Quality Assessment of Studies Published in Open Access and Subscription Journals: Results of a Systematic Evaluation

PubMed Central

Pastorino, Roberta; Milovanovic, Sonja; Stojanovic, Jovana; Efremov, Ljupcho; Amore, Rosarita; Boccia, Stefania

2016-01-01

Introduction Along with the proliferation of Open Access (OA) publishing, the interest for comparing the scientific quality of studies published in OA journals versus subscription journals has also increased. With our study we aimed to compare the methodological quality and the quality of reporting of primary epidemiological studies and systematic reviews and meta-analyses published in OA and non-OA journals. Methods In order to identify the studies to appraise, we listed all OA and non-OA journals which published in 2013 at least one primary epidemiologic study (case-control or cohort study design), and at least one systematic review or meta-analysis in the field of oncology. For the appraisal, we picked up the first studies published in 2013 with case-control or cohort study design from OA journals (Group A; n = 12), and in the same time period from non-OA journals (Group B; n = 26); the first systematic reviews and meta-analyses published in 2013 from OA journals (Group C; n = 15), and in the same time period from non-OA journals (Group D; n = 32). We evaluated the methodological quality of studies by assessing the compliance of case-control and cohort studies to Newcastle and Ottawa Scale (NOS) scale, and the compliance of systematic reviews and meta-analyses to Assessment of Multiple Systematic Reviews (AMSTAR) scale. The quality of reporting was assessed considering the adherence of case-control and cohort studies to STrengthening the Reporting of OBservational studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) checklist, and the adherence of systematic reviews and meta-analyses to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) checklist. Results Among case-control and cohort studies published in OA and non-OA journals, we did not observe significant differences in the median value of NOS score (Group A: 7 (IQR 7–8) versus Group B: 8 (7–9); p = 0.5) and in the adherence to STROBE checklist (Group A, 75% versus Group B, 80%; p = 0.1). The results did not change after adjustment for impact factor. The compliance with AMSTAR and adherence to PRISMA checklist were comparable between systematic reviews and meta-analyses published in OA and non-OA journals (Group C, 46.0% versus Group D, 55.0%; p = 0.06), (Group C, 72.0% versus Group D, 76.0%; p = 0.1), respectively). Conclusion The epidemiological studies published in OA journals in the field of oncology approach the same methodological quality and quality of reporting as studies published in non-OA journals. PMID:27167982

Reporting recommendations for tumor marker prognostic studies (REMARK): explanation and elaboration

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background The Reporting Recommendations for Tumor Marker Prognostic Studies (REMARK) checklist consists of 20 items to report for published tumor marker prognostic studies. It was developed to address widespread deficiencies in the reporting of such studies. In this paper we expand on the REMARK checklist to enhance its use and effectiveness through better understanding of the intent of each item and why the information is important to report. Methods REMARK recommends including a transparent and full description of research goals and hypotheses, subject selection, specimen and assay considerations, marker measurement methods, statistical design and analysis, and study results. Each checklist item is explained and accompanied by published examples of good reporting, and relevant empirical evidence of the quality of reporting. We give prominence to discussion of the 'REMARK profile', a suggested tabular format for summarizing key study details. Summary The paper provides a comprehensive overview to educate on good reporting and provide a valuable reference for the many issues to consider when designing, conducting, and analyzing tumor marker studies and prognostic studies in medicine in general. To encourage dissemination of the Reporting Recommendations for Tumor Marker Prognostic Studies (REMARK): Explanation and Elaboration, this article has also been published in PLoS Medicine. PMID:22642691

Bibliometric study of articles on skeletal Class II malocclusions published in four high impact factor journals.

PubMed

Ousehal, Lahcen; El Aouame, Amal; Fatene, Nassiba; Lazrak, Laila; Traiba, Loubna; N'Gom, Papa Ibrahima

2018-04-11

Perform a bibliometric analysis of the orthodontic literature on skeletal Class II malocclusions during the first decade of the 21st century. A retrospective, observational, and comprehensive study ranging from January the first 2001 to December 31 2010, based on the articles published in four high impact factor orthodontic journals: Angle Orthod, OCR, EJO, and AJODO (Quotation Report Newspaper of the Scientific Information Institute). In the 4565 reviewed articles, only 338 were published on Class II malocclusions. Brazil, the United States, Turkey, and Germany are the nationalities, which have published the most. The cross-sectional descriptive studies represent 33%, randomized clinical trials (RCTs) 10.5%, meta-analyses 0.3%. Kanavakis et al. (2006) reported 72.34% of original articles, 2.83% of synthetic reviews, 8.89% of case reports, and 15.75% of unclassifiable articles. In conclusion, searchers in Orthodontics are invited to publish more clinical trials on skeletal Class II malocclusions. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS.

Comparison of methodological quality of positive versus negative comparative studies published in Indian medical journals: a systematic review.

PubMed

Charan, Jaykaran; Chaudhari, Mayur; Jackson, Ryan; Mhaskar, Rahul; Reljic, Tea; Kumar, Ambuj

2015-06-24

Published negative studies should have the same rigour of methodological quality as studies with positive findings. However, the methodological quality of negative versus positive studies is not known. The objective was to assess the reported methodological quality of positive versus negative studies published in Indian medical journals. A systematic review (SR) was performed of all comparative studies published in Indian medical journals with a clinical science focus and impact factor >1 between 2011 and 2013. The methodological quality of randomised controlled trials (RCTs) was assessed using the Cochrane risk of bias tool, and the Newcastle-Ottawa scale for observational studies. The results were considered positive if the primary outcome was statistically significant and negative otherwise. When the primary outcome was not specified, we used data on the first outcome reported in the history followed by the results section. Differences in various methodological quality domains between positive versus negative studies were assessed by Fisher's exact test. Seven journals with 259 comparative studies were included in this SR. 24% (63/259) were RCTs, 24% (63/259) cohort studies, and 49% (128/259) case-control studies. 53% (137/259) of studies explicitly reported the primary outcome. Five studies did not report sufficient data to enable us to determine if results were positive or negative. Statistical significance was determined by p value in 78.3% (199/254), CI in 2.8% (7/254), both p value and CI in 11.8% (30/254), and only descriptive in 6.3% (16/254) of studies. The overall methodological quality was poor and no statistically significant differences between reporting of methodological quality were detected between studies with positive versus negative findings. There was no difference in the reported methodological quality of positive versus negative studies. However, the uneven reporting of positive versus negative studies (72% vs 28%) indicates a publication bias in Indian medical journals with an impact factor of >1. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

Reporting Practices in Confirmatory Factor Analysis: An Overview and Some Recommendations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jackson, Dennis L.; Gillaspy, J. Arthur, Jr.; Purc-Stephenson, Rebecca

2009-01-01

Reporting practices in 194 confirmatory factor analysis studies (1,409 factor models) published in American Psychological Association journals from 1998 to 2006 were reviewed and compared with established reporting guidelines. Three research questions were addressed: (a) how do actual reporting practices compare with published guidelines? (b) how…

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Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-04-29

... collect, assemble, interpret, analyze, report and publish surveys; research, study, statistical and... commercial entities, for surveys or research, where such releases are consistent with the mission of the...): To collect, assemble, interpret, analyze, report and publish surveys; research, study, statistical...

Bibliometric Analysis of Journal of Clinical and Diagnostic Research (Dentistry Section; 2007-2014)

PubMed Central

Basavaraj, P; Singla, Ashish; Singh, Khushboo; Kundu, Hansa; Vashishtha, Vaibhav; Pandita, Venisha; Malhi, Ravneet

2015-01-01

Background: The role of scientific journals in diffusion of data concerning researches in the field of Public Health Dentistry is of premier importance. Bibliometric analysis involves analysis of publications reflecting the type of research work. Aim: The present study was conducted with an aim to determine the number and trends of published articles in Journal of Clinical and Diagnostic Research (JCDR) from Feb. 2007 to Oct.2014. Settings and Design: A retrospective observational study was conducted for JCDR. Materials and Methods: All issues of JCDR were electronically searched for the parameters : study design, area of interest of research, state /college where research was conducted, authorship pattern, source of articles published each year, changing study trends, disease under study and publication bias. Statistical Analysis used: The data was organized and analyzed using software SPSS - version 21.0; descriptive statistics was used. Results: Bibliometric analysis was done for 601 articles of JCDR published from Feb. 2007 to Oct. 2014. The total number of articles published under Dentistry section have tremendously increased from mere 2 articles in 2007 to 328 articles in 2014.Majority of the study designs published in both the journal were case reports (42.6%) followed by cross sectional studies (24.8%). 96.3% of the articles were from India. Majority of the articles published were of multi authors (65.2%) and from Educational institutes (98.4%). The trends of the articles published indicated that the case reports/series formed the major bulk (others=59.1%) followed by research studies (21.3%). Conclusion: It was concluded that most articles published were case reports followed by researches indicating an inclination towards better quality methodology. The SJR and the citation count of the articles published also indicated the quality of the scientific articles published. PMID:26023643

Bibliometric analysis of journal of clinical and diagnostic research (dentistry section; 2007-2014).

PubMed

Jain, Swati; Basavaraj, P; Singla, Ashish; Singh, Khushboo; Kundu, Hansa; Vashishtha, Vaibhav; Pandita, Venisha; Malhi, Ravneet

2015-04-01

The role of scientific journals in diffusion of data concerning researches in the field of Public Health Dentistry is of premier importance. Bibliometric analysis involves analysis of publications reflecting the type of research work. The present study was conducted with an aim to determine the number and trends of published articles in Journal of Clinical and Diagnostic Research (JCDR) from Feb. 2007 to Oct.2014. A retrospective observational study was conducted for JCDR. All issues of JCDR were electronically searched for the parameters : study design, area of interest of research, state /college where research was conducted, authorship pattern, source of articles published each year, changing study trends, disease under study and publication bias. The data was organized and analyzed using software SPSS - version 21.0; descriptive statistics was used. Bibliometric analysis was done for 601 articles of JCDR published from Feb. 2007 to Oct. 2014. The total number of articles published under Dentistry section have tremendously increased from mere 2 articles in 2007 to 328 articles in 2014.Majority of the study designs published in both the journal were case reports (42.6%) followed by cross sectional studies (24.8%). 96.3% of the articles were from India. Majority of the articles published were of multi authors (65.2%) and from Educational institutes (98.4%). The trends of the articles published indicated that the case reports/series formed the major bulk (others=59.1%) followed by research studies (21.3%). It was concluded that most articles published were case reports followed by researches indicating an inclination towards better quality methodology. The SJR and the citation count of the articles published also indicated the quality of the scientific articles published.

Quality of the written radiology report: a review of the literature.

PubMed

Pool, Felicity; Goergen, Stacy

2010-08-01

A literature review was carried out, guided by the question, What are the important elements of a high-quality radiology written report? Two papers known to the authors were used as a basis for 5 PubMed search strategies. Exclusion criteria were applied to retrieved citations. Reference lists of retrieved citations were scanned for additional relevant papers and exclusion criteria applied to these. Web sites of professional radiology organizations were scanned for guidelines relating to the written radiology report. Retrieved guidelines were appraised using the Appraisal of Guidelines for Research & Evaluation instrument. Methodologies of retrieved papers were not suitable for conventional appraisal, and an evidence table was constructed. The search strategy identified 25 published papers and 4 guidelines. Published study methodologies included 1 randomized controlled trial; 1 before-and-after study of interventions; 10 observational studies, audits, or analyses; 12 surveys; and 1 narrative review of the literature. Existing guidelines have a number of weaknesses with regard to scope and purpose, methods of development, stakeholder consultation, and editorial independence and applicability. There is a major gap in published studies relating to testing of interventions to improve report quality using conventional randomized controlled trial methods. Published studies and guidelines generally support report content, including clinical history, examination quality, description of findings, comparison, and diagnosis. Important report attributes include accuracy, clarity, and certainty. There is wide variation in the language used to describe imaging findings and diagnostic certainty. Survey participants strongly preferred reports with structured or itemized formats, but few studies exist regarding the effect of report structure on quality. Copyright 2010 American College of Radiology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Expert panels as a reference standard in orthodontic research: An assessment of published methods and reporting.

PubMed

Lempesi, Evangelia; Toulia, Electra; Pandis, Nikolaos

2017-04-01

The aim of this study was to investigate the expert panel methodology applied in orthodontics and its reporting quality. Additionally, the relationship between the reporting quality and a range of variables was explored. PubMed was searched for orthodontic studies in which the final diagnosis or assessment was made by 2 or more experts published up to March 16, 2015. Reporting quality assessment was conducted using an established modified checklist. The relationship between potential predictors and the total score was assessed using univariable linear regression. We identified 237 studies with a mean score of 9.97 (SD, 1.12) out of a maximum of 15. Critical information about panel methodology was missing in all studies. The panel composition differed substantially across studies, ranging from 2 to 646 panel members, with large variations in the expertise represented. Only 17 studies (7.2%) reported sample size calculations to justify the panel size. Panel members were partly blinded in 65 (27.4%) studies. Most studies failed to report which statistic was used to compute intrarater (65.8%) and interrater (66.2%) agreements. Journal type (nonorthodontic: β, 0.23; 95% CI, -0.07 to 0.54 compared with orthodontic), publication year (β, 0; 95% CI, -0.02 to 0.02 for each additional year), number of authors (1-3: β, 0.30; 95% CI, -0.13 to 0.74 compared with at least 6; 4-5: β, 0.18; 95% CI, -0.29 to 0.33 compared with at least 6), and number of centers involved (single: β, 0.20; 95% CI, -0.14 to 0.54 compared with multicenter) were not significant predictors of improved reporting. Studies published in Asia and Australia had significantly lower scores compared with those published in Europe (β, -0.54; 95% CI, -0.92 to -0.17). Formal guidelines on methodology and reporting of studies involving expert panels are required. Copyright © 2016 American Association of Orthodontists. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Why are medical and health-related studies not being published? A systematic review of reasons given by investigators.

PubMed

Song, Fujian; Loke, Yoon; Hooper, Lee

2014-01-01

About half of medical and health-related studies are not published. We conducted a systematic review of reports on reasons given by investigators for not publishing their studies in peer-reviewed journals. MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO, and SCOPUS (until 13/09/2013), and references of identified articles were searched to identify reports of surveys that provided data on reasons given by investigators for not publishing studies. The proportion of non-submission and reasons for non-publication was calculated using the number of unpublished studies as the denominator. Because of heterogeneity across studies, quantitative pooling was not conducted. Exploratory subgroup analyses were conducted. We included 54 survey reports. Data from 38 included reports were available to estimate proportions of at least one reason given for not publishing studies. The proportion of non-submission among unpublished studies ranged from 55% to 100%, with a median of 85%. The reasons given by investigators for not publishing their studies included: lack of time or low priority (median 33%), studies being incomplete (median 15%), study not for publication (median 14%), manuscript in preparation or under review (median 12%), unimportant or negative result (median 12%), poor study quality or design (median 11%), fear of rejection (median 12%), rejection by journals (median 6%), author or co-author problems (median 10%), and sponsor or funder problems (median 9%). In general, the frequency of reasons given for non-publication was not associated with the source of unpublished studies, study design, or time when a survey was conducted. Non-submission of studies for publication remains the main cause of non-publication of studies. Measures to reduce non-publication of studies and alternative models of research dissemination need to be developed to address the main reasons given by investigators for not publishing their studies, such as lack of time or low priority and fear of being rejected by journals.

Why Are Medical and Health-Related Studies Not Being Published? A Systematic Review of Reasons Given by Investigators

PubMed Central

Song, Fujian; Loke, Yoon; Hooper, Lee

2014-01-01

Objective About half of medical and health-related studies are not published. We conducted a systematic review of reports on reasons given by investigators for not publishing their studies in peer-reviewed journals. Methods MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO, and SCOPUS (until 13/09/2013), and references of identified articles were searched to identify reports of surveys that provided data on reasons given by investigators for not publishing studies. The proportion of non-submission and reasons for non-publication was calculated using the number of unpublished studies as the denominator. Because of heterogeneity across studies, quantitative pooling was not conducted. Exploratory subgroup analyses were conducted. Results We included 54 survey reports. Data from 38 included reports were available to estimate proportions of at least one reason given for not publishing studies. The proportion of non-submission among unpublished studies ranged from 55% to 100%, with a median of 85%. The reasons given by investigators for not publishing their studies included: lack of time or low priority (median 33%), studies being incomplete (median 15%), study not for publication (median 14%), manuscript in preparation or under review (median 12%), unimportant or negative result (median 12%), poor study quality or design (median 11%), fear of rejection (median 12%), rejection by journals (median 6%), author or co-author problems (median 10%), and sponsor or funder problems (median 9%). In general, the frequency of reasons given for non-publication was not associated with the source of unpublished studies, study design, or time when a survey was conducted. Conclusions Non-submission of studies for publication remains the main cause of non-publication of studies. Measures to reduce non-publication of studies and alternative models of research dissemination need to be developed to address the main reasons given by investigators for not publishing their studies, such as lack of time or low priority and fear of being rejected by journals. PMID:25335091

Reporting quality of statistical methods in surgical observational studies: protocol for systematic review.

PubMed

Wu, Robert; Glen, Peter; Ramsay, Tim; Martel, Guillaume

2014-06-28

Observational studies dominate the surgical literature. Statistical adjustment is an important strategy to account for confounders in observational studies. Research has shown that published articles are often poor in statistical quality, which may jeopardize their conclusions. The Statistical Analyses and Methods in the Published Literature (SAMPL) guidelines have been published to help establish standards for statistical reporting.This study will seek to determine whether the quality of statistical adjustment and the reporting of these methods are adequate in surgical observational studies. We hypothesize that incomplete reporting will be found in all surgical observational studies, and that the quality and reporting of these methods will be of lower quality in surgical journals when compared with medical journals. Finally, this work will seek to identify predictors of high-quality reporting. This work will examine the top five general surgical and medical journals, based on a 5-year impact factor (2007-2012). All observational studies investigating an intervention related to an essential component area of general surgery (defined by the American Board of Surgery), with an exposure, outcome, and comparator, will be included in this systematic review. Essential elements related to statistical reporting and quality were extracted from the SAMPL guidelines and include domains such as intent of analysis, primary analysis, multiple comparisons, numbers and descriptive statistics, association and correlation analyses, linear regression, logistic regression, Cox proportional hazard analysis, analysis of variance, survival analysis, propensity analysis, and independent and correlated analyses. Each article will be scored as a proportion based on fulfilling criteria in relevant analyses used in the study. A logistic regression model will be built to identify variables associated with high-quality reporting. A comparison will be made between the scores of surgical observational studies published in medical versus surgical journals. Secondary outcomes will pertain to individual domains of analysis. Sensitivity analyses will be conducted. This study will explore the reporting and quality of statistical analyses in surgical observational studies published in the most referenced surgical and medical journals in 2013 and examine whether variables (including the type of journal) can predict high-quality reporting.

The quality of the reported sample size calculations in randomized controlled trials indexed in PubMed.

PubMed

Lee, Paul H; Tse, Andy C Y

2017-05-01

There are limited data on the quality of reporting of information essential for replication of the calculation as well as the accuracy of the sample size calculation. We examine the current quality of reporting of the sample size calculation in randomized controlled trials (RCTs) published in PubMed and to examine the variation in reporting across study design, study characteristics, and journal impact factor. We also reviewed the targeted sample size reported in trial registries. We reviewed and analyzed all RCTs published in December 2014 with journals indexed in PubMed. The 2014 Impact Factors for the journals were used as proxies for their quality. Of the 451 analyzed papers, 58.1% reported an a priori sample size calculation. Nearly all papers provided the level of significance (97.7%) and desired power (96.6%), and most of the papers reported the minimum clinically important effect size (73.3%). The median (inter-quartile range) of the percentage difference of the reported and calculated sample size calculation was 0.0% (IQR -4.6%;3.0%). The accuracy of the reported sample size was better for studies published in journals that endorsed the CONSORT statement and journals with an impact factor. A total of 98 papers had provided targeted sample size on trial registries and about two-third of these papers (n=62) reported sample size calculation, but only 25 (40.3%) had no discrepancy with the reported number in the trial registries. The reporting of the sample size calculation in RCTs published in PubMed-indexed journals and trial registries were poor. The CONSORT statement should be more widely endorsed. Copyright © 2016 European Federation of Internal Medicine. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The Use of Published Clinical Study Reports to Support U.S. Food and Drug Administration Approval of Imaging Agents.

PubMed

Rieves, Dwaine; Jacobs, Paula

2016-12-01

Pharmaceutical companies typically perform prospective, multicenter phase 3 clinical studies to support approval of a new imaging agent by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). In uncommon situations, the FDA has approved imaging agents based solely, or in large part, on the clinical study experience described in published reports, including reports of exploratory (i.e., phase 1 or 2) studies performed at a single clinical site. We performed a survey of published reports to assess the potential of the reported information to support FDA approval of a commonly cited investigational imaging agent. Our survey revealed critical data limitations in most publications, all of which reported exploratory clinical studies. Here we summarize the precedent for FDA approval of imaging agents using effectiveness data from publications, FDA guidance, and our experience in reviewing publications. We also present a key-data checklist for investigators to consider in the design, conduct, and reporting of exploratory clinical studies for publication. We encourage editors and peer reviewers to consider requiring these key data when reviewing these reports for publication. © 2016 by the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, Inc.

Trends in P Value, Confidence Interval, and Power Analysis Reporting in Health Professions Education Research Reports: A Systematic Appraisal.

PubMed

Abbott, Eduardo F; Serrano, Valentina P; Rethlefsen, Melissa L; Pandian, T K; Naik, Nimesh D; West, Colin P; Pankratz, V Shane; Cook, David A

2018-02-01

To characterize reporting of P values, confidence intervals (CIs), and statistical power in health professions education research (HPER) through manual and computerized analysis of published research reports. The authors searched PubMed, Embase, and CINAHL in May 2016, for comparative research studies. For manual analysis of abstracts and main texts, they randomly sampled 250 HPER reports published in 1985, 1995, 2005, and 2015, and 100 biomedical research reports published in 1985 and 2015. Automated computerized analysis of abstracts included all HPER reports published 1970-2015. In the 2015 HPER sample, P values were reported in 69/100 abstracts and 94 main texts. CIs were reported in 6 abstracts and 22 main texts. Most P values (≥77%) were ≤.05. Across all years, 60/164 two-group HPER studies had ≥80% power to detect a between-group difference of 0.5 standard deviations. From 1985 to 2015, the proportion of HPER abstracts reporting a CI did not change significantly (odds ratio [OR] 2.87; 95% CI 1.04, 7.88) whereas that of main texts reporting a CI increased (OR 1.96; 95% CI 1.39, 2.78). Comparison with biomedical studies revealed similar reporting of P values, but more frequent use of CIs in biomedicine. Automated analysis of 56,440 HPER abstracts found 14,867 (26.3%) reporting a P value, 3,024 (5.4%) reporting a CI, and increased reporting of P values and CIs from 1970 to 2015. P values are ubiquitous in HPER, CIs are rarely reported, and most studies are underpowered. Most reported P values would be considered statistically significant.

Are reports of randomized controlled trials improving over time? A systematic review of 284 articles published in high-impact general and specialized medical journals.

PubMed

To, Matthew J; Jones, Jennifer; Emara, Mohamed; Jadad, Alejandro R

2013-01-01

Inadequate reporting undermines findings of randomized controlled trials (RCTs). This study assessed and compared articles published in high-impact general medical and specialized journals. Reports of RCTs published in high-impact general and specialized medical journals were identified through a search of MEDLINE from January to March of 1995, 2000, 2005, and 2010. Articles that provided original data on adult patients diagnosed with chronic conditions were included in the study. Data on trial characteristics, reporting of allocation concealment, quality score, and the presence of a trial flow diagram were extracted independently by two reviewers, and discrepancies were resolved by consensus or independent adjudication. Descriptive statistics were used for quantitative variables. Comparisons between general medical and specialized journals, and trends over time were performed using Chi-square tests. Reports of 284 trials were analyzed. There was a significantly higher proportion of RCTs published with adequate reporting of allocation concealment (p = 0.003), presentation of a trial flow diagram (p<0.0001) and high quality scores (p = 0.038) over time. Trials published in general medical journals had higher quality scores than those in specialized journals (p = 0.001), reported adequate allocation concealment more often (p = 0.013), and presented a trial flow diagram more often (p<0.001). We found significant improvements in reporting quality of RCTs published in high-impact factor journals over the last fifteen years. These improvements are likely attributed to concerted international efforts to improve reporting quality such as CONSORT. There is still much room for improvement, especially among specialized journals.

[Report quality evaluation of systematic review or Meta-analysis published in China Journal of Chinese Materia Medica].

PubMed

Zhang, Yan; Yu, Dan-Dan; Cui, De-Hua; Liao, Xing; Guo, Hua

2018-03-01

To evaluate the report quality of intervention-related systematic reviews or Meta-analysis published in China Journal of Chinese Materia Medica, we searched CNKI and China Journal of Chinese Materia Medica webpages to collect intervention-related systematic reviews or Meta-analysis since the first issue of the magazine. A total of 40 systematic reviews or Meta-analysis reports were included, including one network Meta-analysis. According to the PRISMA statement published in 2009, the report quality of the systematic reviews or Meta-analysis was evaluated. According to the results, 3 had the low quality, 30 had the medium quality, and 7 had the high quality. The average score for all of items was 30 points (21-30.5 points for the medium quality). The 17 high-quality (31-40 points) report items were title, rationale, objectives, information sources, study selection, data collection process, data items, risk of bias in individual studies, summary measures, risk of bias across studies, study selection, study characteristics, risk of bias within studies, results of individual studies, synthesis of results, risk of bias across studies and funding; the 4 medium-quality (21-30.5 points) reporting items were eligibility criteria, search, limitations and conclusions; and the 6 low-quality (<=20.5 points) reporting items were structured summary, protocol and registration, synthesis of results, additional analysis (No.16), additional analysis (No.23) and summary of evidence. Through the analysis, it is found that the report quality of intervention-related systematic reviews or Meta-analysis published in China Journal of Chinese Materia Medica is medium, and it is necessary to improve the quality standard of the report. Copyright© by the Chinese Pharmaceutical Association.

Diclofenac Potassium in Acute Postoperative Pain and Dysmenorrhoea: Results from Comprehensive Clinical Trial Reports

PubMed Central

2018-01-01

We compared the efficacy of diclofenac potassium in unpublished clinical study reports (CSRs) and published reports to examine publication bias, industry bias, and comprehensiveness. Novartis provided CSRs of randomised double-blind trials of diclofenac potassium involving postoperative patients following third molar extraction (3 trials, n=519), gynaecological surgery (3 trials, n=679), and dysmenorrhoea (2 trials, n=711) conducted in 1988–1990. Searches identified published reports of 6 trials. Information from 599/1909 patients was not published; trials with 846/1909 patients were published in a defunct journal. Greater methodological information in CSRs contributed to lesser risk of bias than published trials. Numbers needed to treat (NNT) from CSRs for all six postoperative trials for at least 50% of maximum pain relief over 6 h were 2.2 (95% confidence interval, 1.9–2.6) and 2.1 (1.8–2.4) for 50 and 100 mg diclofenac potassium, respectively. A Cochrane review of published trial data reported NNTs of 2.1 and 1.9, and one comprehensive analysis reported NNTs of 2.2 and 2.1, respectively. All analyses had similar results for patients remedicating within 8 h. No data from dysmenorrhoea CSRs appeared in a Cochrane review. CSRs provide useful information and increase confidence. Stable efficacy estimates with standard study designs reduce the need for updating reviews. PMID:29623148

Gist of Dr. Katsusaburo Yamagiwa's papers entitled "Experimental study on the pathogenesis of epithelial tumors" (I to VI reports).

PubMed

Fujiki, Hirota

2014-02-01

The concept of cancer and inflammation has a long history. Virchow's irritation theory based on human cancer engendered the essential role of inflammation in carcinogenesis. Drs. Yamagiwa and Ichikawa first published a comprehensive paper entitled "Experimental study on the pathogenesis of epithelial tumors" (I report) in 1915 in German, and went on to publish five more reports (1915-1924) under the same title. They succeeded in demonstrating that inflammation is an important carcinogenic factor, and the mechanisms are now being investigated by numerous scientists all over the world. In order to introduce Yamagiwa's work to modern cancer researchers, the essentials of their six reports have been translated into English as a short review. Scientists' comments on Yamagiwa's contribution are attached by way of introduction. © 2013 The Authors. Cancer Science published by Wiley Publishing Asia Pty Ltd on behalf of Japanese Cancer Association.

Registration status and outcome reporting of trials published in core headache medicine journals.

PubMed

Rayhill, Melissa L; Sharon, Roni; Burch, Rebecca; Loder, Elizabeth

2015-11-17

To evaluate randomized controlled trial (RCT) registration and outcome reporting compliance in core headache medicine journals. We identified RCTs published in core journals (Headache, Cephalalgia, and the Journal of Headache and Pain) from 2005 through 2014. We searched articles for trial registration numbers, which were verified in the corresponding trial registry. We categorized trial funding sources as industry, academic, government, or mixed. We contacted corresponding authors to assess reasons for nonregistration. We evaluated whether primary outcomes in trial registries matched those in corresponding publications. The journals published 225 RCTs over the study period. Fifty-eight of 225 (26%) reported a trial registration number in the article that could be linked to a corresponding registry entry. Trial registration rates increased over the 9 years of the study. Forty-six of 118 (39%) of industry-funded studies were registered compared with 27% of academic and 0% of government-funded studies. Only 5% of RCTs were prospectively registered, reported primary outcomes identical to those in the trial registry, and did not report unacknowledged post hoc outcomes. The most common reason for nonregistration was lack of awareness. Only about a quarter of the articles published in the core headache medicine journals are compliant with trial registration, but compliance has increased over time. Selective reporting of outcomes remains a problem, and very few trials met all 3 reporting standards assessed in this study. Efforts to improve the quality of trial reporting in the headache literature should continue. © 2015 American Academy of Neurology.

Systematic review and meta-analysis of homicide recidivism and Schizophrenia

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background The aim of this study was to estimate the proportion of homicide recidivists among population studies of homicide offenders with schizophrenia. Methods Systematic review and meta-analysis of published studies of homicide associated with schizophrenia conducted in defined populations and indexed in Medline, PsychINFO, or Embase between January 1960 and November 2013. Published data was supplemented with unpublished data about recidivism obtained by personal communication from the authors of published studies of homicide and schizophrenia. Random effects meta-analysis was used to calculate a pooled estimate of the proportion of homicide recidivists. Results Three studies reported that 4.3%, 4.5%, and 10.7% of homicide offenders with schizophrenia had committed an earlier homicide. Unpublished data were obtained from the authors of 11 studies of homicide in schizophrenia published in English between 1980 and 2013. The authors of 2 studies reported a single case of homicide recidivism and the authors of 9 studies reported no cases. The rates of homicide recidivism between studies were highly heterogeneous (I-square = 79). The pooled estimate of the proportion of homicide offenders with schizophrenia who had committed an earlier homicide was 2.3% (95% CI (Confidence Interval) 0.07% to 7.2%), a figure that was not reported in any individual study. The pooled proportion of homicide recidivists from published reports was more than ten times greater (8.6%, 95% CI 5.7%-12.9%) than the pooled proportion of homicide recidivists estimated from data provided by personal communication (0.06%, 95% CI 0.02% to 1.8%). Conclusions In most jurisdictions, homicide recidivism by people with schizophrenia is less common than published reports have suggested. The reasons for the variation in the rates of homicide recidivism between studies are unclear, although in most jurisdictions long-term secure treatment and supervision after release appears to be effective in preventing homicide recidivism. A prospective study conducted in a large population or in multiple jurisdictions over a long period of time might result in a more accurate estimate the risk of a second homicide by a person with schizophrenia. PMID:24548381

Systematic review and meta-analysis of homicide recidivism and schizophrenia.

PubMed

Golenkov, Andrei; Nielssen, Olav; Large, Matthew

2014-02-18

The aim of this study was to estimate the proportion of homicide recidivists among population studies of homicide offenders with schizophrenia. Systematic review and meta-analysis of published studies of homicide associated with schizophrenia conducted in defined populations and indexed in Medline, PsychINFO, or Embase between January 1960 and November 2013. Published data was supplemented with unpublished data about recidivism obtained by personal communication from the authors of published studies of homicide and schizophrenia. Random effects meta-analysis was used to calculate a pooled estimate of the proportion of homicide recidivists. Three studies reported that 4.3%, 4.5%, and 10.7% of homicide offenders with schizophrenia had committed an earlier homicide. Unpublished data were obtained from the authors of 11 studies of homicide in schizophrenia published in English between 1980 and 2013. The authors of 2 studies reported a single case of homicide recidivism and the authors of 9 studies reported no cases. The rates of homicide recidivism between studies were highly heterogeneous (I-square = 79). The pooled estimate of the proportion of homicide offenders with schizophrenia who had committed an earlier homicide was 2.3% (95% CI (Confidence Interval) 0.07% to 7.2%), a figure that was not reported in any individual study. The pooled proportion of homicide recidivists from published reports was more than ten times greater (8.6%, 95% CI 5.7%-12.9%) than the pooled proportion of homicide recidivists estimated from data provided by personal communication (0.06%, 95% CI 0.02% to 1.8%). In most jurisdictions, homicide recidivism by people with schizophrenia is less common than published reports have suggested. The reasons for the variation in the rates of homicide recidivism between studies are unclear, although in most jurisdictions long-term secure treatment and supervision after release appears to be effective in preventing homicide recidivism. A prospective study conducted in a large population or in multiple jurisdictions over a long period of time might result in a more accurate estimate the risk of a second homicide by a person with schizophrenia.

Brief review of published alprazolam clinical studies

PubMed Central

Straw, R. N.

1985-01-01

1 The clinical efficacy of alprazolam has been evaluated in both anxiety states and depressive disorders. In anxiety neurosis, studies have been conducted vs placebo and/or other benzodiazepine tranquilizers. Reports, to date, with regard to panic/phobia disorders have been limited to open-label studies and a single report from a placebo-controlled study. In depression, both open-label and double-blind studies (vs tricyclic antidepressants) have been published. PMID:2859879

NASAwide electronic publishing system: Electronic printing and duplicating, stage-2 evaluation report (GSFC)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tuey, Richard C.; Lane, Robert; Hart, Susan V.

1995-01-01

The NASA Scientific and Technical Information Office was assigned the responsibility to continue with the expansion of the NASAwide networked electronic duplicating effort by including the Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) as an additional node to the existing configuration of networked electronic duplicating systems within NASA. The subject of this report is the evaluation of a networked electronic duplicating system which meets the duplicating requirements and expands electronic publishing capabilities without increasing current operating costs. This report continues the evaluation reported in 'NASA Electronic Publishing System - Electronic Printing and Duplicating Evaluation Report' (NASA TM-106242) and 'NASA Electronic Publishing System - Stage 1 Evaluation Report' (NASA TM-106510). This report differs from the previous reports through the inclusion of an external networked desktop editing, archival, and publishing functionality which did not exist with the previous networked electronic duplicating system. Additionally, a two-phase approach to the evaluation was undertaken; the first was a paper study justifying a 90-day, on-site evaluation, and the second phase was to validate, during the 90-day evaluation, the cost benefits and productivity increases that could be achieved in an operational mode. A benchmark of the functionality of the networked electronic publishing system and external networked desktop editing, archival, and publishing system was performed under a simulated daily production environment. This report can be used to guide others in determining the most cost effective duplicating/publishing alternative through the use of cost/benefit analysis and return on investment techniques. A treatise on the use of these techniques can be found by referring to 'NASA Electronic Publishing System -Cost/Benefit Methodology' (NASA TM-106662).

Quality of reporting in infertility journals.

PubMed

Glujovsky, Demian; Boggino, Carolina; Riestra, Barbara; Coscia, Andrea; Sueldo, Carlos E; Ciapponi, Agustín

2015-01-01

To evaluate whether fertility and top gynecology journals indexed in PubMed require the use of reporting guidelines and to identify the percentage of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) published in 2013 that were written following CONSORT guidelines in the top four fertility journals (by their highest impact factor). Cross-sectional study evaluating instructions for authors and RCTs published in fertility journals. Academic institution. None. None. Proportion of instruction-for-authors documents that suggested or required the use of reporting guidelines, and proportion of RCTs published in 2013 that accomplished the CONSORT checklist. In 47% (16/34) of the journals one or more reporting guidelines were mentioned in the instructions for authors' documents. PRISMA and CONSORT were the most commonly mentioned reporting guidelines. None of the analyzed RCTs completed the 25 items of CONSORT guideline. Sequence generation or allocation concealment was not described in 69% of the studies. One-third of the journals did not publish a flowchart, 72% did not show relative and absolute size-effect measures, and 42% did not use measures of imprecision. In the summaries, 42% did not discuss the limitations of the study and 78% did not mention the generalizability of the results. Less than half of the analyzed peer-reviewed journals request the authors to use reporting guidelines. Nevertheless, among the top fertility and gynecology journals, reporting guidelines are widely mentioned. Overall, accomplishment of CONSORT items was suboptimal. Editorial boards, reviewers, and authors should join efforts to improve the quality of reporting. Copyright © 2015 American Society for Reproductive Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Methodology used in comparative studies assessing programmes of transition from paediatrics to adult care programmes: a systematic review.

PubMed

Le Roux, E; Mellerio, H; Guilmin-Crépon, S; Gottot, S; Jacquin, P; Boulkedid, R; Alberti, C

2017-01-27

To explore the methodologies employed in studies assessing transition of care interventions, with the aim of defining goals for the improvement of future studies. Systematic review of comparative studies assessing transition to adult care interventions for young people with chronic conditions. MEDLINE, EMBASE, ClinicalTrial.gov. 2 reviewers screened comparative studies with experimental and quasi-experimental designs, published or registered before July 2015. Eligible studies evaluate transition interventions at least in part after transfer to adult care of young people with chronic conditions with at least one outcome assessed quantitatively. 39 studies were reviewed, 26/39 (67%) published their final results and 13/39 (33%) were in progress. In 9 studies (9/39, 23%) comparisons were made between preintervention and postintervention in a single group. Randomised control groups were used in 9/39 (23%) studies. 2 (2/39, 5%) reported blinding strategies. Use of validated questionnaires was reported in 28% (11/39) of studies. In terms of reporting in published studies 15/26 (58%) did not report age at transfer, and 6/26 (23%) did not report the time of collection of each outcome. Few evaluative studies exist and their level of methodological quality is variable. The complexity of interventions, multiplicity of outcomes, difficulty of blinding and the small groups of patients have consequences on concluding on the effectiveness of interventions. The evaluation of the transition interventions requires an appropriate and common methodology which will provide access to a better level of evidence. We identified areas for improvement in terms of randomisation, recruitment and external validity, blinding, measurement validity, standardised assessment and reporting. Improvements will increase our capacity to determine effective interventions for transition care. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/.

Published intimate partner violence studies often differ from their trial registration records.

PubMed

Madden, Kim; Tai, Kerry; Ali, Zak; Schneider, Patricia; Singh, Mahip; Ghert, Michelle; Bhandari, Mohit

2017-12-27

Registering study protocols in a trial registry is important for methodologic transparency and reducing selective reporting bias. The objective of this investigation was to determine whether published studies of intimate partner violence (IPV) that had been registered matched the registration record on key study design elements. We systematically searched three trial registries to identify registered IPV studies and the published literature for the associated publication. Two authors independently determined for each study whether key study elements in the registry matched those in the published paper. We included 66 studies published between 2006 and 2017. Nearly half (29/66, 44%) were registered after study completion. Many (26/66, 39%) had discrepancies regarding the primary outcome, and nearly two-thirds (42/66, 64%) had discrepancies in secondary outcomes. Discrepancies in study design were less frequent (13/66, 20%). However, large changes in sample size (26/66, 39%) and discrepancies in funding source (28/66, 42%) were frequently observed. Trial registries are important tools for research transparency and identifying and preventing outcome switching and selective outcome reporting bias. Published IPV studies often differ from their records in trial registries. Researchers should pay close attention to the accuracy of trial registry records.

Support for reporting guidelines in surgical journals needs improvement: A systematic review.

PubMed

Agha, Riaz A; Barai, Ishani; Rajmohan, Shivanchan; Lee, Seon; Anwar, Mohammed O; Fowler, Alexander J; Orgill, Dennis P; Altman, Douglas G

2017-09-01

Evidence-based medicine works best if the evidence is reported well. Past studies have shown reporting quality to be lacking in the field of surgery. Reporting guidelines are an important tool for authors to optimize the reporting of their research. The objective of this study was to analyse the frequency and strength of recommendation for such reporting guidelines within surgical journals. A systematic review of the 198 journals within the Journal Citation Report 2014 (surgery category) published by Thomson Reuters was undertaken. The online guide for authors for each journal was screened by two independent groups and results compared. Data regarding the presence and strength of recommendation to use reporting guidelines was extracted. 193 journals were included (as five appeared twice having changed their name). These had a median impact factor of 1.526 (range 0.047-8.327), with a median of 145 articles published per journal (range 29-659), with 34,036 articles published in total over the two-year window 2012-2013. The majority (62%) of surgical journals made no mention of reporting guidelines within their guidelines for authors. Of the 73 (38%) that did mention them, only 14% (10/73) required the use of all relevant reporting guidelines. The most frequently mentioned reporting guideline was CONSORT (46 journals). The mention of reporting guidelines within the guide for authors of surgical journals needs improvement. Authors, reviewers and editors should work to ensure that research is reported in line with the relevant reporting guidelines. Journals should consider hard-wiring adherence to them. Copyright © 2017 IJS Publishing Group Ltd. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Frequency of Reporting Ethical Issues in Human Subject Articles Published in Iranian Medical Journals: 2009-2013.

PubMed

Astaneh, Behrooz; Khani, Parisa

2017-11-10

Researchers should strictly consider the participants' rights. They are required to document such protections as an ethical approval of the study proposal, the obtaining "informed consent", the authors' "conflict of interests", and the source of "financial support" in the published articles. The purpose of this study was to assess the frequency of reporting ethical issues in human subject articles published in Iranian medical journals during 2009-2013. In this cross-sectional study, we randomly reviewed 1460 human subject articles published in Iranian medical journals during 2009-2013 in two Persian and English language groups. Data collection was carried out by assessing articles, focusing on the documentation "ethics committee approval", patients' "informed consent", "financial support", "confidentiality", and "conflict of interest". Of 1460 evaluated articles, 443 (30.3%) reported "ethics committee approval", 686 (47.0%) reported "informed consent", 594 (40.7%) reported "financial support", and 341 (23.4%) reported "conflict of interest". 13% of the articles referred to patients' confidentiality in their text. There was a significant association between these ethical documentations and the year of publication. Articles published in English language journals reported "ethics committee approval", "financial support", and "conflict of interest" significantly more than Persian language journals, but the frequency of "informed consent" was similar. Ethical documentation rate in Iranian medical journals is not up to the expected standards of reputable journals which might be related to a lack of awareness and the education of the authors and the journal's editors. Precise reporting of ethical considerations in medical articles by authors are recommended. It is suggested journals and policymakers pay more attention to reporting this issue while providing standard guidelines in this regard.

Systematic reviews and meta-analyses on treatment of asthma: critical evaluation

PubMed Central

Jadad, Alejandro R; Moher, Michael; Browman, George P; Booker, Lynda; Sigouin, Christopher; Fuentes, Mario; Stevens, Robert

2000-01-01

Objective To evaluate the clinical, methodological, and reporting aspects of systematic reviews and meta-analyses on the treatment of asthma and to compare those published by the Cochrane Collaboration with those published in paper based journals. Design Analysis of studies identified from Medline, CINAHL, HealthSTAR, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, personal collections, and reference lists. Studies Articles describing a systematic review or a meta-analysis of the treatment of asthma that were published as a full report, in any language or format, in a peer reviewed journal or the Cochrane Library. Main outcome measures General characteristics of studies reviewed and methodological characteristics (sources of articles; language restrictions; format, design, and publication status of studies included; type of data synthesis; and methodological quality). Results 50 systematic reviews and meta-analyses were included. More than half were published in the past two years. Twelve reviews were published in the Cochrane Library and 38 were published in 22 peer reviewed journals. Forced expiratory volume in one second was the most frequently used outcome, but few reviews evaluated the effect of treatment on costs or patient preferences. Forty reviews were judged to have serious or extensive flaws. All six reviews associated with industry were in this group. Seven of the 10 most rigorous reviews were published in the Cochrane Library. Conclusions Most reviews published in peer reviewed journals or funded by industry have serious methodological flaws that limit their value to guide decisions. Cochrane reviews are more rigorous and better reported than those published in peer reviewed journals. PMID:10688558

Quality of reporting in oncology studies: A systematic analysis of literature reviews and prospects.

PubMed

Rivoirard, Romain; Bourmaud, Aurélie; Oriol, Mathieu; Tinquaut, Fabien; Méry, Benoîte; Langrand-Escure, Julien; Vallard, Alexis; Fournel, Pierre; Magné, Nicolas; Chauvin, Franck

2017-04-01

The present review gives an overview of systematic reviews published in peer reviewed Journals analysing quality of reporting in oncology studies. PUBMED and Cochrane library were searched to identify systematic reviews assessing quality of reporting for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and observational studies (OBS). Recommendations and primary endpoints used to assess the quality of reporting were described. Intrinsic quality of reporting was analyzed using an Overall Quality Score for literature Reviews (OQSR). Main evaluation themes were overall quality of reporting (20/58) and reporting of Health-Related Quality Of Life (HRQOL) in RCTs (7/58). Reporting recommendations used were not detailed in 56.9% of reviews. Insufficient reporting for the methodological description (randomization, blinding details, and allocation concealment) and the rationale for using specific measure of HRQOL were highlighted. OQSR was significantly higher for reviews published between 2010 and 2014 (after the PRISMA Publication), as compared to those published between 1996-2009 (median OQSR 10 (10-11) versus median OQSR 9 (6-10) respectively, p=0.0053). Intrinsic quality of reporting is satisfactory and has been improved in the last years. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Failure to Report Effect Sizes: The Handling of Quantitative Results in Published Health Education and Behavior Research

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barry, Adam E.; Szucs, Leigh E.; Reyes, Jovanni V.; Ji, Qian; Wilson, Kelly L.; Thompson, Bruce

2016-01-01

Given the American Psychological Association's strong recommendation to always report effect sizes in research, scholars have a responsibility to provide complete information regarding their findings. The purposes of this study were to (a) determine the frequencies with which different effect sizes were reported in published, peer-reviewed…

Assessment of reporting quality of conference abstracts in sports injury prevention according to CONSORT and STROBE criteria and their subsequent publication rate as full papers.

PubMed

Yoon, Uzung; Knobloch, Karsten

2012-04-11

The preliminary results of a study are usually presented as an abstract in conference meetings. The reporting quality of those abstracts and the relationship between their study designs and full paper publication rate is unknown. We hypothesized that randomized controlled trials are more likely to be published as full papers than observational studies. 154 oral abstracts presented at the World Congress of Sports Injury Prevention 2005 Oslo and the corresponding full paper publication were identified and analysed. The main outcome measures were frequency of publication, time to publication, impact factor, CONSORT (for Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials) score, STROBE (for Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology) score, and minor and major inconsistencies between the abstract and the full paper publication. Overall, 76 of the 154 (49%) presented abstracts were published as full papers in a peer-reviewed journal with an impact factor of 1.946 ± 0.812. No significant difference existed between the impact factor for randomized controlled trials (2.122 ± 1.015) and observational studies (1.913 ± 0.765, p = 0.469). The full papers for the randomized controlled trials were published after an average (SD) of 17 months (± 13 months); for observational studies, the average (SD) was 12 months (± 14 months) (p = 0.323). A trend was observed in this study that a higher percentage of randomized controlled trial abstracts were published as full papers (71% vs. 47%, p = 0.078) than observational trials. The reporting quality of abstracts, published as full papers, significantly increased compared to conference abstracts both in randomized control studies ( 5.7 ± 0.7 to 7.2 ± 1.3; p = 0.018, CI -2.7 to -0.32) and in observational studies (STROBE: 8.2 ± 1.3 to 8.6 ± 1.4; p = 0.007, CI -0.63 to -0.10). All of the published abstracts had at least one minor inconsistency (title, authors, research center, outcome presentation, conclusion), while 65% had at least major inconsistencies (study objective, hypothesis, study design, primary outcome measures, sample size, statistical analysis, results, SD/CI). Comparing the results of conference and full paper; results changed in 90% vs. 68% (randomized, controlled studies versus observational studies); data were added (full paper reported more result data) in 60% vs. 30%, and deleted (full paper reported fewer result data) in 40% vs. 30%. No significant differences with respect to type of study (randomized controlled versus observational), impact factor, and time to publication existed for the likelihood that a World Congress of Sports Injury conference abstract could be published as a full paper.

Agreement studies in radiology research.

PubMed

Farzin, B; Gentric, J-C; Pham, M; Tremblay-Paquet, S; Brosseau, L; Roy, C; Jamali, S; Chagnon, M; Darsaut, T E; Guilbert, F; Naggara, O; Raymond, J

2017-03-01

The goal of this study was to estimate the frequency and the quality of agreement studies published in diagnostic imaging journals. All studies published between January 2011 and December 2012 in four radiology journals were reviewed. Four trained readers evaluated agreement studies using a 24-item form that included the 15 items of the Guidelines for Reporting Reliability and Agreement Studies criteria. Of 2229 source titles, 280 studies (13%) reported agreement. The mean number of patients per study was 81±99 (SD) (range, 0-180). Justification for sample size was found in 9 studies (3%). The number of raters was≤2 in 226 studies (81%). No intra-observer study was performed in 212 (76%) articles. Confidence intervals and interpretation of statistical estimates were provided in 98 (35%) and 147 (53%) of the studies, respectively. In 168 studies (60%), the agreement study was not mentioned in the discussion section. In 8 studies (3%), reporting of the agreement study was judged to be adequate. Twenty studies (7%) were dedicated to agreement. Agreement studies are preliminary and not adequately reported. Studies dedicated to agreement are infrequent. They are research opportunities that should be promoted. Copyright © 2016 Éditions françaises de radiologie. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Reporting of embryo transfer methods in IVF research: a cross-sectional study.

PubMed

Gambadauro, Pietro; Navaratnarajah, Ramesan

2015-02-01

The reporting of embryo transfer methods in IVF research was assessed through a cross-sectional analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) published between 2010 and 2011. A systematic search identified 325 abstracts; 122 RCTs were included in the study. Embryo transfer methods were described in 42 out of 122 articles (34%). Catheters (32/42 [76%]) or ultrasound guidance (31/42 [74%]) were most frequently mentioned. Performer 'blinding' (12%) or technique standardization (7%) were seldom reported. The description of embryo transfer methods was significantly more common in trials published by journals with lower impact factor (less than 3, 39.6%; 3 or greater, 21.5%; P = 0.037). Embryo transfer methods were reported more often in trials with pregnancy as the main end-point (33% versus 16%) or with positive outcomes (37.8% versus 25.0%), albeit not significantly. Multivariate logistic regression confirmed that RCTs published in higher impact factor journals are less likely to describe embryo transfer methods (OR 0.371; 95% CI 0.143 to 0.964). Registered trials, trials conducted in an academic setting, multi-centric studies or full-length articles were not positively associated with embryo transfer methods reporting rate. Recent reports of randomized IVF trials rarely describe embryo transfer methods. The under-reporting of research methods might compromise reproducibility and suitability for meta-analysis. Copyright © 2014 Reproductive Healthcare Ltd. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Comparison of methodological quality of positive versus negative comparative studies published in Indian medical journals: a systematic review

PubMed Central

Charan, Jaykaran; Chaudhari, Mayur; Jackson, Ryan; Mhaskar, Rahul; Reljic, Tea; Kumar, Ambuj

2015-01-01

Objectives Published negative studies should have the same rigour of methodological quality as studies with positive findings. However, the methodological quality of negative versus positive studies is not known. The objective was to assess the reported methodological quality of positive versus negative studies published in Indian medical journals. Design A systematic review (SR) was performed of all comparative studies published in Indian medical journals with a clinical science focus and impact factor >1 between 2011 and 2013. The methodological quality of randomised controlled trials (RCTs) was assessed using the Cochrane risk of bias tool, and the Newcastle-Ottawa scale for observational studies. The results were considered positive if the primary outcome was statistically significant and negative otherwise. When the primary outcome was not specified, we used data on the first outcome reported in the history followed by the results section. Differences in various methodological quality domains between positive versus negative studies were assessed by Fisher's exact test. Results Seven journals with 259 comparative studies were included in this SR. 24% (63/259) were RCTs, 24% (63/259) cohort studies, and 49% (128/259) case–control studies. 53% (137/259) of studies explicitly reported the primary outcome. Five studies did not report sufficient data to enable us to determine if results were positive or negative. Statistical significance was determined by p value in 78.3% (199/254), CI in 2.8% (7/254), both p value and CI in 11.8% (30/254), and only descriptive in 6.3% (16/254) of studies. The overall methodological quality was poor and no statistically significant differences between reporting of methodological quality were detected between studies with positive versus negative findings. Conclusions There was no difference in the reported methodological quality of positive versus negative studies. However, the uneven reporting of positive versus negative studies (72% vs 28%) indicates a publication bias in Indian medical journals with an impact factor of >1. PMID:26109118

Characteristics of qualitative studies in influential journals of general medicine: a critical review.

PubMed

Yamazaki, Hiroshi; Slingsby, Brian Taylor; Takahashi, Miyako; Hayashi, Yoko; Sugimori, Hiroki; Nakayama, Takeo

2009-12-01

Although qualitative studies have increased since the 1990s, some reports note that relatively few influential journals published them up until 2000. This study critically reviewed the characteristics of qualitative studies published in top tier medical journals since 2000. We assessed full texts of qualitative studies published between 2000 and 2004 in the Annals of Internal Medicine, BMJ, JAMA, Lancet, and New England Journal of Medicine. We found 80 qualitative studies, of which 73 (91%) were published in BMJ. Only 10 studies (13%) combined qualitative and quantitative methods. Sixty-two studies (78%) used only one method of data collection. Interviews dominated the choice of data collection. The median sample size was 36 (range: 9-383). Thirty-three studies (41%) did not specify the type of analysis used but rather described the analytic process in detail. The rest indicated the mode of data analysis, in which the most prevalent methods were the constant comparative method (23%) and the grounded theory approach (22%). Qualitative data analysis software was used by 33 studies (41%). Among influential journals of general medicine, only BMJ consistently published an average of 15 qualitative study reports between 2000 and 2004. These findings lend insight into what qualities and characteristics make a qualitative study worthy of consideration to be published in an influential journal, primarily BMJ.

Sources of information on lymphoma associated with anti-tumour necrosis factor agents: comparison of published case reports and cases reported to the French pharmacovigilance system.

PubMed

Théophile, Hélène; Schaeverbeke, Thierry; Miremont-Salamé, Ghada; Abouelfath, Abdelilah; Kahn, Valentine; Haramburu, Françoise; Bégaud, Bernard

2011-07-01

Anti-tumour necrosis factor (TNF) agents, through their intense immunoregulatory effect, have been suspected to increase the risk of malignant lymphoma. However, the classical epidemiological approaches conducted over about the last 10 years have not totally succeeded in addressing the question of a causal or artifactual association. Therefore, the analysis of a substantial set of case reports, although usually considered as poorly generalizable to the general population, could be particularly informative. Two main sources of case reports in postmarketing settings are available; publications in medical journals and reports to pharmacovigilance systems. The aim of the study was to compare the characteristics of case reports from both these sources in order to understand whether they provided the same information for the investigation of the causal link between lymphoma and anti-TNF agents. All case reports of malignant lymphoma in patients treated with an anti-TNF agent published in MEDLINE and all reports to the French pharmacovigilance system up to 1 February 2010 were identified. Cases of malignant lymphoma identified in postmarketing surveillance from both sources were compared regarding the following variables: age, sex, anti-TNF agent involved, indication for use, type of lymphoma, prior or concomitant immunosuppressive drugs and time to onset of lymphoma. A total of 81 published case reports and 61 cases reported to the French pharmacovigilance system were compared. In published reports, patients were younger (p = 0.03) and more frequently receiving a first anti-TNF treatment (p = 0.03), particularly infliximab (p = 0.03). Conversely, in the pharmacovigilance system reports, a succession of different anti-TNFs (p = 0.03) and adalimumab (p < 0.0001) were more frequently reported. Lymphomas in patients treated with anti-TNF agents for Crohn's disease were more prevalent in published cases than in pharmacovigilance reports (p < 0.0001), and in particular involved hepatosplenic T-cell lymphoma. Conversely, rheumatoid arthritis was the main indication for anti-TNF agents in pharmacovigilance reports (p = 0.01). Time to onset was markedly shorter in published cases (median 12 months) than in pharmacovigilance reports (median 30 months; p = 0.0001). Characteristics of published cases and those reported to the French pharmacovigilance system differed markedly for all characteristics tested, except sex and the use of prior or concomitant immunosuppressive drugs. Published case reports favoured convincing arguments for drug causation whereas cases reported to the pharmacovigilance system were more disparate but could describe more accurately the reality of lymphoma occurrence in this particular population. These results argue for the use of the pharmacovigilance reports when case reports are used to investigate the causal link between lymphoma and anti-TNF agents at the population level. Data from cases notified to the French pharmacovigilance system did not indicate an increased risk of lymphoma during the early phase of anti-TNF treatment. To confirm this hypothesis, a study combining pharmacovigilance reports from several countries, or, if feasible, a cohort study both with a large sample size and a long duration of follow-up would be required.

Abstracts of Remediation Case Studies, Volume 9

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

This report, published by the Federal Remediation Technologies Roundtable (FRTR), is a collection of recently published abstracts summarizing 13 cost and performance case studies on the use of remediation technologies at contaminated sites.

Bias due to selective inclusion and reporting of outcomes and analyses in systematic reviews of randomised trials of healthcare interventions.

PubMed

Page, Matthew J; McKenzie, Joanne E; Kirkham, Jamie; Dwan, Kerry; Kramer, Sharon; Green, Sally; Forbes, Andrew

2014-10-01

Systematic reviews may be compromised by selective inclusion and reporting of outcomes and analyses. Selective inclusion occurs when there are multiple effect estimates in a trial report that could be included in a particular meta-analysis (e.g. from multiple measurement scales and time points) and the choice of effect estimate to include in the meta-analysis is based on the results (e.g. statistical significance, magnitude or direction of effect). Selective reporting occurs when the reporting of a subset of outcomes and analyses in the systematic review is based on the results (e.g. a protocol-defined outcome is omitted from the published systematic review). To summarise the characteristics and synthesise the results of empirical studies that have investigated the prevalence of selective inclusion or reporting in systematic reviews of randomised controlled trials (RCTs), investigated the factors (e.g. statistical significance or direction of effect) associated with the prevalence and quantified the bias. We searched the Cochrane Methodology Register (to July 2012), Ovid MEDLINE, Ovid EMBASE, Ovid PsycINFO and ISI Web of Science (each up to May 2013), and the US Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) Effective Healthcare Program's Scientific Resource Center (SRC) Methods Library (to June 2013). We also searched the abstract books of the 2011 and 2012 Cochrane Colloquia and the article alerts for methodological work in research synthesis published from 2009 to 2011 and compiled in Research Synthesis Methods. We included both published and unpublished empirical studies that investigated the prevalence and factors associated with selective inclusion or reporting, or both, in systematic reviews of RCTs of healthcare interventions. We included empirical studies assessing any type of selective inclusion or reporting, such as investigations of how frequently RCT outcome data is selectively included in systematic reviews based on the results, outcomes and analyses are discrepant between protocol and published review or non-significant outcomes are partially reported in the full text or summary within systematic reviews. Two review authors independently selected empirical studies for inclusion, extracted the data and performed a risk of bias assessment. A third review author resolved any disagreements about inclusion or exclusion of empirical studies, data extraction and risk of bias. We contacted authors of included studies for additional unpublished data. Primary outcomes included overall prevalence of selective inclusion or reporting, association between selective inclusion or reporting and the statistical significance of the effect estimate, and association between selective inclusion or reporting and the direction of the effect estimate. We combined prevalence estimates and risk ratios (RRs) using a random-effects meta-analysis model. Seven studies met the inclusion criteria. No studies had investigated selective inclusion of results in systematic reviews, or discrepancies in outcomes and analyses between systematic review registry entries and published systematic reviews. Based on a meta-analysis of four studies (including 485 Cochrane Reviews), 38% (95% confidence interval (CI) 23% to 54%) of systematic reviews added, omitted, upgraded or downgraded at least one outcome between the protocol and published systematic review. The association between statistical significance and discrepant outcome reporting between protocol and published systematic review was uncertain. The meta-analytic estimate suggested an increased risk of adding or upgrading (i.e. changing a secondary outcome to primary) when the outcome was statistically significant, although the 95% CI included no association and a decreased risk as plausible estimates (RR 1.43, 95% CI 0.71 to 2.85; two studies, n = 552 meta-analyses). Also, the meta-analytic estimate suggested an increased risk of downgrading (i.e. changing a primary outcome to secondary) when the outcome was statistically significant, although the 95% CI included no association and a decreased risk as plausible estimates (RR 1.26, 95% CI 0.60 to 2.62; two studies, n = 484 meta-analyses). None of the included studies had investigated whether the association between statistical significance and adding, upgrading or downgrading of outcomes was modified by the type of comparison, direction of effect or type of outcome; or whether there is an association between direction of the effect estimate and discrepant outcome reporting.Several secondary outcomes were reported in the included studies. Two studies found that reasons for discrepant outcome reporting were infrequently reported in published systematic reviews (6% in one study and 22% in the other). One study (including 62 Cochrane Reviews) found that 32% (95% CI 21% to 45%) of systematic reviews did not report all primary outcomes in the abstract. Another study (including 64 Cochrane and 118 non-Cochrane reviews) found that statistically significant primary outcomes were more likely to be completely reported in the systematic review abstract than non-significant primary outcomes (RR 2.66, 95% CI 1.81 to 3.90). None of the studies included systematic reviews published after 2009 when reporting standards for systematic reviews (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) Statement, and Methodological Expectations of Cochrane Intervention Reviews (MECIR)) were disseminated, so the results might not be generalisable to more recent systematic reviews. Discrepant outcome reporting between the protocol and published systematic review is fairly common, although the association between statistical significance and discrepant outcome reporting is uncertain. Complete reporting of outcomes in systematic review abstracts is associated with statistical significance of the results for those outcomes. Systematic review outcomes and analysis plans should be specified prior to seeing the results of included studies to minimise post-hoc decisions that may be based on the observed results. Modifications that occur once the review has commenced, along with their justification, should be clearly reported. Effect estimates and CIs should be reported for all systematic review outcomes regardless of the results. The lack of research on selective inclusion of results in systematic reviews needs to be addressed and studies that avoid the methodological weaknesses of existing research are also needed.

Reporting of Adverse Events in Published and Unpublished Studies of Health Care Interventions: A Systematic Review

PubMed Central

Golder, Su; Wright, Kath

2016-01-01

Background We performed a systematic review to assess whether we can quantify the underreporting of adverse events (AEs) in the published medical literature documenting the results of clinical trials as compared with other nonpublished sources, and whether we can measure the impact this underreporting has on systematic reviews of adverse events. Methods and Findings Studies were identified from 15 databases (including MEDLINE and Embase) and by handsearching, reference checking, internet searches, and contacting experts. The last database searches were conducted in July 2016. There were 28 methodological evaluations that met the inclusion criteria. Of these, 9 studies compared the proportion of trials reporting adverse events by publication status. The median percentage of published documents with adverse events information was 46% compared to 95% in the corresponding unpublished documents. There was a similar pattern with unmatched studies, for which 43% of published studies contained adverse events information compared to 83% of unpublished studies. A total of 11 studies compared the numbers of adverse events in matched published and unpublished documents. The percentage of adverse events that would have been missed had each analysis relied only on the published versions varied between 43% and 100%, with a median of 64%. Within these 11 studies, 24 comparisons of named adverse events such as death, suicide, or respiratory adverse events were undertaken. In 18 of the 24 comparisons, the number of named adverse events was higher in unpublished than published documents. Additionally, 2 other studies demonstrated that there are substantially more types of adverse events reported in matched unpublished than published documents. There were 20 meta-analyses that reported the odds ratios (ORs) and/or risk ratios (RRs) for adverse events with and without unpublished data. Inclusion of unpublished data increased the precision of the pooled estimates (narrower 95% confidence intervals) in 15 of the 20 pooled analyses, but did not markedly change the direction or statistical significance of the risk in most cases. The main limitations of this review are that the included case examples represent only a small number amongst thousands of meta-analyses of harms and that the included studies may suffer from publication bias, whereby substantial differences between published and unpublished data are more likely to be published. Conclusions There is strong evidence that much of the information on adverse events remains unpublished and that the number and range of adverse events is higher in unpublished than in published versions of the same study. The inclusion of unpublished data can also reduce the imprecision of pooled effect estimates during meta-analysis of adverse events. PMID:27649528

Evaluation of observational research reports published in Turkish nursing journals.

PubMed

Karaçam, Z; Şen, E; Yildirim, B

2015-09-01

The aim of this literature-based descriptive study was to examine the reporting of the observational research studies published in peer-reviewed nursing journals in Turkey. Eleven peer-reviewed nursing journals printed on a regular basis in Turkey between 2007 and 2012 were selected. These journals were searched for observational research studies, and 502 studies were selected and examined by using the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology Statement. Of the 502 studies, 495 were cross-sectional, 3 were cohort, and 4 were case controlled. Summary and introduction and aim sections were sufficient in most of the studies. The methods sections of the reports were mostly not reported: 64.3% of the reports did not indicate eligibility/inclusion criteria; sampling method, 67.0%; possible sources of bias, 99.2%; ways to reach sample size, 92.6%. In the results section, the number of individuals participating in each stage of the studies (44.0%) and in other analyses made (39.2%) was not reported. In the discussion section, a main comment about research findings was partly made (97.4%), and limitations of the studies and possible sources of bias were not written in 99.0% of the studies. This study clearly revealed that the observational research studies published in nursing journals in Turkey did not fulfil the important criteria and needed to be improved. Information obtained from this study can contribute to improvement of the quality of reporting observational studies in nursing and thus using obtained findings in practice. © 2015 International Council of Nurses.

Assessing Faculty Publication Productivity: Issues of Equity. ERIC Digest.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Creamer, Elizabeth G.

This digest summarizes a report of a study of the research literature on faculty publication productivity, with special emphasis on gender as a factor in publishing productivity. Major issues addressed by the report include: (1) the existence of significant gender and race differences in publishing productivity, with women and minorities…

Using the STROBE statement to assess reporting in blindness prevalence surveys in low and middle income countries.

PubMed

Ramke, Jacqueline; Palagyi, Anna; Jordan, Vanessa; Petkovic, Jennifer; Gilbert, Clare E

2017-01-01

Cross-sectional blindness prevalence surveys are essential to plan and monitor eye care services. Incomplete or inaccurate reporting can prevent effective translation of research findings. The Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) statement is a 32 item checklist developed to improve reporting of observational studies. The aim of this study was to assess the completeness of reporting in blindness prevalence surveys in low and middle income countries (LMICs) using STROBE. MEDLINE, EMBASE and Web of Science databases were searched on April 8 2016 to identify cross-sectional blindness prevalence surveys undertaken in LMICs and published after STROBE was published in December 2007. The STROBE tool was applied to all included studies, and each STROBE item was categorized as 'yes' (met criteria), 'no' (did not meet criteria) or 'not applicable'. The 'Completeness of reporting (COR) score' for each manuscript was calculated: COR score = yes / [yes + no]. In journals with included studies the instructions to authors and reviewers were checked for reference to STROBE. The 89 included studies were undertaken in 32 countries and published in 37 journals. The mean COR score was 60.9% (95% confidence interval [CI] 58.1-63.7%; range 30.8-88.9%). The mean COR score did not differ between surveys published in journals with author instructions referring to STROBE (10/37 journals; 61.1%, 95%CI 56.4-65.8%) or in journals where STROBE was not mentioned (60.9%, 95%CI 57.4-64.3%; p = 0.93). While reporting in blindness prevalence surveys is strong in some areas, others need improvement. We recommend that more journals adopt the STROBE checklist and ensure it is used by authors and reviewers.

Conflict of interest reporting in biomedical journals published in China.

PubMed

Yang, Lili; Wang, Panzhi; Yang, Rongwang

2017-01-01

This study aimed to investigate the current status and policy of Conflict of interest (COI) reporting in biomedical journals in China. Thirty Chinese-language medical journals and 37 English-language biomedical journals indexed by Journal Citation Reports categories were included into this study. These 67 journals were all published in China. All articles published in the most recent two issues were checked for identifying the disclosure statement in the text or not. Twenty-one of 30 (70%) Chinese-language journals required a disclosure of author's potential COI. No journals require editors or referees to disclose the conflicts of interest to the readers. In total, 1,212 publications in Chinese-language were evaluated. Only two journals reported COI in their publications. For the 37 English-language journals, 32 (86.5%) required author's potential COI disclosure, and four of them required only research articles or original articles to disclose COI. A total of 1,170 publications were evaluated. Among them, 50% editorials, 79.3% review articles, and 73.6% original articles reported presence or absence of COI. In our studied journals, the percentage of the policies requiring author COI disclosure is still low. Biomedical journals published in China should enforce COI disclosure policies to authors, editors, and referees.

Case reports: Publication standards in forensic psychiatry.

PubMed

Hanson, Annette; Martinez, Richard; Candilis, Philip J

2014-01-01

Psychiatrists who publish case reports are required to seek informed consent from their subjects on the basis of the ethics-related obligation to maintain patient confidentiality. Academic journals have developed editorial standards to fulfill this obligation. Forensic evaluations do not create a doctor-patient relationship in the traditional sense, and information obtained through a forensic evaluation may also be found in the public domain. This public exposure is particularly likely, given the development of open access publishing standards, online journals, and increasing professional involvement in social media. This article outlines the ethics of informed consent in published case reports for general and forensic psychiatry and offers recommendations for forensic case study publishing. The authors suggest changes in the current requirements stated in The Journal for publication of case reports. © 2014 American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law.

Transparency of Outcome Reporting and Trial Registration of Randomized Controlled Trials Published in the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology

PubMed Central

Azar, Marleine; Riehm, Kira E.; McKay, Dean; Thombs, Brett D.

2015-01-01

Background Confidence that randomized controlled trial (RCT) results accurately reflect intervention effectiveness depends on proper trial conduct and the accuracy and completeness of published trial reports. The Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology (JCCP) is the primary trials journal amongst American Psychological Association (APA) journals. The objectives of this study were to review RCTs recently published in JCCP to evaluate (1) adequacy of primary outcome analysis definitions; (2) registration status; and, (3) among registered trials, adequacy of outcome registrations. Additionally, we compared results from JCCP to findings from a recent study of top psychosomatic and behavioral medicine journals. Methods Eligible RCTs were published in JCCP in 2013–2014. For each RCT, two investigators independently extracted data on (1) adequacy of outcome analysis definitions in the published report, (2) whether the RCT was registered prior to enrolling patients, and (3) adequacy of outcome registration. Results Of 70 RCTs reviewed, 12 (17.1%) adequately defined primary or secondary outcome analyses, whereas 58 (82.3%) had multiple primary outcome analyses without statistical adjustment or undefined outcome analyses. There were 39 (55.7%) registered trials. Only two trials registered prior to patient enrollment with a single primary outcome variable and time point of assessment. However, in one of the two trials, registered and published outcomes were discrepant. No studies were adequately registered as per Standard Protocol Items: Recommendation for Interventional Trials guidelines. Compared to psychosomatic and behavioral medicine journals, the proportion of published trials with adequate outcome analysis declarations was significantly lower in JCCP (17.1% versus 32.9%; p = 0.029). The proportion of registered trials in JCCP (55.7%) was comparable to behavioral medicine journals (52.6%; p = 0.709). Conclusions The quality of published outcome analysis definitions and trial registrations in JCCP is suboptimal. Greater attention to proper trial registration and outcome analysis definition in published reports is needed. PMID:26581079

Transparency of Outcome Reporting and Trial Registration of Randomized Controlled Trials Published in the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology.

PubMed

Azar, Marleine; Riehm, Kira E; McKay, Dean; Thombs, Brett D

2015-01-01

Confidence that randomized controlled trial (RCT) results accurately reflect intervention effectiveness depends on proper trial conduct and the accuracy and completeness of published trial reports. The Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology (JCCP) is the primary trials journal amongst American Psychological Association (APA) journals. The objectives of this study were to review RCTs recently published in JCCP to evaluate (1) adequacy of primary outcome analysis definitions; (2) registration status; and, (3) among registered trials, adequacy of outcome registrations. Additionally, we compared results from JCCP to findings from a recent study of top psychosomatic and behavioral medicine journals. Eligible RCTs were published in JCCP in 2013-2014. For each RCT, two investigators independently extracted data on (1) adequacy of outcome analysis definitions in the published report, (2) whether the RCT was registered prior to enrolling patients, and (3) adequacy of outcome registration. Of 70 RCTs reviewed, 12 (17.1%) adequately defined primary or secondary outcome analyses, whereas 58 (82.3%) had multiple primary outcome analyses without statistical adjustment or undefined outcome analyses. There were 39 (55.7%) registered trials. Only two trials registered prior to patient enrollment with a single primary outcome variable and time point of assessment. However, in one of the two trials, registered and published outcomes were discrepant. No studies were adequately registered as per Standard Protocol Items: Recommendation for Interventional Trials guidelines. Compared to psychosomatic and behavioral medicine journals, the proportion of published trials with adequate outcome analysis declarations was significantly lower in JCCP (17.1% versus 32.9%; p = 0.029). The proportion of registered trials in JCCP (55.7%) was comparable to behavioral medicine journals (52.6%; p = 0.709). The quality of published outcome analysis definitions and trial registrations in JCCP is suboptimal. Greater attention to proper trial registration and outcome analysis definition in published reports is needed.

Last-observation-carried-forward imputation method in clinical efficacy trials: review of 352 antidepressant studies.

PubMed

Woolley, Stephen B; Cardoni, Alex A; Goethe, John W

2009-12-01

To determine the prevalence, over 40 years, of using the last-observation-carried-forward (LOCF) imputation method in clinical trials, the association between use of LOCF and how the trials were conducted, and the extent of information about attrition and LOCF use in published reports. Retrospective analysis of the reports of randomized antidepressant efficacy trials published over a 40-year period (1965-2004). MEDLINE database, Cochrane reviews, reference- and bibliography-based manual search, and publication list services. A total of 352 trials met the following criteria for analysis: antidepressant comparative efficacy trial, randomized design, patients with major depressive disorder, English-language article, published during 1965-2004, and first report of a trial. Design, attrition, and data analysis characteristics were recorded by investigators and trained assistants. Analyses included descriptive statistics of the trial size, duration, and number of patients who dropped out in LOCF versus non-LOCF studies, as well as the extent to which dropouts and the potential bias associated with attrition was discussed in the published report. The frequency of published antidepressant clinical trials increased from less than 1 trial/year (1965-1974) to 19 trials/year (1990-1994). Trials using the LOCF method were significantly larger than non-LOCF trials (p<0.01), and the proportion of subjects dropping out was significantly greater (p<0.05) in LOCF versus non-LOCF trials. The proportion of subjects dropping out remained relatively constant over time (approximately 30%) but was significantly greater among LOCF (30.9%) than non-LOCF (28.8%) trials (p<0.01). The LOCF study articles were more likely to report dropouts, but only 7% of these articles reported outcomes recorded for subjects before they dropped out. Less than 16% of articles discussed bias associated with dropouts, 6.8% discussed the direction of bias, and only about 2% suggested the magnitude of the bias. The percentage of clinical antidepressant trials using the LOCF method and the percentage of study subjects' data imputed by using LOCF increased many-fold during 1965-2004. Published reports of trials provided little information to allow readers to assess possible bias introduced by use of the LOCF method.

Ethics in published brain-computer interface research

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Specker Sullivan, L.; Illes, J.

