391,922 papers found

BACKGROUND: The optimal hypoabsorptive surgical approach for management of severe obesity remains unclear. AIM: To perform a network meta-analysis (NMA) of randomized clinical trials (RCTs) comparing Roux-en-y gastric bypass (RYGB), SADI-S (single anastomosis duodeno-ileal bypass with sleeve gastrectomy), one anastomo…

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Primary biliary cholangitis is a chronic cholestatic liver disease that may progress to cirrhosis and liver failure. For patients with inadequate response or intolerance to ursodeoxycholic acid, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) agonists have emerged as second-line options. This stu…

Accumulation of the literature has suggested an inverse association between healthcare provider volume and mortality for a wide variety of surgical procedures. This study aimed to perform meta-analysis of meta-analyses (umbrella review) of observational studies and to summarize existing evidence for associations of hea…

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of anti-alpha-fodrin antibody for Sjögren's syndrome (SS). METHODS: Qualified literatures on evaluation of anti-alpha-fodrin antibody in diagnosis of SS in English and Chinese published between January 1997 and December 2007 were retrieved from the Cochrane Library,…

OBJECTIVE: To review published reports of risk of breast cancer with oral contraceptive use. DESIGN: Meta-analysis of study results, using regression techniques to explore the inter-study heterogeneity. SETTING: Twenty-seven epidemiological studies of breast cancer risk and oral contraceptive use published 1980-1989.…

The oral contraceptive pill (OCP) has been implicated as having a protective effect on the development of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The results of 12 studies have now been reported and produced differing results and conclusions. Because of the discrepancy in results and the importance of the issue we undertook a revie…

Optimization of radiation therapy for head and neck tumors requires the combination of several facets of radiation biology and physics. The aim is to achieve optimum tumor control while reducing normal tissue damage. Techniques have been developed to determine tumor radiosensitivity and growth characteristics. Their us…

In order to evaluate the variability in the diagnostic accuracy of the exercise electrocardiogram, a meta-analytic database derived from a review of 147 publications and a multicenter database derived from 2,826 angiographic referrals were analyzed. Wide variability in sensitivity and specificity were found from the me…

We systematically reviewed the six articles from the English-language medical literature, since 1979, which compared 99mTc-RBC venography with contrast venography for the diagnosis of deep venous thrombosis (DVT) of the lower extremity. The studies were generally small in size and poorly compliant with methodologic sta…

Age at the start of breast development and at menarche are important maturity indicators in adolescent females. Breast development is usually the first event of puberty and menarche virtually the last. Irregularities in the age of the subject at their appearance can denote a lack of synchronisation between pubertal eve…

Because fungal infection is a significant factor that determines the morbidity and the mortality of many patients with cancer, it is essential to understand the various predisposing defects that lead to such infections. These defects may be categorized into two broad areas: immune defects and mechanical defects. Among…

We conducted a survey of clinical trials to assess the scientific evidences presented for the practical use of dinitrochlorobenzene, squaric acid dibutylester, and diphencyprone in the treatment of alopecia areata. Twenty-six papers published between January 1977 and January 1988, in English, French, and Italian were s…

Due to the recent development of absorbable surgical staples, application of gynecologic stapling methods has expanded to the field of obstetrics. Several studies have been published presenting the results of utilization of a novel hysterotomy and uterine stapling device for cesarean section (Poly CS-57, U.S. Surgical…

INTRODUCTION: Crowther et al. 3 analysed the effectivity of magnesium tocolysis in preventing preterm birth. They conclude that there is no evidence for protection. In its latest guidelines, based on this Cochrane analysis, the German Association of Gynaecology and Obstetrics (DGGG) does not recommend any more the use…

OBJECTIVES: The main objective was to assess the credibility of the evidence using Grades of Recommendation, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) in oral health systematic reviews on the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (CDSR) and elsewhere. STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING: Systematic Reviews or meta-analys…

OBJECTIVE: To appraise multiple systematic reviews on the same clinical topic, focusing on predictors and correlates of quality of reporting of meta-analysis (QUOROM) scores. DESIGN: Case study. SETTING: Reviews providing at least individual quantitative estimates on role of acetylcysteine in the prevention of contra…

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Divergent results on the same scientific question generate controversy. We hypothesized that controversial data are attractive to investigators and editors, and thus the most extreme, opposite results would appear very early rather than late, as data accumulate, provided data can be generated…

OBJECTIVE: To assess the effects of anabolic-androgenic steroids on human muscle strength. DATA SOURCES: A MEDLINE search for the period from January 1966 to April 1990, supplemented by manual searches of previous reviews, produced 30 studies in which subjects received more than one dose of the study steroid and in wh…

Fifty nine scientific papers had been published in english or french literature, by 1988, on the matter of respiratory health effects of environmental tobacco smoke exposure (ETS). Fifteen dealt with lung cancer. An original meta-analytical approach was used in order to assess the consistency of these results, where th…

OBJECTIVES: Emerging evidence suggests that glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists and sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors may exert neuroprotective effects. However, the comparative efficacy of individual agents remains unclear. This network meta-analysis (NMA) aimed to evaluate the different…