scholarly journals Fragility Index of Recently Published Meta-Analyses in Pediatric Urology: A Striking Observation

Cureus ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sachit Anand ◽  
Deepika Kainth
2011 ◽  
Vol 186 (1) ◽  
pp. 266-272 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luis H. Braga ◽  
Julia Pemberton ◽  
Jorge DeMaria ◽  
Armando J. Lorenzo

2010 ◽  
Vol 183 (4S) ◽  
Author(s):  
Luis Braga ◽  
Julia Pemberton ◽  
Armando Lorenzo ◽  
Jorge DeMaria ◽  
Gordon Guyatt

2021 ◽  
Vol 37 (3) ◽  
pp. 363-367
Author(s):  
Arne Schröder ◽  
Oliver J. Muensterer ◽  
Christina Oetzmann von Sochaczewski

Abstract Purpose Meta-analyses occupy the highest level of evidence and thereby guide clinical decision-making. Recently, randomised-controlled trials were evaluated for the robustness of their findings by calculating the fragility index. The fragility index is the number of events that needs to be added to one treatment arm until the statistical significance collapses. We, therefore, aimed to evaluate the robustness of paediatric surgical meta-analyses. Methods We searched MEDLINE for paediatric surgical meta-analyses in the last decade. All meta-analyses on a paediatric surgical condition were eligible for analysis if they based their conclusion on a statistically significant meta-analysis. Results We screened 303 records and conducted a full-text evaluation of 60 manuscripts. Of them, 39 were included in our analysis that conducted 79 individual meta-analyses with significant results. Median fragility index was 5 (Q25–Q75% 2–11). Median fragility in relation to included patients was 0.77% (Q25–Q75% 0.29–1.87%). Conclusion Paediatric surgical meta-analyses are often fragile. In almost 60% of results, the statistical significance depends on less than 1% of the included population. However, as the fragility index is just a transformation of the P value, it basically conveys the same information in a different format. It therefore should be avoided.


VASA ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 46 (3) ◽  
pp. 151-158 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hisato Takagi ◽  
Takuya Umemoto

Abstract. Both coronary and peripheral artery disease are representative atherosclerotic diseases, which are also known to be positively associated with presence of abdominal aortic aneurysm. It is still controversial, however, whether coronary and peripheral artery disease are positively associated with expansion and rupture as well as presence of abdominal aortic aneurysm. In the present article, we overviewed epidemiological evidence, i. e. meta-analyses, regarding the associations of coronary and peripheral artery disease with presence, expansion, and rupture of abdominal aortic aneurysm through a systematic literature search. Our exhaustive search identified seven meta-analyses, which suggest that both coronary and peripheral artery disease are positively associated with presence of abdominal aortic aneurysm, may be negatively associated with expansion of abdominal aortic aneurysm, and might be unassociated with rupture of abdominal aortic aneurysm.


VASA ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 47 (4) ◽  
pp. 273-277
Author(s):  
Christopher Lowe ◽  
Oussama El Bakbachi ◽  
Damian Kelleher ◽  
Imran Asghar ◽  
Francesco Torella ◽  
...  

Abstract. The aim of this review was to investigate presentation, aetiology, management, and outcomes of bowel ischaemia following EVAR. We present a case report and searched electronic bibliographic databases to identify published reports of bowel ischaemia following elective infra-renal EVAR not involving hypogastric artery coverage or iliac branch devices. We conducted our review according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement standards. In total, five cohort studies and three case reports were included. These studies detailed some 6,184 infra-renal elective EVARs, without procedure-related occlusion of the hypogastric arteries, performed between 1996 and 2014. Bowel ischaemia in this setting is uncommon with an incidence ranging from 0.5 to 2.8 % and includes a spectrum of severity from mucosal to transmural ischaemia. Due to varying reporting standards, an overall proportion of patients requiring bowel resection could not be ascertained. In the larger series, mortality ranged from 35 to 80 %. Atheroembolization, hypotension, and inferior mesenteric artery occlusion were reported as potential causative factors. Elderly patients and those undergoing prolonged procedures appear at higher risk. Bowel ischaemia is a rare but potentially devastating complication following elective infra-renal EVAR and can occur in the setting of patent mesenteric vessels and hypogastric arteries. Mortality ranges from 35 to 80 %. Further research is required to identify risk factors and establish prophylactic measures in patients that have an increased risk of developing bowel ischaemia after standard infra-renal EVAR.


Crisis ◽  
2020 ◽  
pp. 1-5
Author(s):  
Shannon Lange ◽  
Courtney Bagge ◽  
Charlotte Probst ◽  
Jürgen Rehm

Abstract. Background: In recent years, the rate of death by suicide has been increasing disproportionately among females and young adults in the United States. Presumably this trend has been mirrored by the proportion of individuals with suicidal ideation who attempted suicide. Aim: We aimed to investigate whether the proportion of individuals in the United States with suicidal ideation who attempted suicide differed by age and/or sex, and whether this proportion has increased over time. Method: Individual-level data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), 2008–2017, were used to estimate the year-, age category-, and sex-specific proportion of individuals with past-year suicidal ideation who attempted suicide. We then determined whether this proportion differed by age category, sex, and across years using random-effects meta-regression. Overall, age category- and sex-specific proportions across survey years were estimated using random-effects meta-analyses. Results: Although the proportion was found to be significantly higher among females and those aged 18–25 years, it had not significantly increased over the past 10 years. Limitations: Data were self-reported and restricted to past-year suicidal ideation and suicide attempts. Conclusion: The increase in the death by suicide rate in the United States over the past 10 years was not mirrored by the proportion of individuals with past-year suicidal ideation who attempted suicide during this period.


2017 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
pp. 159-166 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bastianina Contena ◽  
Stefano Taddei

Abstract. Borderline Intellectual Functioning (BIF) refers to a global IQ ranging from 71 to 84, and it represents a condition of clinical attention for its association with other disorders and its influence on the outcomes of treatments and, in general, quality of life and adaptation. Furthermore, its definition has changed over time causing a relevant clinical impact. For this reason, a systematic review of the literature on this topic can promote an understanding of what has been studied, and can differentiate what is currently attributable to BIF from that which cannot be associated with this kind of intellectual functioning. Using Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) criteria, we have conducted a review of the literature about BIF. The results suggest that this condition is still associated with mental retardation, and only a few studies have focused specifically on this condition.


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