Article
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Bashar J. Qumseya
Summary: The study developed and validated a quality assessment score for cohort studies, consisting of 9 questions with a maximum score of 10. The inter-rater reliability and test-retest reliability were high, and internal consistency was reasonable. The novel scale outperformed three other scales in terms of efficiency, ease of use, and ease of interpretation.
GASTROINTESTINAL ENDOSCOPY
(2021)
Review
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Xin-Yu Li, Gang Li, Ting-Ting Gong, Jia-Le Lv, Chang Gao, Fang-Hua Liu, Yu-Hong Zhao, Qi-Jun Wu
Summary: This umbrella review evaluated and synthesized previously published systematic reviews and meta-analyses on the association between non-genetic factors and cervical cancer risk. The findings indicate a strong association between oral contraceptive use, Chlamydia trachomatis infection, and increased CC risk. There are also several other risk factors with suggestive or highly suggestive evidence.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PUBLIC HEALTH
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Noemie Simon-Tillaux, Anne-Laure Gerard, Deivanes Rajendrabose, Florence Tubach, Agnes Dechartres
Summary: This study aimed to evaluate the methodological quality and effect size relationship in systematic reviews with meta-analyses of preclinical studies published recently. The results showed that although there have been improvements in the methodological characteristics of recent studies, the methodological quality of included studies remains poor and there is no evidence of a potential association between study methodological characteristics and effect size.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2022)
Review
Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems
Mario Gaudino, Stephen Fremes, Emilia Bagiella, Sripal Bangalore, Michelle Demetres, Fabrizio D'Ascenzo, Giuseppe Biondi-Zoccai, Antonino Di Franco
Summary: High-quality meta-analyses are crucial in evidence-based medicine, but only a small minority of published meta-analyses meet the necessary standards. The strength of a meta-analysis is dependent on the quality of included studies, with thorough quality assessment and appropriate analytical approaches being essential. Evaluation of heterogeneity and testing for publication bias are also key steps in ensuring the reliability of the results. The guidance provided in this expert review aims to help researchers perform trial level meta-analyses effectively, focusing on quality assessment, statistical approaches, handling heterogeneity, and assessing publication bias.
ANNALS OF THORACIC SURGERY
(2021)
Review
Nutrition & Dietetics
Hui Sun, Ting-Ting Gong, Yang Xia, Zhao-Yan Wen, Long-Gang Zhao, Yu-Hong Zhao, Qi-Jun Wu
Summary: This study assessed the strength of evidence regarding dietary risk factors for ovarian cancer and found weak evidence supporting associations between black tea, skim/low-fat milk, lactose, and calcium intake with ovarian cancer risk. Further research is needed to confirm these relationships.
CLINICAL NUTRITION
(2021)
Review
Health Care Sciences & Services
Ai Bo, Audrey Hang Hai, Ding-Geng Chen, Kyndal Hammock
Summary: The study found that the practice and results of bias risk assessment and integration in systematic reviews and meta-analyses of behavioral clinical trials published in substance use journals are inconsistent.
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL EPIDEMIOLOGY
(2021)
Review
Nutrition & Dietetics
Xianpeng Qin, Guiqing Jia, Xiaogang Zhou, Zhou Yang
Summary: The occurrence of esophageal cancer may be influenced by diet. Consuming calcium, whole grains, fruits, green leafy vegetables, green tea, and zinc while reducing alcohol, red meat, and processed-meat intake may be associated with a lower risk of esophageal cancer.
ADVANCES IN NUTRITION
(2022)
Letter
Medicine, General & Internal
Evan Mayo-Wilson, Riaz Qureshi, Tianjing Li
Summary: Guidance for systematic reviews of interventions recommends considering both benefits and harms. However, if reviews only include some relevant studies, rely on incomplete data, use inappropriate methods, and report results selectively, the conclusions about harms may not be true. Conducting separate reviews for harms could be a feasible alternative to current practices, improving the reliability, completeness, and efficiency of systematic reviews.
