Dear Cochrane Colleagues, Members and Supporters, 

Thank you to everyone across our community for your dedication and commitment to Cochrane during 2022. The last few years have at times felt tumultuous, both due to Covid and world events, but also because of the changes we are making to ensure that Cochrane is fit for a future that meets our vision of a world of better health for all people, where decisions about health and care are informed by high-quality evidence. 

We are well on our way to creating an evolved impact-driven organisation to support evidence-based health and social care. With your help we are building on your enormous achievements, over the past thirty years, to create new ways of producing the right evidence, in a timely manner, to support decision making.  

Our updated Future Cochrane micro-site demonstrates the scale of progress at Cochrane and the work under way to transition to our new model. The site is designed to be a one-stop shop for news and information on the change process.  

In November we announced Cochrane’s first seven new Thematic Groups. The first groups are: 

• Global Ageing 
• Health Equity 
• Nutrition and Physical Activity 
• Person-Centred Care, Public Health and Health Systems 
• Sexual and Reproductive Health 
• Vascular 
• Work and Health and Social Security 

Feature profiles of each Thematic Group will be published in the months ahead, with Person Centred Care, Health Systems and Public Health and Nutrition and Physical Activity kicking off the series this month. Keep an eye out for Health Equity when the series resumes in early February.  

Many of you are interested in the next steps of our transition. We will make further announcements about the process for establishing Evidence Synthesis Units next year. 

At the end of November Jimmy Volmink provided a superb Cochrane lecture focusing on equality and diversity. Many of the themes and challenges that he raised are already being threaded through our future plans.  

Open Access is of course key to that future, ensuring that more people have immediate access to our content.  Progress demonstrating our commitment was evident last month when Cochrane launched Cochrane Evidence Synthesis and Methods, our first open access journal, in which we will publish diverse types of evidence synthesis, methods research, and research on other areas vital to evidence synthesis. This new platform allows us to disseminate research beyond systematic reviews from across Cochrane groups and collaborators ­– who until now, have not been able to publish their research in a Cochrane journal.  

And of course, we have been delighted with the high-profile reviews that we’ve published in the Cochrane Library. 

• Efficacy and safety of COVID‐19 vaccines  
• Unintended consequences of measures implemented in the school setting to contain the COVID-19 pandemic: a scoping review 
• SARS-CoV-2-neutralizing monoclonal antibodies to prevent COVID-19 
• Janus kinase inhibitors for the treatment of COVID-19 
• Interleukin-1 blocking agents for the treatment of COVID-19 
• Interventions for preventing falls in Parkinson's disease 
• Interventions to increase COVID-19 vaccine uptake: a scoping review 
• Inhaled corticosteroids for the treatment of COVID-19 
• Immunity after COVID-19 vaccination in people with higher risk of compromised immune status: a scoping review 
• Replacing salt with low-sodium salt substitutes (LSSS) for cardiovascular and renal health in adults, children and pregnant women 
• Fluvoxamine for the treatment of COVID-19 
• Guaiac-based faecal occult blood tests versus faecal immunochemical tests for colorectal cancer screening in average-risk individuals 

As we ramp up our fundraising efforts across the organisation it’s great to see that we have already had success in the US, with  $5 million for Cochrane Eyes & Vision US Satellite,  $1 million to Cochrane US Network and in South Africa with partners, funding for The Global Evidence, Local Adaptation project.  

Other successes include: 

• 6,100+ plain language summaries were translated in 15 different languages in 2022 so far 
• Cochrane Rehab joins World Rehab Alliance 
• Impact factor increased 
• WHO postnatal guidelines 
• WHO labour recommendations  

Diversity and Inclusion progress: 

• Diversity and inclusion report 
• Launch of Evidence Essentials 5: consumer involvement in Cochrane  
• Signed a public involvement pledge 
• Updated Cochrane Engage volunteer hub 

And there’s also great news from our Evidence Pipeline Team. Cochrane has always been a leader in innovation, and now we have demonstrated further success by introducing the ability to browse the Cochrane Library by patient/population, intervention, comparison, and outcomes, which is universally shortened to PICO. It is now possible to browse Cochrane content using themed groups of included PICOs from the Cochrane Library homepage. Users can discover Cochrane content using themed groups of included PICOs curated and maintained by Cochrane PICO ontology experts. With one click, users can see all available search results for categories with included PICOs. In addition, there is clear contextual help for those new to PICOs, with clear guidance on using PICOs and links to the relevant section of the Cochrane Handbook.  

