Tools for observational gait analysis in patients with stroke: a systematic review.

PubMed

Ferrarello, Francesco; Bianchi, Valeria Anna Maria; Baccini, Marco; Rubbieri, Gaia; Mossello, Enrico; Cavallini, Maria Chiara; Marchionni, Niccolò; Di Bari, Mauro

2013-12-01

Stroke severely affects walking ability, and assessment of gait kinematics is important in defining diagnosis, planning treatment, and evaluating interventions in stroke rehabilitation. Although observational gait analysis is the most common approach to evaluate gait kinematics, tools useful for this purpose have received little attention in the scientific literature and have not been thoroughly reviewed. The aims of this systematic review were to identify tools proposed to conduct observational gait analysis in adults with a stroke, to summarize evidence concerning their quality, and to assess their implementation in rehabilitation research and clinical practice. An extensive search was performed of original articles reporting on visual/observational tools developed to investigate gait kinematics in adults with a stroke. Two reviewers independently selected studies, extracted data, assessed quality of the included studies, and scored the metric properties and clinical utility of each tool. Rigor in reporting metric properties and dissemination of the tools also was evaluated. Five tools were identified, not all of which had been tested adequately for their metric properties. Evaluation of content validity was partially satisfactory. Reliability was poorly investigated in all but one tool. Concurrent validity and sensitivity to change were shown for 3 and 2 tools, respectively. Overall, adequate levels of quality were rarely reached. The dissemination of the tools was poor. Based on critical appraisal, the Gait Assessment and Intervention Tool shows a good level of quality, and its use in stroke rehabilitation is recommended. Rigorous studies are needed for the other tools in order to establish their usefulness.

"Black Magic" and "Gold Dust": The Epistemic and Political Uses of Evidence Tools in Public Health Policy Making

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stewart, Ellen; Smith, Katherine E.

2015-01-01

Concerns about the limited influence of research on decision making have prompted the development of tools intended to mediate evidence for policy audiences. This article focuses on three examples, prominent in public health: impact assessments; systematic reviews; and economic decision-making tools (cost-benefit analysis and scenario modelling).…

Frailty in trauma: A systematic review of the surgical literature for clinical assessment tools.

PubMed

McDonald, Victoria S; Thompson, Kimberly A; Lewis, Paul R; Sise, C Beth; Sise, Michael J; Shackford, Steven R

2016-05-01

Elderly trauma patients have outcomes worse than those of similarly injured younger patients. Although patient age and comorbidities explain some of the difference, the contribution of frailty to outcomes is largely unknown because of the lack of assessment tools developed specifically to assess frailty in the trauma population. This systematic review of the surgical literature identifies currently available frailty clinical assessment tools and evaluates the potential of each instrument to assess frailty in elderly patients with trauma. This review was registered with PROSPERO (the international prospective register of systematic reviews, registration number CRD42014015350). Publications in English from January 1995 to October 2014 were identified by a comprehensive search strategy in MEDLINE, EMBASE, and CINAHL, supplemented by manual screening of article bibliographies and subjected to three tiers of review. Forty-two studies reporting on frailty assessment tools were selected for analysis. Criteria for objectivity, feasibility in the trauma setting, and utility to predict trauma outcomes were formulated and used to evaluate the tools, including their subscales and individual items. Thirty-two unique frailty assessment tools were identified. Of those, 4 tools as a whole, 2 subscales, and 29 individual items qualified as objective, feasible, and useful in the clinical assessment of trauma patients. The single existing tool developed specifically to assess frailty in trauma did not meet evaluation criteria. Few frailty assessment tools in the surgical literature qualify as objective, feasible, and useful measures of frailty in the trauma population. However, a number of individual tool items and subscales could be combined to assess frailty in the trauma setting. Research to determine the accuracy of these measures and the magnitude of the contribution of frailty to trauma outcomes is needed. Systematic review, level III.

Updating the Behavior Engineering Model.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chevalier, Roger

2003-01-01

Considers Thomas Gilbert's Behavior Engineering Model as a tool for systematically identifying barriers to individual and organizational performance. Includes a detailed case study and a performance aid that incorporates gap analysis, cause analysis, and force field analysis to update the original model. (Author/LRW)

Development of Advanced Life Prediction Tools for Elastic-Plastic Fatigue Crack Growth

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gregg, Wayne; McGill, Preston; Swanson, Greg; Wells, Doug; Throckmorton, D. A. (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

The objective of this viewgraph presentation is to develop a systematic approach to improving the fracture control process, including analytical tools, standards, guidelines, and awareness. Analytical tools specifically for elastic-plastic fracture analysis is a regime that is currently empirical for the Space Shuttle External Tank (ET) and is handled by simulated service testing of pre-cracked panels.

Cost-effectiveness of lung cancer screening and treatment methods: a systematic review of systematic reviews.

PubMed

Azar, Farbod Ebadifard; Azami-Aghdash, Saber; Pournaghi-Azar, Fatemeh; Mazdaki, Alireza; Rezapour, Aziz; Ebrahimi, Parvin; Yousefzadeh, Negar

2017-06-19

Due to extensive literature in the field of lung cancer and their heterogeneous results, the aim of this study was to systematically review of systematic reviews studies which reviewed the cost-effectiveness of various lung cancer screening and treatment methods. In this systematic review of systematic reviews study, required data were collected searching the following key words which selected from Mesh: "lung cancer", "lung oncology", "lung Carcinoma", "lung neoplasm", "lung tumors", "cost- effectiveness", "systematic review" and "Meta-analysis". The following databases were searched: PubMed, Cochrane Library electronic databases, Google Scholar, and Scopus. Two reviewers (RA and A-AS) evaluated the articles according to the checklist of "assessment of multiple systematic reviews" (AMSTAR) tool. Overall, information of 110 papers was discussed in eight systematic reviews. Authors focused on cost-effectiveness of lung cancer treatments in five systematic reviews. Targeted therapy options (bevacizumab, Erlotinib and Crizotinib) show an acceptable cost-effectiveness. Results of three studies failed to show cost-effectiveness of screening methods. None of the studies had used the meta-analysis method. The Quality of Health Economic Studies (QHES) tool and Drummond checklist were mostly used in assessing the quality of articles. Most perspective was related to the Payer (64 times) and the lowest was related to Social (11times). Most cases referred to Incremental analysis (82%) and also the lowest point of referral was related to Discounting (in 49% of the cases). The average quality score of included studies was calculated 9.2% from 11. Targeted therapy can be an option for the treatment of lung cancer. Evaluation of the cost-effectiveness of computerized tomographic colonography (CTC) in lung cancer screening is recommended. The perspective of the community should be more taken into consideration in studies of cost-effectiveness. Paying more attention to the topic of Discounting will be necessary in the studies.

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.

Costing 'healthy' food baskets in Australia - a systematic review of food price and affordability monitoring tools, protocols and methods.

PubMed

Lewis, Meron; Lee, Amanda

2016-11-01

To undertake a systematic review to determine similarities and differences in metrics and results between recently and/or currently used tools, protocols and methods for monitoring Australian healthy food prices and affordability. Electronic databases of peer-reviewed literature and online grey literature were systematically searched using the PRISMA approach for articles and reports relating to healthy food and diet price assessment tools, protocols, methods and results that utilised retail pricing. National, state, regional and local areas of Australia from 1995 to 2015. Assessment tools, protocols and methods to measure the price of 'healthy' foods and diets. The search identified fifty-nine discrete surveys of 'healthy' food pricing incorporating six major food pricing tools (those used in multiple areas and time periods) and five minor food pricing tools (those used in a single survey area or time period). Analysis demonstrated methodological differences regarding: included foods; reference households; use of availability and/or quality measures; household income sources; store sampling methods; data collection protocols; analysis methods; and results. 'Healthy' food price assessment methods used in Australia lack comparability across all metrics and most do not fully align with a 'healthy' diet as recommended by the current Australian Dietary Guidelines. None have been applied nationally. Assessment of the price, price differential and affordability of healthy (recommended) and current (unhealthy) diets would provide more robust and meaningful data to inform health and fiscal policy in Australia. The INFORMAS 'optimal' approach provides a potential framework for development of these methods.

Measurement properties of self-report physical activity assessment tools in stroke: a protocol for a systematic review.

PubMed

Martins, Júlia Caetano; Aguiar, Larissa Tavares; Nadeau, Sylvie; Scianni, Aline Alvim; Teixeira-Salmela, Luci Fuscaldi; Faria, Christina Danielli Coelho de Morais

2017-02-13

Self-report physical activity assessment tools are commonly used for the evaluation of physical activity levels in individuals with stroke. A great variety of these tools have been developed and widely used in recent years, which justify the need to examine their measurement properties and clinical utility. Therefore, the main objectives of this systematic review are to examine the measurement properties and clinical utility of self-report measures of physical activity and discuss the strengths and limitations of the identified tools. A systematic review of studies that investigated the measurement properties and/or clinical utility of self-report physical activity assessment tools in stroke will be conducted. Electronic searches will be performed in five databases: Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online (MEDLINE) (PubMed), Excerpta Medica Database (EMBASE), Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro), Literatura Latino-Americana e do Caribe em Ciências da Saúde (LILACS) and Scientific Electronic Library Online (SciELO), followed by hand searches of the reference lists of the included studies. Two independent reviewers will screen all retrieve titles, abstracts, and full texts, according to the inclusion criteria and will also extract the data. A third reviewer will be referred to solve any disagreement. A descriptive summary of the included studies will contain the design, participants, as well as the characteristics, measurement properties, and clinical utility of the self-report tools. The methodological quality of the studies will be evaluated using the COnsensus-based Standards for the selection of health Measurement INstruments (COSMIN) checklist and the clinical utility of the identified tools will be assessed considering predefined criteria. This systematic review will follow the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement. This systematic review will provide an extensive review of the measurement properties and clinical utility of self-report physical activity assessment tools used in individuals with stroke, which would benefit clinicians and researchers. PROSPERO CRD42016037146. 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/.

Poor methodological quality and reporting standards of systematic reviews in burn care management.

PubMed

Wasiak, Jason; Tyack, Zephanie; Ware, Robert; Goodwin, Nicholas; Faggion, Clovis M

2017-10-01

The methodological and reporting quality of burn-specific systematic reviews has not been established. The aim of this study was to evaluate the methodological quality of systematic reviews in burn care management. Computerised searches were performed in Ovid MEDLINE, Ovid EMBASE and The Cochrane Library through to February 2016 for systematic reviews relevant to burn care using medical subject and free-text terms such as 'burn', 'systematic review' or 'meta-analysis'. Additional studies were identified by hand-searching five discipline-specific journals. Two authors independently screened papers, extracted and evaluated methodological quality using the 11-item A Measurement Tool to Assess Systematic Reviews (AMSTAR) tool and reporting quality using the 27-item Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) checklist. Characteristics of systematic reviews associated with methodological and reporting quality were identified. Descriptive statistics and linear regression identified features associated with improved methodological quality. A total of 60 systematic reviews met the inclusion criteria. Six of the 11 AMSTAR items reporting on 'a priori' design, duplicate study selection, grey literature, included/excluded studies, publication bias and conflict of interest were reported in less than 50% of the systematic reviews. Of the 27 items listed for PRISMA, 13 items reporting on introduction, methods, results and the discussion were addressed in less than 50% of systematic reviews. Multivariable analyses showed that systematic reviews associated with higher methodological or reporting quality incorporated a meta-analysis (AMSTAR regression coefficient 2.1; 95% CI: 1.1, 3.1; PRISMA regression coefficient 6·3; 95% CI: 3·8, 8·7) were published in the Cochrane library (AMSTAR regression coefficient 2·9; 95% CI: 1·6, 4·2; PRISMA regression coefficient 6·1; 95% CI: 3·1, 9·2) and included a randomised control trial (AMSTAR regression coefficient 1·4; 95%CI: 0·4, 2·4; PRISMA regression coefficient 3·4; 95% CI: 0·9, 5·8). The methodological and reporting quality of systematic reviews in burn care requires further improvement with stricter adherence by authors to the PRISMA checklist and AMSTAR tool. © 2016 Medicalhelplines.com Inc and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Waste in health information systems: a systematic review.

PubMed

Awang Kalong, Nadia; Yusof, Maryati

2017-05-08

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to discuss a systematic review on waste identification related to health information systems (HIS) in Lean transformation. Design/methodology/approach A systematic review was conducted on 19 studies to evaluate Lean transformation and tools used to remove waste related to HIS in clinical settings. Findings Ten waste categories were identified, along with their relationships and applications of Lean tool types related to HIS. Different Lean tools were used at the early and final stages of Lean transformation; the tool selection depended on the waste characteristic. Nine studies reported a positive impact from Lean transformation in improving daily work processes. The selection of Lean tools should be made based on the timing, purpose and characteristics of waste to be removed. Research limitations/implications Overview of waste and its category within HIS and its analysis from socio-technical perspectives enabled the identification of its root cause in a holistic and rigorous manner. Practical implications Understanding waste types, their root cause and review of Lean tools could subsequently lead to the identification of mitigation approach to prevent future error occurrence. Originality/value Specific waste models for HIS settings are yet to be developed. Hence, the identification of the waste categories could guide future implementation of Lean transformations in HIS settings.

Quality assessment of systematic reviews on alveolar socket preservation.

PubMed

Moraschini, V; Barboza, E Dos S P

2016-09-01

The aim of this overview was to evaluate and compare the quality of systematic reviews, with or without meta-analysis, that have evaluated studies on techniques or biomaterials used for the preservation of alveolar sockets post tooth extraction in humans. An electronic search was conducted without date restrictions using the Medline/PubMed, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science databases up to April 2015. Eligibility criteria included systematic reviews, with or without meta-analysis, focused on the preservation of post-extraction alveolar sockets in humans. Two independent authors assessed the quality of the included reviews using AMSTAR and the checklist proposed by Glenny et al. in 2003. After the selection process, 12 systematic reviews were included. None of these reviews obtained the maximum score using the quality assessment tools implemented, and the results of the analyses were highly variable. A significant statistical correlation was observed between the scores of the two checklists. A wide structural and methodological variability was observed between the systematic reviews published on the preservation of alveolar sockets post tooth extraction. None of the reviews evaluated obtained the maximum score using the two quality assessment tools implemented. Copyright © 2016 International Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Analysis tools for the interplay between genome layout and regulation.

PubMed

Bouyioukos, Costas; Elati, Mohamed; Képès, François

2016-06-06

Genome layout and gene regulation appear to be interdependent. Understanding this interdependence is key to exploring the dynamic nature of chromosome conformation and to engineering functional genomes. Evidence for non-random genome layout, defined as the relative positioning of either co-functional or co-regulated genes, stems from two main approaches. Firstly, the analysis of contiguous genome segments across species, has highlighted the conservation of gene arrangement (synteny) along chromosomal regions. Secondly, the study of long-range interactions along a chromosome has emphasised regularities in the positioning of microbial genes that are co-regulated, co-expressed or evolutionarily correlated. While one-dimensional pattern analysis is a mature field, it is often powerless on biological datasets which tend to be incomplete, and partly incorrect. Moreover, there is a lack of comprehensive, user-friendly tools to systematically analyse, visualise, integrate and exploit regularities along genomes. Here we present the Genome REgulatory and Architecture Tools SCAN (GREAT:SCAN) software for the systematic study of the interplay between genome layout and gene expression regulation. SCAN is a collection of related and interconnected applications currently able to perform systematic analyses of genome regularities as well as to improve transcription factor binding sites (TFBS) and gene regulatory network predictions based on gene positional information. We demonstrate the capabilities of these tools by studying on one hand the regular patterns of genome layout in the major regulons of the bacterium Escherichia coli. On the other hand, we demonstrate the capabilities to improve TFBS prediction in microbes. Finally, we highlight, by visualisation of multivariate techniques, the interplay between position and sequence information for effective transcription regulation.

AnnoLnc: a web server for systematically annotating novel human lncRNAs.

PubMed

Hou, Mei; Tang, Xing; Tian, Feng; Shi, Fangyuan; Liu, Fenglin; Gao, Ge

2016-11-16

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been shown to play essential roles in almost every important biological process through multiple mechanisms. Although the repertoire of human lncRNAs has rapidly expanded, their biological function and regulation remain largely elusive, calling for a systematic and integrative annotation tool. Here we present AnnoLnc ( http://annolnc.cbi.pku.edu.cn ), a one-stop portal for systematically annotating novel human lncRNAs. Based on more than 700 data sources and various tool chains, AnnoLnc enables a systematic annotation covering genomic location, secondary structure, expression patterns, transcriptional regulation, miRNA interaction, protein interaction, genetic association and evolution. An intuitive web interface is available for interactive analysis through both desktops and mobile devices, and programmers can further integrate AnnoLnc into their pipeline through standard JSON-based Web Service APIs. To the best of our knowledge, AnnoLnc is the only web server to provide on-the-fly and systematic annotation for newly identified human lncRNAs. Compared with similar tools, the annotation generated by AnnoLnc covers a much wider spectrum with intuitive visualization. Case studies demonstrate the power of AnnoLnc in not only rediscovering known functions of human lncRNAs but also inspiring novel hypotheses.

Systematic analysis of EOS data system for operations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Moe, K. L.; Dasgupta, R.

1985-01-01

A data management analysis methodology is being proposed. The objective of the methodology is to assist mission managers by identifying a series of ordered activities to be systematically followed in order to arrive at an effective ground system design. Existing system engineering tools and concepts have been assembled into a structured framework to facilitate the work of a mission planner. It is intended that this methodology can be gainfully applied (with probable modifications and/or changes) to the EOS payloads and their associated data systems.

Elementary Mode Analysis: A Useful Metabolic Pathway Analysis Tool for Characterizing Cellular Metabolism

PubMed Central

Trinh, Cong T.; Wlaschin, Aaron; Srienc, Friedrich

2010-01-01

Elementary Mode Analysis is a useful Metabolic Pathway Analysis tool to identify the structure of a metabolic network that links the cellular phenotype to the corresponding genotype. The analysis can decompose the intricate metabolic network comprised of highly interconnected reactions into uniquely organized pathways. These pathways consisting of a minimal set of enzymes that can support steady state operation of cellular metabolism represent independent cellular physiological states. Such pathway definition provides a rigorous basis to systematically characterize cellular phenotypes, metabolic network regulation, robustness, and fragility that facilitate understanding of cell physiology and implementation of metabolic engineering strategies. This mini-review aims to overview the development and application of elementary mode analysis as a metabolic pathway analysis tool in studying cell physiology and as a basis of metabolic engineering. PMID:19015845

Systematic review of fall risk screening tools for older patients in acute hospitals.

PubMed

Matarese, Maria; Ivziku, Dhurata; Bartolozzi, Francesco; Piredda, Michela; De Marinis, Maria Grazia

2015-06-01

To determine the most accurate fall risk screening tools for predicting falls among patients aged 65 years or older admitted to acute care hospitals. Falls represent a serious problem in older inpatients due to the potential physical, social, psychological and economic consequences. Older inpatients present with risk factors associated with age-related physiological and psychological changes as well as multiple morbidities. Thus, fall risk screening tools for older adults should include these specific risk factors. There are no published recommendations addressing what tools are appropriate for older hospitalized adults. Systematic review. MEDLINE, CINAHL and Cochrane electronic databases were searched between January 1981-April 2013. Only prospective validation studies reporting sensitivity and specificity values were included. Recommendations of the Cochrane Handbook of Diagnostic Test Accuracy Reviews have been followed. Three fall risk assessment tools were evaluated in seven articles. Due to the limited number of studies, meta-analysis was carried out only for the STRATIFY and Hendrich Fall Risk Model II. In the combined analysis, the Hendrich Fall Risk Model II demonstrated higher sensitivity than STRATIFY, while the STRATIFY showed higher specificity. In both tools, the Youden index showed low prognostic accuracy. The identified tools do not demonstrate predictive values as high as needed for identifying older inpatients at risk for falls. For this reason, no tool can be recommended for fall detection. More research is needed to evaluate fall risk screening tools for older inpatients. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Lung ultrasound in diagnosing pneumonia in childhood: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

PubMed

Orso, Daniele; Ban, Alessio; Guglielmo, Nicola

2018-06-21

Pneumonia is the third leading cause of death in children under 5 years of age worldwide. In pediatrics, both the accuracy and safety of diagnostic tools are important. Lung ultrasound (LUS) could be a safe diagnostic tool for this reason. We searched in the literature for diagnostic studies about LUS to predict pneumonia in pediatric patients using systematic review and meta-analysis. The Medline, CINAHL, Cochrane Library, Embase, SPORTDiscus, ScienceDirect, and Web of Science databases from inception to September 2017 were searched. All studies that evaluated the diagnostic accuracy of LUS in determining the presence of pneumonia in patients under 18 years of age were included. 1042 articles were found by systematic search. 76 articles were assessed for eligibility. Seventeen studies were included in the systematic review. We included 2612 pooled cases. The age of the pooled sample population ranged from 0 to about 21 years old. Summary sensitivity, specificity, and AUC were 0.94 (IQR: 0.89-0.97), 0.93 (IQR: 0.86-0.98), and 0.98 (IQR: 0.94-0.99), respectively. No agreement on reference standard was detected: nine studies used chest X-rays, while four studies considered the clinical diagnosis. Only one study used computed tomography. LUS seems to be a promise tool for diagnosing pneumonia in children. However, the high heterogeneity found across the individual studies, and the absence of a reliable reference standard, make the finding questionable. More methodologically rigorous studies are needed.

The role of pragmatism in explaining heterogeneity in meta-analyses of randomised trials: a protocol for a cross-sectional methodological review.

PubMed

Aves, Theresa; Allan, Katherine S; Lawson, Daeria; Nieuwlaat, Robby; Beyene, Joseph; Mbuagbaw, Lawrence

2017-09-03

There has been increasing interest in pragmatic trials methodology. As a result, tools such as the Pragmatic-Explanatory Continuum Indicator Summary-2 (PRECIS-2) are being used prospectively to help researchers design randomised controlled trials (RCTs) within the pragmatic-explanatory continuum. There may be value in applying the PRECIS-2 tool retrospectively in a systematic review setting as it could provide important information about how to pool data based on the degree of pragmatism. To investigate the role of pragmatism as a source of heterogeneity in systematic reviews by (1) identifying systematic reviews with meta-analyses of RCTs that have moderate to high heterogeneity, (2) applying PRECIS-2 to RCTs of systematic reviews, (3) evaluating the inter-rater reliability of PRECIS-2, (4) determining how much of this heterogeneity may be explained by pragmatism. A cross-sectional methodological review will be conducted on systematic reviews of RCTs published in the Cochrane Library from 1 January 2014 to 1 January 2017. Included systematic reviews will have a minimum of 10 RCTs in the meta-analysis of the primary outcome and moderate to substantial heterogeneity (I 2 ≥50%). Of the eligible systematic reviews, a random selection of 10 will be included for quantitative evaluation. In each systematic review, RCTs will be scored using the PRECIS-2 tool, in duplicate. Agreement between raters will be measured using the intraclass correlation coefficient. Subgroup analyses and meta-regression will be used to evaluate how much variability in the primary outcome may be due to pragmatism. This review will be among the first to evaluate the PRECIS-2 tool in a systematic review setting. Results from this research will provide inter-rater reliability information about PRECIS-2 and may be used to provide methodological guidance when dealing with pragmatism in systematic reviews and subgroup considerations. On completion, this review will be submitted to a peer-reviewed journal for publication. © 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.

Pulsed Direct Current Electrospray: Enabling Systematic Analysis of Small Volume Sample by Boosting Sample Economy.

PubMed

Wei, Zhenwei; Xiong, Xingchuang; Guo, Chengan; Si, Xingyu; Zhao, Yaoyao; He, Muyi; Yang, Chengdui; Xu, Wei; Tang, Fei; Fang, Xiang; Zhang, Sichun; Zhang, Xinrong

2015-11-17

We had developed pulsed direct current electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (pulsed-dc-ESI-MS) for systematically profiling and determining components in small volume sample. Pulsed-dc-ESI utilized constant high voltage to induce the generation of single polarity pulsed electrospray remotely. This method had significantly boosted the sample economy, so as to obtain several minutes MS signal duration from merely picoliter volume sample. The elongated MS signal duration enable us to collect abundant MS(2) information on interested components in a small volume sample for systematical analysis. This method had been successfully applied for single cell metabolomics analysis. We had obtained 2-D profile of metabolites (including exact mass and MS(2) data) from single plant and mammalian cell, concerning 1034 components and 656 components for Allium cepa and HeLa cells, respectively. Further identification had found 162 compounds and 28 different modification groups of 141 saccharides in a single Allium cepa cell, indicating pulsed-dc-ESI a powerful tool for small volume sample systematical analysis.

Classroom Communication and Instructional Processes: Advances through Meta-Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gayle, Barbara Mae, Ed.; Preiss, Raymond W., Ed.; Burrell, Nancy, Ed.; Allen, Mike, Ed.

2006-01-01

This volume offers a systematic review of the literature on communication education and instruction. Making meta-analysis findings accessible and relevant, the editors of this volume approach the topic from the perspective that meta-analysis serves as a useful tool for summarizing experiments and for determining how and why specific teaching and…

T-scan III system diagnostic tool for digital occlusal analysis in orthodontics - a modern approach.

PubMed

Trpevska, Vesna; Kovacevska, Gordana; Benedeti, Alberto; Jordanov, Bozidar

2014-01-01

This systematic literature review was performed to establish the mechanism, methodology, characteristics, clinical application and opportunities of the T-Scan III System as a diagnostic tool for digital occlusal analysis in different fields of dentistry, precisely in orthodontics. Searching of electronic databases, using MEDLINE and PubMed, hand searching of relevant key journals, and screening of reference lists of included studies with no language restriction was performed. Publications providing statistically examined data were included for systematic review. Twenty potentially relevant Randomized Controlled Trials (RCTs) were identified. Only ten met the inclusion criteria. The literature demonstrates that using digital occlusal analysis with T-Scan III System in orthodontics has significant advantage with regard to the capability of measuring occlusal parameters in static positions and during dynamic of the mandible. Within the scope of this systematic review, there is evidence to support that T-Scan system is rapid and accurate in identifying the distribution of the tooth contacts and it shows great promise as a clinical diagnostic screening device for occlusion and for improving the occlusion after various dental treatments. Additional clinical studies are required to advance the indication filed of this system. Importance of using digital occlusal T-Scan analysis in orthodontics deserves further investigation.

A tool for assessment of heart failure prescribing quality: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

PubMed

El Hadidi, Seif; Darweesh, Ebtissam; Byrne, Stephen; Bermingham, Margaret

2018-04-16

Heart failure (HF) guidelines aim to standardise patient care. Internationally, prescribing practice in HF may deviate from guidelines and so a standardised tool is required to assess prescribing quality. A systematic review and meta-analysis were performed to identify a quantitative tool for measuring adherence to HF guidelines and its clinical implications. Eleven electronic databases were searched to include studies reporting a comprehensive tool for measuring adherence to prescribing guidelines in HF patients aged ≥18 years. Qualitative studies or studies measuring prescription rates alone were excluded. Study quality was assessed using the Good ReseArch for Comparative Effectiveness Checklist. In total, 2455 studies were identified. Sixteen eligible full-text articles were included (n = 14 354 patients, mean age 69 ± 8 y). The Guideline Adherence Index (GAI), and its modified versions, was the most frequently cited tool (n = 13). Other tools identified were the Individualised Reconciled Evidence Recommendations, the Composite Heart Failure Performance, and the Heart Failure Scale. The meta-analysis included the GAI studies of good to high quality. The average GAI-3 was 62%. Compared to low GAI, high GAI patients had lower mortality rate (7.6% vs 33.9%) and lower rehospitalisation rates (23.5% vs 24.5%); both P ≤ .05. High GAI was associated with reduced risk of mortality (hazard ratio = 0.29, 95% confidence interval, 0.06-0.51) and rehospitalisation (hazard ratio = 0.64, 95% confidence interval, 0.41-1.00). No tool was used to improve prescribing quality. The GAI is the most frequently used tool to assess guideline adherence in HF. High GAI is associated with improved HF outcomes. Copyright © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

A systematic review of clinical assessment for undergraduate nursing students.

PubMed

Wu, Xi Vivien; Enskär, Karin; Lee, Cindy Ching Siang; Wang, Wenru

2015-02-01

Consolidated clinical practicum prepares pre-registration nursing students to function as beginning practitioners. The clinical competencies of final-year nursing students provide a key indication of professional standards of practice and patient safety. Thus, clinical assessment of nursing students is a crucial issue for educators and administrators. The aim of this systematic review was to explore the clinical competency assessment for undergraduate nursing students. PubMed, CINAHL, ScienceDirect, Web of Science, and EBSCO were systematically searched from January 2000 to December 2013. The systematic review was in line with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. Published quantitative and qualitative studies that examined clinical assessment practices and tools used in clinical nursing education were retrieved. Quality assessment, data extraction, and analysis were completed on all included studies. This review screened 2073 titles, abstracts and full-text records, resulting in 33 included studies. Two reviewers assessed the quality of the included studies. Fourteen quantitative and qualitative studies were identified for this evaluation. The evidence was ordered into emergent themes; the overarching themes were current practices in clinical assessment, issues of learning and assessment, development of assessment tools, and reliability and validity of assessment tools. There is a need to develop a holistic clinical assessment tool with reasonable level of validity and reliability. Clinical assessment is a robust activity and requires collaboration between clinical partners and academia to enhance the clinical experiences of students, the professional development of preceptors, and the clinical credibility of academics. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Predicting urinary incontinence in women in later life: A systematic review.

PubMed

Troko, Joy; Bach, Fiona; Toozs-Hobson, Philip

2016-12-01

Urinary incontinence (UI) affects 10-40% of the population and treatment costs in the UK are estimated to be £233 million per annum. A systematic review of online medical databases between July 1974 and 2016 was conducted to identify studies that had investigated risk and prediction strategies of UI in later life. Eighteen prospective longitudinal studies fulfilled the search criteria. These were analysed systematically (as per the PRISMA checklist) and bias risk through study design was minimised where possible upon data analysis. One paper proposed a predictive assessment tool called the 'continence index'. It was derived following secondary analysis of a cohort study and its predictive threshold had suboptimal sensitivity (79%) and specificity (65%) rates. Seventeen studies identified multiple strong risk factors for UI but despite a large selection of papers on the topic, no robust risk assessment tool prospectively identified patients at risk of UI in later life. Thus more research in this field is required. Clinicians should be aware particularly of modifiable UI risk factors to help reduce the clinical burden of UI in the long term. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.

Consequent use of IT tools as a driver for cost reduction and quality improvements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hein, Stefan; Rapp, Roberto; Feustel, Andreas

2013-10-01

The semiconductor industry drives a lot of efforts in the field of cost reductions and quality improvements. The consequent use of IT tools is one possibility to support these goals. With the extensions of its 150mm Fab to 200mm Robert Bosch increased the systematic use of data analysis and Advanced Process Control (APC).

The methodological and reporting quality of systematic reviews from China and the USA are similar.

PubMed

Tian, Jinhui; Zhang, Jun; Ge, Long; Yang, Kehu; Song, Fujian

2017-05-01

To compare the methodological and reporting quality of systematic reviews by authors from China and those from the United States (USA). From systematic reviews of randomized trials published in 2014 in English, we randomly selected 100 from China and 100 from the USA. The methodological quality was assessed using the Assessing the Methodological Quality of Systematic Reviews (AMSTAR) tool, and reporting quality assessed using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) tool. Compared with systematic reviews from the USA, those from China were more likely to be a meta-analysis, published in low-impact journals, and a non-Cochrane review. The mean summary Assessing the Methodological Quality of Systematic Reviews score was 6.7 (95% confidence interval: 6.5, 7.0) for reviews from China and 6.6 (6.1, 7.1) for reviews from the USA, and the mean summary Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses score was 21.2 (20.7, 21.6) for reviews from China and 20.6 (19.9, 21.3) for reviews from the USA. The differences in summary quality scores between China and the USA were statistically nonsignificant after adjusting for multiple review factors. The overall methodological and reporting quality of systematic reviews by authors from China are similar to those from the USA, although the quality of systematic reviews from both countries could be further improved. Copyright © 2017 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Patient- and Caregiver-Reported Assessment Tools for Palliative Care: Summary of the 2017 Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Technical Brief.

PubMed

Aslakson, Rebecca A; Dy, Sydney M; Wilson, Renee F; Waldfogel, Julie; Zhang, Allen; Isenberg, Sarina R; Blair, Alex; Sixon, Joshua; Lorenz, Karl A; Robinson, Karen A

2017-12-01

Assessment tools are data collection instruments that are completed by or with patients or caregivers and which collect data at the individual patient or caregiver level. The objectives of this study are to 1) summarize palliative care assessment tools completed by or with patients or caregivers and 2) identify needs for future tool development and evaluation. We completed 1) a systematic review of systematic reviews; 2) a supplemental search of previous reviews and Web sites, and/or 3) a targeted search for primary articles when no tools existed in a domain. Paired investigators screened search results, assessed risk of bias, and abstracted data. We organized tools by domains from the National Consensus Project Clinical Practice Guidelines for Palliative Care and selected the most relevant, recent, and highest quality systematic review for each domain. We included 10 systematic reviews and identified 152 tools (97 from systematic reviews and 55 from supplemental sources). Key gaps included no systematic review for pain and few tools assessing structural, cultural, spiritual, or ethical/legal domains, or patient-reported experience with end-of-life care. Psychometric information was available for many tools, but few studies evaluated responsiveness (sensitivity to change) and no studies compared tools. Few to no tools address the spiritual, ethical, or cultural domains or patient-reported experience with end-of-life care. While some data exist on psychometric properties of tools, the responsiveness of different tools to change and/or comparisons between tools have not been evaluated. Future research should focus on developing or testing tools that address domains for which few tools exist, evaluating responsiveness, and comparing tools. Copyright © 2017 American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine. All rights reserved.

Screening for sepsis in general hospitalized patients: a systematic review.

PubMed

Alberto, L; Marshall, A P; Walker, R; Aitken, L M

2017-08-01

Sepsis is a condition widely observed outside critical care areas. To examine the application of sepsis screening tools for early recognition of sepsis in general hospitalized patients to: (i) identify the accuracy of these tools; (ii) determine the outcomes associated with their implementation; and (iii) describe the implementation process. A systematic review method was used. PubMed, CINAHL, Cochrane, Scopus, Web of Science, and Embase databases were systematically searched for primary articles, published from January 1990 to June 2016, that investigated screening tools or alert mechanisms for early identification of sepsis in adult general hospitalized patients. The review protocol was registered with PROSPERO (CRD42016042261). More than 8000 citations were screened for eligibility after duplicates had been removed. Six articles met the inclusion criteria testing two types of sepsis screening tools. Electronic tools can capture, recognize abnormal variables, and activate an alert in real time. However, accuracy of these tools was inconsistent across studies with only one demonstrating high specificity and sensitivity. Paper-based, nurse-led screening tools appear to be more sensitive in the identification of septic patients but were only studied in small samples and particular populations. The process of care measures appears to be enhanced; however, demonstrating improved outcomes is more challenging. Implementation details are rarely reported. Heterogeneity of studies prevented meta-analysis. Clinicians, researchers and health decision-makers should consider these findings and limitations when implementing screening tools, research or policy on sepsis recognition in general hospitalized patients. Copyright © 2017 The Healthcare Infection Society. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Corpus Use in Language Learning: A Meta-Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Boulton, Alex; Cobb, Tom

2017-01-01

This study applied systematic meta-analytic procedures to summarize findings from experimental and quasi-experimental investigations into the effectiveness of using the tools and techniques of corpus linguistics for second language learning or use, here referred to as data-driven learning (DDL). Analysis of 64 separate studies representing 88…

The SPARK Tool to prioritise questions for systematic reviews in health policy and systems research: development and initial validation.

PubMed

Akl, Elie A; Fadlallah, Racha; Ghandour, Lilian; Kdouh, Ola; Langlois, Etienne; Lavis, John N; Schünemann, Holger; El-Jardali, Fadi

2017-09-04

Groups or institutions funding or conducting systematic reviews in health policy and systems research (HPSR) should prioritise topics according to the needs of policymakers and stakeholders. The aim of this study was to develop and validate a tool to prioritise questions for systematic reviews in HPSR. We developed the tool following a four-step approach consisting of (1) the definition of the purpose and scope of tool, (2) item generation and reduction, (3) testing for content and face validity, (4) and pilot testing of the tool. The research team involved international experts in HPSR, systematic review methodology and tool development, led by the Center for Systematic Reviews on Health Policy and Systems Research (SPARK). We followed an inclusive approach in determining the final selection of items to allow customisation to the user's needs. The purpose of the SPARK tool was to prioritise questions in HPSR in order to address them in systematic reviews. In the item generation and reduction phase, an extensive literature search yielded 40 relevant articles, which were reviewed by the research team to create a preliminary list of 19 candidate items for inclusion in the tool. As part of testing for content and face validity, input from international experts led to the refining, changing, merging and addition of new items, and to organisation of the tool into two modules. Following pilot testing, we finalised the tool, with 22 items organised in two modules - the first module including 13 items to be rated by policymakers and stakeholders, and the second including 9 items to be rated by systematic review teams. Users can customise the tool to their needs, by omitting items that may not be applicable to their settings. We also developed a user manual that provides guidance on how to use the SPARK tool, along with signaling questions. We have developed and conducted initial validation of the SPARK tool to prioritise questions for systematic reviews in HPSR, along with a user manual. By aligning systematic review production to policy priorities, the tool will help support evidence-informed policymaking and reduce research waste. We invite others to contribute with additional real-life implementation of the tool.

Tools for developing a quality management program: proactive tools (process mapping, value stream mapping, fault tree analysis, and failure mode and effects analysis).

PubMed

Rath, Frank

2008-01-01

This article examines the concepts of quality management (QM) and quality assurance (QA), as well as the current state of QM and QA practices in radiotherapy. A systematic approach incorporating a series of industrial engineering-based tools is proposed, which can be applied in health care organizations proactively to improve process outcomes, reduce risk and/or improve patient safety, improve through-put, and reduce cost. This tool set includes process mapping and process flowcharting, failure modes and effects analysis (FMEA), value stream mapping, and fault tree analysis (FTA). Many health care organizations do not have experience in applying these tools and therefore do not understand how and when to use them. As a result there are many misconceptions about how to use these tools, and they are often incorrectly applied. This article describes these industrial engineering-based tools and also how to use them, when they should be used (and not used), and the intended purposes for their use. In addition the strengths and weaknesses of each of these tools are described, and examples are given to demonstrate the application of these tools in health care settings.

The difficulties of systematic reviews.

PubMed

Westgate, Martin J; Lindenmayer, David B

2017-10-01

The need for robust evidence to support conservation actions has driven the adoption of systematic approaches to research synthesis in ecology. However, applying systematic review to complex or open questions remains challenging, and this task is becoming more difficult as the quantity of scientific literature increases. We drew on the science of linguistics for guidance as to why the process of identifying and sorting information during systematic review remains so labor intensive, and to provide potential solutions. Several linguistic properties of peer-reviewed corpora-including nonrandom selection of review topics, small-world properties of semantic networks, and spatiotemporal variation in word meaning-greatly increase the effort needed to complete the systematic review process. Conversely, the resolution of these semantic complexities is a common motivation for narrative reviews, but this process is rarely enacted with the rigor applied during linguistic analysis. Therefore, linguistics provides a unifying framework for understanding some key challenges of systematic review and highlights 2 useful directions for future research. First, in cases where semantic complexity generates barriers to synthesis, ecologists should consider drawing on existing methods-such as natural language processing or the construction of research thesauri and ontologies-that provide tools for mapping and resolving that complexity. These tools could help individual researchers classify research material in a more robust manner and provide valuable guidance for future researchers on that topic. Second, a linguistic perspective highlights that scientific writing is a rich resource worthy of detailed study, an observation that can sometimes be lost during the search for data during systematic review or meta-analysis. For example, mapping semantic networks can reveal redundancy and complementarity among scientific concepts, leading to new insights and research questions. Consequently, wider adoption of linguistic approaches may facilitate improved rigor and richness in research synthesis. © 2017 Society for Conservation Biology.

Automatic differentiation as a tool in engineering design

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Barthelemy, Jean-Francois; Hall, Laura E.

1992-01-01

Automatic Differentiation (AD) is a tool that systematically implements the chain rule of differentiation to obtain the derivatives of functions calculated by computer programs. AD is assessed as a tool for engineering design. The forward and reverse modes of AD, their computing requirements, as well as approaches to implementing AD are discussed. The application of two different tools to two medium-size structural analysis problems to generate sensitivity information typically necessary in an optimization or design situation is also discussed. The observation is made that AD is to be preferred to finite differencing in most cases, as long as sufficient computer storage is available; in some instances, AD may be the alternative to consider in lieu of analytical sensitivity analysis.

Analysis of laser therapy and assessment methods in the rehabilitation of temporomandibular disorder: a systematic review of the literature

PubMed Central

Herpich, Carolina Marciela; Amaral, Ana Paula; Leal-Junior, Ernesto Cesar Pinto; Tosato, Juliana de Paiva; Gomes, Cid Andre Fidelis de Paula; Arruda, Éric Edmur Camargo; Glória, Igor Phillip dos Santos; Garcia, Marilia Barbosa Santos; Barbosa, Bruno Roberto Borges; Rodrigues, Monique Sampaio; Silva, Katiane Lima; El Hage, Yasmin; Politti, Fabiano; Gonzalez, Tabajara de Oliveira; Bussadori, Sandra Kalil; Biasotto-Gonzalez, Daniela Aparecida

2015-01-01

The aim of the present study was to perform a systematic review of the literature on the effects of low-level laser therapy in the treatment of TMD, and to analyze the use of different assessment tools. [Subjects and Methods] Searches were carried out of the BIREME, MEDLINE, PubMed and SciELO electronic databases by two independent researchers for papers published in English and Portuguese using the terms: “temporomandibular joint laser therapy” and “TMJ laser treatment”. [Results] Following the application of the eligibility criteria, 11 papers were selected for in-depth analysis. The papers analyzed exhibited considerable methodological differences, especially with regard to the number of sessions, anatomic site and duration of low-level laser therapy irradiation, as well as irradiation parameters, diagnostic criteria and assessment tools. [Conclusion] Further studies are needed, especially randomized clinical trials, to establish the exact dose and ideal parameters for low-level laser therapy and define the best assessment tools in this promising field of research that may benefit individuals with signs and symptoms of TMD. PMID:25642095

Multidisciplinary analysis and design of printed wiring boards

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fulton, Robert E.; Hughes, Joseph L.; Scott, Waymond R., Jr.; Umeagukwu, Charles; Yeh, Chao-Pin

1991-04-01

Modern printed wiring board design depends on electronic prototyping using computer-based simulation and design tools. Existing electrical computer-aided design (ECAD) tools emphasize circuit connectivity with only rudimentary analysis capabilities. This paper describes a prototype integrated PWB design environment denoted Thermal Structural Electromagnetic Testability (TSET) being developed at Georgia Tech in collaboration with companies in the electronics industry. TSET provides design guidance based on enhanced electrical and mechanical CAD capabilities including electromagnetic modeling testability analysis thermal management and solid mechanics analysis. TSET development is based on a strong analytical and theoretical science base and incorporates an integrated information framework and a common database design based on a systematic structured methodology.

Is the Timed Up and Go test a useful predictor of risk of falls in community dwelling older adults: a systematic review and meta- analysis

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background The Timed Up and Go test (TUG) is a commonly used screening tool to assist clinicians to identify patients at risk of falling. The purpose of this systematic review and meta-analysis is to determine the overall predictive value of the TUG in community-dwelling older adults. Methods A literature search was performed to identify all studies that validated the TUG test. The methodological quality of the selected studies was assessed using the QUADAS-2 tool, a validated tool for the quality assessment of diagnostic accuracy studies. A TUG score of ≥13.5 seconds was used to identify individuals at higher risk of falling. All included studies were combined using a bivariate random effects model to generate pooled estimates of sensitivity and specificity at ≥13.5 seconds. Heterogeneity was assessed using the variance of logit transformed sensitivity and specificity. Results Twenty-five studies were included in the systematic review and 10 studies were included in meta-analysis. The TUG test was found to be more useful at ruling in rather than ruling out falls in individuals classified as high risk (>13.5 sec), with a higher pooled specificity (0.74, 95% CI 0.52-0.88) than sensitivity (0.31, 95% CI 0.13-0.57). Logistic regression analysis indicated that the TUG score is not a significant predictor of falls (OR = 1.01, 95% CI 1.00-1.02, p = 0.05). Conclusion The Timed Up and Go test has limited ability to predict falls in community dwelling elderly and should not be used in isolation to identify individuals at high risk of falls in this setting. PMID:24484314

Evidence-based Frameworks for Teaching and Learning in Classical Singing Training: A Systematic Review.

PubMed

Crocco, Laura; Madill, Catherine J; McCabe, Patricia

2017-01-01

The study systematically reviews evidence-based frameworks for teaching and learning of classical singing training. This is a systematic review. A systematic literature search of 15 electronic databases following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews (PRISMA) guidelines was conducted. Eligibility criteria included type of publication, participant characteristics, intervention, and report of outcomes. Quality rating scales were applied to support assessment of the included literature. Data analysis was conducted using meta-aggregation. Nine papers met the inclusion criteria. No complete evidence-based teaching and learning framework was found. Thematic content analysis showed that studies either (1) identified teaching practices in one-to-one lessons, (2) identified student learning strategies in one-to-one lessons or personal practice sessions, and (3) implemented a tool to enhance one specific area of teaching and learning in lessons. The included studies showed that research in music education is not always specific to musical genre or instrumental group, with four of the nine studies including participant teachers and students of classical voice training only. The overall methodological quality ratings were low. Research in classical singing training has not yet developed an evidence-based framework for classical singing training. This review has found that introductory information on teaching and learning practices has been provided, and tools have been suggested for use in the evaluation of the teaching-learning process. High-quality methodological research designs are needed. Copyright © 2017 The Voice Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A modular Human Exposure Model (HEM) framework to characterize near-field chemical exposure in LCIA and CAA

EPA Science Inventory

Life Cycle Impact Analysis (LCIA) has proven to be a valuable tool for systematically comparing processes and products, and has been proposed for use in Chemical Alternatives Analysis (CAA). The exposure assessment portion of the human health impact scores of LCIA has historicall...

Facilitating Video Analysis for Teacher Development: A Systematic Review of the Research

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baecher, Laura; Kung, Shiao-Chuan; Ward, Sarah Laleman; Kern, Kimberly

2018-01-01

Video analysis of classroom practice as a tool in teacher professional learning has become ever more widely used, with hundreds of articles published on the topic over the past decade. When designing effective professional development for teachers using video, facilitators turn to the literature to identify promising approaches. This article…

Benefit-Cost Analysis of Undergraduate Education Programs: An Example Analysis of the Freshman Research Initiative

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Walcott, Rebecca L.; Corso, Phaedra S.; Rodenbusch, Stacia E.; Dolan, Erin L.

2018-01-01

Institutions and administrators regularly have to make difficult choices about how best to invest resources to serve students. Yet economic evaluation, or the systematic analysis of the relationship between costs and outcomes of a program or policy, is relatively uncommon in higher education. This type of evaluation can be an important tool for…

Same family, different species: methodological conduct and quality varies according to purpose for five types of knowledge synthesis.

PubMed

Tricco, Andrea C; Zarin, Wasifa; Ghassemi, Marco; Nincic, Vera; Lillie, Erin; Page, Matthew J; Shamseer, Larissa; Antony, Jesmin; Rios, Patricia; Hwee, Jeremiah; Veroniki, Areti Angeliki; Moher, David; Hartling, Lisa; Pham, Ba'; Straus, Sharon E

2018-04-01

The aim of the study was to characterize methodological conduct, reporting, and quality of five knowledge synthesis (KS) approaches. Retrospective analysis of a convenience sample of five published databases of KS approaches: overview of reviews (n = 74), scoping reviews (n = 494), rapid reviews (n = 84), systematic reviews (n = 300), and network meta-analyses (NMAs; n = 456). Data in the five published databases were abstracted by two reviewers independently, any missing data for this retrospective analysis were abstracted by one experienced reviewer. Methods were appraised using the A MeaSurement Tool to Assess systematic Reviews (AMSTAR) tool. Descriptive analysis was performed. Reporting the use of a protocol ranged from 4% for rapid reviews to 32% for systematic reviews. The use of two reviewers for citation and full-text screening ranged from 20% for scoping reviews to 60% for NMAs. Data abstraction was performed in duplicate for 11% of rapid reviews and 54% of NMAs, and for risk of bias appraisal, this ranged from 6% for scoping reviews to 41% for NMAs. NMAs had the highest median percentage of maximum obtainable AMSTAR score (64%; Q1-Q3:45-73%), while scoping reviews had the lowest (25%; Q1-Q3:13-38%). NMAs consistently scored the highest on the AMSTAR tool likely because the purpose is to estimate treatment effects statistically. Scoping reviews scored the lowest (even after adjusting the score for not relevant items) likely because the purpose is to characterize the literature. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A Systematic Review of Assessment Tools Measuring Interprofessional Education Outcomes Relevant to Pharmacy Education.

PubMed

Shrader, Sarah; Farland, Michelle Z; Danielson, Jennifer; Sicat, Brigitte; Umland, Elena M

2017-08-01

Objective. To identify and describe the available quantitative tools that assess interprofessional education (IPE) relevant to pharmacy education. Methods. A systematic approach was used to identify quantitative IPE assessment tools relevant to pharmacy education. The search strategy included the National Center for Interprofessional Practice and Education Resource Exchange (Nexus) website, a systematic search of the literature, and a manual search of journals deemed likely to include relevant tools. Results. The search identified a total of 44 tools from the Nexus website, 158 abstracts from the systematic literature search, and 570 abstracts from the manual search. A total of 36 assessment tools met the criteria to be included in the summary, and their application to IPE relevant to pharmacy education was discussed. Conclusion. Each of the tools has advantages and disadvantages. No single comprehensive tool exists to fulfill assessment needs. However, numerous tools are available that can be mapped to IPE-related accreditation standards for pharmacy education.

From Genome to Function: Systematic Analysis of the Soil Bacterium Bacillus Subtilis

PubMed Central

Crawshaw, Samuel G.; Wipat, Anil

2001-01-01

Bacillus subtilis is a sporulating Gram-positive bacterium that lives primarily in the soil and associated water sources. Whilst this bacterium has been studied extensively in the laboratory, relatively few studies have been undertaken to study its activity in natural environments. The publication of the B. subtilis genome sequence and subsequent systematic functional analysis programme have provided an opportunity to develop tools for analysing the role and expression of Bacillus genes in situ. In this paper we discuss analytical approaches that are being developed to relate genes to function in environments such as the rhizosphere. PMID:18628943

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.

Internal robustness: systematic search for systematic bias in SN Ia data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Amendola, Luca; Marra, Valerio; Quartin, Miguel

2013-04-01

A great deal of effort is currently being devoted to understanding, estimating and removing systematic errors in cosmological data. In the particular case of Type Ia supernovae, systematics are starting to dominate the error budget. Here we propose a Bayesian tool for carrying out a systematic search for systematic contamination. This serves as an extension to the standard goodness-of-fit tests and allows not only to cross-check raw or processed data for the presence of systematics but also to pin-point the data that are most likely contaminated. We successfully test our tool with mock catalogues and conclude that the Union2.1 data do not possess a significant amount of systematics. Finally, we show that if one includes in Union2.1 the supernovae that originally failed the quality cuts, our tool signals the presence of systematics at over 3.8σ confidence level.

"Assessing the methodological quality of systematic reviews in radiation oncology: A systematic review".

PubMed

Hasan, Haroon; Muhammed, Taaha; Yu, Jennifer; Taguchi, Kelsi; Samargandi, Osama A; Howard, A Fuchsia; Lo, Andrea C; Olson, Robert; Goddard, Karen

2017-10-01

The objective of our study was to evaluate the methodological quality of systematic reviews and meta-analyses in Radiation Oncology. A systematic literature search was conducted for all eligible systematic reviews and meta-analyses in Radiation Oncology from 1966 to 2015. Methodological characteristics were abstracted from all works that satisfied the inclusion criteria and quality was assessed using the critical appraisal tool, AMSTAR. Regression analyses were performed to determine factors associated with a higher score of quality. Following exclusion based on a priori criteria, 410 studies (157 systematic reviews and 253 meta-analyses) satisfied the inclusion criteria. Meta-analyses were found to be of fair to good quality while systematic reviews were found to be of less than fair quality. Factors associated with higher scores of quality in the multivariable analysis were including primary studies consisting of randomized control trials, performing a meta-analysis, and applying a recommended guideline related to establishing a systematic review protocol and/or reporting. Systematic reviews and meta-analyses may introduce a high risk of bias if applied to inform decision-making based on AMSTAR. We recommend that decision-makers in Radiation Oncology scrutinize the methodological quality of systematic reviews and meta-analyses prior to assessing their utility to inform evidence-based medicine and researchers adhere to methodological standards outlined in validated guidelines when embarking on a systematic review. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Methods, Tools and Current Perspectives in Proteogenomics *

PubMed Central

Ruggles, Kelly V.; Krug, Karsten; Wang, Xiaojing; Clauser, Karl R.; Wang, Jing; Payne, Samuel H.; Fenyö, David; Zhang, Bing; Mani, D. R.

2017-01-01

With combined technological advancements in high-throughput next-generation sequencing and deep mass spectrometry-based proteomics, proteogenomics, i.e. the integrative analysis of proteomic and genomic data, has emerged as a new research field. Early efforts in the field were focused on improving protein identification using sample-specific genomic and transcriptomic sequencing data. More recently, integrative analysis of quantitative measurements from genomic and proteomic studies have identified novel insights into gene expression regulation, cell signaling, and disease. Many methods and tools have been developed or adapted to enable an array of integrative proteogenomic approaches and in this article, we systematically classify published methods and tools into four major categories, (1) Sequence-centric proteogenomics; (2) Analysis of proteogenomic relationships; (3) Integrative modeling of proteogenomic data; and (4) Data sharing and visualization. We provide a comprehensive review of methods and available tools in each category and highlight their typical applications. PMID:28456751

Advancing Alternative Analysis: Integration of Decision Science.

PubMed

Malloy, Timothy F; Zaunbrecher, Virginia M; Batteate, Christina M; Blake, Ann; Carroll, William F; Corbett, Charles J; Hansen, Steffen Foss; Lempert, Robert J; Linkov, Igor; McFadden, Roger; Moran, Kelly D; Olivetti, Elsa; Ostrom, Nancy K; Romero, Michelle; Schoenung, Julie M; Seager, Thomas P; Sinsheimer, Peter; Thayer, Kristina A

2017-06-13

Decision analysis-a systematic approach to solving complex problems-offers tools and frameworks to support decision making that are increasingly being applied to environmental challenges. Alternatives analysis is a method used in regulation and product design to identify, compare, and evaluate the safety and viability of potential substitutes for hazardous chemicals. We assessed whether decision science may assist the alternatives analysis decision maker in comparing alternatives across a range of metrics. A workshop was convened that included representatives from government, academia, business, and civil society and included experts in toxicology, decision science, alternatives assessment, engineering, and law and policy. Participants were divided into two groups and were prompted with targeted questions. Throughout the workshop, the groups periodically came together in plenary sessions to reflect on other groups' findings. We concluded that the further incorporation of decision science into alternatives analysis would advance the ability of companies and regulators to select alternatives to harmful ingredients and would also advance the science of decision analysis. We advance four recommendations: a ) engaging the systematic development and evaluation of decision approaches and tools; b ) using case studies to advance the integration of decision analysis into alternatives analysis; c ) supporting transdisciplinary research; and d ) supporting education and outreach efforts. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP483.

Moving toward the automation of the systematic review process: a summary of discussions at the second meeting of International Collaboration for the Automation of Systematic Reviews (ICASR).

PubMed

O'Connor, Annette M; Tsafnat, Guy; Gilbert, Stephen B; Thayer, Kristina A; Wolfe, Mary S

2018-01-09

The second meeting of the International Collaboration for Automation of Systematic Reviews (ICASR) was held 3-4 October 2016 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. ICASR is an interdisciplinary group whose aim is to maximize the use of technology for conducting rapid, accurate, and efficient systematic reviews of scientific evidence. Having automated tools for systematic review should enable more transparent and timely review, maximizing the potential for identifying and translating research findings to practical application. The meeting brought together multiple stakeholder groups including users of summarized research, methodologists who explore production processes and systematic review quality, and technologists such as software developers, statisticians, and vendors. This diversity of participants was intended to ensure effective communication with numerous stakeholders about progress toward automation of systematic reviews and stimulate discussion about potential solutions to identified challenges. The meeting highlighted challenges, both simple and complex, and raised awareness among participants about ongoing efforts by various stakeholders. An outcome of this forum was to identify several short-term projects that participants felt would advance the automation of tasks in the systematic review workflow including (1) fostering better understanding about available tools, (2) developing validated datasets for testing new tools, (3) determining a standard method to facilitate interoperability of tools such as through an application programming interface or API, and (4) establishing criteria to evaluate the quality of tools' output. ICASR 2016 provided a beneficial forum to foster focused discussion about tool development and resources and reconfirm ICASR members' commitment toward systematic reviews' automation.

Multifidelity Analysis and Optimization for Supersonic Design

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kroo, Ilan; Willcox, Karen; March, Andrew; Haas, Alex; Rajnarayan, Dev; Kays, Cory

2010-01-01

Supersonic aircraft design is a computationally expensive optimization problem and multifidelity approaches over a significant opportunity to reduce design time and computational cost. This report presents tools developed to improve supersonic aircraft design capabilities including: aerodynamic tools for supersonic aircraft configurations; a systematic way to manage model uncertainty; and multifidelity model management concepts that incorporate uncertainty. The aerodynamic analysis tools developed are appropriate for use in a multifidelity optimization framework, and include four analysis routines to estimate the lift and drag of a supersonic airfoil, a multifidelity supersonic drag code that estimates the drag of aircraft configurations with three different methods: an area rule method, a panel method, and an Euler solver. In addition, five multifidelity optimization methods are developed, which include local and global methods as well as gradient-based and gradient-free techniques.

Contrastive Analysis Revisited: Obligatory, Systematic, and Incidental Differences Between Languages.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Berman, Ruth Aronson

1978-01-01

Contrastive analysis is suggested as a tool in language teaching for such areas as: (1) deciding how much to focus on different aspects of the target language; (2) making generalizations about its structure; and (3) explaining texts or constructions which might otherwise be incomprehensible. The claim is made that such procedures need to be based…

GREAT: a web portal for Genome Regulatory Architecture Tools

PubMed Central

Bouyioukos, Costas; Bucchini, François; Elati, Mohamed; Képès, François

2016-01-01

GREAT (Genome REgulatory Architecture Tools) is a novel web portal for tools designed to generate user-friendly and biologically useful analysis of genome architecture and regulation. The online tools of GREAT are freely accessible and compatible with essentially any operating system which runs a modern browser. GREAT is based on the analysis of genome layout -defined as the respective positioning of co-functional genes- and its relation with chromosome architecture and gene expression. GREAT tools allow users to systematically detect regular patterns along co-functional genomic features in an automatic way consisting of three individual steps and respective interactive visualizations. In addition to the complete analysis of regularities, GREAT tools enable the use of periodicity and position information for improving the prediction of transcription factor binding sites using a multi-view machine learning approach. The outcome of this integrative approach features a multivariate analysis of the interplay between the location of a gene and its regulatory sequence. GREAT results are plotted in web interactive graphs and are available for download either as individual plots, self-contained interactive pages or as machine readable tables for downstream analysis. The GREAT portal can be reached at the following URL https://absynth.issb.genopole.fr/GREAT and each individual GREAT tool is available for downloading. PMID:27151196

Cognitive screening tools for identification of dementia in illiterate and low-educated older adults, a systematic review and meta-analysis.

PubMed

Paddick, Stella-Maria; Gray, William K; McGuire, Jackie; Richardson, Jenny; Dotchin, Catherine; Walker, Richard W

2017-06-01

The majority of older adults with dementia live in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Illiteracy and low educational background are common in older LMIC populations, particularly in rural areas, and cognitive screening tools developed for this setting must reflect this. This study aimed to review published validation studies of cognitive screening tools for dementia in low-literacy settings in order to determine the most appropriate tools for use. A systematic search of major databases was conducted according to PRISMA guidelines. Validation studies of brief cognitive screening tests including illiterate participants or those with elementary education were eligible. Studies were quality assessed using the QUADAS-2 tool. Good or fair quality studies were included in a bivariate random-effects meta-analysis and a hierarchical summary receiver operating characteristic (HSROC) curve constructed. Forty-five eligible studies were quality assessed. A significant proportion utilized a case-control design, resulting in spectrum bias. The area under the ROC (AUROC) curve was 0.937 for community/low prevalence studies, 0.881 for clinic based/higher prevalence studies, and 0.869 for illiterate populations. For the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) (and adaptations), the AUROC curve was 0.853. Numerous tools for assessment of cognitive impairment in low-literacy settings have been developed, and tools developed for use in high-income countries have also been validated in low-literacy settings. Most tools have been inadequately validated, with only MMSE, cognitive abilities screening instrument (CASI), Eurotest, and Fototest having more than one published good or fair quality study in an illiterate or low-literate setting. At present no screening test can be recommended.

Assessing the complexity of interventions within systematic reviews: development, content and use of a new tool (iCAT_SR).

PubMed

Lewin, Simon; Hendry, Maggie; Chandler, Jackie; Oxman, Andrew D; Michie, Susan; Shepperd, Sasha; Reeves, Barnaby C; Tugwell, Peter; Hannes, Karin; Rehfuess, Eva A; Welch, Vivien; Mckenzie, Joanne E; Burford, Belinda; Petkovic, Jennifer; Anderson, Laurie M; Harris, Janet; Noyes, Jane

2017-04-26

Health interventions fall along a spectrum from simple to more complex. There is wide interest in methods for reviewing 'complex interventions', but few transparent approaches for assessing intervention complexity in systematic reviews. Such assessments may assist review authors in, for example, systematically describing interventions and developing logic models. This paper describes the development and application of the intervention Complexity Assessment Tool for Systematic Reviews (iCAT_SR), a new tool to assess and categorise levels of intervention complexity in systematic reviews. We developed the iCAT_SR by adapting and extending an existing complexity assessment tool for randomized trials. We undertook this adaptation using a consensus approach in which possible complexity dimensions were circulated for feedback to a panel of methodologists with expertise in complex interventions and systematic reviews. Based on these inputs, we developed a draft version of the tool. We then invited a second round of feedback from the panel and a wider group of systematic reviewers. This informed further refinement of the tool. The tool comprises ten dimensions: (1) the number of active components in the intervention; (2) the number of behaviours of recipients to which the intervention is directed; (3) the range and number of organizational levels targeted by the intervention; (4) the degree of tailoring intended or flexibility permitted across sites or individuals in applying or implementing the intervention; (5) the level of skill required by those delivering the intervention; (6) the level of skill required by those receiving the intervention; (7) the degree of interaction between intervention components; (8) the degree to which the effects of the intervention are context dependent; (9) the degree to which the effects of the interventions are changed by recipient or provider factors; (10) and the nature of the causal pathway between intervention and outcome. Dimensions 1-6 are considered 'core' dimensions. Dimensions 7-10 are optional and may not be useful for all interventions. The iCAT_SR tool facilitates more in-depth, systematic assessment of the complexity of interventions in systematic reviews and can assist in undertaking reviews and interpreting review findings. Further testing of the tool is now needed.

Health related quality of life assessment in metastatic disease of the spine: a systematic review.

PubMed

Street, John; Berven, Sigurd; Fisher, Charles; Ryken, Timothy

2009-10-15

Systematic literature review. To examine the available literature on health related quality of life (HRQOL) assessment in metastatic disease of the spine and identify the optimal functional outcome scales to be used in developing a disease-specific tool. There is a lack of consensus in the use of HRQOL measures in patients with metastatic spine disease. A systematic review was conducted using MEDLINE, EMBASE, the Science Citation Index (ISI), the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, the PsycINFO, the Allied and Complementary Medicine (AMED), Cochrane Reviews and Global Health databases for clinical studies addressing metastatic spine disease from 1966 through 2008. The validity of outcome tools was established by linkage analysis with the International Classification of Functioning Disability and Health (ICF). One hundred forty-one clinical studies met inclusion criteria including 10,347 patients. Only 5 moderate grade and 1 high grade study were identified. Thirty- four studies used a patient self-assessment instrument to assess health status. None of the instruments were validated for metastatic spine patients. The most commonly used Pi-by-no tools were SF-36, SIP 5, and the ADL. None of the studies defined health related quality of life (HRQOL) or justified the choice of instrument. The most commonly used cancer-specific tools were ECOG, EORTC QCQ-C30, and EUROQOL 5D. Based on frequency of citation and on correlation with the International Classification of Functioning Disability and Health, the ECOG and SF36 were judged as most valid and reliable. A systematic review of the available evidence suggests that valid and reliable health related quality of life measures exist for the assessment of oncology patients; however, a disease-specific tool for metastatic spine disease awaits development. Until such time as a disease-specific tool is available, we recommend that the ECOG and SF-36 be considered for use in studies addressing the outcome assessment of patients with metastatic spine disease.

Advancing Alternative Analysis: Integration of Decision Science

PubMed Central

Zaunbrecher, Virginia M.; Batteate, Christina M.; Blake, Ann; Carroll, William F.; Corbett, Charles J.; Hansen, Steffen Foss; Lempert, Robert J.; Linkov, Igor; McFadden, Roger; Moran, Kelly D.; Olivetti, Elsa; Ostrom, Nancy K.; Romero, Michelle; Schoenung, Julie M.; Seager, Thomas P.; Sinsheimer, Peter; Thayer, Kristina A.

2017-01-01

Background: Decision analysis—a systematic approach to solving complex problems—offers tools and frameworks to support decision making that are increasingly being applied to environmental challenges. Alternatives analysis is a method used in regulation and product design to identify, compare, and evaluate the safety and viability of potential substitutes for hazardous chemicals. Objectives: We assessed whether decision science may assist the alternatives analysis decision maker in comparing alternatives across a range of metrics. Methods: A workshop was convened that included representatives from government, academia, business, and civil society and included experts in toxicology, decision science, alternatives assessment, engineering, and law and policy. Participants were divided into two groups and were prompted with targeted questions. Throughout the workshop, the groups periodically came together in plenary sessions to reflect on other groups’ findings. Results: We concluded that the further incorporation of decision science into alternatives analysis would advance the ability of companies and regulators to select alternatives to harmful ingredients and would also advance the science of decision analysis. Conclusions: We advance four recommendations: a) engaging the systematic development and evaluation of decision approaches and tools; b) using case studies to advance the integration of decision analysis into alternatives analysis; c) supporting transdisciplinary research; and d) supporting education and outreach efforts. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP483 PMID:28669940

DWARF – a data warehouse system for analyzing protein families

PubMed Central

Fischer, Markus; Thai, Quan K; Grieb, Melanie; Pleiss, Jürgen

2006-01-01

Background The emerging field of integrative bioinformatics provides the tools to organize and systematically analyze vast amounts of highly diverse biological data and thus allows to gain a novel understanding of complex biological systems. The data warehouse DWARF applies integrative bioinformatics approaches to the analysis of large protein families. Description The data warehouse system DWARF integrates data on sequence, structure, and functional annotation for protein fold families. The underlying relational data model consists of three major sections representing entities related to the protein (biochemical function, source organism, classification to homologous families and superfamilies), the protein sequence (position-specific annotation, mutant information), and the protein structure (secondary structure information, superimposed tertiary structure). Tools for extracting, transforming and loading data from public available resources (ExPDB, GenBank, DSSP) are provided to populate the database. The data can be accessed by an interface for searching and browsing, and by analysis tools that operate on annotation, sequence, or structure. We applied DWARF to the family of α/β-hydrolases to host the Lipase Engineering database. Release 2.3 contains 6138 sequences and 167 experimentally determined protein structures, which are assigned to 37 superfamilies 103 homologous families. Conclusion DWARF has been designed for constructing databases of large structurally related protein families and for evaluating their sequence-structure-function relationships by a systematic analysis of sequence, structure and functional annotation. It has been applied to predict biochemical properties from sequence, and serves as a valuable tool for protein engineering. PMID:17094801

A comparative analysis of Patient-Reported Expanded Disability Status Scale tools.

PubMed

Collins, Christian DE; Ivry, Ben; Bowen, James D; Cheng, Eric M; Dobson, Ruth; Goodin, Douglas S; Lechner-Scott, Jeannette; Kappos, Ludwig; Galea, Ian

2016-09-01

Patient-Reported Expanded Disability Status Scale (PREDSS) tools are an attractive alternative to the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) during long term or geographically challenging studies, or in pressured clinical service environments. Because the studies reporting these tools have used different metrics to compare the PREDSS and EDSS, we undertook an individual patient data level analysis of all available tools. Spearman's rho and the Bland-Altman method were used to assess correlation and agreement respectively. A systematic search for validated PREDSS tools covering the full EDSS range identified eight such tools. Individual patient data were available for five PREDSS tools. Excellent correlation was observed between EDSS and PREDSS with all tools. A higher level of agreement was observed with increasing levels of disability. In all tools, the 95% limits of agreement were greater than the minimum EDSS difference considered to be clinically significant. However, the intra-class coefficient was greater than that reported for EDSS raters of mixed seniority. The visual functional system was identified as the most significant predictor of the PREDSS-EDSS difference. This analysis will (1) enable researchers and service providers to make an informed choice of PREDSS tool, depending on their individual requirements, and (2) facilitate improvement of current PREDSS tools. © The Author(s), 2015.

Assessment tools for the measurement of the self-efficacy of drug users: protocol for a systematic review

PubMed Central

Vasconcelos, Selene Cordeiro; Frazão, Iracema da Silva; Sougey, Everton Botelho; de Souza, Sandra Lopes; da Silva, Tatiana de Paula Santana; Lima, Murilo Duarte da Costa

2018-01-01

Introduction The abuse of alcohol and other drugs is a worldwide problem, the treatment of which poses a challenge to healthcare workers. Objective This study presents a proposal for a systematic review to analyse the psychometric properties of assessment tools developed to measure the self-efficacy of drug users with regard to resisting the urge to take drugs in high-risk situations. Methods and Analysis The guiding question was based on PICOS (Population Intervention Comparator Outcome Setting), and the report of the methods of review protocol was written in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Protocols (PRISMA-P). Searches will be performed in the PsycINFO, Cochrane, Pubmed, Web of Science, SCOPUS and CINAHL databases, followed by the use of the ‘snowball’ strategy. The inclusion criteria for the articles will be (1) assessment tool validation studies; (2) assessment tools developed to measure self-efficacy; (3) quantitative measures; (4) measures designed for use on adults; (5) data from self-reports of the participants; (6) studies involving a description of psychometric properties of the measures; and (7) studies that explain how the level of self-efficacy is scored. The search, selection and analysis will be performed by two independent reviewers. In cases of a divergence of opinion, a third reviewer will be consulted. The COSMIN checklist will be used for the appraisal of the methodological quality of the assessment tools and the certainty of the evidence in the articles (risk of bias) will be analysed using the GRADE (Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation) approach. Ethics and dissemination This protocol does not require ethical approval. However, this protocol is part of the thesis entitled Drug-Taking Confidence Questionnaire for use in Brazil, presented for obtaining a doctorate in neuropsychiatry and behavioural sciences from the Federal University of Pernambuco, and has received approval from the human research ethics committee of the Federal University of Pernambuco (reference number: 1.179.162). The results will be disseminated to clinicians and researchers through peer-reviewed publications and conferences. PROSPERO registration number CRD42017068555. PMID:29540409

Epidemiology of Major Depressive Disorder in Iran: a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

PubMed Central

Sadeghirad, Behnam; Haghdoost, Ali-Akbar; Amin-Esmaeili, Masoumeh; Ananloo, Esmaeil Shahsavand; Ghaeli, Padideh; Rahimi-Movaghar, Afarin; Talebian, Elham; Pourkhandani, Ali; Noorbala, Ahmad Ali; Barooti, Esmat

2010-01-01

Objectives: There are a large number of primary researches on the prevalence of major depressive disorder (MDD) in Iran; however, their findings are varied considerably. A systematic review was performed in order to summarize the findings. Methods: Electronic and manual searches in international and Iranian journals were conducted to find relevant studies reporting MDD prevalence. To maximize the sensitivity of the search, the references of relevant papers were also explored. We explored the potential sources of heterogeneity such as diagnostic tools, gender and other characteristics using meta-regression model. The combined mean prevalence rates were calculated for genders, studies using each type of instruments and for each province using meta-analysis method. Results: From 44 articles included in the systematic review, 24 reported current prevalence and 20 reported lifetime prevalence of MDD. The overall estimation of current prevalence of MDD was 4.1% (95% CI: 3.1-5.1). Women were 1.95 (95% CI: 1.55-2.45) times more likely to have MDD. The current prevalence of MDD in urban inhabitants was not significantly different from rural inhabitants. The analysis identified the variations in diagnostic tools as an important source of heterogeneity. Conclusions: Although there is not adequate information on MDD prevalence in some areas of Iran, the overall current prevalence of MDD in the country is high and females are at the greater risk of disease. PMID:21566767

Student Online Readiness Assessment Tools: A Systematic Review Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Farid, Alem

2014-01-01

Although there are tools to assess student's readiness in an "online learning context," little is known about the "psychometric" properties of the tools used or not. A systematic review of 5107 published and unpublished papers identified in a literature search on student online readiness assessment tools between 1990 and…

Automatic Differentiation as a tool in engineering design

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Barthelemy, Jean-Francois M.; Hall, Laura E.

1992-01-01

Automatic Differentiation (AD) is a tool that systematically implements the chain rule of differentiation to obtain the derivatives of functions calculated by computer programs. In this paper, it is assessed as a tool for engineering design. The paper discusses the forward and reverse modes of AD, their computing requirements, and approaches to implementing AD. It continues with application to two different tools to two medium-size structural analysis problems to generate sensitivity information typically necessary in an optimization or design situation. The paper concludes with the observation that AD is to be preferred to finite differencing in most cases, as long as sufficient computer storage is available.

The Assessment of a Tutoring Program to Meet CAS Standards Using a SWOT Analysis and Action Plan

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fullmer, Patricia

2009-01-01

This article summarizes the use of SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) analysis and subsequent action planning as a tool of self-assessment to meet CAS (Council for the Advancement of Standards in Higher Education) requirements for systematic assessment. The use of the evaluation results to devise improvements to increase the…

Systematically evaluating interfaces for RNA-seq analysis from a life scientist perspective.

PubMed

Poplawski, Alicia; Marini, Federico; Hess, Moritz; Zeller, Tanja; Mazur, Johanna; Binder, Harald

2016-03-01

RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) has become an established way for measuring gene expression in model organisms and humans. While methods development for refining the corresponding data processing and analysis pipeline is ongoing, protocols for typical steps have been proposed and are widely used. Several user interfaces have been developed for making such analysis steps accessible to life scientists without extensive knowledge of command line tools. We performed a systematic search and evaluation of such interfaces to investigate to what extent these can indeed facilitate RNA-seq data analysis. We found a total of 29 open source interfaces, and six of the more widely used interfaces were evaluated in detail. Central criteria for evaluation were ease of configuration, documentation, usability, computational demand and reporting. No interface scored best in all of these criteria, indicating that the final choice will depend on the specific perspective of users and the corresponding weighting of criteria. Considerable technical hurdles had to be overcome in our evaluation. For many users, this will diminish potential benefits compared with command line tools, leaving room for future improvement of interfaces. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

An Overview of SAL

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bensalem, Saddek; Ganesh, Vijay; Lakhnech, Yassine; Munoz, Cesar; Owre, Sam; Ruess, Harald; Rushby, John; Rusu, Vlad; Saiedi, Hassen; Shankar, N.

2000-01-01

To become practical for assurance, automated formal methods must be made more scalable, automatic, and cost-effective. Such an increase in scope, scale, automation, and utility can be derived from an emphasis on a systematic separation of concerns during verification. SAL (Symbolic Analysis Laboratory) attempts to address these issues. It is a framework for combining different tools to calculate properties of concurrent systems. The heart of SAL is a language, developed in collaboration with Stanford, Berkeley, and Verimag for specifying concurrent systems in a compositional way. Our instantiation of the SAL framework augments PVS with tools for abstraction, invariant generation, program analysis (such as slicing), theorem proving, and model checking to separate concerns as well as calculate properties (i.e., perform, symbolic analysis) of concurrent systems. We. describe the motivation, the language, the tools, their integration in SAL/PAS, and some preliminary experience of their use.

Systematic Review: Concept and Tool Development with Application in the Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) Assessment Process

EPA Science Inventory

Systematic Review: Concept and tool development with application to the National Toxicology Program (NTP) and the Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) Assessment Processes. There is growing interest within the environmental health community to incorporate systematic review m...

A Comparison of Systematic Screening Tools for Emotional and Behavioral Disorders

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lane, Kathleen Lynne; Little, M. Annette; Casey, Amy M.; Lambert, Warren; Wehby, Joseph; Weisenbach, Jessica L.; Phillips, Andrea

2009-01-01

Early identification of students who might develop emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) is essential in preventing negative outcomes. Systematic screening tools are available for identifying elementary-age students with EBD, including the "Systematic Screening for Behavior Disorders" (SSBD) and the "Student Risk Screening…

Empowering districts to target priorities for improving child health service in Uganda using change management and rapid assessment methods.

