Cochrane Library Issue 4, 2008

The latest update to the Cochrane Library is now available including 84 new Cochrane systematic reviews, 130 updated reviews, 134 new protocols and 5 updated protocals. Selected new reviews include St. John’s wort relieves symptoms of major depression, Formoterol for asthma: evidence of serious adverse effects, Belt and braces approach may prevent DVT, Early Breast cancer: LHRH agonists show considerable promise and Contracting pelvic floor muscles prevents urine leakage before and after pregnancy.

Issue 4 also introduces a new type of review- the Diagnostic Test Accuracy Review. These are full-text systematic reviews of studies that assess the accuracy of diagnostic tests for given conditions in a specific patient group. You can see the first such review on Galactomannan detection for invasive aspergillosis in immunocompromized patients in this issue, as well as protocols for on-going work in this area.

One of the more popular features on the Cochrane website is the two minute podcasts on popular Cochrane Reviews. The publisher, Wiley has received positive feedback on the podcasts, which can be downloaded onto MP3 players and listened to on the way to work. Podcasts can be found here: http://cochrane.org/podcasts/ or click on the Podcasts icon on the Cochrane Homepage.