scholarly journals Small-sided games: An umbrella review of systematic reviews and meta-analyses

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. e0247067
Author(s):  
Filipe Manuel Clemente ◽  
José Afonso ◽  
Hugo Sarmento

Objective This umbrella review was conducted to summarize the evidence and qualify the methodological quality of SR and SRMA published on small-sided games in team ball sports. Methods A systematic review of Web of Science, PubMed, Cochrane Library, Scopus, and SPORTDiscus databases was performed according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Results From the 176 studies initially identified, 12 (eight SR and four SRMA) were fully reviewed, and their outcome measures were extracted and analyzed. Methodological quality (with the use of AMSTAR-2) revealed that seven reviews had low quality and five had critically low quality. Two major types of effects of SSGs were observed: (i) short-term acute effects and (ii) long-term adaptations. Four broad dimensions of analysis were found: (i) physiological demands (internal load); (ii) physical demands (external load) or fitness status; (iii) technical actions; and (iv) tactical behavior and collective organization. The psychological domain was reduced to an analysis of enjoyment. The main findings from this umbrella review revealed that SSGs present positive effects in improving aerobic capacity and tactical/technical behaviors, while neuromuscular adaptations present more heterogeneous findings. Factors such as sex, age group, expertise, skill level, or fitness status are also determinants of some acute effects and adaptations. Conclusion The current umbrella review allowed to identify that most of the systematic review and meta-analysis conducted in SSGs presents low methodological quality considering the standards. Most of the systematic reviews included in this umbrella revealed that task constraints significantly change the acute responses in exercise, while SSGs are effective in improving aerobic capacity. Future original studies in this topic should improve the methodological quality and improve the experimental study designs for assessing changes in tactical/technical skills.

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (5) ◽  
pp. e0251460
Author(s):  
Zubing Mei ◽  
Qin Feng ◽  
Peixin Du ◽  
Bin Li ◽  
Chenyang Fang ◽  
...  

Introduction A high prevalence of cryptoglandular and Crohn’s perianal fistulas has been reported worldwide, and several surgical options are available for the management of anal fistula, with varying clinical efficacy. However, currently, the available evidence for the effectiveness of these surgical approaches are lacking and of concern in terms of the credibility and strength. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the credibility of the published systematic reviews and meta-analyses that assess the efficacy and safety of the surgical options for cryptoglandular and Crohn’s perianal fistulas through an umbrella review. Methods and analysis A systematic search in PubMed, Embase and Cochrane library will be performed from inception to December 2020 without any language restriction. We will include systematic reviews and meta-analyses that investigate the efficacy and safety of surgical approaches in the management of cryptoglandular and Crohn’s perianal fistulas. Two reviewers will independently screen search results through reading the titles or abstracts. Relevant information will be extracted from each eligible systematic review or meta-analysis. Based on random effects model summary estimates along with their p values, 95% prediction intervals, between-study heterogeneity, small-study effects and excess significance, we will classify the evidence from convincing (class I) to weak (class IV). Findings will be summarized using quantitative synthesis combined with a narrative approach. Cryptoglandular and Crohn’s perianal fistulas will be summarized separately. Two authors will independently perform the literature search, data extraction, and quality assessment of each included systematic review and meta-analysis. Any unresolved conflicts or doubts will be resolved by discussion or by consulting a senior author. The risk of bias of the systematic reviews will be assessed using a 16-item Assessment of Multiple Systematic Reviews 2 (AMSTAR2) checklist. The strength of evidence for the included systematic reviews will be classified as "high", "moderate", "low", or "critically low" quality. Ethics and dissemination Ethics approval is not required as we will collect data from the published systematic reviews and meta-analyses without using individual patient data. The results of this umbrella review will be published in a peer-reviewed journal and will be presented at an anorectal disease conference. PROSPERO registration number CRD42020200754.


2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
T. Paolucci ◽  
S. Sbardella ◽  
C. La Russa ◽  
F. Agostini ◽  
M. Mangone ◽  
...  