PubMed

Odaga, John; Henriksson, Dorcus K; Nkolo, Charles; Tibeihaho, Hector; Musabe, Richard; Katusiime, Margaret; Sinabulya, Zaccheus; Mucunguzi, Stephen; Mbonye, Anthony K; Valadez, Joseph J

2016-01-01

Local health system managers in low- and middle-income countries have the responsibility to set health priorities and allocate resources accordingly. Although tools exist to aid this process, they are not widely applied for various reasons including non-availability, poor knowledge of the tools, and poor adaptability into the local context. In Uganda, delivery of basic services is devolved to the District Local Governments through the District Health Teams (DHTs). The Community and District Empowerment for Scale-up (CODES) project aims to provide a set of management tools that aid contextualised priority setting, fund allocation, and problem-solving in a systematic way to improve effective coverage and quality of child survival interventions. Although the various tools have previously been used at the national level, the project aims to combine them in an integral way for implementation at the district level. These tools include Lot Quality Assurance Sampling (LQAS) surveys to generate local evidence, Bottleneck analysis and Causal analysis as analytical tools, Continuous Quality Improvement, and Community Dialogues based on Citizen Report Cards and U reports. The tools enable identification of gaps, prioritisation of possible solutions, and allocation of resources accordingly. This paper presents some of the tools used by the project in five districts in Uganda during the proof-of-concept phase of the project. All five districts were trained and participated in LQAS surveys and readily adopted the tools for priority setting and resource allocation. All districts developed health operational work plans, which were based on the evidence and each of the districts implemented more than three of the priority activities which were included in their work plans. In the five districts, the CODES project demonstrated that DHTs can adopt and integrate these tools in the planning process by systematically identifying gaps and setting priority interventions for child survival.

Empowering districts to target priorities for improving child health service in Uganda using change management and rapid assessment methods

PubMed Central

Odaga, John; Henriksson, Dorcus K.; Nkolo, Charles; Tibeihaho, Hector; Musabe, Richard; Katusiime, Margaret; Sinabulya, Zaccheus; Mucunguzi, Stephen; Mbonye, Anthony K.; Valadez, Joseph J.

2016-01-01

Background Local health system managers in low- and middle-income countries have the responsibility to set health priorities and allocate resources accordingly. Although tools exist to aid this process, they are not widely applied for various reasons including non-availability, poor knowledge of the tools, and poor adaptability into the local context. In Uganda, delivery of basic services is devolved to the District Local Governments through the District Health Teams (DHTs). The Community and District Empowerment for Scale-up (CODES) project aims to provide a set of management tools that aid contextualised priority setting, fund allocation, and problem-solving in a systematic way to improve effective coverage and quality of child survival interventions. Design Although the various tools have previously been used at the national level, the project aims to combine them in an integral way for implementation at the district level. These tools include Lot Quality Assurance Sampling (LQAS) surveys to generate local evidence, Bottleneck analysis and Causal analysis as analytical tools, Continuous Quality Improvement, and Community Dialogues based on Citizen Report Cards and U reports. The tools enable identification of gaps, prioritisation of possible solutions, and allocation of resources accordingly. This paper presents some of the tools used by the project in five districts in Uganda during the proof-of-concept phase of the project. Results All five districts were trained and participated in LQAS surveys and readily adopted the tools for priority setting and resource allocation. All districts developed health operational work plans, which were based on the evidence and each of the districts implemented more than three of the priority activities which were included in their work plans. Conclusions In the five districts, the CODES project demonstrated that DHTs can adopt and integrate these tools in the planning process by systematically identifying gaps and setting priority interventions for child survival. PMID:27225791

Safety of ceftriaxone in paediatrics: a systematic review protocol.

PubMed

Zeng, Linan; Choonara, Imti; Zhang, Lingli; Xue, Song; Chen, Zhe; He, Miaomiao

2017-08-21

Ceftriaxone is widely used in children in the treatment of sepsis. However, concerns have been raised about the safety of ceftriaxone, especially in young children. The aim of this review is to systematically evaluate the safety of ceftriaxone in children of all age groups. MEDLINE, PubMed, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, EMBASE, CINAHL, International Pharmaceutical Abstracts and adverse drug reaction (ADR) monitoring systems will be systematically searched for randomised controlled trials (RCTs), cohort studies, case-control studies, cross-sectional studies, case series and case reports evaluating the safety of ceftriaxone in children. The Cochrane risk of bias tool, Newcastle-Ottawa and quality assessment tools developed by the National Institutes of Health will be used for quality assessment. Meta-analysis of the incidence of ADRs from RCTs and prospective studies will be done. Subgroup analyses will be performed for age and dosage regimen. Formal ethical approval is not required as no primary data are collected. This systematic review will be disseminated through a peer-reviewed publication and at conference meetings. CRD42017055428. © 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.

Frailty Defined by FRAIL Scale as a Predictor of Mortality: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

PubMed

Kojima, Gotaro

2018-06-01

To conduct a systematic review of the literature on prospective cohort studies examining mortality risk according to frailty defined by FRAIL scale, and to perform a meta-analysis to synthesize the pooled risk estimates. Systematic review and meta-analysis. Embase, Scopus, MEDLINE, CINAHL, and PsycINFO were systematically searched in March 2018. References of included studies were reviewed and a forward citation tracking was performed on relevant review papers for additional studies. Additional data necessary for a meta-analysis were requested from corresponding authors. Community-dwelling middle-aged and older adults. Mortality risk due to frailty as defined by the FRAIL scale. After removing duplicates, there are 81 citations for title, abstract, and full-text screening. Eight studies were included in this review. Four studies calculated the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve, which ranged from 0.54 to 0.70. A random-effects meta-analysis was conducted on 3 studies that provided adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) of mortality risk according to 3 frailty groups (robust, prefrail, and frail) defined by FRAIL scale. Both frailty and prefrailty were significantly associated with higher mortality risk than robustness [pooled HR = 3.53, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.66-7.49, P = .001; pooled HR = 1.75, 95% CI = 1.14-2.70, P = .01, respectively]. No evidence of publication bias was observed. This study demonstrated that FRAIL scale is a tool that can effectively identify frailty/prefrailty status, as well as quantify frailty status in a graded manner in relation to mortality risk. Although its feasibility is of note, not many studies are yet using this relatively new tool. More studies are warranted regarding mortality and other health outcomes. Copyright © 2018 AMDA – The Society for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

What has finite element analysis taught us about diabetic foot disease and its management? A systematic review.

PubMed

Telfer, Scott; Erdemir, Ahmet; Woodburn, James; Cavanagh, Peter R

2014-01-01

Over the past two decades finite element (FE) analysis has become a popular tool for researchers seeking to simulate the biomechanics of the healthy and diabetic foot. The primary aims of these simulations have been to improve our understanding of the foot's complicated mechanical loading in health and disease and to inform interventions designed to prevent plantar ulceration, a major complication of diabetes. This article provides a systematic review and summary of the findings from FE analysis-based computational simulations of the diabetic foot. A systematic literature search was carried out and 31 relevant articles were identified covering three primary themes: methodological aspects relevant to modelling the diabetic foot; investigations of the pathomechanics of the diabetic foot; and simulation-based design of interventions to reduce ulceration risk. Methodological studies illustrated appropriate use of FE analysis for simulation of foot mechanics, incorporating nonlinear tissue mechanics, contact and rigid body movements. FE studies of pathomechanics have provided estimates of internal soft tissue stresses, and suggest that such stresses may often be considerably larger than those measured at the plantar surface and are proportionally greater in the diabetic foot compared to controls. FE analysis allowed evaluation of insole performance and development of new insole designs, footwear and corrective surgery to effectively provide intervention strategies. The technique also presents the opportunity to simulate the effect of changes associated with the diabetic foot on non-mechanical factors such as blood supply to local tissues. While significant advancement in diabetic foot research has been made possible by the use of FE analysis, translational utility of this powerful tool for routine clinical care at the patient level requires adoption of cost-effective (both in terms of labour and computation) and reliable approaches with clear clinical validity for decision making.

GREAT: a web portal for Genome Regulatory Architecture Tools.

PubMed

Bouyioukos, Costas; Bucchini, François; Elati, Mohamed; Képès, François

2016-07-08

GREAT (Genome REgulatory Architecture Tools) is a novel web portal for tools designed to generate user-friendly and biologically useful analysis of genome architecture and regulation. The online tools of GREAT are freely accessible and compatible with essentially any operating system which runs a modern browser. GREAT is based on the analysis of genome layout -defined as the respective positioning of co-functional genes- and its relation with chromosome architecture and gene expression. GREAT tools allow users to systematically detect regular patterns along co-functional genomic features in an automatic way consisting of three individual steps and respective interactive visualizations. In addition to the complete analysis of regularities, GREAT tools enable the use of periodicity and position information for improving the prediction of transcription factor binding sites using a multi-view machine learning approach. The outcome of this integrative approach features a multivariate analysis of the interplay between the location of a gene and its regulatory sequence. GREAT results are plotted in web interactive graphs and are available for download either as individual plots, self-contained interactive pages or as machine readable tables for downstream analysis. The GREAT portal can be reached at the following URL https://absynth.issb.genopole.fr/GREAT and each individual GREAT tool is available for downloading. © The Author(s) 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Nucleic Acids Research.

Assessing quality of health services with the SERVQUAL model in Iran. A systematic review and meta-analysis.

PubMed

Teshnizi, Saeed Hosseini; Aghamolaei, Teamur; Kahnouji, Kobra; Teshnizi, Seyyed Mehrdad Hosseini; Ghani, Jalil

2018-03-01

The five-dimension service quality (SERVQUAL) scale is one of the most common tools for evaluating gaps between clients' perceptions and expectations. This study aimed to assess the quality of health services in Iran through a meta-analysis of all Iranian studies which used the SERVQUAL tool. A systematic literature review has been performed in Web of Science, PubMed, Scopus, Google Scholar, Iran Medex, Magiran and Scientific Information Database. All relevant English or Persian studies published between January 2009 and April 2016 were have been selected. Papers were considered if they regarded all five dimensions of the SERVQUAL tool for assessing the quality of health care services. Two reviewer independently extracted mean and standard deviation of five dimensions and characteristics of studies. The quality of studies included in meta-analysis using STROBE checklist. Of 315 studies initially identified, 12 were included in our meta-analysis. All analyses were performed in Stata MP v. 14. Patients' perceptions were lower than their expectations (gap = -1.64). Responsibility (-1.22) and reliability (-1.15) had the lowest gaps, and tangibility and empathy (-1.03) had the largest gaps. Except gender, other variables had no significant associations with gaps. Patients in the cities of Arak (-3.47) and Shiraz (-3.02) had the largest gaps. All dimensions of service quality were negative, which implies that the quality of health services in Iran has not been satisfying to patients and needs to be improved.

Adverse outcomes in older adults attending emergency departments: a systematic review and meta-analysis of the Identification of Seniors At Risk (ISAR) screening tool.

PubMed

Galvin, Rose; Gilleit, Yannick; Wallace, Emma; Cousins, Gráinne; Bolmer, Manon; Rainer, Timothy; Smith, Susan M; Fahey, Tom

2017-03-01

older adults are frequent users of emergency services and demonstrate high rates of adverse outcomes following emergency care. to perform a systematic review and meta-analysis of the Identification of Seniors At Risk (ISAR) screening tool, to determine its predictive value in identifying adults ≥65 years at risk of functional decline, unplanned emergency department (ED) readmission, emergency hospitalisation or death within 180 days after index ED visit/hospitalisation. a systematic literature search was conducted in PubMed, EMBASE, CINAHL, EBSCO and the Cochrane Library to identify validation and impact analysis studies of the ISAR tool. A pre-specified ISAR score of ≥2 (maximum score 6 points) was used to identify patients at high risk of adverse outcomes. A bivariate random effects model generated pooled estimates of sensitivity and specificity. Statistical heterogeneity was explored and methodological quality was assessed using validated criteria. thirty-two validation studies (n = 12,939) are included. At ≥2, the pooled sensitivity of the ISAR for predicting ED return, emergency hospitalisation and mortality at 6 months is 0.80 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.70-0.87), 0.82 (95% CI 0.74-0.88) and 0.87 (95% CI 0.75-0.94), respectively, with a pooled specificity of 0.31 (95% CI 0.24-0.38), 0.32 (95% CI 0.24-0.41) and 0.35 (95% CI 0.26-0.44). Similar values are demonstrated at 30 and 90 days. Three heterogeneous impact analysis studies examined the clinical implementation of the ISAR and reported mixed findings across patient and process outcomes. the ISAR has modest predictive accuracy and may serve as a decision-making adjunct when determining which older adults can be safely discharged. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the British Geriatrics Society. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com

Assessment and classification of cancer breakthrough pain: a systematic literature review.

PubMed

Haugen, Dagny Faksvåg; Hjermstad, Marianne Jensen; Hagen, Neil; Caraceni, Augusto; Kaasa, Stein

2010-06-01

Temporal variations in cancer pain intensity are highly prevalent, and are often difficult to manage. However, the phenomenon is not well understood: several definitions and approaches to classification and bedside assessment of cancer breakthrough pain (BTP) have been described. The present study is a systematic review of published literature on cancer BTP to answer the following questions: which terms and definitions have been used; are there validated assessment tools; which domains of BTP do the tools delineate, and which items do they contain; how have assessment tools been applied within clinical studies; and are there validated classification systems for BTP. A systematic search of the peer-reviewed literature was performed using five major databases. Of 375 titles and abstracts initially identified, 51 articles were examined in detail. Analysis of these publications indicates a range of overlapping but distinct definitions have been used to characterize BTP; 42 of the included papers presented one or more ways of classifying BTP; and while 10 tools to assess patients' experience of BTP were identified, only 2 have been partially validated. We conclude that there is no widely accepted definition, classification system or well-validated assessment tool for cancer-related breakthrough pain, but there is strong concurrence on most of its key attributes. With further work in this area, an internationally agreed upon definition and classification system for cancer-related breakthrough pain, and a standard approach on how to measure it, hold the promise to improve patient care and support research in this poor-prognosis cancer pain syndrome.

The EMBL-EBI bioinformatics web and programmatic tools framework.

PubMed

Li, Weizhong; Cowley, Andrew; Uludag, Mahmut; Gur, Tamer; McWilliam, Hamish; Squizzato, Silvano; Park, Young Mi; Buso, Nicola; Lopez, Rodrigo

2015-07-01

Since 2009 the EMBL-EBI Job Dispatcher framework has provided free access to a range of mainstream sequence analysis applications. These include sequence similarity search services (https://www.ebi.ac.uk/Tools/sss/) such as BLAST, FASTA and PSI-Search, multiple sequence alignment tools (https://www.ebi.ac.uk/Tools/msa/) such as Clustal Omega, MAFFT and T-Coffee, and other sequence analysis tools (https://www.ebi.ac.uk/Tools/pfa/) such as InterProScan. Through these services users can search mainstream sequence databases such as ENA, UniProt and Ensembl Genomes, utilising a uniform web interface or systematically through Web Services interfaces (https://www.ebi.ac.uk/Tools/webservices/) using common programming languages, and obtain enriched results with novel visualisations. Integration with EBI Search (https://www.ebi.ac.uk/ebisearch/) and the dbfetch retrieval service (https://www.ebi.ac.uk/Tools/dbfetch/) further expands the usefulness of the framework. New tools and updates such as NCBI BLAST+, InterProScan 5 and PfamScan, new categories such as RNA analysis tools (https://www.ebi.ac.uk/Tools/rna/), new databases such as ENA non-coding, WormBase ParaSite, Pfam and Rfam, and new workflow methods, together with the retirement of depreciated services, ensure that the framework remains relevant to today's biological community. © The Author(s) 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Nucleic Acids Research.

Appraisal of systematic reviews on the management of peri-implant diseases with two methodological tools.

PubMed

Faggion, Clovis Mariano; Monje, Alberto; Wasiak, Jason

2018-06-01

This study aimed to evaluate and compare the performance of two methodological instruments to appraise systematic reviews and to identify potential disagreements of systematic review authors regarding risk of bias (RoB) evaluation of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) included in systematic reviews on peri-implant diseases. We searched Medline, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, PubMed Central, and Google Scholar for systematic reviews on peri-implant diseases published before July 11, 2017. Two authors independently evaluated the RoB and methodological quality of the systematic reviews by applying the Risk of Bias in Systematic Reviews (ROBIS) tool and Assessing the Methodological Quality of Systematic Reviews (AMSTAR) checklist, respectively. We assessed the RoB scores of the same RCTs published in different systematic reviews. Of the 32 systematic reviews identified, 23 reviews addressed the clinical topic of peri-implantitis. A high RoB was detected for most systematic reviews (n=25) using ROBIS, whilst five systematic reviews displayed low methodological quality by AMSTAR. Almost 30% of the RoB comparisons (for the same RCTs) had different RoB ratings across systematic reviews. The ROBIS tool appears to provide more conservative results than AMSTAR checklist. Considerable disagreement was found among systematic review authors rating the same RCT included in different systematic reviews. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Evaluation of the Cochrane tool for assessing risk of bias in randomized clinical trials: overview of published comments and analysis of user practice in Cochrane and non-Cochrane reviews.

PubMed

Jørgensen, Lars; Paludan-Müller, Asger S; Laursen, David R T; Savović, Jelena; Boutron, Isabelle; Sterne, Jonathan A C; Higgins, Julian P T; Hróbjartsson, Asbjørn

2016-05-10

The Cochrane risk of bias tool for randomized clinical trials was introduced in 2008 and has frequently been commented on and used in systematic reviews. We wanted to evaluate the tool by reviewing published comments on its strengths and challenges and by describing and analysing how the tool is applied to both Cochrane and non-Cochrane systematic reviews. A review of published comments (searches in PubMed, The Cochrane Methodology Register and Google Scholar) and an observational study (100 Cochrane and 100 non-Cochrane reviews from 2014). Our review included 68 comments, 15 of which were categorised as major. The main strengths of the tool were considered to be its aim (to assess trial conduct and not reporting), its developmental basis (wide consultation, empirical and theoretical evidence) and its transparent procedures. The challenges of the tool were mainly considered to be its choice of core bias domains (e.g. not involving funding/conflicts of interest) and issues to do with implementation (i.e. modest inter-rater agreement) and terminology. Our observational study found that the tool was used in all Cochrane reviews (100/100) and was the preferred tool in non-Cochrane reviews (31/100). Both types of reviews frequently implemented the tool in non-recommended ways. Most Cochrane reviews planned to use risk of bias assessments as basis for sensitivity analyses (70 %), but only a minority conducted such analyses (19 %) because, in many cases, few trials were assessed as having "low" risk of bias for all standard domains (6 %). The judgement of at least one risk of bias domain as "unclear" was found in 89 % of included randomized clinical trials (1103/1242). The Cochrane tool has become the standard approach to assess risk of bias in randomized clinical trials but is frequently implemented in a non-recommended way. Based on published comments and how it is applied in practice in systematic reviews, the tool may be further improved by a revised structure and more focused guidance.

Measuring the Effect of Soil-Transmitted Helminth Infections on Cognitive Function in Children: Systematic Review and Critical Appraisal of Evidence.

PubMed

Owada, Kei; Nielsen, Mark; Lau, Colleen L; Clements, Archie C A; Yakob, Laith; Soares Magalhães, Ricardo J

2017-01-01

Recently the role of soil-transmitted helminth (STH) infections in children's cognitive developmental impairment has been under scrutiny. We conducted a systematic review of the evidence for associations between STH infections and cognitive function of children using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses protocol. We aimed to identify the domains of cognitive function in three age strata (<24months, 24-59months and ≥60months) and critically appraise the general design protocol of the studies, with a focus on the cognitive function measurement tools used. A total of 42 papers fulfilled the inclusion criteria, including 10 studies from a recent Cochrane review. Our findings demonstrate variation in tested domains, lack of consistency in the use of measurement tools and analysis of results. Cognitive function measures in children aged under 59months have been mainly limited to domains of gross motor, fine motor and language skills, whereas in children aged 60months and above most studies tested domains such as memory and processing speed. Even within the same age group the results on the association between STH infections and measures of cognitive development were often conflicting. The current study highlights the need for methodological consensus in the use of measurement tools and data analysis protocols if the effect of STH infections on cognitive function domains in children is to be correctly established. This will be an imperative next step to generate conclusive evidence of the role of STH infections in cognitive development in children. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Systematic Academic Instruction for Students with EBD: The Construction and Use of a Tool for Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

van der Worp-van der Kamp, Lidy; Pijl, Sip Jan; Post, Wendy J.; Bijstra, Jan O.; van den Bosch, Els J.

2017-01-01

Educating students with behavioural, emotional and social difficulties requires a thorough systematic approach with the focus on academic instruction. This study addresses the development of a tool, consisting of two questionnaires, for measuring systematic academic instruction. The questionnaires cover the Plan-Do-Check-Act cycle and academic…

Developing the Coach Analysis and Intervention System (CAIS): establishing validity and reliability of a computerised systematic observation instrument.

PubMed

Cushion, Christopher; Harvey, Stephen; Muir, Bob; Nelson, Lee

2012-01-01

We outline the evolution of a computerised systematic observation tool and describe the process for establishing the validity and reliability of this new instrument. The Coach Analysis and Interventions System (CAIS) has 23 primary behaviours related to physical behaviour, feedback/reinforcement, instruction, verbal/non-verbal, questioning and management. The instrument also analyses secondary coach behaviour related to performance states, recipient, timing, content and questioning/silence. The CAIS is a multi-dimensional and multi-level mechanism able to provide detailed and contextualised data about specific coaching behaviours occurring in complex and nuanced coaching interventions and environments that can be applied to both practice sessions and competition.

Qualitative Collection Analysis: The Conspectus Methodology. SPEC Kit 151.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jakubs, Deborah

The introduction to this Systems and Procedures Exchange Center (SPEC) kit explains the Conspectus method, which was developed in 1980 by the Research Libraries Group (RLG) as a means of systematically and qualitatively evaluating large library collections. The discussion considers advantages and disadvantages of this tool, which evaluates past…

Methodological quality of systematic reviews on influenza vaccination.

PubMed

Remschmidt, Cornelius; Wichmann, Ole; Harder, Thomas

2014-03-26

There is a growing body of evidence on the risks and benefits of influenza vaccination in various target groups. Systematic reviews are of particular importance for policy decisions. However, their methodological quality can vary considerably. To investigate the methodological quality of systematic reviews on influenza vaccination (efficacy, effectiveness, safety) and to identify influencing factors. A systematic literature search on systematic reviews on influenza vaccination was performed, using MEDLINE, EMBASE and three additional databases (1990-2013). Review characteristics were extracted and the methodological quality of the reviews was evaluated using the assessment of multiple systematic reviews (AMSTAR) tool. U-test, Kruskal-Wallis test, chi-square test, and multivariable linear regression analysis were used to assess the influence of review characteristics on AMSTAR-score. Fourty-six systematic reviews fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Average methodological quality was high (median AMSTAR-score: 8), but variability was large (AMSTAR range: 0-11). Quality did not differ significantly according to vaccination target group. Cochrane reviews had higher methodological quality than non-Cochrane reviews (p=0.001). Detailed analysis showed that this was due to better study selection and data extraction, inclusion of unpublished studies, and better reporting of study characteristics (all p<0.05). In the adjusted analysis, no other factor, including industry sponsorship or journal impact factor had an influence on AMSTAR score. Systematic reviews on influenza vaccination showed large differences regarding their methodological quality. Reviews conducted by the Cochrane collaboration were of higher quality than others. When using systematic reviews to guide the development of vaccination recommendations, the methodological quality of a review in addition to its content should be considered. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A problem solving and decision making toolbox for approaching clinical problems and decisions.

PubMed

Margolis, C; Jotkowitz, A; Sitter, H

2004-08-01

In this paper, we begin by presenting three real patients and then review all the practical conceptual tools that have been suggested for systematically analyzing clinical problems. Each of these conceptual tools (e.g. Evidence-Based Medicine, Clinical Practice Guidelines, Decision Analysis) deals mainly with a different type or aspect of clinical problems. We suggest that all of these conceptual tools can be thought of as belonging in the clinician's toolbox for solving clinical problems and making clinical decisions. A heuristic for guiding the clinician in using the tools is proposed. The heuristic is then used to analyze management of the three patients presented at the outset. Copyright 2004 Birkhäuser Verlag, Basel

Subclinical hypothyroidism: to treat or not to treat, that is the question! A systematic review with meta-analysis on lipid profile

PubMed Central

Lau, Eva; de Sousa Pinto, Bernardo; Carvalho, Davide

2017-01-01

Previous studies suggested that subclinical hypothyroidism has a detrimental effect on cardiovascular risk factors, and that its effective treatment may have a beneficial impact on overall health. The main purpose of this review and meta-analysis was to assess whether subclinical hypothyroidism treatment is of clinical relevance, based on cardiovascular risk parameters correction. A systemic research of the literature using MEDLINE tool was performed to identify the relevant studies. Only placebo-controlled randomized control trials were included. A quantitative analysis was also performed. This systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized placebo-controlled trials assess the different impact of levothyroxine vs placebo treatment. A significant decrease in serum thyroid-stimulating hormone and total and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol was obtained with levothyroxine therapy (66, 9 and 14%, respectively) and, although modest, this could be significant in terms of reduction of the incidence of coronary artery disease. Other significant results of lipid parameters were not obtained. This systematic review provides a strong evidence-based data in favour of specific changes and beneficial effects of levothyroxine treatment. PMID:28249936

Interventional Radiology Clinical Practice Guideline Recommendations for Neurovascular Disorders Are Not Based on High-Quality Systematic Reviews.

PubMed

Chong, A B; Taylor, M; Schubert, G; Vassar, M

2017-04-01

In recent years, clinical practice guidelines have been criticized for biased interpretations of research evidence, and interventional radiology is no exception. Our aim was to evaluate the methodologic quality and transparency of reporting in systematic reviews used as evidence in interventional radiology clinical practice guidelines for neurovascular disorders from the Society of Interventional Radiology. Our sources were 9 neurovascular disorder clinical practice guidelines from the Society of Interventional Radiology. We selected 65 systematic reviews and meta-analyses. A Measurement Tool to Assess Systematic Reviews (AMSTAR) and Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) tools were used to assess the methodologic quality and reporting transparency of systematic reviews. Radial plots were created on the basis of average scores for PRISMA and AMSTAR items. On the basis of AMSTAR scores, 3 (4.62%) reviews were high-quality, 28 reviews (43.08%) were moderate-quality, and 34 reviews (52.31%) were low-quality, with an average quality score of 3.66 (34.32%; minimum, 0%; maximum, 81.82%). The average PRISMA score was 18.18 (69.41%). We were unable to obtain previous versions for 8 reviews, 7 of which were from the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. The methodologic quality of systematic reviews needs to be improved. Although reporting clarity was much better than the methodologic quality, it still has room for improvement. The methodologic quality and transparency of reporting did not vary much among clinical practice guidelines. This study can also be applied to other medical specialties to examine the quality of studies used as evidence in their own clinical practice guidelines. © 2017 by American Journal of Neuroradiology.

Teamwork Assessment Tools in Obstetric Emergencies: A Systematic Review.

PubMed

Onwochei, Desire N; Halpern, Stephen; Balki, Mrinalini

2017-06-01

Team-based training and simulation can improve patient safety, by improving communication, decision making, and performance of team members. Currently, there is no general consensus on whether or not a specific assessment tool is better adapted to evaluate teamwork in obstetric emergencies. The purpose of this qualitative systematic review was to find the tools available to assess team effectiveness in obstetric emergencies. We searched Embase, Medline, PubMed, Web of Science, PsycINFO, CINAHL, and Google Scholar for prospective studies that evaluated nontechnical skills in multidisciplinary teams involving obstetric emergencies. The search included studies from 1944 until January 11, 2016. Data on reliability and validity measures were collected and used for interpretation. A descriptive analysis was performed on the data. Thirteen studies were included in the final qualitative synthesis. All the studies assessed teams in the context of obstetric simulation scenarios, but only six included anesthetists in the simulations. One study evaluated their teamwork tool using just validity measures, five using just reliability measures, and one used both. The most reliable tools identified were the Clinical Teamwork Scale, the Global Assessment of Obstetric Team Performance, and the Global Rating Scale of performance. However, they were still lacking in terms of quality and validity. More work needs to be conducted to establish the validity of teamwork tools for nontechnical skills, and the development of an ideal tool is warranted. Further studies are required to assess how outcomes, such as performance and patient safety, are influenced when using these tools.

WONKA: objective novel complex analysis for ensembles of protein-ligand structures.

PubMed

Bradley, A R; Wall, I D; von Delft, F; Green, D V S; Deane, C M; Marsden, B D

2015-10-01

WONKA is a tool for the systematic analysis of an ensemble of protein-ligand structures. It makes the identification of conserved and unusual features within such an ensemble straightforward. WONKA uses an intuitive workflow to process structural co-ordinates. Ligand and protein features are summarised and then presented within an interactive web application. WONKA's power in consolidating and summarising large amounts of data is described through the analysis of three bromodomain datasets. Furthermore, and in contrast to many current methods, WONKA relates analysis to individual ligands, from which we find unusual and erroneous binding modes. Finally the use of WONKA as an annotation tool to share observations about structures is demonstrated. WONKA is freely available to download and install locally or can be used online at http://wonka.sgc.ox.ac.uk.

GOMA: functional enrichment analysis tool based on GO modules

PubMed Central

Huang, Qiang; Wu, Ling-Yun; Wang, Yong; Zhang, Xiang-Sun

2013-01-01

Analyzing the function of gene sets is a critical step in interpreting the results of high-throughput experiments in systems biology. A variety of enrichment analysis tools have been developed in recent years, but most output a long list of significantly enriched terms that are often redundant, making it difficult to extract the most meaningful functions. In this paper, we present GOMA, a novel enrichment analysis method based on the new concept of enriched functional Gene Ontology (GO) modules. With this method, we systematically revealed functional GO modules, i.e., groups of functionally similar GO terms, via an optimization model and then ranked them by enrichment scores. Our new method simplifies enrichment analysis results by reducing redundancy, thereby preventing inconsistent enrichment results among functionally similar terms and providing more biologically meaningful results. PMID:23237213

Text mining for search term development in systematic reviewing: A discussion of some methods and challenges.

PubMed

Stansfield, Claire; O'Mara-Eves, Alison; Thomas, James

2017-09-01

Using text mining to aid the development of database search strings for topics described by diverse terminology has potential benefits for systematic reviews; however, methods and tools for accomplishing this are poorly covered in the research methods literature. We briefly review the literature on applications of text mining for search term development for systematic reviewing. We found that the tools can be used in 5 overarching ways: improving the precision of searches; identifying search terms to improve search sensitivity; aiding the translation of search strategies across databases; searching and screening within an integrated system; and developing objectively derived search strategies. Using a case study and selected examples, we then reflect on the utility of certain technologies (term frequency-inverse document frequency and Termine, term frequency, and clustering) in improving the precision and sensitivity of searches. Challenges in using these tools are discussed. The utility of these tools is influenced by the different capabilities of the tools, the way the tools are used, and the text that is analysed. Increased awareness of how the tools perform facilitates the further development of methods for their use in systematic reviews. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Wearable inertial sensors in swimming motion analysis: a systematic review.

PubMed

de Magalhaes, Fabricio Anicio; Vannozzi, Giuseppe; Gatta, Giorgio; Fantozzi, Silvia

2015-01-01

The use of contemporary technology is widely recognised as a key tool for enhancing competitive performance in swimming. Video analysis is traditionally used by coaches to acquire reliable biomechanical data about swimming performance; however, this approach requires a huge computational effort, thus introducing a delay in providing quantitative information. Inertial and magnetic sensors, including accelerometers, gyroscopes and magnetometers, have been recently introduced to assess the biomechanics of swimming performance. Research in this field has attracted a great deal of interest in the last decade due to the gradual improvement of the performance of sensors and the decreasing cost of miniaturised wearable devices. With the aim of describing the state of the art of current developments in this area, a systematic review of the existing methods was performed using the following databases: PubMed, ISI Web of Knowledge, IEEE Xplore, Google Scholar, Scopus and Science Direct. Twenty-seven articles published in indexed journals and conference proceedings, focusing on the biomechanical analysis of swimming by means of inertial sensors were reviewed. The articles were categorised according to sensor's specification, anatomical sites where the sensors were attached, experimental design and applications for the analysis of swimming performance. Results indicate that inertial sensors are reliable tools for swimming biomechanical analyses.

MIPS: a database for genomes and protein sequences

PubMed Central

Mewes, H. W.; Frishman, D.; Güldener, U.; Mannhaupt, G.; Mayer, K.; Mokrejs, M.; Morgenstern, B.; Münsterkötter, M.; Rudd, S.; Weil, B.

2002-01-01

The Munich Information Center for Protein Sequences (MIPS-GSF, Neuherberg, Germany) continues to provide genome-related information in a systematic way. MIPS supports both national and European sequencing and functional analysis projects, develops and maintains automatically generated and manually annotated genome-specific databases, develops systematic classification schemes for the functional annotation of protein sequences, and provides tools for the comprehensive analysis of protein sequences. This report updates the information on the yeast genome (CYGD), the Neurospora crassa genome (MNCDB), the databases for the comprehensive set of genomes (PEDANT genomes), the database of annotated human EST clusters (HIB), the database of complete cDNAs from the DHGP (German Human Genome Project), as well as the project specific databases for the GABI (Genome Analysis in Plants) and HNB (Helmholtz–Netzwerk Bioinformatik) networks. The Arabidospsis thaliana database (MATDB), the database of mitochondrial proteins (MITOP) and our contribution to the PIR International Protein Sequence Database have been described elsewhere [Schoof et al. (2002) Nucleic Acids Res., 30, 91–93; Scharfe et al. (2000) Nucleic Acids Res., 28, 155–158; Barker et al. (2001) Nucleic Acids Res., 29, 29–32]. All databases described, the protein analysis tools provided and the detailed descriptions of our projects can be accessed through the MIPS World Wide Web server (http://mips.gsf.de). PMID:11752246

MIPS: a database for genomes and protein sequences.

PubMed

Mewes, H W; Frishman, D; Güldener, U; Mannhaupt, G; Mayer, K; Mokrejs, M; Morgenstern, B; Münsterkötter, M; Rudd, S; Weil, B

2002-01-01

The Munich Information Center for Protein Sequences (MIPS-GSF, Neuherberg, Germany) continues to provide genome-related information in a systematic way. MIPS supports both national and European sequencing and functional analysis projects, develops and maintains automatically generated and manually annotated genome-specific databases, develops systematic classification schemes for the functional annotation of protein sequences, and provides tools for the comprehensive analysis of protein sequences. This report updates the information on the yeast genome (CYGD), the Neurospora crassa genome (MNCDB), the databases for the comprehensive set of genomes (PEDANT genomes), the database of annotated human EST clusters (HIB), the database of complete cDNAs from the DHGP (German Human Genome Project), as well as the project specific databases for the GABI (Genome Analysis in Plants) and HNB (Helmholtz-Netzwerk Bioinformatik) networks. The Arabidospsis thaliana database (MATDB), the database of mitochondrial proteins (MITOP) and our contribution to the PIR International Protein Sequence Database have been described elsewhere [Schoof et al. (2002) Nucleic Acids Res., 30, 91-93; Scharfe et al. (2000) Nucleic Acids Res., 28, 155-158; Barker et al. (2001) Nucleic Acids Res., 29, 29-32]. All databases described, the protein analysis tools provided and the detailed descriptions of our projects can be accessed through the MIPS World Wide Web server (http://mips.gsf.de).

Can we discover double Higgs production at the LHC?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alves, Alexandre; Ghosh, Tathagata; Sinha, Kuver

2017-08-01

We explore double Higgs production via gluon fusion in the b b ¯γ γ channel at the high-luminosity LHC using machine learning tools. We first propose a Bayesian optimization approach to select cuts on kinematic variables, obtaining a 30%-50% increase in the significance compared to current results in the literature. We show that this improvement persists once systematic uncertainties are taken into account. We next use boosted decision trees (BDT) to further discriminate signal and background events. Our analysis shows that a joint optimization of kinematic cuts and BDT hyperparameters results in an appreciable improvement in the significance. Finally, we perform a multivariate analysis of the output scores of the BDT. We find that assuming a very low level of systematics, the techniques proposed here will be able to confirm the production of a pair of standard model Higgs bosons at 5 σ level with 3 ab-1 of data. Assuming a more realistic projection of the level of systematics, around 10%, the optimization of cuts to train BDTs combined with a multivariate analysis delivers a respectable significance of 4.6 σ . Even assuming large systematics of 20%, our analysis predicts a 3.6 σ significance, which represents at least strong evidence in favor of double Higgs production. We carefully incorporate background contributions coming from light flavor jets or c jets being misidentified as b jets and jets being misidentified as photons in our analysis.

Integrated modeling and analysis of the multiple electromechanical couplings for the direct driven feed system in machine tools

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Xiaojun; Lu, Dun; Liu, Hui; Zhao, Wanhua

2018-06-01

The complicated electromechanical coupling phenomena due to different kinds of causes have significant influences on the dynamic precision of the direct driven feed system in machine tools. In this paper, a novel integrated modeling and analysis method of the multiple electromechanical couplings for the direct driven feed system in machine tools is presented. At first, four different kinds of electromechanical coupling phenomena in the direct driven feed system are analyzed systematically. Then a novel integrated modeling and analysis method of the electromechanical coupling which is influenced by multiple factors is put forward. In addition, the effects of multiple electromechanical couplings on the dynamic precision of the feed system and their main influencing factors are compared and discussed, respectively. Finally, the results of modeling and analysis are verified by the experiments. It finds out that multiple electromechanical coupling loops, which are overlapped and influenced by each other, are the main reasons of the displacement fluctuations in the direct driven feed system.

Survey of basic medical researchers on the awareness of animal experimental designs and reporting standards in China.

PubMed

Ma, Bin; Xu, Jia-Ke; Wu, Wen-Jing; Liu, Hong-Yan; Kou, Cheng-Kun; Liu, Na; Zhao, Lulu

2017-01-01

To investigate the awareness and use of the Systematic Review Center for Laboratory Animal Experimentation's (SYRCLE) risk-of-bias tool, the Animal Research: Reporting of In Vivo Experiments (ARRIVE) reporting guidelines, and Gold Standard Publication Checklist (GSPC) in China in basic medical researchers of animal experimental studies. A national questionnaire-based survey targeting basic medical researchers was carried in China to investigate the basic information and awareness of SYRCLE's risk of bias tool, ARRIVE guidelines, GSPC, and animal experimental bias risk control factors. The EpiData3.1 software was used for data entry, and Microsoft Excel 2013 was used for statistical analysis in this study. The number of cases (n) and percentage (%) of classified information were statistically described, and the comparison between groups (i.e., current students vs. research staff) was performed using chi-square test. A total of 298 questionnaires were distributed, and 272 responses were received, which included 266 valid questionnaires (from 118 current students and 148 research staff). Among the 266 survey participants, only 15.8% was aware of the SYRCLE's risk of bias tool, with significant difference between the two groups (P = 0.003), and the awareness rates of ARRIVE guidelines and GSPC were only 9.4% and 9.0%, respectively; 58.6% survey participants believed that the reports of animal experimental studies in Chinese literature were inadequate, with significant difference between the two groups (P = 0.004). In addition, only approximately 1/3 of the survey participants had read systematic reviews and meta-analysis reports of animal experimental studies; only 16/266 (6.0%) had carried out/participated in and 11/266 (4.1%) had published systematic reviews/meta-analysis of animal experimental studies. The awareness and use rates of SYRCLE's risk-of-bias tool, the ARRIVE guidelines, and the GSPC were low among Chinese basic medical researchers. Therefore, specific measures are necessary to promote and popularize these standards and specifications and to introduce these standards into guidelines of Chinese domestic journals as soon as possible to raise awareness and increase use rates of researchers and journal editors, thereby improving the quality of animal experimental methods and reports.

Health System Decision Makers' Feedback on Summaries and Tools Supporting the Use of Systematic Reviews: A Qualitative Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ellen, Moriah E.; Lavis, John N.; Wilson, Michael G.; Grimshaw, Jeremy; Haynes, R. Brian; Ouimet, Mathieu; Raina, Parminder; Gruen, Russell

2014-01-01

Health system managers and policy makers need timely access to high quality, policy-relevant systematic reviews. Our objectives were to obtain managers' and policy makers' feedback about user-friendly summaries of systematic reviews and about tools related to supporting or assessing their use. Our interviews identified that participants prefer key…

The risk of bias in systematic reviews tool showed fair reliability and good construct validity.

PubMed

Bühn, Stefanie; Mathes, Tim; Prengel, Peggy; Wegewitz, Uta; Ostermann, Thomas; Robens, Sibylle; Pieper, Dawid

2017-11-01

There is a movement from generic quality checklists toward a more domain-based approach in critical appraisal tools. This study aimed to report on a first experience with the newly developed risk of bias in systematic reviews (ROBIS) tool and compare it with A Measurement Tool to Assess Systematic Reviews (AMSTAR), that is, the most common used tool to assess methodological quality of systematic reviews while assessing validity, reliability, and applicability. Validation study with four reviewers based on 16 systematic reviews in the field of occupational health. Interrater reliability (IRR) of all four raters was highest for domain 2 (Fleiss' kappa κ = 0.56) and lowest for domain 4 (κ = 0.04). For ROBIS, median IRR was κ = 0.52 (range 0.13-0.88) for the experienced pair of raters compared to κ = 0.32 (range 0.12-0.76) for the less experienced pair of raters. The percentage of "yes" scores of each review of ROBIS ratings was strongly correlated with the AMSTAR ratings (r s  = 0.76; P = 0.01). ROBIS has fair reliability and good construct validity to assess the risk of bias in systematic reviews. More validation studies are needed to investigate reliability and applicability, in particular. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A guide to the visual analysis and communication of biomolecular structural data.

PubMed

Johnson, Graham T; Hertig, Samuel

2014-10-01

Biologists regularly face an increasingly difficult task - to effectively communicate bigger and more complex structural data using an ever-expanding suite of visualization tools. Whether presenting results to peers or educating an outreach audience, a scientist can achieve maximal impact with minimal production time by systematically identifying an audience's needs, planning solutions from a variety of visual communication techniques and then applying the most appropriate software tools. A guide to available resources that range from software tools to professional illustrators can help researchers to generate better figures and presentations tailored to any audience's needs, and enable artistically inclined scientists to create captivating outreach imagery.

Student Evaluation of Teaching: A Study Exploring Student Rating Instrument Free-Form Text Comments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stupans, Ieva; McGuren, Therese; Babey, Anna Marie

2016-01-01

Student rating instruments are recognised to be valid indicators of effective instruction, providing a valuable tool to improve teaching. However, free-form text comments obtained from the open-ended question component of such surveys are only infrequently analysed comprehensively. We employed an innovative, systematic approach to the analysis of…

DACUM: Bridging the Gap between Work and High Performance.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Norton, Robert E.; McLennan, Krystyna S.

The DACUM (Developing A Curriculum) occupational analysis process provides a systematic way to look at worker duties and tasks so that important knowledge, skills, standards, tools, and attitudes can be handed on to the next generation of workers. Revamped by The Ohio State University's Center on Education and Training for Employment, DACUM…

Task Analysis: A Systematic Approach to Designing New Careers Programs.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jackson, Vivian C.

This guide presents the primary approaches, tools, and techniques utilized by the New Careers Training Laboratory (NCTL) staff to provide skills in training and to conduct agency task analyses. Much of the technical information has been taken from an earlier NCTL publication by Tita Beal, "A New Careers Guide for Career Development…

A Systematic Analysis of Paraprofessional Job Expectations: Development of the Paraprofessional Survey of Expectations Tool (P-SET)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Christenson, Angela Maxine

2013-01-01

With increased accountability due to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA), the provision of services to children with disabilities in the least restrictive environment is necessary to ensuring an inclusive, free appropriate public education. Paraprofessionals are increasingly utilized as service providers for children…

Randomization and Data-Analysis Items in Quality Standards for Single-Case Experimental Studies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Heyvaert, Mieke; Wendt, Oliver; Van den Noortgate, Wim; Onghena, Patrick

2015-01-01

Reporting standards and critical appraisal tools serve as beacons for researchers, reviewers, and research consumers. Parallel to existing guidelines for researchers to report and evaluate group-comparison studies, single-case experimental (SCE) researchers are in need of guidelines for reporting and evaluating SCE studies. A systematic search was…

Decision-making tools in prostate cancer: from risk grouping to nomograms.

PubMed

Fontanella, Paolo; Benecchi, Luigi; Grasso, Angelica; Patel, Vipul; Albala, David; Abbou, Claude; Porpiglia, Francesco; Sandri, Marco; Rocco, Bernardo; Bianchi, Giampaolo

2017-12-01

Prostate cancer (PCa) is the most common solid neoplasm and the second leading cause of cancer death in men. After the Partin tables were developed, a number of predictive and prognostic tools became available for risk stratification. These tools have allowed the urologist to better characterize this disease and lead to more confident treatment decisions for patients. The purpose of this study is to critically review the decision-making tools currently available to the urologist, from the moment when PCa is first diagnosed until patients experience metastatic progression and death. A systematic and critical analysis through Medline, EMBASE, Scopus and Web of Science databases was carried out in February 2016 as per the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement. The search was conducted using the following key words: "prostate cancer," "prediction tools," "nomograms." Seventy-two studies were identified in the literature search. We summarized the results into six sections: Tools for prediction of life expectancy (before treatment), Tools for prediction of pathological stage (before treatment), Tools for prediction of survival and cancer-specific mortality (before/after treatment), Tools for prediction of biochemical recurrence (before/after treatment), Tools for prediction of metastatic progression (after treatment) and in the last section biomarkers and genomics. The management of PCa patients requires a tailored approach to deliver a truly personalized treatment. The currently available tools are of great help in helping the urologist in the decision-making process. These tests perform very well in high-grade and low-grade disease, while for intermediate-grade disease further research is needed. Newly discovered markers, genomic tests, and advances in imaging acquisition through mpMRI will help in instilling confidence that the appropriate treatments are being offered to patients with prostate cancer.

Methodology to assess clinical liver safety data.

PubMed

Merz, Michael; Lee, Kwan R; Kullak-Ublick, Gerd A; Brueckner, Andreas; Watkins, Paul B

2014-11-01

Analysis of liver safety data has to be multivariate by nature and needs to take into account time dependency of observations. Current standard tools for liver safety assessment such as summary tables, individual data listings, and narratives address these requirements to a limited extent only. Using graphics in the context of a systematic workflow including predefined graph templates is a valuable addition to standard instruments, helping to ensure completeness of evaluation, and supporting both hypothesis generation and testing. Employing graphical workflows interactively allows analysis in a team-based setting and facilitates identification of the most suitable graphics for publishing and regulatory reporting. Another important tool is statistical outlier detection, accounting for the fact that for assessment of Drug-Induced Liver Injury, identification and thorough evaluation of extreme values has much more relevance than measures of central tendency in the data. Taken together, systematical graphical data exploration and statistical outlier detection may have the potential to significantly improve assessment and interpretation of clinical liver safety data. A workshop was convened to discuss best practices for the assessment of drug-induced liver injury (DILI) in clinical trials.

Measurement tools for the diagnosis of nasal septal deviation: a systematic review

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Objective To perform a systematic review of measurement tools utilized for the diagnosis of nasal septal deviation (NSD). Methods Electronic database searches were performed using MEDLINE (from 1966 to second week of August 2013), EMBASE (from 1966 to second week of August 2013), Web of Science (from 1945 to second week of August 2013) and all Evidence Based Medicine Reviews Files (EBMR); Cochrane Database of Systematic Review (CDSR), Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CCTR), Cochrane Methodology Register (CMR), Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effects (DARE), American College of Physicians Journal Club (ACP Journal Club), Health Technology Assessments (HTA), NHS Economic Evaluation Database (NHSEED) till the second quarter of 2013. The search terms used in database searches were ‘nasal septum’, ‘deviation’, ‘diagnosis’, ‘nose deformities’ and ‘nose malformation’. The studies were reviewed using the updated Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies (QUADAS-2) tool. Results Online searches resulted in 23 abstracts after removal of duplicates that resulted from overlap of studies between the electronic databases. An additional 15 abstracts were excluded due to lack of relevance. A total of 8 studies were systematically reviewed. Conclusions Diagnostic modalities such as acoustic rhinometry, rhinomanometry and nasal spectral sound analysis may be useful in identifying NSD in anterior region of the nasal cavity, but these tests in isolation are of limited utility. Compared to anterior rhinoscopy, nasal endoscopy, and imaging the above mentioned index tests lack sensitivity and specificity in identifying the presence, location, and severity of NSD. PMID:24762010

A systematic literature review of the situation of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health and the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health-Children and Youth version in education: a useful tool or a flight of fancy?

PubMed

Moretti, Marta; Alves, Ines; Maxwell, Gregor

2012-02-01

This article presents the outcome of a systematic literature review exploring the applicability of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF) and its Children and Youth version (ICF-CY) at various levels and in processes within the education systems in different countries. A systematic database search using selected search terms has been used. The selection of studies was then refined further using four protocols: inclusion and exclusion protocols at abstract and full text and extraction levels along with a quality protocol. Studies exploring the direct relationship between education and the ICF/ICF-CY were sought.As expected, the results show a strong presence of studies from English-speaking countries, namely from Europe and North America. The articles were mainly published in noneducational journals. The most used ICF/ICF-CY components are activity and participation, participation, and environmental factors. From the analysis of the papers included, the results show that the ICF/ICF-CY is currently used as a research tool, theoretical framework, and tool for implementing educational processes. The ICF/ICF-CY can provide a useful language to the education field where there is currently a lot of disparity in theoretical, praxis, and research issues. Although the systematic literature review does not report a high incidence of the use of the ICF/ICF-CY in education, the results show that the ICF/ICF-CY model and classification have potential to be applied in education systems.

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.

Process-level improvements in CMIP5 models and their impact on tropical variability, the Southern Ocean, and monsoons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lauer, Axel; Jones, Colin; Eyring, Veronika; Evaldsson, Martin; Hagemann, Stefan; Mäkelä, Jarmo; Martin, Gill; Roehrig, Romain; Wang, Shiyu

2018-01-01

The performance of updated versions of the four earth system models (ESMs) CNRM, EC-Earth, HadGEM, and MPI-ESM is assessed in comparison to their predecessor versions used in Phase 5 of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project. The Earth System Model Evaluation Tool (ESMValTool) is applied to evaluate selected climate phenomena in the models against observations. This is the first systematic application of the ESMValTool to assess and document the progress made during an extensive model development and improvement project. This study focuses on the South Asian monsoon (SAM) and the West African monsoon (WAM), the coupled equatorial climate, and Southern Ocean clouds and radiation, which are known to exhibit systematic biases in present-day ESMs. The analysis shows that the tropical precipitation in three out of four models is clearly improved. Two of three updated coupled models show an improved representation of tropical sea surface temperatures with one coupled model not exhibiting a double Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ). Simulated cloud amounts and cloud-radiation interactions are improved over the Southern Ocean. Improvements are also seen in the simulation of the SAM and WAM, although systematic biases remain in regional details and the timing of monsoon rainfall. Analysis of simulations with EC-Earth at different horizontal resolutions from T159 up to T1279 shows that the synoptic-scale variability in precipitation over the SAM and WAM regions improves with higher model resolution. The results suggest that the reasonably good agreement of modeled and observed mean WAM and SAM rainfall in lower-resolution models may be a result of unrealistic intensity distributions.

A systematic approach to infer biological relevance and biases of gene network structures.

PubMed

Antonov, Alexey V; Tetko, Igor V; Mewes, Hans W

2006-01-10

The development of high-throughput technologies has generated the need for bioinformatics approaches to assess the biological relevance of gene networks. Although several tools have been proposed for analysing the enrichment of functional categories in a set of genes, none of them is suitable for evaluating the biological relevance of the gene network. We propose a procedure and develop a web-based resource (BIOREL) to estimate the functional bias (biological relevance) of any given genetic network by integrating different sources of biological information. The weights of the edges in the network may be either binary or continuous. These essential features make our web tool unique among many similar services. BIOREL provides standardized estimations of the network biases extracted from independent data. By the analyses of real data we demonstrate that the potential application of BIOREL ranges from various benchmarking purposes to systematic analysis of the network biology.

Leadership requirements for Lean versus servant leadership in health care: a systematic review of the literature.

PubMed

Aij, Kjeld Harald; Rapsaniotis, Sofia

2017-01-01

As health care organizations face pressures to improve quality and efficiency while reducing costs, leaders are adopting management techniques and tools used in manufacturing and other industries, especially Lean. Successful Lean leaders appear to use a coaching leadership style that shares underlying principles with servant leadership. There is little information about specific similarities and differences between Lean and servant leaderships. We systematically reviewed the literature on Lean leadership, servant leadership, and health care and performed a comparative analysis of attributes using Russell and Stone's leadership framework. We found significant overlap between the two leadership styles, although there were notable differences in origins, philosophy, characteristics and behaviors, and tools. We conclude that both Lean and servant leaderships are promising models that can contribute to the delivery of patient-centered, high-value care. Servant leadership may provide the means to engage and develop employees to become successful Lean leaders in health care organizations.

Methodological Quality of Systematic Reviews in Subfertility: A Comparison of Two Different Approaches

PubMed Central

Popovich, Ivor; Windsor, Bethany; Jordan, Vanessa; Showell, Marian; Shea, Bev; Farquhar, Cynthia M.

2012-01-01

Background Systematic reviews are used widely to guide health care decisions. Several tools have been created to assess systematic review quality. The measurement tool for assessing the methodological quality of systematic reviews known as the AMSTAR tool applies a yes/no score to eleven relevant domains of review methodology. This tool has been reworked so that each domain is scored based on a four point scale, producing R-AMSTAR. Methods and Findings We aimed to compare the AMSTAR and R-AMSTAR tools in assessing systematic reviews in the field of assisted reproduction for subfertility. All published systematic reviews on assisted reproductive technology, with the latest search for studies taking place from 2007–2011, were considered. Reviews that contained no included studies or considered diagnostic outcomes were excluded. Thirty each of Cochrane and non-Cochrane reviews were randomly selected from a search of relevant databases. Both tools were then applied to all sixty reviews. The results were converted to percentage scores and all reviews graded and ranked based on this. AMSTAR produced a much wider variation in percentage scores and achieved higher inter-rater reliability than R-AMSTAR according to kappa statistics. The average rating for Cochrane reviews was consistent between the two tools (88.3% for R-AMSTAR versus 83.6% for AMSTAR) but inconsistent for non-Cochrane reviews (63.9% R-AMSTAR vs. 38.5% AMSTAR). In comparing the rankings generated between the two tools Cochrane reviews changed an average of 4.2 places, compared to 2.9 for non-Cochrane. Conclusion R-AMSTAR provided greater guidance in the assessment of domains and produced quantitative results. However, there were many problems with the construction of its criteria and AMSTAR was much easier to apply consistently. We recommend that AMSTAR incorporates the findings of this study and produces additional guidance for its application in order to improve its reliability and usefulness. PMID:23300526

Modeling Criminal Activity in Urban Landscapes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brantingham, Patricia; Glässer, Uwe; Jackson, Piper; Vajihollahi, Mona

Computational and mathematical methods arguably have an enormous potential for serving practical needs in crime analysis and prevention by offering novel tools for crime investigations and experimental platforms for evidence-based policy making. We present a comprehensive formal framework and tool support for mathematical and computational modeling of criminal behavior to facilitate systematic experimental studies of a wide range of criminal activities in urban environments. The focus is on spatial and temporal aspects of different forms of crime, including opportunistic and serial violent crimes. However, the proposed framework provides a basis to push beyond conventional empirical research and engage the use of computational thinking and social simulations in the analysis of terrorism and counter-terrorism.

Tools used to assess medical students competence in procedural skills at the end of a primary medical degree: a systematic review.

PubMed

Morris, Marie C; Gallagher, Tom K; Ridgway, Paul F

2012-01-01

The objective was to systematically review the literature to identify and grade tools used for the end point assessment of procedural skills (e.g., phlebotomy, IV cannulation, suturing) competence in medical students prior to certification. The authors searched eight bibliographic databases electronically - ERIC, Medline, CINAHL, EMBASE, Psychinfo, PsychLIT, EBM Reviews and the Cochrane databases. Two reviewers independently reviewed the literature to identify procedural assessment tools used specifically for assessing medical students within the PRISMA framework, the inclusion/exclusion criteria and search period. Papers on OSATS and DOPS were excluded as they focused on post-registration assessment and clinical rather than simulated competence. Of 659 abstracted articles 56 identified procedural assessment tools. Only 11 specifically assessed medical students. The final 11 studies consisted of 1 randomised controlled trial, 4 comparative and 6 descriptive studies yielding 12 heterogeneous procedural assessment tools for analysis. Seven tools addressed four discrete pre-certification skills, basic suture (3), airway management (2), nasogastric tube insertion (1) and intravenous cannulation (1). One tool used a generic assessment of procedural skills. Two tools focused on postgraduate laparoscopic skills and one on osteopathic students and thus were not included in this review. The levels of evidence are low with regard to reliability - κ = 0.65-0.71 and minimum validity is achieved - face and content. In conclusion, there are no tools designed specifically to assess competence of procedural skills in a final certification examination. There is a need to develop standardised tools with proven reliability and validity for assessment of procedural skills competence at the end of medical training. Medicine graduates must have comparable levels of procedural skills acquisition entering the clinical workforce irrespective of the country of training.

Tool Support for Parametric Analysis of Large Software Simulation Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schumann, Johann; Gundy-Burlet, Karen; Pasareanu, Corina; Menzies, Tim; Barrett, Tony

2008-01-01

The analysis of large and complex parameterized software systems, e.g., systems simulation in aerospace, is very complicated and time-consuming due to the large parameter space, and the complex, highly coupled nonlinear nature of the different system components. Thus, such systems are generally validated only in regions local to anticipated operating points rather than through characterization of the entire feasible operational envelope of the system. We have addressed the factors deterring such an analysis with a tool to support envelope assessment: we utilize a combination of advanced Monte Carlo generation with n-factor combinatorial parameter variations to limit the number of cases, but still explore important interactions in the parameter space in a systematic fashion. Additional test-cases, automatically generated from models (e.g., UML, Simulink, Stateflow) improve the coverage. The distributed test runs of the software system produce vast amounts of data, making manual analysis impossible. Our tool automatically analyzes the generated data through a combination of unsupervised Bayesian clustering techniques (AutoBayes) and supervised learning of critical parameter ranges using the treatment learner TAR3. The tool has been developed around the Trick simulation environment, which is widely used within NASA. We will present this tool with a GN&C (Guidance, Navigation and Control) simulation of a small satellite system.

[The grounded theory as a methodological alternative for nursing research].

PubMed

dos Santos, Sérgio Ribeiro; da Nóbrega, Maria Miriam

2002-01-01

This study presents a method of interpretative and systematic research with appliance to the development of studies in nursing called "the grounded theory", whose theoretical support is the symbolic interactionism. The purpose of the paper is to describe the grounded theory as an alternative methodology for the construction of knowledge in nursing. The study highlights four topics: the basic principle, the basic concepts, the trajectory of the method and the process of analysis of the data. We conclude that the systematization of data and its interpretation, based on social actors' experience, constitute strong subsidies to generate theories through this research tool.

Participant comprehension of research for which they volunteer: a systematic review.

PubMed

Montalvo, Wanda; Larson, Elaine

2014-11-01

Evidence indicates that research participants often do not fully understand the studies for which they have volunteered. The aim of this systematic review was to examine the relationship between the process of obtaining informed consent for research and participant comprehension and satisfaction with the research. Systematic review of published research on informed consent and participant comprehension of research for which they volunteer using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) Statement as a guide. PubMed, Cumulative Index for Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trails, and Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews were used to search the literature for studies meeting the following inclusion criteria: (a) published between January 1, 2006, and December 31, 2013, (b) interventional or descriptive quantitative design, (c) published in a peer-reviewed journal, (d) written in English, and (e) assessed participant comprehension or satisfaction with the research process. Studies were assessed for quality using seven indicators: sampling method, use of controls or comparison groups, response rate, description of intervention, description of outcome, statistical method, and health literacy assessment. Of 176 studies identified, 27 met inclusion criteria: 13 (48%) were randomized interventional designs and 14 (52%) were descriptive. Three categories of studies included projects assessing (a) enhanced consent process or form, (b) multimedia methods, and (c) education to improve participant understanding. Most (78%) used investigator-developed tools to assess participant comprehension, did not assess participant health literacy (74%), or did not assess the readability level of the consent form (89%). Researchers found participants lacked basic understanding of research elements: randomization, placebo, risks, and therapeutic misconception. Findings indicate (a) inconsistent assessment of participant reading or health literacy level, (b) measurement variation associated with use of nonstandardized tools, and (c) continued therapeutic misconception and lack of understanding among research participants of randomization, placebo, benefit, and risk. While the Agency for Healthcare and Quality and National Quality Forum have published informed consent and authorization toolkits, previously published validated tools are underutilized. Informed consent requires the assessment of health literacy, reading level, and comprehension of research participants using validated assessment tools and methods. © 2014 Sigma Theta Tau International.

Measuring laboratory-based influenza surveillance capacity: development of the 'International Influenza Laboratory Capacity Review' Tool.

PubMed

Muir-Paulik, S A; Johnson, L E A; Kennedy, P; Aden, T; Villanueva, J; Reisdorf, E; Humes, R; Moen, A C

2016-01-01

The 2005 International Health Regulations (IHR 2005) emphasized the importance of laboratory capacity to detect emerging diseases including novel influenza viruses. To support IHR 2005 requirements and the need to enhance influenza laboratory surveillance capacity, the Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Influenza Division developed the International Influenza Laboratory Capacity Review (Tool). Data from 37 assessments were reviewed and analyzed to verify that the quantitative analysis results accurately depicted a laboratory's capacity and capabilities. Subject matter experts in influenza and laboratory practice used an iterative approach to develop the Tool incorporating feedback and lessons learnt through piloting and implementation. To systematically analyze assessment data, a quantitative framework for analysis was added to the Tool. The review indicated that changes in scores consistently reflected enhanced or decreased capacity. The review process also validated the utility of adding a quantitative analysis component to the assessments and the benefit of establishing a baseline from which to compare future assessments in a standardized way. Use of the Tool has provided APHL, CDC and each assessed laboratory with a standardized analysis of the laboratory's capacity. The information generated is used to improve laboratory systems for laboratory testing and enhance influenza surveillance globally. We describe the development of the Tool and lessons learnt. Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Comparison of methodological quality rating of systematic reviews on neuropathic pain using AMSTAR and R-AMSTAR.

PubMed

Dosenovic, Svjetlana; Jelicic Kadic, Antonia; Vucic, Katarina; Markovina, Nikolina; Pieper, Dawid; Puljak, Livia

2018-05-08

Systematic reviews (SRs) in the field of neuropathic pain (NeuP) are increasingly important for decision-making. However, methodological flaws in SRs can reduce the validity of conclusions. Hence, it is important to assess the methodological quality of NeuP SRs critically. Additionally, it remains unclear which assessment tool should be used. We studied the methodological quality of SRs published in the field of NeuP and compared two assessment tools. We systematically searched 5 electronic databases to identify SRs of randomized controlled trials of interventions for NeuP available up to March 2015. Two independent reviewers assessed the methodological quality of the studies using the Assessment of Multiple Systematic Reviews (AMSTAR) and the revised AMSTAR (R-AMSTAR) tools. The scores were converted to percentiles and ranked into 4 grades to allow comparison between the two checklists. Gwet's AC1 coefficient was used for interrater reliability assessment. The 97 included SRs had a wide range of methodological quality scores (AMSTAR median (IQR): 6 (5-8) vs. R-AMSTAR median (IQR): 30 (26-35)). The overall agreement score between the 2 raters was 0.62 (95% CI 0.39-0.86) for AMSTAR and 0.62 (95% CI 0.53-0.70) for R-AMSTAR. The 31 Cochrane systematic reviews (CSRs) were consistently ranked higher than the 66 non-Cochrane systematic reviews (NCSRs). The analysis of individual domains showed the best compliance in a comprehensive literature search (item 3) on both checklists. The results for the domain that was the least compliant differed: conflict of interest (item 11) was the item most poorly reported on AMSTAR vs. publication bias assessment (item 10) on R-AMSTAR. A high positive correlation between the total AMSTAR and R-AMSTAR scores for all SRs, as well as for CSRs and NCSRs, was observed. The methodological quality of analyzed SRs in the field of NeuP was not optimal, and CSRs had a higher quality than NCSRs. Both AMSTAR and R-AMSTAR tools produced comparable quality ratings. Our results point out to weaknesses in the methodology of existing SRs on interventions for the management NeuP and call for future improvement by better adherence to analyzed quality checklists, either AMSTAR or R-AMSTAR.

Development and psychometric evaluation of a cardiovascular risk and disease management knowledge assessment tool.

PubMed

Rosneck, James S; Hughes, Joel; Gunstad, John; Josephson, Richard; Noe, Donald A; Waechter, Donna

2014-01-01

This article describes the systematic construction and psychometric analysis of a knowledge assessment instrument for phase II cardiac rehabilitation (CR) patients measuring risk modification disease management knowledge and behavioral outcomes derived from national standards relevant to secondary prevention and management of cardiovascular disease. First, using adult curriculum based on disease-specific learning outcomes and competencies, a systematic test item development process was completed by clinical staff. Second, a panel of educational and clinical experts used an iterative process to identify test content domain and arrive at consensus in selecting items meeting criteria. Third, the resulting 31-question instrument, the Cardiac Knowledge Assessment Tool (CKAT), was piloted in CR patients to ensure use of application. Validity and reliability analyses were performed on 3638 adults before test administrations with additional focused analyses on 1999 individuals completing both pretreatment and posttreatment administrations within 6 months. Evidence of CKAT content validity was substantiated, with 85% agreement among content experts. Evidence of construct validity was demonstrated via factor analysis identifying key underlying factors. Estimates of internal consistency, for example, Cronbach's α = .852 and Spearman-Brown split-half reliability = 0.817 on pretesting, support test reliability. Item analysis, using point biserial correlation, measured relationships between performance on single items and total score (P < .01). Analyses using item difficulty and item discrimination indices further verified item stability and validity of the CKAT. A knowledge instrument specifically designed for an adult CR population was systematically developed and tested in a large representative patient population, satisfying psychometric parameters, including validity and reliability.

Effectiveness of knowledge translation tools addressing multiple high-burden chronic diseases affecting older adults: protocol for a systematic review alongside a realist review

PubMed Central

Kastner, Monika; Perrier, Laure; Hamid, Jemila; Tricco, Andrea C; Cardoso, Roberta; Ivers, Noah M; Liu, Barbara; Marr, Sharon; Holroyd-Leduc, Jayna; Wong, Geoff; Graves, Lisa; Straus, Sharon E

2015-01-01

Introduction The burden of chronic disease is a global phenomenon, particularly among people aged 65 years and older. More than half of older adults have more than one chronic disease and their care is not optimal. Chronic disease management (CDM) tools have the potential to meet this challenge but they are primarily focused on a single disease, which fails to address the growing number of seniors with multiple chronic conditions. Methods and analysis We will conduct a systematic review alongside a realist review to identify effective CDM tools that integrate one or more high-burden chronic diseases affecting older adults and to better understand for whom, under what circumstances, how and why they produce their outcomes. We will search MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, AgeLine and the Cochrane Library for experimental, quasi-experimental, observational and qualitative studies in any language investigating CDM tools that facilitate optimal disease management in one or more high-burden chronic diseases affecting adults aged ≥65 years. Study selection will involve calibration of reviewers to ensure reliability of screening and duplicate assessment of articles. Data abstraction and risk of bias assessment will also be performed independently. Analysis will include descriptive summaries of study and appraisal characteristics, effectiveness of each CDM tool (meta-analysis if appropriate); and a realist programme theory will be developed and refined to explain the outcome patterns within the included studies. Ethics and dissemination Ethics approval is not required for this study. We anticipate that our findings, pertaining to gaps in care across high-burden chronic diseases affecting seniors and highlighting specific areas that may require more research, will be of interest to a wide range of knowledge users and stakeholders. We will publish and present our findings widely, and also plan more active dissemination strategies such as workshops with our key stakeholders. Trial registration number Our protocol is registered with PROSPERO (registration number CRD42014014489). PMID:25649215

Systematic and Scalable Testing of Concurrent Programs

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-12-16

The evaluation of CHESS [107] checked eight different programs ranging from process management libraries to a distributed execution engine to a research...tool (§3.1) targets systematic testing of scheduling nondeterminism in multi- threaded components of the Omega cluster management system [129], while...tool for systematic testing of multithreaded com- ponents of the Omega cluster management system [129]. In particular, §3.1.1 defines a model for

Does consideration and assessment of effects on health equity affect the conclusions of systematic reviews? A methodology study.

PubMed

Welch, Vivian; Petticrew, Mark; Ueffing, Erin; Benkhalti Jandu, Maria; Brand, Kevin; Dhaliwal, Bharbhoor; Kristjansson, Elizabeth; Smylie, Janet; Wells, George Anthony; Tugwell, Peter

2012-01-01

Tackling health inequities both within and between countries remains high on the agenda of international organizations including the World Health Organization and local, regional and national governments. Systematic reviews can be a useful tool to assess effects on equity in health status because they include studies conducted in a variety of settings and populations. This study aims to describe the extent to which the impacts of health interventions on equity in health status are considered in systematic reviews, describe methods used, and assess the implications of their equity related findings for policy, practice and research. We conducted a methodology study of equity assessment in systematic reviews. Two independent reviewers extracted information on the reporting and analysis of impacts of health interventions on equity in health status in a group of 300 systematic reviews collected from all systematic reviews indexed in one month of MEDLINE, using a pre-tested data collection form. Any differences in data extraction were resolved by discussion. Of the 300 systematic reviews, 224 assessed the effectiveness of interventions on health outcomes. Of these 224 reviews, 29 systematic reviews assessed effects on equity in health status using subgroup analysis or targeted analyses of vulnerable populations. Of these, seven conducted subgroup analyses related to health equity which were reported in insufficient detail to judge their credibility. Of these 29 reviews, 18 described implications for policy and practice based on assessment of effects on health equity. The quality and completeness of reporting should be enhanced as a priority, because without this policymakers and practitioners will continue lack the evidence base they need to inform decision-making about health inequity. Furthermore, there is a need to develop methods to systematically consider impacts on equity in health status that is currently lacking in systematic reviews.

Pedagogical Approach to the Modeling and Simulation of Oscillating Chemical Systems with Modern Software: The Brusselator Model

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lozano-Parada, Jaime H.; Burnham, Helen; Martinez, Fiderman Machuca

2018-01-01

A classical nonlinear system, the "Brusselator", was used to illustrate the modeling and simulation of oscillating chemical systems using stability analysis techniques with modern software tools such as Comsol Multiphysics, Matlab, and Excel. A systematic approach is proposed in order to establish a regime of parametric conditions that…

What Has Finite Element Analysis Taught Us about Diabetic Foot Disease and Its Management? A Systematic Review

PubMed Central

Telfer, Scott; Erdemir, Ahmet; Woodburn, James; Cavanagh, Peter R.

2014-01-01

Background Over the past two decades finite element (FE) analysis has become a popular tool for researchers seeking to simulate the biomechanics of the healthy and diabetic foot. The primary aims of these simulations have been to improve our understanding of the foot’s complicated mechanical loading in health and disease and to inform interventions designed to prevent plantar ulceration, a major complication of diabetes. This article provides a systematic review and summary of the findings from FE analysis-based computational simulations of the diabetic foot. Methods A systematic literature search was carried out and 31 relevant articles were identified covering three primary themes: methodological aspects relevant to modelling the diabetic foot; investigations of the pathomechanics of the diabetic foot; and simulation-based design of interventions to reduce ulceration risk. Results Methodological studies illustrated appropriate use of FE analysis for simulation of foot mechanics, incorporating nonlinear tissue mechanics, contact and rigid body movements. FE studies of pathomechanics have provided estimates of internal soft tissue stresses, and suggest that such stresses may often be considerably larger than those measured at the plantar surface and are proportionally greater in the diabetic foot compared to controls. FE analysis allowed evaluation of insole performance and development of new insole designs, footwear and corrective surgery to effectively provide intervention strategies. The technique also presents the opportunity to simulate the effect of changes associated with the diabetic foot on non-mechanical factors such as blood supply to local tissues. Discussion While significant advancement in diabetic foot research has been made possible by the use of FE analysis, translational utility of this powerful tool for routine clinical care at the patient level requires adoption of cost-effective (both in terms of labour and computation) and reliable approaches with clear clinical validity for decision making. PMID:25290098

Development and Exploration of a Regional Stormwater BMP Performance Database to Parameterize an Integrated Decision Support Tool (i-DST)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bell, C.; Li, Y.; Lopez, E.; Hogue, T. S.

2017-12-01

Decision support tools that quantitatively estimate the cost and performance of infrastructure alternatives are valuable for urban planners. Such a tool is needed to aid in planning stormwater projects to meet diverse goals such as the regulation of stormwater runoff and its pollutants, minimization of economic costs, and maximization of environmental and social benefits in the communities served by the infrastructure. This work gives a brief overview of an integrated decision support tool, called i-DST, that is currently being developed to serve this need. This presentation focuses on the development of a default database for the i-DST that parameterizes water quality treatment efficiency of stormwater best management practices (BMPs) by region. Parameterizing the i-DST by region will allow the tool to perform accurate simulations in all parts of the United States. A national dataset of BMP performance is analyzed to determine which of a series of candidate regionalizations explains the most variance in the national dataset. The data used in the regionalization analysis comes from the International Stormwater BMP Database and data gleaned from an ongoing systematic review of peer-reviewed and gray literature. In addition to identifying a regionalization scheme for water quality performance parameters in the i-DST, our review process will also provide example methods and protocols for systematic reviews in the field of Earth Science.

Automated Hazard Analysis

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

Riddle, F. J.

2003-06-26

The Automated Hazard Analysis (AHA) application is a software tool used to conduct job hazard screening and analysis of tasks to be performed in Savannah River Site facilities. The AHA application provides a systematic approach to the assessment of safety and environmental hazards associated with specific tasks, and the identification of controls regulations, and other requirements needed to perform those tasks safely. AHA is to be integrated into existing Savannah River site work control and job hazard analysis processes. Utilization of AHA will improve the consistency and completeness of hazard screening and analysis, and increase the effectiveness of the workmore » planning process.« less

Improving antibiotic prescribing by general practitioners: a protocol for a systematic review of interventions involving pharmacists

PubMed Central

Saha, Sajal K; Hawes, Lesley; Mazza, Danielle

2018-01-01

Introduction Effective antibiotic options in general practice for patients with infections are declining significantly due to antibiotic over-prescribing and emerging antibiotic resistance. To better improve antibiotic prescribing by general practitioner (GP), pharmacist–GP collaborations have been promoted under antibiotic stewardship programmes. However, there is insufficient information about whether and how pharmacists help GPs to more appropriately prescribe antibiotics. This systematic review aims to determine whether pharmacist-led or pharmacist-involved interventions are effective at improving antibiotic prescribing by GPs. Methods and analysis A systematic review of English language randomised controlled trials (RCTs), cluster RCTs, controlled before-and-after studies and interrupted time series studies cited in MEDLINE, EMBASE, EMCARE, CINAHL Plus, PubMed, PsycINFO, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials and Web of Science databases will be conducted. Studies will be included if a pharmacist is involved as the intervention provider and GPs are the intervention recipients in general practice setting. Data extraction and management will be conducted using Effective Practice and Organisation of Care data abstraction tools and a template for intervention description and replication. The Cochrane and ROBINS-I risk of bias assessment tools will be used to assess the methodological quality of studies. Primary outcome measures include changes (overall, broad spectrum and guidelines concordance) of GP-prescribed antibiotics. Secondary outcomes include quality of antibiotic prescribing, delayed antibiotic use, acceptability and feasibility of interventions. Meta-analysis for combined effect and forest plots, χ2 test and I2 statistics for detailed heterogeneity and sensitivity analysis will be performed if data permit. Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation and Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Protocols guidance will be used to report findings. Ethics and dissemination No ethics approval is required as no primary, personal or confidential data are being collected in this study. The findings will be disseminated to national and international scientific sessions and published in a peer-reviewed journal. PROSPERO registration number CRD42017078478. PMID:29654036

Increased prevalence of anxiety symptoms in women with polycystic ovary syndrome: systematic review and meta-analysis.

