Wound drainage after plastic and reconstructive surgery of the breast.

BACKGROUND: Wound drains are often used after plastic and reconstructive surgery of the breast, in order to reduce potential complications. It is unclear whether there is any evidence to support this practice and we therefore undertook a systematic review of the best evidence available. OBJECTIVES: To compare the safety and efficacy of the use of wound drains following elective plastic and reconstructive surgery procedures of the breast. SEARCH METHODS: For the first update of this review we searched the Cochrane Wounds Group Specialised Register (searched 4 March 2015); The Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) (The Cochrane Library 2015, Issue 2); Ovid MEDLINE (2012 to March 3 2015); Ovid MEDLINE (In-Process & Other Non-Indexed Citations March 3 2015); Ovid EMBASE (2012 to March 3 2015); and EBSCO CINAHL (2012 to March 4 2015). There were no restrictions on the basis of date or language of publication. SELECTION CRITERIA: Three review authors undertook independent screening of the search results. All randomised trials (RCTs) that compared the use of a wound drain with no wound drain following plastic and reconstructive surgery of the breast (breast augmentation, breast reduction and breast reconstruction) in women were eligible. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Two review authors undertook independent data extraction of study characteristics, methodological quality and outcomes (e.g. infection, other wound complications, pain, and length of hospital stay). Risk of bias was assessed independently by two review authors. We calculated the risk ratio (RR) for dichotomous outcomes and mean differences (MD) for continuous outcomes, with 95% confidence intervals. Analysis was on an intention-to-treat basis. MAIN RESULTS: Three randomised trials were identified and included in the review out of 190 studies that were initially screened; all evaluated wound drainage after breast reduction surgery. No new trials were identified for this first update. In total there were 306 women in the three trials, and 505 breasts were studied (254 drained, and 251 who were not drained). Apart from a significantly shorter duration of hospital stay for those participants who did not have drains (MD 0.77; 95% CI 0.40 to 1.14), there was no statistically significant impact of the use of drains on outcomes. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: The limited evidence available shows no significant benefit of using post-operative wound drains in reduction mammoplasty, though hospital stay may be shorter when drains are not used. No data are available for breast augmentation or breast reconstruction, and this requires investigation.

Wound drainage after plastic and reconstructive surgery of the breast.

BACKGROUND: Wound drains are often used after plastic and reconstructive surgery of the breast, in order to reduce potential complications. It is unclear whether there is any evidence to support this practice and we therefore undertook a systematic review of the best evidence available. OBJECTIVES: To compare the safety and efficacy of the use of wound drains following elective plastic and reconstructive surgery procedures of the breast. SEARCH METHODS: We searched the Cochrane Wounds Group Specialised Register (searched 3 August 2012); The Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) (The Cochrane Library 2012, Issue 7); Ovid MEDLINE (1950 to July Week 4 2012); Ovid MEDLINE (In-Process & Other Non-Indexed Citations August 2, 2011); Ovid EMBASE (1980 to 2012 Week 30); and EBSCO CINAHL (1982 to 2 August 2012). There were no restrictions on the basis of date or language of publication. SELECTION CRITERIA: Two review authors undertook independent screening of the search results. All randomised trials that compared the use of a wound drain with no wound drain following plastic and reconstructive surgery of the breast (breast augmentation, breast reduction and breast reconstruction) in women were eligible. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Two review authors undertook independent data extraction of study characteristics, methodological quality and outcomes (e.g. infection, other wound complications, pain, and length of hospital stay). Risk of bias was assessed independently by two review authors. We calculated the risk ratio (RR) for dichotomous outcomes and mean differences (MD) for continuous outcomes, with 95% confidence intervals. Analysis was on an intention-to-treat basis. MAIN RESULTS: Three randomised trials were identified and included in the review out of 109 studies that were initially screened; all evaluated wound drainage after breast reduction surgery. In total there were 306 women in the three trials, and 505 breasts were studied (254 drained, and 251 who were not drained). Apart from a significantly shorter duration of hospital stay for those participants who did not have drains (MD 0.77; 95% CI 0.40 to 1.14), there was no statistically significant impact of the use of drains on outcomes. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: The limited evidence available shows no significant benefit of using post-operative wound drains in reduction mammoplasty, though hospital stay may be shorter when drains are not used. No data are available for breast augmentation or breast reconstruction, and this requires investigation.

