Cochrane Library Podcasts

There are several Cochrane Reviews of the effects of exercise and the one for chronic fatigue syndrome was updated in February 2016. Jean Williams describes the review and its latest findings.

Many pregnant women have Vitamin D deficiency, and might consider taking oral supplements to counter this. In January 2016, Cristina Palacios from the University of Puerto Rico and colleagues updated their Cochrane Review of the evidence. She tells us more in this podcast.

Nephrotic syndrome is a chronic kidney condition of children, which is widely treated by corticosteroids. However, there is a lack of consensus on the most appropriate way to use this treatment and a Cochrane Review has been examining the relevant evidence for more than 15 years. In March 2015, Deirdre Hahn and colleagues from Sydney, Australia published the latest update of the review and she tells us what they found in this Evidence Pod.

Goal setting is considered a key part of the clinical process for adults participating in rehabilitation for injuries or chronic health conditions; but, does it work? A new Cochrane Review from July 2015 brings together the evidence and we asked lead author, William Levack from the University of Otago in New Zealand, to tell us what they found.

Major depressive disorder is becoming more common and is typically very difficult to treat, making the need to find effective treatments ever more important. In a new Cochrane Review from November 2015, Katherine Appleton, from Bournemouth University in England, and colleagues have brought together the evidence on the effects of omega-3 oils. She tells us more in this Evidence Pod.

Haemodialysis is the most common treatment for kidney failure, but problems can arise with access to the patient’s bloodstream. A new Cochrane Review from January 2016 examines the evidence for preventing one of these problems, the development of a stenosis. The lead author of the review, Pietro Ravani, from the University of Calgary in Canada, describes the findings in this Evidence Pod.

Many women who have had children will suffer from pelvic organ prolapsed and a series of six Cochrane Reviews are being prepared relating to the surgical management. The first of these has been published in February 2016 and we asked lead author, Chris Maher from the Royal Brisbane Women’s Hospital in Australia, to tell us about the findings.

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, is one of the commonest psychiatric disorders in childhood, and the most common drug used to treat it is methylphenidate. Cochrane reviewers published the most comprehensive review of the evidence on its effects in November 2015 and the lead author Ole Jakob Storebø, a senior researcher from Psychiatric Research Unit, Region Zealand, Denmark, tells us what they found.

People who’ve had a traumatic brain injury are more likely to develop depression, and it’s important to identify the most effective treatments for them, bearing in mind that these treatments might not be the same as those for people whose depression was caused by other factors. A new Cochrane Review in December 2015 brought together the evidence for non-drug treatments and lead author, Paul Gertler from the John Walsh Centre for Rehabilitation Research in Australia, tells us more.

Alongside the thousands of Cochrane Reviews of the effects of treatments, there are some which investigate interventions intended to reduce the side effects of these treatments. One such review, updated in December 2015, looks at the levonorgestrel intrauterine system for endometrial protection in women with breast cancer who are taking tamoxifen. Irene Su, from the University of California in San Diego, USA, tells us more.