PubMed

Dokras, Anuja; Clifton, Shari; Futterweit, Walter; Wild, Robert

2012-01-01

To perform a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies that compared the prevalence of anxiety symptoms in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and control women. Meta-analysis and systematic review. University practice. Cross-sectional studies comparing PCOS subjects and geographically matched clearly defined non-PCOS control subjects with data on age and body mass index (BMI). Anxiety screening tool. The primary analysis contrasted prevalence of anxiety. Cochrane Review Manager 5.0.24 software was used to construct forest plots comparing frequency of anxiety symptoms in case and control subjects. Of 613 screened articles, nine met our selection criteria for a systematic review and four were included in the meta-analysis. The prevalence of generalized anxiety symptoms was available in four studies and was significantly greater in PCOS subjects (42/206, 20.4%) compared to controls (8/204, 3.9%). The odds for anxiety symptoms were significantly greater in women with PCOS compared with control subjects (odds ratio 6.88, 95% confidence interval 2.5-18.9). The mean anxiety score was significantly increased in three of the remaining five studies. Other anxiety disorders, such as social phobia, panic attacks, and obsessive compulsive disorders, were assessed infrequently. Our systematic review suggests an increased odds of anxiety symptoms in women with PCOS, underscoring the importance of screening all women with PCOS for anxiety symptoms. Follow-up evaluation and treatment are essential, because generalized anxiety disorder is a chronic condition. Potential contributors for anxiety symptoms, such as hirsutism, obesity, and/or infertility may be specific to women with PCOS but need further investigation. Copyright © 2012. Published by Elsevier Inc.

[Systematic Readability Analysis of Medical Texts on Websites of German University Clinics for General and Abdominal Surgery].

PubMed

Esfahani, B Janghorban; Faron, A; Roth, K S; Grimminger, P P; Luers, J C

2016-12-01

Background: Besides the function as one of the main contact points, websites of hospitals serve as medical information portals. As medical information texts should be understood by any patients independent of the literacy skills and educational level, online texts should have an appropriate structure to ease understandability. Materials and Methods: Patient information texts on websites of clinics for general surgery at German university hospitals (n = 36) were systematically analysed. For 9 different surgical topics representative medical information texts were extracted from each website. Using common readability tools and 5 different readability indices the texts were analysed concerning their readability and structure. The analysis was furthermore stratified in relation to geographical regions in Germany. Results: For the definite analysis the texts of 196 internet websites could be used. On average the texts consisted of 25 sentences and 368 words. The reading analysis tools congruously showed that all texts showed a rather low readability demanding a high literacy level from the readers. Conclusion: Patient information texts on German university hospital websites are difficult to understand for most patients. To fulfill the ambition of informing the general population in an adequate way about medical issues, a revision of most medical texts on websites of German surgical hospitals is recommended. Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

mtDNAmanager: a Web-based tool for the management and quality analysis of mitochondrial DNA control-region sequences

PubMed Central

Lee, Hwan Young; Song, Injee; Ha, Eunho; Cho, Sung-Bae; Yang, Woo Ick; Shin, Kyoung-Jin

2008-01-01

Background For the past few years, scientific controversy has surrounded the large number of errors in forensic and literature mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) data. However, recent research has shown that using mtDNA phylogeny and referring to known mtDNA haplotypes can be useful for checking the quality of sequence data. Results We developed a Web-based bioinformatics resource "mtDNAmanager" that offers a convenient interface supporting the management and quality analysis of mtDNA sequence data. The mtDNAmanager performs computations on mtDNA control-region sequences to estimate the most-probable mtDNA haplogroups and retrieves similar sequences from a selected database. By the phased designation of the most-probable haplogroups (both expected and estimated haplogroups), mtDNAmanager enables users to systematically detect errors whilst allowing for confirmation of the presence of clear key diagnostic mutations and accompanying mutations. The query tools of mtDNAmanager also facilitate database screening with two options of "match" and "include the queried nucleotide polymorphism". In addition, mtDNAmanager provides Web interfaces for users to manage and analyse their own data in batch mode. Conclusion The mtDNAmanager will provide systematic routines for mtDNA sequence data management and analysis via easily accessible Web interfaces, and thus should be very useful for population, medical and forensic studies that employ mtDNA analysis. mtDNAmanager can be accessed at . PMID:19014619

Use of Virtual Reality Tools for Vestibular Disorders Rehabilitation: A Comprehensive Analysis.

PubMed

Bergeron, Mathieu; Lortie, Catherine L; Guitton, Matthieu J

2015-01-01

Classical peripheral vestibular disorders rehabilitation is a long and costly process. While virtual reality settings have been repeatedly suggested to represent possible tools to help the rehabilitation process, no systematic study had been conducted so far. We systematically reviewed the current literature to analyze the published protocols documenting the use of virtual reality settings for peripheral vestibular disorders rehabilitation. There is an important diversity of settings and protocols involving virtual reality settings for the treatment of this pathology. Evaluation of the symptoms is often not standardized. However, our results unveil a clear effect of virtual reality settings-based rehabilitation of the patients' symptoms, assessed by objectives tools such as the DHI (mean decrease of 27 points), changing symptoms handicap perception from moderate to mild impact on life. Furthermore, we detected a relationship between the duration of the exposure to virtual reality environments and the magnitude of the therapeutic effects, suggesting that virtual reality treatments should last at least 150 minutes of cumulated exposure to ensure positive outcomes. Virtual reality offers a pleasant and safe environment for the patient. Future studies should standardize evaluation tools, document putative side effects further, compare virtual reality to conventional physical therapy, and evaluate economical costs/benefits of such strategies.

Use of Virtual Reality Tools for Vestibular Disorders Rehabilitation: A Comprehensive Analysis

PubMed Central

Bergeron, Mathieu; Lortie, Catherine L.; Guitton, Matthieu J.

2015-01-01

Classical peripheral vestibular disorders rehabilitation is a long and costly process. While virtual reality settings have been repeatedly suggested to represent possible tools to help the rehabilitation process, no systematic study had been conducted so far. We systematically reviewed the current literature to analyze the published protocols documenting the use of virtual reality settings for peripheral vestibular disorders rehabilitation. There is an important diversity of settings and protocols involving virtual reality settings for the treatment of this pathology. Evaluation of the symptoms is often not standardized. However, our results unveil a clear effect of virtual reality settings-based rehabilitation of the patients' symptoms, assessed by objectives tools such as the DHI (mean decrease of 27 points), changing symptoms handicap perception from moderate to mild impact on life. Furthermore, we detected a relationship between the duration of the exposure to virtual reality environments and the magnitude of the therapeutic effects, suggesting that virtual reality treatments should last at least 150 minutes of cumulated exposure to ensure positive outcomes. Virtual reality offers a pleasant and safe environment for the patient. Future studies should standardize evaluation tools, document putative side effects further, compare virtual reality to conventional physical therapy, and evaluate economical costs/benefits of such strategies. PMID:26556560

Use of the Ishikawa diagram in a case-control analysis to assess the causes of a diffuse lamellar keratitis outbreak.

PubMed

Lira, Luis Henrique; Hirai, Flávio E; Oliveira, Marivaldo; Portellinha, Waldir; Nakano, Eliane Mayumi

2017-01-01

To identify the causes of a diffuse lamellar keratitis (DLK) outbreak using a systematic search tool in a case-control analysis. An Ishikawa diagram was used to guide physicians to determine the potential risk factors involved in this outbreak. Coherence between the occurrences and each possible cause listed in the diagram was verified, and the total number of eyes at risk was used to calculate the proportion of affected eyes. Multivariate analysis was performed using logistic regression to determine the independent effect of the risk factors, after controlling for confounders and test interactions. All DLK cases were reported in 2007 between June 13 and December 21; during this period, 3,698 procedures were performed. Of the 1,682 flap-related procedures, 204 eyes of 141 individuals presented with DLK. No direct relationship was observed between the occurrence of DLK and the presence of any specific factors; however, flap-lifting enhancements, procedures performed during the morning shift, and non-use of therapeutic contact lenses after the surgery were significantly related to higher occurrence percentages of this condition. The Ishikawa diagram, like most quality tools, is a visualization and knowledge organization tool. This systematization allowed the investigators to thoroughly assess all the possible causes of DLK outbreak. A clear view of the entire surgical logistics permitted even more rigid management of the main factors involved in the process and, as a result, highlighted factors that deserved attention. The case-control analysis on every factor raised by the Ishikawa diagram indicated that the commonly suspected factors such as biofilm contamination of the water reservoir in autoclaves, the air-conditioning filter system, glove powder, microkeratome motor oil, and gentian violet markers were not related to the outbreak.

Electronic self-monitoring of mood using IT platforms in adult patients with bipolar disorder: A systematic review of the validity and evidence.

PubMed

Faurholt-Jepsen, Maria; Munkholm, Klaus; Frost, Mads; Bardram, Jakob E; Kessing, Lars Vedel

2016-01-15

Various paper-based mood charting instruments are used in the monitoring of symptoms in bipolar disorder. During recent years an increasing number of electronic self-monitoring tools have been developed. The objectives of this systematic review were 1) to evaluate the validity of electronic self-monitoring tools as a method of evaluating mood compared to clinical rating scales for depression and mania and 2) to investigate the effect of electronic self-monitoring tools on clinically relevant outcomes in bipolar disorder. A systematic review of the scientific literature, reported according to the Preferred Reporting items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) guidelines was conducted. MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO and The Cochrane Library were searched and supplemented by hand search of reference lists. Databases were searched for 1) studies on electronic self-monitoring tools in patients with bipolar disorder reporting on validity of electronically self-reported mood ratings compared to clinical rating scales for depression and mania and 2) randomized controlled trials (RCT) evaluating electronic mood self-monitoring tools in patients with bipolar disorder. A total of 13 published articles were included. Seven articles were RCTs and six were longitudinal studies. Electronic self-monitoring of mood was considered valid compared to clinical rating scales for depression in six out of six studies, and in two out of seven studies compared to clinical rating scales for mania. The included RCTs primarily investigated the effect of heterogeneous electronically delivered interventions; none of the RCTs investigated the sole effect of electronic mood self-monitoring tools. Methodological issues with risk of bias at different levels limited the evidence in the majority of studies. Electronic self-monitoring of mood in depression appears to be a valid measure of mood in contrast to self-monitoring of mood in mania. There are yet few studies on the effect of electronic self-monitoring of mood in bipolar disorder. The evidence of electronic self-monitoring is limited by methodological issues and by a lack of RCTs. Although the idea of electronic self-monitoring of mood seems appealing, studies using rigorous methodology investigating the beneficial as well as possible harmful effects of electronic self-monitoring are needed.

Depression Case Finding in Individuals with Dementia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

PubMed

Goodarzi, Zahra S; Mele, Bria S; Roberts, Derek J; Holroyd-Leduc, Jayna

2017-05-01

To compare the diagnostic accuracy of depression case finding tools with a criterion standard in the outpatient setting among adults with dementia. Systematic review and meta-analysis. Studies of older outpatients with dementia. Elderly outpatients (clinic and long-term care) with dementia (N = 3,035). Prevalence of major depression and diagnostic accuracy measures including sensitivity, specificity, and likelihood ratios. From the 11,539 citations, 20 studies were included for qualitative synthesis and 15 for a meta-analysis. Tools included were the Montgomery Åsberg Depression Rating Scale, Cornell Scale for Depression in Dementia (CSDD), Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS), Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D), Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS), Single Question, Nijmegen Observer-Rated Depression Scale, and Even Briefer Assessment Scale-Depression. The pooled prevalence of depression in individuals with dementia was 30.3% (95% CI = 22.1-38.5). The average age was 75.2 (95% CI = 71.7-78.7), and mean Mini-Mental State Examination scores ranged from 11.2 to 24. The diagnostic accuracy of the individual tools was pooled for the best-reported cutoffs and for each cutoff, if available. The CSDD had a sensitivity of 0.84 (95% CI = 0.73-0.91) and a specificity of 0.80 (95% CI = 0.65-0.90), the 30-item GDS (GDS-30) had a sensitivity of 0.62 (95% CI = 0.45-0.76) and a specificity 0.81 (95% CI = 0.75-0.85), and the HDRS had a sensitivity of 0.86 (95% CI = 0.63-0.96) and a specificity of 0.84 (95% CI = 0.76-0.90). Summary statistics for all tools across best-reported cutoffs had significant heterogeneity. There are many validated tools for the detection of depression in individuals with dementia. Tools that incorporate a physician interview with patient and collateral histories, the CSDD and HDRS, have higher sensitivities, which would ensure fewer false-negatives. © 2017, Copyright the Authors Journal compilation © 2017, The American Geriatrics Society.

Setting up a proper power spectral density (PSD) and autocorrelation analysis for material and process characterization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rutigliani, Vito; Lorusso, Gian Francesco; De Simone, Danilo; Lazzarino, Frederic; Rispens, Gijsbert; Papavieros, George; Gogolides, Evangelos; Constantoudis, Vassilios; Mack, Chris A.

2018-03-01

Power spectral density (PSD) analysis is playing more and more a critical role in the understanding of line-edge roughness (LER) and linewidth roughness (LWR) in a variety of applications across the industry. It is an essential step to get an unbiased LWR estimate, as well as an extremely useful tool for process and material characterization. However, PSD estimate can be affected by both random to systematic artifacts caused by image acquisition and measurement settings, which could irremediably alter its information content. In this paper, we report on the impact of various setting parameters (smoothing image processing filters, pixel size, and SEM noise levels) on the PSD estimate. We discuss also the use of PSD analysis tool in a variety of cases. Looking beyond the basic roughness estimate, we use PSD and autocorrelation analysis to characterize resist blur[1], as well as low and high frequency roughness contents and we apply this technique to guide the EUV material stack selection. Our results clearly indicate that, if properly used, PSD methodology is a very sensitive tool to investigate material and process variations

Development of a 3D seed morphological tool for grapevine variety identification, and its comparison with SSR analysis.

PubMed

Karasik, Avshalom; Rahimi, Oshrit; David, Michal; Weiss, Ehud; Drori, Elyashiv

2018-04-25

Grapevine (Vitis vinifera L.) is one of the classical fruits of the Old World. Among the thousands of domesticated grapevine varieties and variable wild sylvestris populations, the range of variation in pip morphology is very wide. In this study we scanned representative samples of grape pip populations, in an attempt to probe the possibility of using the 3D tool for grape variety identification. The scanning was followed by mathematical and statistical analysis using innovative algorithms from the field of computer sciences. Using selected Fourier coefficients, a very clear separation was obtained between most of the varieties, with only very few overlaps. These results show that this method enables the separation between different Vitis vinifera varieties. Interestingly, when using the 3D approach to analyze couples of varieties, considered synonyms by the standard 22 SSR analysis approach, we found that the varieties in two of the considered synonym couples were clearly separated by the morphological analysis. This work, therefore, suggests a new systematic tool for high resolution variety discrimination.

`G.A.T.E': Gap analysis for TTX evaluation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cacciotti, Ilaria; Di Giovanni, Daniele; Pergolini, Alessandro; Malizia, Andrea; Carestia, Mariachiara; Palombi, Leonardo; Bellecci, Carlo; Gaudio, Pasquale

2016-06-01

A Table Top Exercise (TTX) gap analysis tool was developed with the aim to provide a complete, systematic and objective evaluation of TTXs organized in safety and security fields. A TTX consists in a discussion-based emergency management exercise, organized in a simulated emergency scenario, involving groups of players who are subjected to a set of solicitations (`injects'), in order to evaluate their emergency response abilities. This kind of exercise is devoted to identify strengths and shortfalls and to propose potential and promising changes in the approach to a particular situation. In order to manage the TTX derived data collection and analysis, a gap analysis tool would be very useful and functional at identifying the 'gap' between them and specific areas and actions for improvement, consisting the gap analysis in a comparison between actual performances and optimal/expected ones. In this context, a TTX gap analysis tool was designed, with the objective to provide an evaluation of Team players' competences and performances and TTX organization and structure. The influence of both the players' expertise and the reaction time (difference between expected time and time necessary to actually complete the injects) on the final evaluation of the inject responses was also taken into account.

Language-Agnostic Reproducible Data Analysis Using Literate Programming.

PubMed

Vassilev, Boris; Louhimo, Riku; Ikonen, Elina; Hautaniemi, Sampsa

2016-01-01

A modern biomedical research project can easily contain hundreds of analysis steps and lack of reproducibility of the analyses has been recognized as a severe issue. While thorough documentation enables reproducibility, the number of analysis programs used can be so large that in reality reproducibility cannot be easily achieved. Literate programming is an approach to present computer programs to human readers. The code is rearranged to follow the logic of the program, and to explain that logic in a natural language. The code executed by the computer is extracted from the literate source code. As such, literate programming is an ideal formalism for systematizing analysis steps in biomedical research. We have developed the reproducible computing tool Lir (literate, reproducible computing) that allows a tool-agnostic approach to biomedical data analysis. We demonstrate the utility of Lir by applying it to a case study. Our aim was to investigate the role of endosomal trafficking regulators to the progression of breast cancer. In this analysis, a variety of tools were combined to interpret the available data: a relational database, standard command-line tools, and a statistical computing environment. The analysis revealed that the lipid transport related genes LAPTM4B and NDRG1 are coamplified in breast cancer patients, and identified genes potentially cooperating with LAPTM4B in breast cancer progression. Our case study demonstrates that with Lir, an array of tools can be combined in the same data analysis to improve efficiency, reproducibility, and ease of understanding. Lir is an open-source software available at github.com/borisvassilev/lir.

Language-Agnostic Reproducible Data Analysis Using Literate Programming

PubMed Central

Vassilev, Boris; Louhimo, Riku; Ikonen, Elina; Hautaniemi, Sampsa

2016-01-01

A modern biomedical research project can easily contain hundreds of analysis steps and lack of reproducibility of the analyses has been recognized as a severe issue. While thorough documentation enables reproducibility, the number of analysis programs used can be so large that in reality reproducibility cannot be easily achieved. Literate programming is an approach to present computer programs to human readers. The code is rearranged to follow the logic of the program, and to explain that logic in a natural language. The code executed by the computer is extracted from the literate source code. As such, literate programming is an ideal formalism for systematizing analysis steps in biomedical research. We have developed the reproducible computing tool Lir (literate, reproducible computing) that allows a tool-agnostic approach to biomedical data analysis. We demonstrate the utility of Lir by applying it to a case study. Our aim was to investigate the role of endosomal trafficking regulators to the progression of breast cancer. In this analysis, a variety of tools were combined to interpret the available data: a relational database, standard command-line tools, and a statistical computing environment. The analysis revealed that the lipid transport related genes LAPTM4B and NDRG1 are coamplified in breast cancer patients, and identified genes potentially cooperating with LAPTM4B in breast cancer progression. Our case study demonstrates that with Lir, an array of tools can be combined in the same data analysis to improve efficiency, reproducibility, and ease of understanding. Lir is an open-source software available at github.com/borisvassilev/lir. PMID:27711123

Training Tools for Nontechnical Skills for Surgeons-A Systematic Review.

PubMed

Wood, Thomas Charles; Raison, Nicholas; Haldar, Shreya; Brunckhorst, Oliver; McIlhenny, Craig; Dasgupta, Prokar; Ahmed, Kamran

Development of nontechnical skills for surgeons has been recognized as an important factor in surgical care. Training tools for this specific domain are being created and validated to maximize the surgeon's nontechnical ability. This systematic review aims to outline, address, and recommend these training tools. A full and comprehensive literature search, using a systematic format, was performed on ScienceDirect and PubMed, with data extraction occurring in line with specified inclusion criteria. Systematic review was performed fully at King's College London. A total of 84 heterogeneous articles were used in this review. Further, 23 training tools including scoring systems, training programs, and mixtures of the two for a range of specialities were identified in the literature. Most can be applied to surgery overall, although some tools target specific specialities (such as neurosurgery). Interrater reliability, construct, content, and face validation statuses were variable according to the specific tool in question. Study results pertaining to nontechnical skill training tools have thus far been universally positive, but further studies are required for those more recently developed and less extensively used tools. Recommendations can be made for individual training tools based on their level of validation and for their target audience. Based on the number of studies performed and their status of validity, NOTSS and Oxford NOTECHS II can be considered the gold standard for individual- and team-based nontechnical skills training, respectively, especially when used in conjunction with a training program. Copyright © 2017 Association of Program Directors in Surgery. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Human factors issues and approaches in the spatial layout of a space station control room, including the use of virtual reality as a design analysis tool

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hale, Joseph P., II

1994-01-01

Human Factors Engineering support was provided for the 30% design review of the late Space Station Freedom Payload Control Area (PCA). The PCA was to be the payload operations control room, analogous to the Spacelab Payload Operations Control Center (POCC). This effort began with a systematic collection and refinement of the relevant requirements driving the spatial layout of the consoles and PCA. This information was used as input for specialized human factors analytical tools and techniques in the design and design analysis activities. Design concepts and configuration options were developed and reviewed using sketches, 2-D Computer-Aided Design (CAD) drawings, and immersive Virtual Reality (VR) mockups.

A Methodology for the Development of RESTful Semantic Web Services for Gene Expression Analysis

PubMed Central

Guardia, Gabriela D. A.; Pires, Luís Ferreira; Vêncio, Ricardo Z. N.; Malmegrim, Kelen C. R.; de Farias, Cléver R. G.

2015-01-01

Gene expression studies are generally performed through multi-step analysis processes, which require the integrated use of a number of analysis tools. In order to facilitate tool/data integration, an increasing number of analysis tools have been developed as or adapted to semantic web services. In recent years, some approaches have been defined for the development and semantic annotation of web services created from legacy software tools, but these approaches still present many limitations. In addition, to the best of our knowledge, no suitable approach has been defined for the functional genomics domain. Therefore, this paper aims at defining an integrated methodology for the implementation of RESTful semantic web services created from gene expression analysis tools and the semantic annotation of such services. We have applied our methodology to the development of a number of services to support the analysis of different types of gene expression data, including microarray and RNASeq. All developed services are publicly available in the Gene Expression Analysis Services (GEAS) Repository at http://dcm.ffclrp.usp.br/lssb/geas. Additionally, we have used a number of the developed services to create different integrated analysis scenarios to reproduce parts of two gene expression studies documented in the literature. The first study involves the analysis of one-color microarray data obtained from multiple sclerosis patients and healthy donors. The second study comprises the analysis of RNA-Seq data obtained from melanoma cells to investigate the role of the remodeller BRG1 in the proliferation and morphology of these cells. Our methodology provides concrete guidelines and technical details in order to facilitate the systematic development of semantic web services. Moreover, it encourages the development and reuse of these services for the creation of semantically integrated solutions for gene expression analysis. PMID:26207740

A Methodology for the Development of RESTful Semantic Web Services for Gene Expression Analysis.

PubMed

Guardia, Gabriela D A; Pires, Luís Ferreira; Vêncio, Ricardo Z N; Malmegrim, Kelen C R; de Farias, Cléver R G

2015-01-01

Gene expression studies are generally performed through multi-step analysis processes, which require the integrated use of a number of analysis tools. In order to facilitate tool/data integration, an increasing number of analysis tools have been developed as or adapted to semantic web services. In recent years, some approaches have been defined for the development and semantic annotation of web services created from legacy software tools, but these approaches still present many limitations. In addition, to the best of our knowledge, no suitable approach has been defined for the functional genomics domain. Therefore, this paper aims at defining an integrated methodology for the implementation of RESTful semantic web services created from gene expression analysis tools and the semantic annotation of such services. We have applied our methodology to the development of a number of services to support the analysis of different types of gene expression data, including microarray and RNASeq. All developed services are publicly available in the Gene Expression Analysis Services (GEAS) Repository at http://dcm.ffclrp.usp.br/lssb/geas. Additionally, we have used a number of the developed services to create different integrated analysis scenarios to reproduce parts of two gene expression studies documented in the literature. The first study involves the analysis of one-color microarray data obtained from multiple sclerosis patients and healthy donors. The second study comprises the analysis of RNA-Seq data obtained from melanoma cells to investigate the role of the remodeller BRG1 in the proliferation and morphology of these cells. Our methodology provides concrete guidelines and technical details in order to facilitate the systematic development of semantic web services. Moreover, it encourages the development and reuse of these services for the creation of semantically integrated solutions for gene expression analysis.

A low proportion of systematic reviews in physical therapy are registered: a survey of 150 published systematic reviews.

PubMed

Oliveira, Crystian B; Elkins, Mark R; Lemes, Ítalo Ribeiro; de Oliveira Silva, Danilo; Briani, Ronaldo V; Monteiro, Henrique Luiz; Azevedo, Fábio Mícolis de; Pinto, Rafael Zambelli

Systematic reviews provide the best evidence about the effectiveness of healthcare interventions. Although systematic reviews are conducted with explicit and transparent methods, discrepancies might occur between the protocol and the publication. To estimate the proportion of systematic reviews of physical therapy interventions that are registered, the methodological quality of (un)registered systematic reviews and the prevalence of outcome reporting bias in registered systematic reviews. A random sample of 150 systematic reviews published in 2015 indexed on the PEDro database. We included systematic reviews written in English, Italian, Portuguese and Spanish. A checklist for assessing the methodological quality of systematic reviews tool was used. Relative risk was calculated to explore the association between meta-analysis results and the changes in the outcomes. Twenty-nine (19%) systematic reviews were registered. Funding and publication in a journal with an impact factor higher than 5.0 were associated with registration. Registered systematic reviews demonstrated significantly higher methodological quality (median=8) than unregistered systematic reviews (median=5). Nine (31%) registered systematic reviews demonstrated discrepancies between protocol and publication with no evidence that such discrepancies were applied to favor the statistical significance of the intervention (RR=1.16; 95% CI: 0.63-2.12). A low proportion of systematic reviews in the physical therapy field are registered. The registered systematic reviews showed high methodological quality without evidence of outcome reporting bias. Further strategies should be implemented to encourage registration. Copyright © 2017 Associação Brasileira de Pesquisa e Pós-Graduação em Fisioterapia. Publicado por Elsevier Editora Ltda. All rights reserved.

Teaching meta-analysis using MetaLight.

PubMed

Thomas, James; Graziosi, Sergio; Higgins, Steve; Coe, Robert; Torgerson, Carole; Newman, Mark

2012-10-18

Meta-analysis is a statistical method for combining the results of primary studies. It is often used in systematic reviews and is increasingly a method and topic that appears in student dissertations. MetaLight is a freely available software application that runs simple meta-analyses and contains specific functionality to facilitate the teaching and learning of meta-analysis. While there are many courses and resources for meta-analysis available and numerous software applications to run meta-analyses, there are few pieces of software which are aimed specifically at helping those teaching and learning meta-analysis. Valuable teaching time can be spent learning the mechanics of a new software application, rather than on the principles and practices of meta-analysis. We discuss ways in which the MetaLight tool can be used to present some of the main issues involved in undertaking and interpreting a meta-analysis. While there are many software tools available for conducting meta-analysis, in the context of a teaching programme such software can require expenditure both in terms of money and in terms of the time it takes to learn how to use it. MetaLight was developed specifically as a tool to facilitate the teaching and learning of meta-analysis and we have presented here some of the ways it might be used in a training situation.

A literature review of the cardiovascular risk-assessment tools: applicability among Asian population.

PubMed

Liau, Siow Yen; Mohamed Izham, M I; Hassali, M A; Shafie, A A

2010-01-01

Cardiovascular diseases, the main causes of hospitalisations and death globally, have put an enormous economic burden on the healthcare system. Several risk factors are associated with the occurrence of cardiovascular events. At the heart of efficient prevention of cardiovascular disease is the concept of risk assessment. This paper aims to review the available cardiovascular risk-assessment tools and its applicability in predicting cardiovascular risk among Asian populations. A systematic search was performed using keywords as MeSH and Boolean terms. A total of 25 risk-assessment tools were identified. Of these, only two risk-assessment tools (8%) were derived from an Asian population. These risk-assessment tools differ in various ways, including characteristics of the derivation sample, type of study, time frame of follow-up, end points, statistical analysis and risk factors included. Very few cardiovascular risk-assessment tools were developed in Asian populations. In order to accurately predict the cardiovascular risk of our population, there is a need to develop a risk-assessment tool based on local epidemiological data.

New Tools for Learning: A Case of Organizational Problem Analysis Derived from Debriefing Records in a Medical Center

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Holzmann, Vered; Mischari, Shoshana; Goldberg, Shoshana; Ziv, Amitai

2012-01-01

Purpose: This article aims to present a unique systematic and validated method for creating a linkage between past experiences and management of future occurrences in an organization. Design/methodology/approach: The study is based on actual data accumulated in a series of projects performed in a major medical center. Qualitative and quantitative…

Improving Systematic Constraint-driven Analysis Using Incremental and Parallel Techniques

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-05-01

and modeling latency of a cloud based subsystem. Members of my research group provided useful comments and ideas on my work in group meetings and...122 5.7.1 One structurally complex argument . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122 5.7.2 Multiple independent arguments...Subject Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131 6.1.1.1 JPF — Model Checker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131 6.1.1.2 Alloy — Using a SAT

ScreenBEAM: a novel meta-analysis algorithm for functional genomics screens via Bayesian hierarchical modeling | Office of Cancer Genomics

Cancer.gov

Functional genomics (FG) screens, using RNAi or CRISPR technology, have become a standard tool for systematic, genome-wide loss-of-function studies for therapeutic target discovery. As in many large-scale assays, however, off-target effects, variable reagents' potency and experimental noise must be accounted for appropriately control for false positives.

Model Analysis and Model Creation: Capturing the Task-Model Structure of Quantitative Item Domains. Research Report. ETS RR-06-11

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Deane, Paul; Graf, Edith Aurora; Higgins, Derrick; Futagi, Yoko; Lawless, René

2006-01-01

This study focuses on the relationship between item modeling and evidence-centered design (ECD); it considers how an appropriately generalized item modeling software tool can support systematic identification and exploitation of task-model variables, and then examines the feasibility of this goal, using linear-equation items as a test case. The…

OPTHYLIC: An Optimised Tool for Hybrid Limits Computation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Busato, Emmanuel; Calvet, David; Theveneaux-Pelzer, Timothée

2018-05-01

A software tool, computing observed and expected upper limits on Poissonian process rates using a hybrid frequentist-Bayesian CLs method, is presented. This tool can be used for simple counting experiments where only signal, background and observed yields are provided or for multi-bin experiments where binned distributions of discriminating variables are provided. It allows the combination of several channels and takes into account statistical and systematic uncertainties, as well as correlations of systematic uncertainties between channels. It has been validated against other software tools and analytical calculations, for several realistic cases.

Systematic Assessment Through Mathematical Model For Sustainability Reporting In Malaysia Context

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lanang, Wan Nurul Syahirah Wan; Turan, Faiz Mohd; Johan, Kartina

2017-08-01

Sustainability assessment have been studied and increasingly recognized as a powerful and valuable tool to measure the performance of sustainability in a company or industry. Nowadays, there are many existing tools that the users can use for sustainable development. There are various initiatives exists on tools for sustainable development, though most of the tools focused on environmental, economy and social aspects. Using the Green Project Management (GPM) P5 concept that suggests the firms not only needs to engage in mainly 3Ps principle: planet, profit, people responsible behaviours, but also, product and process need to be included in the practices, this study will introduce a new mathematical model for assessing the level of sustainability practice in the company. Based on multiple case studies, involving in-depth interviews with senior directors, feedback from experts, and previous engineering report, a systematic approach is done with the aims to obtain the respective data from the feedbacks and to be developed into a new mathematical model. By reviewing on the methodology of this research it comprises of several phases where it starts with the analyzation of the parameters and criteria selection according to the Malaysian context of industry. Moving on to the next step is data analysis involving regression and finally the normalisation process will be done to determine the result of this research either succeeded or not. Lastly, this study is expected to provide a clear guideline to any company or organization to assimilate the sustainability assessment in their development stage. In future, the better understanding towards the sustainability assessment is attained to be aligned unitedly in order to integrated the process approach into the systematic approach for the sustainability assessment.

Circulating human papillomavirus DNA as a surveillance tool in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

PubMed

Jensen, Kristina Kvist; Grønhøj, Christian; Jensen, David H; von Buchwald, Christian

2018-05-15

The incidence of human papillomavirus-induced (HPV+) head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) i.e. especially oropharyngeal cancers (OPSCC) is increasing and a significant proportion of patients encounter disease progression. A simple and sensitive test to identify patients with progression is an unmet need. To systematically review the literature and carry out a meta-analysis of studies, investigated circulating HPV-DNA as a biomarker for disease progression in patients with HNSCC. A systematic review and meta-analysis. PubMed, Embase and the Cochrane Library were systematically searched for articles published in English from January 1980 to November 2017. Search terms used were related to HPV, cancer sites, blood-based biomarkers and terms for specific use settings. Articles reviewed and selected by authors and data on study design, demographic variables, location, HPV status, number of pre treatment blood tests, number of post treatment blood tests, blood HPV status and number of recurrences and length of follow-up was extracted. A meta-analysis of HPV-DNA as a diagnostic test for recurrence by means of a hierarchical summary receiver operating curve (HSROC) model was performed. We identified five studies (n=600 subjects) examining circulating HPV-DNA in patients with HNSCC. In these five studies (n=411) patients had both pre and post treatment blood samples. The pooled sensitivity, in detecting a recurrence was estimated to be 54% (95% CI: 32%-74%), while the pooled specificity was 98% (95% CI: 93-99.4%). The pooled false-positive rate is 2% (95% CI: 0.6%-7%). The area under the curve (AUC) of the summary HSROC was 0.93. Positive predictive value was estimated to 93% and the negative predictive value to 94%. Plasma HPV-DNA is a promising tool for surveillance in patients with HPV-related HNSCC i.e. OPSCC and has a high specificity. By recent technical advances and by increasing follow-up blood samples the sensitivity could likely be improved. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Investigating System Dependability Modeling Using AADL

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hall, Brendan; Driscoll, Kevin R.; Madl, Gabor

2013-01-01

This report describes Architecture Analysis & Design Language (AADL) models for a diverse set of fault-tolerant, embedded data networks and describes the methods and tools used to created these models. It also includes error models per the AADL Error Annex. Some networks were modeled using Error Detection Isolation Containment Types (EDICT). This report gives a brief description for each of the networks, a description of its modeling, the model itself, and evaluations of the tools used for creating the models. The methodology includes a naming convention that supports a systematic way to enumerate all of the potential failure modes.

GenomeFingerprinter: the genome fingerprint and the universal genome fingerprint analysis for systematic comparative genomics.

PubMed

Ai, Yuncan; Ai, Hannan; Meng, Fanmei; Zhao, Lei

2013-01-01

No attention has been paid on comparing a set of genome sequences crossing genetic components and biological categories with far divergence over large size range. We define it as the systematic comparative genomics and aim to develop the methodology. First, we create a method, GenomeFingerprinter, to unambiguously produce a set of three-dimensional coordinates from a sequence, followed by one three-dimensional plot and six two-dimensional trajectory projections, to illustrate the genome fingerprint of a given genome sequence. Second, we develop a set of concepts and tools, and thereby establish a method called the universal genome fingerprint analysis (UGFA). Particularly, we define the total genetic component configuration (TGCC) (including chromosome, plasmid, and phage) for describing a strain as a systematic unit, the universal genome fingerprint map (UGFM) of TGCC for differentiating strains as a universal system, and the systematic comparative genomics (SCG) for comparing a set of genomes crossing genetic components and biological categories. Third, we construct a method of quantitative analysis to compare two genomes by using the outcome dataset of genome fingerprint analysis. Specifically, we define the geometric center and its geometric mean for a given genome fingerprint map, followed by the Euclidean distance, the differentiate rate, and the weighted differentiate rate to quantitatively describe the difference between two genomes of comparison. Moreover, we demonstrate the applications through case studies on various genome sequences, giving tremendous insights into the critical issues in microbial genomics and taxonomy. We have created a method, GenomeFingerprinter, for rapidly computing, geometrically visualizing, intuitively comparing a set of genomes at genome fingerprint level, and hence established a method called the universal genome fingerprint analysis, as well as developed a method of quantitative analysis of the outcome dataset. These have set up the methodology of systematic comparative genomics based on the genome fingerprint analysis.

Quantifying the benefits to the national economy from secondary applications of NASA technology, executive summary

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1976-01-01

The feasibility of systematically quantifying the economic benefits of secondary applications of NASA related R and D was investigated. Based upon the tools of economic theory and econometric analysis, a set of empirical methods was developed and selected applications were made to demonstrate their workability. Analyses of the technological developments related to integrated circuits, cryogenic insulation, gas turbines, and computer programs for structural analysis indicated substantial secondary benefits accruing from NASA's R and D in these areas.

Quantifying the benefits to the national economy from secondary applications of NASA technology

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1976-01-01

The feasibility of systematically quantifying the economic benefits of secondary applications of NASA related R and D is investigated. Based upon the tools of economic theory and econometric analysis, it develops a set of empirical methods and makes selected applications to demonstrate their workability. Analyses of the technological developments related to integrated circuits, cryogenic insulation, gas turbines, and computer programs for structural analysis indicated substantial secondary benefits accruing from NASA's R and D in these areas.

Diagnostic value of using 18F-FDG PET and PET/CT in immunocompetent patients with primary central nervous system lymphoma: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

PubMed

Zou, Yaru; Tong, Jianjing; Leng, Haiyan; Jiang, Jingwei; Pan, Meng; Chen, Zi

2017-06-20

18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) and PET/CT have become two of the most powerful tools for malignant lymphoma exploration, but their diagnostic role in primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL) is still disputed. The purpose of our study is to identify the usefulness of 18F-FDG PET and PET/CT for detecting PCNSL. A total of 129 patients, obtained from eight eligible studies, were included for this systematic review and meta-analysis. The performance of 18F-FDG PET and PET/CT for diagnosing PCNSL were as follows: the pooled sensitivity was 0.88 (95% CI: 0.80-0.94), specificity was 0.86 (95% CI: 0.73-0.94), positive likelihood ratio (PLR) was 3.99 (95% CI: 2.31-6.90), negative likelihood ratio (NLR) was 0.11 (95% CI: 0.04-0.32), and diagnostic odds ratio (DOR) was 33.40 (95% CI: 10.40-107.3). In addition, the area under the curve (AUC) and Q index were 0.9192 and 0.8525, respectively. PubMed/MEDLINE, Embase and Cochrane Library were systematically searched for potential publications (last updated on July 16th, 2016). Reference lists of included articles were also checked. Original articles that reported data on patients who were suspected of having PCNSL were considered suitable for inclusion. The sensitivities and specificities of 18F-FDG PET and PET/CT in each study were evaluated. The Stata software and Meta-Disc software were employed in the process of data analysis. 18F-FDG PET and PET/CT showed considerable accuracy in identifying PCNSL in immunocompetent patients and could be a valuable radiological diagnostic tool for PCNSL.

ILRS Activities in Monitoring Systematic Errors in SLR Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pavlis, E. C.; Luceri, V.; Kuzmicz-Cieslak, M.; Bianco, G.

2017-12-01

The International Laser Ranging Service (ILRS) contributes to ITRF development unique information that only Satellite Laser Ranging—SLR is sensitive to: the definition of the origin, and in equal parts with VLBI, the scale of the model. For the development of ITRF2014, the ILRS analysts adopted a revision of the internal standards and procedures in generating our contribution from the eight ILRS Analysis Centers. The improved results for the ILRS components were reflected in the resulting new time series of the ITRF origin and scale, showing insignificant trends and tighter scatter. This effort was further extended after the release of ITRF2014, with the execution of a Pilot Project (PP) in the 2016-2017 timeframe that demonstrated the robust estimation of persistent systematic errors at the millimeter level. ILRS ASC is now turning this into an operational tool to monitor station performance and to generate a history of systematics at each station, to be used with each re-analysis for future ITRF model developments. This is part of a broader ILRS effort to improve the quality control of the data collection process as well as that of our products. To this end, the ILRS has established a "Quality Control Board—QCB" that comprises of members from the analysis and engineering groups, the Central Bureau, and even user groups with special interests. The QCB meets by telecon monthly and oversees the various ongoing projects, develops ideas for new tools and future products. This presentation will focus on the main topic with an update on the results so far, the schedule for the near future and its operational implementation, along with a brief description of upcoming new ILRS products.

A Systematic Review of Family Meeting Tools in Palliative and Intensive Care Settings

PubMed Central

Singer, Adam E.; Ash, Tayla; Ochotorena, Claudia; Lorenz, Karl A.; Chong, Kelly; Shreve, Scott T.; Ahluwalia, Sangeeta C.

2015-01-01

Purpose Family meetings can be challenging, requiring a range of skills and participation. We sought to identify tools available to aid the conduct of family meetings in palliative, hospice, and intensive care unit settings. Methods We systematically reviewed PubMed for articles describing family meeting tools and abstracted information on tool type, usage, and content. Results We identified 16 articles containing 23 tools in 7 categories: meeting guide (n = 8), meeting planner (n = 5), documentation template (n = 4), meeting strategies (n = 2), decision aid/screener (n = 2), family checklist (n = 1), and training module (n = 1). We found considerable variation across tools in usage and content and a lack of tools supporting family engagement. Conclusion There is need to standardize family meeting tools and develop tools to help family members effectively engage in the process. PMID:26213225

A Systematic Review of Family Meeting Tools in Palliative and Intensive Care Settings.

PubMed

Singer, Adam E; Ash, Tayla; Ochotorena, Claudia; Lorenz, Karl A; Chong, Kelly; Shreve, Scott T; Ahluwalia, Sangeeta C

2016-09-01

Family meetings can be challenging, requiring a range of skills and participation. We sought to identify tools available to aid the conduct of family meetings in palliative, hospice, and intensive care unit settings. We systematically reviewed PubMed for articles describing family meeting tools and abstracted information on tool type, usage, and content. We identified 16 articles containing 23 tools in 7 categories: meeting guide (n = 8), meeting planner (n = 5), documentation template (n = 4), meeting strategies (n = 2), decision aid/screener (n = 2), family checklist (n = 1), and training module (n = 1). We found considerable variation across tools in usage and content and a lack of tools supporting family engagement. There is need to standardize family meeting tools and develop tools to help family members effectively engage in the process. © The Author(s) 2015.

Systematic review of methods for quantifying teamwork in the operating theatre

PubMed Central

Marshall, D.; Sykes, M.; McCulloch, P.; Shalhoub, J.; Maruthappu, M.

2018-01-01

Background Teamwork in the operating theatre is becoming increasingly recognized as a major factor in clinical outcomes. Many tools have been developed to measure teamwork. Most fall into two categories: self‐assessment by theatre staff and assessment by observers. A critical and comparative analysis of the validity and reliability of these tools is lacking. Methods MEDLINE and Embase databases were searched following PRISMA guidelines. Content validity was assessed using measurements of inter‐rater agreement, predictive validity and multisite reliability, and interobserver reliability using statistical measures of inter‐rater agreement and reliability. Quantitative meta‐analysis was deemed unsuitable. Results Forty‐eight articles were selected for final inclusion; self‐assessment tools were used in 18 and observational tools in 28, and there were two qualitative studies. Self‐assessment of teamwork by profession varied with the profession of the assessor. The most robust self‐assessment tool was the Safety Attitudes Questionnaire (SAQ), although this failed to demonstrate multisite reliability. The most robust observational tool was the Non‐Technical Skills (NOTECHS) system, which demonstrated both test–retest reliability (P > 0·09) and interobserver reliability (Rwg = 0·96). Conclusion Self‐assessment of teamwork by the theatre team was influenced by professional differences. Observational tools, when used by trained observers, circumvented this.

A guide to understanding meta-analysis.

PubMed

Israel, Heidi; Richter, Randy R

2011-07-01

With the focus on evidence-based practice in healthcare, a well-conducted systematic review that includes a meta-analysis where indicated represents a high level of evidence for treatment effectiveness. The purpose of this commentary is to assist clinicians in understanding meta-analysis as a statistical tool using both published articles and explanations of components of the technique. We describe what meta-analysis is, what heterogeneity is, and how it affects meta-analysis, effect size, the modeling techniques of meta-analysis, and strengths and weaknesses of meta-analysis. Common components like forest plot interpretation, software that may be used, special cases for meta-analysis, such as subgroup analysis, individual patient data, and meta-regression, and a discussion of criticisms, are included.

Evaluating the Effectiveness of Web-based Climate Resilience Decision Support Tools: Insights from Coastal New Jersey

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brady, M.; Lathrop, R.; Auermuller, L. M.; Leichenko, R.

2016-12-01

Despite the recent surge of Web-based decision support tools designed to promote resiliency in U.S. coastal communities, to-date there has been no systematic study of their effectiveness. This study demonstrates a method to evaluate important aspects of effectiveness of four Web map tools designed to promote consideration of climate risk information in local decision-making and planning used in coastal New Jersey. In summer 2015, the research team conducted in-depth phone interviews with users of one regulatory and three non-regulatory Web map tools using a semi-structured questionnaire. The interview and analysis design drew from a combination of effectiveness evaluation approaches developed in software and information usability, program evaluation, and management information system (MIS) research. Effectiveness assessment results were further analyzed and discussed in terms of conceptual hierarchy of system objectives defined by respective tool developer and user organizations represented in the study. Insights from the interviews suggest that users rely on Web tools as a supplement to desktop and analog map sources because they provide relevant and up-to-date information in a highly accessible and mobile format. The users also reported relying on multiple information sources and comparison between digital and analog sources for decision support. However, with respect to this decision support benefit, users were constrained by accessibility factors such as lack of awareness and training with some tools, lack of salient information such as planning time horizons associated with future flood scenarios, and environmental factors such as mandates restricting some users to regulatory tools. Perceptions of Web tool credibility seem favorable overall, but factors including system design imperfections and inconsistencies in data and information across platforms limited trust, highlighting a need for better coordination between tools. Contributions of the study include user feedback on web-tool system designs consistent with collaborative methods for enhancing usability and a systematic look at effectiveness that includes both user perspectives and consideration of developer and organizational objectives.

Key elements of high-quality practice organisation in primary health care: a systematic review.

PubMed

Crossland, Lisa; Janamian, Tina; Jackson, Claire L

2014-08-04

To identify elements that are integral to high-quality practice and determine considerations relating to high-quality practice organisation in primary care. A narrative systematic review of published and grey literature. Electronic databases (PubMed, CINAHL, the Cochrane Library, Embase, Emerald Insight, PsycInfo, the Primary Health Care Research and Information Service website, Google Scholar) were searched in November 2013 and used to identify articles published in English from 2002 to 2013. Reference lists of included articles were searched for relevant unpublished articles and reports. Data were configured at the study level to allow for the inclusion of findings from a broad range of study types. Ten elements were most often included in the existing organisational assessment tools. A further three elements were identified from an inductive thematic analysis of descriptive articles, and were noted as important considerations in effective quality improvement in primary care settings. Although there are some validated tools available to primary care that identify and build quality, most are single-strategy approaches developed outside health care settings. There are currently no validated organisational improvement tools, designed specifically for primary health care, which combine all elements of practice improvement and whose use does not require extensive external facilitation.

Dietary assessment in minority ethnic groups: a systematic review of instruments for portion-size estimation in the United Kingdom

PubMed Central

Almiron-Roig, Eva; Aitken, Amanda; Galloway, Catherine

2017-01-01

Context: Dietary assessment in minority ethnic groups is critical for surveillance programs and for implementing effective interventions. A major challenge is the accurate estimation of portion sizes for traditional foods and dishes. Objective: The aim of this systematic review was to assess records published up to 2014 describing a portion-size estimation element (PSEE) applicable to the dietary assessment of UK-residing ethnic minorities. Data sources, selection, and extraction: Electronic databases, internet sites, and theses repositories were searched, generating 5683 titles, from which 57 eligible full-text records were reviewed. Data analysis: Forty-two publications about minority ethnic groups (n = 20) or autochthonous populations (n = 22) were included. The most common PSEEs (47%) were combination tools (eg, food models and portion-size lists), followed by portion-size lists in questionnaires/guides (19%) and image-based and volumetric tools (17% each). Only 17% of PSEEs had been validated against weighed data. Conclusions: When developing ethnic-specific dietary assessment tools, it is important to consider customary portion sizes by sex and age, traditional household utensil usage, and population literacy levels. Combining multiple PSEEs may increase accuracy, but such methods require validation. PMID:28340101

Systematic review to inform prevention and management of chronic disease for Indigenous Australians: overview and priorities.

PubMed

Gomersall, Judith Streak; Canuto, Karla; Aromataris, Edoardo; Braunack-Mayer, Annette; Brown, Alex

2016-02-01

To describe the main characteristics of systematic reviews addressing questions of chronic disease and related risk factors for Indigenous Australians. We searched databases for systematic reviews meeting inclusion criteria. Two reviewers assessed quality and extracted characteristics using pre-defined tools. We identified 14 systematic reviews. Seven synthesised evidence about health intervention effectiveness; four addressed chronic disease or risk factor prevalence; and six conducted critical appraisal as per current best practice. Only three reported steps to align the review with standards for ethical research with Indigenous Australians and/or capture Indigenous-specific knowledge. Most called for more high-quality research. Systematic review is an under-utilised method for gathering evidence to inform chronic disease prevention and management for Indigenous Australians. Relevance of future systematic reviews could be improved by: 1) aligning questions with community priorities as well as decision maker needs; 2) involvement of, and leadership by, Indigenous researchers with relevant cultural and contextual knowledge; iii) use of critical appraisal tools that include traditional risk of bias assessment criteria and criteria that reflect Indigenous standards of appropriate research. Systematic review method guidance, tools and reporting standards are required to ensure alignment with ethical obligations and promote rigor and relevance. © 2015 Public Health Association of Australia.

Voice, Articulation, and Prosody Contribute to Listener Perceptions of Speaker Gender: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

PubMed

Leung, Yeptain; Oates, Jennifer; Chan, Siew Pang

2018-02-15

The aim of this study was to provide a systematic review of the aspects of verbal communication contributing to listener perceptions of speaker gender with a view to providing clinicians with guidance for the selection of the training goals when working with transsexual individuals. Preferred reporting items for systematic review and meta-analysis protocols (PRISMA-P) guidelines were adopted in this systematic review. Studies evaluating the contribution of aspects of verbal communication to listener perceptions of speaker gender were rated against a new risk of bias assessment tool. Relevant data were extracted, and narrative synthesis was then conducted. Meta-analyses were conducted when appropriate data were available. Thirty-eight articles met the eligibility criteria. Meta-analysis showed speaking fundamental frequency contributing to 41.6% of the variance in gender perception. Auditory-perceptual and acoustic measures of pitch, resonance, loudness, articulation, and intonation were found to be associated with listeners' perceptions of speaker gender. Tempo and stress were not significantly associated. Mixed findings were found as to the contribution of a breathy voice quality to gender perception. Nonetheless, there exists significant risk of bias in this body of research. Speech and language clinicians working with transsexual individuals may use the results of this review for goal setting. Further research is required to redress the significant risk of bias.

Electronic problem lists: a thematic analysis of a systematic literature review to identify aspects critical to success.

PubMed

Hodge, Chad M; Narus, Scott P

2018-05-01

Problem list data is a driving force for many beneficial clinical tools, yet these data remain underutilized. We performed a systematic literature review, pulling insights from previous research, aggregating insights into themes, and distilling themes into actionable advice. We sought to learn what changes we could make to existing applications, to the clinical workflow, and to clinicians' perceptions that would improve problem list utilization and increase the prevalence of problems data in the electronic medical record. We followed Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines to systematically curate a corpus of pertinent articles. We performed a thematic analysis, looking for interesting excerpts and ideas. By aggregating excerpts from many authors, we gained broader, more inclusive insights into what makes a good problem list and what factors are conducive to its success. Analysis led to a list of 7 benefits of using the problem list, 15 aspects critical to problem list success, and knowledge to help inform policy development, such as consensus on what belongs on the problem list, who should maintain the problem list, and when. A list of suggestions is made on ways in which the problem list can be improved to increase utilization by clinicians. There is also a need for standard measurements of the problem list, so that lists can be measured, compared, and discussed with rigor and a common vocabulary.

Impact of point-of-care diagnostics on maternal outcomes in HIV-infected women: systematic review and meta-analysis protocol

PubMed Central

Mashamba-Thompson, T P; Sartorius, B; Thabane, L; Shi, C X; Drain, P K

2016-01-01

Introduction Studies indicate substandard diagnostic care, delayed and missed diagnosis as some of the contributing factors to maternal mortality. The clinical impact of point-of-care (POC) diagnostics has been shown in the monitoring and treatment of a variety of infectious diseases, including HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis. The objective of this systematic review is to investigate the impact of POC diagnostics on maternal outcomes for HIV-infected women. Methods We will conduct a systematic review to evaluate the impact of POC diagnostics for improving desired healthcare outcomes for HIV-infected women. The search strategy will involve electronic databases including: Cochrane Infectious Disease Group Specialised Register; Cochrane Central Register of Control Trials, published in The Cochrane Library; PubMed; EBSCOhost and LILACS. The studies will be mapped in 2 stages: stage 1 will map studies descriptively by focus and method; stage 2 will involve additional inclusion criteria, quality assessment and data extraction undertaken by 2 reviewers in parallel. Evidence will be synthesised using relevant systematic research tools: meta-analysis and subgroup analysis will be conducted using RevMan and Stata 13 will be used for meta-regressions. We will follow recommendations described in the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement and the Cochrane Handbook for Intervention Reviews. Ethics and dissemination We anticipate finding a large number of studies on POC diagnostic interventions on maternal outcomes in HIV-infected women, which, once summarised, will be useful to guide future diagnostic interventions. The protocol for the systematic review has been registered in PROSPERO. The study will be disseminated electronically and in print. It will also be presented to conferences related to HIV/AIDS, POC diagnostics and maternal health. Trial registration number PROSPERO CRD42014015439. PMID:26817633

Systematic Documentation: Structures and Tools in a Practice of Communicative Documentation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alnervik, Karin

2018-01-01

Swedish preschool teachers must systematically document activities in the preschool in order to evaluate the quality of these activities. Pedagogical documentation is one form of documentation that is proposed. The aim of this article is to discuss and create knowledge of structures and tools based on different communicative aspects of pedagogical…

Web-based visual analysis for high-throughput genomics

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Visualization plays an essential role in genomics research by making it possible to observe correlations and trends in large datasets as well as communicate findings to others. Visual analysis, which combines visualization with analysis tools to enable seamless use of both approaches for scientific investigation, offers a powerful method for performing complex genomic analyses. However, there are numerous challenges that arise when creating rich, interactive Web-based visualizations/visual analysis applications for high-throughput genomics. These challenges include managing data flow from Web server to Web browser, integrating analysis tools and visualizations, and sharing visualizations with colleagues. Results We have created a platform simplifies the creation of Web-based visualization/visual analysis applications for high-throughput genomics. This platform provides components that make it simple to efficiently query very large datasets, draw common representations of genomic data, integrate with analysis tools, and share or publish fully interactive visualizations. Using this platform, we have created a Circos-style genome-wide viewer, a generic scatter plot for correlation analysis, an interactive phylogenetic tree, a scalable genome browser for next-generation sequencing data, and an application for systematically exploring tool parameter spaces to find good parameter values. All visualizations are interactive and fully customizable. The platform is integrated with the Galaxy (http://galaxyproject.org) genomics workbench, making it easy to integrate new visual applications into Galaxy. Conclusions Visualization and visual analysis play an important role in high-throughput genomics experiments, and approaches are needed to make it easier to create applications for these activities. Our framework provides a foundation for creating Web-based visualizations and integrating them into Galaxy. Finally, the visualizations we have created using the framework are useful tools for high-throughput genomics experiments. PMID:23758618

Aromatherapy for managing menopausal symptoms: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis.

PubMed

Choi, Jiae; Lee, Hye Won; Lee, Ju Ah; Lim, Hyun-Ja; Lee, Myeong Soo

2018-02-01

Aromatherapy is often used as a complementary therapy for women's health. This systematic review aims to evaluate the therapeutic effects of aromatherapy as a management for menopausal symptoms. Eleven electronic databases will be searched from inception to February 2018. Randomized controlled trials that evaluated any type of aromatherapy against any type of control in individuals with menopausal symptoms will be eligible. The methodological quality will be assessed using the Cochrane risk of bias tool. Two authors will independently assess each study for eligibility and risk of bias and to extract data. This study will provide a high quality synthesis of current evidence of aromatherapy for menopausal symptoms measured with Menopause Rating Scale, the Kupperman Index, the Greene Climacteric Scale, or other validated questionnaires. The conclusion of our systematic review will provide evidence to judge whether aromatherapy is an effective intervention for patient with menopausal women. Ethical approval will not be required, given that this protocol is for a systematic review. The systematic review will be published in a peer-reviewed journal. The review will also be disseminated electronically and in print. PROSPERO CRD42017079191.

[Commitment and community participation towards health: knowledge creation from the systematization of social experiences].

PubMed

López-Bolaños, Lizbeth; Campos-Rivera, Marisol; Villanueva-Borbolla, María Ángeles

2018-01-01

Objective. To reflect on the process of committing to participation in the implementation of a health strategic plan, using Participative Systematization of Social Experiences as a tool. Our study was a qualitative research-intervention study, based on the Dialectical Methodological Conception approach. We designed and implemented a two-day workshop, six hours daily, using Systematization methodology with a Community Work Group (CWG). During the workshop, women systematized their experience, with compromise as axis of the process. Using Grounded Theory techniques, we applied micro-analysis to data in order to identify and strengthen categories that emerged during the systematization process. We completed open and axial coding. The CWG identified that commitment and participation itself is influenced by group dynamics and structural determinants. They also reconsidered the way they understood and exercised commitment and participation, and generated knowledge, empowering them to improve their future practice. Commitment and participation were determined by group dynamics and structural factors such as socioeconomic conditions and gender roles. These determinants must be visible and understood in order to generate proposals that are aimed at strengthening the participation and organization of groups.

Can Systematic Reviews Inform GMO Risk Assessment and Risk Management?

PubMed

Kohl, Christian; Frampton, Geoff; Sweet, Jeremy; Spök, Armin; Haddaway, Neal Robert; Wilhelm, Ralf; Unger, Stefan; Schiemann, Joachim

2015-01-01

Systematic reviews represent powerful tools to identify, collect, synthesize, and evaluate primary research data on specific research questions in a highly standardized and reproducible manner. They enable the defensible synthesis of outcomes by increasing precision and minimizing bias whilst ensuring transparency of the methods used. This makes them especially valuable to inform evidence-based risk analysis and decision making in various topics and research disciplines. Although seen as a "gold standard" for synthesizing primary research data, systematic reviews are not without limitations as they are often cost, labor and time intensive and the utility of synthesis outcomes depends upon the availability of sufficient and robust primary research data. In this paper, we (1) consider the added value systematic reviews could provide when synthesizing primary research data on genetically modified organisms (GMO) and (2) critically assess the adequacy and feasibility of systematic review for collating and analyzing data on potential impacts of GMOs in order to better inform specific steps within GMO risk assessment and risk management. The regulatory framework of the EU is used as an example, although the issues we discuss are likely to be more widely applicable.

A systematic review of objective burn scar measurements.

PubMed

Lee, Kwang Chear; Dretzke, Janine; Grover, Liam; Logan, Ann; Moiemen, Naiem

2016-01-01

Problematic scarring remains a challenging aspect to address in the treatment of burns and can significantly affect the quality of life of the burn survivor. At present, there are few treatments available in the clinic to control adverse scarring, but experimental pharmacological anti-scarring strategies are now beginning to emerge. Their comparative success must be based on objective measurements of scarring, yet currently the clinical assessment of scars is not carried out systematically and is mostly based on subjective review of patients. However, several techniques and devices are being introduced that allow objective analysis of the burn scar. The aim of this article is to evaluate various objective measurement tools currently available and recommend a useful panel that is suitable for use in clinical trials of anti-scarring therapies. A systematic literature search was done using the Web of Science, PubMed and Cochrane databases. The identified devices were then classified and grouped according to the parameters they measured. The tools were then compared and assessed in terms of inter- and intra-rater reproducibility, ease of use and cost. After duplicates were removed, 5062 articles were obtained in the search. After further screening, 157 articles which utilised objective burn scar measurement systems or tools were obtained. The scar measurement devices can be broadly classified into those measuring colour, metric variables, texture, biomechanical properties and pathophysiological disturbances. Objective scar measurement tools allow the accurate and reproducible evaluation of scars, which is important for both clinical and scientific use. However, studies to evaluate their relative performance and merits of these tools are scarce, and there remain factors, such as itch and pain, which cannot be measured objectively. On reviewing the available evidence, a panel of devices for objective scar measurement is recommended consisting of the 3D cameras (Eykona/Lifeviz/Vectra H1) for surface area and volume, DSM II colorimeter for colour, Dermascan high-frequency ultrasound for scar thickness and Cutometer for skin elasticity and pliability.

Outcome measurement of hand function following mirror therapy for stroke rehabilitation: A systematic review.

PubMed

Cantero-Téllez, Raquel; Naughton, Nancy; Algar, Lori; Valdes, Kristin

2018-02-28

Systematic review. Mirror therapy is a treatment used to address hand function following a stroke. Measurement of outcomes using appropriate assessment tools is crucial; however, many assessment options exist. The purpose of this study is to systematically review outcome measures that are used to assess hand function following mirror therapy after stroke and, in addition, to identify the psychometric and descriptive properties of the included measures and through the linking process determine if the outcome measures are representative of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF). Following a comprehensive literature search, outcome measures used in the included studies were linked to the ICF and analyzed based on descriptive information and psychometric properties. Eleven studies met inclusion criteria and included 24 different assessment tools to measure hand or upper limb function. Most outcome measures used in the selected studies (63%) were rated by the evaluating therapist. Thirteen outcome measures (54%) linked to the ICF body function category and 10 measures (42%) linked to activities and participation. One outcome measure was linked to not defined, and all other ICF categories were not represented. A majority of outcome measures have been assessed for validity, reliability, and responsiveness, but responsiveness was the least investigated psychometric property. Current studies on mirror therapy after stroke are not consistent in the assessment tools used to determine hand function. Understanding of study outcomes requires analysis of the assessment tools. The outcome measures used in the included studies are not representative of personal and environmental factors, but tools linking to body functions and activities and participations provide important information on functional outcome. Integrating a combination of measures that are psychometrically sound and reflective of the ICF should be considered for assessment of hand function after mirror therapy after stroke. Copyright © 2018 Hanley & Belfus. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Assessment tools for the measurement of the self-efficacy of drug users: protocol for a systematic review.

PubMed

Vasconcelos, Selene Cordeiro; Frazão, Iracema da Silva; Sougey, Everton Botelho; Souza, Sandra Lopes de; Silva, Tatiana de Paula Santana da; Lima, Murilo Duarte da Costa

2018-03-14

The abuse of alcohol and other drugs is a worldwide problem, the treatment of which poses a challenge to healthcare workers. This study presents a proposal for a systematic review to analyse the psychometric properties of assessment tools developed to measure the self-efficacy of drug users with regard to resisting the urge to take drugs in high-risk situations. The guiding question was based on PICOS (Population Intervention Comparator Outcome Setting), and the report of the methods of review protocol was written in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Protocols (PRISMA-P). Searches will be performed in the PsycINFO, Cochrane, Pubmed, Web of Science, SCOPUS and CINAHL databases, followed by the use of the 'snowball' strategy. The inclusion criteria for the articles will be (1) assessment tool validation studies; (2) assessment tools developed to measure self-efficacy; (3) quantitative measures; (4) measures designed for use on adults; (5) data from self-reports of the participants; (6) studies involving a description of psychometric properties of the measures; and (7) studies that explain how the level of self-efficacy is scored. The search, selection and analysis will be performed by two independent reviewers. In cases of a divergence of opinion, a third reviewer will be consulted. The COSMIN checklist will be used for the appraisal of the methodological quality of the assessment tools and the certainty of the evidence in the articles (risk of bias) will be analysed using the GRADE (Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation) approach. This protocol does not require ethical approval. However, this protocol is part of the thesis entitled Drug-Taking Confidence Questionnaire for use in Brazil, presented for obtaining a doctorate in neuropsychiatry and behavioural sciences from the Federal University of Pernambuco, and has received approval from the human research ethics committee of the Federal University of Pernambuco (reference number: 1.179.162).The results will be disseminated to clinicians and researchers through peer-reviewed publications and conferences. CRD42017068555. © 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.

Pharmacotherapies for fatigue in chronic liver disease (CLD): a systematic review and meta-analysis (protocol).

PubMed

Effiong, Andem; Kumari, Prerna

2018-02-14

This is the protocol for a systematic review (and meta-analysis) of an intervention. The primary objective of this systematic review will be to assess the benefits and harms of pharmacological therapies (pharmacotherapies) for the management of fatigue in adults with CLD of any etiology. The effects of pharmacological therapies on fatigue in CLD will be compared against those of placebo, no intervention, or non-pharmacological interventions. Specifically, this review will examine whether pharmacological therapies improve CLD-associated fatigue, and if they do, what key elements are associated with their effectiveness. The results of this systematic review will assist clinicians, policy-makers, researchers, and people with CLD in decision-making on how best to manage fatigue and its associated symptoms. MEDLINE, SCOPUS, EMBASE, EU Clinical Trials Register, WHO International Clinical Trials Registry Platform, CENTRAL (The Cochrane Library), ClinicalTrials.gov, reference lists of articles and conference proceedings will be searched for relevant studies. No language or date restrictions will be applied. Eligible studies will include adults with CLD of any etiology. Included studies will be randomized controlled trials. From included studies, data on participant characteristics, study design, setting, research ethics compliance, and intervention outcomes will be extracted. Risk of bias in included studies will be assessed using the Cochrane Risk of Bias Tool. A random-effects meta-analysis will be conducted. If substantial or considerable levels of heterogeneity are detected, analysis will be limited to a narrative synthesis. This systematic review will examine the effectiveness of pharmacological therapies on fatigue reduction in people with CLD. Such therapies may be more effective than non-pharmacological interventions in treating fatigue symptoms in CLD. Evidence derived from the findings of this study will guide future practice, policy, and research. PROSPERO, CRD42017076957.

Single- versus double-row repair for full-thickness rotator cuff tears using suture anchors. A systematic review and meta-analysis of basic biomechanical studies.

PubMed

Hohmann, Erik; König, Anya; Kat, Cor-Jacques; Glatt, Vaida; Tetsworth, Kevin; Keough, Natalie

2018-07-01

The purpose of this study was to perform a systematic review and meta-analysis comparing single- and double-row biomechanical studies to evaluate load to failure, mode of failure and gap formation. A systematic review of MEDLINE, Embase, Scopus and Google Scholar was performed from 1990 through 2016. The inclusion criteria were: documentation of ultimate load to failure, failure modes and documentation of elongation or gap formation. Studies were excluded if the study protocol did not use human specimens. Publication bias was assessed by funnel plot and Egger's test. The risk of bias was established using the Cochrane Collaboration's risk of bias tool. Heterogeneity was assessed using χ 2 and I 2 statistic. Eight studies were included. The funnel plot was asymmetric suggesting publication bias, which was confirmed by Egger's test (p = 0.04). The pooled estimate for load to failure demonstrated significant differences (SMD 1.228, 95% CI: 0.55-5.226, p = 0.006, I 2  = 60.47%), favouring double-row repair. There were no differences for failure modes. The pooled estimate for elongation/gap formation demonstrated significant differences (SMD 0.783, 95% CI: 0.169-1.398, p = 0.012, I 2  = 58.8%), favouring double-row repair. The results of this systematic review and meta-analysis suggest that double-row repair is able to tolerate a significantly greater load to failure. Gap formation was also significantly lower in the double-row repair group, but both of these findings should be interpreted with caution because of the inherent interstudy heterogeneity. Systematic review and meta-analysis.

Development of a quality assessment tool for systematic reviews of observational studies (QATSO) of HIV prevalence in men having sex with men and associated risk behaviours

PubMed Central

Wong, William CW; Cheung, Catherine SK; Hart, Graham J

2008-01-01

Background Systematic reviews based on the critical appraisal of observational and analytic studies on HIV prevalence and risk factors for HIV transmission among men having sex with men are very useful for health care decisions and planning. Such appraisal is particularly difficult, however, as the quality assessment tools available for use with observational and analytic studies are poorly established. Methods We reviewed the existing quality assessment tools for systematic reviews of observational studies and developed a concise quality assessment checklist to help standardise decisions regarding the quality of studies, with careful consideration of issues such as external and internal validity. Results A pilot version of the checklist was developed based on epidemiological principles, reviews of study designs, and existing checklists for the assessment of observational studies. The Quality Assessment Tool for Systematic Reviews of Observational Studies (QATSO) Score consists of five items: External validity (1 item), reporting (2 items), bias (1 item) and confounding factors (1 item). Expert opinions were sought and it was tested on manuscripts that fulfil the inclusion criteria of a systematic review. Like all assessment scales, QATSO may oversimplify and generalise information yet it is inclusive, simple and practical to use, and allows comparability between papers. Conclusion A specific tool that allows researchers to appraise and guide study quality of observational studies is developed and can be modified for similar studies in the future. PMID:19014686

Leadership requirements for Lean versus servant leadership in health care: a systematic review of the literature

PubMed Central

Aij, Kjeld Harald; Rapsaniotis, Sofia

2017-01-01

As health care organizations face pressures to improve quality and efficiency while reducing costs, leaders are adopting management techniques and tools used in manufacturing and other industries, especially Lean. Successful Lean leaders appear to use a coaching leadership style that shares underlying principles with servant leadership. There is little information about specific similarities and differences between Lean and servant leaderships. We systematically reviewed the literature on Lean leadership, servant leadership, and health care and performed a comparative analysis of attributes using Russell and Stone’s leadership framework. We found significant overlap between the two leadership styles, although there were notable differences in origins, philosophy, characteristics and behaviors, and tools. We conclude that both Lean and servant leaderships are promising models that can contribute to the delivery of patient-centered, high-value care. Servant leadership may provide the means to engage and develop employees to become successful Lean leaders in health care organizations. PMID:29355240

Infrared spectroscopy as a tool to characterise starch ordered structure--a joint FTIR-ATR, NMR, XRD and DSC study.

PubMed

Warren, Frederick J; Gidley, Michael J; Flanagan, Bernadine M

2016-03-30

Starch has a heterogeneous, semi-crystalline granular structure and the degree of ordered structure can affect its behaviour in foods and bioplastics. A range of methodologies are employed to study starch structure; differential scanning calorimetry, (13)C nuclear magnetic resonance, X-ray diffraction and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Despite the appeal of FTIR as a rapid, non-destructive methodology, there is currently no systematically defined quantitative relationship between FTIR spectral features and other starch structural measures. Here, we subject 61 starch samples to structural analysis, and systematically correlate FTIR spectra with other measures of starch structure. A hydration dependent peak position shift in the FTIR spectra of starch is observed, resulting from increased molecular order, but with complex, non-linear behaviour. We demonstrate that FTIR is a tool that can quantitatively probe short range interactions in starch structure. However, the assumptions of linear relationships between starch ordered structure and peak ratios are overly simplistic. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

CRISPR–Cas9 Genetic Analysis of Virus–Host Interactions

PubMed Central

Gebre, Makda; Nomburg, Jason L.; Gewurz, Benjamin E.

2018-01-01

Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) has greatly expanded the ability to genetically probe virus–host interactions. CRISPR systems enable focused or systematic, genomewide studies of nearly all aspects of a virus lifecycle. Combined with its relative ease of use and high reproducibility, CRISPR is becoming an essential tool in studies of the host factors important for viral pathogenesis. Here, we review the use of CRISPR–Cas9 for the loss-of-function analysis of host dependency factors. We focus on the use of CRISPR-pooled screens for the systematic identification of host dependency factors, particularly in Epstein–Barr virus-transformed B cells. We also discuss the use of CRISPR interference (CRISPRi) and gain-of-function CRISPR activation (CRISPRa) approaches to probe virus–host interactions. Finally, we comment on the future directions enabled by combinatorial CRISPR screens. PMID:29385696

CRISPR-Cas9 Genetic Analysis of Virus-Host Interactions.

PubMed

Gebre, Makda; Nomburg, Jason L; Gewurz, Benjamin E

2018-01-30

Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) has greatly expanded the ability to genetically probe virus-host interactions. CRISPR systems enable focused or systematic, genomewide studies of nearly all aspects of a virus lifecycle. Combined with its relative ease of use and high reproducibility, CRISPR is becoming an essential tool in studies of the host factors important for viral pathogenesis. Here, we review the use of CRISPR-Cas9 for the loss-of-function analysis of host dependency factors. We focus on the use of CRISPR-pooled screens for the systematic identification of host dependency factors, particularly in Epstein-Barr virus-transformed B cells. We also discuss the use of CRISPR interference (CRISPRi) and gain-of-function CRISPR activation (CRISPRa) approaches to probe virus-host interactions. Finally, we comment on the future directions enabled by combinatorial CRISPR screens.

Conformational analysis of oligosaccharides and polysaccharides using molecular dynamics simulations.

PubMed

Frank, Martin

2015-01-01

Complex carbohydrates usually have a large number of rotatable bonds and consequently a large number of theoretically possible conformations can be generated (combinatorial explosion). The application of systematic search methods for conformational analysis of carbohydrates is therefore limited to disaccharides and trisaccharides in a routine analysis. An alternative approach is to use Monte-Carlo methods or (high-temperature) molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to explore the conformational space of complex carbohydrates. This chapter describes how to use MD simulation data to perform a conformational analysis (conformational maps, hydrogen bonds) of oligosaccharides and how to build realistic 3D structures of large polysaccharides using Conformational Analysis Tools (CAT).

Reflection as a Learning Tool in Graduate Medical Education: A Systematic Review.

PubMed

Winkel, Abigail Ford; Yingling, Sandra; Jones, Aubrie-Ann; Nicholson, Joey

2017-08-01

Graduate medical education programs employ reflection to advance a range of outcomes for physicians in training. However, the most effective applications of this tool have not been fully explored. A systematic review of the literature examined interventions reporting the use of reflection in graduate medical education. The authors searched Medline/PubMed, Embase, Cochrane CENTRAL, and ERIC for studies of reflection as a teaching tool to develop medical trainees' capacities. Key words and subject headings included reflection , narrative , residents/GME , and education / teaching / learning . No language or date limits were applied. The search yielded 1308 citations between inception for each database and June 15, 2015. A total of 16 studies, encompassing 477 residents and fellows, met eligibility criteria. Study quality was assessed using the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme Qualitative Checklist. The authors conducted a thematic analysis of the 16 articles. Outcomes studied encompassed the impact of reflection on empathy, comfort with learning in complex situations, and engagement in the learning process. Reflection increased learning of complex subjects and deepened professional values. It appears to be an effective tool for improving attitudes and comfort when exploring difficult material. Limitations include that most studies had small samples, used volunteers, and did not measure behavioral outcomes. Critical reflection is a tool that can amplify learning in residents and fellows. Added research is needed to understand how reflection can influence growth in professional capacities and patient-level outcomes in ways that can be measured.

The current state of cancer family history collection tools in primary care: a systematic review.

PubMed

Qureshi, Nadeem; Carroll, June C; Wilson, Brenda; Santaguida, Pasqualina; Allanson, Judith; Brouwers, Melissa; Raina, Parminder

2009-07-01

Systematic collection of family history is a prerequisite for identifying genetic risk. This study reviewed tools applicable to the primary care assessment of family history of breast, colorectal, ovarian, and prostate cancer. MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, and Cochrane Central were searched for publications. All primary study designs were included. Characteristics of the studies, the family history collection tools, and the setting were evaluated. Of 40 eligible studies, 18 relevant family history tools were identified, with 11 developed for use in primary care. Most collected information on more than one cancer and on affected relatives used self-administered questionnaires and paper-based formats. Eleven tools had been evaluated relative to current practice, demonstrating 46-78% improvement in data recording over family history recording in patient charts and 75-100% agreement with structured genetic interviews. Few tools have been developed specifically for primary care settings. The few that have been evaluated performed well. The very limited evidence, which depends in part on extrapolation from studies in settings other than primary care, suggests that systematic tools may add significant family health information compared with current primary care practice. The effect of their use on health outcomes has not been evaluated.

Model-based setup assistant for progressive tools

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Springer, Robert; Gräler, Manuel; Homberg, Werner; Henke, Christian; Trächtler, Ansgar

2018-05-01

In the field of production systems, globalization and technological progress lead to increasing requirements regarding part quality, delivery time and costs. Hence, today's production is challenged much more than a few years ago: it has to be very flexible and produce economically small batch sizes to satisfy consumer's demands and avoid unnecessary stock. Furthermore, a trend towards increasing functional integration continues to lead to an ongoing miniaturization of sheet metal components. In the industry of electric connectivity for example, the miniaturized connectors are manufactured by progressive tools, which are usually used for very large batches. These tools are installed in mechanical presses and then set up by a technician, who has to manually adjust a wide range of punch-bending operations. Disturbances like material thickness, temperatures, lubrication or tool wear complicate the setup procedure. In prospect of the increasing demand of production flexibility, this time-consuming process has to be handled more and more often. In this paper, a new approach for a model-based setup assistant is proposed as a solution, which is exemplarily applied in combination with a progressive tool. First, progressive tools, more specifically, their setup process is described and based on that, the challenges are pointed out. As a result, a systematic process to set up the machines is introduced. Following, the process is investigated with an FE-Analysis regarding the effects of the disturbances. In the next step, design of experiments is used to systematically develop a regression model of the system's behaviour. This model is integrated within an optimization in order to calculate optimal machine parameters and the following necessary adjustment of the progressive tool due to the disturbances. Finally, the assistant is tested in a production environment and the results are discussed.

Supporting family caregivers to identify their own needs in end-of-life care: Qualitative findings from a stepped wedge cluster trial.

