Key messages Corticosteroid injection into the wrist probably improves symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome (compression of a nerve in the wrist) and function of the hand for up to six months. Quality of life assessments, and tests of nerve conduction measured up to three months after injection, may also improve. Corticosteroid injection may reduce the need for surgery, assessed at one-year follow-up. Side effects appear to be rare. However, spontaneous improvement without treatment can occur in up to a third of people.

Key messages - For people with mild-to-moderate dementia, cognitive stimulation probably leads to small benefits in cognition (the general ability to think and remember). - We found a range of other probable benefits, including improved well-being, mood and day-to-day abilities, but benefits were generally slight and, especially for cognition and well-being, varied greatly between studies.

On 7 April 2023  ̶  World Health Day  ̶  the World Health Organization will observe its 75th anniversary. In 1948, countries of the world came together and founded WHO to promote health, keep the world safe and serve the vulnerable – so everyone, everywhere can attain the highest level of health and well-being.   

Background

Key messages We found moderate- to high-certainty evidence from 6 studies to conclude that systemic Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitors are an effective treatment for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in hospitalised people, because they resulted in fewer deaths and a lower rate of clinical deterioration. Evaluation of systemic JAK inhibitors is ongoing in 13 studies whilst the results of 9 further studies are awaiting publication. We will update this review and may adapt our conclusions when their results become available.

A number of stipends and bursaries are available to help consumers and other attendees based in developing countries to attend Cochrane Colloquium London 2023. This is our 30th annual flagship event and this year it will take place at Queen Elizabeth II (QEII) Centre in London from 4th to 6th September 2023, and Satellite events on 3rd September.

Key message For people with long-lasting low back pain without a known cause (chronic non-specific low back pain), after three months of doing yoga or not doing yoga, yoga is probably better than not doing exercise for improving pain and back-related function, although the improvements are small. There is probably little or no difference between yoga and other types of back-focused exercise in improving back-related function, but we are uncertain about differences between yoga and other exercise for improving pain.

In recognition of International Women's Day (IWD) happening on March 8th, Cochrane will host a virtual event. The event will feature a panel of accomplished women from diverse backgrounds discussing the IWD 2023 t

What are electronic cigarettes? Electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) are handheld devices that work by heating a liquid that usually contains nicotine and flavourings. E-cigarettes allow you to inhale nicotine in a vapour rather than smoke. Because they do not burn tobacco, e-cigarettes do not expose users to the same levels of chemicals that can cause diseases in people who smoke conventional cigarettes.

Cochrane has a commitment to producing and sharing high quality health evidence to as broad an audience as possible. Cochrane partnered in 2014 with Wikipedia, with the joint goal of improving the quality and reliability of human health-related articles that people are accessing online.