Additional successes include: 

• Over 5200 new contributors have joined Cochrane Crowd this year, bringing total Crowd community to 28,302 people from 178 countries! 
• 1.7 million records assessed by the Crowd this year 
• Launched new Crowd task PICO Extract in August 2022. Over 4000 RCTs have now been PICO annotated.  
• We launched the Central Study Identification Service – a service that helps to identify the studies for any Cochrane Review. We are in a pilot phase at the moment but the service has been used by 7 Cochrane Intervention Reviews so far and reduced author screening by an average of 70%.  
• Cochrane Crowd hosted a huge 24-hour screening challenge in October this year: organised by Cochrane Mexico using Cochrane Classmate, nearly 600 students screened over 250,000 records in just 24 hours. 

2022 has been a busy but productive year, thank you all for the incredible work you have done. 

2023 promises to be challenging as we continue our transformation. This includes the changes to UK Review Groups as a result of the loss of NIHR funding in the UK; their contribution to the Cochrane Library and Cochrane has been immense. It is difficult to find words which adequately describe how much they have given to Cochrane. 

As we look towards a new future at Cochrane I look forward to collaborating and working with you to use the best of the past to create more impact in more locations around the world. 

Best wishes for a wonderful festive season and a happy and healthy 2023, 

Catherine Spencer, CEO 

On behalf of the Executive Leadership Team 

Wednesday, December 21, 2022

Thursday, December 15, 2022

Cochrane is made up of 11,000 members and over 67,000 supporters come from more than 130 countries, worldwide. Our volunteers and contributors are researchers, health professionals, patients, carers, people passionate about improving health outcomes for everyone, everywhere.

Getting involved in Cochrane’s work means becoming part of a global community. The Cochrane International Mobility programme connects successful applicants with a placement in a host Cochrane Group, learning more about the production, use, and knowledge translation of Cochrane reviews. The prgramme offers opportunities for learning and training not only for participants but also for host staff.

In this series, we profile those that have participated in the Cochrane International Mobility Program and learn more about their experiences.

Name: Martina Albertella
Location: Italy
Cochrane International Mobility location: Cochrane Sweden

How did you first learn about Cochrane?
I first heard about Cochrane at my University (in Genoa, Italy): during lectures a lot of Professors used to mention Cochrane evidence and results, as it has such a high impact. I was interested in the paediatrics research field, so I looked for more information about the organization, I contacted Matteo at Cochrane Sweden and I started the Cochrane Interactive Learning modules before coming to Sweden. These modules were my first real learning opportunity about systematic reviews.

What was your experience with your Cochrane International Mobility?
I’ve always been interested in the research field and Cochrane is the perfect environment to learn everything about it. I also wanted to have an abroad experience so, thanks to Matteo’s help, I applied to start my Erasmus Traineeship at Cochrane Sweden for three months.

What are you doing now in relation to your Cochrane International Mobility experience?
My team and I submitted a few weeks ago our systematic review about the use of an enzyme to prevent a chronic disease in preterm infants. That was a great learning experience: Matteo and Martin have been always supportive. They explained to me very clearly how to do the work, step by step. Whenever we had a doubt, they were always there to help us! After that, I joined another team working on another systematic review, but still related to paediatrics: now I feel more confident and it’s great because I realize how much you can learn with this experience!

Do you have any words of advice to anyone considering a Cochrane International Mobility experience?
If you want to learn more about systematic reviews but also about how to read and understand a scientific text and its methodology, this is the perfect experience for you. It also gives you the opportunity to work and collaborate with people from all over the world and to improve your English skills. If you are a student like me, who didn’t have any experience in the research field before, my personal advice is: connect yourself to Cochrane! This is a chance to put into practice everything you are learning.