PubMed

Aoun, Samar; Deas, Kathleen; Toye, Chris; Ewing, Gail; Grande, Gunn; Stajduhar, Kelli

2015-06-01

The Carer Support Needs Assessment Tool encompasses the physical, psychological, social, practical, financial, and spiritual support needs that government policies in many countries emphasize should be assessed and addressed for family caregivers during end-of-life care. To describe the experience of family caregivers of terminally ill people of the Carer Support Needs Assessment Tool intervention in home-based palliative care. This study was conducted during 2012-2014 in Silver Chain Hospice Care Service in Western Australia. This article reports on one part of a three-part evaluation of a stepped wedge cluster trial. All 233 family caregivers receiving the Carer Support Needs Assessment Tool intervention provided feedback on their experiences via brief end-of-trial semi-structured telephone interviews. Data were subjected to a thematic analysis. The overwhelming majority reported finding the Carer Support Needs Assessment Tool assessment process straightforward and easy. Four key themes were identified: (1) the practicality and usefulness of the systematic assessment; (2) emotional responses to caregiver reflection; (3) validation, reassurance, and empowerment; and (4) accessing support and how this was experienced. Family caregivers appreciated the value of the Carer Support Needs Assessment Tool intervention in engaging them in conversations about their needs, priorities, and solutions. The Carer Support Needs Assessment Tool presented a simple, yet potentially effective intervention to help palliative care providers systematically assess and address family caregivers' needs. The Carer Support Needs Assessment Tool provided a formal structure to facilitate discussions with family caregivers to enable needs to be addressed. Such discussions can also inform an evidence base for the ongoing development of services for family caregivers, ensuring that new or improved services are designed to meet the explicit needs of family caregivers. © The Author(s) 2015.

Guidelines for Graphing Data with Microsoft[R] Office 2007[TM], Office 2010[TM], and Office for Mac[TM] 2008 and 2011

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barton, Erin E.; Reichow, Brian

2012-01-01

The interpretation of single-case data requires systematic visual analysis across and within conditions. Graphs are a vital component for analyzing and communicating single-case design data and a necessary tool for applied researchers and practitioners. Several articles have been published with task analyses for graphing data with the new versions…

"The Tower in Red and Yellow": Using Children's Drawings in Formative Research for "Alam Simsim," an Educational Television Series for Egyptian Children.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Montasser, Alyaa; Cole, Charlotte; Fuld, Janice

2002-01-01

Provides examples from a study of six test segments of the television series "Alam Simsim," the Egyptian "Sesame Street," to illustrate how a systematic analysis of children's artwork can be used with other research tools to gain feedback from children. Shows how formative research is used to bring children into the production…

Use of risk assessment instruments to predict violence and antisocial behaviour in 73 samples involving 24 827 people: systematic review and meta-analysis.

PubMed

Fazel, Seena; Singh, Jay P; Doll, Helen; Grann, Martin

2012-07-24

To investigate the predictive validity of tools commonly used to assess the risk of violence, sexual, and criminal behaviour. Systematic review and tabular meta-analysis of replication studies following PRISMA guidelines. PsycINFO, Embase, Medline, and United States Criminal Justice Reference Service Abstracts. We included replication studies from 1 January 1995 to 1 January 2011 if they provided contingency data for the offending outcome that the tools were designed to predict. We calculated the diagnostic odds ratio, sensitivity, specificity, area under the curve, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, the number needed to detain to prevent one offence, as well as a novel performance indicator-the number safely discharged. We investigated potential sources of heterogeneity using metaregression and subgroup analyses. Risk assessments were conducted on 73 samples comprising 24,847 participants from 13 countries, of whom 5879 (23.7%) offended over an average of 49.6 months. When used to predict violent offending, risk assessment tools produced low to moderate positive predictive values (median 41%, interquartile range 27-60%) and higher negative predictive values (91%, 81-95%), and a corresponding median number needed to detain of 2 (2-4) and number safely discharged of 10 (4-18). Instruments designed to predict violent offending performed better than those aimed at predicting sexual or general crime. Although risk assessment tools are widely used in clinical and criminal justice settings, their predictive accuracy varies depending on how they are used. They seem to identify low risk individuals with high levels of accuracy, but their use as sole determinants of detention, sentencing, and release is not supported by the current evidence. Further research is needed to examine their contribution to treatment and management.

AHCODA-DB: a data repository with web-based mining tools for the analysis of automated high-content mouse phenomics data.

PubMed

Koopmans, Bastijn; Smit, August B; Verhage, Matthijs; Loos, Maarten

2017-04-04

Systematic, standardized and in-depth phenotyping and data analyses of rodent behaviour empowers gene-function studies, drug testing and therapy design. However, no data repositories are currently available for standardized quality control, data analysis and mining at the resolution of individual mice. Here, we present AHCODA-DB, a public data repository with standardized quality control and exclusion criteria aimed to enhance robustness of data, enabled with web-based mining tools for the analysis of individually and group-wise collected mouse phenotypic data. AHCODA-DB allows monitoring in vivo effects of compounds collected from conventional behavioural tests and from automated home-cage experiments assessing spontaneous behaviour, anxiety and cognition without human interference. AHCODA-DB includes such data from mutant mice (transgenics, knock-out, knock-in), (recombinant) inbred strains, and compound effects in wildtype mice and disease models. AHCODA-DB provides real time statistical analyses with single mouse resolution and versatile suite of data presentation tools. On March 9th, 2017 AHCODA-DB contained 650 k data points on 2419 parameters from 1563 mice. AHCODA-DB provides users with tools to systematically explore mouse behavioural data, both with positive and negative outcome, published and unpublished, across time and experiments with single mouse resolution. The standardized (automated) experimental settings and the large current dataset (1563 mice) in AHCODA-DB provide a unique framework for the interpretation of behavioural data and drug effects. The use of common ontologies allows data export to other databases such as the Mouse Phenome Database. Unbiased presentation of positive and negative data obtained under the highly standardized screening conditions increase cost efficiency of publicly funded mouse screening projects and help to reach consensus conclusions on drug responses and mouse behavioural phenotypes. The website is publicly accessible through https://public.sylics.com and can be viewed in every recent version of all commonly used browsers.

A systematic review of orthopaedic manual therapy randomized clinical trials quality

PubMed Central

Riley, Sean P.; Swanson, Brian; Brismée, Jean-Michel; Sawyer, Steven F.

2016-01-01

Study Design: Systematic review and meta-analysis. Objectives: To conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials (RCTs) in the orthopaedic manual therapy (OMT) literature from January 2010 to June 2014 in order to determine if the CONSORT checklist and Cochrane Risk of Bias (RoB) assessment tools: (1) are reliable; (2) have improved the reporting and decreased the risk of bias in RCTs in the OMT literature; (3) differ based on journal impact factor (JIF); and (4) scores are associated with each other. Background: The CONSORT statement is used to improve the accuracy of reporting within RCTs. The Cochrane RoB tool was designed to assess the risk of bias within RCTs. To date, no evaluation of the quality of reporting and risk of bias in OMT RCTs has been published. Methods: Relevant RCTs were identified by a literature review from January 2010 to June 2014. The identified RCTs were assessed by two individual reviewers utilizing the 2010 CONSORT checklist and the RoB tool. Agreement and a mean composite total score for each tool were attained in order to determine if the CONSORT and RoB tools were reliable and varied by year and impact factor. Results: A total of 72 RCTs in the OMT literature were identified. A number of categories within the CONSORT and RoB tools demonstrated prevalence-adjusted bias-adjusted kappa (PABAK) scores of less than 0.20 and from 0.20 to 0.40. The total CONSORT and RoB scores were correlated to each other (r = 0.73; 95% CI 0.60 to 0.82; p < 0.0001). There were no statistically significant differences in CONSORT or RoB scores by year. There was a statistically significant correlation between both CONSORT scores and JIF (r = 0.64, 95% CI 0.47 to 0.76; p < 0.0001), and between RoB scores and JIF (r = 0.42, 95% confidence interval 0.21–0.60; p < 0.001). There was not a statistically significant correlation between JIF and year of publication. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that the CONSORT and RoB have a number of items that are unclear and unreliable, and that the quality of reporting in OMT trials has not improved in recent years. Improvements in reporting are necessary to allow advances in OMT practice. Level of Evidence: 1A PMID:27956817

Views of general practitioners on the use of STOPP&START in primary care: a qualitative study.

PubMed

Dalleur, O; Feron, J-M; Spinewine, A

2014-08-01

STOPP (Screening Tool of Older Person's Prescriptions) and START (Screening Tool to Alert Doctors to Right Treatment) criteria aim at detecting potentially inappropriate prescribing in older people. The objective was to explore general practitioners' (GPs) perceptions regarding the use of the STOPP&START tool in their practice. We conducted three focus groups which were conveniently sampled. Vignettes with clinical cases were provided for discussion as well as a full version of the STOPP&START tool. Knowledge, strengths and weaknesses of the tool and its implementation were discussed. Two researchers independently performed content analysis, classifying quotes and creating new categories for emerging themes. Discussions highlighted incentives (e.g. systematic procedure for medication review) and barriers (e.g. time-consuming application) influencing the use of STOPP&START in primary care. Usefulness, comprehensiveness, and relevance of the tool were also questioned. Another important category emerging from the content analysis was the projected use of the tool. The GPs imagined key elements for the implementation in daily practice: computerized clinical decision support system, education, and multidisciplinary collaborations, especially at care transitions and in nursing homes. Despite variables views on the usefulness, comprehensiveness, and relevance of STOPP&START, GPs suggest the implementation of this tool in primary care within computerized clinical decision support systems, through education, and used as part of multidisciplinary collaborations.

DCGL v2.0: an R package for unveiling differential regulation from differential co-expression.

PubMed

Yang, Jing; Yu, Hui; Liu, Bao-Hong; Zhao, Zhongming; Liu, Lei; Ma, Liang-Xiao; Li, Yi-Xue; Li, Yuan-Yuan

2013-01-01

Differential co-expression analysis (DCEA) has emerged in recent years as a novel, systematic investigation into gene expression data. While most DCEA studies or tools focus on the co-expression relationships among genes, some are developing a potentially more promising research domain, differential regulation analysis (DRA). In our previously proposed R package DCGL v1.0, we provided functions to facilitate basic differential co-expression analyses; however, the output from DCGL v1.0 could not be translated into differential regulation mechanisms in a straightforward manner. To advance from DCEA to DRA, we upgraded the DCGL package from v1.0 to v2.0. A new module named "Differential Regulation Analysis" (DRA) was designed, which consists of three major functions: DRsort, DRplot, and DRrank. DRsort selects differentially regulated genes (DRGs) and differentially regulated links (DRLs) according to the transcription factor (TF)-to-target information. DRrank prioritizes the TFs in terms of their potential relevance to the phenotype of interest. DRplot graphically visualizes differentially co-expressed links (DCLs) and/or TF-to-target links in a network context. In addition to these new modules, we streamlined the codes from v1.0. The evaluation results proved that our differential regulation analysis is able to capture the regulators relevant to the biological subject. With ample functions to facilitate differential regulation analysis, DCGL v2.0 was upgraded from a DCEA tool to a DRA tool, which may unveil the underlying differential regulation from the observed differential co-expression. DCGL v2.0 can be applied to a wide range of gene expression data in order to systematically identify novel regulators that have not yet been documented as critical. DCGL v2.0 package is available at http://cran.r-project.org/web/packages/DCGL/index.html or at our project home page http://lifecenter.sgst.cn/main/en/dcgl.jsp.

Tools, strategies and qualitative approach in relation to suicidal attempts and ideation in the elderly.

PubMed

Cavalcante, Fátima Gonçalves; Minayo, Maria Cecília de Souza; Gutierrez, Denise Machado Duran; de Sousa, Girliani Silva; da Silva, Raimunda Magalhães; Moura, Rosylaine; Meneghel, Stela Nazareth; Grubits, Sonia; Conte, Marta; Cavalcante, Ana Célia Sousa; Figueiredo, Ana Elisa Bastos; Mangas, Raimunda Matilde do Nascimento; Fachola, María Cristina Heuguerot; Izquierdo, Giovane Mendieta

2015-06-01

The article analyses the quality and consistency of a comprehensive interview guide, adapted to study attempted suicide and its ideation among the elderly, and imparts the method followed in applying this tool. The objective is to show how the use of a semi-structured interview and the organization and data analysis set-up were tested and perfected by a network of researchers from twelve universities or research centers in Brazil, Uruguay and Colombia. The method involved application and evaluation of the tool and joint production of an instruction manual on data collection, systematization and analysis. The methodology was followed in 67 interviews with elderly people of 60 or older and in 34 interviews with health professionals in thirteen Brazilian municipalities and in Montevideo and Bogotá, allowing the consistency of the tool and the applicability of the method to be checked, during the process and at the end. The enhanced guide and the instructions for reproducing it are presented herein. The results indicate the suitability and credibility of this methodological approach, tested and certified in interdisciplinary and interinstitutional terms.

Mobile Phone Apps to Promote Weight Loss and Increase Physical Activity: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

PubMed

Flores Mateo, Gemma; Granado-Font, Esther; Ferré-Grau, Carme; Montaña-Carreras, Xavier

2015-11-10

To our knowledge, no meta-analysis to date has assessed the efficacy of mobile phone apps to promote weight loss and increase physical activity. To perform a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies to compare the efficacy of mobile phone apps compared with other approaches to promote weight loss and increase physical activity. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of relevant studies identified by a search of PubMed, the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), and Scopus from their inception through to August 2015. Two members of the study team (EG-F, GF-M) independently screened studies for inclusion criteria and extracted data. We included all controlled studies that assessed a mobile phone app intervention with weight-related health measures (ie, body weight, body mass index, or waist circumference) or physical activity outcomes. Net change estimates comparing the intervention group with the control group were pooled across studies using random-effects models. We included 12 articles in this systematic review and meta-analysis. Compared with the control group, use of a mobile phone app was associated with significant changes in body weight (kg) and body mass index (kg/m(2)) of -1.04 kg (95% CI -1.75 to -0.34; I2 = 41%) and -0.43 kg/m(2) (95% CI -0.74 to -0.13; I2 = 50%), respectively. Moreover, a nonsignificant difference in physical activity was observed between the two groups (standardized mean difference 0.40, 95% CI -0.07 to 0.87; I2 = 93%). These findings were remarkably robust in the sensitivity analysis. No publication bias was shown. Evidence from this study shows that mobile phone app-based interventions may be useful tools for weight loss.

How to get started with a systematic review in epidemiology: an introductory guide for early career researchers.

PubMed

Denison, Hayley J; Dodds, Richard M; Ntani, Georgia; Cooper, Rachel; Cooper, Cyrus; Sayer, Avan Aihie; Baird, Janis

2013-08-07

Systematic review is a powerful research tool which aims to identify and synthesize all evidence relevant to a research question. The approach taken is much like that used in a scientific experiment, with high priority given to the transparency and reproducibility of the methods used and to handling all evidence in a consistent manner.Early career researchers may find themselves in a position where they decide to undertake a systematic review, for example it may form part or all of a PhD thesis. Those with no prior experience of systematic review may need considerable support and direction getting started with such a project. Here we set out in simple terms how to get started with a systematic review. Advice is given on matters such as developing a review protocol, searching using databases and other methods, data extraction, risk of bias assessment and data synthesis including meta-analysis. Signposts to further information and useful resources are also given. A well-conducted systematic review benefits the scientific field by providing a summary of existing evidence and highlighting unanswered questions. For the individual, undertaking a systematic review is also a great opportunity to improve skills in critical appraisal and in synthesising evidence.

Implementation of Systematic Review Tools in IRIS | Science ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Currently, the number of chemicals present in the environment exceeds the ability of public health scientists to efficiently screen the available data in order to produce well-informed human health risk assessments in a timely manner. For this reason, the US EPA’s Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) program has started implementing new software tools into the hazard characterization workflow. These automated tools aid in multiple phases of the systematic review process including scoping and problem formulation, literature search, and identification and screening of available published studies. The increased availability of these tools lays the foundation for automating or semi-automating multiple phases of the systematic review process. Some of these software tools include modules to facilitate a structured approach to study quality evaluation of human and animal data, although approaches are generally lacking for assessing complex mechanistic information, in particular “omics”-based evidence tools are starting to become available to evaluate these types of studies. We will highlight how new software programs, online tools, and approaches for assessing study quality can be better integrated to allow for a more efficient and transparent workflow of the risk assessment process as well as identify tool gaps that would benefit future risk assessments. Disclaimer: The views expressed here are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the view

DGCA: A comprehensive R package for Differential Gene Correlation Analysis.

PubMed

McKenzie, Andrew T; Katsyv, Igor; Song, Won-Min; Wang, Minghui; Zhang, Bin

2016-11-15

Dissecting the regulatory relationships between genes is a critical step towards building accurate predictive models of biological systems. A powerful approach towards this end is to systematically study the differences in correlation between gene pairs in more than one distinct condition. In this study we develop an R package, DGCA (for Differential Gene Correlation Analysis), which offers a suite of tools for computing and analyzing differential correlations between gene pairs across multiple conditions. To minimize parametric assumptions, DGCA computes empirical p-values via permutation testing. To understand differential correlations at a systems level, DGCA performs higher-order analyses such as measuring the average difference in correlation and multiscale clustering analysis of differential correlation networks. Through a simulation study, we show that the straightforward z-score based method that DGCA employs significantly outperforms the existing alternative methods for calculating differential correlation. Application of DGCA to the TCGA RNA-seq data in breast cancer not only identifies key changes in the regulatory relationships between TP53 and PTEN and their target genes in the presence of inactivating mutations, but also reveals an immune-related differential correlation module that is specific to triple negative breast cancer (TNBC). DGCA is an R package for systematically assessing the difference in gene-gene regulatory relationships under different conditions. This user-friendly, effective, and comprehensive software tool will greatly facilitate the application of differential correlation analysis in many biological studies and thus will help identification of novel signaling pathways, biomarkers, and targets in complex biological systems and diseases.

Complex interventions can increase osteoporosis investigations and treatment: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

PubMed

Kastner, M; Perrier, L; Munce, S E P; Adhihetty, C C; Lau, A; Hamid, J; Treister, V; Chan, J; Lai, Y; Straus, S E

2018-01-01

Osteoporosis is affecting over 200 million people worldwide. Despite available guidelines, care for these patients remains sub-optimal. We developed an osteoporosis tool to address the multiple dimensions of chronic disease management. Findings from its evaluation showed a significant increase from baseline in osteoporosis investigations and treatment, so we are revising this tool to include multiple chronic conditions including an update of evidence about osteoporosis. Our objectives were to conduct a systematic review of osteoporosis interventions in adults at risk for osteoporosis. We searched bibliometric databases for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in any language evaluating osteoporosis disease management interventions in adults at risk for osteoporosis. Reviewer pairs independently screened citations and full-text articles, extracted data, and assessed risk of bias. Analysis included random effects meta-analysis. Primary outcomes were osteoporosis investigations and treatment, and fragility fractures. Fifty-five RCTs and one companion report were included in the analysis representing 165,703 patients. Our findings from 55 RCTs and 18 sub-group meta-analyses showed that complex implementation interventions with multiple components consisting of at least education + feedback + follow-up significantly increased the initiation of osteoporosis medications, and interventions with at least education + follow-up significantly increased the initiation of osteoporosis investigations. No significant impact was found for any type of intervention to reduce fracture. Complex interventions that include at least education + follow-up or feedback have the most potential for increasing osteoporosis investigations and treatment. Patient education appears to be an important component in osteoporosis disease management.

Magnetic resonance imaging patterns of muscle involvement in genetic muscle diseases: a systematic review.

PubMed

Leung, Doris G

2017-07-01

A growing body of the literature supports the use of magnetic resonance imaging as a potential biomarker for disease severity in the hereditary myopathies. We performed a systematic review of the medical literature to evaluate patterns of fat infiltration observed in magnetic resonance imaging studies of muscular dystrophy and congenital myopathy. Searches were performed using MEDLINE, EMBASE, and grey literature databases. Studies that described fat infiltration of muscles in patients with muscular dystrophy or congenital myopathy were selected for full-length review. Data on preferentially involved or spared muscles were extracted for analysis. A total of 2172 titles and abstracts were screened, and 70 publications met our criteria for inclusion in the systematic review. There were 23 distinct genetic disorders represented in this analysis. In most studies, preferential involvement and sparing of specific muscles were reported. We conclude that magnetic resonance imaging studies can be used to identify distinct patterns of muscle involvement in the hereditary myopathies. However, larger studies and standardized methods of reporting are needed to develop imaging as a diagnostic tool in these diseases.

Developing an Evidence Base for Policies and Interventions to Address Health Inequalities: The Analysis of “Public Health Regimes”

PubMed Central

Asthana, Sheena; Halliday, Joyce

2006-01-01

Systematic reviews have become an important methodology in the United Kingdom by which research informs health policy, and their use now extends beyond evidence-based medicine to evidence-based public health and, particularly, health inequalities policies. This article reviews the limitations of systematic reviews as stand-alone tools for this purpose and suggests a complementary approach to make better use of the evidence. That is, systematic reviews and other sources of evidence should be incorporated into a wider analytical framework, the public health regime (defined here as the specific legislative, social, political, and economic structures that have an impact on both public health and the appropriateness and effectiveness of public health interventions adopted). At the national level this approach would facilitate analysis at all levels of the policy framework, countering the current focus on individual interventions. It could also differentiate at the international level between those policies and interventions that are effective in different contexts and are therefore potentially generalizable and those that depend on particular conditions for success. PMID:16953811

FARO server: Meta-analysis of gene expression by matching gene expression signatures to a compendium of public gene expression data.

PubMed

Manijak, Mieszko P; Nielsen, Henrik B

2011-06-11

Although, systematic analysis of gene annotation is a powerful tool for interpreting gene expression data, it sometimes is blurred by incomplete gene annotation, missing expression response of key genes and secondary gene expression responses. These shortcomings may be partially circumvented by instead matching gene expression signatures to signatures of other experiments. To facilitate this we present the Functional Association Response by Overlap (FARO) server, that match input signatures to a compendium of 242 gene expression signatures, extracted from more than 1700 Arabidopsis microarray experiments. Hereby we present a publicly available tool for robust characterization of Arabidopsis gene expression experiments which can point to similar experimental factors in other experiments. The server is available at http://www.cbs.dtu.dk/services/faro/.

COGcollator: a web server for analysis of distant relationships between homologous protein families.

PubMed

Dibrova, Daria V; Konovalov, Kirill A; Perekhvatov, Vadim V; Skulachev, Konstantin V; Mulkidjanian, Armen Y

2017-11-29

The Clusters of Orthologous Groups (COGs) of proteins systematize evolutionary related proteins into specific groups with similar functions. However, the available databases do not provide means to assess the extent of similarity between the COGs. We intended to provide a method for identification and visualization of evolutionary relationships between the COGs, as well as a respective web server. Here we introduce the COGcollator, a web tool for identification of evolutionarily related COGs and their further analysis. We demonstrate the utility of this tool by identifying the COGs that contain distant homologs of (i) the catalytic subunit of bacterial rotary membrane ATP synthases and (ii) the DNA/RNA helicases of the superfamily 1. This article was reviewed by Drs. Igor N. Berezovsky, Igor Zhulin and Yuri Wolf.

Program Model Checking: A Practitioner's Guide

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pressburger, Thomas T.; Mansouri-Samani, Masoud; Mehlitz, Peter C.; Pasareanu, Corina S.; Markosian, Lawrence Z.; Penix, John J.; Brat, Guillaume P.; Visser, Willem C.

2008-01-01

Program model checking is a verification technology that uses state-space exploration to evaluate large numbers of potential program executions. Program model checking provides improved coverage over testing by systematically evaluating all possible test inputs and all possible interleavings of threads in a multithreaded system. Model-checking algorithms use several classes of optimizations to reduce the time and memory requirements for analysis, as well as heuristics for meaningful analysis of partial areas of the state space Our goal in this guidebook is to assemble, distill, and demonstrate emerging best practices for applying program model checking. We offer it as a starting point and introduction for those who want to apply model checking to software verification and validation. The guidebook will not discuss any specific tool in great detail, but we provide references for specific tools.

Does Consideration and Assessment of Effects on Health Equity Affect the Conclusions of Systematic Reviews? A Methodology Study

PubMed Central

Welch, Vivian; Petticrew, Mark; Ueffing, Erin; Benkhalti Jandu, Maria; Brand, Kevin; Dhaliwal, Bharbhoor; Kristjansson, Elizabeth; Smylie, Janet; Wells, George Anthony; Tugwell, Peter

2012-01-01

Introduction Tackling health inequities both within and between countries remains high on the agenda of international organizations including the World Health Organization and local, regional and national governments. Systematic reviews can be a useful tool to assess effects on equity in health status because they include studies conducted in a variety of settings and populations. This study aims to describe the extent to which the impacts of health interventions on equity in health status are considered in systematic reviews, describe methods used, and assess the implications of their equity related findings for policy, practice and research. Methods We conducted a methodology study of equity assessment in systematic reviews. Two independent reviewers extracted information on the reporting and analysis of impacts of health interventions on equity in health status in a group of 300 systematic reviews collected from all systematic reviews indexed in one month of MEDLINE, using a pre-tested data collection form. Any differences in data extraction were resolved by discussion. Results Of the 300 systematic reviews, 224 assessed the effectiveness of interventions on health outcomes. Of these 224 reviews, 29 systematic reviews assessed effects on equity in health status using subgroup analysis or targeted analyses of vulnerable populations. Of these, seven conducted subgroup analyses related to health equity which were reported in insufficient detail to judge their credibility. Of these 29 reviews, 18 described implications for policy and practice based on assessment of effects on health equity. Conclusion The quality and completeness of reporting should be enhanced as a priority, because without this policymakers and practitioners will continue lack the evidence base they need to inform decision-making about health inequity. Furthermore, there is a need to develop methods to systematically consider impacts on equity in health status that is currently lacking in systematic reviews. PMID:22427804

Six-minute walk test as a determinant of the functional capacity of children and adolescents with cystic fibrosis: A systematic review.

PubMed

Andrade Lima, Cibelle; Dornelas de Andrade, Armèle; Campos, Shirley Lima; Brandão, Daniella Cunha; Mourato, Ianny Pereira; Britto, Murilo Carlos Amorim de

2018-04-01

Cystic Fibrosis (CF) is a multisystem disorder. The involvement of the respiratory system is frequent and culminates in dyspnea and exercise intolerance. Functional capacity is an important diagnostic tool, because it reflects the cardiorespiratory status, quality of life and prognosis. This systematic review aims to assess the reproducibility and validity of the six minute walk test (6MWT) to reflect the functional capacity of children and adolescents with cystic fibrosis, and also the correlation between 6MWT and lung function. Searches for articles were performed in eight databases using MeSH/DeCS keywords. A total of 695 articles were found and, after verifying all eligibility criteria, six articles were included for analysis and scoring regarding the methodological quality according to the QUADAS scale (Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies). All articles had good methodology (QUADAS between 9 and 11 points). The 6MWT is not correlated with lung function. There is a strong indication that the 6MWT is a reproducible test to assess the functional capacity of children and adolescents with CF. The validity assessment could not be reached because the studies included in this systematic review did not use adequate statistical tools to carry out such an evaluation. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Development and practical application of a library of CID accurate mass spectra of more than 2,500 toxic compounds for systematic toxicological analysis by LC-QTOF-MS with data-dependent acquisition.

PubMed

Broecker, Sebastian; Herre, Sieglinde; Wüst, Bernhard; Zweigenbaum, Jerry; Pragst, Fritz

2011-04-01

A library of collision-induced dissociation (CID) accurate mass spectra has been developed for efficient use of liquid chromatography in combination with hybrid quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LC-QTOF-MS) as a tool in systematic toxicological analysis. The mass spectra (Δm < 3 ppm) of more than 2,500 illegal and therapeutic drugs, pesticides, alkaloids, other toxic chemicals and metabolites were measured, by use of an Agilent 6530 instrument, by flow-injection of 1 ng of the pure substances in aqueous ammonium formate-formic acid-methanol, with positive and negative electrospray-ionization (ESI), selection of the protonated or deprotonated molecules [M+H](+) or [M-H](-) by the quadrupole, and collision induced dissociation (CID) with nitrogen as collision gas at CID energies of 10, 20, and 40 eV. The fragment mass spectra were controlled for structural plausibility, corrected by recalculation to the theoretical fragment masses and added to a database of accurate mass data and molecular formulas of more than 7,500 toxicologically relevant substances to form the "database and library of toxic compounds". For practical evaluation, blood and urine samples were spiked with a mixture of 33 drugs at seven concentrations between 0.5 and 500 ng mL(-1), prepared by dichloromethane extraction or protein precipitation, and analyzed by LC-QTOF-MS in data-dependent acquisition mode. Unambiguous identification by library search was possible for typical basic drugs down to 0.5-2 ng mL(-1) and for benzodiazepines down to 2-20 ng mL(-1). The efficiency of the method was also demonstrated by re-analysis of venous blood samples from 50 death cases and comparison with previous results. In conclusion, LC-QTOF-MS in data-dependent acquisition mode combined with an accurate mass database and CID spectra library seemed to be one of the most efficient tools for systematic toxicological analysis.

Analysis and correlation of the test data from an advanced technology rotor system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jepson, D.; Moffitt, R.; Hilzinger, K.; Bissell, J.

1983-01-01

Comparisons were made of the performance and blade vibratory loads characteristics for an advanced rotor system as predicted by analysis and as measured in a 1/5 scale model wind tunnel test, a full scale model wind tunnel test and flight test. The accuracy with which the various tools available at the various stages in the design/development process (analysis, model test etc.) could predict final characteristics as measured on the aircraft was determined. The accuracy of the analyses in predicting the effects of systematic tip planform variations investigated in the full scale wind tunnel test was evaluated.

Measuring attitudes towards the dying process: A systematic review of tools.

PubMed

Groebe, Bernadette; Strupp, Julia; Eisenmann, Yvonne; Schmidt, Holger; Schlomann, Anna; Rietz, Christian; Voltz, Raymond

2018-04-01

At the end of life, anxious attitudes concerning the dying process are common in patients in Palliative Care. Measurement tools can identify vulnerabilities, resources and the need for subsequent treatment to relieve suffering and support well-being. To systematically review available tools measuring attitudes towards dying, their operationalization, the method of measurement and the methodological quality including generalizability to different contexts. Systematic review according to the PRISMA Statement. Methodological quality of tools assessed by standardized review criteria. MEDLINE, PsycINFO, PsyndexTests and the Health and Psychosocial Instruments were searched from their inception to April 2017. A total of 94 identified studies reported the development and/or validation of 44 tools. Of these, 37 were questionnaires and 7 alternative measurement methods (e.g. projective measures). In 34 of 37 questionnaires, the emotional evaluation (e.g. anxiety) towards dying is measured. Dying is operationalized in general items ( n = 20), in several specific aspects of dying ( n = 34) and as dying of others ( n = 14). Methodological quality of tools was reported inconsistently. Nine tools reported good internal consistency. Of 37 tools, 4 were validated in a clinical sample (e.g. terminal cancer; Huntington disease), indicating questionable generalizability to clinical contexts for most tools. Many tools exist to measure attitudes towards the dying process using different endpoints. This overview can serve as decision framework on which tool to apply in which contexts. For clinical application, only few tools were available. Further validation of existing tools and potential alternative methods in various populations is needed.

Inconsistency in the items included in tools used in general health research and physical therapy to evaluate the methodological quality of randomized controlled trials: a descriptive analysis

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Assessing the risk of bias of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) is crucial to understand how biases affect treatment effect estimates. A number of tools have been developed to evaluate risk of bias of RCTs; however, it is unknown how these tools compare to each other in the items included. The main objective of this study was to describe which individual items are included in RCT quality tools used in general health and physical therapy (PT) research, and how these items compare to those of the Cochrane Risk of Bias (RoB) tool. Methods We used comprehensive literature searches and a systematic approach to identify tools that evaluated the methodological quality or risk of bias of RCTs in general health and PT research. We extracted individual items from all quality tools. We calculated the frequency of quality items used across tools and compared them to those in the RoB tool. Comparisons were made between general health and PT quality tools using Chi-squared tests. Results In addition to the RoB tool, 26 quality tools were identified, with 19 being used in general health and seven in PT research. The total number of quality items included in general health research tools was 130, compared with 48 items across PT tools and seven items in the RoB tool. The most frequently included items in general health research tools (14/19, 74%) were inclusion and exclusion criteria, and appropriate statistical analysis. In contrast, the most frequent items included in PT tools (86%, 6/7) were: baseline comparability, blinding of investigator/assessor, and use of intention-to-treat analysis. Key items of the RoB tool (sequence generation and allocation concealment) were included in 71% (5/7) of PT tools, and 63% (12/19) and 37% (7/19) of general health research tools, respectively. Conclusions There is extensive item variation across tools that evaluate the risk of bias of RCTs in health research. Results call for an in-depth analysis of items that should be used to assess risk of bias of RCTs. Further empirical evidence on the use of individual items and the psychometric properties of risk of bias tools is needed. PMID:24044807

Inconsistency in the items included in tools used in general health research and physical therapy to evaluate the methodological quality of randomized controlled trials: a descriptive analysis.

PubMed

Armijo-Olivo, Susan; Fuentes, Jorge; Ospina, Maria; Saltaji, Humam; Hartling, Lisa

2013-09-17

Assessing the risk of bias of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) is crucial to understand how biases affect treatment effect estimates. A number of tools have been developed to evaluate risk of bias of RCTs; however, it is unknown how these tools compare to each other in the items included. The main objective of this study was to describe which individual items are included in RCT quality tools used in general health and physical therapy (PT) research, and how these items compare to those of the Cochrane Risk of Bias (RoB) tool. We used comprehensive literature searches and a systematic approach to identify tools that evaluated the methodological quality or risk of bias of RCTs in general health and PT research. We extracted individual items from all quality tools. We calculated the frequency of quality items used across tools and compared them to those in the RoB tool. Comparisons were made between general health and PT quality tools using Chi-squared tests. In addition to the RoB tool, 26 quality tools were identified, with 19 being used in general health and seven in PT research. The total number of quality items included in general health research tools was 130, compared with 48 items across PT tools and seven items in the RoB tool. The most frequently included items in general health research tools (14/19, 74%) were inclusion and exclusion criteria, and appropriate statistical analysis. In contrast, the most frequent items included in PT tools (86%, 6/7) were: baseline comparability, blinding of investigator/assessor, and use of intention-to-treat analysis. Key items of the RoB tool (sequence generation and allocation concealment) were included in 71% (5/7) of PT tools, and 63% (12/19) and 37% (7/19) of general health research tools, respectively. There is extensive item variation across tools that evaluate the risk of bias of RCTs in health research. Results call for an in-depth analysis of items that should be used to assess risk of bias of RCTs. Further empirical evidence on the use of individual items and the psychometric properties of risk of bias tools is needed.

Effectiveness of the transpalatal arch in controlling orthodontic anchorage in maxillary premolar extraction cases: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

PubMed

Diar-Bakirly, Samira; Feres, Murilo Fernando Neuppmann; Saltaji, Humam; Flores-Mir, Carlos; El-Bialy, Tarek

2017-01-01

To evaluate the effectiveness of the transpalatal arch (TPA) as an anchorage device in preventing maxillary molar mesialization during retraction of the anterior teeth after premolar extraction. This systematic review intended to include patients indicated for upper premolar bilateral extraction and subsequent retraction of anterior teeth, considering the use of TPA as an anchorage tool in one of the treatment groups. The search was systematically performed, up to April 2015, in the following electronic databases: Medline, Embase, and all evidence-based medicine reviews via OVID, Cochrane Library, Scopus, PubMed, and Web of Science. Risk of bias assessment was performed using Cochrane's Risk of Bias Tool for randomized clinical trials (RCTs) and Methodological Index for Nonrandomized Studies (MINORS) for non-RCTs. Fourteen articles were finally included. Nine RCTs and five non-RCTs presented moderate to high risk of bias. Only one study investigated the use of TPA in comparison with no anchorage, failing to show significant differences regarding molar anchorage loss. A meta-analysis showed a significant increase in anchorage control when temporary anchorage devices were compared with TPA (mean difference [MD] 2.09 [95% confidence interval {CI} 1.80 to 2.38], seven trials), TPA + headgear (MD 1.71 [95% CI 0.81 to 2.6], four trials), and TPA + utility arch (MD 0.63 [95% CI 0.12 to 1.15], 3 trials). Based on mostly moderate risk of bias and with some certainty level, TPA alone should not be recommended to provide maximum anchorage during retraction of anterior teeth in extraction cases.

Identifying the women at risk of antenatal anxiety and depression: A systematic review.

PubMed

Biaggi, Alessandra; Conroy, Susan; Pawlby, Susan; Pariante, Carmine M

2016-02-01

Pregnancy is a time of increased vulnerability for the development of anxiety and depression. This systematic review aims to identify the main risk factors involved in the onset of antenatal anxiety and depression. A systematic literature analysis was conducted, using PubMed, PsychINFO, and the Cochrane Library. Original papers were included if they were written in English and published between 1st January 2003 and 31st August 2015, while literature reviews and meta-analyses were consulted regardless of publication date. A final number of 97 papers were selected. The most relevant factors associated with antenatal depression or anxiety were: lack of partner or of social support; history of abuse or of domestic violence; personal history of mental illness; unplanned or unwanted pregnancy; adverse events in life and high perceived stress; present/past pregnancy complications; and pregnancy loss. The review does not include a meta-analysis, which may have added additional information about the differential impact of each risk factor. Moreover, it does not specifically examine factors that may influence different types of anxiety disorders, or the recurrence or persistence of depression or anxiety from pregnancy to the postpartum period. The results show the complex aetiology of antenatal depression and anxiety. The administration of a screening tool to identify women at risk of anxiety and depression during pregnancy should be universal practice in order to promote the long-term wellbeing of mothers and babies, and the knowledge of specific risk factors may help creating such screening tool targeting women at higher risk. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

An Evidence-Based Videotaped Running Biomechanics Analysis.

PubMed

Souza, Richard B

2016-02-01

Running biomechanics play an important role in the development of injuries. Performing a running biomechanics analysis on injured runners can help to develop treatment strategies. This article provides a framework for a systematic video-based running biomechanics analysis plan based on the current evidence on running injuries, using 2-dimensional (2D) video and readily available tools. Fourteen measurements are proposed in this analysis plan from lateral and posterior video. Identifying simple 2D surrogates for 3D biomechanic variables of interest allows for widespread translation of best practices, and have the best opportunity to impact the highly prevalent problem of the injured runner. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The Gender Analysis Tools Applied in Natural Disasters Management: A Systematic Literature Review

PubMed Central

Sohrabizadeh, Sanaz; Tourani, Sogand; Khankeh, Hamid Reza

2014-01-01

Background: Although natural disasters have caused considerable damages around the world, and gender analysis can improve community disaster preparedness or mitigation, there is little research about the gendered analytical tools and methods in communities exposed to natural disasters and hazards. These tools evaluate gender vulnerability and capacity in pre-disaster and post-disaster phases of the disaster management cycle. Objectives: Identifying the analytical gender tools and the strengths and limitations of them as well as determining gender analysis studies which had emphasized on the importance of using gender analysis in disasters. Methods: The literature search was conducted in June 2013 using PubMed, Web of Sciences, ProQuest Research Library, World Health Organization Library, Gender and Disaster Network (GDN) archive. All articles, guidelines, fact sheets and other materials that provided an analytical framework for a gender analysis approach in disasters were included and the non-English documents as well as gender studies of non-disasters area were excluded. Analysis of the included studies was done separately by descriptive and thematic analyses. Results: A total of 207 documents were retrieved, of which only nine references were included. Of these, 45% were in form of checklist, 33% case study report, and the remaining 22% were article. All selected papers were published within the period 1994-2012. Conclusions: A focus on women’s vulnerability in the related research and the lack of valid and reliable gender analysis tools were considerable issues identified by the literature review. Although non-English literatures with English abstract were included in the study, the possible exclusion of non-English ones was found as the limitation of this study. PMID:24678441

RandomSpot: A web-based tool for systematic random sampling of virtual slides.

PubMed

Wright, Alexander I; Grabsch, Heike I; Treanor, Darren E

2015-01-01

This paper describes work presented at the Nordic Symposium on Digital Pathology 2014, Linköping, Sweden. Systematic random sampling (SRS) is a stereological tool, which provides a framework to quickly build an accurate estimation of the distribution of objects or classes within an image, whilst minimizing the number of observations required. RandomSpot is a web-based tool for SRS in stereology, which systematically places equidistant points within a given region of interest on a virtual slide. Each point can then be visually inspected by a pathologist in order to generate an unbiased sample of the distribution of classes within the tissue. Further measurements can then be derived from the distribution, such as the ratio of tumor to stroma. RandomSpot replicates the fundamental principle of traditional light microscope grid-shaped graticules, with the added benefits associated with virtual slides, such as facilitated collaboration and automated navigation between points. Once the sample points have been added to the region(s) of interest, users can download the annotations and view them locally using their virtual slide viewing software. Since its introduction, RandomSpot has been used extensively for international collaborative projects, clinical trials and independent research projects. So far, the system has been used to generate over 21,000 sample sets, and has been used to generate data for use in multiple publications, identifying significant new prognostic markers in colorectal, upper gastro-intestinal and breast cancer. Data generated using RandomSpot also has significant value for training image analysis algorithms using sample point coordinates and pathologist classifications.

Analytical tools and isolation of TOF events

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wolf, H.

1974-01-01

Analytical tools are presented in two reports. The first is a probability analysis of the orbital distribution of events in relation to dust flux density observed in Pioneer 8 and 9 distributions. A distinction is drawn between asymmetries caused by random fluctuations and systematic variations, by calculating the probability of any particular asymmetry. The second article discusses particle trajectories for a repulsive force field. The force on a particle due to solar radiation pressure is directed along the particle's radius vector, from the sun, and is inversely proportional to its distance from the sun. Equations of motion which describe both solar radiation pressure and gravitational attraction are presented.

Police witness identification images: a geometric morphometric analysis.

PubMed

Hayes, Susan; Tullberg, Cameron

2012-11-01

Research into witness identification images typically occurs within the laboratory and involves subjective likeness and recognizability judgments. This study analyzed whether actual witness identification images systematically alter the facial shapes of the suspects described. The shape analysis tool, geometric morphometrics, was applied to 46 homologous facial landmarks displayed on 50 witness identification images and their corresponding arrest photographs, using principal component analysis and multivariate regressions. The results indicate that compared with arrest photographs, witness identification images systematically depict suspects with lowered and medially located eyebrows (p = <0.000001). This was found to occur independently of the Police Artist, and did not occur with composites produced under laboratory conditions. There are several possible explanations for this finding, including any, or all, of the following: The suspect was frowning at the time of the incident, the witness had negative feelings toward the suspect, this is an effect of unfamiliar face processing, the suspect displayed fear at the time of their arrest photograph. © 2012 American Academy of Forensic Sciences.

Model-Driven Useware Engineering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meixner, Gerrit; Seissler, Marc; Breiner, Kai

User-oriented hardware and software development relies on a systematic development process based on a comprehensive analysis focusing on the users' requirements and preferences. Such a development process calls for the integration of numerous disciplines, from psychology and ergonomics to computer sciences and mechanical engineering. Hence, a correspondingly interdisciplinary team must be equipped with suitable software tools to allow it to handle the complexity of a multimodal and multi-device user interface development approach. An abstract, model-based development approach seems to be adequate for handling this complexity. This approach comprises different levels of abstraction requiring adequate tool support. Thus, in this chapter, we present the current state of our model-based software tool chain. We introduce the use model as the core model of our model-based process, transformation processes, and a model-based architecture, and we present different software tools that provide support for creating and maintaining the models or performing the necessary model transformations.

Cleft audit protocol for speech (CAPS-A): a comprehensive training package for speech analysis.

PubMed

Sell, D; John, A; Harding-Bell, A; Sweeney, T; Hegarty, F; Freeman, J

2009-01-01

The previous literature has largely focused on speech analysis systems and ignored process issues, such as the nature of adequate speech samples, data acquisition, recording and playback. Although there has been recognition of the need for training on tools used in speech analysis associated with cleft palate, little attention has been paid to this issue. To design, execute, and evaluate a training programme for speech and language therapists on the systematic and reliable use of the Cleft Audit Protocol for Speech-Augmented (CAPS-A), addressing issues of standardized speech samples, data acquisition, recording, playback, and listening guidelines. Thirty-six specialist speech and language therapists undertook the training programme over four days. This consisted of two days' training on the CAPS-A tool followed by a third day, making independent ratings and transcriptions on ten new cases which had been previously recorded during routine audit data collection. This task was repeated on day 4, a minimum of one month later. Ratings were made using the CAPS-A record form with the CAPS-A definition table. An analysis was made of the speech and language therapists' CAPS-A ratings at occasion 1 and occasion 2 and the intra- and inter-rater reliability calculated. Trained therapists showed consistency in individual judgements on specific sections of the tool. Intraclass correlation coefficients were calculated for each section with good agreement on eight of 13 sections. There were only fair levels of agreement on anterior oral cleft speech characteristics, non-cleft errors/immaturities and voice. This was explained, at least in part, by their low prevalence which affects the calculation of the intraclass correlation coefficient statistic. Speech and language therapists benefited from training on the CAPS-A, focusing on specific aspects of speech using definitions of parameters and scalar points, in order to apply the tool systematically and reliably. Ratings are enhanced by ensuring a high degree of attention to the nature of the data, standardizing the speech sample, data acquisition, the listening process together with the use of high-quality recording and playback equipment. In addition, a method is proposed for maintaining listening skills following training as part of an individual's continuing education.

A systematic review on popularity, application and characteristics of protein secondary structure prediction tools.

PubMed

Kashani-Amin, Elaheh; Tabatabaei-Malazy, Ozra; Sakhteman, Amirhossein; Larijani, Bagher; Ebrahim-Habibi, Azadeh

2018-02-27

Prediction of proteins' secondary structure is one of the major steps in the generation of homology models. These models provide structural information which is used to design suitable ligands for potential medicinal targets. However, selecting a proper tool between multiple secondary structure prediction (SSP) options is challenging. The current study is an insight onto currently favored methods and tools, within various contexts. A systematic review was performed for a comprehensive access to recent (2013-2016) studies which used or recommended protein SSP tools. Three databases, Web of Science, PubMed and Scopus were systematically searched and 99 out of 209 studies were finally found eligible to extract data. Four categories of applications for 59 retrieved SSP tools were: (I) prediction of structural features of a given sequence, (II) evaluation of a method, (III) providing input for a new SSP method and (IV) integrating a SSP tool as a component for a program. PSIPRED was found to be the most popular tool in all four categories. JPred and tools utilizing PHD (Profile network from HeiDelberg) method occupied second and third places of popularity in categories I and II. JPred was only found in the two first categories, while PHD was present in three fields. This study provides a comprehensive insight about the recent usage of SSP tools which could be helpful for selecting a proper tool's choice. Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.org.

A Simple Framework for Evaluating Authorial Contributions for Scientific Publications.

PubMed

Warrender, Jeffrey M

2016-10-01

A simple tool is provided to assist researchers in assessing contributions to a scientific publication, for ease in evaluating which contributors qualify for authorship, and in what order the authors should be listed. The tool identifies four phases of activity leading to a publication-Conception and Design, Data Acquisition, Analysis and Interpretation, and Manuscript Preparation. By comparing a project participant's contribution in a given phase to several specified thresholds, a score of up to five points can be assigned; the contributor's scores in all four phases are summed to yield a total "contribution score", which is compared to a threshold to determine which contributors merit authorship. This tool may be useful in a variety of contexts in which a systematic approach to authorial credit is desired.

A Closed Mars Analog Simulation: The Approach of Crew 5 At the Mars Desert Research Station

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Clancey, William J.; Koga, Dennis (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

For twelve days in April 2002 we performed a closed simulation in the Mars Desert Research Station, isolated from other people, as on Mars, while performing systematic surface exploration and life support chores. Email provided our only means of contact; no phone or radio conversations were possible. All mission-related messages were mediated by a remote mission support team. This protocol enabled a systematic and controlled study of crew activities, scheduling, and use of space. The analysis presented here focuses on two questions: Where did the time go-why did people feel rushed and unable to complete their work? How can we measure and model productivity, to compare habitat designs, schedules, roles, and tools? Analysis suggests that a simple scheduling change-having lunch and dinner earlier, plus eliminating afternoon meetings-increased the available productive time by 41%.

A systematic approach for finding the objective function and active constraints for dynamic flux balance analysis.

PubMed

Nikdel, Ali; Braatz, Richard D; Budman, Hector M

2018-05-01

Dynamic flux balance analysis (DFBA) has become an instrumental modeling tool for describing the dynamic behavior of bioprocesses. DFBA involves the maximization of a biologically meaningful objective subject to kinetic constraints on the rate of consumption/production of metabolites. In this paper, we propose a systematic data-based approach for finding both the biological objective function and a minimum set of active constraints necessary for matching the model predictions to the experimental data. The proposed algorithm accounts for the errors in the experiments and eliminates the need for ad hoc choices of objective function and constraints as done in previous studies. The method is illustrated for two cases: (1) for in silico (simulated) data generated by a mathematical model for Escherichia coli and (2) for actual experimental data collected from the batch fermentation of Bordetella Pertussis (whooping cough).

The Chemistry and Pharmacology of Citrus Limonoids.

PubMed

Gualdani, Roberta; Cavalluzzi, Maria Maddalena; Lentini, Giovanni; Habtemariam, Solomon

2016-11-13

Citrus limonoids (CLs) are a group of highly oxygenated terpenoid secondary metabolites found mostly in the seeds, fruits and peel tissues of citrus fruits such as lemons, limes, oranges, pumellos, grapefruits, bergamots, and mandarins. Represented by limonin, the aglycones and glycosides of CLs have shown to display numerous pharmacological activities including anticancer, antimicrobial, antioxidant, antidiabetic and insecticidal among others. In this review, the chemistry and pharmacology of CLs are systematically scrutinised through the use of medicinal chemistry tools and structure-activity relationship approach. Synthetic derivatives and other structurally-related limonoids from other sources are include in the analysis. With the focus on literature in the past decade, the chemical classification of CLs, their physico-chemical properties as drugs, their biosynthesis and enzymatic modifications, possible ways of enhancing their biological activities through structural modifications, their ligand efficiency metrics and systematic graphical radar plot analysis to assess their developability as drugs are among those discussed in detail.

Efficient computation paths for the systematic analysis of sensitivities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Greppi, Paolo; Arato, Elisabetta

2013-01-01

A systematic sensitivity analysis requires computing the model on all points of a multi-dimensional grid covering the domain of interest, defined by the ranges of variability of the inputs. The issues to efficiently perform such analyses on algebraic models are handling solution failures within and close to the feasible region and minimizing the total iteration count. Scanning the domain in the obvious order is sub-optimal in terms of total iterations and is likely to cause many solution failures. The problem of choosing a better order can be translated geometrically into finding Hamiltonian paths on certain grid graphs. This work proposes two paths, one based on a mixed-radix Gray code and the other, a quasi-spiral path, produced by a novel heuristic algorithm. Some simple, easy-to-visualize examples are presented, followed by performance results for the quasi-spiral algorithm and the practical application of the different paths in a process simulation tool.

Software Tools to Support the Assessment of System Health

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Melcher, Kevin J.

2013-01-01

This presentation provides an overview of three software tools that were developed by the NASA Glenn Research Center to support the assessment of system health: the Propulsion Diagnostic Method Evaluation Strategy (ProDIMES), the Systematic Sensor Selection Strategy (S4), and the Extended Testability Analysis (ETA) tool. Originally developed to support specific NASA projects in aeronautics and space, these software tools are currently available to U.S. citizens through the NASA Glenn Software Catalog. The ProDiMES software tool was developed to support a uniform comparison of propulsion gas path diagnostic methods. Methods published in the open literature are typically applied to dissimilar platforms with different levels of complexity. They often address different diagnostic problems and use inconsistent metrics for evaluating performance. As a result, it is difficult to perform a one ]to ]one comparison of the various diagnostic methods. ProDIMES solves this problem by serving as a theme problem to aid in propulsion gas path diagnostic technology development and evaluation. The overall goal is to provide a tool that will serve as an industry standard, and will truly facilitate the development and evaluation of significant Engine Health Management (EHM) capabilities. ProDiMES has been developed under a collaborative project of The Technical Cooperation Program (TTCP) based on feedback provided by individuals within the aircraft engine health management community. The S4 software tool provides a framework that supports the optimal selection of sensors for health management assessments. S4 is structured to accommodate user ]defined applications, diagnostic systems, search techniques, and system requirements/constraints. One or more sensor suites that maximize this performance while meeting other user ]defined system requirements that are presumed to exist. S4 provides a systematic approach for evaluating combinations of sensors to determine the set or sets of sensors that optimally meet the performance goals and the constraints. It identifies optimal sensor suite solutions by utilizing a merit (i.e., cost) function with one of several available optimization approaches. As part of its analysis, S4 can expose fault conditions that are difficult to diagnose due to an incomplete diagnostic philosophy and/or a lack of sensors. S4 was originally developed and applied to liquid rocket engines. It was subsequently used to study the optimized selection of sensors for a simulation ]based aircraft engine diagnostic system. The ETA Tool is a software ]based analysis tool that augments the testability analysis and reporting capabilities of a commercial ]off ]the ]shelf (COTS) package. An initial diagnostic assessment is performed by the COTS software using a user ]developed, qualitative, directed ]graph model of the system being analyzed. The ETA Tool accesses system design information captured within the model and the associated testability analysis output to create a series of six reports for various system engineering needs. These reports are highlighted in the presentation. The ETA Tool was developed by NASA to support the verification of fault management requirements early in the Launch Vehicle process. Due to their early development during the design process, the TEAMS ]based diagnostic model and the ETA Tool were able to positively influence the system design by highlighting gaps in failure detection, fault isolation, and failure recovery.

Variability Analysis for Effectiveness and Improvement in Classrooms and Schools in Upper Secondary Education in Slovenia: Assessment of/for Learning Analytic Tool

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zupanc, Darko; Urank, Matjaz; Bren, Matevz

2009-01-01

From 1995, data on students' achievement in schools (i.e., teacher's grades) and all data on achievement in the 5-subject group certificate--the "Matura" exam--have been systematically gathered for the entire yearly cohort of students in upper secondary education in Slovenia. This paper describes an on-line data selection system and data…

The mitochondrial genome of Protostrongylus rufescens – implications for population and systematic studies

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Protostrongylus rufescens is a metastrongyloid nematode of small ruminants, such as sheep and goats, causing protostrongylosis. In spite of its importance, the ecology and epidemiology of this parasite are not entirely understood. In addition, genetic data are scant for P. rufescens and related metastrongyloids. Methods The mt genome was amplified from a single adult worm of P. rufescens (from sheep) by long-PCR, sequenced using 454-technology and annotated using bioinformatic tools. Amino acid sequences inferred from individual genes of the mt genomes were concatenated and subjected to phylogenetic analysis using Bayesian inference. Results The circular mitochondrial genome was 13,619 bp in length and contained two ribosomal RNA, 12 protein-coding and 22 transfer RNA genes, consistent with nematodes of the order Strongylida for which mt genomes have been determined. Phylogenetic analysis of the concatenated amino acid sequence data for the 12 mt proteins showed that P. rufescens was closely related to Aelurostrongylus abstrusus, Angiostrongylus vasorum, Angiostrongylus cantonensis and Angiostrongylus costaricensis. Conclusions The mt genome determined herein provides a source of markers for future investigations of P. rufescens. Molecular tools, employing such mt markers, are likely to find applicability in studies of the population biology of this parasite and the systematics of lungworms. PMID:24025317

Modeling Zone-3 Protection with Generic Relay Models for Dynamic Contingency Analysis

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

Huang, Qiuhua; Vyakaranam, Bharat GNVSR; Diao, Ruisheng

This paper presents a cohesive approach for calculating and coordinating the settings of multiple zone-3 protections for dynamic contingency analysis. The zone-3 protections are represented by generic distance relay models. A two-step approach for determining zone-3 relay settings is proposed. The first step is to calculate settings, particularly, the reach, of each zone-3 relay individually by iteratively running line open-end fault short circuit analysis; the blinder is also employed and properly set to meet the industry standard under extreme loading conditions. The second step is to systematically coordinate the protection settings of the zone-3 relays. The main objective of thismore » coordination step is to address the over-reaching issues. We have developed a tool to automate the proposed approach and generate the settings of all distance relays in a PSS/E dyr format file. The calculated zone-3 settings have been tested on a modified IEEE 300 system using a dynamic contingency analysis tool (DCAT).« less

Design sensitivity analysis and optimization tool (DSO) for sizing design applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chang, Kuang-Hua; Choi, Kyung K.; Perng, Jyh-Hwa

1992-01-01

The DSO tool, a structural design software system that provides the designer with a graphics-based menu-driven design environment to perform easy design optimization for general applications, is presented. Three design stages, preprocessing, design sensitivity analysis, and postprocessing, are implemented in the DSO to allow the designer to carry out the design process systematically. A framework, including data base, user interface, foundation class, and remote module, has been designed and implemented to facilitate software development for the DSO. A number of dedicated commercial software/packages have been integrated in the DSO to support the design procedures. Instead of parameterizing an FEM, design parameters are defined on a geometric model associated with physical quantities, and the continuum design sensitivity analysis theory is implemented to compute design sensitivity coefficients using postprocessing data from the analysis codes. A tracked vehicle road wheel is given as a sizing design application to demonstrate the DSO's easy and convenient design optimization process.

Systematic review and meta-analysis of the performance of clinical risk assessment instruments for screening for osteoporosis or low bone density

PubMed Central

Edwards, D. L.; Saleh, A. A.; Greenspan, S. L.

2015-01-01

Summary We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of the performance of clinical risk assessment instruments for screening for DXA-determined osteoporosis or low bone density. Commonly evaluated risk instruments showed high sensitivity approaching or exceeding 90 % at particular thresholds within various populations but low specificity at thresholds required for high sensitivity. Simpler instruments, such as OST, generally performed as well as or better than more complex instruments. Introduction The purpose of the study is to systematically review the performance of clinical risk assessment instruments for screening for dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA)-determined osteoporosis or low bone density. Methods Systematic review and meta-analysis were performed. Multiple literature sources were searched, and data extracted and analyzed from included references. Results One hundred eight references met inclusion criteria. Studies assessed many instruments in 34 countries, most commonly the Osteoporosis Self-Assessment Tool (OST), the Simple Calculated Osteoporosis Risk Estimation (SCORE) instrument, the Osteoporosis Self-Assessment Tool for Asians (OSTA), the Osteoporosis Risk Assessment Instrument (ORAI), and body weight criteria. Meta-analyses of studies evaluating OST using a cutoff threshold of <1 to identify US postmenopausal women with osteoporosis at the femoral neck provided summary sensitivity and specificity estimates of 89 % (95%CI 82–96 %) and 41 % (95%CI 23–59 %), respectively. Meta-analyses of studies evaluating OST using a cutoff threshold of 3 to identify US men with osteoporosis at the femoral neck, total hip, or lumbar spine provided summary sensitivity and specificity estimates of 88 % (95%CI 79–97 %) and 55 % (95%CI 42–68 %), respectively. Frequently evaluated instruments each had thresholds and populations for which sensitivity for osteoporosis or low bone mass detection approached or exceeded 90 % but always with a trade-off of relatively low specificity. Conclusions Commonly evaluated clinical risk assessment instruments each showed high sensitivity approaching or exceeding 90 % for identifying individuals with DXA-determined osteoporosis or low BMD at certain thresholds in different populations but low specificity at thresholds required for high sensitivity. Simpler instruments, such as OST, generally performed as well as or better than more complex instruments. PMID:25644147

Screening tools for identification of elder abuse: a systematic review.

PubMed

Gallione, Chiara; Dal Molin, Alberto; Cristina, Fabio V B; Ferns, Hilary; Mattioli, Mark; Suardi, Barbara

2017-08-01

To review the efficacy and accuracy of tools administered to older people, intended to detect and measure elder abuse. The mistreatment of older people represents a widespread problem, with exponential growth risk, especially considering the progressive ageing of the world population. It could have serious consequences for the victim's health if not recognised early, denounced and stopped. Abuse is often undetected by service providers because there is a lack of awareness surrounding the magnitude of the problem. Education and formal training in the signs of abuse are also generally poorly developed, as are reporting procedures which would lead to further investigation. Systematic review. Comprehensive database searches of MEDLINE, Cochrane, EMBASE and Scopus were undertaken. Screening of 695 articles resulted in 11 included. Appraisal and analysis using PRISMA Statement and STROBE checklist were undertaken. Eleven screening tools have been presented: H-S/EAST, VASS, EASI, CASE, BASE, E-IOA, EAI, EPAS, CPEABS, OAPAM and OAFEM, all aimed at healthcare professional or, in some cases, expected to be specifically used by nurses. The fundamental function of any assessment instrument is to guide through a standardised screening process and to ensure that signs of abuse are not missed. Several tools have been tested; some have demonstrated a moderate to good internal consistency and some have been validated to allow an early identification. None have been evaluated against measurable violence or health outcomes. Nurses and all healthcare providers should screen patients routinely. However, we are not able to recommend a single tool as the selection and implementation has to be appropriate to the setting. Furthermore, the study population and the possibility of using multiple tools in combination should be taken into consideration, to assess all the aspects of violence. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Deliberate teaching tools for clinical teaching encounters: A critical scoping review and thematic analysis to establish definitional clarity.

PubMed

Sidhu, Navdeep S; Edwards, Morgan

2018-04-27

We conducted a scoping review of tools designed to add structure to clinical teaching, with a thematic analysis to establish definitional clarity. Six thousand and forty nine citations were screened, 434 reviewed for eligibility, and 230 identified as meeting study inclusion criteria. Eighty-nine names and 51 definitions were identified. Based on a post facto thematic analysis, we propose that these tools be named "deliberate teaching tools" (DTTs) and defined as "frameworks that enable clinicians to have a purposeful and considered approach to teaching encounters by incorporating elements identified with good teaching practice." We identified 46 DTTs in the literature, with 38 (82.6%) originally described for the medical setting. Forty justification articles consisted of 16 feedback surveys, 13 controlled trials, seven pre-post intervention studies with no control group, and four observation studies. Current evidence of efficacy is not entirely conclusive, and many studies contain methodology flaws. Forty-nine clarification articles comprised 12 systematic reviews and 37 narrative reviews. The most number of DTTs described by any review was four. A common design theme was identified in approximately three-quarters of DTTs. Applicability of DTTs to specific alternate settings should be considered in context, and appropriately designed justification studies are warranted to demonstrate efficacy.

[Infobarris: an interactive tool to monitor and disseminate information on health and its determinants in the neighbourhoods of Barcelona (Spain)].

PubMed

Llimona, Pere; Pérez, Glòria; Rodríguez-Sanz, Maica; Novoa, Ana M; Espelt, Albert; García de Olalla, Patricia; Borrell, Carme

In order to know about the health of the population, it is necessary to perform a systematic and continuous analysis of their health status and social and economic health determinants. The objective of this paper is to describe the development and implementation of the Infobarris tool, which allows to visualize a wide battery of indicators and social determinants of health by neighbourhoods in the city of Barcelona (Spain). For the development of the Infobarris tool, we used an agile methodology that allows the development of a project in iterative and incremental stages, which are the following: selection of indicators, design of the prototype, development of the tool, data loading, and tool review and improvements. Infobarris displays 64 indicators of health and its determinants through graphics, maps and tables, in a friendly, interactive and attractive way, which facilitates health surveillance in the neighbourhoods of Barcelona. Copyright © 2017 SESPAS. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Conducting systematic reviews of economic evaluations.

PubMed

Gomersall, Judith Streak; Jadotte, Yuri Tertilus; Xue, Yifan; Lockwood, Suzi; Riddle, Dru; Preda, Alin

2015-09-01

In 2012, a working group was established to review and enhance the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) guidance for conducting systematic review of evidence from economic evaluations addressing a question(s) about health intervention cost-effectiveness. The objective is to present the outcomes of the working group. The group conducted three activities to inform the new guidance: review of literature on the utility/futility of systematic reviews of economic evaluations and consideration of its implications for updating the existing methodology; assessment of the critical appraisal tool in the existing guidance against criteria that promotes validity in economic evaluation research and two other commonly used tools; and a workshop. The debate in the literature on the limitations/value of systematic review of economic evidence cautions that systematic reviews of economic evaluation evidence are unlikely to generate one size fits all answers to questions about the cost-effectiveness of interventions and their comparators. Informed by this finding, the working group adjusted the framing of the objectives definition in the existing JBI methodology. The shift is away from defining the objective as to determine one cost-effectiveness measure toward summarizing study estimates of cost-effectiveness and informed by consideration of the included study characteristics (patient, setting, intervention component, etc.), identifying conditions conducive to lowering costs and maximizing health benefits. The existing critical appraisal tool was included in the new guidance. The new guidance includes the recommendation that a tool designed specifically for the purpose of appraising model-based studies be used together with the generic appraisal tool for economic evaluations assessment to evaluate model-based evaluations. The guidance produced by the group offers reviewers guidance for each step of the systematic review process, which are the same steps followed in JBI reviews of other types of evidence. The updated JBI guidance will be useful for researchers wanting to synthesize evidence about economic questions, either as stand-alone reviews or part of comprehensive or mixed method evidence reviews. Although the updated methodology produced by the work of the working group has improved the JBI guidance for systematic reviews of economic evaluations, there are areas where further work is required. These include adjusting the critical appraisal tool to separate out questions addressing intervention cost and effectiveness measurement; providing more explicit guidance for assessing generalizability of findings; and offering a more robust method for evidence synthesis that facilitates achieving the more ambitious review objectives.

Enabling Efficient Climate Science Workflows in High Performance Computing Environments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Krishnan, H.; Byna, S.; Wehner, M. F.; Gu, J.; O'Brien, T. A.; Loring, B.; Stone, D. A.; Collins, W.; Prabhat, M.; Liu, Y.; Johnson, J. N.; Paciorek, C. J.

2015-12-01

A typical climate science workflow often involves a combination of acquisition of data, modeling, simulation, analysis, visualization, publishing, and storage of results. Each of these tasks provide a myriad of challenges when running on a high performance computing environment such as Hopper or Edison at NERSC. Hurdles such as data transfer and management, job scheduling, parallel analysis routines, and publication require a lot of forethought and planning to ensure that proper quality control mechanisms are in place. These steps require effectively utilizing a combination of well tested and newly developed functionality to move data, perform analysis, apply statistical routines, and finally, serve results and tools to the greater scientific community. As part of the CAlibrated and Systematic Characterization, Attribution and Detection of Extremes (CASCADE) project we highlight a stack of tools our team utilizes and has developed to ensure that large scale simulation and analysis work are commonplace and provide operations that assist in everything from generation/procurement of data (HTAR/Globus) to automating publication of results to portals like the Earth Systems Grid Federation (ESGF), all while executing everything in between in a scalable environment in a task parallel way (MPI). We highlight the use and benefit of these tools by showing several climate science analysis use cases they have been applied to.

A Systematic Review of Tools Used to Assess Team Leadership in Health Care Action Teams.

PubMed

Rosenman, Elizabeth D; Ilgen, Jonathan S; Shandro, Jamie R; Harper, Amy L; Fernandez, Rosemarie

2015-10-01

To summarize the characteristics of tools used to assess leadership in health care action (HCA) teams. HCA teams are interdisciplinary teams performing complex, critical tasks under high-pressure conditions. The authors conducted a systematic review of the PubMed/MEDLINE, CINAHL, ERIC, EMBASE, PsycINFO, and Web of Science databases, key journals, and review articles published through March 2012 for English-language articles that applied leadership assessment tools to HCA teams in all specialties. Pairs of reviewers assessed identified articles for inclusion and exclusion criteria and abstracted data on study characteristics, tool characteristics, and validity evidence. Of the 9,913 abstracts screened, 83 studies were included. They described 61 team leadership assessment tools. Forty-nine tools (80%) provided behaviors, skills, or characteristics to define leadership. Forty-four tools (72%) assessed leadership as one component of a larger assessment, 13 tools (21%) identified leadership as the primary focus of the assessment, and 4 (7%) assessed leadership style. Fifty-three studies (64%) assessed leadership at the team level; 29 (35%) did so at the individual level. Assessments of simulated (n = 55) and live (n = 30) patient care events were performed. Validity evidence included content validity (n = 75), internal structure (n = 61), relationship to other variables (n = 44), and response process (n = 15). Leadership assessment tools applied to HCA teams are heterogeneous in content and application. Comparisons between tools are limited by study variability. A systematic approach to team leadership tool development, evaluation, and implementation will strengthen understanding of this important competency.

Development and Validation of a Multidisciplinary Tool for Accurate and Efficient Rotorcraft Noise Prediction (MUTE)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Liu, Yi; Anusonti-Inthra, Phuriwat; Diskin, Boris

2011-01-01

A physics-based, systematically coupled, multidisciplinary prediction tool (MUTE) for rotorcraft noise was developed and validated with a wide range of flight configurations and conditions. MUTE is an aggregation of multidisciplinary computational tools that accurately and efficiently model the physics of the source of rotorcraft noise, and predict the noise at far-field observer locations. It uses systematic coupling approaches among multiple disciplines including Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), Computational Structural Dynamics (CSD), and high fidelity acoustics. Within MUTE, advanced high-order CFD tools are used around the rotor blade to predict the transonic flow (shock wave) effects, which generate the high-speed impulsive noise. Predictions of the blade-vortex interaction noise in low speed flight are also improved by using the Particle Vortex Transport Method (PVTM), which preserves the wake flow details required for blade/wake and fuselage/wake interactions. The accuracy of the source noise prediction is further improved by utilizing a coupling approach between CFD and CSD, so that the effects of key structural dynamics, elastic blade deformations, and trim solutions are correctly represented in the analysis. The blade loading information and/or the flow field parameters around the rotor blade predicted by the CFD/CSD coupling approach are used to predict the acoustic signatures at far-field observer locations with a high-fidelity noise propagation code (WOPWOP3). The predicted results from the MUTE tool for rotor blade aerodynamic loading and far-field acoustic signatures are compared and validated with a variation of experimental data sets, such as UH60-A data, DNW test data and HART II test data.

The effectiveness of environment assessment tools to guide refurbishment of Australian residential aged care facilities: A systematic review.

PubMed

Neylon, Samantha; Bulsara, Caroline; Hill, Anne-Marie

2017-06-01

To determine applicability of environment assessment tools in guiding minor refurbishments of Australian residential aged care facilities. Studies conducted in residential aged care settings using assessment tools which address the physical environment were eligible for inclusion in a systematic review. Given these studies are limited, tools which have not yet been utilised in research settings were also included. Tools were analysed using a critical appraisal screen. Forty-three publications met the inclusion criteria. Ten environment assessment tools were identified, of which four addressed all seven minor refurbishment domains of lighting, colour and contrast, sound, flooring, furniture, signage and way finding. Only one had undergone reliability and validity testing. There are four tools which may be suitable to use for minor refurbishment of Australian residential aged care facilities. Data on their reliability, validity and quality are limited. © 2017 AJA Inc.

Multicomponent Musculoskeletal Movement Assessment Tools: A Systematic Review and Critical Appraisal of Their Development and Applicability to Professional Practice.

PubMed

Bennett, Hunter; Davison, Kade; Arnold, John; Slattery, Flynn; Martin, Max; Norton, Kevin

2017-10-01

Multicomponent movement assessment tools have become commonplace to measure movement quality, proposing to indicate injury risk and performance capabilities. Despite popular use, there has been no attempt to compare the components of each tool reported in the literature, the processes in which they were developed, or the underpinning rationale for their included content. As such, the objective of this systematic review was to provide a comprehensive summary of current movement assessment tools and appraise the evidence supporting their development. A systematic literature search was performed using PRISMA guidelines to identify multicomponent movement assessment tools. Commonalities between tools and the evidence provided to support the content of each tool was identified. Each tool underwent critical appraisal to identify the rigor in which it was developed, and its applicability to professional practice. Eleven tools were identified, of which 5 provided evidence to support their content as assessments of movement quality. One assessment tool (Soccer Injury Movement Screen [SIMS]) received an overall score of above 65% on critical appraisal, with a further 2 tools (Movement Competency Screen [MCS] and modified 4 movement screen [M4-MS]) scoring above 60%. Only the MCS provided clear justification for its developmental process. The remaining 8 tools scored between 40 and 60%. On appraisal, the MCS, M4-MS, and SIMS seem to provide the most practical value for assessing movement quality as they provide the strongest reports of developmental rigor and an identifiable evidence base. In addition, considering the evidence provided, these tools may have the strongest potential for identifying performance capabilities and guiding exercise prescription in athletic and sport-specific populations.

The use of agrobiodiversity for plant improvement and the intellectual property paradigm: institutional fit and legal tools for mass selection, conventional and molecular plant breeding.

PubMed

Batur, Fulya; Dedeurwaerdere, Tom

2014-12-01

Focused on the impact of stringent intellectual property mechanisms over the uses of plant agricultural biodiversity in crop improvement, the article delves into a systematic analysis of the relationship between institutional paradigms and their technological contexts of application, identified as mass selection, controlled hybridisation, molecular breeding tools and transgenics. While the strong property paradigm has proven effective in the context of major leaps forward in genetic engineering, it faces a systematic breakdown when extended to mass selection, where innovation often displays a collective nature. However, it also creates partial blockages in those innovation schemes rested between on-farm observation and genetic modification, i.e. conventional plant breeding and upstream molecular biology research tools. Neither overly strong intellectual property rights, nor the absence of well delineated protection have proven an optimal fit for these two intermediary socio-technological systems of cumulative incremental innovation. To address these challenges, the authors look at appropriate institutional alternatives which can create effective incentives for in situ agrobiodiversity conservation and the equitable distribution of technologies in plant improvement, using the flexibilities of the TRIPS Agreement, the liability rules set forth in patents or plant variety rights themselves (in the form of farmers', breeders' and research exceptions), and other ad hoc reward regimes.

Flux analysis and metabolomics for systematic metabolic engineering of microorganisms.

PubMed

Toya, Yoshihiro; Shimizu, Hiroshi

2013-11-01

Rational engineering of metabolism is important for bio-production using microorganisms. Metabolic design based on in silico simulations and experimental validation of the metabolic state in the engineered strain helps in accomplishing systematic metabolic engineering. Flux balance analysis (FBA) is a method for the prediction of metabolic phenotype, and many applications have been developed using FBA to design metabolic networks. Elementary mode analysis (EMA) and ensemble modeling techniques are also useful tools for in silico strain design. The metabolome and flux distribution of the metabolic pathways enable us to evaluate the metabolic state and provide useful clues to improve target productivity. Here, we reviewed several computational applications for metabolic engineering by using genome-scale metabolic models of microorganisms. We also discussed the recent progress made in the field of metabolomics and (13)C-metabolic flux analysis techniques, and reviewed these applications pertaining to bio-production development. Because these in silico or experimental approaches have their respective advantages and disadvantages, the combined usage of these methods is complementary and effective for metabolic engineering. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Cost-effectiveness of Colorectal Cancer Screening and Treatment Methods: Mapping of Systematic Reviews.

PubMed

Abdolahi, Hossein Mashhadi; Asiabar, Ali Sarabi; Azami-Aghdash, Saber; Pournaghi-Azar, Fatemeh; Rezapour, Aziz

2018-01-01

Due to extensive literature on colorectal cancer and their heterogeneous results, this study aimed to summarize the systematic reviews which review the cost-effectiveness studies on different aspects of colorectal cancer. The required data were collected by searching the following key words according to MeSH: "colorectal cancer," "colorectal oncology," "colorectal carcinoma," "colorectal neoplasm," "colorectal tumors," "cost-effectiveness," "systematic review," and "meta-analysis." The following databases were searched: PubMed, Cochrane, Google Scholar, and Scopus. Two reviewers evaluated the articles according to the checklist of "assessment of multiple systematic reviews" (AMSTAR) tool. Finally, eight systematic reviews were included in the study. The Drummond checklist was mostly used for assessing the quality of the articles. The main perspective was related to the payer and the least was relevant to the social. The majority of the cases referred to sensitivity analysis (in 76% of the cases) and the lowest point also was allocated to discounting (in 37% of cases). The Markov model was used most widely in the studies. Treatment methods examined in the studies were not cost-effective in comparison with the studied units. Among the screening methods, computerized tomographic colonography and fecal DNA were cost-effective. The average score of the articles' qualities was high (9.8 out of 11). The community perspective should be taken into consideration at large in the studies. It is necessary to pay more attention to discounting subject in studies. More frequent application of the Markov model is recommended.

Indicators of undergraduate nursing students' satisfaction with their learning journey: An integrative review.

PubMed

Walker, Sandra; Rossi, Dolene; Anastasi, Jennifer; Gray-Ganter, Gillian; Tennent, Rebeka

2016-08-01

In Australia Bachelor of Nursing programmes are delivered via both internal and distance modes yet there is little knowledge of the indicators of undergraduate nursing students' satisfaction with the learning journey. This integrative review was undertaken to uncover the indicators of undergraduate nursing students' satisfaction with their learning journey. Integrative review. A review of key papers was undertaken. Only peer-reviewed papers published in scholarly journals from 2008 onwards were included in this integrative review. Pubmed, CINAHL, Google Scholar, Cochrane, Wiley Online and ProQuest Central databases were searched for relevant papers. 49 papers were appraised, by a minimum of two team members. CASP tools were used when evaluating qualitative research, systematic and integrated reviews while survey research was evaluated using a tool specifically developed for this purpose by the research team. All tools used to assess the quality of the research studies contained comprehensive checklists and questions relevant for the particular type of study. Data related to these checklists was extracted and the research team appraised the quality of each article based on its relevance to the topic, internal and external validity, appropriateness of data analysis technique(s), and whether ethical considerations were addressed. Seventeen papers were included in the final analysis. Data analysis involved a systematic approach using content analysis techniques. This integrative review sought to identify indicators of nursing students' satisfaction with their learning journey. Authentic learning, motivation, resilience, support, and collaborative learning were identified by this integrative review as being key to nursing students' satisfaction with their learning journey. Sub themes were identified within each of these themes that assist in explaining nursing students' views of their learning journey. The findings showed that higher satisfaction levels are attained when nursing students feel included and supported during their learning journey. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

An evaluation of psychometric properties of caregiver burden outcome measures used in caregivers of children with cerebral palsy: a systematic review protocol.

