scholarly journals Search Characteristics and Reporting of Systematic Reviews of Animal Experiments: A Cross-Sectional Study

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bing Zhao ◽  
Fei Chen ◽  
Qianqian Gao ◽  
Fan Mei ◽  
Li Zhao ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
English Language ◽  
Animal Experiment ◽  
Search Strategy ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Animal Experiments ◽  
Reporting Guidelines ◽  
Search Process ◽  
Search Methods ◽  
Cross Sectional

Abstract BackgroundThe formulation and implementation of a comprehensive search strategy is the basis for ensuring the quality of a systematic review (SR) and/or meta-analysis (MA). All published SRs/MAs of animal experiments were comprehensively identified, to evaluate how each search strategy was formulated, and how the search process and reporting were implemented, in order to represent a reference and provide suggestions for the future development of search procedures and reporting guidelines for SRs/MAs of animal experiments which should, ultimately, allow translation of the results of animal experiments into clinical practice.Methods and FindingsPubMed, OVID-Embase, Biosis Previews, CNKI, CBM, Wanfang Data, and VIP databases were searched to identify the SRs/MAs of medical-related animal experiments. The literature was independently screened and basic information extracted. The search characteristics (including search methods and their reporting) of each included study were analyzed in accordance with pre-established evaluation criteria. A total of 813 animal experiment SRs/MAs published in 503 different journals from 52 countries and regions were included. PubMed, Embase, and Medline were the three most commonly searched English-language databases for animal experiment SRs/MAs, although in 28.8% (234/813), fewer than 3 databases were searched. A supplementary search had been conducted in only half (52.2%, 424/813%) of the studies. In terms of search reporting, only 47.4% (385/813) reported search methods and 31.6% (243/813) described the search strategy. Only 4.8% (39/813) of the animal experiments SRs/MAs reported the qualifications of the search personnel.ConclusionsThe quality of search methods and reporting of the search process for published SRs/MAs of animal experiments are inadequate and substandard. Therefore, the search process should be standardized in future to improve efficiency and ensure the integrity and universality of the search, thereby allowing the development of SR/MA search strategies and reporting guidelines for animal experiments, and ultimately promote improvements in the quality of animal experiment SRs/MAs.

scholarly journals Low methodological quality of systematic reviews on acupuncture: a cross-sectional study

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Leonard Ho ◽  
Fiona Y. T. Ke ◽  
Charlene H. L. Wong ◽  
Irene X. Y. Wu ◽  
Andy K. L. Cheung ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Reviews ◽  
Methodological Quality ◽  
English Language ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Rank Correlation ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Measurement Tool ◽  
Sectional Study ◽  
Cross Sectional

Abstract Background While well-conducted systematic reviews (SRs) can provide the best evidence on the potential effectiveness of acupuncture, limitations on the methodological rigour of SRs may impact the trustworthiness of their conclusions. This cross-sectional study aimed to evaluate the methodological quality of a representative sample of SRs on acupuncture effectiveness. Methods Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, MEDLINE, and EMBASE were searched for SRs focusing on the treatment effect of manual acupuncture or electro-acupuncture published during January 2018 and March 2020. Eligible SRs must contain at least one meta-analysis and be published in English language. Two independent reviewers extracted the bibliographical characteristics of the included SRs with a pre-designed questionnaire and appraised the methodological quality of the studies with the validated AMSTAR 2 (A MeaSurement Tool to Assess systematic Reviews 2). The associations between bibliographical characteristics and methodological quality ratings were explored using Kruskal-Wallis rank tests and Spearman’s rank correlation coefficients. Results A total of 106 SRs were appraised. Only one (0.9%) SR was of high overall methodological quality, zero (0%) was of moderate-quality, six (5.7%) and 99 (93.4%) were of low-quality and critically low-quality respectively. Among appraised SRs, only ten (9.4%) provided an a priori protocol, four (3.8%) conducted a comprehensive literature search, five (4.7%) provided a list of excluded studies, and six (5.7%) performed meta-analysis appropriately. Cochrane SRs, updated SRs, and SRs that did not search non-English databases had relatively higher overall quality. Conclusions Methodological quality of SRs on acupuncture is unsatisfactory. Future reviewers should improve critical methodological aspects of publishing protocols, performing comprehensive search, providing a list of excluded studies with justifications for exclusion, and conducting appropriate meta-analyses. These recommendations can be implemented via enhancing the technical competency of reviewers in SR methodology through established education approaches as well as quality gatekeeping by journal editors and reviewers. Finally, for evidence users, skills in SR critical appraisal remain to be essential as relevant evidence may not be available in pre-appraised formats.