 

 

Wednesday, December 14, 2022

Specifications: Full Time, 37.5 hours per week
Employment Type: Permanent employment contract if in the UK, Denmark or Germany, consultancy contract if outside these three areas
Salary: £60,000 per annum full-time salary
Location: Flexible location but must have a demonstrable understanding of UK regulations
Application Closing Date: Sunday 8th January 2023 at midnight

Cochrane is a charity and a global, independent network of health practitioners, researchers, patient advocates and others, responding to the challenge of making vast amounts of research evidence useful for informing decisions about health. They do this by synthesising research findings to produce the best available evidence on what works. Their work has been recognised as the international gold standard for high quality, trusted information.

The core purpose of this role is to lead Cochrane’s governance and to support the strategic aims and operational activities of the organisation. The role will provide oversight of policy development, implementation, monitoring, and reporting to the Governing Board to ensure that Cochrane is compliant and follows the best practice.

Part of your duties will include:

• Maintaining knowledge and being well-informed of best practice and developments within charity governance and policy, advising the Board, CEO and Executive Leadership Team.
• Ensuring the appropriate support structures and processes are in place to enable Cochrane’s Governing Board to meet its responsibilities and obligations; and lead and oversee high-quality support to the Board, its Committees, the Cochrane Council, and other governance bodies.
• Contributing to Cochrane’s budget planning processes and manage the governance budget effectively.
• Working with the Chief Executive Officer and Director of Finance & Corporate Services, develop a strategy to ensure an appropriate level of assurance for the charity and wider Community with implementation, monitoring and evaluation plans.
• Working with the CEO and the ELT to establish and review policies and procedures that ensure the organisation meets constitutional, legal, and regulatory requirements relating to company administration.

Cochrane welcomes applications from a wide range of perspectives, experiences, locations, and backgrounds; diversity, equity and inclusion are key to their values.

How to apply

• For further information on the role and how to apply, please click here
• The deadline to receive your application is by 8 January 2023
• The supporting statement should indicate why you are applying for the post, and how far you meet the requirements, using specific examples
• Note that we will assess applications as they are received, and therefore may fill the post before the deadline
• Read our Recruitment Privacy Statement

Tuesday, December 13, 2022 Category: Jobs

Cochrane’s Editor in Chief, Dr Karla Soares-Weiser, has today published an editorial to mark the end of 2022 and the beginning of Cochrane's 30th anniversary year in 2023. In Looking back, looking forward: Cochrane at 30 and beyond, Karla reflects on Cochrane’s many contributions to global health, recognizes past and future challenges, and shares her deep gratitude to the Cochrane community – who for three decades have delivered the trusted evidence our rapidly changing world needs.

"As the third year of the pandemic draws to a close" Karla writes, "it seems we have reached something of an inflection point where as individuals, as an organization, and as a global community we are looking back and assessing the consequences and costs of COVID-19, and to consider what lies ahead."

In doing so, Karla looks back at the major challenges faced and achievements realized by Cochrane before and during the pandemic and looks forward as we transition to a new, sustainable model of evidence production in especially tumultuous times for health, funding and geo-political stability. She underscores the critical issue of equity following years of deepening health and wealth disparities, and restates Cochrane’s commitment to fostering diversity, tacking inequity and making a tangible contribution to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. 

Karla says:

Cochrane's values, focus on collaboration, and commitment to rigour and innovation have been vital to cementing our reputation as one of the most trusted sources of evidence in health and care decisions over three decades. We draw on these strengths now more than ever, as the shifting health landscape demands that we increase the pace of high-quality evidence production, deliver on our commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion, and respond in a more focused way to the diverse needs of all our users.

The shape and output of our organization continues to adapt to the needs of the times, while together we continue to deliver the evidence the world needs at this critical juncture for humanity.

• Read Karla’s full editorial
• Find out more about the changes underway within Cochrane 

Wednesday, December 14, 2022

Tuesday, November 22, 2022

Cochrane is made up of 11,000 members and over 67,000 supporters come from more than 130 countries, worldwide. Our volunteers and contributors are researchers, health professionals, patients, carers, people passionate about improving health outcomes for everyone, everywhere.

Getting involved in Cochrane’s work means becoming part of a global community. The Cochrane International Mobility programme connects successful applicants with a placement in a host Cochrane Group, learning more about the production, use, and knowledge translation of Cochrane reviews. The prgramme offers opportunities for learning and training not only for participants but also for host staff.