PubMed

Dambi, Jermaine M; Jelsma, Jennifer; Mlambo, Tecla; Chiwaridzo, Matthew; Dangarembizi-Munambah, Nyaradzai; Corten, Lieselotte

2016-03-09

Cerebral palsy (CP) is the most common, life-long paediatric disability. Taking care of a child with CP often results in caregiver burden/strain in the long run. As caregivers play an essential role in the rehabilitation of these children, it is therefore important to routinely screen for health outcomes in informal caregivers. Consequently, a plethora of caregiver burden outcome measures have been developed; however, there is a dearth of evidence of the most psychometrically sound tools. Therefore, the broad objective of this systematic review is to evaluate the psychometrical properties and clinical utility of tools used to measure caregiver burden in caregivers of children with CP. This is a systematic review for the evaluation of the psychometric properties of caregiver burden outcome tools. Two independent and blinded reviewers will search articles on PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, CINAHL, PsychINFO and Africa-Wide Google Scholar. Information will be analysed using predefined criteria. Thereafter, three independent reviewers will then screen the retrieved articles. The methodological quality of studies on the development and validation of the identified tools will be evaluated using the four point COnsensus-based Standards for the selection of health Measurement INstruments (COSMIN) checklist. Finally, the psychometric properties of the tools which were developed and validated from methodological sound studies will then be analysed using predefined criteria. The proposed systematic review will give an extensive review of the psychometrical properties of tools used to measure caregiver burden in caregivers of children with CP. We hope to identify tools that can be used to accurately screen for caregiver burden both in clinical setting and for research purposes. PROSPERO CRD42015028026.

Is grey literature essential for a better control of publication bias in psychiatry? An example from three meta-analyses of schizophrenia.

PubMed

Martin, José Luis R; Pérez, Víctor; Sacristán, Montse; Alvarez, Enric

2005-12-01

Systematic reviews in mental health have become useful tools for health professionals in view of the massive amount and heterogeneous nature of biomedical information available today. In order to determine the risk of bias in the studies evaluated and to avoid bias in generalizing conclusions from the reviews it is therefore important to use a very strict methodology in systematic reviews. One bias which may affect the generalization of results is publication bias, which is determined by the nature and direction of the study results. To control or minimize this type of bias, the authors of systematic reviews undertake comprehensive searches of medical databases and expand on the findings, often undertaking searches of grey literature (material which is not formally published). This paper attempts to show the consequences (and risk) of generalizing the implications of grey literature in the control of publication bias, as was proposed in a recent systematic work. By repeating the analyses for the same outcome from three different systematic reviews that included both published and grey literature our results showed that confusion between grey literature and publication bias may affect the results of a concrete meta-analysis.

Can Systematic Reviews Inform GMO Risk Assessment and Risk Management?

PubMed Central

Kohl, Christian; Frampton, Geoff; Sweet, Jeremy; Spök, Armin; Haddaway, Neal Robert; Wilhelm, Ralf; Unger, Stefan; Schiemann, Joachim

2015-01-01

Systematic reviews represent powerful tools to identify, collect, synthesize, and evaluate primary research data on specific research questions in a highly standardized and reproducible manner. They enable the defensible synthesis of outcomes by increasing precision and minimizing bias whilst ensuring transparency of the methods used. This makes them especially valuable to inform evidence-based risk analysis and decision making in various topics and research disciplines. Although seen as a “gold standard” for synthesizing primary research data, systematic reviews are not without limitations as they are often cost, labor and time intensive and the utility of synthesis outcomes depends upon the availability of sufficient and robust primary research data. In this paper, we (1) consider the added value systematic reviews could provide when synthesizing primary research data on genetically modified organisms (GMO) and (2) critically assess the adequacy and feasibility of systematic review for collating and analyzing data on potential impacts of GMOs in order to better inform specific steps within GMO risk assessment and risk management. The regulatory framework of the EU is used as an example, although the issues we discuss are likely to be more widely applicable. PMID:26322307

Molecular plant breeding: methodology and achievements.

PubMed

Varshney, Rajeev K; Hoisington, Dave A; Nayak, Spurthi N; Graner, Andreas

2009-01-01

The progress made in DNA marker technology has been remarkable and exciting in recent years. DNA markers have proved valuable tools in various analyses in plant breeding, for example, early generation selection, enrichment of complex F(1)s, choice of donor parent in backcrossing, recovery of recurrent parent genotype in backcrossing, linkage block analysis and selection. Other main areas of applications of molecular markers in plant breeding include germplasm characterization/fingerprinting, determining seed purity, systematic sampling of germplasm, and phylogenetic analysis. Molecular markers, thus, have proved powerful tools in replacing the bioassays and there are now many examples available to show the efficacy of such markers. We have illustrated some basic concepts and methodology of applying molecular markers for enhancing the selection efficiency in plant breeding. Some successful examples of product developments of molecular breeding have also been presented.

New single-copy nuclear genes for scale insect systematics

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Despite the advent of next-generation sequencing, the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and Sanger sequencing remain useful tools for molecular identification and systematics. To date, molecular systematics of scale insects has been constrained by the paucity of loci that researchers have been able to...

ROBIS: A new tool to assess risk of bias in systematic reviews was developed.

PubMed

Whiting, Penny; Savović, Jelena; Higgins, Julian P T; Caldwell, Deborah M; Reeves, Barnaby C; Shea, Beverley; Davies, Philippa; Kleijnen, Jos; Churchill, Rachel

2016-01-01

To develop ROBIS, a new tool for assessing the risk of bias in systematic reviews (rather than in primary studies). We used four-stage approach to develop ROBIS: define the scope, review the evidence base, hold a face-to-face meeting, and refine the tool through piloting. ROBIS is currently aimed at four broad categories of reviews mainly within health care settings: interventions, diagnosis, prognosis, and etiology. The target audience of ROBIS is primarily guideline developers, authors of overviews of systematic reviews ("reviews of reviews"), and review authors who might want to assess or avoid risk of bias in their reviews. The tool is completed in three phases: (1) assess relevance (optional), (2) identify concerns with the review process, and (3) judge risk of bias. Phase 2 covers four domains through which bias may be introduced into a systematic review: study eligibility criteria; identification and selection of studies; data collection and study appraisal; and synthesis and findings. Phase 3 assesses the overall risk of bias in the interpretation of review findings and whether this considered limitations identified in any of the phase 2 domains. Signaling questions are included to help judge concerns with the review process (phase 2) and the overall risk of bias in the review (phase 3); these questions flag aspects of review design related to the potential for bias and aim to help assessors judge risk of bias in the review process, results, and conclusions. ROBIS is the first rigorously developed tool designed specifically to assess the risk of bias in systematic reviews. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

ROBIS: A new tool to assess risk of bias in systematic reviews was developed

PubMed Central

Whiting, Penny; Savović, Jelena; Higgins, Julian P.T.; Caldwell, Deborah M.; Reeves, Barnaby C.; Shea, Beverley; Davies, Philippa; Kleijnen, Jos; Churchill, Rachel

2016-01-01

Objective To develop ROBIS, a new tool for assessing the risk of bias in systematic reviews (rather than in primary studies). Study Design and Setting We used four-stage approach to develop ROBIS: define the scope, review the evidence base, hold a face-to-face meeting, and refine the tool through piloting. Results ROBIS is currently aimed at four broad categories of reviews mainly within health care settings: interventions, diagnosis, prognosis, and etiology. The target audience of ROBIS is primarily guideline developers, authors of overviews of systematic reviews (“reviews of reviews”), and review authors who might want to assess or avoid risk of bias in their reviews. The tool is completed in three phases: (1) assess relevance (optional), (2) identify concerns with the review process, and (3) judge risk of bias. Phase 2 covers four domains through which bias may be introduced into a systematic review: study eligibility criteria; identification and selection of studies; data collection and study appraisal; and synthesis and findings. Phase 3 assesses the overall risk of bias in the interpretation of review findings and whether this considered limitations identified in any of the phase 2 domains. Signaling questions are included to help judge concerns with the review process (phase 2) and the overall risk of bias in the review (phase 3); these questions flag aspects of review design related to the potential for bias and aim to help assessors judge risk of bias in the review process, results, and conclusions. Conclusions ROBIS is the first rigorously developed tool designed specifically to assess the risk of bias in systematic reviews. PMID:26092286

The effect of grinding on the mechanical behavior of Y-TZP ceramics: A systematic review and meta-analyses.

PubMed

Pereira, G K R; Fraga, S; Montagner, A F; Soares, F Z M; Kleverlaan, C J; Valandro, L F

2016-10-01

The aim of this study was to systematically review the literature to assess the effect of grinding on the mechanical properties, structural stability and superficial characteristics of Y-TZP ceramics. The MEDLINE via PubMed and Web of Science (ISI - Web of Knowledge) electronic databases were searched with included peer-reviewed publications in English language and with no publication year limit. From 342 potentially eligible studies, 73 were selected for full-text analysis, 30 were included in the systematic review with 20 considered in the meta-analysis. Two reviewers independently selected the studies, extracted the data, and assessed the risk of bias. Statistical analyses were performed using RevMan 5.1, with random effects model, at a significance level of 0.05. A descriptive analysis considering phase transformation, Y-TZP grain size, Vickers hardness, residual stress and aging of all included studies were executed. Four outcomes were considered in the meta-analyses (factor: grinding x as-sintered) in global and subgroups analyses (grinding tool, grit-size and cooling) for flexural strength and roughness (Ra) data. A significant difference (p<0.05) was observed in the global analysis for strength, favoring as-sintered; subgroup analyses revealed that different parameters lead to different effects on strength. In the global analysis for roughness, a significant difference (p<0.05) was observed between conditions, favoring grinding; subgroup analyses revealed that different parameters also lead to different effects on roughness. High heterogeneity was found in some comparisons. Generally grinding promotes decrease in strength and increase in roughness of Y-TZP ceramics. However, the use of a grinding tool that allows greater accuracy of the movement (i.e. contra angle hand-pieces coupled to slowspeed turbines), small grit size (<50μm) and the use of plenty coolant seem to be the main factors to decrease the defect introduction and allow the occurrence of the toughening transformation mechanism, decreasing the risk of deleterious impact on Y-TZP mechanical properties. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Appraisal Tools for Clinical Practice Guidelines: A Systematic Review

PubMed Central

Siering, Ulrich; Eikermann, Michaela; Hausner, Elke; Hoffmann-Eßer, Wiebke; Neugebauer, Edmund A.

2013-01-01

Introduction Clinical practice guidelines can improve healthcare processes and patient outcomes, but are often of low quality. Guideline appraisal tools aim to help potential guideline users in assessing guideline quality. We conducted a systematic review of publications describing guideline appraisal tools in order to identify and compare existing tools. Methods Among others we searched MEDLINE, EMBASE and the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews from 1995 to May 2011 for relevant primary and secondary publications. We also handsearched the reference lists of relevant publications. On the basis of the available literature we firstly generated 34 items to be used in the comparison of appraisal tools and grouped them into thirteen quality dimensions. We then extracted formal characteristics as well as questions and statements of the appraisal tools and assigned them to the items. Results We identified 40 different appraisal tools. They covered between three and thirteen of the thirteen possible quality dimensions and between three and 29 of the possible 34 items. The main focus of the appraisal tools were the quality dimensions “evaluation of evidence” (mentioned in 35 tools; 88%), “presentation of guideline content” (34 tools; 85%), “transferability” (33 tools; 83%), “independence” (32 tools; 80%), “scope” (30 tools; 75%), and “information retrieval” (29 tools; 73%). The quality dimensions “consideration of different perspectives” and “dissemination, implementation and evaluation of the guideline” were covered by only twenty (50%) and eighteen tools (45%) respectively. Conclusions Most guideline appraisal tools assess whether the literature search and the evaluation, synthesis and presentation of the evidence in guidelines follow the principles of evidence-based medicine. Although conflicts of interest and norms and values of guideline developers, as well as patient involvement, affect the trustworthiness of guidelines, they are currently insufficiently considered. Greater focus should be placed on these issues in the further development of guideline appraisal tools. PMID:24349397

Targeting Medication Non-Adherence Behavior in Selected Autoimmune Diseases: A Systematic Approach to Digital Health Program Development.

PubMed

van Mierlo, Trevor; Fournier, Rachel; Ingham, Michael

2015-01-01

29 autoimmune diseases, including Rheumatoid Arthritis, gout, Crohn's Disease, and Systematic Lupus Erythematosus affect 7.6-9.4% of the population. While effective therapy is available, many patients do not follow treatment or use medications as directed. Digital health and Web 2.0 interventions have demonstrated much promise in increasing medication and treatment adherence, but to date many Internet tools have proven disappointing. In fact, most digital interventions continue to suffer from high attrition in patient populations, are burdensome for healthcare professionals, and have relatively short life spans. Digital health tools have traditionally centered on the transformation of existing interventions (such as diaries, trackers, stage-based or cognitive behavioral therapy programs, coupons, or symptom checklists) to electronic format. Advanced digital interventions have also incorporated attributes of Web 2.0 such as social networking, text messaging, and the use of video. Despite these efforts, there has not been little measurable impact in non-adherence for illnesses that require medical interventions, and research must look to other strategies or development methodologies. As a first step in investigating the feasibility of developing such a tool, the objective of the current study is to systematically rate factors of non-adherence that have been reported in past research studies. Grounded Theory, recognized as a rigorous method that facilitates the emergence of new themes through systematic analysis, data collection and coding, was used to analyze quantitative, qualitative and mixed method studies addressing the following autoimmune diseases: Rheumatoid Arthritis, gout, Crohn's Disease, Systematic Lupus Erythematosus, and inflammatory bowel disease. Studies were only included if they contained primary data addressing the relationship with non-adherence. Out of the 27 studies, four non-modifiable and 11 modifiable risk factors were discovered. Over one third of articles identified the following risk factors as common contributors to medication non-adherence (percent of studies reporting): patients not understanding treatment (44%), side effects (41%), age (37%), dose regimen (33%), and perceived medication ineffectiveness (33%). An unanticipated finding that emerged was the need for risk stratification tools (81%) with patient-centric approaches (67%). This study systematically identifies and categorizes medication non-adherence risk factors in select autoimmune diseases. Findings indicate that patients understanding of their disease and the role of medication are paramount. An unexpected finding was that the majority of research articles called for the creation of tailored, patient-centric interventions that dispel personal misconceptions about disease, pharmacotherapy, and how the body responds to treatment. To our knowledge, these interventions do not yet exist in digital format. Rather than adopting a systems level approach, digital health programs should focus on cohorts with heterogeneous needs, and develop tailored interventions based on individual non-adherence patterns.

Anion gap as a prognostic tool for risk stratification in critically ill patients - a systematic review and meta-analysis.

PubMed

Glasmacher, Stella Andrea; Stones, William

2016-08-30

Lactate concentration is a robust predictor of mortality but in many low resource settings facilities for its analysis are not available. Anion gap (AG), calculated from clinical chemistry results, is a marker of metabolic acidosis and may be more easily obtained in such settings. In this systematic review and meta-analysis we investigated whether the AG predicts mortality in adult patients admitted to critical care settings. We searched Medline, Embase, Web of Science, Scopus, The Cochrane Library and regional electronic databases from inception until May 2016. Studies conducted in any clinical setting that related AG to in-hospital mortality, in-intensive care unit mortality, 31-day mortality or comparable outcome measures were eligible for inclusion. Methodological quality of included studies was assessed using the Quality in Prognostic Studies tool. Descriptive meta-analysis was performed and the I(2) test was used to quantify heterogeneity. Subgroup analysis was undertaken to identify potential sources of heterogeneity between studies. Nineteen studies reporting findings in 12,497 patients were included. Overall, quality of studies was poor and most studies were rated as being at moderate or high risk of attrition bias and confounding. There was substantial diversity between studies with regards to clinical setting, age and mortality rates of patient cohorts. High statistical heterogeneity was found in the meta-analyses of area under the ROC curve (I(2) = 99 %) and mean difference (I(2) = 97 %) for the observed AG. Three studies reported good discriminatory power of the AG to predict mortality and were responsible for a large proportion of statistical heterogeneity. The remaining 16 studies reported poor to moderate ability of the AG to predict mortality. Subgroup analysis suggested that intravenous fluids affect the ability of the AG to predict mortality. Based on the limited quality of available evidence, a single AG measurement cannot be recommended for risk stratification in critically ill patients. The probable influence of intravenous fluids on AG levels renders the AG an impractical tool in clinical practice. Future research should focus on increasing the availability of lactate monitoring in low resource settings. CRD42015015249 . Registered on 4th February 2015.

Fragmented QRS and mortality in patients undergoing percutaneous intervention for ST-elevation myocardial infarction: Systematic review and meta-analysis.

PubMed

Kanjanahattakij, Napatt; Rattanawong, Pattara; Riangwiwat, Tanawan; Prasitlumkum, Narut; Limpruttidham, Nath; Chongsathidkiet, Pakawat; Vutthikraivit, Wasawat; Crossey, Erin

2018-06-22

Fragmented QRS reflects disturbances in the myocardium predisposing the heart to ventricular tachyarrhythmias. Recent studies suggest that fragmented QRS (fQRS) is associated with mortality in ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). However, a systematic review and meta-analysis of the literature has not been done. We assessed the association between fQRS and overall mortality in STEMI patients who subsequently underwent PCI by a systematic review and meta-analysis. We comprehensively searched the databases of MEDLINE and EMBASE from inception to September 2017. Studies included in our analysis were published cohort (prospective or retrospective) and case-control studies that compared overall mortality among STEMI patient with and without fQRS who underwent PCI. Data from each study were combined using the random-effects, generic inverse variance method of DerSimonian, and Laird to calculate risk ratios and 95% confidence intervals. Six studies from 2014 to 2017 were included in this meta-analysis involving 2,516 subjects with STEMI who underwent PCI (888 fQRS and 1,628 non-fQRS). Fragmented QRS was associated with overall mortality in STEMI patients who underwent PCI (pooled risk ratio = 3.87; 95% CI 1.96-7.66, I 2  = 43%). Fragmented QRS was associated with increased overall mortality up to threefold. Our study suggests that fQRS could be an important tool for risk assessment in STEMI patients who underwent PCI. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Applying systematic review methods to studies of people's views: an example from public health research.

PubMed

Harden, Angela; Garcia, Jo; Oliver, Sandy; Rees, Rebecca; Shepherd, Jonathan; Brunton, Ginny; Oakley, Ann

2004-09-01

Methods for systematic reviews are well developed for trials, but not for non-experimental or qualitative research. This paper describes the methods developed for reviewing research on people's perspectives and experiences ("views" studies) alongside trials within a series of reviews on young people's mental health, physical activity, and healthy eating. Reports of views studies were difficult to locate; could not easily be classified as "qualitative" or "quantitative"; and often failed to meet seven basic methodological reporting standards used in a newly developed quality assessment tool. Synthesising views studies required the adaptation of qualitative analysis techniques. The benefits of bringing together views studies in a systematic way included gaining a greater breadth of perspectives and a deeper understanding of public health issues from the point of view of those targeted by interventions. A systematic approach also aided reflection on study methods that may distort, misrepresent, or fail to pick up people's views. This methodology is likely to create greater opportunities for people's own perspectives and experiences to inform policies to promote their health.

Applying systematic review methods to studies of people's views: an example from public health research

PubMed Central

Harden, A.; Garcia, J.; Oliver, S.; Rees, R.; Shepherd, J.; Brunton, G.; Oakley, A.

2004-01-01

Methods for systematic reviews are well developed for trials, but not for non-experimental or qualitative research. This paper describes the methods developed for reviewing research on people's perspectives and experiences ("views" studies) alongside trials within a series of reviews on young people's mental health, physical activity, and healthy eating. Reports of views studies were difficult to locate; could not easily be classified as "qualitative" or "quantitative"; and often failed to meet seven basic methodological reporting standards used in a newly developed quality assessment tool. Synthesising views studies required the adaptation of qualitative analysis techniques. The benefits of bringing together views studies in a systematic way included gaining a greater breadth of perspectives and a deeper understanding of public health issues from the point of view of those targeted by interventions. A systematic approach also aided reflection on study methods that may distort, misrepresent, or fail to pick up people's views. This methodology is likely to create greater opportunities for people's own perspectives and experiences to inform policies to promote their health. PMID:15310807

Critical appraisal of nonrandomized studies-A review of recommended and commonly used tools.

PubMed

Quigley, Joan M; Thompson, Juliette C; Halfpenny, Nicholas J; Scott, David A

2018-02-27

When randomized controlled trial data are limited or unavailable, or to supplement randomized controlled trial evidence, health technology assessment (HTA) agencies may rely on systematic reviews of nonrandomized studies (NRSs) for evidence of the effectiveness of health care interventions. NRS designs may introduce considerable bias into systematic reviews, and several methodologies by which to evaluate this risk of bias are available. This study aimed to identify tools commonly used to assess bias in NRS and determine those recommended by HTA bodies. Appraisal tools used in NRS were identified through a targeted search of systematic reviews (January 2013-March 2017; MEDLINE and EMBASE [OVID SP]). Recommendations for the critical appraisal of NRS by expert review groups and HTA bodies were reviewed. From the 686 studies included in the narrative synthesis, 48 critical appraisal tools were identified. Commonly used tools included the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale, the methodological index for NRS, and bespoke appraisal tools. Neither the Cochrane Handbook nor the Centre for Reviews and Dissemination recommends a particular instrument for the assessment of risk of bias in NRS, although Cochrane has recently developed their own NRS critical appraisal tool. Among HTA bodies, only the Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health recommends use of a specific critical appraisal tool-SIGN 50 (for cohort or case-control studies). Several criteria including reporting, external validity, confounding, and power were examined. There is no consensus between HTA groups on the preferred appraisal tool. Reviewers should select from a suite of tools on the basis of the design of studies included in their review. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Pain assessment tools: is the content appropriate for use in palliative care?

PubMed

Hølen, Jacob Chr; Hjermstad, Marianne Jensen; Loge, Jon Håvard; Fayers, Peter M; Caraceni, Augusto; De Conno, Franco; Forbes, Karen; Fürst, Carl Johan; Radbruch, Lukas; Kaasa, Stein

2006-12-01

Inadequate pain assessment prevents optimal treatment in palliative care. The content of pain assessment tools might limit their usefulness for proper pain assessment, but data on the content validity of the tools are scarce. The objective of this study was to examine the content of the existing pain assessment tools, and to evaluate the appropriateness of different dimensions and items for pain assessment in palliative care. A systematic search was performed to find pain assessment tools for patients with advanced cancer who were receiving palliative care. An ad hoc search with broader search criteria supplemented the systematic search. The items of the identified tools were allocated to appropriate dimensions. This was reviewed by an international panel of experts, who also evaluated the relevance of the different dimensions for pain assessment in palliative care. The systematic literature search generated 16 assessment tools while the ad hoc search generated 64. Ten pain dimensions containing 1,011 pain items were identified by the experts. The experts ranked intensity, temporal pattern, treatment and exacerbating/relieving factors, location, and interference with health-related quality of life as the most important dimensions. None of the assessment tools covered these dimensions satisfactorily. Most items were related to interference (231) and intensity (138). Temporal pattern (which includes breakthrough pain), ranked as the second most important dimension, was covered by 29 items only. Many tools include dimensions and items of limited relevance for patients with advanced cancer. This might reduce compliance and threaten the validity of the assessment. New tools should reflect the clinical relevance of different dimensions and be user-friendly.

Comparison of tools for assessing the methodological quality of primary and secondary studies in health technology assessment reports in Germany.

PubMed

Dreier, Maren; Borutta, Birgit; Stahmeyer, Jona; Krauth, Christian; Walter, Ulla

2010-06-14

HEALTH CARE POLICY BACKGROUND: Findings from scientific studies form the basis for evidence-based health policy decisions. Quality assessments to evaluate the credibility of study results are an essential part of health technology assessment reports and systematic reviews. Quality assessment tools (QAT) for assessing the study quality examine to what extent study results are systematically distorted by confounding or bias (internal validity). The tools can be divided into checklists, scales and component ratings. What QAT are available to assess the quality of interventional studies or studies in the field of health economics, how do they differ from each other and what conclusions can be drawn from these results for quality assessments? A systematic search of relevant databases from 1988 onwards is done, supplemented by screening of the references, of the HTA reports of the German Agency for Health Technology Assessment (DAHTA) and an internet search. The selection of relevant literature, the data extraction and the quality assessment are carried out by two independent reviewers. The substantive elements of the QAT are extracted using a modified criteria list consisting of items and domains specific to randomized trials, observational studies, diagnostic studies, systematic reviews and health economic studies. Based on the number of covered items and domains, more and less comprehensive QAT are distinguished. In order to exchange experiences regarding problems in the practical application of tools, a workshop is hosted. A total of eight systematic methodological reviews is identified as well as 147 QAT: 15 for systematic reviews, 80 for randomized trials, 30 for observational studies, 17 for diagnostic studies and 22 for health economic studies. The tools vary considerably with regard to the content, the performance and quality of operationalisation. Some tools do not only include the items of internal validity but also the items of quality of reporting and external validity. No tool covers all elements or domains. Design-specific generic tools are presented, which cover most of the content criteria. The evaluation of QAT by using content criteria is difficult, because there is no scientific consensus on the necessary elements of internal validity, and not all of the generally accepted elements are based on empirical evidence. Comparing QAT with regard to contents neglects the operationalisation of the respective parameters, for which the quality and precision are important for transparency, replicability, the correct assessment and interrater reliability. QAT, which mix items on the quality of reporting and internal validity, should be avoided. There are different, design-specific tools available which can be preferred for quality assessment, because of its wider coverage of substantive elements of internal validity. To minimise the subjectivity of the assessment, tools with a detailed and precise operationalisation of the individual elements should be applied. For health economic studies, tools should be developed and complemented with instructions, which define the appropriateness of the criteria. Further research is needed to identify study characteristics that influence the internal validity of studies.

Nonverbal communication in doctor-elderly patient transactions (NDEPT): development of a tool.

PubMed

Gorawara-Bhat, Rita; Cook, Mary Ann; Sachs, Greg A

2007-05-01

There are several measurement tools to assess verbal dimensions in clinical encounters; in contrast, there is no established tool to evaluate physical nonverbal dimensions in geriatric encounters. The present paper describes the development of a tool to assess the physical context of exam rooms in doctor-older patient visits. Salient features of the tool were derived from the medical literature and systematic observations of videotapes and refined during current research. The tool consists of two main dimensions of exam rooms: (1) physical dimensions comprising static and dynamic attributes that become operational through the spatial configuration and can influence the manifestation of (2) kinesic attributes. Details of the coding form and inter-rater reliability are presented. The usefulness of the tool is demonstrated through an analysis of 50 National Institute of Aging videotapes. Physicians in exam rooms with no desk in the interaction, no height difference and optimal interaction distance were observed to have greater eye contact and touch than physicians' in exam rooms with a desk, similar height difference and interaction distance. The tool can enable physicians to assess the spatial configuration of exam rooms (through Parts A and B) and thus facilitate the structuring of kinesic attributes (Part C).

A decision support framework for characterizing and managing dermal exposures to chemicals during Emergency Management and Operations.

PubMed

Dotson, G Scott; Hudson, Naomi L; Maier, Andrew

2015-01-01

Emergency Management and Operations (EMO) personnel are in need of resources and tools to assist in understanding the health risks associated with dermal exposures during chemical incidents. This article reviews available resources and presents a conceptual framework for a decision support system (DSS) that assists in characterizing and managing risk during chemical emergencies involving dermal exposures. The framework merges principles of three decision-making techniques: 1) scenario planning, 2) risk analysis, and 3) multicriteria decision analysis (MCDA). This DSS facilitates dynamic decision making during each of the distinct life cycle phases of an emergency incident (ie, preparedness, response, or recovery) and identifies EMO needs. A checklist tool provides key questions intended to guide users through the complexities of conducting a dermal risk assessment. The questions define the scope of the framework for resource identification and application to support decision-making needs. The framework consists of three primary modules: 1) resource compilation, 2) prioritization, and 3) decision. The modules systematically identify, organize, and rank relevant information resources relating to the hazards of dermal exposures to chemicals and risk management strategies. Each module is subdivided into critical elements designed to further delineate the resources based on relevant incident phase and type of information. The DSS framework provides a much needed structure based on contemporary decision analysis principles for 1) documenting key questions for EMO problem formulation and 2) a method for systematically organizing, screening, and prioritizing information resources on dermal hazards, exposures, risk characterization, and management.

A decision support framework for characterizing and managing dermal exposures to chemicals during Emergency Management and Operations

PubMed Central

Dotson, G. Scott; Hudson, Naomi L.; Maier, Andrew

2016-01-01

Emergency Management and Operations (EMO) personnel are in need of resources and tools to assist in understanding the health risks associated with dermal exposures during chemical incidents. This article reviews available resources and presents a conceptual framework for a decision support system (DSS) that assists in characterizing and managing risk during chemical emergencies involving dermal exposures. The framework merges principles of three decision-making techniques: 1) scenario planning, 2) risk analysis, and 3) multicriteria decision analysis (MCDA). This DSS facilitates dynamic decision making during each of the distinct life cycle phases of an emergency incident (ie, preparedness, response, or recovery) and identifies EMO needs. A checklist tool provides key questions intended to guide users through the complexities of conducting a dermal risk assessment. The questions define the scope of the framework for resource identification and application to support decision-making needs. The framework consists of three primary modules: 1) resource compilation, 2) prioritization, and 3) decision. The modules systematically identify, organize, and rank relevant information resources relating to the hazards of dermal exposures to chemicals and risk management strategies. Each module is subdivided into critical elements designed to further delineate the resources based on relevant incident phase and type of information. The DSS framework provides a much needed structure based on contemporary decision analysis principles for 1) documenting key questions for EMO problem formulation and 2) a method for systematically organizing, screening, and prioritizing information resources on dermal hazards, exposures, risk characterization, and management. PMID:26312660

Air Cushion Landing System Stability Study.

DTIC Science & Technology

1981-02-01

desirable. A useful result is that the analysis approach employed provides a systematic technique with which a given trunk/vehicle system may be designed ...models. Since for the 48. system analyzed the stability appears better if the side and end elements are truly isolated, the po~zibility of designing a...used to study the stability behavior appears to pro- vide a useful tool for design of systems of this type so that acceptable stability behavior is

Rocky Mountain Center for Conservation Genetics and Systematics

USGS Publications Warehouse

Oyler-McCance, S.J.; Quinn, T.W.

2005-01-01

The use of molecular genetic tools has become increasingly important in addressing conservation issues pertaining to plants and animals. Genetic information can be used to augment studies of population dynamics and population viability, investigate systematic, refine taxonomic definitions, investigate population structure and gene flow, and document genetic diversity in a variety of plant and animal species. Further, genetic techniques are being used to investigate mating systems through paternity analysis, and analyze ancient DNA samples from museum specimens, and estimate population size and survival rates using DNA as a unique marker. Such information is essential for the sound management of small, isolated populations of concern and is currently being used by universities, zoos, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and numerous state fish and wildlife agencies.

An overview of systematic review.

PubMed

Baker, Kathy A; Weeks, Susan Mace

2014-12-01

Systematic review is an invaluable tool for the practicing clinician. A well-designed systematic review represents the latest and most complete information available on a particular topic or intervention. This article highlights the key elements of systematic review, what it is and is not, and provides an overview of several reputable organizations supporting the methodological development and conduct of systematic review. Important aspects for evaluating the quality of a systematic review are also included. Copyright © 2014 American Society of PeriAnesthesia Nurses. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Most systematic reviews of high methodological quality on psoriasis interventions are classified as high risk of bias using ROBIS tool.

PubMed

Gómez-García, Francisco; Ruano, Juan; Gay-Mimbrera, Jesus; Aguilar-Luque, Macarena; Sanz-Cabanillas, Juan Luis; Alcalde-Mellado, Patricia; Maestre-López, Beatriz; Carmona-Fernández, Pedro Jesús; González-Padilla, Marcelino; García-Nieto, Antonio Vélez; Isla-Tejera, Beatriz

2017-12-01

No gold standard exists to assess methodological quality of systematic reviews (SRs). Although Assessing the Methodological Quality of Systematic Reviews (AMSTAR) is widely accepted for analyzing quality, the ROBIS instrument has recently been developed. This study aimed to compare the capacity of both instruments to capture the quality of SRs concerning psoriasis interventions. Systematic literature searches were undertaken on relevant databases. For each review, methodological quality and bias risk were evaluated using the AMSTAR and ROBIS tools. Descriptive and principal component analyses were conducted to describe similarities and discrepancies between both assessment tools. We classified 139 intervention SRs as displaying high/moderate/low methodological quality and as high/low risk of bias. A high risk of bias was detected for most SRs classified as displaying high or moderate methodological quality by AMSTAR. When comparing ROBIS result profiles, responses to domain 4 signaling questions showed the greatest differences between bias risk assessments, whereas domain 2 items showed the least. When considering SRs published about psoriasis, methodological quality remains suboptimal, and the risk of bias is elevated, even for SRs exhibiting high methodological quality. Furthermore, the AMSTAR and ROBIS tools may be considered as complementary when conducting quality assessment of SRs. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Toolbox of assessment tools of technical skills in otolaryngology-head and neck surgery: A systematic review.

PubMed

Labbé, Mathilde; Young, Meredith; Nguyen, Lily H P

2017-10-08

To support the development of programs of assessment of technical skills in the operating room (OR), we systematically reviewed the literature to identify assessment tools specific to otolaryngology-head and neck surgery (OTL-HNS) core procedures and summarized their characteristics. We systematically searched Embase, MEDLINE, PubMed, and Cochrane to identify and report on assessment tools that can be used to assess residents' technical surgical skills in the operating room for OTL-HNS core procedures. Of the 736 unique titles retrieved, 16 articles met inclusion criteria, covering 11 different procedures (in otology, rhinology, laryngology, head and neck, and general otolaryngology). The tools were composed of a task-specific checklist and/or global rating scale and were developed in the OR, on human cadavers, or in a simulation setting. Our study reports on published tools for assessing technical skills for OTL-HNS residents during core procedures conducted in the OR. These assessment tools could facilitate the provision of timely feedback to trainees including specific goals for improvement. However, the paucity of publications suggests little agreement on how to best perform work-based direct-observation assessment for core surgical procedures in OTL-HNS. The sparsity of tools specific to OTL-HNS may become a barrier to a fluid transition to competency-based medical education. Laryngoscope, 2017. © 2017 The American Laryngological, Rhinological and Otological Society, Inc.

Common Bolted Joint Analysis Tool

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Imtiaz, Kauser

2011-01-01

Common Bolted Joint Analysis Tool (comBAT) is an Excel/VB-based bolted joint analysis/optimization program that lays out a systematic foundation for an inexperienced or seasoned analyst to determine fastener size, material, and assembly torque for a given design. Analysts are able to perform numerous what-if scenarios within minutes to arrive at an optimal solution. The program evaluates input design parameters, performs joint assembly checks, and steps through numerous calculations to arrive at several key margins of safety for each member in a joint. It also checks for joint gapping, provides fatigue calculations, and generates joint diagrams for a visual reference. Optimum fastener size and material, as well as correct torque, can then be provided. Analysis methodology, equations, and guidelines are provided throughout the solution sequence so that this program does not become a "black box:" for the analyst. There are built-in databases that reduce the legwork required by the analyst. Each step is clearly identified and results are provided in number format, as well as color-coded spelled-out words to draw user attention. The three key features of the software are robust technical content, innovative and user friendly I/O, and a large database. The program addresses every aspect of bolted joint analysis and proves to be an instructional tool at the same time. It saves analysis time, has intelligent messaging features, and catches operator errors in real time.

Effect of birth ball on labor pain relief: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

PubMed

Makvandi, Somayeh; Latifnejad Roudsari, Robab; Sadeghi, Ramin; Karimi, Leila

2015-11-01

To critically evaluate the available evidence related to the impact of using a birth ball on labor pain relief. The Cochrane library, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), MEDLINE/PubMed and Scopus were searched from their inception to January 2015 using keywords: (Birth* OR Swiss OR Swedish OR balance OR fitness OR gym* OR Pezzi OR sport* OR stability) AND (ball*) AND (labor OR labour OR Obstetric). All available randomized controlled trials involving women using a birth ball for pain relief during labor were considered. The search resulted in 341 titles and abstracts, which were narrowed down to eight potentially relevant articles. Of these, four studies met the inclusion criteria. Pain intensity on a 10 cm visual analogue scale was used as the main outcome measure. Risk of bias was assessed using the Cochrane Risk of Bias tool. Comprehensive Meta-Analysis Version 2 was used for statistical analysis. Four RCTs involving 220 women were included in the systematic review. One study was excluded from the meta-analysis because of heterogeneous interventions and a lack of mean and standard deviation results of labor pain score. The meta-analysis showed that birth ball exercises provided statistically significant improvements to labor pain (pooled mean difference -0.921; 95% confidence interval -1.28, -0.56; P = 0.0000005; I(2)  = 33.7%). The clinical implementation of a birth ball exercise could be an effective tool for parturient women to reduce labor pain. However, rigorous RCTs are needed to evaluate the effect of the birth ball on labor pain relief. © 2015 Japan Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

[The Efficacy of Near-Infrared Devices in Facilitating Peripheral Intravenous Access in Children: A Systematic Review and Subgroup Meta-Analysis].

PubMed

Kuo, Chia-Chi; Feng, I-Jung; Lee, Wei-Jing

2017-10-01

Peripheral intravenous access is a common and invasive procedure that is performed in pediatric clinical settings. Children often have difficult intravenous-access problems that may not only increase staff stress but also affect the timeliness of immediate treatments. To determine the efficacy of near-infrared devices in facilitating peripheral intravenous access in children, using a systematic review and meta-analysis. Six databases, namely the Index to Taiwan Periodical Literature System, Airiti Library, CINAHL, Cochrane Library, PubMed/MEDLINE, and ProQuest were searched for related articles that were published between the earliest year available and February 2017. The search was limited to studies on populations of children that used either a randomized controlled trial or controlled clinical trial approach and used the key words "near-infrared devices" AND "peripheral intravenous access." The 12 articles that met these criteria were included in the analysis. The Cochrane Collaboration bias assessment tool was used to assess the methodological quality. In addition, RevMan 5.3.5 software was used to conduct the meta-analysis. The near-infrared devices did not significantly improve the first-attempt success rate, number of attempts, or the procedural time of peripheral intravenous access in children. However, the subgroup analysis of difficult intravenous-access factors revealed a significant improvement in the first-attempt success rate of children with difficult intravenous access scores (OR = 1.83, p = .03). Near-infrared devices may improve the first-attempt success rate in children with difficult intravenous access by allowing healthcare professionals to visualize the peripheral veins. Therefore, we suggest that the difficult intravenous-access score be used as a screening tool to suggest when to apply near-infrared devices to children with difficult peripheral intravenous access in order to maximize efficacy of treatment.

Non-Surgical Interventions for Adolescents with Idiopathic Scoliosis: An Overview of Systematic Reviews

PubMed Central

Płaszewski, Maciej; Bettany-Saltikov, Josette

2014-01-01

Background Non-surgical interventions for adolescents with idiopathic scoliosis remain highly controversial. Despite the publication of numerous reviews no explicit methodological evaluation of papers labeled as, or having a layout of, a systematic review, addressing this subject matter, is available. Objectives Analysis and comparison of the content, methodology, and evidence-base from systematic reviews regarding non-surgical interventions for adolescents with idiopathic scoliosis. Design Systematic overview of systematic reviews. Methods Articles meeting the minimal criteria for a systematic review, regarding any non-surgical intervention for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis, with any outcomes measured, were included. Multiple general and systematic review specific databases, guideline registries, reference lists and websites of institutions were searched. The AMSTAR tool was used to critically appraise the methodology, and the Oxford Centre for Evidence Based Medicine and the Joanna Briggs Institute’s hierarchies were applied to analyze the levels of evidence from included reviews. Results From 469 citations, twenty one papers were included for analysis. Five reviews assessed the effectiveness of scoliosis-specific exercise treatments, four assessed manual therapies, five evaluated bracing, four assessed different combinations of interventions, and one evaluated usual physical activity. Two reviews addressed the adverse effects of bracing. Two papers were high quality Cochrane reviews, Three were of moderate, and the remaining sixteen were of low or very low methodological quality. The level of evidence of these reviews ranged from 1 or 1+ to 4, and in some reviews, due to their low methodological quality and/or poor reporting, this could not be established. Conclusions Higher quality reviews indicate that generally there is insufficient evidence to make a judgment on whether non-surgical interventions in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis are effective. Papers labeled as systematic reviews need to be considered in terms of their methodological rigor; otherwise they may be mistakenly regarded as high quality sources of evidence. Protocol registry number CRD42013003538, PROSPERO PMID:25353954

Non-surgical interventions for adolescents with idiopathic scoliosis: an overview of systematic reviews.

PubMed

Płaszewski, Maciej; Bettany-Saltikov, Josette

2014-01-01

Non-surgical interventions for adolescents with idiopathic scoliosis remain highly controversial. Despite the publication of numerous reviews no explicit methodological evaluation of papers labeled as, or having a layout of, a systematic review, addressing this subject matter, is available. Analysis and comparison of the content, methodology, and evidence-base from systematic reviews regarding non-surgical interventions for adolescents with idiopathic scoliosis. Systematic overview of systematic reviews. Articles meeting the minimal criteria for a systematic review, regarding any non-surgical intervention for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis, with any outcomes measured, were included. Multiple general and systematic review specific databases, guideline registries, reference lists and websites of institutions were searched. The AMSTAR tool was used to critically appraise the methodology, and the Oxford Centre for Evidence Based Medicine and the Joanna Briggs Institute's hierarchies were applied to analyze the levels of evidence from included reviews. From 469 citations, twenty one papers were included for analysis. Five reviews assessed the effectiveness of scoliosis-specific exercise treatments, four assessed manual therapies, five evaluated bracing, four assessed different combinations of interventions, and one evaluated usual physical activity. Two reviews addressed the adverse effects of bracing. Two papers were high quality Cochrane reviews, Three were of moderate, and the remaining sixteen were of low or very low methodological quality. The level of evidence of these reviews ranged from 1 or 1+ to 4, and in some reviews, due to their low methodological quality and/or poor reporting, this could not be established. Higher quality reviews indicate that generally there is insufficient evidence to make a judgment on whether non-surgical interventions in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis are effective. Papers labeled as systematic reviews need to be considered in terms of their methodological rigor; otherwise they may be mistakenly regarded as high quality sources of evidence. CRD42013003538, PROSPERO.

Measuring the success of specific health problem consultations in cats and dogs: a systematic review.

PubMed

Corah, Louise; Mossop, Liz; Cobb, Kate; Dean, Rachel

2018-03-15

Consultations are complex interactions, are central to achieving optimal outcomes for all stakeholders, yet what constitutes a successful consultation has not been defined. The aim of this systematic review was to describe the scope of the literature available on specific health problem consultations and appraise their identified success measures. Searches of CAB Abstracts and MEDLINE were performed in May 2016 using species and consultation terms. Systematic sorting of the results allowed identification of consultation 'success factors' cited in peer-reviewed veterinary literature which were appraised using an appropriate critical appraisal tool (AXIS). Searches returned 11 330 results with a total of 17 publications meeting the inclusion criteria, of which four measured consultation success. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association was the most common journal of publication (9 of 17) and the majority of included papers had been published since 2010 (12 of 17). Success factors measured were compliance, client satisfaction and veterinary surgeon satisfaction, and publications primarily used communication analysis tools to measure success. The review highlights the paucity of peer-reviewed literature examining small animal, health problem veterinary consultations. The available evidence is of variable quality and provides weak evidence as to which factors contribute to a successful consultation. © British Veterinary Association (unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2018. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

Effects of date palm pollen on fertility: research proposal for a systematic review.

PubMed

Abdi, Fatemeh; Roozbeh, Nasibeh; Mortazavian, Amir Mohammad

2017-08-01

Over 10-15% of couples in different countries are infertile. Male infertility is a contributing factor and the only cause of infertility in respectively 50% and 20-30% of all cases of infertility. According to previous research, micro-elements isolated from date palm pollen (DPP), e.g. estrogen and sterols, may enhance male and female fertility. DPP has also been reported to improve sperm parameters including sperm motility and viability, acrosome reaction, and lipid peroxidation. This article may justify the need for a future systematic review and meta-analysis about the effects of DPP on the reproductive system and DPP's ability to enhance fertility. It will then describe the methodology of such a study. A comprehensive search of relevant randomized and quasi-randomized controlled trials will be performed in MEDLINE, EMBASE, Web of Science, Cochrane Central, ProQuest, and Google Scholar databases. Two authors will independently assess the eligibility of the studies and consult the third author in cases of disagreement. The risk of bias of the randomized controlled trials and animal studies will be evaluated using the Cochrane risk of bias tool and the Systematic Review Centre for Laboratory animal Experimentation (SYRCLE) risk of bias tool, respectively. This study will raise no ethical issues as it will review the findings of previous research. The results are intended to be published in a peer-reviewed medical journal.

Reliability of specific physical examination tests for the diagnosis of shoulder pathologies: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

PubMed

Lange, Toni; Matthijs, Omer; Jain, Nitin B; Schmitt, Jochen; Lützner, Jörg; Kopkow, Christian

2017-03-01

Shoulder pain in the general population is common and to identify the aetiology of shoulder pain, history, motion and muscle testing, and physical examination tests are usually performed. The aim of this systematic review was to summarise and evaluate intrarater and inter-rater reliability of physical examination tests in the diagnosis of shoulder pathologies. A comprehensive systematic literature search was conducted using MEDLINE, EMBASE, Allied and Complementary Medicine Database (AMED) and Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro) through 20 March 2015. Methodological quality was assessed using the Quality Appraisal of Reliability Studies (QAREL) tool by 2 independent reviewers. The search strategy revealed 3259 articles, of which 18 finally met the inclusion criteria. These studies evaluated the reliability of 62 test and test variations used for the specific physical examination tests for the diagnosis of shoulder pathologies. Methodological quality ranged from 2 to 7 positive criteria of the 11 items of the QAREL tool. This review identified a lack of high-quality studies evaluating inter-rater as well as intrarater reliability of specific physical examination tests for the diagnosis of shoulder pathologies. In addition, reliability measures differed between included studies hindering proper cross-study comparisons. PROSPERO CRD42014009018. 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/.

Development of a real-time simulation tool towards self-consistent scenario of plasma start-up and sustainment on helical fusion reactor FFHR-d1

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Goto, T.; Miyazawa, J.; Sakamoto, R.; Suzuki, Y.; Suzuki, C.; Seki, R.; Satake, S.; Huang, B.; Nunami, M.; Yokoyama, M.; Sagara, A.; the FFHR Design Group

2017-06-01

This study closely investigates the plasma operation scenario for the LHD-type helical reactor FFHR-d1 in view of MHD equilibrium/stability, neoclassical transport, alpha energy loss and impurity effect. In 1D calculation code that reproduces the typical pellet discharges in LHD experiments, we identify a self-consistent solution of the plasma operation scenario which achieves steady-state sustainment of the burning plasma with a fusion gain of Q ~ 10 was found within the operation regime that has been already confirmed in LHD experiment. The developed calculation tool enables systematic analysis of the operation regime in real time.

Interventions and assessment tools addressing key concepts people need to know to appraise claims about treatment effects: a systematic mapping review.

PubMed

Austvoll-Dahlgren, Astrid; Nsangi, Allen; Semakula, Daniel

2016-12-29

People's ability to appraise claims about treatment effects is crucial for informed decision-making. Our objective was to systematically map this area of research in order to (a) provide an overview of interventions targeting key concepts that people need to understand to assess treatment claims and (b) to identify assessment tools used to evaluate people's understanding of these concepts. The findings of this review provide a starting point for decisions about which key concepts to address when developing new interventions, and which assessment tools should be considered. We conducted a systematic mapping review of interventions and assessment tools addressing key concepts important for people to be able to assess treatment claims. A systematic literature search was done by a reserach librarian in relevant databases. Judgement about inclusion of studies and data collection was done by at least two researchers. We included all quantitative study designs targeting one or more of the key concepts, and targeting patients, healthy members of the public, and health professionals. The studies were divided into four categories: risk communication and decision aids, evidence-based medicine and critical appraisal, understanding of controlled trials, and science education. Findings were summarised descriptively. We included 415 studies, of which the interventions and assessment tools we identified included only a handful of the key concepts. The most common key concepts in interventions were "Treatments usually have beneficial and harmful effects," "Treatment comparisons should be fair," "Compare like with like," and "Single studies can be misleading." A variety of assessment tools were identified, but only four assessment tools included 10 or more key concepts. There is great potential for developing learning and assessment tools targeting key concepts that people need to understand to assess claims about treatment effects. There is currently no instrument covering assessment of all these key concepts.

Systematic Review of the Measurement Properties of Tools Used to Measure Behaviour Problems in Young Children with Autism.

PubMed

Hanratty, Jennifer; Livingstone, Nuala; Robalino, Shannon; Terwee, Caroline B; Glod, Magdalena; Oono, Inalegwu P; Rodgers, Jacqui; Macdonald, Geraldine; McConachie, Helen

2015-01-01

Behaviour problems are common in young children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). There are many different tools used to measure behavior problems but little is known about their validity for the population. To evaluate the measurement properties of behaviour problems tools used in evaluation of intervention or observational research studies with children with ASD up to the age of six years. Behaviour measurement tools were identified as part of a larger, two stage, systematic review. First, sixteen major electronic databases, as well as grey literature and research registers were searched, and tools used listed and categorized. Second, using methodological filters, we searched for articles examining the measurement properties of the tools in use with young children with ASD in ERIC, MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, and PsycINFO. The quality of these papers was then evaluated using the COSMIN checklist. We identified twelve tools which had been used to measure behaviour problems in young children with ASD, and fifteen studies which investigated the measurement properties of six of these tools. There was no evidence available for the remaining six tools. Two questionnaires were found to be the most robust in their measurement properties, the Child Behavior Checklist and the Home Situations Questionnaire-Pervasive Developmental Disorders version. We found patchy evidence on reliability and validity, for only a few of the tools used to measure behaviour problems in young children with ASD. More systematic research is required on measurement properties of tools for use in this population, in particular to establish responsiveness to change which is essential in measurement of outcomes of intervention. CRD42012002223.

Systematic Review of the Measurement Properties of Tools Used to Measure Behaviour Problems in Young Children with Autism

PubMed Central

Hanratty, Jennifer; Livingstone, Nuala; Robalino, Shannon; Terwee, Caroline B.; Glod, Magdalena; Oono, Inalegwu P.; Rodgers, Jacqui; Macdonald, Geraldine; McConachie, Helen

2015-01-01

Background Behaviour problems are common in young children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). There are many different tools used to measure behavior problems but little is known about their validity for the population. Objectives To evaluate the measurement properties of behaviour problems tools used in evaluation of intervention or observational research studies with children with ASD up to the age of six years. Methods Behaviour measurement tools were identified as part of a larger, two stage, systematic review. First, sixteen major electronic databases, as well as grey literature and research registers were searched, and tools used listed and categorized. Second, using methodological filters, we searched for articles examining the measurement properties of the tools in use with young children with ASD in ERIC, MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, and PsycINFO. The quality of these papers was then evaluated using the COSMIN checklist. Results We identified twelve tools which had been used to measure behaviour problems in young children with ASD, and fifteen studies which investigated the measurement properties of six of these tools. There was no evidence available for the remaining six tools. Two questionnaires were found to be the most robust in their measurement properties, the Child Behavior Checklist and the Home Situations Questionnaire—Pervasive Developmental Disorders version. Conclusions We found patchy evidence on reliability and validity, for only a few of the tools used to measure behaviour problems in young children with ASD. More systematic research is required on measurement properties of tools for use in this population, in particular to establish responsiveness to change which is essential in measurement of outcomes of intervention. PROSPERO Registration Number CRD42012002223 PMID:26659821

The Strength of Ethical Matrixes as a Tool for Normative Analysis Related to Technological Choices: The Case of Geological Disposal for Radioactive Waste.

PubMed

Kermisch, Céline; Depaus, Christophe

2018-02-01

The ethical matrix is a participatory tool designed to structure ethical reflection about the design, the introduction, the development or the use of technologies. Its collective implementation, in the context of participatory decision-making, has shown its potential usefulness. On the contrary, its implementation by a single researcher has not been thoroughly analyzed. The aim of this paper is precisely to assess the strength of ethical matrixes implemented by a single researcher as a tool for conceptual normative analysis related to technological choices. Therefore, the ethical matrix framework is applied to the management of high-level radioactive waste, more specifically to retrievable and non-retrievable geological disposal. The results of this analysis show that the usefulness of ethical matrixes is twofold and that they provide a valuable input for further decision-making. Indeed, by using ethical matrixes, implicit ethically relevant issues were revealed-namely issues of equity associated with health impacts and differences between close and remote future generations regarding ethical impacts. Moreover, the ethical matrix framework was helpful in synthesizing and comparing systematically the ethical impacts of the technologies under scrutiny, and hence in highlighting the potential ethical conflicts.

Measurement of the dimensions of food insecurity in developed countries: a systematic literature review.

PubMed

Ashby, Stephanie; Kleve, Suzanne; McKechnie, Rebecca; Palermo, Claire

2016-11-01

Food insecurity is a salient health issue comprised of four dimensions - food access, availability, utilization and stability over time. The aim of the present study was to conduct a systematic literature review to identify all multi-item tools that measure food insecurity and explore which of the dimensions they assess. Five databases were searched (CENTRAL, CINAHL plus, EMBASE, MEDLINE, TRIP) for studies published in English since 1999. Inclusion criteria included human studies using multi-item tools to measure food security and studies conducted in developed countries. Manuscripts describing the US Department of Agriculture Food Security Survey Module, that measures 'food access', were excluded due to wide acceptance of the validity and reliability of this instrument. Two authors extracted data and assessed the quality of the included studies. Data were summarized against the dimensions of food insecurity. A systematic review of the literature. The majority of tools were developed in the USA and had been used in different age groups and cultures. Eight multi-item tools were identified. All of the tools assessed the 'food access' dimension and two partially assessed the dimensions 'food utilization' and 'stability over time', respectively. 'Food availability' was not assessed by existing tools. Current tools available for measuring food insecurity are subjective, limited in scope, with a majority assessing only one dimension of food insecurity (access). To more accurately assess the true burden of food insecurity, tools should be adapted or developed to assess all four dimensions of food insecurity.

Quality of systematic reviews: an example of studies comparing artificial disc replacement with fusion in the cervical spine.

PubMed

Tashani, Osama A; El-Tumi, Hanan; Aneiba, Khaled

2015-01-01

Cervical artificial disc replacement (C-ADR) is now an alternative to anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF). Many studies have evaluated the efficacy of C-ADR compared with ACDF. This led to a series of systematic reviews and meta-analyses to evaluate the evidence of the superiority of one intervention against the other. The aim of the study presented here was to evaluate the quality of these reviews and meta-analyses. Medline via Ovid, Embase, and Cochrane Library were searched using the keywords: (total disk replacement, prosthesis, implantation, discectomy, and arthroplasty) AND (cervical vertebrae, cervical spine, and spine) AND (systematic reviews, reviews, and meta-analysis). Screening and data extraction were conducted by two reviewers independently. Two reviewers then assessed the quality of the selected reviews and meta-analysis using 11-item AMSTAR score which is a validated measurement tool to assess the methodological quality of systematic reviews. Screening of full reports of 46 relevant abstracts resulted in the selection of 15 systematic reviews and/or meta-analyses as eligible for this study. The two reviewers' inter-rater agreement level was high as indicated by kappa of >0.72. The AMSTAR score of the reviews ranged from 3 to 11. Only one study (a Cochrane review) scored 100% (AMSTAR 11). Five studies scored below (AMSTAR 5) indicating low-quality reviews. The most significant drawbacks of reviews of a score below 5 were not using an extensive search strategy, failure to use the scientific quality of the included studies appropriately in formulating a conclusion, not assessing publication bias, and not reporting the excluded studies. With a significant exception of a Cochrane review, the methodological quality of systematic reviews evaluating the evidence of C-ADR versus ACDF has to be improved.

A systematic review of the quality of conduct and reporting of systematic reviews and meta-analyses in paediatric surgery

PubMed Central

Gudlaugsdottir, Katrin; Andrews, James

2017-01-01

Objective Our objective was to evaluate quality of conduct and reporting of published systematic reviews and meta-analyses in paediatric surgery. We also aimed to identify characteristics predictive of review quality. Background Systematic reviews summarise evidence by combining sources, but are potentially prone to bias. To counter this, the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) was published to aid in reporting. Similarly, the Assessing the Methodological Quality of Systematic Reviews (AMSTAR) measurement tool was designed to appraise methodology. The paediatric surgical literature has seen an increasing number of reviews over the past decade, but quality has not been evaluated. Methods Adhering to PRISMA guidelines, we performed a systematic review with a priori design to identify systematic reviews and meta-analyses of interventions in paediatric surgery. From 01/2010 to 06/2016, we searched: MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane, Centre for Reviews and Dissemination, Web of Science, Google Scholar, reference lists and journals. Two reviewers independently selected studies and extracted data. We assessed conduct and reporting using AMSTAR and PRISMA. Scores were calculated as the sum of reported items. We also extracted author, journal and article characteristics, and used them in exploratory analysis to determine which variables predict quality. Results 112 articles fulfilled eligibility criteria (53 systematic reviews; 59 meta-analyses). Overall, 68% AMSTAR and 56.8% PRISMA items were reported adequately. Poorest scores were identified with regards a priori design, inclusion of structured summaries, including the grey literature, citing excluded articles and evaluating bias. 13 reviews were pre-registered and 6 in PRISMA-endorsing journals. The following predicted quality in univariate analysis:, word count, Cochrane review, journal h-index, impact factor, journal endorses PRISMA, PRISMA adherence suggested in author guidance, article mentions PRISMA, review includes comparison of interventions and review registration. The latter three variables were significant in multivariate regression. Conclusions There are gaps in the conduct and reporting of systematic reviews in paediatric surgery. More endorsement by journals of the PRISMA guideline may improve review quality, and the dissemination of reliable evidence to paediatric clinicians. PMID:28384296

Reporting Quality of Search Methods in Systematic Reviews of HIV Behavioral Interventions (2000-2010): Are the Searches Clearly Explained, Systematic and Reproducible?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mullins, Mary M.; DeLuca, Julia B.; Crepaz, Nicole; Lyles, Cynthia M.

2014-01-01

Systematic reviews are an essential tool for researchers, prevention providers and policy makers who want to remain current with the evidence in the field. Systematic review must adhere to strict standards, as the results can provide a more objective appraisal of evidence for making scientific decisions than traditional narrative reviews. An…

Review of nutritional screening and assessment tools and clinical outcomes in heart failure.

PubMed

Lin, Hong; Zhang, Haifeng; Lin, Zheng; Li, Xinli; Kong, Xiangqin; Sun, Gouzhen

2016-09-01

Recent studies have suggested that undernutrition as defined using multidimensional nutritional evaluation tools may affect clinical outcomes in heart failure (HF). The evidence supporting this correlation is unclear. Therefore, we conducted this systematic review to critically appraise the use of multidimensional evaluation tools in the prediction of clinical outcomes in HF. We performed descriptive analyses of all identified articles involving qualitative analyses. We used STATA to conduct meta-analyses when at least three studies that tested the same type of nutritional assessment or screening tools and used the same outcome were identified. Sensitivity analyses were conducted to validate our positive results. We identified 17 articles with qualitative analyses and 11 with quantitative analysis after comprehensive literature searching and screening. We determined that the prevalence of malnutrition is high in HF (range 16-90 %), particularly in advanced and acute decompensated HF (approximate range 75-90 %). Undernutrition as identified by multidimensional evaluation tools may be significantly associated with hospitalization, length of stay and complications and is particularly strongly associated with high mortality. The meta-analysis revealed that compared with other tools, Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA) scores were the strongest predictors of mortality in HF [HR (4.32, 95 % CI 2.30-8.11)]. Our results remained reliable after conducting sensitivity analyses. The prevalence of malnutrition is high in HF, particularly in advanced and acute decompensated HF. Moreover, undernutrition as identified by multidimensional evaluation tools is significantly associated with unfavourable prognoses and high mortality in HF.

Numerical Uncertainty Quantification for Radiation Analysis Tools

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Anderson, Brooke; Blattnig, Steve; Clowdsley, Martha

2007-01-01

Recently a new emphasis has been placed on engineering applications of space radiation analyses and thus a systematic effort of Verification, Validation and Uncertainty Quantification (VV&UQ) of the tools commonly used for radiation analysis for vehicle design and mission planning has begun. There are two sources of uncertainty in geometric discretization addressed in this paper that need to be quantified in order to understand the total uncertainty in estimating space radiation exposures. One source of uncertainty is in ray tracing, as the number of rays increase the associated uncertainty decreases, but the computational expense increases. Thus, a cost benefit analysis optimizing computational time versus uncertainty is needed and is addressed in this paper. The second source of uncertainty results from the interpolation over the dose vs. depth curves that is needed to determine the radiation exposure. The question, then, is what is the number of thicknesses that is needed to get an accurate result. So convergence testing is performed to quantify the uncertainty associated with interpolating over different shield thickness spatial grids.

Comparison of software packages for detecting differential expression in RNA-seq studies

PubMed Central

Seyednasrollah, Fatemeh; Laiho, Asta

2015-01-01

RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) has rapidly become a popular tool to characterize transcriptomes. A fundamental research problem in many RNA-seq studies is the identification of reliable molecular markers that show differential expression between distinct sample groups. Together with the growing popularity of RNA-seq, a number of data analysis methods and pipelines have already been developed for this task. Currently, however, there is no clear consensus about the best practices yet, which makes the choice of an appropriate method a daunting task especially for a basic user without a strong statistical or computational background. To assist the choice, we perform here a systematic comparison of eight widely used software packages and pipelines for detecting differential expression between sample groups in a practical research setting and provide general guidelines for choosing a robust pipeline. In general, our results demonstrate how the data analysis tool utilized can markedly affect the outcome of the data analysis, highlighting the importance of this choice. PMID:24300110

Comparison of software packages for detecting differential expression in RNA-seq studies.

PubMed

Seyednasrollah, Fatemeh; Laiho, Asta; Elo, Laura L

2015-01-01

RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) has rapidly become a popular tool to characterize transcriptomes. A fundamental research problem in many RNA-seq studies is the identification of reliable molecular markers that show differential expression between distinct sample groups. Together with the growing popularity of RNA-seq, a number of data analysis methods and pipelines have already been developed for this task. Currently, however, there is no clear consensus about the best practices yet, which makes the choice of an appropriate method a daunting task especially for a basic user without a strong statistical or computational background. To assist the choice, we perform here a systematic comparison of eight widely used software packages and pipelines for detecting differential expression between sample groups in a practical research setting and provide general guidelines for choosing a robust pipeline. In general, our results demonstrate how the data analysis tool utilized can markedly affect the outcome of the data analysis, highlighting the importance of this choice. © The Author 2013. Published by Oxford University Press.

Computer-Aided Analysis of Patents for Product Technology Maturity Forecasting

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liang, Yanhong; Gan, Dequan; Guo, Yingchun; Zhang, Peng

Product technology maturity foresting is vital for any enterprises to hold the chance for innovation and keep competitive for a long term. The Theory of Invention Problem Solving (TRIZ) is acknowledged both as a systematic methodology for innovation and a powerful tool for technology forecasting. Based on TRIZ, the state -of-the-art on the technology maturity of product and the limits of application are discussed. With the application of text mining and patent analysis technologies, this paper proposes a computer-aided approach for product technology maturity forecasting. It can overcome the shortcomings of the current methods.

How does study quality affect the results of a diagnostic meta-analysis?

PubMed Central

Westwood, Marie E; Whiting, Penny F; Kleijnen, Jos

2005-01-01

Background The use of systematic literature review to inform evidence based practice in diagnostics is rapidly expanding. Although the primary diagnostic literature is extensive, studies are often of low methodological quality or poorly reported. There has been no rigorously evaluated, evidence based tool to assess the methodological quality of diagnostic studies. The primary objective of this study was to determine the extent to which variations in the quality of primary studies impact the results of a diagnostic meta-analysis and whether this differs with diagnostic test type. A secondary objective was to contribute to the evaluation of QUADAS, an evidence-based tool for the assessment of quality in diagnostic accuracy studies. Methods This study was conducted as part of large systematic review of tests used in the diagnosis and further investigation of urinary tract infection (UTI) in children. All studies included in this review were assessed using QUADAS, an evidence-based tool for the assessment of quality in systematic reviews of diagnostic accuracy studies. The impact of individual components of QUADAS on a summary measure of diagnostic accuracy was investigated using regression analysis. The review divided the diagnosis and further investigation of UTI into the following three clinical stages: diagnosis of UTI, localisation of infection, and further investigation of the UTI. Each stage used different types of diagnostic test, which were considered to involve different quality concerns. Results Many of the studies included in our review were poorly reported. The proportion of QUADAS items fulfilled was similar for studies in different sections of the review. However, as might be expected, the individual items fulfilled differed between the three clinical stages. Regression analysis found that different items showed a strong association with test performance for the different tests evaluated. These differences were observed both within and between the three clinical stages assessed by the review. The results of regression analyses were also affected by whether or not a weighting (by sample size) was applied. Our analysis was severely limited by the completeness of reporting and the differences between the index tests evaluated and the reference standards used to confirm diagnoses in the primary studies. Few tests were evaluated by sufficient studies to allow meaningful use of meta-analytic pooling and investigation of heterogeneity. This meant that further analysis to investigate heterogeneity could only be undertaken using a subset of studies, and that the findings are open to various interpretations. Conclusion Further work is needed to investigate the influence of methodological quality on the results of diagnostic meta-analyses. Large data sets of well-reported primary studies are needed to address this question. Without significant improvements in the completeness of reporting of primary studies, progress in this area will be limited. PMID:15943861

Prevalence of PTSD and common mental disorders amongst ambulance personnel: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

PubMed

Petrie, Katherine; Milligan-Saville, Josie; Gayed, Aimée; Deady, Mark; Phelps, Andrea; Dell, Lisa; Forbes, David; Bryant, Richard A; Calvo, Rafael A; Glozier, Nicholas; Harvey, Samuel B

2018-06-05

There is increasing concern regarding the mental health impact of first responder work, with some reports suggesting ambulance personnel may be at particularly high risk. Through this systematic review and meta-analysis we aimed to determine the prevalence of mental health conditions among ambulance personnel worldwide. A systematic search and screening process was conducted to identify studies for inclusion in the review. To be eligible, studies had to report original quantitative data on the prevalence of at least one of the following mental health outcome(s) of interest (PTSD, depression, anxiety, general psychological distress) for ambulance personnel samples. Quality of the studies was assessed using a validated methodological rating tool. Random effects modelling was used to estimate pooled prevalence, as well as subgroup analyses and meta-regressions for five variables implicated in heterogeneity. In total, 941 articles were identified across all sources, with 95 full-text articles screened to confirm eligibility. Of these, 27 studies were included in the systematic review, reporting on a total of 30,878 ambulance personnel. A total of 18 studies provided necessary quantitative information and were retained for entry in the meta-analysis. The results demonstrated estimated prevalence rates of 11% for PTSD, 15% for depression, 15% for anxiety, and 27% for general psychological distress amongst ambulance personnel, with date of data collection a significant influence upon observed heterogeneity. Ambulance personnel worldwide have a prevalence of PTSD considerably higher than rates seen in the general population, although there is some evidence that rates of PTSD may have decreased over recent decades.

Percutaneous Needle Tenotomy for the Treatment of Lateral Epicondylitis: A Systematic Review of the Literature.

PubMed

Mattie, Ryan; Wong, Joseph; McCormick, Zachary; Yu, Sloane; Saltychev, Mikhail; Laimi, Katri

2017-06-01

To analyze the literature to determine whether controlled studies on percutaneous tenotomy have been published, and if so, to systematically assess the efficacy of percutaneous tenotomy for the treatment of tendinosis at the lateral epicondyle of the elbow. Systematic review of the available literature. Cochrane Controlled Trials Register (CENTRAL), MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, and Web of Science databases were searched in November 2015, unrestricted by date. After the initial search, we excluded conference proceedings, theses, reviews, expert opinions, and publications written in languages other than English. Next, 2 independent reviewers screened all of the remaining records with regard to their titles and abstracts, and subsequently, the full texts of identified publications potentially relevant to the present study. Six articles focused on percutaneous tenotomy, none of which were controlled against a placebo or conservative treatment group. The absence of true randomized controlled trials created a great deal of heterogeneity between the studies; thus we could not include any of our studies in the intended final quantitative analysis with meta-analysis tools. We describe all 6 studies identified by this systematic review with a detailed analysis of the procedural methods, outcome measures, and conclusions of each study. Percutaneous tenotomy presents an alternative to surgical release of the common extensor tendon for the treatment of chronic tendinosis at the lateral epicondyle of the elbow. Current research supporting the efficacy of this procedure, however, is of low quality (level II to level IV). III. Copyright © 2017 American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Using incident response trees as a tool for risk management of online financial services.

PubMed

Gorton, Dan

2014-09-01

The article introduces the use of probabilistic risk assessment for modeling the incident response process of online financial services. The main contribution is the creation of incident response trees, using event tree analysis, which provides us with a visual tool and a systematic way to estimate the probability of a successful incident response process against the currently known risk landscape, making it possible to measure the balance between front-end and back-end security measures. The model is presented using an illustrative example, and is then applied to the incident response process of a Swedish bank. Access to relevant data is verified and the applicability and usability of the proposed model is verified using one year of historical data. Potential advantages and possible shortcomings are discussed, referring to both the design phase and the operational phase, and future work is presented. © 2014 Society for Risk Analysis.

Application of a faith-based integration tool to assess mental and physical health interventions.

PubMed

Saunders, Donna M; Leak, Jean; Carver, Monique E; Smith, Selina A

2017-01-01

To build on current research involving faith-based interventions (FBIs) for addressing mental and physical health, this study a) reviewed the extent to which relevant publications integrate faith concepts with health and b) initiated analysis of the degree of FBI integration with intervention outcomes. Derived from a systematic search of articles published between 2007 and 2017, 36 studies were assessed with a Faith-Based Integration Assessment Tool (FIAT) to quantify faith-health integration. Basic statistical procedures were employed to determine the association of faith-based integration with intervention outcomes. The assessed studies possessed (on average) moderate, inconsistent integration because of poor use of faith measures, and moderate, inconsistent use of faith practices. Analysis procedures for determining the effect of FBI integration on intervention outcomes were inadequate for formulating practical conclusions. Regardless of integration, interventions were associated with beneficial outcomes. To determine the link between FBI integration and intervention outcomes, additional analyses are needed.

Mobile Phone Apps to Promote Weight Loss and Increase Physical Activity: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

PubMed Central

Ferré-Grau, Carme; Montaña-Carreras, Xavier

2015-01-01

Background To our knowledge, no meta-analysis to date has assessed the efficacy of mobile phone apps to promote weight loss and increase physical activity. Objective To perform a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies to compare the efficacy of mobile phone apps compared with other approaches to promote weight loss and increase physical activity. Methods We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of relevant studies identified by a search of PubMed, the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), and Scopus from their inception through to August 2015. Two members of the study team (EG-F, GF-M) independently screened studies for inclusion criteria and extracted data. We included all controlled studies that assessed a mobile phone app intervention with weight-related health measures (ie, body weight, body mass index, or waist circumference) or physical activity outcomes. Net change estimates comparing the intervention group with the control group were pooled across studies using random-effects models. Results We included 12 articles in this systematic review and meta-analysis. Compared with the control group, use of a mobile phone app was associated with significant changes in body weight (kg) and body mass index (kg/m2) of -1.04 kg (95% CI -1.75 to -0.34; I2 = 41%) and -0.43 kg/m2 (95% CI -0.74 to -0.13; I2 = 50%), respectively. Moreover, a nonsignificant difference in physical activity was observed between the two groups (standardized mean difference 0.40, 95% CI -0.07 to 0.87; I2 = 93%). These findings were remarkably robust in the sensitivity analysis. No publication bias was shown. Conclusions Evidence from this study shows that mobile phone app-based interventions may be useful tools for weight loss. PMID:26554314

Racism as a determinant of health: a protocol for conducting a systematic review and meta-analysis.

PubMed

Paradies, Yin; Priest, Naomi; Ben, Jehonathan; Truong, Mandy; Gupta, Arpana; Pieterse, Alex; Kelaher, Margaret; Gee, Gilbert

2013-09-23

Racism is increasingly recognized as a key determinant of health. A growing body of epidemiological evidence shows strong associations between self-reported racism and poor health outcomes across diverse minority groups in developed countries. While the relationship between racism and health has received increasing attention over the last two decades, a comprehensive meta-analysis focused on the health effects of racism has yet to be conducted. The aim of this review protocol is to provide a structure from which to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies that assess the relationship between racism and health. This research will consist of a systematic review and meta-analysis. Studies will be considered for review if they are empirical studies reporting quantitative data on the association between racism and health for adults and/or children of all ages from any racial/ethnic/cultural groups. Outcome measures will include general health and well-being, physical health, mental health, healthcare use and health behaviors. Scientific databases (for example, Medline) will be searched using a comprehensive search strategy and reference lists will be manually searched for relevant studies. In addition, use of online search engines (for example, Google Scholar), key websites, and personal contact with experts will also be undertaken. Screening of search results and extraction of data from included studies will be independently conducted by at least two authors, including assessment of inter-rater reliability. Studies included in the review will be appraised for quality using tools tailored to each study design. Summary statistics of study characteristics and findings will be compiled and findings synthesized in a narrative summary as well as a meta-analysis. This review aims to examine associations between reported racism and health outcomes. This comprehensive and systematic review and meta-analysis of empirical research will provide a rigorous and reliable evidence base for future research, policy and practice, including information on the extent of available evidence for a range of racial/ethnic minority groups.

A systematic review and meta-analysis of quantitative interviewing tools to investigate self-reported HIV and STI associated behaviours in low- and middle-income countries.

PubMed

Phillips, Anna E; Gomez, Gabriella B; Boily, Marie-Claude; Garnett, Geoffrey P

2010-12-01

Studies identifying risks and evaluating interventions for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and other sexually transmitted infections often rely on self-reported measures of sensitive behaviours. Such self-reports can be subject to social desirability bias. Concerns over the accuracy of these measures have prompted efforts to improve the level of privacy and anonymity of the interview setting. This study aims to determine whether such novel tools minimize misreporting of sensitive information. Systematic review and meta-analysis of studies in low- and middle-income countries comparing traditional face-to-face interview (FTFI) with innovative tools for reporting HIV risk behaviour. Crude odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated. Cochran's chi-squared test of heterogeneity was performed to explore differences between estimates. Pooled estimates were determined by gender, region, education, setting and question time frame using a random effects model. We found and included 15 data sets in the meta-analysis. Most studies compared audio computer-assisted self interview (ACASI) with FTFI. There was significant heterogeneity across studies for three outcomes of interest: 'ever had sex' (I(2) = 93.4%, P < 0.001), non-condom use (I(2) = 89.3%, P < 0.001), and number of partners (I(2) = 75.3%, P < 0.001). For the fourth outcome, 'forced sex', there was homogenous increased reporting by non-FTFI methods (OR 1.47; 95% CI 1.11-1.94). Overall, non-FTFI methods were not consistently associated with a significant increase in the reporting of all outcomes. However, there was increased reporting associated with non-FTFI with region (Asia), setting (urban), education (>60% had secondary education) and a shorter question time frame. Contrary to expectation, differences between FTFI and non-interviewer-administered interview methods for the reported sensitive behaviour investigated were not uniform. However, we observed trends and variations in the level of reporting according to the outcome, study and population characteristics. FTFI may not always be inferior to innovative interview tools depending on the sensitivity of the question as well as the population assessed.

Lung cancer in symptomatic patients presenting in primary care: a systematic review of risk prediction tools

PubMed Central

Schmidt-Hansen, Mia; Berendse, Sabine; Hamilton, Willie; Baldwin, David R

2017-01-01

Background Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths. Around 70% of patients first presenting to specialist care have advanced disease, at which point current treatments have little effect on survival. The issue for primary care is how to recognise patients earlier and investigate appropriately. This requires an assessment of the risk of lung cancer. Aim The aim of this study was to systematically review the existing risk prediction tools for patients presenting in primary care with symptoms that may indicate lung cancer Design and setting Systematic review of primary care data. Method Medline, PreMedline, Embase, the Cochrane Library, Web of Science, and ISI Proceedings (1980 to March 2016) were searched. The final list of included studies was agreed between two of the authors, who also appraised and summarised them. Results Seven studies with between 1482 and 2 406 127 patients were included. The tools were all based on UK primary care data, but differed in complexity of development, number/type of variables examined/included, and outcome time frame. There were four multivariable tools with internal validation area under the curves between 0.88 and 0.92. The tools all had a number of limitations, and none have been externally validated, or had their clinical and cost impact examined. Conclusion There is insufficient evidence for the recommendation of any one of the available risk prediction tools. However, some multivariable tools showed promising discrimination. What is needed to guide clinical practice is both external validation of the existing tools and a comparative study, so that the best tools can be incorporated into clinical decision tools used in primary care. PMID:28483820

Nutrition screening tools: does one size fit all? A systematic review of screening tools for the hospital setting.