Parkinson disease (PD) is a chronic neurodegenerative condition that leads to progressive disability. PD-related reductions in muscle strength have been reported to be associated with lower functional performance and balance confidence with an increased risk of falls. Progressive resistance training (PRT) improves strength, balance, and functional abilities. This umbrella review examines the efficacy of PRT regarding muscular strength in PD patients. The PubMed, PEDro, Scopus, and Cochrane Library databases were searched from January 2009 to August 2019 for systematic reviews and meta-analyses conducted in English. The populations included had diagnoses of PD and consisted of males and females aged >18 years old. Outcomes measured were muscle strength and enhanced physical function. Eight papers (six systematic reviews and meta-analyses and two systematic reviews) were considered relevant for qualitative analysis. In six of the eight studies, the reported severity of PD was mild to moderate. Each study analyzed how PRT elicited positive effects on muscle strength in PD patients, suggesting 10 weeks on average of progressive resistance exercises for the upper and lower limbs two to three times per week. However, none of the studies considered the postworkout follow-up, and there was no detailed evidence about the value of PRT in preventing falls. The possibility of PRT exercises being effective for increasing muscle strength in patients with PD, but without comorbidities or severe disability, is discussed. Overall, this review suggests that PRT should be included in rehabilitation programs for PD patients, in combination with balance training for postural control and other types of exercise, in order to preserve cardiorespiratory fitness and improve endurance in daily life activities.


BMJ Open ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. e035287
Author(s):  
Min Chen ◽  
Tai-Chun Tang ◽  
Tao-Hong He ◽  
Yong-Jun Du ◽  
Di Qin ◽  
...  

IntroductionThe prevalence of haemorrhoidal diseases was high in general population, and many treatments are proposed for the management of haemorrhoids. The treatments include conservative and surgical interventions; the credibility and strength of current evidence of their effectiveness are not comprehensively evaluated. We aim to evaluate the credibility of systematic reviews and meta-analyses that assess the effectiveness of the treatments for haemorrhoidal diseases through an umbrella review.Methods and analysisWe will search Ovid Medline, Embase, Cochrane library and Web of Science from inception to March 2020 without any language restriction. We will include meta-analyses that examine the effectiveness of treatments in the management of haemorrhoids. Two reviewers will independently screen the titles and abstracts of retrieved articles, and they will extract data from the included meta-analyses. For each meta-analysis, we will estimate the effect size of a treatment through the random-effect model and the fixed-effect model, and we will evaluate between-study heterogeneity (Cochrane’s Q and I2statistics) and small-study effect (Egger’s test); we will also estimate the evidence of excess significance bias. Evidence of each treatment will be graded according to prespecified criteria. Methodological quality of each meta-analysis will be evaluated by using Assessment of Multiple Systematic Reviews 2. The corrected cover area method will be used to assess the impact of overlap in reviews on the findings of the umbrella review.Ethics and disseminationWe will present the results of the umbrella review at conferences and publish the final report in a peer-reviewed journal. The umbrella review does not require ethical approval.PROSPERO registration numberCRD42019140702.


2020 ◽  
pp. 219256822090681 ◽  
Author(s):  
Muthu Sathish ◽  
Ramakrishnan Eswar

Study Design: Systematic review. Objectives: To assess the methodological quality of systematic reviews and meta-analyses in spine surgery over the past 2 decades. Materials and Methods: We conducted independent and in duplicate systematic review of the published systematic reviews and meta-analyses between 2000 and 2019 from PubMed Central and Cochrane Database pertaining to spine surgery involving surgical intervention. We searched bibliographies to identify additional relevant studies. Methodological quality was evaluated with AMSTAR score and graded with AMSTAR 2 criteria. Results: A total of 96 reviews met the eligibility criteria, with mean AMSTAR score of 7.51 (SD = 1.98). Based on AMSTAR 2 criteria, 13.5% (n = 13) and 18.7% (n = 18) of the studies had high and moderate level of confidence of results, respectively, without any critical flaws. A total of 29.1% (n = 28) of the studies had at least 1 critical flaw and 38.5% (n = 37) of the studies had more than 1 critical flaw, so that their results have low and critically low confidence, respectively. Failure to analyze the conflict of interest of authors of primary studies included in review and lack of list of excluded studies with justification were the most common critical flaw. Regression analysis demonstrated that studies with funding and studies published in recent years were significantly associated with higher methodological quality. Conclusion: Despite improvement in methodological quality of systematic reviews and meta-analyses in spine surgery in current decade, a substantial proportion continue to show critical flaws. With increasing number of review articles in spine surgery, stringent measures must be taken to adhere to methodological quality by following PRISMA and AMSTAR guidelines to attain higher standards of evidence in published literature.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Weili Wang ◽  
Kuang-Huei Chen ◽  
Ying-Chieh Pan ◽  
Szu-Nian Yang ◽  
Yuan-Yu Chan