2018-02-01

Objective. Sophisticated signal processing has opened the doors to more research with human subjects than ever before. The increase in the use of human subjects in research comes with a need for increased human subjects protections. Approach. We quantified the presence or absence of ethics language in published reports of brain-computer interface (BCI) studies that involved human subjects and qualitatively characterized ethics statements. Main results. Reports of BCI studies with human subjects that are published in neural engineering and engineering journals are anchored in the rationale of technological improvement. Ethics language is markedly absent, omitted from 31% of studies published in neural engineering journals and 59% of studies in biomedical engineering journals. Significance. As the integration of technological tools with the capacities of the mind deepens, explicit attention to ethical issues will ensure that broad human benefit is embraced and not eclipsed by technological exclusiveness.

Use of standards in papers published in dental journals.

PubMed

Bona, Alvaro Della; Bello, Yuri Dal; Sartoretto, Suelen C

2012-01-01

This study evaluated the use de standards in papers published in Brazilian and international dental journals. Papers published from January 2006 to December 2010 in the following journals were examined: Brazilian Dental Journal (BDJ), Brazilian Oral Research (BOR), Journal of Applied Oral Sciences (JAOS), Journal of Dental Research (JDR) and Dental Materials (DM). In addition to the title and type of study, issue, volume and year of publication, the following information was recorded from each paper: identification of any standard reported in the study; in case of no reported standard, indication if a standard could be used in the study. A total of 3,046 papers were examined, being 937 from DM, 936 from JDR, 489 from JAOS, 348 from BDJ, and 336 from BOR. Considering the papers that could use some standard, DM showed the highest percentage (24.9%) of reporting standards/paper, followed by JAOS (10.3%), BOR (10.1%), BDJ (6.3%) and JDR (2.4%), meaning for example that, from 936 papers examined from the JDR, 623 could use some standard but only 15 papers reported them. From all papers examined, 309 (10.1%) reported using some standard. The ISO standards were mostly reported (57.8%), followed by ASTM standards (23.7%) and 74 (18.5%) standards from other international organizations (e.g. ADA and CIE). Despite of the high impact factors of the selected dental journals, their published papers could use standards more often. This study should assist journal editors to encourage authors to consult and refer to available standards to support the scientific papers.

Citation measures in stereotactic radiosurgery: publication across a discipline.

PubMed

Kondziolka, Douglas

2011-01-01

It is possible to judge the impact of scientific research by the number of citations a publication has received. We identified the most cited works in the field of stereotactic radiosurgery to study the evolution of this field from the perspective of publication. A Web of Science search was performed for articles that included the word 'radiosurgery' in the title. We studied the reports with >100 citations. A total of 5,532 published works were available for study between 1951 and 2010. Eighty-five articles had ≥ 100 citations, and these were published in 19 separate journals. The majority were published in the International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology and Physics, the Journal of Neurosurgery and Neurosurgery. The most common topics included brain metastasis management (n = 20), arteriovenous malformations (n = 17), vestibular schwannomas (n = 9), technologies (n = 9), meningiomas (n = 8) and dose response/radiobiology (n = 6). Fifty-seven percent of the articles were published in the last 10 years. The first radiosurgery report by Leksell (1951) initiated the field. The 1980s were a period of new technology development followed in the 1990s by introductory articles on specific indications that consisted mainly of retrospective case series. More sophisticated higher level evidence reports were published in the last decade. The most significant works in radiosurgery include initial technology descriptions, multicenter studies with large numbers of patients, randomized clinical trials and reports that provide dose prescription guidelines. Copyright © 2011 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Endorsement of PRISMA statement and quality of systematic reviews and meta-analyses published in nursing journals: a cross-sectional study.

PubMed

Tam, Wilson W S; Lo, Kenneth K H; Khalechelvam, Parames

2017-02-07

Systematic reviews (SRs) often poorly report key information, thereby diminishing their usefulness. Previous studies evaluated published SRs and determined that they failed to meet explicit criteria or characteristics. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement was recommended as a reporting guideline for SR and meta-analysis (MA), but previous studies showed that adherence to the statement was not high for SRs published in different medical fields. Thus, the aims of this study are twofold: (1) to investigate the number of nursing journals that have required or recommended the use of the PRISMA statement for reporting SR, and (2) to examine the adherence of SRs and/or meta-analyses to the PRISMA statement published in nursing journals. A cross-sectional study. Nursing journals listed in the ISI journal citation report were divided into 2 groups based on the recommendation of PRISMA statement in their 'Instruction for Authors'. SRs and meta-analyses published in 2014 were searched in 3 databases. 37 SRs and meta-analyses were randomly selected in each group. The adherence of each item to the PRISMA was examined and summarised using descriptive statistics. The quality of the SRs was assessed by Assessing the Methodological Quality of Systematic Reviews. The differences between the 2 groups were compared using the Mann-Whitney U test. Out of 107 nursing journals, 30 (28.0%) recommended or required authors to follow the PRISMA statement when they submit SRs or meta-analyses. The median rates of adherence to the PRISMA statement for reviews published in journals with and without PRISMA endorsement were 64.9% (IQR: 17.6-92.3%) and 73.0% (IQR: 59.5-94.6%), respectively. No significant difference was observed in any of the items between the 2 groups. The median adherence of SRs and meta-analyses in nursing journals to PRISMA is low at 64.9% and 73.0%, respectively. Nonetheless, the adherence level of nursing journals to the PRISMA statement does not significantly vary whether they endorse or recommend such a guideline. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/.

Adherence to the CONSORT Statement in the Reporting of Randomized Controlled Trials on Pharmacological Interventions Published in Iranian Medical Journals

PubMed Central

Sarveravan, Pooneh; Astaneh, Behrooz; Shokrpour, Nasrin

2017-01-01

Background: Among manuscripts submitted to biomedical journals, randomized controlled trials (RCTs) form the backbone of evidence-based medicine. Hence, their protocol should be designed rigorously and their results should be reported clearly. To improve the quality of RCT reporting, researchers developed the CONSORT Statement in 1996 and updated it in 2010. This study was designed to assess the quality of RCT reporting vis-à-vis adherence to CONSORT among articles published in Iranian medical journals (English, Persian, CONSORT-endorsing, and non-CONSORT-endorsing). Methods: In this cross-sectional study, all RCTs published in all Iranian medical journals from September 2012 to September 2013 were retrieved to evaluate their adherence to CONSORT. The journals’ instructions for authors were also reviewed to find out whether or not they endorsed CONSORT. The CONSORT 2010 Checklist was used. Microsoft Excel 2007 was applied to analyze the data, and MedCalc was employed to compare the groups. Results: Totally, 492 pharmacological RCTs that met our inclusion criteria were identified. Twenty-five items were reported in fewer than 50% of the articles. The differences between the articles published in Persian and English language journals were statistically significant in 17 items. The differences between the articles published in the CONSORT-endorsing and non-CONSORT-endorsing journals were significant in 8 items. Conclusion: Our findings showed very weak adherence to CONSORT. Authors, reviewers, and editors should be trained to use standards expressed by the CONSORT Group in reporting RCTs. PMID:29184261

Inferencing by Children from Connected Discourse. Final Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Trabasso, Tom

This report contains brief descriptions of 37 published and unpublished works and ongoing studies produced by a project designed to investigate the ways in which both children and adults comprehend and remember connected discourse. Among the topics of the published works, which include articles, book chapters, and a book, are the following: story…

The last bite was deadly--about responsibility in scientific publishing.

PubMed

Pavlovic, Dragan; Usichenko, Taras I; Lehmann, Christian

2014-01-01

Some open access journals are believed to have devaluated the highly respected image of the scientific journal. This has been, it is claimed, verified. Yet the project we believe failed and we show why we think that it failed. The study itself was badly conducted and the report, which Science published, was itself a perfect example of "bad science". If the article that was published in Science were to be taken as one of the "test" articles and Science as a victim journal (a perfect control though), the study would show the opposite of what author concluded in his paper: 100% of the controls (normal non-open access journals, in the present study this was Science) accepted the "bait" paper for publication, while in the experimental group only about 60% (open access journals) accepted the bait paper for publication. The conclusion is that, with respect to non-open access and open access, the probability of accepting pseudoscience is well in favor of this being done by a non-open access journal. Since this interpretation is based on some facts that were not included in the project itself, the only warranted result of this study would be that nothing could be concluded from it. It is concluded that the method that Bohannon used was heavily flawed and in addition immoral; that the report that was published by Science was inconclusive and that the act of publishing such report cannot be morally justified either. Various methods to improve the quality of published papers exist but scientific fraud with "good intentions" as a method to promote scientific publishing should be avoided.

Reporting of participant flow diagrams in published reports of randomized trials.

PubMed

Hopewell, Sally; Hirst, Allison; Collins, Gary S; Mallett, Sue; Yu, Ly-Mee; Altman, Douglas G

2011-12-05

Reporting of the flow of participants through each stage of a randomized trial is essential to assess the generalisability and validity of its results. We assessed the type and completeness of information reported in CONSORT (Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials) flow diagrams published in current reports of randomized trials. A cross sectional review of all primary reports of randomized trials which included a CONSORT flow diagram indexed in PubMed core clinical journals (2009). We assessed the proportion of parallel group trial publications reporting specific items recommended by CONSORT for inclusion in a flow diagram. Of 469 primary reports of randomized trials, 263 (56%) included a CONSORT flow diagram of which 89% (237/263) were published in a CONSORT endorsing journal. Reports published in CONSORT endorsing journals were more likely to include a flow diagram (62%; 237/380 versus 29%; 26/89). Ninety percent (236/263) of reports which included a flow diagram had a parallel group design, of which 49% (116/236) evaluated drug interventions, 58% (137/236) were multicentre, and 79% (187/236) compared two study groups, with a median sample size of 213 participants. Eighty-one percent (191/236) reported the overall number of participants assessed for eligibility, 71% (168/236) the number excluded prior to randomization and 98% (231/236) the overall number randomized. Reasons for exclusion prior to randomization were more poorly reported. Ninety-four percent (223/236) reported the number of participants allocated to each arm of the trial. However, only 40% (95/236) reported the number who actually received the allocated intervention, 67% (158/236) the number lost to follow up in each arm of the trial, 61% (145/236) whether participants discontinued the intervention during the trial and 54% (128/236) the number included in the main analysis. Over half of published reports of randomized trials included a diagram showing the flow of participants through the trial. However, information was often missing from published flow diagrams, even in articles published in CONSORT endorsing journals. If important information is not reported it can be difficult and sometimes impossible to know if the conclusions of that trial are justified by the data presented.

Quality of natural product clinical trials: a comparison of those published in alternative medicine versus conventional medicine journals.

PubMed

Cochrane, Zara Risoldi; Gregory, Philip; Wilson, Amy

2011-06-01

To compare the quality of natural product clinical trials published in alternative medicine journals versus those published in conventional medicine journals. Systematic search and review of the literature. Randomized controlled trials of natural products were included if they were published in English between 2003 and 2008. Articles were categorized by their journal of publication (alternative medicine versus conventional medicine). Two independent reviewers evaluated study quality using guidelines from the Cochrane Collaboration. The results with respect to the primary outcome (positive or negative) were also assessed. Thirty articles were evaluated, 15 published in alternative medicine journals and 15 in conventional medicine journals. Of articles published in alternative medicine journals, 33.33% (n = 5) were considered low quality, and none were considered high quality. Of articles published in conventional medicine journals, 26.67% (n = 4) were considered low quality and 6.67% (n = 1) were considered high quality. Two thirds of all trials reviewed were of unclear quality, due to inadequate reporting of information relating to the study's methodology. Similar proportions of positive and negative primary outcomes were found in alternative and conventional medicine journals, and low-quality articles were not more likely to report a positive primary outcome (Fisher's exact test, two-tailed p = .287). The quality of natural product randomized controlled trials was similar among alternative and conventional medicine journals. Efforts should be made to improve the reporting of natural product clinical trials for accurate determinations of study quality to be possible.

Reporting on health-related research in two prestigious Brazilian newspapers.

PubMed

Teixeira, Ricardo Afonso; Carlini, Marcela; Jatobá e Sousa, Arthur de Carvalho; Fernandes, Paula Teixeira; Camargo, Vera Regina Toledo; Vogt, Carlos; Li, Li Min

2012-01-01

The dissemination of health-related news through newspapers can influence the behavior of patients and of health care providers. We conducted a study to analyze the characteristics of health-related research published by two leading Brazilian newspapers. We retrospectively evaluated health-related news published in the electronic versions of the newspapers Folha de São Paulo and O Estado de São Paulo over a period of three months (July through September, 2009). Only articles mentioning medical research were included. The articles were categorized according to topic, source, study location and the nature of the headline. We also analyzed the presence of background information on the topic, citations of medical periodicals, national contextualization and references to products or companies. Scientific research articles corresponded to 57% and 20% of health-related articles published by Folha de São Paulo and O Estado de São Paulo, respectively. Folha de São Paulo published significantly more articles about national studies, and most articles were written by its own staff. In contrast, most articles in O Estado de São Paulo came from news agencies. Folha de São Paulo also better contextualized its reports for Brazilian society. O Estado de São Paulo tended to cite the name of the periodical in which the study was published more frequently, but their articles lacked national contextualization. The results showed a significant difference in the way in which the studied newspapers report on health-related research. Folha de São Paulo tends to write its own articles and more frequently publishes the results of national research, whereas O Estado de São Paulo publishes articles that originate in news agencies, most of which have little national contextualization.

Reporting on health-related research in two prestigious Brazilian newspapers

PubMed Central

Teixeira, Ricardo Afonso; Carlini, Marcela; de Carvalho Jatobá e Sousa, Arthur; Fernandes, Paula Teixeira; Camargo, Vera Regina Toledo; Vogt, Carlos; Li, Li Min

2012-01-01

OBJECTIVES: The dissemination of health-related news through newspapers can influence the behavior of patients and of health care providers. We conducted a study to analyze the characteristics of health-related research published by two leading Brazilian newspapers. METHOD: We retrospectively evaluated health-related news published in the electronic versions of the newspapers Folha de São Paulo and O Estado de São Paulo over a period of three months (July through September, 2009). Only articles mentioning medical research were included. The articles were categorized according to topic, source, study location and the nature of the headline. We also analyzed the presence of background information on the topic, citations of medical periodicals, national contextualization and references to products or companies. RESULTS: Scientific research articles corresponded to 57% and 20% of health-related articles published by Folha de São Paulo and O Estado de São Paulo, respectively. Folha de São Paulo published significantly more articles about national studies, and most articles were written by its own staff. In contrast, most articles in O Estado de São Paulo came from news agencies. Folha de São Paulo also better contextualized its reports for Brazilian society. O Estado de São Paulo tended to cite the name of the periodical in which the study was published more frequently, but their articles lacked national contextualization. CONCLUSION: The results showed a significant difference in the way in which the studied newspapers report on health-related research. Folha de São Paulo tends to write its own articles and more frequently publishes the results of national research, whereas O Estado de São Paulo publishes articles that originate in news agencies, most of which have little national contextualization. PMID:22473408

Synthesis of current knowledge on post-fire seeding for soil stabilization and invasive species control

USGS Publications Warehouse

Beyers, Jan L.; Pyke, David A.; Wirth, Troy

2015-01-01

The General Accounting Office has identified a need for better information on the effectiveness of post-fire emergency stabilization and rehabilitation methods used by the U.S. Forest Service and Department of Interior (DOI) agencies. Since reviews were published on treatment effectiveness in the early 2000s, treatment choices have changed and increased monitoring has been done. Greater use of native species has added substantially to burned area emergency response (BAER) treatment costs, for example, but quantitative data on this treatment were scarce in earlier reviews. We synthesized current information on the effectiveness of post-fire seeding for both soil stabilization and for prevention of the spread of invasive species in rangelands. We reviewed published literature (peer-reviewed and “gray”) and agency monitoring reports, as well as compiled and analyzed quantitative data in agency files. Products of this review include a web-accessible database of monitoring reports and published information, a scientific journal paper summarizing findings of scientific studies, an annotated bibliography of peer-reviewed papers, a summary report published as a General Technical Report that will be available online (in progress), and presentations to scientific meetings and BAER/ESR team training sessions and workshops. By combining results from studies done by Forest Service and DOI agency personnel with research studies published since the initial reviews, we presented a comprehensive synthesis of seeding effectiveness knowledge that complements the review of other hillslope treatments published by other researchers. This information will help federal land managers make more cost-effective decisions on post-fire stabilization and rehabilitation treatments.

A Survey of the Prevalence and Impact of Reporting Guideline Endorsement in Pathology Journals.

PubMed

Caron, Justin E; March, Jordon K; Cohen, Michael B; Schmidt, Robert L

2017-10-01

To determine the prevalence of reporting guideline endorsement in pathology journals and to estimate the impact of guideline endorsement. We compared the quality of reporting in two sets of studies: (1) studies published in journals that explicitly mentioned a guideline vs studies published in journals that did not and (2) studies that cited a guideline vs studies that did not. The quality of reporting in prognostic biomarker studies was assessed using the REporting recommendations for tumor MARKer prognostic studies (REMARK) guideline. We found that six (10%) of the 59 leading pathology journals explicitly mention reporting guidelines in the instructions to authors. Only one journal required authors to submit a checklist. There was significant variation in the rate at which various REMARK items were reported (P < .001). Journal endorsement was associated with more complete reporting (P = .04). Studies that cited REMARK had greater adherence to the REMARK reporting guidelines than studies that did not (P = .02). The prevalence of guideline endorsement is relatively low in pathology journals, but guideline endorsement may improve the quality of reporting. © American Society for Clinical Pathology, 2017. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com

Frequency of reporting on patient and public involvement (PPI) in research studies published in a general medical journal: a descriptive study.

PubMed

Price, Amy; Schroter, Sara; Snow, Rosamund; Hicks, Melissa; Harmston, Rebecca; Staniszewska, Sophie; Parker, Sam; Richards, Tessa

2018-03-23

While documented plans for patient and public involvement (PPI) in research are required in many grant applications, little is known about how frequently PPI occurs in practice. Low levels of reported PPI may mask actual activity due to limited PPI reporting requirements. This research analysed the frequency and types of reported PPI in the presence and absence of a journal requirement to include this information. A before and after comparison of PPI reported in research papers published in The BMJ before and 1 year after the introduction of a journal policy requiring authors to report if and how they involved patients and the public within their papers. Between 1 June 2013 and 31 May 2014, The BMJ published 189 research papers and 1 (0.5%) reported PPI activity. From 1 June 2015 to 31 May 2016, following the introduction of the policy, The BMJ published 152 research papers of which 16 (11%) reported PPI activity. Patients contributed to grant applications in addition to designing studies through to coauthorship and participation in study dissemination. Patient contributors were often not fully acknowledged; 6 of 17 (35%) papers acknowledged their contributions and 2 (12%) included them as coauthors. Infrequent reporting of PPI activity does not appear to be purely due to a failure of documentation. Reporting of PPI activity increased after the introduction of The BMJ 's policy, but activity both before and after was low and reporting was inconsistent in quality. Journals, funders and research institutions should collaborate to move us from the current situation where PPI is an optional extra to one where PPI is fully embedded in practice throughout the research process. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2018. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

Reference management software for systematic reviews and meta-analyses: an exploration of usage and usability.

PubMed

Lorenzetti, Diane L; Ghali, William A

2013-11-15

Reference management software programs enable researchers to more easily organize and manage large volumes of references typically identified during the production of systematic reviews. The purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which authors are using reference management software to produce systematic reviews; identify which programs are used most frequently and rate their ease of use; and assess the degree to which software usage is documented in published studies. We reviewed the full text of systematic reviews published in core clinical journals indexed in ACP Journal Club from 2008 to November 2011 to determine the extent to which reference management software usage is reported in published reviews. We surveyed corresponding authors to verify and supplement information in published reports, and gather frequency and ease-of-use data on individual reference management programs. Of the 78 researchers who responded to our survey, 79.5% reported that they had used a reference management software package to prepare their review. Of these, 4.8% reported this usage in their published studies. EndNote, Reference Manager, and RefWorks were the programs of choice for more than 98% of authors who used this software. Comments with respect to ease-of-use issues focused on the integration of this software with other programs and computer interfaces, and the sharing of reference databases among researchers. Despite underreporting of use, reference management software is frequently adopted by authors of systematic reviews. The transparency, reproducibility and quality of systematic reviews may be enhanced through increased reporting of reference management software usage.

Analysis of the Quality of Clinical Trials Published in Spanish-Language Dermatology Journals Between 1997 and 2012.

PubMed

Sanclemente, G; Pardo, H; Sánchez, S; Bonfill, X

2016-01-01

The value of randomized clinical trials (RCTs) undertaken to identify an association between an intervention and an outcome is determined by their quality and scientific rigor. To assess the methodological quality of RCTs published in Spanish-language dermatology journals. By way of a systematic manual search, we identified all the RCTs in journals published in Spain and Latin America between 1997 (the year in which the CONSORT statement was published) and 2012. Risk of bias was evaluated for each RCT by assessing the following domains: randomization sequence generation, allocation concealment, blinding of patients and those assessing outcomes, missing data, and patient follow-up. Source of funding and conflict of interest statements, if any, were recorded for each study. The search identified 70 RCTs published in 21 journals. Most of the RCTs had a high risk of bias, primarily because of gaps in the reporting of important methodological aspects. The source of funding was reported in only 15 studies. In spite of the considerable number of Spanish and Latin American journals, few RCTs have been published in the 15 years analyzed. Most of the RCTs published had serious defects in that the authors omitted methodological information essential to any evaluation of the quality of the trial and failed to report sources of funding or possible conflicts of interest for the authors involved. Authors of experimental clinical research in dermatology published in Spain and Latin America need to substantially improve both the design of their trials and the reporting of results. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier España, S.L.U. and AEDV. All rights reserved.

From Protocols to Publications: A Study in Selective Reporting of Outcomes in Randomized Trials in Oncology

PubMed Central

Raghav, Kanwal Pratap Singh; Mahajan, Sminil; Yao, James C.; Hobbs, Brian P.; Berry, Donald A.; Pentz, Rebecca D.; Tam, Alda; Hong, Waun K.; Ellis, Lee M.; Abbruzzese, James; Overman, Michael J.

2015-01-01

Purpose The decision by journals to append protocols to published reports of randomized trials was a landmark event in clinical trial reporting. However, limited information is available on how this initiative effected transparency and selective reporting of clinical trial data. Methods We analyzed 74 oncology-based randomized trials published in Journal of Clinical Oncology, the New England Journal of Medicine, and The Lancet in 2012. To ascertain integrity of reporting, we compared published reports with their respective appended protocols with regard to primary end points, nonprimary end points, unplanned end points, and unplanned analyses. Results A total of 86 primary end points were reported in 74 randomized trials; nine trials had greater than one primary end point. Nine trials (12.2%) had some discrepancy between their planned and published primary end points. A total of 579 nonprimary end points (median, seven per trial) were planned, of which 373 (64.4%; median, five per trial) were reported. A significant positive correlation was found between the number of planned and nonreported nonprimary end points (Spearman r = 0.66; P < .001). Twenty-eight studies (37.8%) reported a total of 65 unplanned end points; 52 (80.0%) of which were not identified as unplanned. Thirty-one (41.9%) and 19 (25.7%) of 74 trials reported a total of 52 unplanned analyses involving primary end points and 33 unplanned analyses involving nonprimary end points, respectively. Studies reported positive unplanned end points and unplanned analyses more frequently than negative outcomes in abstracts (unplanned end points odds ratio, 6.8; P = .002; unplanned analyses odd ratio, 8.4; P = .007). Conclusion Despite public and reviewer access to protocols, selective outcome reporting persists and is a major concern in the reporting of randomized clinical trials. To foster credible evidence-based medicine, additional initiatives are needed to minimize selective reporting. PMID:26304898

Subject descriptions, control groups, and research designs in published studies of language-impaired children.

PubMed

Schmitt, J F; Meline, T J

1990-12-01

We reviewed the 1983-1988 issues of six journals that frequently publish papers including specifically language-impaired (LI) subjects. A total of 92 research reports provided data for our review. The research reports included experimental studies, ex post facto studies, and intervention studies. These studies represent a broad spectrum of the theoretical and empirical foundations of knowledge regarding LI children. The analysis of the published research centered on subject descriptions and the use of control groups. A descriptive analysis of the data showed few consistent trends among the studies with respect to subject selection, subject description, and the number and types of control groups. We discuss the importance of more complete subject descriptions in studies of LI children as well as the importance of the choice of matching criteria for control groups in between-subjects designs.

Methodology or method? A critical review of qualitative case study reports.

PubMed

Hyett, Nerida; Kenny, Amanda; Dickson-Swift, Virginia

2014-01-01

Despite on-going debate about credibility, and reported limitations in comparison to other approaches, case study is an increasingly popular approach among qualitative researchers. We critically analysed the methodological descriptions of published case studies. Three high-impact qualitative methods journals were searched to locate case studies published in the past 5 years; 34 were selected for analysis. Articles were categorized as health and health services (n=12), social sciences and anthropology (n=7), or methods (n=15) case studies. The articles were reviewed using an adapted version of established criteria to determine whether adequate methodological justification was present, and if study aims, methods, and reported findings were consistent with a qualitative case study approach. Findings were grouped into five themes outlining key methodological issues: case study methodology or method, case of something particular and case selection, contextually bound case study, researcher and case interactions and triangulation, and study design inconsistent with methodology reported. Improved reporting of case studies by qualitative researchers will advance the methodology for the benefit of researchers and practitioners.

Using meta-regression models to systematically evaluate data in the published literature: relative contributions of agricultural drift, para-occupational, and residential use exposure pathways to house dust pesticide concentrations

EPA Science Inventory

Background: Data reported in the published literature have been used qualitatively to aid exposure assessment activities in epidemiologic studies. Analyzing these data in computational models presents statistical challenges because these data are often reported as summary statist...

When will I see you again? The fate of research findings from international wound care conferences*.

PubMed

Dumville, Jo C; Petherick, Emily S; Cullum, Nicky

2008-03-01

Medical conferences provide a forum for the rapid dissemination of research directly to health professionals and academics. However, the published record of poster and oral presentations from these meetings is usually limited to abstracts. We aimed to assess how many wound studies presented as conference abstracts were eventually published in journals and to identify the factors that predicted publication. The study was a retrospective review. We identified abstracts relating to oral and poster presentation from two large wound conferences. Following data extraction from the abstracts, a systematic search was conducted to examine if the research was subsequently published as a journal article. A time-to-event analysis was conducted to assess predictive associations between features of the research reported in the conference abstracts and time to full publication. In total, 492 abstracts from two European wound care conferences were identified (467 after exclusions). Of the abstracts included, 60% (279) were for posters and 40% (188) were for oral presentations. Over half of the abstracts (53%) reported results from case studies or case series design. In total, only 57 (12%) of the abstracts included resulted in a related publication. Analysis suggested that those studies reporting positive findings were significantly more likely to be published (hazard ratio 1.79, P= 0.001, 95% CIs 1.26-2.55). Few studies presented as conference abstracts at these two wounds conferences were subsequently published. This may be because of the low methodological quality of studies accepted for poster or oral presentation.

Human subject research: reporting ethics approval and informed consent in 3 chiropractic journals.

PubMed

Lawrence, Dana J

2011-11-01

To date, there have been no reports of ethics board approval or informed consent within the chiropractic literature or within chiropractic research. The purpose of this study was to assess the reporting of ethics approval and informed consent in articles published during the 2008 volume year of 3 chiropractic research journals included in PubMed. A quantitative assessment of the articles published in each journal for the 2008 volume year was performed. Information collected included if the article involved human subject research, if it reported ethics board approval, and if informed consent was given to subjects. Data were collected as descriptive statistics (frequency counts and percentages). In aggregate, 50 articles of a total of 143 published involved human subject research (35%). 44 reported ethics board approval (88%), and 28 reported that informed consent had been obtained (56%). Forty-five percent of articles published in the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics involved human subject research (39/87), of which 95% reported ethics board approval (37/39) and 64% reported informed consent (25/39); 12.5% of articles from the Journal of the Canadian Chiropractic Association involved human subject research (5/40), of which 80% reported ethics board approval (4/5) and 40% reported informed consent (2/5); and 37.5% of articles published in Chiropractic and Osteopathy involved human subject research (6/16), of which 50% reported ethics board approval (3/6) and 17% reported informed consent (1/6). Overall, most articles reported ethics approval, and more than half reported consent. This was harmonious with research on this topic from other disciplines. This situation indicates a need for continued quality improvement and for better instruction and dissemination of information on these issues to researchers, to manuscript reviewers, to journal editors, and to the readers. Copyright © 2011 National University of Health Sciences. Published by Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

Standards for the Reporting of Genetic Counseling Interventions in Research and Other Studies (GCIRS): an NSGC Task Force Report.

PubMed

Hooker, Gillian W; Babu, D; Myers, M F; Zierhut, H; McAllister, M

2017-06-01

As the demand for evidence to support the value of genetic counseling increases, it is critical that reporting of genetic counseling interventions in research and other types of studies (e.g. process improvement or service evaluation studies) adopt greater rigor. As in other areas of healthcare, the appraisal, synthesis, and translation of research findings into genetic counseling practice are likely to be improved if clear specifications of genetic counseling interventions are reported when studies involving genetic counseling are published. To help improve reporting practices, the National Society of Genetic Counselors (NSGC) convened a task force in 2015 to develop consensus standards for the reporting of genetic counseling interventions. Following review by the NSGC Board of Directors, the NSGC Practice Guidelines Committee and the editorial board of the Journal of Genetic Counseling, 23 items across 8 domains were proposed as standards for the reporting of genetic counseling interventions in the published literature (GCIRS: Genetic Counseling Intervention Reporting Standards). The authors recommend adoption of these standards by authors and journals when reporting studies involving genetic counseling interventions.

Health-related quality of life of youth with inflammatory bowel disease: a comparison with published data using the PedsQL 4.0 generic core scales.

PubMed

Kunz, Jennifer Hauser; Hommel, Kevin A; Greenley, Rachel Neff

2010-06-01

This study compared youth and parent-proxy reports of health-related quality of life (HRQoL) among youth with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) to published comparison group data and examined concordance between youth and parent-proxy reports of HRQoL. One hundred thirty-six youth and parent-proxy reports on the PedsQL 4.0 Generic Core Scales were compared to published data from chronically ill, acutely ill, and healthy comparison groups using independent samples t-tests. Reporter agreement was examined using paired samples t-tests and intraclass correlations (ICCs). Youth with IBD reported lower psychosocial functioning than the healthy comparison group, higher physical and social functioning than the chronically ill group, and lower school functioning than all published comparison groups. Parent-proxy reports of youth HRQoL were higher than the chronically ill group, but lower than the healthy group on all scales except psychosocial functioning. Youth with active IBD reported lower physical health domain scores than youth with inactive disease. Concordance between youth and parent-proxy reports was moderate, with the lowest agreement in school and social functioning. Youth with IBD and their parents rate HRQoL as lower than healthy youth but do not perceive the impact of IBD to be as limiting as in other chronic conditions. Youth report suggests that IBD may be particularly detrimental to HRQoL in the school functioning domain. Moderate agreement between parent and youth reports substantiates continued use of multiple informants in studies of pediatric HRQoL.

Failure to Report Effect Sizes: The Handling of Quantitative Results in Published Health Education and Behavior Research.

PubMed

Barry, Adam E; Szucs, Leigh E; Reyes, Jovanni V; Ji, Qian; Wilson, Kelly L; Thompson, Bruce

2016-10-01

Given the American Psychological Association's strong recommendation to always report effect sizes in research, scholars have a responsibility to provide complete information regarding their findings. The purposes of this study were to (a) determine the frequencies with which different effect sizes were reported in published, peer-reviewed articles in health education, promotion, and behavior journals and (b) discuss implications for reporting effect size in social science research. Across a 4-year time period (2010-2013), 1,950 peer-reviewed published articles were examined from the following six health education and behavior journals: American Journal of Health Behavior, American Journal of Health Promotion, Health Education & Behavior, Health Education Research, Journal of American College Health, and Journal of School Health Quantitative features from eligible manuscripts were documented using Qualtrics online survey software. Of the 1,245 articles in the final sample that reported quantitative data analyses, approximately 47.9% (n = 597) of the articles reported an effect size. While 16 unique types of effect size were reported across all included journals, many of the effect sizes were reported with little frequency across most journals. Overall, odds ratio/adjusted odds ratio (n = 340, 50.1%), Pearson r/r(2) (n = 162, 23.8%), and eta squared/partial eta squared (n = 46, 7.2%) accounted for the most frequently used effect size. Quality research practice requires both testing statistical significance and reporting effect size. However, our study shows that a substantial portion of published literature in health education and behavior lacks consistent reporting of effect size. © 2016 Society for Public Health Education.

Longitudinal analysis of reporting and quality of systematic reviews in high-impact surgical journals.

PubMed

Chapman, S J; Drake, T M; Bolton, W S; Barnard, J; Bhangu, A

2017-02-01

The PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) Statement aims to optimize the reporting of systematic reviews. The performance of the PRISMA Statement in improving the reporting and quality of surgical systematic reviews remains unclear. Systematic reviews published in five high-impact surgical journals between 2007 and 2015 were identified from online archives. Manuscripts blinded to journal, publication year and authorship were assessed according to 27 reporting criteria described by the PRISMA Statement and scored using a validated quality appraisal tool (AMSTAR, Assessing the Methodological Quality of Systematic Reviews). Comparisons were made between studies published before (2007-2009) and after (2011-2015) its introduction. The relationship between reporting and study quality was measured using Spearman's rank test. Of 281 eligible manuscripts, 80 were published before the PRISMA Statement and 201 afterwards. Most manuscripts (208) included a meta-analysis, with the remainder comprising a systematic review only. There was no meaningful change in median compliance with the PRISMA Statement (19 (i.q.r. 16-21) of 27 items before versus 19 (17-22) of 27 after introduction of PRISMA) despite achieving statistical significance (P = 0·042). Better reporting compliance was associated with higher methodological quality (r s  = 0·70, P < 0·001). The PRISMA Statement has had minimal impact on the reporting of surgical systematic reviews. Better compliance was associated with higher-quality methodology. © 2016 BJS Society Ltd Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

A literature review of blood concentrations of new psychoactive substances classified as phenethylamines, aminoindanes, arylalkylamines, arylcyclohexylamines, and indolalkylamines.

PubMed

Karinen, Ritva; Høiseth, Gudrun

2017-07-01

Interpretation of blood concentrations of new psychoactive substances (NPS) requires comparison of the results to previously published case reports; as only a few experimental studies for these substances exist. A large number of articles representing single or multiple cases have been published for a great number of substances, making a unified overview difficult. In this review we have collected all published blood concentrations from the NPS groups classified as phenethylamines, aminoindanes, arylalkylamines, arylcyclohexylamines, and indolalkylamines, and also included unpublished results for MPA, MXE, 4-FMA, 4-FA and 4-MA analyzed in our laboratory. In total, 71 publications on 35 different drugs were summarized. For most of the drugs, the total number of reported cases was very low (≤5). For some of the synthetic drugs, however, a higher number of blood concentrations are now available; especially for 5-IT (32 reported cases in total), MPA (31 reported cases in total) and MXE (36 reported cases in total), thus the published results are more substantial. The present compilation could be a helpful tool for forensic toxicologists when blood concentrations of NPS are assessed. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.

12 CFR 630.3 - Publishing and filing the report to investors.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 12 Banks and Banking 6 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Publishing and filing the report to investors... Publishing and filing the report to investors. (a) The disclosure entities shall jointly publish the... material changes in information occurring since the most recently published report to investors. (b) Each...

Proposal for evaluating the quality of reports of surgical interventions in the treatment of trigeminal neuralgia: the Surgical Trigeminal Neuralgia Score.

PubMed

Akram, Harith; Mirza, Bilal; Kitchen, Neil; Zakrzewska, Joanna M

2013-09-01

The aim of this study was to design a checklist with a scoring system for reporting on studies of surgical interventions for trigeminal neuralgia (TN) and to validate it by a review of the recent literature. A checklist with a scoring system, the Surgical Trigeminal Neuralgia Score (STNS), was devised partially based on the validated STrengthening the Reporting of OBservational studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) criteria and customized for TN after a literature review and then applied to a series of articles. These articles were identified using a prespecified MEDLINE and Embase search covering the period from 2008 to 2010. Of the 584 articles found, 59 were studies of interventional procedures for TN that fulfilled the inclusion criteria and 56 could be obtained in full. The STNS was then applied independently by 3 of the authors. The maximum STNS came to 30, and was reliable and reproducible when used by the 3 authors who performed the scoring. The range of scores was 6-23.5, with a mean of 14 for all the journals. The impact factor scores of the journals in which the papers were published ranged from 0 to 4.8. Twenty-four of the studies were published in the Journal of Neurosurgery or in Neurosurgery. Studies published in neurosurgical journals ranked higher on the STNS scale than those published in nonneurosurgical journals. There was no statistically significant correlation between STNS and impact factors. Stereotactic radiosurgery (n = 25) and microvascular decompression (n = 15) were the most commonly reported procedures. The diagnostic criteria were stated in 35% of the studies, and 4 studies reported subtypes of TN. An increasing number of studies (46%) used the recommended Kaplan-Meier methodology for pain survival outcomes. The follow-up period was unclear in 8 studies, and 26 reported follow-ups of more than 5 years. Complications were reported fairly consistently but the temporal course was not always indicated. Direct interview, telephone conversation, and questionnaires were used to measure outcomes. Independent assessment of outcome was only clearly stated in 7 studies. Only 2 studies used the 36-Item Short Form Health Survey to measure quality of life and 4 studies reported on the severity of preoperative pain. The Barrow Neurological Institute pain questionnaire was the most commonly used outcome measure (n = 13), followed by the visual analog scale. Similar to the STROBE criteria that provide a checklist of items that should be included in reports of observational studies in general, the authors' suggested checklist for the STNS could help editors and reviewers ensure that quality reports are published, and could prove useful for colleagues when reporting their results specifically on the surgical management of TN. It would help the patient and clinicians make a decision about selecting the appropriate neurosurgical procedure.

The natural history of conducting and reporting clinical trials: interviews with trialists.

PubMed

Smyth, Rebecca M D; Jacoby, Ann; Altman, Douglas G; Gamble, Carrol; Williamson, Paula R

2015-01-26

To investigate the nature of the research process as a whole, factors that might influence the way in which research is carried out, and how researchers ultimately report their findings. Semi-structured qualitative telephone interviews with authors of trials, identified from two sources: trials published since 2002 included in Cochrane systematic reviews selected for the ORBIT project; and trial reports randomly sampled from 14,758 indexed on PubMed over the 12-month period from August 2007 to July 2008. A total of 268 trials were identified for inclusion, 183 published since 2002 and included in the Cochrane systematic reviews selected for the ORBIT project and 85 randomly selected published trials indexed on PubMed. The response rate from researchers in the former group was 21% (38/183) and in the latter group was 25% (21/85). Overall, 59 trialists were interviewed from the two different sources. A number of major but related themes emerged regarding the conduct and reporting of trials: establishment of the research question; identification of outcome variables; use of and adherence to the study protocol; conduct of the research; reporting and publishing of findings. Our results reveal that, although a substantial proportion of trialists identify outcome variables based on their clinical experience and knowing experts in the field, there can be insufficient reference to previous research in the planning of a new trial. We have revealed problems with trial recruitment: not reaching the target sample size, over-estimation of recruitment potential and recruiting clinicians not being in equipoise. We found a wide variation in the completeness of protocols, in terms of detailing study rationale, outlining the proposed methods, trial organisation and ethical considerations. Our results confirm that the conduct and reporting of some trials can be inadequate. Interviews with researchers identified aspects of clinical research that can be especially challenging: establishing appropriate and relevant outcome variables to measure, use of and adherence to the study protocol, recruiting of study participants and reporting and publishing the study findings. Our trialists considered the prestige and impact factors of academic journals to be the most important criteria for selecting those to which they would submit manuscripts.

Radiation Doses and Associated Risk From the Fukushima Nuclear Accident.

PubMed

Ishikawa, Tetsuo

2017-03-01

The magnitude of dose due to the Fukushima Daiichi Accident was estimated by the United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR) 2013 report published in April 2014. Following this, the UNSCEAR white paper, which comprises a digest of new information for the 2013 Fukushima report, was published in October 2015. Another comprehensive report on radiation dose due to the accident is the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) report on the Fukushima Daiichi Accident published in August 2015. Although the UNSCEAR and IAEA publications well summarize doses received by residents, they review only literature published before the end of December 2014 and the end of March 2015, respectively. However, some studies on dose estimation have been published since then. In addition, the UNSCEAR 2013 report states it was likely that some overestimation had been introduced generally by the methodology used by the Committee. For example, effects of decontamination were not considered in the lifetime external dose estimated. Decontamination is in progress for most living areas in Fukushima Prefecture, which could reduce long-term external dose to residents. This article mainly reviews recent English language articles that may add new information to the UNSCEAR and IAEA publications. Generally, recent articles suggest lower doses than those presented by the UNSCEAR 2013 report.

Design, objectives, execution and reporting of published open-label extension studies.

PubMed

Megan, Bowers; Pickering, Ruth M; Weatherall, Mark

2012-04-01

Open-label extension (OLE) studies following blinded randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of pharmaceuticals are increasingly being carried out but do not conform to regulatory standards and questions surround the validity of their evidence. OLE studies are usually discussed as a homogenous group, yet substantial differences in study design still meet the definition of an OLE. We describe published papers reporting OLE studies focussing on stated objectives, design, conduct and reporting. A search of Embase and Medline databases for 1996 to July 2008 revealed 268 papers reporting OLE studies that met our eligibility criteria. A random sample of 50 was selected for detailed review. Over 80% of the studies had efficacy stated as an objective. The most common methods of allocation at the start of the OLE were for all RCT participants to switch to one active treatment or for only participants on the new drug to continue, but in three studies all participants were re-randomized at the start of the OLE. Eligibility criteria and other selection factors resulted in on average of 74% of participants in the preceding RCT(s) enrolling in the OLE and only 57% completed it. Published OLE studies do not form a homogenous group with respect to design or retention of participants, and thus the validity of evidence from an OLE should be judged on an individual basis. The term 'open label' suggests bias through lack of blinding, but slippage in relation to the sample randomized in the preceding RCT may be the more important threat to validity. © 2010 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Misleading reporting and interpretation of results in major infertility journals.

PubMed

Glujovsky, Demian; Sueldo, Carlos E; Borghi, Carolina; Nicotra, Pamela; Andreucci, Sara; Ciapponi, Agustín

2016-05-01

To evaluate the proportion of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) published in top infertility journals indexed on PubMed that reported their results with proper effect estimates and their precision estimation, while correctly interpreting both measures. Cross-sectional study evaluating all the RCTs published in top infertility journals during 2014. Not applicable. Not applicable. Not applicable. Proportion of RCTs that reported both relative and absolute effect size measures and its precision. Among the 32 RCTs published in 2014 in the top infertility journals reviewed, 37.5% (95% confidence interval [CI], 21.1-56.3) did not mention in their abstracts whether the difference among the study arms was statistically or clinically significant, and only 6.3% (95% CI, 0.8-20.8) used a CI of the absolute difference. Similarly, in the results section, these elements were observed in 28.2% (95% CI, 13.7-46.7) and 15.6% (95% CI, 5.3-32.8), respectively. Only one study clearly expressed the minimal clinically important difference in their methods section, but we found related proxies in 53% (95% CI, 34.7-70.9). None of the studies used CIs to draw conclusions about the clinical or statistical significance. We found 13 studies where the interpretation of the findings could be misleading. Recommended reporting items are underused in top infertility journals, which could lead to misleading interpretations. Authors, reviewers, and editorial boards should emphasize their use to improve reporting quality. Copyright © 2016 American Society for Reproductive Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

SELECTED ABSTRACTS OF ATOMIC ENERGY PROJECT UNCLASSIFIED REPORT LITERATURE IN THE FIELD OF RADIATION CHEMISTRY AND BIBLIOGRAPHY OF THE PUBLISHED LITERATURE--5TH ANNUAL SUPPLEMENT (PAPERS NOTED UP TO DECEMBER 1960)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Clarke, R.W. comp.

1961-05-01

References (2538) are given to U. S. and foreign reports and published literature published from 1957 through 1961. The references contain information on theory, interpretations, water and aqueous inorganic systems, organic compounds (including polymerization reactions and organic coolants), gaseous systems (excluding organic compounds), solid systems (excluding organic compounds), biochemistry and radiobiology (excluding animal studies, including irradiation of foodstuffs, bacteria, and insects), and miscellaneous (including colloids, corrosion, industrial applications of radiation, irradiation equipment, and general reviews and reports). The report references are arranged alphabetically/serially by report reference number, and the open literature rcferences alphabetically by first named author. Separate author andmore » subject indexes are included. (P.C.H.)« less

Neuraxial blocks and spinal haematoma: Review of 166 case reports published 1994-2015. Part 1: Demographics and risk-factors.

PubMed

Lagerkranser, Michael

2017-04-01

Bleeding into the vertebral canal causing a spinal haematoma (SH) is a rare but serious complication to central neuraxial blocks (CNB). Of all serious complications to CNBs such as meningitis, abscess, cardiovascular collapse, and nerve injury, neurological injury associated with SH has the worst prognosis for permanent harm. Around the turn of the millennium, the first guidelines were published that aimed to reduce the risk of this complication. These guidelines are based on known risk factors for SH, rather than evidence from randomised, controlled trials (RCTs). RCTs, and therefore meta-analysis of RCTs, are not appropriate for identifying rare events. Analysing published case reports of rare complications may at least reveal risk factors and can thereby improve management of CNBs. The aims of the present review were to analyse case reports of SH after CNBs published between 1994 and 2015, and compare these with previous reviews of case reports. MEDLINE and EMBASE were used for identifying case reports published in English, German, or Scandinavian languages, using appropriate search terms. Reference lists were also scrutinised for case reports. Twenty different variables from each case were specifically searched for and filled out on an Excel spreadsheet, and incidences were calculated using the number of informative reports as denominator for each variable. Altogether 166 case reports on spinal haematoma after CNB published during the years between 1994 and 2015 were collected. The annual number of case reports published during this period almost trebled compared with the two preceding decades. This trend continued even after the first guidelines on safe practice of CNBs appeared around year 2000, although more cases complied with such guidelines during the second half of the observation period (2005-2015) than during the first half. Three types of risk factors dominated: (1) Patient-related risk factors such as haemostatic and spinal disorders, (2) CNB-procedure-related risks such as complicated block, (3) Drug-related risks, i.e. medication with antihaemostatic drugs. The annual number of published cases of spinal haematoma after central neuraxial blocks increased during the last two decades (1994-2015) compared to previous decades. Case reports on elderly women account for this increase. Antihaemostatic drugs, heparins in particular, are still major risk factors for developing post-CNB spinal bleedings. Other risk factors are haemostatic and spinal disorders and complicated blocks, especially "bloody taps", whereas multiple attempts do not seem to increase the risk of bleeding. In a large number of cases, no risk factor was reported. Guidelines issued around the turn of the century do not seem to have affected the number of published reports. In most cases, guidelines were followed, especially during the second half of the study period. Thus, although guidelines reduce the risk of a post-CNB spinal haematoma, and should be strictly adhered to in every single case, they are no guarantee against such bleedings to occur. Copyright © 2017 Scandinavian Association for the Study of Pain. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Endorsement of PRISMA statement and quality of systematic reviews and meta-analyses published in nursing journals: a cross-sectional study

PubMed Central

Tam, Wilson W S; Lo, Kenneth K H; Khalechelvam, Parames

2017-01-01

Objective Systematic reviews (SRs) often poorly report key information, thereby diminishing their usefulness. Previous studies evaluated published SRs and determined that they failed to meet explicit criteria or characteristics. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement was recommended as a reporting guideline for SR and meta-analysis (MA), but previous studies showed that adherence to the statement was not high for SRs published in different medical fields. Thus, the aims of this study are twofold: (1) to investigate the number of nursing journals that have required or recommended the use of the PRISMA statement for reporting SR, and (2) to examine the adherence of SRs and/or meta-analyses to the PRISMA statement published in nursing journals. Design A cross-sectional study. Methods Nursing journals listed in the ISI journal citation report were divided into 2 groups based on the recommendation of PRISMA statement in their ‘Instruction for Authors’. SRs and meta-analyses published in 2014 were searched in 3 databases. 37 SRs and meta-analyses were randomly selected in each group. The adherence of each item to the PRISMA was examined and summarised using descriptive statistics. The quality of the SRs was assessed by Assessing the Methodological Quality of Systematic Reviews. The differences between the 2 groups were compared using the Mann-Whitney U test. Results Out of 107 nursing journals, 30 (28.0%) recommended or required authors to follow the PRISMA statement when they submit SRs or meta-analyses. The median rates of adherence to the PRISMA statement for reviews published in journals with and without PRISMA endorsement were 64.9% (IQR: 17.6–92.3%) and 73.0% (IQR: 59.5–94.6%), respectively. No significant difference was observed in any of the items between the 2 groups. Conclusions The median adherence of SRs and meta-analyses in nursing journals to PRISMA is low at 64.9% and 73.0%, respectively. Nonetheless, the adherence level of nursing journals to the PRISMA statement does not significantly vary whether they endorse or recommend such a guideline. PMID:28174224

NEW STUDIES OF URBAN FLOOD FREQUENCY IN THE SOUTHEASTERN UNITED STATES.

USGS Publications Warehouse

Sauer, Vernon B.

1986-01-01

Five reports dealing with flood magnitude and frequency in urban areas in the southeastern United States have been published during the past 2 years by the U. S. Geological Survey (USGS). These reports are based on data collected in Tampa and Tallahassee, Florida; Atlanta, Georgia; and several cities in Alabama and Tennessee. Each report contains regression equations useful for estimating flood peaks for selected recurrence intervals at ungauged urban sites. A nationwide study of urban flood characteristics by the USGS published in 1983 contains equations for estimating urban peak discharges for ungauged sites. At the time that the nationwide study was conducted, data from only 35 sites in the southeastern United States were available. The five new reports contain data for 88 additional sites. These new data show that the seven-parameter estimating equations developed in the nationwide study are unbiased and have prediction errors less than those described in the nationwide report.

How do authors of systematic reviews deal with research malpractice and misconduct in original studies? A cross-sectional analysis of systematic reviews and survey of their authors.

PubMed

Elia, Nadia; von Elm, Erik; Chatagner, Alexandra; Pöpping, Daniel M; Tramèr, Martin R

2016-03-02

To study whether systematic reviewers apply procedures to counter-balance some common forms of research malpractice such as not publishing completed research, duplicate publications, or selective reporting of outcomes, and to see whether they identify and report misconduct. Cross-sectional analysis of systematic reviews and survey of their authors. 118 systematic reviews published in four journals (Ann Int Med, BMJ, JAMA, Lancet), and the Cochrane Library, in 2013. Number (%) of reviews that applied procedures to reduce the impact of: (1) publication bias (through searching of unpublished trials), (2) selective outcome reporting (by contacting the authors of the original studies), (3) duplicate publications, (4) sponsors' and (5) authors' conflicts of interest, on the conclusions of the review, and (6) looked for ethical approval of the studies. Number (%) of reviewers who suspected misconduct are reported. The procedures applied were compared across journals. 80 (68%) reviewers confirmed their data. 59 (50%) reviews applied three or more procedures; 11 (9%) applied none. Unpublished trials were searched in 79 (66%) reviews. Authors of original studies were contacted in 73 (62%). Duplicate publications were searched in 81 (69%). 27 reviews (23%) reported sponsors of the included studies; 6 (5%) analysed their impact on the conclusions of the review. Five reviews (4%) looked at conflicts of interest of study authors; none of them analysed their impact. Three reviews (2.5%) looked at ethical approval of the studies. Seven reviews (6%) suspected misconduct; only 2 (2%) reported it explicitly. Procedures applied differed across the journals. Only half of the systematic reviews applied three or more of the six procedures examined. Sponsors, conflicts of interest of authors and ethical approval remain overlooked. Research misconduct is sometimes identified, but rarely reported. Guidance on when, and how, to report suspected misconduct is needed. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/

Reporting of participant flow diagrams in published reports of randomized trials

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background Reporting of the flow of participants through each stage of a randomized trial is essential to assess the generalisability and validity of its results. We assessed the type and completeness of information reported in CONSORT (Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials) flow diagrams published in current reports of randomized trials. Methods A cross sectional review of all primary reports of randomized trials which included a CONSORT flow diagram indexed in PubMed core clinical journals (2009). We assessed the proportion of parallel group trial publications reporting specific items recommended by CONSORT for inclusion in a flow diagram. Results Of 469 primary reports of randomized trials, 263 (56%) included a CONSORT flow diagram of which 89% (237/263) were published in a CONSORT endorsing journal. Reports published in CONSORT endorsing journals were more likely to include a flow diagram (62%; 237/380 versus 29%; 26/89). Ninety percent (236/263) of reports which included a flow diagram had a parallel group design, of which 49% (116/236) evaluated drug interventions, 58% (137/236) were multicentre, and 79% (187/236) compared two study groups, with a median sample size of 213 participants. Eighty-one percent (191/236) reported the overall number of participants assessed for eligibility, 71% (168/236) the number excluded prior to randomization and 98% (231/236) the overall number randomized. Reasons for exclusion prior to randomization were more poorly reported. Ninety-four percent (223/236) reported the number of participants allocated to each arm of the trial. However, only 40% (95/236) reported the number who actually received the allocated intervention, 67% (158/236) the number lost to follow up in each arm of the trial, 61% (145/236) whether participants discontinued the intervention during the trial and 54% (128/236) the number included in the main analysis. Conclusions Over half of published reports of randomized trials included a diagram showing the flow of participants through the trial. However, information was often missing from published flow diagrams, even in articles published in CONSORT endorsing journals. If important information is not reported it can be difficult and sometimes impossible to know if the conclusions of that trial are justified by the data presented. PMID:22141446

Methodological reporting of randomized controlled trials in major hepato-gastroenterology journals in 2008 and 1998: a comparative study

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background It was still unclear whether the methodological reporting quality of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in major hepato-gastroenterology journals improved after the Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials (CONSORT) Statement was revised in 2001. Methods RCTs in five major hepato-gastroenterology journals published in 1998 or 2008 were retrieved from MEDLINE using a high sensitivity search method and their reporting quality of methodological details were evaluated based on the CONSORT Statement and Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of interventions. Changes of the methodological reporting quality between 2008 and 1998 were calculated by risk ratios with 95% confidence intervals. Results A total of 107 RCTs published in 2008 and 99 RCTs published in 1998 were found. Compared to those in 1998, the proportion of RCTs that reported sequence generation (RR, 5.70; 95%CI 3.11-10.42), allocation concealment (RR, 4.08; 95%CI 2.25-7.39), sample size calculation (RR, 3.83; 95%CI 2.10-6.98), incomplete outecome data addressed (RR, 1.81; 95%CI, 1.03-3.17), intention-to-treat analyses (RR, 3.04; 95%CI 1.72-5.39) increased in 2008. Blinding and intent-to-treat analysis were reported better in multi-center trials than in single-center trials. The reporting of allocation concealment and blinding were better in industry-sponsored trials than in public-funded trials. Compared with historical studies, the methodological reporting quality improved with time. Conclusion Although the reporting of several important methodological aspects improved in 2008 compared with those published in 1998, which may indicate the researchers had increased awareness of and compliance with the revised CONSORT statement, some items were still reported badly. There is much room for future improvement. PMID:21801429

A quantitative analysis of qualitative studies in clinical journals for the 2000 publishing year

PubMed Central

McKibbon, Kathleen Ann; Gadd, Cynthia S

2004-01-01

Background Quantitative studies are becoming more recognized as important to understanding health care with all of its richness and complexities. The purpose of this descriptive survey was to provide a quantitative evaluation of the qualitative studies published in 170 core clinical journals for 2000. Methods All identified studies that used qualitative methods were reviewed to ascertain which clinical journals publish qualitative studies and to extract research methods, content (persons and health care issues studied), and whether mixed methods (quantitative and qualitative methods) were used. Results 60 330 articles were reviewed. 355 reports of original qualitative studies and 12 systematic review articles were identified in 48 journals. Most of the journals were in the discipline of nursing. Only 4 of the most highly cited health care journals, based on ISI Science Citation Index (SCI) Impact Factors, published qualitative studies. 37 of the 355 original reports used both qualitative and quantitative (mixed) methods. Patients and non-health care settings were the most common groups of people studied. Diseases and conditions were cancer, mental health, pregnancy and childbirth, and cerebrovascular disease with many other diseases and conditions represented. Phenomenology and grounded theory were commonly used; substantial ethnography was also present. No substantial differences were noted for content or methods when articles published in all disciplines were compared with articles published in nursing titles or when studies with mixed methods were compared with studies that included only qualitative methods. Conclusions The clinical literature includes many qualitative studies although they are often published in nursing journals or journals with low SCI Impact Factor journals. Many qualitative studies incorporate both qualitative and quantitative methods. PMID:15271221

7 CFR 295.4 - Program evaluation status reports.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... completed studies may be obtained by writing the Director, Office of Analysis and Evaluation, Food and... evaluation status reports. FNS also publishes summaries of objectives and findings of completed studies and...

Description of interventions is under-reported in physical therapy clinical trials.

PubMed

Hariohm, K; Jeyanthi, S; Kumar, J Saravan; Prakash, V

Amongst several barriers to the application of quality clinical evidence and clinical guidelines into routine daily practice, poor description of interventions reported in clinical trials has received less attention. Although some studies have investigated the completeness of descriptions of non-pharmacological interventions in randomized trials, studies that exclusively analyzed physical therapy interventions reported in published trials are scarce. To evaluate the quality of descriptions of interventions in both experimental and control groups in randomized controlled trials published in four core physical therapy journals. We included all randomized controlled trials published from the Physical Therapy Journal, Journal of Physiotherapy, Clinical Rehabilitation, and Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation between June 2012 and December 2013. Each randomized controlled trial (RCT) was analyzed and coded for description of interventions using the checklist developed by Schroter et al. Out of 100 RCTs selected, only 35 RCTs (35%) fully described the interventions in both the intervention and control groups. Control group interventions were poorly described in the remaining RCTs (65%). Interventions, especially in the control group, are poorly described in the clinical trials published in leading physical therapy journals. A complete description of the intervention in a published report is crucial for physical therapists to be able to use the intervention in clinical practice. Copyright © 2017 Associação Brasileira de Pesquisa e Pós-Graduação em Fisioterapia. Publicado por Elsevier Editora Ltda. All rights reserved.

An assessment of the compliance of systematic review articles published in craniofacial surgery with the PRISMA statement guidelines: A systematic review.

PubMed

Pidgeon, Thomas Edward; Wellstead, Georgina; Sagoo, Harkiran; Jafree, Daniyal J; Fowler, Alexander J; Agha, Riaz A

2016-10-01

Systematic review evidence is increasing within craniofacial surgery. Compliance with recognised reporting guidelines for systematic review evidence has not been assessed. To assess the compliance of systematic reviews published in craniofacial journals with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) reporting criteria. Thomson Reuters impact factor was used to identify three top craniofacial journals. A search for all systematic review articles published in these journals from 1st May 2010 to 30th April 2015 was conducted using MEDLINE PubMed. Two independent researchers assessed each study for inclusion and performed the data extraction. Data included the article reference information; the pathology and interventions examined and compliance of each review article with the PRISMA checklist. 97 studies were returned by the search. 62 studies proceeded to data extraction. The mean percentage of applicable PRISMA items that were met across all studies was 72.5% (range 28.6-96.2%). The area of poorest compliance was with the declaration of a study protocol (19.4% of studies). Only 37.1% of studies declared their source of funding. Compliance of systematic review articles within craniofacial surgery with areas of the PRISMA checklist could be improved. Copyright © 2016 European Association for Cranio-Maxillo-Facial Surgery. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Case report classics in otolaryngology - head and neck surgery: citation analysis.

PubMed

Edelmayer, L W; Fenton, J E; Yellin, S A; Shearer, D J; Coelho, D H

2018-06-12

To analyse publication and citations trends of case reports within otolaryngology - head and neck surgery literature, with specific attention to the most-cited reports.Study designDatabase query. Web of Science was searched for article type 'case reports' published in the leading otolaryngology - head and neck surgery journals since 1945. Variables including publication dates, citation dates and numbers, author, author number, and others were recorded and analysed for trends. The reports with the most citations (classics) were further studied. Of nearly 67 000 published articles in leading otolaryngology - head and neck surgery journals, the overall number of case reports as a percentage of the total has substantially decreased over time. A total of 110 case report classics were identified for which citations have increased. Although the case report may not be worthy of its tarnished record, declining trends in publication suggest a limited future for this valuable research and educational resource.

Post-marketing surveillance in the published medical and grey literature for percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty catheters: a systematic review.

PubMed

Polisena, Julie; Forster, Alan J; Cimon, Karen; Rabb, Danielle

2013-10-10

Post-marketing surveillance (PMS) may identify rare serious incidents or adverse events due to the long-term use of a medical device, which was not captured in the pre-market process. Percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) is a non-surgical procedure that uses a balloon-tipped catheter to enlarge a narrowed artery. In 2011, 1,942 adverse event reports related to the use of PTCA catheters were submitted to the FDA by the manufacturers, an increase from the 883 reported in 2008. The primary research objective is to conduct a systematic review of the published and grey literature published between 2007 and 2012 for the frequency of incidents, adverse events and malfunctions associated with the use of PTCA catheters in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). Grey literature has not been commercially published. We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials and PubMed for medical literature on PMS for PTCA catheters in patients with CAD published between January 2007 and July 2012. We also searched the grey literature. This review included 11 studies. The in-hospital adverse events reported were individual cases of myocardial infarction and hematoma. In studies of patients with coronary perforation, more patients with balloon angioplasty were identified compared with patients who required stenting. Our systematic review illustrates that the volume and quality of PMS studies associated with the use of PTCA catheters in patients with CAD are low in the published and grey literature, and may not be useful sources of information for decisions on safety. In most studies, the objectives were not to monitor the long-term safety of the use of PTCA catheters in clinical practice. Future studies can explore the strengths and limitations of PMS databases administered by regulatory authorities.

The risk of bias of animal experiments in implant dentistry: a methodological study.

PubMed

Faggion, Clovis Mariano; Diaz, Karla Tatiana; Aranda, Luisiana; Gabel, Frank; Listl, Stefan; Alarcón, Marco Antonio

2017-07-01

To evaluate the risk of bias (ROB) in reports of randomised controlled trials (RCTs) of animal experiments published in implant dentistry, and to explore the association between animal experiment characteristics and ROB. We searched the MEDLINE (via PubMed), SCOPUS and SciELO databases from 2010 to March 2015 for reports of RCTs of animal experiments published in implant dentistry. We evaluated independently and in duplicate the ROB of these experiments by the use of a tool specifically developed to evaluate ROB in animal studies, the SYRCLE's tool. ROB was judged as low, high or unclear (when there was not enough information to judge ROB). We used univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses to evaluate the association of specific study characteristics and extent of ROB. We initially selected 850 publications and 161 reports of animal experiments were included. For a total of 1449 entries (records), 486 (34%) were rated as low ROB. High ROB was attributed to 80 (6%) of entries, and 883 (60%) entries were rated as unclear ROB. The characteristics "impact factor" (IF), reporting of standard error (SE) and reporting of confidence interval (CI) were significantly associated with low ROB in some SYRCLE domains. A substantial number of items with unclear ROB were observed in this sample of animal experiments in implant dentistry. Furthermore, the present findings suggest that implant dentistry animal experiments published in journals with higher IF and better report of measures of precision; that is, CI and SE may have lower ROB than those not having these characteristics. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Quality and reporting of diagnostic accuracy studies in TB, HIV and malaria: evaluation using QUADAS and STARD standards.

PubMed

Fontela, Patricia Scolari; Pant Pai, Nitika; Schiller, Ian; Dendukuri, Nandini; Ramsay, Andrew; Pai, Madhukar

2009-11-13

Poor methodological quality and reporting are known concerns with diagnostic accuracy studies. In 2003, the QUADAS tool and the STARD standards were published for evaluating the quality and improving the reporting of diagnostic studies, respectively. However, it is unclear whether these tools have been applied to diagnostic studies of infectious diseases. We performed a systematic review on the methodological and reporting quality of diagnostic studies in TB, malaria and HIV. We identified diagnostic accuracy studies of commercial tests for TB, malaria and HIV through a systematic search of the literature using PubMed and EMBASE (2004-2006). Original studies that reported sensitivity and specificity data were included. Two reviewers independently extracted data on study characteristics and diagnostic accuracy, and used QUADAS and STARD to evaluate the quality of methods and reporting, respectively. Ninety (38%) of 238 articles met inclusion criteria. All studies had design deficiencies. Study quality indicators that were met in less than 25% of the studies included adequate description of withdrawals (6%) and reference test execution (10%), absence of index test review bias (19%) and reference test review bias (24%), and report of uninterpretable results (22%). In terms of quality of reporting, 9 STARD indicators were reported in less than 25% of the studies: methods for calculation and estimates of reproducibility (0%), adverse effects of the diagnostic tests (1%), estimates of diagnostic accuracy between subgroups (10%), distribution of severity of disease/other diagnoses (11%), number of eligible patients who did not participate in the study (14%), blinding of the test readers (16%), and description of the team executing the test and management of indeterminate/outlier results (both 17%). The use of STARD was not explicitly mentioned in any study. Only 22% of 46 journals that published the studies included in this review required authors to use STARD. Recently published diagnostic accuracy studies on commercial tests for TB, malaria and HIV have moderate to low quality and are poorly reported. The more frequent use of tools such as QUADAS and STARD may be necessary to improve the methodological and reporting quality of future diagnostic accuracy studies in infectious diseases.

Quality and Reporting of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies in TB, HIV and Malaria: Evaluation Using QUADAS and STARD Standards

PubMed Central

Fontela, Patricia Scolari; Pant Pai, Nitika; Schiller, Ian; Dendukuri, Nandini; Ramsay, Andrew; Pai, Madhukar

2009-01-01

Background Poor methodological quality and reporting are known concerns with diagnostic accuracy studies. In 2003, the QUADAS tool and the STARD standards were published for evaluating the quality and improving the reporting of diagnostic studies, respectively. However, it is unclear whether these tools have been applied to diagnostic studies of infectious diseases. We performed a systematic review on the methodological and reporting quality of diagnostic studies in TB, malaria and HIV. Methods We identified diagnostic accuracy studies of commercial tests for TB, malaria and HIV through a systematic search of the literature using PubMed and EMBASE (2004–2006). Original studies that reported sensitivity and specificity data were included. Two reviewers independently extracted data on study characteristics and diagnostic accuracy, and used QUADAS and STARD to evaluate the quality of methods and reporting, respectively. Findings Ninety (38%) of 238 articles met inclusion criteria. All studies had design deficiencies. Study quality indicators that were met in less than 25% of the studies included adequate description of withdrawals (6%) and reference test execution (10%), absence of index test review bias (19%) and reference test review bias (24%), and report of uninterpretable results (22%). In terms of quality of reporting, 9 STARD indicators were reported in less than 25% of the studies: methods for calculation and estimates of reproducibility (0%), adverse effects of the diagnostic tests (1%), estimates of diagnostic accuracy between subgroups (10%), distribution of severity of disease/other diagnoses (11%), number of eligible patients who did not participate in the study (14%), blinding of the test readers (16%), and description of the team executing the test and management of indeterminate/outlier results (both 17%). The use of STARD was not explicitly mentioned in any study. Only 22% of 46 journals that published the studies included in this review required authors to use STARD. Conclusion Recently published diagnostic accuracy studies on commercial tests for TB, malaria and HIV have moderate to low quality and are poorly reported. The more frequent use of tools such as QUADAS and STARD may be necessary to improve the methodological and reporting quality of future diagnostic accuracy studies in infectious diseases. PMID:19915664

Dissemination of research into clinical nursing literature.

PubMed

Oermann, Marilyn H; Shaw-Kokot, Julia; Knafl, George J; Dowell, Jo

2010-12-01

The purpose of our study was to describe the dissemination of research into the clinical nursing literature. The literature provides a means of transferring knowledge from a research study through citations of the work by other authors. This was a citation analysis study to explore the dissemination of research into the clinical nursing literature, beginning with the publication of an original research study and including all of the citations to that article through 2009. The authors searched five academic nursing research journal titles, using CINAHL, for original research reports that had clinical relevance and were published between 1990-1999. The search process yielded a final data set of 28 research articles. For each of the articles, the authors searched three databases, CINAHL, Web of Science(®) and Google Scholar, to determine the citation patterns from the date of publication to August 2009. All of the research studies were cited in articles published in clinical journals although there was a wide range in the number of citations, from 3-80. The 28 research articles had a total of 759 citations; 717 (94.5%) of those citations were in articles published in clinical nursing journals. The median length of time between publication of the original study and the first citation was 1.5 years. Some of the studies were still being cited for 18 years after publication of the original work. All of the original research reports examined in this study were cited in articles in clinical journals, disseminating the research beyond the original work to reach clinicians. Clinical nursing journals keep readers up-to-date and informed about new practices in nursing and serve another important role: they disseminate research that is clinically relevant by publishing original studies and papers that cite research reports. © 2010 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Can UK NHS research ethics committees effectively monitor publication and outcome reporting bias?

PubMed

Begum, Rasheda; Kolstoe, Simon

2015-07-25

Publication and outcome reporting bias is often caused by researchers selectively choosing which scientific results and outcomes to publish. This behaviour is ethically significant as it distorts the literature used for future scientific or clinical decision-making. This study investigates the practicalities of using ethics applications submitted to a UK National Health Service (NHS) research ethics committee to monitor both types of reporting bias. As part of an internal audit we accessed research ethics database records for studies submitting an end of study declaration to the Hampshire A research ethics committee (formerly Southampton A) between 1st January 2010 and 31st December 2011. A literature search was used to establish the publication status of studies. Primary and secondary outcomes stated in application forms were compared with outcomes reported in publications. Out of 116 studies the literature search identified 57 publications for 37 studies giving a publication rate of 32%. Original Research Ethics Committee (REC) applications could be obtained for 28 of the published studies. Outcome inconsistencies were found in 16 (57%) of the published studies. This study showed that the problem of publication and outcome reporting bias is still significant in the UK. The method described here demonstrates that UK NHS research ethics committees are in a good position to detect such bias due to their unique access to original research protocols. Data gathered in this way could be used by the Health Research Authority to encourage higher levels of transparency in UK research.

[The importance of case reports in current pediatric endocrinology and metabolism literature--the analysis of publications indexed in Medline in the years 2004-2009].

PubMed

Kuchar, Ernest

2010-01-01

Case reports have been used as an educational tool in medicine for a long time, as they are usually the first kind of publications prepared by new authors. In compliance with the rules of the EBM, the evidence-based medicine, a clinical case report (which describes and analyses the manner of diagnosis and treatment) appears at the bottom of the hierarchy of scientific evidences. As a result, medical periodicals limit the publishing of case reports. The aim of the study is to assess how important case reports are in the modern pediatric literature, with special interests in endocrine and metabolic disorders. Searching Medline over the last 5 years (October 2004-October 2009) using key words "case report" was performed. The limitations: "human", age "all children: 0-18 years" and the kind of publication: "case report" were used. For the huge number of publications found, the number and language of the publication was analyzed, and the first 100 free full-text publications in field of endocrine and metabolic disorders in English (from 2007-2009) were rated depending on the kind of case and aim of the publication. A total of 55379 publications classified by Pubmed as case reports were found, including 48805 English, 1592 Spanish, 1538 French, 794 German, 370 Polish, 356 Chinese, 265 Russian and 135 Italian. The published case reports were more often informative than educational in character. The content of the published case reports deals more often with the notification of a new mutation, less frequently presentation of an interesting, rare, unusual case or a new illness or the description of a novel therapy. Less often the published case reports appear to be of educational character or those concerning diagnostic problems or treatment failure. Case reports remain an important contribution to the pediatric literature, mainly fulfilling an essential role in providing information about new medical problems. Medical literature published in Polish is relatively rich in clinical case reports. Publishing a case report in field of endocrinology and metabolism in Pubmed indexed journal is considered reasonable in situations where a new medical condition is being presented (most often a new mutation), a novel therapy has been discovered, the case is interesting or where the publishing of such reports fulfils didactic/educational needs.

The national bicycling and walking study : 15–year status report.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2010-05-01

This report is the third status update to the National Bicycling and Walking Study, originally published in 1994 as an assessment of bicycling and walking as transportation modes in the United States. Following the 5-year status report (1999) and 10-...

Improving planning, design, reporting and scientific quality of animal experiments by using the Gold Standard Publication Checklist, in addition to the ARRIVE guidelines.

PubMed

Hooijmans, Carlijn R; de Vries, Rob; Leenaars, Marlies; Curfs, Jo; Ritskes-Hoitinga, Merel

2011-03-01

Several studies have demonstrated serious omissions in the way research that use animals is reported. In order to improve the quality of reporting of animal experiments, the Animals in research: reporting in vivo experiments (ARRIVE) Guidelines were published in the British Journal of Pharmacology in August 2010. However, not only the quality of reporting of completed animal studies needs to be improved, but also the design and execution of new experiments. With both these goals in mind, we published the Gold Standard Publication Checklist (GSPC) in May 2010, a few months before the ARRIVE guidelines appeared. In this letter, we compare the GSPC checklist with the ARRIVE Guidelines. The GSPC describes certain items in more detail, which makes it both easier to use when designing and conducting an experiment and particularly suitable for making systematic reviews of animal studies more feasible. In order to improve not only the reporting but also the planning, design, execution and thereby, the scientific quality of animal experiments, we strongly recommend to all scientists involved in animal experimentation and to editors of journals publishing animal studies to take a closer look at the contents of both the ARRIVE guidelines and GSPC, and select the set of guidelines which is most appropriate for their particular situation. © 2011 The Authors. British Journal of Pharmacology © 2011 The British Pharmacological Society.

Methodology or method? A critical review of qualitative case study reports

PubMed Central

Hyett, Nerida; Kenny, Amanda; Dickson-Swift, Virginia

2014-01-01

Despite on-going debate about credibility, and reported limitations in comparison to other approaches, case study is an increasingly popular approach among qualitative researchers. We critically analysed the methodological descriptions of published case studies. Three high-impact qualitative methods journals were searched to locate case studies published in the past 5 years; 34 were selected for analysis. Articles were categorized as health and health services (n=12), social sciences and anthropology (n=7), or methods (n=15) case studies. The articles were reviewed using an adapted version of established criteria to determine whether adequate methodological justification was present, and if study aims, methods, and reported findings were consistent with a qualitative case study approach. Findings were grouped into five themes outlining key methodological issues: case study methodology or method, case of something particular and case selection, contextually bound case study, researcher and case interactions and triangulation, and study design inconsistent with methodology reported. Improved reporting of case studies by qualitative researchers will advance the methodology for the benefit of researchers and practitioners. PMID:24809980

An appraisal of published usability evaluations of electronic health records via systematic review.