SYSTEMATIC REVIEWS
(2023)
Review
Psychiatry
Xin Wang, Deming Jiang, Tianxiong Li, Xiao Zhang, Ran Wang, Song Gao, Fengyi Yang, Yan Wang, Qi Tian, Chunrong Xie, Jinghong Liang
Summary: This study comprehensively summarizes and evaluates the associations between microbiological factors and neurodegenerative diseases. The findings indicate that Helicobacter pylori infection is associated with Parkinson's disease, and periodontal disease is a risk factor for all types of dementia. The study suggests that eradicating H. pylori and treating periodontitis aggressively are beneficial for the prevention of Parkinson's disease and dementia.
FRONTIERS IN PSYCHIATRY
(2022)
Article
Nutrition & Dietetics
Dena Zeraatkar, Arrti Bhasin, Rita E. Morassut, Isabella Churchill, Arnav Gupta, Daeria O. Lawson, Anna Miroshnychenko, Emily Sirotich, Komal Aryal, David Mikhail, Tauseef A. Khan, Vanessa Ha, John L. Sievenpiper, Steven E. Hanna, Joseph Beyene, Russell J. de Souza
Summary: Systematic reviews of nutritional epidemiology studies often exhibit serious limitations, such as inadequate protocol registration, lack of transparency in search strategies, and errors in result synthesis. To enhance the quality of future reviews, authors can involve statisticians, methodologists, and experts with substantive knowledge in the specific area of nutrition, and utilize a rigorous and transparent system for evaluating the certainty of evidence.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF CLINICAL NUTRITION
(2021)
Review
Oncology
Shu-Jun Liu, Pi-Di Huang, Jia-Min Xu, Qian Li, Jian-Hui Xie, Wen-Zhen Wu, Chen-Tong Wang, Xiao-Bo Yang
Summary: This umbrella review evaluated the associations between dietary factors and the incidence of gastric cancer. The results showed that a higher intake of total alcohol and processed meat can increase the risk of gastric cancer, while the consumption of total fruit, vitamin E, and carotenoids may be associated with a decreased risk. However, the quality of evidence for these associations is relatively low and further research is needed. The study recommends reducing alcohol and salt-preserved foods intake for the prevention of gastric cancer.
JOURNAL OF CANCER RESEARCH AND CLINICAL ONCOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Tat-Thang Vo, Stijn Vansteelandt
Summary: This paper discusses the challenges faced by investigators in systematic reviews and meta-analyses of mediation studies and proposes ways to address these challenges in practice.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF EPIDEMIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Sarah A. Palumbo, Janet D. Robishaw, Joanne Krasnoff, Charles H. Hennekens
Summary: The meta-analysis of observational studies on Opioid Use Disorder suggests that biases may differ between case-control and cohort studies, potentially due to greater selection bias in case-control studies. This finding has implications for the application of meta-analyses in common diseases, genomics, precision medicine, including OUD.
ANNALS OF EPIDEMIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Orthopedics
Matthew T. Gulbrandsen, Taha M. Taka, Joshua G. Peterson, Jun Ho Chung, Hasan M. Syed, Nirav H. Amin, Austin V. Stone, John W. Xerogeanes, Joseph N. Liu
Summary: This study identified the presence of spin in 53.8% of meta-analysis and systematic review abstracts regarding the treatment of ACL injuries with quadriceps tendon graft. It emphasizes the importance of recognizing and avoiding the influence of spin when making treatment decisions for ACL injuries.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF SPORTS MEDICINE
(2023)
Review
Orthopedics
Matthew T. Gulbrandsen, Ryan J. Filler, Richard Casey Rice, Jun Ho Chung, Trevor R. Gulbrandsen, Wesley P. Phipatanakul, Joseph N. Liu
Summary: This study aimed to identify the prevalence of spin in meta-analysis and systematic review abstracts regarding treatment of midshaft clavicle fractures. The majority of included articles were found to contain spin within the abstract, with selective reporting or overemphasis on efficacy outcomes or analysis favoring the beneficial effect of the experimental intervention being the most prevalent type of spin.
