In 1993 the Cochrane Collaboration, an international non-profit organization aiming at producing, updating and disseminating systematic reviews, was founded. Several years later, in 1999, the Chinese Cochrane centre opened in Chengdu, to provide support to (1) Chinese researchers willing to produce reviews and (2) politicians and practitioners willing to start using the results in daily practice. We searched PubMed and the database of the Chinese Cochrane Centre to retrieve data on the overall number of articles and reviews produced in the Chinese language for the period 1990 to 2006. Although the number of reviews increased substantially since the year 2000, the percentage of reviews in the overall number of articles indexed in PubMed remains modest.
Objective The purpose of this study, which focuses on the number of the Cochrane Systematic Review’s (CSR) full texts, protocols and registered titles from Chinese authors, is to show the development of evidence-based medicine (EBM) and promote EBM’s further development in China. Methods On the basis of The Cochrane Library (Issue 1, 2009) and the Cochrane Collaboration (March 2009) periodicals, we performed statistical analysis of different countries that released CSR’s full texts, protocols and registered titles, as well as the time, authors and distribution of the CSR’s full texts, protocols and registered titles in China. Results The publishing rates of the CSR’s full texts, protocols and registered titles in China ranked the seventh, fifth and second, respectively. Although the number of CSR’s full texts and protocols showed an increased annual trend in China, the development of area distribution was unbalanced. Moreover, China’s published articles contained 47 Cochrane collaboration groups, without effective practice and health care groups, consumers and communication groups, and methodology and multiple stenosis groups. Conclusions The current Chinese EBM situation has a great potential in writing CSR. However, there are still many problems that need to be resolved.
Objective To assess the effects on labour, maternal, and neonatal outcomes of different techniques and drugs for analgesia during labour. Methods We searched The Cochrane Library (Issue 4, 2006) , MEDLINE (Jan. 1978 to Oct. 2006) and CBMdisc (Jan. 1980 to Oct. 2006) to collect the current best evidence of labor analgesia. Results We included eight Cochrane systematic reviews and six other meta-analyses. The evidence showed that epidural analgesia was associated with a longer second stage of labour, more frequent oxytocin augmentation, higher incidence of instrumental vaginal delivery and maternal fever. But it was unlikely to increase the risk of caesarean section. Conclusion Epidural analgesia is superior to other approaches.
Objective To detect the false-negative results of cumulative meta-analyses of Cochrane Urology Group with the trial sequential analysis (TSA). Methods The Urology Group of The Cochrane Library (Issue 6, 2016) was searched to collect meta-analyses with negative results. Two researchers independently screened literature and extracted data of included meta-analyses. Then, TSA was performed using TSA software version 0.9 beta. Results A total of 11 papers involving 12 meta-analyses were included. The results of TSA showed that, four (33%) out of 12 meta-analyses were potentially false-negative results for failing to surpass the trial sequential monitoring boundary and to reach the required information size. Conclusion Some of the negative results of systematic reviews from Cochrane Urology Group was false-negative. TSA can help researchers to identify the false-negative results of meta-analyses.
Archibald Leman Cochrane（1909 to 1988）was a physician and clinical epidemiologist from the UK. The basic theroy of evidence-based medicine was established because of his influential book, Effectiveness and Efficiency: Random Reflections on Health Services published in 1972. The randomized controlled trial and systematic review promoted by Archie has become the key stone of evidence-based medicine. He was known as one of the forefathers of evidence-based medicine because of his outstanding contribution. In commemoration of Arichie Cochrane, The Cochrane Collaboration was named after him. His legendary life story and the early stages of the development of evidence-based medicine are introduced in this article.
Objective To evaluate the safety and efficacy of intermittent pneumatic compression in prevention of deep venous thrombosis after major orthopedic operation. Methods We searched MEDLINE (1966 to January 2008), The Cochrane Library (Issue 2, 2008), CBM (1996 to January 2008), CNKI (1998 to January 2008), VIP (1998 to January 2008), and retrieved clinical controlled trials (CCTs) or randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in which IPC was used as an intervention to prevent DVT, and all the trials were published in English or Chinese. The methodological quality of the included studies was assessed according to the standard of Cochrane systematic review. RevMan 4.2 software was used for meta-analysis. Results Seven RCTs and 1 CCT were included. Their methodological quality was poor. The results of Meta–analyses showed: (1) The incidence of DVT in the IPC group was lower than that in the control group (RR=0.20, 95%CI 0.11 to 0.35, Plt;0.000 01); (2) There was no difference in the incidence of DVT between the IPC group and the LMWH group (RR=0.70, 95%CI 0.28 to 1.74, P=0.44); (3) The incidence of DVT in the IPC plus LMWH group was lower than that in the LMWH-alone group (RR=0.23, 95%CI 0.10 to 0.52, P=0.000 4). Furthermore, the incidence of DVT in the IPC plus LMWH group was lower than that in the GCS plus LMWH group (Plt;0.000 1). No severe adverse reaction of IPC in DVT prevention was reported. Conclusion IPC shows an effective tendency in DVT prevention, but because of the low quality and the small sample of the included studies, this conclusion needs to be verified by protocols of more samples and high quality.
Having searched The Cochrane Library (Issue 4, 2005), we found: fluoride can reduce the occurrence and severity of white spot lesions; removal of premature contacts of the primary teeth can prevent posterior crossbite; expanding the top teeth can decrease the risk of a posterior crossbite; CSF may help retaining teeth; clear overlay retainer may settle teeth quicker than Hawley retainer; adhesives for fixed orthodontic brackets is still in dispute.
Until Issue 2 in 2008, the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews had included 23 systematic reviews concerning colorectal tumors by the colorectal cancer group. These reviews involved prevention, diagnosis, treatment, prognosis and follow-up. The preventive ability of non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs, accuracy of chromoscopy, shortterm outcomes of laparoscopic colorectal resection and outcomes of laparoscopic total mesorectal excision were confirmed. Meanwhile, the effect of dietary fibre in prevention, mechanical preoperative preparation, and prophylactic anastomotic drainage was questioned. Because of the low quality of trials, no firm conclusions were revealed in some reviews, such as traditional Chinese medicine in chemotherapy. Through the study of Cochrane systematic reviews, medical practitioners and researchers can obtain high-quality evidence, and identify future research direction in the field of colorectal cancer.