PubMed

Ellsworth, Marc A; Dziadzko, Mikhail; O'Horo, John C; Farrell, Ann M; Zhang, Jiajie; Herasevich, Vitaly

2017-01-01

In this systematic review, we aimed to evaluate methodological and reporting trends present in the current literature by investigating published usability studies of electronic health records (EHRs). A literature search was conducted for articles published through January 2015 using MEDLINE (Ovid), EMBASE, Scopus, and Web of Science, supplemented by citation and reference list reviews. Studies were included if they tested the usability of hospital and clinic EHR systems in the inpatient, outpatient, emergency department, or operating room setting. A total of 4848 references were identified for title and abstract screening. Full text screening was performed for 197 articles, with 120 meeting the criteria for study inclusion. A review of the literature demonstrates a paucity of quality published studies describing scientifically valid and reproducible usability evaluations at various stages of EHR system development. A lack of formal and standardized reporting of EHR usability evaluation results is a major contributor to this knowledge gap, and efforts to improve this deficiency will be one step of moving the field of usability engineering forward. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the American Medical Informatics Association. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Did the reporting of prognostic studies of tumour markers improve since the introduction of REMARK guideline? A comparison of reporting in published articles

PubMed Central

Mallett, Susan; Altman, Douglas G.; Sauerbrei, Willi

2017-01-01

Although biomarkers are perceived as highly relevant for future clinical practice, few biomarkers reach clinical utility for several reasons. Among them, poor reporting of studies is one of the major problems. To aid improvement, reporting guidelines like REMARK for tumour marker prognostic (TMP) studies were introduced several years ago. The aims of this project were to assess whether reporting quality of TMP-studies improved in comparison to a previously conducted study assessing reporting quality of TMP-studies (PRE-study) and to assess whether articles citing REMARK (citing group) are better reported, in comparison to articles not citing REMARK (not-citing group). For the POST-study, recent articles citing and not citing REMARK (53 each) were identified in selected journals through systematic literature search and evaluated in same way as in the PRE-study. Ten of the 20 items of the REMARK checklist were evaluated and used to define an overall score of reporting quality. The observed overall scores were 53.4% (range: 10%-90%) for the PRE-study, 57.7% (range: 20%-100%) for the not-citing group and 58.1% (range: 30%-100%) for the citing group of the POST-study. While there is no difference between the two groups of the POST-study, the POST-study shows a slight but not relevant improvement in reporting relative to the PRE-study. Not all the articles of the citing group, cited REMARK appropriately. Irrespective of whether REMARK was cited, the overall score was slightly higher for articles published in journals requesting adherence to REMARK than for those published in journals not requesting it: 59.9% versus 51.9%, respectively. Several years after the introduction of REMARK, many key items of TMP-studies are still very poorly reported. A combined effort is needed from authors, editors, reviewers and methodologists to improve the current situation. Good reporting is not just nice to have but is essential for any research to be useful. PMID:28614415

Settlement study : final report.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1982-09-01

This report covers field observations of several medium and high embankments' settlement along Interstate Highways 12 and 20. The predictive settlements from laboratory tests (consolidation tests) are given in an interim report published in July, 198...

Methodology used in comparative studies assessing programmes of transition from paediatrics to adult care programmes: a systematic review

PubMed Central

Le Roux, E; Mellerio, H; Guilmin-Crépon, S; Gottot, S; Jacquin, P; Boulkedid, R; Alberti, C

2017-01-01

Objective To explore the methodologies employed in studies assessing transition of care interventions, with the aim of defining goals for the improvement of future studies. Design Systematic review of comparative studies assessing transition to adult care interventions for young people with chronic conditions. Data sources MEDLINE, EMBASE, ClinicalTrial.gov. Eligibility criteria for selecting studies 2 reviewers screened comparative studies with experimental and quasi-experimental designs, published or registered before July 2015. Eligible studies evaluate transition interventions at least in part after transfer to adult care of young people with chronic conditions with at least one outcome assessed quantitatively. Results 39 studies were reviewed, 26/39 (67%) published their final results and 13/39 (33%) were in progress. In 9 studies (9/39, 23%) comparisons were made between preintervention and postintervention in a single group. Randomised control groups were used in 9/39 (23%) studies. 2 (2/39, 5%) reported blinding strategies. Use of validated questionnaires was reported in 28% (11/39) of studies. In terms of reporting in published studies 15/26 (58%) did not report age at transfer, and 6/26 (23%) did not report the time of collection of each outcome. Conclusions Few evaluative studies exist and their level of methodological quality is variable. The complexity of interventions, multiplicity of outcomes, difficulty of blinding and the small groups of patients have consequences on concluding on the effectiveness of interventions. The evaluation of the transition interventions requires an appropriate and common methodology which will provide access to a better level of evidence. We identified areas for improvement in terms of randomisation, recruitment and external validity, blinding, measurement validity, standardised assessment and reporting. Improvements will increase our capacity to determine effective interventions for transition care. PMID:28131998

Randomized trials published in higher vs. lower impact journals differ in design, conduct, and analysis.

PubMed

Bala, Malgorzata M; Akl, Elie A; Sun, Xin; Bassler, Dirk; Mertz, Dominik; Mejza, Filip; Vandvik, Per Olav; Malaga, German; Johnston, Bradley C; Dahm, Philipp; Alonso-Coello, Pablo; Diaz-Granados, Natalia; Srinathan, Sadeesh K; Hassouneh, Basil; Briel, Matthias; Busse, Jason W; You, John J; Walter, Stephen D; Altman, Douglas G; Guyatt, Gordon H

2013-03-01

To compare methodological characteristics of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) published in higher vs. lower impact Core Clinical Journals. We searched MEDLINE for RCTs published in 2007 in Core Clinical Journals. We randomly sampled 1,140 study reports in a 1:1 ratio in higher (five general medicine journals with the highest total citations in 2007) and lower impact journals. Four hundred sixty-nine RCTs proved eligible: 219 in higher and 250 in lower impact journals. RCTs in higher vs. lower impact journals had larger sample sizes (median, 285 vs. 39), were more likely to receive industry funding (53% vs. 28%), declare concealment of allocation (66% vs. 36%), declare blinding of health care providers (53% vs. 41%) and outcome adjudicators (72% vs. 54%), report a patient-important primary outcome (69% vs. 50%), report subgroup analyses (64% vs. 26%), prespecify subgroup hypotheses (42% vs. 20%), and report a test for interaction (54% vs. 27%); P < 0.05 for all differences. RCTs published in higher impact journals were more likely to report methodological safeguards against bias and patient-important outcomes than those published in lower impact journals. However, sufficient limitations remain such that publication in a higher impact journal does not ensure low risk of bias. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Study Quality in SLA: An Assessment of Designs, Analyses, and Reporting Practices in Quantitative L2 Research

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Plonsky, Luke

2013-01-01

This study assesses research and reporting practices in quantitative second language (L2) research. A sample of 606 primary studies, published from 1990 to 2010 in "Language Learning and Studies in Second Language Acquisition," was collected and coded for designs, statistical analyses, reporting practices, and outcomes (i.e., effect…

Adherence to Standards for Reporting Diagnostic Accuracy in Emergency Medicine Research.

PubMed

Gallo, Lucas; Hua, Nadia; Mercuri, Mathew; Silveira, Angela; Worster, Andrew

2017-08-01

Diagnostic tests are used frequently in the emergency department (ED) to guide clinical decision making and, hence, influence clinical outcomes. The Standards for Reporting of Diagnostic Accuracy (STARD) criteria were developed to ensure that diagnostic test studies are performed and reported to best inform clinical decision making in the ED. The objective was to determine the extent to which diagnostic studies published in emergency medicine journals adhered to STARD 2003 criteria. Diagnostic studies published in eight MEDLINE-listed, peer-reviewed, emergency medicine journals over a 5-year period were reviewed for compliance to STARD criteria. A total of 12,649 articles were screened and 114 studies were included in our study. Twenty percent of these were randomly selected for assessment using STARD 2003 criteria. Adherence to STARD 2003 reporting standards for each criteria ranged from 8.7% adherence (criteria-reporting adverse events from performing index test or reference standard) to 100% (multiple criteria). Just over half of STARD criteria are reported in more than 80% studies. As poorly reported studies may negatively impact their clinical usefulness, it is essential that studies of diagnostic test accuracy be performed and reported adequately. Future studies should assess whether studies have improved compliance with the STARD 2015 criteria amendment. © 2017 by the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine.

40 CFR 1612.3 - Published reports and material contained in the public incident investigation dockets.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 32 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Published reports and material... Published reports and material contained in the public incident investigation dockets. (a) Demands for published investigation reports should be directed to the Office of Congressional and Public Affairs, U.S...

The quality of reporting of randomized controlled trials of traditional Chinese medicine: a survey of 13 randomly selected journals from mainland China.

PubMed

Wang, Gang; Mao, Bing; Xiong, Ze-Yu; Fan, Tao; Chen, Xiao-Dong; Wang, Lei; Liu, Guan-Jian; Liu, Jia; Guo, Jia; Chang, Jing; Wu, Tai-Xiang; Li, Ting-Qian

2007-07-01

The number of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is increasing. However, there have been few systematic assessments of the quality of reporting of these trials. This study was undertaken to evaluate the quality of reporting of RCTs in TCM journals published in mainland China from 1999 to 2004. Thirteen TCM journals were randomly selected by stratified sampling of the approximately 100 TCM journals published in mainland China. All issues of the selected journals published from 1999 to 2004 were hand-searched according to guidelines from the Cochrane Centre. All reviewers underwent training in the evaluation of RCTs at the Chinese Centre of Evidence-based Medicine. A comprehensive quality assessment of each RCT was completed using a modified version of the Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials (CONSORT) checklist (total of 30 items) and the Jadad scale. Disagreements were resolved by consensus. Seven thousand four hundred twenty-two RCTs were identified. The proportion of published RCTs relative to all types of published clinical trials increased significantly over the period studied, from 18.6% in 1999 to 35.9% in 2004 (P < 0.001). The mean (SD) Jadad score was 1.03 (0.61) overall. One RCT had a Jadad score of 5 points; 14 had a score of 4 points; and 102 had a score of 3 points. The mean (SD) Jadad score was 0.85 (0.53) in 1999 (746 RCTs) and 1.20 (0.62) in 2004 (1634 RCTs). Across all trials, 39.4% of the items on the modified CONSORT checklist were reported, which was equivalent to 11.82 (5.78) of the 30 items. Some important methodologic components of RCTs were incompletely reported, such as sample-size calculation (reported in 1.1% of RCTs), randomization sequence (7.9%), allocation concealment (0.3 %), implementation of the random-allocation sequence (0%), and analysis of intention to treat (0%). The findings of this study indicate that the quality of reporting of RCTs of TCM has improved, but remains poor.

Characterization of scientific studies usually cited as evidence of adverse effects of GM food/feed.

PubMed

Sánchez, Miguel A; Parrott, Wayne A

2017-10-01

GM crops are the most studied crops in history. Approximately 5% of the safety studies on them show adverse effects that are a cause for concern and tend to be featured in media reports. Although these reports are based on just a handful of GM events, they are used to cast doubt on all GM crops. Furthermore, they tend to come from just a few laboratories and are published in less important journals. Importantly, a close examination of these reports invariably shows methodological flaws that invalidate any conclusions of adverse effects. Twenty years after commercial cultivation of GM crops began, a bona fide report of an adverse health effect due to a commercialized modification in a crop has yet to be reported. © 2017 The Authors. Plant Biotechnology Journal published by Society for Experimental Biology and The Association of Applied Biologists and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Reporting Quality Assessment of Randomized Controlled Trials Published in Nephrology Urology Monthly Journal.

PubMed

Mehrazmay, Alireza; Karambakhsh, Alireza; Salesi, Mahmood

2015-07-01

Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) are important tools for evidence-based health care decisions. It is, therefore, important that they be conducted and reported with the highest possible standards. The aim of this study was to evaluate the reporting quality of the RCTs published in nephrology urology monthly journal and to examine whether there was a change over time in the reporting quality. The quality of each report was assessed using the Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials (CONSORT) 2010 Statement checklist and a 5-point quality assessment instrument, i.e. the Jadad scale. Eighteen (14 Iranian and 4 non-Iranian) RCTs were published from 2012 to 2014 on topics including renal stone (16.6%), hemodialysis and transplantation (38.8%), and prostate conditions (11.1%). Interventions comprised surgery, drugs, and teaching method in 7 (38 %), 10 (55%), and 1 (5%) of them, respectively. According to the CONSORT checklist, the weakest reported items were registration number, identification as a randomized trial in the title, and settings and locations where the data were collected. The mean Jadad score of the reports was 2.72 ± 1.36 (54% of their maximum possible total score). According to the Jadad and CONSORT scales, there was an increase in the quality of reporting from 2012 to 2014. This assessment shows low reporting quality scores in reports. Training courses for researchers, using standard reporting tools (e.g. CONSORT 2010 Statement checklist), and consultation with methodologists can improve the quality of published RCTs.

Comparison of Conflicts of Interest among Published Hernia Researchers Self-Reported with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Open Payments Database.

PubMed

Olavarria, Oscar A; Holihan, Julie L; Cherla, Deepa; Perez, Cristina A; Kao, Lillian S; Ko, Tien C; Liang, Mike K

2017-05-01

Many healthcare providers have financial interests and relationships with healthcare companies. To maintain transparency, investigators are expected to disclose their conflicts of interest (COIs). Recently, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services developed the Open Payment database of COIs reported by industry. We hypothesize that there is discordance between industry-reported and physician self-reported COIs in ventral hernia publications. PubMed was searched for ventral hernia studies accepted for publication between June 2013 and October 2015 and published by authors from the US. Conflicts of interest were defined as payments received as honoraria, consulting fees, compensation for serving as faculty or as a speaker at a venue, research funding payments, or having ownerships/partnerships in companies. Conflicts of interest disclosed on the published articles were compared with the financial relationships in the Open Payments database. A total of 100 studies were selected with 497 participating authors. Information was available from the Open Payments database for 245 (49.2%) authors, of which 134 (26.9%) met the definition for COI. When comparing COIs disclosed by authors and data in the Open Payments database, 81 (16.3%) authors had at least 1 COI but did not declare any, 35 (7.0%) authors had COIs other than what they declared, and 20 (4.0%) declared a COI not listed in the Open Payments database, for a combined discordance rate of 27.3%. There is substantial discordance between self-reported COI in published articles compared with those in the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Open Payments database. Additional studies are needed to determine the reasons for these differences, as COI can influence the validity of the design, conduct, and results of a study. Copyright © 2017 American College of Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A review of published analyses of case-cohort studies and recommendations for future reporting.

PubMed

Sharp, Stephen J; Poulaliou, Manon; Thompson, Simon G; White, Ian R; Wood, Angela M

2014-01-01

The case-cohort study design combines the advantages of a cohort study with the efficiency of a nested case-control study. However, unlike more standard observational study designs, there are currently no guidelines for reporting results from case-cohort studies. Our aim was to review recent practice in reporting these studies, and develop recommendations for the future. By searching papers published in 24 major medical and epidemiological journals between January 2010 and March 2013 using PubMed, Scopus and Web of Knowledge, we identified 32 papers reporting case-cohort studies. The median subcohort sampling fraction was 4.1% (interquartile range 3.7% to 9.1%). The papers varied in their approaches to describing the numbers of individuals in the original cohort and the subcohort, presenting descriptive data, and in the level of detail provided about the statistical methods used, so it was not always possible to be sure that appropriate analyses had been conducted. Based on the findings of our review, we make recommendations about reporting of the study design, subcohort definition, numbers of participants, descriptive information and statistical methods, which could be used alongside existing STROBE guidelines for reporting observational studies.

Epidemiology, quality, and reporting characteristics of systematic reviews and meta-analyses of nursing interventions published in Chinese journals.

PubMed

Zhang, Juxia; Wang, Jiancheng; Han, Lin; Zhang, Fengwa; Cao, Jianxun; Ma, Yuxia

2015-01-01

Systematic reviews (SRs) and meta-analyses (MAs) of nursing interventions have become increasingly popular in China. This review provides the first examination of epidemiological characteristics of these SRs as well as compliance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses and Assessment of Multiple Systematic Reviews guidelines. The purpose of this study was to examine epidemiologic and reporting characteristics as well as the methodologic quality of SRs and MAs of nursing interventions published in Chinese journals. Four Chinese databases were searched (the Chinese Biomedicine Literature Database, Chinese Scientific Journal Full-text Database, Chinese Journal Full-text Database, and Wanfang Database) for SRs and MAs of nursing intervention from inception through June 2013. Data were extracted into Excel (Microsoft, Redmond, WA). The Assessment of Multiple Systematic Reviews and Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses checklists were used to assess methodologic quality and reporting characteristics, respectively. A total of 144 SRs were identified, most (97.2%) of which used "systematic review" or "meta-analyses" in the titles. None of the reviews had been updated. Nearly half (41%) were written by nurses, and more than half (61%) were reported in specialist journals. The most common conditions studied were endocrine, nutritional and metabolic diseases, and neoplasms. Most (70.8%) reported information about quality assessment, whereas less than half (25%) reported assessing for publication bias. None of the reviews reported a conflict of interest. Although many SRs of nursing interventions have been published in Chinese journals, the quality of these reviews is of concern. As a potential key source of information for nurses and nursing administrators, not only were many of these reviews incomplete in the information they provided, but also some results were misleading. Improving the quality of SRs of nursing interventions conducted and published by nurses in China is urgently needed in order to increase the value of these studies. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Quality Reporting of Multivariable Regression Models in Observational Studies: Review of a Representative Sample of Articles Published in Biomedical Journals.

PubMed

Real, Jordi; Forné, Carles; Roso-Llorach, Albert; Martínez-Sánchez, Jose M

2016-05-01

Controlling for confounders is a crucial step in analytical observational studies, and multivariable models are widely used as statistical adjustment techniques. However, the validation of the assumptions of the multivariable regression models (MRMs) should be made clear in scientific reporting. The objective of this study is to review the quality of statistical reporting of the most commonly used MRMs (logistic, linear, and Cox regression) that were applied in analytical observational studies published between 2003 and 2014 by journals indexed in MEDLINE.Review of a representative sample of articles indexed in MEDLINE (n = 428) with observational design and use of MRMs (logistic, linear, and Cox regression). We assessed the quality of reporting about: model assumptions and goodness-of-fit, interactions, sensitivity analysis, crude and adjusted effect estimate, and specification of more than 1 adjusted model.The tests of underlying assumptions or goodness-of-fit of the MRMs used were described in 26.2% (95% CI: 22.0-30.3) of the articles and 18.5% (95% CI: 14.8-22.1) reported the interaction analysis. Reporting of all items assessed was higher in articles published in journals with a higher impact factor.A low percentage of articles indexed in MEDLINE that used multivariable techniques provided information demonstrating rigorous application of the model selected as an adjustment method. Given the importance of these methods to the final results and conclusions of observational studies, greater rigor is required in reporting the use of MRMs in the scientific literature.

Number needed to treat is incorrect without proper time-related considerations.

PubMed

Suissa, Daniel; Brassard, Paul; Smiechowski, Brielan; Suissa, Samy

2012-01-01

The number needed to treat (NNT) is a simple measure of a treatment's impact, increasingly reported in randomized trials and observational studies. Its calculation in studies involving varying follow-up times or recurrent outcomes has been criticized. We discuss the NNT in these contexts, illustrating using several published studies. The computation of the NNT is founded on the cumulative incidence of the outcome. Instead, several published studies use simple proportions that do not account for varying follow-up times, or use incidence rates per person-time. We show that these approaches can lead to erroneous values of the NNT and misleading interpretations. For example, after converting the incidence rate to a cumulative incidence, we show that a trial reporting a NNT of 4 "to prevent one exacerbation in 1 year" should have reported a NNT of 9. A survey of all papers reporting NNT, published in four major medical journals in 2009, found that 6 out of all 10 papers involving varying follow-up times did not correctly estimate the NNT. As the "number needed to treat" becomes increasingly used in complex studies and in the comparative effectiveness of therapies, its accurate estimation and interpretation become crucial to avoid erroneous clinical and public health decisions. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Assessing the reporting of categorised quantitative variables in observational epidemiological studies.

PubMed

Mabikwa, Onkabetse V; Greenwood, Darren C; Baxter, Paul D; Fleming, Sarah J

2017-03-14

One aspect to consider when reporting results of observational studies in epidemiology is how quantitative risk factors are analysed. The STROBE (Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology) guidelines recommend that researchers describe how they handle quantitative variables when analysing data. For categorised quantitative variables, the authors are required to provide reasons and justifications informing their practice. We investigated and assessed the practices and reporting of categorised quantitative variables in epidemiology. The assessment was based on five medical journals that publish epidemiological research. Observational studies published between April and June 2015 and investigating the relationships between quantitative exposures (or risk factors) and the outcomes were considered for assessment. A standard form was used to collect the data, and the reporting patterns amongst eligible studies were quantified and described. Out of 61 articles assessed for eligibility, 23 observational studies were included in the assessment. Categorisation of quantitative exposures occurred in 61% of these studies and reasons informing the practice were rarely provided. Only one article explained the choice of categorisation in the analysis. Transformation of quantitative exposures into four or five groups was common and dominant amongst studies using equally spaced categories. Dichotomisation was not popular; the practice featured in one article. Overall, the majority (86%) of the studies preferred ordered or arbitrary group categories. Other criterions used to decide categorical boundaries were based on established guidelines such as consensus statements and WHO standards. Categorisation of continuous variables remains a dominant practice in epidemiological studies. The reasons informing the practice of categorisation within published work are limited and remain unknown in most articles. The existing STROBE guidelines could provide stronger recommendations on reporting quantitative risk factors in epidemiology.

Explanation and Elaboration Document for the STROBE-Vet Statement: Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology - Veterinary Extension.

PubMed

O'Connor, A M; Sargeant, J M; Dohoo, I R; Erb, H N; Cevallos, M; Egger, M; Ersbøll, A K; Martin, S W; Nielsen, L R; Pearl, D L; Pfeiffer, D U; Sanchez, J; Torrence, M E; Vigre, H; Waldner, C; Ward, M P

2016-12-01

The STROBE (Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology) statement was first published in 2007 and again in 2014. The purpose of the original STROBE was to provide guidance for authors, reviewers and editors to improve the comprehensiveness of reporting; however, STROBE has a unique focus on observational studies. Although much of the guidance provided by the original STROBE document is directly applicable, it was deemed useful to map those statements to veterinary concepts, provide veterinary examples and highlight unique aspects of reporting in veterinary observational studies. Here, we present the examples and explanations for the checklist items included in the STROBE-Vet Statement. Thus, this is a companion document to the STROBE-Vet Statement Methods and process document, which describes the checklist and how it was developed. © 2016 The Authors. Zoonoses and Public Health published by Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

Studies in upper and lower atmosphere coupling

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chiu, Y. T.; Rice, C. J.; Sharp, L. R.

1979-01-01

The theoretical and data-analytic work on upper and lower atmosphere coupling performed under a NASA Headquarters contract during the period April 1978 to March 1979 are summarized. As such, this report is primarily devoted to an overview of various studies published and to be published under this contract. Individual study reports are collected as exhibits. Work performed under the subject contract are in the following four areas of upper-lower atmosphere coupling: (1) Magnetosphere-ionosphere electrodynamic coupling in the aurora; (2) Troposphere-thermosphere coupling; (3) Ionosphere-neutral-atmosphere coupling; and (4) Planetary wave dynamics in the middle atmosphere.

Summary Report. Indiana College-Level Manpower Study Report Number 8.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Greenberg, Robert M.

Selected findings of seven previously published reports of the College-Level Manpower Study are summarized. Factors involving both manpower supply and demand were investigated and educational and occupational areas in which major supply/demand imbalances exist were determined. The primary goal was to investigate the manpower supply/demand…

Reporting of interventions and "standard of care" control arms in pediatric clinical trials: a quantitative analysis.

PubMed

Yu, Ashley M; Balasubramanaiam, Bannuya; Offringa, Martin; Kelly, Lauren E

2018-06-13

In pediatric medicine, the usual treatment received by children ("standard of care") varies across centers. Evaluations of new treatments often compare to the existing "standard of care" to determine if a treatment is more effective, has a better safety profile, or costs less. The objective of our study was to evaluate intervention and "standard of care" control arms reported in published pediatric clinical trials. Pediatric clinical trials, published in 2014, reporting the use of a "standard of care" control arm were included. Duplicate assessment of reporting completeness was done using the 12-item TIDieR (Template for Intervention Description and Replication) checklist for both the "standard of care" control arms and intervention arms within the same published study. Following screening, 214 pediatric trials in diverse therapeutic areas were included. Several different terms were used to describe "standard of care." There was a significant difference between the mean reported TIDieR checklist items of "standard of care" control arms (5.81 (SD 2.13) and intervention arms (8.45 (SD 1.39, p < 0.0001). Reporting of intervention and "standard of care" control arms in pediatric clinical trials should be improved as current "standard of care" reporting deficiencies limit reproducibility of research and may ultimately contribute to research waste.

Studies that report unexpected positive blood cultures for Lyme borrelia - are they valid?

PubMed

Wormser, Gary P; Shapiro, Eugene D; Strle, Franc

2017-11-01

Positive blood cultures for Lyme borrelia have been well documented in untreated patients with early Lyme disease. In this report we review the validity of three studies that reported the recovery of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato from the blood of a high proportion of patients for whom no evidence was presented, and no claim was made, that the patients had untreated early Lyme disease. In two of the studies the patients had been treated extensively with antibiotics for Lyme disease before the cultures were obtained. Critical evaluation of the three reports suggests that they are invalid. Indeed, two subsequently published studies could not reproduce the results of one of the reports. In a published analysis of another of the reports, investigators from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention concluded that the cultures were likely to have been contaminated. When the biologic plausibility of recovering borrelia from blood is extremely low, the level of scientific rigor required of a study that claims a positive result should be particularly high. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

EPA Published Research Related to the Hydraulic Fracturing Study

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

A list of publications that will support the draft assessment report on the potential impacts of hydraulic fracturing on drinking water resources. These publications have undergone peer review through the journal where the paper has been published.

Assessment of Adverse Events in Protocols, Clinical Study Reports, and Published Papers of Trials of Orlistat: A Document Analysis.

PubMed

Schroll, Jeppe Bennekou; Penninga, Elisabeth I; Gøtzsche, Peter C

2016-08-01

Little is known about how adverse events are summarised and reported in trials, as detailed information is usually considered confidential. We have acquired clinical study reports (CSRs) from the European Medicines Agency through the Freedom of Information Act. The CSRs describe the results of studies conducted as part of the application for marketing authorisation for the slimming pill orlistat. The purpose of this study was to study how adverse events were summarised and reported in study protocols, CSRs, and published papers of orlistat trials. We received the CSRs from seven randomised placebo controlled orlistat trials (4,225 participants) submitted by Roche. The CSRs consisted of 8,716 pages and included protocols. Two researchers independently extracted data on adverse events from protocols and CSRs. Corresponding published papers were identified on PubMed and adverse event data were extracted from this source as well. All three sources were compared. Individual adverse events from one trial were summed and compared to the totals in the summary report. None of the protocols or CSRs contained instructions for investigators on how to question participants about adverse events. In CSRs, gastrointestinal adverse events were only coded if the participant reported that they were "bothersome," a condition that was not specified in the protocol for two of the trials. Serious adverse events were assessed for relationship to the drug by the sponsor, and all adverse events were coded by the sponsor using a glossary that could be updated by the sponsor. The criteria for withdrawal due to adverse events were in one case related to efficacy (high fasting glucose led to withdrawal), which meant that one trial had more withdrawals due to adverse events in the placebo group. Finally, only between 3% and 33% of the total number of investigator-reported adverse events from the trials were reported in the publications because of post hoc filters, though six of seven papers stated that "all adverse events were recorded." For one trial, we identified an additional 1,318 adverse events that were not listed or mentioned in the CSR itself but could be identified through manually counting individual adverse events reported in an appendix. We discovered that the majority of patients had multiple episodes of the same adverse event that were only counted once, though this was not described in the CSRs. We also discovered that participants treated with orlistat experienced twice as many days with adverse events as participants treated with placebo (22.7 d versus 14.9 d, p-value < 0.0001, Student's t test). Furthermore, compared with the placebo group, adverse events in the orlistat group were more severe. None of this was stated in the CSR or in the published paper. Our analysis was restricted to one drug tested in the mid-1990s; our results might therefore not be applicable for newer drugs. In the orlistat trials, we identified important disparities in the reporting of adverse events between protocols, clinical study reports, and published papers. Reports of these trials seemed to have systematically understated adverse events. Based on these findings, systematic reviews of drugs might be improved by including protocols and CSRs in addition to published articles.

An Assessment of Intervention Fidelity in Published Social Work Intervention Research Studies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Corley, Nicole A.; Kim, Irang

2016-01-01

Objectives: Intervention fidelity is a critical strategy to help advance the usefulness and integrity of social work research. This study assessed the extent to which a selected sample of published social work intervention researchers reported its intervention protocols. Methods: Six core social work journals were reviewed in this analysis. The…

Assessment of Chiropractic Treatment for Low Back Pain, Military Readiness and Smoking Cessation in Military Active Duty Personnel

DTIC Science & Technology

reporting period the study: Published primary results manuscript (in print), drafted secondary outcomes manuscripts. ACT 2 is a randomized controlled trial...of response and reaction times in Special Operations Forces at Ft. Campbell, KY. The study is complete and sites are closed. We published the

"Stealing and Being Stolen From": Perpetration of Property Offenses and Property Victimization Among Homeless Youth--A Systematic Review

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Heerde, Jessica A.; Hemphill, Sheryl A.

2016-01-01

Homelessness is purportedly a predictor of property offending and property victimization, yet published studies examining this occurrence are scarce. This systematic review collates, summarizes, and appraises published studies reporting the rates of perpetration of property offenses and property victimization, and associations between homelessness…

The Costs and Potential Benefits of Alternative Scholarly Publishing Models

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Houghton, John W.

2011-01-01

Introduction: This paper reports on a study undertaken for the UK Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC), which explored the economic implications of alternative scholarly publishing models. Rather than simply summarising the study's findings, this paper focuses on the approach and presents a step-by-step account of the research process,…

Reporting of research quality characteristics of studies published in 6 major clinical dental specialty journals.

PubMed

Pandis, Nikolaos; Polychronopoulou, Argy; Madianos, Phoebus; Makou, Margarita; Eliades, Theodore

2011-06-01

The objective of this article was to record reporting characteristics related to study quality of research published in major specialty dental journals with the highest impact factor (Journal of Endodontics, Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, American Journal of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics; Pediatric Dentistry, Journal of Clinical Periodontology, and International Journal of Prosthetic Dentistry). The included articles were classified into the following 3 broad subject categories: (1) cross-sectional (snap-shot), (2) observational, and (3) interventional. Multinomial logistic regression was conducted for effect estimation using the journal as the response and randomization, sample calculation, confounding discussed, multivariate analysis, effect measurement, and confidence intervals as the explanatory variables. The results showed that cross-sectional studies were the dominant design (55%), whereas observational investigations accounted for 13%, and interventions/clinical trials for 32%. Reporting on quality characteristics was low for all variables: random allocation (15%), sample size calculation (7%), confounding issues/possible confounders (38%), effect measurements (16%), and multivariate analysis (21%). Eighty-four percent of the published articles reported a statistically significant main finding and only 13% presented confidence intervals. The Journal of Clinical Periodontology showed the highest probability of including quality characteristics in reporting results among all dental journals. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Methodology and reporting of diagnostic accuracy studies of automated perimetry in glaucoma: evaluation using a standardised approach.

PubMed

Fidalgo, Bruno M R; Crabb, David P; Lawrenson, John G

2015-05-01

To evaluate methodological and reporting quality of diagnostic accuracy studies of perimetry in glaucoma and to determine whether there had been any improvement since the publication of the Standards for Reporting of Diagnostic Accuracy (STARD) guidelines. A systematic review of English language articles published between 1993 and 2013 reporting the diagnostic accuracy of perimetry in glaucoma. Articles were appraised for methodological quality using the 14-item Quality assessment tool for diagnostic accuracy studies (QUADAS) and evaluated for quality of reporting by applying the STARD checklist. Fifty-eight articles were appraised. Overall methodological quality of these studies was moderate with a median number of QUADAS items rated as 'yes' equal to nine (out of a maximum of 14) (IQR 7-10). The studies were often poorly reported; median score of STARD items fully reported was 11 out of 25 (IQR 10-14). A comparison of the studies published in 10-year periods before and after the publication of the STARD checklist in 2003 found quality of reporting had not substantially improved. Methodological and reporting quality of diagnostic accuracy studies of perimetry is sub-optimal and appears not to have improved substantially following the development of the STARD reporting guidance. This observation is consistent with previous studies in ophthalmology and in other medical specialities. © 2015 The Authors Ophthalmic & Physiological Optics © 2015 The College of Optometrists.

Anesthetic depth and long-term survival: an update.

PubMed

Leslie, Kate; Short, Timothy G

2016-02-01

The purpose of this paper is to review the current evidence relating anesthetic depth to long-term survival after surgery. Using PubMed as the principal source, this review included published studies in all languages comparing mortality in patients with low- and high-processed electro-encephalo-graphic index values. All published studies used the bispectral index (BIS) monitor to measure anesthetic depth. The majority of the published observational studies were post hoc analyses of studies undertaken for other purposes. Most of these studies report a statistically significant association between deep general anesthesia (i.e., BIS values < 45) and death. Some studies also suggest an association between deep general anesthesia and myocardial infarction or postoperative cognitive decline. The combination of low BIS values and low delivered anesthetic concentrations (thus defining increased anesthetic sensitivity) may identify patients at particularly high risk. One of the three available randomized controlled trials reports worse outcomes in the BIS = 50 group compared with the BIS > 80 group, and two report no difference in mortality between the BIS = 35 and BIS = 50-55 groups. The available evidence on anesthetic depth and long-term survival is inconclusive. Randomized controlled trials with carefully controlled arterial blood pressure are required.

Hawaiian Volcano Observatory 1956 Quarterly Administrative Reports

USGS Publications Warehouse

Nakata, Jennifer S.

2007-01-01

The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory Summaries have been published in the current format since 1956. The Quarterly Summaries (1956 through 1973) and the Annual Summaries (1974 through 1985) were originally published as Administrative Reports. These reports have been compiled and published as U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Reports. The quarterly reports have been combined and published as one annual summary. All the summaries from 1956 to the present are now available as .pdf files at http://www.usgs.gov/pubprod. This report consists of four parts.

A Systematic Review of Interventions on Patients' Social and Economic Needs.

PubMed

Gottlieb, Laura M; Wing, Holly; Adler, Nancy E

2017-11-01

Healthcare systems are experimenting increasingly with interventions to address patients' social and economic needs. This systematic review examines how often and how rigorously interventions bridging social and medical care have been evaluated. The review included literature from PubMed published between January 2000 and February 2017. Additional studies were identified by reference searches and consulting local experts. Included studies were based in the U.S.; addressed at least one social or economic determinant of health (e.g., housing, employment, food insecurity); and were integrated within the medical care delivery system. Data from included studies were abstracted in June 2015 (studies published January 2000-December 2014) and in March 2017 (studies published January 2015-February 2017). Screening of 4,995 articles identified 67 studies of 37 programs addressing social needs. Interventions targeted a broad range of social needs and populations. Forty studies involved non-experimental designs. There was wide heterogeneity in outcome measures selected. More studies reported findings associated with process (69%) or social or economic determinants of health (48%) outcomes than health (30%) or healthcare utilization or cost (27%) outcomes. Studies reporting health, utilization, or cost outcomes reported mixed results. Healthcare systems increasingly incorporate programs to address patients' social and economic needs in the context of care. But evaluations of these programs to date focus primarily on process and social outcomes and are often limited by poor study quality. Higher-quality studies that include common health and healthcare utilization outcomes would advance effectiveness research in this rapidly expanding field. Copyright © 2017 American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Characteristics of Academic Detailing: Results of a Literature Review

PubMed Central

Van Hoof, Thomas J.; Harrison, Lisa G.; Miller, Nicole E.; Pappas, Maryanne S.; Fischer, Michael A.

2015-01-01

Background Academic detailing is an evidence-based strategy to improve patient care. Efforts to understand the intervention and to use it strategically require an understanding of its important characteristics. A recent systematic review and a subsequent reporting framework call for more accurate and complete reporting of continuing medical education interventions. Objectives Building on a previously published systematic review of 69 studies, we sought to determine how an expanded set of 106 academic detailing studies, including many recently published articles, fared with respect to reporting of important data about this intervention. Methods We conducted a search of MEDLINE, the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (clinical) database, and Scopus, from which we identified 38 additional randomized controlled trials published from August 2007 through March 2013. Including the original 69 studies, we abstracted 106 available English-language studies and quantitatively analyzed information about 4 important characteristics of academic detailing: content of visits, clinicians being visited, communication process underlying visits, and outreach workers making visits. Results We found considerable variation (36.5%-100%) in the extent of reporting intervention characteristics, especially about the communication process underlying visits and the outreach workers making visits. The best overall documentation of intervention characteristics of any single study was 68%. Results also demonstrate wide variation in the approach to academic detailing. Conclusions This study demonstrates the need for a standardized approach to collecting and reporting data about academic detailing interventions. Our findings also highlight opportunities for using academic detailing more effectively in research and quality-improvement efforts. PMID:26702333

Characteristics of Academic Detailing: Results of a Literature Review.

PubMed

Van Hoof, Thomas J; Harrison, Lisa G; Miller, Nicole E; Pappas, Maryanne S; Fischer, Michael A

2015-11-01

Academic detailing is an evidence-based strategy to improve patient care. Efforts to understand the intervention and to use it strategically require an understanding of its important characteristics. A recent systematic review and a subsequent reporting framework call for more accurate and complete reporting of continuing medical education interventions. Building on a previously published systematic review of 69 studies, we sought to determine how an expanded set of 106 academic detailing studies, including many recently published articles, fared with respect to reporting of important data about this intervention. We conducted a search of MEDLINE, the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (clinical) database, and Scopus, from which we identified 38 additional randomized controlled trials published from August 2007 through March 2013. Including the original 69 studies, we abstracted 106 available English-language studies and quantitatively analyzed information about 4 important characteristics of academic detailing: content of visits, clinicians being visited, communication process underlying visits, and outreach workers making visits. We found considerable variation (36.5%-100%) in the extent of reporting intervention characteristics, especially about the communication process underlying visits and the outreach workers making visits. The best overall documentation of intervention characteristics of any single study was 68%. Results also demonstrate wide variation in the approach to academic detailing. This study demonstrates the need for a standardized approach to collecting and reporting data about academic detailing interventions. Our findings also highlight opportunities for using academic detailing more effectively in research and quality-improvement efforts.

Reporting of methods was better in the Clinical Trials Registry-India than in Indian journal publications.

PubMed

Tharyan, Prathap; George, Aneesh Thomas; Kirubakaran, Richard; Barnabas, Jabez Paul

2013-01-01

We sought to evaluate if editorial policies and the reporting quality of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) had improved since our 2004-05 survey of 151 RCTs in 65 Indian journals, and to compare reporting quality of protocols in the Clinical Trials Registry-India (CTRI). An observational study of endorsement of Consolidated Standards for the Reporting of Trials (CONSORT) and International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) requirements in the instructions to authors in Indian journals, and compliance with selected requirements in all RCTs published during 2007-08 vs. our previous survey and between all RCT protocols in the CTRI on August 31, 2010 and published RCTs from both surveys. Journal policies endorsing the CONSORT statement (22/67, 33%) and ICMJE requirements (35/67, 52%) remained suboptimal, and only 4 of 13 CONSORT items were reported in more than 50% of the 145 RCTs assessed. Reporting of ethical issues had improved significantly, and that of methods addressing internal validity had not improved. Adequate methods were reported significantly more frequently in 768 protocols in the CTRI, than in the 296 published trials. The CTRI template facilitates the reporting of valid methods in registered trial protocols. The suboptimal compliance with CONSORT and ICMJE requirements in RCTs published in Indian journals reduces credibility in the reliability of their results. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Newspaper reporting on child raising in Japan.

PubMed

Basnet, Narayan Bahadur; Kato, Hitoshi; Nakamura, Yoshihiro; Watanabe, Hiroshi; Igarashi, Takashi

2004-04-01

Study of child-raising issues published in newspapers is lacking. The purpose of this article is to determine the spectrum of issues associated with child raising based on a newspaper. We conducted a cross-sectional study of items related to children (aged <19 years) reported in a Japanese newspaper from July 1, 2001, to June 30, 2002. A total of 1287 child-related items were published. The percentages of reports regarding individual health, health-related issues, topics on two or more issues, and global child issues were 5.9%, 28.8%, 62.9%, and 2.4%, respectively. The most common singly reported issues from 446 items were on child play and recreation, welfare activities, security, child abuse, child death, sports, and parenting. These reports assist parents, families, nurses, pediatricians, and child care workers in providing information on healthy child raising.

Russia in the Arctic

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-07-01

strategy with emphasis on geostrate- gic analysis. The mission of SSI is to use independent analysis to conduct strategic studies that develop policy...De- fense, and the larger national security community. In addition to its studies , SSI publishes special reports on topics of special or immediate... on the SSI website. The SSI website address is: www.StrategicStudiesInstitute.army.mil. ***** The Strategic Studies Institute publishes a monthly e

Reporting of harm and safety results in randomized controlled trials published in 5 dermatology journals.

PubMed

Haddad, Cynthia; Sigha, Odette Berline; Lebrun-Vignes, Bénédicte; Chosidow, Olivier; Fardet, Laurence

2017-07-01

Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) are considered the gold standard for assessing efficacy and short-term harm of medicines. However, several studies have come to the conclusion that harm is less well reported than efficacy outcomes. To describe harm reporting in publications on dermatological RCTs and assess parameters that could influence the quality of harm reporting. Methodologic systematic review of dermatologic RCTs published from 2010 to 2014 in 5 dermatological journals. Among 110 assessed publications on RCTs, 80 (73%) adequately reported harm and 52% adequately reported its severity. Overall, 40% of the assessed manuscripts perfectly reported and discussed harm. The adequate reporting of harm was significantly associated with the type of trial (odds ratio [OR] 4.41, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.60-12.35 for multicenter compared with monocentric trials) and having a predefined method for collecting harm data (OR 5.93, 95% CI 2.26-15.56). Reporting of harm severity was better in pharmacologic trials (OR 6.48, 95% CI 2.00-21.0) compared with nonpharmacologic trials and in trials for which a method for collecting harm (OR 5.65, 95% CI 2.00-16.4) and its severity (OR 3.60, 95% CI 1.00-12.8) was defined before the study onset. Assessment was restricted to RCTs and 5 dermatological journals. Harm is quite well reported in dermatologic journals. Efforts should be made on reporting severity of harm. Copyright © 2017 American Academy of Dermatology, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Pipeline Transportation Safety : Volume I, NTSB Reports, Studies, and Recommendations, 1970-1979

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1980-09-01

This document provides a compendium of all National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Pipeline Accident Reports (PAR) and Pipeline. Special Studies (PSS) published from 1970 through 1979. Abstracts, accident causes, and NTSB recommendations are incl...

Spin in RCTs of anxiety medication with a positive primary outcome: a comparison of concerns expressed by the US FDA and in the published literature.

PubMed

Beijers, Lian; Jeronimus, Bertus F; Turner, Erick H; de Jonge, Peter; Roest, Annelieke M

2017-03-29

This study aimed to determine the presence of spin in papers on positive randomised clinical trials (RCTs) of antidepressant medication for anxiety disorders by comparing concerns expressed in the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) reviews with those expressed in the published paper. For every positive anxiety medication trial with a matching publication (n=41), two independent reviewers identified the concerns raised in the US FDA reviews and those in the published literature. Spin was identified when concerns or limitations were expressed by the FDA (about the efficacy of the study drug) but not in the corresponding published paper. Concerns mentioned in the papers but not by the FDA were scored as 'non-FDA' concerns. Only six out of 35 (17%) of the FDA concerns pertaining to drug efficacy were reported in the papers. Two papers mentioned a concern that fit the FDA categories, but was not mentioned in the corresponding FDA review. Eighty-seven non-FDA concerns were counted, which often reflected general concerns or concerns related to the study design. Results indicate the presence of substantial spin in the clinical trial literature on drugs for anxiety disorders. In papers describing RCTs on anxiety medication, the concerns raised by the authors differed from those raised by the FDA. Published papers mentioned a large number of generic concerns about RCTs, such as a lack of long-term research and limited generalisability, while they mentioned few concerns about drug efficacy. These results warrant the promotion of independent statistical review, reporting of patient-level data, more study of spin, and an increased expectation that authors report FDA concerns. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/.

Writing otorhinolaryngology head & neck surgery operative reports.

PubMed

Laccourreye, O; Rubin, F; Villeneuve, A; Bonfils, P

2017-09-01

Only about ten articles devoted to operative reports have been published in the medical literature, but this document is essential, both medically and legally, to ensure optimal management of operated patients. In this technical note, based on published studies on this subject, the authors describe the key features of operating reports after otorhinolaryngology head & neck surgery and emphasize the need to write this document during the minutes after the end of the operation, the importance of standardization and its teaching role during surgical training. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Early studies reported extreme findings with large variability: a meta-epidemiologic study in the field of endocrinology.

PubMed

Wang, Zhen; Alahdab, Fares; Almasri, Jehad; Haydour, Qusay; Mohammed, Khaled; Abu Dabrh, Abd Moain; Prokop, Larry J; Alfarkh, Wedad; Lakis, Sumaya; Montori, Victor M; Murad, Mohammad Hassan

2016-04-01

To evaluate the presence of extreme findings and fluctuation in effect size in endocrinology. We systematically identified all meta-analyses published in 2014 in the field of endocrinology. Within each meta-analysis, the effect size of the primary binary outcome was compared across studies according to their order of publication. We pooled studies using the DerSimonian and Laird random-effects method. Heterogeneity was evaluated using the I(2) and tau(2). Twelve percent of the included 100 meta-analyses reported the largest effect size in the very first published study. The largest effect size occurred in the first 2 earliest studies in 31% of meta-analyses. When the effect size was the largest in the first published study, it was three times larger than the final pooled effect (ratio of rates, 3.26; 95% confidence interval: 1.80, 5.90). The largest heterogeneity measured by I(2) was observed in 18% of the included meta-analyses when combining the first 2 studies or 17% when combing the first 3 studies. In endocrinology, early studies reported extreme findings with large variability. This behavior of the evidence needs to be taken into account when used to formulate clinical policies. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

New journals for publishing medical case reports.

PubMed

Akers, Katherine G

2016-04-01

Because they do not rank highly in the hierarchy of evidence and are not frequently cited, case reports describing the clinical circumstances of single patients are seldom published by medical journals. However, many clinicians argue that case reports have significant educational value, advance medical knowledge, and complement evidence-based medicine. Over the last several years, a vast number (∼160) of new peer-reviewed journals have emerged that focus on publishing case reports. These journals are typically open access and have relatively high acceptance rates. However, approximately half of the publishers of case reports journals engage in questionable or "predatory" publishing practices. Authors of case reports may benefit from greater awareness of these new publication venues as well as an ability to discriminate between reputable and non-reputable journal publishers.

Analysis and interpretation of cost data in randomised controlled trials: review of published studies

PubMed Central

Barber, Julie A; Thompson, Simon G

1998-01-01

Objective To review critically the statistical methods used for health economic evaluations in randomised controlled trials where an estimate of cost is available for each patient in the study. Design Survey of published randomised trials including an economic evaluation with cost values suitable for statistical analysis; 45 such trials published in 1995 were identified from Medline. Main outcome measures The use of statistical methods for cost data was assessed in terms of the descriptive statistics reported, use of statistical inference, and whether the reported conclusions were justified. Results Although all 45 trials reviewed apparently had cost data for each patient, only 9 (20%) reported adequate measures of variability for these data and only 25 (56%) gave results of statistical tests or a measure of precision for the comparison of costs between the randomised groups. Only 16 (36%) of the articles gave conclusions which were justified on the basis of results presented in the paper. No paper reported sample size calculations for costs. Conclusions The analysis and interpretation of cost data from published trials reveal a lack of statistical awareness. Strong and potentially misleading conclusions about the relative costs of alternative therapies have often been reported in the absence of supporting statistical evidence. Improvements in the analysis and reporting of health economic assessments are urgently required. Health economic guidelines need to be revised to incorporate more detailed statistical advice. Key messagesHealth economic evaluations required for important healthcare policy decisions are often carried out in randomised controlled trialsA review of such published economic evaluations assessed whether statistical methods for cost outcomes have been appropriately used and interpretedFew publications presented adequate descriptive information for costs or performed appropriate statistical analysesIn at least two thirds of the papers, the main conclusions regarding costs were not justifiedThe analysis and reporting of health economic assessments within randomised controlled trials urgently need improving PMID:9794854

Publishers' Responses to the E-Book Phenomenon: Survey Results from Three "Small Language" Markets

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wilson, T. D.; Maceviciute, Elena

2016-01-01

Introduction: This paper reports on a study of publishers' attitudes towards e-books in the context of the global situation of e-book publishing. Comparative data are drawn from a replication of a survey carried out in Sweden, in Lithuania and in Croatia. Method: A self-completed questionnaire survey was undertaken, offering respondents the choice…

Randomized controlled trials in pediatric complementary and alternative medicine: Where can they be found?

PubMed Central

Sampson, Margaret; Campbell, Kaitryn; Ajiferuke, Isola; Moher, David

2003-01-01

Background The safety and effectiveness of CAM interventions are of great relevance to pediatric health care providers. The objective of this study is to identify sources of reported randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in the field of pediatric complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). Methods Reports of RCTs were identified by searching Medline and 12 additional bibliographic databases and by reviewing the reference lists of previously identified pediatric CAM systematic reviews. Results We identified 908 reports of RCTs that included children under 18 and investigated a CAM therapy. Since 1965, there has been a steady growth in the number of these trials that are being published. The four journals that published the most reported RCTs are The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Pediatrics, Journal of Pediatrics, and Lancet. Medline, CAB Health, and Embase were the best database sources for identifying these studies; they indexed 93.2%, 58.4% and 42.2 % respectively of the journals publishing reports of pediatric CAM RCTs. Conclusions Those working or interested in the field of pediatric CAM should routinely search Medline, CAB Health and Embase for literature in the field. The four core journals identified above should be included in their collection. PMID:12589711

The search and selection for primary studies in systematic reviews published in dental journals indexed in MEDLINE was not fully reproducible.

PubMed

Faggion, Clovis Mariano; Huivin, Raquel; Aranda, Luisiana; Pandis, Nikolaos; Alarcon, Marco

2018-06-01

To evaluate whether the reporting of search strategies and the primary study selection process in dental systematic reviews is reproducible. A survey of systematic reviews published in MEDLINE-indexed dental journals from June 2015 to June 2016 was conducted. Study selection was performed independently by two authors, and the reproducibility of the selection process was assessed using a tool consisting of 12 criteria. Regression analyses were implemented to evaluate any associations between degrees of reporting (measured by the number of items positively answered) and journal impact factor (IF), presence of meta-analysis, and number of citations of the systematic review in Google Scholar. Five hundred and thirty systematic reviews were identified. Following our 12 criteria, none of the systematic reviews had complete reporting of the search strategies and selection process. Eight (1.5%) systematic reviews reported the list of excluded articles (with reasons for exclusion) after title and abstract assessment. Systematic reviews with more positive answers to the criteria were significantly associated with higher journal IF, number of citations, and inclusion of meta-analysis. Search strategies and primary study selection process in systematic reviews published in MEDLINE-indexed dental journals may not be fully reproducible. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Side effects are incompletely reported among systematic reviews in gastroenterology.

PubMed

Mahady, Suzanne E; Schlub, Timothy; Bero, Lisa; Moher, David; Tovey, David; George, Jacob; Craig, Jonathan C

2015-02-01

Systematic reviews are an integral component of evidence-based health care. However, little is known on how well they report the potential harms of interventions. We assessed the reporting of harms in recently published systematic reviews of interventions relevant to clinical gastroenterology. We identified all systematic reviews of randomized trials of gastroenterology interventions published from 2008 to 2012 in highly cited gastroenterology and general medical journals. We adapted the Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials guidelines for harms and assessed qualitative and quantitative parameters of harms reporting. Regression analyses determined predictors of more comprehensive harms reporting. In total, 78 systematic reviews were identified, with 72 published in gastroenterology journals and six in general medical journals. Overall, one in three systematic reviews (26/78, 33%) did not refer to harms of the intervention anywhere in the article. Less than half of the studies included adverse events as an outcome measure, and data on absolute rates of adverse events were only provided in 28%. Most (65%) did not include any figures or tables on adverse event; however, all included these on efficacy outcomes (mean, 3 and range, 1-7). Regression analyses indicated that the use of reporting guidelines was significantly associated with better harms reporting (P = 0.04). The reporting of harms in gastroenterology systematic reviews is largely inadequate and highly asymmetrical compared with the reporting of benefits. We suggest that review authors routinely assess both efficacy and harms outcomes of an intervention and that reporting guidelines specifically targeting harms reporting be developed. Crown Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Digital-Computer Processing of Graphical Data. Final Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Freeman, Herbert

The final report of a two-year study concerned with the digital-computer processing of graphical data. Five separate investigations carried out under this study are described briefly, and a detailed bibliography, complete with abstracts, is included in which are listed the technical papers and reports published during the period of this program.…

Estimating QALY gains in applied studies: a review of cost-utility analyses published in 2010.

PubMed

Wisløff, Torbjørn; Hagen, Gunhild; Hamidi, Vida; Movik, Espen; Klemp, Marianne; Olsen, Jan Abel

2014-04-01

Reimbursement agencies in several countries now require health outcomes to be measured in terms of quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs), leading to an immense increase in publications reporting QALY gains. However, there is a growing concern that the various 'multi-attribute utility' (MAU) instruments designed to measure the Q in the QALY yield disparate values, implying that results from different instruments are incommensurable. By reviewing cost-utility analyses published in 2010, we aim to contribute to improved knowledge on how QALYs are currently calculated in applied analyses; how transparently QALY measurement is presented; and how large the expected incremental QALY gains are. We searched Embase, MEDLINE and NHS EED for all cost-utility analyses published in 2010. All analyses that had estimated QALYs gained from health interventions were included. Of the 370 studies included in this review, 48% were pharmacoeconomic evaluations. Active comparators were used in 71% of studies. The median incremental QALY gain was 0.06, which translates to 3 weeks in best imaginable health. The EQ-5D-3L is the dominant instrument used. However, reporting of how QALY gains are estimated is generally inadequate. In 55% of the studies there was no reference to which MAU instrument or direct valuation method QALY data came from. The methods used for estimating expected QALY gains are not transparently reported in published papers. Given the wide variation in utility scores that different methodologies may assign to an identical health state, it is important for journal editors to require a more transparent way of reporting the estimation of incremental QALY gains.

Association between HTR2C gene variants and suicidal behaviour: a protocol for the systematic review and meta-analysis of genetic studies.

PubMed

Thelma Beatriz, González-Castro; Isela, Juárez-Rojop; Alma, Genis; María Lilia, López-Narváez; Carlos Alfonso, Tovilla-Zárate

2014-09-04

Suicide is an important public health problem and one of the most common causes of death throughout the world. Suicidal behaviour is complex, and its causes are multifactorial. Case-control studies have reported an association between an alteration of the serotonin system and suicidal behaviour. Recently, it has been suggested that the 5-HTRC2 serotonin receptor gene is involved in the pathogenesis of suicidal behaviour. To evaluate the role of the 5-HTR2C gene in suicidal behaviour, we will perform a systematic review and a meta-analysis of worldwide reports that have investigated the association between the serotonin system and suicidal behaviour. This analysis will be reported following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) criteria. Studies deemed fit for inclusion in the systematic review will be scored for methodological quality using the Newcastle-Ottawa Assessment Scale (NOS). The inclusion criteria will be to present independent data, to be case-control studies and to be published in journal peer reviews. To generate more accurate analyses, we will grade the reports using the GRADES scale procedures. This study will describe the association between the HTR2C gene and suicidal behaviour. The results will be reported in a peer-reviewed publication and in scientific presentations in Mexico and throughout the world. PROSPERO CRD42014009213. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

Reporting and Methodology of Multivariable Analyses in Prognostic Observational Studies Published in 4 Anesthesiology Journals: A Methodological Descriptive Review.

PubMed

Guglielminotti, Jean; Dechartres, Agnès; Mentré, France; Montravers, Philippe; Longrois, Dan; Laouénan, Cedric

2015-10-01

Prognostic research studies in anesthesiology aim to identify risk factors for an outcome (explanatory studies) or calculate the risk of this outcome on the basis of patients' risk factors (predictive studies). Multivariable models express the relationship between predictors and an outcome and are used in both explanatory and predictive studies. Model development demands a strict methodology and a clear reporting to assess its reliability. In this methodological descriptive review, we critically assessed the reporting and methodology of multivariable analysis used in observational prognostic studies published in anesthesiology journals. A systematic search was conducted on Medline through Web of Knowledge, PubMed, and journal websites to identify observational prognostic studies with multivariable analysis published in Anesthesiology, Anesthesia & Analgesia, British Journal of Anaesthesia, and Anaesthesia in 2010 and 2011. Data were extracted by 2 independent readers. First, studies were analyzed with respect to reporting of outcomes, design, size, methods of analysis, model performance (discrimination and calibration), model validation, clinical usefulness, and STROBE (i.e., Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology) checklist. A reporting rate was calculated on the basis of 21 items of the aforementioned points. Second, they were analyzed with respect to some predefined methodological points. Eighty-six studies were included: 87.2% were explanatory and 80.2% investigated a postoperative event. The reporting was fairly good, with a median reporting rate of 79% (75% in explanatory studies and 100% in predictive studies). Six items had a reporting rate <36% (i.e., the 25th percentile), with some of them not identified in the STROBE checklist: blinded evaluation of the outcome (11.9%), reason for sample size (15.1%), handling of missing data (36.0%), assessment of colinearity (17.4%), assessment of interactions (13.9%), and calibration (34.9%). When reported, a few methodological shortcomings were observed, both in explanatory and predictive studies, such as an insufficient number of events of the outcome (44.6%), exclusion of cases with missing data (93.6%), or categorization of continuous variables (65.1%.). The reporting of multivariable analysis was fairly good and could be further improved by checking reporting guidelines and EQUATOR Network website. Limiting the number of candidate variables, including cases with missing data, and not arbitrarily categorizing continuous variables should be encouraged.

Methodological and Reporting Quality of Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses in Endodontics.

PubMed

Nagendrababu, Venkateshbabu; Pulikkotil, Shaju Jacob; Sultan, Omer Sheriff; Jayaraman, Jayakumar; Peters, Ove A

2018-06-01

The aim of this systematic review (SR) was to evaluate the quality of SRs and meta-analyses (MAs) in endodontics. A comprehensive literature search was conducted to identify relevant articles in the electronic databases from January 2000 to June 2017. Two reviewers independently assessed the articles for eligibility and data extraction. SRs and MAs on interventional studies with a minimum of 2 therapeutic strategies in endodontics were included in this SR. Methodologic and reporting quality were assessed using A Measurement Tool to Assess Systematic Reviews (AMSTAR) and Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA), respectively. The interobserver reliability was calculated using the Cohen kappa statistic. Statistical analysis with the level of significance at P < .05 was performed using Kruskal-Wallis tests and simple linear regression analysis. A total of 30 articles were selected for the current SR. Using AMSTAR, the item related to the scientific quality of studies used in conclusion was adhered by less than 40% of studies. Using PRISMA, 3 items were reported by less than 40% of studies, which were on objectives, protocol registration, and funding. No association was evident comparing the number of authors and country with quality. Statistical significance was observed when quality was compared among journals, with studies published as Cochrane reviews superior to those published in other journals. AMSTAR and PRISMA scores were significantly related. SRs in endodontics showed variability in both methodologic and reporting quality. Copyright © 2018 American Association of Endodontists. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Active implementation strategy of CONSORT adherence by a dental specialty journal improved randomized clinical trial reporting.

PubMed

Pandis, Nikolaos; Shamseer, Larissa; Kokich, Vincent G; Fleming, Padhraig S; Moher, David

2014-09-01

To describe a novel CONsolidated Standards of Reporting Trials (CONSORT) adherence strategy implemented by the American Journal of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics (AJO-DO) and to report its impact on the completeness of reporting of published trials. The AJO-DO CONSORT adherence strategy, initiated in June 2011, involves active assessment of randomized clinical trial (RCT) reporting during the editorial process. The completeness of reporting CONSORT items was compared between trials submitted and published during the implementation period (July 2011 to September 2013) and trials published between August 2007 and July 2009. Of the 42 RCTs submitted (July 2011 to September 2013), 23 were considered for publication and assessed for completeness of reporting, seven of which were eventually published. For all published RCTs between 2007 and 2009 (n = 20), completeness of reporting by CONSORT item ranged from 0% to 100% (Median = 40%, interquartile range = 60%). All published trials in 2011-2013, reported 33 of 37 CONSORT (sub) items. Four CONSORT 2010 checklist items remained problematic even after implementation of the adherence strategy: changes to methods (3b), changes to outcomes (6b) after the trial commenced, interim analysis (7b), and trial stopping (14b), which are typically only reported when applicable. Trials published following implementation of the AJO-DO CONSORT adherence strategy completely reported more CONSORT items than those published or submitted previously. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Physical activity interventions to promote positive youth development among indigenous youth: a RE-AIM review.

PubMed

Baillie, Colin P T; Galaviz, Karla I; Emiry, Kevin; Bruner, Mark W; Bruner, Brenda G; Lévesque, Lucie

2017-03-01

Physical activity (PA) programs are a promising strategy to promote positive youth development (PYD). It is not known if published reports provide sufficient information to promote the implementation of effective PYD in indigenous youth. The purpose of this study was to assess the extent to which published literature on PA programs that promote PYD in indigenous youth report on RE-AIM (reach, effectiveness, adoption, implementation, maintenance) indicators. A systematic literature search was conducted to identify articles reporting on PA programs that promote PYD in indigenous youth. The search yielded 8084 articles. A validated 21-item RE-AIM abstraction tool assessing internal and external validity factors was used to extract data from 10 articles meeting eligibility criteria. The most commonly reported dimensions were effectiveness (73 %), adoption (48 %), and maintenance (43 %). Reach (34 %) and implementation (30 %) were less often reported. Published research provides insufficient information to inform real-world implementation of PA programs to promote PYD in indigenous youth.

Sample size in studies on diagnostic accuracy in ophthalmology: a literature survey.

PubMed

Bochmann, Frank; Johnson, Zoe; Azuara-Blanco, Augusto

2007-07-01

To assess the sample sizes used in studies on diagnostic accuracy in ophthalmology. Design and sources: A survey literature published in 2005. The frequency of reporting calculations of sample sizes and the samples' sizes were extracted from the published literature. A manual search of five leading clinical journals in ophthalmology with the highest impact (Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science, Ophthalmology, Archives of Ophthalmology, American Journal of Ophthalmology and British Journal of Ophthalmology) was conducted by two independent investigators. A total of 1698 articles were identified, of which 40 studies were on diagnostic accuracy. One study reported that sample size was calculated before initiating the study. Another study reported consideration of sample size without calculation. The mean (SD) sample size of all diagnostic studies was 172.6 (218.9). The median prevalence of the target condition was 50.5%. Only a few studies consider sample size in their methods. Inadequate sample sizes in diagnostic accuracy studies may result in misleading estimates of test accuracy. An improvement over the current standards on the design and reporting of diagnostic studies is warranted.

Final Part-Word Repetitions in School-Age Children: Two Case Studies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McAllister, Jan; Kingston, Mary

2005-01-01

In contrast to the many published accounts of the disfluent repetition of sounds at the beginnings of words, cases where it is predominantly the final parts of words that are repeated have been reported relatively rarely. With few exceptions, those studies that have been published have described either pre-school children or neurologically…

Open treatment of unilateral mandibular condyle fractures in adults: a systematic review.

PubMed

Rozeboom, A; Dubois, L; Bos, R; Spijker, R; de Lange, J

2017-10-01

Since the introduction of rigid internal fixation devices, more and more surgeons favour an open approach to treating condylar fractures of the mandible in adult patients. Different indications for open treatment have been published. Open treatment is associated with surgical complications because of the technique employed. The aim of this systematic review was to provide an overview of the studies published exclusively on open treatment, and to summarize the existing open treatment modalities and their clinical outcomes. A total of seventy studies were selected for detailed analysis. Most studies reported good results with regard to the outcome measures of open treatment. Surgical complications including hematoma, wound infection, weakness of the facial nerve, sialocele, salivary fistula, sensory disturbance of the great auricular nerve, unsatisfactory scarring, and fixation failure were reported in the studies. This review suggests that because of the high level of methodological variance in the relevant studies published to date, among other factors, there are currently no evidence-based conclusions or guidelines that can be formulated with regard to the most appropriate open treatment. Establishment of such standards could potentially improve treatment outcomes. Copyright © 2017 International Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Epigenetic alterations induced by genotoxic occupational and environmental human chemical carcinogens: A systematic literature review

PubMed Central

Chappell, Grace; Pogribny, Igor P.; Guyton, Kathryn Z.; Rusyn, Ivan

2016-01-01

Accumulating evidence suggests that epigenetic alterations play an important role in chemically-induced carcinogenesis. Although the epigenome and genome may be equally important in carcinogenicity, the genotoxicity of chemical agents and exposure-related transcriptomic responses have been more thoroughly studied and characterized. To better understand the evidence for epigenetic alterations of human carcinogens, and the potential association with genotoxic endpoints, we conducted a systematic review of published studies of genotoxic carcinogens that reported epigenetic endpoints. Specifically, we searched for publications reporting epigenetic effects for the 28 agents and occupations included in Monograph Volume 100F of the International Agency for the Research on Cancer (IARC) that were classified as “carcinogenic to humans” (Group 1) with strong evidence of genotoxic mechanisms of carcinogenesis. We identified a total of 158 studies that evaluated epigenetic alterations for 12 of these 28 carcinogenic agents and occupations (1,3-butadiene, 4-aminobiphenyl, aflatoxins, benzene, benzidine, benzo[a]pyrene, coke production, formaldehyde, occupational exposure as a painter, sulfur mustard, and vinyl chloride). Aberrant DNA methylation was most commonly studied, followed by altered expression of non-coding RNAs and histone changes (totaling 85, 59 and 25 studies, respectively). For 3 carcinogens (aflatoxins, benzene and benzo[a]pyrene), 10 or more studies reported epigenetic effects. However, epigenetic studies were sparse for the remaining 9 carcinogens; for 4 agents, only 1 or 2 published reports were identified. While further research is needed to better identify carcinogenesis-associated epigenetic perturbations for many potential carcinogens, published reports on specific epigenetic endpoints can be systematically identified and increasingly incorporated in cancer hazard assessments. PMID:27234561

A systematic review of the quality of reporting in published smoking cessation trials for pregnant women: an explanation for the evidence-practice gap?

PubMed

Bryant, Jamie; Passey, Megan E; Hall, Alix E; Sanson-Fisher, Rob W

2014-08-20

To facilitate translation of evidence into clinical practice, it is critical that clear, specific, and detailed information about interventions is provided in publications to promote replication, appropriate aggregation in meta-analysis, and implementation. This study examined whether twenty elements of interventions deemed essential for such translational application were reported in sufficient detail in smoking cessation trials with pregnant women. Searches of electronic databases using MeSH terms and keywords identified peer-reviewed English language studies published between 2001 and 2012. Eligible studies reported a smoking cessation intervention targeted at pregnant women and met Cochrane's Effective Practice and Organization of Care group study design criteria. Each intervention arm of eligible studies was assessed against the developed twenty criteria. Thirty relevant studies reported the findings of 45 intervention arms. The mode of delivery of the intervention was reported in 100% of intervention arms. Other well-reported criteria included reporting of the provider who delivered the intervention (96%), sample characteristics (80%), and the intervention setting (80%). Criteria not reported adequately included care provided to women who relapse (96% not reported), details about training given to providers (77% not reported), and the method of quit advice advised (76% not reported). No studies reported 100% of relevant criteria. Current standards of reporting of intervention content and implementation are suboptimal. The use of smoking cessation specific checklists for reporting of trials, standard reporting using behaviour change taxonomies, and the publication of protocols as supplements should be considered as ways of improving the specificity of reporting.

Diabetes and chocolate: friend or foe?

PubMed

Mellor, Duane D; Sathyapalan, Thozhukat; Kilpatrick, Eric S; Atkin, Stephen L

2015-11-18

Polyphenols and other compounds found in cocoa and chocolate have therapeutic potential in the management of diabetes in humans. Polyphenol benefits have been proposed supported by in vitro studies, animal work, and clinical trials, which have been conducted mostly in healthy volunteers. The energy-dense formulations of many cocoa and chocolate products, which can be up to 50% sugar by weight, have given the perception that chocolate may be harmful through its contribution to obesity. A review of both clinical trial databases and published literature yielded 15 registered trials and 7 published studies. The published data interventions reported are diverse and vary widely in quality, including poor selection of control products or inadequate blinding procedures. There are also inconsistencies in reporting of data with limited information on the effect of cocoa and chocolate supplementation on weight and glycemic control despite the potential benefits reported with respect to the cardiovascular risk factors of endothelial function and lipids. More studies are required powered for primary clinical outcomes together with the development of standardized product formulations that optimize the dose of polyphenols within a palatable and energy-restricted product.

Clinical and angiographic outcomes after stent-assisted coiling of cerebral aneurysms with Enterprise and Neuroform stents: a comparative analysis of the literature.

PubMed

King, Brent; Vaziri, Sasha; Singla, Amit; Fargen, Kyle M; Mocco, J

2015-12-01

The most widely used intracranial stents for stent-assisted coiling are Neuroform (NEU) and Enterprise stents (ENT). This study compares published outcomes between the ENT and NEU coil-assist systems and comments on the published safety and efficacy of stent-assisted coiling in general. A literature search was performed through PubMed for all published series of ENT or NEU stent-assisted coiling of cerebral aneurysms from 2004 to 2014. All studies including 10 or more published cases of stent-assisted coiling with ENT or NEU were included. 47 studies met the inclusion criteria, containing 4238 aneurysms in 4039 patients. 2111 aneurysms were treated with NEU and 2127 were treated with ENT. Mean follow-up was 14.1 months. Overall, thromboembolic events occurred in 6.4% of aneurysms, intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) in 2.6%, permanent morbidity in 3.9%, and mortality in 2.3%. Initial and final 100% angiographic occlusion was seen in 53% and 69% of patients, respectively. Deployment failures (p<0.001), ICH (p=0.001), mortality among all patients (p=0.03), and recanalization (p=0.02) were more commonly reported in NEU treated aneurysms. The ENT system was also associated with higher reported complete occlusion at follow-up (p<0.001). This literature review represents the largest and most robust comparison of stent-assisted coiling devices to date, containing over 4200 aneurysms in more than 4000 patients. Comparative analyses demonstrate that both devices are reported to be safe and effective with comparable permanent morbidity. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/

[Are mental disorders increasing? Update of a systematic review on repeated cross-sectional studies].

PubMed

Richter, Dirk; Berger, Klaus

2013-05-01

Throughout the western world, an increasing demand for psychiatric services is reported. However, a systematic review published in 2008 came to the conclusion that there is no sufficient evidence for increasing mental disorders in the recent decades. A systematic review on studies with repeating cross-sectional surveys in the general population, published since 2008, was conducted. 33 study results were included into the review. The majority of publications did not report increasing mental health problems in the general population. The increasing demand for psychiatric services is not associated with increasing mental disorders in the general population. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

Explanation and Elaboration Document for the STROBE-Vet Statement: Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology-Veterinary Extension.

PubMed

O'Connor, A M; Sargeant, J M; Dohoo, I R; Erb, H N; Cevallos, M; Egger, M; Ersbøll, A K; Martin, S W; Nielsen, L R; Pearl, D L; Pfeiffer, D U; Sanchez, J; Torrence, M E; Vigre, H; Waldner, C; Ward, M P

2016-11-01

The STROBE (Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology) statement was first published in 2007 and again in 2014. The purpose of the original STROBE was to provide guidance for authors, reviewers, and editors to improve the comprehensiveness of reporting; however, STROBE has a unique focus on observational studies. Although much of the guidance provided by the original STROBE document is directly applicable, it was deemed useful to map those statements to veterinary concepts, provide veterinary examples, and highlight unique aspects of reporting in veterinary observational studies. Here, we present the examples and explanations for the checklist items included in the STROBE-Vet statement. Thus, this is a companion document to the STROBE-Vet statement methods and process document (JVIM_14575 "Methods and Processes of Developing the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology-Veterinary (STROBE-Vet) Statement" undergoing proofing), which describes the checklist and how it was developed. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine.

Systematic Review of Self-Report Measures of Pain Intensity in 3- and 4-Year-Old Children: Bridging a Period of Rapid Cognitive Development.

PubMed

von Baeyer, Carl L; Jaaniste, Tiina; Vo, Henry L T; Brunsdon, Georgie; Lao, Hsuan-Chih; Champion, G David

2017-09-01

Claims are made for the validity of some self-report pain scales for 3- and 4-year-old children, but little is known about their ability to use such tools. This systematic review identified self-report pain intensity measures used with 3- and/or 4- year-old participants (3-4yo) and considered their reliability and validity within this age span. The search protocol identified research articles that included 3-4yo, reported use of any pain scale, and included self-reported pain intensity ratings. A total of 1,590 articles were screened and 617 articles met inclusion criteria. Of the included studies, 98% aggregated self-report data for 3-4yo with data for older children, leading to overestimates of the reliability and validity of self-report in the younger age group. In the 14 studies that provided nonaggregated data for 3-4yo, there was no evidence for 3-year-old and weak evidence for 4-year-old children being able to use published self-report pain intensity tools in a valid or reliable way. Preschool-age children have been reported to do better with fewer than the 6 response options offered on published faces scales. Simplified tools are being developed for young children; however, more research is needed before these are adopted. Some self-report pain scales have been promoted for use with 3- and 4-year-old children, but this is on the basis of studies that aggregated data for younger and older children, resulting in overestimates of reliability and validity for the preschool-age children. Scales with fewer response options show promise, at least for 4-year-old children. Copyright © 2017 American Pain Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Comparison of reporting phase III randomized controlled trials of antibiotic treatment for common bacterial infections in ClinicalTrials.gov and matched publications.

PubMed

Shepshelovich, D; Yelin, D; Gafter-Gvili, A; Goldman, S; Avni, T; Yahav, D

2018-02-15

Discrepancies between ClinicalTrials.gov entries and matching publications were previously described in general medicine. We aimed to evaluate the consistency of reporting in trials addressing systemic antibiotic therapy. We searched ClinicalTrials.gov for completed phase III trials comparing antibiotic regimens until May 2017. Matched publications were identified in PubMed. Two independent reviewers extracted data and identified inconsistencies. Reporting was assessed among studies started before and after 1 July 2005, when the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) required mandatory registration as a prerequisite for considering a trial for publication. Matching publications were identified for 75 (70%) of 107 ClinicalTrials.gov entries. Median time from study completion to publication was 26 months (interquartile range 19-42). Primary outcome definition was inconsistent between ClinicalTrials.gov and publications in seven trials (7/72, 10%) and reporting of the primary outcome timeframe was inconsistent in 14 (14/71, 20%). Secondary outcomes definitions were inconsistent in 36 trials (36/66, 55%). Reporting of inclusion criteria and study timeline were inconsistent in 17% (13/65) and 3% (2/65), respectively. Trials started after July 2005 were significantly less likely to have reporting inconsistencies and were published in higher impact factor journals. We found a lower inconsistency rate of outcome reporting compared with other medical disciplines. Reporting completeness and consistency were significantly better after July 2005. The ICMJE requirement for mandatory registration was associated with significant improvement in reporting quality in infectious diseases trials. Prolonged time lag to publication and missing data from unpublished trials should raise a discussion on current reporting and publishing procedures. Copyright © 2018 European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Financial ties of principal investigators and randomized controlled trial outcomes: cross sectional study.

