The latest Cochrane news from around Australia & beyond...
The arrival of spring has inspired a few changes to Elements, so we hope you like the new look. As usual, there’s plenty of territory to cover. Along with a bumper media round-up, you’ll find local contributors exploring high profile reviews on topics as diverse as elder abuse, breast cancer treatment and the world of music therapy. You’ll also find the most idyllic of Cochrane offices tucked away in a leafy corner of New South Wales, and learn more about an eminent statistician who’s recently swapped p-values for the pursuit of the perfect pinot.
Enjoy!
Shauna Hurley
Communications and Engagement Manager
(+ Elements Editor), Cochrane Australia
MEDIA WATCH
The sunshine vitamin for asthma
A new review on Vitamin D for Asthma made global headlines this month, with high quality evidence showing vitamin D reduced the average number of asthma attacks and risk of hospital admissions. Here in Australia, three Hobart-based Cochrane Airways authors highlighted the findings in The Conversation and the Herald Sun, while Coordinating Editor Chris Cates discussed their implications with Norman Swan on ABC RN's Health Report.
E-cigarettes revisited
The much-anticipated update of the E-cigarettes for smoking cessation review was published this month. The conclusions remain unchanged from those of the first review, which made international headlines two years ago. Both reviews found that e-cigarettes may help smokers to quit, and that there was no evidence of serious side effects associated with their use for up to two years. Review co-author Jamie Hartmann-Boyce offers an interesting perspective on the latest findings in The Guardian, setting out the reasons why vaping continues to divide the scientific community.
Industry sponsored research ills
Simon Chapman penned an interesting piece on industry sponsored research in The Conversation this month, arguing those who take pharmaceutical research money 'tend to not bite the hand that feeds them.’ He cites Cochrane Co-Chair Lisa Bero as ‘perhaps the world’s leading authority on competing interests in science’, and highlights a 2012 Cochrane review that investigates the association between pharmaceutical industry funding and research conclusions that favour them.
Womb scratching debate continues
A new Cochrane review published earlier this month weighs up the evidence on intentional endometrial injury or ‘womb scratching’ – a contentious technique that aims to improve the probability of pregnancy in women undergoing IVF. The review’s findings were reported in The Sydney Morning Herald, news.com.au, The Australian and the Daily Telegraph. Review author Sarah Lensen also published an interesting Evidently Cochrane blog post on the review findings and their implications for women.
Feel better: plant trees, do yoga
Cochrane Australia's Steve McDonald and Tari Turner provide a quick snapshot of four new Cochrane reviews in the latest MJA. The overview covers a very mixed bag of topics including yoga, oral steroids for asthma, female pattern hair loss and tree planting/picking up litter to increase one’s sense of well being and achievement. Interesting!
SOCIAL MEDIA WATCH
The new Vitamin D for Asthma and Elder Abuse reviews
attracted plenty of attention on Twitter this quarter, as did a more unusual selection of tweets featuring snakes, soap and donuts...
> Cochrane author @jhb19 explores the many reasons why scientists can't agree on #ecigarettes
> Sampling donuts: how #Cochrane authors MEs & Review Groups can make use of #altmetric scores
> The US has banned antibacterial handwashes – here's why Australia should too via @ConversationEDU
> Cochrane's leafy Bellingen office: a home to #ProjectTransform & the odd reptilian resident
> Feeling Guilty About Not #Flossing? Maybe There’s No Need via @NYTimes
> #Pharmacy business model: consumers at risk - the latest food for thought from @drjustincoleman
AUSTRALIAN AUTHORS ON NEW REVIEWS
For many women with breast cancer, the use of post-operative radiotherapy will allow them to undergo less extensive surgery. In mid-July, Brisbane-based Radiation Oncologist Brigid Hickey and colleagues from Australia and New Zealand published two review updates that consider critical questions about the size of the doses in which radiation is given. Here, Brigid shares her thoughts on the important findings of both reviews.
Elder abuse is a critical public health issue that affects millions of older people around the world, causing emotional suffering, poor health, injury and in some cases premature death. Here in Australia, the Federal Government recently established a national Elder Abuse Inquiry in response to a string of high profile media reports and increasing public concern about elder abuse and its victims. Last month, Brisbane-based author and professor of public health Philip Baker lodged a submission with the Inquiry on behalf of Cochrane, highlighting a new review on Interventions for preventing the abuse of the elderly and calling for greater research efforts in this area.
A trio of music therapy reviews featured in last year’s Australian top 100 Cochrane Library downloads, with Music Therapy for depression coming in at number 7, Music Therapy for people with autism spectrum disorder at number 40 and Music Therapy for people with dementia at 76. Last month a new update of Music interventions for cancer patients took centre stage and made headlines around the world, finding that music may have beneficial effects on anxiety, pain, fatigue, depression and quality of life for people with cancer. Here, Cochrane Australia's resident music therapist Emma Donoghue explains what music therapy is all about and outlines the many ways it helps patients, carers and families alike.
IN PROFILE
Long-time Cochrane contributor Peter Herbison has spent the past 40 years wrangling numbers and refining research methods to improve both the accuracy of health evidence and the quality of people’s healthcare. Now embracing retirement, his focus has shifted from a prolific publishing schedule to producing the perfect pinot. He took some time out from his recent tour of Victorian vineyards to share his thoughts on the most important factors in the health research equation.
With spectacular views and a seemingly sociable snake in occasional residence, Melissa Murano might just lay claim to the most idyllic and unusual of all Cochrane offices. Tucked away in the beautiful river town of Bellingen at the foot of Australia’s Great Dividing Range, it’s proved the perfect location to appreciate nature’s grand designs on one hand, while helping manage one of Cochrane’s largest and most ambitious global projects on the other.
TRAINING
On the road: Cochrane workshops around Australia
The Cochrane Australia training team has been on the road and covered many a kilometre of late, with workshops in Brisbane, Sydney and Adelaide. There are two more cities and courses on the cards for the remainder of the year, including a Review completion workshop in Melbourne from Monday 14 to Friday 18 November and the final Introduction to writing a systematic review workshop in Sydney from Wednesday 30 November to Friday 2 December. For full details or to register online, visit the Cochrane Australia training website.
Increasing the impact of your research: KT for researchers
Explore how to more effectively integrate Knowledge Translation (KT) into research at this practical one-day workshop by Public Health Insight. Participants will be introduced to KT evidence and issues, and learn about practical approaches to increasing the impact of their research work. The workshop will be held on Tuesday 22 November from 9am-5pm at Melbourne University. For full details or to register online visit the Public Health Insight website.
EVENTS
Countdown to Seoul
There’s just over a month to go until the 24th Cochrane Colloquium in South Korea. For those lucky enough to be heading to Seoul, now’s a good time to take a look at the full program of workshops, symposia, special sessions and lively social events and start planning your busy schedule. Full details are all available on the Colloquium website.
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