In this series, we profile those that have participated in the Cochrane International Mobility Program and learn more about their experiences.

Name: Themistoklis Paraskevas
Location: Greece
Cochrane International Mobility location: Cochrane Sweden

How did you first learn about Cochrane?
I first learned about Cochrane during my postgraduate studies, but I got to know the organization better when I participated in an entry-level seminar co-hosted by Cochrane Sweden and Cochrane South Africa in Spring of 2022.

What was your experience with your Cochrane International Mobility?
I consider this experience to have been crucial for my future career in Medicine and Research Synthesis. Since I first contacted Matteo and Martin, they have been nothing but helpful both in academic matters as well as smaller problems during the mobility period.

What are you doing now in relation to your Cochrane International Mobility experience?
Right now, we have just finished two Cochrane projects, a  Systematic Review of Interventions and an Overview. Additionally, I am collaborating with an amazing international team in a challenging methods review.

Do you have any words of advice to anyone considering a Cochrane International Mobility experience?
Do not hesitate to contact Cochrane teams, as they can provide a suitable environment to enter the field of Systematic Reviews and Methodology. Also, take advantage of the plethora of available Cochrane modules online and especially the Cochrane Handbook.

 

 

Monday, November 21, 2022

A comprehensive review of all the evidence available from randomised controlled trials of COVID 19 vaccines up to November 2021 has concluded that most protect against infection and severe or critical illness caused by the virus.

The review, a collaboration of independent, international experts, also found there was little or no difference between the number of people experiencing serious side effects after vaccination compared to those who were unvaccinated.

The researchers, led by Isabelle Boutron, Professor of Epidemiology at Université Paris Cité and Director of Cochrane France, analysed published data from 41 randomised controlled trials of 12 different COVID-19 vaccines, involving 433,838 people in various countries around the world. They assessed the certainty of the evidence and the risk of bias in the different studies.

The trials compared COVID-19 vaccines with placebo, no vaccine, or each other, and were published before 5 November 2021. The vaccines investigated were: Pfizer/BioNTech, Moderna, Oxford-AstraZeneca, Bharat (Covaxin), Janssen, Sinopharm-Beijing (WIBP-CorV and BBIBP-CorV), Novavax, Coronavac-Sinovac, Soberana 2 (Finlay-FR-2), Sputnik V (Gam-COVID-Vac) and Cure Vac AG (CVnCoV). Most trials were no longer than two months in length.

The review found that the following vaccines reduced or probably reduced the risk of COVID-19 infection compared to placebo: Pfizer/BioNTech, Moderna, CureVac COVID-19, Oxford-AstraZeneca, Janssen, Sputnik V (Gam-COVID-Vac), Sinopharm (WIBP CorV and BBIBP-CorV), Bharat (Covaxin), Novavax and Soberana 2 (Finlay-FR-2). The following reduced or probably reduced the risk of severe or critical disease: Pfizer/BioNTech, Moderna, Janssen, Sputnik V, Bharat and Novavax. In addition, the Janssen and Soberana 2 vaccines probably decreased the risk of death from any cause. There were very few deaths recorded in all the trials and so evidence on mortality for the other vaccines is uncertain.

For most of the vaccines investigated, more people who had been vaccinated reported localised or temporary side effects compared to those who had no treatment or placebo. These included tiredness, headache, muscle pains, chills, fever and nausea. With respect to the very rare side effects associated with some vaccines such as thrombosis, the team found that the reporting of these events was inconsistent, and the number of events reported in the trials was very low.

Given the evidence of efficacy of these vaccines, the researchers question whether further placebo-controlled trials are ethical. They suggest that further research compares new vaccines with those already in use.

The current review analysed data available up to November 2021. Since then, analyses have been updated and will continue to be made publicly available every two weeks by the COVID-NMA Initiative, which provides live mapping of COVID-19 trials. A living, systematic review of clinical trials is available to researchers and policy-makers alike on the COVID-NMA platform. This enables the team to provide the most up-to-date evidence on which to base further research and decisions about prevention and treatment for COVID-19.