scholarly journals What does my neighbourhood have to do with my weight? A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis of the association between neighbourhood socioeconomic status and body weight

BMJ Open ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (9) ◽  
pp. e017567
Author(s):  
Shimels Hussien Mohammed ◽  
Mulugeta Molla Birhanu ◽  
Tesfamichael Awoke Sissay ◽  
Tesfa Dejenie Habtewold ◽  
Balewgizie Sileshi Tegegn ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Socioeconomic Status ◽  
Data Extraction ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Registration Number ◽  
Newcastle Ottawa Scale ◽  
Neighbourhood Socioeconomic Status ◽  
Using Data

IntroductionIndividuals living in poor neighbourhoods are at a higher risk of overweight/obesity. There is no systematic review and meta-analysis study on the association of neighbourhood socioeconomic status (NSES) with overweight/obesity. We aimed to systematically review and meta-analyse the existing evidence on the association of NSES with overweight/obesity.Methods and analysisCross-sectional, case–control and cohort studies published in English from inception to 15 May 2017 will be systematically searched using the following databases: PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Sciences and Google Scholar. Selection, screening, reviewing and data extraction will be done by two reviewers, independently and in duplicate. The Newcastle–Ottawa Scale (NOS) will be used to assess the quality of evidence. Publication bias will be checked by visual inspection of funnel plots and Egger’s regression test. Heterogeneity will be checked by Higgins’s method (I2statistics). Meta-analysis will be done to estimate the pooled OR. Narrative synthesis will be performed if meta-analysis is not feasible due to high heterogeneity of studies.Ethics and disseminationEthical clearance is not required as we will be using data from published articles. Findings will be communicated through a publication in a peer-reviewed journal and presentations at professional conferences.PROSPERO registration numberCRD42017063889.

A survey of YouTube videos as a source of useful/un-useful information in the field of the prevention and management of burn injuries: A cross-sectional analysis of the English language content

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kayhan Gurbuz ◽  
Mete Demir ◽  
Koray Das
Keyword(s):  
English Language ◽  
Burn Injury ◽  
Significant Loss ◽  
Burn Injuries ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Global Quality ◽  
Content Ratio ◽  
Media Platform ◽  
Youtube Videos

Abstract The study was designed on whether YouTube videos are useful as an information resource in the field of burn injury prevention and management. Current literature on the educational content and quality of burn-related first aid videos on YouTube was reported as inadequate and inaccurate. However, the quality of YouTube videos on various medical and clinical topics has been the subject of many previous studies, and there has been increasing evidence that the content ratio of usefulness was higher than that of non-useful. While hours and even minutes in burn injuries are as precious as gold in terms of outcomes, it would be a significant loss not to use the most popular and easily accessible free social media platform of our time as a tool that can contribute to the prevention of burns and raise awareness. Analysis was conducted with the remaining 96 videos from 240 videos obtained from YouTube, according to possible search terms and exclusion of videos according to predetermined criteria. The Global Quality Score (GQS) and modified DISCERN (m.DISCERN) tools were used to assess the quality and reliability of the videos. Viewer engagement metrics and video properties were also investigated according to the usefulness criteria (e.g., video length, duration on YouTube, topic contents, source uploads, reliability, and quality). Finally, it was revealed that nearly 80 percent of the YouTube videos contained information in the field of the prevention and management of burn injuries deemed useful in this study, comparable to the other medical disciplines' reports in the literature.

scholarly journals Associations of Sedentary Time with Heart Rate and Heart Rate Variability in Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Observational Studies

