381,646 papers found

Improving health and well-being from the consideration of isolated studies is problematic. Systematic reviews have been developed to address this problem and may include a quantitative data synthesis in the form of a meta-analysis, or a cumulative meta-analysis. The value of systematic reviews depends greatly on the av…

OBJECTIVE: We studied the influence of the methodologic quality of individual trials on the outcome of a landmark meta-analysis on thrombolytic therapy in acute myocardial infarction. From each study we extracted the number of patients in both groups who died in hospital or during follow-up. Methodologic quality was as…

Exploring the possible reasons for heterogeneity between studies is an important aspect of conducting a meta-analysis. This paper compares a number of methods which can be used to investigate whether a particular covariate, with a value defined for each study in the meta-analysis, explains any heterogeneity. The main e…

Meta-analysis methodology is developed for combining sibpair linkage results across multiple studies employing different study designs, some employing quantitative traits (e.g., blood pressure) and some employing qualitative traits (e.g., clinical hypertension), under the assumption that the underlying (disease) trait…

OBJECTIVE: Funnel plots (plots of effect estimates against sample size) may be useful to detect bias in meta-analyses that were later contradicted by large trials. We examined whether a simple test of asymmetry of funnel plots predicts discordance of results when meta-analyses are compared to large trials, and we asses…

Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a family of inherited blood disorders of variable severity which have in common haemolytic anaemia, recurrent painful crises, end-organ failure and the risk of reduced life expectancy. In Britain, the condition predominantly occurs among families of African or Afro-Caribbean origin. This st…

Multiple factors in the past encouraged physicians to order laboratory tests excessively and perhaps even abusively. The shift in the financing of health care to managed care and capitation will create an environment where physicians will be more receptive to laboratory efforts to influence their test ordering behavior…

Because data archives contain patient-based rather than study-based data, they can address meta-analytic questions on uncommon outcomes and on predefined patient subsets, questions that are difficult to address using the traditional meta-analytic approach based on grouped data. We report the tasks involved in establish…

In this commentary, we use evidence produced by the Early Breast Cancer Trialists' Collaborative Group (EBCTCG) ten-year update of a meta-analysis of trials of adjuvant therapies for early breast cancer which started prior to 1985 to illustrate aspects of interpretations and uses of meta-analysis results. The following…

PURPOSE: To determine the diagnostic performance of technetium bone scanning in the setting of possible osteomyelitis in the foot of a patient who has diabetes or other vasculopathy. DESIGN: Meta-analysis. Data identification and study selection: To be eligible for inclusion, a report must have used intravenous techne…

Meta-analysis, a set of statistical tools for combining and integrating the results of independent studies of a given scientific issue, can be useful when the stringent conditions under which such integration is valid are met. In this report we point out the difficulties in obtaining sound meta-analyses of either contr…

A meta-analysis of 27 published and unpublished studies of the impact of clinical pharmacokinetics services on patients' serum drug concentrations, the appropriate collection of blood samples, and the appropriate use of assay results was conducted. An individual study's effect size (ES) was determined by subtracting pr…

Acquired hearing loss is common among adults, with hearing aids being the primary clinical management option. While hearing aids can improve communication and quality of life, many individuals do not use them consistently or at all. This article presents a protocol for an updated systematic review and meta-analysis of…

BACKGROUND: Anorexia nervosa (AN) is a severe eating disorder. With a lifetime prevalence of 1.4% in women and 0.2% in men, an increasing incidence and the highest mortality rate of all mental disorders, it is recognized as a major public health threat. Although the number of available treatments is increasing worldwid…

BACKGROUND: Invasive intra-arterial blood pressure (IABP) monitoring using an arterial catheter carries both risks and practical limitations. Noninvasive blood pressure (NIBP) monitoring using the widely adopted oscillometric automated brachial cuff is performed in nearly all patients in acute care settings at some poi…

BACKGROUND: Current guidelines identify the choice of fluid resuscitation as important in minimizing the incidence of secondary brain injury from cerebral edema. It is widely accepted that isotonic crystalloid resuscitation fluids, specifically normal saline (NS), are optimal for resuscitation and that other relatively…