375,970 papers found

A literature search revealed 22 controlled clinical studies on the efficacy of acupuncture in three fields of addiction: cigarette smoking (15), heroin (five), and alcohol (two). These studies were reviewed using a list of 18 predefined criteria of good methodology. A maximum of 100 points for study design could be ear…

Sporadic adrenocortical tumours are common, but their pathogenesis is poorly elucidated. In this study, we present a meta-analysis and review of gene expression microarray and comparative genome hybridization (CGH) studies performed to date on these tumours, including our own data. Data of whole genome microarray studi…

The appearance of the breast parenchyma as seen on mammography is known to vary between individuals. The evidence is reviewed that some of the sources of this variation, namely, the densities referred to as "dysplasia", are related to breast cancer risk. We have carried out a meta-analysis of the published literature t…

A meta-analysis was performed to assess the effects of type, duration and frequency of exercise training on changes in body mass (BM), fat mass (FM), fat-free mass (FFM) and percent body fat (percent fat) both for adult males and females. Weight loss following aerobic type exercise training, though modest, was greater…

We reviewed randomised clinical trials evaluating the effect of lymphoblastoid or recombinant alpha-interferon in non-A, non-B chronic hepatitis. The outcomes assessed were the rates of serum alanine aminotransferase normalization and relapse during and after stopping interferon. Data were pooled by meta-analysis and a…

Two recent meta-analyses have generated evidence for child and adolescent psychotherapy effects. However, critics note that such meta-analyses often include studies with methodological shortcomings which might invalidate their results. In the present study, we explored whether the results of the most extensive child/ad…

This paper reports a follow-up of previous meta-analysis research conducted by the author on the effects of diabetes patient education on patient outcomes. An expanded sample of studies and psychological outcome variables were added to the previously studied variables of patient knowledge, self-care behaviors (complian…

A P value, or the magnitude or direction of results can influence decisions about whether, when, and how research findings are disseminated. Regardless of whether an entire study or a particular study result is unavailable because investigators considered the results to be unfavorable, bias in a meta-analysis may occur…

BACKGROUND: Meta-analysis is intended as a tool for the objective synthesis of evidence across a literature, in order to obtain the best evidence as to whether or not an association or effect is robust. However, as the use of meta-analysis has proliferated it has become increasingly clear that the results of a meta-ana…

BACKGROUND: Degenerative spondylolisthesis (DS) is a common cause of low back pain and lumbar spinal stenosis, necessitating various surgical interventions. Traditional management includes fusion surgery, but recently decompression with or without dynamic stabilization has been explored. However, the relative efficacy…

OBJECTIVE: To assess the diagnostic estimates of current urine-based diagnostic bladder tests for diagnosing bladder cancer using diagnostic test accuracy (DTA) and network meta-analysis (NMA). METHODS: The search for this systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted on PubMed and Medline for relevant studies pub…

OBJECTIVES: Several trial-level surrogate methods have been proposed in the literature. However, often only 1 method is presented in practice. By plotting trial-level associations between surrogate and final outcomes with prediction intervals and by presenting results from cross-validation procedures, this research dem…

A large number of common disorders, including cancer, have complex genetic traits, with multiple genetic and environmental components contributing to susceptibility. A literature search revealed that even among several meta-analyses, there were ambiguous results and conclusions. In the current study, we conducted a tho…

OBJECTIVES: Individual epidemiological investigations into the association between chlorination by-products in drinking water and cancer have been suggestive but inconclusive. Enough studies exist to provide the basis for a meaningful meta-analysis. METHODS: An extensive literature search was performed to identify per…

PURPOSE: A meta-analysis was performed on nine randomized clinical trials that compared fluorouracil (5-FU) with 5-FU plus intravenous (IV) leucovorin (LV) for the treatment of advanced colorectal cancer. DESIGN: The analysis was based on the most recently updated individual patient data from all trials. The end point…