Abstract Objectives To examine the effectiveness and safety of yoga for women with sleep problems by performing a systematic review and meta-analysis.Methods Medline/PubMed, Clincalkey, ScienceDirect, Embase, PsycINFO, and the Cochrane Library were searched throughout the month of June 2019. Randomized controlled trials comparing yoga groups with control groups in women with sleep problems were included. Two reviewers independently evaluated risk of bias by using the risk of bias tool suggested by the Cochrane Collaboration for programming and conducting systematic reviews and meta-analyses. The main outcome measure was sleep quality or the severity of insomnia, which was measured using subjective instruments, such as the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), Insomnia severity index (ISI), or objective instruments, such as polysomnography, actigraphy, and safety of the intervention. For each outcome, standardized mean difference (SMD) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were determined. Results Nineteen studies including 1832 participants were included in this systematic review. Meta-analyses revealed positive effects of yoga using PSQI or ISI scores in 16 randomized control trials (RCTs) compared with the control group in improving sleep quality in women, PSQI (SMD = −0.54; 95% CI = −0.89 to −0.19 ; P = 0.003). However, three RCTs revealed no effects of yoga compared with the control group in reducing the severity of insomnia in women using ISI (SMD = −0.13; 95% CI = −0.74 to 0.48; P = 0.69). Seven RCTs revealed no evidence for effects of yoga compared with the control group in improving sleep quality for women with breast cancer using PSQI (SMD = −0.15 ; 95% CI = −0.31 to 0.01; P = 0.5). Four RCTs revealed no evidence for the effects of yoga compared with the control group in improving the sleep quality for peri-or postmenopausal women using PSQI (SMD = −0.31; 95% CI = −0.95 to 0.33; P = 0.34).Yoga was not associated with serious adverse events. Discussion This systematic review and meta-analysis found that yoga intervention in some groups of women was beneficial in managing sleep problems. Despite certain disadvantages in methodology in the included studies, yoga may be recommended as a complementary therapy to women.


2021 ◽  
pp. 193229682110646
Author(s):  
Stine Hangaard ◽  
Sisse H. Laursen ◽  
Jonas D. Andersen ◽  
Thomas Kronborg ◽  
Peter Vestergaard ◽  
...  

Background: Previous systematic reviews have aimed to clarify the effect of telemedicine on diabetes. However, such reviews often have a narrow focus, which calls for a more comprehensive systematic review within the field. Hence, the objective of the present systematic review, meta-analysis, and meta-regression is to evaluate the effectiveness of telemedicine solutions versus any comparator without the use of telemedicine on diabetes-related outcomes among adult patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D). Methods: This review was conducted in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. We considered telemedicine randomized controlled trials (RCT) including adults (≥18 years) diagnosed with T2D. Change in glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c, %) was the primary outcome. PubMed, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) were searched on October 14, 2020. An overall treatment effect was estimated using a meta-analysis performed on the pool of included studies based on the mean difference (MD). The revised Cochrane risk-of-bias tool was applied and the certainty of evidence was graded using the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluations (GRADE) approach. Results: The final sample of papers included a total of 246, of which 168 had sufficient information to calculate the effect of HbA1c%. The results favored telemedicine, with an MD of −0.415% (95% confidence interval [CI] = −0.482% to −0.348%). The heterogeneity was great (I2 = 93.05%). A monitoring component gave rise to the higher effects of telemedicine. Conclusions: In conclusion, telemedicine may serve as a valuable supplement to usual care for patients with T2D. The inclusion of a telemonitoring component seems to increase the effect of telemedicine.


2021 ◽  
Vol 23 (Supplement_2) ◽  
pp. ii51-ii52
Author(s):  
A M George ◽  
S Gupta ◽  
S M Keshwara ◽  
M A Mustafa ◽  
C S Gillespie ◽  
...  

