The Cochrane Neonatal Group works on producing and updating Cochrane Reviews to provide comprehensive data based on the latest evidence about the care of babies and infants. In December 2023, they added to their more than 450 reviews with one on the position used to perform spinal taps. Here are two co-authors of the review, Marcus Glenton Prescott from St. Olav’s Hospital, Trondheim in Norway and Sara Pessano from Gaslini Children's Hospital in Genoa Italy, to tell us about the findings.

Alongside the many Cochrane reviews of pharmacological treatments are some that look at how to ensure that these treatments are used appropriately. The third update of one of these, for polypharmacy in older people, was published in October 2023. Here's the new first author, Judith Cole from the Clinical Trials Service Unit at the University of Oxford in the UK to tell us more.

Malaria is arguably the most important parasitic disease in the world and the Cochrane Infectious Diseases Group has produced more than 60 relevant reviews. These were added to in August 2023 with a new review of the effects of topical repellents. We asked lead author, Juan Carlos Gabaldon from the Barcelona Institute for Global Health in Spain to tell us about the findings in this podcast.

Cochrane warmly invites you to submit abstracts for oral presentations, posters, and workshops for the second Global Evidence Summit (GES) 2024. Hosted by global leaders in evidence synthesis and evidence-based practice, including Cochrane, JBI, Guidelines International Network (GIN), and The Campbell Collaboration, the summit is set to take place in the historical city of Prague, Czech Republic, from 10 to 13 September 2024, with satellite meetings on 9 September 2024.

This collaborative effort between esteemed organizations represents a unique opportunity for professionals across various sectors, such as health, education, social justice, the environment, and climate change, to engage in discussions about producing, summarizing, and disseminating evidence to inform policy and practice. Abstract and workshop submissions will be accepted until the extended deadline of  6 March 2024.

Dr. Karla Soares-Weiser, Vice Chair of the GES Scientific Committee and Cochrane Editor in Chief, extends an invitation to the Cochrane community, emphasizing the importance of their participation in this global event: 

As we open the doors for abstract submissions to the second Global Evidence Summit, I am thrilled to invite the Cochrane community to contribute to the exchange of ideas that will shape the future of evidence-based practice. This summit, uniting leading organizations in evidence synthesis, is a testament to our commitment to improving lives worldwide through the power of credible evidence. I encourage all Cochrane members and supporters to submit their abstracts for oral presentations, posters, or workshops, and join us in Prague for this exceptional opportunity to collaborate, learn, and drive positive change.

The themes for GES 2024 include:

• Sustainable development agenda
• The importance of research integrity making evidence accessible
• Power of synergy in evidence synthesis & synthesis products
• Evidence translation & implementation
• Advocating for greater evidence communication & use of evidence
• From global evidence to local impact
  
  
  
  

Catherine Spencer, Cochrane's CEO, emphasizing the significance of the GES in fostering synergies and knowledge sharing within the global evidence community:

Our recent Cochrane Colloquium in London was a testament to the vibrant spirit of the Cochrane community. In 2024, we are excited to co-host the second Global Evidence Summit alongside our esteemed partners. GES provides a crucial platform to address vital issues across sectors, while showcasing the incredible methods and work of Cochrane. I warmly invite all Cochrane members to participate actively and submit abstracts. Let's unite for #GES2024 and contribute to advancing evidence-based practice globally!

Abstracts and workshop submissions are open until 6 March 2024 with notifications of acceptances happening on 30 April 2024. 

• Oral and poster abstract details
• Workshop submission details
• Visit the GES Website

Cochrane warmly invites you to submit abstracts for oral presentations, posters, and workshops for the second Global Evidence Summit (GES) 2024. Hosted by global leaders in evidence synthesis and evidence-based practice, including Cochrane, JBI, Guidelines International Network (GIN), and The Campbell Collaboration, the summit is set to take place in the historical city of Prague, Czech Republic, from 10 to 13 September 2024, with satellite meetings on 9 September 2024.

This collaborative effort between esteemed organizations represents a unique opportunity for professionals across various sectors, such as health, education, social justice, the environment, and climate change, to engage in discussions about producing, summarizing, and disseminating evidence to inform policy and practice. Abstract and workshop submissions will be accepted until the extended deadline of  6 March 2024.

Dr. Karla Soares-Weiser, Vice Chair of the GES Scientific Committee and Cochrane Editor in Chief, extends an invitation to the Cochrane community, emphasizing the importance of their participation in this global event: 

As we open the doors for abstract submissions to the second Global Evidence Summit, I am thrilled to invite the Cochrane community to contribute to the exchange of ideas that will shape the future of evidence-based practice. This summit, uniting leading organizations in evidence synthesis, is a testament to our commitment to improving lives worldwide through the power of credible evidence. I encourage all Cochrane members and supporters to submit their abstracts for oral presentations, posters, or workshops, and join us in Prague for this exceptional opportunity to collaborate, learn, and drive positive change.

