The Centre for Reviews and Dissemination (CRD)

CRD is part of the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) and is a department of the University of York. CRD, which was established in 1994, is one of the largest groups in the world engaged exclusively in evidence synthesis in the health field. CRD undertakes systematic reviews evaluating the research evidence on health and public health questions of national and international importance.  They produce the DARE, NHS EED and HTA databases which are used extensively by health professionals, policy makers and researchers around the world.  They also undertake methods research and produce internationally accepted guidelines for undertaking systematic reviews.

In the weeks of 25/06/12 to 05/07/12, 26 new records were added to the DARE database.

Abstracts of the week - a selection

• The effect of folic acid based homocysteine lowering on cardiovascular events in people with kidney disease: systematic review and meta-analysis.  The authors concluded that folic acid based homocysteine lowering therapy did not reduce cardiovascular events in people with kidney disease, and should not be used as a preventive treatment. Overall, this was a well-conducted review and the conclusion is likely to be reliable.
• Clinical effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of imatinib dose escalation for the treatment of unresectable and/or metastiatic gastrointestinal stromal tumours that have progressed on treatment at a dose of 400 mg/day: a systematic review and economic evaluation.  The authors concluded that around one third of patients with unresectable and/or metastatic gastrointestinal stromal tumour who failed on 400mg per day of imatinib may show response or stable disease with escalated doses. The evidence base was limited, and potentially biased by non-randomised data. The conclusion reflects the limited evidence and seems reliable.
• In patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, does the provision of dispatch cardiopulmonary resuscitation instructions as opposed to no instructions improve outcome: a systematic review of the literature.  The authors concluded that there was limited evidence to support the survival benefit of dispatch-assisted cardiopulmonary resuscitation and studies lacked statistical power to draw significant conclusions. The evidence base was very limited and there were some issues with the reporting methods in the review, but the authors conclusions reflect the available evidence and seem reasonable.
• Effects of sewerage on diarrhoea and enteric infections: a systematic review and meta-analysis.  The authors concluded that sewerage interventions seemed to reduce the incidence of diarrhoea and related outcomes. Although the applicability of the results to other countries was unclear, the quality of included studies was limited and there were differences between studies, this was a well-conducted review. The authors' cautious conclusions reflect the evidence presented and are likely to be reliable.

Website: University of York Centre for Reviews and Dissemination