Cochrane is an NGO in official relations with the World Health Organization (WHO) since 2011. In June we reported to the WHO what this partnership has resulted in during these years.  Following is a snapshot of results, illustrating the use of Cochrane’s work by WHO:

Thomson ISI has released the 2014 Journal Citation Report (JCR), and the Impact Factor for the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (CDSR) is 6.032. This is an increase on the 2013 Impact Factor, which was 5.939.Some highlights of the 2014 Impact Factor include:

A new Cochrane systematic review published today of surgery for stress urinary incontinence makes an important contribution to an ongoing debate and will help women to make more informed choices about treatment. Inserting a ‘mid-urethral sling’, a type of tape, to support the muscles of the bladder by either the groin or abdomen results in similar cure rates. However, differences in complications and the long term need for repeat surgery mean that women will need to balance a number of different factors when choosing an operation.

There has been a change in the date of the meeting held by the Iberoamerican Cochrane Network during the 2015 Colloquium in Vienna. The new and final date will be on Tuesday, October 6th at 7:30 am. The new location will be Galerie 17-18.You can find additional information regarding the 23rd Cochrane Colloquium at https://colloquium.cochrane.org/ or through Twitter and Facebook using the hashtag #CochraneVienna.

The XIV Annual Meeting of the Iberoamerican Cochrane Network was held in Montevideo last 20th, 21st and 22nd of May, together with the I Meeting of the Evidence-Based Health and Epidemiology Network of Uruguay.

Pregnant women can improve their health and even reduce the risk of complications during childbirth by maintaining a healthy weight through diet and exercise. Research has shown that gaining too much weight during pregnancy increases the risk of gestational diabetes, high blood pressure, large babies, and delivery by caesarean section; and newborns with large birth weights are at risk of childhood obesity.

It is with great sadness that Cochrane announces the death of its founding chair and medical pioneer, Dr David Sackett. He was 80 years old.Our thoughts and condolences are with Dave’s family, friends, and colleagues across the world.

We are delighted to announce that the Mexican Branch of the Iberoamerican Cochrane Centre has been registered by the Monitoring and Registration Committee (MaRC). This new Branch, co-directed by Dr Giordano Pérez-Gaxiola and Dr Alejandro González Garay, will continue promoting Cochrane along Mexico.We would like to congratulate them on the hard work they have undertaken to establish this Branch, and we wish them all the best when working together in the coming years.

We are delighted to announce that the Portuguese Branch of the Iberoamerican Cochrane Centre has been registered by the Monitoring and Registration Committee (MaRC). This new Branch, co-directed by Dr António Vaz-Carneiro and Dr João Costa, based at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Lisbon, where also the Cochrane Movement Disorders Group is located, and at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Porto, will continue promoting Cochrane along Portugal.

The initiative S4BE was launched on December 6, 2013. This project supported by the UK Cochrane Centre (UKCC) aims to create an on-line community for all students around the world in any healthcare discipline, or those with an interest in evidence.