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (16) ◽  
pp. 8508
Author(s):  
Abdullah Bandar Alansare ◽  
Lauren C. Bates ◽  
Lee Stoner ◽  
Christopher E. Kline ◽  
Elizabeth Nagle ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Heart Rate ◽  
English Language ◽  
Sedentary Time ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Qualitative Synthesis ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Inverse Variance ◽  
Observational Design ◽  
Substantial Heterogeneity

Purpose: To evaluate if sedentary time (ST) is associated with heart rate (HR) and variability (HRV) in adults. Methods: We systematically searched PubMed and Google Scholar through June 2020. Inclusion criteria were observational design, humans, adults, English language, ST as the exposure, resting HR/HRV as the outcome, and (meta-analysis only) availability of the quantitative association with variability. After qualitative synthesis, meta-analysis used inverse variance heterogeneity models to estimate pooled associations. Results: Thirteen and eight articles met the criteria for the systematic review and meta-analysis, respectively. All studies were cross-sectional and few used gold standard ST or HRV assessment methodology. The qualitative synthesis suggested no associations between ST and HR/HRV. The meta-analysis found a significant association between ST and HR (β = 0.24 bpm per hour ST; CI: 0.10, 0.37) that was stronger in males (β = 0.36 bpm per hour ST; CI: 0.19, 0.53). Pooled associations between ST and HRV indices were non-significant (p > 0.05). Substantial heterogeneity was detected. Conclusions: The limited available evidence suggests an unfavorable but not clinically meaningful association between ST and HR, but no association with HRV. Future longitudinal studies assessing ST with thigh-based monitoring and HRV with electrocardiogram are needed.

Early palliative care in haematological patients: a systematic literature review

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 395-403
Author(s):  
Silvia Tanzi ◽  
Francesco Venturelli ◽  
Stefano Luminari ◽  
Franco Domenico Merlo ◽  
Luca Braglia ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Palliative Care ◽  
Comparative Studies ◽  
English Language ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Early Palliative Care ◽  
Study Results ◽  
Registration Number ◽  
Integrated Or ◽  
The Impact

BackgroundEarly palliative care together with standard haematological care for advanced patients is needed worldwide. Little is known about its effect. The aim of the review is to synthesise the evidence on the impact of early palliative care on haematologic cancer patients’ quality of life and resource use.Patients and methodsA systematic review was conducted. The search terms were early palliative care or simultaneous or integrated or concurrent care and haematological or oncohaematological patients. The following databases were searched: PubMed, Embase, Cochrane, CINHAL and Scopus. Additional studies were identified through cross-checking the reference articles. Studies were in the English language, with no restriction for years. Two researchers independently reviewed the titles and abstracts, and one author assessed full articles for eligibility.ResultsA total of 296 studies titles were reviewed. Eight articles were included in the synthesis of the results, two controlled studies provided data on the comparative efficacy of PC interventions, and six one-arm studies were included. Since data pooling and meta-analysis were not possible, only a narrative synthesis of the study results was performed. The quality of the two included comparative studies was low overall. The quality of the six non-comparative studies was high overall, without the possibility of linking the observed results to the implemented interventions.ConclusionsStudies on early palliative care and patients with haematological cancer are scarce and have not been prospectively designed. More research on the specific population target, type and timing of palliative care intervention and standardisation of collected outcomes is required.PROSPERO registration numberCRD42020141322.

scholarly journals Recognition and Participation of Colorectal Cancer Screening in Turkey: Meta-analysis of Literature

2019 ◽  
Vol 29 (Supplement_4) ◽  
Author(s):  
S Aydoğan ◽  
S Metintaş ◽  
M F Önsüz
Keyword(s):  
Colorectal Cancer ◽  
Cancer Screening ◽  
English Language ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Group Analysis ◽  
Fecal Occult Blood ◽  
Screening Methods ◽  
Double Blind ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Crc Screening