PubMed

Ahn, Rosa; Woodbridge, Alexandra; Abraham, Ann; Saba, Susan; Korenstein, Deborah; Madden, Erin; Boscardin, W John; Keyhani, Salomeh

2017-01-17

 To examine the association between the presence of individual principal investigators' financial ties to the manufacturer of the study drug and the trial's outcomes after accounting for source of research funding.  Cross sectional study of randomized controlled trials (RCTs).  Studies published in "core clinical" journals, as identified by Medline, between 1 January 2013 and 31 December 2013.  Random sample of RCTs focused on drug efficacy.  Association between financial ties of principal investigators and study outcome.  A total of 190 papers describing 195 studies met inclusion criteria. Financial ties between principal investigators and the pharmaceutical industry were present in 132 (67.7%) studies. Of 397 principal investigators, 231 (58%) had financial ties and 166 (42%) did not. Of all principal investigators, 156 (39%) reported advisor/consultancy payments, 81 (20%) reported speakers' fees, 81 (20%) reported unspecified financial ties, 52 (13%) reported honorariums, 52 (13%) reported employee relationships, 52 (13%) reported travel fees, 41 (10%) reported stock ownership, and 20 (5%) reported having a patent related to the study drug. The prevalence of financial ties of principal investigators was 76% (103/136) among positive studies and 49% (29/59) among negative studies. In unadjusted analyses, the presence of a financial tie was associated with a positive study outcome (odds ratio 3.23, 95% confidence interval 1.7 to 6.1). In the primary multivariate analysis, a financial tie was significantly associated with positive RCT outcome after adjustment for the study funding source (odds ratio 3.57 (1.7 to 7.7). The secondary analysis controlled for additional RCT characteristics such as study phase, sample size, country of first authors, specialty, trial registration, study design, type of analysis, comparator, and outcome measure. These characteristics did not appreciably affect the relation between financial ties and study outcomes (odds ratio 3.37, 1.4 to 7.9).  Financial ties of principal investigators were independently associated with positive clinical trial results. These findings may be suggestive of bias in the evidence base. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

Antiskid braking system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pazdera, J. S.

1974-01-01

Published report describes analytical development and simulation of braking system. System prevents wheels from skidding when brakes are applied, significantly reducing stopping distance. Report also presents computer simulation study on system as applied to aircraft.

Characteristics and quality of reporting of cluster randomized trials in children: reporting needs improvement.

PubMed

Walleser, Silke; Hill, Suzanne R; Bero, Lisa A

2011-12-01

To describe the characteristics and quality of reporting of cluster randomized trials (CRTs) in children published from 2004 to 2010. Four databases were searched for reports of CRTs in children (0-18 years). Characteristics of the studies were summarized and the quality of reporting assessed using consolidated standards of reporting trial-CRT (CONSORT-CRT). Of 1,949 identified references, 106 were included. The number of published CRTs in children increased since 2004. The greatest proportion of CRTs was undertaken in Europe (29%), whereas 40% was conducted in low- and middle-income countries. Most studies were of complex rather than simple interventions (83%); were preventive rather than treatment interventions (76%); and most frequently addressed infectious disease (21%), diet/physical activity interventions (19%), health-risk behaviors (15%), and undernutrition (13%). The majority used schools as units of randomization (72%) and enrolled 1,000-10,000 children per study (51%). Reporting was generally poor, with 34% of CRTs inadequately reporting on more than half of the CONSORT-CRT criteria. Although 85% of CRTs reported that they had ethics approval for the study, consent or assent was not obtained from children in most studies. Children-specific elements of reporting are needed to improve the quality of reporting of CRTs and consequently their planning and implementation. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

[Transparency and replicability of nursing intervention studies in long-term care: A selective literature review].

PubMed

Gspörer, Irene; Schrems, Berta M

2018-05-01

The development and evaluation of interventions in long-term care is time-consuming and expensive due to their complexity. To ensure reproducibility and successful implementation, these interventions must be described and published in a comprehensible and qualitative manner. The aim of this study is to analyze intervention studies from the inpatient long-term care setting with regard to their completeness, reporting quality, transparency and thus reproducibility. The completeness and the reporting quality of the interventions described in the publications were examined in the context of a selective literature review by means of intervention studies from the long-term care setting (n=22). To this end, the Template for Intervention Description and Replication (TIDieR) checklist and the Criteria for Reporting the Development and Evaluation of Complex Interventions in Healthcare 2 (CReDECI2-DE) list were used. Transparency criteria included study registration and access to study protocols. The TIDieR checklist examination revealed that only three studies contained all the information necessary; the CReDECI2 test provided a complete description for only one study. Frequent shortcomings were observed concerning the information on modifications and titrations for the study participants and the location. Protocols were available for eight studies, 14 studies were registered. In terms of science, this means that the reproducibility of scientific findings is limited, which is why they cannot provide secure knowledge. As a result, the practical benefit to be derived from published studies that are accessible to decision-makers is limited as well. As far as publishers are concerned they should pay more attention to the completeness, registration and availability of materials. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier GmbH.

Report on Catholic School Leadership: Ten Years Later

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schuttloffel, Merylann J.

2014-01-01

The current follow-up study to data first presented in 2003 and published in "Report on the Future of Catholic School Leadership," provides the comparisons, analysis, commentary, and some reflections and recommendations on the study implications; useful to individual schools and diocesan leaders.

NREL Launches Electrification Futures Study Series | News | NREL

Science.gov Websites

Study Series First report includes foundational data on cost and performance of electric technologies Futures Study: End-Use Electric Technology Cost and Performance Projections through 2050. This report uses a combination of recently published literature and expert assessment to develop future cost and

Most Common Publication Types in Radiology Journals:: What is the Level of Evidence?

PubMed

Rosenkrantz, Andrew B; Pinnamaneni, Niveditha; Babb, James S; Doshi, Ankur M

2016-05-01

This study aimed to assess the most common publication types in radiology journals, as well as temporal trends and association with citation frequency. PubMed was searched to extract all published articles having the following "Publication Type" indices: "validation studies," "meta-analysis," "clinical trial," "comparative study," "evaluation study," "guideline," "multicenter study," "randomized study," "review," "editorial," "case report," and "technical report." The percentage of articles within each category published within clinical radiology journals was computed. Normalized percentages for each category were also computed on an annual basis. Citation counts within a 2-year window following publication were obtained using Web of Science. Overall trends were assessed. Publication types with the highest fraction in radiology journals were technical reports, evaluation studies, and case reports (4.8% to 5.8%). Publication types with the lowest fraction in radiology journals were randomized trials, multicenter studies, and meta-analyses (0.8% to 1.5%). Case reports showed a significant decrease since 1999, with accelerating decline since 2007 (P = 0.002). Publication types with highest citation counts were meta-analyses, guidelines, and multicenter studies (8.1 ± 10.7 to 12.9 ± 5.1). Publication types with lowest citation counts were case reports, editorials, and technical reports (1.4 ± 2.4 to 2.9 ± 4.3). The representation in radiology journals and citation frequency of the publication types showed weak inverse correlation (r = -0.372). Radiology journals have historically had relatively greater representation of less frequently cited publication types. Various strategies, including methodological training, multidisciplinary collaboration, national support networks, as well as encouragement of higher level of evidence by funding agencies and radiology journals themselves, are warranted to improve the impact of radiological research. Copyright © 2016 The Association of University Radiologists. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Why Most Biomedical Findings Echoed by Newspapers Turn Out to be False: The Case of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

PubMed Central

Gonon, François; Konsman, Jan-Pieter; Cohen, David; Boraud, Thomas

2012-01-01

Context Because positive biomedical observations are more often published than those reporting no effect, initial observations are often refuted or attenuated by subsequent studies. Objective To determine whether newspapers preferentially report on initial findings and whether they also report on subsequent studies. Methods We focused on attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Using Factiva and PubMed databases, we identified 47 scientific publications on ADHD published in the 1990s and soon echoed by 347 newspapers articles. We selected the ten most echoed publications and collected all their relevant subsequent studies until 2011. We checked whether findings reported in each “top 10” publication were consistent with previous and subsequent observations. We also compared the newspaper coverage of the “top 10” publications to that of their related scientific studies. Results Seven of the “top 10” publications were initial studies and the conclusions in six of them were either refuted or strongly attenuated subsequently. The seventh was not confirmed or refuted, but its main conclusion appears unlikely. Among the three “top 10” that were not initial studies, two were confirmed subsequently and the third was attenuated. The newspaper coverage of the “top 10” publications (223 articles) was much larger than that of the 67 related studies (57 articles). Moreover, only one of the latter newspaper articles reported that the corresponding “top 10” finding had been attenuated. The average impact factor of the scientific journals publishing studies echoed by newspapers (17.1 n = 56) was higher (p<0.0001) than that corresponding to related publications that were not echoed (6.4 n = 56). Conclusion Because newspapers preferentially echo initial ADHD findings appearing in prominent journals, they report on uncertain findings that are often refuted or attenuated by subsequent studies. If this media reporting bias generalizes to health sciences, it represents a major cause of distortion in health science communication. PMID:22984483

Caries and periodontal disease in Indigenous adults in Australia: a case of limited and non-contemporary data.

PubMed

de Silva, Andrea M; Martin-Kerry, Jacqueline M; McKee, Katherine; Cole, Deborah

2017-08-01

Objective The aim of the present study was to identify all evidence about the prevalence and severity of clinically measured caries and periodontal disease in Indigenous adults in Australia published in peer-reviewed journals and to summarise trends over time. In addition, we examined whether the studies investigated associations between putative risk factors and levels of caries and periodontal disease. Methods PubMed was searched in September 2014, with no date limitations, for published peer-reviewed articles reporting the prevalence rates and/or severity of caries and periodontal disease in Indigenous adults living in Australia. Articles were excluded if measurement was not based on clinical assessment and if oral disease was reported only in a specific or targeted sample, and not the general population. Results The search identified 18 papers (reporting on 10 primary studies) that met the inclusion criteria. The studies published clinical data about dental caries and/or periodontal disease in Australian Indigenous adults. The studies reported on oral health for Indigenous adults living in rural (40%), urban (10%) and both urban and rural (50%) locations. Included studies showed that virtually all Indigenous adults living in rural locations had periodontal disease. The data also showed caries prevalence ranged from 46% to 93%. Although 10 studies were identified, the peer-reviewed literature was extremely limited and no published studies were identified that provided statistics for a significant proportion of Australia (Victoria, Tasmania, Queensland or the Australian Capital Territory). There were also inconsistencies in how the data were reported between studies, making comparisons difficult. Conclusions This review highlights a lack of robust and contemporary data to inform the development of policies and programs to address the disparities in oral health in Indigenous populations living in many parts of Australia. What is known about the topic? Many studies report that Indigenous people in Australia have poorer general health compared with non-Indigenous people. What does this paper add? This paper documents the available caries and periodontal disease prevalence and experience for Indigenous adults in Australia published in peer-reviewed journals. It demonstrates significant limitations in the data, including no data in several large Australian jurisdictions, inconsistency with reporting methods and most data available being for Indigenous adults living in rural locations. Therefore, the oral health data available in the peer-reviewed literature do not reflect the situation of all Indigenous people living in Australia. What are the implications for practitioners? It is important for oral health practitioners to have access to current and relevant statistics on the oral health of Indigenous Australians. However, we have highlighted significant evidence gaps for this population group within the peer-reviewed literature and identified the limitations of the available data upon which decisions are currently being made. This paper also identifies ways to capture and report oral health data in the future to enable more meaningful comparisons and relevance for use in policy development.

Methodological Reporting in Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Health Services Research Articles

PubMed Central

Wisdom, Jennifer P; Cavaleri, Mary A; Onwuegbuzie, Anthony J; Green, Carla A

2012-01-01

Objectives Methodologically sound mixed methods research can improve our understanding of health services by providing a more comprehensive picture of health services than either method can alone. This study describes the frequency of mixed methods in published health services research and compares the presence of methodological components indicative of rigorous approaches across mixed methods, qualitative, and quantitative articles. Data Sources All empirical articles (n = 1,651) published between 2003 and 2007 from four top-ranked health services journals. Study Design All mixed methods articles (n = 47) and random samples of qualitative and quantitative articles were evaluated to identify reporting of key components indicating rigor for each method, based on accepted standards for evaluating the quality of research reports (e.g., use of p-values in quantitative reports, description of context in qualitative reports, and integration in mixed method reports). We used chi-square tests to evaluate differences between article types for each component. Principal Findings Mixed methods articles comprised 2.85 percent (n = 47) of empirical articles, quantitative articles 90.98 percent (n = 1,502), and qualitative articles 6.18 percent (n = 102). There was a statistically significant difference (χ2(1) = 12.20, p = .0005, Cramer's V = 0.09, odds ratio = 1.49 [95% confidence interval = 1,27, 1.74]) in the proportion of quantitative methodological components present in mixed methods compared to quantitative papers (21.94 versus 47.07 percent, respectively) but no statistically significant difference (χ2(1) = 0.02, p = .89, Cramer's V = 0.01) in the proportion of qualitative methodological components in mixed methods compared to qualitative papers (21.34 versus 25.47 percent, respectively). Conclusion Few published health services research articles use mixed methods. The frequency of key methodological components is variable. Suggestions are provided to increase the transparency of mixed methods studies and the presence of key methodological components in published reports. PMID:22092040

The incidence of driving under the influence of drugs 1985 : an update of the state of knowledge

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1985-12-01

This report reviews recent studies of the incidence of drug use by drivers. Only reports published since a 1980 state of knowledge report were included. The report is divided into three sections covering the incidence of drug use by: (1) fatally inju...

Development of the standards of reporting of neurological disorders (STROND) checklist: a guideline for the reporting of incidence and prevalence studies in neuroepidemiology.

PubMed

Bennett, Derrick A; Brayne, Carol; Feigin, Valery L; Barker-Collo, Suzanne; Brainin, Michael; Davis, Daniel; Gallo, Valentina; Jetté, Nathalie; Karch, André; Kurtzke, John F; Lavados, Pablo M; Logroscino, Giancarlo; Nagel, Gabriele; Preux, Pierre-Marie; Rothwell, Peter M; Svenson, Lawrence W

2015-07-01

Incidence and prevalence studies of neurological disorders play an important role in assessing the burden of disease and planning services. However, the assessment of disease estimates is hindered by problems in reporting for such studies. Despite a growth in published reports, existing guidelines relate to analytical rather than descriptive epidemiological studies. There are also no user-friendly tools (e.g., checklists) available for authors, editors and peer-reviewers to facilitate best practice in reporting of descriptive epidemiological studies for most neurological disorders. The Standards of Reporting of Neurological Disorders (STROND) is a guideline that consists of recommendations and a checklist to facilitate better reporting of published incidence and prevalence studies of neurological disorders. A review of previously developed guidance was used to produce a list of items required for incidence and prevalence studies in neurology. A three-round Delphi technique was used to identify the 'basic minimum items' important for reporting, as well as some additional 'ideal reporting items'. An e-consultation process was then used in order to gauge opinion by external neuroepidemiological experts on the appropriateness of the items included in the checklist. Of 38 candidate items, 15 items and accompanying recommendations were developed along with a user-friendly checklist. The introduction and use of the STROND checklist should lead to more consistent, transparent and contextualised reporting of descriptive neuroepidemiological studies resulting in more applicable and comparable findings and ultimately support better healthcare decisions.

Yellowstone grizzly bear investigations: Annual report of the Interagency Grizzly Bear Study Team, 2006

USGS Publications Warehouse

Schwartz, Charles C.; Haroldson, Mark A.; West, Karrie K.

2007-01-01

The annual reports of the IGBST summarize annual data collection. Because additional information can be obtained after publication, data summaries are subject to change. For that reason, data analyses and summaries presented in this report supersede all previously published data. The study area and sampling techniques are reported by Blanchard (1985), Mattson et al. (1991 a), and Haroldson et al. (1998).

Methodology and reporting of meta-analyses in the neurosurgical literature.

PubMed

Klimo, Paul; Thompson, Clinton J; Ragel, Brian T; Boop, Frederick A

2014-04-01

Neurosurgeons are inundated with vast amounts of new clinical research on a daily basis, making it difficult and time-consuming to keep up with the latest literature. Meta-analysis is an extension of a systematic review that employs statistical techniques to pool the data from the literature in order to calculate a cumulative effect size. This is done to answer a clearly defined a priori question. Despite their increasing popularity in the neurosurgery literature, meta-analyses have not been scrutinized in terms of reporting and methodology. The authors performed a literature search using PubMed/MEDLINE to locate all meta-analyses that have been published in the JNS Publishing Group journals (Journal of Neurosurgery, Journal of Neurosurgery: Pediatrics, Journal of Neurosurgery: Spine, and Neurosurgical Focus) or Neurosurgery. Accepted checklists for reporting (PRISMA) and methodology (AMSTAR) were applied to each meta-analysis, and the number of items within each checklist that were satisfactorily fulfilled was recorded. The authors sought to answer 4 specific questions: Are meta-analyses improving 1) with time; 2) when the study met their definition of a meta-analysis; 3) when clinicians collaborated with a potential expert in meta-analysis; and 4) when the meta-analysis was the only focus of the paper? Seventy-two meta-analyses were published in the JNS Publishing Group journals and Neurosurgery between 1990 and 2012. The number of published meta-analyses has increased dramatically in the last several years. The most common topics were vascular, and most were based on observational studies. Only 11 papers were prepared using an established checklist. The average AMSTAR and PRISMA scores (proportion of items satisfactorily fulfilled divided by the total number of eligible items in the respective instrument) were 31% and 55%, respectively. Major deficiencies were identified, including the lack of a comprehensive search strategy, study selection and data extraction, assessment of heterogeneity, publication bias, and study quality. Almost one-third of the papers did not meet our basic definition of a meta-analysis. The quality of reporting and methodology was better 1) when the study met our definition of a meta-analysis; 2) when one or more of the authors had experience or expertise in conducting a meta-analysis; 3) when the meta-analysis was not conducted alongside an evaluation of the authors' own data; and 4) in more recent studies. Reporting and methodology of meta-analyses in the neurosurgery literature is excessively variable and overall poor. As these papers are being published with increasing frequency, neurosurgical journals need to adopt a clear definition of a meta-analysis and insist that they be created using checklists for both reporting and methodology. Standardization will ensure high-quality publications.

Endorsement for improving the quality of reports on randomized controlled trials of traditional medicine journals in Korea: a systematic review.

PubMed

Choi, Jiae; Jun, Ji Hee; Kang, Byoung Kab; Kim, Kun Hyung; Lee, Myeong Soo

2014-11-05

The aim of this study was to assess the endorsement of reporting guidelines in Korean traditional medicine (TM) journals by reviewing their instructions to authors. We examined the instructions to authors in all of the TM journals published in Korea to assess the appropriate use of reporting guidelines for research studies. The randomized controlled trials (RCTs) published after 2010 in journals that endorsed reporting guidelines were obtained. The reporting quality was assessed using the following guidelines: the 38-item Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials (CONSORT) statement for non-pharmacological trials (NPT); the 17-item Standards for Reporting Interventions in Clinical Trials of Acupuncture (STRICTA) statement, instead of the 5-item CONSORT for acupuncture trials; and the 22-item CONSORT extensions for herbal medicine trials. The overall item score was calculated and expressed as a proportion.One journal that endorsed reporting guidelines was identified. Twenty-nine RCTs published in this journal after 2010 met the selection criteria. General editorial policies such as those of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) were endorsed by 15 journals. In each of the CONSORT-NPT articles, 21.6 to 56.8% of the items were reported, with an average of 11.3 items (29.7%) being reported. In the 24 RCTs (24/29, 82.8%) appraised using the STRICTA items, an average of 10.6 items (62.5%) were addressed, with a range of 41.2 to 100%. For the herbal intervention reporting, 17 items (77.27%) were reported. In the RCT studies before and after the endorsement of CONSORT and STRICTA guidelines by each journal, all of the STRICTA items had significant improvement, whereas the CONSORT-NPT items improved without statistical significance.The endorsement of reporting guidelines is limited in the TM journals in Korea. Authors should adhere to the reporting guidelines, and editorial departments should refer authors to the various reporting guidelines to improve the quality of their articles.

Low Cost Space Experiments. Study Report

DTIC Science & Technology

1991-12-06

Air Force Phillips Laboratory with Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory . The goals of ALTAIR...Cs<- &l. LOW COST SPACE EXPERIMENTS STUDY REPORT 6 December 1991 19980302 059 Phillips Laboratory /SXL Kirtland AFB, NM 87117-6008 TVPTT" OTT...Report Corporate Author or Publisher: Phillips Laboratory /SXL, Kirtland AFB,NM 87117-6008 Publication Date: Dec 06, 1991 Pages: 176 Comments

Postmarket studies required by the US Food and Drug Administration for new drugs and biologics approved between 2009 and 2012: cross sectional analysis.

PubMed

Wallach, Joshua D; Egilman, Alexander C; Dhruva, Sanket S; McCarthy, Margaret E; Miller, Jennifer E; Woloshin, Steven; Schwartz, Lisa M; Ross, Joseph S

2018-05-24

To characterize postmarketing requirements for new drugs and biologics approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and to examine rates and timeliness of registration, results reporting, and publication of required prospective cohort studies, registries, and clinical trials. Cross sectional analysis. Postmarketing requirements for all new drugs and biologics approved by the FDA between 1 January 2009 and 31 December 2012, with follow-up up to 15 November 2017. Postmarketing requirements and their characteristics known at the time of FDA approval, including FDA authority, study design, and study characteristics. Rates and timeliness of registration and results reporting on ClinicalTrials.gov and publication in peer reviewed journals of required prospective cohort studies, registries, and clinical trials. Between 2009 and 12, the FDA approved 97 new drugs and biologics for 106 indications with at least one postmarketing requirement at the time of first approval, for a total of 437 postmarketing requirements. Postmarket study descriptions were short (median word count 44 (interquartile range 29-71)) and often lacked information to determine an up to date progress (131 (30%)). 220 (50.3%) postmarketing requirements were for new animal or other studies (including pharmacokinetic studies); 134 (30.7%) were for prospective cohort studies, registries, and clinical trials; and 83 (19.0%) were for secondary analyses or follow-up studies. Of 110 clinical trials, 38 (34.5%), 44 (40.0%), 62 (56.4%), 66 (60.0%), and 98 (89.1%) did not report enough information to establish use of randomization, comparator type, allocation, outcome, and number of patients to be enrolled, respectively. Of 134 required prospective cohort studies, registries, and clinical trials, 102 (76.1%) were registered on ClinicalTrials.gov; of 50 registered and completed studies, 36 (72.0%) had reported results on ClinicalTrials.gov. Among 65 completed studies, 47 (72.3%) had either reported results or were published a median of 47 months (interquartile range 32-67) after FDA approval. 32 (68.1%) of these 47 studies did not report results publicly by the time of their original FDA report submission deadline. Postmarketing requirements for new drugs and biologics were often briefly described and did not contain enough information to characterize study designs. Approximately three quarters of postmarketing requirements for prospective cohort studies, registries, and clinical trials were registered on ClinicalTrials.gov, and nearly three quarters of completed studies reported results or were published, suggesting that at least a quarter of these required studies are not being publicly disseminated. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

Nature and reporting characteristics of UK health technology assessment systematic reviews.

PubMed

Carroll, Christopher; Kaltenthaler, Eva

2018-05-08

A recent study by Page et al. (PLoS Med. 2016;13(5):e1002028) claimed that increasing numbers of reviews are being published and many are poorly-conducted and reported. The aim of the present study was to assess how well reporting standards of systematic reviews produced in a Health Technology Assessment (HTA) context compare with reporting in Cochrane and other 'non-Cochrane' systematic reviews from the same years (2004 and 2014), as reported by Page et al. (PLoS Med. 2016;13(5):e1002028). All relevant UK HTA programme systematic reviews published in 2004 and 2014 were identified. After piloting of the form, two reviewers each extracted relevant data on conduct and reporting from these reviews. These data were compared with data for Cochrane and "non-Cochrane" systematic reviews, as published by Page et al. (PLoS Med. 2016;13(5):e1002028). All data were tabulated and summarized. There were 30 UK HTA programme systematic reviews and 300 other systematic reviews, including Cochrane reviews (n = 45). The percentage of HTA reviews with required elements of conduct and reporting was frequently very similar to Cochrane and much higher than all other systematic reviews, e.g. availability of protocols (90, 98 and 16% respectively); the specification of study design criteria (100, 100, 79%); the reporting of outcomes (100, 100, 78%), quality assessment (100, 100, 70%); the searching of trial registries for unpublished data (70, 62, 19%); reporting of reasons for excluding studies (91, 91 and 70%) and reporting of authors' conflicts of interests (100, 100, 87%). HTA reviews only compared less favourably with Cochrane and other reviews in assessments of publication bias. UK HTA systematic reviews are often produced within a specific policy-making context. This context has implications for timelines, tools and resources. However, UK HTA systematic reviews still tend to present standards of conduct and reporting equivalent to "gold standard" Cochrane reviews and superior to systematic reviews more generally.

The effects of prenatal cannabis exposure on fetal development and pregnancy outcomes: a protocol.

PubMed

Gunn, Jayleen K L; Rosales, Cecilia B; Center, Katherine E; Nuñez, Annabelle V; Gibson, Steven J; Ehiri, John E

2015-03-13

The effects of exposure to marijuana in utero on fetal development are not clear. Given that the recent legislation on cannabis in the US is likely to result in increased use, there is a need to assess the effects of prenatal cannabis exposure on fetal development and pregnancy outcomes. The objective of this review is to assess the effects of prenatal exposure to cannabis on pregnancy outcomes (including maternal and child outcomes). Major databases will be searched from inception to the latest issue, with the aim of identifying studies that reported the effects of prenatal exposure to cannabis on fetal development and pregnancy outcomes. Two investigators will independently review all titles and abstracts to identify potential articles. Discrepancies will be resolved by repeated review, discussion and consensus. Study quality assessment will be undertaken, using standard protocols. To qualify for inclusion, studies must report at least one maternal or neonatal outcome post partum. Cross-sectional, case-control, cohort and randomised controlled trials published in English will be included. In order to rule out the effects of other drugs that may affect fetal development and pregnancy outcomes, studies will only be included if they report outcomes of prenatal exposure to cannabis while excluding other illicit substances. Data from eligible studies will be extracted, and data analysis will include a systematic review and critical appraisal of evidence, and meta-analysis if data permit. Meta-analysis will be conducted if three or more studies report comparable statistics on the same outcome. The review which will result from this protocol has not already been conducted. Preparation of the review will follow the procedures stated in this protocol, and will adhere to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Ethical approval of data will not be required since the review will use data that are already available in the public domain through published articles and other reports. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

Methodological quality of randomized trials published in the Journal of the American Podiatric Medical Association, 1999-2013.

PubMed

Landorf, Karl B; Menz, Hylton B; Armstrong, David G; Herbert, Robert D

2015-07-01

Randomized trials must be of high methodological quality to yield credible, actionable findings. The main aim of this project was to evaluate whether there has been an improvement in the methodological quality of randomized trials published in the Journal of the American Podiatric Medical Association (JAPMA). Randomized trials published in JAPMA during a 15-year period (January 1999 to December 2013) were evaluated. The methodological quality of randomized trials was evaluated using the PEDro scale (scores range from 0 to 10, with 0 being lowest quality). Linear regression was used to assess changes in methodological quality over time. A total of 1,143 articles were published in JAPMA between January 1999 and December 2013. Of these, 44 articles were reports of randomized trials. Although the number of randomized trials published each year increased, there was only minimal improvement in their methodological quality (mean rate of improvement = 0.01 points per year). The methodological quality of the trials studied was typically moderate, with a mean ± SD PEDro score of 5.1 ± 1.5. Although there were a few high-quality randomized trials published in the journal, most (84.1%) scored between 3 and 6. Although there has been an increase in the number of randomized trials published in JAPMA, there is substantial opportunity for improvement in the methodological quality of trials published in the journal. Researchers seeking to publish reports of randomized trials should seek to meet current best-practice standards in the conduct and reporting of their trials.

Mind the Gap! A Multilevel Analysis of Factors Related to Variation in Published Cost-Effectiveness Estimates within and between Countries.

PubMed

Boehler, Christian E H; Lord, Joanne

2016-01-01

Published cost-effectiveness estimates can vary considerably, both within and between countries. Despite extensive discussion, little is known empirically about factors relating to these variations. To use multilevel statistical modeling to integrate cost-effectiveness estimates from published economic evaluations to investigate potential causes of variation. Cost-effectiveness studies of statins for cardiovascular disease prevention were identified by systematic review. Estimates of incremental costs and effects were extracted from reported base case, sensitivity, and subgroup analyses, with estimates grouped in studies and in countries. Three bivariate models were developed: a cross-classified model to accommodate data from multinational studies, a hierarchical model with multinational data allocated to a single category at country level, and a hierarchical model excluding multinational data. Covariates at different levels were drawn from a long list of factors suggested in the literature. We found 67 studies reporting 2094 cost-effectiveness estimates relating to 23 countries (6 studies reporting for more than 1 country). Data and study-level covariates included patient characteristics, intervention and comparator cost, and some study methods (e.g., discount rates and time horizon). After adjusting for these factors, the proportion of variation attributable to countries was negligible in the cross-classified model but moderate in the hierarchical models (14%-19% of total variance). Country-level variables that improved the fit of the hierarchical models included measures of income and health care finance, health care resources, and population risks. Our analysis suggested that variability in published cost-effectiveness estimates is related more to differences in study methods than to differences in national context. Multinational studies were associated with much lower country-level variation than single-country studies. These findings are for a single clinical question and may be atypical. © The Author(s) 2015.

Neural Mechanisms of Recognizing Camouflaged Objects: A Human fMRI Study

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-07-30

Unlimited Final Report: Neural Mechanisms of Recognizing Camouflaged Objects: A Human fMRI Study The views, opinions and/or findings contained in this...27709-2211 Visual search, Camouflage, Functional magnetic resonance imaging ( fMRI ), Perceptual learning REPORT DOCUMENTATION PAGE 11. SPONSOR...ABSTRACT Number of Papers published in peer-reviewed journals: Final Report: Neural Mechanisms of Recognizing Camouflaged Objects: A Human fMRI Study

Quality of reporting of patient decision aids in recent randomized controlled trials: A descriptive synthesis and comparative analysis.

PubMed

Lewis, Krystina B; Wood, Brianne; Sepucha, Karen R; Thomson, Richard G; Stacey, Dawn

2017-07-01

Variable reporting of patient decision aids (PDAs) in published articles raises uncertainty about whether the intervention meets the definition of a PDA. We appraised the quality of reporting of PDA characteristics in randomized controlled trials (RCTs). RCTs eligible for the Cochrane review of PDAs and published June 2012 to April 2015 were included. Quality of PDA reporting was appraised using the International Patient Decision Aid Standards Instrument (v4.0). We descriptively synthesized and comparatively analysed qualifying and certification criteria reported in each publication against their presence in actual PDAs. Seventeen RCTs evaluating sixteen PDAs were included. Ten PDAs (58.8%) were reported using all qualifying criteria. Two (11.8%) were reported using all certification criteria. The median score for reporting qualifying criteria was 6 of 6 (range 4-6). The median score for reporting certification criteria was 2 of 10 (range 2-3) for screening and 1 of 6 (range 0-6) for treatment decisions. Reporting of PDAs in RCTs is suboptimal. Incomplete reporting poses challenges for clinicians and researchers needing to identify PDA content for clinical practice and/or future research. Authors should report IPDASi (v4.0) criteria in published articles. Reporting guidelines for PDA evaluation studies are in development to improve reporting within the scientific literature. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Reporting and Guidelines in Propensity Score Analysis: A Systematic Review of Cancer and Cancer Surgical Studies.

PubMed

Yao, Xiaoxin I; Wang, Xiaofei; Speicher, Paul J; Hwang, E Shelley; Cheng, Perry; Harpole, David H; Berry, Mark F; Schrag, Deborah; Pang, Herbert H

2017-08-01

: Propensity score (PS) analysis is increasingly being used in observational studies, especially in some cancer studies where random assignment is not feasible. This systematic review evaluates the use and reporting quality of PS analysis in oncology studies. : We searched PubMed to identify the use of PS methods in cancer studies (CS) and cancer surgical studies (CSS) in major medical, cancer, and surgical journals over time and critically evaluated 33 CS published in top medical and cancer journals in 2014 and 2015 and 306 CSS published up to November 26, 2015, without earlier date limits. The quality of reporting in PS analysis was evaluated. It was also compared over time and among journals with differing impact factors. All statistical tests were two-sided. More than 50% of the publications with PS analysis from the past decade occurred within the past two years. Of the studies critically evaluated, a considerable proportion did not clearly provide the variables used to estimate PS (CS 12.1%, CSS 8.8%), incorrectly included non baseline variables (CS 3.4%, CSS 9.3%), neglected the comparison of baseline characteristics (CS 21.9%, CSS 15.6%), or did not report the matching algorithm utilized (CS 19.0%, CSS 36.1%). In CSS, the reporting of the matching algorithm improved in 2014 and 2015 ( P  = .04), and the reporting of variables used to estimate PS was better in top surgery journals ( P  = .008). However, there were no statistically significant differences for the inclusion of non baseline variables and reporting of comparability of baseline characteristics. The use of PS in cancer studies has dramatically increased recently, but there is substantial room for improvement in the quality of reporting even in top journals. Herein we have proposed reporting guidelines for PS analyses that are broadly applicable to different areas of medical research that will allow better evaluation and comparison across studies applying this approach. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Systematic review on the primary and secondary reporting of the prevalence of ghostwriting in the medical literature.

PubMed

Stretton, Serina

2014-07-14

Ghostwriting of industry-sponsored articles is unethical and is perceived to be common practice. To systematically review how evidence for the prevalence of ghostwriting is reported in the medical literature. MEDLINE via PubMed 1966+, EMBASE 1966+, The Cochrane Library 1988+, Medical Writing 1998+, The American Medical Writers Association (AMWA) Journal 1986+, Council of Science Editors Annual Meetings 2007+, and the Peer Review Congress 1994+ were searched electronically (23 May 2013) using the search terms ghostwrit*, ghostauthor*, ghost AND writ*, ghost AND author*. All publication types were considered; only publications reporting a numerical estimate of possible ghostwriting prevalence were included. Two independent reviewers screened the publications; discrepancies were resolved by consensus. Data to be collected included a numerical estimate of the prevalence of possible ghostwriting (primary outcome measure), definitions of ghostwriting reported, source of the reported prevalence, publication type and year, study design and sample population. Of the 848 publications retrieved and screened for eligibility, 48 reported numerical estimates for the prevalence of possible ghostwriting. Sixteen primary publications reported findings from cross-sectional surveys or descriptive analyses of published articles; 32 secondary publications cited published or unpublished evidence. Estimates on the prevalence of possible ghostwriting in primary and secondary publications varied markedly. Primary estimates were not suitable for meta-analysis because of the various definitions of ghostwriting used, study designs and types of populations or samples. Secondary estimates were not always reported or cited correctly or appropriately. Evidence for the prevalence of ghostwriting in the medical literature is limited and can be outdated, misleading or mistaken. Researchers should not inflate estimates using non-standard definitions of ghostwriting nor conflate ghostwriting with other unethical authorship practices. Editors and peer reviewers should not accept articles that incorrectly cite or interpret primary publications that report the prevalence of ghostwriting. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

Interrupted time series analysis in drug utilization research is increasing: systematic review and recommendations.

PubMed

Jandoc, Racquel; Burden, Andrea M; Mamdani, Muhammad; Lévesque, Linda E; Cadarette, Suzanne M

2015-08-01

To describe the use and reporting of interrupted time series methods in drug utilization research. We completed a systematic search of MEDLINE, Web of Science, and reference lists to identify English language articles through to December 2013 that used interrupted time series methods in drug utilization research. We tabulated the number of studies by publication year and summarized methodological detail. We identified 220 eligible empirical applications since 1984. Only 17 (8%) were published before 2000, and 90 (41%) were published since 2010. Segmented regression was the most commonly applied interrupted time series method (67%). Most studies assessed drug policy changes (51%, n = 112); 22% (n = 48) examined the impact of new evidence, 18% (n = 39) examined safety advisories, and 16% (n = 35) examined quality improvement interventions. Autocorrelation was considered in 66% of studies, 31% reported adjusting for seasonality, and 15% accounted for nonstationarity. Use of interrupted time series methods in drug utilization research has increased, particularly in recent years. Despite methodological recommendations, there is large variation in reporting of analytic methods. Developing methodological and reporting standards for interrupted time series analysis is important to improve its application in drug utilization research, and we provide recommendations for consideration. Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Risk factors of overweight and obesity in childhood and adolescence in South Asian countries: a systematic review of the evidence.

PubMed

Mistry, S K; Puthussery, S

2015-03-01

To assess and synthesize the published evidence on risk factors of overweight and obesity in childhood and adolescence in South Asia. A systematically conducted narrative review. A systematic review was conducted of all primary studies published between January 1990 and June 2013 from India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, and Maldives located through the following data bases: PubMed, PubMed central, EMBASE, MEDLINE, BioMed central, Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) and electronic libraries of the authors' institutions. Data extraction and quality appraisal of included studies was done independently by two authors and findings were synthesized in a narrative manner as meta-analysis was found to be inappropriate due to heterogeneity of the included studies. Eleven primary studies were included in the final review, all of which were conducted in school settings in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. Prevalence of overweight and obesity showed wide variations in the included studies. The key individual risk factors with statistically significant associations to overweight and obesity included: lack of physical activities reported in six studies; prolonged TV watching/playing computer games reported in four studies; frequent consumption of fast food/junk food reported in four studies; and frequent consumption of calorie dense food items reported in two studies. Family level risk factors included higher socioeconomic status reported in four studies and family history of obesity reported in three studies. This review provides evidence of key contributors to the increasing burden of obesity and overweight among children and adolescents in South Asia, and demonstrates the nutritional transition that characterizes other developing countries and regions around the world. The findings have implications for policy, practice and the development of interventions at various levels to promote healthy eating and physical activity among children and adolescents in the region as well as more globally. Copyright © 2014 The Royal Society for Public Health. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Thinker, Soldier, Scribe: cross-sectional study of researchers' roles and author order in the Annals of Internal Medicine

PubMed Central

Perneger, Thomas V; Poncet, Antoine; Carpentier, Marc; Agoritsas, Thomas; Combescure, Christophe; Gayet-Ageron, Angèle

2017-01-01

Objective How researchers’ contributions relate to author order on the byline remains unclear. We sought to identify researchers’ contributions associated with author order, and to explore the existence of author profiles. Design Observational study. Setting Published record. Participants 1139 authors of 119 research articles published in 2015 in the Annals of Internal Medicine. Primary outcomes Presence or absence of 10 contributions, reported by each author, published in the journal. Results On average, first authors reported 7.1 contributions, second authors 5.2, middle authors 4.0, penultimate authors 4.5 and last authors 6.4 (p<0.001). The first author made the greatest contributions to drafting the article, designing the study, analysing and interpreting the data, and providing study materials or patients. The second author contributed to data analysis as well and to drafting the article. The last author was most involved in obtaining the funding, critically revising the article, designing the study and providing support. Factor analysis yielded three author profiles—Thinker (study design, revision of article, obtaining funding), Soldier (providing material or patients, providing administrative and logistical support, collecting data) and Scribe (analysis and interpretation of data, drafting the article, statistical expertise). These profiles do not strictly correspond to byline position. Conclusions First, second and last authors of research articles made distinct contributions to published research. Three authorship profiles can be used to summarise author contributions. These findings shed light on the organisation of clinical research teams and may help researchers discuss, plan and report authorship in a more transparent way. PMID:28647720

Reporting Guidelines for Clinical Pharmacokinetic Studies: The ClinPK Statement.

PubMed

Kanji, Salmaan; Hayes, Meghan; Ling, Adam; Shamseer, Larissa; Chant, Clarence; Edwards, David J; Edwards, Scott; Ensom, Mary H H; Foster, David R; Hardy, Brian; Kiser, Tyree H; la Porte, Charles; Roberts, Jason A; Shulman, Rob; Walker, Scott; Zelenitsky, Sheryl; Moher, David

2015-07-01

Transparent reporting of all research is essential for assessing the validity of any study. Reporting guidelines are available and endorsed for many types of research but are lacking for clinical pharmacokinetic studies. Such tools promote the consistent reporting of a minimal set of information for end users, and facilitate knowledge translation of research. The objective of this study was to create a guideline to assist in the transparent and complete reporting of clinical pharmacokinetic studies. Preliminary content to be considered was identified from a systematic search of the literature and regulatory documents. Stakeholders were identified to participate in a modified Delphi exercise and a virtual meeting to generate consensus for items considered essential in the reporting of clinical pharmacokinetic studies. The proposed checklist was pilot tested on 100 recently published clinical pharmacokinetic studies. Overall and itemized compliance with the proposed guidance was determined for each study. Sixty-eight stakeholders from nine countries consented to participate. Four rounds of a modified Delphi survey and a series of small virtual meetings were required to generate consensus for a 24-item checklist considered to be essential to the reporting of clinical pharmacokinetic studies. When applied to the 100 most recently published clinical pharmacokinetic studies, 45 were determined to be compliant with at least 80 % of the checklist items. Explanatory text was prepared using examples of compliant reporting from these and other relevant studies. The reader's ability to judge the validity of pharmacokinetic research can be greatly compromised by the incomplete reporting of study information. Using consensus methods, we have developed a tool to guide transparent and accurate reporting of clinical pharmacokinetic studies. Endorsement and implementation of these guidelines by researchers, clinicians and journals would promote more consistent reporting of these studies and allow for better assessment of utility for clinical applications.

The Arizona Report, 1999-2002.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Arizona Report, 2002

2002-01-01

This document contains the seven issues of "The Arizona Report" published in 1999-2002. A newsletter of the Mexican American Studies & Research Center (MASRC) at the University of Arizona, this publication reports on social, educational, health, and economic research on Mexican Americans and opportunities in higher education and…

Sodium Hypochlorite Accident: A Systematic Review.

PubMed

Guivarc'h, Maud; Ordioni, Ugo; Ahmed, Hany Mohamed Aly; Cohen, Stephen; Catherine, Jean-Hugues; Bukiet, Frédéric

2017-01-01

Sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) extrusion beyond the apex, also known as "a hypochlorite accident," is a well-known complication that seldom occurs during root canal therapy. These "accidents" have been the subject of several case reports published over the years. Until now, no publication has addressed the global synthesis of the general and clinical data related to NaOCl extrusion. The main purpose of this article was to conduct a systematic review of previously published case reports to identify, synthesize, and present a critical analysis of the available data. A second purpose was to propose a standardized presentation of reporting data concerning NaOCl extrusions to refine and develop guidelines that should be used in further case report series. A review of clinical cases reporting NaOCl accidents was conducted in June 2016 using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses checklist; it combined an electronic search of the PubMed database and an extensive manual search. Forty full-text articles corresponding to 52 case reports published between 1974 and 2015 were selected. Four main categories of data were highlighted: general and clinical information, clinical signs and symptoms of NaOCl extrusions, management of NaOCl extrusions, and healing and prognosis. Overall, up to now, clinical cases were reported in a very unsystematic manner, and some relevant information was missing. A better understanding of the potential causes, management, and prognosis of NaOCl accidents requires a standardization of reported data; this study proposes a template that can fulfill this objective. Copyright © 2016 American Association of Endodontists. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

[Classification of Histopathological Findings in the Liver Cited in the Pesticides Risk Assessment Reports Published by the Food Safety Commission of Japan and Thesaurus Construction Based on the International Harmonization of Nomenclature and Diagnostic (INHAND) Criteria].

PubMed

Inoue, Kaoru; Takahashi, Miwa; Umemura, Takashi; Yoshida, Midori

2015-01-01

Histopathological findings are important to the understanding of toxicity profiles of pesticides. The liver is often a target organ of chemicals. In the present study, histopathological findings in the liver cited in the pesticides risk assessment reports published by the Food Safety Commission of Japan were classified. The histopathological findings were obtained in repeated-dose 90-day oral toxicity studies of mice, rats and dogs and carcinogenicity studies of rodents. After the classification, a thesaurus was constructed based on the International Harmonization of Nomenclature and Diagnostic (INHAND) Criteria. We recommend the use of INHAND criteria in risk assessment reports to improve mutual understanding between applicants and risk assessors.

Group Incentives for Teachers and Their Effects on Student Learning: A Systematic Review of Theory and Evidence

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tirivayi, Nyasha; Maasen van den Brink, Henriette; Groot, Wim

2014-01-01

The effects of teachers' group incentives on student achievement are examined by reviewing theoretical arguments and empirical studies published between 1990 and 2011. Studies from developing countries reported positive effects of group incentives on student test scores. However, experimental studies from developed countries reported insignificant…

ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS OF DREDGING AND DISPOSAL (E2-D2)

EPA Science Inventory

US Army Corps of Engineers public web site for the "Environmental Effects of Dredging and Disposal" ("E2-D2") searchable database of published reports and studies about environmental impacts associated with dredging and disposal operations. Many of the reports and studies are ava...

Media Coverage, Journal Press Releases and Editorials Associated with Randomized and Observational Studies in High-Impact Medical Journals: A Cohort Study.

PubMed

Wang, Michael T M; Bolland, Mark J; Gamble, Greg; Grey, Andrew

2015-01-01

Publication of clinical research findings in prominent journals influences health beliefs and medical practice, in part by engendering news coverage. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) should be most influential in guiding clinical practice. We determined whether study design of clinical research published in high-impact journals influences media coverage. We compared the incidence and amount of media coverage of RCTs with that of observational studies published in the top 7 medical journals between 1 January 2013 and 31 March 2013. We specifically assessed media coverage of the most rigorous RCTs, those with >1000 participants that reported 'hard' outcomes. There was no difference between RCTs and observational studies in coverage by major newspapers or news agencies, or in total number of news stories generated (all P>0.63). Large RCTs reporting 'hard' outcomes did not generate more news coverage than small RCTs that reported surrogate outcomes and observational studies (all P>0.32). RCTs were more likely than observational studies to attract a journal editorial (70% vs 46%, P = 0.003), but less likely to be the subject of a journal press release (17% vs 50%, P<0.001). Large RCTs that reported 'hard' outcomes did not attract an editorial more frequently than other studies (61% vs 58%, P>0.99), nor were they more likely to be the subject of a journal press release (14% vs 38%, P = 0.14). The design of clinical studies whose results are published in high-impact medical journals is not associated with the likelihood or amount of ensuing news coverage.

Scientific skepticism and new discoveries: an analysis of a report of zinc/phytase supplementation and the efficacy of botulinum toxins in treating cosmetic facial rhytides, hemifacial spasm and benign essential blepharospasm.

PubMed

Cohen, Joel L

2014-10-01

A recent paper in the Journal of Drugs in Dermatology by Koshy and colleagues (2012, 11( 4 ):507-512) report on "Effect of Dietary Zinc and Phytase Supplementation on Botulinum Toxin Treatments" and conclude by claiming the discovery of "a potentially meaningful role for zinc and/or phytase supplementation in increasing the degree and duration of botulinum toxin effect in the treatment of cosmetic facial rhytids, benign essential blepharospasm, and hemifacial spasm". The purpose of this paper is to examine these published claims for possible methodological and design errors and potential sources of bias. The authors evaluated the published results in comparison to the published literature on zinc deficiency, the role of phytase, prior reports of an effect of zinc on activity of botulinum toxin, issues of study design and execution and if the reported results of the study supported the study's conclusions. Multiple issues are present in the reported study, which appear to invalidate its conclusions. These areas include lack of direct evidence for the presence of clinical or subclinical zinc deficiency in the study population or for the level of phytate in the study population sufficient to interfere with zinc absorption in these subjects. Additionally, there is ambiguity as to the actual dose of zinc used as well as in the study design itself. Also there is a failure of the study through the "unmasking" of the crossover design. There is potential financial conflict of interest in the study execution that may have biased the reported results. Finally there is inadequate data presented to evaluate the claims made of a "new discovery" as to the three disease entities reported on and the various botulinum toxins used in each of the three treatment arms of the study. Based on this evaluation, it appears that a high level of clinical and scientific skepticism is warranted concerning any claim of a beneficial effect of zinc and phytase supplementation on the efficacy or potency of any botulinum toxins in the reported conditions.

Characteristics of Articles About Human Papillomavirus Vaccination in Japanese Newspapers: Time-Series Analysis Study.

PubMed

Ueda, Nao; Yokouchi, Ryoki; Onoda, Taro; Ogihara, Atsushi

2017-12-19

Media coverage and reports have a major influence on individual vaccination and other health-related activities. People use the media to seek information and knowledge on health-related behaviors. They obtain health-related information from media such as television and newspapers, and they trust such information. While several studies have examined the relation between media coverage and individual health, there is a lack of studies that have analyzed media reports of health information. In particular, we have found no analyses related to cervical cancer (human papillomavirus [HPV]) vaccine. This study aimed to identify mentions of cervical cancer vaccine in Japan's printed news media and to determine their characteristics. We used the archival databases of 2 Japanese newspapers, Yomiuri Shimbun (Yomidasu Rekishikan) and Asahi Shimbun (Kikuzo II Visual), for text mining. First, we created a database by extracting articles published between January 1, 2007, and December 31, 2014, that matched the terms "cervical cancer" AND "vaccination" in a keyword search. Then, we tallied the extracted articles based on the month of publication and number of characters in order to conduct a time-series analysis. We extracted a total of 219 articles. Of these, 154 (70.3%) were positive and 51 (23.3%) were negative toward HPV vaccination. Of the 51 negative articles, 4 (7.8%) were published before June 2013, when routine vaccination was temporarily discontinued due to concerns regarding side effects, and 47 (92.2%) were published since then. The negative reports commonly cited side effects, although prior to June 2013, these issues were hardly mentioned. Although foreign media reports mentioned side effects before routine vaccination was temporarily discontinued, fewer articles mentioned side effects than recommendations for vaccination. Furthermore, on June 13, 2013, the World Health Organization's advisory body Global Advisory Committee on Vaccine Safety issued a statement regarding the safety of HPV vaccines, but hardly any articles reported this statement. Rather, several articles were published about the side effects after June 2013. Since we consider media coverage to be a factor affecting human health behavior, the media should extensively report on the cost of not receiving cervical cancer vaccination, global trends concerning cervical cancer vaccination, and statements released by various agencies on the subject. ©Nao Ueda, Ryoki Yokouchi, Taro Onoda, Atsushi Ogihara. Originally published in JMIR Public Health and Surveillance (http://publichealth.jmir.org), 19.12.2017.

THE NEGRO IN AMERICA, A BIBLIOGRAPHY.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

MILLER, ELIZABETH

MORE THAN 3,500 BOOKS, REPORTS, ARTICLES, AND PAMPHLETS CONCERNED WITH THE RIGHTS AND NEEDS OF THE NEGRO IN AMERICA, AND PUBLISHED SINCE THE 1954 SUPREME COURT SCHOOL DESEGREGATION DECISION, ARE LISTED IN THIS BIBLIOGRAPHY. VARIOUS CLASSIC WORKS AND ESSENTIAL BACKGROUND STUDIES PUBLISHED BEFORE 1954 ARE ALSO INCLUDED. THE BIBLIOGRAPHY CONTAINS…

Epigenetic alterations induced by genotoxic occupational and environmental human chemical carcinogens: A systematic literature review.

PubMed

Chappell, Grace; Pogribny, Igor P; Guyton, Kathryn Z; Rusyn, Ivan

2016-01-01

Accumulating evidence suggests that epigenetic alterations play an important role in chemically-induced carcinogenesis. Although the epigenome and genome may be equally important in carcinogenicity, the genotoxicity of chemical agents and exposure-related transcriptomic responses have been more thoroughly studied and characterized. To better understand the evidence for epigenetic alterations of human carcinogens, and the potential association with genotoxic endpoints, we conducted a systematic review of published studies of genotoxic carcinogens that reported epigenetic endpoints. Specifically, we searched for publications reporting epigenetic effects for the 28 agents and occupations included in Monograph Volume 100F of the International Agency for the Research on Cancer (IARC) that were classified as "carcinogenic to humans" (Group 1) with strong evidence of genotoxic mechanisms of carcinogenesis. We identified a total of 158 studies that evaluated epigenetic alterations for 12 of these 28 carcinogenic agents and occupations (1,3-butadiene, 4-aminobiphenyl, aflatoxins, benzene, benzidine, benzo[a]pyrene, coke production, formaldehyde, occupational exposure as a painter, sulfur mustard, and vinyl chloride). Aberrant DNA methylation was most commonly studied, followed by altered expression of non-coding RNAs and histone changes (totaling 85, 59 and 25 studies, respectively). For 3 carcinogens (aflatoxins, benzene and benzo[a]pyrene), 10 or more studies reported epigenetic effects. However, epigenetic studies were sparse for the remaining 9 carcinogens; for 4 agents, only 1 or 2 published reports were identified. While further research is needed to better identify carcinogenesis-associated epigenetic perturbations for many potential carcinogens, published reports on specific epigenetic endpoints can be systematically identified and increasingly incorporated in cancer hazard assessments. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

International or national publication of case reports.

PubMed

Lundh, Andreas; Christensen, Mikkel; Jørgensen, Anders W

2011-02-01

Case reports are often regarded as second-class research, but are an important part of medical science as they often present first evidence of new discoveries. We here describe the type of case reports published in a Danish general medical journal. We included all case reports published in Ugeskrift for Laeger in 2009. For each report, two authors extracted information on study characteristics and classified the relevance and the role of the report. We included 139 case reports written in Danish. Thirty-nine (28%) were of general relevance and 100 (72%) of speciality relevance. The median number of authors was three (range: 1-7). The first author was a non-specialist physician in 119 (86%) of the reports and the last author a specialist in 103 (78%). A total of 124 (89%) reports had an educational role, six (4%) dealt with new diseases, two (1%) with new side effects, three (2%) with new mechanisms and four (3%) were curiosities. A total of 59 (42%) reports were surgical, 64 (46%) non-surgical and 16 (12%) paraclinical. We found that most case reports published in Ugeskrift for Laeger were of speciality relevance and had an educational perspective. The journal may consider focusing on cases of more general educational relevance and should also consider whether the current form and language suit the aim and role of the various types of case reports.

Safety and Procedural Success of Left Atrial Appendage Exclusion With the Lariat Device: A Systematic Review of Published Reports and Analytic Review of the FDA MAUDE Database.

PubMed

Chatterjee, Saurav; Herrmann, Howard C; Wilensky, Robert L; Hirshfeld, John; McCormick, Daniel; Frankel, David S; Yeh, Robert W; Armstrong, Ehrin J; Kumbhani, Dharam J; Giri, Jay

2015-07-01

The Lariat device has received US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) 510(k) clearance for soft-tissue approximation and is being widely used off-label for left atrial appendage (LAA) exclusion. A comprehensive analysis of safety and effectiveness has not been reported. To perform a systematic review of published literature to assess safety and procedural success, defined as successful closure of the LAA during the index procedure, of the Lariat device. We performed a formal analytic review of the FDA MAUDE (Manufacturer and User Facility Device Experience) database to compile adverse event reports from real-world practice with the Lariat. For the systematic review, PubMed, EMBASE, CINAHL, and the Cochrane Library were searched from January 2007 through August 2014 to identify all studies reporting use of the Lariat device in 3 or more patients. The FDA MAUDE database was queried for adverse events reports related to Lariat use. Data were abstracted in duplicate by 2 physician reviewers. Events from published literature were pooled using a generic inverse variance weighting with a random effects model. Cumulative and individual adverse events were also reported using the FDA MAUDE data set. Procedural adverse events and procedural success. In the systematic review, 5 reports of Lariat device use in 309 participants were identified. Specific complications weighted for inverse of variance of individual studies were urgent need for cardiac surgery (2.3%; 7 of 309 procedures) and death (0.3%; 1 of 309 procedures). Procedural success was 90.3% (279 of 309 procedures). In the FDA MAUDE database, there were 35 unique reports of adverse events with use of the Lariat device. Among these, we identified 5 adverse event reports that noted pericardial effusion and death and an additional 23 reported urgent cardiac surgery without mention of death. This review of published reports and case reports identified risks of adverse events with off-label use of the Lariat device for LAA exclusion. Formal, controlled investigations into the safety and efficacy of the device for this indication are warranted.

Working Together and Making a Difference: Virginia Western Community College and Goodwill Industries of the Valleys Partnership Case Study Report

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Browning, Bill

2015-01-01

"Working Together and Making A Difference: Virginia Western Community College and Goodwill Industries of the Valleys Partnership Case Study Report" is a report aimed at informing community college and workforce leaders of best practices for launching and expanding partnerships to serve students more effectively. Co-published by AspenWSI…

Reporting of sources of funding in systematic reviews in periodontology and implant dentistry.

PubMed

Faggion, C M; Atieh, M; Zanicotti, D G

2014-02-01

Industry-supported clinical trials may present better outcomes than those supported by other sources. The aim of this paper was to assess whether systematic reviews (SRs) published in periodontology and implant dentistry report and discuss the influence of funding sources on study results. Two reviewers conducted a comprehensive search in PubMed and the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews independently and in duplicate to identify SRs published up to 11 November 2012. Speciality dental journals and the reference lists of included SRs were also scrutinised. Information on the reporting and discussion of funding sources of primary studies included in the SRs was extracted independently and in duplicate. Any disagreement regarding SR selection or data extraction was discussed until consensus was achieved. Of 146 SRs included in the assessment, only 45 (31%) reported the funding sources of primary studies. Fourteen (10%) SRs discussed the potential influence of funding sources on study results, that is, sponsorship bias. Funding sources are inadequately reported and discussed in SRs in periodontology and implant dentistry. Assessment, reporting, and critical appraisal of potential sponsorship bias of meta-analytic estimates are paramount to provide proper guidance for clinical treatments.

[Sex as a variable in research in psychotherapy, psychosomatic and medical psychology].

PubMed

Davies-Osterkamp, S

1994-01-01

All empirical studies (n = 113) published in "Psychotherapie, Psychosomatik, medizinische Psychologie" between 1988 and 1992 where analyzed concerning the question whether sex comparisons in at least one of the dependent variables were reported. The main results were that sex composition of the samples was not reported in 17% of the cases and that 62% of the studies did not report on sex comparisons. Only 25% of studies reported on sex differences in a metric which allows using this study for meta-analysis. Except for sample-size and sex-composition there were no study-features which distinguished between studies reporting or not reporting sex comparisons.

Publication rates of podium and poster abstract presentations at the 2010 and 2011 society of gynecologic oncology conferences.

PubMed

Imani, Saba; Moore, Gretchan; Nelson, Nathan; Scott, Jared; Vassar, Matt

2018-05-01

This study aimed to determine the publication rate of oral and poster abstracts presented at the 2010 and 2011 Society of Gynecologic Oncology (SGO) conferences as well as the journals that most commonly published these studies, their 5-year impact factor, the time to publication, and the reasons for nonpublication. Abstracts presented at the 2010-2011 SGO conferences were included in this study. We searched Google, Google Scholar, and PubMed to locate published reports of these abstracts. If an abstract's full-text manuscript could not be located, an author of the conference abstract was contacted via email to inquire whether the research was published. If the research was unpublished, the authors were asked to provide the reason for nonpublication. The time to publication, journal, and journal impact factor were noted for abstracts that reached full-text publication. A total of 725 abstracts were identified, of which 386 (53%) reached publication in a peer-reviewed journal. Oral presentations were published at a higher rate than poster presentations. Most (70%) reached publication within 2 years of abstract presentation. Abstracts were published in 89 journals, but most (39%) were published in Gynecologic Oncology. The mean time to publication was 15.7 months, with a mean 5-year impact factor of 4.956. A 53% publication rate indicates that the SGO conference selection process favors research likely to be published and, thus, presumably of high quality. The overall publication rate is higher than that reported for many other biomedical conferences.

Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE): explanation and elaboration.

PubMed

Vandenbroucke, Jan P; von Elm, Erik; Altman, Douglas G; Gøtzsche, Peter C; Mulrow, Cynthia D; Pocock, Stuart J; Poole, Charles; Schlesselman, James J; Egger, Matthias

2014-12-01

Much medical research is observational. The reporting of observational studies is often of insufficient quality. Poor reporting hampers the assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of a study and the generalisability of its results. Taking into account empirical evidence and theoretical considerations, a group of methodologists, researchers, and editors developed the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) recommendations to improve the quality of reporting of observational studies. The STROBE Statement consists of a checklist of 22 items, which relate to the title, abstract, introduction, methods, results and discussion sections of articles. Eighteen items are common to cohort studies, case-control studies and cross-sectional studies and four are specific to each of the three study designs. The STROBE Statement provides guidance to authors about how to improve the reporting of observational studies and facilitates critical appraisal and interpretation of studies by reviewers, journal editors and readers. This explanatory and elaboration document is intended to enhance the use, understanding, and dissemination of the STROBE Statement. The meaning and rationale for each checklist item are presented. For each item, one or several published examples and, where possible, references to relevant empirical studies and methodological literature are provided. Examples of useful flow diagrams are also included. The STROBE Statement, this document, and the associated Web site (http://www.strobe-statement.org/) should be helpful resources to improve reporting of observational research. Copyright © 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Methodological quality of behavioural weight loss studies: a systematic review

PubMed Central

Lemon, S. C.; Wang, M. L.; Haughton, C. F.; Estabrook, D. P.; Frisard, C. F.; Pagoto, S. L.

2018-01-01

Summary This systematic review assessed the methodological quality of behavioural weight loss intervention studies conducted among adults and associations between quality and statistically significant weight loss outcome, strength of intervention effectiveness and sample size. Searches for trials published between January, 2009 and December, 2014 were conducted using PUBMED, MEDLINE and PSYCINFO and identified ninety studies. Methodological quality indicators included study design, anthropometric measurement approach, sample size calculations, intent-to-treat (ITT) analysis, loss to follow-up rate, missing data strategy, sampling strategy, report of treatment receipt and report of intervention fidelity (mean = 6.3). Indicators most commonly utilized included randomized design (100%), objectively measured anthropometrics (96.7%), ITT analysis (86.7%) and reporting treatment adherence (76.7%). Most studies (62.2%) had a follow-up rate >75% and reported a loss to follow-up analytic strategy or minimal missing data (69.9%). Describing intervention fidelity (34.4%) and sampling from a known population (41.1%) were least common. Methodological quality was not associated with reporting a statistically significant result, effect size or sample size. This review found the published literature of behavioural weight loss trials to be of high quality for specific indicators, including study design and measurement. Identified for improvement include utilization of more rigorous statistical approaches to loss to follow up and better fidelity reporting. PMID:27071775

SEBD Inclusion Research Synthesis: A Content Analysis of Research Themes and Methods in Empirical Studies Published in the Journal "Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties" from 1996-2014

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Willmann, Marc; Seeliger, Georg M.

2017-01-01

The present paper reports on findings from a systematic journal review study exploring research strategies to investigate inclusive education for pupils with social, emotional, and behavioural difficulties. From a total of 384 articles, published in 19 volumes of the journal "Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties" between 1996 and 2014,…

Quality of pharmacoeconomic research in China: A systematic review.

PubMed

Ma, Huifen; Jian, Weiyan; Xu, Tingting; He, Yasheng; Rizzo, John A; Fang, Hai

2016-10-01

The number of pharmacoeconomic publications in the literature from China has risen rapidly, but the quality of pharmacoeconomic publications from China has not been analyzed. This study aims to identify all recent pharmacoeconomic publications from China, to critically appraise the reporting quality, and to summarize the results. Four databases (PubMed, Web of Science, Medline, and EmBase) were searched for original articles published up to December 31, 2014. The Consolidated Health Economic Evaluation Reporting Standards statement including 24 items was used to assess the quality of reporting of these articles. Of 1046 articles identified, 32 studies fulfilled the inclusion criteria. They were published in 23 different journals. Quality of reporting varied between studies, with an average score of 18.7 (SD = 4.33) out of 24 (range 9-23.5). There was an increasing trend of pharmacoeconomic publications and reporting quality over years from 2003 to 2014. According to the Consolidated Health Economic Evaluation Reporting Standards, the reporting quality for the items including "title," "comparators of method," and "measurement of effectiveness" are quite low, with less than 50% of studies fully satisfying these reporting standards. In contrast, reporting was good for the items including "introduction," "study perspective," "choice of health outcomes," "study parameters," "characterizing heterogeneity," and "discussion," with more than 75% of the articles satisfying these reporting criteria. The remaining items fell in between these 2 extremes, with 50% to 75% of studies satisfying these criteria. Our study suggests the need for improvement in a number of reporting criteria. But the criteria for which reporting quality was low seem to be limitations that would be straightforward to correct in future studies.

Quality of pharmacoeconomic research in China

PubMed Central

Ma, Huifen; Jian, Weiyan; Xu, Tingting; He, Yasheng; Rizzo, John A.; Fang, Hai

2016-01-01

Abstract Background: The number of pharmacoeconomic publications in the literature from China has risen rapidly, but the quality of pharmacoeconomic publications from China has not been analyzed. Objectives: This study aims to identify all recent pharmacoeconomic publications from China, to critically appraise the reporting quality, and to summarize the results. Methods: Four databases (PubMed, Web of Science, Medline, and EmBase) were searched for original articles published up to December 31, 2014. The Consolidated Health Economic Evaluation Reporting Standards statement including 24 items was used to assess the quality of reporting of these articles. Results: Of 1046 articles identified, 32 studies fulfilled the inclusion criteria. They were published in 23 different journals. Quality of reporting varied between studies, with an average score of 18.7 (SD = 4.33) out of 24 (range 9–23.5). There was an increasing trend of pharmacoeconomic publications and reporting quality over years from 2003 to 2014. According to the Consolidated Health Economic Evaluation Reporting Standards, the reporting quality for the items including “title,” “comparators of method,” and “measurement of effectiveness” are quite low, with less than 50% of studies fully satisfying these reporting standards. In contrast, reporting was good for the items including “introduction,” “study perspective,” “choice of health outcomes,” “study parameters,” “characterizing heterogeneity,” and “discussion,” with more than 75% of the articles satisfying these reporting criteria. The remaining items fell in between these 2 extremes, with 50% to 75% of studies satisfying these criteria. Conclusion: Our study suggests the need for improvement in a number of reporting criteria. But the criteria for which reporting quality was low seem to be limitations that would be straightforward to correct in future studies. PMID:27741131

Unremarked or Unperformed? Systematic Review on Reporting of Validation Efforts of Health Economic Decision Models in Seasonal Influenza and Early Breast Cancer.

PubMed

de Boer, Pieter T; Frederix, Geert W J; Feenstra, Talitha L; Vemer, Pepijn

2016-09-01

Transparent reporting of validation efforts of health economic models give stakeholders better insight into the credibility of model outcomes. In this study we reviewed recently published studies on seasonal influenza and early breast cancer in order to gain insight into the reporting of model validation efforts in the overall health economic literature. A literature search was performed in Pubmed and Embase to retrieve health economic modelling studies published between 2008 and 2014. Reporting on model validation was evaluated by checking for the word validation, and by using AdViSHE (Assessment of the Validation Status of Health Economic decision models), a tool containing a structured list of relevant items for validation. Additionally, we contacted corresponding authors to ask whether more validation efforts were performed other than those reported in the manuscripts. A total of 53 studies on seasonal influenza and 41 studies on early breast cancer were included in our review. The word validation was used in 16 studies (30 %) on seasonal influenza and 23 studies (56 %) on early breast cancer; however, in a minority of studies, this referred to a model validation technique. Fifty-seven percent of seasonal influenza studies and 71 % of early breast cancer studies reported one or more validation techniques. Cross-validation of study outcomes was found most often. A limited number of studies reported on model validation efforts, although good examples were identified. Author comments indicated that more validation techniques were performed than those reported in the manuscripts. Although validation is deemed important by many researchers, this is not reflected in the reporting habits of health economic modelling studies. Systematic reporting of validation efforts would be desirable to further enhance decision makers' confidence in health economic models and their outcomes.

[Productivity of doctoral programs in Psychology with Quality Mention in journal articles included in Journal Citation Reports].

PubMed

Musi-Lechuga, Bertha; Olivas-Ávila, José; Castro, Angel

2011-08-01

The main objective of the present study was to classify doctoral programs with Quality Mention in Psychology based on their scientific productivity. For this purpose, articles in the Web of Science published by professors teaching in these doctoral programs were analyzed. In addition, we analyzed scientific journals in which these professors tend to publish more papers and the evolution in the number of papers published until 2009. Results showed that the most productive doctoral program was the Neurosciences program at the University of Oviedo. This program showed a ratio of 40 articles--published in journals included in Journal Citation Reports--by each professor. In contrast, other programs did not reach a ratio of 10 articles per professor. Regarding journals, results showed that 9 out of the 20 most popular journals are Hispanic and a gradual increase in the number of published papers was also observed. Lastly, results and implications for quality assessment are discussed.

Rigor in Agricultural Education Research Reporting: Implications for the Discipline

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fuhrman, Nicholas E.; Ladewig, Howard

2008-01-01

Agricultural education has been criticized for publishing research lacking many of the rigorous qualities found in publications of other disciplines. A few agricultural education researchers have suggested strategies for improving the rigor with which agricultural education studies report on methods and findings. The purpose of this study was to…

How Well Do Researchers Report Their Measures? An Evaluation of Measurement in Published Educational Research.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Whittington, Dale

1998-01-01

This study describes how much and in what ways authors of research studies fail to include adequate information about data collection. Results based on analysis of 220 articles from 22 journals show that the quality of measurement reporting continues to be a problem. (SLD)

Development of the Standards of Reporting of Neurological Disorders (STROND) checklist: A guideline for the reporting of incidence and prevalence studies in neuroepidemiology.

PubMed

Bennett, Derrick A; Brayne, Carol; Feigin, Valery L; Barker-Collo, Suzanne; Brainin, Michael; Davis, Daniel; Gallo, Valentina; Jetté, Nathalie; Karch, André; Kurtzke, John F; Lavados, Pablo M; Logroscino, Giancarlo; Nagel, Gabriele; Preux, Pierre-Marie; Rothwell, Peter M; Svenson, Lawrence W

2015-09-01

Incidence and prevalence studies of neurologic disorders play an important role in assessing the burden of disease and planning services. However, the assessment of disease estimates is hindered by problems in reporting for such studies. Despite a growth in published reports, existing guidelines relate to analytical rather than descriptive epidemiologic studies. There are also no user-friendly tools (e.g., checklists) available for authors, editors, and peer reviewers to facilitate best practice in reporting of descriptive epidemiologic studies for most neurologic disorders. The Standards of Reporting of Neurological Disorders (STROND) is a guideline that consists of recommendations and a checklist to facilitate better reporting of published incidence and prevalence studies of neurologic disorders. A review of previously developed guidance was used to produce a list of items required for incidence and prevalence studies in neurology. A 3-round Delphi technique was used to identify the "basic minimum items" important for reporting, as well as some additional "ideal reporting items." An e-consultation process was then used in order to gauge opinion by external neuroepidemiologic experts on the appropriateness of the items included in the checklist. Of 38 candidate items, 15 items and accompanying recommendations were developed along with a user-friendly checklist. The introduction and use of the STROND checklist should lead to more consistent, transparent, and contextualized reporting of descriptive neuroepidemiologic studies resulting in more applicable and comparable findings and ultimately support better health care decisions. © 2015 American Academy of Neurology.

Social determinants and maternal exposure to intimate partner violence of obstetric patients with severe maternal morbidity in the intensive care unit: a systematic review protocol.

PubMed

Ayala Quintanilla, Beatriz Paulina; Taft, Angela; McDonald, Susan; Pollock, Wendy; Roque Henriquez, Joel Christian

2016-11-28

Maternal mortality is a potentially preventable public health issue. Maternal morbidity is increasingly of interest to aid the reduction of maternal mortality. Obstetric patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) are an important part of the global burden of maternal morbidity. Social determinants influence health outcomes of pregnant women. Additionally, intimate partner violence has a great negative impact on women's health and pregnancy outcome. However, little is known about the contextual and social aspects of obstetric patients treated in the ICU. This study aimed to conduct a systematic review of the social determinants and exposure to intimate partner violence of obstetric patients admitted to an ICU. A systematic search will be conducted in MEDLINE, CINAHL, ProQuest, LILACS and SciELO from 2000 to 2016. Studies published in English and Spanish will be identified in relation to data reporting on social determinants of health and/or exposure to intimate partner violence of obstetric women, treated in the ICU during pregnancy, childbirth or within 42 days of the end of pregnancy. Two reviewers will independently screen for study eligibility and data extraction. Risk of bias and assessment of the quality of the included studies will be performed by using the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP) checklist. Data will be analysed and summarised using a narrative description of the available evidence across studies. This systematic review protocol will be reported according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Protocols (PRISMA-P) guidelines. Since this systematic review will be based on published studies, ethical approval is not required. Findings will be presented at La Trobe University, in Conferences and Congresses, and published in a peer-reviewed journal. CRD42016037492. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/.

Patients' online access to their electronic health records and linked online services: a systematic interpretative review.

PubMed

de Lusignan, Simon; Mold, Freda; Sheikh, Aziz; Majeed, Azeem; Wyatt, Jeremy C; Quinn, Tom; Cavill, Mary; Gronlund, Toto Anne; Franco, Christina; Chauhan, Umesh; Blakey, Hannah; Kataria, Neha; Barker, Fiona; Ellis, Beverley; Koczan, Phil; Arvanitis, Theodoros N; McCarthy, Mary; Jones, Simon; Rafi, Imran

2014-09-08

To investigate the effect of providing patients online access to their electronic health record (EHR) and linked transactional services on the provision, quality and safety of healthcare. The objectives are also to identify and understand: barriers and facilitators for providing online access to their records and services for primary care workers; and their association with organisational/IT system issues. Primary care. A total of 143 studies were included. 17 were experimental in design and subject to risk of bias assessment, which is reported in a separate paper. Detailed inclusion and exclusion criteria have also been published elsewhere in the protocol. Our primary outcome measure was change in quality or safety as a result of implementation or utilisation of online records/transactional services. No studies reported changes in health outcomes; though eight detected medication errors and seven reported improved uptake of preventative care. Professional concerns over privacy were reported in 14 studies. 18 studies reported concern over potential increased workload; with some showing an increase workload in email or online messaging; telephone contact remaining unchanged, and face-to face contact staying the same or falling. Owing to heterogeneity in reporting overall workload change was hard to predict. 10 studies reported how online access offered convenience, primarily for more advantaged patients, who were largely highly satisfied with the process when clinician responses were prompt. Patient online access and services offer increased convenience and satisfaction. However, professionals were concerned about impact on workload and risk to privacy. Studies correcting medication errors may improve patient safety. There may need to be a redesign of the business process to engage health professionals in online access and of the EHR to make it friendlier and provide equity of access to a wider group of patients. A1 SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION NUMBER: PROSPERO CRD42012003091. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

Validity of self-reported mechanical demands for occupational epidemiologic research of musculoskeletal disorders

PubMed Central

Barrero, Lope H; Katz, Jeffrey N; Dennerlein, Jack T

2012-01-01

Objectives To describe the relation of the measured validity of self-reported mechanical demands (self-reports) with the quality of validity assessments and the variability of the assessed exposure in the study population. Methods We searched for original articles, published between 1990 and 2008, reporting the validity of self-reports in three major databases: EBSCOhost, Web of Science, and PubMed. Identified assessments were classified by methodological characteristics (eg, type of self-report and reference method) and exposure dimension was measured. We also classified assessments by the degree of comparability between the self-report and the employed reference method, and the variability of the assessed exposure in the study population. Finally, we examined the association of the published validity (r) with this degree of comparability, as well as with the variability of the exposure variable in the study population. Results Of the 490 assessments identified, 75% used observation-based reference measures and 55% tested self-reports of posture duration and movement frequency. Frequently, validity studies did not report demographic information (eg, education, age, and gender distribution). Among assessments reporting correlations as a measure of validity, studies with a better match between the self-report and the reference method, and studies conducted in more heterogeneous populations tended to report higher correlations [odds ratio (OR) 2.03, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 0.89–4.65 and OR 1.60, 95% CI 0.96–2.61, respectively]. Conclusions The reported data support the hypothesis that validity depends on study-specific factors often not examined. Experimentally manipulating the testing setting could lead to a better understanding of the capabilities and limitations of self-reported information. PMID:19562235

Meta-narrative analysis of sports injury reporting practices based on the Injury Definitions Concept Framework (IDCF): A review of consensus statements and epidemiological studies in athletics (track and field).

