391,922 papers found

CONTEXT: Continuous energy restriction (CER) and intermittent fasting (IF) are both prevalent diet regimens recommended for weight loss and metabolic improvement. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of CER and IF on weight loss and metabolic improvement in adults with overweight, obesit…

Cancer-related complications pose significant challenges in the management and treatment of patients with malignancies. Several meta-analyses have indicated improving effects of probiotics on cancer complications, while some studies have reported contentious findings. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate th…

As evidence-based practitioners become more reliant on systematic reviews to inform treatment, it becomes important to systematize reporting details as well as improve the quality of the primary studies that will later be incorporated into this secondary literature. In this article, the authors consider several specifi…

The aim of this study was to examine the distribution of caries on different tooth surfaces, at varying levels of dental caries, in adolescent populations. Using data obtained from published reports, the relationship between reported mean surface-type caries scores were plotted against the total mean DFS and showed a g…

OBJECTIVE: Reports of pharmacy research using crossover designs were reviewed to determine if the studies adequately consider interaction effects and use appropriate statistical analyses. DATA SOURCES: All crossover studies published in DICP, The Annals of Pharmacotherapy during 1988 and 1989 were analyzed. STUDY SEL…

In order to elucidate factors affecting the rate of angioplasty restenosis, we reviewed 212 published reports on restenosis after percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty. We used five specific methodologic standards to select the 31 reports most likely to produce unbiased results. Sixty one factors judged to be…

The purpose of this quasi-experimental study was to determine if the patency of the peripheral intermittent intravenous device (PIID) would be maintained as effectively with a sodium chloride solution as with a dilute heparin solution and to determine if a sodium chloride solution could be used with fewer local complic…

The present review examines the relationship between disaster occurrence and psychopathology outcome for 52 studies that used quantitative measures of such a relationship. Descriptive and inferential techniques were used to examine relationships among four sets of variables: (a) the characteristics of the victim popula…

This paper examines the clinical research methodologies used for the evaluation of cleft lip and palate therapies. A survey of clinical reports in the Cleft Palate Journal between 1964 and 1988 revealed that almost all used retrospective methods (96%). The authors examine the merits and biases associated with retrospec…

A number of studies have reported correlations between subjects' asymmetry scores on left and right hemisphere specialized tasks. In this paper we report the results of meta-analyses performed on these correlations. Results showed positive correlations between subjects' asymmetry scores on left and right hemisphere spe…

The "activities of daily living," or ADLs, are the basic tasks of everyday life, such as eating, bathing, dressing, toileting, and transferring. Reported estimates of the size of the elderly population with ADL disabilities differ substantially across national surveys. Differences in which ADL items are being measured…

The cerebellum plays important roles in motor, cognitive, and emotional behaviors. Previous cerebellar coordinate-based meta-analyses (CBMAs) have complemented precision-mapping and parcellation approaches by finding generalizable cerebellar activations across the largest possible set of behaviors. However, cerebellar…

Can recent failures to replicate psychological research be explained by typical magnitudes of statistical power, bias or heterogeneity? A large survey of 12,065 estimated effect sizes from 200 meta-analyses and nearly 8,000 papers is used to assess these key dimensions of replicability. First, our survey finds that psy…

Currently, an increasing number of individuals diagnosed with diabetes mellitus (DM) are opting for combined functional substances in edible plant products, like herbal prescription or traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), to enhance the efficacy of blood glucose and lipid profile control. Among various TCM-included trea…

The majority of reported complex disease associations for common genetic variants have been identified through meta-analysis, a powerful approach that enables the use of large sample sizes while protecting against common artifacts due to population structure and repeated small-sample analyses sharing individual-level d…

OBJECTIVE: To describe the relative risk for serious gastrointestinal complications due to non-aspirin nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) exposure among NSAID users as well as in selected subgroups. DESIGN: Overview and meta-analysis. DATA IDENTIFICATION: A literature search of English-language studies exami…

There is a concern of an increased risk of bladder cancer associated with the use of thiazolidinediones, a class of oral glucose-lowering drugs commonly used in patients with type 2 diabetes with a mechanism of improving insulin resistance. Human studies on related issues are reviewed, followed by a discussion on poten…

OBJECTIVE: To compare estimates of intervention effects between single centre and multicentre randomised controlled trials with continuous outcomes. DESIGN: Meta-epidemiological study. DATA SOURCES: 26 meta-analyses totalling 292 randomised controlled trials (177 single centre, 115 multicentre) with continuous outcom…

BACKGROUND: There is considerable debate as to the relative merits of using randomised controlled trial (RCT) data as opposed to observational data in systematic reviews of adverse effects. This meta-analysis of meta-analyses aimed to assess the level of agreement or disagreement in the estimates of harm derived from m…

Epidemiological data suggest that smoking filter and lower tar cigarettes is associated with less lung cancer risk than is smoking plain and higher tar cigarettes. A recent National Cancer Institute monograph claimed these apparent benefits of lower delivery products may be illusory if relative risks are adjusted for d…