PubMed

van Bokhorst-de van der Schueren, Marian A E; Guaitoli, Patrícia Realino; Jansma, Elise P; de Vet, Henrica C W

2014-02-01

Numerous nutrition screening tools for the hospital setting have been developed. The aim of this systematic review is to study construct or criterion validity and predictive validity of nutrition screening tools for the general hospital setting. A systematic review of English, French, German, Spanish, Portuguese and Dutch articles identified via MEDLINE, Cinahl and EMBASE (from inception to the 2nd of February 2012). Additional studies were identified by checking reference lists of identified manuscripts. Search terms included key words for malnutrition, screening or assessment instruments, and terms for hospital setting and adults. Data were extracted independently by 2 authors. Only studies expressing the (construct, criterion or predictive) validity of a tool were included. 83 studies (32 screening tools) were identified: 42 studies on construct or criterion validity versus a reference method and 51 studies on predictive validity on outcome (i.e. length of stay, mortality or complications). None of the tools performed consistently well to establish the patients' nutritional status. For the elderly, MNA performed fair to good, for the adults MUST performed fair to good. SGA, NRS-2002 and MUST performed well in predicting outcome in approximately half of the studies reviewed in adults, but not in older patients. Not one single screening or assessment tool is capable of adequate nutrition screening as well as predicting poor nutrition related outcome. Development of new tools seems redundant and will most probably not lead to new insights. New studies comparing different tools within one patient population are required. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd and European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism. All rights reserved.

CANDID: Companion Analysis and Non-Detection in Interferometric Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gallenne, A.; Mérand, A.; Kervella, P.; Monnier, J. D.; Schaefer, G. H.; Baron, F.; Breitfelder, J.; Le Bouquin, J. B.; Roettenbacher, R. M.; Gieren, W.; Pietrzynski, G.; McAlister, H.; ten Brummelaar, T.; Sturmann, J.; Sturmann, L.; Turner, N.; Ridgway, S.; Kraus, S.

2015-05-01

CANDID finds faint companion around star in interferometric data in the OIFITS format. It allows systematically searching for faint companions in OIFITS data, and if not found, estimates the detection limit. The tool is based on model fitting and Chi2 minimization, with a grid for the starting points of the companion position. It ensures all positions are explored by estimating a-posteriori if the grid is dense enough, and provides an estimate of the optimum grid density.

Classroom-Based Physical Activity and Sedentary Behavior Interventions in Adolescents: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

PubMed

McMichan, Lauren; Gibson, Ann-Marie; Rowe, David A

2018-05-01

It is reported that 81% of adolescents are insufficiently active. Schools play a pivotal role in promoting physical activity (PA) and reducing sedentary behavior (SB). The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to evaluate classroom-based PA and SB interventions in adolescents. A search strategy was developed using the Population Intervention Comparison Outcome Study (PICOS) design framework. Articles were screened using strict inclusion criteria. Study quality was assessed using the Effective Public Health Practice Project quality assessment tool ( http://www.ephpp.ca/tools.html ). Outcome data for preintervention and postintervention were extracted, and effect sizes were calculated using Cohen's d. The strategy yielded 7574 potentially relevant articles. Nine studies were included for review. Study quality was rated as strong for 1 study, moderate for 5 studies, and weak for 3 studies. Five studies were included for meta-analyses, which suggested that the classroom-based interventions had a nonsignificant effect on PA (P = .55, d = 0.05) and a small, nonsignificant effect on SB (P = .16, d = -0.11). Only 9 relevant studies were found, and the effectiveness of the classroom-based PA and SB interventions varied. Based on limited empirical studies, there is not enough evidence to determine the most effective classroom-based methodology to increase PA and SB.

The role of 68Ga-PSMA PET/CT scan in biochemical recurrence after primary treatment for prostate cancer: a systematic review of literature.

PubMed

Eissa, Ahmed; El Sherbiny, Ahmed; Coelho, Rafael F; Rassweiler, Jens; Davis, John W; Porpiglia, Francesco; Patel, Vipul R; Prandini, Napoleone; Micali, Salvatore; Sighinolfi, Maria C; Puliatti, Stefano; Rocco, Bernardo; Bianchi, Giampaolo

2018-04-17

Recurrence after primary treatment of prostate cancer is one of the major challenges facing urologists. Biochemical recurrence is not rare and occurs in up to one third of the patients undergoing radical prostatectomy. Management of biochemical recurrence is tailored according to the site and the burden of recurrence. Therefore, developing an imaging technique to early detect recurrent lesions represents an urgent need. Positron emission tomography (PET) of 68Ga-labelled prostate-specific membrane antigen (68Ga-PSMA) is an emerging imaging modality that seems to be a promising tool with capability to localize recurrent prostate cancer. Our aim was a systematic review of literature was done to evaluate the role of 68Ga-PSMA PET/CT scan in patients with recurrent prostate cancer after primary radical treatment. A systematic and comprehensive review of literature was performed in September 2017 analyzing the MEDLINE and Cochrane Library following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-analysis (PRISMA) statement. The following key terms were used for the search "PSMA", "prostate-specific membrane antigen", "positron emission tomography", "PET", "recurrent", "prostate cancer", "prostate neoplasm", "prostate malignancy" and "68Ga". Risk of bias was assessed using the Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies-2 tool. Thirty-seven articles met our inclusion criteria and were included in the analysis of this systematic review. Of the 37 articles selected for analysis only four studies were prospective. The overall detection rate of 68Ga PSMA PET scan ranged from 47% up to 96.6%. The main advantage of this imaging technique is its relatively high detection rates at low serum PSA levels below 0.5 ng/ml (ranging from 11.1% to 75%). Higher serum PSA level was strongly associated with increased positivity on 68Ga PSMA PET scan. 68Ga PSMA PET scan was found superior to conventional imaging techniques (CT and MRI) in this setting of patients and even it seems to outperform choline-based PET scan. This technique provided significant changes in the therapeutic management of 28.6% - 87.1% of patients. After biochemical recurrence, the primary goal is to locate the recurrent lesions' site. 68Ga-PSMA PET/CT seems to be effective in identifying recurrence localization also for very low levels of PSA (< 0.5 ng/ml) thus permitting to choose the best therapeutic strategy as early as possible. However, data available cannot be considered exhaustive and prospective randomized trials are needed.

Systematic Review Protocol to Assess the Effectiveness of Usability Questionnaires in mHealth App Studies

PubMed Central

Bao, Jie; Parmanto, Bambang

2017-01-01

Background Usability questionnaires have a wide use in mobile health (mHealth) app usability studies. However, no systematic review has been conducted for assessing the effectiveness of these questionnaires. Objective This paper describes a protocol for conducting a systematic review of published questionnaire-based mHealth app usability studies. Methods In this systematic review, we will select recently published (2008-2017) articles from peer-reviewed journals and conferences that describe mHealth app usability studies and implement at least one usability questionnaire. The search strategy will include terms such as “mobile app” and “usability.” Multiple databases such as PubMed, CINAHL, IEEE Xplore, ACM Digital Library, and INSPEC will be searched. There will be 2 independent reviewers in charge of screening titles and abstracts as well as determining those articles that should be included for a full-text review. The third reviewer will act as a mediator between the other 2 reviewers. Moreover, a data extraction form will be created and used during the full article data analysis. Notably, the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Protocols (PRISMA-P) guidelines will be followed in reporting this protocol. Results A preliminary search produced 1271 articles, 40 of which are duplicate records. The inclusion-exclusion criteria are being strictly followed in performing the ongoing study selection. Conclusions Usability questionnaires are an important tool in mHealth app usability studies. This review will summarize the usability questionnaires used in published research articles while assessing the efficacy of these questionnaires in determining the usability of mHealth apps. PMID:28765101

Chemoradiotherapy versus radiotherapy alone in elderly patients with stage III non-small cell lung cancer: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

PubMed

Dawe, David E; Christiansen, David; Swaminath, Anand; Ellis, Peter M; Rothney, Janet; Rabbani, Rasheda; Abou-Setta, Ahmed M; Zarychanski, Ryan; Mahmud, Salaheddin M

2016-09-01

In stage III non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), the standard of care in young patients is chemoradiotherapy, but this standard is not as clearly established for older patients. We aimed to determine the efficacy and harm associated with chemoradiotherapy versus radiotherapy alone in elderly (≥70 years), stage III NSCLC patients through a systematic review. We conducted a systematic search of MEDLINE, EMBASE, CENTRAL, Scopus, Web of Science and conference proceedings. Two reviewers independently identified randomized trials (RCT) and extracted trial-level data. Risk of bias was assessed and meta-analysis was conducted looking at survival and safety outcomes. We included three trials and subgroup data from one systematic review. The three RCTs had high risk of bias due primarily to lack of blinding and the systematic review scored 4/11 using the AMSTAR tool. Overall survival (HR 0.66, 95% CI 0.53-0.82; I2 0%; 3 trials; 407 patients) and progression-free survival (HR 0.67, 95% CI 0.53-0.85; I2 0%; 2 trials; 327 patients) both favored chemoradiotherapy. Risk of treatment-related death and grade 3+ pneumonitis were not significantly different between groups. In conclusion, treatment of stage III NSCLC patients 70 years or older with chemotherapy and radiotherapy is associated with improved overall survival compared to radiotherapy alone. With the exception of increased hematological toxicity, CRT appears to be tolerable in fit elderly patients and represents a reasonable standard of clinical care. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Omics AnalySIs System for PRecision Oncology (OASISPRO): A Web-based Omics Analysis Tool for Clinical Phenotype Prediction.

PubMed

Yu, Kun-Hsing; Fitzpatrick, Michael R; Pappas, Luke; Chan, Warren; Kung, Jessica; Snyder, Michael

2017-09-12

Precision oncology is an approach that accounts for individual differences to guide cancer management. Omics signatures have been shown to predict clinical traits for cancer patients. However, the vast amount of omics information poses an informatics challenge in systematically identifying patterns associated with health outcomes, and no general-purpose data-mining tool exists for physicians, medical researchers, and citizen scientists without significant training in programming and bioinformatics. To bridge this gap, we built the Omics AnalySIs System for PRecision Oncology (OASISPRO), a web-based system to mine the quantitative omics information from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). This system effectively visualizes patients' clinical profiles, executes machine-learning algorithms of choice on the omics data, and evaluates the prediction performance using held-out test sets. With this tool, we successfully identified genes strongly associated with tumor stage, and accurately predicted patients' survival outcomes in many cancer types, including mesothelioma and adrenocortical carcinoma. By identifying the links between omics and clinical phenotypes, this system will facilitate omics studies on precision cancer medicine and contribute to establishing personalized cancer treatment plans. This web-based tool is available at http://tinyurl.com/oasispro ;source codes are available at http://tinyurl.com/oasisproSourceCode . © The Author (2017). Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com

Accuracy of Nutritional Screening Tools in Assessing the Risk of Undernutrition in Hospitalized Children.

PubMed

Huysentruyt, Koen; Devreker, Thierry; Dejonckheere, Joachim; De Schepper, Jean; Vandenplas, Yvan; Cools, Filip

2015-08-01

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the predictive accuracy of screening tools for assessing nutritional risk in hospitalized children in developed countries. The study involved a systematic review of literature (MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Cochrane Central databases up to January 17, 2014) of studies on the diagnostic performance of pediatric nutritional screening tools. Methodological quality was assessed using a modified QUADAS tool. Sensitivity and specificity were calculated for each screening tool per validation method. A meta-analysis was performed to estimate the risk ratio of different screening result categories of being truly at nutritional risk. A total of 11 studies were included on ≥1 of the following screening tools: Pediatric Nutritional Risk Score, Screening Tool for the Assessment of Malnutrition in Paediatrics, Paediatric Yorkhill Malnutrition Score, and Screening Tool for Risk on Nutritional Status and Growth. Because of variation in reference standards, a direct comparison of the predictive accuracy of the screening tools was not possible. A meta-analysis was performed on 1629 children from 7 different studies. The risk ratio of being truly at nutritional risk was 0.349 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.16-0.78) for children in the low versus moderate screening category and 0.292 (95% CI 0.19-0.44) in the moderate versus high screening category. There is insufficient evidence to choose 1 nutritional screening tool over another based on their predictive accuracy. The estimated risk of being at "true nutritional risk" increases with each category of screening test result. Each screening category should be linked to a specific course of action, although further research is needed.

Screening for Intensive Intervention Needs in Secondary Schools: Directions for the Future

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lane, Kathleen Lynne; Oakes, Wendy Peia; Lusk, Mandy E.; Cantwell, Emily Dawn; Schatschneider, Christopher

2016-01-01

In this article, we provided descriptive and methodological illustrations of how to conduct systematic behavior screenings at the middle and high school levels to detect students with intensive intervention needs using one systematic screening tool: the Student Risk Screening Scale. We discussed the importance of systematic screening and presented…

Systematic reviews of surgical procedures in children: quantity, coverage and quality.

PubMed

McGee, Richard G; Craig, Jonathan C; Rogerson, Thomas E; Webster, Angela C

2013-04-01

Systematic reviews have the potential to map those areas where children are under-represented in surgical research. We aimed to describe and evaluate the quantity, coverage and the quality of conduct and reporting of systematic reviews of surgical procedures in children. We searched four biomedical databases, a systematic review register, reference lists and conducted hand searching to identify relevant reviews. Two reviewers worked independently to critically appraise included studies and abstract data. We assessed reporting quality using the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analysis statement and methodological quality using the Assessment of Multiple SysTemAtic Reviews tool. Fifteen systematic reviews were identified, representing 0.01% of all paediatric surgical citations in MEDLINE and Embase. Thirteen of the reviews were Cochrane reviews, and most reviews (12/15) addressed subspecialty interests such as otorhinolaryngology. The median number of included trials per systematic review was four (interquartile range 1 to 9.5), the median number of primary outcomes was 5.5 (interquartile range 3.5 to 7.5). In general, reporting and methodological quality was good although there were several omissions, particularly around completeness of reporting of statistical methods used, and utilisation of quality assessments in analyses. Outcomes were often not clearly defined and descriptions of procedures lacked sufficient detail to determine the similarities and differences among surgical procedures within the contributing trials. Systematic reviews of surgical procedures in children are rarely published. To improve the evidence base and guide research agendas, more systematic reviews should be conducted, using standard guidelines for conduct and reporting. © 2013 The Authors. Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health © 2013 Paediatrics and Child Health Division (Royal Australasian College of Physicians).

Effectiveness of mobile electronic devices in weight loss among overweight and obese populations: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

PubMed

Khokhar, Bushra; Jones, Jessica; Ronksley, Paul E; Armstrong, Marni J; Caird, Jeff; Rabi, Doreen

2014-01-01

Mobile electronic devices, such as mobile phones and PDAs, have emerged as potentially useful tools in the facilitation and maintenance of weight loss. While RCTs have demonstrated a positive impact of mobile interventions, the extent to which mobile electronic devices are more effective than usual care methods is still being debated. Electronic databases were systematically searched for RCTs evaluating the effectiveness of mobile electronic device interventions among overweight and obese adults. Weighted mean difference for change in body weight was the primary outcome. The search strategy yielded 559 citations and of the 108 potentially relevant studies, six met the criteria. A total of 632 participants were included in the six studies reporting a mean change in body weight. Using a random-effects model, the WMD for the effect of using mobile electronic devices on reduction in body weight was -1.09 kg (95% CI -2.12, -0.05). When stratified by the type of mobile electronic device used, it suggests that interventions using mobile phones were effective at achieving weight loss, WMD = -1.78 kg (95% CI -2.92, -0.63). This systematic review and meta-analysis suggests that mobile electronic devices have the potential to facilitate weight loss in overweight and obese populations, but further work is needed to understand if these interventions have sustained benefit and how we can make these mHealth tools most effective on a large scale. As the field of healthcare increasingly utilizes novel mobile technologies, the focus must not be on any one specific device but on the best possible use of these tools to measure and understand behavior. As mobile electronic devices continue to increase in popularity and the associated technology continues to advance, the potential for the use of mobile devices in global healthcare is enormous. More RCTs with larger sample sizes need to be conducted to look at the cost-effectiveness, technical and financial feasibility of adapting such mHealth interventions in a real clinical setting.

A Decision Support Tool for Appropriate Glucose-Lowering Therapy in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes

PubMed Central

Benhamou, Pierre Yves; Charpentier, Guillaume; Consoli, Agostino; Diamant, Michaela; Gallwitz, Baptist; Khunti, Kamlesh; Mathieu, Chantal; Ridderstråle, Martin; Seufert, Jochen; Tack, Cees; Vilsbøll, Tina; Phan, Tra-Mi; Stoevelaar, Herman

2015-01-01

Abstract Background: Optimal glucose-lowering therapy in type 2 diabetes mellitus requires a patient-specific approach. Although a good framework, current guidelines are insufficiently detailed to address the different phenotypes and individual needs of patients seen in daily practice. We developed a patient-specific decision support tool based on a systematic analysis of expert opinion. Materials and Methods: Based on the American Diabetes Association (ADA)/European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) 2012 position statement, a panel of 12 European experts rated the appropriateness (RAND/UCLA Appropriateness Method) of treatment strategies for 930 clinical scenarios, which were permutations of clinical variables considered relevant to treatment choice. These included current treatment, hemoglobin A1c difference from individualized target, risk of hypoglycemia, body mass index, life expectancy, and comorbidities. Treatment options included addition of a second or third agent, drug switches, and replacement by monotherapies if the patient was metformin-intolerant. Treatment costs were not considered. Appropriateness (appropriate, inappropriate, uncertain) was based on the median score and expert agreement. The panel recommendations were embedded in an online decision support tool (DiaScope®; Novo Nordisk Health Care AG, Zürich, Switzerland). Results: Treatment appropriateness was associated with (combinations of) the patient variables mentioned above. As second-line agents, dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors were considered appropriate in all scenarios, followed by glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (50%), insulins (33%), and sulfonylureas (25%), but not pioglitazone (0%). Ratings of third-line combinations followed a similar pattern. Disagreement was highest for regimens including pioglitazone, sulfonylureas, or insulins and was partly due to differences in panelists' opinions and in drug availability and reimbursement across European countries (although costs were disregarded in the rating process). Conclusions: A novel decision support tool based on the ADA/EASD 2012 position statement and a systematic analysis of expert opinion has been developed to help healthcare professionals to individualize glucose-lowering therapy in daily clinical situations. PMID:25347226

A decision support tool for appropriate glucose-lowering therapy in patients with type 2 diabetes.

PubMed

Ampudia-Blasco, F Javier; Benhamou, Pierre Yves; Charpentier, Guillaume; Consoli, Agostino; Diamant, Michaela; Gallwitz, Baptist; Khunti, Kamlesh; Mathieu, Chantal; Ridderstråle, Martin; Seufert, Jochen; Tack, Cees; Vilsbøll, Tina; Phan, Tra-Mi; Stoevelaar, Herman

2015-03-01

Optimal glucose-lowering therapy in type 2 diabetes mellitus requires a patient-specific approach. Although a good framework, current guidelines are insufficiently detailed to address the different phenotypes and individual needs of patients seen in daily practice. We developed a patient-specific decision support tool based on a systematic analysis of expert opinion. Based on the American Diabetes Association (ADA)/European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) 2012 position statement, a panel of 12 European experts rated the appropriateness (RAND/UCLA Appropriateness Method) of treatment strategies for 930 clinical scenarios, which were permutations of clinical variables considered relevant to treatment choice. These included current treatment, hemoglobin A1c difference from individualized target, risk of hypoglycemia, body mass index, life expectancy, and comorbidities. Treatment options included addition of a second or third agent, drug switches, and replacement by monotherapies if the patient was metformin-intolerant. Treatment costs were not considered. Appropriateness (appropriate, inappropriate, uncertain) was based on the median score and expert agreement. The panel recommendations were embedded in an online decision support tool (DiaScope(®); Novo Nordisk Health Care AG, Zürich, Switzerland). Treatment appropriateness was associated with (combinations of) the patient variables mentioned above. As second-line agents, dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors were considered appropriate in all scenarios, followed by glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (50%), insulins (33%), and sulfonylureas (25%), but not pioglitazone (0%). Ratings of third-line combinations followed a similar pattern. Disagreement was highest for regimens including pioglitazone, sulfonylureas, or insulins and was partly due to differences in panelists' opinions and in drug availability and reimbursement across European countries (although costs were disregarded in the rating process). A novel decision support tool based on the ADA/EASD 2012 position statement and a systematic analysis of expert opinion has been developed to help healthcare professionals to individualize glucose-lowering therapy in daily clinical situations.

Use of risk assessment instruments to predict violence and antisocial behaviour in 73 samples involving 24 827 people: systematic review and meta-analysis

PubMed Central

Singh, Jay P; Doll, Helen; Grann, Martin

2012-01-01

Objective To investigate the predictive validity of tools commonly used to assess the risk of violence, sexual, and criminal behaviour. Design Systematic review and tabular meta-analysis of replication studies following PRISMA guidelines. Data sources PsycINFO, Embase, Medline, and United States Criminal Justice Reference Service Abstracts. Review methods We included replication studies from 1 January 1995 to 1 January 2011 if they provided contingency data for the offending outcome that the tools were designed to predict. We calculated the diagnostic odds ratio, sensitivity, specificity, area under the curve, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, the number needed to detain to prevent one offence, as well as a novel performance indicator—the number safely discharged. We investigated potential sources of heterogeneity using metaregression and subgroup analyses. Results Risk assessments were conducted on 73 samples comprising 24 847 participants from 13 countries, of whom 5879 (23.7%) offended over an average of 49.6 months. When used to predict violent offending, risk assessment tools produced low to moderate positive predictive values (median 41%, interquartile range 27-60%) and higher negative predictive values (91%, 81-95%), and a corresponding median number needed to detain of 2 (2-4) and number safely discharged of 10 (4-18). Instruments designed to predict violent offending performed better than those aimed at predicting sexual or general crime. Conclusions Although risk assessment tools are widely used in clinical and criminal justice settings, their predictive accuracy varies depending on how they are used. They seem to identify low risk individuals with high levels of accuracy, but their use as sole determinants of detention, sentencing, and release is not supported by the current evidence. Further research is needed to examine their contribution to treatment and management. PMID:22833604

Systematic review and meta-analysis of the role of mental training in the acquisition of technical skills in surgery.

PubMed

Rao, Ahsan; Tait, Ian; Alijani, Afshin

2015-09-01

Mental training is rehearsal of mental imagery without physically performing the task. The aim of the study was to perform systematic review and meta-analysis on all the available data to evaluate the role of mental training in the acquisition of surgical technical skills. The following search databases were used: EMBASE, MEDLINE, Web of Science, Clinicaltrials.gov.uk, SIGN guidelines, NICE guidelines, and Cochrane review register. Meta-analysis was performed using Revman 5.2 statistical software. There were a total of 9 randomized controlled trials with 474 participants, of which 189 participants received mental training. Five randomized controlled trials concluded positive impact of mental training. Mental training group did not show any significant improvement in overall performance of the task carried in each study (P = .06). Mental training can be used as an important supplementary tool in learning surgical skills when run in parallel with physical training and applied to trainees with some experience of the skill. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Protein complexes, big data, machine learning and integrative proteomics: lessons learned over a decade of systematic analysis of protein interaction networks.

PubMed

Havugimana, Pierre C; Hu, Pingzhao; Emili, Andrew

2017-10-01

Elucidation of the networks of physical (functional) interactions present in cells and tissues is fundamental for understanding the molecular organization of biological systems, the mechanistic basis of essential and disease-related processes, and for functional annotation of previously uncharacterized proteins (via guilt-by-association or -correlation). After a decade in the field, we felt it timely to document our own experiences in the systematic analysis of protein interaction networks. Areas covered: Researchers worldwide have contributed innovative experimental and computational approaches that have driven the rapidly evolving field of 'functional proteomics'. These include mass spectrometry-based methods to characterize macromolecular complexes on a global-scale and sophisticated data analysis tools - most notably machine learning - that allow for the generation of high-quality protein association maps. Expert commentary: Here, we recount some key lessons learned, with an emphasis on successful workflows, and challenges, arising from our own and other groups' ongoing efforts to generate, interpret and report proteome-scale interaction networks in increasingly diverse biological contexts.

A Systematic Approach for Quantitative Analysis of Multidisciplinary Design Optimization Framework

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Sangho; Park, Jungkeun; Lee, Jeong-Oog; Lee, Jae-Woo

An efficient Multidisciplinary Design and Optimization (MDO) framework for an aerospace engineering system should use and integrate distributed resources such as various analysis codes, optimization codes, Computer Aided Design (CAD) tools, Data Base Management Systems (DBMS), etc. in a heterogeneous environment, and need to provide user-friendly graphical user interfaces. In this paper, we propose a systematic approach for determining a reference MDO framework and for evaluating MDO frameworks. The proposed approach incorporates two well-known methods, Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and Quality Function Deployment (QFD), in order to provide a quantitative analysis of the qualitative criteria of MDO frameworks. Identification and hierarchy of the framework requirements and the corresponding solutions for the reference MDO frameworks, the general one and the aircraft oriented one were carefully investigated. The reference frameworks were also quantitatively identified using AHP and QFD. An assessment of three in-house frameworks was then performed. The results produced clear and useful guidelines for improvement of the in-house MDO frameworks and showed the feasibility of the proposed approach for evaluating an MDO framework without a human interference.

MIPS: a database for genomes and protein sequences.

PubMed Central

Mewes, H W; Heumann, K; Kaps, A; Mayer, K; Pfeiffer, F; Stocker, S; Frishman, D

1999-01-01

The Munich Information Center for Protein Sequences (MIPS-GSF), Martinsried near Munich, Germany, develops and maintains genome oriented databases. It is commonplace that the amount of sequence data available increases rapidly, but not the capacity of qualified manual annotation at the sequence databases. Therefore, our strategy aims to cope with the data stream by the comprehensive application of analysis tools to sequences of complete genomes, the systematic classification of protein sequences and the active support of sequence analysis and functional genomics projects. This report describes the systematic and up-to-date analysis of genomes (PEDANT), a comprehensive database of the yeast genome (MYGD), a database reflecting the progress in sequencing the Arabidopsis thaliana genome (MATD), the database of assembled, annotated human EST clusters (MEST), and the collection of protein sequence data within the framework of the PIR-International Protein Sequence Database (described elsewhere in this volume). MIPS provides access through its WWW server (http://www.mips.biochem.mpg.de) to a spectrum of generic databases, including the above mentioned as well as a database of protein families (PROTFAM), the MITOP database, and the all-against-all FASTA database. PMID:9847138

Mobile Health Technology Interventions for Suicide Prevention: Protocol for a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

PubMed

Melia, Ruth; Francis, Kady; Duggan, Jim; Bogue, John; O'Sullivan, Mary; Chambers, Derek; Young, Karen

2018-01-26

Previous research has reported that two of the major barriers to help-seeking for individuals at risk of suicide are stigma and geographical isolation. Mobile technology offers a potential means of delivering evidence-based interventions with greater specificity to the individual, and at the time that it is needed. Despite documented motivation by at-risk individuals to use mobile technology to track mental health and to support psychological interventions, there is a shortfall of outcomes data on the efficacy of mobile health (mHealth) technology on suicide-specific outcomes. The objective of this study is to develop a protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis that aims to evaluate the effectiveness of mobile technology-based interventions for suicide prevention. The search includes the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL: The Cochrane Library), MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO, CRESP and relevant sources of gray literature. Studies that have evaluated psychological or nonpsychological interventions delivered via mobile computing and communication technology, and have suicidality as an outcome measure will be included. Two authors will independently extract data and assess the study suitability in accordance with the Cochrane Collaboration Risk of Bias Tool. Studies will be included if they measure at least one suicide outcome variable (ie, suicidal ideation, suicidal intent, nonsuicidal self-injurious behavior, suicidal behavior). Secondary outcomes will be measures of symptoms of depression. Where studies are sufficiently homogenous and reported outcomes are amenable for pooled synthesis, meta-analysis will be performed. A narrative synthesis will be conducted if the data is unsuitable for a meta-analysis. The review is in progress, with findings expected by summer 2018. To date, evaluations of mobile technology-based interventions in suicide prevention have focused on evaluating content as opposed to efficacy. Indeed, previous research has identified mobile applications that appear to present harmful content. The current review will address a gap in the literature by evaluating the efficacy of stand-alone mobile technology tools in suicide prevention. It is imperative that research identifies the evidence base for such tools in suicide prevention in order to inform policy, guide clinical practice, inform users and focus future research. PROSPERO International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews CRD42017072899; https:// www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.asp?ID=CRD42017072899  (Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/ 6tZAj0yqJ). ©Ruth Melia, Kady Francis, Jim Duggan, John Bogue, Mary O'Sullivan, Derek Chambers, Karen Young. Originally published in JMIR Research Protocols (http://www.researchprotocols.org), 26.01.2018.

Dental Students' Use of AMSTAR to Critically Appraise Systematic Reviews.

PubMed

Teich, Sorin T; Heima, Masahiro; Lang, Lisa

2015-09-01

The idea of basing clinical procedures upon evidence gathered by observation is less than 200 years old, with the first set of evidence-based position papers dating back only to the early 1970s. The relationship between evidence-based education and health outcomes is difficult to test and may be indirect, but teaching critical appraisal skills may be beneficial in developing knowledge. Systematic reviews have a central role in the process of clinical decision making in practice and therefore should be of high quality, following a rigorous protocol that can be evaluated with validated tools. The aim of this study was to assess how dental students utilized the Assessment of Multiple Systematic Reviews (AMSTAR) appraisal tool to evaluate systematic reviews in the context of a treatment planning course. During the in-class final exam, students were required to appraise the quality of a systematic review and to justify their answers. Of the 74 third-year students who took the exam, 100% answered all questions on the AMSTAR form. The mean number of correct answers was nine (SD=1.047, Min=6, Max=10), with no student providing all 11 correct answers. The fact that nearly 90% of the students provided eight or more correct answers suggests that AMSTAR can be used by students to evaluate the methodological quality of systematic reviews. It also was evident that although the AMSTAR tool requires less than 15 minutes to complete an evaluation, using it requires extensive training and repetition to achieve consistent and reliable results.

Open reading frames associated with cancer in the dark matter of the human genome.

PubMed

Delgado, Ana Paula; Brandao, Pamela; Chapado, Maria Julia; Hamid, Sheilin; Narayanan, Ramaswamy

2014-01-01

The uncharacterized proteins (open reading frames, ORFs) in the human genome offer an opportunity to discover novel targets for cancer. A systematic analysis of the dark matter of the human proteome for druggability and biomarker discovery is crucial to mining the genome. Numerous data mining tools are available to mine these ORFs to develop a comprehensive knowledge base for future target discovery and validation. Using the Genetic Association Database, the ORFs of the human dark matter proteome were screened for evidence of association with neoplasms. The Phenome-Genome Integrator tool was used to establish phenotypic association with disease traits including cancer. Batch analysis of the tools for protein expression analysis, gene ontology and motifs and domains was used to characterize the ORFs. Sixty-two ORFs were identified for neoplasm association. The expression Quantitative Trait Loci (eQTL) analysis identified thirteen ORFs related to cancer traits. Protein expression, motifs and domain analysis and genome-wide association studies verified the relevance of these OncoORFs in diverse tumors. The OncoORFs are also associated with a wide variety of human diseases and disorders. Our results link the OncoORFs to diverse diseases and disorders. This suggests a complex landscape of the uncharacterized proteome in human diseases. These results open the dark matter of the proteome to novel cancer target research. Copyright© 2014, International Institute of Anticancer Research (Dr. John G. Delinasios), All rights reserved.

RSA in Spine: A Review.

PubMed

Humadi, Ali; Dawood, Sulaf; Halldin, Klas; Freeman, Brian

2017-12-01

Systematic review of literature. This systematic review was conducted to investigate the accuracy of radiostereometric analysis (RSA), its assessment of spinal motion and disorders, and to investigate the limitations of this technique in spine assessment. Systematic review in all current literature to invesigate the role of RSA in spine. The results of this review concluded that RSA is a very powerful tool to detect small changes between 2 rigid bodies such as a vertebral segment. The technique is described for animal and human studies for cervical and lumbar spine and can be used to analyze range of motion, inducible displacement, and fusion of segments. However, there are a few disadvantages with the technique; RSA percutaneous procedure needs to be performed to implant the markers (and cannot be used preoperatively), one needs a specific knowledge to handle data and interpret the results, and is relatively time consuming and expensive. RSA should be looked at as a very powerful research instrument and there are many questions suitable for RSA studies.

RSA in Spine: A Review

PubMed Central

Dawood, Sulaf; Halldin, Klas; Freeman, Brian

2017-01-01

Study Design: Systematic review of literature. Objectives: This systematic review was conducted to investigate the accuracy of radiostereometric analysis (RSA), its assessment of spinal motion and disorders, and to investigate the limitations of this technique in spine assessment. Methods: Systematic review in all current literature to invesigate the role of RSA in spine. Results: The results of this review concluded that RSA is a very powerful tool to detect small changes between 2 rigid bodies such as a vertebral segment. The technique is described for animal and human studies for cervical and lumbar spine and can be used to analyze range of motion, inducible displacement, and fusion of segments. However, there are a few disadvantages with the technique; RSA percutaneous procedure needs to be performed to implant the markers (and cannot be used preoperatively), one needs a specific knowledge to handle data and interpret the results, and is relatively time consuming and expensive. Conclusions: RSA should be looked at as a very powerful research instrument and there are many questions suitable for RSA studies. PMID:29238647

Clinical decision support provided within physician order entry systems: a systematic review of features effective for changing clinician behavior.

PubMed

Kawamoto, Kensaku; Lobach, David F

2003-01-01

Computerized physician order entry (CPOE) systems represent an important tool for providing clinical decision support. In undertaking this systematic review, our objective was to identify the features of CPOE-based clinical decision support systems (CDSSs) most effective at modifying clinician behavior. For this review, two independent reviewers systematically identified randomized controlled trials that evaluated the effectiveness of CPOE-based CDSSs in changing clinician behavior. Furthermore, each included study was assessed for the presence of 14 CDSS features. We screened 10,023 citations and included 11 studies. Of the 10 studies comparing a CPOE-based CDSS intervention against a non-CDSS control group, 7 reported a significant desired change in professional practice. Moreover, meta-regression analysis revealed that automatic provision of the decision support was strongly associated with improved professional practice (adjusted odds ratio, 23.72; 95% confidence interval, 1.75-infiniti). Thus, we conclude that automatic provision of decision support is a critical feature of successful CPOE-based CDSS interventions.

HIV RISK REDUCTION INTERVENTIONS AMONG SUBSTANCE-ABUSING REPRODUCTIVE-AGE WOMEN: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW

PubMed Central

Weissman, Jessica; Kanamori, Mariano; Dévieux, Jessy G.; Trepka, Mary Jo; De La Rosa, Mario

2017-01-01

HIV/AIDS is one of the leading causes of death among reproductive-age women throughout the world, and substance abuse plays a major role in HIV infection. We conducted a systematic review, in accordance with the 2015 Preferred Items for Reporting Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis tool, to assess HIV risk-reduction intervention studies among reproductive-age women who abuse substances. We initially identified 6,506 articles during our search and, after screening titles and abstracts, examining articles in greater detail, and finally excluding those rated methodologically weak, a total of 10 studies were included in this review. Studies that incorporated behavioral skills training into the intervention and were based on theoretical model(s) were the most effective in general at decreasing sex and drug risk behaviors. Additional HIV risk-reduction intervention research with improved methodological designs is warranted to determine the most efficacious HIV risk-reduction intervention for reproductive-age women who abuse substances. PMID:28467160

A Systematic Review of Reporting Tools Applicable to Sexual and Reproductive Health Programmes: Step 1 in Developing Programme Reporting Standards

PubMed Central

Ali, Moazzam; Chandra-Mouli, Venkatraman; Tran, Nhan; Gülmezoglu, A. Metin

2015-01-01

Background Complete and accurate reporting of programme preparation, implementation and evaluation processes in the field of sexual and reproductive health (SRH) is essential to understand the impact of SRH programmes, as well as to guide their replication and scale-up. Objectives To provide an overview of existing reporting tools and identify core items used in programme reporting with a focus on programme preparation, implementation and evaluation processes. Methods A systematic review was completed for the period 2000–2014. Reporting guidelines, checklists and tools, irrespective of study design, applicable for reporting on programmes targeting SRH outcomes, were included. Two independent reviewers screened the title and abstract of all records. Full texts were assessed in duplicate, followed by data extraction on the focus, content area, year of publication, validation and description of reporting items. Data was synthesized using an iterative thematic approach, where items related to programme preparation, implementation and evaluation in each tool were extracted and aggregated into a consolidated list. Results Out of the 3,656 records screened for title and abstracts, full texts were retrieved for 182 articles, out of which 108 were excluded. Seventy-four full text articles corresponding to 45 reporting tools were retained for synthesis. The majority of tools were developed for reporting on intervention research (n = 15), randomized controlled trials (n = 8) and systematic reviews (n = 7). We identified a total of 50 reporting items, across three main domains and corresponding sub-domains: programme preparation (objective/focus, design, piloting); programme implementation (content, timing/duration/location, providers/staff, participants, delivery, implementation outcomes), and programme evaluation (process evaluation, implementation barriers/facilitators, outcome/impact evaluation). Conclusions Over the past decade a wide range of tools have been developed to improve the reporting of health research. Development of Programme Reporting Standards (PRS) for SRH can fill a significant gap in existing reporting tools. This systematic review is the first step in the development of such standards. In the next steps, we will draft a preliminary version of the PRS based on the aggregate list of identified items, and finalize the tool using a consensus process among experts and user-testing. PMID:26418859

A Systematic Review of Reporting Tools Applicable to Sexual and Reproductive Health Programmes: Step 1 in Developing Programme Reporting Standards.

PubMed

Kågesten, Anna; Tunçalp, Ӧzge; Ali, Moazzam; Chandra-Mouli, Venkatraman; Tran, Nhan; Gülmezoglu, A Metin

2015-01-01

Complete and accurate reporting of programme preparation, implementation and evaluation processes in the field of sexual and reproductive health (SRH) is essential to understand the impact of SRH programmes, as well as to guide their replication and scale-up. To provide an overview of existing reporting tools and identify core items used in programme reporting with a focus on programme preparation, implementation and evaluation processes. A systematic review was completed for the period 2000-2014. Reporting guidelines, checklists and tools, irrespective of study design, applicable for reporting on programmes targeting SRH outcomes, were included. Two independent reviewers screened the title and abstract of all records. Full texts were assessed in duplicate, followed by data extraction on the focus, content area, year of publication, validation and description of reporting items. Data was synthesized using an iterative thematic approach, where items related to programme preparation, implementation and evaluation in each tool were extracted and aggregated into a consolidated list. Out of the 3,656 records screened for title and abstracts, full texts were retrieved for 182 articles, out of which 108 were excluded. Seventy-four full text articles corresponding to 45 reporting tools were retained for synthesis. The majority of tools were developed for reporting on intervention research (n = 15), randomized controlled trials (n = 8) and systematic reviews (n = 7). We identified a total of 50 reporting items, across three main domains and corresponding sub-domains: programme preparation (objective/focus, design, piloting); programme implementation (content, timing/duration/location, providers/staff, participants, delivery, implementation outcomes), and programme evaluation (process evaluation, implementation barriers/facilitators, outcome/impact evaluation). Over the past decade a wide range of tools have been developed to improve the reporting of health research. Development of Programme Reporting Standards (PRS) for SRH can fill a significant gap in existing reporting tools. This systematic review is the first step in the development of such standards. In the next steps, we will draft a preliminary version of the PRS based on the aggregate list of identified items, and finalize the tool using a consensus process among experts and user-testing.

The effectiveness of virtual reality interventions in improving balance in adults with impaired balance compared with standard or no treatment: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

PubMed

Booth, Vicky; Masud, Tahir; Connell, Louise; Bath-Hextall, Fiona

2014-05-01

To evaluate whether virtual reality interventions, including interactive gaming systems, are effective at improving balance in adults with impaired balance. Systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized control trials. Studies were identified from electronic databases (CENTRAL, MEDLINE, EMBASE, AMED, CINAHL, PyschINFO, PyschBITE, OTseeker, Ei Compendex, and Inspec) searched to November 2011, and repeated in November 2012. Two reviewers selected studies meeting inclusion criteria and quality of included studies assessed using a Joanna Briggs Institute appraisal tool. Data was pooled and a meta-analysis completed. The systematic review was reported following guidance of the PRISMA statement. A total of 251 articles were screened. Eight randomized control trials were included. These studies presented the results of 239 participants, with various aetiologies, and used a variety of virtual reality systems. The number of falls was documented in only one included study. Meta-analysis was completed on data from the Berg Balance Scale, walking speed, 30 second sit-to-stand test, and Timed Up and Go Test, and favoured standard therapy when compared with standard plus virtual reality interventions. There was a notable inconsistency in the outcome measures, experimental, and control interventions used within the included studies. The pooled results of the studies showed no significant difference. Therefore this review cannot support nor refute the use of virtual reality interventions, rather than conventional physiotherapy, to improve balance in adults with impaired balance.

Systematic evaluation of the impact of ChIP-seq read designs on genome coverage, peak identification, and allele-specific binding detection.

PubMed

Zhang, Qi; Zeng, Xin; Younkin, Sam; Kawli, Trupti; Snyder, Michael P; Keleş, Sündüz

2016-02-24

Chromatin immunoprecipitation followed by sequencing (ChIP-seq) experiments revolutionized genome-wide profiling of transcription factors and histone modifications. Although maturing sequencing technologies allow these experiments to be carried out with short (36-50 bps), long (75-100 bps), single-end, or paired-end reads, the impact of these read parameters on the downstream data analysis are not well understood. In this paper, we evaluate the effects of different read parameters on genome sequence alignment, coverage of different classes of genomic features, peak identification, and allele-specific binding detection. We generated 101 bps paired-end ChIP-seq data for many transcription factors from human GM12878 and MCF7 cell lines. Systematic evaluations using in silico variations of these data as well as fully simulated data, revealed complex interplay between the sequencing parameters and analysis tools, and indicated clear advantages of paired-end designs in several aspects such as alignment accuracy, peak resolution, and most notably, allele-specific binding detection. Our work elucidates the effect of design on the downstream analysis and provides insights to investigators in deciding sequencing parameters in ChIP-seq experiments. We present the first systematic evaluation of the impact of ChIP-seq designs on allele-specific binding detection and highlights the power of pair-end designs in such studies.

Increased risk for abnormal depression scores in women with polycystic ovary syndrome: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

PubMed

Dokras, Anuja; Clifton, Shari; Futterweit, Walter; Wild, Robert

2011-01-01

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and depression both have a high prevalence in reproductive-aged women. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of abnormal depression scores in women who meet currently recognized definitions of PCOS compared with women in a well-defined control group. The search was performed in MEDLINE, EMBASE Classic plus EMBASE, PsycINFO, Current Contents-Clinical Medicine and Current Contents-Life Sciences and Web of Science. Cochrane software Review Manager 5.0.24 was used to construct forest plots comparing risk of abnormal depression scores in those in the PCOS and control groups. Studies with well-defined criteria of women with PCOS and control groups of women without PCOS, with demographic information including age and body mass index (BMI), were included. Of 752 screened articles, 17 met the selection criteria for systematic review and 10 studies were included in the meta-analysis. Data were abstracted independently by three reviewers. All studies were cross-sectional and most used the Rotterdam criteria for the diagnosis of PCOS (n=10). The odds ratio (OR) for abnormal depression scores was 4.03 (95% confidence interval [CI] 2.96-5.5, P<.01) in women with PCOS (n=522) compared with those in the control groups (n=475). A subanalysis showed that the odds for abnormal depression scores was independent of BMI (OR 4.09, 95% CI 2.62-6.41). Several validated tools were used to screen for depression; the common tool used was the Beck Depression Inventory. The results of our study suggest the need to screen all women with PCOS for depression using validated screening tools. Women with PCOS are at an increased risk for abnormal depression scores independent of BMI.

The Systematic Tool to Reduce Inappropriate Prescribing (STRIP): Combining implicit and explicit prescribing tools to improve appropriate prescribing.

PubMed

Drenth-van Maanen, A Clara; Leendertse, Anne J; Jansen, Paul A F; Knol, Wilma; Keijsers, Carolina J P W; Meulendijk, Michiel C; van Marum, Rob J

2018-04-01

Inappropriate prescribing is a major health care issue, especially regarding older patients on polypharmacy. Multiple implicit and explicit prescribing tools have been developed to improve prescribing, but these have hardly ever been used in combination. The Systematic Tool to Reduce Inappropriate Prescribing (STRIP) combines implicit prescribing tools with the explicit Screening Tool to Alert physicians to the Right Treatment and Screening Tool of Older People's potentially inappropriate Prescriptions criteria and has shared decision-making with the patient as a critical step. This article describes the STRIP and its ability to identify potentially inappropriate prescribing. The STRIP improved general practitioners' and final-year medical students' medication review skills. The Web-application STRIP Assistant was developed to enable health care providers to use the STRIP in daily practice and will be incorporated in clinical decision support systems. It is currently being used in the European Optimizing thERapy to prevent Avoidable hospital admissions in the Multimorbid elderly (OPERAM) project, a multicentre randomized controlled trial involving patients aged 75 years and older using multiple medications for multiple medical conditions. In conclusion, the STRIP helps health care providers to systematically identify potentially inappropriate prescriptions and medication-related problems and to change the patient's medication regimen in accordance with the patient's needs and wishes. This article describes the STRIP and the available evidence so far. The OPERAM study is investigating the effect of STRIP use on clinical and economic outcomes. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Decision making about healthcare-related tests and diagnostic test strategies. Paper 3: a systematic review shows limitations in most tools designed to assess quality and develop recommendations.

PubMed

Mustafa, Reem A; Wiercioch, Wojtek; Falavigna, Maicon; Zhang, Yuan; Ivanova, Liudmila; Arevalo-Rodriguez, Ingrid; Cheung, Adrienne; Prediger, Barbara; Ventresca, Matthew; Brozek, Jan; Santesso, Nancy; Bossuyt, Patrick; Garg, Amit X; Lloyd, Nancy; Lelgemann, Monika; Bühler, Diedrich; Schünemann, Holger J

2017-12-01

The objective of this study was to identify and describe critical appraisal tools designed for assessing the quality of evidence (QoE) and/or strength of recommendations (SoRs) related to health care-related tests and diagnostic strategies (HCTDSs). We conducted a systematic review to identify tools applied in guidelines, methodological articles, and systematic reviews to assess HCTDS. We screened 5,534 titles and abstracts, 1,004 full-text articles, and abstracted data from 330 references. We identified 29 tools and 14 modifications of existing tools for assessing QoE and SoR. Twenty-three out of 29 tools acknowledge the importance of assessing the QoE and SoR separately, but in 8, the SoR is based solely on QoE. When making decisions about the use of tests, patient values and preferences and impact on resource utilization were considered in 6 and 8 tools, respectively. There is also confusion about the terminology that describes the various factors that influence the QoE and SoR. Although at least one approach includes all relevant criteria for assessing QoE and determining SoR, more detailed guidance about how to operationalize these assessments and make related judgments will be beneficial. There is a need for a better description of the framework for using evidence to make decisions and develop recommendations about HCTDS. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Diode Laser for Laryngeal Surgery: a Systematic Review.

PubMed

Arroyo, Helena Hotz; Neri, Larissa; Fussuma, Carina Yuri; Imamura, Rui

2016-04-01

Introduction The diode laser has been frequently used in the management of laryngeal disorders. The portability and functional diversity of this tool make it a reasonable alternative to conventional lasers. However, whether diode laser has been applied in transoral laser microsurgery, the ideal parameters, outcomes, and adverse effects remain unclear. Objective The main objective of this systematic review is to provide a reliable evaluation of the use of diode laser in laryngeal diseases, trying to clarify its ideal parameters in the larynx, as well as its outcomes and complications. Data Synthesis We included eleven studies in the final analysis. From the included articles, we collected data on patient and lesion characteristics, treatment (diode laser's parameters used in surgery), and outcomes related to the laser surgery performed. Only two studies were prospective and there were no randomized controlled trials. Most of the evidence suggests that the diode laser can be a useful tool for treatment of different pathologies in the larynx. In this sense, the parameters must be set depending on the goal (vaporization, section, or coagulation) and the clinical problem. The literature lacks studies on the ideal parameters of the diode laser in laryngeal surgery. The available data indicate that diode laser is a useful tool that should be considered in laryngeal surgeries. Thus, large, well-designed studies correlated with diode compared with other lasers are needed to better estimate its effects.

Diode Laser for Laryngeal Surgery: a Systematic Review

PubMed Central

Arroyo, Helena Hotz; Neri, Larissa; Fussuma, Carina Yuri; Imamura, Rui

2016-01-01

Introduction The diode laser has been frequently used in the management of laryngeal disorders. The portability and functional diversity of this tool make it a reasonable alternative to conventional lasers. However, whether diode laser has been applied in transoral laser microsurgery, the ideal parameters, outcomes, and adverse effects remain unclear. Objective The main objective of this systematic review is to provide a reliable evaluation of the use of diode laser in laryngeal diseases, trying to clarify its ideal parameters in the larynx, as well as its outcomes and complications. Data Synthesis We included eleven studies in the final analysis. From the included articles, we collected data on patient and lesion characteristics, treatment (diode laser's parameters used in surgery), and outcomes related to the laser surgery performed. Only two studies were prospective and there were no randomized controlled trials. Most of the evidence suggests that the diode laser can be a useful tool for treatment of different pathologies in the larynx. In this sense, the parameters must be set depending on the goal (vaporization, section, or coagulation) and the clinical problem. Conclusion: The literature lacks studies on the ideal parameters of the diode laser in laryngeal surgery. The available data indicate that diode laser is a useful tool that should be considered in laryngeal surgeries. Thus, large, well-designed studies correlated with diode compared with other lasers are needed to better estimate its effects. PMID:27096024

Overview of Systematic Reviews: Yoga as a Therapeutic Intervention for Adults with Acute and Chronic Health Conditions

PubMed Central

McCall, Marcy C.; Ward, Alison; Roberts, Nia W.; Heneghan, Carl

2013-01-01

Objectives. Overview the quality, direction, and characteristics of yoga interventions for treatment of acute and chronic health conditions in adult populations. Methods. We searched for systematic reviews in 10 online databases, bibliographic references, and hand-searches in yoga-related journals. Included reviews satisfy Oxman criteria and specify yoga as a primary intervention in one or more randomized controlled trials for treatment in adults. The AMSTAR tool and GRADE approach evaluated the methodological quality of reviews and quality of evidence. Results. We identified 2202 titles, of which 41 full-text articles were assessed for eligibility and 26 systematic reviews satisfied inclusion criteria. Thirteen systematic reviews include quantitative data and six papers include meta-analysis. The quality of evidence is generally low. Sixteen different types of health conditions are included. Eleven reviews show tendency towards positive effects of yoga intervention, 15 reviews report unclear results, and no, reviews report adverse effects of yoga. Yoga appears most effective for reducing symptoms in anxiety, depression, and pain. Conclusion. Although the quality of systematic reviews is high, the quality of supporting evidence is low. Significant heterogeneity and variability in reporting interventions by type of yoga, settings, and population characteristics limit the generalizability of results. PMID:23762174

Visualization and Analytics Tools for Infectious Disease Epidemiology: A Systematic Review

PubMed Central

Carroll, Lauren N.; Au, Alan P.; Detwiler, Landon Todd; Fu, Tsung-chieh; Painter, Ian S.; Abernethy, Neil F.

2014-01-01

Background A myriad of new tools and algorithms have been developed to help public health professionals analyze and visualize the complex data used in infectious disease control. To better understand approaches to meet these users' information needs, we conducted a systematic literature review focused on the landscape of infectious disease visualization tools for public health professionals, with a special emphasis on geographic information systems (GIS), molecular epidemiology, and social network analysis. The objectives of this review are to: (1) Identify public health user needs and preferences for infectious disease information visualization tools; (2) Identify existing infectious disease information visualization tools and characterize their architecture and features; (3) Identify commonalities among approaches applied to different data types; and (4) Describe tool usability evaluation efforts and barriers to the adoption of such tools. Methods We identified articles published in English from January 1, 1980 to June 30, 2013 from five bibliographic databases. Articles with a primary focus on infectious disease visualization tools, needs of public health users, or usability of information visualizations were included in the review. Results A total of 88 articles met our inclusion criteria. Users were found to have diverse needs, preferences and uses for infectious disease visualization tools, and the existing tools are correspondingly diverse. The architecture of the tools was inconsistently described, and few tools in the review discussed the incorporation of usability studies or plans for dissemination. Many studies identified concerns regarding data sharing, confidentiality and quality. Existing tools offer a range of features and functions that allow users to explore, analyze, and visualize their data, but the tools are often for siloed applications. Commonly cited barriers to widespread adoption included lack of organizational support, access issues, and misconceptions about tool use. Discussion and Conclusion As the volume and complexity of infectious disease data increases, public health professionals must synthesize highly disparate data to facilitate communication with the public and inform decisions regarding measures to protect the public's health. Our review identified several themes: consideration of users' needs, preferences, and computer literacy; integration of tools into routine workflow; complications associated with understanding and use of visualizations; and the role of user trust and organizational support in the adoption of these tools. Interoperability also emerged as a prominent theme, highlighting challenges associated with the increasingly collaborative and interdisciplinary nature of infectious disease control and prevention. Future work should address methods for representing uncertainty and missing data to avoid misleading users as well as strategies to minimize cognitive overload. PMID:24747356

Visualization and analytics tools for infectious disease epidemiology: a systematic review.

PubMed

Carroll, Lauren N; Au, Alan P; Detwiler, Landon Todd; Fu, Tsung-Chieh; Painter, Ian S; Abernethy, Neil F

2014-10-01

A myriad of new tools and algorithms have been developed to help public health professionals analyze and visualize the complex data used in infectious disease control. To better understand approaches to meet these users' information needs, we conducted a systematic literature review focused on the landscape of infectious disease visualization tools for public health professionals, with a special emphasis on geographic information systems (GIS), molecular epidemiology, and social network analysis. The objectives of this review are to: (1) identify public health user needs and preferences for infectious disease information visualization tools; (2) identify existing infectious disease information visualization tools and characterize their architecture and features; (3) identify commonalities among approaches applied to different data types; and (4) describe tool usability evaluation efforts and barriers to the adoption of such tools. We identified articles published in English from January 1, 1980 to June 30, 2013 from five bibliographic databases. Articles with a primary focus on infectious disease visualization tools, needs of public health users, or usability of information visualizations were included in the review. A total of 88 articles met our inclusion criteria. Users were found to have diverse needs, preferences and uses for infectious disease visualization tools, and the existing tools are correspondingly diverse. The architecture of the tools was inconsistently described, and few tools in the review discussed the incorporation of usability studies or plans for dissemination. Many studies identified concerns regarding data sharing, confidentiality and quality. Existing tools offer a range of features and functions that allow users to explore, analyze, and visualize their data, but the tools are often for siloed applications. Commonly cited barriers to widespread adoption included lack of organizational support, access issues, and misconceptions about tool use. As the volume and complexity of infectious disease data increases, public health professionals must synthesize highly disparate data to facilitate communication with the public and inform decisions regarding measures to protect the public's health. Our review identified several themes: consideration of users' needs, preferences, and computer literacy; integration of tools into routine workflow; complications associated with understanding and use of visualizations; and the role of user trust and organizational support in the adoption of these tools. Interoperability also emerged as a prominent theme, highlighting challenges associated with the increasingly collaborative and interdisciplinary nature of infectious disease control and prevention. Future work should address methods for representing uncertainty and missing data to avoid misleading users as well as strategies to minimize cognitive overload. Copyright © 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Neuromorphic log-domain silicon synapse circuits obey bernoulli dynamics: a unifying tutorial analysis

PubMed Central

Papadimitriou, Konstantinos I.; Liu, Shih-Chii; Indiveri, Giacomo; Drakakis, Emmanuel M.

2014-01-01

The field of neuromorphic silicon synapse circuits is revisited and a parsimonious mathematical framework able to describe the dynamics of this class of log-domain circuits in the aggregate and in a systematic manner is proposed. Starting from the Bernoulli Cell Formalism (BCF), originally formulated for the modular synthesis and analysis of externally linear, time-invariant logarithmic filters, and by means of the identification of new types of Bernoulli Cell (BC) operators presented here, a generalized formalism (GBCF) is established. The expanded formalism covers two new possible and practical combinations of a MOS transistor (MOST) and a linear capacitor. The corresponding mathematical relations codifying each case are presented and discussed through the tutorial treatment of three well-known transistor-level examples of log-domain neuromorphic silicon synapses. The proposed mathematical tool unifies past analysis approaches of the same circuits under a common theoretical framework. The speed advantage of the proposed mathematical framework as an analysis tool is also demonstrated by a compelling comparative circuit analysis example of high order, where the GBCF and another well-known log-domain circuit analysis method are used for the determination of the input-output transfer function of the high (4th) order topology. PMID:25653579

Neuromorphic log-domain silicon synapse circuits obey bernoulli dynamics: a unifying tutorial analysis.

PubMed

Papadimitriou, Konstantinos I; Liu, Shih-Chii; Indiveri, Giacomo; Drakakis, Emmanuel M

2014-01-01

The field of neuromorphic silicon synapse circuits is revisited and a parsimonious mathematical framework able to describe the dynamics of this class of log-domain circuits in the aggregate and in a systematic manner is proposed. Starting from the Bernoulli Cell Formalism (BCF), originally formulated for the modular synthesis and analysis of externally linear, time-invariant logarithmic filters, and by means of the identification of new types of Bernoulli Cell (BC) operators presented here, a generalized formalism (GBCF) is established. The expanded formalism covers two new possible and practical combinations of a MOS transistor (MOST) and a linear capacitor. The corresponding mathematical relations codifying each case are presented and discussed through the tutorial treatment of three well-known transistor-level examples of log-domain neuromorphic silicon synapses. The proposed mathematical tool unifies past analysis approaches of the same circuits under a common theoretical framework. The speed advantage of the proposed mathematical framework as an analysis tool is also demonstrated by a compelling comparative circuit analysis example of high order, where the GBCF and another well-known log-domain circuit analysis method are used for the determination of the input-output transfer function of the high (4(th)) order topology.

Nutritional screening in hospitalized pediatric patients: a systematic review.

PubMed

Teixeira, Adriana Fonseca; Viana, Kátia Danielle Araújo Lourenço

2016-01-01

This systematic review aimed to verify the available scientific evidence on the clinical performance and diagnostic accuracy of nutritional screening tools in hospitalized pediatric patients. A search was performed in the Medline (National Library of Medicine United States), LILACS (Latin American and Caribbean Health Sciences), PubMed (US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health), in the SCIELO (Scientific Electronic Library Online), through CAPES portal (Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior), bases Scopus e Web of Science. The descriptors used in accordance with the Descriptors in Health Sciences (DeCS)/Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) list were "malnutrition", "screening", and "pediatrics", as well as the equivalent words in Portuguese. The authors identified 270 articles published between 2004 and 2014. After applying the selection criteria, 35 were analyzed in full and eight articles were included in the systematic review. We evaluated the methodological quality of the studies using the Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies (QUADAS). Five nutritional screening tools in pediatrics were identified. Among these, the Screening Tool for the Assessment of Malnutrition in Pediatrics (STAMP) showed high sensitivity, almost perfect inter-rater agreement and between the screening and the reference standard; the Screening Tool Risk on Nutritional Status and Growth (STRONGkids) showed high sensitivity, lower percentage of specificity, substantial intra-rater agreement, and ease of use in clinical practice. The studies included in this systematic review showed good performance of the nutritional screening tools in pediatrics, especially STRONGkids and STAMP. The authors emphasize the need to perform for more studies in this area. Only one tool was translated and adapted to the Brazilian pediatric population, and it is essential to carry out studies of tool adaptation and validation for this population. Copyright © 2016 Sociedade Brasileira de Pediatria. Published by Elsevier Editora Ltda. All rights reserved.

Compositional characteristics of some Apollo 14 clastic materials.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lindstrom, M. M.; Duncan, A. R.; Fruchter, J. S.; Mckay, S. M.; Stoeser, J. W.; Goles, G. G.; Lindstrom, D. J.

1972-01-01

Eighty-two subsamples of Apollo 14 materials have been analyzed by instrumental neutron activation analysis techniques for as many as 25 elements. In many cases, it was necessary to develop new procedures to allow analyses of small specimens. Compositional relationships among Apollo 14 materials indicate that there are small but systematic differences between regolith from the valley terrain and that from Cone Crater ejecta. Fragments from 1-2 mm size fractions of regolith samples may be divided into compositional classes, and the 'soil breccias' among them are very similar to valley soils. Multicomponent linear mixing models have been used as interpretive tools in dealing with data on regolith fractions and subsamples from breccia 14321. These mixing models show systematic compositional variations with inferred age for Apollo 14 clastic materials.

The Use of Wearable Inertial Motion Sensors in Human Lower Limb Biomechanics Studies: A Systematic Review

PubMed Central

Fong, Daniel Tik-Pui; Chan, Yue-Yan

2010-01-01

Wearable motion sensors consisting of accelerometers, gyroscopes and magnetic sensors are readily available nowadays. The small size and low production costs of motion sensors make them a very good tool for human motions analysis. However, data processing and accuracy of the collected data are important issues for research purposes. In this paper, we aim to review the literature related to usage of inertial sensors in human lower limb biomechanics studies. A systematic search was done in the following search engines: ISI Web of Knowledge, Medline, SportDiscus and IEEE Xplore. Thirty nine full papers and conference abstracts with related topics were included in this review. The type of sensor involved, data collection methods, study design, validation methods and its applications were reviewed. PMID:22163542

The use of wearable inertial motion sensors in human lower limb biomechanics studies: a systematic review.

PubMed

Fong, Daniel Tik-Pui; Chan, Yue-Yan

2010-01-01

Wearable motion sensors consisting of accelerometers, gyroscopes and magnetic sensors are readily available nowadays. The small size and low production costs of motion sensors make them a very good tool for human motions analysis. However, data processing and accuracy of the collected data are important issues for research purposes. In this paper, we aim to review the literature related to usage of inertial sensors in human lower limb biomechanics studies. A systematic search was done in the following search engines: ISI Web of Knowledge, Medline, SportDiscus and IEEE Xplore. Thirty nine full papers and conference abstracts with related topics were included in this review. The type of sensor involved, data collection methods, study design, validation methods and its applications were reviewed.

[Considerations on the use of meta-analyses in the orientation of knowledge and decisions in Occupational Medicine].

PubMed

Catalani, Simona; Berra, Alessandro; Tomasi, Cesare; Romano, Canzio; Pira, Enrico; Garzaro, Giacomo; Apostoli, Pietro

2015-01-01

In recent years, due to the need to elaborate the amount of information available from the scientific literature, the meta-analyses and systematic reviews have become very numerous. The meta-analyses are carried out to evaluate the association between two events when single researches haven't provided comprehensive data. On the other hand, a good meta-analysis must satisfy certain criteria, from the selection of the studies until the evaluation of the outcomes; to this purpose, the application of methods for quality assessment is a crucial point to obtain data of adequate reliability. The aim of this review is to give some introductory tools for a critical approach to meta-analyses and systematic reviews, which have become useful instruments also in occupational medicine.

Static Stretching of the Hamstring Muscle for Injury Prevention in Football Codes: a Systematic Review

PubMed Central

Rogan, Slavko; Wüst, Dirk; Schwitter, Thomas; Schmidtbleicher, Dietmar

2012-01-01

Purpose Hamstring injuries are common among football players. There is still disagreement regarding prevention. The aim of this review is to determine whether static stretching reduces hamstring injuries in football codes. Methods A systematic literature search was conducted on the online databases PubMed, PEDro, Cochrane, Web of Science, Bisp and Clinical Trial register. Study results were presented descriptively and the quality of the studies assessed were based on Cochrane's ‘risk of bias’ tool. Results The review identified 35 studies, including four analysis studies. These studies show deficiencies in the quality of study designs. Conclusion The study protocols are varied in terms of the length of intervention and follow-up. No RCT studies are available, however, RCT studies should be conducted in the near future. PMID:23785569

Effectiveness of knowledge translation tools addressing multiple high-burden chronic diseases affecting older adults: protocol for a systematic review alongside a realist review.

PubMed

Kastner, Monika; Perrier, Laure; Hamid, Jemila; Tricco, Andrea C; Cardoso, Roberta; Ivers, Noah M; Liu, Barbara; Marr, Sharon; Holroyd-Leduc, Jayna; Wong, Geoff; Graves, Lisa; Straus, Sharon E

2015-02-03

The burden of chronic disease is a global phenomenon, particularly among people aged 65 years and older. More than half of older adults have more than one chronic disease and their care is not optimal. Chronic disease management (CDM) tools have the potential to meet this challenge but they are primarily focused on a single disease, which fails to address the growing number of seniors with multiple chronic conditions. We will conduct a systematic review alongside a realist review to identify effective CDM tools that integrate one or more high-burden chronic diseases affecting older adults and to better understand for whom, under what circumstances, how and why they produce their outcomes. We will search MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, AgeLine and the Cochrane Library for experimental, quasi-experimental, observational and qualitative studies in any language investigating CDM tools that facilitate optimal disease management in one or more high-burden chronic diseases affecting adults aged ≥65 years. Study selection will involve calibration of reviewers to ensure reliability of screening and duplicate assessment of articles. Data abstraction and risk of bias assessment will also be performed independently. Analysis will include descriptive summaries of study and appraisal characteristics, effectiveness of each CDM tool (meta-analysis if appropriate); and a realist programme theory will be developed and refined to explain the outcome patterns within the included studies. Ethics approval is not required for this study. We anticipate that our findings, pertaining to gaps in care across high-burden chronic diseases affecting seniors and highlighting specific areas that may require more research, will be of interest to a wide range of knowledge users and stakeholders. We will publish and present our findings widely, and also plan more active dissemination strategies such as workshops with our key stakeholders. Our protocol is registered with PROSPERO (registration number CRD42014014489). 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.

From Physical Process to Economic Cost - Integrated Approaches of Landslide Risk Assessment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Klose, M.; Damm, B.

2014-12-01

The nature of landslides is complex in many respects, with landslide hazard and impact being dependent on a variety of factors. This obviously requires an integrated assessment for fundamental understanding of landslide risk. Integrated risk assessment, according to the approach presented in this contribution, implies combining prediction of future landslide occurrence with analysis of landslide impact in the past. A critical step for assessing landslide risk in integrated perspective is to analyze what types of landslide damage affected people and property in which way and how people contributed and responded to these damage types. In integrated risk assessment, the focus is on systematic identification and monetization of landslide damage, and analytical tools that allow deriving economic costs from physical landslide processes are at the heart of this approach. The broad spectrum of landslide types and process mechanisms as well as nonlinearity between landslide magnitude, damage intensity, and direct costs are some main factors explaining recent challenges in risk assessment. The two prevailing approaches for assessing the impact of landslides in economic terms are cost survey (ex-post) and risk analysis (ex-ante). Both approaches are able to complement each other, but yet a combination of them has not been realized so far. It is common practice today to derive landslide risk without considering landslide process-based cause-effect relationships, since integrated concepts or new modeling tools expanding conventional methods are still widely missing. The approach introduced in this contribution is based on a systematic framework that combines cost survey and GIS-based tools for hazard or cost modeling with methods to assess interactions between land use practices and landslides in historical perspective. Fundamental understanding of landslide risk also requires knowledge about the economic and fiscal relevance of landslide losses, wherefore analysis of their impact on public budgets is a further component of this approach. In integrated risk assessment, combination of methods plays an important role, with the objective of collecting and integrating complex data sets on landslide risk.

Assessment of the effects of decision aids about breast cancer screening: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

PubMed

Martínez-Alonso, Montserrat; Carles-Lavila, Misericòrdia; Pérez-Lacasta, Maria José; Pons-Rodríguez, Anna; Garcia, Montse; Rué, Montserrat

2017-10-06

The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and observational studies is to assess the effect of decision aids (DAs) in women aged 50 and below facing the decision to be screened for breast cancer. Screening for breast cancer. DAs aimed to help women make a deliberative choice regarding participation in mammography screening by providing information on the options and outcomes. We included published original, non-pilot, studies that assess the effect of DAs for breast cancer screening. We excluded the studies that evaluated only participation intention or actual uptake. The studies' risk of bias was assessed with the Cochrane Collaboration's tool for RCTs and the National Institutes of Health Quality Assessment Tool for non-RCTs. The main outcome measures were informed choice, decisional conflict and/or confidence, and knowledge. Secondary outcomes were values, attitudes, uncertainty and intention to be screened. A total of 607 studies were identified, but only 3 RCTs and 1 before-after study were selected. The use of DAs increased the proportion of women making an informed decision by 14%, 95% CI (2% to 27%) and the proportion of women with adequate knowledge by 12%, 95% CI (7% to 16%). We observed heterogeneity among the studies in confidence in the decision. The meta-analysis of the RCTs showed a significant decrease in confidence in the decision and in intention to be screened. Tools to aid decision making in screening for breast cancer improve knowledge and promote informed decision; however, we found divergent results on decisional conflict and confidence in the decision. Under the current paradigm change, which favours informed choice rather than maximising uptake, more research is necessary for the improvement of DAs. © 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.

A comparative analysis of high-throughput platforms for validation of a circulating microRNA signature in diabetic retinopathy.

PubMed

Farr, Ryan J; Januszewski, Andrzej S; Joglekar, Mugdha V; Liang, Helena; McAulley, Annie K; Hewitt, Alex W; Thomas, Helen E; Loudovaris, Tom; Kay, Thomas W H; Jenkins, Alicia; Hardikar, Anandwardhan A

2015-06-02

MicroRNAs are now increasingly recognized as biomarkers of disease progression. Several quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) platforms have been developed to determine the relative levels of microRNAs in biological fluids. We systematically compared the detection of cellular and circulating microRNA using a standard 96-well platform, a high-content microfluidics platform and two ultra-high content platforms. We used extensive analytical tools to compute inter- and intra-run variability and concordance measured using fidelity scoring, coefficient of variation and cluster analysis. We carried out unprejudiced next generation sequencing to identify a microRNA signature for Diabetic Retinopathy (DR) and systematically assessed the validation of this signature on clinical samples using each of the above four qPCR platforms. The results indicate that sensitivity to measure low copy number microRNAs is inversely related to qPCR reaction volume and that the choice of platform for microRNA biomarker validation should be made based on the abundance of miRNAs of interest.

Towards a collaborative, global infrastructure for biodiversity assessment

PubMed Central

Guralnick, Robert P; Hill, Andrew W; Lane, Meredith

2007-01-01

Biodiversity data are rapidly becoming available over the Internet in common formats that promote sharing and exchange. Currently, these data are somewhat problematic, primarily with regard to geographic and taxonomic accuracy, for use in ecological research, natural resources management and conservation decision-making. However, web-based georeferencing tools that utilize best practices and gazetteer databases can be employed to improve geographic data. Taxonomic data quality can be improved through web-enabled valid taxon names databases and services, as well as more efficient mechanisms to return systematic research results and taxonomic misidentification rates back to the biodiversity community. Both of these are under construction. A separate but related challenge will be developing web-based visualization and analysis tools for tracking biodiversity change. Our aim was to discuss how such tools, combined with data of enhanced quality, will help transform today's portals to raw biodiversity data into nexuses of collaborative creation and sharing of biodiversity knowledge. PMID:17594421

Anaconda: AN automated pipeline for somatic COpy Number variation Detection and Annotation from tumor exome sequencing data.

PubMed

Gao, Jianing; Wan, Changlin; Zhang, Huan; Li, Ao; Zang, Qiguang; Ban, Rongjun; Ali, Asim; Yu, Zhenghua; Shi, Qinghua; Jiang, Xiaohua; Zhang, Yuanwei

2017-10-03

Copy number variations (CNVs) are the main genetic structural variations in cancer genome. Detecting CNVs in genetic exome region is efficient and cost-effective in identifying cancer associated genes. Many tools had been developed accordingly and yet these tools lack of reliability because of high false negative rate, which is intrinsically caused by genome exonic bias. To provide an alternative option, here, we report Anaconda, a comprehensive pipeline that allows flexible integration of multiple CNV-calling methods and systematic annotation of CNVs in analyzing WES data. Just by one command, Anaconda can generate CNV detection result by up to four CNV detecting tools. Associated with comprehensive annotation analysis of genes involved in shared CNV regions, Anaconda is able to deliver a more reliable and useful report in assistance with CNV-associate cancer researches. Anaconda package and manual can be freely accessed at http://mcg.ustc.edu.cn/bsc/ANACONDA/ .

Cause-and-effect mapping of critical events.

PubMed

Graves, Krisanne; Simmons, Debora; Galley, Mark D

2010-06-01

Health care errors are routinely reported in the scientific and public press and have become a major concern for most Americans. In learning to identify and analyze errors health care can develop some of the skills of a learning organization, including the concept of systems thinking. Modern experts in improving quality have been working in other high-risk industries since the 1920s making structured organizational changes through various frameworks for quality methods including continuous quality improvement and total quality management. When using these tools, it is important to understand systems thinking and the concept of processes within organization. Within these frameworks of improvement, several tools can be used in the analysis of errors. This article introduces a robust tool with a broad analytical view consistent with systems thinking, called CauseMapping (ThinkReliability, Houston, TX, USA), which can be used to systematically analyze the process and the problem at the same time. Copyright 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Cognitive Motor Interference in Multiple Sclerosis: Insights From a Systematic Quantitative Review.

PubMed

Learmonth, Yvonne C; Ensari, Ipek; Motl, Robert W

2017-06-01

To synthesize the evidence for differences in cognitive motor interference (CMI) between persons with multiple sclerosis (MS) and those without MS by using systematic review and meta-analysis. EMBASE, PubMed, ScienceDirect, Scopus, SPORTDiscus, and Web of Science. Our focused literature search was informed by past systematic reviews of CMI during walking in MS. The key terms searched included Multiple sclerosis and synonyms of motor function (eg, Gait disorders, Gait, Walking, Balance, or Fall) and motor and cognitive functions (eg, Cognitive motor interference or Thinking). From the 116 abstract-identified articles, 13 experimental studies were selected for the final analysis and were rated using the Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies tool. A meta-analysis was performed for all considered outcomes. The results yielded a small overall effect size (ES) of .08 (SE=.17; 95% confidence interval, -.25 to .40; z=.49; P>.05), which indicated a nonsignificant minimal difference in CMI between persons with MS and those without MS. The moderator analysis for motor task (mobility task: ES, .22; postural task: ES, -.11) was not significantly different between persons with MS and those without MS. The moderator analysis for cognitive task (verbal fluency task: ES, .66; mental tracking task: ES, .04; discrimination and decision-making task: ES, -.30) resulted in a significant difference in CMI between persons with MS and those without MS (P<.05). We provide evidence that overall there is a minimal difference in CMI between persons with MS and those without MS. Copyright © 2016 American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Diagnostic performance of Fluorine-18-Fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography for the diagnosis of osteomyelitis related to diabetic foot: a systematic review and a meta-analysis.

PubMed

Treglia, Giorgio; Sadeghi, Ramin; Annunziata, Salvatore; Zakavi, Seyed Rasoul; Caldarella, Carmelo; Muoio, Barbara; Bertagna, Francesco; Ceriani, Luca; Giovanella, Luca

2013-12-01

To systematically review and meta-analyse published data about the diagnostic performance of Fluorine-18-Fluorodeoxyglucose ((18)F-FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) and PET/computed tomography (PET/CT) in osteomyelitis related to diabetic foot. A comprehensive literature search of studies on (18)F-FDG-PET and PET/CT in patients with diabetic foot was performed. Pooled sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative likelihood ratio (LR+ and LR-) and diagnostic odds ratio (DOR) and area under the summary ROC curve of (18)F-FDG-PET and PET/CT in patients with osteomyelitis related to diabetic foot were calculated. Nine studies comprising 299 patients with diabetic foot were included in the qualitative analysis (systematic review) and discussed. The quantitative analysis (meta-analysis) of four selected studies provided the following results on a per patient-based analysis: sensitivity was 74% [95% confidence interval (95%CI): 60-85%], specificity 91% (95%CI: 85-96%), LR+ 5.56 (95%CI: 2.02-15.27), LR- 0.37 (95%CI: 0.10-1.35), and DOR 16.96 (95%CI: 2.06-139.66). The area under the summary ROC curve was 0.874. In patients with suspected osteomyelitis related to diabetic foot (18)F-FDG-PET and PET/CT demonstrated a high specificity, being potentially useful tools if combined with other imaging methods such as MRI. Nevertheless, the literature focusing on the use of (18)F-FDG-PET and PET/CT in this setting remains still limited. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The effectiveness of self-management support interventions for men with long-term conditions: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

PubMed

Galdas, Paul; Fell, Jennifer; Bower, Peter; Kidd, Lisa; Blickem, Christian; McPherson, Kerri; Hunt, Kate; Gilbody, Simon; Richardson, Gerry

2015-03-20

To assess the effectiveness of self-management support interventions in men with long-term conditions. A quantitative systematic review with meta-analysis. The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews was searched to identify published reviews of self-management support interventions. Relevant reviews were screened to identify randomised controlled trials (RCTs) of self-management support interventions conducted in men alone, or which analysed the effects of interventions by sex. Data on relevant outcomes, patient populations, intervention type and study quality were extracted. Quality appraisal was conducted using the Cochrane Risk of Bias Tool. Meta-analysis was conducted to compare the effects of interventions in men, women, and mixed-sex sub-groups. 40 RCTs of self-management support interventions in men, and 20 eligible RCTs where an analysis by sex was reported, were included in the review. Meta-analysis suggested that physical activity, education, and peer support-based interventions have a positive impact on quality of life in men. However, there is currently insufficient evidence to make strong statements about whether self-management support interventions show larger, similar or smaller effects in men compared with women and mixed-sex groups. Clinicians may wish to consider whether certain types of self-management support (eg, physical activity, education, peer support) are particularly effective in men, although more research is needed to fully determine and explore this. 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.