Prof. Boutron said:

“The evidence on COVID-19 vaccines is constantly changing and updating. Everything moves so quickly that by the time the next Cochrane review is published, or other papers are published, the data are likely to be out of date. There are more than 600 randomised trials of vaccines registered at present, and about 200 of them are recruiting. COVID-NMA is the only initiative that continues to monitor the developing evidence from trials and provides a platform for researchers to conduct their own analyses via the metaCOVID tool on the website.

Researchers, clinicians and policy-makers have to take very rapid decisions about what to do to prevent and treat COVID-19. I hope that this initiative will help them to have access to the most up-to-date evidence on which to base their decisions.”

• Read the plain language summary and full review 
• Read this news item in Malay
• How to talk about vaccines when you’re not an expert: a Lifeology and Cochrane collaboration
• Evidently Cochrane Blog : Are COVID-19 vaccines effective and safe? New Cochrane evidence

Full citation: Graña C, Ghosn L, Evrenoglou T, Jarde A, Minozzi S, Bergman H, Buckley BS, Probyn K, Villanueva G, Henschke N, Bonnet H, Assi R, Menon S, Marti M, Devane D, Mallon P, Lelievre J-D, Askie LM, Kredo T, Ferrand G, Davidson M, Riveros C, Tovey D, Meerpohl JJ, Grasselli G, Rada G, Hróbjartsson A, Ravaud P, Chaimani A, Boutron I. Efficacy and safety of COVID-19 vaccines. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews TBD, Issue TBD. Art. No.: CD015477. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD015477.

About Cochrane
Cochrane is a global independent network of researchers, professionals, patients, carers, and people interested in health. Cochrane produces reviews which study all of the best available evidence generated through research and make it easier to inform decisions about health. These are called systematic reviews. Cochrane is a not-for profit organization with collaborators from more than 130 countries working together to produce credible, accessible health information that is free from commercial sponsorship and other conflicts of interest. Our work is recognized as representing an international gold standard for high quality, trusted information. https://www.cochrane.org/

If you are a journalist or member of the press and wish to receive news alerts before their online publication or if you wish to arrange an interview with an author, please contact the Cochrane press office -pressoffice@cochrane.org

Wednesday, December 7, 2022

On International Volunteer Day, 5 December, we would like to take the opportunity to say thank you to our incredible global community. Thank you to thousands of Cochrane Supporters and Members who volunteer in so many ways to help bring trusted health evidence to the people who need it, all over the world.

In 2023, nearly 4,000 people earnt Cochrane membership through volunteering have translated over 3 million words into different languages, screened over a million records in Cochrane Crowd and contributed in countless other ways.

Cochrane couldn’t have such a big impact without our volunteers. Volunteering is good for us – and good for our volunteers too! They can learn new skills and feel part of a global community working together to achieve better health for all. We value our volunteers and we are pleased to announce on International Volunteer Day our updated guidance on how you can look after the volunteers you work with.

Cochrane's Chief Executive, Catherine Spencer,  has expressed her heartfelt gratitude to our volunteers around the world: "On behalf of the Cochrane Collaboration, I would like to thank you. Your contribution is profoundly important and we couldn’t do this without you. I hope that you continue to volunteer with us, generously giving your time to help improve health evidence for everyone."

The ways in which people volunteer at Cochrane is vast. Our citizen science volunteers in Cochrane Crowd help to classify evidence. People with lived experience from our Consumer Network peer review our evidence and provide feedback. We have translation projects around the world that work with dedicated volunteers to translate our evidence into 15 languages. Our volunteer hub, Cochrane Engage, is the first stop for anyone who wishes to support our work by volunteering in any capacity.

There are many other volunteer roles in Cochrane and we are grateful to volunteers who make up our Board and Council, and anyone who helps promote Cochrane evidence  - whether they’re doing  by sharing on social media, blogging in Students4BestEvidence, updating Wikipedia articles, or creating Cochrane evidence podcasts.

Thank you again to our many Cochrane volunteers!  

 
Find out more about volunteering opportunities at Cochrane

Visit our volunteer platform, Cochrane Engage

Learn more about how Cochrane works with patients and carers


Watch this video in French

Learn more about the Cochrane Wiki project

Get social with Cochrane

Learn more about translating Cochrane evidence

Visit the Cochrane China website

Visit the Cochrane France website

Visit the Cochrane Japan website

Visit the Cochrane Malaysia website

Video also available in Portuguese

Watch this video in Russian

Video also available in Taiwanese Mandarin 

Video also available in Thai

 

Tuesday, December 5, 2023

Cochrane is pleased to announce the launch of Cochrane Engage, Cochrane’s one-stop-shop for those who want to get involved and volunteer in Cochrane.