The themes for GES 2024 include:

• Sustainable development agenda
• The importance of research integrity making evidence accessible
• Power of synergy in evidence synthesis & synthesis products
• Evidence translation & implementation
• Advocating for greater evidence communication & use of evidence
• From global evidence to local impact
  
  
  
  

Catherine Spencer, Cochrane's CEO, emphasizing the significance of the GES in fostering synergies and knowledge sharing within the global evidence community:

Our recent Cochrane Colloquium in London was a testament to the vibrant spirit of the Cochrane community. In 2024, we are excited to co-host the second Global Evidence Summit alongside our esteemed partners. GES provides a crucial platform to address vital issues across sectors, while showcasing the incredible methods and work of Cochrane. I warmly invite all Cochrane members to participate actively and submit abstracts. Let's unite for #GES2024 and contribute to advancing evidence-based practice globally!

Abstracts and workshop submissions are open until 6 March 2024 with notifications of acceptances happening on 30 April 2024. 

• Oral and poster abstract details
• Workshop submission details
• Visit the GES Website

The Cochrane Infectious Diseases Group produces reviews that cover the prevention and treatment of a wide range of illnesses. These include cholera and their review on cholera vaccines was updated in January 2024. Here's the new lead author, KM Saif-Ur-Rahman from Evidence Synthesis Ireland and Cochrane Ireland in University of Galway to tell us more.

There are more than 100 Cochrane reviews of interventions that might be used to help people with dementia. One of these, on dance movement therapy, was updated in August 2023 and we asked lead author, Vicky Karkou from Edge Hill University in Ormskirk in the UK, to tell us more in this podcast.

Many patients in intensive care develop delirium and there are several Cochrane reviews of ways to treat it. In November 2023, we added a review on the reliability of the confusion assessment method for diagnosing it and asked lead author, Fabian Miranda from the Universidad de Chile in Santiago, to tell us about the topic and the review's findings in this podcast.

There are several Cochrane Reviews of the effects of a class of drugs called antioxidants, covering a wide range of health conditions. One of these, focused on adults with chronic kidney disease, was updated in November 2023. In this podcast, Julia Colombijn, talks with fellow author, Robin Vernooij, both from the University Medical Center Utrecht in the Netherlands, about the topic and the findings of the review.

One of the updated Cochrane Reviews from October 2023 is the third update of a review of the effects of vaccines for Herpes Zoster. It was conducted by a team of researchers in Brazil and we asked one of the authors, Juliana Gomes from the Department of Geriatrics and Gerontology at the Federal University of São Paulo, to describe its importance and main findings.

Respiratory infections are one of the commonest reasons for patients to present to primary care or general practice, and antibiotics are widely used as a treatment for them. However, there are increasing concerns about the use of antibiotics and various strategies have been developed to reduce their use. These include something called 'delayed antibiotics' and, in October 2023, the relevant Cochrane Review was updated. Here's Geoff Spurling from the University of Queensland in Australia to tell us about this strategy and the latest findings of the review.

Back in October 1998, we published the first version of the Cochrane review of the effects of cranberry for preventing urinary tract infections. Twenty-five years on, the sixth update was published in November 2023 and here's lead author, Gabrielle Williams from University of Sydney in Australia to bring us up to date in this podcast.

Alongside the several Cochrane reviews of ways to prevent falls in older people, a new review of the effects of cognitive behavioural therapy on their fear of falling was added in November 2023. Here's lead author, Eric Lenouvel from the University Hospital of Psychiatry in Bern Switzerland, to tell us more.

The Cochrane Skin Group has produced some of the largest Cochrane reviews, providing a “one stop shop” for people interested in a wide range of interventions for a particular skin condition. One such example is the review of systemic medicines to treat psoriasis, which was updated for the fourth time in July 2023. We asked two of the authors, Laurence Le Cleach, head of the French satellite of the Cochrane Skin group, and dermatologist at Henri Mondor hospital, AP-HP in France and Emilie Sbidian, a dermatologist working at the same hospital, to describe the findings. Here's Laurence to begin.

Age-related macular degeneration is a progressive and sight-threatening disease affecting the central area of the retina at the back of the eye. There are Cochrane Reviews of the use of antioxidant vitamin and mineral supplements to prevent or slow down progression of the disease and the latter was updated in September 2023. Here's lead author, Jenny Evans from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine in the UK to tell us about the latest evidence.

Hypertrophic and keloid scars are common skin conditions resulting from abnormal wound healing. One possible treatment involves the use of a laser and a new Cochrane Review of the evidence was published in September 2022. We asked one of the authors, Ana Carolina Nunes from Cochrane Brazil in Sao Paolo, to tell us more in this podcast.

The many Cochrane Reviews related to the use of insulin for people with diabetes were added to in November 2023 with a new review of the thermal stability and storage of human insulin. Here's Bernd Richter, lead author and Emeritus Coordinating Editor of the Cochrane Metabolic and Endocrine Disorders Group, based in Düsseldorf, Germany, to tell us what they found.

An important problem for babies who are born too early is a condition called apnea and a new Cochrane review published in October 2023 brings together the evidence on the effects of a class of drugs called methylxanthines. We asked one of the authors, Matteo Bruschettini from Cochrane Sweden, to tell us about the review's findings in this podcast and he used an AI voice from elevenlabs.io to make the recording.