Abstract Background The aim of the study was to perform a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies about the proportion of recognition of fecal occult blood test (FOBT) and colonoscopy (CS) methods and participation to them in any period of life for colorectal cancer (CRC) screening in Turkey. Methods PubMed, Web of Science, Google Scholar, Turkey Citation Index and YOK Thesis Center databases were screened both in Turkish and English language to identify relevant studies and key words ’colorectal cancer’, ’colon cancer’, ’cancer screening’, ’information’, ’attitude’, ’behavior’, ’awareness’ and ’Turkey’ were. Criteria for inclusion in the analysis were; conducted in Turkey, original and cross-sectional, conducted CRC risky groups (having CRC in the first degree patients and 50 and above age), studies that give the number of participants and number of taking FOBT and CS screening in any period of their lives and/or the number of knowing them. The studies that met the criteria were read as double blind. The data were entered into the Open Meta Analyst demo program. Because of p < 0.001 in the heterogeneity test, random effects model was used in group analysis of the articles. The proportion and 95% confidence interval of knowing and taking FOBT and CS were calculated from the total number of cases. Results A total of 1176 articles were reached in first review. Duplications and inappropriated studies were eliminated, and 52 studies were selected. Eight studies about recognition FOBT, 16 about participation FOBT, 9 about recognition CS and 17 about participation CS were taken in analysis. After analysis it was found that 1315 of 4334 individuals (19.3%, 95%CI:6.6-32.1) recognized to FOBT, 1174 of 6825 individuals (13.2%, 8.0-18.5) participated to FOBT, 2197 of 5728 individuals (31.7%, 18.2-45.2) recognized to CS and 913 of 8860 individuals (10.0%, 8.1-12.0) participated to CS. Conclusions The proportion of recognition and participation to FOBT and CS were found less than expected. Key messages The proportion of recognition and participation CRC screening methods is low in risky groups. Awareness and participation of screening should be increased in risky groups.

Assessing the Educational Quality of Facebook Videos as an Informative Resource on Otitis Media

2020 ◽  
pp. 019459982093388
Author(s):  
Chase I. Kahn ◽  
Rita Wang ◽  
Kunal Shetty ◽  
Mikayla J. Huestis ◽  
Michael B. Cohen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Otitis Media ◽  
English Language ◽  
Treatment Options ◽  
Strong Positive Correlation ◽  
Video Content ◽  
Inclusion Criteria ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Educational Value ◽  
Sectional Analysis

Objective This study analyzes the quality and reliability of otitis media (OM) videos on Facebook and investigates whether the videos shared within the Facebook community are considered to be a valuable educational tool. The results of this study are important for providing clinicians with the necessary understanding about the video content that their patients may be exposed to. Study Design Cross-sectional analysis of video content. Setting A new Facebook account was created to carry out a search for videos on OM. Methods Inclusion criteria were as follows: videos intended for educating patients or guardians on OM, videos in the English language, and videos with at least 1 share. Results A total of 364 videos were screened, and 62 fit our inclusion criteria for analysis. The majority (56%) of OM videos on Facebook focused on complementary and alternative medication without mentioning any current guidelines. A limited amount of videos (29%) made any mention to surgical treatment options for OM. There was a strong positive correlation (rho = 0.8419, P < .001) between a video’s content and its reliability. There was no correlation seen between a video’s content and its shares (rho = −0.142, P = .1359). Conclusions The majority of OM videos on Facebook are inadequate for educational value. Clinicians should know about the existence of videos on OM and the quality of information that parents are exposed to.

scholarly journals A Methodology for Classifying Search Operators as Intensification or Diversification Heuristics

Complexity ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
Jorge A. Soria-Alcaraz ◽  
Gabriela Ochoa ◽  
Andres Espinal ◽  
Marco A. Sotelo-Figueroa ◽  
Manuel Ornelas-Rodriguez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Search Strategy ◽  
State Of The Art ◽  
Iterated Local Search ◽  
Search Process ◽  
Local Optima ◽  
Course Timetabling ◽  
Methodological Rigor ◽  
Improved Performance ◽  
Course Timetabling Problem