Formerly Cochrane TaskExchange, the platform had outgrown its name and look, and it is now being used for much more than review tasks. The new name was chosen through conversations with members of the Cochrane Community.

Cochrane Engage is a place where anyone working in evidence-based health research can come to find volunteers to support their work – we welcome tasks posted by Cochrane Groups and any other organisations or individuals in the wider health research community. People can also browse our network of volunteers to find people with the skills they are looking for.

Those who are getting started in health research can build their skills and experience by applying to volunteer on evidence-based health care tasks, such as translating studies and providing consumer peer review. They will also find opportunities to engage with Cochrane Groups and other organisations. Recently we’ve had opportunities such as mentoring programmes, virtual internships, and requests for people to join author teams.

As well as a new name and new look, we have made other improvements suggested by users. Opportunities are now listed with the most recent tasks at the top of the page so you can easily see what’s new. People who post tasks can filter their tasks to find what they need more quickly. We have plans to continue improving the platform; let us know your suggestions.

Catherine Spencer, Cochrane’s CEO, says of the launch, “Cochrane Engage represents what is best about Cochrane; working collaboratively to improve health evidence for all. We thank everyone who has volunteered with us so far. Patients, carers, early career professionals, translators, and researchers – there are a wide range of volunteers and a wide range of tasks for all. I invite you to check out the newly launch Cochrane Engage and join us in improving health decisions globally.”

Could you use a volunteer? Want to get involved in producing health evidence? It’s easy to use Cochrane Engage to engage with a global health evidence community!

• Visit the Cochrane Engage website

Monday, November 28, 2022

A Cochrane review has found the strongest evidence yet that e-cigarettes, also known as ‘vapes’, help people to quit smoking better than traditional nicotine replacement therapies, such as patches and chewing gums.

New evidence published today in the Cochrane Library finds high certainty evidence that people are more likely to stop smoking for at least six months using nicotine e-cigarettes, or ‘vapes’, than using nicotine replacement therapies, such as patches and gums. Evidence also suggested that nicotine e-cigarettes led to higher quit rates than e-cigarettes without nicotine, or no stop smoking intervention, but less data contributed to these analyses. The updated Cochrane review includes 78 studies in over 22,000 participants – an addition of 22 studies since the last update in 2021.

Smoking is a significant global health problem. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), in 2020, 22.3% of the global population used tobacco, despite it killing up to half of its users. Stopping smoking reduces the risk of lung cancer, heart attacks and many other diseases. Though most people who smoke want to quit, many find it difficult to do so permanently. Nicotine patches and gum are safe, effective and widely used methods to help individuals quit.

E-cigarettes heat liquids with nicotine and flavourings, allowing users to ‘vape’ nicotine instead of smoking. Data from the review showed that if six in 100 people quit by using nicotine replacement therapy, eight to twelve would quit by using electronic cigarettes containing nicotine. This means an additional two to six people in 100 could potentially quit smoking with nicotine containing electronic cigarettes.

Dr Jamie Hartmann-Boyce, Associate Professor at the University of Oxford, Editor of the Cochrane Tobacco Addiction Group, and an author of the new publication, said:

“Electronic cigarettes have generated a lot of misunderstanding in both the public health community and the popular press since their introduction over a decade ago. These misunderstandings discourage some people from using e-cigarettes as a stop smoking tool. Fortunately, more and more evidence is emerging and provides further clarity. With support from Cancer Research UK, we search for new evidence every month as part of a living systematic review. We identify and combine the strongest evidence from the most reliable scientific studies currently available.

For the first time, this has given us high-certainty evidence that e-cigarettes are even more effective at helping people to quit smoking than traditional nicotine replacement therapies, like patches or gums.”

In studies comparing nicotine e-cigarettes to nicotine replacement treatment, significant side effects were rare. In the short-to-medium term (up to two years), nicotine e-cigarettes most typically caused throat or mouth irritation, headache, cough, and feeling nauseous. However, these effects appeared to diminish over time.