JOURNAL OF ORTHOPAEDIC TRAUMA
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Jaclyn Parks, Kathleen E. McLean, Lawrence McCandless, Russell J. de Souza, Jeffrey R. Brook, James Scott, Stuart E. Turvey, Piush J. Mandhane, Allan B. Becker, Meghan B. Azad, Theo J. Moraes, Diana L. Lefebvre, Malcolm R. Sears, Padmaja Subbarao, Tim K. Takaro
Summary: Although only 2% of mothers reported smoking prior to and throughout their pregnancy, cotinine and 3HC were detected in 76 and 89% of the infants' urine (n = 2017). Questionnaire-based models explained 31 and 41% of the variance in cotinine and 3HC levels, respectively. Observed concentrations suggest 0.25 and 0.50 ng/mL as cut-points in cotinine and 3HC to characterize SHS exposure.
JOURNAL OF EXPOSURE SCIENCE AND ENVIRONMENTAL EPIDEMIOLOGY
(2022)
Editorial Material
Medicine, General & Internal
Shohinee Sarma, Lorraine Lipscombe
ANNALS OF INTERNAL MEDICINE
(2022)
Meeting Abstract
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Shohinee Sarma, Patricia Palcu
Article
Nutrition & Dietetics
Gita Wahi, Julie Wilson, Melanie Burning, Stephanie George, Phyllis Hill, Janet Homer, Laurie Jacobs, Ashley Lickers, Sharon Smoke, Albertha D. Davis, Dipika Desai, Susan M. Jack, Natalie Williams, Russell J. de Souza, Sonia S. Anand
Summary: This study explores the impacts of maternal health sociodemographic factors, health behaviors, and healthcare use during pregnancy on infant diet at age 1-year, highlighting the positive role of Indigenous midwives and higher maternal social advantage.
Review
Nutrition & Dietetics
Mahsa Raji Lahiji, Saeideh Vafa, Russell J. de Souza, Mitra Zarrati, Akram Sajadian, Elham Razmpoosh, Shapour Jaberzadeh
Summary: This study summarized 51 eligible randomized controlled trials and found that a multimodal dietary-based intervention significantly decreased weight, BMI, waist circumference, hip circumference, body fat percentage, and lean body mass in women with breast cancer, while also reducing daily caloric and fat intake significantly and increasing dietary fiber intake significantly.
ADVANCES IN NUTRITION
(2022)
Article
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Sheila Holmes, Shohinee Sarma, Sara Campbell, Abdulrahman Azab, Judy Qiang, Geetha Mukerji
Summary: This study aimed to examine the gap in bariatric surgery referrals for patients with type 2 diabetes seen in endocrinology clinics at a tertiary care hospital in Toronto, Canada. The study found a low referral rate and poor utilization of behavioral, lifestyle, and pharmacotherapy practices in the treatment of obesity.
CANADIAN JOURNAL OF DIABETES
(2022)
Article
Nutrition & Dietetics
Talha Rafiq, Sandi M. Azab, Sonia S. Anand, Lehana Thabane, Meera Shanmuganathan, Katherine M. Morrison, Stephanie A. Atkinson, Jennifer C. Stearns, Koon K. Teo, Philip Britz-McKibbin, Russell J. de Souza
Summary: The study examined the association between non-dietary factors and the serum concentrations of food-related biomarkers. It found that certain dietary factors explained a higher proportion of the variability in metabolite concentrations compared to non-dietary factors. The results highlight the importance of considering non-dietary factors in analyzing the association between food intake and health outcomes.
