***TASK*** the task is to summarize an input biomedical literature in six sentences 
    ***INPUT*** the input is a biomedical literature 
    ***OUTPUT*** the output is the summary of an input biomedical literature in six sentences 
    ***DOCUMENTATION*** 
    ***EXAMPLES*** 
    Input: Between november 1993 and july 1995 60 patients with a common cold underwent r and omized and double-blind testing of 3 commercial nasal sprays-benzydamine , xylometazoline combined with the secretolytic S-carboxymethylcysteine , and phenylephrine combined with the antihistaminic dimethindene maleate . After prior active rhinomanometric measurement of the untreated nose , the test substance was applied . The change of nasal patency was registered after 3 and 10 minutes and then after 2 , 4 , 6 and 8 hours . At the end the patient gave a subjective evaluation of the used spray . There was no change in nasal obstruction following application of NaCl or benzydamine . Xylometazoline/S-carboxymethylcysteine ( + 87 % ) or phenylephrine/ dimethindene maleate ( + 113 % ) augmented nasal patency within minutes . Using phenylephrine/dimethindene maleate the effect lasted less than 2 hours , while after xylometazoline/S-carboxymethylcysteine decongestion lasted more than 6 hours . The patients also subjectively reported an increase in nasal patency after the use of benzydamine and placebo . But only phenylephrine/ dimethindene maleate or xylometazoline/S-carboxymethylcysteine were judged good . Using benzydamine or phenylephrine + dimethindene maleate , more side-effects ( mainly dryness and burning ) were mentioned . Considering the subjective assessment of side-effects and duration of action , as well as objective parameters , derivatives of imidazole ( oxymetazoline and xylometazoline ) are first choice in treatment of the common cold It is now possible for some allergy patients to breathe more easily and remain alert , as demonstrated by European clinical trials of a potent new antihistamine , terfenadine . The drug does not produce sedation or other adverse effects associated with older antihistamine preparations . In addition , there are no apparent contraindications for its use in adult allergy sufferers , nor have any carcinogenic , mutagenic , or teratogenic effects been seen in animals . Terfenadine , manufactured by Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals , Inc , Cincinnati , is like other antihistamines — an H 1 receptor antagonist ; that is , it specifically blocks the chain of cellular events following the release of histamine that triggers the typical symptoms of acute and perennial rhinitis and allergic dermatitis . However , terfenadine does not affect the CNS , as indicated by a series of clinical trials reported at a Milan symposium to introduce the agent in Italy We used a rhinovirus challenge model to test the therapeutic efficacy of clemastine fumarate for reducing  sneezing and nasal secretion  in a double-blind , r and omized clinical trial . Clemastine fumarate ( 1.34 mg ) or placebo was administered at 8 A.M. and 8 P.M. for 4 days , beginning 24 hours , 36 hours , 48 hours , and 60 hours after viral challenge . Infected evaluable subjects who received clemastine ( n = 75 ) had reduced sneeze-severity scores compared with those who received placebo ( n = 75 ) on illness days 2 ( 0.3 vs. 0.5 ; P = .003 ) , 3 ( 0.4 vs. 0.8 ; P = .0003 ) , 4 ( 0.3 vs. 0.5 ; P = .025 ) , and 5 ( 0.1 vs. 0.3 ; P = .03 ) ; sneeze counts for infected evaluable subjects ( vs. counts for those who received placebo ) were reduced on illness days 2 ( 1.5 vs. 3.1 ; P = .01 ) , 3 ( 1.7 vs. 5.6 ; P = .0001 ) , and 5 ( 0.7 vs. 1.9 ; P = .03 ) . Infected evaluable subjects who received treatment had reduced rhinorrhea scores ( compared with those who received placebo ) on illness days 2 ( 0.7 vs. 1.0 ; P = .04 ) and 3 ( 0.6 vs. 0.9 ; P = .04 ) and had reduced nasal secretion weights on day 3 ( 3.6 g vs. 6.3 g ; P = .03 ) . Over 4 days of treatment , mean sneeze scores for infected evaluable subjects ( vs. scores for those who received placebo ) were reduced by 50 % , mean sneeze counts by 57 % , mean rhinorrhea scores by 27 % , and mean nasal secretion weights by 35 % . Other cold symptoms were unaffected by treatment . Treatment with clemastine was associated with an excess incidence of dry mouth ( 6 % ) , dry nose ( 19 % ) , and dry throat ( 17 % ) Two hundred and seventeen patients between 6 and 12 years of age suffering from acute cough took part in a r and omized , single-blind study comparing ' Pholcolix ' and ' Actifed ' Compound . No significant difference in efficacy was demonstrated but analysis of palatability components ( taste , smell , aftertaste and feeling in the mouth ) showed numerical superiority for ' Pholcolix ' for all parameters , with a high degree of significance for overall taste .  ' Pholcolix ' caused significantly fewer side-effects , with ' Actifed ' Compound causing markedly more drowsiness after daytime dosage Antihistamines are widely used in common cold medications , although the role of histamine in the development of common cold symptoms is unclear and the use of antihistamines for the treatment of common cold is controversial . It is clear that antihistamines do not offer a cure for common cold but they may alleviate symptoms of sneezing and runny nose . The present study was design ed to investigate the efficacy of an antihistamine , doxylamine , on the symptoms of runny nose and sneezing associated with common cold . We conducted a r and omized double-blind study in cold sufferers . One thous and and one volunteers with cold symptoms were screened in four centres ( UK , Denmark , Belgium , Germany ) and 688 satisfied the entry criteria of the study . The main reasons for excluding subjects were a low nasal secretion weight ( secretion weight < 0.2 g , 72 % ) and a low subjective rhinorrhoea score ( 24 % ) . Volunteers were r and omized to receive either doxylamine succinate 7.5 mg by mouth four times a day up to nine doses ( n = 345 ) or placebo ( n = 343 ) . The principal measurements were prospect ively defined as runny nose and sneezing symptom scores . Data were analysed on an intention-to-treat basis , using Cochran-Mantel-Haenszel statistics controlling for baseline symptom scores . A between-group comparison showed that doxylamine-treated volunteers benefited from a significantly greater reduction in runny nose scores ( P < 0.01 ) and sneezing scores ( P < 0.001 ) , than those volunteers in the placebo group . Doxylamine therapy was well tolerated ; the incidence of unexpected side-effects was comparable with placebo . Of the expected side-effects , 13.3 % of doxylamine-treated patients reported drowsiness . The incidence of sedative effects was lower than has been reported for other commonly used first-generation antihistamines This study sought to investigate the efficacy of dextromethorphan ( DM ) , diphenhydramine ( DPH ) , and placebo ( PL ) for symptoms attributed to upper respiratory infections as determined by children , and to evaluate the concordance of perception of nocturnal symptoms between children and parents . A total of 37 children age 6 to 18 years of age were r and omized in a double-masked fashion to receive a single bedtime dose of DM , DPH , or PL . Children found no significant difference in the effect of DM , DPH , or PL  for any study outcome , and responses by parents and children were significantly correlated To determine whether the cough of the common cold arises from upper respiratory stimuli and whether antihistamine-decongestant therapy is an effective treatment for this cough , we prospect ively evaluated volunteers with uncomplicated common colds in a r and omized , double-blind , placebo-controlled study . After completing a st and ardized question naire and undergoing a physical examination , throat-culturing , and pulmonary function testing , subjects took the active drug or identical-appearing placebo for 7 days while they kept a diary in which they ranked the severity of 17 symptoms for 14 days . Pulmonary function testing was repeated , on average , on Days 4 , 8 , and 14 . Forty-six percent of the variation in cough severity could be explained by throat-clearing and 47 % of the variation in throat-clearing severity by postnasal drip . FIF50 % , the only physiologic parameter that significantly correlated with cough , rose as cough severity fell . Antihistamine-decongestant therapy reduced postnasal drip and significantly decreased the severity of cough , nasal obstruction , nasal discharge , and throat-clearing during the first few days of the common cold . In addition , cough was 20 to 30 % less prevalent in the active drug group within 3 days of starting therapy . We conclude that the cough of the common cold arose from upper respiratory tract stimuli and that cough and other cardinal symptoms of the common cold were reduced with antihistamine-decongestant therapy when these symptoms were at their worst We tested the efficacy of brompheniramine maleate in a large r and omized , controlled trial of volunteers with experimental rhinovirus colds .  