391,885 papers found

Multivariate meta-analysis was performed on 39 studies of ventricular size in schizophrenia which used the ventricle:brain ratio (VBR). The size of the VBR was dependent both upon the date when studies were carried out (more recent studies showing a reduction in the difference between schizophrenics and controls), and…

Many authors have published their results of first metatarsal osteotomies to reduce the intermetatarsal angle. Each study has shown some degree of success. The meta-analysis or research synthesis that follows is a method of providing a quantitative review of these studies. It is a procedure for aggregating numerous stu…

Much effort has been spent to improve survival after acute myocardial infarction. To investigate how effective this effort has been, a meta-analysis was performed of studies published between 1960 and 1987 concerning mortality after acute myocardial infarction. Thirty-six studies were analyzed. They were classified wit…

The aim of the present study was to perform a meta-analysis of published studies in an attempt to determine the mean and range of normal ambulatory blood pressure. Twenty-two studies, including a total of 2638 subjects, were reviewed. Most studies were compatible with a mean 24-h ambulatory pressure in the range of 115…

BACKGROUND: Meta-analysis, described within evidence-based medicine, has become a frequent issue in recent medical literature. An exhaustive search of reported meta-analysis from any medical specialty is described. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Search of papers included in Medline or Embase between 1973-1998. A study of intra…

Although penicillin has been the antibiotic of choice for therapy of Group A beta-hemolytic streptococcal pharyngitis for more than four decades, reports of bacteriologic and clinical treatment failures with penicillin have increased in recent years. We conducted a meta-analysis of 19 studies to examine whether oral ce…

Because selection of studies for a literature review influences conclusions, inclusion criteria are of utmost importance. For a meta-analysis of studies testing effects of patient education on preventive behaviors, we present the framework and concepts used for setting inclusion criteria for primary studies. We also pr…

A meta-analysis was undertaken to determine the effects of surgery for lumbar spinal stenosis on pain and disability. Seventy-four journal articles met inclusion criteria and were independently reviewed by two readers. On average, 64% of patients treated surgically for lumbar spinal stenosis were reported to have good-…

Several large epidemiological studies in the Nordic countries have failed to confirm an association between age at first birth and breast cancer independent of parity. To assess whether lack of power or heterogeneity between the countries could explain this, a meta-analysis was performed of 8 population-based studies (…

A meta-analysis of 51 studies was done to estimate normative mean McGill Pain Questionnaire (MPQ) scores and to assess pain quality and pain intensity as measured by the MPQ in 3,624 subjects with seven painful conditions. Across the painful conditions, all of the estimated normative mean scores were no more than 50% o…

A meta-analysis was performed to determine whether the scientific literature provides enough evidence that hormone replacement therapy after menopause increases the risk of breast cancer. Studies were located by MEDLINE, supplemented by a hand search of all the references in the articles located. The papers were graded…

Since 1977, six clinical trials have been performed on the subject of routine antibiotic prophylaxis in patients requiring tube thoracostomy for trauma. No definitive conclusions have been reached regarding the efficacy of antibiotic use in this setting. The results of these clinical trials were pooled to generate an u…

A meta-analysis was performed to determine whether the literature provides evidence that periconceptual or postconceptual maternal use of spermicides is detrimental to the developing fetus. Nine studies that investigated teratogenicity met the inclusion criteria. The Mantel-Haenszel summary odds ratio was 1.02 (95% con…

OBJECTIVE: Insurance companies, legislators, and funding agencies have become increasingly concerned with efficacy and accountability in regard to psychotherapy, and psychodynamic therapy is a primary target of concern because it is widely practiced in outpatient settings. This paper is a meta-analytic review of recent…

Although quinolones are often used to treat nosocomial pneumonia (NP), there have been few trials documenting their efficacy in treating NP. Given the growing use of quinolones and issues regarding resistance, we conducted a meta-analysis of all trials of quinolones for treatment of NP. We identified 5 randomized trial…

OBJECTIVE: To perform a meta-analysis on studies evaluating the effect of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors on diabetic nephropathy in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. METHODS: A computerized literature search was conducted for articles of studies comparing ACE inhibitors with a control in patients…

Published and unpublished data on the HTLV-I seroprevalence in 13 European countries (sample a total of 79.549 persons) was subject to meta-analysis. HTLV-I infection was significantly associated with intravenous drug use, HIV-I seropositivity, geographical area and immigration from endemic areas outside of Europe. Sig…

Recent studies have reported upper gastrointestinal tract bleeding in 5-25% of intensive care unit (ICU) patients with severe stress despite the use of antacids and/or H2-antagonists. To evaluate the efficacy of this regimen, a meta-analysis of all prospective studies on the prevention of stress bleeding, available fro…

BACKGROUND: To ascertain the effect of the intravenous administration of magnesium in acute myocardial infarction on the frequency of arrhythmias and mortality, a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials was performed. METHODS AND RESULTS: The study included 930 patients with acute myocardial infarction admitted…