Abstract BACKGROUND Systematic reviews and meta-analyses constitute the highest level of research evidence and for a disease with limited clinical trial activity, are often relied upon to help inform clinical practice. This review of reviews evaluates both the reporting & methodological quality of meningioma evidence syntheses. MATERIAL AND METHODS Potentially eligible meningioma reviews published between 1st January 1990 and 31st December 2020 were identified from eight electronic databases. Inclusion required the study to meet the Cochrane guideline definition of a systematic review or meta-analysis. Reviews concerning neurofibromatosis type 2, spinal and pediatric meningiomas were excluded. The reporting and methodological quality of articles were assessed against the following modified guidelines: Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA), A MeaSurement Tool to Assess Systematic Reviews (AMSTAR2) and the Risk of Bias in Systematic Reviews (ROBIS) guidelines. RESULTS 117 systematic reviews were identified, 57 of which included meta-analysis (48.7%). The number of meningioma systematic reviews published each year has increased with 63 studies (53.9%) published between 01/2018 and 12/2020. A median of 17 studies (IQR 9–29) were included per review. Impact factor of journals publishing a systematic review with or without a meta-analysis was similar (median 2.3 vs 1.8, P=0.397). The mean PRISMA scores for systematic reviews with a meta-analysis was 21.11 (SD 4.1, 78% adherence) and without was 13.89 (SD 3.4, 63% adherence). Twenty-nine systematic reviews with meta-analysis (51%) and 11 without meta-analysis (18%) achieved greater than 80% adherence to PRISMA recommendations. Methodological quality assessment using AMSTAR2 revealed one study (0.9%) as high quality whilst 111 (94.8%) studies were graded as critically low. One hundred and two articles (87.2%) did not utilize a comprehensive search strategy as defined by the AMSTAR2 tool. Ninety-nine studies (84.6%) obtained a high level of concern for potential bias as per the ROBIS assessment. One hundred and eight articles (92.3%) failed to present information that a protocol had been established prior to study commencement and 76 articles (65.0%) did not conduct a risk of bias assessment. Across the three tools, domains relating to the establishment of a protocol prior to review commencement and conducting appropriate risk of bias assessments were frequently low scoring. CONCLUSION Overall reporting and methodological quality of meningioma systematic reviews was sub-optimal. Established critical appraisal tools and reporting guidelines should be utilized a priori to assist in producing high-quality systematic reviews.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Weili Wang ◽  
Kuang-Huei Chen ◽  
Ying-Chieh Pan ◽  
Szu-Nian Yang ◽  
Yuan-Yu Chan

Abstract Background: To examine the effectiveness and safety of yoga of women with sleep problems by performing a systematic review and meta-analysis. Methods: Medline/PubMed, ClinicalKey, ScienceDirect, Embase, PsycINFO, and the Cochrane Library were searched throughout the month of June, 2019. Randomized controlled trials comparing yoga groups with control groups in women with sleep problems were included. Two reviewers independently evaluated risk of bias by using the risk of bias tool suggested by the Cochrane Collaboration for programming and conducting systematic reviews and meta-analyses. The main outcome measure was sleep quality or the severity of insomnia, which was measured using subjective instruments, such as the Pittsburgh Sleep QualityIndex (PSQI),Insomnia Severity Index (ISI), or objective instruments such as polysomnography, actigraphy, and safety of the intervention. For each outcome, a standardized mean difference (SMD) and confidence intervals (CIs) of 95% were determined. Results: Nineteen studies in this systematic review included 1832 participants. The meta-analysis of the combined data conducted according to Comprehensive Meta-Analysis showed a significant improvement in sleep (SMD =−0.327, 95% CI=−0.506 to −0.148,P<0.001).Meta-analyses revealed positive effects of yoga using PSQI scores in 16 randomized control trials (RCTs), compared with the control group in improving sleep quality among women usingPSQI (SMD = −0.54; 95% CI = −0.89 to −0.19; P = 0.003). However, three RCTs revealed no effects of yoga compared to the control groupin reducing insomnia among women using ISI (SMD = −0.13; 95% CI = −0.74 to 0.48; P = 0.69).Yoga was not associated with any serious adverse events. Discussion: This systematic review and meta-analysis demonstrated that yoga intervention in women can be beneficial whencompared to non-active control conditions in term of managing sleep problems.The moderator analyses suggest that participants in the non-breast cancer subgroup and participants in the non-peri/postmenopausal subgroup were associated with greater benefits, with a direct correlation of total class time with quality of sleep among other related benefits.


