Review
Urology & Nephrology
Angie K. Puerto Nino, Henk van der Worp, Kari A. O. Tikkinen, Gordon H. Guyatt, Marco H. Blanker
Summary: Understanding and dealing with differences (heterogeneity) between studies is crucial for the accuracy of systematic reviews and can help inform clinical decisions.
EUROPEAN UROLOGY FOCUS
(2021)
Review
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Caio Fabio Schlechta Portella, Ricardo Ghelman, Veronica Abdala, Mariana Cabral Schveitzer, Rui Ferreira Afonso
Summary: This study presents a summary of research on the effects of meditation on various clinical and health conditions, including 191 studies. Most results indicate positive impacts of meditation on health, especially in the areas of mental health and quality of life.
FRONTIERS IN PUBLIC HEALTH
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Biomedical
Kai Zhang, Bin Ma, Kaiyan Hu, Bo Yuan, Xin Sun, Xu Song, Zhonglan Tang, Hai Lin, Xiangdong Zhu, Yufeng Zheng, Andres J. Garcia, Antonios G. Mikos, James M. Anderson, Xingdong Zhang
Summary: This article proposes the concept and methodology of evidence-based biomaterials research, highlighting its origin, key information, application steps, as well as the opportunities and challenges in this field.
BIOACTIVE MATERIALS
(2022)
Review
Medicine, General & Internal
Liming Lu, Yuqing Zhang, Shuqi Ge, Hao Wen, Xiaorong Tang, Jing Chun Zeng, Lai Wang, Zhao Zeng, Gabriel Rada, Camila Avila, Camilo Vergara, Rouhao Chen, Yu Dong, Xiaojing Wei, Wen Luo, Lin Wang, Gordon Guyatt, Chun-Zhi Tang, Neng-Gui Xu
Summary: The systematic reviews on acupuncture therapies revealed areas where more evidence dissemination is needed and areas that require further investigation and research.
Review
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Shouyuan Sun, Liang Zhao, Xiaoli Zhou, Xuewu Liu, Zongzhi Xie, Jun Ren, Baoyuan Zhou, Yawen Pan
Summary: The aim of this study is to critically evaluate the quality of published systematic reviews/meta-analyses of traditional Chinese medicine for adults with ischemic stroke and rate the quality of evidence using the GRADE approach. A total of 83 reviews met the inclusion criteria and were evaluated. The results showed that the reporting quality of these reviews is poor and lacks valid information, and more than half of the included studies have low levels of evidence.
FRONTIERS IN PHARMACOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Hui Lan, Xuan Yu, Zhe Wang, Ping Wang, Yajia Sun, Zijun Wang, Renfeng Su, Ling Wang, Junxian Zhao, Yue Hu, Shouyuan Wu, Mengjuan Ren, Kehu Yang, Xingrong Liu, Yaolong Chen
Summary: This study aims to examine the usage of evidence assessment tools in systematic reviews of management and education. The results show that only 34.8% of the systematic reviews used evidence assessment tools, with a total of 66 different tools being utilized. "Risk of Bias" and its updated version were the most frequently used tools. The study also highlights the need for improved understanding and reporting of evidence assessment tools among researchers and users.
FRONTIERS IN MEDICINE
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Zeqi Dai, Xing Liao, L. Susan Wieland, Jing Hu, Yongyan Wang, Tae-Hun Kim, Jian-ping Liu, Siyan Zhan, Nicola Robinson
Summary: This article aims to provide an overview of high-quality Cochrane Systematic Reviews (CSRs) on the benefits and harms of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) interventions for the treatment and prevention of disease. The study found that the evidence on the effectiveness of TCM is largely inconclusive and more rigorous high-quality trials are needed to support the findings of systematic reviews.
Review
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Ting Zhang, Xuechao Li, Yamin Chen, Liang Zhao, Jinhui Tian, Junhua Zhang
Summary: The study assessed the methodological quality and risk of bias of systematic reviews on the combined use of traditional Chinese medicine and Western medicine in treating COVID-19 patients. The evidence showed that this combined approach could improve various outcomes related to efficacy, laboratory results, and clinical symptoms of COVID-19 patients.
FRONTIERS IN PHARMACOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Immunology
Antonia Pilic, Sarah Reda, Catherine L. Jo, Helen Burchett, Magdalena Bastias, Pauline Campbell, Deepa Gamage, Louise Henaff, Benjamin Kagina, Wiebe Kuelper-Schiek, Carole Lunny, Melanie Marti, Rudzani Muloiwa, Dawid Pieper, James Thomas, Matthew C. Tunis, Zane Younger, Ole Wichmann, Thomas Harder
Summary: National immunization technical advisory groups (NITAGs) develop immunization-related recommendations and may face challenges in locating and effectively using existing systematic reviews (SRs) due to limited resources. To address this, the SYSVAC project provides an online registry of SRs on immunization-related topics and an e-learning course, offering guidance on finding, assessing, and applying SRs for informed decision-making.