Oral treatments for fungal infections of the skin of the foot.

BACKGROUND: About 15% of the world population have fungal infections of the feet (tinea pedis or athlete's foot). There are many clinical presentations of tinea pedis, and most commonly, tinea pedis is seen between the toes (interdigital) and on the soles, heels, and sides of the foot (plantar). Plantar tinea pedis is known as moccasin foot. Once acquired, the infection can spread to other sites including the nails, which can be a source of re-infection. Oral therapy is usually used for chronic conditions or when topical treatment has failed. OBJECTIVES: To assess the effects of oral treatments for fungal infections of the skin of the foot (tinea pedis). SEARCH METHODS: For this update we searched the following databases to July 2012: the Cochrane Skin Group Specialised Register, CENTRAL in The Cochrane Library, MEDLINE (from 1946), EMBASE (from 1974), and CINAHL (from 1981). We checked the bibliographies of retrieved trials for further references to relevant trials, and we searched online trials registers. SELECTION CRITERIA: Randomised controlled trials of oral treatments in participants who have a clinically diagnosed tinea pedis, confirmed by microscopy and growth of dermatophytes (fungi) in culture. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Two review authors independently undertook study selection, 'Risk of bias' assessment, and data extraction. MAIN RESULTS: We included 15 trials, involving 1438 participants. The 2 trials (71 participants) comparing terbinafine and griseofulvin produced a pooled risk ratio (RR) of 2.26 (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.49 to 3.44) in favour of terbinafine's ability to cure infection. No significant difference was detected between terbinafine and itraconazole, fluconazole and itraconazole, fluconazole and ketoconazole, or between griseofulvin and ketoconazole, although the trials were generally small. Two trials showed that terbinafine and itraconazole were effective compared with placebo: terbinafine (31 participants, RR 24.54, 95% CI 1.57 to 384.32) and itraconazole (72 participants, RR 6.67, 95% CI 2.17 to 20.48). All drugs reported adverse effects, with gastrointestinal effects most commonly reported. Ten of the trials were published over 15 years ago, and this is reflected by the poor reporting of information from which to make a clear 'Risk of bias' assessment. Only one trial was at low risk of bias overall. The majority of the remaining trials were judged as 'unclear' risk of bias because of the lack of clear statements with respect to methods of generating the randomisation sequence and allocation concealment. More trials achieved blinding of participants and personnel than blinding of the outcome assessors, which was again poorly reported. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: The evidence suggests that terbinafine is more effective than griseofulvin, and terbinafine and itraconazole are more effective than no treatment. In order to produce more reliable data, a rigorous evaluation of different drug therapies needs to be undertaken with larger sample sizes to ensure they are large enough to show any real difference when two treatments are being compared. It is also important to continue to follow up and collect data, preferably for six months after the end of the intervention period, to establish whether or not the infection recurred.

Detection of Plasma Curcuminoids from Dietary Intake of Turmeric-Containing Food in Human Volunteers.

SCOPE: Curcumin (from turmeric), has been extensively investigated for potential beneficial properties in numerous diseases. Most work has focused on supra-dietary concentrations/doses that would necessitate curcumin supplementation. However, much evidence instigating curcumin research is underpinned by epidemiological data based on low dietary intake via turmeric consumption. METHODS AND RESULTS: Here, a novel, highly sensitive liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-MS/MS) method for detection of curcuminoids is described. Assay sensitivity is demonstrated in a pilot pharmacokinetic volunteer study following ingestion of foodstuffs containing a standardized mass of turmeric, representative of daily consumption by certain South Asian populations. Free parent curcumin was detectable in plasma from one individual, reaching maximal plasma concentrations (Cmax ) of 3.2 nm. Curcumin conjugates were detected in all volunteers; Cmax for curcumin glucuronide is 47.6 ± 28.5 nm 30 min post-food, while Cmax for demethoxycurcumin glucuronide and curcumin sulfate is ≈2 nm. Curcumin and its major metabolites persist in plasma for at least 8 h. CONCLUSION: Despite poor absorption and rapid conjugation, dietary intake of standard culinary turmeric within complex food matrices furnished human plasma with detectable levels of curcuminoids. Whether sustained low systemic concentrations of these non-nutritive, biologically active, dietary components may have pharmacological activity for human health benefit, warrants further research.