Dr Nicola Lindson, University Research Lecturer at the University of Oxford, Cochrane Tobacco Addiction Group’s Managing Editor, and author of the publication said:

“E-cigarettes do not burn tobacco; and as such they do not expose users to the same complex mix of chemicals that cause diseases in people smoking conventional cigarettes. E-cigarettes are not risk free, and shouldn’t be used by people who don’t smoke or aren’t at risk of smoking. However, evidence shows that nicotine e-cigarettes carry only a small fraction of the risk of smoking. In our review, we did not find evidence of substantial harms caused by nicotine containing electronic cigarettes when used to quit smoking. However, due to the small number of studies and lack of data on long-term nicotine-containing electronic cigarette usage – usage over more than two years – questions remain about long-term effects.”

The researchers conclude that more evidence, particularly about the effects of newer e-cigarettes with better nicotine delivery than earlier ones, is needed to assist more people quit smoking. Longer-term data is also needed.

Michelle Mitchell, chief executive at Cancer Research UK, said:

“We welcome this report which adds to a growing body of evidence showing that e-cigarettes are an effective smoking cessation tool. We strongly discourage those who have never smoked from using e-cigarettes, especially young people. This is because they are a relatively new product and we don’t yet know the long term health effects.

While the long term effects of vaping are still unknown, the harmful effects of smoking are indisputable – smoking causes around 55,000 cancer deaths in the UK every year. Cancer Research UK supports balanced evidence-based regulation on e-cigarettes from UK governments which maximises their potential to help people stop smoking, whilst minimising the risk of uptake among others.”

• Read the full Cochrane review and plain language summary 
• Learn more about Cochrane Tobacco Addition Group
• Science Media Centre: Expert reaction to cochrane review on electronic cigarettes for smoking cessation

 

 Hartmann-Boyce J, Lindson N, Butler AR, McRobbie H, Bullen C, Begh R, Theodoulou A, Notley C, Rigotti NA, Turner T, Fanshawe TR, Hajek P. Electronic cigarettes for smoking cessation. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2022, Issue 11. Art. No.: CD010216. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD010216.pub7

This work was supported by Cancer Research UK [A ref. A29845]

To speak to a team member about this project please contact Dr. Hartmann-Boyce, jamie.hartmann-boyce@phc.ox.ac.uk or Dr. Lindson, nicola.lindson@phc.ox.ac.uk.

Thursday, November 17, 2022

A new Cochrane Library Editorial has been published about the role of Cochrane reviews in directing researchers away from potentially biased primary studies. 

The editorial discusses new evidence that risk of bias ratings disseminated in Cochrane reviews can influence the citations received by the appraised studies. Specifically, after a review is published, papers at ‘high risk of bias’ due to selective reporting attract fewer citations than a comparable group of ‘low risk of bias’ papers. Whilst the effect is modest, it is notable that systematic reviews can redirect researchers away from wayward science. 

The editorial calls for more research on how to turn the weak signal provided by risk of bias ratings into a stronger one, to increase the efficacy of systematic reviews in shaping follow-on science and to complement more traditional signals such as retractions, citations, and journal-level metrics.

Karla Soares-Weiser, Editor in Chief of Cochrane, says, "Cochrane is a strong advocate for transparency and integrity in research. These issues go to our core: without access to relevant, unconflicted and accurate data, our reviews will not be of the quality we want. This editorial highlights the potential for Cochrane reviews, and the rigorous assessments carried out as part of the review process, to further contribute to improving the overall quality of health research."

• Read the Cochrane Library Editorial : 'The power of weak signals: how systematic reviews direct researchers away from potentially biased primary studies'

Thursday, November 24, 2022

An updated Cochrane Review, published in the Cochrane Library, suggests that yoga may lead to a small reduction in pain in people with chronic non-specific lower back pain over the short term, and that improvements in back function may be similar to those seen with other types of back-focused exercise. However, researchers advise that more studies are needed to provide information on long-term effects.

What is non-specific low back pain?

