382,371 papers found

The era of big data is coming, and evidence-based medicine is attracting increasing attention to improve decision making in medical practice via integrating evidence from well designed and conducted clinical research. Meta-analysis is a statistical technique widely used in evidence-based medicine for analytically combi…

The objective of diagnostic studies or prognostic studies is to evaluate and compare predictive capacities of biomarkers. Suppose we are interested in evaluation and comparison of predictive capacities of continuous biomarkers for a binary outcome based on research synthesis. In analysis of each study, subjects are oft…

BACKGROUND: We attempted to clarify the association between dopamine receptor D4 (DRD4) 48-bp variable number of tandem repeats (VNTR) polymorphism and Tourette's syndrome. METHODS: The DRD4 48-bp VNTR polymorphism was genotyped in 291 Tourette's syndrome patients (including 218 trios) and 405 controls. Chi-square and…

Problematic internet use among children and adolescents is a major public health concern. In this protocol, it is defined as construct encompassing problematic gaming, social media use, smartphone use, and undifferentiated use, characterized by impaired control, prioritization, and persistence despite harm. It is assoc…

This response addresses the commentary by Dr. Moghadam regarding our systematic review and meta-analysis comparing Er:Glass and COlasers for atrophic acne scars. We clarify several methodological considerations to reinforce the validity of our findings. First, while laser parameters across included studies were not ide…

The treatment recommendation based on a network meta-analysis (NMA) is usually the single treatment with the highest expected value (EV) on an evaluative function. We explore approaches that recommend multiple treatments and that penalise uncertainty, making them suitable for risk-averse decision-makers. We introduce l…

INTRODUCTION: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic autoimmune disease characterised by progressive joint inflammation, pain and functional decline, disproportionately affecting older adults. In Canada, evidence regarding the prevalence, determinants and ethnic disparities of RA among older populations remains fragmen…

BACKGROUND: Knee osteoarthritis (KOA) is the most common and burdensome form of osteoarthritis worldwide. Although numerous non-pharmacological interventions are recommended in clinical practice, existing evidence remains fragmented and lacks comprehensive comparative evaluation. This study aims to systematically compa…

Network meta-analysis (NMA) synthesizes data from randomized controlled trials to estimate the relative treatment effects among multiple interventions. When treatments can be grouped into classes, class effect NMA models can be used to inform recommendations at the class level and can also address challenges with spars…

INTRODUCTION: Colonoscopy is often associated with significant patient pain and anxiety. Virtual reality (VR) technology has been widely used to alleviate pain and anxiety in patients undergoing invasive surgeries. However, there is a lack of reliable evidence supporting its effectiveness in reducing pain and anxiety i…

BACKGROUND: Disability is widely acknowledged as a major contributor to depression, which is a prevalent mental health condition that profoundly affects individuals, especially those with visual impairments. OBJECTIVES: This develops a protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis aim to examine the prevalence an…

Systematic reviews and meta-analyses are essential tools in medical research. Systematic reviews are a type of literature review that uses a systematic process to identify and assess all available literature on a specific research question. A meta-analysis is a statistical method of synthesizing the results of a system…

BACKGROUND: Transitivity assumption underlies the network meta-analysis framework and states that treatment comparisons are similar regarding the distribution of important characteristics that act as effect modifiers. Currently, there is a lack of methods to assess transitivity quantitatively. The methodological gap in…

INTRODUCTION: Patients with cancer frequently suffer from psychological distress, including anxiety and depression, which negatively impacts their quality of life. Music therapy (MT)and Tai Chi exercise are emerging as promising complementary interventions in cancer care. However, their comparative effectiveness remain…

Quantifying the heterogeneity is an important issue in meta-analysis, and among the existing measures, thestatistic is most commonly used. In this article, we first illustrate with a simple example that thestatistic is heavily dependent on the study sample sizes, mainly because it is used to quantify the heterogeneity…

The analysis of risk of bias in systematic reviews (SR) and meta-analyses (MA) is a fundamental task to ensure the correct synthesis of results. To carry out this task, specific tools must be used for each research design of the studies analyzed. The choice of an appropriate tool is currently a challenge for researcher…

BACKGROUND: Patients with chronic heart failure (CHF) experience congestion-related symptoms such as dyspnoea and oedema, both of which are associated with poor outcomes. Loop diuretics are the cornerstone to treat congestion and to maintain euvolemia. While furosemide is the most used loop diuretic, other loop diureti…

INTRODUCTION: Cystic fibrosis (CF) is an autosomal recessive genetic disorder caused by mutations in the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) gene, primarily affecting the respiratory and digestive systems. Respiratory rehabilitation techniques play a crucial role in managing pulmonary symptoms an…

INTRODUCTION: Globally, long-distance truck drivers' (LDTDs) risk of exposure to HIV infections is higher compared with other populations in transit. Thus, several HIV prevention interventions have been implemented, though to a narrower extent compared with other most at-risk populations. Consequently, the effectivenes…

INTRODUCTION: Systematic review and meta-analysis occupy the apex of the evidence pyramid, serving as the most comprehensive and reliable form of evidence-based assessment. Data extraction is a crucial juncture in meta-analysis, establishing the underpinnings for the outcomes and deductions drawn from systematic review…