PubMed

Timpka, Toomas; Jacobsson, Jenny; Ekberg, Joakim; Finch, Caroline F; Bichenbach, Jerome; Edouard, Pascal; Bargoria, Victor; Branco, Pedro; Alonso, Juan Manuel

2015-11-01

Consistency in routines for reporting injury has been a focus of development efforts in sports epidemiology for a long time. To gain an improved understanding of current reporting practices, we applied the Injury Definitions Concept Framework (IDCF) in a review of injury reporting in a subset of the field. Meta-narrative review. An analysis of injury definitions reported in consensus statements for different sports and studies of injury epidemiology in athletics (track and field) published in PubMed between 1980 and 2013 was performed. Separate narratives for each of the three reporting contexts in the IDCF were constructed from the data. Six consensus statements and 14 studies reporting on athletics injury epidemiology fulfilled the selection criteria. The narratives on sports performance, clinical examination, and athlete self-report contexts were evenly represented in the eligible studies. The sports performance and athlete self-report narratives covered both professional and community athletes as well as training and competition settings. In the clinical examination narrative, data collection by health service professionals was linked to studies of professional athletes at international championships. From an application of the IDCF in a review of injury reporting in sports epidemiology we observed a parallel usage of reporting contexts in this field of research. The co-existence of reporting methodologies does not necessarily reflect a problematic situation, but only provided that firm precautions are taken when comparing studies performed in the different contexts. Copyright © 2014 Sports Medicine Australia. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Airborne hazards exposure and respiratory health of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans.

PubMed

Falvo, Michael J; Osinubi, Omowunmi Y; Sotolongo, Anays M; Helmer, Drew A

2015-01-01

More than 2.6 million military personnel have been deployed to recent conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan and were likely exposed to a variety of airborne hazards during deployment. Despite several epidemiologic reports of increased respiratory symptoms, whether or not these respiratory illnesses lead to reductions in lung function and/or specific pulmonary disease is unclear. We reviewed data published from 2001 to 2014 pertaining to respiratory health in military personnel deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan and found 19 unique studies. Study designs were primarily retrospective and observational in nature with patient symptom reporting and medical encounter data as primary outcome measures. Two case series reported on rare respiratory diseases, and one performed a standardized evaluation of new-onset respiratory symptoms. Respiratory outcomes in relation to proximity to a specific air pollution source (i.e., smoke from burning trash and sulfur mine fire) were described in 2 separate studies. Only 2 longitudinal investigations were identified comparing pre- and postdeployment measurement of exercise capacity. In summary, published data based on case reports and retrospective cohort studies suggest a higher prevalence of respiratory symptoms and respiratory illness consistent with airway obstruction. However, the association between chronic lung disease and airborne hazards exposure requires further longitudinal research studies with objective pulmonary assessments. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health 2015. This work is written by (a) US Government employee(s) and is in the public domain in the US.

Perspectives and expectations of drivers : a literature and best practice scan

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2002-05-01

Investigators reviewed 160 published reports and interviewed numerous experts. This report includes an annotated bibliography of 84 research articles, an analysis of best practices and recommendations for next steps. The study recommends improvement ...

43 CFR 404.52 - Who will the feasibility report be provided to?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... of the Senate and the Committee on Natural Resources of the House of Representatives; (c) Make the report publicly available, along with associated study documents; and (d) Publish in the Federal Register...

Preventing and controlling foodborne disease in commercial and institutional food service settings: a systematic review of published intervention studies.

PubMed

Viator, Catherine; Blitstein, Jonathan; Brophy, Jenna E; Fraser, Angela

2015-02-01

This study reviews the current literature on behavioral and environmental food safety interventions conducted in commercial and institutional food service settings. A systematic search of the published literature yielded 268 candidate articles, from which a set of 23 articles reporting intervention outcomes was retained for evaluation. A categorization of measured outcomes is reported; studies addressed multiple outcomes ranging from knowledge, attitudes, and behavior of personal hygiene and food safety to management practices and disease rates and outbreaks. This study also investigates the quality of reported research methods used to evaluate the effectiveness of the interventions, using a nine-point quality index adapted by the authors. The observed scores suggest that there are opportunities to improve the design and reporting of research in the field of foodborne disease prevention as it applies to food safety interventions that target the food service industry. The aim is to aid researchers in this area to design higher quality studies and to produce clearer and more useful reports of their research. In turn, this can help to create a more complete evidence base that can be used to continually improve interventions in this domain.

Trade Publishing: A Report from the Front.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fister, Barbara

2001-01-01

Reports on the current condition of trade publishing and its future prospects based on interviews with editors, publishers, agents, and others. Discusses academic libraries and the future of trade publishing, including questions relating to electronic books, intellectual property, and social and economic benefits of sharing information…

Physico-chemical study of some areas of fundamental significance to biophysics. Annual report, 1975--1976. [Chemistry Dept. , Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

McGlynn, S.P.

1976-05-15

Lists of titles published, symposia attended, laboratory guests, departing personnel, and equipment purchased are presented in the first part of this report. It is to be emphasized that completed work already published is mentioned only by title. Reports are provided for research recently completed or in progress in the following areas: Rydberg spectroscopy, intermediate-coupling model for linear molecules, atomic correlation lines, electronic structure of dicarbonyl compounds, absorption and emission characteristics of highly polar aromatics, valence-bond description of metal--anion interaction, and matrix elements of mono-excited Slater determinants constructed from axial spin-orbitals. (RWR)

Epidemiology characteristics, reporting characteristics, and methodological quality of systematic reviews and meta-analyses on traditional Chinese medicine nursing interventions published in Chinese journals.

PubMed

Yang, Min; Jiang, Li; Wang, Aihong; Xu, Guihua

2017-02-01

To evaluate the epidemiological characteristics, reporting characteristics, and methodological quality of systematic reviews in the traditional Chinese medicine nursing field published in Chinese journals. The number of systematic reviews in the traditional Chinese medicine nursing field has increased, but their epidemiology, quality, and reporting characteristics have not been assessed completely. We generated an overview of reviews using a narrative approach. Four Chinese databases were searched for systematic reviews from inception to December 2015. The Preferred Reporting Items of Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses and the Assessment of Multiple Systematic Reviews checklists were adopted to evaluate reporting and methodological quality, respectively. A total of 73 eligible systematic reviews, published from 2005 to 2015, were included. The deficiencies in reporting characteristics mainly lay in the lack of structured abstract or protocol, incomplete reporting of search strategies, study selection, and risk of bias. The deficiencies in methodological quality were reflected in the lack of a priori design and conflict of interest, incomplete literature searches, and assessment of publication bias. The quality of the evaluated reviews was unsatisfactory; attention should be paid to the improvement of reporting and methodological quality in the conduct of systematic reviews. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.

Estimating the herd immunity effect of rotavirus vaccine.

PubMed

Pollard, Suzanne L; Malpica-Llanos, Tanya; Friberg, Ingrid K; Fischer-Walker, Christa; Ashraf, Sania; Walker, Neff

2015-07-31

Diarrhea is one of the leading causes of death in children under 5, and an estimated 39% of these deaths are attributable to rotavirus. Currently two live, oral rotavirus vaccines have been introduced on the market; however, the herd immunity effect associated with rotavirus vaccine has not yet been quantified. The purpose of this meta-analysis was to estimate the herd immunity effects associated with rotavirus vaccines. We performed a systematic literature review of articles published between 2008 and 2014 that measured the impact of rotavirus vaccine on severe gastroenteritis (GE) morbidity or mortality. We assessed the quality of published studies using a standard protocol and conducted meta-analyses to estimate the herd immunity effect in children less than one year of age across all years presented in the studies. We conducted these analyses separately for studies reporting a rotavirus-specific GE outcome and those reporting an all-cause GE outcome. In studies reporting a rotavirus-specific GE outcome, four of five of which were conducted in the United States, the median herd effect across all study years was 22% [19-25%]. In studies reporting an all-cause GE outcome, all of which were conducted in Latin America, the median herd effect was 24.9% [11-30%]. There is evidence that rotavirus vaccination confers a herd immunity effect in children under one year of age in the United States and Latin American countries. Given the high variability in vaccine efficacy across regions, more studies are needed to better examine herd immunity effects in high mortality regions. Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

The impact of epilepsy on academic achievement in children with normal intelligence and without major comorbidities: A systematic review.

PubMed

Wo, S W; Ong, L C; Low, W Y; Lai, P S M

2017-10-01

To systematically examine published literature which assessed the prevalence of academic difficulties in children with epilepsy (CWE) of normal intelligence, and its associating factors. A search was conducted on five databases for articles published in English from 1980 till March 2015. Included were studies who recruited children (aged 5-18 years), with a diagnosis or newly/recurrent epilepsy, an intelligent quotient (IQ) of ≥70 or attending regular school, with or without a control group, which measured academic achievement using a standardised objective measure, and published in English. Excluded were children with learning difficulties, intellectual disabilities (IQ<70) and other comorbidities such as attention deficits hyperactive disorder or autism. Two pairs of reviewers extracted the data, and met to resolve any differences from the data extraction process. Twenty studies were included. The majority of the studies assessed "low achievement" whist only two studies used the IQ-achievement discrepancy definition of "underachievement". Fourteen studies (70%) reported that CWE had significantly lower academic achievement scores compared to healthy controls, children with asthma or reported norms. The remaining six studies (30%) did not report any differences. CWE had stable academic achievement scores over time (2-4 years), even among those whose seizure frequency improved. Higher parental education and children with higher IQ, and had better attention or had a positive attitude towards epilepsy, were associated with higher academic achievement score. Older children were found to have lower academic achievement score. In CWE of normal intelligence, the majority of published literature found that academic achievement was lower than controls or reported norms. The high percentages of low achievement in CWE, especially in the older age group, and the stability of scores even as seizure frequency improved, highlights the need for early screening of learning problems, and continued surveillance. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Publishing HIV/AIDS behavioural science reports: An author’s guide

PubMed Central

Ingersoll, K. S.; Van Zyl, C.; Cropsey, K. L.

2010-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to report on characteristics of journals that publish manuscripts in the HIV/AIDS behavioural science realm, with the goal of providing assistance to authors seeking to disseminate their work in the most appropriate outlet. Fifty journals who publish behavioural research on HIV/AIDS in English were identified through library and electronic searches. Although ten of the journals focused specifically on HIV/AIDS, the majority of journals are in related fields, including health psychology/behavioural medicine, sexual behaviour, substance abuse, public health/prevention or general medicine. Acceptance rates ranged from 8– 89% with a mean acceptance rate of 39%. Reported review times ranged from 1–12 months with three months the mode, while publication lag following acceptance averages six months. Acceptance rates were related to impact factors, with more selective journals evidencing higher impact factors. The variety of publication outlets available to authors of HIV/AIDS behavioural science studies creates ample opportunity for dissemination, as well as challenge for readers in discerning the quality of published work. PMID:16971274

Dual use research: investigation across multiple science disciplines.

PubMed

Oltmann, Shannon

2015-04-01

Most recent studies of dual use research have focused on the life sciences, although some researchers have suggested that dual use research occurs across many disciplines. This research is an initial investigation into the prevalence of dual use research in other scientific disciplines by surveying senior editors of scientific journals, drawn from Journal Citation Reports. The survey was emailed to 7,500 journal editors with a response rate of 10.1 %. Approximately 4.8 % of life science editors reported they had to consider whether to publish dual use research and 38.9 % said they decided to not publish the research in question. In disciplines other than the life sciences, 7.2 % of editors from other science disciplines reported that they had to consider whether to publish dual use research, and 48.4 % declined to publish it. The survey investigated relationships between dual use and the journal's source of funding and place of publication, but no relationships were found. Further research is needed to better understand the occurrence of dual use research in other science disciplines.

Improvements in implant dentistry over the last decade: comparison of survival and complication rates in older and newer publications.

PubMed

Pjetursson, Bjarni E; Asgeirsson, Asgeir G; Zwahlen, Marcel; Sailer, Irena

2014-01-01

The objective of this systematic review was to assess and compare the survival and complication rates of implant-supported prostheses reported in studies published in the year 2000 and before, to those reported in studies published after the year 2000. Three electronic searches complemented by manual searching were conducted to identify 139 prospective and retrospective studies on implant-supported prostheses. The included studies were divided in two groups: a group of 31 older studies published in the year 2000 or before, and a group of 108 newer studies published after the year 2000. Survival and complication rates were calculated using Poisson regression models, and multivariable robust Poisson regression was used to formally compare the outcomes of older and newer studies. The 5-year survival rate of implant-supported prostheses was significantly increased in newer studies compared with older studies. The overall survival rate increased from 93.5% to 97.1%. The survival rate for cemented prostheses increased from 95.2% to 97.9%; for screw-retained reconstruction, from 77.6% to 96.8%; for implant-supported single crowns, from 92.6% to 97.2%; and for implant-supported fixed dental prostheses (FDPs), from 93.5% to 96.4%. The incidence of esthetic complications decreased in more recent studies compared with older ones, but the incidence of biologic complications was similar. The results for technical complications were inconsistent. There was a significant reduction in abutment or screw loosening by implant-supported FDPs. On the other hand, the total number of technical complications and the incidence of fracture of the veneering material was significantly increased in the newer studies. To explain the increased rate of complications, minor complications are probably reported in more detail in the newer publications. The results of the present systematic review demonstrated a positive learning curve in implant dentistry, represented in higher survival rates and lower complication rates reported in more recent clinical studies. The incidence of esthetic, biologic, and technical complications, however, is still high. Hence, it is important to identify these complications and their etiology to make implant treatment even more predictable in the future.

Quality reporting of carotid intima-media thickness methodology; Current state of the science in the field of spinal cord injury.

PubMed

Hoskin, Jordan D; Miyatani, Masae; Craven, B Catharine

2017-03-30

Carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT) may be used increasingly as a cardiovascular disease (CVD) screening tool in individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI) as other routine invasive diagnostic tests are often unfeasible. However, variation in cIMT acquisition and analysis methods is an issue in the current published literature. The growth of the field is dependent on cIMT quality acquisition and analysis to ensure accurate reporting of CVD risk. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the quality of the reported methodology used to collect cIMT values in SCI. Data from 12 studies, which measured cIMT in individuals with SCI, were identified from the Medline, Embase and CINAHL databases. The quality of the reported methodologies was scored based on adherence to cIMT methodological guidelines abstracted from two consensus papers. Five studies were scored as 'moderate quality' in methodological reporting, having specified 9 to 11 of 15 quality reporting criterion. The remaining seven studies were scored as 'low quality', having reported less than 9 of 15 quality reporting criterion. No study had methodological reporting that was scored as 'high quality'. The overall reporting of quality methodology was poor in the published SCI literature. A greater adherence to current methodological guidelines is needed to advance the field of cIMT in SCI. Further research is necessary to refine cIMT acquisition and analysis guidelines to aid authors designing research and journals in screening manuscripts for publication.

Test Usage in Published Research and the Practice of Counseling: A Comparative Review

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hogan, Thomas P.; Rengert, Colleen

2008-01-01

The authors studied test usage defined by test appearance in research articles in counseling journals and test usage self-reported by counselors in previous studies. Many tests used by counselors according to self-report rarely appear in research studies. Absence of research articles using mental ability and projective measures was especially…

Quality of Author Guidelines in Nursing Journals.

PubMed

Oermann, Marilyn H; Nicoll, Leslie H; Chinn, Peggy L; Conklin, Jamie L; McCarty, Midori; Amarasekara, Sathya

2018-04-12

The aims of this study were to (a) describe the information provided in author guidelines in nursing journals, (b) assess the completeness of this information, and (c) identify the extent and types of reporting guidelines used in nursing journals. Content analysis of author guidelines for 245 nursing journals included in the Directory of Nursing Journals maintained at the International Academy of Nursing Editors website. Using Research Electronic Data Capture, data on 19 criteria for completeness were extracted from published author guidelines. Additional details about journal requirements, such as allowed length of manuscripts and format for the abstract, were also recorded. Reliability was established by simultaneous review of 25 journals (10%) by the research assistant and a senior member of the research team. Author guidelines were easily accessible at journal websites or through links to download the information. A majority (73.5%) had completeness scores of 75% or higher; six journals had guidelines that were 100% complete. Half of the journals used the American Psychological Association reference style, and 26.3% used the American Medical Association style. Less than one fourth had stated requirements to use reporting guidelines such as Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials (CONSORT) and Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA). Author guidelines for nursing journals are generally complete and informative. Although specific reporting guidelines such as CONSORT and PRISMA improve the accuracy and completeness of manuscripts on various types of studies, most nursing journals do not indicate use of these for manuscript preparation. Editors who want to improve their author guidelines should use the 19 criteria for completeness as a gauge for updating and revision. Nurses rely on the published literature to inform their practice and ensure that it is based on evidence. Guidelines for publishing in the scholarly literature assist clinicians and scholars to ensure that published articles are complete, current, concise, and accurate. © 2018 The Authors. Journal of Nursing Scholarship published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of Sigma Theta Tau International The Honor Society of Nursing.

Agreement in reporting between trial publications and current clinical trial registry in high impact journals: A methodological review.

PubMed

Kosa, Sarah Daisy; Mbuagbaw, Lawrence; Borg Debono, Victoria; Bhandari, Mohit; Dennis, Brittany B; Ene, Gabrielle; Leenus, Alvin; Shi, Daniel; Thabane, Michael; Valvasori, Sara; Vanniyasingam, Thuva; Ye, Chenglin; Yranon, Elgene; Zhang, Shiyuan; Thabane, Lehana

2018-02-01

The primary objective of this systematic survey was to examine the percentage of studies in which there was agreement in the reporting of the primary outcome between the currently updated version of the clinical trial registry and the published paper. We also investigated the factors associated with agreement in reporting of the primary outcome. We searched PubMed for all randomized control trials (RCT)s published in 2012-2015 in the top five general medicine journals (based on the 2014 impact factor). Two hundred abstracts (50 from each year) were randomly selected for data extraction. Agreement in reporting of 11 key study conduct items (e.g., sample size) and study characteristics (e.g., funding, number of sites) were extracted by two independent reviewers. Descriptive analyses were conducted to determine the proportion of studies on which there was agreement in reporting of key study conduct items. Generalized estimating equations were used to explore factors associated with agreement in reporting of the primary outcome. Of the 200 included studies, 87% had agreement in reporting of the primary outcome. After adjusting for other covariates, having greater than 50 sites was associated with an increased likelihood of agreement in reporting of the primary outcome (odds ratio=7.1, 95% confidence interval=1.39, 36.27, p=0.018). We identified substantive disagreement in reporting between publications and current clinical trial registry, which were associated with several study characteristics. Further measures are needed to improve reporting given the potential threats to the quality and integrity of scientific research. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Alcohol intake and gastric cancer: Meta-analyses of published data versus individual participant data pooled analyses (StoP Project).

PubMed

Ferro, Ana; Morais, Samantha; Rota, Matteo; Pelucchi, Claudio; Bertuccio, Paola; Bonzi, Rossella; Galeone, Carlotta; Zhang, Zuo-Feng; Matsuo, Keitaro; Ito, Hidemi; Hu, Jinfu; Johnson, Kenneth C; Yu, Guo-Pei; Palli, Domenico; Ferraroni, Monica; Muscat, Joshua; Malekzadeh, Reza; Ye, Weimin; Song, Huan; Zaridze, David; Maximovitch, Dmitry; Fernández de Larrea, Nerea; Kogevinas, Manolis; Vioque, Jesus; Navarrete-Muñoz, Eva M; Pakseresht, Mohammadreza; Pourfarzi, Farhad; Wolk, Alicja; Orsini, Nicola; Bellavia, Andrea; Håkansson, Niclas; Mu, Lina; Pastorino, Roberta; Kurtz, Robert C; Derakhshan, Mohammad H; Lagiou, Areti; Lagiou, Pagona; Boffetta, Paolo; Boccia, Stefania; Negri, Eva; La Vecchia, Carlo; Peleteiro, Bárbara; Lunet, Nuno

2018-05-01

Individual participant data pooled analyses allow access to non-published data and statistical reanalyses based on more homogeneous criteria than meta-analyses based on systematic reviews. We quantified the impact of publication-related biases and heterogeneity in data analysis and presentation in summary estimates of the association between alcohol drinking and gastric cancer. We compared estimates obtained from conventional meta-analyses, using only data available in published reports from studies that take part in the Stomach Cancer Pooling (StoP) Project, with individual participant data pooled analyses including the same studies. A total of 22 studies from the StoP Project assessed the relation between alcohol intake and gastric cancer, 19 had specific data for levels of consumption and 18 according to cancer location; published reports addressing these associations were available from 18, 5 and 5 studies, respectively. The summary odds ratios [OR, (95%CI)] estimate obtained with published data for drinkers vs. non-drinkers was 10% higher than the one obtained with individual StoP data [18 vs. 22 studies: 1.21 (1.07-1.36) vs. 1.10 (0.99-1.23)] and more heterogeneous (I 2 : 63.6% vs 54.4%). In general, published data yielded less precise summary estimates (standard errors up to 2.6 times higher). Funnel plot analysis suggested publication bias. Meta-analyses of the association between alcohol drinking and gastric cancer tended to overestimate the magnitude of the effects, possibly due to publication bias. Additionally, individual participant data pooled analyses yielded more precise estimates for different levels of exposure or cancer subtypes. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Reporting adverse events in randomized controlled trials in periodontology: a systematic review.

PubMed

Faggion, Clovis M; Tu, Yu-Kang; Giannakopoulos, Nikolaos N

2013-09-01

Reporting of adverse events is of paramount importance in randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to guide the implementation of new therapeutic approaches in clinical practice. The aim of this study was to assess the quality of adverse events reporting in RCTs published in the periodontal literature. Two authors (CMF and NNG) searched the PubMed and LILACS electronic databases independently and in duplicate to identify RCTs published in periodontology from 2002 to 2003 and from 2011 to 2012. Reporting quality in RCTs was assessed with reference to the 2004 CONSORT Extension for Harms checklist. Differences in adverse events reporting between industry- and non-industry-funded RCTs were also determined. Cohen's kappa statistic was used to determine the extent of inter-reviewer agreement. Fischer's exact test was used to assess differences in reporting between the two samples. The analysis included 246 publications. One hundred twenty-four of 990 (13%) items and 223 of 1460 (15%) items were adequately reported in publications from 2002 to 2003 and from 2011 to 2012 respectively. Three checklist topics were significantly better reported in the 2011-2012 sample; two recommendations were better reported in non-industry-funded trials in publications from both periods. Improvement and standardization of adverse events reporting in periodontology are needed. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Hospital malnutrition in Latin America: A systematic review.

PubMed

Correia, Maria Isabel T D; Perman, Mario Ignacio; Waitzberg, Dan Linetzky

2017-08-01

Disease-related malnutrition is a major public health issue in both industrialised and emerging countries. The reported prevalence in hospitalised adults ranges from 20% to 50%. Initial reports from emerging countries suggested a higher prevalence compared with other regions, with limited data on outcomes and costs. We performed a systematic literature search for articles on disease-related malnutrition in Latin American countries published between January 1995 and September 2014. Studies reporting data on the prevalence, clinical outcomes, or economic costs of malnutrition in an adult (≥18 years) inpatient population with a sample size of ≥30 subjects were eligible for inclusion. Methodological quality of the studies was assessed by two independent reviewers using published criteria. We identified 1467 citations; of these, 66 studies including 29 ,474 patients in 12 Latin American countries met the criteria for inclusion. There was considerable variability in methodology and in the reported prevalence of disease-related malnutrition; however, prevalence was consistently in the range of 40%-60% at the time of admission, with several studies reporting an increase in prevalence with increasing duration of hospitalisation. Disease-related malnutrition was associated with an increase in infectious and non-infectious clinical complications, length of hospital stay, and costs. Disease-related malnutrition is a highly prevalent condition that imposes a substantial health and economic burden on the countries of Latin America. Further research is necessary to characterise screening/assessment practices and identify evidence-based solutions to this persistent and costly public health issue. Copyright © 2016 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Research on Libraries and Distance Education: An Analysis of Articles Published 1999-2009

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Herring, Susan Davis

2010-01-01

This article reports on a content analysis of research articles focusing on library services in distance education published between 1999 and 2009. The study identified 472 articles on the topic and analyzed the citations, abstracts, and indexing to determine major topics, issues, and trends discussed; methodologies used; and major journals…

Are cattle dangerous to walkers? A scoping review.

PubMed

Fraser-Williams, Angharad P; McIntyre, K Marie; Westgarth, Carri

2016-12-01

Anecdotal evidence suggests that people coming into contact with cattle while participating in outdoor pursuits can sustain severe, even fatal injuries. This has negative implications for farmers, cattle and the public. This study outlines findings from a review of published literature, UK media reports and internet guidelines currently available to the UK public for walking near cattle. A total of 54 cattle attacks were reported in the UK media from 1 January 1993 to 31 May 2013; approximately one-quarter resulted in fatality and two-thirds involved dogs. Walking with dogs among cows, particularly with calves present, was a problematic context. Twenty pieces of commonly occurring advice were found within various guidelines. However, there are no definitive approved guidelines, no published studies describing the prevalence of cattle attacks on members of the public and no system in place to document them. Attacks by cattle are underinvestigated and further work should assess their public health impact. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/.

Worldwide research productivity in the field of endocrinology and metabolism--a bibliometric analysis.

PubMed

Zhao, Xiyan; Ye, Ru; Zhao, Linhua; Lin, Yiqun; Huang, Wenjing; He, Xinhui; Lian, Fengmei; Tong, Xiaolin

2015-01-01

Recently, significant contributions to the study of endocrinology and metabolism have been made. The national contribution, however, has not been reported. The aim of this study was to assess national efforts in the field of endocrinology and metabolism. A Web of Science search was performed using subject categories "endocrinology & metabolism" to identify articles published from 2010 to 2014. The total and per capita numbers of articles and citations were analysed for different countries. A total of 79,394 articles were published on endocrinology and metabolism from 2010 to 2014. Most were published in North America, East Asia, and Europe. The majority (82.28%) were reported by authors in high-income countries, 17.64% were published in middle-income countries, and only 0.08% were published in low-income countries. Authors in the United States published the most articles (27.38%), followed by China (7.22%), Italy (5.70%), the United Kingdom (5.6%), and Japan (5.54%). Articles published by authors in the United States had the most citations (260,934). A positive correlation was found between the number of publications and population/gross domestic product (GDP; p < 0.01). When normalised to population size, the ranking for the most publications was Denmark, Sweden, and the Netherlands; when normalised to GDP, the ranking was Denmark, Greece, and the Netherlands. The majority of endocrinology and metabolism articles were published by authors from high-income countries with few from low-income countries. The United States was the most productive country. However, when population size and GDP were considered, some European countries were ranked higher.

Is the published literature a reliable guide for deciding between alternative treatments for patients with early cervical cancer?

PubMed

Zola, P; Volpe, T; Castelli, G; Sismondi, P; Nicolucci, A; Parazzini, F; Liberati, A

1989-03-01

The quality of the methodology and reporting of studies on the treatment of early cervical cancer published in English and French language over the period 1975-1985 were examined using an explicit, pre-defined protocol aimed at assessing their internal validity and generalizability. One hundred and fifty-two articles reporting results on over 40,000 patients treated with surgery, radiotherapy, or the combination of the two, were examined. The astonishing lack of formal comparative studies together with the poor quality of those actually carried out were the two major findings of our study. More than half of the reviewed papers (54%) were single series studies. Among the remaining 46% only a few formally compared the two treatments (i.e. surgery vs. radiotherapy), the remainder dealing with comparisons of specific surgical or radiotherapeutic techniques. With reference to study quality, the existence of a pre-specified research protocol could not be ascertained in most studies. A description of patients' characteristics and information on the source population were deficient in most papers reviewed; information on the two aspects was in fact satisfactorily reported in only 7% and 47% of the papers, respectively. Finally, the lack of standardization of follow-up methods (i.e. type and modalities) and of information on treatment compliance were two other severe methodological deficiencies. In view of this poor quality and of the intrinsic difficulty of drawing firm scientific conclusions from non-experimental investigations, the reliability of this literature remains highly dubious. Another possible caveat is that what is published is a biased sample of the overall evidence because of the well known tendency of authors to write about and editors to publish positive results more frequently than negative ones.

Thinker, Soldier, Scribe: cross-sectional study of researchers' roles and author order in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

PubMed

Perneger, Thomas V; Poncet, Antoine; Carpentier, Marc; Agoritsas, Thomas; Combescure, Christophe; Gayet-Ageron, Angèle

2017-06-24

How researchers' contributions relate to author order on the byline remains unclear. We sought to identify researchers' contributions associated with author order, and to explore the existence of author profiles. Observational study. Published record. 1139 authors of 119 research articles published in 2015 in the Annals of Internal Medicine . Presence or absence of 10 contributions, reported by each author, published in the journal. On average, first authors reported 7.1 contributions, second authors 5.2, middle authors 4.0, penultimate authors 4.5 and last authors 6.4 (p<0.001). The first author made the greatest contributions to drafting the article, designing the study, analysing and interpreting the data, and providing study materials or patients. The second author contributed to data analysis as well and to drafting the article. The last author was most involved in obtaining the funding, critically revising the article, designing the study and providing support. Factor analysis yielded three author profiles- Thinker (study design, revision of article, obtaining funding), Soldier (providing material or patients, providing administrative and logistical support, collecting data) and Scribe (analysis and interpretation of data, drafting the article, statistical expertise). These profiles do not strictly correspond to byline position. First, second and last authors of research articles made distinct contributions to published research. Three authorship profiles can be used to summarise author contributions. These findings shed light on the organisation of clinical research teams and may help researchers discuss, plan and report authorship in a more transparent way. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2017. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

Randomized controlled trials and neuro-oncology: should alternative designs be considered?

PubMed

Mansouri, Alireza; Shin, Samuel; Cooper, Benjamin; Srivastava, Archita; Bhandari, Mohit; Kondziolka, Douglas

2015-09-01

Deficiencies in design and reporting of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) hinders interpretability and critical appraisal. The reporting quality of recent RCTs in neuro-oncology was analyzed to assess adequacy of design and reporting. The MEDLINE and EMBASE databases were searched to identify non-surgical RCTs (years 2005-2014, inclusive). The CONSORT and Jadad scales were used to assess the quality of design/reporting. Studies published in 2005-2010 were compared as a cohort against studies published in 2011-2014, in terms of general characteristics and reporting quality. A PRECIS-based scale was used to designate studies on the pragmatic-explanatory continuum. Spearman's test was used to assess correlations. Regression analysis was used to assess associations. Overall 68 RCTs were identified. Studies were often chemotherapy-based (n = 41 studies) focusing upon high grade gliomas (46 %) and metastases (41 %) as the top pathologies. Multi-center trials (71 %) were frequent. The overall median CONSORT and Jadad scores were 34.5 (maximum 44) and 2 (maximum 5), respectively; these scores were similar in radiation and chemotherapy-based trials. Major areas of deficiency pertained to allocation concealment, implementation of methods, and blinding whereby less than 20 % of articles fulfilled all criteria. Description of intervention, random sequence generation, and the details regarding recruitment were also deficient; less than 50 % of studies fulfilled all criteria. Description of sample size calculations and blinding improved in later published cohorts. Journal impact factor was significantly associated with higher quality (p = 0.04). Large academic consortia, multi-center designs, ITT analysis, collaboration with biostatisticians, larger sample sizes, and studies with pragmatic objectives were more likely to achieve positive primary outcomes on univariate analysis; none of these variables were significant on multivariate analysis. Deficiencies in the quality of design/reporting of RCTs in neuro-oncology persist. Quality improvement is necessary. Consideration of alternative strategies should be considered.

A Systematic Review of End-of-Life Care Communication Skills Training for Generalist Palliative Care Providers: Research Quality and Reporting Guidance.

PubMed

Brighton, Lisa Jane; Koffman, Jonathan; Hawkins, Amy; McDonald, Christine; O'Brien, Suzanne; Robinson, Vicky; Khan, Shaheen A; George, Rob; Higginson, Irene J; Selman, Lucy Ellen

2017-09-01

End-of-life care (EoLC) communication skills training for generalist palliative care providers is recommended in policy guidance globally. Although many training programs now exist, there has been no comprehensive evidence synthesis to inform future training delivery and evaluation. To identify and appraise how EoLC communication skills training interventions for generalist palliative care providers are developed, delivered, evaluated, and reported. Systematic review. Ten electronic databases (inception to December 2015) and five relevant journals (January 2004 to December 2015) were searched. Studies testing the effectiveness of EoLC communication skills training for generalists were included. Two independent authors assessed study quality. Descriptive statistics and narrative synthesis are used to summarize the findings. From 11,441 unique records, 170 reports were identified (157 published, 13 unpublished), representing 160 evaluation studies of 153 training interventions. Of published papers, eight were of low quality, 108 medium, and 41 high. Few interventions were developed with service user involvement (n = 7), and most were taught using a mixture of didactics (n = 123), reflection and discussion (n = 105), and role play (n = 86). Evaluation designs were weak: <30% were controlled, <15% randomized participants. Over half (n = 85) relied on staff self-reported outcomes to assess effectiveness, and 49% did not cite psychometrically validated measures. Key information (e.g., training duration, participant flow) was poorly reported. Despite a proliferation of EoLC communication skills training interventions in the literature, evidence is limited by poor reporting and weak methodology. Based on our findings, we present a CONSORT statement supplement to improve future reporting and encourage more rigorous testing. Copyright © 2017 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Identifying approaches for assessing methodological and reporting quality of systematic reviews: a descriptive study.

PubMed

Pussegoda, Kusala; Turner, Lucy; Garritty, Chantelle; Mayhew, Alain; Skidmore, Becky; Stevens, Adrienne; Boutron, Isabelle; Sarkis-Onofre, Rafael; Bjerre, Lise M; Hróbjartsson, Asbjørn; Altman, Douglas G; Moher, David

2017-06-19

The methodological quality and completeness of reporting of the systematic reviews (SRs) is fundamental to optimal implementation of evidence-based health care and the reduction of research waste. Methods exist to appraise SRs yet little is known about how they are used in SRs or where there are potential gaps in research best-practice guidance materials. The aims of this study are to identify reports assessing the methodological quality (MQ) and/or reporting quality (RQ) of a cohort of SRs and to assess their number, general characteristics, and approaches to 'quality' assessment over time. The Cochrane Library, MEDLINE®, and EMBASE® were searched from January 1990 to October 16, 2014, for reports assessing MQ and/or RQ of SRs. Title, abstract, and full-text screening of all reports were conducted independently by two reviewers. Reports assessing the MQ and/or RQ of a cohort of ten or more SRs of interventions were included. All results are reported as frequencies and percentages of reports. Of 20,765 unique records retrieved, 1189 of them were reviewed for full-text review, of which 76 reports were included. Eight previously published approaches to assessing MQ or reporting guidelines used as proxy to assess RQ were used in 80% (61/76) of identified reports. These included two reporting guidelines (PRISMA and QUOROM) and five quality assessment tools (AMSTAR, R-AMSTAR, OQAQ, Mulrow, Sacks) and GRADE criteria. The remaining 24% (18/76) of reports developed their own criteria. PRISMA, OQAQ, and AMSTAR were the most commonly used published tools to assess MQ or RQ. In conjunction with other approaches, published tools were used in 29% (22/76) of reports, with 36% (8/22) assessing adherence to both PRISMA and AMSTAR criteria and 26% (6/22) using QUOROM and OQAQ. The methods used to assess quality of SRs are diverse, and none has become universally accepted. The most commonly used quality assessment tools are AMSTAR, OQAQ, and PRISMA. As new tools and guidelines are developed to improve both the MQ and RQ of SRs, authors of methodological studies are encouraged to put thoughtful consideration into the use of appropriate tools to assess quality and reporting.

Reports Bibliography, October 1971

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1971-10-01

The reports bibliography published at the Transportation Systems Center provides a substantive listing of scientific technical reports published from July 1970 through October 1971. Reports are arranged in 22 subject fields and are listed by sponsori...

Birth Weight and Acute Childhood Leukemia: A Meta-analysis of Observational Studies

DTIC Science & Technology

2005-03-22

22 MAR 2005 2. REPORT TYPE 3. DATES COVERED - 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE Birth Weight and Acute Childhood Leukemia: A Meta - analysis of Observational...and to quantify the strength of the relationships. We conducted a meta - analysis of nine case-control studies (published between 1991 and 2004...Based on a meta - analysis of only three case-control studies (published between 1997 and 2004) involving over 700 children with AML and over 1,900

Systematic review of the methodological quality of controlled trials evaluating Chinese herbal medicine in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

PubMed

Pan, Xin; Lopez-Olivo, Maria A; Song, Juhee; Pratt, Gregory; Suarez-Almazor, Maria E

2017-03-01

We appraised the methodological and reporting quality of randomised controlled clinical trials (RCTs) evaluating the efficacy and safety of Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). For this systematic review, electronic databases were searched from inception until June 2015. The search was limited to humans and non-case report studies, but was not limited by language, year of publication or type of publication. Two independent reviewers selected RCTs, evaluating CHM in RA (herbals and decoctions). Descriptive statistics were used to report on risk of bias and their adherence to reporting standards. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed to determine study characteristics associated with high or unclear risk of bias. Out of 2342 unique citations, we selected 119 RCTs including 18 919 patients: 10 108 patients received CHM alone and 6550 received one of 11 treatment combinations. A high risk of bias was observed across all domains: 21% had a high risk for selection bias (11% from sequence generation and 30% from allocation concealment), 85% for performance bias, 89% for detection bias, 4% for attrition bias and 40% for reporting bias. In multivariable analysis, fewer authors were associated with selection bias (allocation concealment), performance bias and attrition bias, and earlier year of publication and funding source not reported or disclosed were associated with selection bias (sequence generation). Studies published in non-English language were associated with reporting bias. Poor adherence to recommended reporting standards (<60% of the studies not providing sufficient information) was observed in 11 of the 23 sections evaluated. Study quality and data extraction were performed by one reviewer and cross-checked by a second reviewer. Translation to English was performed by one reviewer in 85% of the included studies. Studies evaluating CHM often fail to meet expected methodological criteria, and high-quality evidence is lacking. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/.

Reporting clinical outcomes of breast reconstruction: a systematic review.

PubMed

Potter, S; Brigic, A; Whiting, P F; Cawthorn, S J; Avery, K N L; Donovan, J L; Blazeby, J M

2011-01-05

Breast reconstruction after mastectomy for cancer requires accurate evaluation to inform evidence-based participatory decision making, but the standards of outcome reporting after breast reconstruction have not previously been considered. We used extensive searches to identify articles reporting surgical outcomes of breast reconstruction. We extracted data using published criteria for complication reporting modified to reflect reconstructive practice. Study designs included randomized controlled trials, cohort studies, and case series. The Cochrane Risk of Bias tool was used to critically appraise all study designs. Other criteria used to assess the studies were selection and funding bias, statistical power calculations, and institutional review board approval. Wilcoxon signed rank tests were used to compare the breadth and frequency of study outcomes, and χ² tests were used to compare the number of studies in each group reporting each of the published criteria. All statistical tests were two-sided. Surgical complications following breast reconstruction in 42,146 women were evaluated in 134 studies. These included 11 (8.2%) randomized trials, 74 (55.2%) cohort studies, and 49 (36.6%) case series. Fifty-three percent of studies demonstrated a disparity between methods and results in the numbers of complications reported. Complications were defined by 87 (64.9%) studies and graded by 78 (58.2%). Details such as the duration of follow-up and risk factors for adverse outcomes were omitted from 47 (35.1%) and 58 (43.3%) studies, respectively. Overall, the studies defined fewer than 20% of the complications they reported, and the definitions were largely inconsistent. The results of this systematic review suggest that outcome reporting in breast reconstruction is inconsistent and lacks methodological rigor. The development of a standardized core outcome set is recommended to improve outcome reporting in breast reconstruction.

Systematic Review of Health Economic Evaluation Studies Developed in Brazil from 1980 to 2013.

PubMed

Decimoni, Tassia Cristina; Leandro, Roseli; Rozman, Luciana Martins; Craig, Dawn; Iglesias, Cynthia P; Novaes, Hillegonda Maria Dutilh; de Soárez, Patrícia Coelho

2018-01-01

Brazil has sought to use economic evaluation to support healthcare decision-making processes. While a number of health economic evaluations (HEEs) have been conducted, no study has systematically reviewed the quality of Brazilian HEE. The objective of this systematic review was to provide an overview regarding the state of HEE research and to evaluate the number, characteristics, and quality of reporting of published HEE studies conducted in a Brazilian setting. We systematically searched electronic databases (MEDLINE, EMBASE, Latin American, and Caribbean Literature on Health Sciences Database, Scientific Electronic Library Online, NHS Economic Evaluation Database, health technology assessment Database, Bireme, and Biblioteca Virtual em Saúde Economia da Saúde ); citation indexes (SCOPUS, Web of Science), and Sistema de Informação da Rede Brasileira de Avaliação de Tecnologia em Saúde . Partial and full HEEs published between 1980 and 2013 that referred to a Brazilian setting were considered for inclusion. In total, 535 studies were included in the review, 36.8% of these were considered to be full HEE. The category of healthcare technologies more frequently assessed were procedures (34.8%) and drugs (28.8%) which main objective was treatment (72.1%). Forty-four percent of the studies reported their funding source and 36% reported a conflict of interest. Overall, the full HEE quality of reporting was satisfactory. But some items were generally poorly reported and significant improvement is required: (1) methods used to estimate healthcare resource use quantities and unit costs, (2) methods used to estimate utility values, (3) sources of funding, and (4) conflicts of interest. A steady number of HEE have been published in Brazil since 1980. To improve their contribution to inform national healthcare policy efforts need to be made to enhance the quality of reporting of HEEs and promote improvements in the way HEEs are designed, implemented (i.e., using sound methods for HEEs) and reported.

Publications of LASL research, 1975

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kerr, A.K.

1976-09-01

This bibliography lists unclassified 1975 publications of work done at the Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory and those earlier publications that were received too late for inclusion in earlier compilations. Papers published in 1975 are included regardless of when they were actually written. Declassification of previously classified reports is considered to constitute publication. All classified issuances are omitted. The bibliography includes Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory reports, papers released as non-Los Alamos reports, journal articles, books, chapters of books, conference papers (whether published separately or as part of conference proceedings issued as books or reports), papers published in congressional hearings, theses, andmore » U.S. Patents. Publications by LASL authors which are not records of Laboratory-sponsored work are included when the Library becomes aware of them. The entries are arranged in sections by the following broad subject categories: aerospace studies; analytical technology; astrophysics; atomic and molecular physics, equation of state, opacity; biology and medicine; chemical dynamics and kinetics; chemistry; cryogenics; crystallography; CTR and plasma physics; earth science and engineering; energy (nonnuclear); engineering and equipment; EPR, ESR, NMR studies; explosives and detonations; fission physics; health and safety; hydrodynamics and radiation transport; instruments; lasers; mathematics and computers; medium-energy physics; metallurgy and ceramics technology; neutronics and criticality studies; nuclear physics; nuclear safeguards; physics; reactor technology; solid state science; and miscellaneous (including Project Rover). Author, numerical, and KWIC indexes are included. (RWR)« less

Are studies reporting significant results more likely to be published?

PubMed

Koletsi, Despina; Karagianni, Anthi; Pandis, Nikolaos; Makou, Margarita; Polychronopoulou, Argy; Eliades, Theodore

2009-11-01

Our objective was to assess the hypothesis that there are variations of the proportion of articles reporting a significant effect, with a higher percentage of those articles published in journals with impact factors. The contents of 5 orthodontic journals (American Journal of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics, Angle Orthodontist, European Journal of Orthodontics, Journal of Orthodontics, and Orthodontics and Craniofacial Research), published between 2004 and 2008, were hand-searched. Articles with statistical analysis of data were included in the study and classified into 4 categories: behavior and psychology, biomaterials and biomechanics, diagnostic procedures and treatment, and craniofacial growth, morphology, and genetics. In total, 2622 articles were examined, with 1785 included in the analysis. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were applied with statistical significance as the dependent variable, and whether the journal had an impact factor, the subject, and the year were the independent predictors. A higher percentage of articles showed significant results relative to those without significant associations (on average, 88% vs 12%) for those journals. Overall, these journals published significantly more studies with significant results, ranging from 75% to 90% (P = 0.02). Multivariate modeling showed that journals with impact factors had a 100% increased probability of publishing a statistically significant result compared with journals with no impact factor (odds ratio [OR], 1.99; 95% CI, 1.19-3.31). Compared with articles on biomaterials and biomechanics, all other subject categories showed lower probabilities of significant results. Nonsignificant findings in behavior and psychology and diagnosis and treatment were 1.8 (OR, 1.75; 95% CI, 1.51-2.67) and 3.5 (OR, 3.50; 95% CI, 2.27-5.37) times more likely to be published, respectively. Journals seem to prefer reporting significant results; this might be because of authors' perceptions of the importance of their findings and editors' and reviewers' preferences for significant results. The implication of this factor in the reliability of systematic reviews is discussed.

Media Coverage, Journal Press Releases and Editorials Associated with Randomized and Observational Studies in High-Impact Medical Journals: A Cohort Study

PubMed Central

Wang, Michael T. M.; Bolland, Mark J.; Gamble, Greg; Grey, Andrew

2015-01-01

Background Publication of clinical research findings in prominent journals influences health beliefs and medical practice, in part by engendering news coverage. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) should be most influential in guiding clinical practice. We determined whether study design of clinical research published in high-impact journals influences media coverage. Methods and Findings We compared the incidence and amount of media coverage of RCTs with that of observational studies published in the top 7 medical journals between 1 January 2013 and 31 March 2013. We specifically assessed media coverage of the most rigorous RCTs, those with >1000 participants that reported ‘hard’ outcomes. There was no difference between RCTs and observational studies in coverage by major newspapers or news agencies, or in total number of news stories generated (all P>0.63). Large RCTs reporting ‘hard’ outcomes did not generate more news coverage than small RCTs that reported surrogate outcomes and observational studies (all P>0.32). RCTs were more likely than observational studies to attract a journal editorial (70% vs 46%, P = 0.003), but less likely to be the subject of a journal press release (17% vs 50%, P<0.001). Large RCTs that reported ‘hard’ outcomes did not attract an editorial more frequently than other studies (61% vs 58%, P>0.99), nor were they more likely to be the subject of a journal press release (14% vs 38%, P = 0.14). Conclusions The design of clinical studies whose results are published in high-impact medical journals is not associated with the likelihood or amount of ensuing news coverage. PMID:26701758

Methodological reporting in qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods health services research articles.

PubMed

Wisdom, Jennifer P; Cavaleri, Mary A; Onwuegbuzie, Anthony J; Green, Carla A

2012-04-01

Methodologically sound mixed methods research can improve our understanding of health services by providing a more comprehensive picture of health services than either method can alone. This study describes the frequency of mixed methods in published health services research and compares the presence of methodological components indicative of rigorous approaches across mixed methods, qualitative, and quantitative articles. All empirical articles (n = 1,651) published between 2003 and 2007 from four top-ranked health services journals. All mixed methods articles (n = 47) and random samples of qualitative and quantitative articles were evaluated to identify reporting of key components indicating rigor for each method, based on accepted standards for evaluating the quality of research reports (e.g., use of p-values in quantitative reports, description of context in qualitative reports, and integration in mixed method reports). We used chi-square tests to evaluate differences between article types for each component. Mixed methods articles comprised 2.85 percent (n = 47) of empirical articles, quantitative articles 90.98 percent (n = 1,502), and qualitative articles 6.18 percent (n = 102). There was a statistically significant difference (χ(2) (1) = 12.20, p = .0005, Cramer's V = 0.09, odds ratio = 1.49 [95% confidence interval = 1,27, 1.74]) in the proportion of quantitative methodological components present in mixed methods compared to quantitative papers (21.94 versus 47.07 percent, respectively) but no statistically significant difference (χ(2) (1) = 0.02, p = .89, Cramer's V = 0.01) in the proportion of qualitative methodological components in mixed methods compared to qualitative papers (21.34 versus 25.47 percent, respectively). Few published health services research articles use mixed methods. The frequency of key methodological components is variable. Suggestions are provided to increase the transparency of mixed methods studies and the presence of key methodological components in published reports. © Health Research and Educational Trust.

Avoidable Waste in Ophthalmic Epidemiology: A Review of Blindness Prevalence Surveys in Low and Middle Income Countries 2000-2014.

PubMed

Ramke, Jacqueline; Kuper, Hannah; Limburg, Hans; Kinloch, Jennifer; Zhu, Wenhui; Lansingh, Van C; Congdon, Nathan; Foster, Allen; Gilbert, Clare E

2018-02-01

Sources of avoidable waste in ophthalmic epidemiology include duplication of effort, and survey reports remaining unpublished, gaining publication after a long delay, or being incomplete or of poor quality. The aim of this review was to assess these sources of avoidable waste by examining blindness prevalence surveys undertaken in low and middle income countries (LMICs) between 2000 and 2014. On December 1, 2016 we searched MEDLINE, EMBASE and Web of Science databases for cross-sectional blindness prevalence surveys undertaken in LMICs between 2000 and 2014. All surveys listed on the Rapid Assessment of Avoidable Blindness (RAAB) Repository website ("the Repository") were also considered. For each survey we assessed (1) availability of scientific publication, survey report, summary results tables and/or datasets; (2) time to publication from year of survey completion and journal attributes; (3) extent of blindness information reported; and (4) rigour when information was available from two sources (i.e. whether it matched). Of the 279 included surveys (from 68 countries) 186 (67%) used RAAB methodology; 146 (52%) were published in a scientific journal, 57 (20%) were published in a journal and on the Repository, and 76 (27%) were on the Repository only (8% had tables; 19% had no information available beyond registration). Datasets were available for 50 RAABs (18% of included surveys). Time to publication ranged from <1 to 11 years (mean, standard deviation 2.8 ± 1.8 years). The extent of blindness information reported within studies varied (e.g. presenting and best-corrected, unilateral and bilateral); those with both a published report and Repository tables were most complete. For surveys published and with RAAB tables available, discrepancies were found in reporting of participant numbers (14% of studies) and blindness prevalence (15%). Strategies are needed to improve the availability, consistency, and quality of information reported from blindness prevalence surveys, and hence reduce avoidable waste.

Dimensions of Genocide: The Circumplex Model Meets Violentization Theory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Winton, Mark A.

2008-01-01

The purpose of this study is to examine the use of Olson's (1995, 2000) family therapy based circumplex model and Athens' (1992, 1997, 2003) violentization theory in explaining genocide. The Rwandan genocide of 1994 is used as a case study. Published texts, including interviews with perpetrators, research reports, human rights reports, and court…

External Reporting Lines of Academic Special Libraries: A Health Sciences Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Buhler, Amy G.; Ferree, Nita; Cataldo, Tara T.; Tennant, Michele R.

2010-01-01

Very little literature exists on the nature of external reporting lines and funding structures of academic special libraries. This study focuses on academic health sciences libraries. The authors analyze information gathered from statistics published by the Association of Academic Health Sciences Libraries (AAHSL) from 1977 through 2007; an…

Self-Injurious Behavior and Functional Analysis: Where Are the Descriptions of Participant Protections?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Weeden, Marc; Mahoney, Amanda; Poling, Alan

2010-01-01

This study examined the reporting of participant protections in studies involving functional analysis and self-injurious behavior and published from 1994 through 2008. Results indicated that session termination criteria were rarely reported and other specific participant safeguards were seldom described. The absence of such information in no way…

Peer support of complex health behaviors in prevention and disease management with special reference to diabetes: systematic reviews.

PubMed

Fisher, Edwin B; Boothroyd, Renée I; Elstad, Emily A; Hays, Laura; Henes, Amy; Maslow, Gary R; Velicer, Clayton

2017-01-01

Examine Peer Support (PS) for complex, sustained health behaviors in prevention or disease management with emphasis on diabetes prevention and management. PS was defined as emotional, motivational and practical assistance provided by nonprofessionals for complex health behaviors. Initial review examined 65 studies drawn from 1442 abstracts identified through PubMed, published 1/1/2000-7/15/2011. From this search, 24 reviews were also identified. Extension of the search in diabetes identified 30 studies published 1/1/2000-12/31/2015. In initial review, 54 of all 65 studies (83.1%) reported significant impacts of PS, 40 (61.5%) reporting between-group differences and another 14 (21.5%) reporting significant within-group changes. Across 19 of 24 reviews providing quantifiable findings, a median of 64.5% of studies reviewed reported significant effects of PS. In extended review of diabetes, 26 of all 30 studies (86.7%) reported significant impacts of PS, 17 (56.7%) reporting between-group differences and another nine (30.0%) reporting significant within-group changes. Among 19 of these 30 reporting HbA1c data, average reduction was 0.76 points. Studies that did not find effects of PS included other sources of support, implementation or methodological problems, lack of acceptance of interventions, poor fit to recipient needs, and possible harm of unmoderated PS. Across diverse settings, including under-resourced countries and health care systems, PS is effective in improving complex health behaviors in disease prevention and management including in diabetes.

Paediatric reference interval and biological variation trends of thyrotropin (TSH) and free thyroxine (T4) in an Asian population.

PubMed

Loh, Tze Ping; Sethi, Sunil Kumar; Metz, Michael Patrick

2015-08-01

To describe the reference intervals and biological variation data for thyrotropin (TSH) and free thyroxine (FT4) in a mixed Asian population using an indirect sampling approach and to compare them with published reports. TSH and FT4 of children measured once or twice over a 7-year period (2008-2014) at primary-care and tertiary-care settings were extracted from the laboratory information system. After excluding outliers, age-related reference intervals were derived using the Lambda-Mu-Sigma (LMS) approach, while age-partitioned biological variation data were obtained according to recommendations by Fraser and Harris. Both TSH and FT4 were very high at birth and declined with age. Similarly within-individual and between-individual biological variations were higher for both TSH and FT4 at birth and also declined with age. Our data were broadly similar to previous studies. Significant heterogeneity in study population and methods prohibited direct numerical comparison between this and previously published studies. This study fills two important gaps in our knowledge of paediatric thyroid function by reporting the centile trends (and reference values) in a mixed Asian population, as well as providing age-partitioned biological variation data. The variation in published reference intervals highlights the difficulty in harmonising paediatric thyroid reference intervals or recommending universal clinical cut-offs. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

Randomized trials published in some Chinese journals: how many are randomized?

PubMed

Wu, Taixiang; Li, Youping; Bian, Zhaoxiang; Liu, Guanjian; Moher, David

2009-07-02

The approximately 1100 medical journals now active in China are publishing a rapidly increasing number of research reports, including many studies identified by their authors as randomized controlled trials. It has been noticed that these reports mostly present positive results, and their quality and authenticity have consequently been called into question. We investigated the adequacy of randomization of clinical trials published in recent years in China to determine how many of them met acceptable standards for allocating participants to treatment groups. The China National Knowledge Infrastructure electronic database was searched for reports of randomized controlled trials on 20 common diseases published from January 1994 to June 2005. From this sample, a subset of trials that appeared to have used randomization methods was selected. Twenty-one investigators trained in the relevant knowledge, communication skills and quality control issues interviewed the original authors of these trials about the participant randomization methods and related quality-control features of their trials. From an initial sample of 37,313 articles identified in the China National Knowledge Infrastructure database, we found 3137 apparent randomized controlled trials. Of these, 1452 were studies of conventional medicine (published in 411 journals) and 1685 were studies of traditional Chinese medicine (published in 352 journals). Interviews with the authors of 2235 of these reports revealed that only 207 studies adhered to accepted methodology for randomization and could on those grounds be deemed authentic randomized controlled trials (6.8%, 95% confidence interval 5.9-7.7). There was no statistically significant difference in the rate of authenticity between randomized controlled trials of traditional interventions and those of conventional interventions. Randomized controlled trials conducted at hospitals affiliated to medical universities were more likely to be authentic than trials conducted at level 3 and level 2 hospitals (relative risk 1.58, 95% confidence interval 1.18-2.13, and relative risk 14.42, 95% confidence interval 9.40-22.10, respectively). The likelihood of authenticity was higher in level 3 hospitals than in level 2 hospitals (relative risk 9.32, 95% confidence interval 5.83-14.89). All randomized controlled trials of pre-market drug clinical trial were authentic by our criteria. Of the trials conducted at university-affiliated hospitals, 56.3% were authentic (95% confidence interval 32.0-81.0). Most reports of randomized controlled trials published in some Chinese journals lacked an adequate description of randomization. Similarly, most so called 'randomized controlled trials' were not real randomized controlled trials owing to a lack of adequate understanding on the part of the authors of rigorous clinical trial design. All randomized controlled trials of pre-market drug clinical trial included in this research were authentic. Randomized controlled trials conducted by authors in high level hospitals, especially in hospitals affiliated to medical universities had a higher rate of authenticity. That so many non-randomized controlled trials were published as randomized controlled trials reflected the fact that peer review needs to be improved and a good practice guide for peer review including how to identify the authenticity of the study urgently needs to be developed.

Randomized trials published in some Chinese journals: how many are randomized?

PubMed Central

Wu, Taixiang; Li, Youping; Bian, Zhaoxiang; Liu, Guanjian; Moher, David

2009-01-01

Background The approximately 1100 medical journals now active in China are publishing a rapidly increasing number of research reports, including many studies identified by their authors as randomized controlled trials. It has been noticed that these reports mostly present positive results, and their quality and authenticity have consequently been called into question. We investigated the adequacy of randomization of clinical trials published in recent years in China to determine how many of them met acceptable standards for allocating participants to treatment groups. Methods The China National Knowledge Infrastructure electronic database was searched for reports of randomized controlled trials on 20 common diseases published from January 1994 to June 2005. From this sample, a subset of trials that appeared to have used randomization methods was selected. Twenty-one investigators trained in the relevant knowledge, communication skills and quality control issues interviewed the original authors of these trials about the participant randomization methods and related quality-control features of their trials. Results From an initial sample of 37,313 articles identified in the China National Knowledge Infrastructure database, we found 3137 apparent randomized controlled trials. Of these, 1452 were studies of conventional medicine (published in 411 journals) and 1685 were studies of traditional Chinese medicine (published in 352 journals). Interviews with the authors of 2235 of these reports revealed that only 207 studies adhered to accepted methodology for randomization and could on those grounds be deemed authentic randomized controlled trials (6.8%, 95% confidence interval 5.9–7.7). There was no statistically significant difference in the rate of authenticity between randomized controlled trials of traditional interventions and those of conventional interventions. Randomized controlled trials conducted at hospitals affiliated to medical universities were more likely to be authentic than trials conducted at level 3 and level 2 hospitals (relative risk 1.58, 95% confidence interval 1.18–2.13, and relative risk 14.42, 95% confidence interval 9.40–22.10, respectively). The likelihood of authenticity was higher in level 3 hospitals than in level 2 hospitals (relative risk 9.32, 95% confidence interval 5.83–14.89). All randomized controlled trials of pre-market drug clinical trial were authentic by our criteria. Of the trials conducted at university-affiliated hospitals, 56.3% were authentic (95% confidence interval 32.0–81.0). Conclusion Most reports of randomized controlled trials published in some Chinese journals lacked an adequate description of randomization. Similarly, most so called 'randomized controlled trials' were not real randomized controlled trials owing toa lack of adequate understanding on the part of the authors of rigorous clinical trial design. All randomized controlled trials of pre-market drug clinical trial included in this research were authentic. Randomized controlled trials conducted by authors in high level hospitals, especially in hospitals affiliated to medical universities had a higher rate of authenticity. That so many non-randomized controlled trials were published as randomized controlled trials reflected the fact that peer review needs to be improved and a good practice guide for peer review including how to identify the authenticity of the study urgently needs to be developed. PMID:19573242

Why publishing everything is more effective than selective publishing of statistically significant results.

PubMed

van Assen, Marcel A L M; van Aert, Robbie C M; Nuijten, Michèle B; Wicherts, Jelte M

2014-01-01

De Winter and Happee examined whether science based on selective publishing of significant results may be effective in accurate estimation of population effects, and whether this is even more effective than a science in which all results are published (i.e., a science without publication bias). Based on their simulation study they concluded that "selective publishing yields a more accurate meta-analytic estimation of the true effect than publishing everything, (and that) publishing nonreplicable results while placing null results in the file drawer can be beneficial for the scientific collective" (p.4). Using their scenario with a small to medium population effect size, we show that publishing everything is more effective for the scientific collective than selective publishing of significant results. Additionally, we examined a scenario with a null effect, which provides a more dramatic illustration of the superiority of publishing everything over selective publishing. Publishing everything is more effective than only reporting significant outcomes.

Why Publishing Everything Is More Effective than Selective Publishing of Statistically Significant Results

PubMed Central

van Assen, Marcel A. L. M.; van Aert, Robbie C. M.; Nuijten, Michèle B.; Wicherts, Jelte M.

2014-01-01

Background De Winter and Happee [1] examined whether science based on selective publishing of significant results may be effective in accurate estimation of population effects, and whether this is even more effective than a science in which all results are published (i.e., a science without publication bias). Based on their simulation study they concluded that “selective publishing yields a more accurate meta-analytic estimation of the true effect than publishing everything, (and that) publishing nonreplicable results while placing null results in the file drawer can be beneficial for the scientific collective” (p.4). Methods and Findings Using their scenario with a small to medium population effect size, we show that publishing everything is more effective for the scientific collective than selective publishing of significant results. Additionally, we examined a scenario with a null effect, which provides a more dramatic illustration of the superiority of publishing everything over selective publishing. Conclusion Publishing everything is more effective than only reporting significant outcomes. PMID:24465448

Auto-correlation of journal impact factor for consensus research reporting statements: a cohort study.

PubMed

Shanahan, Daniel R

2016-01-01

Background. The Journal Citation Reports journal impact factors (JIFs) are widely used to rank and evaluate journals, standing as a proxy for the relative importance of a journal within its field. However, numerous criticisms have been made of use of a JIF to evaluate importance. This problem is exacerbated when the use of JIFs is extended to evaluate not only the journals, but the papers therein. The purpose of this study was therefore to investigate the relationship between the number of citations and journal IF for identical articles published simultaneously in multiple journals. Methods. Eligible articles were consensus research reporting statements listed on the EQUATOR Network website that were published simultaneously in three or more journals. The correlation between the citation count for each article and the median journal JIF over the published period, and between the citation count and number of article accesses was calculated for each reporting statement. Results. Nine research reporting statements were included in this analysis, representing 85 articles published across 58 journals in biomedicine. The number of citations was strongly correlated to the JIF for six of the nine reporting guidelines, with moderate correlation shown for the remaining three guidelines (median r = 0.66, 95% CI [0.45-0.90]). There was also a strong positive correlation between the number of citations and the number of article accesses (median r = 0.71, 95% CI [0.5-0.8]), although the number of data points for this analysis were limited. When adjusted for the individual reporting guidelines, each logarithm unit of JIF predicted a median increase of 0.8 logarithm units of citation counts (95% CI [-0.4-5.2]), and each logarithm unit of article accesses predicted a median increase of 0.1 logarithm units of citation counts (95% CI [-0.9-1.4]). This model explained 26% of the variance in citations (median adjusted r (2) = 0.26, range 0.18-1.0). Conclusion. The impact factor of the journal in which a reporting statement was published was shown to influence the number of citations that statement will gather over time. Similarly, the number of article accesses also influenced the number of citations, although to a lesser extent than the impact factor. This demonstrates that citation counts are not purely a reflection of scientific merit and the impact factor is, in fact, auto-correlated.

Published methodological quality of randomized controlled trials does not reflect the actual quality assessed in protocols

PubMed Central

Mhaskar, Rahul; Djulbegovic, Benjamin; Magazin, Anja; Soares, Heloisa P.; Kumar, Ambuj

2011-01-01

Objectives To assess whether reported methodological quality of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) reflect the actual methodological quality, and to evaluate the association of effect size (ES) and sample size with methodological quality. Study design Systematic review Setting Retrospective analysis of all consecutive phase III RCTs published by 8 National Cancer Institute Cooperative Groups until year 2006. Data were extracted from protocols (actual quality) and publications (reported quality) for each study. Results 429 RCTs met the inclusion criteria. Overall reporting of methodological quality was poor and did not reflect the actual high methodological quality of RCTs. The results showed no association between sample size and actual methodological quality of a trial. Poor reporting of allocation concealment and blinding exaggerated the ES by 6% (ratio of hazard ratio [RHR]: 0.94, 95%CI: 0.88, 0.99) and 24% (RHR: 1.24, 95%CI: 1.05, 1.43), respectively. However, actual quality assessment showed no association between ES and methodological quality. Conclusion The largest study to-date shows poor quality of reporting does not reflect the actual high methodological quality. Assessment of the impact of quality on the ES based on reported quality can produce misleading results. PMID:22424985

Literature review of teaching skills programs for junior medical officers.

PubMed

Dannaway, Jasan; Ng, Heryanto; Schoo, Adrian

2016-01-31

The aim of this review was to assess the current evidence regarding the efficacy of teaching skills programs for junior medical officers. We aimed to compare and contrast these results with findings from previous literature reviews, the last of which were published in 2009. In order to capture studies since the last published literature reviews, five databases and grey literature were searched for publications from January 2008 to January 2015. A search for literature reviews without using the timeframe limitation was also performed. The search from January 2008 to January 2015 resulted in the inclusion of 12 studies. Five systematic reviews of the topic were found which included 39 individual studies that were also analysed. Nearly all studies reported positive effects. Twenty nine studies reported change in attitudes, 28 reported modification in knowledge, 28 reported change in behaviour, 6 reported change in the organisation and two reported change in program participant's students. There were substantial threats of bias present. The literature reviewed demonstrated many positive effects of teaching skills programs, which supports their utilization. However, high level outcomes need to be evaluated over longer periods of time to establish their true impact. An organisation specific approach to these programs needs to occur using sound course design principles, and they need to be reported in evaluation trials that are designed with robust methodology.

Choosing the right journal for your systematic review.

PubMed

Betini, Marluci; Volpato, Enilze S N; Anastácio, Guilherme D J; de Faria, Renata T B G; El Dib, Regina

2014-12-01

The importance of systematic reviews (SRs) as an aid to decision making in health care has led to an increasing interest in the development of this type of study. When selecting a target journal for publication, authors generally seek out higher impact factor journals. This study aimed to determine the percentage of scientific medical journals that publish SRs according to their impact factors (>2.63) and to determine whether those journals require tools that aim to improve SR reporting and meta-analyses. In our cross-sectional study showing how to choose the right journal for a SR, we selected and analysed scientific journals available in a digital library with a minimum Institute for Scientific Information impact factor of 2.63. We analysed 622 scientific journals, 435 (69.94%) of which publish SRs. Of those 435 journals, 135 (21.60%) provide instructions for authors that mention SRs. Three hundred journals (48.34%) do not discuss criteria for article acceptance in the instructions for authors section, but do publish SRs. Only 118 (27.00%) scientific journals require items to be reported in accordance with the specific SR reporting forms. The majority of the journals do not mention the acceptance of SRs in the instructions for authors section. Only a few journals require that SRs meet specific reporting guidelines, making interpretation of their findings across studies challenging. There is no correlation between the impact factor of the journal and its acceptance of SRs for publication. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Injuries resulting from car surfing--United States, 1990-2008.

PubMed

2008-10-17

"Car surfing" is a term introduced in the mid-1980s to describe a thrill-seeking activity that involves riding on the exterior of a moving motor vehicle while it is being driven by another person. Although reports of car-surfing injuries have been published in the United States, no study to date has analyzed these events from a national perspective. Because traditional public health datasets do not collect morbidity or mortality data on this practice, CDC searched U.S. newspaper reports to provide an initial characterization of car-surfing injuries on a national scale. That analysis identified 58 reports of car-surfing deaths and 41 reports of nonfatal injury from 1990 through August 2008. Most reports of car-surfing injuries came from newspapers in the Midwest and South (75%), and most of the injuries were among males (70%) and persons aged 15-19 years (69%). The first identified newspaper reports about car-surfing injuries were published in the early 1990s, and new reports have been published every year since then. Parents and teens should be aware of the potentially lethal consequences of car surfing, which can occur even at low vehicle speeds, sometimes resulting from unanticipated movements of the vehicle, such as swerving or braking.

[The impact of the annual scientific meetings of the Israel Society of Rheumatology as measured by publication rates of the abstracts in peer-reviewed journals].

PubMed

Perez, Shira; Hashkes, Philip J; Uziel, Yosef

2004-04-01

We aimed to examine the impact and quality of the research presented in the Israel Society of Rheumatology (ISR) annual scientific meetings by measuring publication rates of the abstracts in peer-reviewed journals and investigating the factors that influenced publication. We examined the outcome of all 79 abstracts submitted to the ISR for the 1998-2000 annual meetings. A MEDLINE search of all abstracts, by authors, topics and keywords was performed. Senior authors of abstracts not found to be published in this search were interviewed regarding publication and factors influencing submission. We described the effect of variable factors on the rate of publication. As of September 2002, 63 (80%) abstracts were published in peer-reviewed journals or are currently in-press. Most abstracts were published in prominent journals (with a high impact factor). The majority of the abstracts (61%) were published in rheumatologic journals, 65% of the studies originated from tertiary centers and 19% of the studies were multicenter. The most common diseases studied were antiphospholipid syndrome (20%), systemic lupus erythematosus (19%) and inflammatory arthritis (18%). Most of the studies were of disease pathogenesis (35%) and clinical manifestations (33%). The most common study designs were basic science (34%). An overall 57% of the studies reported "positive" results and 9% reported "negative" results. None of the factors studied were associated with publication or non-publication. The main cause cited by authors for not publishing their abstract was lack of time to prepare a full paper or a desire to further expand the study. Within this group of 16 authors of abstracts, 11 authors still plan to submit a paper. The ISR annual meetings have an important clinical scientific impact as measured by the high rate of abstracts published as full length articles in leading peer-reviewed journals.

Total Army Requirements Program - Phase I (TARP-I).

DTIC Science & Technology

1981-07-07

PUTY CHITF OF STAFF FOR OPERATIONS AND PLANS WASHINGTON, D.C. A0316 ,,, TO DAHO -RQR 5 E 1980 A’T’ YIO orP SUBJECT: Study Directive - Total Army...ATTN: DAMO-RQR. 6. STUDY AGENCY. US Army Concepts Analysis Agency. B-1 CAA-SR-81-14 DAHO -RQR SUBJECT: Study Directive - Total Army Requirements...copy of report. (5) May 1981 - SAG Meeting, present report findings. (6) June 1981 - Publish report. B-3 CAA-SR-81-14 DAHO -RQR SUBJECT: Study

Diagnosis checking of statistical analysis in RCTs indexed in PubMed.

PubMed

Lee, Paul H; Tse, Andy C Y

2017-11-01

Statistical analysis is essential for reporting of the results of randomized controlled trials (RCTs), as well as evaluating their effectiveness. However, the validity of a statistical analysis also depends on whether the assumptions of that analysis are valid. To review all RCTs published in journals indexed in PubMed during December 2014 to provide a complete picture of how RCTs handle assumptions of statistical analysis. We reviewed all RCTs published in December 2014 that appeared in journals indexed in PubMed using the Cochrane highly sensitive search strategy. The 2014 impact factors of the journals were used as proxies for their quality. The type of statistical analysis used and whether the assumptions of the analysis were tested were reviewed. In total, 451 papers were included. Of the 278 papers that reported a crude analysis for the primary outcomes, 31 (27·2%) reported whether the outcome was normally distributed. Of the 172 papers that reported an adjusted analysis for the primary outcomes, diagnosis checking was rarely conducted, with only 20%, 8·6% and 7% checked for generalized linear model, Cox proportional hazard model and multilevel model, respectively. Study characteristics (study type, drug trial, funding sources, journal type and endorsement of CONSORT guidelines) were not associated with the reporting of diagnosis checking. The diagnosis of statistical analyses in RCTs published in PubMed-indexed journals was usually absent. Journals should provide guidelines about the reporting of a diagnosis of assumptions. © 2017 Stichting European Society for Clinical Investigation Journal Foundation.

Desktop Publishing: Organizational Considerations for Adoption and Implementation. TDC Research Report No. 6.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, Paul

This report explores the implementation of desktop publishing in the Minnesota Extension Service (MES) and provides a framework for its implementation in other organizations. The document begins with historical background on the development of desktop publishing. Criteria for deciding whether to purchase a desktop publishing system, advantages and…

Participation of Student Authors in Reports on Sustainability

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schoeps, Andreas; Hemmer, Ingrid

2018-01-01

Purpose: Since 2012, the University of Eichstaett-Ingolstadt has been publishing an annual report on sustainability as part of its whole institution approach (WIA). This study aims to examine the participation in writing this report as it is experienced by the student stakeholders involved. The overall goal is to gain expertise concerning further…

Huntington's disease in Tanzania.

PubMed Central

Scrimgeour, E M

1981-01-01

Huntington's disease was studied in a Bantu community in northern Tanzania. Although there is evidence to suggest that the disease has been present here for over one hundred years, this is the first report of the condition in Tanzania. A survey of published reports indicates that the disease is infrequently reported in persons of Negro ancestry. PMID:6453998

75 FR 66195 - Schedules of Controlled Substances: Placement of Propofol Into Schedule IV

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-10-27

... published abuse liability studies of propofol in humans in which the reinforcement and reward effects have... reporting by the subject feeling ``high,'' relative to the placebo. The motivation for abuse of propofol is... Reporting System (AERS) DataMart database). In the AERS database, there are reports of propofol diversion...

The National Early Literacy Panel: A Summary of the Process and the Report

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shanahan, Timothy; Lonigan, Christopher J.

2010-01-01

This article summarizes "Developing Early Literacy: Report of the National Early Literacy Panel," which was published in 2008.That report provides an extensive meta-analysis of approximately 300 studies showing which early literacy measures correlate with later literacy achievement. It also provides a series of meta-analyses of a comprehensive…

Impact of the CONSORT Statement endorsement in the completeness of reporting of randomized clinical trials in restorative dentistry.

PubMed

Sarkis-Onofre, Rafael; Poletto-Neto, Victório; Cenci, Maximiliano Sérgio; Pereira-Cenci, Tatiana; Moher, David

2017-03-01

The aim of this study was to assess if journal endorsement of the CONSORT Statement is associated with improved completeness of reporting of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in restorative dentistry. RCTs in restorative dentistry published in two journals that have (Journal of Dentistry and Clinical Oral Investigations) and have not (Operative Dentistry and Journal of Prosthetic Dentistry) endorsed the CONSORT Statement were selected. We compared the completeness of reporting between comparison groups (endorsers versus non-endorsers, before versus after endorsement) using a risk ratio (RR) with a 99% confidence interval for each outcome of CONSORT 2010. Also, the risk of bias of each study was evaluated. The electronic search retrieved a total of 3701 records. After the title and abstract evaluation, 169 full texts were screened and 79 RCTs identified. Considering CONSORT-endorsing journals before and after CONSORT endorsement, six items had effect estimates indicating a relatively higher proportion of completely reported RCTs published after CONSORT endorsement. Considering CONSORT-endorsing journals compared to non-endorsing journals, twelve items indicated a relatively higher proportion of completely reported RCTs published in CONSORT-endorsing journals. In both analyses the overall evidence did not present statistical significance. Although CONSORT endorsement has been linked with some improvement in the completeness of RCTs reports in the biomedical literature, this was not reflected in the present analysis confined to restorative dentistry. More innovative and involved approaches to enhancing reported may therefore be required. Inadequate reporting of randomized controlled trials can produce important consequences for all stakeholders including waste of resources and implication on healthcare decisions. A broad understandment of the use of reporting guidelines is necessary to lead to better results. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Estimating functional cognition in older adults using observational assessments of task performance in complex everyday activities: A systematic review and evaluation of measurement properties.

