READ this month's Editorials:

Evidence supports TB test, so what now?
Danielle Cohen & Elizabeth Corbett

Accurate diagnosis of disease remains one of the biggest obstacles to global tuberculosis (TB) control. Many national TB control programmes diagnose TB using sputum microscopy, which is notoriously insensitive, particularly in people who are also HIV-positive. Moreover, diagnosis of drug resistance is required to control drug-resistant TB. An accurate, quick, and accessible test for both TB diagnosis and drug resistance is therefore a global priority. In 2010 a promising molecular diagnostic test, the Xpert MTB/RIF assay, was endorsed by the World Health Organization (WHO), and a new Cochrane Diagnostic Test Accuracy Review evaluates this new approach. The evidence from this review is strongly supportive of existing WHO recommendations and further support for this diagnostic test, but unanswered questions remain.

Read the complete Editorial here.

Changes to The Cochrane Library during The Cochrane Collaboration’s first 20 years
Harriet MacLehose & John Hilton

The Cochrane Collaboration has seen remarkable growth in the past 20 years, growing to involve over 27,000 people from over 100 countries. The Cochrane Library, which houses the systematic reviews prepared by the Collaboration's researchers and other databases, has also grown and evolved. From its launch in 1996 on CD-ROM and floppy disk, it has evolved into an online platform providing a wide range of high-quality, independent evidence to clinicians, researchers, consumers, and policy-makers. This is the first of a series of editorials celebrating the Collaboration’s 20th anniversary; the series will include authors sharing their personal experiences about preparing Cochrane Reviews, changes in systematic review methodology, and training and capacity building. The editorials will also look forward and explore the challenges the Collaboration faces in the future as it continues to seek to provide the best evidence to inform decision-making.

Read the complete Editorial here.

This month's Cochrane Reviews cover a diverse range of subjects. Key studies released include:

Xpert® MTB/RIF assay for pulmonary tuberculosis and rifampicin resistance in adults

Cerebrolysin for vascular dementia

Selenium supplementation for the primary prevention of cardiovascular disease

Interferon for interferon nonresponding and relapsing patients with chronic hepatitis C

Click here to visit The Cochrane Library and read all the latest reviews.

New Special Collection: Tuberculosis

Tuberculosis is responsible for an enormous burden of disease worldwide, particularly in poorer regions of the world, and where human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is common. Some of the first clinical trials tested tuberculosis treatments, and thus systematic reviews are core to helping establish the evidence-base.

Special Collections help readers to identify linked Cochrane Reviews on key or hot topics. The Cochrane Reviews highlighted are freely available while this Special Collection is featured on The Cochrane Library homepage.

Click here to see a complete list of all available Special Collections.

The Cochrane Collaboration is celebrating twenty years of its existence throughout 2013. As part of a series of events to mark this anniversary, a series of videos has been commissioned focusing on the ideas, achievements and people that have contributed to its growth since 1993.

Click here to watch the first videos in the series.

January Issue Now Available: The Cochrane Library iPad Edition

The Cochrane Library iPad Edition presents the latest up-to-date evidence from The Cochrane Library in a convenient, easy to navigate format. The January issue of the Cochrane iPad edition includes a range of reviews relevant to primary and secondary care, the most cited Cochrane review of all time and reviews assessing preventative interventions for Cardiovascular disease.

Don't have the app? Visit our website to learn more!

Survey: Share your opinion on The Cochrane Library Reference Guide

Please consider sharing your opinion by taking a short survey on The Cochrane Library Reference Guide. This guide is translated into multiple languages and distributed across the world as a training resource. We anticipate the survey will take fewer than five minutes of your time.

Answer five short questions and tell us which features are most important to you.

Just published in Cochrane Journal Club: Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) for stroke recovery

If you take part in a regular journal club, or would simply like a greater understanding of an important Cochrane Review, Cochrane Journal Club is the place to start.

All Journal Clubs are FREE and all past issues can be viewed here.

Podcasts from The Cochrane Library: Every issue we select key Cochrane Reviews for accompanying Podcasts.

To download those for this issue and from past issues please visit – www.cochrane.org/podcasts