Diagnostic accuracy of contrast-enhanced ultrasound in assessing the therapeutic response to radio frequency ablation for liver tumors: systematic review and meta-analysis.

PubMed

Xuan, Min; Zhou, Fengsheng; Ding, Yan; Zhu, Qiaoying; Dong, Ji; Zhou, Hao; Cheng, Jun; Jiang, Xiao; Wu, Pengxi

2018-04-01

To review the diagnostic accuracy of contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) used to detect residual or recurrent liver tumors after radiofrequency ablation (RFA). This technique uses contrast-enhanced computer tomography or/and contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging as the gold standard of investigation. MEDLINE, EMBASE, and COCHRANE were systematically searched for all potentially eligible studies comparing CEUS with the reference standard that follows RFA. Risk of bias and applicability concerns were addressed by adopting the Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies (QUADAS-2) tool. Pooled point estimates for sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative likelihood ratios, and diagnostic odds ratios (DOR) with 95% CI were computed before plotting the sROC (summary receiver operating characteristic) curve. Meta-regression and subgroup analysis were used to identify the source of the heterogeneity that was detected. Publication bias was evaluated using Deeks' funnel plot asymmetry test. Ten eligible studies on 1162 lesions that occurred between 2001 and 2016 were included in the final analysis. The quality of the included studies assessed by the QUADAS-2 tool was considered reasonable. The pooled sensitivity and specificity of CEUS in detecting residual or recurrent liver tumors had the following values: 0.90 (95% CI 0.85-0.94) and 1.00 (95% CI 0.99-1.00), respectively. Overall DOR was 420.10 (95% CI 142.30-1240.20). The sources of heterogeneity could not be precisely identified by meta-regression or subgroup analysis. No evidence of publication bias was found. This study confirmed that CEUS exhibits high sensitivity and specificity in assessing therapeutic responses to RFA for liver tumors.

Diaphragm and Lung Ultrasound to Predict Weaning Outcome: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

PubMed

Llamas-Álvarez, Ana M; Tenza-Lozano, Eva M; Latour-Pérez, Jaime

2017-12-01

Deciding the optimal timing for extubation in patients who are mechanically ventilated can be challenging, and traditional weaning predictor tools are not very accurate. The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to assess the accuracy of lung and diaphragm ultrasound for predicting weaning outcomes in critically ill adults. MEDLINE, the Cochrane Library, Web of Science, Scopus, LILACS, Teseo, Tesis Doctorales en Red, and OpenGrey were searched, and the bibliographies of relevant studies were reviewed. Two researchers independently selected studies that met the inclusion criteria and assessed study quality in accordance with the Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies-2 tool. The summary receiver-operating characteristic curve and pooled diagnostic OR (DOR) were estimated by using a bivariate random effects analysis. Sources of heterogeneity were explored by using predefined subgroup analyses and bivariate meta-regression. Nineteen studies involving 1,071 people were included in the study. For diaphragm thickening fraction, the area under the summary receiver-operating characteristic curve was 0.87, and DOR was 21 (95% CI, 11-40). Regarding diaphragmatic excursion, pooled sensitivity was 75% (95% CI, 65-85); pooled specificity, 75% (95% CI, 60-85); and DOR, 10 (95% CI, 4-24). For lung ultrasound, the area under the summary receiver-operating characteristic curve was 0.77, and DOR was 38 (95% CI, 7-198). Based on bivariate meta-regression analysis, a significantly higher specificity for diaphragm thickening fraction and higher sensitivity for diaphragmatic excursion was detected in studies with applicability concerns. Lung and diaphragm ultrasound can help predict weaning outcome, but its accuracy may vary depending on the patient subpopulation. Copyright © 2017 American College of Chest Physicians. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The influence of social networking sites on health behavior change: a systematic review and meta-analysis

PubMed Central

Laranjo, Liliana; Arguel, Amaël; Neves, Ana L; Gallagher, Aideen M; Kaplan, Ruth; Mortimer, Nathan; Mendes, Guilherme A; Lau, Annie Y S

2015-01-01

Objective Our aim was to evaluate the use and effectiveness of interventions using social networking sites (SNSs) to change health behaviors. Materials and methods Five databases were scanned using a predefined search strategy. Studies were included if they focused on patients/consumers, involved an SNS intervention, had an outcome related to health behavior change, and were prospective. Studies were screened by independent investigators, and assessed using Cochrane's ‘risk of bias’ tool. Randomized controlled trials were pooled in a meta-analysis. Results The database search retrieved 4656 citations; 12 studies (7411 participants) met the inclusion criteria. Facebook was the most utilized SNS, followed by health-specific SNSs, and Twitter. Eight randomized controlled trials were combined in a meta-analysis. A positive effect of SNS interventions on health behavior outcomes was found (Hedges’ g 0.24; 95% CI 0.04 to 0.43). There was considerable heterogeneity (I2 = 84.0%; T2 = 0.058) and no evidence of publication bias. Discussion To the best of our knowledge, this is the first meta-analysis evaluating the effectiveness of SNS interventions in changing health-related behaviors. Most studies evaluated multi-component interventions, posing problems in isolating the specific effect of the SNS. Health behavior change theories were seldom mentioned in the included articles, but two particularly innovative studies used ‘network alteration’, showing a positive effect. Overall, SNS interventions appeared to be effective in promoting changes in health-related behaviors, and further research regarding the application of these promising tools is warranted. Conclusions Our study showed a positive effect of SNS interventions on health behavior-related outcomes, but there was considerable heterogeneity. Protocol registration The protocol for this systematic review is registered at http://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO with the number CRD42013004140. PMID:25005606

Prognostic indices for early mortality in ischaemic stroke - meta-analysis.

PubMed

Mattishent, K; Kwok, C S; Mahtani, A; Pelpola, K; Myint, P K; Loke, Y K

2016-01-01

Several models have been developed to predict mortality in ischaemic stroke. We aimed to evaluate systematically the performance of published stroke prognostic scores. We searched MEDLINE and EMBASE in February 2014 for prognostic models (published between 2003 and 2014) used in predicting early mortality (<6 months) after ischaemic stroke. We evaluated discriminant ability of the tools through meta-analysis of the area under the curve receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) or c-statistic. We evaluated the following components of study validity: collection of prognostic variables, neuroimaging, treatment pathways and missing data. We identified 18 articles (involving 163 240 patients) reporting on the performance of prognostic models for mortality in ischaemic stroke, with 15 articles providing AUC for meta-analysis. Most studies were either retrospective, or post hoc analyses of prospectively collected data; all but three reported validation data. The iSCORE had the largest number of validation cohorts (five) within our systematic review and showed good performance in four different countries, pooled AUC 0.84 (95% CI 0.82-0.87). We identified other potentially useful prognostic tools that have yet to be as extensively validated as iSCORE - these include SOAR (2 studies, pooled AUC 0.79, 95% CI 0.78-0.80), GWTG (2 studies, pooled AUC 0.72, 95% CI 0.72-0.72) and PLAN (1 study, pooled AUC 0.85, 95% CI 0.84-0.87). Our meta-analysis has identified and summarized the performance of several prognostic scores with modest to good predictive accuracy for early mortality in ischaemic stroke, with the iSCORE having the broadest evidence base. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Improving the usefulness of a tool for appraising the quality of qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods studies, the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (MMAT).

PubMed

Hong, Quan Nha; Gonzalez-Reyes, Araceli; Pluye, Pierre

2018-06-01

Systematic reviews combining qualitative, quantitative, and/or mixed methods studies are increasingly popular because of their potential for addressing complex interventions and phenomena, specifically for assessing and improving clinical practice. A major challenge encountered with this type of review is the appraisal of the quality of individual studies given the heterogeneity of the study designs. The Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (MMAT) was developed to help overcome this challenge. The aim of this study was to explore the usefulness of the MMAT by seeking the views and experiences of researchers who have used it. We conducted a qualitative descriptive study using semistructured interviews with MMAT users. A purposeful sample was drawn from the researchers who had previously contacted the developer of the MMAT, and those who have published a systematic review for which they had used the MMAT. All interviews were transcribed verbatim and analyzed by 2 coders using thematic analysis. Twenty participants from 8 countries were interviewed. Thirteen themes were identified and grouped into the 2 dimensions of usefulness, ie, utility and usability. The themes related to utility concerned the coverage, completeness, flexibility, and other utilities of the tool. Those regarding usability were related to the learnability, efficiency, satisfaction, and errors that could be made due to difficulties understanding or selecting the items to appraise. On the basis of the results of this study, we make several recommendations for improving the MMAT. This will contribute to greater usefulness of the MMAT. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Clinical decision support tools for osteoporosis disease management: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials.

PubMed

Kastner, Monika; Straus, Sharon E

2008-12-01

Studies indicate a gap between evidence and clinical practice in osteoporosis management. Tools that facilitate clinical decision making at the point of care are promising strategies for closing these practice gaps. To systematically review the literature to identify and describe the effectiveness of tools that support clinical decision making in osteoporosis disease management. Medline, EMBASE, CINAHL, and EBM Reviews (CDSR, DARE, CCTR, and ACP J Club), and contact with experts in the field. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in any language from 1966 to July 2006 investigating disease management interventions in patients at risk for osteoporosis. Outcomes included fractures and bone mineral density (BMD) testing. Two investigators independently assessed articles for relevance and study quality, and extracted data using standardized forms. Of 1,246 citations that were screened for relevance, 13 RCTs met the inclusion criteria. Reported study quality was generally poor. Meta-analysis was not done because of methodological and clinical heterogeneity; 77% of studies included a reminder or education as a component of their intervention. Three studies of reminders plus education targeted to physicians and patients showed increased BMD testing (RR range 1.43 to 8.67) and osteoporosis medication use (RR range 1.60 to 8.67). A physician reminder plus a patient risk assessment strategy found reduced fractures [RR 0.58, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.37 to 0.90] and increased osteoporosis therapy (RR 2.44, CI 1.43 to 4.17). Multi-component tools that are targeted to physicians and patients may be effective for supporting clinical decision making in osteoporosis disease management.

Use of a monitoring tool for growth and development in Brazilian children – systematic review

PubMed Central

de Almeida, Ana Claudia; Mendes, Larissa da Costa; Sad, Izabela Rocha; Ramos, Eloane Gonçalves; Fonseca, Vânia Matos; Peixoto, Maria Virginia Marques

2016-01-01

Abstract Objective: To assess the use of a health monitoring tool in Brazilian children, with emphasis on the variables related to growth and development, which are crucial aspects of child health care. Data source: A systematic review of the literature was carried out in studies performed in Brazil, using the Cochrane Brazil, Lilacs, SciELO and Medline databases. The descriptors and keywords used were “growth and development”, “child development”, “child health record”, “child health handbook”, “health record and child” and “child handbook”, as well as the equivalent terms in Portuguese. Studies were screened by title and summary and those considered eligible were read in full. Data synthesis: Sixty-eight articles were identified and eight articles were included in the review, as they carried out a quantitative analysis of the filling out of information. Five studies assessed the completion of the Child's Health Record and three of the Child's Health Handbook. All articles concluded that the information was not properly recorded. Growth monitoring charts were rarely filled out, reaching 96.3% in the case of weight for age. The use of the BMI chart was not reported, despite the growing rates of childhood obesity. Only two studies reported the completion of development milestones and, in these, the milestones were recorded in approximately 20% of the verified tools. Conclusions: The results of the assessed articles disclosed underutilization of the tool and reflect low awareness by health professionals regarding the recording of information in the child's health monitoring document. PMID:26705605

[Use of a monitoring tool for growth and development in Brazilian children - systematic literature review].

PubMed

de Almeida, Ana Claudia; Mendes, Larissa da Costa; Sad, Izabela Rocha; Ramos, Eloane Gonçalves; Fonseca, Vânia Matos; Peixoto, Maria Virginia Marques

2016-01-01

To assess the use of a health monitoring tool in Brazilian children, with emphasis on the variables related to growth and development, which are crucial aspects of child health care. A systematic review of the literature was carried out in studies performed in Brazil, using the Cochrane Brazil, Lilacs, SciELO and Medline databases. The descriptors and keywords used were "growth and development", "child development", "child health record", "child health handbook", "health record and child" and "child handbook", as well as the equivalent terms in Portuguese. Studies were screened by title and summary and those considered eligible were read in full. Sixty-eight articles were identified and eight articles were included in the review, as they carried out a quantitative analysis of the filling out of information. Five studies assessed the completion of the Child's Health Record and three of the Child's Health Handbook. All articles concluded that the information was not properly recorded. Growth monitoring charts were rarely filled out, reaching 96.3% in the case of weight for age. The use of the BMI chart was not reported, despite the growing rates of childhood obesity. Only two studies reported the completion of development milestones and, in these, the milestones were recorded in approximately 20% of the verified tools. The results of the assessed articles disclosed underutilization of the tool and reflect low awareness by health professionals regarding the recording of information in the child's health monitoring document. Copyright © 2015 Sociedade de Pediatria de São Paulo. Publicado por Elsevier Editora Ltda. All rights reserved.

Tools to Promote Shared Decision Making in Serious Illness: A Systematic Review.

PubMed

Austin, C Adrian; Mohottige, Dinushika; Sudore, Rebecca L; Smith, Alexander K; Hanson, Laura C

2015-07-01

Serious illness impairs function and threatens survival. Patients facing serious illness value shared decision making, yet few decision aids address the needs of this population. To perform a systematic review of evidence about decision aids and other exportable tools that promote shared decision making in serious illness, thereby (1) identifying tools relevant to the treatment decisions of seriously ill patients and their caregivers, (2) evaluating the quality of evidence for these tools, and (3) summarizing their effect on outcomes and accessibility for clinicians. We searched PubMed, CINAHL, and PsychInfo from January 1, 1995, through October 31, 2014, and identified additional studies from reference lists and other systematic reviews. Clinical trials with random or nonrandom controls were included if they tested print, video, or web-based tools for advance care planning (ACP) or decision aids for serious illness. We extracted data on the study population, design, results, and risk for bias using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) criteria. Each tool was evaluated for its effect on patient outcomes and accessibility. Seventeen randomized clinical trials tested decision tools in serious illness. Nearly all the trials were of moderate or high quality and showed that decision tools improve patient knowledge and awareness of treatment choices. The available tools address ACP, palliative care and goals of care communication, feeding options in dementia, lung transplant in cystic fibrosis, and truth telling in terminal cancer. Five randomized clinical trials provided further evidence that decision tools improve ACP documentation, clinical decisions, and treatment received. Clinicians can access and use evidence-based tools to engage seriously ill patients in shared decision making. This field of research is in an early stage; future research is needed to develop novel decision aids for other serious diagnoses and key decisions. Health care delivery organizations should prioritize the use of currently available tools that are evidence based and effective.

Methodological quality of systematic reviews referenced in clinical practice guidelines for the treatment of opioid use disorder.

PubMed

Ross, Andrew; Rankin, Justin; Beaman, Jason; Murray, Kelly; Sinnett, Philip; Riddle, Ross; Haskins, Jordan; Vassar, Matt

2017-01-01

With efforts to combat opioid use disorder, there is an increased interest in clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) for opioid use disorder treatments. No literature exists examining the quality of systematic reviews used in opioid use disorder CPGs. This study aims to describe the methodological quality and reporting clarity of systematic reviews (SRs) used to create CPGs for opioid use disorder. From June to July 2016 guideline clearinghouses and medical literature databases were searched for relevant CPGs used in the treatment of opioid use disorder. Included CPGs must have been recognized by a national organization. SRs from the reference section of each CPG was scored by using AMSTAR (a measurement tool to assess the methodological quality of systematic reviews) tool and PRISMA (preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses) checklist. Seventeen CPGs from 2006-2016 were included in the review. From these, 57 unique SRs were extracted. SRS comprised 0.28% to 17.92% of all references found in the CPGs. All SRs obtained moderate or high methodological quality score on the AMSTAR tool. All reviews met at least 70% of PRISMA criteria. In PRISMA, underperforming areas included accurate title labeling, protocol registration, and risk of bias. Underperforming areas in AMSTAR included conflicts of interest, funding, and publication bias. A positive correlation was found between AMSTAR and PRISMA scores (r = .79). Although the SRs in the CPGs were of good quality, there are still areas for improvement. Systematic reviewers should consult PRISMA and AMSTAR when conducting and reporting reviews. It is important for CPG developers to consider methodological quality as a factor when developing CPG recommendations, recognizing that the quality of systematic reviews underpinning guidelines does not necessarily correspond to the quality of the guideline itself.

atBioNet--an integrated network analysis tool for genomics and biomarker discovery.

PubMed

Ding, Yijun; Chen, Minjun; Liu, Zhichao; Ding, Don; Ye, Yanbin; Zhang, Min; Kelly, Reagan; Guo, Li; Su, Zhenqiang; Harris, Stephen C; Qian, Feng; Ge, Weigong; Fang, Hong; Xu, Xiaowei; Tong, Weida

2012-07-20

Large amounts of mammalian protein-protein interaction (PPI) data have been generated and are available for public use. From a systems biology perspective, Proteins/genes interactions encode the key mechanisms distinguishing disease and health, and such mechanisms can be uncovered through network analysis. An effective network analysis tool should integrate different content-specific PPI databases into a comprehensive network format with a user-friendly platform to identify key functional modules/pathways and the underlying mechanisms of disease and toxicity. atBioNet integrates seven publicly available PPI databases into a network-specific knowledge base. Knowledge expansion is achieved by expanding a user supplied proteins/genes list with interactions from its integrated PPI network. The statistically significant functional modules are determined by applying a fast network-clustering algorithm (SCAN: a Structural Clustering Algorithm for Networks). The functional modules can be visualized either separately or together in the context of the whole network. Integration of pathway information enables enrichment analysis and assessment of the biological function of modules. Three case studies are presented using publicly available disease gene signatures as a basis to discover new biomarkers for acute leukemia, systemic lupus erythematosus, and breast cancer. The results demonstrated that atBioNet can not only identify functional modules and pathways related to the studied diseases, but this information can also be used to hypothesize novel biomarkers for future analysis. atBioNet is a free web-based network analysis tool that provides a systematic insight into proteins/genes interactions through examining significant functional modules. The identified functional modules are useful for determining underlying mechanisms of disease and biomarker discovery. It can be accessed at: http://www.fda.gov/ScienceResearch/BioinformaticsTools/ucm285284.htm.

A Gap Analysis Needs Assessment Tool to Drive a Care Delivery and Research Agenda for Integration of Care and Sharing of Best Practices Across a Health System.

PubMed

Golden, Sherita Hill; Hager, Daniel; Gould, Lois J; Mathioudakis, Nestoras; Pronovost, Peter J

2017-01-01

In a complex health system, it is important to establish a systematic and data-driven approach to identifying needs. The Diabetes Clinical Community (DCC) of Johns Hopkins Medicine's Armstrong Institute for Patient Safety and Quality developed a gap analysis tool and process to establish the system's current state of inpatient diabetes care. The collectively developed tool assessed the following areas: program infrastructure; protocols, policies, and order sets; patient and health care professional education; and automated data access. For the purposes of this analysis, gaps were defined as those instances in which local resources, infrastructure, or processes demonstrated a variance against the current national evidence base or institutionally defined best practices. Following the gap analysis, members of the DCC, in collaboration with health system leadership, met to identify priority areas in order to integrate and synergize diabetes care resources and efforts to enhance quality and reduce disparities in care across the system. Key gaps in care identified included lack of standardized glucose management policies, lack of standardized training of health care professionals in inpatient diabetes management, and lack of access to automated data collection and analysis. These results were used to gain resources to support collaborative diabetes health system initiatives and to successfully obtain federal research funding to develop and pilot a pragmatic diabetes educational intervention. At a health system level, the summary format of this gap analysis tool is an effective method to clearly identify disparities in care to focus efforts and resources to improve care delivery. Copyright © 2016 The Joint Commission. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A Systematic Review of the Literature on Mathematics Manipulatives to Support Students with Disabilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bouck, Emily C.; Park, Jiyoon

2018-01-01

Manipulatives are considered a common tool for mathematics teaching and learning, for both students with and without disabilities. Yet, a systematic review of the current state of research regarding manipulatives for students with disabilities did not exist prior to this article. This manuscript presents a systematic review of the literature…

Introduction of the Tools for Economic Analysis of Patient Management Interventions in Heart Failure Costing Tool: a user-friendly spreadsheet program to estimate costs of providing patient-centered interventions.

PubMed

Reed, Shelby D; Li, Yanhong; Kamble, Shital; Polsky, Daniel; Graham, Felicia L; Bowers, Margaret T; Samsa, Gregory P; Paul, Sara; Schulman, Kevin A; Whellan, David J; Riegel, Barbara J

2012-01-01

Patient-centered health care interventions, such as heart failure disease management programs, are under increasing pressure to demonstrate good value. Variability in costing methods and assumptions in economic evaluations of such interventions limit the comparability of cost estimates across studies. Valid cost estimation is critical to conducting economic evaluations and for program budgeting and reimbursement negotiations. Using sound economic principles, we developed the Tools for Economic Analysis of Patient Management Interventions in Heart Failure (TEAM-HF) Costing Tool, a spreadsheet program that can be used by researchers and health care managers to systematically generate cost estimates for economic evaluations and to inform budgetary decisions. The tool guides users on data collection and cost assignment for associated personnel, facilities, equipment, supplies, patient incentives, miscellaneous items, and start-up activities. The tool generates estimates of total program costs, cost per patient, and cost per week and presents results using both standardized and customized unit costs for side-by-side comparisons. Results from pilot testing indicated that the tool was well-formatted, easy to use, and followed a logical order. Cost estimates of a 12-week exercise training program in patients with heart failure were generated with the costing tool and were found to be consistent with estimates published in a recent study. The TEAM-HF Costing Tool could prove to be a valuable resource for researchers and health care managers to generate comprehensive cost estimates of patient-centered interventions in heart failure or other conditions for conducting high-quality economic evaluations and making well-informed health care management decisions.

Assessment and application of national environmental databases and mapping tools at the local level to two community case studies.

PubMed

Hammond, Davyda; Conlon, Kathryn; Barzyk, Timothy; Chahine, Teresa; Zartarian, Valerie; Schultz, Brad

2011-03-01

Communities are concerned over pollution levels and seek methods to systematically identify and prioritize the environmental stressors in their communities. Geographic information system (GIS) maps of environmental information can be useful tools for communities in their assessment of environmental-pollution-related risks. Databases and mapping tools that supply community-level estimates of ambient concentrations of hazardous pollutants, risk, and potential health impacts can provide relevant information for communities to understand, identify, and prioritize potential exposures and risk from multiple sources. An assessment of existing databases and mapping tools was conducted as part of this study to explore the utility of publicly available databases, and three of these databases were selected for use in a community-level GIS mapping application. Queried data from the U.S. EPA's National-Scale Air Toxics Assessment, Air Quality System, and National Emissions Inventory were mapped at the appropriate spatial and temporal resolutions for identifying risks of exposure to air pollutants in two communities. The maps combine monitored and model-simulated pollutant and health risk estimates, along with local survey results, to assist communities with the identification of potential exposure sources and pollution hot spots. Findings from this case study analysis will provide information to advance the development of new tools to assist communities with environmental risk assessments and hazard prioritization. © 2010 Society for Risk Analysis.

Predicting cancer prognosis using interactive online tools: A systematic review and implications for cancer care providers

PubMed Central

Rabin, Borsika A.; Gaglio, Bridget; Sanders, Tristan; Nekhlyudov, Larissa; Dearing, James W.; Bull, Sheana; Glasgow, Russell E.; Marcus, Alfred

2013-01-01

Cancer prognosis is of keen interest for cancer patients, their caregivers and providers. Prognostic tools have been developed to guide patient-physician communication and decision-making. Given the proliferation of prognostic tools, it is timely to review existing online cancer prognostic tools and discuss implications for their use in clinical settings. Using a systematic approach, we searched the Internet, Medline, and consulted with experts to identify existing online prognostic tools. Each was reviewed for content and format. Twenty-two prognostic tools addressing 89 different cancers were identified. Tools primarily focused on prostate (n=11), colorectal (n=10), breast (n=8), and melanoma (n=6), though at least one tool was identified for most malignancies. The input variables for the tools included cancer characteristics (n=22), patient characteristics (n=18), and comorbidities (n=9). Effect of therapy on prognosis was included in 15 tools. The most common predicted outcome was cancer specific survival/mortality (n=17). Only a few tools (n=4) suggested patients as potential target users. A comprehensive repository of online prognostic tools was created to understand the state-of-the-art in prognostic tool availability and characteristics. Use of these tools may support communication and understanding about cancer prognosis. Dissemination, testing, refinement of existing, and development of new tools under different conditions are needed. PMID:23956026

Systematic reviews in the field of nutrition

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Systematic reviews are valuable tools for staying abreast of evolving nutrition and aging -related topics, formulating dietary guidelines, establishing nutrient reference intakes, formulating clinical practice guidance, evaluating health claims, and setting research agendas. Basic steps of conductin...

The development of a quality appraisal tool for studies of diagnostic reliability (QAREL).

PubMed

Lucas, Nicholas P; Macaskill, Petra; Irwig, Les; Bogduk, Nikolai

2010-08-01

In systematic reviews of the reliability of diagnostic tests, no quality assessment tool has been used consistently. The aim of this study was to develop a specific quality appraisal tool for studies of diagnostic reliability. Key principles for the quality of studies of diagnostic reliability were identified with reference to epidemiologic principles, existing quality appraisal checklists, and the Standards for Reporting of Diagnostic Accuracy (STARD) and Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies (QUADAS) resources. Specific items that encompassed each of the principles were developed. Experts in diagnostic research provided feedback on the items that were to form the appraisal tool. This process was iterative and continued until consensus among experts was reached. The Quality Appraisal of Reliability Studies (QAREL) checklist includes 11 items that explore seven principles. Items cover the spectrum of subjects, spectrum of examiners, examiner blinding, order effects of examination, suitability of the time interval among repeated measurements, appropriate test application and interpretation, and appropriate statistical analysis. QAREL has been developed as a specific quality appraisal tool for studies of diagnostic reliability. The reliability of this tool in different contexts needs to be evaluated. Copyright (c) 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

DtaRefinery: a software tool for elimination of systematic errors from parent ion mass measurements in tandem mass spectra datasets

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

Petyuk, Vladislav A.; Mayampurath, Anoop M.; Monroe, Matthew E.

2009-12-16

Hybrid two-stage mass spectrometers capable of both highly accurate mass measurement and MS/MS fragmentation have become widely available in recent years and have allowed for sig-nificantly better discrimination between true and false MS/MS pep-tide identifications by applying relatively narrow windows for maxi-mum allowable deviations for parent ion mass measurements. To fully gain the advantage of highly accurate parent ion mass meas-urements, it is important to limit systematic mass measurement errors. The DtaRefinery software tool can correct systematic errors in parent ion masses by reading a set of fragmentation spectra, searching for MS/MS peptide identifications, then fitting a model that canmore » estimate systematic errors, and removing them. This results in a new fragmentation spectrum file with updated parent ion masses.« less

NASA and CFD - Making investments for the future

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hessenius, Kristin A.; Richardson, P. F.

1992-01-01

From a NASA perspective, CFD is a new tool for fluid flow simulation and prediction with virtually none of the inherent limitations of other ground-based simulation techniques. A primary goal of NASA's CFD research program is to develop efficient and accurate computational techniques for utilization in the design and analysis of aerospace vehicles. The program in algorithm development has systematically progressed through the hierarchy of engineering simplifications of the Navier-Stokes equations, starting with the inviscid formulations such as transonic small disturbance, full potential, and Euler.

[Marketing as a tool in the medical institution management].

PubMed

Petrova, N G; Balokhina, S A

2009-01-01

The contemporary social economic conditions dictate the necessity to change tactics and strategy of functioning of medical institutions of different property forms. Marketing, alongside with management is to become a leading concept of administration of medical institutions. It should be a framework for systematic collection, registration and analysis of data relevant to the medical services market. The issues of the implementation of marketing concept in the practical everyday activities of commercial medical organization providing cosmetology services to population of metropolis.

Modeling and analysis of power processing systems: Feasibility investigation and formulation of a methodology

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Biess, J. J.; Yu, Y.; Middlebrook, R. D.; Schoenfeld, A. D.

1974-01-01

A review is given of future power processing systems planned for the next 20 years, and the state-of-the-art of power processing design modeling and analysis techniques used to optimize power processing systems. A methodology of modeling and analysis of power processing equipment and systems has been formulated to fulfill future tradeoff studies and optimization requirements. Computer techniques were applied to simulate power processor performance and to optimize the design of power processing equipment. A program plan to systematically develop and apply the tools for power processing systems modeling and analysis is presented so that meaningful results can be obtained each year to aid the power processing system engineer and power processing equipment circuit designers in their conceptual and detail design and analysis tasks.

Comprehensive development and testing of the ASIST-GBV, a screening tool for responding to gender-based violence among women in humanitarian settings.

PubMed

Wirtz, A L; Glass, N; Pham, K; Perrin, N; Rubenstein, L S; Singh, S; Vu, A

2016-01-01

Conflict affected refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs) are at increased vulnerability to gender-based violence (GBV). Health, psychosocial, and protection services have been implemented in humanitarian settings, but GBV remains under-reported and available services under-utilized. To improve access to existing GBV services and facilitate reporting, the ASIST-GBV screening tool was developed and tested for use in humanitarian settings. This process was completed in four phases: 1) systematic literature review, 2) qualitative research that included individual interviews and focus groups with GBV survivors and service providers, respectively, 3) pilot testing of the developed screening tool, and 4) 3-month implementation testing of the screening tool. Research was conducted among female refugees, aged ≥15 years in Ethiopia, and female IDPs, aged ≥18 years in Colombia. The systematic review and meta-analysis identified a range of GBV experiences and estimated a 21.4 % prevalence of sexual violence (95 % CI:14.9-28.7) among conflict-affected populations. No existing screening tools for GBV in humanitarian settings were identified. Qualitative research with GBV survivors in Ethiopia and Colombia found multiple forms of GBV experienced by refugees and IDPs that occurred during conflict, in transit, and in displaced settings. Identified forms of violence were combined into seven key items on the screening tool: threats of violence, physical violence, forced sex, sexual exploitation, forced pregnancy, forced abortion, and early or forced marriage. Cognitive testing further refined the tool. Pilot testing in both sites demonstrated preliminary feasibility where 64.8 % of participants in Ethiopia and 44.9 % of participants in Colombia were identified with recent (last 12 months) cases of GBV. Implementation testing of the screening tool, conducted as a routine service in camp/district hospitals, allowed for identification of GBV cases and referrals to services. In this phase, 50.6 % of participants in Ethiopia and 63.4 % in Colombia screened positive for recent experiences of GBV. Psychometric testing demonstrated appropriate internal consistency of the tool (Cronbach's α = 0.77) and item response theory demonstrated appropriate discrimination and difficulty of the tool. The ASIST-GBV screening tool has demonstrated utility and validity for use in confidential identification and referral of refugees and IDPs who experience GBV.

Software project management tools in global software development: a systematic mapping study.

PubMed

Chadli, Saad Yasser; Idri, Ali; Ros, Joaquín Nicolás; Fernández-Alemán, José Luis; de Gea, Juan M Carrillo; Toval, Ambrosio

2016-01-01

Global software development (GSD) which is a growing trend in the software industry is characterized by a highly distributed environment. Performing software project management (SPM) in such conditions implies the need to overcome new limitations resulting from cultural, temporal and geographic separation. The aim of this research is to discover and classify the various tools mentioned in literature that provide GSD project managers with support and to identify in what way they support group interaction. A systematic mapping study has been performed by means of automatic searches in five sources. We have then synthesized the data extracted and presented the results of this study. A total of 102 tools were identified as being used in SPM activities in GSD. We have classified these tools, according to the software life cycle process on which they focus and how they support the 3C collaboration model (communication, coordination and cooperation). The majority of the tools found are standalone tools (77%). A small number of platforms (8%) also offer a set of interacting tools that cover the software development lifecycle. Results also indicate that SPM areas in GSD are not adequately supported by corresponding tools and deserve more attention from tool builders.

Efficacy and External Validity of Electronic and Mobile Phone-Based Interventions Promoting Vegetable Intake in Young Adults: A Systematic Review Protocol.

PubMed

Nour, Monica Marina; Chen, Juliana; Allman-Farinelli, Margaret

2015-07-28

Despite social marketing campaigns and behavior change interventions, young adults remain among the lowest consumers of vegetables. The digital era offers potential new avenues for both social marketing and individually tailored programs, through texting, web, and mobile applications. The effectiveness and generalizability of such programs have not been well documented. The aim of this systematic review is to evaluate the efficacy and external validity of social marketing, electronic, and mobile phone-based (mHealth) interventions aimed at increasing vegetable intake in young adults. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) protocol will be used to conduct this systematic review. The search strategy will be executed across eleven electronic databases using combinations of the following search terms: "online intervention", "computer-assisted therapy", "internet", "website", "cell phones", "cyber", "telemedicine", "email", "social marketing", "social media", "mass media", "young adult", and "fruit and vegetables". The reference lists of included studies will also be searched for additional citations. Titles and abstracts will be screened against inclusion criteria and full texts of potentially eligible papers will be assessed by two independent reviewers. Data from eligible papers will be extracted. Quality and risk of bias will be assessed using the Effective Public Health Practice Project (EPHPP) Quality Assessment Tool for Quantitative Studies and The Cochrane Collaboration Risk of Bias assessment tool respectively. The external validity of the studies will be determined based on components such as reach, adoption, and representativeness of participants; intervention implementation and adaption; and program maintenance and institutionalization. Results will be reported quantitatively and qualitatively. Our research is in progress. A draft of the systematic review is currently being produced for publication by the end of 2015. The review findings will assist the design and implementation of future eHealth and mHealth programs aimed at improving vegetable consumption in young adults. PROSPERO International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews: CRD42015017763; http://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/display_record.asp?ID=CRD42015017763#.VVKtqfmqqko (Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/6YU2UYrTn).

Procedure for the systematic orientation of digitised cranial models. Design and validation.

PubMed

Bailo, M; Baena, S; Marín, J J; Arredondo, J M; Auría, J M; Sánchez, B; Tardío, E; Falcón, L

2015-12-01

Comparison of bony pieces requires that they are oriented systematically to ensure that homologous regions are compared. Few orientation methods are highly accurate; this is particularly true for methods applied to three-dimensional models obtained by surface scanning, a technique whose special features make it a powerful tool in forensic contexts. The aim of this study was to develop and evaluate a systematic, assisted orientation method for aligning three-dimensional cranial models relative to the Frankfurt Plane, which would be produce accurate orientations independent of operator and anthropological expertise. The study sample comprised four crania of known age and sex. All the crania were scanned and reconstructed using an Eva Artec™ portable 3D surface scanner and subsequently, the position of certain characteristic landmarks were determined by three different operators using the Rhinoceros 3D surface modelling software. Intra-observer analysis showed a tendency for orientation to be more accurate when using the assisted method than when using conventional manual orientation. Inter-observer analysis showed that experienced evaluators achieve results at least as accurate if not more accurate using the assisted method than those obtained using manual orientation; while inexperienced evaluators achieved more accurate orientation using the assisted method. The method tested is a an innovative system capable of providing very precise, systematic and automatised spatial orientations of virtual cranial models relative to standardised anatomical planes independent of the operator and operator experience. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

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.

Methodological quality of meta-analyses on treatments for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a cross-sectional study using the AMSTAR (Assessing the Methodological Quality of Systematic Reviews) tool.

PubMed

Ho, Robin S T; Wu, Xinyin; Yuan, Jinqiu; Liu, Siya; Lai, Xin; Wong, Samuel Y S; Chung, Vincent C H

2015-01-08

Meta-analysis (MA) of randomised trials is considered to be one of the best approaches for summarising high-quality evidence on the efficacy and safety of treatments. However, methodological flaws in MAs can reduce the validity of conclusions, subsequently impairing the quality of decision making. To assess the methodological quality of MAs on COPD treatments. A cross-sectional study on MAs of COPD trials. MAs published during 2000-2013 were sampled from the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews and Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effect. Methodological quality was assessed using the validated AMSTAR (Assessing the Methodological Quality of Systematic Reviews) tool. Seventy-nine MAs were sampled. Only 18% considered the scientific quality of primary studies when formulating conclusions and 49% used appropriate meta-analytic methods to combine findings. The problems were particularly acute among MAs on pharmacological treatments. In 48% of MAs the authors did not report conflict of interest. Fifty-eight percent reported harmful effects of treatment. Publication bias was not assessed in 65% of MAs, and only 10% had searched non-English databases. The methodological quality of the included MAs was disappointing. Consideration of scientific quality when formulating conclusions should be made explicit. Future MAs should improve on reporting conflict of interest and harm, assessment of publication bias, prevention of language bias and use of appropriate meta-analytic methods.

Methodological quality of meta-analyses on treatments for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a cross-sectional study using the AMSTAR (Assessing the Methodological Quality of Systematic Reviews) tool

PubMed Central

Ho, Robin ST; Wu, Xinyin; Yuan, Jinqiu; Liu, Siya; Lai, Xin; Wong, Samuel YS; Chung, Vincent CH

2015-01-01

Background: Meta-analysis (MA) of randomised trials is considered to be one of the best approaches for summarising high-quality evidence on the efficacy and safety of treatments. However, methodological flaws in MAs can reduce the validity of conclusions, subsequently impairing the quality of decision making. Aims: To assess the methodological quality of MAs on COPD treatments. Methods: A cross-sectional study on MAs of COPD trials. MAs published during 2000–2013 were sampled from the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews and Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effect. Methodological quality was assessed using the validated AMSTAR (Assessing the Methodological Quality of Systematic Reviews) tool. Results: Seventy-nine MAs were sampled. Only 18% considered the scientific quality of primary studies when formulating conclusions and 49% used appropriate meta-analytic methods to combine findings. The problems were particularly acute among MAs on pharmacological treatments. In 48% of MAs the authors did not report conflict of interest. Fifty-eight percent reported harmful effects of treatment. Publication bias was not assessed in 65% of MAs, and only 10% had searched non-English databases. Conclusions: The methodological quality of the included MAs was disappointing. Consideration of scientific quality when formulating conclusions should be made explicit. Future MAs should improve on reporting conflict of interest and harm, assessment of publication bias, prevention of language bias and use of appropriate meta-analytic methods. PMID:25569783

Usefulness of an ad hoc questionnaire (Acro-CQ) for the systematic assessment of acromegaly comorbidities at diagnosis and their management at follow-up.

PubMed

Guaraldi, F; Gori, D; Beccuti, G; Prencipe, N; Giordano, R; Mints, Y; Di Giacomo, V S; Berton, A; Lorente, M; Gasco, V; Ghigo, E; Salvatori, R; Grottoli, S

2016-11-01

To determine the validity of a self-administered questionnaire (Acro-CQ) developed to systematically assess the presence, type and time of onset of acromegaly comorbidities. This is a cross-sectional study; 105 acromegaly patients and 147 controls with other types of pituitary adenoma, referred to a specialized Italian Center, autonomously compiled Acro-CQ in an outpatient clinical setting. To test its reliability in a different setting, Acro-CQ was administered via mail to 78 patients with acromegaly and 100 with other pituitary adenomas, referred to a specialized US Center. Data obtained from questionnaires in both settings were compared with medical records (gold standard). Demographics of patients and controls from both countries were similar. In both settings, >95 % of the questionnaires were completely filled; only one item was missed in the others. Concordance with medical record was excellent (k > 0.85) for most of the items, independently from the way of administration, patient age, gender and nationality, pituitary adenoma type and disease activity. Acro-CQ is an inexpensive, highly accepted from patients and reliable tool recommended to expedite systematic collection of relevant clinical data in acromegaly at diagnosis, to be replicated at follow-ups. This tool may guide a targeted, cost-effective management of complications. Moreover, it could be applied to retrieve data for survey studies in both acromegaly and other pituitary adenomas, as information is easily and rapidly accessible for statistical analysis.

The Role of Scoring Systems and Urine Dipstick in Prediction of Rhabdomyolysis-induced Acute Kidney Injury: a Systematic Review.

PubMed

Safari, Saeed; Yousefifard, Mahmoud; Hashemi, Behrooz; Baratloo, Alireza; Forouzanfar, Mohammad Mehdi; Rahmati, Farhad; Motamedi, Maryam; Najafi, Iraj

2016-05-01

During the past decade, using serum biomarkers and clinical decision rules for early prediction of rhabdomyolysis-induced acute kidney injury (AKI) has received much attention from researchers. This study aimed to broadly review the value of scoring systems and urine dipstick in prediction of rhabdomyolysis-induced AKI. The study was designed based on the guidelines of the Meta-analysis of Observational Studies in Epidemiology statement. Search was done in electronic databases of MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, Scopus, and Google Scholar by 2 independent reviewers. Studies evaluating AKI risk factors in rhabdomyolysis patients with the aim of developing a scoring model as well as those assessing the role of urine dipstick in these patients were included. Of the 5997 articles found, 143 were potentially relevant studies. After studying their full texts, 6 articles were entered into the systematic review. Two studies had developed or validated scoring systems of the "rule of thumb," and the AKI index, and the Mangled Extremity Severity Score. Four studies were on the predictive value of urine dipstick in risk prediction of rhabdomyolysis-induced AKI, with favorable results. The findings of this systematic review showed that based on the available resources, using the prediction rules and urine dipstick could be considered as valuable screening tools for detection of patients at risk for AKI following rhabdomyolysis. Yet, the external validity of the mentioned tools should be assessed before their general application in routine practice.

Protocol for a systematic review on the effect of demand generation interventions on uptake and use of modern contraceptives in LMIC.

PubMed

Belaid, Loubna; Dumont, Alexandre; Chaillet, Nils; De Brouwere, Vincent; Zertal, Amel; Hounton, Sennen; Ridde, Valéry

2015-09-28

Despite a global increase in contraception use, its prevalence remains low in low- and middle-income countries. One strategy to improve uptake and use of contraception, as an essential complement to policies and supply-side interventions, is demand generation. Demand generation interventions have reportedly produced positive effects on uptake and use of family planning services, but the evidence base remains poorly documented. To reduce this knowledge gap, we will conduct a systematic review on the impact of demand generation interventions on the use of modern contraception. The objectives of the review will be as follows: (1) to synthesize evidence on the impacts and costs of family planning demand generation interventions and on their effectiveness in improving modern contraceptive use and (2) to identify the indicators used to assess effectiveness, cost-effectiveness, and impacts of demand generation interventions. We will systematically review the public health and health promotion literature in several databases (e.g., CINAHL, Medline, EMBASE) as well as gray literature. We will select articles from 1970 to 2015, in French and in English. The review will include studies that assess the impact of family planning programs or interventions on changes in contraception use. The studied interventions will be those with a demand generation component, even if a supply component is implemented. Two members of the team will independently search, screen, extract data, and assess the quality of the studies selected. Different tools will be used to assess the quality of the studies depending on the study design. If appropriate, a meta-analysis will be conducted. The analysis will involve comparing odd ratios (OR) DISCUSSION: The systematic review results will be disseminated to United Nations Population Fund program countries and will contribute to the development of a guidance document and programmatic tools for planning, implementing, and evaluating demand generation interventions in family planning. Improving the effectiveness of family planning programs is critical for empowering women and adolescent girls, improving human capital, reducing dependency ratios, reducing maternal and child mortality, and achieving demographic dividends in low- and middle-income countries. This protocol is registered in PROSPERO (CRD 42015017549).

A Systematic Literature Review on Evaluation of Digital Tools for Authoring Evidence-Based Clinical Guidelines.

PubMed

Khodambashi, Soudabeh; Nytrø, Øystein

2017-01-01

To facilitate the clinical guideline (GL) development process, different groups of researchers have proposed tools that enable computer-supported tools for authoring and publishing GLs. In a previous study we interviewed GL authors in different Norwegian institutions and identified tool shortcomings. In this follow-up study our goal is to explore to what extent GL authoring tools have been evaluated by researchers, guideline organisations, or GL authors. This article presents results from a systematic literature review of evaluation (including usability) of GL authoring tools. A controlled database search and backward snow-balling were used to identify relevant articles. From the 12692 abstracts found, 188 papers were fully reviewed and 26 papers were identified as relevant. The GRADEPro tool has attracted some evaluation, however popular tools and platforms such as DECIDE, Doctor Evidence, JBI-SUMARI, G-I-N library have not been subject to specific evaluation from an authoring perspective. Therefore, we found that little attention was paid to the evaluation of the tools in general. We could not find any evaluation relevant to how tools integrate and support the complex GL development workflow. The results of this paper are highly relevant to GL authors, tool developers and GL publishing organisations in order to improve and control the GL development and maintenance process.

Validation of Caregiver-Centered Delirium Detection Tools: A Systematic Review.

PubMed

Rosgen, Brianna; Krewulak, Karla; Demiantschuk, Danielle; Ely, E Wesley; Davidson, Judy E; Stelfox, Henry T; Fiest, Kirsten M

2018-04-18

To summarize the validity of caregiver-centered delirium detection tools in hospitalized adults and assess associated patient and caregiver outcomes. Systematic review. We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO, CINAHL, and Scopus from inception to May 15, 2017. Hospitalized adults. Caregiver-centered delirium detection tools. We drafted a protocol from the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. Two reviewers independently completed abstract and full-text review, data extraction, and quality assessment. We summarized findings using descriptive statistics including mean, median, standard deviation, range, frequencies (percentages), and Cohen's kappa. Studies that reported on the validity of caregiver-centered delirium detection tools or associated patient and caregiver outcomes and were cohort or cross-sectional in design were included. We reviewed 6,056 titles and abstracts, included 6 articles, and identified 6 caregiver-centered tools. All tools were designed to be administered in several minutes or less and had 11 items or fewer. Three tools were caregiver administered (completed independently by caregivers): Family Confusion Assessment Method (FAM-CAM), Informant Assessment of Geriatric Delirium (I-AGeD), and Sour Seven. Three tools were caregiver informed (administered by a healthcare professional using caregiver input): Single Question in Delirium (SQiD), Single Screening Question Delirium (SSQ-Delirium), and Stressful Caregiving Response to Experiences of Dying. Caregiver-administered tools had better psychometric properties (FAM-CAM sensitivity 75%, 95% confidence interval (CI)=35-95%, specificity 91%, 95% CI=74-97%; Sour Seven positive predictive value 89.5%, negative predictive value 90%) than caregiver-informed tools (SQiD: sensitivity 80%, 95% CI=28.4-99.5%; specificity 71%, 95% CI=41.9-91.6%; SSQ-Delirium sensitivity 79.6%, specificity 56.1%). Delirium detection is essential for appropriate delirium management. Caregiver-centered delirium detection tools show promise in improving delirium detection and associated patient and caregiver outcomes. Comparative studies using larger sample sizes and multiple centers are required to determine validity and reliability characteristics. © 2018, Copyright the Authors Journal compilation © 2018, The American Geriatrics Society.

General Platform for Systematic Quantitative Evaluation of Small-Molecule Permeability in Bacteria

PubMed Central

2015-01-01

The chemical features that impact small-molecule permeability across bacterial membranes are poorly understood, and the resulting lack of tools to predict permeability presents a major obstacle to the discovery and development of novel antibiotics. Antibacterials are known to have vastly different structural and physicochemical properties compared to nonantiinfective drugs, as illustrated herein by principal component analysis (PCA). To understand how these properties influence bacterial permeability, we have developed a systematic approach to evaluate the penetration of diverse compounds into bacteria with distinct cellular envelopes. Intracellular compound accumulation is quantitated using LC-MS/MS, then PCA and Pearson pairwise correlations are used to identify structural and physicochemical parameters that correlate with accumulation. An initial study using 10 sulfonyladenosines in Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtilis, and Mycobacterium smegmatis has identified nonobvious correlations between chemical structure and permeability that differ among the various bacteria. Effects of cotreatment with efflux pump inhibitors were also investigated. This sets the stage for use of this platform in larger prospective analyses of diverse chemotypes to identify global relationships between chemical structure and bacterial permeability that would enable the development of predictive tools to accelerate antibiotic drug discovery. PMID:25198656

Text mining applications in psychiatry: a systematic literature review.

PubMed

Abbe, Adeline; Grouin, Cyril; Zweigenbaum, Pierre; Falissard, Bruno

2016-06-01

The expansion of biomedical literature is creating the need for efficient tools to keep pace with increasing volumes of information. Text mining (TM) approaches are becoming essential to facilitate the automated extraction of useful biomedical information from unstructured text. We reviewed the applications of TM in psychiatry, and explored its advantages and limitations. A systematic review of the literature was carried out using the CINAHL, Medline, EMBASE, PsycINFO and Cochrane databases. In this review, 1103 papers were screened, and 38 were included as applications of TM in psychiatric research. Using TM and content analysis, we identified four major areas of application: (1) Psychopathology (i.e. observational studies focusing on mental illnesses) (2) the Patient perspective (i.e. patients' thoughts and opinions), (3) Medical records (i.e. safety issues, quality of care and description of treatments), and (4) Medical literature (i.e. identification of new scientific information in the literature). The information sources were qualitative studies, Internet postings, medical records and biomedical literature. Our work demonstrates that TM can contribute to complex research tasks in psychiatry. We discuss the benefits, limits, and further applications of this tool in the future. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Unleashing the Power of Distributed CPU/GPU Architectures: Massive Astronomical Data Analysis and Visualization Case Study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hassan, A. H.; Fluke, C. J.; Barnes, D. G.

2012-09-01

Upcoming and future astronomy research facilities will systematically generate terabyte-sized data sets moving astronomy into the Petascale data era. While such facilities will provide astronomers with unprecedented levels of accuracy and coverage, the increases in dataset size and dimensionality will pose serious computational challenges for many current astronomy data analysis and visualization tools. With such data sizes, even simple data analysis tasks (e.g. calculating a histogram or computing data minimum/maximum) may not be achievable without access to a supercomputing facility. To effectively handle such dataset sizes, which exceed today's single machine memory and processing limits, we present a framework that exploits the distributed power of GPUs and many-core CPUs, with a goal of providing data analysis and visualizing tasks as a service for astronomers. By mixing shared and distributed memory architectures, our framework effectively utilizes the underlying hardware infrastructure handling both batched and real-time data analysis and visualization tasks. Offering such functionality as a service in a “software as a service” manner will reduce the total cost of ownership, provide an easy to use tool to the wider astronomical community, and enable a more optimized utilization of the underlying hardware infrastructure.

Summary of long-baseline systematics session at CETUP*2014

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

Cherdack, Daniel; Worcester, Elizabeth

2015-10-15

A session studying systematics in long-baseline neutrino oscillation physics was held July 14-18, 2014 as part of CETUP* 2014. Systematic effects from flux normalization and modeling, modeling of cross sections and nuclear interactions, and far detector effects were addressed. Experts presented the capabilities of existing and planned tools. A program of study to determine estimates of and requirements for the size of these effects was designed. This document summarizes the results of the CETUP* systematics workshop and the current status of systematic uncertainty studies in long-baseline neutrino oscillation measurements.

Systematic review and meta-analysis of remotely delivered interventions using self-monitoring or tailored feedback to change dietary behavior.

PubMed

Teasdale, Natalie; Elhussein, Ahmed; Butcher, Frances; Piernas, Carmen; Cowburn, Gill; Hartmann-Boyce, Jamie; Saksena, Rhea; Scarborough, Peter

2018-02-01

Self-monitoring (SM) of diet and tailored feedback (TF) have been suggested as tools for changing dietary behavior. New technologies allow users to monitor behavior remotely, potentially improving reach, adherence, and outcomes. We conducted a systematic literature review and meta-analysis to address the following question: are remotely delivered standalone (i.e., no human contact) interventions that use SM or TF effective in changing eating behaviors? Five databases were searched in October 2016 (updated in September 2017). Only randomized controlled trials published after 1990 were included. Trials could include any adult population with no history of disordered eating which delivered an SM or TF intervention without direct contact and recorded actual dietary consumption as an outcome. Three assessors independently screened the search results. Two reviewers extracted the study characteristics, intervention details, and outcomes, and assessed risk of bias using the Cochrane tool. Results were converted to standardized mean differences and incorporated into a 3-level (individuals and outcomes nested in studies) random effects meta-analysis. Twenty-six studies containing 21,262 participants were identified. The majority of the studies were judged to be unclear or at high risk of bias. The meta-analysis showed dietary improvement in the intervention group compared to the control group with a standardized mean difference of 0.17 (95% CI: 0.10, 0.24; P < 0.0001). The I2 statistic for the meta-analysis was 0.77, indicating substantial heterogeneity in results. A "one study removed" sensitivity analysis showed that no single study excessively influenced the results. Standalone interventions containing self-regulatory methods have a small but significant effect on dietary behavior, and integrating these elements could be important in future interventions. However, there was substantial variation in study results that could not be explained by the characteristics we explored, and there were risk-of-bias concerns with the majority of studies.

Systematic review and meta-analysis of remotely delivered interventions using self-monitoring or tailored feedback to change dietary behavior

PubMed Central

Teasdale, Natalie; Elhussein, Ahmed; Butcher, Frances; Piernas, Carmen; Cowburn, Gill; Hartmann-Boyce, Jamie; Saksena, Rhea; Scarborough, Peter

2018-01-01

ABSTRACT Background Self-monitoring (SM) of diet and tailored feedback (TF) have been suggested as tools for changing dietary behavior. New technologies allow users to monitor behavior remotely, potentially improving reach, adherence, and outcomes. Objective We conducted a systematic literature review and meta-analysis to address the following question: are remotely delivered standalone (i.e., no human contact) interventions that use SM or TF effective in changing eating behaviors? Design Five databases were searched in October 2016 (updated in September 2017). Only randomized controlled trials published after 1990 were included. Trials could include any adult population with no history of disordered eating which delivered an SM or TF intervention without direct contact and recorded actual dietary consumption as an outcome. Three assessors independently screened the search results. Two reviewers extracted the study characteristics, intervention details, and outcomes, and assessed risk of bias using the Cochrane tool. Results were converted to standardized mean differences and incorporated into a 3-level (individuals and outcomes nested in studies) random effects meta-analysis. Results Twenty-six studies containing 21,262 participants were identified. The majority of the studies were judged to be unclear or at high risk of bias. The meta-analysis showed dietary improvement in the intervention group compared to the control group with a standardized mean difference of 0.17 (95% CI: 0.10, 0.24; P < 0.0001). The I2 statistic for the meta-analysis was 0.77, indicating substantial heterogeneity in results. A “one study removed” sensitivity analysis showed that no single study excessively influenced the results. Conclusions Standalone interventions containing self-regulatory methods have a small but significant effect on dietary behavior, and integrating these elements could be important in future interventions. However, there was substantial variation in study results that could not be explained by the characteristics we explored, and there were risk-of-bias concerns with the majority of studies. PMID:29529158

Assessing Predictive Validity of Pressure Ulcer Risk Scales- A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

PubMed Central

PARK, Seong-Hi; LEE, Hea Shoon

2016-01-01

Background: The purpose of this study was to present a scientific reason for pressure ulcer risk scales: Cubbin& Jackson modified Braden, Norton, and Waterlow, as a nursing diagnosis tool by utilizing predictive validity of pressure sores. Methods: Articles published between 1966 and 2013 from periodicals indexed in the Ovid Medline, Embase, CINAHL, KoreaMed, NDSL, and other databases were selected using the key word “pressure ulcer”. QUADAS-II was applied for assessment for internal validity of the diagnostic studies. Selected studies were analyzed using meta-analysis with MetaDisc 1.4. Results: Seventeen diagnostic studies with high methodological quality, involving 5,185 patients, were included. In the results of the meta-analysis, sROC AUC of Braden, Norton, and Waterflow scale was over 0.7, showing moderate predictive validity, but they have limited interpretation due to significant differences between studies. In addition, Waterlow scale is insufficient as a screening tool owing to low sensitivity compared with other scales. Conclusion: The contemporary pressure ulcer risk scale is not suitable for uninform practice on patients under standardized criteria. Therefore, in order to provide more effective nursing care for bedsores, a new or modified pressure ulcer risk scale should be developed upon strength and weaknesses of existing tools. PMID:27114977

A systematic writing program as a tool in the grief process: part 1.

PubMed

Furnes, Bodil; Dysvik, Elin

2010-12-06

The basic aim of this paper is to suggest a flexible and individualized writing program as a tool for use during the grief process of bereaved adults. An open, qualitative approach following distinct steps was taken to gain a broad perspective on the grief and writing processes, as a platform for the writing program. Following several systematic methodological steps, we arrived at suggestions for the initiation of a writing program and its structure and substance, with appropriate guidelines. We believe that open and expressive writing, including free writing and focused writing, may have beneficial effects on a person experiencing grief. These writing forms may be undertaken and systematized through a writing program, with participation in a grief writing group and with diary writing, to achieve optimal results. A structured writing program might be helpful in promoting thought activities and as a tool to increase the coherence and understanding of individuals in the grief process. Our suggested program may also be a valuable guide to future program development and research.

Economic evaluation of medical tests at the early phases of development: a systematic review of empirical studies.

PubMed

Frempong, Samuel N; Sutton, Andrew J; Davenport, Clare; Barton, Pelham

2018-02-01

There is little specific guidance on the implementation of cost-effectiveness modelling at the early stage of test development. The aim of this study was to review the literature in this field to examine the methodologies and tools that have been employed to date. Areas Covered: A systematic review to identify relevant studies in established literature databases. Five studies were identified and included for narrative synthesis. These studies revealed that there is no consistent approach in this growing field. The perspective of patients and the potential for value of information (VOI) to provide information on the value of future research is often overlooked. Test accuracy is an essential consideration, with most studies having described and included all possible test results in their analysis, and conducted extensive sensitivity analyses on important parameters. Headroom analysis was considered in some instances but at the early development stage (not the concept stage). Expert commentary: The techniques available to modellers that can demonstrate the value of conducting further research and product development (i.e. VOI analysis, headroom analysis) should be better utilized. There is the need for concerted efforts to develop rigorous methodology in this growing field to maximize the value and quality of such analysis.

Role of the ultrasonographic 'whirlpool sign' in intestinal volvulus: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

PubMed

Enyuma, Callistus O A; Adam, Ahmed; Aigbodion, Sunday J; McDowall, Jared; Gerber, Louis; Buchanan, Sean; Laher, Abdullah E

2018-05-08

Intestinal volvulus is a potentially life-threatening condition that occurs when loops of bowel twist around its supporting mesentery and associated vasculature. Clinicians often rely on various radiological investigations for prompt diagnosis to avoid complications such as bowel infarction. This review assesses the clinical reliability of the ultrasonographic whirlpool sign (WS) in the diagnosis of intestinal volvulus. In adherence with the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-analyses) statement, a systematic search of BMJ Best Practice, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, EMBASE, Google Scholar, PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science databases was performed (August 2017), using relevant search terms. Selected studies were ranked for quality and relevance using the CASP (Critical Appraisal Skills Program) tool. Sixteen articles (1640 participants) were assessed. The mean and median sample size was 102.5 (SD ± 192.23) and 28 (range 7-770), respectively. The WS was positive in 212 of 255 (83.1%) patients with intestinal volvulus. Meta-analysis of the studies that provided sufficient data resulted in a pooled sensitivity and specificity of 87.42% (95% confidence interval (CI): 81.05-92.25) and 98.63% (95% CI: 97.88-99.18), respectively, with an estimated summary effect of 5.28 (95% CI: 4.47-6.08, P < 0.001). There was negligible inter-study heterogeneity, which was suggested by an I 2 statistic of 0% (95% CI: 0.00-76.34) and a τ 2 parameter of 0 (95% CI: 0.00-5.35). Though the pooled sensitivity was less than ideal (87.42%), this review and meta-analysis nevertheless supports the reliability of the ultrasonographic WS as an acceptable indicator of intestinal volvulus. © 2018 Royal Australasian College of Surgeons.

Kind of blue: A systematic review and meta-analysis of music interventions in cancer treatment.

PubMed

Bro, Margrethe Langer; Jespersen, Kira Vibe; Hansen, Julie Bolvig; Vuust, Peter; Abildgaard, Niels; Gram, Jeppe; Johansen, Christoffer

2018-02-01

Music may be a valuable and low-cost coping strategy for cancer patients. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to identify the psychological and physical effects of music interventions in cancer treatment. We included randomized, controlled trials with adult patients in active cancer treatment exposed to different music interventions versus control conditions. Qualitative studies and systematic reviews were excluded. We identified a total of 2624 records through 2 systematic searches (June 2015 and September 2016) in PubMed, Scopus, EMBASE, Cinahl, Web of Science, Cochrane, and PsycINFO and used Risk of Bias Assessment, GRADE and Checklist for Reporting Music-Based Interventions to evaluate the music applied and quality of the studies. We conducted meta-analyses using Review Manager (version 5.3). PROSPERO reg. no. CRD42015026024. We included 25 RCT's (N = 1784) of which 20 were eligible for the meta-analysis (N = 1565). Music reduced anxiety (SMD -0·80 [95% CI, -1.35 to -0.25]), pain (SMD -0.88 [95% CI -1.45 to -0.32]), and improved mood (SMD -0.55 [95% CI, -0.98 to -0.13]). However, studies were hampered by heterogeneity with I 2 varying between 54% and 96%. Quality of the studies ranged from very low to low. The most effective mode of music intervention appeared to be passive listening to self-selected, recorded music in a single session design. Music may be a tool in reducing anxiety, pain, and improving mood among patients with cancer in active treatment. However, methodological limitations in the studies conducted so far prevent firm conclusions. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Reliability and validity of depression assessment among persons with HIV in sub-Saharan Africa: systematic review and meta-analysis

PubMed Central

Tsai, Alexander C.

2014-01-01

OBJECTIVES To systematically review the reliability and validity of instruments used to screen for major depressive disorder or assess depression symptom severity among persons with HIV in sub-Saharan Africa. DESIGN Systematic review and meta-analysis. METHODS A systematic evidence search protocol was applied to seven bibliographic databases. Studies examining the reliability and/or validity of depression assessment tools were selected for inclusion if they were based on data collected from HIV-positive adults in any African member state of the United Nations. Random-effects meta-analysis was employed to calculate pooled estimates of depression prevalence. In a subgroup of studies of criterion-related validity, the bivariate random-effects model was used to calculate pooled estimates of sensitivity and specificity. RESULTS Of 1,117 records initially identified, I included 13 studies of 5,373 persons with HIV in 7 sub-Saharan African countries. Reported estimates of Cronbach’s alpha ranged from 0.63–0.95, and analyses of internal structure generally confirmed the existence of a depression-like construct accounting for a substantial portion of variance. The pooled prevalence of probable depression was 29.5% (95% CI, 20.5–39.4), while the pooled prevalence of major depressive disorder was 13.9% (95% CI, 9.7–18.6). The Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression scale was the most frequently studied instrument, with a pooled sensitivity of 0.82 (95% CI, 0.73–0.87) for detecting major depressive disorder. CONCLUSIONS Depression screening instruments yielded relatively high false positive rates. Overall, few studies described the reliability and/or validity of depression instruments in sub-Saharan Africa. PMID:24853307

Land surface Verification Toolkit (LVT)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kumar, Sujay V.

2017-01-01

LVT is a framework developed to provide an automated, consolidated environment for systematic land surface model evaluation Includes support for a range of in-situ, remote-sensing and other model and reanalysis products. Supports the analysis of outputs from various LIS subsystems, including LIS-DA, LIS-OPT, LIS-UE. Note: The Land Information System Verification Toolkit (LVT) is a NASA software tool designed to enable the evaluation, analysis and comparison of outputs generated by the Land Information System (LIS). The LVT software is released under the terms and conditions of the NASA Open Source Agreement (NOSA) Version 1.1 or later. Land Information System Verification Toolkit (LVT) NOSA.

Cost estimation: An expert-opinion approach. [cost analysis of research projects using the Delphi method (forecasting)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Buffalano, C.; Fogleman, S.; Gielecki, M.

1976-01-01

A methodology is outlined which can be used to estimate the costs of research and development projects. The approach uses the Delphi technique a method developed by the Rand Corporation for systematically eliciting and evaluating group judgments in an objective manner. The use of the Delphi allows for the integration of expert opinion into the cost-estimating process in a consistent and rigorous fashion. This approach can also signal potential cost-problem areas. This result can be a useful tool in planning additional cost analysis or in estimating contingency funds. A Monte Carlo approach is also examined.

Instruments for assessing the risk of falls in acute hospitalized patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Falls are a serious problem for hospitalized patients, reducing the duration and quality of life. It is estimated that over 84% of all adverse events in hospitalized patients are related to falls. Some fall risk assessment tools have been developed and tested in environments other than those for which they were developed with serious validity discrepancies. The aim of this review is to determine the accuracy of instruments for detecting fall risk and predicting falls in acute hospitalized patients. Methods Systematic review and meta-analysis. Main databases, related websites and grey literature were searched. Two blinded reviewers evaluated title and abstracts of the selected articles and, if they met inclusion criteria, methodological quality was assessed in a new blinded process. Meta-analyses of diagnostic ORs (DOR) and likelihood (LH) coefficients were performed with the random effects method. Forest plots were calculated for sensitivity and specificity, DOR and LH. Additionally, summary ROC (SROC) curves were calculated for every analysis. Results Fourteen studies were selected for the review. The meta-analysis was performed with the Morse (MFS), STRATIFY and Hendrich II Fall Risk Model scales. The STRATIFY tool provided greater diagnostic validity, with a DOR value of 7.64 (4.86 - 12.00). A meta-regression was performed to assess the effect of average patient age over 65 years and the performance or otherwise of risk reassessments during the patient’s stay. The reassessment showed a significant reduction in the DOR on the MFS (rDOR 0.75, 95% CI: 0.64 - 0.89, p = 0.017). Conclusions The STRATIFY scale was found to be the best tool for assessing the risk of falls by hospitalized acutely-ill adults. However, the behaviour of these instruments varies considerably depending on the population and the environment, and so their operation should be tested prior to implementation. Further studies are needed to investigate the effect of the reassessment of these instruments with respect to hospitalized adult patients, and to consider the real compliance by healthcare personnel with procedures related to patient safety, and in particular concerning the prevention of falls. PMID:23547708

Is laser speckle contrast analysis (LASCA) the new kid on the block in systemic sclerosis? A systematic literature review and pilot study to evaluate reliability of LASCA to measure peripheral blood perfusion in scleroderma patients.

PubMed

Cutolo, Maurizio; Vanhaecke, Amber; Ruaro, Barbara; Deschepper, Ellen; Ickinger, Claudia; Melsens, Karin; Piette, Yves; Trombetta, Amelia Chiara; De Keyser, Filip; Smith, Vanessa

2018-06-06

A reliable tool to evaluate flow is paramount in systemic sclerosis (SSc). We describe herein on the one hand a systematic literature review on the reliability of laser speckle contrast analysis (LASCA) to measure the peripheral blood perfusion (PBP) in SSc and perform an additional pilot study, investigating the intra- and inter-rater reliability of LASCA. A systematic search was performed in 3 electronic databases, according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. In the pilot study, 30 SSc patients and 30 healthy subjects (HS) underwent LASCA assessment. Intra-rater reliability was assessed by having a first anchor rater performing the measurements at 2 time-points and inter-rater reliability by having the anchor rater and a team of second raters performing the measurements in 15 SSc and 30 HS. The measurements were repeated with a second anchor rater in the other 15 SSc patients, as external validation. Only 1 of the 14 records of interest identified through the systematic search was included in the final analysis. In the additional pilot study: intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC) for intra-rater reliability of the first anchor rater was 0.95 in SSc and 0.93 in HS, the ICC for inter-rater reliability was 0.97 in SSc and 0.93 in HS. Intra- and inter-rater reliability of the second anchor rater was 0.78 and 0.87. The identified literature regarding the reliability of LASCA measurements reports good to excellent inter-rater agreement. This very pilot study could confirm the reliability of LASCA measurements with good to excellent inter-rater agreement and found additionally good to excellent intra-rater reliability. Furthermore, similar results were found in the external validation. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier B.V.

A practical approach to evidence-based dentistry: VI: How to use a systematic review.

PubMed

Carrasco-Labra, Alonso; Brignardello-Petersen, Romina; Glick, Michael; Guyatt, Gordon H; Azarpazhooh, Amir

2015-04-01

Dental practitioners face new clinical challenges on a daily basis. New treatment options and diagnostic tools are disseminated quickly, and the volume of articles and new evidence is overwhelming. Systematic reviews summarize and synthesize the available evidence related to diagnosis, therapy, prognosis, and harm for clinicians, patients, and decision makers. Such reviews represent one of the most powerful tools to translate knowledge into action. The critical appraisal of this type of study involves assessing the risk of bias, results, and applicability of such study. The authors provide guidance for clinicians to critically appraise systematic reviews and apply the findings in clinical practice. Copyright © 2015 American Dental Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Disaster mental health preparedness in the community: A systematic review study

PubMed Central

Roudini, Juliet; Khankeh, Hamid Reza; Witruk, Evelin

2017-01-01

The objective of this study was to perform a systematic review of articles that cover aspects of disaster mental health preparedness. This assessment was done by a thorough review and summary of the available studies which provided a considerable background and amplified the gaps in knowledge about community mental health preparedness. By this systematic review, we tried to identify available concept of community mental health preparedness and related tools that communities and individuals will need to prepare for natural disasters. We found there is a lack of mental health preparedness in the majority of countries; valid and reliable tools and context-bound programs should be developed based on the experiences and perceptions of the community. PMID:28680695

Correcting systematic bias and instrument measurement drift with mzRefinery

DOE PAGES

Gibbons, Bryson C.; Chambers, Matthew C.; Monroe, Matthew E.; ...

2015-08-04

Systematic bias in mass measurement adversely affects data quality and negates the advantages of high precision instruments. We introduce the mzRefinery tool into the ProteoWizard package for calibration of mass spectrometry data files. Using confident peptide spectrum matches, three different calibration methods are explored and the optimal transform function is chosen. After calibration, systematic bias is removed and the mass measurement errors are centered at zero ppm. Because it is part of the ProteoWizard package, mzRefinery can read and write a wide variety of file formats. In conclusion, we report on availability; the mzRefinery tool is part of msConvert, availablemore » with the ProteoWizard open source package at http://proteowizard.sourceforge.net/« less

The use and impact of quality of life assessment tools in clinical care settings for cancer patients, with a particular emphasis on brain cancer: insights from a systematic review and stakeholder consultations.

PubMed

King, Sarah; Exley, Josephine; Parks, Sarah; Ball, Sarah; Bienkowska-Gibbs, Teresa; MacLure, Calum; Harte, Emma; Stewart, Katherine; Larkin, Jody; Bottomley, Andrew; Marjanovic, Sonja

2016-09-01

Patient-reported data are playing an increasing role in health care. In oncology, data from quality of life (QoL) assessment tools may be particularly important for those with limited survival prospects, where treatments aim to prolong survival while maintaining or improving QoL. This paper examines the use and impact of using QoL measures on health care of cancer patients within a clinical setting, particularly those with brain cancer. It also examines facilitators and challenges, and provides implications for policy and practice. We conducted a systematic literature review, 15 expert interviews and a consultation at an international summit. The systematic review found no relevant intervention studies specifically in brain cancer patients, and after expanding our search to include other cancers, 15 relevant studies were identified. The evidence on the effectiveness of using QoL tools was inconsistent for patient management, but somewhat more consistent in favour of improving patient-physician communication. Interviews identified unharnessed potential and growing interest in QoL tool use and associated challenges to address. Our findings suggest that the use of QoL tools in cancer patients may improve patient-physician communication and have the potential to improve care, but the tools are not currently widely used in clinical practice (in brain cancer nor some other cancer contexts) although they are in clinical trials. There is a need for further research and stakeholder engagement on how QoL tools can achieve most impact across cancer and patient contexts. There is also a need for policy, health professional, research and patient communities to strengthen information exchange and debate, support awareness raising and provide training on tool design, use and interpretation.

How to promote adverse drug reaction reports using information systems - a systematic review and meta-analysis.

PubMed

Ribeiro-Vaz, Inês; Silva, Ana-Marta; Costa Santos, Cristina; Cruz-Correia, Ricardo

2016-03-01

Adverse drug reactions (ADRs) are a well-recognized public health problem and a major cause of death and hospitalization in developed countries. The safety of a new drug cannot be established until it has been on the market for several years. Keeping drug reactions under surveillance through pharmacovigilance systems is indispensable. However, underreporting is a major issue that undermines the effectiveness of spontaneous reports. Our work presents a systematic review on the use of information systems for the promotion of ADR reporting. The aim of this work is to describe the state of the art information systems used to promote adverse drug reaction reporting. A systematic review was performed with quantitative analysis of studies describing or evaluating the use of information systems to promote adverse drug reaction reporting. Studies with data related to the number of ADRs reported before and after each intervention and the follow-up period were included in the quantitative analysis. From a total of 3865 articles, 33 articles were included in the analysis; these articles described 29 different projects. Most of the projects were on a regional scale (62 %) and were performed in a hospital context (52 %). A total of 76 % performed passive promotion of ADR reporting and used web-based software (55 %). A total of 72 % targeted healthcare professionals and 24 % were oriented to patient ADR reporting. We performed a meta-analysis of 7 of the 29 projects to calculate the aggregated measure of the ADR reporting increase, which had an overall measure of 2.1 (indicating that the interventions doubled the number of ADRs reported). We found that most of the projects performed passive promotion of ADR reporting (i.e., facilitating the process). They were developed in hospitals and were tailored to healthcare professionals. These interventions doubled the number of ADR reports. We believe that it would be useful to develop systems to assist healthcare professionals with completing ADR reporting within electronic health records because this approach seems to be an efficient method to increase the ADR reporting rate. When this approach is not possible, it is essential to have a tool that is easily accessible on the web to report ADRs. This tool can be promoted by sending emails or through the inclusion of direct hyperlinks on healthcare professionals' desktops.

Comparative safety of anti-epileptic drugs among infants and children exposed in utero or during breastfeeding: protocol for a systematic review and network meta-analysis.

PubMed

Tricco, Andrea C; Cogo, Elise; Angeliki, Veroniki A; Soobiah, Charlene; Hutton, Brian; Hemmelgarn, Brenda R; Moher, David; Finkelstein, Yaron; Straus, Sharon E

2014-06-25

Epilepsy affects about 1% of the general population. Anti-epileptic drugs (AEDs) prevent or terminate seizures in individuals with epilepsy. Pregnant women with epilepsy may continue taking AEDs. Many of these agents cross the placenta and increase the risk of major congenital malformations, early cognitive and developmental delays, and infant mortality. We aim to evaluate the comparative safety of AEDs approved for chronic use in Canada when administered to pregnant and breastfeeding women and the effects on their infants and children through a systematic review and network meta-analysis. Studies examining the effects of AEDs administered to pregnant and breastfeeding women regardless of indication (e.g., epilepsy, migraine, pain, psychiatric disorders) on their infants and children will be included. We will include randomized clinical trials (RCTs), quasi-RCTs, non-RCTs, controlled before-after, interrupted time series, cohort, registry, and case-control studies. The main literature search will be executed in MEDLINE, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials. We will seek unpublished literature through searches of trial protocol registries and conference abstracts. The literature search results screening, data abstraction, and risk of bias appraisal will be performed by two individuals, independently. Conflicts will be resolved through discussion. The risk of bias of experimental and quasi-experimental studies will be appraised using the Cochrane Effective Practice and Organization of Care Risk-of-Bias tool, methodological quality of observational studies will be appraised using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale, and quality of reporting of safety outcomes will be conducted using the McMaster Quality Assessment Scale of Harms (McHarm) tool. If feasible and appropriate, we will conduct random effects meta-analysis. Network meta-analysis will be considered for outcomes that fulfill network meta-analysis assumptions.The primary outcome is major congenital malformations (overall and by specific types), while secondary outcomes include fetal loss/miscarriage, minor congenital malformations (overall and by specific types), cognitive development, psychomotor development, small for gestational age, preterm delivery, and neonatal seizures. Our systematic review will address safety concerns regarding the use of AEDs during pregnancy and breastfeeding. Our results will be useful to healthcare providers, policy-makers, and women of childbearing age who are taking anti-epileptic medications. PROSPERO CRD42014008925.