PubMed

Wesson, Jacqueline; Clemson, Lindy; Brodaty, Henry; Reppermund, Simone

2016-09-01

Functional cognition is a relatively new concept in assessment of older adults with mild cognitive impairment or dementia. Instruments need to be reliable and valid, hence we conducted a systematic review of observational assessments of task performance used to estimate functional cognition in this population. Two separate database searches were conducted: firstly to identify instruments; and secondly to identify studies reporting on the psychometric properties of the instruments. Studies were analysed using a published checklist and their quality reviewed according to specific published criteria. Clinical utility was reviewed and the information formulated into a best evidence synthesis. We found 21 instruments and included 58 studies reporting on measurement properties. The majority of studies were rated as being of fair methodological quality and the range of properties investigated was restricted. Most instruments had studies reporting on construct validity (hypothesis testing), none on content validity and there were few studies reporting on reliability. Overall the evidence on psychometric properties is lacking and there is an urgent need for further evaluation of instruments. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Reporting of sex as a variable in cardiovascular studies using cultured cells

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background Chromosomal complement, including that provided by the sex chromosomes, influences expression of proteins and molecular signaling in every cell. However, less than 50% of the scientific studies published in 2009 using experimental animals reported sex as a biological variable. Because every cell has a sex, we conducted a literature review to determine the extent to which sex is reported as a variable in cardiovascular studies on cultured cells. Methods Articles from 10 cardiovascular journals with high impact factors (Circulation, J Am Coll Cardiol, Eur Heart J, Circ Res, Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol, Cardiovasc Res, J Mol Cell Cardiol, Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol, J Heart Lung Transplant and J Cardiovasc Pharmacol) and published in 2010 were searched using terms 'cultured' and 'cells' in any order to determine if the sex of those cells was reported. Studies using established cell lines were excluded. Results Using two separate search strategies, we found that only 25 of 90 articles (28%) and 20 of 101 articles (19.8%) reported the sex of cells. Of those reporting the sex of cells, most (68.9%; n = 31) used only male cells and none used exclusively female cells. In studies reporting the sex of cells of cardiovascular origin, 40% used vascular smooth-muscle cells, and 30% used stem/progenitor cells. In studies using cells of human origin, 35% did not report the sex of those cells. None of the studies using neonatal cardiac myocytes reported the sex of those cells. Conclusions The complement of sex chromosomes in cells studied in culture has the potential to affect expression of proteins and 'mechanistic' signaling pathways. Therefore, consistent with scientific excellence, editorial policies should require reporting sex of cells used in in vitro experiments. PMID:22060014

Survey of systematic review authors in dentistry: challenges in methodology and reporting.

PubMed

Major, Michael P; Warren, Sharon; Flores-Mir, Carlos

2009-04-01

The study reported in this article had three objectives: 1) identify the challenges faced by authors of dental systematic reviews (SR) during the process of literature search and selection; 2) determine whether dental SR authors' responses to survey questions about their study methodology were consistent with the reported published methodology; and 3) assess whether dental SR authors' evidence-based publication experience was associated with reported methodology. Seventy-eight authors (53 percent) of dental SRs out of 147 potential authors published from 2000 to 2006 responded to an online survey. According to the respondents, the most challenging aspects of literature search and selection were the initial design and performing extended literature searches. Agreement between the protocol identified by SR authors on the survey and the actual protocol described in their publications was fair to moderate. There were virtually no correlations between authors' publication experience, systematic review literature search, and selection thoroughness except for the number of past SRs published, and no differences in thoroughness between SRs written by clinicians (dental practitioners in the community) and dental school faculty members. Dental SR authors do not appear to fully appreciate the importance of extensive literature searches as central to the validity of their systematic review methods and potential findings.

Evaluation of the Regional Educational Laboratories. Final Report. NCEE 2015-4008

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carison, Elaine; Bitterman, Amy; Zhang, Xiaodong; Lee, Hyunshik; Gutmann, Babette; Wills, Kerri; Sinclair, Beth

2015-01-01

This report is the second from the congressionally-mandated evaluation of the Regional Educational Laboratory (REL) program authorized by the Education Sciences Reform Act (P.L. 107-279). For this report, 8 (out of 24) impact study reports produced by the RELs under their 2006-2011 contracts and published by IES were rated by expert panels for…

Variability in the reporting of renal function endpoints in immunosuppression trials in renal transplantation: time for consensus?

PubMed

Knight, Simon R; Hussain, Samia

2016-12-01

Early measures of graft function are increasingly used to assess efficacy in clinical trials of kidney transplant immunosuppression. This study aimed to assess the variability and quality of reporting of these endpoints in contemporary trials. Data regarding renal function endpoints were extracted from 213 reports from randomized controlled trials comparing immunosuppressive interventions in renal transplant recipients published between 2010 and 2014. A total of 174 (81.7%) reports included a measure of renal function; in 44 (20.7%), this was the primary endpoint. A total of 103 manuscripts (48.4%) reported serum creatinine, 142 (66.6%) reported estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), and 26 (12.2%) reported measured GFR. Formulas used for GFR estimation were modification of diet in renal disease (42.3%), Cockroft-Gault (23.5%), Nankivell (15.0%), and CKD-EPI (0.9%). Six studies (2.8%) did not report the formula used to estimate GFR. A total of 13.9% of endpoints had missing data. In 10 studies, disagreement was found in the significance of findings using different measures of renal function. There is a great deal of variability in the reporting of renal function endpoints, with a significant proportion of studies using underperforming or inappropriate estimates. There is a need for consensus as to the best tool for monitoring and reporting renal function post-transplant, and in particular for use in clinical trials and registries. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Transparency in the reporting of in vivo pre-clinical pain research: The relevance and implications of the ARRIVE (Animal Research: Reporting In Vivo Experiments) guidelines.

PubMed

Rice, Andrew S C; Morland, Rosemary; Huang, Wenlong; Currie, Gillian L; Sena, Emily S; Macleod, Malcolm R

2017-12-29

Clear reporting of research is crucial to the scientific process. Poorly designed and reported studies are damaging not only to the efforts of individual researchers, but also to science as a whole. Standardised reporting methods, such as those already established for reporting randomised clinical trials, have led to improved study design and facilitated the processes of clinical systematic review and meta-analysis. Such standards were lacking in the pre-clinical field until the development of the ARRIVE (Animal Research: Reporting In Vivo Experiments) guidelines. These were prompted following a survey which highlighted a widespread lack of robust and consistent reporting of pre-clinical in vivo research, with reports frequently omitting basic information required for study replication and quality assessment. The resulting twenty item checklist in ARRIVE covers all aspects of experimental design with particular emphasis on bias reduction and methodological transparency. Influential publishers and research funders have already adopted ARRIVE. Further dissemination and acknowledgement of the importance of these guidelines is vital to their widespread implementation. Conclusions and implications Wide implementation of the ARRIVE guidelines for reporting of in vivo preclinical research, especially pain research, are essential for a much needed increased transparency and quality in publishing such research. ARRIVE will also positively influence improvements in experimental design and quality, assist the conduct of accurate replication studies of important new findings and facilitate meta-analyses of preclinical research.

Participation in psychosocial oncology and quality-of-life research: a systematic review.

PubMed

Wakefield, Claire E; Fardell, Joanna E; Doolan, Emma L; Aaronson, Neil K; Jacobsen, Paul B; Cohn, Richard J; King, Madeleine

2017-03-01

Quality-of-life and psychosocial oncology studies that have low participation might have less precision, less statistical power, and can have non-response bias. In this systematic Review, we searched MEDLINE, Embase, and PsycInfo, for paediatric studies published in 2010-15 and adults studies published 2014-15. Studies were eligible if they were original studies published in a peer-reviewed journal; recruited children (aged 0-18 years at diagnosis) with cancer or their parents, or adult patients with cancer; and assessed psychosocial outcomes, including quality of life, depression, anxiety, wellbeing, distress, coping, or adjustment as a primary or secondary outcome. We assessed participation reporting quality, calculated percentages of participation achieved, and measured the influence of study design and participant characteristics. We reviewed 311 studies including a total of 87 240 adults, children, and parents. Mean participation across studies was more than 70% (paediatric participation was 72% and adult participation was 74%). Many studies did not report data essential for the assessment of participation, especially for non-respondents. Studies using a longitudinal cohort design had higher participation than randomised trials. In paediatric studies, recruitment of participants at diagnosis, face to face, and with the use of short questionnaires yielded higher participation. Other study design characteristics (method of data collection, who enrolled the participants, and incentives) and patient characteristics (cancer type, patient or parent age, and sex) did not affect participation in either paediatric or adult studies. Researchers can use these data to improve reporting quality and make evidence-based choices to maximise participation in future studies. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Systematic survey of the design, statistical analysis, and reporting of studies published in the 2008 volume of the Journal of Cerebral Blood Flow and Metabolism.

PubMed

Vesterinen, Hanna M; Vesterinen, Hanna V; Egan, Kieren; Deister, Amelie; Schlattmann, Peter; Macleod, Malcolm R; Dirnagl, Ulrich

2011-04-01

Translating experimental findings into clinically effective therapies is one of the major bottlenecks of modern medicine. As this has been particularly true for cerebrovascular research, attention has turned to the quality and validity of experimental cerebrovascular studies. We set out to assess the study design, statistical analyses, and reporting of cerebrovascular research. We assessed all original articles published in the Journal of Cerebral Blood Flow and Metabolism during the year 2008 against a checklist designed to capture the key attributes relating to study design, statistical analyses, and reporting. A total of 156 original publications were included (animal, in vitro, human). Few studies reported a primary research hypothesis, statement of purpose, or measures to safeguard internal validity (such as randomization, blinding, exclusion or inclusion criteria). Many studies lacked sufficient information regarding methods and results to form a reasonable judgment about their validity. In nearly 20% of studies, statistical tests were either not appropriate or information to allow assessment of appropriateness was lacking. This study identifies a number of factors that should be addressed if the quality of research in basic and translational biomedicine is to be improved. We support the widespread implementation of the ARRIVE (Animal Research Reporting In Vivo Experiments) statement for the reporting of experimental studies in biomedicine, for improving training in proper study design and analysis, and that reviewers and editors adopt a more constructively critical approach in the assessment of manuscripts for publication.

Systematic survey of the design, statistical analysis, and reporting of studies published in the 2008 volume of the Journal of Cerebral Blood Flow and Metabolism

PubMed Central

Vesterinen, Hanna V; Egan, Kieren; Deister, Amelie; Schlattmann, Peter; Macleod, Malcolm R; Dirnagl, Ulrich

2011-01-01

Translating experimental findings into clinically effective therapies is one of the major bottlenecks of modern medicine. As this has been particularly true for cerebrovascular research, attention has turned to the quality and validity of experimental cerebrovascular studies. We set out to assess the study design, statistical analyses, and reporting of cerebrovascular research. We assessed all original articles published in the Journal of Cerebral Blood Flow and Metabolism during the year 2008 against a checklist designed to capture the key attributes relating to study design, statistical analyses, and reporting. A total of 156 original publications were included (animal, in vitro, human). Few studies reported a primary research hypothesis, statement of purpose, or measures to safeguard internal validity (such as randomization, blinding, exclusion or inclusion criteria). Many studies lacked sufficient information regarding methods and results to form a reasonable judgment about their validity. In nearly 20% of studies, statistical tests were either not appropriate or information to allow assessment of appropriateness was lacking. This study identifies a number of factors that should be addressed if the quality of research in basic and translational biomedicine is to be improved. We support the widespread implementation of the ARRIVE (Animal Research Reporting In Vivo Experiments) statement for the reporting of experimental studies in biomedicine, for improving training in proper study design and analysis, and that reviewers and editors adopt a more constructively critical approach in the assessment of manuscripts for publication. PMID:21157472

The Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) Statement: guidelines for reporting observational studies.

PubMed

von Elm, Erik; Altman, Douglas G; Egger, Matthias; Pocock, Stuart J; Gøtzsche, Peter C; Vandenbroucke, Jan P

2014-12-01

Much biomedical research is observational. The reporting of such research is often inadequate, which hampers the assessment of its strengths and weaknesses and of a study's generalisability. The Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) Initiative developed recommendations on what should be included in an accurate and complete report of an observational study. We defined the scope of the recommendations to cover three main study designs: cohort, case-control, and cross-sectional studies. We convened a 2-day workshop in September 2004, with methodologists, researchers, and journal editors to draft a checklist of items. This list was subsequently revised during several meetings of the coordinating group and in e-mail discussions with the larger group of STROBE contributors, taking into account empirical evidence and methodological considerations. The workshop and the subsequent iterative process of consultation and revision resulted in a checklist of 22 items (the STROBE Statement) that relate to the title, abstract, introduction, methods, results, and discussion sections of articles. 18 items are common to all three study designs and four are specific for cohort, case-control, or cross-sectional studies. A detailed Explanation and Elaboration document is published separately and is freely available on the Web sites of PLoS Medicine, Annals of Internal Medicine, and Epidemiology. We hope that the STROBE Statement will contribute to improving the quality of reporting of observational studies. Copyright © 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Scientific publications from mainland China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong in integrative and complementary medicine journals: a ten-year literature survey.

PubMed

Li, Xiao-Qian; Tao, Kun-Ming; Zhou, Qing-Hui; Ling, Chang-Quan

2011-01-01

Practitioners and researchers from China, the largest user of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), have been publishing an increasing number of scientific articles in world-famous CAM journals in recent years. However, the status of CAM research in the three major regions of China, the Mainland, Taiwan and Hong Kong has, until now, not been reported. In this study, we compared articles from these three regions published in international CAM journals from 2000 to 2009 using PubMed database and the Journal Citation Reports. The study results showed that the number of published articles from Mainland China increased significantly from 2000 to 2009, particularly since 2005. Meanwhile, the number of published articles from Taiwan also increased, whereas those from Hong Kong remained steady. Clinical trials and randomized controlled trials from Chinese authors both took a small percentage of the total. The impact factors of the journals in which these articles were published suggested similar academic levels whereas the average number of citation of articles from the Mainland was less than those from the other two regions. Journal of Ethnopharmacology, American Journal of Chinese Medicine, Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine and Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine were the most popular journals for Chinese authors.

Assessing the Use of Media Reporting Recommendations by the World Health Organization in Suicide News Published in the Most Influential Media Sources in China, 2003-2015.

PubMed

Chu, Xin; Zhang, Xingyi; Cheng, Peixia; Schwebel, David C; Hu, Guoqing

2018-03-05

Public media reports about suicide are likely to influence the population's suicidal attempts and completed suicides. Irresponsible reports might trigger copycat suicidal behaviors, while responsible reports may help reduce suicide rates. The World Health Organization (WHO) released recommendations to encourage responsible suicide reports in 2008. However, little is known about whether these recommendations are reflected in the suicide news for most countries, including China. In this study, we assessed the responsibility of suicide stories published in the most influential newspaper and Internet media sources in China from 2003 to 2015, using the media reporting recommendations by the World Health Organization (WHO). In total, 3965 and 1836 eligible stories from newspaper and Internet-based media, respectively, were included in the study. Newspapers and Internet-based media performed similarly in applying WHO recommendations to report suicide news. Three recommendations were applied in over 88% of suicide stories. However, four recommendations were seldom applied, including offering information about where to seek help and linking the suicide event to mental disorders. Government and the journalism industry should work together to improve media reporting of news about suicide in China.

Public availability of results of observational studies evaluating an intervention registered at ClinicalTrials.gov.

PubMed

Baudart, Marie; Ravaud, Philippe; Baron, Gabriel; Dechartres, Agnes; Haneef, Romana; Boutron, Isabelle

2016-01-28

Observational studies are essential for assessing safety. The aims of this study were to evaluate whether results of observational studies evaluating an intervention with safety outcome(s) registered at ClinicalTrials.gov were published and, if not, whether they were available through posting on ClinicalTrials.gov or the sponsor website. We identified a cohort of observational studies with safety outcome(s) registered on ClinicalTrials.gov after October 1, 2007, and completed between October 1, 2007, and December 31, 2011. We systematically searched PubMed for a publication, as well as ClinicalTrials.gov and the sponsor website for results. The main outcomes were the time to the first publication in journals and to the first public availability of the study results (i.e. published or posted on ClinicalTrials.gov or the sponsor website). For all studies with results publicly available, we evaluated the completeness of reporting (i.e. reported with the number of events per arm) of safety outcomes. We identified 489 studies; 334 (68%) were partially or completely funded by industry. Results for only 189 (39%, i.e. 65% of the total target number of participants) were published at least 30 months after the study completion. When searching other data sources, we obtained the results for 53% (n = 158; i.e. 93% of the total target number of participants) of unpublished studies; 31% (n = 94) were posted on ClinicalTrials.gov and 21% (n = 64) on the sponsor website. As compared with non-industry-funded studies, industry-funded study results were less likely to be published but not less likely to be publicly available. Of the 242 studies with a primary outcome recorded as a safety issue, all these outcomes were adequately reported in 86% (114/133) when available in a publication, 91% (62/68) when available on ClinicalTrials.gov, and 80% (33/41) when available on the sponsor website. Only 39% of observational studies evaluating an intervention with safety outcome(s) registered at ClinicalTrials.gov had their results published at least 30 months after study completion. The registration of these observational studies allowed searching other sources (results posted at ClinicalTrials.gov and sponsor website) and obtaining results for half of unpublished studies and 93% of the total target number of participants.

Space Studies Board Annual Report 1995

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1996-01-01

During 1995, the Space Studies Board and its committees and task groups gathered for a total of 40 meetings. Highlights of these meetings are presented. Formal study reports and short reports developed and approved during the meetings and issued during 1995 are represented in this annual report either by their executive summaries (for full-length reports), or by reproduction in full (for short reports). Nine full-length reports were distributed or delivered, including a congressionally mandated report by the Committee on the Future of Space Science and a comprehensive survey of Earth observation programs by the Committee on Earth Studies. Major research guidance reports were completed and published by the Committee on Microgravity Research and by the federated Committee on Solar and Space Physics/Committee on Solar-Terrestrial Research. Several significant assessment reports were also published, including an assessment of small missions by the Committee on Planetary and Lunar Exploration, a scientific evaluation of Gravity Probe B by the Task Group on Gravity Probe B, and an analysis of technologies for a 4-meter active optics telescope by the Task Group on BMDO New Technology Orbital Observatory. In addition, the Committee on Astronomy and Astrophysics Panel on Ground-based Optical and Infrared Astronomy released its report, and the Task Group on Priorities in Space Research issued its second and final report. Five short reports were also prepared and released during 1995. They addressed such diverse topics as reflight of shuttle-borne synthetic aperture radars, the role of NASA centers and center scientists in scientific research, guidelines for establishment of NASA research institutes, and clarification of findings of the microgravity research opportunities report and of the Future of Space Science Committee's management study.

The mortality rate of electroconvulsive therapy: a systematic review and pooled analysis.

PubMed

Tørring, N; Sanghani, S N; Petrides, G; Kellner, C H; Østergaard, S D

2017-05-01

Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) remains underutilized because of fears of cognitive and medical risks, including the risk of death. In this study, we aimed to assess the mortality rate of ECT by means of a systematic review and pooled analysis. The study was conducted in adherence with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guideline. The ECT-related mortality rate was calculated as the total number of ECT-related deaths reported in the included studies divided by the total number of ECT treatments. Fifteen studies with data from 32 countries reporting on a total of 766 180 ECT treatments met the inclusion criteria. Sixteen cases of ECT-related death were reported in the included studies yielding an ECT-related mortality rate of 2.1 per 100 000 treatments (95% CI: 1.2-3.4). In the nine studies that were published after 2001 (covering 414 747 treatments), there was only one reported ECT-related death. The ECT-related mortality rate was estimated at 2.1 per 100 000 treatments. In comparison, a recent analysis of the mortality of general anesthesia in relation to surgical procedures reported a mortality rate of 3.4 per 100 000. Our findings document that death caused by ECT is an extremely rare event. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Critical Assessment of Search Strategies in Systematic Reviews in Endodontics.

PubMed

Yaylali, Ibrahim Ethem; Alaçam, Tayfun

2016-06-01

The aim of this study was to perform an overview of literature search strategies in systematic reviews (SRs) published in 2 endodontic journals, Journal of Endodontics and International Endodontic Journal. A search was done by using the MEDLINE (PubMed interface) database to retrieve the articles published between January 1, 2000 and December 31, 2015. The last search was on January 10, 2016. All the SRs published in the 2 journals were retrieved and screened. Eligible SRs were assessed by using 11 questions about search strategies in the SRs that were adapted from 2 guidelines (ie, AMSTAR checklist and the Cochrane Handbook). A total of 83 SRs were retrieved by electronic search. Of these, 55 were from the Journal of Endodontics, and 28 were from the International Endodontic Journal. After screening, 2 SRs were excluded, and 81 SRs were included in the study. Some issues, such as search of grey literature and contact with study authors, were not fully reported (30% and 25%, respectively). On the other hand, some issues, such as the use of index terms and key words and search in at least 2 databases, were reported in most of the SRs (97% and 95%, respectively). The overall quality of the search strategy in both journals was 61%. No significant difference was found between the 2 journals in terms of evaluation criteria (P > .05). There exist areas for improving the quality of reporting of search strategies in SRs; for example, grey literature should be searched for unpublished studies, no language limitation should be applied to databases, and authors should make an attempt to contact the authors of included studies to obtain further relevant information. Copyright © 2016 American Association of Endodontists. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Timing and completeness of trial results posted at ClinicalTrials.gov and published in journals.

PubMed

Riveros, Carolina; Dechartres, Agnes; Perrodeau, Elodie; Haneef, Romana; Boutron, Isabelle; Ravaud, Philippe

2013-12-01

The US Food and Drug Administration Amendments Act requires results from clinical trials of Food and Drug Administration-approved drugs to be posted at ClinicalTrials.gov within 1 y after trial completion. We compared the timing and completeness of results of drug trials posted at ClinicalTrials.gov and published in journals. We searched ClinicalTrials.gov on March 27, 2012, for randomized controlled trials of drugs with posted results. For a random sample of these trials, we searched PubMed for corresponding publications. Data were extracted independently from ClinicalTrials.gov and from the published articles for trials with results both posted and published. We assessed the time to first public posting or publishing of results and compared the completeness of results posted at ClinicalTrials.gov versus published in journal articles. Completeness was defined as the reporting of all key elements, according to three experts, for the flow of participants, efficacy results, adverse events, and serious adverse events (e.g., for adverse events, reporting of the number of adverse events per arm, without restriction to statistically significant differences between arms for all randomized patients or for those who received at least one treatment dose). From the 600 trials with results posted at ClinicalTrials.gov, we randomly sampled 50% (n = 297) had no corresponding published article. For trials with both posted and published results (n = 202), the median time between primary completion date and first results publicly posted was 19 mo (first quartile = 14, third quartile = 30 mo), and the median time between primary completion date and journal publication was 21 mo (first quartile = 14, third quartile = 28 mo). Reporting was significantly more complete at ClinicalTrials.gov than in the published article for the flow of participants (64% versus 48% of trials, p<0.001), efficacy results (79% versus 69%, p = 0.02), adverse events (73% versus 45%, p<0.001), and serious adverse events (99% versus 63%, p<0.001). The main study limitation was that we considered only the publication describing the results for the primary outcomes. Our results highlight the need to search ClinicalTrials.gov for both unpublished and published trials. Trial results, especially serious adverse events, are more completely reported at ClinicalTrials.gov than in the published article.

Editorial Commentary: The Jury Remains Out on Hybrid Autograft-Plus-Allograft for Diminutive Hamstring Anterior Cruciate Ligament Autografts.

PubMed

Dhawan, Aman

2016-11-01

In a Level III, single center, retrospective, nonrandomized observational study, anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction revision rates and patient-reported outcomes were found to be similar at 2-year follow-up when using autograft hamstrings versus a hybrid graft (autograft and nonirradiated allograft), with both groups reporting low levels of revisions and excellent outcomes. Despite previous published data that were cause for concern, a study in this issue provides support for use of a hybrid graft technique when encountering the challenging situation of a diminutive hamstring autograft when performing anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction. Copyright © 2016 Arthroscopy Association of North America. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Addressing Pediatric Obesity in Ambulatory Care: Where Are We and Where Are We Going?

PubMed

Lenders, Carine M; Manders, Aaron J; Perdomo, Joanna E; Ireland, Kathy A; Barlow, Sarah E

2016-06-01

Since the "2007 summary report of child and adolescent overweight and obesity treatment" published by Barlow, many obesity intervention studies have been conducted in pediatric ambulatory care. Although several meta-analyses have been published in the interim, many studies were excluded because of the focus and criteria of these meta-analyses. Therefore, the primary goal of this article was to identify randomized case-control trials conducted in the primary care setting and to report on treatment approaches, challenges, and successes. We have developed four themes for our discussion and provide a brief summary of our findings. Finally, we identified major gaps and potential solutions and describe several urgent key action items.

Methodological Quality Assessment of Meta-analyses in Endodontics.

PubMed

Kattan, Sereen; Lee, Su-Min; Kohli, Meetu R; Setzer, Frank C; Karabucak, Bekir

2018-01-01

The objectives of this review were to assess the methodological quality of published meta-analyses related to endodontics using the assessment of multiple systematic reviews (AMSTAR) tool and to provide a follow-up to previously published reviews. Three electronic databases were searched for eligible studies according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria: Embase via Ovid, The Cochrane Library, and Scopus. The electronic search was amended by a hand search of 6 dental journals (International Endodontic Journal; Journal of Endodontics; Australian Endodontic Journal; Oral Surgery, Oral Medicine, Oral Pathology, Oral Radiology; Endodontics and Dental Traumatology; and Journal of Dental Research). The searches were conducted to include articles published after July 2009, and the deadline for inclusion of the meta-analyses was November 30, 2016. The AMSTAR assessment tool was used to evaluate the methodological quality of all included studies. A total of 36 reports of meta-analyses were included. The overall quality of the meta-analyses reports was found to be medium, with an estimated mean overall AMSTAR score of 7.25 (95% confidence interval, 6.59-7.90). The most poorly assessed areas were providing an a priori design, the assessment of the status of publication, and publication bias. In recent publications in the field of endodontics, the overall quality of the reported meta-analyses is medium according to AMSTAR. Copyright © 2017 American Association of Endodontists. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Evaluation of the Efficacy of Communication-Based Treatments for Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Literature Review

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brunner, Debra Lynn; Seung, HyeKyeung

2009-01-01

This literature review examines the present level of evidence in support of communication-based treatments for children with autism spectrum disorders. Reviews to date have reported on research published through 2002. The current article included 36 studies published between 2002 and 2007. Best available evidence is presented for seven treatment…

Fostering Independent Learning and Engagement for Postgraduate Students: Using a Publisher-Supplied Software Program

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Blount, Yvette; McNeill, Margot

2011-01-01

Purpose: As educational technologies are more widely adopted in higher education teaching and learning, publishers often include online resources to accompany their textbook offerings. The purpose of this paper is to report the results of a study forming part of a larger ongoing evaluation of the third party software product WileyPLUS.…

A systematic review of the association between family meals and adolescent risk outcomes.

PubMed

Goldfarb, Samantha S; Tarver, Will L; Locher, Julie L; Preskitt, Julie; Sen, Bisakha

2015-10-01

To conduct a systematic review of the literature examining the relationship between family meals and adolescent health risk outcomes. We performed a systematic search of original empirical studies published between January 1990 and September 2013. Based on data from selected studies, we conducted logistic regression models to examine the correlates of reporting a protective association between frequent family meals and adolescent outcomes. Of the 254 analyses from 26 selected studies, most reported a significant association between family meals and the adolescent risk outcome-of-interest. However, model analyses which controlled for family connectedness variables, or used advanced empirical methods to account for family-level confounders, were less likely than unadjusted models to report significant relationships. The type of analysis conducted was significantly associated with the likelihood of finding a protective relationship between family meals and the adolescent outcome-of-interest, yet very few studies are using such methods in the literature. Copyright © 2015 The Foundation for Professionals in Services for Adolescents. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Traumatic Dental Injuries in the primary dentition: a 15-year bibliometric analysis of Dental Traumatology.

PubMed

Kramer, Paulo Floriani; Onetto, Juan; Flores, Marie Therese; Borges, Tássia Silvana; Feldens, Carlos Alberto

2016-10-01

To explore the profile of articles on traumatic dental injuries (TDI) in the primary dentition published in Dental Traumatology in the last 15 years using bibliometric analysis. Three researchers read all titles and abstracts of articles published in Dental Traumatology between 2000 and 2014 (excluding editorials and letters) and selected all articles on TDI in the primary dentition. The articles were categorized according to year of publication, country in which the study was conducted, study design, and topics addressed. Divergences were resolved by consensus between the researchers. Among a total of 1257 articles published, 98 were initially excluded. Among the remaining 1159 articles, 152 (13.1%) focused on TDI in the primary dentition. The articles were conducted in 29 countries, with Brazil (38.8%) and Turkey (11.8%) accounting for the largest numbers. Cross-sectional studies (36.2%) and case report/case series (33.6%) were the most frequent study designs. Only two systematic reviews were published. The most commonly addressed topics were frequency/etiology/associated factors (36.8%), treatment (30.9%), and prognosis (19.7%). Among the articles addressing treatment, two-thirds were case reports or case series. The effects of TDI in primary teeth on their permanent successors were addressed in 20.4% of the articles (31/152). The number of articles on TDI in the primary dentition has increased, but remains low. The evaluation of study designs and topics addressed identified gaps that could contribute to the development of new studies on TDI in the primary dentition, especially cohort studies that evaluate risk factors, prognosis, and treatment. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Paucity of qualitative research in general medical and health services and policy research journals: analysis of publication rates.

PubMed

Gagliardi, Anna R; Dobrow, Mark J

2011-10-12

Qualitative research has the potential to inform and improve health care decisions but a study based on one year of publications suggests that it is not published in prominent health care journals. A more detailed, longitudinal analysis of its availability is needed. The purpose of this study was to identify, count and compare the number of qualitative and non-qualitative research studies published in high impact health care journals, and explore trends in these data over the last decade. A bibliometric approach was used to identify and quantify qualitative articles published in 20 top general medical and health services and policy research journals from 1999 to 2008. Eligible journals were selected based on performance in four different ranking systems reported in the 2008 ISI Journal Citation Reports. Qualitative and non-qualitative research published in these journals were identified by searching MEDLINE, and validated by hand-searching tables of contents for four journals. The total number of qualitative research articles published during 1999 to 2008 in ten general medical journals ranged from 0 to 41, and in ten health services and policy research journals from 0 to 39. Over this period the percentage of empirical research articles that were qualitative ranged from 0% to 0.6% for the general medical journals, and 0% to 6.4% for the health services and policy research journals. This analysis suggests that qualitative research it is rarely published in high impact general medical and health services and policy research journals. The factors that contribute to this persistent marginalization need to be better understood.

Trends in funding, internationalization, and types of study for original articles published in five implant-related journals between 2005 and 2009.

PubMed

Barão, Valentim Adelino Ricardo; Shyamsunder, Nodesh; Yuan, Judy Chia-Chun; Knoernschild, Kent L; Assunção, Wirley Gonçalves; Sukotjo, Cortino

2012-01-01

The aims of this study were to evaluate the trends in funding, geographic origin, and study types of original articles in the dental implant literature and to investigate the relationships among these factors. Articles published in Clinical Oral Implants Research, The International Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Implants, Clinical Implant Dentistry and Related Research, Implant Dentistry, and Journal of Oral Implantology from 2005 to 2009 were reviewed. Nonoriginal articles were excluded. For each article included, extramural funding source, geographic origin, and study type were recorded. Descriptive and analytic analyses (α = .05), including a logistic regression analysis, and chi-square test were used where appropriate. Of a total of 2,085 articles published, 1,503 met the inclusion criteria. The most common source of funding was from industry (32.4%). The proportion of studies that reported funding increased significantly over time. Europe represented the highest percentage (55.8%) of published articles. Most of the articles reported on clinical studies (49.9%), followed by animal studies (25.9%). Articles from Asia and South America and animal and in vitro studies were significantly more likely to be funded. Almost half of the original dental implant articles were funded. The trend toward internationalization of authorship was evident. A strong association was observed between funding and geographic origin and between funding and study type. Most studies in North America and Europe were clinical studies and supported by industry, whereas a greater proportion of studies in Asia and South America were in vitro or animal studies funded through government resources.

The Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials (CONSORT) Statement applied to allergen-specific immunotherapy with inhalant allergens: a Global Allergy and Asthma European Network (GA(2)LEN) article.

PubMed

Bousquet, Philippe J; Calderón, Moisés A; Demoly, Pascal; Larenas, Désirée; Passalacqua, Giovanni; Bachert, Claus; Brozek, Jan; Canonica, G Walter; Casale, Thomas; Fonseca, Joao; Dahl, Ronald; Durham, Stephen R; Merk, Hans; Worm, Margitta; Wahn, Ulrich; Zuberbier, Torsten; Schünemann, Holger J; Bousquet, Jean

2011-01-01

Randomized trials provide evidence to inform treatment decisions. The Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials (CONSORT) Statement is a set of recommendations for the reporting of trials. We sought to assess the quality of reporting allergen-specific immunotherapy trials according to CONSORT criteria. The reporting of the procedure, randomization, dropouts, strict conduct of intention-to-treat (ITT) analysis, and sample size calculation according to CONSORT were assessed in the 46 subcutaneous and 48 sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) blind, placebo-controlled randomized trials published between 1996 and 2009 in English. One subcutaneous immunotherapy (2.2%) and 3 SLIT (6.6%) trials met CONSORT Statement criteria. These were used for the registration of sublingual tablets to the European Medicines Agency. In subcutaneous immunotherapy, 16 (35%) studies reported a CONSORT flow chart, and 12 (26%) provided a description of dropouts. Adequate randomization was reported in 9 (35%) studies, and incomplete randomization was reported in 15 (33%). Power analysis was reported in 15 (33%) studies. In SLIT, 20 (42%) studies reported a CONSORT flow chart, and 16 (32%) a description of dropouts. ITT analysis was carried out in 1 (2.2%) SLIT study, and a modified ITT analysis was used in 1 (2.2%) subcutaneous immunotherapy study and 2 (4.4%) SLIT studies. Adequate randomization was reported in 6 (12%) studies, and incomplete randomization was reported in 16 (32%). Power analysis was reported in 15 (27%) studies. As in other areas of medicine, the quality of reporting of most immunotherapy trials is low, and only 4.2% of SLIT randomized controlled trials met all of the criteria of the CONSORT Statement. Use of the CONSORT criteria should be encouraged. Copyright © 2010 American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. Published by Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

Precursors to the Development of Anxiety Disorders in Young Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-12-01

conducting an in-depth study of the relationship between SOR, attention, and anxiety symptoms in preschool age children with ASD, using parent report...2017 10/18/2017 Milestone #12: Publish results of study on risk factors for anxiety in young children with ASD. 9/29/2017 90% 90% 90% Specific...Publish results of study validating an auditory ERP measure as a biomarker of SOR in young children with ASD 9/29/2017 80% 80% 80% 6 B

Joint Services Electronics Program.

DTIC Science & Technology

1981-12-01

102 APPENDIX III: REPORTS PUBLISHED BY ESL OCTOBER 1980 TO OCTOBER 1981 104 APPENDIX IV: ESL PAPERS PUBLISHED OCTOBER 1980 TO OCTOBER 1981 108 I 1 I...and papers published by the Laboratory during the past year are J given in the appendices. I I I I1 11. SIGNIFICANT ACCOMPLISHMENTS The study of the...level in the E-plane. The curved transition also helps to match the wavegulde feed to the horn and the aperture of the I horn to free space resulting in

Mind the Gap! A Multilevel Analysis of Factors Related to Variation in Published Cost-Effectiveness Estimates within and between Countries

PubMed Central

Boehler, Christian E. H.; Lord, Joanne

2016-01-01

Background. Published cost-effectiveness estimates can vary considerably, both within and between countries. Despite extensive discussion, little is known empirically about factors relating to these variations. Objectives. To use multilevel statistical modeling to integrate cost-effectiveness estimates from published economic evaluations to investigate potential causes of variation. Methods. Cost-effectiveness studies of statins for cardiovascular disease prevention were identified by systematic review. Estimates of incremental costs and effects were extracted from reported base case, sensitivity, and subgroup analyses, with estimates grouped in studies and in countries. Three bivariate models were developed: a cross-classified model to accommodate data from multinational studies, a hierarchical model with multinational data allocated to a single category at country level, and a hierarchical model excluding multinational data. Covariates at different levels were drawn from a long list of factors suggested in the literature. Results. We found 67 studies reporting 2094 cost-effectiveness estimates relating to 23 countries (6 studies reporting for more than 1 country). Data and study-level covariates included patient characteristics, intervention and comparator cost, and some study methods (e.g., discount rates and time horizon). After adjusting for these factors, the proportion of variation attributable to countries was negligible in the cross-classified model but moderate in the hierarchical models (14%−19% of total variance). Country-level variables that improved the fit of the hierarchical models included measures of income and health care finance, health care resources, and population risks. Conclusions. Our analysis suggested that variability in published cost-effectiveness estimates is related more to differences in study methods than to differences in national context. Multinational studies were associated with much lower country-level variation than single-country studies. These findings are for a single clinical question and may be atypical. PMID:25878194

Impact of peer review on reports of randomised trials published in open peer review journals: retrospective before and after study

PubMed Central

Collins, Gary S; Boutron, Isabelle; Yu, Ly-Mee; Cook, Jonathan; Shanyinde, Milensu; Wharton, Rose; Shamseer, Larissa; Altman, Douglas G

2014-01-01

Objective To investigate the effectiveness of open peer review as a mechanism to improve the reporting of randomised trials published in biomedical journals. Design Retrospective before and after study. Setting BioMed Central series medical journals. Sample 93 primary reports of randomised trials published in BMC-series medical journals in 2012. Main outcome measures Changes to the reporting of methodological aspects of randomised trials in manuscripts after peer review, based on the CONSORT checklist, corresponding peer reviewer reports, the type of changes requested, and the extent to which authors adhered to these requests. Results Of the 93 trial reports, 38% (n=35) did not describe the method of random sequence generation, 54% (n=50) concealment of allocation sequence, 50% (n=46) whether the study was blinded, 34% (n=32) the sample size calculation, 35% (n=33) specification of primary and secondary outcomes, 55% (n=51) results for the primary outcome, and 90% (n=84) details of the trial protocol. The number of changes between manuscript versions was relatively small; most involved adding new information or altering existing information. Most changes requested by peer reviewers had a positive impact on the reporting of the final manuscript—for example, adding or clarifying randomisation and blinding (n=27), sample size (n=15), primary and secondary outcomes (n=16), results for primary or secondary outcomes (n=14), and toning down conclusions to reflect the results (n=27). Some changes requested by peer reviewers, however, had a negative impact, such as adding additional unplanned analyses (n=15). Conclusion Peer reviewers fail to detect important deficiencies in reporting of the methods and results of randomised trials. The number of these changes requested by peer reviewers was relatively small. Although most had a positive impact, some were inappropriate and could have a negative impact on reporting in the final publication. PMID:24986891

Scientific reporting is suboptimal for aspects that characterize genetic risk prediction studies: a review of published articles based on the Genetic RIsk Prediction Studies statement.

PubMed

Iglesias, Adriana I; Mihaescu, Raluca; Ioannidis, John P A; Khoury, Muin J; Little, Julian; van Duijn, Cornelia M; Janssens, A Cecile J W

2014-05-01

Our main objective was to raise awareness of the areas that need improvements in the reporting of genetic risk prediction articles for future publications, based on the Genetic RIsk Prediction Studies (GRIPS) statement. We evaluated studies that developed or validated a prediction model based on multiple DNA variants, using empirical data, and were published in 2010. A data extraction form based on the 25 items of the GRIPS statement was created and piloted. Forty-two studies met our inclusion criteria. Overall, more than half of the evaluated items (34 of 62) were reported in at least 85% of included articles. Seventy-seven percentage of the articles were identified as genetic risk prediction studies through title assessment, but only 31% used the keywords recommended by GRIPS in the title or abstract. Seventy-four percentage mentioned which allele was the risk variant. Overall, only 10% of the articles reported all essential items needed to perform external validation of the risk model. Completeness of reporting in genetic risk prediction studies is adequate for general elements of study design but is suboptimal for several aspects that characterize genetic risk prediction studies such as description of the model construction. Improvements in the transparency of reporting of these aspects would facilitate the identification, replication, and application of genetic risk prediction models. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Open access publishing: a study of current practices in orthopaedic research.

PubMed

Sabharwal, Sanjeeve; Patel, Nirav; Johal, Karanjeev

2014-06-01

Open access (OA) publications have changed the paradigm of dissemination of scientific research. Their benefits to low-income countries underline their value; however, critics question exorbitant publication fees as well as their effect on the peer review process and research quality. This study reports on the prevalence of OA publishing in orthopaedic research and compares benchmark citation indices as well as evidence quality derived from OA journals with conventional subscription based orthopaedic journals. All 63 orthopaedic journals listed in ISI's Web of Knowledge Journal Citation Report (JCR) were examined. Bibliometric data attributed to each journal for the year 2012 was acquired from the JCR. Studies that fulfilled the criteria of level I evidence were identified for each journal within PubMed. Individual journal websites were reviewed to identify their open access policy. A total of 38 (60.3 %) journals did not offer any form of OA publishing; however, 20 (31.7 %) hybrid journals were identified which offered authors the choice to publish their work as OA if a publication fee was paid. Only five (8 %) journals published all their articles as OA. There was variability amongst the different publication fees for OA articles. Journals that published OA articles did not differ from subscription based journals on the basis of 2012 impact factor, citation number, self citation proportion or the volume of level I evidence published (p > 0.05). OA journals are present in orthopaedic research, though in small numbers. Over a third of orthopaedic journals catalogued in the ISI Web of Knowledge JCR® are hybrid journals that provide authors with the opportunity to publish their articles as OA after a publication fee is paid. This study suggests equivalent importance and quality of articles between OA and subscription based orthopaedic journals based on bibliometric data and the volume of level I evidence produced. Orthopaedic researchers must recognize the potential benefits of OA publishing and its emerging presence within the field. Further examination and consensus is required in orthopaedic research to generate an OA system that is robustly regulated and maintains research quality.

Evaluating psychiatric case-control studies using the STROBE (STrengthening the Reporting of OBservational Studies in Epidemiology) statement.

PubMed

Goi, Pedro Domingues; Goi, Julia Domingues; Cordini, Kariny Larissa; Ceresér, Keila Mendes; Rocha, Neusa Sica da

2014-01-01

Case-control studies are important in developing clinical and public health knowledge. The STROBE statement (STrengthening the Reporting of OBservational Studies in Epidemiology) was developed to establish a checklist of items that should be included in articles reporting observational studies. Our aim was to analyze whether the psychiatric case-control articles published in Brazilian journals with CAPES Qualis rating B1/B2 in 2009 conformed with the STROBE statement. Descriptive study on psychiatric papers published in Brazilian journals, within the Postgraduate Medical Program on Psychiatry, at Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul. All psychiatric case-control studies from Brazilian Qualis B1/B2 journals of psychiatry, neurology and public health in 2009 were analyzed. The four most specific items of the STROBE statement were used to evaluate whether these studies fitted within the case-control parameters: 1) selection of cases and controls; 2) controlling for bias; 3) statistical analysis; and 4) presentation of results. Sixteen case-control studies were identified, of which eleven (68.75%) were in psychiatry-focused journals. From analysis using the STROBE statement, all of the articles conformed with item 1; two (12.5%) completely conformed with item 2; none completely conformed with item 3; and only three (18.8%) conformed with item 4. The case-control studies analyzed here did not completely conform with the four STROBE statement items for case-control design. In view of the inadequate methodology of the published studies, these findings justify focusing on research and methodology and expanding the investigations on adherence of studies to their designs.

What Counts as Numeracy.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Maclellan, Effie

2001-01-01

A study sought to ascertain the "official" conception of numeracy in Scotland as published in Her Majesty's Inspectorate (HMI) audit reports. 300 HMI reports on 300 primary schools were examined for references to computational proficiency and understanding of number. Segments signifying proficiency were significantly more numerous than…

The assessment and interpretation of Demirjian, Goldstein and Tanner's dental maturity.

PubMed

Liversidge, Helen M

2012-09-01

A frequently reported advancement in dental maturity compared with the 50(th) percentile of Demirjian, Goldstein and Tanner (1973, Hum Biol 45:211-27) has been interpreted as a population difference. To review the assessment and interpretation of Demirjian et al.'s dental maturity. Dental maturity of boys from published reports was compared as maturity curves and difference to the 50(th) percentile in terms of chronological age and score. Dental maturity, as well as maturity of individual teeth, was compared in the fastest and slowest maturing groups of boys from the Chaillet database. Maturity curves from published reports by age category were broadly similar and differences occurred at the steepest part of the curve. These reduced when expressed as score rather than age. Many studies report a higher than expected score for chronological age and the database contained more than expected children with scores>97(th) percentile. Revised scores for chronological age from this database were calculated (4072 males, 3958 females, aged 2.1-17.9). Most published reports were similar to the database smoothed maturity curve. This method of dental maturity is designed to assess maturity for a single child and is unsuitable to compare groups.

Comparison of noninferiority margins reported in protocols and publications showed incomplete and inconsistent reporting.

PubMed

Dekkers, Olaf M; Cevallos, Myriam; Bührer, Jonas; Poncet, Antoine; Ackermann Rau, Sabine; Perneger, Thomas V; Egger, Matthias

2015-05-01

To compare noninferiority margins defined in study protocols and trial registry records with margins reported in subsequent publications. Comparison of protocols of noninferiority trials submitted 2001 to 2005 to ethics committees in Switzerland and The Netherlands with corresponding publications and registry records. We searched MEDLINE via PubMed, the Cochrane Controlled Trials Register (Cochrane Library issue 01/2012), and Google Scholar in September 2013 to identify published reports, and the International Clinical Trials Registry Platform of the World Health Organization in March 2013 to identify registry records. Two readers recorded the noninferiority margin and other data using a standardized data-abstraction form. The margin was identical in study protocol and publication in 43 (80%) of 54 pairs of study protocols and articles. In the remaining pairs, reporting was inconsistent (five pairs, 9%), or the noninferiority margin was either not reported in the publication (five pairs, 9%) or not defined in the study protocol (one pair). The confidence interval or the exact P-value required to judge whether the result was compatible with noninferior, inferior, or superior efficacy was reported in 43 (80%) publications. Complete and consistent reporting of both noninferiority margin and confidence interval (or exact P-value) was present in 39 (72%) protocol-publication pairs. Twenty-nine trials (54%) were registered in trial registries, but only one registry record included the noninferiority margin. The reporting of noninferiority margins was incomplete and inconsistent with study protocols in a substantial proportion of published trials, and margins were rarely reported in trial registries. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Association of the FDA Amendment Act with trial registration, publication, and outcome reporting.

PubMed

Phillips, Adam T; Desai, Nihar R; Krumholz, Harlan M; Zou, Constance X; Miller, Jennifer E; Ross, Joseph S

2017-07-18

Selective clinical trial publication and outcome reporting has the potential to bias the medical literature. The 2007 Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Amendment Act (FDAAA) mandated clinical trial registration and outcome reporting on ClinicalTrials.gov, a publicly accessible trial registry. Using publicly available data from ClinicalTrials.gov, FDA documents, and PubMed, we determined registration, publication, and reporting of findings for all efficacy trials supporting FDA approval of new drugs for cardiovascular disease and diabetes between 2005 and 2014, before and after the FDAAA. For published trials, we compared the published interpretation of the findings (positive, equivocal, or negative) with the FDA reviewer's interpretation. Between 2005 and 2014, the FDA approved 30 drugs for 32 indications of cardiovascular disease (n = 17) and diabetes (n = 15) on the basis of 183 trials (median per indication 5.7 (IQR, 3-8)). Compared with pre FDAAA, post-FDAAA studies were more likely to be registered (78 of 78 (100%) vs 73 of 105 (70%); p < 0.001), to be published (76 of 78 (97%) vs 93 of 105 (89%); p = 0.03), and to present findings concordant with the FDA reviewer's interpretation (74 of 76 (97%) vs 78 of 93 (84%); p = 0.004). Pre FDAAA, the FDA reviewer interpreted 80 (76%) trials as positive and 91 (98%) were published as positive. Post FDAAA, the FDA reviewer interpreted 71 (91%) trials as positive and 71 (93%) were published as positive. FDAAA was associated with increased registration, publication, and FDA-concordant outcome reporting for trials supporting FDA approval of new drugs for cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

Evidence of selective reporting bias in hematology journals: A systematic review

PubMed Central

Scheckel, Caleb; Hicks, Chandler; Nissen, Timothy; Leduc, Linda; Som, Mousumi; Vassar, Matt

2017-01-01

Introduction Selective reporting bias occurs when chance or selective outcome reporting rather than the intervention contributes to group differences. The prevailing concern about selective reporting bias is the possibility of results being modified towards specific conclusions. In this study, we evaluate randomized controlled trials (RCTs) published in hematology journals, a group in which selective outcome reporting has not yet been explored. Methods Our primary goal was to examine discrepancies between the reported primary and secondary outcomes in registered and published RCTs concerning hematological malignancies reported in hematology journals with a high impact factor. The secondary goals were to address whether outcome reporting discrepancies favored statistically significant outcomes, whether a pattern existed between the funding source and likelihood of outcome reporting bias, and whether temporal trends were present in outcome reporting bias. For trials with major outcome discrepancies, we contacted trialists to determine reasons for these discrepancies. Trials published between January 1, 2010 and December 31, 2015 in Blood; British Journal of Haematology; American Journal of Hematology; Leukemia; and Haematologica were included. Results Of 499 RCTs screened, 109 RCTs were included. Our analysis revealed 118 major discrepancies and 629 total discrepancies. Among the 118 discrepancies, 30 (25.4%) primary outcomes were demoted, 47 (39.8%) primary outcomes were omitted, and 30 (25.4%) primary outcomes were added. Three (2.5%) secondary outcomes were upgraded to a primary outcome. The timing of assessment for a primary outcome changed eight (6.8%) times. Thirty-one major discrepancies were published with a P-value and twenty-five (80.6%) favored statistical significance. A majority of authors whom we contacted cited a pre-planned subgroup analysis as a reason for outcome changes. Conclusion Our results suggest that outcome changes occur frequently in hematology trials. Because RCTs ultimately underpin clinical judgment and guide policy implementation, selective reporting could pose a threat to medical decision making. PMID:28570573

Quality of reporting in oncology phase II trials: A 5-year assessment through systematic review

PubMed Central

Langrand-Escure, Julien; Rivoirard, Romain; Oriol, Mathieu; Tinquaut, Fabien; Rancoule, Chloé; Chauvin, Frank; Magné, Nicolas; Bourmaud, Aurélie

2017-01-01

Background Phase II clinical trials are a cornerstone of the development in experimental treatments They work as a "filter" for phase III trials confirmation. Surprisingly the attrition ratio in Phase III trials in oncology is significantly higher than in any other medical specialty. This suggests phase II trials in oncology fail to achieve their goal. Objective The present study aims at estimating the quality of reporting in published oncology phase II clinical trials. Data sources A literature review was conducted among all phase II and phase II/III clinical trials published during a 5-year period (2010–2015). Study eligibility criteria All articles electronically published by three randomly-selected oncology journals with Impact-Factors>4 were included: Journal of Clinical Oncology, Annals of Oncology and British Journal of Cancer. Intervention Quality of reporting was assessed using the Key Methodological Score. Results 557 articles were included. 315 trials were single-arm studies (56.6%), 193 (34.6%) were randomized and 49 (8.8%) were non-randomized multiple-arm studies. The Methodological Score was equal to 0 (lowest level), 1, 2, 3 (highest level) respectively for 22 (3.9%), 119 (21.4%), 270 (48.5%) and 146 (26.2%) articles. The primary end point is almost systematically reported (90.5%), while sample size calculation is missing in 66% of the articles. 3 variables were independently associated with reporting of a high standard: presence of statistical design (p-value <0.001), multicenter trial (p-value = 0.012), per-protocol analysis (p-value <0.001). Limitations Screening was mainly performed by a sole author. The Key Methodological Score was based on only 3 items, making grey zones difficult to translate. Conclusions & implications of key findings This literature review highlights the existence of gaps concerning the quality of reporting. It therefore raised the question of the suitability of the methodology as well as the quality of these trials, reporting being incomplete in the corresponding articles. PMID:29216190

Cues and Concerns by Patients in Medical Consultations: A Literature Review

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zimmermann, Christa; Del Piccolo, Lidia; Finset, Arnstein

2007-01-01

The aim of the current article is to review the peer-reviewed research literature on cues and concerns published between 1975 and 2006. To be included, articles had to report observational studies based on patient-physician consultations and report findings on patient expressions of cues and/or concerns. Quantitative and qualitative studies from…

What Really Happens in Quantitative Group Research? Results of a Content Analysis of Recent Quantitative Research in "JSGW"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Boyle, Lauren H.; Whittaker, Tiffany A.; Eyal, Maytal; McCarthy, Christopher J.

2017-01-01

The authors conducted a content analysis on quantitative studies published in "The Journal for Specialists in Group Work" ("JSGW") between 2012 and 2015. This brief report provides a general overview of the current practices of quantitative group research in counseling. The following study characteristics are reported and…

The CARE guidelines: consensus-based clinical case report guideline development.

PubMed

Gagnier, Joel J; Kienle, Gunver; Altman, Douglas G; Moher, David; Sox, Harold; Riley, David

2014-01-01

A case report is a narrative that describes, for medical, scientific, or educational purposes, a medical problem experienced by one or more patients. Case reports written without guidance from reporting standards are insufficiently rigorous to guide clinical practice or to inform clinical study design. Develop, disseminate, and implement systematic reporting guidelines for case reports. We used a three-phase consensus process consisting of (1) pre-meeting literature review and interviews to generate items for the reporting guidelines, (2) a face-to-face consensus meeting to draft the reporting guidelines, and (3) post-meeting feedback, review, and pilot testing, followed by finalization of the case report guidelines. This consensus process involved 27 participants and resulted in a 13-item checklist-a reporting guideline for case reports. The primary items of the checklist are title, key words, abstract, introduction, patient information, clinical findings, timeline, diagnostic assessment, therapeutic interventions, follow-up and outcomes, discussion, patient perspective, and informed consent. We believe the implementation of the CARE (CAse REport) guidelines by medical journals will improve the completeness and transparency of published case reports and that the systematic aggregation of information from case reports will inform clinical study design, provide early signals of effectiveness and harms, and improve healthcare delivery. Copyright © 2014 Reproduced with permission of Global Advances in Health and Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

New Issues for New Methods: Ethical and Editorial Challenges for an Experimental Philosophy.

PubMed

Polonioli, Andrea

2017-08-01

This paper examines a constellation of ethical and editorial issues that have arisen since philosophers started to conduct, submit and publish empirical research. These issues encompass concerns over responsible authorship, fair treatment of human subjects, ethicality of experimental procedures, availability of data, unselective reporting and publishability of research findings. This study aims to assess whether the philosophical community has as yet successfully addressed such issues. To do so, the instructions for authors, submission process and published research papers of 29 main journals in philosophy have been considered and analyzed. In light of the evidence reported here, it is argued that the philosophical community has as yet failed to properly tackle such issues. The paper also delivers some recommendations for authors, reviewers and editors in the field.

Complications of wrist arthroscopy.

PubMed

Ahsan, Zahab S; Yao, Jeffrey

2012-06-01

The purpose of this systematic review was to address the incidence of complications associated with wrist arthroscopy. Given the paucity of information published on this topic, an all-inclusive review of published wrist arthroscopy complications was sought. Two independent reviewers performed a literature search using PubMed, Google Scholar, EBSCO, and Academic Megasearch using the terms "wrist arthroscopy complications," "complications of wrist arthroscopy," "wrist arthroscopy injury," and "wrist arthroscopy." Inclusion criteria were (1) Levels I to V evidence, (2) "complication" defined as an adverse outcome directly related to the operative procedure, and (3) explicit description of operative complications in the study. Eleven multiple-patient studies addressing complications of wrist arthroscopy from 1994 to 2010 were identified, with 42 complications reported from 895 wrist arthroscopy procedures, a 4.7% complication rate. Four case reports were also found, identifying injury to the dorsal sensory branch of the ulnar nerve, injury to the posterior interosseous nerve, and extensor tendon sheath fistula formation. This systematic review suggests that the previously documented rate of wrist arthroscopy complications may be underestimating the true incidence. The report of various complications provides insight to surgeons for improving future surgical techniques. Level IV, systematic review of Levels I-V studies. Copyright © 2012 Arthroscopy Association of North America. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Mixed Methods in CAM Research: A Systematic Review of Studies Published in 2012

PubMed Central

Bishop, Felicity L.; Holmes, Michelle M.

2013-01-01

Background. Mixed methods research uses qualitative and quantitative methods together in a single study or a series of related studies. Objectives. To review the prevalence and quality of mixed methods studies in complementary medicine. Methods. All studies published in the top 10 integrative and complementary medicine journals in 2012 were screened. The quality of mixed methods studies was appraised using a published tool designed for mixed methods studies. Results. 4% of papers (95 out of 2349) reported mixed methods studies, 80 of which met criteria for applying the quality appraisal tool. The most popular formal mixed methods design was triangulation (used by 74% of studies), followed by embedded (14%), sequential explanatory (8%), and finally sequential exploratory (5%). Quantitative components were generally of higher quality than qualitative components; when quantitative components involved RCTs they were of particularly high quality. Common methodological limitations were identified. Most strikingly, none of the 80 mixed methods studies addressed the philosophical tensions inherent in mixing qualitative and quantitative methods. Conclusions and Implications. The quality of mixed methods research in CAM can be enhanced by addressing philosophical tensions and improving reporting of (a) analytic methods and reflexivity (in qualitative components) and (b) sampling and recruitment-related procedures (in all components). PMID:24454489

Dual kidney transplant techniques: A systematic review.

PubMed

Cocco, Annelise; Shahrestani, Sara; Cocco, Nicholas; Hameed, Ahmer; Yuen, Lawrence; Ryan, Brendan; Hawthorne, Wayne; Lam, Vincent; Pleass, Henry

2017-08-01

Dual kidney transplantation (DKT) was developed to improve outcomes from transplantation of extended criteria donors (ECD). This study examined which surgical techniques have been reported for DKT and whether any technique had superior patient and graft survival. Electronic databases were searched for published studies mapping to MESH terms: "kidney or renal" AND "transplan*" AND "dual or double." Single case reports, studies of patients less than 18 years old, studies which did not describe the surgical technique, and studies that did not report patient or graft survival were excluded. Fifteen reports of 434 DKT recipients were identified. Three techniques were described: bilateral placement; unilateral placement with separate anastomoses; and unilateral placement with patch anastomoses. Patient survival across all three techniques was over 95% at 1 year, and graft survival was also similar at over 90%. Rates of delayed graft function were between 20% and 30% across all techniques. The three techniques have equivalent delayed graft function as well as patient and graft survival rates. This is an encouraging result as it means that the surgeon can choose to use the technique which is most appropriate for their own skills and for the patient. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Publication bias in situ.

PubMed

Phillips, Carl V

2004-08-05

Publication bias, as typically defined, refers to the decreased likelihood of studies' results being published when they are near the null, not statistically significant, or otherwise "less interesting." But choices about how to analyze the data and which results to report create a publication bias within the published results, a bias I label "publication bias in situ" (PBIS). PBIS may create much greater bias in the literature than traditionally defined publication bias (the failure to publish any result from a study). The causes of PBIS are well known, consisting of various decisions about reporting that are influenced by the data. But its impact is not generally appreciated, and very little attention is devoted to it. What attention there is consists largely of rules for statistical analysis that are impractical and do not actually reduce the bias in reported estimates. PBIS cannot be reduced by statistical tools because it is not fundamentally a problem of statistics, but rather of non-statistical choices and plain language interpretations. PBIS should be recognized as a phenomenon worthy of study - it is extremely common and probably has a huge impact on results reported in the literature - and there should be greater systematic efforts to identify and reduce it. The paper presents examples, including results of a recent HIV vaccine trial, that show how easily PBIS can have a large impact on reported results, as well as how there can be no simple answer to it. PBIS is a major problem, worthy of substantially more attention than it receives. There are ways to reduce the bias, but they are very seldom employed because they are largely unrecognized.

Factors Related to the Accuracy of Self-Reported Dietary Intake of Children Aged 6 to 12 Years Elicited with Interviews: A Systematic Review.

PubMed

Sharman, Stefanie J; Skouteris, Helen; Powell, Martine B; Watson, Brittany

2016-01-01

Understanding the relationship between children's dietary consumption and health is important. As such, it is crucial to explore factors related to the accuracy of children's reports of what they consumed. The objective was to evaluate factors related to the accuracy of self-reported dietary intake information elicited by interview methods from children aged 6 to 12 years. A systematic review of English articles using PsycINFO, PsycARTICLES, PsycEXTRA, PsycBOOKS, CINAHL Complete, Global Health, and MEDLINE Complete was performed. Search terms included interview, diet, children, and recall; studies were limited to those published from 1970 onward. Additional studies were identified using the reference lists of published articles. Studies that assessed children's dietary intake using direct observation, doubly labeled water, or the double-portion method and compared it with their recall of that intake (unassisted by parents) using an interview were included. The 45 studies that met the inclusion criteria showed that specific interview techniques designed to enhance children's recall accuracy had little effect. Rather, the timing of the interview appeared most important: The shorter the retention interval between children's consumption and their recall, the more accurate their memories. Children's age, body mass index, social desirability, food preferences, and cognitive ability were also related to accuracy. Factors related to the accuracy of children's dietary reporting should be taken into consideration when asking about consumption. Further research is required to examine whether other interview techniques, such as those developed to enhance children's recall of repeated staged events, can improve children's dietary reporting accuracy. Copyright © 2016 Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Effects of gastrocnemius recession on ankle motion, strength, and functional outcomes: a systematic review and national healthcare database analysis.

PubMed

Gianakos, Arianna; Yasui, Youichi; Murawski, Christopher D; Kennedy, John G

2016-04-01

The purpose of this systematic review was to report the effects of gastrocnemius recession on ankle dorsiflexion range of motion, function, and push-off power. The MEDLINE and EMBASE databases were reviewed with terms "gastrocnemius recession". The inclusion criteria were: (1) clinical studies, (2) published in a peer-reviewed journal within the past 10 years, and (3) published in English. Excluded were: (1) review articles, (2) cadaveric studies, (3) studies including patients under the age of 18 years, (4) studies evaluating a neurologic condition, (5) level of evidence 5, and (6) Quality of Evidence Score <3. Data were then extracted and analysed for trends. The PearlDiver Database was also used to review de-identified patient information retrospectively between 2007 and 2011. Full-text review yielded 23 articles that fit the inclusion criteria. Twenty-one of 23 (91%) and 2/23 (9%) studies were level of evidence 4 and 3, respectively. Twelve of 23 (52%) studies reported follow-up assessment between 12 and 36 months, and no studies reported longer-term follow-up. Twelve of 12 (100%) studies reported improved dorsiflexion range of motion 9/9 (100%) reported improved AOFAS, and 11/11 (100%) reported improved VAS. Five of 23 (22%) studies reported strength in a measured and controlled fashion with variable results, but of these, no study reported a return to normal power. The mean complication rate was 14%. The available evidence supports that GR improves functional outcomes and increases dorsiflexion range of motion. Furthermore, GR affects gait kinematics, which may cause compensatory effects at the knee, ankle, and subtalar joints. Evidence has shown that power does not return to normal levels. Clinicians may utilize these data clinically to determine whether patients may benefit from GR or not. IV.

Assessing the scholarly impact of health psychology: a citation analysis of articles published from 1993 to 2003.

PubMed

Frosch, Dominick L; Saxbe, Darby; Tomiyama, A Janet; Glenn, Beth A; Low, Carissa A; Hanoch, Yaniv; Motivala, Sarosh J; Meeker, Daniella

2010-09-01

We conducted a citation analysis to explore the impact of articles published in Health Psychology and determine whether the journal is fulfilling its stated mission. Six years of articles (N = 408) representing three editorial tenures from 1993-2003 were selected for analysis. Articles were coded for several dimensions enabling examination of the relationship of article features to subsequent citations rates. Journals citing articles published in Health Psychology were classified into four categories: (1) psychology, (2) medicine, (3) public health and health policy, and (4) other journals. The majority of citations of Health Psychology articles were in psychology journals, followed closely by medical journals. Studies reporting data collected from college students, and discussing the theoretical implications of findings, were more likely to be cited in psychology journals, whereas studies reporting data from clinical populations, and discussing the practice implications of findings, were more likely to be cited in medical journals. Time since publication and page length were both associated with increased citation counts, and review articles were cited more frequently than observational studies. Articles published in Health Psychology have a wide reach, informing psychology, medicine, public health and health policy. Certain characteristics of articles affect their subsequent pattern of citation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved).

Quality of reviews on sugar-sweetened beverages and health outcomes: a systematic review123

PubMed Central

Weed, Douglas L; Mink, Pamela J

2011-01-01

Background: Medical and public health decisions are informed by reviews, which makes the quality of reviews an important scientific concern. Objective: We systematically assessed the quality of published reviews on sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) and health, which is a controversial topic that is important to public health. Design: We performed a search of PubMed and Cochrane databases and a hand search of reference lists. Studies that were selected were published reviews and meta-analyses (June 2001 to June 2011) of epidemiologic studies of the relation between SSBs and obesity, type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and coronary heart disease. A standardized data-abstraction form was used. Review quality was assessed by using the validated instrument AMSTAR (assessment of multiple systematic reviews), which is a one-page tool with 11 questions. Results: Seventeen reviews met our inclusion and exclusion criteria: obesity or weight (16 reviews), diabetes (3 reviews), metabolic syndrome (3 reviews), and coronary heart disease (2 reviews). Authors frequently used a strictly narrative review (7 of 17 reviews). Only 6 of 17 reviews reported quantitative data in a table format. Overall, reviews of SSBs and health outcomes received moderately low–quality scores by the AMSTAR [mean: 4.4 points; median: 4 points; range: 1–8.5 points (out of a possible score of 11 points)]. AMSTAR scores were not related to the conclusions of authors (8 reviews reported an association with a mean AMSTAR score of 4.1 points; 9 reviews with equivocal conclusions scored 4.7 points; P value = 0.84). Less than one-third of published reviews reported a comprehensive literature search, listed included and excluded studies, or used duplicate study selection and data abstraction. Conclusion: The comprehensive reporting of epidemiologic evidence and use of systematic methodologies to interpret evidence were underused in published reviews on SSBs and health. PMID:21918218

The Impacts of Upward Bound Math-Science on Postsecondary Outcomes 7-9 Years after Scheduled High School Graduation: Final Report

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Seftor, Neil S.; Calcagno, Juan Carlos

2010-01-01

This final report updates the report "Upward Bound Math-Science: Program Description and Interim Impact Estimates" published in 2007 (Olsen et al. 2007). The 2007 interim report contained descriptive findings from a survey of Upward Bound Math-Science (UBMS) grantees from the late 1990s at the time of the study's initiation and impact estimates…

Review of "SCDP Milwaukee Evaluation Report #30"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cobb, Casey D.

2012-01-01

The School Choice Demonstration Project has published a series of reports written in the fifth and final year of its evaluation of the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program (MPCP). This review is of Report #30, a final follow up to a five-year study examining high school graduation and post-secondary enrollment rates for students participating in the…

Preferred Reporting Items for Studies Mapping onto Preference-Based Outcome Measures: The MAPS Statement.

PubMed

Petrou, Stavros; Rivero-Arias, Oliver; Dakin, Helen; Longworth, Louise; Oppe, Mark; Froud, Robert; Gray, Alastair

2015-10-01

'Mapping' onto generic preference-based outcome measures is increasingly being used as a means of generating health utilities for use within health economic evaluations. Despite publication of technical guides for the conduct of mapping research, guidance for the reporting of mapping studies is currently lacking. The MAPS (MApping onto Preference-based measures reporting Standards) statement is a new checklist, which aims to promote complete and transparent reporting of mapping studies. In the absence of previously published reporting checklists or reporting guidance documents, a de novo list of reporting items was created by a working group comprising six health economists and one Delphi methodologist. A two-round, modified Delphi survey, with representatives from academia, consultancy, health technology assessment agencies and the biomedical journal editorial community, was used to identify a list of essential reporting items from this larger list. From the initial de novo list of 29 candidate items, a set of 23 essential reporting items was developed. The items are presented numerically and categorized within six sections: (1) title and abstract; (2) introduction; (3) methods; (4) results; (5) discussion; and (6) other. The MAPS statement is best applied in conjunction with the accompanying MAPS Explanation and Elaboration paper. It is anticipated that the MAPS statement will improve the clarity, transparency and completeness of the reporting of mapping studies. To facilitate dissemination and uptake, the MAPS statement is being co-published by seven health economics and quality-of-life journals, and broader endorsement is encouraged. The MAPS working group plans to assess the need for an update of the reporting checklist in 5 years' time.

Preferred Reporting Items for Studies Mapping onto Preference-Based Outcome Measures: The MAPS Statement.

PubMed

Petrou, Stavros; Rivero-Arias, Oliver; Dakin, Helen; Longworth, Louise; Oppe, Mark; Froud, Robert; Gray, Alastair

2015-08-01

"Mapping" onto generic preference-based outcome measures is increasingly being used as a means of generating health utilities for use within health economic evaluations. Despite the publication of technical guides for the conduct of mapping research, guidance for the reporting of mapping studies is currently lacking. The MAPS (MApping onto Preference-based measures reporting Standards) statement is a new checklist that aims to promote complete and transparent reporting of mapping studies. In the absence of previously published reporting checklists or reporting guidance documents, a de novo list of reporting items was created by a working group comprised of 6 health economists and 1 Delphi methodologist. A 2-round, modified Delphi survey with representatives from academia, consultancy, health technology assessment agencies, and the biomedical journal editorial community was used to identify a list of essential reporting items from this larger list. From the initial de novo list of 29 candidate items, a set of 23 essential reporting items was developed. The items are presented numerically and categorized within 6 sections, namely: (i) title and abstract; (ii) introduction; (iii) methods; (iv) results; (v) discussion; and (vi) other. The MAPS statement is best applied in conjunction with the accompanying MAPS explanation and elaboration document. It is anticipated that the MAPS statement will improve the clarity, transparency, and completeness of reporting of mapping studies. To facilitate dissemination and uptake, the MAPS statement is being co-published by 7 health economics and quality-of-life journals, and broader endorsement is encouraged. The MAPS working group plans to assess the need for an update of the reporting checklist in 5 years.

Water Resources Data, Pennsylvania, Water Year 2001, Volume 2. Susquehanna and Potomac River Basins

USGS Publications Warehouse

Durlin, R.R.; Schaffstall, W.P.

2001-01-01

IntroductionThe Water Resources Division of the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with State, municipal, and Federal agencies, collects a large amount of data pertaining to the water resources of Pennsylvania each water year. These data, accumulated during many water years, constitute a valuable data base for developing an improved understanding of the water resources of the State. To make these data readily available to interested parties outside the Geological Survey, these data are published annually in this report series entitled "Water Resources Data - Pennsylvania, Volumes 1, 2, and 3." Volume 1 contains data for the Delaware River Basin; Volume 2, the Susquehanna and Potomac River Basins; and Volume 3, the Ohio and St. Lawrence River Basins.This report, Volume 2, contains: (1) discharge records for 83 continuous-record streamflow-gaging stations, 15 partial-record stations, and 24 special study and miscellaneous streamflow sites; (2) elevation and contents records for 12 lakes and reservoirs; (3) water-quality records for 9 streamflow gaging stations and 73 partial-record and project stations; and (4) water-level records for 36 ground-water network observation wells and water-quality analyses of ground water from 8 wells; (5) water-quality analyses at 123 special study ground-water wells; and, (6) miscellaneous water-level measurements at 80 special study ground-water wells. Additional water data collected at various sites not involved in the systematic data-collection program may also be presented.Publications similar to this report are published annually by the Geological Survey for all States. For the purpose of archiving, these official reports have an identification number consisting of the two-letter State abbreviation, the last two digits of the water year, and the volume number. For example, this volume is identified as "U.S. Geological Survey Water-Data Report PA-01-2." These water-data reports, beginning with the 1971 water year, are for sale as paper copy or microfiche by the National Technical Information Service, U.S. Department of Commerce, Springfield, VA 22161.The annual series of Water Data Reports for Pennsylvania began with the 1961 water-year report and contained only data relating to quantities of surface water. With the 1964 water year, a companion report (part 2) was introduced that contained only data relating to water quality. Beginning with the 1975 water year the report was changed to three volumes (by river basin), with each volume containing data on quantities of surface water, quality of surface and ground water, and ground-water levels.Prior to the introduction of this series and for several years concurrent with it, water-resources data for Pennsylvania were published in U.S. Geological Survey Water-Supply Papers. Data on stream discharge and stage, and on lake or reservoir contents and stage, through September 1960, were published annually under the title "Surface-Water Supply of the United States," which was released in numbered parts as determined by natural drainage basins. For the 1961-70 water years, these data were published in two 5-year reports. Data prior to 1961 are included in two reports: "Compilation of Records of Surface Waters of the United States through 1950," and "Compilation of Records of Surface Waters of the United States, October 1950 to September 1960." Data for Pennsylvania are published in Parts 1, 3, and 4. Data on chemical quality, temperature, and suspended sediment for the 1941-70 water years were published annually under the title "Quality of Surface Waters of the United States," and ground-water levels for the 1935-74 water years were published annually under the title "Ground-Water Levels in the United States." The above mentioned Water-Supply Papers may be consulted in the libraries of the principal cities of the United States and may be purchased from the U.S. Geological Survey, Information Services, Box 25286, Denver, CO 80225.Information for ordering specific reports may be obtained from the Pennsylvania District Office at the address on the back of the title page or by phoning the Scientific and Technical Products Section at (717) 730-6940. Information on the availability of unpublished data or statistical analyses may be obtained from the District Information Specialist by telephone at (717) 730-6916 or by FAX at (717) 730-6997.

First report of Ehrlichia infection in goats, China.

PubMed

Zhang, Hui; Chang, Zhenyu; Mehmood, Khalid; Wang, Yajing; Rehman, Mujeeb Ur; Nabi, Fazul; Sabir, Ahamad Jawad; Liu, Xueting; Wu, Xiaoxing; Tian, Xinxin; Zhou, Donghai

2017-09-01

Ehrlichiosis is an emerging infectious disease of domestic animals which is transmitted by ticks. This disease has been reported earlier in most parts of China in dogs, cattle and humans, but there is no published data regarding this disease in goats. The present study provided the evidence of Ehrlichia infection in goats in Wuhan, China on the basis of clinical signs, gross lesions, serum-biochemical, histopathological and PCR. Twenty four goats were presented to the veterinary hospital of Huazhong Agricultural University during July, 2016. The goats were diagnosed for Ehrlichia in monocytic and granulocytic forms by blood smear examination. Further confirmation was done by PCR examination, while histopathological examination revealed degeneration and inflammation in different tissues. The biochemical criterion and blood samples analysis showed significant (P < 0.05) changes. The present study reported that goats are naturally exposed to Ehrlichia infection. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first clinical report of Ehrlichia infection in goats infested with infected ticks. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

The PRISMA statement for reporting systematic reviews and meta-analyses of studies that evaluate healthcare interventions: explanation and elaboration

PubMed Central

Liberati, Alessandro; Altman, Douglas G; Tetzlaff, Jennifer; Mulrow, Cynthia; Gøtzsche, Peter C; Ioannidis, John P A; Clarke, Mike; Devereaux, P J; Kleijnen, Jos; Moher, David

2009-01-01

Systematic reviews and meta-analyses are essential to summarise evidence relating to efficacy and safety of healthcare interventions accurately and reliably. The clarity and transparency of these reports, however, are not optimal. Poor reporting of systematic reviews diminishes their value to clinicians, policy makers, and other users. Since the development of the QUOROM (quality of reporting of meta-analysis) statement—a reporting guideline published in 1999—there have been several conceptual, methodological, and practical advances regarding the conduct and reporting of systematic reviews and meta-analyses. Also, reviews of published systematic reviews have found that key information about these studies is often poorly reported. Realising these issues, an international group that included experienced authors and methodologists developed PRISMA (preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses) as an evolution of the original QUOROM guideline for systematic reviews and meta-analyses of evaluations of health care interventions. The PRISMA statement consists of a 27-item checklist and a four-phase flow diagram. The checklist includes items deemed essential for transparent reporting of a systematic review. In this explanation and elaboration document, we explain the meaning and rationale for each checklist item. For each item, we include an example of good reporting and, where possible, references to relevant empirical studies and methodological literature. The PRISMA statement, this document, and the associated website (www.prisma-statement.org/) should be helpful resources to improve reporting of systematic reviews and meta-analyses. PMID:19622552

Clinical Outcome Reporting in Youth ACL Literature Is Widely Variable

PubMed Central

Brusalis, Christopher M.; Lakomkin, Nikita; Suryavanshi, Joash R.; Cruz, Aristides I.; Green, Daniel W.; Jones, Kristofer J.; Fabricant, Peter D.