Selection hyper-heuristics are generic search tools that dynamically choose, from a given pool, the most promising operator (low-level heuristic) to apply at each iteration of the search process. The performance of these methods depends on the quality of the heuristic pool. Two types of heuristics can be part of the pool: diversification heuristics, which help to escape from local optima, and intensification heuristics, which effectively exploit promising regions in the vicinity of good solutions. An effective search strategy needs a balance between these two strategies. However, it is not straightforward to categorize an operator as intensification or diversification heuristic on complex domains. Therefore, we propose an automated methodology to do this classification. This brings methodological rigor to the configuration of an iterated local search hyper-heuristic featuring diversification and intensification stages. The methodology considers the empirical ranking of the heuristics based on an estimation of their capacity to either diversify or intensify the search. We incorporate the proposed approach into a state-of-the-art hyper-heuristic solving two domains: course timetabling and vehicle routing. Our results indicate improved performance, including new best-known solutions for the course timetabling problem.

scholarly journals Urinary incontinence and quality of life: a systematic review and meta-analysis

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Damiano Pizzol ◽  
Jacopo Demurtas ◽  
Stefano Celotto ◽  
Stefania Maggi ◽  
Lee Smith ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Systematic Review ◽  
Urinary Incontinence ◽  
Short Form ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Case Control ◽  
Case Control Studies ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Sf 36

Abstract Background Urinary incontinence (UI) and low quality of life (QoL) are two common conditions. Some recent literature proposed that these two entities can be associated. However, no attempt was made to collate this literature. Therefore, the aim of this study was to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis of existing data to estimate the strength of the association between UI and QoL. Methods An electronic search of major databases up to 18th April 2020 was carried out. Meta-analysis of cross-sectional and case–control studies comparing mean values in QoL between patients with UI and controls was performed, reporting random-effects standardized mean differences (SMDs) ± 95% confidence intervals (CIs) as the effect size. Heterogeneity was assessed with the I2. Results Out of 8279 articles initially screened, 23 were finally included for a total of 24,983 participants, mainly women. The mean age was ≥ 50 years in 12/23 studies. UI was significantly associated with poor QoL as assessed by the short-form 36 (SF-36) total score (n = 6 studies; UI: 473 vs. 2971 controls; SMD = − 0.89; 95% CI − 1.3 to − 0.42; I2 = 93.5) and by the sub-scales of SF-36 and 5/8 of the domains included in the SF-36. Similar results were found using other QoL tools. The risk of bias of the studies included was generally high. Conclusions UI is associated with a poor QoL, with a strong level of certainty. This work, however, mainly based on cross-sectional and case–control studies, highlights the necessity of future longitudinal studies for better understanding the importance of UI on QoL.

scholarly journals Pre-, Pro-, and Synbiotics: Do They Have a Role in Reducing Uremic Toxins? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-20 ◽  
Author(s):  
Megan Rossi ◽  
Kerenaftali Klein ◽  
David W. Johnson ◽  
Katrina L. Campbell
Keyword(s):  
English Language ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Uremic Toxins ◽  
Population Estimates ◽  
Inclusion Criteria ◽  
Language Studies ◽  
Human Adults ◽  
Meta Analyses ◽  
Grade Approach

Objective. This paper assessed the effectiveness of pre-, pro-, and synbiotics on reducing two protein-bound uremic toxins, p-cresyl sulphate (PCS) and indoxyl sulphate (IS).Methods. English language studies reporting serum, urinary, or fecal PCS and/or IS (or their precursors) following pre-, pro-, or synbiotic interventions (>1 day) in human adults were included. Population estimates of differences in the outcomes between the pre- and the postintervention were estimated for subgroups of studies using four meta-analyses. Quality was determined using the GRADE approach.Results. 19 studies met the inclusion criteria, 14 in healthy adults and five in haemodialysis patients. Eight studies investigated prebiotics, six probiotics, one synbiotics, one both pre- and probiotics, and three studies trialled all three interventions. The quality of the studies ranged frommoderatetovery low. 12 studies were included in the meta-analyses with all four meta-analyses reporting statistically significant reductions in IS and PCS with pre- and probiotic therapy.Conclusion. There is a limited but supportive evidence for the effectiveness of pre- and probiotics on reducing PCS and IS in the chronic kidney disease population. Further studies are needed to provide more definitive findings before routine clinical use can be recommended.

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