Cochrane Library Podcasts

Studies have shown that up to half of adult patients in hospital suffer from malnutrition, and a new Cochrane Review from May 2017 examines the evidence on the effects of nutrition support. We asked Joshua Feinberg, from the Copenhagen Trial Unit in the Rigshospitalet in Denmark, who led the team of 20 authors from Denmark and China to tell us what they found.

Sepsis is the commonest cause of death for new born babies worldwide. Mohan Pammi and Gautham Suresh from Baylor College of Medicine in Houston in the USA updated the Cochrane Review of the evidence on the use of lactoferrin, in June 2017. Mohan describes the latest findings.

The respiratory illness, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD, is a major health burden for patients and healthcare systems, and there are several Cochrane Reviews examining the evidence for various ways to manage it. These were added to in July 2017 by the updating of a review last done in 2004 which looks at the evidence for the use of positive pressure breathing support during exacerbations. This was led by Dr. Christian Osadnik, from Monash University in Melbourne in Australia, who tells us what they found in this podcast.

Many people take vitamin C with a view to preventing, treating or helping with various conditions and there are Cochrane Reviews of its effects in diabetes, pregnancy and for some lung conditions. In March 2017, these were added to with a review of whether vitamin C can prevent cardiovascular disease and we asked the first author, Lena Al-Khudairy from Warwick Medical School in the UK to tell us more.

There are now more than 80  Cochrane Reviews of a wide variety of interventions for people with cystic fibrosis. In May 2017, one of these was updated by Lisa Morrison and Stephanie Milroy from the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Glasgow in Scotland to bring together the latest evidence on the effects of oscillating devices. Lisa tells us what they found in this podcast.

Diabetic macular oedema is a common complication of diabetes, in which damage to the blood vessels at the back of the eye leads to swelling. Lucentis, Eylea and Avastin are three antiangiogenic drugs that can be injected into the eye to treat the blood vessels and reduce the swelling. In June 2017, Gianni Virgili from the University of Florence in Italy, and colleagues, updated their Cochrane Review of these drugs and used a network meta-analysis to compare their effects.

Note: The latest version of this review has been published on October 2018 but the conclusions as outlined in this podcast have not changed.

Alongside the several existing Cochrane Reviews of steroids for adults and children with asthma, in April 2017 the Cochrane Airways Group added a new review of interventions to improve adherence to these drugs. We asked Rebecca Normansell (left) and Liz Stovold, both authors on the review and members of staff with Cochrane Airways, to tell us more in this podcast, starting with Rebecca.

Several Cochrane Reviews examine the effects of treatments for sickle cell disease, which can cause a huge burden for patients and their families. In a new addition to these in April 2017, Jo Howard from Guy's and St Thomas' Hospitals in London in the UK and colleagues focused on the drug hydroxyurea, which is also known as hydroxycarbamide. She tells us what they found in this podcast.

Statins are very widely prescribed to lower cholesterol and it’s important to know the best ways to help patients to take them. In an updated Cochrane Review from December 2016, Mieke van Driel from the University of Queensland in Australia examines the evidence, and she tells us more in this podcast.

The Cochrane Work Group prepares reviews of a wide variety of topics related to ways in which workers’ health and safety, and wellbeing could be improved. These were added to in January 2017 with a review of interventions intended to prevent bullying in the workplace. The lead author, Patricia Gillen from Ulster University in Northern Ireland tells us what they found in this podcast.