2017-01-01

Background: Advances in anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction procedures in pediatric and adolescent patients have resulted in an increase in recent clinical studies on this topic. However, the consistency with which outcome measures are reported in this demographic is unknown. Purpose: To document outcome reporting patterns of youth ACL reconstruction studies in high-impact journals. Study Design: Systematic review; Level of evidence, 4. Methods: All articles published in 5 high-impact orthopaedic journals from 2010 to 2016 were reviewed to identify those reporting clinical outcomes of young patients who underwent ACL reconstruction. Studies that were nonclinical, reported on patients older than 18 years, or included fewer than 10 patients were excluded. Outcome measures used in all included studies were recorded. Results: Seventeen studies encompassing 772 subjects (mean age, 14.3 years; range, 6.3-18.0 years) were analyzed. Eight studies (47%) reported on Tanner stage of subjects, while 1 study reported skeletal age. Ten studies (59%) clearly documented the presence or absence of surgical complications. Range of motion was reported in 65% of studies. Leg-length discrepancy and angular deformity were each reported in 76% of studies, with 12% quantifying results through radiographic measurements. Ligament testing was variably defined by inclusion of instrumented testing (65%), Lachman test (53%), and pivot-shift test (53%). Fourteen studies (82%) explicitly reported on the rate of ACL rerupture, while 71% reported on the rate of revision surgery. Rate of return to preinjury activity was reported in 8 studies (47%), of which 2 defined criteria for return to sport and 3 defined the level of competitive sport. Patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) were used variably. For the 3 most commonly reported PROMs (Lysholm, International Knee Documentation Committee, and Tegner), 24% of studies reported all 3 PROMs, 35% of studies reported 2 PROMs, and 6% of studies reported 1 PROM in isolation. A pediatric-specific PROM was reported in 1 of the 17 studies. Conclusion: Studies on pediatric ACL reconstruction published in high-impact journals unreliably defined subjects’ skeletal maturity, inconsistently reported on objective outcome measures, and used disparate adult-validated PROMs to assess subjective outcomes. These findings highlight the need for standardized, pediatric-specific outcome measures to be applied in future studies evaluating ACL reconstruction in children and adolescents. PMID:28840156

Accounting for competing risks in randomized controlled trials: a review and recommendations for improvement.

PubMed

Austin, Peter C; Fine, Jason P

2017-04-15

In studies with survival or time-to-event outcomes, a competing risk is an event whose occurrence precludes the occurrence of the primary event of interest. Specialized statistical methods must be used to analyze survival data in the presence of competing risks. We conducted a review of randomized controlled trials with survival outcomes that were published in high-impact general medical journals. Of 40 studies that we identified, 31 (77.5%) were potentially susceptible to competing risks. However, in the majority of these studies, the potential presence of competing risks was not accounted for in the statistical analyses that were described. Of the 31 studies potentially susceptible to competing risks, 24 (77.4%) reported the results of a Kaplan-Meier survival analysis, while only five (16.1%) reported using cumulative incidence functions to estimate the incidence of the outcome over time in the presence of competing risks. The former approach will tend to result in an overestimate of the incidence of the outcome over time, while the latter approach will result in unbiased estimation of the incidence of the primary outcome over time. We provide recommendations on the analysis and reporting of randomized controlled trials with survival outcomes in the presence of competing risks. © 2017 The Authors. Statistics in Medicine published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd. © 2017 The Authors. Statistics in Medicine published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Implant use for primary hip and knee arthroplasty: are we getting it right first time?

PubMed

Ng Man Sun, Stephen; Gillott, Elizabeth; Bhamra, Jagmeet; Briggs, Tim

2013-06-01

Implants used for hip and knee arthroplasties have recently come under increased scrutiny. In England, a large variety of prostheses are currently being used. With the need for savings within the NHS of up to £20 billion over the next five years, we should be 'getting it right first time' by using the most reliable implants with proven survivorship. The 8th Annual Report from the NJR (2011) reporting on prostheses used in 2010 was analysed to determine whether implants had published survivorship data. This study demonstrates that the majority of implants did have long-term results but a small percentage had no published data. The cost of these implants was calculated to see if the implants provided best value for money based on survivorship. Implant choice was also correlated to revision rates published in the NJR report (2011) to help determine whether their continued use was justified. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The use of the effect size in JCR Spanish journals of psychology: from theory to fact.

PubMed

García García, Juan; Ortega Campos, Elena; De la Fuente Sánchez, Leticia

2011-11-01

In 1999, Wilkinson and the Task Force on Statistical Inference published "Statistical Methods and Psychology: Guidelines and Explanation." The authors made several recommendations about how to improve the quality of Psychology research papers. One of these was to report some effect-size index in the results of the research. In 2001, the fifth edition of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association included this recommendation. In Spain, in 2003, scientific journals like Psicothema or the International Journal of Clinical and Health Psychology (IJCHP) published editorials and papers expressing the need to calculate the effect size in the research papers. The aim of this study is to determine whether the papers published from 2003 to 2008 in the four Spanish journals indexed in the Journal Citation Reports have reported some effect-size index of their results. The findings indicate that, in general, the followup of the norm has been scanty, though the evolution over the analyzed period is different depending on the journal.

Consensus on Exercise Reporting Template (CERT): Explanation and Elaboration Statement.

PubMed

Slade, Susan C; Dionne, Clermont E; Underwood, Martin; Buchbinder, Rachelle

2016-10-05

Exercise is effective for prevention and management of acute and chronic health conditions. However, trial descriptions of exercise interventions are often suboptimal, leaving readers unclear about the content of effective programmes. To address this, the 16-item internationally endorsed Consensus on Exercise Reporting Template (CERT) was developed. The aim is to present the final template and provide an Explanation and Elaboration Statement to operationalise the CERT. Development of the CERT was based on the EQUATOR Network methodological framework for developing reporting guidelines. We used a modified Delphi technique to gain consensus of international exercise experts and conducted 3 sequential rounds of anonymous online questionnaires and a Delphi workshop. The 16-item CERT is the minimum data set considered necessary to report exercise interventions. The contents may be included in online supplementary material, published as a protocol or located on websites and other electronic repositories. The Explanation and Elaboration Statement is intended to enhance the use, understanding and dissemination of the CERT and presents the meaning and rationale for each item, together with examples of good reporting. The CERT is designed specifically for the reporting of exercise programmes across all evaluative study designs for exercise research. The CERT can be used by authors to structure intervention reports, by reviewers and editors to assess completeness of exercise descriptions and by readers to facilitate the use of the published information. The CERT has the potential to increase clinical uptake of effective exercise programmes, enable research replication, reduce research waste and improve patient outcomes. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/.

The statistical reporting quality of articles published in 2010 in five dental journals.

PubMed

Vähänikkilä, Hannu; Tjäderhane, Leo; Nieminen, Pentti

2015-01-01

Statistical methods play an important role in medical and dental research. In earlier studies it has been observed that current use of methods and reporting of statistics are responsible for some of the errors in the interpretation of results. The aim of this study was to investigate the quality of statistical reporting in dental research articles. A total of 200 articles published in 2010 were analysed covering five dental journals: Journal of Dental Research, Caries Research, Community Dentistry and Oral Epidemiology, Journal of Dentistry and Acta Odontologica Scandinavica. Each paper underwent careful scrutiny for the use of statistical methods and reporting. A paper with at least one poor reporting item has been classified as 'problems with reporting statistics' and a paper without any poor reporting item as 'acceptable'. The investigation showed that 18 (9%) papers were acceptable and 182 (91%) papers contained at least one poor reporting item. The proportion of at least one poor reporting item in this survey was high (91%). The authors of dental journals should be encouraged to improve the statistical section of their research articles and to present the results in such a way that it is in line with the policy and presentation of the leading dental journals.

Deficiencies in the publication and reporting of the results of systematic reviews presented at scientific medical conferences.

PubMed

Hopewell, Sally; Boutron, Isabelle; Altman, Douglas G; Ravaud, Philippe

2015-12-01

To evaluate the publication and quality of reporting of abstracts of systematic reviews presented at scientific medical conferences. We included all abstracts of systematic reviews published in the proceedings of nine leading international conferences in 2010. For each conference abstract, we searched PubMed (January 1, 2010, to June 2013) to identify their corresponding full publication. We assessed the extent to which conference abstracts and their corresponding journal abstract reported items included in the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analysis for Abstracts checklist and recorded any important discrepancies between sources. We identified 197 abstracts of systematic reviews, representing <1% of the total number of conference abstracts presented. Of these 53% were published in full, the median time to publication was 14 months (interquartile range, 6.6-20.1 months). Although most conference and journal abstracts reported details of included studies (conference n = 83 of 103; 81% vs. journal n = 81 of 103; 79%), size and direction of effect (76% vs. 75%), and conclusions (79% vs. 81%), many failed to report the date of search (27% vs. 25%), assessment of risk of bias (18% vs. 12%), and the result for the main efficacy outcome(s) including the number of studies (37% vs. 31%) and participants (30% vs. 20%), harms(s) (17% vs. 17%), strengths (17% vs. 13%) and limitations (36% vs. 30%) of the evidence, or funding source (1% vs. 0%). There were discrepancies between journal and corresponding conference abstracts including deletion of studies (13%), changes in reported efficacy (11%), and harm (10%) outcome(s) and changes in the nature or direction of conclusions (24%). Despite the importance of systematic reviews in the delivery of evidence-based health care, very few are presented at scientific conferences and only half of those presented are published in full. Serious deficiencies in the reporting of abstracts of systematic reviews make it difficult for readers to reliably assess their findings. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Epidemiology of severe and fatal rattlesnake bites published in the American Association of Poison Control Centers' Annual Reports.

PubMed

Walter, Frank G; Stolz, Uwe; Shirazi, Farshad; McNally, Jude

2009-08-01

No study has focused on the nationwide epidemiology of severe and fatal rattlesnake bites during the last 25 years. We examined rates and temporal trends of severe and fatal rattlesnake bites across the United States. Our hypothesis was that nationwide annual rates of both severe and fatal outcomes from rattlesnake bites have remained unchanged over time. This study retrospectively analyzed all human rattlesnake bites published in the Annual Reports of the American Association of Poison Control Centers from 1983 through 2007. Annual rates of severe (major) and fatal rattlesnake bites were calculated using the annual number of major outcomes and fatalities as respective numerators and the total annual number of single rattlesnake bites (exposures) as denominators. Negative binomial and Poisson regressions were used to examine trends of severe and fatal rattlesnake bites over time. Annually, from 1985 to 2007, the incidence rate of major outcomes decreased by 2% per year (incidence rate ratio = 0.980; CI = 0.967-0.993), corresponding to an absolute annual rate decrease of two major outcomes per 1,000 bites per year. Annual rates of fatalities showed no statistically significant change from 1983 through 2007. This is the first study to examine rates and trends of published severe and fatal rattlesnake bites across the United States over the past 25 years. Annual rates of severe rattlesnake bites, derived from the published Annual Reports of the American Association of Poison Control Centers, have significantly decreased over time, whereas rates of fatal rattlesnake bites have remained unchanged.

A Review of Psychometric Assessment and Reporting Practices: An Examination of Measurement-Oriented versus Non-Measurement-Oriented Domains

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Slaney, Kathleen L.; Tkatchouk, Masha; Gabriel, Stephanie M.; Ferguson, Leona P.; Knudsen, Jared R. S.; Legere, Julien C.

2010-01-01

The primary aim of the present study is to determine whether the psychometric evaluation practices and test-analytic rationales of researchers publishing in journals with a measurement focus differ from those of researchers publishing in journals with varying substantive research foci. Several components of two different samples of articles were…

How can my research paper be useful for future meta-analyses on forest restoration practices?

Treesearch

Enrique Andivia; Pedro Villar‑Salvador; Juan A. Oliet; Jaime Puertolas; R. Kasten Dumroese

2018-01-01

Statistical meta-analysis is a powerful and useful tool to quantitatively synthesize the information conveyed in published studies on a particular topic. It allows identifying and quantifying overall patterns and exploring causes of variation. The inclusion of published works in meta-analyses requires, however, a minimum quality standard of the reported data and...

From Paper-Based towards Post-Digital Scholarly Publishing: An Analysis of An Ideological Dilemma and Its Consequences

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Saarti, Jarmo; Tuominen, Kimmo

2017-01-01

Introduction: Even though the current publishing model is based on digital dissemination, it still utilizes some of the basic principles of printed culture. Recently a policy emphasis towards open access has been set for publicly funded research. This paper reports on a study of the practices, business models and values linked with scholarly…

Brief Report: Data on the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scales (5th Ed.) in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Coolican, Jamesie; Bryson, Susan E.; Zwaigenbaum, Lonnie

2008-01-01

The Fifth Edition of the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scales (SB5; Roid, G. H. (2003). "Stanford Binet intelligence scales" (5th ed.). Itasca, IL: Riverside Publishing) is relatively new, with minimal published research on general populations and none with special populations. The present study provides information on the cognitive profiles of…

The Globalization of Pediatric Research: An Analysis of Clinical Trials Completed for Pediatric Exclusivity

PubMed Central

Pasquali, Sara K.; Burstein, Danielle S.; Benjamin, Daniel K.; Smith, P. Brian; Li, Jennifer S.

2010-01-01

Background Recent studies have examined the globalization of clinical research. These studies focused on adult trials, and the globalization of pediatric research has not been examined to date. We evaluated the setting of published studies conducted under the US Pediatric Exclusivity Program, which provides economic incentives to pharmaceutical companies to conduct drug studies in children. Methods Published studies containing the main results of trials conducted from 1998–2007 under the Pediatric Exclusivity Provision were included. Data were extracted from each study and described, including the therapeutic area of drug studied, number of patients enrolled, number of sites, and location where the study was conducted, if reported. Results Overall, 174 trials were included (sample size 8–27,065 patients); 9% did not report any information regarding the location or number of sites where the study was conducted. Of those that did report this information, 65% were conducted in at least one country outside the US, and 11% did not have any sites in the US. Fifty-four different countries were represented and 38% of trials enrolled patients in at least one site located in a developing/transition country, including more than one third of infectious disease, cardiovascular, and allergy/immunology trials. Conclusions The majority of published pediatric trials conducted under the Pediatric Exclusivity Provision included sites outside of the US, and over a third of trials enrolled patients in developing/transition countries. While there are many potential benefits to the globalization of pediatric research, this trend also raises certain scientific and ethical concerns which require further evaluation. PMID:20732941

Research to policy and practice change: is capacity building in operational research delivering the goods?

PubMed

Zachariah, Rony; Guillerm, Nathalie; Berger, Selma; Kumar, Ajay M V; Satyanarayana, Srinath; Bissell, Karen; Edginton, Mary; Hinderaker, Sven Gudmund; Tayler-Smith, Katie; Van den Bergh, Rafael; Khogali, Mohammed; Manzi, Marcel; Reid, Anthony J; Ramsay, Andrew; Reeder, John C; Harries, Anthony D

2014-09-01

Between 2009 and 2012, eight operational research capacity building courses were completed in Paris (3), Luxembourg (1), India (1), Nepal (1), Kenya (1) and Fiji (1). Courses had strict milestones that were subsequently adopted by the Structured Operational Research and Training InitiaTive (SORT IT) of the World Health Organization. We report on the numbers of enrolled participants who successfully completed courses, the number of papers published and their reported effect on policy and/or practice. Retrospective cohort study including a survey. Participant selection criteria ensured that only those proposing specific programme-related and relevant operational research questions were selected. Effects on policy and/or practice were assessed in a standardised manner by two independent reviewers. Of 93 enrolled participants from 31 countries (14 in Africa, 13 in Asia, two in Latin America and two in South Pacific), 83 (89%) completed their courses. A total of 96 papers were submitted to scientific journals of which 89 (93%) were published and 88 assessed for effect on policy and practice. There was a reported effect in 65 (74%) studies including changes to programme implementation (27), adaptation of monitoring tools (24) and changes to existing guidelines (20). Three quarters of published operational research studies from these structured courses had reported effects on policy and/or practice. It is important that this type of tracking becomes a standard component of operational research and research in general. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Reporting non-adherence in cluster randomised trials: A systematic review.

PubMed

Agbla, Schadrac C; DiazOrdaz, Karla

2018-06-01

Treatment non-adherence in randomised trials refers to situations where some participants do not receive their allocated treatment as intended. For cluster randomised trials, where the unit of randomisation is a group of participants, non-adherence may occur at the cluster or individual level. When non-adherence occurs, randomisation no longer guarantees that the relationship between treatment receipt and outcome is unconfounded, and the power to detect the treatment effects in intention-to-treat analysis may be reduced. Thus, recording adherence and estimating the causal treatment effect adequately are of interest for clinical trials. To assess the extent of reporting of non-adherence issues in published cluster trials and to establish which methods are currently being used for addressing non-adherence, if any, and whether clustering is accounted for in these. We systematically reviewed 132 cluster trials published in English in 2011 previously identified through a search in PubMed. One-hundred and twenty three cluster trials were included in this systematic review. Non-adherence was reported in 56 cluster trials. Among these, 19 reported a treatment efficacy estimate: per protocol in 15 and as treated in 4. No study discussed the assumptions made by these methods, their plausibility or the sensitivity of the results to deviations from these assumptions. The year of publication of the cluster trials included in this review (2011) could be considered a limitation of this study; however, no new guidelines regarding the reporting and the handling of non-adherence for cluster trials have been published since. In addition, a single reviewer undertook the data extraction. To mitigate this, a second reviewer conducted a validation of the extraction process on 15 randomly selected reports. Agreement was satisfactory (93%). Despite the recommendations of the Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials statement extension to cluster randomised trials, treatment adherence is under-reported. Among the trials providing adherence information, there was substantial variation in how adherence was defined, handled and reported. Researchers should discuss the assumptions required for the results to be interpreted causally and whether these are scientifically plausible in their studies. Sensitivity analyses to study the robustness of the results to departures from these assumptions should be performed.

Epidemiology, methodological and reporting characteristics of systematic reviews of nursing interventions published in China.

PubMed

Shi, Chunhu; Zhu, Lin; Wang, Xue; Qin, Chunxia; Xu, Qi; Tian, Jinhui

2014-12-01

The importance of systematic reviews (SRs) of nursing interventions' impact on practice makes their methodological quality and reporting characteristics especially important as it directly influence their utility for clinicians, patients and policy makers.The study aims to assess the methodological quality and reporting characteristics of SRs of nursing interventions in Chinese nursing journals. Three Chinese databases were searched for SRs of nursing interventions from inception to October 2011. The assessment of multiple systematic reviews (AMSTAR) and Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta Analyses (PRISMA) statements were used to assess methodological quality and reporting characteristics. Seventy-four SRs were included. The proportion of SRs complying with AMSTAR checklist items ranged from 0% to 82.4%. No SRs reported an 'a priori' design or conflict of interest. Only four items were found to be reported in more than 50% of the SRs: a list of included and excluded studies, the scientific quality of included studies, the appropriate use of methods to combine findings, and formulating conclusions appropriately. The majority of SRs of nursing interventions in China had major methodological and reporting flaws that limited their value to guide decisions. Chinese authors and journals should adopt and keep up with the AMSTAR and PRISMA statements to improve the quality of SRs in this field. © 2014 Wiley Publishing Asia Pty Ltd.

Prevalence and incidence of dyslipidaemia among adults in Africa: a systematic review and meta-analysis protocol.

PubMed

Noubiap, Jean Jacques N; Nansseu, Jobert Richie N; Bigna, Jean Joel R; Jingi, Ahmadou M; Kengne, André Pascal

2015-03-17

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death globally and disproportionately affects low-income and middle-income countries. Dyslipidaemia is an important modifiable risk factor for CVD. There are important knowledge gaps regarding the population levels of lipid variables and frequency of non-optimal levels in populations within Africa. We propose to conduct a systematic review to determine the prevalence and occurrence of dyslipidaemia in adult populations within countries in Africa. We will perform a comprehensive search to identify all possible published and unpublished studies on the prevalence or incidence of dyslipidaemia in Africa reported from 1 January 1980, without language restriction. The scientific databases PubMed MEDLINE, EMBASE and ISI Web of Science will be searched, as well as Grey literature. Following study selection, full-text papers acquisition, and data extraction and synthesis, we will appraise the quality of studies and risk of bias, and assess heterogeneity. Prevalence/incidence data will be summarised by country and geographic regions and a meta-analysis will be conducted for variables defined identically across studies. Variance stabilising transformations will be applied as appropriate to the row data before meta-analysis. This systematic review will be reported according to the MOOSE Guidelines for Meta-Analyses and Systematic Reviews of Observational Studies. The current study is based on published data and as such ethics consideration is not a requirement. This review is expected to provide relevant data to help in quantifying the magnitude of dyslipidaemia in African populations, to emphasise the need for appropriate prevention and control strategies, and to identify research gaps and remaining challenges. The final report of the systematic review in the form of a scientific paper will be published in peer-reviewed journals. Findings will further be presented at conferences and submitted to relevant health authorities. PROSPERO CRD42014015376. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

[Eccentric strength training for the rotator cuff tendinopathies with subacromial impingement. Current evidence].

PubMed

Macías-Hernández, Salvador Israel; Pérez-Ramírez, Luis Enrique

2015-01-01

Rotator cuff tears are the leading cause of pain and functional disability of the shoulder. Conservative treatment is an essential part of their management. Despite the limited evidence, rehabilitation is the mainstay of the treatment for rotator cuff tears associated to impingement syndrome. There are current reports on the utility of strengthening with resistance, particularly by eccentric exercise. This report aims to present an overview of the efficacy of eccentric exercises in tendinopathies and current evidence of its benefit in rotator cuff tears. We describe the information available in tendinopathy and analyzed four studies published on eccentric strengthening for rotator cuff tears. There is theoretical evidence about its usefulness in this pathology, but only a controlled clinical trial has been published with data on improvement in strength but not in pain or functionality. More studies are needed with better methodological designs in order to generate evidence of their utility and recommendation. Copyright © 2015. Published by Masson Doyma México S.A.

Are pediatric Open Access journals promoting good publication practice? An analysis of author instructions.

PubMed

Meerpohl, Joerg J; Wolff, Robert F; Antes, Gerd; von Elm, Erik

2011-04-09

Several studies analyzed whether conventional journals in general medicine or specialties such as pediatrics endorse recommendations aiming to improve publication practice. Despite evidence showing benefits of these recommendations, the proportion of endorsing journals has been moderate to low and varied considerably for different recommendations. About half of pediatric journals indexed in the Journal Citation Report referred to the Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) but only about a quarter recommended registration of trials. We aimed to investigate to what extent pediatric open-access (OA) journals endorse these recommendations. We hypothesized that a high proportion of these journals have adopted recommendations on good publication practice since OA electronic publishing has been associated with a number of editorial innovations aiming at improved access and transparency. We identified 41 journals publishing original research in the subject category "Health Sciences, Medicine (General), Pediatrics" of the Directory of Open Access Journals http://www.doaj.org. From the journals' online author instructions we extracted information regarding endorsement of four domains of editorial policy: the Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts, trial registration, disclosure of conflicts of interest and five major reporting guidelines such as the CONSORT (Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials) statement. Two investigators collected data independently. The Uniform Requirements were mentioned by 27 (66%) pediatric OA journals. Thirteen (32%) required or recommended trial registration prior to publication of a trial report. Conflict of interest policies were stated by 25 journals (61%). Advice about reporting guidelines was less frequent: CONSORT was referred to by 12 journals (29%) followed by other reporting guidelines (MOOSE, PRISMA or STARD) (8 journals, 20%) and STROBE (3 journals, 7%). The EQUATOR network, a platform of several guideline initiatives, was acknowledged by 4 journals (10%). Journals published by OA publishing houses gave more guidance than journals published by professional societies or other publishers. Pediatric OA journals mentioned certain recommendations such as the Uniform Requirements or trial registration more frequently than conventional journals; however, endorsement is still only moderate. Further research should confirm these exploratory findings in other medical fields and should clarify what the motivations and barriers are in implementing such policies.

Are pediatric Open Access journals promoting good publication practice? An analysis of author instructions

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background Several studies analyzed whether conventional journals in general medicine or specialties such as pediatrics endorse recommendations aiming to improve publication practice. Despite evidence showing benefits of these recommendations, the proportion of endorsing journals has been moderate to low and varied considerably for different recommendations. About half of pediatric journals indexed in the Journal Citation Report referred to the Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) but only about a quarter recommended registration of trials. We aimed to investigate to what extent pediatric open-access (OA) journals endorse these recommendations. We hypothesized that a high proportion of these journals have adopted recommendations on good publication practice since OA electronic publishing has been associated with a number of editorial innovations aiming at improved access and transparency. Methods We identified 41 journals publishing original research in the subject category "Health Sciences, Medicine (General), Pediatrics" of the Directory of Open Access Journals http://www.doaj.org. From the journals' online author instructions we extracted information regarding endorsement of four domains of editorial policy: the Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts, trial registration, disclosure of conflicts of interest and five major reporting guidelines such as the CONSORT (Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials) statement. Two investigators collected data independently. Results The Uniform Requirements were mentioned by 27 (66%) pediatric OA journals. Thirteen (32%) required or recommended trial registration prior to publication of a trial report. Conflict of interest policies were stated by 25 journals (61%). Advice about reporting guidelines was less frequent: CONSORT was referred to by 12 journals (29%) followed by other reporting guidelines (MOOSE, PRISMA or STARD) (8 journals, 20%) and STROBE (3 journals, 7%). The EQUATOR network, a platform of several guideline initiatives, was acknowledged by 4 journals (10%). Journals published by OA publishing houses gave more guidance than journals published by professional societies or other publishers. Conclusions Pediatric OA journals mentioned certain recommendations such as the Uniform Requirements or trial registration more frequently than conventional journals; however, endorsement is still only moderate. Further research should confirm these exploratory findings in other medical fields and should clarify what the motivations and barriers are in implementing such policies. PMID:21477335

Statistical controversies in clinical research: comparison of primary outcomes in protocols, public clinical-trial registries and publications: the example of oncology trials.

PubMed

Perlmutter, A S; Tran, V-T; Dechartres, A; Ravaud, P

2017-04-01

Protocols are often unavailable to peer-reviewers and readers. To detect outcome reporting bias (ORB), readers usually have to resort to publicly available descriptions of study design such as public clinical trial registries. We compared primary outcomes in protocols, ClinicalTrials.gov and publications of oncology trials and evaluated the use of ClinicalTrials.gov as compared with protocols in detecting discrepancies between planned and published outcomes. We searched for phase III oncology trials registered in ClinicalTrials.gov and published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology and New England Journal of Medicine between January 2014 and June 2015. We extracted primary outcomes reported in the protocol, ClinicalTrials.gov and the publication. First, we assessed the quality of primary outcome descriptions by using a published framework. Second, we evaluated modifications of primary outcomes between each source. Finally, we evaluated the agreement, specificity and sensitivity of detecting modifications between planned and published outcomes by using protocols or ClinicalTrials.gov. We included 65 trials, with 81 primary outcomes common among the 3 sources. The proportion of primary outcomes reporting all items from the framework was 73%, 22%, and 75% for protocols, ClinicalTrials.gov and publications, respectively. Eight (12%) trials presented a discrepancy between primary outcomes reported in the protocol and in the publication. Twelve (18.5%) trials presented a discrepancy between primary outcomes registered at ClinicalTrials.gov and in publications. We found a moderate agreement in detecting discrepant reporting of outcomes by using protocols or ClinicalTrials.gov [κ = 0.53, 95% confidence interval (0.25-0.81)]. Using ClinicalTrials.gov to detect discrepant reporting of outcomes showed high specificity (89.5%) but lacked sensitivity (75%) as compared with use of protocols. In oncology trials, primary outcome descriptions in ClinicalTrials.gov are often of low quality and may not reflect what is in the protocol, thus limiting the detection of modifications between planned and published outcomes. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Society for Medical Oncology. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Considerations for conducting research in agricultural biotechnology.

PubMed

Shelton, Anthony M

2003-06-01

Science has shown its increased vulnerability because of two recent high-profile articles published in major journals on corn produced through biotechnology: a laboratory report suggesting profound consequences to monarch butterfly populations due to Bt corn pollen and a report suggesting transgenic introgression into Mexican maize. While both studies have been widely regarded as having flawed methodology, publishing these studies has created great consternation in the scientific community, regulatory agencies and the general public. There are roles and responsibilities of scientists, scientific journals, the public media, public agencies, and those who oppose or advocate a specific technology, and serious consequences when those roles and responsibilities go awry. Modern communication may exacerbate the flow of misinformation and easily lead to a decline in public confidence about biotechnology and science. However, common sense tells us that scientific inquiry and the publication and reporting of results should be performed with high standards of ethical behavior, regardless of one's personal perspective on agricultural biotechnology.

Oncology trial abstracts showed suboptimal improvement in reporting: a comparative before-and-after evaluation using CONSORT for Abstract guidelines.

PubMed

Ghimire, Saurav; Kyung, Eunjung; Lee, Heeyoung; Kim, Eunyoung

2014-06-01

The aims of this study were to evaluate the quality of randomized controlled trial (RCT) abstracts published in the field of oncology and identify characteristics associated with better reporting quality. All phase III trials published during 2005-2007 [before Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials (CONSORT)] and 2010-2012 (after CONSORT) were searched electronically in MEDLINE/PubMed and retrieved for review using an 18-point overall quality score (OQS) for reporting based on the CONSORT for Abstract guidelines. Descriptive statistics followed by multivariate linear regression were used to identify features associated with improved reporting quality. The mean OQS was 8.2 (range: 5-13; 95% confidence interval (CI): 8.0, 8.3) and 9.9 (range: 5-18; 95% CI: 9.7, 10.2) in the pre- and post-CONSORT periods, respectively. The method for random sequence generation, allocation concealment, blinding details, and funding sources were missing in pre-CONSORT abstracts and insufficiently reported (<20%) in post-CONSORT abstracts. A high impact factor (P < 0.001) and the journal of publication (P < 0.001) were independent factors that were significantly associated with higher reporting quality on multivariate analysis. The reporting quality of RCT abstracts in oncology showed suboptimal improvement over time. Thus, stricter adherence to the CONSORT for Abstract guidelines is needed to improve the reporting quality of RCT abstracts published in oncology. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Spontaneous Bleeding Associated with Ginkgo biloba

PubMed Central

Bent, Stephen; Goldberg, Harley; Padula, Amy; Avins, Andrew L

2005-01-01

BACKGROUND Ginkgo biloba (ginkgo) is a herbal remedy used by over 2% of the adult population in the United States. Several review articles have suggested that ginkgo may increase the risk of bleeding. OBJECTIVE To report a case of bleeding associated with using ginkgo, to systematically review the literature for similar case reports, and to evaluate whether using ginkgo is causally related to bleeding. DATA SOURCES We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, IBIDS, and the Cochrane Collaboration Database from 1966 to October 2004 with no language restrictions. REVIEW METHODS Published case reports of bleeding events in persons using ginkgo were selected. Two reviewers independently abstracted a standard set of information to assess whether ginkgo caused the bleeding event. RESULTS Fifteen published case reports described a temporal association between using ginkgo and a bleeding event. Most cases involved serious medical conditions, including 8 episodes of intracranial bleeding. However, 13 of the case reports identified other risk factors for bleeding. Only 6 reports clearly described that ginkgo was stopped and that bleeding did not recur. Bleeding times, measured in 3 reports, were elevated when patients were taking ginkgo. CONCLUSION A structured assessment of published case reports suggests a possible causal association between using ginkgo and bleeding events. Given the widespread use of this herb and the serious nature of the reported events, further studies are needed. Patients using ginkgo, particularly those with known bleeding risks, should be counseled about a possible increase in bleeding risk. PMID:16050865

Quality of search strategies reported in systematic reviews published in stereotactic radiosurgery.

PubMed

Faggion, Clovis M; Wu, Yun-Chun; Tu, Yu-Kang; Wasiak, Jason

2016-06-01

Systematic reviews require comprehensive literature search strategies to avoid publication bias. This study aimed to assess and evaluate the reporting quality of search strategies within systematic reviews published in the field of stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS). Three electronic databases (Ovid MEDLINE(®), Ovid EMBASE(®) and the Cochrane Library) were searched to identify systematic reviews addressing SRS interventions, with the last search performed in October 2014. Manual searches of the reference lists of included systematic reviews were conducted. The search strategies of the included systematic reviews were assessed using a standardized nine-question form based on the Cochrane Collaboration guidelines and Assessment of Multiple Systematic Reviews checklist. Multiple linear regression analyses were performed to identify the important predictors of search quality. A total of 85 systematic reviews were included. The median quality score of search strategies was 2 (interquartile range = 2). Whilst 89% of systematic reviews reported the use of search terms, only 14% of systematic reviews reported searching the grey literature. Multiple linear regression analyses identified publication year (continuous variable), meta-analysis performance and journal impact factor (continuous variable) as predictors of higher mean quality scores. This study identified the urgent need to improve the quality of search strategies within systematic reviews published in the field of SRS. This study is the first to address how authors performed searches to select clinical studies for inclusion in their systematic reviews. Comprehensive and well-implemented search strategies are pivotal to reduce the chance of publication bias and consequently generate more reliable systematic review findings.

The Effects of Healthy Aging, Amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment, and Alzheimer’s Disease on Recollection and Familiarity: A Meta-Analytic Review

PubMed Central

Yonelinas, Andrew P.

2014-01-01

It is well established that healthy aging, amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment (aMCI), and Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) are associated with substantial declines in episodic memory. However, there is still debate as to how two forms of episodic memory – recollection and familiarity – are affected by healthy and pathological aging. To address this issue we conducted a meta-analytic review of the effect sizes reported in studies using remember/know (RK), receiver operating characteristic (ROC) and process dissociation (PD) methods to examine recollection and familiarity in healthy aging (25 published reports), aMCI (9 published reports), and AD (5 published reports). The results from the meta-analysis revealed that healthy aging is associated with moderate-to-large recollection impairments. Familiarity was not impaired in studies using ROC or PD methods but was impaired in studies that used the RK procedure. aMCI was associated with large decreases in recollection whereas familiarity only tended to show a decrease in studies with a patient sample comprised of both single-domain and multiple-domain aMCI patients. Lastly, AD was associated with large decreases in both recollection and familiarity. The results are consistent with neuroimaging evidence suggesting that the hippocampus is critical for recollection whereas familiarity is dependent on the integrity of the surrounding perirhinal cortex. Moreover, the results highlight the relevance of method selection when examining aging, and suggest that familiarity deficits might be a useful behavioral marker for identifying individuals that will develop dementia. PMID:25119304

Many Miles to Go: A Systematic Review of the State of Cost-Utility Analyses in Brazil.

PubMed

Campolina, Alessandro G; Rozman, Luciana M; Decimoni, Tassia C; Leandro, Roseli; Novaes, Hillegonda M D; De Soárez, Patrícia Coelho

2017-04-01

Little is known about the quality and quantity of cost-utility analyses (CUAs) in Brazil. The objective of this study was to provide a systematic review of published CUAs of healthcare technologies in Brazil. We performed a systematic review of economic evaluations studies published in MEDLINE, EMBASE, LILACS (Latin American and Caribbean Health Sciences Literature), SciELO (Scientific Electronic Library Online), NHS EED (National Health Service Economic Evaluation Database), HTA (Health Technology Assessment) Database, Web of Science, Scopus, Bireme (Biblioteca Regional de Medicina), BVS ECOS (Health Economics database of the Brazilian Virtual Library of Health), and SISREBRATS (Sistema de Informação da Rede Brasileira de Avaliação de Tecnologias em Saúde [Brazilian Network for the Evaluation of Health Technologies]) from 1980 to 2013. Articles were included if they were CUAs according to the classification devised by Drummond et al. Two independent reviewers screened articles for relevance and carried out data extraction. Disagreements were resolved through discussion or through consultation with a third reviewer. We performed a qualitative narrative synthesis. Of the 535 health economic evaluations (HEEs) relating to Brazil, only 40 were CUAs and therefore included in the analysis. Most studies adhered to methodological guidelines for quality of reporting and 77.5% used quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) as the health outcome. Of these studies, 51.6% did not report the population used to elicit preferences for outcomes and 45.2% used a specific population such as expert opinion. The preference elicitation method was not reported in 58.1% of these studies. The majority (80.6%) of studies did not report the instrument used to derive health state valuations and no publication reported whether tariffs (or preference weights) were national or international. No study mentioned the methodology used to estimate QALYs. Many published Brazilian cost-utility studies adhere to key recommended general methods for HEE; however, the use of QALY calculations is far from being the current international standard. Development of health preferences research can contribute to quality improvement of health technology assessment reports in Brazil.

Dealing with the positive publication bias: Why you should really publish your negative results.

PubMed

Mlinarić, Ana; Horvat, Martina; Šupak Smolčić, Vesna

2017-10-15

Studies with positive results are greatly more represented in literature than studies with negative results, producing so-called publication bias. This review aims to discuss occurring problems around negative results and to emphasize the importance of reporting negative results. Underreporting of negative results introduces bias into meta-analysis, which consequently misinforms researchers, doctors and policymakers. More resources are potentially wasted on already disputed research that remains unpublished and therefore unavailable to the scientific community. Ethical obligations need to be considered when reporting results of studies on human subjects as people have exposed themselves to risk with the assurance that the study is performed to benefit others. Some studies disprove the common conception that journal editors preferably publish positive findings, which are considered as more citable. Therefore, all stakeholders, but especially researchers, need to be conscious of disseminating negative and positive findings alike.

Robotics as a new surgical minimally invasive approach to treatment of endometriosis: a systematic review.

PubMed

Carvalho, Luiz; Abrão, Mauricio Simões; Deshpande, Abhishek; Falcone, Tommaso

2012-06-01

This systematic review evaluates the role of robotics in the surgical treatment of endometriosis. Electronic database searches were conducted in MEDLINE, Scopus, and ISI Web of Knowledge for relevant studies over the past 10 years. Four published articles were found that used robotic assisted laparoscopy to perform endometriosis surgery. All four studies used the da Vinci Surgical System (Intuitive Surgical Inc., Sunnyvale, CA, USA). Three studies were case reports, and one was a cohort study. Robotics appears to be as effective as conventional laparoscopy in the management of endometriosis. There were no reports of any major complications. Few studies have been published and show us that robotic endometriosis surgery is feasible even in severe endometriosis cases without conversion. There is a lack of long-term outcome papers in the literature. Randomized controlled trials are necessary. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Reporting standards for Bland-Altman agreement analysis in laboratory research: a cross-sectional survey of current practice.

PubMed

Chhapola, Viswas; Kanwal, Sandeep Kumar; Brar, Rekha

2015-05-01

To carry out a cross-sectional survey of the medical literature on laboratory research papers published later than 2012 and available in the common search engines (PubMed, Google Scholar) on the quality of statistical reporting of method comparison studies using Bland-Altman (B-A) analysis. Fifty clinical studies were identified which had undertaken method comparison of laboratory analytes using B-A. The reporting of B-A was evaluated using a predesigned checklist with following six items: (1) correct representation of x-axis on B-A plot, (2) representation and correct definition of limits of agreement (LOA), (3) reporting of confidence interval (CI) of LOA, (4) comparison of LOA with a priori defined clinical criteria, (5) evaluation of the pattern of the relationship between difference (y-axis) and average (x-axis) and (6) measures of repeatability. The x-axis and LOA were presented correctly in 94%, comparison with a priori clinical criteria in 74%, CI reporting in 6%, evaluation of pattern in 28% and repeatability assessment in 38% of studies. There is incomplete reporting of B-A in published clinical studies. Despite its simplicity, B-A appears not to be completely understood by researchers, reviewers and editors of journals. There appear to be differences in the reporting of B-A between laboratory medicine journals and other clinical journals. A uniform reporting of B-A method will enhance the generalizability of results. © The Author(s) 2014 Reprints and permissions: sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav.

National Training Center (NTC) Analysis

DTIC Science & Technology

1981-05-29

CONTRACT FOR S100K NTC CONCEPT STUDY PRESENTATION TO DARPA/TRADOC SIOOK ADD- ON FOR FURTHER NTC CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT SAI CONCEPT FOR 1-ALPHA...Technical Report 29 May 1981 I I I This document is submitted in fulfillment of contract No. DAAK 40-78-C-0198. It is the final report on Phase 1...many technical reports have been published previously. This report draws on these earlier reports and presents a comprehensive summary and overview

Reporting guidance considerations from a statistical perspective: overview of tools to enhance the rigour of reporting of randomised trials and systematic reviews.

PubMed

Hutton, Brian; Wolfe, Dianna; Moher, David; Shamseer, Larissa

2017-05-01

Research waste has received considerable attention from the biomedical community. One noteworthy contributor is incomplete reporting in research publications. When detailing statistical methods and results, ensuring analytic methods and findings are completely documented improves transparency. For publications describing randomised trials and systematic reviews, guidelines have been developed to facilitate complete reporting. This overview summarises aspects of statistical reporting in trials and systematic reviews of health interventions. A narrative approach to summarise features regarding statistical methods and findings from reporting guidelines for trials and reviews was taken. We aim to enhance familiarity of statistical details that should be reported in biomedical research among statisticians and their collaborators. We summarise statistical reporting considerations for trials and systematic reviews from guidance documents including the Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials (CONSORT) Statement for reporting of trials, the Standard Protocol Items: Recommendations for Interventional Trials (SPIRIT) Statement for trial protocols, the Statistical Analyses and Methods in the Published Literature (SAMPL) Guidelines for statistical reporting principles, the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) Statement for systematic reviews and PRISMA for Protocols (PRISMA-P). Considerations regarding sharing of study data and statistical code are also addressed. Reporting guidelines provide researchers with minimum criteria for reporting. If followed, they can enhance research transparency and contribute improve quality of biomedical publications. Authors should employ these tools for planning and reporting of their research. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/.

Practice-based learning and improvement: a two-year experience with the reporting of morbidity and mortality cases by general surgery residents.

PubMed

Falcone, John L; Lee, Kenneth K W; Billiar, Timothy R; Hamad, Giselle G

2012-01-01

The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) core competency of practice-based learning and improvement can be assessed with surgical Morbidity and Mortality Conference (MMC). We aim to describe the MMC reporting patterns of general surgery residents, describe the adverse event rate for patients and compare that with existing published rates, and describe the nature of our institutional adverse events. We hypothesize that reporting patterns and incidence rates will remain constant over time. In this retrospective cohort study, archived MMC case lists were evaluated from January 1, 2009 to December 31, 2010. The reporting patterns of the residents, the adverse event ratios, and the specific categories of adverse events were described over the academic years. χ(2) and Fisher's exact tests were used to compare across academic years, using an α = 0.05. There were 85 surgical MMC case lists evaluated. Services achieved a reporting rate above 80% (p < 0.001). The most consistent reporting was done by postgraduate year (PGY) 5 level chief residents for all services (p > 0.05). Out of 11,368 patients evaluated from complete MMC submissions, 289 patients had an adverse event reported (2.5%). This was lower than published reporting rates for patient adverse event rates (p < 0.001). Adverse event rates were consistent for residents at the postgraduate year 2, 4, and 5 levels for all services (p > 0.05). Over 2 years, 522 adverse events were reported for 461 patients. A majority of adverse events were from death (24.1%), hematologic and/or vascular events (16.7%), and gastrointestinal system events (16.1%). Surgery resident MMC reporting patterns and adverse event rates are generally stable over time. This study shows which adverse event cases are important for chief residents to report. Copyright © 2012 Association of Program Directors in Surgery. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Reporting and methodological quality of meta-analyses in urological literature.

PubMed

Xia, Leilei; Xu, Jing; Guzzo, Thomas J

2017-01-01

To assess the overall quality of published urological meta-analyses and identify predictive factors for high quality. We systematically searched PubMed to identify meta-analyses published from January 1st, 2011 to December 31st, 2015 in 10 predetermined major paper-based urology journals. The characteristics of the included meta-analyses were collected, and their reporting and methodological qualities were assessed by the PRISMA checklist (27 items) and AMSTAR tool (11 items), respectively. Descriptive statistics were used for individual items as a measure of overall compliance, and PRISMA and AMSTAR scores were calculated as the sum of adequately reported domains. Logistic regression was used to identify predictive factors for high qualities. A total of 183 meta-analyses were included. The mean PRISMA and AMSTAR scores were 22.74 ± 2.04 and 7.57 ± 1.41, respectively. PRISMA item 5, protocol and registration, items 15 and 22, risk of bias across studies, items 16 and 23, additional analysis had less than 50% adherence. AMSTAR item 1, " a priori " design, item 5, list of studies and item 10, publication bias had less than 50% adherence. Logistic regression analyses showed that funding support and " a priori " design were associated with superior reporting quality, following PRISMA guideline and " a priori " design were associated with superior methodological quality. Reporting and methodological qualities of recently published meta-analyses in major paper-based urology journals are generally good. Further improvement could potentially be achieved by strictly adhering to PRISMA guideline and having " a priori " protocol.

Publications of LASL research, 1979

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Willis, J.K.; Salazar, C.A.

1980-11-01

This bibliography is a compilation of unclassified publications of work done at the Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory for 1979. Papers published in 1979 are included regardless of when they were actually written. Declassification of previously classified reports is considered to constitute publication. All classified issuances are omitted. If a paper was published more than once, all places of publication are included. The bibliography includes Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory reports, papers released as non-LASL reports, journal articles, books, chapters of books, conference papers (whether published separately or as part of conference proceedings issued as books or reports), papers published in congressionalmore » hearings, theses, and US patents. The entries are arranged in sections by broad subject categories. (RWR)« less

77 FR 48060 - Real-Time Public Reporting of Swap Transaction Data; Correction

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-08-13

... COMMODITY FUTURES TRADING COMMISSION 17 CFR Part 43 RIN 3038-AD08 Real-Time Public Reporting of...'') published the Real-Time Public Reporting of Swap Transaction Data (``Real-Time Public Reporting'') rule and.... Background The Commission published the final rule entitled Real-Time Public Reporting of Swap Transaction...

Hawaiian Volcano Observatory 1978 Annual Administrative Report

USGS Publications Warehouse

Nakata, Jennifer S.

2007-01-01

INTRODUCTORY NOTE The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory Summaries have been published in the current format since 1956. The Quarterly Summaries (1956 through 1973) and the Annual Summaries (1974 through 1985) were originally published as Administrative Reports. These reports have been compiled and published as U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Reports. The quarterly reports have been combined and published as one annual summary. All the summaries from 1956 to the present are now available as .pdf files at http://www.usgs.gov/pubprod. The earthquake summary data are presented as a listing of origin time, depth, magnitude, and other location parameters. Network instrumentation, field station sites, and location algorithms are described. Tilt and other deformation data are included until Summary 77, January to December 1977. From 1978, the seismic and deformation data are published separately, due to differing schedules of data reduction. There are eight quarters - from the fourth quarter of 1959 to the third quarter of 1961 - that were never published. Two of these (4th quarter 1959, 1st quarter 1960) have now been published, using handwritten notes of Jerry Eaton (HVO seismologist at the time) and his colleagues. The seismic records for the remaining six summaries went back to California in 1961 with Jerry Eaton. Other responsibilities intervened, and the seismic summaries were never prepared.

Hawaiian Volcano Observatory 1960 Quarterly Administrative Report

USGS Publications Warehouse

Nakata, Jennifer S.

2007-01-01

INTRODUCTORY NOTE The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory Summaries have been published in the current format since 1956. The Quarterly Summaries (1956 through 1973) and the Annual Summaries (1974 through 1985) were originally published as Administrative Reports. These reports have been compiled and published as U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Reports. The quarterly reports have been combined and published as one annual summary. All the summaries from 1956 to the present are now available as .pdf files at http://www.usgs.gov/pubprod. The earthquake summary data are presented as a listing of origin time, depth, magnitude, and other location parameters. Network instrumentation, field station sites, and location algorithms are described. Tilt and other deformation data are included until Summary 77, January to December 1977. From 1978, the seismic and deformation data are published separately, due to differing schedules of data reduction. There are eight quarters - from the fourth quarter of 1959 to the third quarter of 1961 - that were never published. Two of these (4th quarter 1959, 1st quarter 1960) have now been published, using handwritten notes of Jerry Eaton (HVO seismologist at the time) and his colleagues. The seismic records for the remaining six summaries went back to California in 1961 with Jerry Eaton. Other responsibilities intervened, and the seismic summaries were never prepared.

Hawaiian Volcano Observatory 1959 Quarterly Administrative Report

USGS Publications Warehouse

Nakata, Jennifer S.

2007-01-01

INTRODUCTORY NOTE The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory Summaries have been published in the current format since 1956. The Quarterly Summaries (1956 through 1973) and the Annual Summaries (1974 through 1985) were originally published as Administrative Reports. These reports have been compiled and published as U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Reports. The quarterly reports have been combined and published as one annual summary. All the summaries from 1956 to the present are now available as .pdf files at http://www.usgs.gov/pubprod. The earthquake summary data are presented as a listing of origin time, depth, magnitude, and other location parameters. Network instrumentation, field station sites, and location algorithms are described. Tilt and other deformation data are included until Summary 77, January to December 1977. From 1978, the seismic and deformation data are published separately, due to differing schedules of data reduction. There are eight quarters - from the fourth quarter of 1959 to the third quarter of 1961 - that were never published. Two of these (4th quarter 1959, 1st quarter 1960) have now been published, using handwritten notes of Jerry Eaton (HVO seismologist at the time) and his colleagues. The seismic records for the remaining six summaries went back to California in 1961 with Jerry Eaton. Other responsibilities intervened, and the seismic summaries were never prepared.

Hawaiian Volcano Observatory 1971 Quarterly Administrative Report

USGS Publications Warehouse

Nakata, Jennifer S.

2007-01-01

INTRODUCTORY NOTE The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory Summaries have been published in the current format since 1956. The Quarterly Summaries (1956 through 1973) and the Annual Summaries (1974 through 1985) were originally published as Administrative Reports. These reports have been compiled and published as U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Reports. The quarterly reports have been combined and published as one annual summary. All the summaries from 1956 to the present are now available as .pdf files at http://www.usgs.gov/pubprod. The earthquake summary data are presented as a listing of origin time, depth, magnitude, and other location parameters. Network instrumentation, field station sites, and location algorithms are described. Tilt and other deformation data are included until Summary 77, January to December 1977. From 1978, the seismic and deformation data are published separately, due to differing schedules of data reduction. There are eight quarters - from the fourth quarter of 1959 to the third quarter of 1961 - that were never published. Two of these (4th quarter 1959, 1st quarter 1960) have now been published, using handwritten notes of Jerry Eaton (HVO seismologist at the time) and his colleagues. The seismic records for the remaining six summaries went back to California in 1961 with Jerry Eaton. Other responsibilities intervened, and the seismic summaries were never prepared.

Hawaiian Volcano Observatory 1961 Quarterly Administrative Report

USGS Publications Warehouse

Nakata, Jennifer S.

2007-01-01

INTRODUCTORY NOTE The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory Summaries have been published in the current format since 1956. The Quarterly Summaries (1956 through 1973) and the Annual Summaries (1974 through 1985) were originally published as Administrative Reports. These reports have been compiled and published as U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Reports. The quarterly reports have been combined and published as one annual summary. All the summaries from 1956 to the present are now available as .pdf files at http://www.usgs.gov/pubprod. The earthquake summary data are presented as a listing of origin time, depth, magnitude, and other location parameters. Network instrumentation, field station sites, and location algorithms are described. Tilt and other deformation data are included until Summary 77, January to December 1977. From 1978, the seismic and deformation data are published separately, due to differing schedules of data reduction. There are eight quarters - from the fourth quarter of 1959 to the third quarter of 1961 - that were never published. Two of these (4th quarter 1959, 1st quarter 1960) have now been published, using handwritten notes of Jerry Eaton (HVO seismologist at the time) and his colleagues. The seismic records for the remaining six summaries went back to California in 1961 with Jerry Eaton. Other responsibilities intervened, and the seismic summaries were never prepared.

Hawaiian Volcano Observatory 1974 Annual Administrative Report

USGS Publications Warehouse

Nakata, Jennifer S.

2007-01-01

INTRODUCTORY NOTE The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory Summaries have been published in the current format since 1956. The Quarterly Summaries (1956 through 1973) and the Annual Summaries (1974 through 1985) were originally published as Administrative Reports. These reports have been compiled and published as U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Reports. The quarterly reports have been combined and published as one annual summary. All the summaries from 1956 to the present are now available as .pdf files at http://www.usgs.gov/pubprod. The earthquake summary data are presented as a listing of origin time, depth, magnitude, and other location parameters. Network instrumentation, field station sites, and location algorithms are described. Tilt and other deformation data are included until Summary 77, January to December 1977. From 1978, the seismic and deformation data are published separately, due to differing schedules of data reduction. There are eight quarters - from the fourth quarter of 1959 to the third quarter of 1961 - that were never published. Two of these (4th quarter 1959, 1st quarter 1960) have now been published, using handwritten notes of Jerry Eaton (HVO seismologist at the time) and his colleagues. The seismic records for the remaining six summaries went back to California in 1961 with Jerry Eaton. Other responsibilities intervened, and the seismic summaries were never prepared.

Hawaiian Volcano Observatory 1984 Annual Administrative Report

USGS Publications Warehouse

Nakata, Jennifer S.

2007-01-01

INTRODUCTORY NOTE The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory Summaries have been published in the current format since 1956. The Quarterly Summaries (1956 through 1973) and the Annual Summaries (1974 through 1985) were originally published as Administrative Reports. These reports have been compiled and published as U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Reports. The quarterly reports have been combined and published as one annual summary. All the summaries from 1956 to the present are now available as .pdf files at http://www.usgs.gov/pubprod. The earthquake summary data are presented as a listing of origin time, depth, magnitude, and other location parameters. Network instrumentation, field station sites, and location algorithms are described. Tilt and other deformation data are included until Summary 77, January to December 1977. From 1978, the seismic and deformation data are published separately, due to differing schedules of data reduction. There are eight quarters - from the fourth quarter of 1959 to the third quarter of 1961 - that were never published. Two of these (4th quarter 1959, 1st quarter 1960) have now been published, using handwritten notes of Jerry Eaton (HVO seismologist at the time) and his colleagues. The seismic records for the remaining six summaries went back to California in 1961 with Jerry Eaton. Other responsibilities intervened, and the seismic summaries were never prepared.

Hawaiian Volcano Observatory 1981 Annual Administrative Report

USGS Publications Warehouse

Nakata, Jennifer S.

2007-01-01

INTRODUCTORY NOTE The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory Summaries have been published in the current format since 1956. The Quarterly Summaries (1956 through 1973) and the Annual Summaries (1974 through 1985) were originally published as Administrative Reports. These reports have been compiled and published as U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Reports. The quarterly reports have been combined and published as one annual summary. All the summaries from 1956 to the present are now available as .pdf files at http://www.usgs.gov/pubprod. The earthquake summary data are presented as a listing of origin time, depth, magnitude, and other location parameters. Network instrumentation, field station sites, and location algorithms are described. Tilt and other deformation data are included until Summary 77, January to December 1977. From 1978, the seismic and deformation data are published separately, due to differing schedules of data reduction. There are eight quarters - from the fourth quarter of 1959 to the third quarter of 1961 - that were never published. Two of these (4th quarter 1959, 1st quarter 1960) have now been published, using handwritten notes of Jerry Eaton (HVO seismologist at the time) and his colleagues. The seismic records for the remaining six summaries went back to California in 1961 with Jerry Eaton. Other responsibilities intervened, and the seismic summaries were never prepared.

Hawaiian Volcano Observatory 1980 Annual Administrative Report

USGS Publications Warehouse

Nakata, Jennifer S.

2007-01-01

INTRODUCTORY NOTE The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory Summaries have been published in the current format since 1956. The Quarterly Summaries (1956 through 1973) and the Annual Summaries (1974 through 1985) were originally published as Administrative Reports. These reports have been compiled and published as U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Reports. The quarterly reports have been combined and published as one annual summary. All the summaries from 1956 to the present are now available as .pdf files at http://www.usgs.gov/pubprod. The earthquake summary data are presented as a listing of origin time, depth, magnitude, and other location parameters. Network instrumentation, field station sites, and location algorithms are described. Tilt and other deformation data are included until Summary 77, January to December 1977. From 1978, the seismic and deformation data are published separately, due to differing schedules of data reduction. There are eight quarters - from the fourth quarter of 1959 to the third quarter of 1961 - that were never published. Two of these (4th quarter 1959, 1st quarter 1960) have now been published, using handwritten notes of Jerry Eaton (HVO seismologist at the time) and his colleagues. The seismic records for the remaining six summaries went back to California in 1961 with Jerry Eaton. Other responsibilities intervened, and the seismic summaries were never prepared.

Hawaiian Volcano Observatory 1958 Quarterly Administrative Report

USGS Publications Warehouse

Nakata, Jennifer S.

2007-01-01

INTRODUCTORY NOTE The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory Summaries have been published in the current format since 1956. The Quarterly Summaries (1956 through 1973) and the Annual Summaries (1974 through 1985) were originally published as Administrative Reports. These reports have been compiled and published as U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Reports. The quarterly reports have been combined and published as one annual summary. All the summaries from 1956 to the present are now available as .pdf files at http://www.usgs.gov/pubprod. The earthquake summary data are presented as a listing of origin time, depth, magnitude, and other location parameters. Network instrumentation, field station sites, and location algorithms are described. Tilt and other deformation data are included until Summary 77, January to December 1977. From 1978, the seismic and deformation data are published separately, due to differing schedules of data reduction. There are eight quarters - from the fourth quarter of 1959 to the third quarter of 1961 - that were never published. Two of these (4th quarter 1959, 1st quarter 1960) have now been published, using handwritten notes of Jerry Eaton (HVO seismologist at the time) and his colleagues. The seismic records for the remaining six summaries went back to California in 1961 with Jerry Eaton. Other responsibilities intervened, and the seismic summaries were never prepared.

Hawaiian Volcano Observatory 1962 Quarterly Administrative Report

USGS Publications Warehouse

Nakata, Jennifer S.

2007-01-01

INTRODUCTORY NOTE The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory Summaries have been published in the current format since 1956. The Quarterly Summaries (1956 through 1973) and the Annual Summaries (1974 through 1985) were originally published as Administrative Reports. These reports have been compiled and published as U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Reports. The quarterly reports have been combined and published as one annual summary. All the summaries from 1956 to the present are now available as .pdf files at http://www.usgs.gov/pubprod. The earthquake summary data are presented as a listing of origin time, depth, magnitude, and other location parameters. Network instrumentation, field station sites, and location algorithms are described. Tilt and other deformation data are included until Summary 77, January to December 1977. From 1978, the seismic and deformation data are published separately, due to differing schedules of data reduction. There are eight quarters - from the fourth quarter of 1959 to the third quarter of 1961 - that were never published. Two of these (4th quarter 1959, 1st quarter 1960) have now been published, using handwritten notes of Jerry Eaton (HVO seismologist at the time) and his colleagues. The seismic records for the remaining six summaries went back to California in 1961 with Jerry Eaton. Other responsibilities intervened, and the seismic summaries were never prepared.

Hawaiian Volcano Observatory 1970 Quarterly Administrative Report

USGS Publications Warehouse

Nakata, Jennifer S.

2007-01-01

INTRODUCTORY NOTE The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory Summaries have been published in the current format since 1956. The Quarterly Summaries (1956 through 1973) and the Annual Summaries (1974 through 1985) were originally published as Administrative Reports. These reports have been compiled and published as U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Reports. The quarterly reports have been combined and published as one annual summary. All the summaries from 1956 to the present are now available as .pdf files at http://www.usgs.gov/pubprod. The earthquake summary data are presented as a listing of origin time, depth, magnitude, and other location parameters. Network instrumentation, field station sites, and location algorithms are described. Tilt and other deformation data are included until Summary 77, January to December 1977. From 1978, the seismic and deformation data are published separately, due to differing schedules of data reduction. There are eight quarters - from the fourth quarter of 1959 to the third quarter of 1961 - that were never published. Two of these (4th quarter 1959, 1st quarter 1960) have now been published, using handwritten notes of Jerry Eaton (HVO seismologist at the time) and his colleagues. The seismic records for the remaining six summaries went back to California in 1961 with Jerry Eaton. Other responsibilities intervened, and the seismic summaries were never prepared.

Hawaiian Volcano Observatory 1973 Quarterly Administrative Report

USGS Publications Warehouse

Nakata, Jennifer S.

2007-01-01

INTRODUCTORY NOTE The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory Summaries have been published in the current format since 1956. The Quarterly Summaries (1956 through 1973) and the Annual Summaries (1974 through 1985) were originally published as Administrative Reports. These reports have been compiled and published as U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Reports. The quarterly reports have been combined and published as one annual summary. All the summaries from 1956 to the present are now available as .pdf files at http://www.usgs.gov/pubprod. The earthquake summary data are presented as a listing of origin time, depth, magnitude, and other location parameters. Network instrumentation, field station sites, and location algorithms are described. Tilt and other deformation data are included until Summary 77, January to December 1977. From 1978, the seismic and deformation data are published separately, due to differing schedules of data reduction. There are eight quarters - from the fourth quarter of 1959 to the third quarter of 1961 - that were never published. Two of these (4th quarter 1959, 1st quarter 1960) have now been published, using handwritten notes of Jerry Eaton (HVO seismologist at the time) and his colleagues. The seismic records for the remaining six summaries went back to California in 1961 with Jerry Eaton. Other responsibilities intervened, and the seismic summaries were never prepared.

Hawaiian Volcano Observatory 1979 Annual Administrative Report

USGS Publications Warehouse

Nakata, Jennifer S.

2007-01-01

INTRODUCTORY NOTE The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory Summaries have been published in the current format since 1956. The Quarterly Summaries (1956 through 1973) and the Annual Summaries (1974 through 1985) were originally published as Administrative Reports. These reports have been compiled and published as U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Reports. The quarterly reports have been combined and published as one annual summary. All the summaries from 1956 to the present are now available as .pdf files at http://www.usgs.gov/pubprod. The earthquake summary data are presented as a listing of origin time, depth, magnitude, and other location parameters. Network instrumentation, field station sites, and location algorithms are described. Tilt and other deformation data are included until Summary 77, January to December 1977. From 1978, the seismic and deformation data are published separately, due to differing schedules of data reduction. There are eight quarters - from the fourth quarter of 1959 to the third quarter of 1961 - that were never published. Two of these (4th quarter 1959, 1st quarter 1960) have now been published, using handwritten notes of Jerry Eaton (HVO seismologist at the time) and his colleagues. The seismic records for the remaining six summaries went back to California in 1961 with Jerry Eaton. Other responsibilities intervened, and the seismic summaries were never prepared.

Hawaiian Volcano Observatory 1977 Annual Administrative Report

USGS Publications Warehouse

Nakata, Jennifer S.

2007-01-01

INTRODUCTORY NOTE The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory Summaries have been published in the current format since 1956. The Quarterly Summaries (1956 through 1973) and the Annual Summaries (1974 through 1985) were originally published as Administrative Reports. These reports have been compiled and published as U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Reports. The quarterly reports have been combined and published as one annual summary. All the summaries from 1956 to the present are now available as .pdf files at http://www.usgs.gov/pubprod. The earthquake summary data are presented as a listing of origin time, depth, magnitude, and other location parameters. Network instrumentation, field station sites, and location algorithms are described. Tilt and other deformation data are included until Summary 77, January to December 1977. From 1978, the seismic and deformation data are published separately, due to differing schedules of data reduction. There are eight quarters - from the fourth quarter of 1959 to the third quarter of 1961 - that were never published. Two of these (4th quarter 1959, 1st quarter 1960) have now been published, using handwritten notes of Jerry Eaton (HVO seismologist at the time) and his colleagues. The seismic records for the remaining six summaries went back to California in 1961 with Jerry Eaton. Other responsibilities intervened, and the seismic summaries were never prepared.

Hawaiian Volcano Observatory 1983 Annual Administrative Report

USGS Publications Warehouse

Nakata, Jennifer S.

2007-01-01

INTRODUCTORY NOTE The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory Summaries have been published in the current format since 1956. The Quarterly Summaries (1956 through 1973) and the Annual Summaries (1974 through 1985) were originally published as Administrative Reports. These reports have been compiled and published as U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Reports. The quarterly reports have been combined and published as one annual summary. All the summaries from 1956 to the present are now available as .pdf files at http://www.usgs.gov/pubprod. The earthquake summary data are presented as a listing of origin time, depth, magnitude, and other location parameters. Network instrumentation, field station sites, and location algorithms are described. Tilt and other deformation data are included until Summary 77, January to December 1977. From 1978, the seismic and deformation data are published separately, due to differing schedules of data reduction. There are eight quarters - from the fourth quarter of 1959 to the third quarter of 1961 - that were never published. Two of these (4th quarter 1959, 1st quarter 1960) have now been published, using handwritten notes of Jerry Eaton (HVO seismologist at the time) and his colleagues. The seismic records for the remaining six summaries went back to California in 1961 with Jerry Eaton. Other responsibilities intervened, and the seismic summaries were never prepared.

Hawaiian Volcano Observatory 1966 Quarterly Administrative Report

USGS Publications Warehouse

Nakata, Jennifer S.

2007-01-01

INTRODUCTORY NOTE The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory Summaries have been published in the current format since 1956. The Quarterly Summaries (1956 through 1973) and the Annual Summaries (1974 through 1985) were originally published as Administrative Reports. These reports have been compiled and published as U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Reports. The quarterly reports have been combined and published as one annual summary. All the summaries from 1956 to the present are now available as .pdf files at http://www.usgs.gov/pubprod. The earthquake summary data are presented as a listing of origin time, depth, magnitude, and other location parameters. Network instrumentation, field station sites, and location algorithms are described. Tilt and other deformation data are included until Summary 77, January to December 1977. From 1978, the seismic and deformation data are published separately, due to differing schedules of data reduction. There are eight quarters - from the fourth quarter of 1959 to the third quarter of 1961 - that were never published. Two of these (4th quarter 1959, 1st quarter 1960) have now been published, using handwritten notes of Jerry Eaton (HVO seismologist at the time) and his colleagues. The seismic records for the remaining six summaries went back to California in 1961 with Jerry Eaton. Other responsibilities intervened, and the seismic summaries were never prepared.

Hawaiian Volcano Observatory 1965 Quarterly Administrative Report

USGS Publications Warehouse

Nakata, Jennifer S.

2007-01-01

INTRODUCTORY NOTE The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory Summaries have been published in the current format since 1956. The Quarterly Summaries (1956 through 1973) and the Annual Summaries (1974 through 1985) were originally published as Administrative Reports. These reports have been compiled and published as U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Reports. The quarterly reports have been combined and published as one annual summary. All the summaries from 1956 to the present are now available as .pdf files at http://www.usgs.gov/pubprod. The earthquake summary data are presented as a listing of origin time, depth, magnitude, and other location parameters. Network instrumentation, field station sites, and location algorithms are described. Tilt and other deformation data are included until Summary 77, January to December 1977. From 1978, the seismic and deformation data are published separately, due to differing schedules of data reduction. There are eight quarters - from the fourth quarter of 1959 to the third quarter of 1961 - that were never published. Two of these (4th quarter 1959, 1st quarter 1960) have now been published, using handwritten notes of Jerry Eaton (HVO seismologist at the time) and his colleagues. The seismic records for the remaining six summaries went back to California in 1961 with Jerry Eaton. Other responsibilities intervened, and the seismic summaries were never prepared.

Hawaiian Volcano Observatory 1964 Quarterly Administrative Report

USGS Publications Warehouse

Nakata, Jennifer S.

2007-01-01

INTRODUCTORY NOTE The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory Summaries have been published in the current format since 1956. The Quarterly Summaries (1956 through 1973) and the Annual Summaries (1974 through 1985) were originally published as Administrative Reports. These reports have been compiled and published as U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Reports. The quarterly reports have been combined and published as one annual summary. All the summaries from 1956 to the present are now available as .pdf files at http://www.usgs.gov/pubprod. The earthquake summary data are presented as a listing of origin time, depth, magnitude, and other location parameters. Network instrumentation, field station sites, and location algorithms are described. Tilt and other deformation data are included until Summary 77, January to December 1977. From 1978, the seismic and deformation data are published separately, due to differing schedules of data reduction. There are eight quarters - from the fourth quarter of 1959 to the third quarter of 1961 - that were never published. Two of these (4th quarter 1959, 1st quarter 1960) have now been published, using handwritten notes of Jerry Eaton (HVO seismologist at the time) and his colleagues. The seismic records for the remaining six summaries went back to California in 1961 with Jerry Eaton. Other responsibilities intervened, and the seismic summaries were never prepared.

Hawaiian Volcano Observatory 1957 Quarterly Administrative Report

USGS Publications Warehouse

Nakata, Jennifer S.

2007-01-01

INTRODUCTORY NOTE The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory Summaries have been published in the current format since 1956. The Quarterly Summaries (1956 through 1973) and the Annual Summaries (1974 through 1985) were originally published as Administrative Reports. These reports have been compiled and published as U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Reports. The quarterly reports have been combined and published as one annual summary. All the summaries from 1956 to the present are now available as .pdf files at http://www.usgs.gov/pubprod. The earthquake summary data are presented as a listing of origin time, depth, magnitude, and other location parameters. Network instrumentation, field station sites, and location algorithms are described. Tilt and other deformation data are included until Summary 77, January to December 1977. From 1978, the seismic and deformation data are published separately, due to differing schedules of data reduction. There are eight quarters - from the fourth quarter of 1959 to the third quarter of 1961 - that were never published. Two of these (4th quarter 1959, 1st quarter 1960) have now been published, using handwritten notes of Jerry Eaton (HVO seismologist at the time) and his colleagues. The seismic records for the remaining six summaries went back to California in 1961 with Jerry Eaton. Other responsibilities intervened, and the seismic summaries were never prepared.

Hawaiian Volcano Observatory 1972 Quarterly Administrative Report

USGS Publications Warehouse

Nakata, Jennifer S.

2007-01-01

INTRODUCTORY NOTE The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory Summaries have been published in the current format since 1956. The Quarterly Summaries (1956 through 1973) and the Annual Summaries (1974 through 1985) were originally published as Administrative Reports. These reports have been compiled and published as U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Reports. The quarterly reports have been combined and published as one annual summary. All the summaries from 1956 to the present are now available as .pdf files at http://www.usgs.gov/pubprod. The earthquake summary data are presented as a listing of origin time, depth, magnitude, and other location parameters. Network instrumentation, field station sites, and location algorithms are described. Tilt and other deformation data are included until Summary 77, January to December 1977. From 1978, the seismic and deformation data are published separately, due to differing schedules of data reduction. There are eight quarters - from the fourth quarter of 1959 to the third quarter of 1961 - that were never published. Two of these (4th quarter 1959, 1st quarter 1960) have now been published, using handwritten notes of Jerry Eaton (HVO seismologist at the time) and his colleagues. The seismic records for the remaining six summaries went back to California in 1961 with Jerry Eaton. Other responsibilities intervened, and the seismic summaries were never prepared.

Hawaiian Volcano Observatory 1975 Annual Administrative Report

USGS Publications Warehouse

Nakata, Jennifer S.

2007-01-01

INTRODUCTORY NOTE The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory Summaries have been published in the current format since 1956. The Quarterly Summaries (1956 through 1973) and the Annual Summaries (1974 through 1985) were originally published as Administrative Reports. These reports have been compiled and published as U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Reports. The quarterly reports have been combined and published as one annual summary. All the summaries from 1956 to the present are now available as .pdf files at http://www.usgs.gov/pubprod. The earthquake summary data are presented as a listing of origin time, depth, magnitude, and other location parameters. Network instrumentation, field station sites, and location algorithms are described. Tilt and other deformation data are included until Summary 77, January to December 1977. From 1978, the seismic and deformation data are published separately, due to differing schedules of data reduction. There are eight quarters - from the fourth quarter of 1959 to the third quarter of 1961 - that were never published. Two of these (4th quarter 1959, 1st quarter 1960) have now been published, using handwritten notes of Jerry Eaton (HVO seismologist at the time) and his colleagues. The seismic records for the remaining six summaries went back to California in 1961 with Jerry Eaton. Other responsibilities intervened, and the seismic summaries were never prepared.

Hawaiian Volcano Observatory 1982 Annual Administrative Report

USGS Publications Warehouse

Nakata, Jennifer S.

2007-01-01

INTRODUCTORY NOTE The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory Summaries have been published in the current format since 1956. The Quarterly Summaries (1956 through 1973) and the Annual Summaries (1974 through 1985) were originally published as Administrative Reports. These reports have been compiled and published as U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Reports. The quarterly reports have been combined and published as one annual summary. All the summaries from 1956 to the present are now available as .pdf files at http://www.usgs.gov/pubprod. The earthquake summary data are presented as a listing of origin time, depth, magnitude, and other location parameters. Network instrumentation, field station sites, and location algorithms are described. Tilt and other deformation data are included until Summary 77, January to December 1977. From 1978, the seismic and deformation data are published separately, due to differing schedules of data reduction. There are eight quarters - from the fourth quarter of 1959 to the third quarter of 1961 - that were never published. Two of these (4th quarter 1959, 1st quarter 1960) have now been published, using handwritten notes of Jerry Eaton (HVO seismologist at the time) and his colleagues. The seismic records for the remaining six summaries went back to California in 1961 with Jerry Eaton. Other responsibilities intervened, and the seismic summaries were never prepared.

Hawaiian Volcano Observatory 1976 Annual Administrative Report

USGS Publications Warehouse

Nakata, Jennifer S.

2007-01-01

INTRODUCTORY NOTE The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory Summaries have been published in the current format since 1956. The Quarterly Summaries (1956 through 1973) and the Annual Summaries (1974 through 1985) were originally published as Administrative Reports. These reports have been compiled and published as U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Reports. The quarterly reports have been combined and published as one annual summary. All the summaries from 1956 to the present are now available as .pdf files at http://www.usgs.gov/pubprod. The earthquake summary data are presented as a listing of origin time, depth, magnitude, and other location parameters. Network instrumentation, field station sites, and location algorithms are described. Tilt and other deformation data are included until Summary 77, January to December 1977. From 1978, the seismic and deformation data are published separately, due to differing schedules of data reduction. There are eight quarters - from the fourth quarter of 1959 to the third quarter of 1961 - that were never published. Two of these (4th quarter 1959, 1st quarter 1960) have now been published, using handwritten notes of Jerry Eaton (HVO seismologist at the time) and his colleagues. The seismic records for the remaining six summaries went back to California in 1961 with Jerry Eaton. Other responsibilities intervened, and the seismic summaries were never prepared.

Hawaiian Volcano Observatory 1969 Quarterly Administrative Report

USGS Publications Warehouse

Nakata, Jennifer S.

2007-01-01

INTRODUCTORY NOTE The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory Summaries have been published in the current format since 1956. The Quarterly Summaries (1956 through 1973) and the Annual Summaries (1974 through 1985) were originally published as Administrative Reports. These reports have been compiled and published as U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Reports. The quarterly reports have been combined and published as one annual summary. All the summaries from 1956 to the present are now available as .pdf files at http://www.usgs.gov/pubprod. The earthquake summary data are presented as a listing of origin time, depth, magnitude, and other location parameters. Network instrumentation, field station sites, and location algorithms are described. Tilt and other deformation data are included until Summary 77, January to December 1977. From 1978, the seismic and deformation data are published separately, due to differing schedules of data reduction. There are eight quarters - from the fourth quarter of 1959 to the third quarter of 1961 - that were never published. Two of these (4th quarter 1959, 1st quarter 1960) have now been published, using handwritten notes of Jerry Eaton (HVO seismologist at the time) and his colleagues. The seismic records for the remaining six summaries went back to California in 1961 with Jerry Eaton. Other responsibilities intervened, and the seismic summaries were never prepared.

