Towards evidence based emergency medicine: best BETs from the Manchester Royal Infirmary. Use of tamsulosin in patients with urinary calculi to increase spontaneous stone passage.

A short cut review was carried out to establish whether tamsulosin enhances the chances of spontaneous stone expulsion in renal colic. Thirty-five papers were found using the reported searches, of which two (a meta-analysis and one further randomised controlled trial) presented the best evidence to answer the clinical question. The author, date and country of publication, patient group studied, study type, relevant outcomes, results and study weaknesses of these papers are presented in table 3.

Anticoagulants prevent monocrotaline-induced hepatic parenchymal cell injury but not endothelial cell injury in the rat.

Monocrotaline (MCT) is a pyrrolizidine alkaloid plant toxin that produces hepatotoxicity in humans and animals. Human exposure to MCT occurs through consumption of contaminated grains and herbal medicines. Administration of MCT to rats stimulates activation of the coagulation system and fibrin deposition in the liver.