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Caitlin Rosa Dean, Kelly Nijsten, Rene Spijker, Margaret O'Hara, Tessa J. Roseboom, Rebecca C. Painter
Summary: There are substantial knowledge gaps regarding hyperemesis gravidarum (HG). The current research mainly focuses on the immediate and long-term outcomes and possible markers for HG, while studies on the possible cure, preventative treatment, and nutritional requirements of pregnancy for HG are relatively scarce. There are significant gaps and overlap in the current literature addressing priority questions. Researchers and funders should direct their efforts at addressing the gaps in the top 10 questions.
Review
Plant Sciences
Lin Ang, Eunhye Song, Junhua Zhang, Hye Won Lee, Myeong Soo Lee
Summary: This overview of systematic reviews on herbal medicine interventions for COVID-19 shows that although there is some evidence supporting the advantages of herbal therapy, the quality of the evidence is inadequate to make definitive and accurate judgments.
Review
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Nanyang Liu, Tingting Zhang, Jiahui Sun, Jiuxiu Yao, Lina Ma, Jianhua Fu, Hao Li
Summary: Multiple systematic reviews have shown that Chinese herbal medicine can significantly improve cognitive function in patients with Alzheimer's disease, either as an adjuvant treatment or when used alone. However, the impact on daily activities is unclear. Chinese herbal medicine also appears to have fewer adverse events compared to western medicines. Nevertheless, caution should be exercised due to methodological flaws and low quality of evidence, with a need for high-quality RCTs to confirm the efficacy and safety of CHM for AD.
FRONTIERS IN PHARMACOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Alvine Boaye Belle, Yixi Zhao
Summary: A systematic review is a method for synthesizing knowledge and understanding correlations between exposures and outcomes. It uses explicit, reproducible, and systematic methods to reduce bias and provide reliable findings. The abstract is a crucial part of a review, reflecting the content, but can sometimes be poorly written and misleading.
APPLIED SCIENCES-BASEL
(2022)
Review
Medicine, General & Internal
Rachel F. Simpson, Kathryn R. Hesketh, Kate Ellis, Esther M. F. van Sluijs
Summary: This scoping review provides an overview of the current evidence base on parental physical activity, highlighting the predominance of research from North America, the focus on mothers over fathers, and the concentration on parents of infants, toddlers, and primary-school aged children.
Article
Veterinary Sciences
Jan M. Sargeant, Marnie L. Brennan, Annette M. O'Connor
Summary: Clinical decisions should be based on the best evidence, and primary research results are an important part of that evidence. There are three approaches to evaluating internal validity: assessing bias potential based on study designs, evaluating key study design features associated with bias potential, and judging whether study design elements may result in biased results. Assessing bias risk is the least assumptive approach and should be used when possible. However, not all study designs have bias risk instruments, so it may be necessary to incorporate bias risk questions into existing quality assessment instruments.
FRONTIERS IN VETERINARY SCIENCE
(2022)
Editorial Material
Medicine, General & Internal
Suhail A. R. Doi, Polychronis Kostoulas, Paul Glasziou
BMJ EVIDENCE-BASED MEDICINE
(2023)
Article
Health Care Sciences & Services
Victor M. Montori, Merel M. Ruissen, Megan E. Branda, Ian G. Hargraves, Marleen Kunneman
Summary: This study aims to evaluate the implementation of shared decision making (SDM) in clinical encounters and across different SDM forms. The findings suggest that the prescribed steps of SDM are rarely followed in order, regardless of whether an SDM intervention was used. There is no clear pattern of steps that distinguishes among different SDM forms.
HEALTH EXPECTATIONS
(2023)
Letter
Medicine, General & Internal
Denise A. O'Connor, Paul Glasziou, Rachelle Buchbinder
JAMA-JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION
(2023)
Article
Health Care Sciences & Services
Johanna A. Damen, Pauline Heus, Herm J. Lamberink, Joeri K. Tijdink, Lex Bouter, Paul Glasziou, David Moher, Willem M. Otte, Christiaan H. Vinkers, Lotty Hooft
Summary: This study explores indicators of questionable research practices in randomized controlled trials, including bias risk, selective reporting bias, sample size, and statistical discrepancy. The findings suggest that more recent publication year, trial registration, mentioning of reporting standards, and higher journal impact factor are associated with a lower risk of questionable research practices.
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL EPIDEMIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Truc Sophia Dinh, Andreas D. D. Meid, Henrik Rudolf, Maria-Sophie Brueckle, Ana I. I. Gonzalez-Gonzalez, Veronika Bencheva, Matthias Gogolin, Kym I. E. Snell, Petra J. M. Elders, Petra A. A. Thuermann, Norbert Donner-Banzhoff, Jeanet W. W. Blom, Marjan van den Akker, Ferdinand M. M. Gerlach, Sebastian Harder, Ulrich Thiem, Paul P. P. Glasziou, Walter E. E. Haefeli, Christiane Muth
Summary: This study compared the ability of five measures of anticholinergic burden to predict falls in older patients, and found that there was no significant difference among these measures, and their contribution to risk classification in fall-prediction models is limited. Previous falls and dizziness/vertigo had the strongest prognostic value in all models.