Hawaiian Volcano Observatory 1967 Quarterly Administrative Report

USGS Publications Warehouse

Nakata, Jennifer S.

2007-01-01

INTRODUCTORY NOTE The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory Summaries have been published in the current format since 1956. The Quarterly Summaries (1956 through 1973) and the Annual Summaries (1974 through 1985) were originally published as Administrative Reports. These reports have been compiled and published as U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Reports. The quarterly reports have been combined and published as one annual summary. All the summaries from 1956 to the present are now available as .pdf files at http://www.usgs.gov/pubprod. The earthquake summary data are presented as a listing of origin time, depth, magnitude, and other location parameters. Network instrumentation, field station sites, and location algorithms are described. Tilt and other deformation data are included until Summary 77, January to December 1977. From 1978, the seismic and deformation data are published separately, due to differing schedules of data reduction. There are eight quarters - from the fourth quarter of 1959 to the third quarter of 1961 - that were never published. Two of these (4th quarter 1959, 1st quarter 1960) have now been published, using handwritten notes of Jerry Eaton (HVO seismologist at the time) and his colleagues. The seismic records for the remaining six summaries went back to California in 1961 with Jerry Eaton. Other responsibilities intervened, and the seismic summaries were never prepared.

Hawaiian Volcano Observatory 1968 Quarterly Administrative Report

USGS Publications Warehouse

Nakata, Jennifer S.

2007-01-01

INTRODUCTORY NOTE The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory Summaries have been published in the current format since 1956. The Quarterly Summaries (1956 through 1973) and the Annual Summaries (1974 through 1985) were originally published as Administrative Reports. These reports have been compiled and published as U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Reports. The quarterly reports have been combined and published as one annual summary. All the summaries from 1956 to the present are now available as .pdf files at http://www.usgs.gov/pubprod. The earthquake summary data are presented as a listing of origin time, depth, magnitude, and other location parameters. Network instrumentation, field station sites, and location algorithms are described. Tilt and other deformation data are included until Summary 77, January to December 1977. From 1978, the seismic and deformation data are published separately, due to differing schedules of data reduction. There are eight quarters - from the fourth quarter of 1959 to the third quarter of 1961 - that were never published. Two of these (4th quarter 1959, 1st quarter 1960) have now been published, using handwritten notes of Jerry Eaton (HVO seismologist at the time) and his colleagues. The seismic records for the remaining six summaries went back to California in 1961 with Jerry Eaton. Other responsibilities intervened, and the seismic summaries were never prepared.

Hawaiian Volcano Observatory 1963 Quarterly Administrative Report

USGS Publications Warehouse

Nakata, Jennifer S.

2007-01-01

INTRODUCTORY NOTE The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory Summaries have been published in the current format since 1956. The Quarterly Summaries (1956 through 1973) and the Annual Summaries (1974 through 1985) were originally published as Administrative Reports. These reports have been compiled and published as U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Reports. The quarterly reports have been combined and published as one annual summary. All the summaries from 1956 to the present are now available as .pdf files at http://www.usgs.gov/pubprod. The earthquake summary data are presented as a listing of origin time, depth, magnitude, and other location parameters. Network instrumentation, field station sites, and location algorithms are described. Tilt and other deformation data are included until Summary 77, January to December 1977. From 1978, the seismic and deformation data are published separately, due to differing schedules of data reduction. There are eight quarters - from the fourth quarter of 1959 to the third quarter of 1961 - that were never published. Two of these (4th quarter 1959, 1st quarter 1960) have now been published, using handwritten notes of Jerry Eaton (HVO seismologist at the time) and his colleagues. The seismic records for the remaining six summaries went back to California in 1961 with Jerry Eaton. Other responsibilities intervened, and the seismic summaries were never prepared.

Hawaiian Volcano Observatory 1985 Annual Administrative Report

USGS Publications Warehouse

Nakata, Jennifer S.

2007-01-01

INTRODUCTORY NOTE The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory Summaries have been published in the current format since 1956. The Quarterly Summaries (1956 through 1973) and the Annual Summaries (1974 through 1985) were originally published as Administrative Reports. These reports have been compiled and published as U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Reports. The quarterly reports have been combined and published as one annual summary. All the summaries from 1956 to the present are now available as .pdf files at http://www.usgs.gov/pubprod. The earthquake summary data are presented as a listing of origin time, depth, magnitude, and other location parameters. Network instrumentation, field station sites, and location algorithms are described. Tilt and other deformation data are included until Summary 77, January to December 1977. From 1978, the seismic and deformation data are published separately, due to differing schedules of data reduction. There are eight quarters - from the fourth quarter of 1959 to the third quarter of 1961 - that were never published. Two of these (4th quarter 1959, 1st quarter 1960) have now been published, using handwritten notes of Jerry Eaton (HVO seismologist at the time) and his colleagues. The seismic records for the remaining six summaries went back to California in 1961 with Jerry Eaton. Other responsibilities intervened, and the seismic summaries were never prepared.

Validation of Health Services Careers Curriculum Manual.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stone, Sheila D.

This report is the result of a field test of "Health Service Careers" curriculum materials developed and published by the Curriculum and Instructional Materials Center, Oklahoma State Department of Vocational Technical Education. The results and conclusions reported in the study relate to student achievement and teacher evaluations and…

Authors report lack of time as main reason for unpublished research presented at biomedical conferences: a systematic review.

PubMed

Scherer, Roberta W; Ugarte-Gil, Cesar; Schmucker, Christine; Meerpohl, Joerg J

2015-07-01

To systematically review reports that queried abstract authors about reasons for not subsequently publishing abstract results as full-length articles. Systematic review of MEDLINE, EMBASE, The Cochrane Library, ISI Web of Science, and study bibliographies for empirical studies in which investigators examined subsequent full publication of results presented at a biomedical conference and reasons for nonpublication. The mean full publication rate was 55.9% [95% confidence interval (CI): 54.8%, 56.9%] for 24 of 27 eligible reports providing this information and 73.0% (95% CI: 71.2%, 74.7%) for seven reports of abstracts describing clinical trials. Twenty-four studies itemized 1,831 reasons for nonpublication, and six itemized 428 reasons considered the most important reason. "Lack of time" was the most frequently reported reason [weighted average = 30.2% (95% CI: 27.9%, 32.4%)] and the most important reason [weighted average = 38.4% (95% CI: 33.7%, 43.2%)]. Other commonly stated reasons were "lack of time and/or resources," "publication not an aim," "low priority," "incomplete study," and "trouble with co-authors." Across medical specialties, the main reasons for not subsequently publishing an abstract in full lie with factors related to the abstract author rather than with journals. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Selective reporting bias of harm outcomes within studies: findings from a cohort of systematic reviews.

PubMed

Saini, Pooja; Loke, Yoon K; Gamble, Carrol; Altman, Douglas G; Williamson, Paula R; Kirkham, Jamie J

2014-11-21

To determine the extent and nature of selective non-reporting of harm outcomes in clinical studies that were eligible for inclusion in a cohort of systematic reviews. Cohort study of systematic reviews from two databases. Outcome reporting bias in trials for harm outcomes (ORBIT II) in systematic reviews from the Cochrane Library and a separate cohort of systematic reviews of adverse events. 92 systematic reviews of randomised controlled trials and non-randomised studies published in the Cochrane Library between issue 9, 2012 and issue 2, 2013 (Cochrane cohort) and 230 systematic reviews published between 1 January 2007 and 31 December 2011 in other publications, synthesising data on harm outcomes (adverse event cohort). A 13 point classification system for missing outcome data on harm was developed and applied to the studies. 86% (79/92) of reviews in the Cochrane cohort did not include full data from the main harm outcome of interest of each review for all of the eligible studies included within that review; 76% (173/230) for the adverse event cohort. Overall, the single primary harm outcome was inadequately reported in 76% (705/931) of the studies included in the 92 reviews from the Cochrane cohort and not reported in 47% (4159/8837) of the 230 reviews in the adverse event cohort. In a sample of primary studies not reporting on the single primary harm outcome in the review, scrutiny of the study publication revealed that outcome reporting bias was suspected in nearly two thirds (63%, 248/393). The number of reviews suspected of outcome reporting bias as a result of missing or partially reported harm related outcomes from at least one eligible study is high. The declaration of important harms and the quality of the reporting of harm outcomes must be improved in both primary studies and systematic reviews. © Saini et al 2014.

Endorsement of the CONSORT Statement by High-Impact Medical Journals in China: A Survey of Instructions for Authors and Published Papers

PubMed Central

Zhou, Qing-hui; Moher, David; Chen, Hong-yun; Wang, Fu-zhe; Ling, Chang-quan

2012-01-01

Background The CONSORT Statement is a reporting guideline for authors when reporting randomized controlled trials (RCTs). It offers a standard way for authors to prepare RCT reports. It has been endorsed by many high-impact medical journals and by international editorial groups. This study was conducted to assess the endorsement of the CONSORT Statement by high-impact medical journals in China by reviewing their instructions for authors. Methodology/Principal Findings A total of 200 medical journals were selected according to the Chinese Science and Technology Journal Citation Reports, 195 of which publish clinical research papers. Their instructions for authors were reviewed and all texts mentioning the CONSORT Statement or CONSORT extension papers were extracted. Any mention of the Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals (URM) developed by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) or ‘clinical trial registration’ was also extracted. For journals endorsing the CONSORT Statement, their most recently published RCT reports were retrieved and evaluated to assess whether the journals have followed what the CONSORT Statement required. Out of the 195 medical journals publishing clinical research papers, only six (6/195, 3.08%) mentioned ‘CONSORT’ in their instructions for authors; out of the 200 medical journals surveyed, only 14 (14/200, 7.00%) mentioned ‘ICMJE’ or ‘URM’ in their instructions for authors, and another five journals stated in their instructions for authors that clinical trials should have trial registration numbers and that priority would be given to clinical trials which had been registered. Among the 62 RCT reports published in the six journals endorsing the CONSORT Statement, 20 (20/62, 32.26%) contained flow diagrams and only three (3/62, 4.84%) provided trial registration information. Conclusions/Significance Medical journals in China endorsing either the CONSORT Statement or the ICMJE's URM constituted a small percentage of the total; all of these journals used ambiguous language regarding what was expected of authors. PMID:22348017

Malaria in Farmed Ungulates: an Exciting New System for Comparative Parasitology.

PubMed

Perkins, Susan L

2018-04-25

A wide array of vertebrates can serve as the intermediate hosts to malaria parasites (Apicomplexa: Haemosporida), such as birds, lizards, and several groups of mammals, including primates, bats, rodents, and ungulates. The latter group of hosts has not been intensively studied since early descriptions of a small set of taxa were published, but new reports of these parasites in both expected and new hosts have recently been published. A new paper reports the presence of Plasmodium odocoilei in farmed white-tailed deer in Florida, particularly in animals less than 1 year old, and provides evidence that the parasites may contribute to mortality in fawns. That paper opens new opportunities to study the malaria parasite-mammal interface in North America. Copyright © 2018 Perkins.

Addressing pediatric obesity in ambulatory care: where are we and where are we going?

PubMed Central

Manders, Aaron J.; Perdomo, Joanna E.; Ireland, Kathy A.; Barlow, Sarah E.

2017-01-01

Since the “2007 summary report of child and adolescent overweight and obesity treatment” published by Barlow, many obesity intervention studies have been conducted in pediatric ambulatory care. Although several meta-analyses have been published in the interim, many studies were excluded because of the focus and criteria of these meta-analyses. Therefore, the primary goal of this article was to identify randomized case-control trials conducted in the primary care setting and to report on treatment approaches, challenges, and successes. We have developed four themes for our discussion and provide a brief summary of our findings. Finally, we identified major gaps and potential solutions, and describe several urgent key action items. PMID:27048522

Appearance of osteolysis with melorheostosis: redefining the disease or a new disorder? A novel case report with multimodality imaging.

PubMed

Osher, Lawrence S; Blazer, Marie Mantini; Bumpus, Kelly

2013-01-01

We present a case report of melorheostosis with the novel radiographic finding of underlying cortical resorption. A number of radiographic patterns of melorheostosis have been described; however, the combination of new bone formation and resorption of the original cortex appears unique. Although the presence of underlying lysis has been postulated in published studies, direct radiographic evidence of bony resorption in melorheostosis has not been reported. These findings can be subtle and might go unnoticed using standard imaging. An in-depth review of the radiographic features is presented, including multimodality imaging with magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography. Copyright © 2013 American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review of the Gene-Environment Interaction Literature in Cancer: What Do We Know?

PubMed

Simonds, Naoko I; Ghazarian, Armen A; Pimentel, Camilla B; Schully, Sheri D; Ellison, Gary L; Gillanders, Elizabeth M; Mechanic, Leah E

2016-07-01

Risk of cancer is determined by a complex interplay of genetic and environmental factors. Although the study of gene-environment interactions (G×E) has been an active area of research, little is reported about the known findings in the literature. To examine the state of the science in G×E research in cancer, we performed a systematic review of published literature using gene-environment or pharmacogenomic flags from two curated databases of genetic association studies, the Human Genome Epidemiology (HuGE) literature finder and Cancer Genome-Wide Association and Meta Analyses Database (CancerGAMAdb), from January 1, 2001, to January 31, 2011. A supplemental search using HuGE was conducted for articles published from February 1, 2011, to April 11, 2013. A 25% sample of the supplemental publications was reviewed. A total of 3,019 articles were identified in the original search. From these articles, 243 articles were determined to be relevant based on inclusion criteria (more than 3,500 interactions). From the supplemental search (1,400 articles identified), 29 additional relevant articles (1,370 interactions) were included. The majority of publications in both searches examined G×E in colon, rectal, or colorectal; breast; or lung cancer. Specific interactions examined most frequently included environmental factors categorized as energy balance (e.g., body mass index, diet), exogenous (e.g., oral contraceptives) and endogenous hormones (e.g., menopausal status), chemical environment (e.g., grilled meats), and lifestyle (e.g., smoking, alcohol intake). In both searches, the majority of interactions examined were using loci from candidate genes studies and none of the studies were genome-wide interaction studies (GEWIS). The most commonly reported measure was the interaction P-value, of which a sizable number of P-values were considered statistically significant (i.e., <0.05). In addition, the magnitude of interactions reported was modest. Observations of published literature suggest that opportunity exists for increased sample size in G×E research, including GWAS-identified loci in G×E studies, exploring more GWAS approaches in G×E such as GEWIS, and improving the reporting of G×E findings. Published 2016. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.

Research on College Board Programs and Services: Annotated Bibliography 2013. Research in Review 2013-1

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barry, Carol; Cooney, Siobhan; Laitusis, Vytas; Matos-Elefonte, Haifa; McKillip, Mary; Merriman, Jennifer; Niu, Sunny; Smith, Kara

2013-01-01

This annotated bibliography contains summaries of research studies examining a number of College Board assessments and programs. To be included in the bibliography, each study needed to meet a number of criteria. First, articles must have been published (as a College Board research report, in an external journal, or as an ETS research report).…

Research on College Board Programs and Services: Annotated Bibliography 2012. Research in Review 2012-2

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barry, Carol; Bausmith, Jennifer; Cooney, Siobhan; Laitusis, Vytas; Matos-Elefonte, Haifa; McKillip, Mary; Niu, Sunny; Rawls, Anita

2012-01-01

This annotated bibliography contains summaries of research studies examining a number of College Board assessments and programs. To be included in the bibliography, each study needed to meet a number of criteria. First, articles must have been published (as a College Board research report, in an external journal, or as an ETS research report).…

[Measurement properties of self-report questionnaires published in Korean nursing journals].

PubMed

Lee, Eun-Hyun; Kim, Chun-Ja; Kim, Eun Jung; Chae, Hyun-Ju; Cho, Soo-Yeon

2013-02-01

The purpose of this study was to evaluate measurement properties of self-report questionnaires for studies published in Korean nursing journals. Of 424 Korean nursing articles initially identified, 168 articles met the inclusion criteria. The methodological quality of the measurements used in the studies and interpretability were assessed using the COnsensus-based Standards for the selection of health Measurement INstruments (COSMIN) checklist. It consists of items on internal consistency, reliability, measurement error, content validity, construct validity including structural validity, hypothesis testing, cross-cultural validity, and criterion validity, and responsiveness. For each item of the COSMIN checklist, measurement properties are rated on a four-point scale: excellent, good, fair, and poor. Each measurement property is scored with worst score counts. All articles used the classical test theory for measurement properties. Internal consistency (72.6%), construct validity (56.5%), and content validity (38.2%) were most frequently reported properties being rated as 'excellent' by COSMIN checklist, whereas other measurement properties were rarely reported. A systematic review of measurement properties including interpretability of most instruments warrants further research and nursing-focused checklists assessing measurement properties should be developed to facilitate intervention outcomes across Korean studies.

A Cross-Sectional Analysis of Publication Types in Quality Improvement Journals.

PubMed

Wong, Christopher J; White, Andrew A; Merel, Susan E; Brock, Douglas M; Staiger, Thomas O

2016-07-01

Despite widespread engagement in quality improvement activities, little is known about the designs of studies currently published in quality improvement journals. This study's goal is to establish the prevalence of the types of research conducted in articles published in journals dedicated to quality improvement. A cross-sectional analysis was performed of 145 research articles published in 11 quality improvement journals in 2011. The majority of study designs were considered pre-experimental (95%), with a small percentage of quasi-experimental and experimental designs. Of the studies that reported the results of an intervention (n = 60), the most common research designs were pre-post studies (33%) and case studies (25%). There were few randomized controlled trials or quasi-experimental study designs (12% of intervention studies). These results suggest that there are opportunities for increased use of quasi-experimental study designs. © The Author(s) 2015.

The health economics of ankle and foot sprains and fractures: A systematic review of English-language published papers. Part 1: Overview and critical appraisal.

PubMed

Bielska, Iwona A; Wang, Xiang; Lee, Raymond; Johnson, Ana P

2017-07-01

Ankle and foot sprains and fractures are common injuries affecting many individuals, often requiring considerable and costly medical interventions. The objectives of this systematic review are to collect, assess, and critically appraise the published literature on the health economics of ankle and foot injury (sprain and fracture) treatment. A systematic literature review of Ovid MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane DSR, ACP Journal Club, AMED, Ovid Healthstar, and CINAHL was conducted for English-language studies on the costs of treating ankle and foot sprains and fractures published from January 1980 to December 2014. Two reviewers assessed the articles for study quality and abstracted data. The literature search identified 2047 studies of which 32 were analyzed. A majority of the studies were published in the last decade. A number of the studies did not report full economic information, including the sources of the direct and indirect costs, as suggested in the guidelines. The perspective used in the analysis was missing in numerous studies, as was the follow-up time period of participants. Only five of the studies undertook a sensitivity analysis which is required whenever there are uncertainties regarding cost data. This systematic review found that publications do not consistently report on the components of health economics methodology, which in turn limits the quality of information. Future studies undertaking economic evaluations should ensure that their methods are transparent and understandable so as to yield accurate interpretation for assistance in forthcoming economic evaluations and policy decision-making. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Environmental Research: Communication Studies and Information Sources.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ercegovac, Zorana

1992-01-01

Reviews literature on environmental information since 1986, with special emphasis on machine-readable sources as reported in the published literature. Highlights include a new model for studying environmental issues; environmental communication studies, including user studies; and environmental information sources, including pollution media and…

Pediatric trauma research in the Gulf Cooperation Council countries.

PubMed

Hefny, Ashraf F; Grivna, Michal; Abbas, Alaa K; Branicki, Frank J; Abu-Zidan, Fikri M

2012-04-01

To review published pediatric trauma research from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries so as to identify research fields that need to be enhanced. A MEDLINE search for articles on pediatric trauma from GCC countries during the period 1960 to 2010 was performed. The content of articles was analyzed, classified and summarized. Fifty-three articles were found and retrieved of which 18 (34%) were published in the last 5 years, 42 (79.2%) were original articles. The first author was affiliated to a university in 29 reports (54.7%), to a community hospital in 13 (24.5%) and to a military hospital in 10 (18.9%). All articles were observational studies that included 18 (34%) case-control studies, 18 (34%) case reports/case series studies, 8 (15.1%) prospective studies, and 7 (13.2%) cross sectional studies. The median (range) impact factor of the journals was 1.3 (0.5-3.72). No meta-analysis studies were found. A strategic plan is required to support pediatric trauma research in GCC countries so as to address unmet needs. Areas of deficiency include pre-hospital care, post-traumatic psychological effects and post-traumatic rehabilitation, interventional studies focused on a safe child environment and attitude changes, and the socioeconomic impact of pediatric trauma. Copyright © 2012. Published by Elsevier B.V.

100 positive double-blind studies: enough or too little?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tuner, Jan; Hode, Lars

2000-06-01

A major argument among the opponents of laser therapy has been the absence of scientific documentation. This was a valid position in the 80s and partly in the 90s. But today, is this still a sound argument. There are more than 2,000 published studies in the field, including meeting abstracts and anecdotal reports. The vast majority of these papers reports positive effects of LLLT in vitro and in vivo. It is fair to argue that negative results are less prone to be published, but certainly more than 80 percent of the published studies are positive. In the field of dentistry, for instance, the positive percentage is well above 90 percent. The present literature study will look at the heart of the positive documentation: the positive double blind studies. It may come as a surprise to many critics that there are more than 100 positive double blind studies in the field laser therapy. This is a god base for a further understanding of the effects of low level laser in the clinical setting. We must, however, be as critical as the sceptics themselves in order to obtain a constructive dialogue between 'attorneys' and sceptics. In this paper, a critical review of 100 positive double blind studies will be presented.

Epidemiology of sexual dysfunction in Asia compared to the rest of the world

PubMed Central

Lewis, Ronald W

2011-01-01

There have been a limited number of epidemiological studies published on sexual disorders in persons from Asia. This paper aims to assess the reports of sexual dysfunction epidemiological studies published in the English language that involved Asian countries. Key points are summarized in this paper from nine epidemiological papers on sexual dysfunction from Asia that were published in the English language. Seven met the criteria for evidence-based studies reaching a Prins score of at least 10 or more. Papers included in this report came from national and regional representative studies in peer review journals. These results for sexual dysfunction in the nine papers are summarized for various sexual dysfunctions in men and women in Asian countries. In three of these, worldwide data were presented in the same paper allowing comparisons with Asian data on prevalence rates. Detailed descriptions from each of these studies are presented in paragraph form. More detailed data on erectile dysfunction (ED) is presented in a tabular form. Collectively, there seems to be a need for country- and population-specific further descriptive and analytical epidemiological studies in all of the sexual disorders from Asia. This critical review paper should help guide these studies for reaching evidence-based literature standards. PMID:21076440

Update of ITS benefits : 2000

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2000-11-01

This report provides an update to the benefits documented in the synthesis report published in early 1999, Report 1790-2. It summarizes the major documents and other information published through 1999 and early 2000. Topics for these documents includ...

For Video Games, Bad News Is Good News: News Reporting of Violent Video Game Studies.

PubMed

Copenhaver, Allen; Mitrofan, Oana; Ferguson, Christopher J

2017-12-01

News coverage of video game violence studies has been critiqued for focusing mainly on studies supporting negative effects and failing to report studies that did not find evidence for such effects. These concerns were tested in a sample of 68 published studies using child and adolescent samples. Contrary to our hypotheses, study effect size was not a predictor of either newspaper coverage or publication in journals with a high-impact factor. However, a relationship between poorer study quality and newspaper coverage approached significance. High-impact journals were not found to publish studies with higher quality. Poorer quality studies, which tended to highlight negative findings, also received more citations in scholarly sources. Our findings suggest that negative effects of violent video games exposure in children and adolescents, rather than large effect size or high methodological quality, increase the likelihood of a study being cited in other academic publications and subsequently receiving news media coverage.

Development of an item bank for food parenting practices based on published instruments and reports from Canadian and US parents.

PubMed

O'Connor, Teresia M; Pham, Truc; Watts, Allison W; Tu, Andrew W; Hughes, Sheryl O; Beauchamp, Mark R; Baranowski, Tom; Mâsse, Louise C

2016-08-01

Research to understand how parents influence their children's dietary intake and eating behaviors has expanded in the past decades and a growing number of instruments are available to assess food parenting practices. Unfortunately, there is no consensus on how constructs should be defined or operationalized, making comparison of results across studies difficult. The aim of this study was to develop a food parenting practice item bank with items from published scales and supplement with parenting practices that parents report using. Items from published scales were identified from two published systematic reviews along with an additional systematic review conducted for this study. Parents (n = 135) with children 5-12 years old from the US and Canada, stratified to represent the demographic distribution of each country, were recruited to participate in an online semi-qualitative survey on food parenting. Published items and parent responses were coded using the same framework to reduce the number of items into representative concepts using a binning and winnowing process. The literature contributed 1392 items and parents contributed 1985 items, which were reduced to 262 different food parenting concepts (26% exclusive from literature, 12% exclusive from parents, and 62% represented in both). Food parenting practices related to 'Structure of Food Environment' and 'Behavioral and Educational' were emphasized more by parent responses, while practices related to 'Consistency of Feeding Environment' and 'Emotional Regulation' were more represented among published items. The resulting food parenting item bank should next be calibrated with item response modeling for scientists to use in the future. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Paucity of qualitative research in general medical and health services and policy research journals: analysis of publication rates

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background Qualitative research has the potential to inform and improve health care decisions but a study based on one year of publications suggests that it is not published in prominent health care journals. A more detailed, longitudinal analysis of its availability is needed. The purpose of this study was to identify, count and compare the number of qualitative and non-qualitative research studies published in high impact health care journals, and explore trends in these data over the last decade. Methods A bibliometric approach was used to identify and quantify qualitative articles published in 20 top general medical and health services and policy research journals from 1999 to 2008. Eligible journals were selected based on performance in four different ranking systems reported in the 2008 ISI Journal Citation Reports. Qualitative and non-qualitative research published in these journals were identified by searching MEDLINE, and validated by hand-searching tables of contents for four journals. Results The total number of qualitative research articles published during 1999 to 2008 in ten general medical journals ranged from 0 to 41, and in ten health services and policy research journals from 0 to 39. Over this period the percentage of empirical research articles that were qualitative ranged from 0% to 0.6% for the general medical journals, and 0% to 6.4% for the health services and policy research journals. Conclusions This analysis suggests that qualitative research it is rarely published in high impact general medical and health services and policy research journals. The factors that contribute to this persistent marginalization need to be better understood. PMID:21992238

Gender Differences in Hiccup Patients: Analysis of Published Case Reports and Case-Control Studies.

PubMed

Lee, Gyeong-Won; Kim, Rock Bum; Go, Se Il; Cho, Hyun Seop; Lee, Seung Jun; Hui, David; Bruera, Eduardo; Kang, Jung Hun

2016-02-01

Although sporadic male predominance in hiccup patients has been reported, the association between gender differences and triggering factors has rarely been evaluated in patients with hiccups. The aim of this study was to investigate whether gender differences exist in hiccup patients by analyzing all previously published hiccup literature containing gender and etiology information. Published literature on this topic was identified using a standardized search strategy in the PubMed, SCOPUS, and CINAHL electronic databases. The literature search included studies published from January 1990 to December 2013. Searches were limited to English-language publications. Of 476 identified studies, 318 studies were eligible including eight case-control studies that contained nonhiccup control groups. Triggering factors for hiccups were categorized into two types: central nervous system (CNS) and non-CNS causes. Odds ratios (ORs) were calculated for the eight case-control studies and event rates for the other studies by meta-analysis. In addition, gender differences and mean ages were analyzed for the case studies. Pooled OR was 2.42 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.40-4.17) with inclination for male predominance. Subgroup analysis by cause showed clear male predominance in the non-CNS type with OR of 11.72 (95% CI 3.16-43.50), whereas indistinct in the CNS type with OR of 1.74 (95% CI 0.95-3.16). Of the remaining 310 studies with 864 patients, previous findings were consistent. Male predominance was consistent in non-CNS (85.1%, 95% CI 78.2-90.2) and unknown origin (82.2%, 95% CI 75.8-87.2) patients, whereas mitigating the sex discrepancy in those with CNS origin (65.8%, 95% CI 53.1-76.5). We demonstrated male predominance in hiccup patients. This gender difference for hiccups was more pronounced in patients with non-CNS causes, whereas indistinct in patients with CNS causes. Copyright © 2016 American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Reporting and publishing guidelines: article 12 in Integrating and coordinating efforts in COPD guideline development. An official ATS/ERS workshop report.

PubMed

Wilson, Kevin C; Irwin, Richard S; File, Thomas M; Schünemann, Holger J; Guyatt, Gordon H; Rabe, Klaus F

2012-12-01

Professional societies, like many other organizations around the world, have recognized the need to use rigorous processes to ensure that health care recommendations are informed by the best available research evidence. This is the twelfth of a series of 14 articles that were prepared to advise guideline developers in respiratory and other diseases. This article discusses the reporting and publishing of guidelines. The authors formulated and discussed the following questions on the reporting and publishing of guidelines. (1) What should be reported in guidelines? (2) How should guidelines be written? (3) How should the bottom-line message be conveyed? (4) How should guidelines be packaged? (5) Where should guidelines be published? (6) Who benefits from the publication of guidelines? (7) What information should be vetted by the editor(s)? (8) How should guidelines be peer reviewed? We conducted a review of the literature, looking for systematic reviews and methodological research that addressed these questions, but we did not conduct a full systematic review. Our conclusions are based on the available evidence from the published literature and logical arguments from experienced guideline developers. There is little empirical evidence that addresses the reporting and publishing of guidelines. A standard format for reporting guidelines is desirable to ensure that guidelines are comprehensive and that all of the information necessary to judge their quality is presented. In addition, guidelines should contain concise evidence-based recommendations. To facilitate the use of guidelines by consumers, it is preferable to publish them in journals that serve the target audience and to package them in multiple ways. Editors and peer reviewers should ensure that reporting standards have been met, potential conflicts of interest have been adequately addressed and made public, and that the recommendations address important clinical questions.

Soliton Dynamics of an Atomic Spinor Condensate on a Ring Lattice

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-02-22

REPORT Soliton dynamics of an atomic spinor condensate on a Ring Lattice 14. ABSTRACT 16. SECURITY CLASSIFICATION OF: We study the dynamics of...8/98) Prescribed by ANSI Std. Z39.18 - Soliton dynamics of an atomic spinor condensate on a Ring Lattice Report Title ABSTRACT We study the dynamics...Report Number Soliton dynamics of an atomic spinor condensat Block 13: Supplementary Note © 2013 . Published in Physical Review A (accepted), Vol. Ed

Case reports and case series in prehospital emergency care research.

PubMed

Patterson, P Daniel; Weaver, Matthew; Clark, Sunday; Yealy, Donald M

2010-11-01

Research begins with a clearly stated question, problem or hypothesis. The selection of a study design appropriate to the task is the next key step. This paper provides guidance for the use of case report and case series designs by describing the 'what', 'when' and 'how' of both designs. Also described is the use of case reports and case series study designs in prehospital emergency research and the quality of published literature from 2000 to mid-2008.

Reader Response to Front Pages with Modular Format and Color [and] Newspaper Errors: Source Perception, Reporter Response and Some Causes. American Newspaper Publishers Association (ANPA) News Research Report No. 35.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Click, J. W.; And Others

Two studies were conducted, the first to determine reader response to newspaper front pages with modular format and color, and the second to examine source perception and reporter response to errors in news stories. Results of the first study revealed that respondents in three cities preferred modular front pages to other modern format pages and…

Use of methodological tools for assessing the quality of studies in periodontology and implant dentistry: a systematic review.

PubMed

Faggion, Clovis M; Huda, Fahd; Wasiak, Jason

2014-06-01

To evaluate the methodological approaches used to assess the quality of studies included in systematic reviews (SRs) in periodontology and implant dentistry. Two electronic databases (PubMed and Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews) were searched independently to identify SRs examining interventions published through 2 September 2013. The reference lists of included SRs and records of 10 specialty dental journals were searched manually. Methodological approaches were assessed using seven criteria based on the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions. Temporal trends in methodological quality were also explored. Of the 159 SRs with meta-analyses included in the analysis, 44 (28%) reported the use of domain-based tools, 15 (9%) reported the use of checklists and 7 (4%) reported the use of scales. Forty-two (26%) SRs reported use of more than one tool. Criteria were met heterogeneously; authors of 15 (9%) publications incorporated the quality of evidence of primary studies into SRs, whereas 69% of SRs reported methodological approaches in the Materials/Methods section. Reporting of four criteria was significantly better in recent (2010-2013) than in previous publications. The analysis identified several methodological limitations of approaches used to assess evidence in studies included in SRs in periodontology and implant dentistry. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Does Peer Review of Radiation Plans Affect Clinical Care? A Systematic Review of the Literature

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Brunskill, Kelsey; Nguyen, Timothy K.; Boldt, R. Gabriel

Purpose: Peer review is a recommended component of quality assurance in radiation oncology; however, it is resource-intensive and its effect on patient care is not well understood. We conducted a systematic review of the published data to assess the reported clinical impact of peer review on radiation treatment plans. Methods and Materials: A systematic review of published English studies was performed in accordance with the PRISMA guidelines using the MEDLINE and EMBASE databases and abstracts published from major radiation oncology scientific meeting proceedings. For inclusion, the studies were required to report the effect of peer review on ≥1 element ofmore » treatment planning (eg, target volume or organ-at-risk delineation, dose prescription or dosimetry). Results: The initial search strategy identified 882 potentially eligible studies, with 11 meeting the inclusion criteria for full-text review and final analysis. Across a total of 11,491 patient cases, peer review programs led to modifications in a weighted mean of 10.8% of radiation treatment plans. Five studies differentiated between major and minor changes and reported weighted mean rates of change of 1.8% and 7.3%, respectively. The most common changes were related to target volume delineation (45.2% of changed plans), dose prescription or written directives (24.4%), and non-target volume delineation or normal tissue sparing (7.5%). Conclusions: Our findings suggest that peer review leads to changes in clinical care in approximately 1 of every 9 cases overall. This is similar to the reported rates of change in peer review studies from other oncology-related specialties, such as radiology and pathology.« less

Does Peer Review of Radiation Plans Affect Clinical Care? A Systematic Review of the Literature.

PubMed

Brunskill, Kelsey; Nguyen, Timothy K; Boldt, R Gabriel; Louie, Alexander V; Warner, Andrew; Marks, Lawrence B; Palma, David A

2017-01-01

Peer review is a recommended component of quality assurance in radiation oncology; however, it is resource-intensive and its effect on patient care is not well understood. We conducted a systematic review of the published data to assess the reported clinical impact of peer review on radiation treatment plans. A systematic review of published English studies was performed in accordance with the PRISMA guidelines using the MEDLINE and EMBASE databases and abstracts published from major radiation oncology scientific meeting proceedings. For inclusion, the studies were required to report the effect of peer review on ≥1 element of treatment planning (eg, target volume or organ-at-risk delineation, dose prescription or dosimetry). The initial search strategy identified 882 potentially eligible studies, with 11 meeting the inclusion criteria for full-text review and final analysis. Across a total of 11,491 patient cases, peer review programs led to modifications in a weighted mean of 10.8% of radiation treatment plans. Five studies differentiated between major and minor changes and reported weighted mean rates of change of 1.8% and 7.3%, respectively. The most common changes were related to target volume delineation (45.2% of changed plans), dose prescription or written directives (24.4%), and non-target volume delineation or normal tissue sparing (7.5%). Our findings suggest that peer review leads to changes in clinical care in approximately 1 of every 9 cases overall. This is similar to the reported rates of change in peer review studies from other oncology-related specialties, such as radiology and pathology. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Economic Evaluations of Pathology Tests, 2010-2015: A Scoping Review.

PubMed

Watts, Rory D; Li, Ian W; Geelhoed, Elizabeth A; Sanfilippo, Frank M; St John, Andrew

2017-09-01

Concerns about pathology testing such as the value provided by new tests and the potential for inappropriate utilization have led to a greater need to assess costs and benefits. Economic evaluations are a formal method of analyzing costs and benefits, yet for pathology tests, questions remain about the scope and quality of the economic evidence. To describe the extent and quality of published evidence provided by economic evaluations of pathology tests from 2010 to 2015. Economic evaluations relating to pathology tests from 2010 to 2015 were reviewed. Eight databases were searched for published studies, and details recorded for the country, clinical focus, type of testing, and consideration of sensitivity, specificity, and false test results. The reporting quality of studies was assessed using the Consolidated Health Economic Evaluation Reporting Standards checklist and cost-effectiveness ratios were analyzed for publication bias. We found 356 economic evaluations of pathology tests, most of which regarded developed countries. The most common economic evaluations were cost-utility analyses and the most common clinical focus was infectious diseases. More than half of the studies considered sensitivity and specificity, but few studies considered the impact of false test results. The average Consolidated Health Economic Evaluation Reporting Standards checklist score was 17 out of 24. Cost-utility ratios were commonly less than $10,000/quality-adjusted life-year or more than $200,000/quality-adjusted life-year. The number of economic evaluations of pathology tests has increased in recent years, but the rate of increase has plateaued. Furthermore, the quality of studies in the past 5 years was highly variable, and there is some question of publication bias in reporting cost-effectiveness ratios. Copyright © 2017 International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Knowledge and attitudes regarding influenza vaccination among nurses: a research review.

PubMed

Zhang, Jing; While, Alison E; Norman, Ian J

2010-10-18

Influenza vaccination rates among nurses remain suboptimal despite health authority recommendations in many countries and several vaccination campaign programmes to encourage nurses to be vaccinated in many institutions. We reviewed published studies investigating nurses' knowledge and attitudes towards influenza vaccination to establish what is known about the determinants of nurses' influenza vaccination practices. Relevant articles published up to July 2010 were identified through multiple databases (CINAHL, MEDLINE, PubMed, EMBASE, BNI, HMIC, PsycINFO, CMAC, and CNJ) using predetermined search strategies. Review of the titles and abstracts revealed 182 of 254 references were not relevant. Of 45 full papers reviewed, 32 did not report nurse data separately and one was a duplicate report of a study. We included 12 research studies which had investigated the relationship between knowledge and attitudes towards influenza vaccination and nurses' vaccination practices published between 2003 and 2010. All the studies were descriptive and relied upon self-report data. The findings of this review indicate a relationship between knowledge, attitudes and vaccination practices of nurses. There were three main findings: first, there was a strong association between nurses' knowledge of influenza and vaccination and their vaccination status; second, the surveys showed a positive relationship between perceptions of influenza as a serious illness and vaccination as effective and safe and a positive vaccination status; and third, there was a relationship between nurses' vaccination status and their reported promotion of vaccination to their patients. This review indicates that higher knowledge and positive attitudes towards influenza vaccination have a significantly positive association with vaccination coverage among nurses. Further studies are needed to identify influences on nurses' attitudes and practices regarding influenza vaccination and the personal, organizational, and situational factors that influence the uptake of influenza vaccine by nurses. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Conference presentation to publication: a retrospective study evaluating quality of abstracts and journal articles in medical education research.

PubMed

Stephenson, Christopher R; Vaa, Brianna E; Wang, Amy T; Schroeder, Darrell R; Beckman, Thomas J; Reed, Darcy A; Sawatsky, Adam P

2017-11-09

There is little evidence regarding the comparative quality of abstracts and articles in medical education research. The Medical Education Research Study Quality Instrument (MERSQI), which was developed to evaluate the quality of reporting in medical education, has strong validity evidence for content, internal structure, and relationships to other variables. We used the MERSQI to compare the quality of reporting for conference abstracts, journal abstracts, and published articles. This is a retrospective study of all 46 medical education research abstracts submitted to the Society of General Internal Medicine 2009 Annual Meeting that were subsequently published in a peer-reviewed journal. We compared MERSQI scores of the abstracts with scores for their corresponding published journal abstracts and articles. Comparisons were performed using the signed rank test. Overall MERSQI scores increased significantly for published articles compared with conference abstracts (11.33 vs 9.67; P < .001) and journal abstracts (11.33 vs 9.96; P < .001). Regarding MERSQI subscales, published articles had higher MERSQI scores than conference abstracts in the domains of sampling (1.59 vs 1.34; P = .006), data analysis (3.00 vs 2.43; P < .001), and validity of evaluation instrument (1.04 vs 0.28; P < .001). Published articles also had higher MERSQI scores than journal abstracts in the domains of data analysis (3.00 vs 2.70; P = .004) and validity of evaluation instrument (1.04 vs 0.26; P < .001). To our knowledge, this is the first study to compare the quality of medical education abstracts and journal articles using the MERSQI. Overall, the quality of articles was greater than that of abstracts. However, there were no significant differences between abstracts and articles for the domains of study design and outcomes, which indicates that these MERSQI elements may be applicable to abstracts. Findings also suggest that abstract quality is generally preserved from original presentation to publication.

Cognition and Behaviour in Sotos Syndrome: A Systematic Review

PubMed Central

Lane, Chloe; Milne, Elizabeth; Freeth, Megan

2016-01-01

Background Research investigating cognition and behaviour in Sotos syndrome has been sporadic and to date, there is no published overview of study findings. Method A systematic review of all published literature (1964–2015) presenting empirical data on cognition and behaviour in Sotos syndrome. Thirty four journal articles met inclusion criteria. Within this literature, data relating to cognition and/or behaviour in 247 individuals with a diagnosis of Sotos syndrome were reported. Ten papers reported group data on cognition and/or behaviour. The remaining papers employed a case study design. Results Intelligence quotient (IQ) scores were reported in twenty five studies. Intellectual disability (IQ < 70) or borderline intellectual functioning (IQ 70–84) was present in the vast majority of individuals with Sotos syndrome. Seven studies reported performance on subscales of intelligence tests. Data from these studies indicate that verbal IQ scores are consistently higher than performance IQ scores. Fourteen papers provided data on behavioural features of individuals with Sotos syndrome. Key themes that emerged in the behavioural literature were overlap with ASD, ADHD, anxiety and high prevalence of aggression/tantrums. Conclusion Although a range of studies have provided insight into cognition and behaviour in Sotos syndrome, specific profiles have not yet been fully specified. Recommendations for future research are provided. PMID:26872390

Hydrologic data for urban studies in the Houston, Texas, metropolitan area, 1980

USGS Publications Warehouse

Liscum, Fred; Hutchison, J.S.; Bruchmiller, J.P.; Walther, L.S.

1983-01-01

To ascertain the variation in water quality for different flow conditions and different seasons. This report, the seventeenth in a series of reports to be published annually, is primarily applicable to objective 2. The report presents hydrologic data collected in the Houston urban area for the 1980 water year (October 1, 1979 to September 30, 1980).

Hydrologic data for urban studies in the Houston, Texas, metropolitan area, 1981

USGS Publications Warehouse

Liscum, Fred

1985-01-01

To ascertain the variation in water quality for different flow conditions and different seasons. This report, the eighteenth in a series of reports to be published annually, is primarily applicable to objective 2. The report presents hydro!ogic data collected in the Houston urban area for the 1981 water year (October 1, 1980 to September 30, 1981).

The "Trojan Horse" Affair and Radicalisation: An Analysis of Ofsted Reports

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mogra, Imran

2016-01-01

This article provides an analysis of the frequency with which the word radicalisation appears in 21 Ofsted reports published as a result of inspections carried out in some Birmingham schools following the "Trojan Horse" affair. The technique of key-words-in-context was employed to study the range of its uses in the corpus of the reports.…

NEPC Review: "Renewing Our Cities" (EdChoice, March 2017) "CPR Scholarships" (American Enterprise Institute, March 2017)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Holme, Jennifer Jellison; Germain, Emily

2017-01-01

Two recent reports contend that the introduction of school choice can promote economic development in economically distressed urban areas. The first report, published by EdChoice, presents a case study of a charter school that has, according to the report, contributed to the economic development of the city of Santa Ana, California. The second…

Barriers and enablers in primary care clinicians' management of osteoarthritis: protocol for a systematic review and qualitative evidence synthesis.

PubMed

Egerton, T; Diamond, L; Buchbinder, R; Bennell, K; Slade, S C

2016-05-27

Osteoarthritis is a highly prevalent and disabling condition. Primary care management of osteoarthritis is generally suboptimal despite evidence for several modestly effective interventions and the availability of high-quality clinical practice guidelines. This report describes a planned study to synthesise the views of primary care clinicians on the barriers and enablers to following recommended management of osteoarthritis, with the aim of providing new interpretations that may facilitate the uptake of recommended treatments, and in turn improve patient care. A systematic review and meta-synthesis of qualitative studies. 5 databases will be searched using key search terms for qualitative research, evidence-based practice, clinical practice guidelines, osteoarthritis, beliefs, perceptions, barriers, enablers and adherence. A priori inclusion/exclusion criteria include availability of data from primary care clinicians, reports on views regarding management of osteoarthritis, and studies using qualitative methods for both data collection and analysis. At least 2 independent reviewers will identify eligible reports, conduct a critical appraisal of study conduct, extract data and synthesise reported findings and interpretations. Synthesis will follow thematic analysis within a grounded theory framework of inductive coding and iterative theme identification. The reviewers plus co-authors will contribute to the meta-synthesis to find new themes and theories. The Confidence in the Evidence from Reviews of Qualitative research (CERQual) approach will be used to determine a confidence profile of each finding from the meta-synthesis. The protocol has been registered on PROSPERO and is reported using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses Protocols (PRISMA-P) guidelines. Ethical approval is not required. The systematic review will be published in a peer-reviewed journal. The results will help to inform policy and practice and assist in the optimisation of management for people with osteoarthritis. CRD42015027543. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/

Publication and non-publication of drug trial results: a 10-year cohort of trials in Norwegian general practice.

PubMed

Brænd, Anja Maria; Straand, Jørund; Jakobsen, Rune Bruhn; Klovning, Atle

2016-04-11

Previously, we identified a 10-year cohort of protocols from applications to the Norwegian Medicines Agency 1998-2007, consisting of 196 drug trials in general practice. The aim of this study was to examine whether trial results were published and whether trial funding and conflicts of interest were reported. Cohort study of trials with systematic searches for published results. Clinical drug trials in Norwegian general practice. We performed systematic literature searches of MEDLINE, Embase and CENTRAL to identify publications originating from each trial using characteristics such as test drug, comparator and patient groups as search terms. When no publication was identified, we contacted trial sponsors for information regarding trial completion and reference to any publications. We determined the frequency of publication of trial results and trial characteristics associated with publication of results. Of the 196 trials, 5 were never started. Of the remaining 191 trials, 71% had results published in a journal, 11% had results publicly available elsewhere and 18% of trials had no results available. Publication was more common among trials with an active comparator drug (χ(2) test, p=0.040), with a larger number of patients (total sample size≥median, p=0.010) and with a longer trial period (duration≥median, p=0.025). Trial funding was reported in 85% of publications and increased over time, as did reporting of conflicts of interest among authors. Among the 134 main journal articles from the trials, 60% presented statistically significant results for the investigational drug, and the conclusion of the article was favourable towards the test drug in 78% of papers. We did not identify any journal publication of results for 29% of the general practice drug trials. Trials with an active comparator, larger and longer trials were more likely to be published. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/

78 FR 6353 - 2012 Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act Annual Report

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-01-30

... OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT AND BUDGET 2012 Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act Annual Report AGENCY: Office of Management and Budget (OMB). ACTION: Notice. SUMMARY: This report is being published as required by the....C. 934. Courtney Timberlake, Assistant Director for Budget. This Report is being published pursuant...

Cumulative reports and publications through December 31, 1987

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1988-01-01

This document contains a complete list of Institute for Computer Applications in Science and Engineering (ICASE) Reports. Since ICASE Reports are preprints of articles to be published in journals or conference proceeding, the published reference is included when available.

What about N? A methodological study of sample-size reporting in focus group studies.

PubMed

Carlsen, Benedicte; Glenton, Claire

2011-03-11

Focus group studies are increasingly published in health related journals, but we know little about how researchers use this method, particularly how they determine the number of focus groups to conduct. The methodological literature commonly advises researchers to follow principles of data saturation, although practical advise on how to do this is lacking. Our objectives were firstly, to describe the current status of sample size in focus group studies reported in health journals. Secondly, to assess whether and how researchers explain the number of focus groups they carry out. We searched PubMed for studies that had used focus groups and that had been published in open access journals during 2008, and extracted data on the number of focus groups and on any explanation authors gave for this number. We also did a qualitative assessment of the papers with regard to how number of groups was explained and discussed. We identified 220 papers published in 117 journals. In these papers insufficient reporting of sample sizes was common. The number of focus groups conducted varied greatly (mean 8.4, median 5, range 1 to 96). Thirty seven (17%) studies attempted to explain the number of groups. Six studies referred to rules of thumb in the literature, three stated that they were unable to organize more groups for practical reasons, while 28 studies stated that they had reached a point of saturation. Among those stating that they had reached a point of saturation, several appeared not to have followed principles from grounded theory where data collection and analysis is an iterative process until saturation is reached. Studies with high numbers of focus groups did not offer explanations for number of groups. Too much data as a study weakness was not an issue discussed in any of the reviewed papers. Based on these findings we suggest that journals adopt more stringent requirements for focus group method reporting. The often poor and inconsistent reporting seen in these studies may also reflect the lack of clear, evidence-based guidance about deciding on sample size. More empirical research is needed to develop focus group methodology.

Publication bias is underreported in systematic reviews published in high-impact-factor journals: metaepidemiologic study.

PubMed

Onishi, Akira; Furukawa, Toshi A

2014-12-01

To examine how often a significant publication bias (PB) existed when the assessment of PB was not reported in systematic reviews. All systematic reviews with meta-analyses of interventions and risk/prognostic factors published in the general medical journals with the top 10 impact factors in 2011 and 2012 were included. The results regarding PB were extracted. When the assessment of PB was not reported, we examined the presence of PB using the Egger test and contour-enhanced funnel plot and the impact of unreported PB by regression-based method. Among all the identified 116 reviews, the assessment of PB was not reported in 36 reviews (31.0%), particularly in reviews without a comprehensive literature search. Of these 36 reviews, seven (19.4%) were found to have a significant PB. The original pooled results may have been overestimated by a median of 50.9% if corrected for PB. Among the 28 reviews with PB including both reviews that did or did not report the assessment of PB, seven reviews (25.0%) did not report the presence of PB. Significant PB was underreported in systematic reviews published in high-impact-factor journals (eg, 19.4% of those that did not report assessment of PB had significant PB). Readers of systematic reviews should not assume that PB does not exist when not reported whereas researchers should report the results of assessments for PB. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Comparison of Registered and Reported Outcomes in Randomized Clinical Trials Published in Anesthesiology Journals.

PubMed

Jones, Philip M; Chow, Jeffrey T Y; Arango, Miguel F; Fridfinnson, Jason A; Gai, Nan; Lam, Kevin; Turkstra, Timothy P

2017-10-01

Randomized clinical trials (RCTs) provide high-quality evidence for clinical decision-making. Trial registration is one of the many tools used to improve the reporting of RCTs by reducing publication bias and selective outcome reporting bias. The purpose of our study is to examine whether RCTs published in the top 6 general anesthesiology journals were adequately registered and whether the reported primary and secondary outcomes corresponded to the originally registered outcomes. Following a prespecified protocol, an electronic database was used to systematically screen and extract data from RCTs published in the top 6 general anesthesiology journals by impact factor (Anaesthesia, Anesthesia & Analgesia, Anesthesiology, British Journal of Anaesthesia, Canadian Journal of Anesthesia, and European Journal of Anaesthesiology) during the years 2007, 2010, 2013, and 2015. A manual search of each journal's Table of Contents was performed (in duplicate) to identify eligible RCTs. An adequately registered trial was defined as being registered in a publicly available trials registry before the first patient being enrolled with an unambiguously defined primary outcome. For adequately registered trials, the outcomes registered in the trial registry were compared with the outcomes reported in the article, with outcome discrepancies documented and analyzed by the type of discrepancy. During the 4 years studied, there were 860 RCTs identified, with 102 RCTs determined to be adequately registered (12%). The proportion of adequately registered trials increased over time, with 38% of RCTs being adequately registered in 2015. The most common reason in 2015 for inadequate registration was registering the RCT after the first patient had already been enrolled. Among adequately registered trials, 92% had at least 1 primary or secondary outcome discrepancy. In 2015, 42% of RCTs had at least 1 primary outcome discrepancy, while 90% of RCTs had at least 1 secondary outcome discrepancy. Despite trial registration being an accepted best practice, RCTs published in anesthesiology journals have a high rate of inadequate registration. While mandating trial registration has increased the proportion of adequately registered trials over time, there is still an unacceptably high proportion of inadequately registered RCTs. Among adequately registered trials, there are high rates of discrepancies between registered and reported outcomes, suggesting a need to compare a published RCT with its trial registry entry to be able to fully assess the quality of the study. If clinicians base their decisions on evidence distorted by primary outcome switching, patient care could be negatively affected.

Changing Roles in Information Distribution. 1994 NFAIS Report Series, 1.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cunningham, Ann Marie, Ed.; Wicks, Wendy, Ed.

This report tracks the evolution of information through the eyes of the five traditional "players"--author, primary publisher, secondary publisher, distributor, and information consumer. It maps the trajectory of publishing through the media landscape--from print to online to CD-ROM to networks. Representatives from each constituency…

Timing and Completeness of Trial Results Posted at ClinicalTrials.gov and Published in Journals

PubMed Central

Riveros, Carolina; Dechartres, Agnes; Perrodeau, Elodie; Haneef, Romana; Boutron, Isabelle; Ravaud, Philippe

2013-01-01

Background The US Food and Drug Administration Amendments Act requires results from clinical trials of Food and Drug Administration–approved drugs to be posted at ClinicalTrials.gov within 1 y after trial completion. We compared the timing and completeness of results of drug trials posted at ClinicalTrials.gov and published in journals. Methods and Findings We searched ClinicalTrials.gov on March 27, 2012, for randomized controlled trials of drugs with posted results. For a random sample of these trials, we searched PubMed for corresponding publications. Data were extracted independently from ClinicalTrials.gov and from the published articles for trials with results both posted and published. We assessed the time to first public posting or publishing of results and compared the completeness of results posted at ClinicalTrials.gov versus published in journal articles. Completeness was defined as the reporting of all key elements, according to three experts, for the flow of participants, efficacy results, adverse events, and serious adverse events (e.g., for adverse events, reporting of the number of adverse events per arm, without restriction to statistically significant differences between arms for all randomized patients or for those who received at least one treatment dose). From the 600 trials with results posted at ClinicalTrials.gov, we randomly sampled 50% (n = 297) had no corresponding published article. For trials with both posted and published results (n = 202), the median time between primary completion date and first results publicly posted was 19 mo (first quartile = 14, third quartile = 30 mo), and the median time between primary completion date and journal publication was 21 mo (first quartile = 14, third quartile = 28 mo). Reporting was significantly more complete at ClinicalTrials.gov than in the published article for the flow of participants (64% versus 48% of trials, p<0.001), efficacy results (79% versus 69%, p = 0.02), adverse events (73% versus 45%, p<0.001), and serious adverse events (99% versus 63%, p<0.001). The main study limitation was that we considered only the publication describing the results for the primary outcomes. Conclusions Our results highlight the need to search ClinicalTrials.gov for both unpublished and published trials. Trial results, especially serious adverse events, are more completely reported at ClinicalTrials.gov than in the published article. Please see later in the article for the Editors' Summary PMID:24311990

The Digital Daily: How Will Readers React?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thompson, David Russell

As publishers make the transition from ink-on-paper to digitalized messages, researchers must ask whether the system is the solution. Are there advantages to presenting newspaper content on computers? Or do people prefer to handle paper? A study reported subjects' self-report responses regarding interface between people (experimental subjects) and…

A Review of Air Pollutant Damage to Materials

EPA Science Inventory

Report prepared as U.S. contribution to Panel 3 of NATO Committee on Challenges of Modern Society Pilot Study on Air Pollution Control Strategies and Impact Modeling. Panel 3 focuses on air pollutant impact and will publish 4 reports on air pollutants effects; this is the first i...

A Review of the Current Available Studies of the Interference Susceptibility of Various Modulation Schemes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nguyen, Tien M.

1994-01-01

This report reviews the current available work on interference susceptibility for various modulation schemes. Only known and published work in this area is descussed. This report classifies the interference signal into three different categories, namely, narrow-band (in-band), wide-band and pluse interference.

Estimates of the Average Number of Times Students Say They Cheated

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Liebler, Robert

2017-01-01

Data from published studies is used to recover information about the sample mean self-reported number of times cheated by college students. The sample means were estimated by fitting distributions to the reported data. The few estimated sample means thus recovered were roughly 2 or less.

Cyberbullying Prevalence Among US Middle and High School-Aged Adolescents: A Systematic Review and Quality Assessment.

PubMed

Selkie, Ellen M; Fales, Jessica L; Moreno, Megan A

2016-02-01

Cyberbullying (CB) has established links to physical and mental health problems including depression, suicidality, substance use, and somatic symptoms. Quality reporting of CB prevalence is essential to guide evidence-based policy and prevention priorities. The purpose of this systematic review was to investigate study quality and reported prevalence among CB research studies conducted in populations of US adolescents of middle and high school age. Searches of peer-reviewed literature published through June 2015 for "CB" and related terms were conducted using PubMed, PsycINFO, CINAHL Plus, and Web of Science. Included manuscripts reported CB prevalence in general populations of US adolescents between the ages of 10 and 19 years. Using a review tool based on the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology statement, reviewers independently scored study quality on study methods, results reporting, and reported prevalence. Search results yielded 1,447 manuscripts; 81 manuscripts representing 58 unique studies were identified as meeting inclusion criteria. Quality scores ranged between 12 and 37 total points of a possible 42 points (mean = 26.7, standard deviation = 4.6). Prevalence rates of CB ranged as follows: Perpetration, 1%-41%; victimization, 3%-72%; and overlapping perpetration and victimization, 2.3%-16.7%. Literature on CB in US middle and high school-aged students is robust in quantity but inconsistent in quality and reported prevalence. Consistent definitions and evidence-based measurement tools are needed. Copyright © 2016 Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Number needed to treat (NNT) in clinical literature: an appraisal.

PubMed

Mendes, Diogo; Alves, Carlos; Batel-Marques, Francisco

2017-06-01

The number needed to treat (NNT) is an absolute effect measure that has been used to assess beneficial and harmful effects of medical interventions. Several methods can be used to calculate NNTs, and they should be applied depending on the different study characteristics, such as the design and type of variable used to measure outcomes. Whether or not the most recommended methods have been applied to calculate NNTs in studies published in the medical literature is yet to be determined. The aim of this study is to assess whether the methods used to calculate NNTs in studies published in medical journals are in line with basic methodological recommendations. The top 25 high-impact factor journals in the "General and/or Internal Medicine" category were screened to identify studies assessing pharmacological interventions and reporting NNTs. Studies were categorized according to their design and the type of variables. NNTs were assessed for completeness (baseline risk, time horizon, and confidence intervals [CIs]). The methods used for calculating NNTs in selected studies were compared to basic methodological recommendations published in the literature. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. The search returned 138 citations, of which 51 were selected. Most were meta-analyses (n = 23, 45.1%), followed by clinical trials (n = 17, 33.3%), cohort (n = 9, 17.6%), and case-control studies (n = 2, 3.9%). Binary variables were more common (n = 41, 80.4%) than time-to-event (n = 10, 19.6%) outcomes. Twenty-six studies (51.0%) reported only NNT to benefit (NNTB), 14 (27.5%) reported both NNTB and NNT to harm (NNTH), and 11 (21.6%) reported only NNTH. Baseline risk (n = 37, 72.5%), time horizon (n = 38, 74.5%), and CI (n = 32, 62.7%) for NNTs were not always reported. Basic methodological recommendations to calculate NNTs were not followed in 15 studies (29.4%). The proportion of studies applying non-recommended methods was particularly high for meta-analyses (n = 13, 56.5%). A considerable proportion of studies, particularly meta-analyses, applied methods that are not in line with basic methodological recommendations. Despite their usefulness in assisting clinical decisions, NNTs are uninterpretable if incompletely reported, and they may be misleading if calculating methods are inadequate to study designs and variables under evaluation. Further research is needed to confirm the present findings.

JPRS Report, Soviet Union, Political Affairs, Republic Language Legislation.

DTIC Science & Technology

1989-12-05

reference materials ( dictionaries , termi- nology glossaries, phrase books, self-taught books, and so on), and qualified specialists in the field of...textbooks; d) to publish self-taught manuals, phrase books, and explanatory and bilingual dictionaries for the aid of persons desiring to study...Armenian. To create the nec- essary printing facility base to publish high-quality illus- trated dictionaries ; to provide uninterrupted delivery of

Trial sponsorship and self-reported conflicts of interest in breast cancer radiation therapy: An analysis of prospective clinical trials.

PubMed

Leite, Elton T T; Moraes, Fabio Y; Marta, Gustavo N; Taunk, Neil K; Vieira, Marina T L; Hanna, Samir A; Silva, João Luis F; Carvalho, Heloisa A

2017-06-01

We aim to assess any association between study and self-reported conflict of interest (COI) or trial sponsorship in breast cancer radiation clinical trials. We searched PubMed for all clinical trials (CTs) published between 09/2004 and 09/2014 related to breast cancer. We included only radiotherapy CTs with primary clinical endpoints. We classified eligible trials according to the funding source, presence or absence of conflict of interest, study conclusion and impact factor (IF). 1,603 CTs were retrieved. 72 randomized clinical trials were included for analysis. For-profit (PO), not for profit organization (nPO), none and not reported sponsorship rates were 9/72 (12.5%), 35/72 (48.6%), 1/72 (1.4%), 27/72 (37.5%), respectively. Present, absent or not reported COI were found in 6/72 (8.3%), 43/72 (59.7%) and 23/72 (32%) of the CTs, respectively. Conclusion was positive, neutral and negative in 57/72 (79.1%), 9/72 (12.5%) and 6/72 (8.4%) of the trials, respectively. Positive conclusion was reported in 33/44 (75%) funded trials (PO and nPO) and 5/6 (83.3%) CTs with reported COI. On univariate analysis no association with funding source (P=0.178), COI (P=0.678) or trial region (P=0.567) and trial positive conclusion was found. Sponsored trials (HR 4.50, 95CI-0.1.23-16.53;P=0.0023) and positive trials (HR 4.78, 95CI- 1.16-19.63;P=0.030) were more likely to be published in higher impact factor journals in the multivariate analysis. nPO funding was reported in almost 50% of the evaluated CTs. No significant association between study conclusion and funding source, COI or trial region was identified. Sponsored trials and positive trials were more likely to be published in higher impact factor journals. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Quality of reporting in oncology phase II trials: A 5-year assessment through systematic review.

PubMed

Langrand-Escure, Julien; Rivoirard, Romain; Oriol, Mathieu; Tinquaut, Fabien; Rancoule, Chloé; Chauvin, Frank; Magné, Nicolas; Bourmaud, Aurélie

2017-01-01

Phase II clinical trials are a cornerstone of the development in experimental treatments They work as a "filter" for phase III trials confirmation. Surprisingly the attrition ratio in Phase III trials in oncology is significantly higher than in any other medical specialty. This suggests phase II trials in oncology fail to achieve their goal. Objective The present study aims at estimating the quality of reporting in published oncology phase II clinical trials. A literature review was conducted among all phase II and phase II/III clinical trials published during a 5-year period (2010-2015). All articles electronically published by three randomly-selected oncology journals with Impact-Factors>4 were included: Journal of Clinical Oncology, Annals of Oncology and British Journal of Cancer. Quality of reporting was assessed using the Key Methodological Score. 557 articles were included. 315 trials were single-arm studies (56.6%), 193 (34.6%) were randomized and 49 (8.8%) were non-randomized multiple-arm studies. The Methodological Score was equal to 0 (lowest level), 1, 2, 3 (highest level) respectively for 22 (3.9%), 119 (21.4%), 270 (48.5%) and 146 (26.2%) articles. The primary end point is almost systematically reported (90.5%), while sample size calculation is missing in 66% of the articles. 3 variables were independently associated with reporting of a high standard: presence of statistical design (p-value <0.001), multicenter trial (p-value = 0.012), per-protocol analysis (p-value <0.001). Screening was mainly performed by a sole author. The Key Methodological Score was based on only 3 items, making grey zones difficult to translate. This literature review highlights the existence of gaps concerning the quality of reporting. It therefore raised the question of the suitability of the methodology as well as the quality of these trials, reporting being incomplete in the corresponding articles.

The reporting of functional outcome instruments in the Journal of Orthopaedic Trauma over a 5-year period.

PubMed

Horwitz, Daniel S; Richard, Raveesh D; Suk, Michael

2014-01-01

Orthopaedic journals, such as the Journal of Orthopaedic Trauma, frequently publish studies reporting functional outcome instruments, but little information has been provided regarding the validity and overall strength of these instruments. This study analyzes the trends in reported functional outcome instruments in articles published in the Journal of Orthopaedic Trauma over a 5-year period and examines the utilization rate, "overall" strength, and validity of these functional outcome instruments for the populations being studied. Articles that were published in the Journal of Orthopaedic Trauma from January 2006 to December 2010 were reviewed, and each article was assigned to 1 of 4 different categories, based on the subspecialty focus and body region. The total number of articles reporting the use of functional outcome instruments, articles with at least 1 functional outcome instrument found in the AO Handbook, and the total number of functional outcome instruments reported were recorded. Each functional outcome instrument was assigned to 1 of 3 categories (generic, nonvalidated, validated), and each validated instrument was also examined to determine whether the category of interest for which it was used was one in which it was previously validated in. A total of 171 articles (34%) of the articles initially reviewed met the inclusion criteria. The average number of articles per year that reported functional outcome instruments was 56% (range, 47%-65%), and the average number of articles that reported at least 1 validated outcome instrument was 51% (range, 44%-61%). The average percentage of validated scores that were appropriately used within the category of interest was 23% (range, 13%-41%). Even though the 56% utilization rate of functional outcome instruments in The Journal of Orthopaedic Trauma is much higher than other journals, it is still low given the importance of measuring and attaining excellent functional outcomes. It is clear that future effort should be given to validating outcome measures for correct evaluation of orthopaedic trauma patients.

Oxygen equipment and rapid decompression studies.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1979-03-01

This is a collection of reports of evaluations of the protective capability of various oxygen systems at high altitude and during rapid decompression. Results of these studies were presented at scientific meetings and/or published in preprints or pro...

Kawasaki disease and immunisation: A systematic review.

PubMed

Phuong, Linny Kimly; Bonetto, Caterina; Buttery, Jim; Pernus, Yolanda Brauchli; Chandler, Rebecca; Felicetti, Patrizia; Goldenthal, Karen L; Kucuku, Merita; Monaco, Giuseppe; Pahud, Barbara; Shulman, Stanford T; Top, Karina A; Trotta, Francesco; Ulloa-Gutierrez, Rolando; Varricchio, Frederick; de Ferranti, Sarah; Newburger, Jane W; Dahdah, Nagib; Singh, Surjit; Bonhoeffer, Jan; Burgner, David

2017-03-27

Kawasaki disease is a complex and potentially serious condition. It has been observed in temporal relation to immunisation. We conducted a systematic literature review using various reference sources to review the available evidence published in the literature. We identified twenty seven publications reporting a temporal association between immunisation and Kawasaki disease. We present a systematic review of data drawn from randomised controlled trials, observational studies, case series and reports, and reviews. Overall there was a lack of standardised case definitions, making data interpretation and comparability challenging. Although a temporal relationship between immunisation and Kawasaki disease is suggested, evidence for an increased risk or a causal association is lacking. Implementation of a standardised Kawasaki disease case definition would increase confidence in the findings and add value to future studies of pre- or post-licensure vaccine safety studies. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Comparison of methodologic quality and study/report characteristics between quantitative clinical nursing and nursing education research articles.

PubMed

Schneider, Barbara St Pierre; Nicholas, Jennifer; Kurrus, Jeffrey E

2013-01-01

To compare the methodologic quality and study/report characteristics between quantitative clinical nursing and nursing education research articles. The methodologic quality of quantitative nursing education research needs to advance to a higher level. Clinical research can provide guidance for nursing education to reach this level. One hundred quantitative clinical research articles from-high impact journals published in 2007 and 37 education research articles from high impact journals published in 2006 to 2007 were chosen for analysis. Clinical articles had significantly higher quality scores than education articles in three domains: number of institutions studied, type of data, and outcomes. The findings indicate three ways in which nursing education researchers can strengthen the methodologic quality of their quantitative research. With this approach, greater funding may be secured for advancing the science of nursing education.

Publication bias in situ

PubMed Central

Phillips, Carl V

2004-01-01

Background Publication bias, as typically defined, refers to the decreased likelihood of studies' results being published when they are near the null, not statistically significant, or otherwise "less interesting." But choices about how to analyze the data and which results to report create a publication bias within the published results, a bias I label "publication bias in situ" (PBIS). Discussion PBIS may create much greater bias in the literature than traditionally defined publication bias (the failure to publish any result from a study). The causes of PBIS are well known, consisting of various decisions about reporting that are influenced by the data. But its impact is not generally appreciated, and very little attention is devoted to it. What attention there is consists largely of rules for statistical analysis that are impractical and do not actually reduce the bias in reported estimates. PBIS cannot be reduced by statistical tools because it is not fundamentally a problem of statistics, but rather of non-statistical choices and plain language interpretations. PBIS should be recognized as a phenomenon worthy of study – it is extremely common and probably has a huge impact on results reported in the literature – and there should be greater systematic efforts to identify and reduce it. The paper presents examples, including results of a recent HIV vaccine trial, that show how easily PBIS can have a large impact on reported results, as well as how there can be no simple answer to it. Summary PBIS is a major problem, worthy of substantially more attention than it receives. There are ways to reduce the bias, but they are very seldom employed because they are largely unrecognized. PMID:15296515

Temporal analyses of coral snakebite severity published in the American Association of Poison Control Centers' Annual Reports from 1983 through 2007.

PubMed

Walter, Frank G; Stolz, Uwe; Shirazi, Farshad; McNally, Jude

2010-01-01

The only U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved coral snake antivenom was officially discontinued in 2007, causing ever-diminishing supplies. This study describes the severity of U.S. coral snakebites during the last 25 years to determine trends in annual rates of these bites' medical outcomes. This study retrospectively analyzed all human coral snakebites voluntarily reported by the public and/or health care professionals to poison centers that were subsequently published in the Annual Reports of the American Association of Poison Control Centers (AAPCC) from 1983 through 2007. Annual rates of medical outcomes from coral snakebites were calculated by dividing the annual number of people bitten by coral snakes who developed fatal, major, moderate, minor, or no effect outcomes by the total annual number of people bitten by coral snakes. Negative binomial regression was used to examine trends in annual rates. From 1983 through 2007, the incidence rate of coral snakebites producing no effects significantly decreased by 4.7% per year [incidence rate ratio (IRR) = 0.953; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.920-0.987]. From 1985 through 2007, the incidence rates of minor and major outcomes did not significantly change; however, moderate outcomes significantly increased by 3.4% per year (IRR = 1.034; 95% CI = 1.004-1.064). No fatalities were reported from 1983 through 2007. Annual rates of coral snakebites producing no effects significantly decreased and those producing moderate outcomes significantly increased in our analyses of data from the last 25 years of published AAPCC Annual Reports. This study has important limitations that must be considered when interpreting these conclusions.

Partisan perspectives in the medical literature: a study of high frequency editorialists favoring hormone replacement therapy.

PubMed

Tatsioni, Athina; Siontis, George C M; Ioannidis, John P A

2010-09-01

Unfavorable results of major studies have led to a large shrinkage of the market for hormone replacement therapy (HRT) in the last 6 years. Some scientists continue to strongly support the use of HRT. We analyzed a sample of partisan editorializing articles on HRT to examine their arguments, the reporting of competing interests, the journal venues and their sponsoring societies. Through Thomson ISI database, we selected articles without primary data written by the five most prolific editorialists that addressed clinical topics pertaining to HRT and that were published in regular journal issues in 2002-2008. We recorded the number of articles with a partisan stance and their arguments, the number of partisan articles that reported conflicting interests, and the journal venues and their sponsoring societies publishing the partisan editorials. We analyzed 114 eligible articles (58 editorials, 16 guidelines, 37 reviews, 3 letters), of which 110 (96%) had a partisan stance favoring HRT. Typical arguments were benefits for menopausal and related symptoms (64.9%), criticism of unfavorable studies (78.9%), preclinical data that showed favorable effects of HRT (50%), and benefits for major outcomes such as osteoporosis and fractures (49.1%), cardiovascular disease (31.6%), dementia (24.6%) or colorectal cancer (20.2%), but also even breast cancer (4.4%). All 5 prolific editorialists had financial relationships with hormone manufacturers, but these were reported in only 6 of the 110 partisan articles. Four journals published 15-37 partisan articles each. The medical societies of these journals reported on their websites that several pharmaceutical companies sponsored them or their conferences. There is a considerable body of editorializing articles favoring HRT use and very few of these articles report conflicts of interest. Full disclosure of conflicts of interest is needed, especially for articles without primary data.

Inappropriate use of standard error of the mean when reporting variability of study samples: a critical evaluation of four selected journals of obstetrics and gynecology.

PubMed

Ko, Wen-Ru; Hung, Wei-Te; Chang, Hui-Chin; Lin, Long-Yau

2014-03-01

The study was designed to investigate the frequency of misusing standard error of the mean (SEM) in place of standard deviation (SD) to describe study samples in four selected journals published in 2011. Citation counts of articles and the relationship between the misuse rate and impact factor, immediacy index, or cited half-life were also evaluated. All original articles in the four selected journals published in 2011 were searched for descriptive statistics reporting with either mean ± SD or mean ± SEM. The impact factor, immediacy index, and cited half-life of the journals were gathered from Journal Citation Reports Science edition 2011. Scopus was used to search for citations of individual articles. The difference in citation counts between the SD group and SEM group was tested by the Mann-Whitney U test. The relationship between the misuse rate and impact factor, immediacy index, or cited half-life was also evaluated. The frequency of inappropriate reporting of SEM was 13.60% for all four journals. For individual journals, the misuse rate was from 2.9% in Acta Obstetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica to 22.68% in American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology. Articles using SEM were cited more frequently than those using SD (p = 0.025). An approximate positive correlation between the misuse rate and cited half-life was observed. Inappropriate reporting of SEM is common in medical journals. Authors of biomedical papers should be responsible for maintaining an integrated statistical presentation because valuable articles are in danger of being wasted through the misuse of statistics. Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Probing the Potential of Electronic Publishing and Computer Software for Personal Use. Report of an Aspen Institute Conference (Queenstown, Maryland, January 12-14, 1988). Communications and Society Forum Report #6.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rice, Michael

This report summarizes the presentations and discussions at a conference on the development of new products and services in electronic publishing and computer software for personal use. It is noted that the 26 participants came from a variety of perspectives, including the publishing and computer software industries; the fields of home…

A guide to writing case reports for the Journal of Medical Case Reports and BioMed Central Research Notes

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Case reports are a time-honored, important, integral, and accepted part of the medical literature. Both the Journal of Medical Case Reports and the Case Report section of BioMed Central Research Notes are committed to case report publication, and each have different criteria. Journal of Medical Case Reports was the world’s first international, PubMed-listed medical journal devoted to publishing case reports from all clinical disciplines and was launched in 2007. The Case Report section of BioMed Central Research Notes was created and began publishing case reports in 2012. Between the two of them, thousands of peer-reviewed case reports have now been published with a worldwide audience. Authors now also have Cases Database, a continually updated, freely accessible database of thousands of medical case reports from multiple publishers. This informal editorial outlines the process and mechanics of how and when to write a case report, and provides a brief look into the editorial process behind each of these complementary journals along with the author’s anecdotes in the hope of inspiring all authors (both novice and experienced) to write and continue writing case reports of all specialties. Useful hyperlinks are embedded throughout for easy and quick reference to style guidelines for both journals. PMID:24283456