Library (Issue 1, 2006), Ovid EBM REVIEWS (2001 to 2006), MEDLINE (1980 to 2006) and CNKI (1994 to 2006) for evidence. (4) Assessing evidence. (5) Applying evidence. Results Total 13 relevant studies were retrieved. Results indicated that all kinds of interventions for the treatment of hypertensive cerebral hemorrhage showed different degrees of efficacy, including the Stroke Unit, blood pressure control, mannitol, hemostyptic and neuroprotective agents, promotion of blood circulation and resolving of blood stasis, stereotactic aspiration etc. However, the effects of other interventions need further validation except Stroke Units which had higher quality evidence. Based on the patient’ specific conditions, we recommended the following evidence-based treatment plan: immediate transfer to the Stroke Unit; sequential application of reptilase (within 6 h), citicoline (within 24 h), mannitol and Compound Danshen Injection (after 24 h); temporary withhold of enalapril meleate; monitoring of blood pressure, ECG, renal function and electrolytes; and if intracranial hemorrhage occurs again during the treatment, stereotactic aspiration should be applied. Conclusions Through evidence-based method, an individualized treatment plan could obviously improve the treatment effectiveness and reduce the incidence of adverse effects in patients with hypertensive cerebral hemorrhage.
Objective To assess the effectiveness and safety of edaravone for acute cerebral infarction. Methods We searched The Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials （ Issue 2, 2005 ）, MEDLINE （ 1966 to Aug. 2005）, EMBASE （ till Aug. 2005 ）, the China Biological Medcine Database （ till Aug. 2005 ）, the Chinese Stroke Clinical Trials Database （ till August 2005 ） and the reference lists of related articles. Two reviewers independently selected studies, assessed quahty of studies and extracted data. The RevMan 4.2 software was used for statistical analysis. Results We identified 12 randomized controlled trials, of which 9 （ n = 948 ） were included. The level of methodology quality was B. Since the conventional therapy was different among some studies, the improvement of disability and long-term death rate and incidence of adverse reactions were not included by meta-analysis. Meta-analysis on the improvement of neurological deficit showed a better effectiveness of edaravone than control with statistical significance [ OR2.98, 95% CI （ 1.39,6.39 ） ]. Possible adverse reactions to edaravone included abnormal liver function and skin rash. Conclusions With relatively poor quality of most included trials and small sample size, insufficient evidence is obtained to support the conclusion that edaravone is safe or effective in the treatment of acute cerebral infarction. Further high quality and large sample randomized controlled trials should be carried out.
Objective To make an evidence-based remedy for a patient with cerebral veins and sinuses thrombosis (CVST), who had an unsatisfactory response to routine treatment. Methods We searched the Cochrane Library (Issue 3, 2005), PubMed (1966 to 2005), CNKI (1979 to 2005) and VIP (1989 to 2005) to identify systematic reviews (SRs), randomized controlled trials (RCTs), controlled clinical trials (CCTs) and prospective cohort studies about efficacy and safety of anticoagulants and thrombolysis therapy for CVST. Results We found 1 systematic review, 3 RCTs and 8 prospective cohort studies about anticoagulation therapy and 2 SRs and 1 CCT about thrombolysis therapy. Routine anticoagulation and thrombolysis for patients with CVST are not recommended due to insufficient evidence. Anticoagulation appeared to be safer and could prevent pulmonary embolism. According to the current evidence, the patient’s status and will, anticoagulants were given. His symptoms relieved and he had no subsequent hemorrhages or pulmonary embolism. Conclusion Patients with CVST should receive anticoagulation treatment with monitoring of de novo hemorrhages and the index of hemostasis and coagulation. Large-sample RCTs comparing the effect and safety of anticoagulant with placebo and RCTs comparing the effect and safety of anticoagulation therapy with that of endovascular thrombolysis therapy in high-risk patients are needed.
Objective To assess the efficacy and safety of pueraria for acute cerebral infarction. Methods We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, CBM, and the Chinese Stroke Clinical Trials Database. The search was conducted in Feb., 2006. Data were extracted and assessed by two reviewers independently. Revman 4.2 software was used for statistical analysis. Results Nineteen potentially eligible trials were identified, of which 14 (1 141 patients) were included. Only one trial reported the death or disability rate at the end of 6-month follow-up (the difference between the two groups was not significant). Meta-analysis of 11 trials invovling the improvement of neurological deficit indicated that pueraria was significantly more effective than the control group [OR 3.04, 95%CI 2.11, 4.39]. Conclusions Pueraria might improve the short-term neurological deficit of patients with acute cerebral infarction. But the methodological quality of all the included trials is poor, reliable conclusions can not be drawn from the present data. More high-quality randomized controlled trials are required.
Objectives To study the relationship between matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) and hemorrhagic transformation (HT) in ischemic stroke patients and provide evidence for the further clinical studies, thrombolytic therapy selection, and application of MMP inhibitors to clinical practice to extend the windows for thrombolytic therapy. Methods The studies on relationship between MMP-9 and hemorrhagic transformation in ischemic stroke were identified, in which HT was followed-up based on plasma level of MMP-9 or comparison of plasma level of MMP-9 was conducted based on HT or not, regardless of language of publication and type of design. MEDLINE (1966-Jan. 2006), EMBASE (1966-Apr. 2006), CNKI (1977-Feb.2006), and Wanfang database (1989-2005) were searched and the references lists of eligible studies were manually searched. Two reviewers independently evaluated the quality of studies and extracted data. The data were analyzed using the RevMan 4.2. and SPSS11.0 softwares. Results Six trials fulfilled the inclusion criteria, including 558 patients, 130 of them developed hemorrhagic transformation. The heterogeneity between studies was statistically significant; (Plt;0.0001). We didn’t pool the data of studies of plasma MMP-9 level. Most of the studies showed that the plasma MMP-9 level in HT or in a certain type of HT was higher than that in non-HT patients. The result of subgroup analysis showed that the plasma MMP-9 level was independently associated with HT, summary OR=14.45, 95%CI (4.90, 43.65). Conclusions The values of plasma MMP-9 in HT or in a certain type of HT are higher than that in non-HT. MMP-9 may independently be a risk of hemorrhagic transformation. The sample size of the included studies is small. So the conclusions need to be confirmed with further studies.