Editorial Material
Medicine, General & Internal
Victor M. Montori, Merel M. Ruissen, Ian G. Hargraves, Juan P. Brito, Marleen Kunneman
BMJ EVIDENCE-BASED MEDICINE
(2023)
Review
Health Care Sciences & Services
Marleen Kunneman, Derek Gravholt, Sandra A. Hartasanchez, Michael R. Gionfriddo, Zoe Paskins, Larry J. Prokop, Anne M. Stiggelbout, Victor M. Montori
Summary: This study aimed to summarize instruments capable of measuring dimensions of patient-clinician collaboration to make care fit. The researchers systematically searched several databases and included 189 relevant papers. The results showed that existing measures of making care fit focus heavily on the content and manner of patient-clinician collaboration, while neglecting other crucial dimensions and actions.
HEALTH EXPECTATIONS
(2023)
Review
Psychiatry
Rebecca Sims, Zoe A. Michaleff, Paul Glasziou, Mark Jones, Rae Thomas
Summary: This study aimed to evaluate the proximal and longer-term consequences for individuals receiving a diagnostic label following screening for an asymptomatic, non-cancer health condition. The results showed that individuals who received a diagnostic label experienced immediate anxiety, but it returned to the non-clinical range in the longer term. There were no significant differences in depression, general mental health, or absenteeism.
Letter
Medicine, General & Internal
Loai Albarqouni, Victor Montori, Karsten Juhl Jorgensen, Martin Ringsten, Helen Bulbeck, Minna Johannson
BMJ EVIDENCE-BASED MEDICINE
(2023)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Merel M. Ruissen, Victor M. Montori, Ian G. Hargraves, Megan E. Branda, Montserrat Leon Garcia, Eelco J. P. de Koning, Marleen Kunneman
Summary: This study aimed to describe the collaborative approaches to shared decision-making (SDM) in clinical encounters of patients with diabetes and their clinicians. The findings showed that at least one instance of SDM was observed in 86 out of 100 encounters, with varying forms of SDM present. Weighing alternatives, negotiating conflicting desires, and problemsolving were the most common forms of SDM observed. The study also found a correlation between the form of SDM focused on weighing alternatives and higher patient involvement. Overall, recognizing the different forms of SDM used by clinicians and patients opens new possibilities for research and practice in patient-centered care.
BMJ EVIDENCE-BASED MEDICINE
(2023)
Article
Medical Ethics
Adrian G. Barnett, David N. Borg, Paul Glasziou, Emma Beckett
Summary: Research Integrity Advisors in Australia provide impartial guidance to researchers and are an important part of creating a safe environment for discussing research integrity issues and resolving them. A census revealed that there are 739 advisors nationally, with an overall positive attitude towards the role. However, some advisors lack proper training and institutional support, indicating a need for improvement.
ACCOUNTABILITY IN RESEARCH-ETHICS INTEGRITY AND POLICY
(2023)
Editorial Material
Substance Abuse
Paul P. Glasziou, Nicholas A. Zwar
Review
Medicine, General & Internal
Areti Angeliki Veroniki, Charlene Soobiah, Vera Nincic, Yonda Lai, Patricia Rios, Heather MacDonald, Paul A. Khan, Marco Ghassemi, Fatemeh Yazdi, Ross C. Brownson, David A. Chambers, Lisa R. Dolovich, Annemarie Edwards, Paul P. Glasziou, Ian D. Graham, Brenda R. Hemmelgarn, Bev J. Holmes, Wanrudee Isaranuwatchai, France Legare, Jessie McGowan, Justin Presseau, Janet E. Squires, Henry T. Stelfox, Lisa Strifler, Trudy Van der Weijden, Christine Fahim, Andrea C. Tricco, Sharon E. Straus
Summary: This study assessed the implementation and efficacy of sustained knowledge translation interventions for supporting chronic disease management in older adults. The results showed that sustained knowledge translation interventions have the potential to improve quality of life and quality of care in older adults with chronic diseases, but their overall effectiveness remains uncertain and varies based on various factors.
Letter
Medicine, General & Internal
Katy J. L. Bell, Paul P. Glasziou, Jenny A. Doust
CANADIAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION JOURNAL
(2023)
Editorial Material
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Katharine Wright, Joseph Ali, Alun Davies, Paul Glasziou, Nina Gobat, Tanja Kuchenmuller, Katherine Littler, Chelsea Modlin, Lee-Anne Pascoe, Andreas Reis, Jerome Amir Singh