Author(s):  
Morteza Arab-Zozani ◽  
Zahra Heidarifard ◽  
Efat Jabarpour

Context: The number of studies on health is increasing rapidly worldwide and in Iran. Systematic review studies, meta-analyses, and economic evaluation are of great importance in evidence-based decision making because of their standing in the evidence-based pyramid. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the reporting and methodological quality of Iranian systematic reviews, meta-analysis studies and economic evaluations on healthcare. Evidence Acquisition: PubMed and Scopus databases were searched to find considered studies, including systematic reviews, meta analyses and economic evaluations published from 2005 to 2015. Because of the high volume of review studies, 10% of all systematic reviews and meta-analyses were selected as a random sample. Also, all economic evaluations were included. Articles were evaluated using checklists, including PRISMA, AMSTAR and QHES with a maximum score of 27, 11 and 100, respectively. The quality score for each criterion as well as the epidemiological and descriptive characteristics of all articles was determined. Data were analyzed using SPSS V. 16 software. Results: After searching the databases, 1084 systematic reviews and meta-analyses were obtained, 10% of which were included in the study. A total of 41 economic evaluations were also included. The mean scores of systematic reviews and meta-analyses based on PRISMA and AMSTAR checklists were 17.04 (5.35) and 5.42 (1.97), respectively, and 68.21 (12.44) for economic evaluations based on QHES. Only three systematic reviews and meta-analysis articles had recorded protocols and 85% of the studies included the terms “systematic review” and “meta-analysis” in their titles. Only one study had been updated. In addition, 81% of the systematic reviews and meta-analyses were published in specialized journals and 47% in Iranian journals. Financial resources and conflict of interests had been mentioned in 33% and 66% of the studies, respectively. Of the selected studies, 60% had evaluated the quality of the articles and 35% of the studies had assessed publication bias. In economic evaluations, 56% had used CEA analysis, 22% CUA analysis, 12% CBA analysis, and one study had used CMA analysis. Of these studies, 54% were model-based health economic studies and 12% were trial-based. The economic perspective was the health care system in most studies. Forty-four percent of the studies had a short time horizon of one year or less, whereas 33% had a lifetime horizon. Moreover, 68% of the studies showed sensitivity analysis and only 5 included the magnitude and direction of the bias. Conclusions: Overall, the reporting and methodological quality of the selected studies were estimated at a moderate level. Based on these results, it is recommended to adopt strategies to reduce preventable errors in studies. Having a primary plan and protocol and registering it as a systematic review can be an important factor in improving the quality of studies. Economic evaluations should also focus on issues, such as economic perspective, time horizon, available bias, and sensitivity analysis.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Weili Wang ◽  
Kuang-Huei Chen ◽  
Ying-Chieh Pan ◽  
Szu-Nian Yang ◽  
Yuan-Yu Chan

Abstract Objectives To examine the effectiveness and safety of yoga for women with sleep problems by performing a systematic review and meta-analysis.Methods Medline/PubMed, Clincalkey, ScienceDirect, Embase, PsycINFO, and the Cochrane Library were searched throughout the month of June 2019. Randomized controlled trials comparing yoga groups with control groups in women with sleep problems were included. Two reviewers independently evaluated risk of bias by using the risk of bias tool suggested by the Cochrane Collaboration for programming and conducting systematic reviews and meta-analyses. The main outcome measure was sleep qualityor the severity of insomnia, which was measured using subjective instruments, such as the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), Insomnia severity index (ISI), or objective instruments, such as polysomnography, actigraphy, and safety of the intervention. For each outcome, standardized mean difference (SMD) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were determined.Results Nineteen studies including 1832 participants were included in this systematic review. Meta-analyses revealed positive effects of yoga using PSQI or ISI scores in 16 randomized control trials (RCTs) compared with the control group in improving sleep quality in women, PSQI (SMD = −0.54; 95% CI = −0.89 to −0.19 ; P = 0.003). However, three RCTs revealed no effects of yoga compared with the control group in reducing the severity of insomnia in women using ISI (SMD = −0.13; 95% CI = −0.74 to 0.48; P = 0.69). Seven RCTs revealed no evidence for effects of yoga compared with the control group in improving sleep quality for women with breast cancer using PSQI (SMD = −0.15 ; 95% CI = −0.31 to 0.01; P = 0.5). Four RCTs revealed no evidence for the effects of yoga compared with the control group in improving the sleep quality for peri-or postmenopausal women using PSQI (SMD = −0.31; 95% CI = −0.95 to 0.33; P = 0.34).Yoga was not associated with serious adverse events.Discussion This systematic review and meta-analysis found that yoga intervention in some groups of women was beneficial in managing sleep problems. Despite certain disadvantages in methodology in the included studies, yoga may be recommended as a complementary therapy to women.


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