Brompheniramine ( 12 mg ) or placebo was administered at 8:00 A.M. and 8:00 P.M. for < or = 4 days after the onset of symptoms ( 24 , 36 , or 48 hours after virus challenge ) . During the first 3 days of treatment ( the first 4 days after virus challenge ) , nasal secretion weights were lower for infected evaluable subjects receiving  brompheniramine  ( n = 113 ) than for controls ( day 1 : 4.3 g vs. 6.8 g ; day 2 : 4.8 g vs. 7.7 g ; and day 3 : 3.3 g vs. 5.3 g ) ( P < or = .03 ) , as were rhinorrhea scores ( day 1 : 0.6 vs. 0.8 ; day 2 : 0.5 vs. 0.8 ; and day 3 : 0.3 vs. 0.5 ) ( P < .03 ) , sneeze counts ( day 1 : 1.8 vs. 3.6 ; day 2 : 2.1 vs. 5.1 ; and day 3 : 1.3 vs. 3.3 ) ( P < or = .001 ) , and sneeze severity scores ( day 1 : 0.3 vs. 0.6 ; day 2 : 0.25 vs. 0.7 ; and day 3 : 0.2 vs. 0.4 ) ( P < .001 ) ( n = 112 ) . Cough counts were lower after day 1 of treatment for the brompheniramine group than for controls ( 4.7 vs. 7.9 ) ( P = .05 ) ( day 2 after virus challenge ) , and other symptoms were modestly reduced or were unaffected in the brompheniramine group .  Total symptom scores were also lower for the brompheniramine group than for controls on treatment days 1 ( 4.8 vs. 6.0 ) ( P = .03 ) and 2 ( 4.1 vs. 5.6 ) ( days 2 and 3 after virus challenge ) ( P = .003 ) . Treatment with brompheniramine was associated with the adverse effects of somnolence ( n = 3 ) and confusion ( n = 1 ) . Brompheniramine was efficacious treatment for the sneezing , rhinorrhea , and cough associated with rhinovirus colds Limited data support the use of first-generation antihistamines for treatment of the  common cold .  The purpose of this study was to test the effectiveness of clemastine fumarate , a first-generation antihistamine , for treatment of sneezing and rhinorrhea associated with naturally occurring common colds . Four hundred three subjects ( 202 clemastine fumarate recipients and 201 placebo recipients ) who reported new onset ( < 24 hours ) of cold symptoms that included rhinorrhea or sneezing were studied . At baseline ( day 1 ) , the mean symptom-severity scores + /- SEM for the clemastine fumarate and placebo groups were not significantly different . The mean rhinorrhea-severity score + /- SEM was not different on day 2 ; however , on day 3 , the mean rhinorrhea-severity score + /- SEM was 1.02 + /- 0.07 for the clemastine fumarate group and 1.39 + /- 0.07 for the placebo group ( P < .001 ) . This treatment effect persisted on day 4 . A significant effect on sneezing was noted on days 2 - 4 . Sedation occurred in 14 % of the clemastine fumarate-treated subjects and 1.5 % of the placebo-treated subjects ( P < .0001 ) Abstract A r and omized , controlled , double-masked clinical trial was conducted with a combination antiviral-antimediator treatment for experimental rhinovirus colds . In all , 150 healthy men and women ( aged 18–5 
    Output:
    
However , there was no difference between antihistamines and placebo in the mid term ( three to four days ) to long term ( six to 10 days ) .
When evaluating individual symptoms such as nasal congestion , rhinorrhoea and sneezing , there was some beneficial effect of the sedating antihistamines compared to placebo ( e.g. rhinorrhoea on day three : mean difference ( MD ) -0.23 , 95 % CI -0.39 to -0.06 on a four- or five-point severity scale ; sneezing on day three : MD -0.35 , 95 % CI -0.49 to -0.20 on a four-point severity scale ) , but this effect is clinical ly non-significant .
Adverse events such as sedation were more commonly reported with sedating antihistamines although the differences were not statistically significant .
Antihistamines have a limited short-term ( days one and two of treatment ) beneficial effect on severity of overall symptoms but not in the mid to long term .
There is no clinical ly significant effect on nasal obstruction , rhinorrhoea or sneezing .
Although side effects are more common with sedating antihistamines , the difference is not statistically significant .
There is no evidence of effectiveness of antihistamines in children