Canadian Cochrane Network and Centre Newsletter

< Volume 10 - November 2009 >

In the News

Cochrane Journal Club – join the discussion!

Finally, no more searching for relevant and interesting papers to discuss at your next journal club session! Cochrane Journal Club presents a recent Cochrane review and all the tools you need to support your discussion – background information, podcasts, discussion questions and slides containing key figures and tables.

Visit www.cochranejournalclub.com to join the debate.

Award winner - Lifetime Achievement Award from OHRI

Dr. Jeremy Grimshaw, will be presented with the Dr. J. David Grimes Research Career Achievement Awardfor his outstanding contributions to the field of knowledge translation and for his leadership at the Ottawa Health Research Institute and beyond. Dr. Grimshaw is full Professor in the Department of Medicine and a Principal Scientist in the Institute of Population Health at the University of Ottawa as well as Director of the Canadian Cochrane Centre.

Cochrane for Practice

Courriels Cochrane! A new and free e-learning initiative

Courriels Cochrane are very brief synopses of Cochrane reviews selected for their relevance to primary care. More than 1,700 French-speaking doctors from Canada and around the world now receive a Courriel Cochrane, once per week. With the help of an optional short questionnaire, you can add Courriels Cochrane to your continuing professional development activities. Enroll now - write to courriel.cochrane@gmail.com

Feel free to forward our email address and help to promote this project!

Dental hygienists getting on board with evidence

The Canadian Cochrane Centre is partnering with the Canadian Dental Hygienists Association this winter to launch a webinar series, Getting on Board with Evidence-based Practice. Visit www.cdha.ca for more details and to register for this introductory series to Cochrane and systematic reviews.

Cochrane for Policy

The impact of contracting out on health outcomes and use of health services in low and middle-income countries

The impact of conditional cash transfers on health outcomes and use of health services in low and middle income countries

Contracting private providers of healthcare services and giving cash incentives to patients are two strategies that have been proposed to increase access to healthcare in low income countries. Several trials from a total of ten studies on cash incentives provided strong evidence for positive health impacts. Evidence from three trials that looked at the effectiveness of contracting out health services, on the other hand, was relatively weak.

Cochrane Library Spotlight - Issue 4, 2009

Rheumatoid arthritis

Dynamic exercise programs (aerobic capacity and/or muscle strength training) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis

Based on the evidence in this updated review, aerobic capacity training combined with muscle strength training is recommended as routine practice in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Dynamic exercise appears to improve pain and physical function in the short term with no harmful effects.

Podcast

 

Biologics for rheumatoid arthritis: an overview of Cochrane reviews

This overview assessed all previous Cochrane systematic reviews of biologic disease-modifying drugs (DMARDs) for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. Although all DMARDs were very effective, there are no direct comparison studies. Based upon indirect comparisons, anakinra seemed less efficacious than etanercept, adalimumab and rituximab. Etanercept seemed to cause fewer withdrawals due to adverse events than adalimumab, anakinra and infliximab.

Podcast

 

Abatacept for rheumatoid arthritis

Abatacept is a member of a new class of drug that targets immune cells to treat rheumatoid arthritis. It is effective against rheumatoid arthritis in comparison to placebo treatment, but is expensive and should not be used with other biologics.

Podcast

Senior’s health

Pharmacotherapy for hypertension in the elderly

Hypertension (high blood pressure) is common among elderly people and increases the risk of heart attack and stroke. An assessment of trials of blood pressure lowering therapy in people 60 years and over with hypertension showed that treatment reduced death, strokes and heart attacks. The trials mostly evaluated first-line thiazide diuretic therapy for an average of 4.5 years.

Podcast

Public health

Mobile phone-based interventions for smoking cessation

Innovative effective smoking cessation interventions are required to appeal to those who are not using traditional means to quit smoking. This review found text message cell phone programmes to be effective in the short-term (six weeks), and a combined Internet-mobile phone programme to be effective for up to 12 months. Results are less clear in the longer term.

 

Rapid viral diagnosis for acute febrile respiratory illness in children in the emergency department

Children brought to hospitals with cold and flu symptoms and fever are usually submitted to a variety of diagnostic tests causing a significant burden on emergency departments. Routine rapid viral diagnosis tests for respiratory diseases could enable doctors to reach a quicker diagnosis and reduce antibiotic use.

Alternative therapies

Chinese herbal medicines for people with impaired glucose tolerance or impaired fasting blood glucose

Some Chinese herbal medicines can help to prevent diabetes. Combining herbal medicines with lifestyle changes is twice as effective as lifestyle changes alone at normalizing patients’ blood sugar levels. However, the high degree of bias in the 16 trials in this review prevents confident conclusions.

Rehabilitation

Physical fitness training for stroke patients

Physical fitness is low in stroke patients and it was thought that improving physical fitness may help to reduce disability. However, due to the diverse outcome measures from these trials, the effects of training on death, dependence and disability after a stroke are unclear.

Podcast

Oral health

Interventions for cleaning dentures in adults

Brushing and soaking in chemical products are two of the most commonly used methods of cleaning dentures. The six trials included in this review had a wide range of different interventions and outcome variables making it unclear which method is the most effective. Weak evidence shows that soaking dentures in effervescent tablets or enzymatic solutions and brushing with paste are more effective than the controls.

Podcast

Other

Antiviral treatment for Bell's palsy (idiopathic facial paralysis)

Antiviral drugs against herpes simplex virus are commonly used to treat Bell’s palsy; a condition which causes paralysis on one side of the face. However, this updated review of seven trials found that antivirals were no more effective than placebo. Antivirals were also significantly less effective than corticosteroids.

Podcast

 

Psychological treatments for bulimia nervosa and binging

This updated review of psychotherapies found that cognitive behavioural therapy was better than other therapies or control treatment (waiting lists) at reducing binge eating. Other psychotherapies were better than no treatment in reducing binge eating.

What’s Ahead

8th Annual Canadian Cochrane Symposium, Ottawa

Evidence in uncertain times: Meeting the challenge
19-20 May 2009
Take note: Pre-conference workshops, student poster award, Cochrane review of the year award
Abstract deadline: 12 February 2010
www.ccncsymposium.com

Free Cochrane Library online training

The Cochrane Library – An introduction
Nov 5, 10, 17, 19, 23, 26
Register here

 

We’re hungry for your feedback

We need your help! This spring we were thrilled to announce a pilot national license to The Cochrane Library for 2009. Please fill in our three minute user survey to tell us how you use Cochrane reviews, and help support our case for a national licence beyond December 2009. All Canadians should have full access to this important resource!

 

 

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