381,523 papers found

Study coding is an essential component of the research synthesis process. Data extracted during study coding serve as a direct link between the included studies and the synthesis results, allowing reviewers to justify claims about the findings from a set of related studies. The purpose of this tutorial is to provide au…

BACKGROUND: Native coarctation of the aorta (CoA) accounts for 6-8% of congenital heart defects and poses significant morbidity and mortality risks if untreated. By incorporating the most recent evidence, focusing on the pediatric population, this protocol outlines the planned approach for a systematic review and meta-…

OBJECTIVES: In evidence synthesis, inconsistency is typically assessed visually and with the Iand the Q statistics. However, these measures have important limitations (i) if there are few primary studies of small sample sizes or (ii) if there are multiple studies with precise estimates. In addition, with the increasing…

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental condition. Omega-3 fatty acid insufficiency has been linked to ASD. This umbrella meta-analysis was performed to investigate the effects of omega-3 supplementation on clinical manifestations in participants with ASD. Based on the PRISMA statement, databases includi…

BACKGROUND: A Generalized Linear Mixed Model (GLMM) is recommended to meta-analyze diagnostic test accuracy studies (DTAs) based on aggregate or individual participant data. Since a GLMM does not have a closed-form likelihood function or parameter solutions, computational methods are conventionally used to approximate…

BACKGROUND: There is evidence in the literature suggesting that high time spent in sedentary behavior (SB) can reduce the Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) levels, an important neurotrophin that plays a role in modulating cognition, learning and memory. Children and adolescents usually spend many hours a day on…

BACKGROUND: Preterm birth is a significant contributor to newborns morbidity and mortality. Despite the availability of highly effective and powerful interventions, the burden of preterm birth has not decreased. Given the relevance of the topic to clinical decision-making, strong conclusive and supporting evidence…

BACKGROUND: Heterogeneity in diagnostic criteria and provocation protocols has posed challenges in understanding the safety of coronary provocation testing with intracoronary acetylcholine (ACh) for the contemporary diagnosis of epicardial and microvascular spasm. OBJECTIVES: We examined the safety of testing and subg…

BACKGROUND: A suboptimal meta-analysis with misleading conclusions, frequently published in the healthcare journals, can compromise decision making in clinical practice. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the reporting quality, methodological quality, and risk of bias of meta-analyses of pharmacy services. METHODS: Systematic se…

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Randomized trials included in meta-analyses are often affected by bias caused by methodological flaws or limitations, but the degree of bias is unknown. Two proposed methods adjust the trial results for bias using empirical evidence from published meta-epidemiological studies or expert opinion…

Investigating the contribution of biology to human cognition has assumed a bottom-up causal cascade where genes influence brain systems that activate, communicate, and ultimately drive behavior. Yet few studies have directly tested whether cognitive traits with overlapping genetic underpinnings also rely on overlapping…

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was (1) to perform a summary of meta-analyses comparing platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injection with hyaluronic acid (HA) and placebo injection for KOA patients, (2) to determine which meta-analysis provides the best available evidence to making proposals for the use of PRP in the trea…

BACKGROUND: Therapeutic strategies - such as duration of dual antiplatelet therapy after coronary artery stenting - usually generate a large quantity of meta-analyses. The meta-analyses that include the same randomized clinical trials should produce similar results. Our aim in the study is to analyze the quality and to…

BACKGROUND: To provide empirical evidence about prevalence, reporting and handling of missing outcome data in systematic reviews with network meta-analysis and acknowledgement of their impact on the conclusions. METHODS: We conducted a systematic survey including all published systematic reviews of randomized controll…

OBJECTIVE: To compare tumor risk in the 4 Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome (BWS) molecular subgroups: Imprinting Control Region 1 Gain of Methylation (ICR1-GoM), Imprinting Control Region 2 Loss of Methylation (ICR2-LoM), Chromosome 11p15 Paternal Uniparental Disomy (UPD), and Cyclin-Dependent Kinase Inhibitor 1C gene (CDKN…

BACKGROUND: The random-effects (RE) model is the standard choice for meta-analysis in the presence of heterogeneity, and the standard RE method is the DerSimonian and Laird (DSL) approach, where the degree of heterogeneity is estimated using a moment-estimator. The DSL approach does not take into account the variabilit…

BACKGROUND: Trial sequential methods have been introduced to address issues related to increased likelihood of incorrectly rejecting the null hypothesis in meta-analyses due to repeated significance testing. Between-study variance (τ) and its estimate () play a crucial role in both meta-analysis and trial sequent…

Agroforestry systems (AFS), which integrate trees into agricultural landscapes, offer a promising strategy for climate change mitigation and biodiversity restoration. The trees can access additional resources, improving soil functions and contributing to soil regeneration through increased organic matter inputs. Howeve…