***TASK***
the task is to simplify the input abstract of a biomedical literature

***INPUT***
the input is the abstract of a biomedical literature

***OUTPUT***
the output is the simplified abstract for the input abstract of a biomedical literature

***DOCUMENTATION***

***EXAMPLES***

Input: Fifteen trials were included which tested two treatment regimes, 90 and 180 mg/day of nimodipine for 12, 24 weeks and 52 weeks. Two trials included only patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD), 10 trials included only patients with cerebrovascular dementia (CVD), and three trials included patients with AD, CVD and mixed disease. Available outcome data from nine trials (2492 patients) cover the domains of cognitive function, activities of daily living, global clinical state, safety and tolerability. By pooling available data from all trials, whatever the diagnosis of the patients included, this review found benefit associated with nimodipine (90 mg/day at 12 weeks) compared with placebo on the SCAG scale (WMD -7.59, 95% CI -9.87 to -5.31, P<0.00001), on clinical global impression (WMD -0.87, 95% CI -1.07 to -0.67, P<0.00001) and cognitive function (SMD 0.61, 95% CI 0.42 to 0.81, P<0.00001) but not on scales assessing activities of daily living. When the AD trials and the VD trials were pooled separately, similar significant results were found for the 90 mg/day dose of nimodipine at 12 weeks. Drop-out rates were low in the trials, affecting similar proportions of treatment and placebo groups. Nimodipine is well tolerated with a low rate of adverse effects similar to that associated with placebo. There were slightly more adverse cerebrovascular events, and adverse events due to blood problems, associated with placebo than with nimodipine, and adverse autonomic events were slightly more common with nimodipine than with placebo. Nimodipine can be of some benefit in the treatment of patients with features of dementia due to unclassified disease or to Alzheimer's disease, cerebrovascular disease, or mixed Alzheimer's and cerebrovascular disease. It appears to be well tolerated with few side effects. Data were not available from several trials, a total of more than 500 patients. A meta-analysis of individual patient data from all trials is desirable. Dementia is a chronic disorder and the short-term benefits of nimodipine demonstrated in the trials reviewed do not justify its use as a long-term anti-dementia drug. New research must focus on longer term outcomes.
Output:

The efficacy of nimodipine, a calcium channel blocker, has been tested in randomized controlled trials for the treatment of dementia, particularly Alzheimer's disease and multi-infarct dementia, the commonest forms of dementia in older people. The rationale for its use is to restrict the influx of calcium ions into neurons, and, by vasodilatation, to improve blood flow to the brain. This review found evidence of some short-term benefit attributable to nimodipine, mainly in measures of cognitive function and global impression, but not in activities on daily living, for patients with degenerative and multi-infarct dementia, and mixed dementia. Nimodipine is well tolerated with a low rate of adverse effects similar to that associated with placebo.