Systematic Review Protocol to Assess the Effectiveness of Usability Questionnaires in mHealth App Studies.

PubMed

Zhou, Leming; Bao, Jie; Parmanto, Bambang

2017-08-01

Usability questionnaires have a wide use in mobile health (mHealth) app usability studies. However, no systematic review has been conducted for assessing the effectiveness of these questionnaires. This paper describes a protocol for conducting a systematic review of published questionnaire-based mHealth app usability studies. In this systematic review, we will select recently published (2008-2017) articles from peer-reviewed journals and conferences that describe mHealth app usability studies and implement at least one usability questionnaire. The search strategy will include terms such as "mobile app" and "usability." Multiple databases such as PubMed, CINAHL, IEEE Xplore, ACM Digital Library, and INSPEC will be searched. There will be 2 independent reviewers in charge of screening titles and abstracts as well as determining those articles that should be included for a full-text review. The third reviewer will act as a mediator between the other 2 reviewers. Moreover, a data extraction form will be created and used during the full article data analysis. Notably, the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Protocols (PRISMA-P) guidelines will be followed in reporting this protocol. A preliminary search produced 1271 articles, 40 of which are duplicate records. The inclusion-exclusion criteria are being strictly followed in performing the ongoing study selection. Usability questionnaires are an important tool in mHealth app usability studies. This review will summarize the usability questionnaires used in published research articles while assessing the efficacy of these questionnaires in determining the usability of mHealth apps. ©Leming Zhou, Jie Bao, Bambang Parmanto. Originally published in JMIR Research Protocols (http://www.researchprotocols.org), 01.08.2017.

Cost-effectiveness of Colorectal Cancer Screening and Treatment Methods: Mapping of Systematic Reviews

PubMed Central

Abdolahi, Hossein Mashhadi; Asiabar, Ali Sarabi; Azami-Aghdash, Saber; Pournaghi-Azar, Fatemeh; Rezapour, Aziz

2018-01-01

Objective: Due to extensive literature on colorectal cancer and their heterogeneous results, this study aimed to summarize the systematic reviews which review the cost-effectiveness studies on different aspects of colorectal cancer. Methods: The required data were collected by searching the following key words according to MeSH: “colorectal cancer,” “colorectal oncology,” “colorectal carcinoma,” “colorectal neoplasm,” “colorectal tumors,” “cost-effectiveness,” “systematic review,” and “meta-analysis.” The following databases were searched: PubMed, Cochrane, Google Scholar, and Scopus. Two reviewers evaluated the articles according to the checklist of “assessment of multiple systematic reviews” (AMSTAR) tool. Results: Finally, eight systematic reviews were included in the study. The Drummond checklist was mostly used for assessing the quality of the articles. The main perspective was related to the payer and the least was relevant to the social. The majority of the cases referred to sensitivity analysis (in 76% of the cases) and the lowest point also was allocated to discounting (in 37% of cases). The Markov model was used most widely in the studies. Treatment methods examined in the studies were not cost-effective in comparison with the studied units. Among the screening methods, computerized tomographic colonography and fecal DNA were cost-effective. The average score of the articles’ qualities was high (9.8 out of 11). Conclusions: The community perspective should be taken into consideration at large in the studies. It is necessary to pay more attention to discounting subject in studies. More frequent application of the Markov model is recommended. PMID:29379836

A systematic policy approach to changing the food system and physical activity environments to prevent obesity.

PubMed

Sacks, Gary; Swinburn, Boyd A; Lawrence, Mark A

2008-06-05

As obesity prevention becomes an increasing health priority in many countries, including Australia and New Zealand, the challenge that governments are now facing is how to adopt a systematic policy approach to increase healthy eating and regular physical activity. This article sets out a structure for systematically identifying areas for obesity prevention policy action across the food system and full range of physical activity environments. Areas amenable to policy intervention can be systematically identified by considering policy opportunities for each level of governance (local, state, national, international and organisational) in each sector of the food system (primary production, food processing, distribution, marketing, retail, catering and food service) and each sector that influences physical activity environments (infrastructure and planning, education, employment, transport, sport and recreation). Analysis grids are used to illustrate, in a structured fashion, the broad array of areas amenable to legal and regulatory intervention across all levels of governance and all relevant sectors. In the Australian context, potential regulatory policy intervention areas are widespread throughout the food system, e.g., land-use zoning (primary production within local government), food safety (food processing within state government), food labelling (retail within national government). Policy areas for influencing physical activity are predominantly local and state government responsibilities including, for example, walking and cycling environments (infrastructure and planning sector) and physical activity education in schools (education sector). The analysis structure presented in this article provides a tool to systematically identify policy gaps, barriers and opportunities for obesity prevention, as part of the process of developing and implementing a comprehensive obesity prevention strategy. It also serves to highlight the need for a coordinated approach to policy development and implementation across all levels of government in order to ensure complementary policy action.

Innovative tools for quality assessment: integrated quality criteria for review of multiple study designs (ICROMS).

PubMed

Zingg, W; Castro-Sanchez, E; Secci, F V; Edwards, R; Drumright, L N; Sevdalis, N; Holmes, A H

2016-04-01

With the aim to facilitate a more comprehensive review process in public health including patient safety, we established a tool that we have termed ICROMS (Integrated quality Criteria for the Review Of Multiple Study designs), which unifies, integrates and refines current quality criteria for a large range of study designs including qualitative research. Review, pilot testing and expert consensus. The tool is the result of an iterative four phase process over two years: 1) gathering of established criteria for assessing controlled, non-controlled and qualitative study designs; 2) pilot testing of a first version in two systematic reviews on behavioural change in infection prevention and control and in antibiotic prescribing; 3) further refinement and adding of additional study designs in the context of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control funded project 'Systematic review and evidence-based guidance on organisation of hospital infection control programmes' (SIGHT); 4) scrutiny by the pan-European expert panel of the SIGHT project, which had the objective of ensuring robustness of the systematic review. ICROMS includes established quality criteria for randomised studies, controlled before-and-after studies and interrupted time series, and incorporates criteria for non-controlled before-and-after studies, cohort studies and qualitative studies. The tool consists of two parts: 1) a list of quality criteria specific for each study design, as well as criteria applicable across all study designs by using a scoring system; 2) a 'decision matrix', which specifies the robustness of the study by identifying minimum requirements according to the study type and the relevance of the study to the review question. The decision matrix directly determines inclusion or exclusion of a study in the review. ICROMS was applied to a series of systematic reviews to test its feasibility and usefulness in the appraisal of multiple study designs. The tool was applicable across a wide range of study designs and outcome measures. ICROMS is a comprehensive yet feasible appraisal of a large range of study designs to be included in systematic reviews addressing behaviour change studies in patient safety and public health. The tool is sufficiently flexible to be applied to a variety of other domains in health-related research. Beyond its application to systematic reviews, we envisage that ICROMS can have a positive effect on researchers to be more rigorous in their study design and more diligent in their reporting. Copyright © 2015 The Royal Society for Public Health. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Comprehensive metabolomic profiling and incident cardiovascular disease: a systematic review

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Background: Metabolomics is a promising tool of cardiovascular biomarker discovery. We systematically reviewed the literature on comprehensive metabolomic profiling in association with incident cardiovascular disease (CVD). Methods and Results: We searched MEDLINE and EMBASE from inception to Janua...

Effectiveness of acupuncture for cancer pain: protocol for an umbrella review and meta-analyses of controlled trials

PubMed Central

He, Yihan; Liu, Yihong; May, Brian H; Zhang, Anthony Lin; Zhang, Haibo; Lu, ChuanJian; Yang, Lihong; Guo, Xinfeng; Xue, Charlie Changli

2017-01-01

Introduction The National Comprehensive Cancer Network guidelines for adult cancer pain indicate that acupuncture and related therapies may be valuable additions to pharmacological interventions for pain management. Of the systematic reviews related to this topic, some concluded that acupuncture was promising for alleviating cancer pain, while others argued that the evidence was insufficient to support its effectiveness. Methods and analysis This review will consist of three components: (1) synthesis of findings from existing systematic reviews; (2) updated meta-analyses of randomised clinical trials and (3) analyses of results of other types of clinical studies. We will search six English and four Chinese biomedical databases, dissertations and grey literature to identify systematic reviews and primary clinical studies. Two reviewers will screen results of the literature searches independently to identify included reviews and studies. Data from included articles will be abstracted for assessment, analysis and summary. Two assessors will appraise the quality of systematic reviews using Assessment of Multiple Systematic Reviews; assess the randomised controlled trials using the Cochrane Collaboration’s risk of bias tool and other types of studies according to the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. We will use ‘summary of evidence’ tables to present evidence from existing systematic reviews and meta-analyses. Using the primary clinical studies, we will conduct meta-analysis for each outcome, by grouping studies based on the type of acupuncture, the comparator and the specific type of pain. Sensitivity analyses are planned according to clinical factors, acupuncture method, methodological characteristics and presence of statistical heterogeneity as applicable. For the non-randomised studies, we will tabulate the characteristics, outcome measures and the reported results of each study. Consistencies and inconsistencies in evidence will be investigated and discussed. Finally, we will use the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation approach to evaluate the quality of the overall evidence. Ethics and dissemination There are no ethical considerations associated with this review. The findings will be disseminated in peer-reviewed journals or conference presentations. PROSPERO registration number CRD42017064113. PMID:29229658

Customisation of the exome data analysis pipeline using a combinatorial approach.

PubMed

Pattnaik, Swetansu; Vaidyanathan, Srividya; Pooja, Durgad G; Deepak, Sa; Panda, Binay

2012-01-01

The advent of next generation sequencing (NGS) technologies have revolutionised the way biologists produce, analyse and interpret data. Although NGS platforms provide a cost-effective way to discover genome-wide variants from a single experiment, variants discovered by NGS need follow up validation due to the high error rates associated with various sequencing chemistries. Recently, whole exome sequencing has been proposed as an affordable option compared to whole genome runs but it still requires follow up validation of all the novel exomic variants. Customarily, a consensus approach is used to overcome the systematic errors inherent to the sequencing technology, alignment and post alignment variant detection algorithms. However, the aforementioned approach warrants the use of multiple sequencing chemistry, multiple alignment tools, multiple variant callers which may not be viable in terms of time and money for individual investigators with limited informatics know-how. Biologists often lack the requisite training to deal with the huge amount of data produced by NGS runs and face difficulty in choosing from the list of freely available analytical tools for NGS data analysis. Hence, there is a need to customise the NGS data analysis pipeline to preferentially retain true variants by minimising the incidence of false positives and make the choice of right analytical tools easier. To this end, we have sampled different freely available tools used at the alignment and post alignment stage suggesting the use of the most suitable combination determined by a simple framework of pre-existing metrics to create significant datasets.

Association between physical activity, sedentary behavior, and fitness with health related quality of life in healthy children and adolescents: A protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis.

PubMed

Bermejo-Cantarero, Alberto; Álvarez-Bueno, Celia; Martinez-Vizcaino, Vicente; García-Hermoso, Antonio; Torres-Costoso, Ana Isabel; Sánchez-López, Mairena

2017-03-01

Health related quality of life (HRQoL) is a subjective, multidimensional and changing over time construct. When HRQoL is decreased, a child is less likely to be able to develop normally and mature into a healthy adult. Physical inactivity is a priority public health problem. Evidence suggests how even moderate levels of physical activity or high fitness levels are associated with benefits for the health in children and adolescents. The aims of this systematic review are to examine the evidence about the relationship between physical activity, sedentary behavior, and fitness with HRQoL, and estimate the effects of interventions that have tested the effectiveness of the increase of the physical activity, the improvement of the physical fitness or the avoidance of sedentary behaviors in HRQoL in healthy subjects aged under 18 years old. This systematic review and meta-analysis protocol was conducted following the preferred reporting items for systematic review and meta-analysis protocols (PRISMA-P) statement. To identify relevant studies, the following electronic databases will be searched: MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane Database, Web of Science, and PEDro. Reference lists of relevant studies will be examined for links to potential related articles. The methodological quality of the observational included studies will be scored using a quality assessment checklist. For the intervention studies, the risk of bias will be estimated using The Cochrane Collaboration tool for assessing risk of bias. Reviewers will determine whether a meta-analysis is possible when data have been extracted. If it is, subgroup analyses will be carried out by age and socioeconomic status, and by the different dimensions of the HRQoL. If is not possible, a descriptive analysis will be conducted. To our knowledge, this systematic review and meta-analysis will be the first that synthesizes the existing results about the relationship between physical activity, sedentary behavior, physical fitness, and HRQoL, and the effect of physical activity interventions on HRQoL, in healthy subjects under 18 years old. This study will clarify this relationship and will provide evidence for decision-making. Limitations may include the quality of the selected studies and their characteristics. Only studies published in English and Spanish will be included. PROSPERO CRD42015025823.

Application of systematic review methodology to the field of nutrition.

PubMed

Lichtenstein, Alice H; Yetley, Elizabeth A; Lau, Joseph

2008-12-01

Systematic reviews represent a rigorous and transparent approach to synthesizing scientific evidence that minimizes bias. They evolved within the medical community to support development of clinical and public health practice guidelines, set research agendas, and formulate scientific consensus statements. The use of systematic reviews for nutrition-related topics is more recent. Systematic reviews provide independently conducted comprehensive and objective assessments of available information addressing precise questions. This approach to summarizing available data is a useful tool for identifying the state of science including knowledge gaps and associated research needs, supporting development of science-based recommendations and guidelines, and serving as the foundation for updates as new data emerge. Our objective is to describe the steps for performing systematic reviews and highlight areas unique to the discipline of nutrition that are important to consider in data assessment. The steps involved in generating systematic reviews include identifying staffing and planning for outside expert input, forming a research team, developing an analytic framework, developing and refining research questions, defining eligibility criteria, identifying search terms, screening abstracts according to eligibility criteria, retrieving articles for evaluation, constructing evidence and summary tables, assessing methodological quality and applicability, and synthesizing results including performing meta-analysis, if appropriate. Unique and at times challenging, nutrition-related considerations include baseline nutrient exposure, nutrient status, bioequivalence of bioactive compounds, bioavailability, multiple and interrelated biological functions, undefined nature of some interventions, and uncertainties in intake assessment. Systematic reviews are a valuable and independent component of decision-making processes by groups responsible for developing science-based recommendations and policies.

Methodological quality of systematic reviews addressing femoroacetabular impingement.

PubMed

Kowalczuk, Marcin; Adamich, John; Simunovic, Nicole; Farrokhyar, Forough; Ayeni, Olufemi R

2015-09-01

As the body of literature on femoroacetabular impingement (FAI) continues to grow, clinicians turn to systematic reviews to remain current with the best available evidence. The quality of systematic reviews in the FAI literature is currently unknown. The goal of this study was to assess the quality of the reporting of systematic reviews addressing FAI over the last 11 years (2003-2014) and to identify the specific methodological shortcomings and strengths. A search of the electronic databases, MEDLINE, EMBASE and PubMed, was performed to identify relevant systematic reviews. Methodological quality was assessed by two reviewers using the revised assessment of multiple systematic reviews (R-AMSTAR) scoring tool. An intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) with 95 % confidence intervals (CI) was used to determine agreement between reviewers on R-AMSTAR quality scores. A total of 22 systematic reviews were assessed for methodological quality. The mean consensus R-AMSTAR score across all studies was 26.7 out of 40.0, indicating fair methodological quality. An ICC of 0.931, 95 % CI 0.843-0.971 indicated excellent agreement between reviewers during the scoring process. The systematic reviews addressing FAI are generally of fair methodological quality. Use of tools such as the R-AMSTAR score or PRISMA guidelines while designing future systematic reviews can assist in eliminating methodological shortcomings identified in this review. These shortcomings need to be kept in mind by clinicians when applying the current literature to their patient populations and making treatment decisions. Systematic reviews of highest methodological quality should be used by clinicians when possible to answer clinical questions.

The use of GRADE approach in systematic reviews of animal studies.

PubMed

Wei, Dang; Tang, Kun; Wang, Qi; Estill, Janne; Yao, Liang; Wang, Xiaoqin; Chen, Yaolong; Yang, Kehu

2016-03-15

The application of GRADE (Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation) in SR of animal studies can promote the translation from bench to bedside. We aim to explore the use of GRADE in systematic reviews of animal studies. We used a theoretical analysis method to explore the use of GRADE in SR of animal studies and applied in a SR of animal studies. Meanwhile, we presented and discussed our results in two international conferences. Five downgrade factors were considered as follows in systematic reviews of animal studies: 1) Risk of bias: the SYRCLE tool can be used for assessing the risk of bias of animal studies. 2) Indirectness: we can assess indirectness in systematic reviews of animal studies from the PICO. 3) Inconsistency: similarity of point estimates, extent of overlap of confidence intervals and statistical heterogeneity are also suitable to evaluate inconsistency of evidence from animal studies. 4) Imprecision: optimal information size (OIS) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) are also suitable for systematic reviews of animal studies, like those of clinical trials. 5) Publication bias: we need to consider publication bias comprehensively through the qualitative and quantitative methods. The methods about the use of GRADE in systematic review of animal studies are explicit. However, the principle about GRADE in developing the policy based on the evidence from animal studies when there is an emergency of public health. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Protocol for a systematic review of psychological interventions for cancer-related fatigue in post-treatment cancer survivors.

PubMed

Corbett, Teresa; Devane, Declan; Walsh, Jane C; Groarke, AnnMarie; McGuire, Brian E

2015-12-04

Fatigue is a common symptom in cancer patients that can persist beyond the curative treatment phase. Some evidence has been reported for interventions for fatigue during active treatment. However, to date, there is no systematic review on psychological interventions for fatigue after the completion of curative treatment for cancer. This is a protocol for a systematic review that aims to evaluate the effectiveness of psychological interventions for cancer-related fatigue in post-treatment cancer survivors. This systematic review protocol was registered with the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO) database. We will search the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL; The Cochrane Library), PubMed, MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, PsycINFO, and relevant sources of grey literature. Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) which have evaluated psychological interventions in adult cancer patients after the completion of treatment, with fatigue as an outcome measure, will be included. Two review authors will independently extract data from the selected studies and assess the methodological quality using the Cochrane Collaboration Risk of Bias Tool. Most existing evidence on cancer-related fatigue is from those in active cancer treatment. This systematic review and meta-analysis will build upon previous evaluations of psychological interventions in people during and after cancer treatment. With the growing need for stage-specific research in cancer, this review seeks to highlight a gap in current practice and to strengthen the evidence base of randomised controlled trials in the area. PROSPERO CRD42014015219.

Faith-adapted psychological therapies for depression and anxiety: Systematic review and meta-analysis.

PubMed

Anderson, Naomi; Heywood-Everett, Suzanne; Siddiqi, Najma; Wright, Judy; Meredith, Jodi; McMillan, Dean

2015-05-01

Incorporating faith (religious or spiritual) perspectives into psychological treatments has attracted significant interest in recent years. However, previous suggestion that good psychiatric care should include spiritual components has provoked controversy. To try to address ongoing uncertainty in this field we present a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess the efficacy of faith-based adaptations of bona fide psychological therapies for depression or anxiety. A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials were performed. The literature search yielded 2274 citations of which 16 studies were eligible for inclusion. All studies used cognitive or cognitive behavioural models as the basis for their faith-adapted treatment (F-CBT). We identified statistically significant benefits of using F-CBT. However, quality assessment using the Cochrane risk of bias tool revealed methodological limitations that reduce the apparent strength of these findings. Whilst the effect sizes identified here were statistically significant, there were relatively a few relevant RCTs available, and those included were typically small and susceptible to significant biases. Biases associated with researcher or therapist allegiance were identified as a particular concern. Despite some suggestion that faith-adapted CBT may out-perform both standard CBT and control conditions (waiting list or "treatment as usual"), the effect sizes identified in this meta-analysis must be considered in the light of the substantial methodological limitations that affect the primary research data. Before firm recommendations about the value of faith-adapted treatments can be made, further large-scale, rigorously performed trials are required. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Using Principal Component and Tidal Analysis as a Quality Metric for Detecting Systematic Heading Uncertainty in Long-Term Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Morley, M. G.; Mihaly, S. F.; Dewey, R. K.; Jeffries, M. A.

2015-12-01

Ocean Networks Canada (ONC) operates the NEPTUNE and VENUS cabled ocean observatories to collect data on physical, chemical, biological, and geological ocean conditions over multi-year time periods. Researchers can download real-time and historical data from a large variety of instruments to study complex earth and ocean processes from their home laboratories. Ensuring that the users are receiving the most accurate data is a high priority at ONC, requiring quality assurance and quality control (QAQC) procedures to be developed for all data types. While some data types have relatively straightforward QAQC tests, such as scalar data range limits that are based on expected observed values or measurement limits of the instrument, for other data types the QAQC tests are more comprehensive. Long time series of ocean currents from Acoustic Doppler Current Profilers (ADCP), stitched together from multiple deployments over many years is one such data type where systematic data biases are more difficult to identify and correct. Data specialists at ONC are working to quantify systematic compass heading uncertainty in long-term ADCP records at each of the major study sites using the internal compass, remotely operated vehicle bearings, and more analytical tools such as principal component analysis (PCA) to estimate the optimal instrument alignments. In addition to using PCA, some work has been done to estimate the main components of the current at each site using tidal harmonic analysis. This paper describes the key challenges and presents preliminary PCA and tidal analysis approaches used by ONC to improve long-term observatory current measurements.

The effectiveness of massage and touch on behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia: A quantitative systematic review and meta-analysis.

PubMed

Wu, Jie; Wang, Yi; Wang, Zhiwen

2017-10-01

Many original studies have explored the effectiveness of massage and touch on behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia. However, the study design, interventions, measurements and outcomes varied among studies. To systematically evaluate the effectiveness of massage and touch on the behavioural and psychological symptoms of older people with dementia. A quantitative systematic review and meta-analysis. Cochrane Library, The Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) Library, PubMed, CINAHL, ProQuest Health & Medical Complete, SinoMed, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) and Wanfang were searched from the date the database established to January 2016. Randomized, controlled trials or quasi-experimental studies, involving massage and touch intervention for older people with dementia were considered to be included. Risk of bias assessment was performed using the Cochrane Collaboration's tool and meta-analysis was performed using Revman 5.3. A total of 11 studies, involving 526 older people were included. The results of the meta-analysis showed the total score of behavioural and psychological problems with older people with dementia and subgroup scores of physical aggressive behaviour, physical non-aggressive behaviour, verbal aggressive behaviour and verbal non-aggressive behaviour decreased significantly after receiving massage or touch, while the subgroups scores of anxiety, sadness and anger did not decreased significantly. Due to relatively small sample size and low quality of the included studies in this review, it is difficult to draw a conclusion on the effect of massage and touch on behavioural and psychological syndrome of dementia or implications for practice. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

A Systematic Review of Economic Analysis of Surgical Mission Trips Using the World Health Organization Criteria.

PubMed

Nolte, Michael T; Maroukis, Brianna L; Chung, Kevin C; Mahmoudi, Elham

2016-08-01

Although the World Health Organization (WHO) has developed tools to standardize economic evaluations of global health interventions, little is known about the cost-effectiveness of surgical mission trips and their economic values. Our objective was to systematically evaluate the current literature on surgical volunteering trips to measure their adherence to WHO CHOosing Interventions that are cost-effective (WHO-CHOICE). We hypothesized that the majority of studies use some type of cost-effectiveness analysis that do not adhere to these standards. A systematic review of Pubmed, Medline, and Embase databases was performed in accordance with PRISMA guidelines, with inclusion criteria set a priori. Of the 908 publications screened, 72 were selected for full text review; 17 met inclusion criteria. Only 17 out of 72 studies reported some type of economic analysis. We categorized the studies into service, educational, and combination (service and educational) surgical trips. Although seven of the service studies calculated the cost per disability-adjusted life year averted, the results were not based on WHO-CHOICE standards to facilitate comparisons among alternative options. Furthermore, none of the three educational trips calculated the value of the education provided, but only published cost estimates of the resources used during the trip. Although a few studies performed some type of economic analysis, owing to their non-adherence to WHO-CHOICE standards, the results were not comparable to other studies. International surgical trips are expensive. To improve the efficacy and optimal use of limited resources, studies on surgical trips should follow the guidelines set by the WHO-CHOICE.

A Systematic Method for Reviewing and Analyzing Health Information on Consumer-Oriented Websites.

PubMed

Rew, Lynn; Saenz, Ashley; Walker, Lorraine O

2018-05-29

A discussion of a proposed method for analyzing the quality of consumer-oriented websites that provide health-related information. The quality of health information available to consumers online varies widely in quality. In an effort to improve the quality of online information, experts have undertaken systematic reviews on selected health topics; however, no standardized comprehensive methodology currently exists for such review. An eight-step method is recommended embracing the following steps: (1) select topic; (2) determine the purpose of the analysis; (3) select search terms and engines; (4) develop and apply website inclusion and exclusion criteria; (5) develop processes and tools to manage search results; (6) specify measures of quality; (7) compute readability; (8) evaluate websites. Each of these steps is illustrated in relation to the health topic of gynecomastia, a physical and mental health challenge for many adolescent males and young men. Although most extant analyses of consumer-oriented websites have focused on disease conditions and their treatment, website-analysis methodology would encourage analyses that fall into the nursing care domain. The method outlined in this paper is intended to provide nurses and others who work with specific patient populations with the tools needed for website analytic studies. Such studies provide a foundation for making recommendations about quality websites, as well as identifying gaps in online information for health consumers. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

An approach to addressing subpopulation considerations in systematic reviews: the experience of reviewers supporting the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force.

PubMed

Whitlock, Evelyn P; Eder, Michelle; Thompson, Jamie H; Jonas, Daniel E; Evans, Corinne V; Guirguis-Blake, Janelle M; Lin, Jennifer S

2017-03-02

Guideline developers and other users of systematic reviews need information about whether a medical or preventive intervention is likely to benefit or harm some patients more (or less) than the average in order to make clinical practice recommendations tailored to these populations. However, guidance is lacking on how to include patient subpopulation considerations into the systematic reviews upon which guidelines are often based. In this article, we describe methods developed to consistently consider the evidence for relevant subpopulations in systematic reviews conducted to support primary care clinical preventive service recommendations made by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF). Our approach is grounded in our experience conducting systematic reviews for the USPSTF and informed by a review of existing guidance on subgroup analysis and subpopulation issues. We developed and refined our approach based on feedback from the Subpopulation Workgroup of the USPSTF and pilot testing on reviews being conducted for the USPSTF. This paper provides processes and tools for incorporating evidence-based identification of important sources of potential heterogeneity of intervention effects into all phases of systematic reviews. Key components of our proposed approach include targeted literature searches and key informant interviews to identify the most important subpopulations a priori during topic scoping, a framework for assessing the credibility of subgroup analyses reported in studies, and structured investigation of sources of heterogeneity of intervention effects. Further testing and evaluation are necessary to refine this proposed approach and demonstrate its utility to the producers and users of systematic reviews beyond the context of the USPSTF. Gaps in the evidence on important subpopulations identified by routinely applying this process in systematic reviews will also inform future research needs.

Multidimensional Recurrence Quantification Analysis (MdRQA) for the Analysis of Multidimensional Time-Series: A Software Implementation in MATLAB and Its Application to Group-Level Data in Joint Action

PubMed Central

Wallot, Sebastian; Roepstorff, Andreas; Mønster, Dan

2016-01-01

We introduce Multidimensional Recurrence Quantification Analysis (MdRQA) as a tool to analyze multidimensional time-series data. We show how MdRQA can be used to capture the dynamics of high-dimensional signals, and how MdRQA can be used to assess coupling between two or more variables. In particular, we describe applications of the method in research on joint and collective action, as it provides a coherent analysis framework to systematically investigate dynamics at different group levels—from individual dynamics, to dyadic dynamics, up to global group-level of arbitrary size. The Appendix in Supplementary Material contains a software implementation in MATLAB to calculate MdRQA measures. PMID:27920748

Multidimensional Recurrence Quantification Analysis (MdRQA) for the Analysis of Multidimensional Time-Series: A Software Implementation in MATLAB and Its Application to Group-Level Data in Joint Action.

PubMed

Wallot, Sebastian; Roepstorff, Andreas; Mønster, Dan

2016-01-01

We introduce Multidimensional Recurrence Quantification Analysis (MdRQA) as a tool to analyze multidimensional time-series data. We show how MdRQA can be used to capture the dynamics of high-dimensional signals, and how MdRQA can be used to assess coupling between two or more variables. In particular, we describe applications of the method in research on joint and collective action, as it provides a coherent analysis framework to systematically investigate dynamics at different group levels-from individual dynamics, to dyadic dynamics, up to global group-level of arbitrary size. The Appendix in Supplementary Material contains a software implementation in MATLAB to calculate MdRQA measures.

Mindtagger: A Demonstration of Data Labeling in Knowledge Base Construction.

PubMed

Shin, Jaeho; Ré, Christopher; Cafarella, Michael

2015-08-01

End-to-end knowledge base construction systems using statistical inference are enabling more people to automatically extract high-quality domain-specific information from unstructured data. As a result of deploying DeepDive framework across several domains, we found new challenges in debugging and improving such end-to-end systems to construct high-quality knowledge bases. DeepDive has an iterative development cycle in which users improve the data. To help our users, we needed to develop principles for analyzing the system's error as well as provide tooling for inspecting and labeling various data products of the system. We created guidelines for error analysis modeled after our colleagues' best practices, in which data labeling plays a critical role in every step of the analysis. To enable more productive and systematic data labeling, we created Mindtagger, a versatile tool that can be configured to support a wide range of tasks. In this demonstration, we show in detail what data labeling tasks are modeled in our error analysis guidelines and how each of them is performed using Mindtagger.

Modelling and analysis of gene regulatory network using feedback control theory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

El-Samad, H.; Khammash, M.

2010-01-01

Molecular pathways are a part of a remarkable hierarchy of regulatory networks that operate at all levels of organisation. These regulatory networks are responsible for much of the biological complexity within the cell. The dynamic character of these pathways and the prevalence of feedback regulation strategies in their operation make them amenable to systematic mathematical analysis using the same tools that have been used with success in analysing and designing engineering control systems. In this article, we aim at establishing this strong connection through various examples where the behaviour exhibited by gene networks is explained in terms of their underlying control strategies. We complement our analysis by a survey of mathematical techniques commonly used to model gene regulatory networks and analyse their dynamic behaviour.

Parameter Uncertainty Analysis Using Monte Carlo Simulations for a Regional-Scale Groundwater Model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Y.; Pohlmann, K.

2016-12-01

Regional-scale grid-based groundwater models for flow and transport often contain multiple types of parameters that can intensify the challenge of parameter uncertainty analysis. We propose a Monte Carlo approach to systematically quantify the influence of various types of model parameters on groundwater flux and contaminant travel times. The Monte Carlo simulations were conducted based on the steady-state conversion of the original transient model, which was then combined with the PEST sensitivity analysis tool SENSAN and particle tracking software MODPATH. Results identified hydrogeologic units whose hydraulic conductivity can significantly affect groundwater flux, and thirteen out of 173 model parameters that can cause large variation in travel times for contaminant particles originating from given source zones.

Identification of metabolic pathways using pathfinding approaches: a systematic review.

PubMed

Abd Algfoor, Zeyad; Shahrizal Sunar, Mohd; Abdullah, Afnizanfaizal; Kolivand, Hoshang

2017-03-01

Metabolic pathways have become increasingly available for various microorganisms. Such pathways have spurred the development of a wide array of computational tools, in particular, mathematical pathfinding approaches. This article can facilitate the understanding of computational analysis of metabolic pathways in genomics. Moreover, stoichiometric and pathfinding approaches in metabolic pathway analysis are discussed. Three major types of studies are elaborated: stoichiometric identification models, pathway-based graph analysis and pathfinding approaches in cellular metabolism. Furthermore, evaluation of the outcomes of the pathways with mathematical benchmarking metrics is provided. This review would lead to better comprehension of metabolism behaviors in living cells, in terms of computed pathfinding approaches. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Stability of tapered and parallel-walled dental implants: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

PubMed

Atieh, Momen A; Alsabeeha, Nabeel; Duncan, Warwick J

2018-05-15

Clinical trials have suggested that dental implants with a tapered configuration have improved stability at placement, allowing immediate placement and/or loading. The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to evaluate the implant stability of tapered dental implants compared to standard parallel-walled dental implants. Applying the guidelines of Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) statement, randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were searched for in electronic databases and complemented by hand searching. The risk of bias was assessed using the Cochrane Collaboration's Risk of Bias tool and data were analyzed using statistical software. A total of 1199 studies were identified, of which, five trials were included with 336 dental implants in 303 participants. Overall meta-analysis showed that tapered dental implants had higher implant stability values than parallel-walled dental implants at insertion and 8 weeks but the difference was not statistically significant. Tapered dental implants had significantly less marginal bone loss compared to parallel-walled dental implants. No significant differences in implant failure rate were found between tapered and parallel-walled dental implants. There is limited evidence to demonstrate the effectiveness of tapered dental implants in achieving greater implant stability compared to parallel-walled dental implants. Superior short-term results in maintaining peri-implant marginal bone with tapered dental implants are possible. Further properly designed RCTs are required to endorse the supposed advantages of tapered dental implants in immediate loading protocol and other complex clinical scenarios. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Consumption of chocolate in pregnant women and risk of preeclampsia: a systematic review.

PubMed

Mogollon, Jaime Andres; Boivin, Catherine; Philippe, Kadhel; Turcotte, Stéphane; Lemieux, Simone; Blanchet, Claudine; Bujold, Emmanuel; Dodin, Sylvie

2013-12-20

Previous studies have been limited in reporting the association between chocolate consumption, measured by interviewer-administered questionnaire or serum theobromine, a biomarker for cocoa, and risk of preeclampsia, and have showed somewhat conflicting results. A systematic review of observational and experimental studies will be carried out. We will examine PubMed, Embase, and the entire Cochrane Library. Studies of chocolate consumption compared or not with placebo or low flavanol chocolate during pregnancy will be evaluated to investigate the effect of chocolate consumption in pregnant women on the risk of preeclampsia or pregnancy-induced hypertension. Screening for inclusion, data extraction, and quality assessment will be performed independently by two reviewers in consultation with a third reviewer. Validity of the studies will be ascertained by using the Cochrane Collaboration's tool. Relative risk of preeclampsia will be the primary measure of treatment effect. Heterogeneity will be explored by subgroup analysis according to confounding factors and bias. This systematic review will contribute to establish the current state of knowledge concerning the possible association between chocolate consumption and prevention of preeclampsia. Furthermore, it will justify if additional experimental trials are necessary to better evaluate the benefits of chocolate consumption on the risk of preeclampsia. This systematic review has been registered in the PROSPERO international prospective register of systematic reviews. The registration number is: CRD42013005338.

ConfocalCheck - A Software Tool for the Automated Monitoring of Confocal Microscope Performance

PubMed Central

Hng, Keng Imm; Dormann, Dirk

2013-01-01

Laser scanning confocal microscopy has become an invaluable tool in biomedical research but regular quality testing is vital to maintain the system’s performance for diagnostic and research purposes. Although many methods have been devised over the years to characterise specific aspects of a confocal microscope like measuring the optical point spread function or the field illumination, only very few analysis tools are available. Our aim was to develop a comprehensive quality assurance framework ranging from image acquisition to automated analysis and documentation. We created standardised test data to assess the performance of the lasers, the objective lenses and other key components required for optimum confocal operation. The ConfocalCheck software presented here analyses the data fully automatically. It creates numerous visual outputs indicating potential issues requiring further investigation. By storing results in a web browser compatible file format the software greatly simplifies record keeping allowing the operator to quickly compare old and new data and to spot developing trends. We demonstrate that the systematic monitoring of confocal performance is essential in a core facility environment and how the quantitative measurements obtained can be used for the detailed characterisation of system components as well as for comparisons across multiple instruments. PMID:24224017

PRODIGEN: visualizing the probability landscape of stochastic gene regulatory networks in state and time space.

PubMed

Ma, Chihua; Luciani, Timothy; Terebus, Anna; Liang, Jie; Marai, G Elisabeta

2017-02-15

Visualizing the complex probability landscape of stochastic gene regulatory networks can further biologists' understanding of phenotypic behavior associated with specific genes. We present PRODIGEN (PRObability DIstribution of GEne Networks), a web-based visual analysis tool for the systematic exploration of probability distributions over simulation time and state space in such networks. PRODIGEN was designed in collaboration with bioinformaticians who research stochastic gene networks. The analysis tool combines in a novel way existing, expanded, and new visual encodings to capture the time-varying characteristics of probability distributions: spaghetti plots over one dimensional projection, heatmaps of distributions over 2D projections, enhanced with overlaid time curves to display temporal changes, and novel individual glyphs of state information corresponding to particular peaks. We demonstrate the effectiveness of the tool through two case studies on the computed probabilistic landscape of a gene regulatory network and of a toggle-switch network. Domain expert feedback indicates that our visual approach can help biologists: 1) visualize probabilities of stable states, 2) explore the temporal probability distributions, and 3) discover small peaks in the probability landscape that have potential relation to specific diseases.

Performance analysis and optimization of an advanced pharmaceutical wastewater treatment plant through a visual basic software tool (PWWT.VB).

PubMed

Pal, Parimal; Thakura, Ritwik; Chakrabortty, Sankha

2016-05-01

A user-friendly, menu-driven simulation software tool has been developed for the first time to optimize and analyze the system performance of an advanced continuous membrane-integrated pharmaceutical wastewater treatment plant. The software allows pre-analysis and manipulation of input data which helps in optimization and shows the software performance visually on a graphical platform. Moreover, the software helps the user to "visualize" the effects of the operating parameters through its model-predicted output profiles. The software is based on a dynamic mathematical model, developed for a systematically integrated forward osmosis-nanofiltration process for removal of toxic organic compounds from pharmaceutical wastewater. The model-predicted values have been observed to corroborate well with the extensive experimental investigations which were found to be consistent under varying operating conditions like operating pressure, operating flow rate, and draw solute concentration. Low values of the relative error (RE = 0.09) and high values of Willmott-d-index (d will = 0.981) reflected a high degree of accuracy and reliability of the software. This software is likely to be a very efficient tool for system design or simulation of an advanced membrane-integrated treatment plant for hazardous wastewater.

Reporting of Systematic Reviews of Micronutrients and Health: A Critical Appraisal

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Context: Systematic review is a valuable tool for evaluating nutrition-related research and formulating nutrition recommendation. Lack of standardized criteria for generating these reviews has restricted their potential utility. Objective: To evaluate the characteristics and reporting quality of pub...

GROUND-WATER MODEL TESTING: SYSTEMATIC EVALUATION AND TESTING OF CODE FUNCTIONALITY AND PERFORMANCE

EPA Science Inventory

Effective use of ground-water simulation codes as management decision tools requires the establishment of their functionality, performance characteristics, and applicability to the problem at hand. This is accomplished through application of a systematic code-testing protocol and...

A Structured Approach Using the Systematic Review Data Repository (SRDR): Building the Evidence for Oral Health Interventions in the Population With Intellectual and Developmental Disability.

PubMed

Bonardi, Alexandra; Clifford, Christine J; Hadar, Nira

2016-08-19

This review describes the methods used for a systematic review of oral health intervention literature in a target population (people with intellectual and developmental disability (I/DD)), which spans a broad range of interventions and study types, conducted with specialized software. The aim of this article is to demonstrate the review strategy, using the free, online systematic review data repository (SRDR) tool, for oral health interventions aimed at reducing disparities between people with I/DD and the general population. Researchers used online title/abstract review (Abstrackr) and data extraction (SRDR) tools to structure the literature review and data extraction. A practicing clinician and an expert methodologist completed the quality review for each study. The data extraction team reported on the experience of using and customizing the SRDR. Using the SRDR, the team developed four extraction templates for eight key questions and completed extraction on 125 articles. This report discusses the advantages and disadvantages of using an electronic tool, such as the SRDR, in completing a systematic review in an area of growing research. This review provides valuable insight for researchers who are considering the use of the SRDR. © The Author(s) 2016.

Life cycle tools combined with multi-criteria and participatory methods for agricultural sustainability: Insights from a systematic and critical review.

PubMed

De Luca, Anna Irene; Iofrida, Nathalie; Leskinen, Pekka; Stillitano, Teodora; Falcone, Giacomo; Strano, Alfio; Gulisano, Giovanni

2017-10-01

Life cycle (LC) methodologies have attracted a great interest in agricultural sustainability assessments, even if, at the same time, they have sometimes been criticized for making unrealistic assumptions and subjective choices. To cope with these weaknesses, Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) and/or participatory methods can be used to balance and integrate different sustainability dimensions. The purpose of this study is to highlight how life cycle approaches were combined with MCDA and participatory methods to address agricultural sustainability in the published scientific literature. A systematic and critical review was developed, highlighting the following features: which multi-criterial and/or participatory methods have been associated with LC tools; how they have been integrated or complemented (methodological relationships); the intensity of the involvement of stakeholders (degree of participation); and which synergies have been achieved by combining the methods. The main typology of integration was represented by multi-criterial frameworks integrating LC evaluations. LC tools can provide MCDA studies with local and global information on how to reduce negative impacts and avoid burden shifts, while MCDA methods can help LC practitioners deal with subjective assumptions in an objective way, to take into consideration actors' values and to overcome trade-offs among the different dimensions of sustainability. Considerations concerning the further development of Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment (LCSA) have been identified as well. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

INTEGRATING HEALTH TECHNOLOGY ASSESSMENT PRINCIPLES IN FORMULARY MANAGEMENT.

PubMed

Teng, Monica; Khoo, Ai Leng; Zhao, Ying Jiao; Lin, Liang; Lim, Boon Peng

2016-01-01

Effective formulary management in healthcare institutions safeguards rational drug use and optimizes health outcomes. We implemented a formulary management program integrating the principles of health technology assessment (HTA) to improve the safe, appropriate, and cost-effective use of medicine in Singapore. A 3-year formulary management program was initiated in 2011 in five public healthcare institutions. This program was managed by a project team comprising HTA researchers. The project team worked with institutional pharmacy and therapeutics (P&T) committees to: (i) develop tools for formulary drug review and decision making; (ii) enhance the HTA knowledge and skills of formulary pharmacists and members of P&T committees; (iii) devise a prioritization framework to overcome resource constraints and time pressure; and (iv) conceptualize and implement a framework to review existing formulary. Tools that facilitate drug request submission, drug review, and decision making were developed for formulary drug inclusion. A systematic framework to review existing formulary was also developed and tested in selected institutions. A competency development plan was rolled out over 2 years to enhance formulary pharmacists' proficiency in systematic literature search and review, meta-analysis, and pharmacoeconomic evaluation. The plan comprised training workshops and on-the-job knowledge transfer between the project team and institutional formulary pharmacists through collaborating on selected drug reviews. A resource guide that consolidated the tools and templates was published to encourage the adoption of best practices in formulary management. Based on the concepts of HTA, we implemented an evidence-based approach to optimize formulary management.

The Structured Assessment of Violence Risk in Adults with Intellectual Disability: A Systematic Review.

PubMed

Hounsome, J; Whittington, R; Brown, A; Greenhill, B; McGuire, J

2018-01-01

While structured professional judgement approaches to assessing and managing the risk of violence have been extensively examined in mental health/forensic settings, the application of the findings to people with an intellectual disability is less extensively researched and reviewed. This review aimed to assess whether risk assessment tools have adequate predictive validity for violence in adults with an intellectual disability. Standard systematic review methodology was used to identify and synthesize appropriate studies. A total of 14 studies were identified as meeting the inclusion criteria. These studies assessed the predictive validity of 18 different risk assessment tools, mainly in forensic settings. All studies concluded that the tools assessed were successful in predicting violence. Studies were generally of a high quality. There is good quality evidence that risk assessment tools are valid for people with intellectual disability who offend but further research is required to validate tools for use with people with intellectual disability who offend. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

The Data Analysis in Gravitational Wave Detection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Xiao-ge; Lebigot, Eric; Du, Zhi-hui; Cao, Jun-wei; Wang, Yun-yong; Zhang, Fan; Cai, Yong-zhi; Li, Mu-zi; Zhu, Zong-hong; Qian, Jin; Yin, Cong; Wang, Jian-bo; Zhao, Wen; Zhang, Yang; Blair, David; Ju, Li; Zhao, Chun-nong; Wen, Lin-qing

2017-01-01

Gravitational wave (GW) astronomy based on the GW detection is a rising interdisciplinary field, and a new window for humanity to observe the universe, followed after the traditional astronomy with the electromagnetic waves as the detection means, it has a quite important significance for studying the origin and evolution of the universe, and for extending the astronomical research field. The appearance of laser interferometer GW detector has opened a new era of GW detection, and the data processing and analysis of GWs have already been developed quickly around the world, to provide a sharp weapon for the GW astronomy. This paper introduces systematically the tool software that commonly used for the data analysis of GWs, and discusses in detail the basic methods used in the data analysis of GWs, such as the time-frequency analysis, composite analysis, pulsar timing analysis, matched filter, template, χ2 test, and Monte-Carlo simulation, etc.

Clinical Decision Support Tools for Osteoporosis Disease Management: A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials

PubMed Central

Straus, Sharon E.

2008-01-01

BACKGROUND Studies indicate a gap between evidence and clinical practice in osteoporosis management. Tools that facilitate clinical decision making at the point of care are promising strategies for closing these practice gaps. OBJECTIVE To systematically review the literature to identify and describe the effectiveness of tools that support clinical decision making in osteoporosis disease management. DATA SOURCES Medline, EMBASE, CINAHL, and EBM Reviews (CDSR, DARE, CCTR, and ACP J Club), and contact with experts in the field. REVIEW METHODS Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in any language from 1966 to July 2006 investigating disease management interventions in patients at risk for osteoporosis. Outcomes included fractures and bone mineral density (BMD) testing. Two investigators independently assessed articles for relevance and study quality, and extracted data using standardized forms. RESULTS Of 1,246 citations that were screened for relevance, 13 RCTs met the inclusion criteria. Reported study quality was generally poor. Meta-analysis was not done because of methodological and clinical heterogeneity; 77% of studies included a reminder or education as a component of their intervention. Three studies of reminders plus education targeted to physicians and patients showed increased BMD testing (RR range 1.43 to 8.67) and osteoporosis medication use (RR range 1.60 to 8.67). A physician reminder plus a patient risk assessment strategy found reduced fractures [RR 0.58, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.37 to 0.90] and increased osteoporosis therapy (RR 2.44, CI 1.43 to 4.17). CONCLUSION Multi-component tools that are targeted to physicians and patients may be effective for supporting clinical decision making in osteoporosis disease management. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s11606-008-0812-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users. PMID:18836782

Analytical Utility of Mass Spectral Binning in Proteomic Experiments by SPectral Immonium Ion Detection (SPIID)*

PubMed Central

Kelstrup, Christian D.; Frese, Christian; Heck, Albert J. R.; Olsen, Jesper V.; Nielsen, Michael L.

2014-01-01

Unambiguous identification of tandem mass spectra is a cornerstone in mass-spectrometry-based proteomics. As the study of post-translational modifications (PTMs) by means of shotgun proteomics progresses in depth and coverage, the ability to correctly identify PTM-bearing peptides is essential, increasing the demand for advanced data interpretation. Several PTMs are known to generate unique fragment ions during tandem mass spectrometry, the so-called diagnostic ions, which unequivocally identify a given mass spectrum as related to a specific PTM. Although such ions offer tremendous analytical advantages, algorithms to decipher MS/MS spectra for the presence of diagnostic ions in an unbiased manner are currently lacking. Here, we present a systematic spectral-pattern-based approach for the discovery of diagnostic ions and new fragmentation mechanisms in shotgun proteomics datasets. The developed software tool is designed to analyze large sets of high-resolution peptide fragmentation spectra independent of the fragmentation method, instrument type, or protease employed. To benchmark the software tool, we analyzed large higher-energy collisional activation dissociation datasets of samples containing phosphorylation, ubiquitylation, SUMOylation, formylation, and lysine acetylation. Using the developed software tool, we were able to identify known diagnostic ions by comparing histograms of modified and unmodified peptide spectra. Because the investigated tandem mass spectra data were acquired with high mass accuracy, unambiguous interpretation and determination of the chemical composition for the majority of detected fragment ions was feasible. Collectively we present a freely available software tool that allows for comprehensive and automatic analysis of analogous product ions in tandem mass spectra and systematic mapping of fragmentation mechanisms related to common amino acids. PMID:24895383

Guidelines for overcoming hospital managerial challenges: a systematic literature review

PubMed Central

Crema, Maria; Verbano, Chiara

2013-01-01

Purpose The need to respond to accreditation institutes’ and patients’ requirements and to align health care results with increased medical knowledge is focusing greater attention on quality in health care. Different tools and techniques have been adopted to measure and manage quality, but clinical errors are still too numerous, suggesting that traditional quality improvement systems are unable to deal appropriately with hospital challenges. The purpose of this paper is to grasp the current tools, practices, and guidelines adopted in health care to improve quality and patient safety and create a base for future research on this young subject. Methods A systematic literature review was carried out. A search of academic databases, including papers that focus not only on lean management, but also on clinical errors and risk reduction, yielded 47 papers. The general characteristics of the selected papers were analyzed, and a content analysis was conducted. Results A variety of managerial techniques, tools, and practices are being adopted in health care, and traditional methodologies have to be integrated with the latest ones in order to reduce errors and ensure high quality and patient safety. As it has been demonstrated, these tools are useful not only for achieving efficiency objectives, but also for providing higher quality and patient safety. Critical indications and guidelines for successful implementation of new health managerial methodologies are provided and synthesized in an operative scheme useful for extending and deepening knowledge of these issues with further studies. Conclusion This research contributes to introducing a new theme in health care literature regarding the development of successful projects with both clinical risk management and health lean management objectives, and should address solutions for improving health care even in the current context of decreasing resources. PMID:24307833

Psychometric characterization of the obstetric communication assessment tool for medical education: a pilot study.

PubMed

Rodriguez, A Noel; DeWitt, Peter; Fisher, Jennifer; Broadfoot, Kirsten; Hurt, K Joseph

2016-06-11

To characterize the psychometric properties of a novel Obstetric Communication Assessment Tool (OCAT) in a pilot study of standardized difficult OB communication scenarios appropriate for undergraduate medical evaluation. We developed and piloted four challenging OB Standardized Patient (SP) scenarios in a sample of twenty-one third year OB/GYN clerkship students: Religious Beliefs (RB), Angry Father (AF), Maternal Smoking (MS), and Intimate Partner Violence (IPV). Five trained Standardized Patient Reviewers (SPRs) independently scored twenty-four randomized video-recorded encounters using the OCAT. Cronbach's alpha and Intraclass Correlation Coefficient-2 (ICC-2) were used to estimate internal consistency (IC) and inter-rater reliability (IRR), respectively. Systematic variation in reviewer scoring was assessed using the Stuart-Maxwell test. IC was acceptable to excellent with Cronbach's alpha values (and 95% Confidence Intervals [CI]): RB 0.91 (0.86, 0.95), AF 0.76 (0.62, 0.87), MS 0.91 (0.86, 0.95), and IPV 0.94 (0.91, 0.97). IRR was unacceptable to poor with ICC-2 values: RB 0.46 (0.40, 0.53), AF 0.48 (0.41, 0.54), MS 0.52 (0.45, 0.58), and IPV 0.67 (0.61, 0.72). Stuart-Maxwell analysis indicated systematic differences in reviewer stringency. Our initial characterization of the OCAT demonstrates important issues in communications assessment. We identify scoring inconsistencies due to differences in SPR rigor that require enhanced training to improve assessment reliability. We outline a rational process for initial communication tool validation that may be useful in undergraduate curriculum development, and acknowledge that rigorous validation of OCAT training and implementation is needed to create a valuable OB communication assessment tool.

Systematic review protocol of interventions to improve the psychological well-being of general practitioners.

PubMed

Murray, Marylou; Murray, Lois; Donnelly, Michael

2015-09-22

The challenges and complexities faced by general practitioners are increasing, and there are concerns about their well-being. Consequently, attention has been directed towards developing and evaluating interventions and strategies to improve general practitioner well-being and their capacity to cope with workplace challenges. This systematic review aims to evaluate research evidence regarding the effectiveness of interventions designed to improve general practitioner well-being. Eligible studies will include programmes developed to improve psychological well-being that have assessed outcomes using validated tools pertaining to well-being and related outcomes. Only programmes that have been evaluated using controlled study designs will be reviewed. An appropriately developed search strategy will be applied to six electronic databases: the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, PsycINFO and Web of Science. Studies will be screened in two stages by two independent reviewers. A third reviewer will arbitrate when required. Pre-specified inclusion and exclusion criteria will be assessed during a pilot phase early on in the review process. The Cochrane data extraction form will be adapted and applied to each eligible study by two independent reviewers, and each study will be appraised critically using standardised checklists from the Cochrane Handbook. Methodological quality will be taken into account in the analysis of the data and the synthesis of results. A narrative synthesis will be undertaken if data is unsuited to a meta-analysis. The systematic review will be reported according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses guidance. This will be the first systematic review on this topic, and the evidence synthesis will aid decision-making by general practitioners, policy makers and planners regarding ways in which to improve GP well-being. Findings will be disseminated at general practitioner meetings, conferences and in professional and peer-reviewed journals. PROSPERO CRD42015017899.

Effects of lifestyle change interventions for people with intellectual disabilities: Systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

PubMed

Willems, Mariël; Waninge, Aly; Hilgenkamp, Thessa I M; van Empelen, Pepijn; Krijnen, Wim P; van der Schans, Cees P; Melville, Craig A

2018-05-08

Promotion of a healthy lifestyle for people with intellectual disabilities is important; however, the effectiveness of lifestyle change interventions is unclear. This research will examine the effectiveness of lifestyle change interventions for people with intellectual disabilities. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of lifestyle change interventions for people with intellectual disabilities were included in a systematic review and meta-analysis. Data on study and intervention characteristics were extracted, as well as data on outcome measures and results. Internal validity of the selected papers was assessed using the Cochrane Collaboration's risk bias tool. Eight RCTs were included. Multiple outcome measures were used, whereby outcome measures targeting environmental factors and participation were lacking and personal outcome measures were mostly used by a single study. Risks of bias were found for all studies. Meta-analysis showed some effectiveness for lifestyle change interventions, and a statistically significant decrease was found for waist circumference. Some effectiveness was found for lifestyle change interventions for people with intellectual disabilities. However, the effects were only statistically significant for waist circumference, so current lifestyle change interventions may not be optimally tailored to meet the needs of people with intellectual disabilities. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Practical applications of the bioinformatics toolbox for narrowing quantitative trait loci.

PubMed

Burgess-Herbert, Sarah L; Cox, Allison; Tsaih, Shirng-Wern; Paigen, Beverly

2008-12-01

Dissecting the genes involved in complex traits can be confounded by multiple factors, including extensive epistatic interactions among genes, the involvement of epigenetic regulators, and the variable expressivity of traits. Although quantitative trait locus (QTL) analysis has been a powerful tool for localizing the chromosomal regions underlying complex traits, systematically identifying the causal genes remains challenging. Here, through its application to plasma levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL) in mice, we demonstrate a strategy for narrowing QTL that utilizes comparative genomics and bioinformatics techniques. We show how QTL detected in multiple crosses are subjected to both combined cross analysis and haplotype block analysis; how QTL from one species are mapped to the concordant regions in another species; and how genomewide scans associating haplotype groups with their phenotypes can be used to prioritize the narrowed regions. Then we illustrate how these individual methods for narrowing QTL can be systematically integrated for mouse chromosomes 12 and 15, resulting in a significantly reduced number of candidate genes, often from hundreds to <10. Finally, we give an example of how additional bioinformatics resources can be combined with experiments to determine the most likely quantitative trait genes.

MIPS: analysis and annotation of proteins from whole genomes

PubMed Central

Mewes, H. W.; Amid, C.; Arnold, R.; Frishman, D.; Güldener, U.; Mannhaupt, G.; Münsterkötter, M.; Pagel, P.; Strack, N.; Stümpflen, V.; Warfsmann, J.; Ruepp, A.

2004-01-01

The Munich Information Center for Protein Sequences (MIPS-GSF), Neuherberg, Germany, provides protein sequence-related information based on whole-genome analysis. The main focus of the work is directed toward the systematic organization of sequence-related attributes as gathered by a variety of algorithms, primary information from experimental data together with information compiled from the scientific literature. MIPS maintains automatically generated and manually annotated genome-specific databases, develops systematic classification schemes for the functional annotation of protein sequences and provides tools for the comprehensive analysis of protein sequences. This report updates the information on the yeast genome (CYGD), the Neurospora crassa genome (MNCDB), the database of complete cDNAs (German Human Genome Project, NGFN), the database of mammalian protein–protein interactions (MPPI), the database of FASTA homologies (SIMAP), and the interface for the fast retrieval of protein-associated information (QUIPOS). The Arabidopsis thaliana database, the rice database, the plant EST databases (MATDB, MOsDB, SPUTNIK), as well as the databases for the comprehensive set of genomes (PEDANT genomes) are described elsewhere in the 2003 and 2004 NAR database issues, respectively. All databases described, and the detailed descriptions of our projects can be accessed through the MIPS web server (http://mips.gsf.de). PMID:14681354

MIPS: analysis and annotation of proteins from whole genomes.

PubMed

Mewes, H W; Amid, C; Arnold, R; Frishman, D; Güldener, U; Mannhaupt, G; Münsterkötter, M; Pagel, P; Strack, N; Stümpflen, V; Warfsmann, J; Ruepp, A

2004-01-01

The Munich Information Center for Protein Sequences (MIPS-GSF), Neuherberg, Germany, provides protein sequence-related information based on whole-genome analysis. The main focus of the work is directed toward the systematic organization of sequence-related attributes as gathered by a variety of algorithms, primary information from experimental data together with information compiled from the scientific literature. MIPS maintains automatically generated and manually annotated genome-specific databases, develops systematic classification schemes for the functional annotation of protein sequences and provides tools for the comprehensive analysis of protein sequences. This report updates the information on the yeast genome (CYGD), the Neurospora crassa genome (MNCDB), the database of complete cDNAs (German Human Genome Project, NGFN), the database of mammalian protein-protein interactions (MPPI), the database of FASTA homologies (SIMAP), and the interface for the fast retrieval of protein-associated information (QUIPOS). The Arabidopsis thaliana database, the rice database, the plant EST databases (MATDB, MOsDB, SPUTNIK), as well as the databases for the comprehensive set of genomes (PEDANT genomes) are described elsewhere in the 2003 and 2004 NAR database issues, respectively. All databases described, and the detailed descriptions of our projects can be accessed through the MIPS web server (http://mips.gsf.de).

The Berlin International Consensus Meeting on Concussion in Sport.

PubMed

Davis, Gavin A; Ellenbogen, Richard G; Bailes, Julian; Cantu, Robert C; Johnston, Karen M; Manley, Geoffrey T; Nagahiro, Shinji; Sills, Allen; Tator, Charles H; McCrory, Paul

2018-02-01

The Fifth International Conference on Concussion in Sport was held in Berlin in October 2016. A series of 12 questions and subquestions was developed and the expert panel members were required to perform a systematic review to answer each question. Following presentation at the Berlin meeting of the systematic review, poster abstracts and audience discussion, the summary Consensus Statement was produced. Further, a series of tools for the management of sport-related concussion was developed, including the Sport Concussion Assessment Tool Fifth edition (SCAT5), the Child SCAT5, and the Concussion Recognition Tool Fifth edition. This paper elaborates on this process, the outcomes, and explores the implications for neurosurgeons in the management of sport-related concussion. Copyright © 2017 by the Congress of Neurological Surgeons.

Developing the WCRF International/University of Bristol Methodology for Identifying and Carrying Out Systematic Reviews of Mechanisms of Exposure-Cancer Associations.

PubMed

Lewis, Sarah J; Gardner, Mike; Higgins, Julian; Holly, Jeff M P; Gaunt, Tom R; Perks, Claire M; Turner, Suzanne D; Rinaldi, Sabina; Thomas, Steve; Harrison, Sean; Lennon, Rosie J; Tan, Vanessa; Borwick, Cath; Emmett, Pauline; Jeffreys, Mona; Northstone, Kate; Mitrou, Giota; Wiseman, Martin; Thompson, Rachel; Martin, Richard M

2017-11-01

Background: Human, animal, and cell experimental studies; human biomarker studies; and genetic studies complement epidemiologic findings and can offer insights into biological plausibility and pathways between exposure and disease, but methods for synthesizing such studies are lacking. We, therefore, developed a methodology for identifying mechanisms and carrying out systematic reviews of mechanistic studies that underpin exposure-cancer associations. Methods: A multidisciplinary team with expertise in informatics, statistics, epidemiology, systematic reviews, cancer biology, and nutrition was assembled. Five 1-day workshops were held to brainstorm ideas; in the intervening periods we carried out searches and applied our methods to a case study to test our ideas. Results: We have developed a two-stage framework, the first stage of which is designed to identify mechanisms underpinning a specific exposure-disease relationship; the second stage is a targeted systematic review of studies on a specific mechanism. As part of the methodology, we also developed an online tool for text mining for mechanism prioritization (TeMMPo) and a new graph for displaying related but heterogeneous data from epidemiologic studies (the Albatross plot). Conclusions: We have developed novel tools for identifying mechanisms and carrying out systematic reviews of mechanistic studies of exposure-disease relationships. In doing so, we have outlined how we have overcome the challenges that we faced and provided researchers with practical guides for conducting mechanistic systematic reviews. Impact: The aforementioned methodology and tools will allow potential mechanisms to be identified and the strength of the evidence underlying a particular mechanism to be assessed. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 26(11); 1667-75. ©2017 AACR . ©2017 American Association for Cancer Research.

Association between exogenous testosterone and cardiovascular events: an overview of systematic reviews.

PubMed

Onasanya, Oluwadamilola; Iyer, Geetha; Lucas, Eleanor; Lin, Dora; Singh, Sonal; Alexander, G Caleb

2016-11-01

Given the conflicting evidence regarding the association between exogenous testosterone and cardiovascular events, we systematically assessed published systematic reviews for evidence of the association between exogenous testosterone and cardiovascular events. We searched PubMed, MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane Collaboration Clinical Trials, ClinicalTrials.gov, and the US Food and Drug Administration website for systematic reviews of randomised controlled trials published up to July 19, 2016. Two independent reviewers screened 954 full texts from 29 335 abstracts to identify systematic reviews of randomised controlled trials in which the cardiovascular effects of exogenous testosterone on men aged 18 years or older were examined. We extracted data for study characteristics, analytic methods, and key findings, and applied the AMSTAR (A Measurement Tool to Assess Systematic Reviews) checklist to assess methodological quality of each review. Our primary outcome measure was the direction and magnitude of association between exogenous testosterone and cardiovascular events. We identified seven reviews and meta-analyses, which had substantial clinical heterogeneity, differing statistical methods, and variable methodological quality and quality of data abstraction. AMSTAR scores ranged from 3 to 9 out of 11. Six systematic reviews that each included a meta-analysis showed no significant association between exogenous testosterone and cardiovascular events, with summary estimates ranging from 1·07 to 1·82 and imprecise confidence intervals. Two of these six meta-analyses showed increased risk in subgroup analyses of oral testosterone and men aged 65 years or older during their first treatment year. One meta-analysis showed a significant association between exogenous testosterone and cardiovascular events, in men aged 18 years or older generally, with a summary estimate of 1·54 (95% CI 1·09-2·18). Our optimal information size analysis showed that any randomised controlled trial aiming to detect a true difference in cardiovascular risk between treatment groups receiving exogenous testosterone and their controls (with a two-sided p value of 0·05 and a power of 80%) would require at least 17 664 participants in each trial group. Therefore, given the challenge of adequately powering clinical trials for rare outcomes, rigorous observational studies are needed to clarify the association between testosterone-replacement therapy and major adverse cardiovascular outcomes. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Prevalence and pattern of co-occurring musculoskeletal pain and its association with back-related disability among people with persistent low back pain: protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis.

PubMed

Overaas, Cecilie K; Johansson, Melker S; de Campos, Tarcisio F; Ferreira, Manuela L; Natvig, Bard; Mork, Paul J; Hartvigsen, Jan

2017-12-16

Individuals with persistent low back pain commonly have a broad range of other health concerns including co-occurring musculoskeletal pain, which significantly affect their quality of life, symptom severity, and treatment outcomes. The purpose of this review is to get a better understanding of prevalence and patterns of co-occurring musculoskeletal pain complaints in those with persistent low back pain and its potential association with age, sex, and back-related disability as it might affect prognosis and management. This systematic review protocol has been designed according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis Protocols. We will perform a comprehensive search, with no date limit, in the following bibliographic databases: MEDLINE and Embase (via Ovid), CINAHL, and Scopus for citation tracking, based on the following domains: back pain, co-occurring musculoskeletal pain, combined with a focus group that emphasizes study design. Appropriate papers will be screened against the eligibility criteria by three reviewers independently, data extracted by two independent author pairs and disagreement resolved by consensus meetings or other reviewers if required. Assessment of methodological quality and risk of bias will be conducted using a modified version of the Risk of Bias Tool for Prevalence Studies developed by Hoy and colleagues. The overall risk of bias will be determined for each included study based on the raters' consensus of the responses to the items in this tool. In case of sufficiently homogenous studies, meta-analysis will be performed. Given the lack of standard terms used to define co-occurring musculoskeletal pain, the search strategy will include the broader term "back pain," different terms for the "other co-occurring pain," and specific study designs combined with several exclusion terms. The results of this proposed review will identify the prevalence and patterns of co-occurring musculoskeletal pain among those with persistent low back pain, which is likely to inform clinical management, research, and policy in management of musculoskeletal disorders. PROSPERO CRD42017068807.

Efficacy and safety of pilocarpine for radiation-induced xerostomia in patients with head and neck cancer: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

PubMed

Cheng, Cai-Qi; Xu, Hao; Liu, Ling; Wang, Rui-Nan; Liu, Yu-Ting; Li, Jing; Zhou, Xi-Kun

2016-04-01

Pilocarpine has been used widely in the treatment of dry mouth and glaucoma. In this review, the authors assessed the efficacy and safety of pilocarpine for patients with head and neck cancer who have radiation-induced xerostomia. The authors conducted a systematic search including meta-analyses and randomized controlled trials in the following databases: MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane Library, and Science Citation Index Expanded. The primary outcome was the severity of xerostomia (measured using visual analog scale [VAS] scores). Adverse events were other outcomes of interest. The authors performed meta-analyses where appropriate. The authors used the Cochrane Collaboration's tool for assessing risk of bias to assess the quality of the study. The authors identified 6 studies (including 752 patients in total). The results of a meta-analysis of 3 articles showed that pilocarpine was associated with a 12-point increase in VAS score (mean difference, 12.00; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.93-22.08; P = .02) and higher rates of adverse events compared with placebo in terms of sweating (odds ratio [OR], 3.71; 95% CI, 2.34-5.86; P < .00001). There were no differences in rhinitis (OR, 1.21; 95% CI, 0.68-2.16; P = .52) and nausea (OR, 1.44; 95% CI, 0.83-2.49; P = .19). On the basis of the best available evidence, the results of this meta-analysis provide evidence that pilocarpine offers statistically significant clinical benefits for the symptomatic treatment of radiation-induced xerostomia in patients with head and neck cancer. However, the authors of this systematic review found the best available evidence in the meta-analysis in 3 studies, 1 of which showed no effect. The authors of this systematic review suggest that these patients take 5 milligrams of pilocarpine 3 times daily, and that there is need for further study. Copyright © 2016 American Dental Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Association of physical activity with cognition, metacognition and academic performance in children and adolescents: a protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis.

PubMed

Álvarez-Bueno, Celia; Pesce, Caterina; Cavero-Redondo, Iván; Sánchez-López, Mairena; Pardo-Guijarro, María Jesús; Martínez-Vizcaíno, Vicente

2016-06-28

Schools provide a relevant context for improving children's and adolescents' physical and mental health by increasing physical activity during school hours and/or beyond. The interest in the relationship between physical activity programmes and cognition during development has recently increased, with evidence suggesting a positive association. We present a protocol of systematic reviews and meta-analysis of intervention studies that, by determining the effects of chronic physical exercise on children's and adolescents' cognitive and metacognitive functions, cognitive life skills, academic behaviours and achievement, aims to ensure procedural objectivity and transparency, and maximise the extraction of relevant information to inform policy development. This protocol is guided by Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Protocols (PRISMA-P) and by the Cochrane Collaboration Handbook. Databases to be utilised for a thorough selection of the pertinent literature are MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Web of Science, PsycINFO and ERIC. Selection is proposed to encompass an international and a national publication level, with inclusion of experimental studies written in English or in Spanish, respectively. Also, relevant references included in the selected studies will be considered suitable for review as supplemental sources.We present an integrated approach to the methodological quality assessment of the selected studies, including the Jadad Scale for the assessment of the quality of randomised controlled trials and the Quality Assessment Tool for Quantitative Studies for pre-post studies and non-randomised controlled trials. The pre-post interventions mean differences will be the primary indicator of the intervention outcome. A subgroup analysis is proposed based on cognitive functions and their neural correlates, metacognitive functions and cognitive life skills, academic achievement areas and academic behaviours. PROSPERO CRD42015029913. 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 assessment of creativity in creativity/psychopathology research - a systematic review.

PubMed

Thys, E; Sabbe, B; De Hert, M

2014-01-01

The possible link between creativity and psychopathology has been a long time focus of research up to the present day. However, this research is hampered by methodological problems, especially the definition and assessment of creativity. This makes interpretation and comparison of studies difficult and possibly accounts for the contradictory results of this research. In this systematic review of the literature, research articles in the field of creativity and psychopathology were searched for creativity assessment tools. The tools used in the collected articles are presented and discussed. The results indicate that a multitude of creativity assessment tools were used, that many studies only used one tool to assess creativity and that most of these tools were only used in a limited number of studies. A few assessment tools stand out by a more frequent use, also outside psychopathological research, and more solid psychometric properties. Most scales used to evaluate creativity have poor psychometric properties. The scattered methodology to assess creativity compromises the generalizability and validity of this research. The field should creatively develop new validated instruments.

Naturalistic Decision Making for Power System Operators

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

Greitzer, Frank L.; Podmore, Robin; Robinson, Marck

2010-02-01

Motivation – Investigations of large-scale outages in the North American interconnected electric system often attribute the causes to three T’s: Trees, Training and Tools. To document and understand the mental processes used by expert operators when making critical decisions, a naturalistic decision making (NDM) model was developed. Transcripts of conversations were analyzed to reveal and assess NDM-based performance criteria. Findings/Design – An item analysis indicated that the operators’ Situation Awareness Levels, mental models, and mental simulations can be mapped at different points in the training scenario. This may identify improved training methods or analytical/ visualization tools. Originality/Value – This studymore » applies for the first time, the concepts of Recognition Primed Decision Making, Situation Awareness Levels and Cognitive Task Analysis to training of electric power system operators. Take away message – The NDM approach provides a viable framework for systematic training management to accelerate learning in simulator-based training scenarios for power system operators and teams.« less

Application of a faith-based integration tool to assess mental and physical health interventions

PubMed Central

Saunders, Donna M.; Leak, Jean; Carver, Monique E.; Smith, Selina A.

2017-01-01

Background To build on current research involving faith-based interventions (FBIs) for addressing mental and physical health, this study a) reviewed the extent to which relevant publications integrate faith concepts with health and b) initiated analysis of the degree of FBI integration with intervention outcomes. Methods Derived from a systematic search of articles published between 2007 and 2017, 36 studies were assessed with a Faith-Based Integration Assessment Tool (FIAT) to quantify faith-health integration. Basic statistical procedures were employed to determine the association of faith-based integration with intervention outcomes. Results The assessed studies possessed (on average) moderate, inconsistent integration because of poor use of faith measures, and moderate, inconsistent use of faith practices. Analysis procedures for determining the effect of FBI integration on intervention outcomes were inadequate for formulating practical conclusions. Conclusions Regardless of integration, interventions were associated with beneficial outcomes. To determine the link between FBI integration and intervention outcomes, additional analyses are needed. PMID:29354795

Eco-innovative design approach: Integrating quality and environmental aspects in prioritizing and solving engineering problems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chakroun, Mahmoud; Gogu, Grigore; Pacaud, Thomas; Thirion, François

2014-09-01

This study proposes an eco-innovative design process taking into consideration quality and environmental aspects in prioritizing and solving technical engineering problems. This approach provides a synergy between the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), the nonquality matrix, the Theory of Inventive Problem Solving (TRIZ), morphological analysis and the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP). In the sequence of these tools, LCA assesses the environmental impacts generated by the system. Then, for a better consideration of environmental aspects, a new tool is developed, the non-quality matrix, which defines the problem to be solved first from an environmental point of view. The TRIZ method allows the generation of new concepts and contradiction resolution. Then, the morphological analysis offers the possibility of extending the search space of solutions in a design problem in a systematic way. Finally, the AHP identifies the promising solution(s) by providing a clear logic for the choice made. Their usefulness has been demonstrated through their application to a case study involving a centrifugal spreader with spinning discs.

Design of experiments and principal component analysis as approaches for enhancing performance of gas-diffusional air-breathing bilirubin oxidase cathode

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Babanova, Sofia; Artyushkova, Kateryna; Ulyanova, Yevgenia; Singhal, Sameer; Atanassov, Plamen

2014-01-01

Two statistical methods, design of experiments (DOE) and principal component analysis (PCA) are employed to investigate and improve performance of air-breathing gas-diffusional enzymatic electrodes. DOE is utilized as a tool for systematic organization and evaluation of various factors affecting the performance of the composite system. Based on the results from the DOE, an improved cathode is constructed. The current density generated utilizing the improved cathode (755 ± 39 μA cm-2 at 0.3 V vs. Ag/AgCl) is 2-5 times higher than the highest current density previously achieved. Three major factors contributing to the cathode performance are identified: the amount of enzyme, the volume of phosphate buffer used to immobilize the enzyme, and the thickness of the gas-diffusion layer (GDL). PCA is applied as an independent confirmation tool to support conclusions made by DOE and to visualize the contribution of factors in individual cathode configurations.

Analytical simulation and PROFAT II: a new methodology and a computer automated tool for fault tree analysis in chemical process industries.

PubMed

Khan, F I; Abbasi, S A

2000-07-10

Fault tree analysis (FTA) is based on constructing a hypothetical tree of base events (initiating events) branching into numerous other sub-events, propagating the fault and eventually leading to the top event (accident). It has been a powerful technique used traditionally in identifying hazards in nuclear installations and power industries. As the systematic articulation of the fault tree is associated with assigning probabilities to each fault, the exercise is also sometimes called probabilistic risk assessment. But powerful as this technique is, it is also very cumbersome and costly, limiting its area of application. We have developed a new algorithm based on analytical simulation (named as AS-II), which makes the application of FTA simpler, quicker, and cheaper; thus opening up the possibility of its wider use in risk assessment in chemical process industries. Based on the methodology we have developed a computer-automated tool. The details are presented in this paper.

A group decision-making tool for the application of membrane technologies in different water reuse scenarios.

PubMed

Sadr, S M K; Saroj, D P; Kouchaki, S; Ilemobade, A A; Ouki, S K

2015-06-01

A global challenge of increasing concern is diminishing fresh water resources. A growing practice in many communities to supplement diminishing fresh water availability has been the reuse of water. Novel methods of treating polluted waters, such as membrane assisted technologies, have recently been developed and successfully implemented in many places. Given the diversity of membrane assisted technologies available, the current challenge is how to select a reliable alternative among numerous technologies for appropriate water reuse. In this research, a fuzzy logic based multi-criteria, group decision making tool has been developed. This tool has been employed in the selection of appropriate membrane treatment technologies for several non-potable and potable reuse scenarios. Robust criteria, covering technical, environmental, economic and socio-cultural aspects, were selected, while 10 different membrane assisted technologies were assessed in the tool. The results show this approach capable of facilitating systematic and rigorous analysis in the comparison and selection of membrane assisted technologies for advanced wastewater treatment and reuse. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Systematic analysis of snake neurotoxins' functional classification using a data warehousing approach.

PubMed

Siew, Joyce Phui Yee; Khan, Asif M; Tan, Paul T J; Koh, Judice L Y; Seah, Seng Hong; Koo, Chuay Yeng; Chai, Siaw Ching; Armugam, Arunmozhiarasi; Brusic, Vladimir; Jeyaseelan, Kandiah

2004-12-12

Sequence annotations, functional and structural data on snake venom neurotoxins (svNTXs) are scattered across multiple databases and literature sources. Sequence annotations and structural data are available in the public molecular databases, while functional data are almost exclusively available in the published articles. There is a need for a specialized svNTXs database that contains NTX entries, which are organized, well annotated and classified in a systematic manner. We have systematically analyzed svNTXs and classified them using structure-function groups based on their structural, functional and phylogenetic properties. Using conserved motifs in each phylogenetic group, we built an intelligent module for the prediction of structural and functional properties of unknown NTXs. We also developed an annotation tool to aid the functional prediction of newly identified NTXs as an additional resource for the venom research community. We created a searchable online database of NTX proteins sequences (http://research.i2r.a-star.edu.sg/Templar/DB/snake_neurotoxin). This database can also be found under Swiss-Prot Toxin Annotation Project website (http://www.expasy.org/sprot/).