Low back pain is a common health problem. In many cases, there is no known cause for the pain and it is termed 'non-specific' back pain. For some people, the pain may last for three months or more and at this point it is termed 'chronic.' Non-specific low back pain is usually treated with over-the-counter pain medicines and exercise and does not require surgery or other invasive procedures. Yoga is sometimes used to help treat or manage low back pain.

What did we want to find out?

We wanted to find out if yoga improves function (for example, ability to walk, do jobs around the house, getting dressed), pain and quality of life associated with low back pain.

What did we do?

We searched medical databases for clinical trials comparing yoga practices using physical postures (often called 'hatha yoga') to any other treatment, sham (pretend) yoga, or to no treatment in adults (aged 18 years or older). We also included trials comparing yoga added to other treatments, versus those other treatments alone. 

What did we find?

We included 21 trials with 2223 participants. Ten trials were carried out in the USA, five in India, two in the UK, and one each in Croatia, Germany, Sweden, and Turkey. Most participants were women in their 40s or 50s.

Key results

• For people with long-lasting low back pain without a known cause (chronic non-specific low back pain), after three months of doing yoga or not doing yoga, yoga is probably better than not doing exercise for improving pain and back-related function, although the improvements are small.
• There is probably little or no difference between yoga and other types of back-focused exercise in improving back-related function, but we are uncertain about differences between yoga and other exercise for improving pain.
• Back pain was the most common harm reported in yoga trials. Risk of harms was higher with yoga than with no yoga, but similar for yoga and other exercise. There was no suggestion that yoga was associated with a risk of serious harms.

What are the limitations of the evidence?

Because we did not find any trials comparing yoga to sham yoga, we cannot say how yoga would affect low back pain if people did not know they were doing yoga. Participants in all the trials were aware of whether they were practicing yoga or not, and this may have influenced their interpretation of whether their back pain had changed. In addition, some trials were very small, there were few trials in some comparisons, and the trials in some comparisons had inconsistent results. Therefore, we downgraded the quality of the evidence to moderate, low, or very low.

Lead Cochrane author Susan Wieland from Cochrane Complementary Medicine at the Center for Integrative Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Maryland, commented,

“Our findings suggest that yoga exercise may lead to improving back-related function and reducing back pain by a small amount. Our findings also suggest that there may be little or no difference between yoga and other back-focused exercise when looking at improvements in back-related function at three and six months. At the moment we have very limited information on comparisons between yoga and other back-focused exercise with respect to improving back pain and for longer term effects beyond six months. Readers should remember that in each of the studies we reviewed, the yoga exercises were developed to treat low back pain and the yoga classes were led by experienced practitioners. The findings of this Cochrane Review will help people make more informed choices about their future treatment options.”

• Read the plain language summary and full review
• Read the Evidently Cochrane blog 'Is yoga good for back pain? Here's the evidence'

Full citation: Wieland LS, Skoetz N, Pilkington K, Harbin S, Vempati R, Berman BM. Yoga for chronic non‐specific low back pain. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2022, Issue 11. Art. No.: CD010671. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD010671.pub3. 

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Friday, November 18, 2022

Specifications:  Fixed Term Contract Fulltime (Part time will be considered at minimum 0.6FTE)
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Application Closing Date:  27 November 2022

The Evidence Production and Methods Directorate in Cochrane is made up of three departments that are responsible for the efficient and timely production of high-quality Cochrane Reviews addressing research questions that are most important to decision makers.

The Commissioning Editor will be responsible for ensuring that work on high-quality, relevant  reviews is initiated, and for monitoring progress. Overall, this role will contribute to producing trusted evidence by:

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Application Closing Date:  27 November 2022

The Evidence Production and Methods Directorate in Cochrane is made up of three departments that are responsible for the efficient and timely production of high-quality Cochrane Reviews addressing research questions that are most important to decision makers.

As Evidence Synthesis Development Editor in the Methods and Evidence Synthesis Development team, you will be working on new and updated Cochrane Reviews prior to their completion and submission for editorial process. The role-holder will need to ensure that protocols and new or updated reviews will meet Cochrane’s quality standards.

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Cochrane is a global independent network of health practitioners, researchers, patient advocates and others, responding to the challenge of making the vast amounts of evidence generated through research useful for informing decisions about health. We do this by identifying, appraising and synthesizing individual research findings to produce the best available evidence on what can work, what might harm and where more research is needed.

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