Review
Nutrition & Dietetics
Danielle Lee, Laura Chiavaroli, Sabrina Ayoub-Charette, Tauseef A. Khan, Andreea Zurbau, Fei Au-Yeung, Annette Cheung, Qi Liu, Xinye Qi, Amna Ahmed, Vivian L. Choo, Sonia Blanco Mejia, Vasanti S. Malik, Ahmed El-Sohemy, Russell J. de Souza, Thomas M. S. Wolever, Lawrence A. Leiter, Cyril W. C. Kendall, David J. A. Jenkins, John L. Sievenpiper
Summary: This systematic review and meta-analysis investigated the effects of fructose-containing sugars from different food sources and different levels of energy control on non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) markers. The results showed that fructose-containing sugars increased intrahepatocellular lipid (IHCL), especially from sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs), while the removal of energy from mixed sources (with SSBs) decreased aspartate aminotransferase (AST). However, there is still uncertainty about the effects of other important food sources of fructose-containing sugars.
Article
Pediatrics
Daniel Locia-Morales, Miguel Vazquez-Moreno, Roxana Gonzalez-Dzib, Carmen Dominguez-Hernandez, Aleyda Perez-Herrera, Roberto J. Robles-Ramirez, Alberto Rocha-Cruz, David Meyre, Eugenia Flores-Alfaro, Miguel Cruz
Summary: There is a positive association between serum amylase enzymatic activity and insulin resistance in Mexican children. High amylase activity is associated with lower glucose and insulin responses to an oral starch test in Mexican children, regardless of their weight status.
Article
Education & Educational Research
Tanmay Sharma, Rita E. Morassut, Christine Langlois, David Meyre
Summary: The study examines the patterns and predictors of BMI change among undergraduate students in Ontario, Canada. The findings suggest a correlation between high baseline BMI and nonstable subsequent BMI change patterns.
JOURNAL OF AMERICAN COLLEGE HEALTH
(2022)
Review
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Shohinee Sarma, Patricia Palcu
Summary: This systematic review and meta-analysis compares weight loss between GLP-1 receptor agonists and bariatric surgery. The results show that although bariatric surgery still achieves higher reductions in weight and BMI, it has similar effects to GLP-1 receptor agonists in glycemic control.
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Sujane Kandasamy, Baanu Manoharan, Zainab Khan, Rosain Stennett, Dipika Desai, Rochelle Nocos, Gita Wahi, Davina Banner, Russell J. de Souza, Scott A. Lear, Sonia S. Anand
Summary: In the first full year of the COVID-19 pandemic, South Asians living in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area and Greater Vancouver area faced barriers to accessing testing and health information. However, a higher proportion of this group received at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose compared to individuals who were not visible minorities. Qualitative research explored the perceptions of COVID-19 risk, vaccine access, uptake, and confidence among South Asians in Canada. Factors such as individual risk perceptions, trusted information sources, impact of the pandemic, and experiences with mandates and policies influenced vaccine access and confidence. Community-level awareness and tailored outreach were successful approaches.
Article
Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems
Darryl Wan, Mahshid Dehghan, Russell J. de Souza, Chinthanie Ramasundarahettige, John W. Eikelboom, Jackie Bosch, Aldo P. Maggioni, Deepak L. Bhatt, Salim Yusuf, Sonia S. Anand
Summary: This study examined the association between dietary patterns and the risk of recurrent major adverse cardiovascular and limb events in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) and peripheral artery disease (PAD). The findings suggest that poor diet quality is independently associated with a higher risk of such events.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF PREVENTIVE CARDIOLOGY
(2023)
Review
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Fazle Rabbi, Laura Banfield, Mehnaz Munir, Zain Chagla, Alexandra Mayhew, Russell J. de Souza
Summary: This study evaluates the appropriateness of antibiotic use during COVID-19 and finds that hospitalized COVID-19 patients are being prescribed antibiotics without confirmed bacterial coinfections, potentially contributing to global antimicrobial resistance.
Article
Health Care Sciences & Services
Saba Manzoor, Mike Colacci, Jason Moggridge, Michelle Gyenes, Tor Biering-Sorensen, Mats Hojbjerg C. Lassen, Fahad Razak, Amol Verma, Shohinee Sarma, Michael Fralick
Summary: Hyperglycemia in hospitalized patients does not always indicate diabetes, and overtreatment can lead to potential harm.
JOURNAL OF GENERAL INTERNAL MEDICINE
(2023)
