Article
Critical Care Medicine
Robert J. Hancox, Andrew R. Gray, Xian Zhang, Richie Poulton, Terrie E. Moffitt, Avshalom Caspi, Malcolm R. Sears
Summary: This study found that cannabis use is associated with higher lung volumes and lower midexpiratory airflow, but does not cause a decrease in the FEV1/FVC ratio, which distinguishes it from tobacco use. Furthermore, the study provides evidence that lifetime cannabis use may impair gas transfer.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF RESPIRATORY AND CRITICAL CARE MEDICINE
(2022)
Article
Dentistry, Oral Surgery & Medicine
Angela M. L. Benn, Nicholas C. K. Heng, W. Murray Thomson, Chris H. Sissons, Lisa S. Gellen, Andrew R. Gray, Jonathan M. Broadbent
Summary: The oral microbiome is diverse and complex, with distinct microbial profiles in different oral habitats shaped by factors such as sex, oral hygiene, and smoking status. Differences in the abundance of putative caries and periodontal pathogens were observed between smokers and non-smokers, and poor oral hygiene led to higher proportions of certain bacteria in subgingival biofilm.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF ORAL SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Health Care Sciences & Services
Raju Kanukula, Joanne E. McKenzie, Lisa Bero, Zhaoli Dai, Sally McDonald, Cynthia M. Kroeger, Elizabeth Korevaar, Matthew J. Page
Summary: This study aimed to investigate the frequency of encountering multiple results in systematic reviews of nutrition studies, as well as the specification of methods to select results. It found that a high percentage of reviews included in the study encountered multiplicity of results, suggesting the importance of specifying methods to handle multiplicity when designing reviews.
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL EPIDEMIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Jithendra Ratnayake, Guangzhao Guan, Ajith Polonowita, Andrew R. Gray, Carolina Loch, Kai Chun Li, John Neil Waddell, Karl Lyons, Paul A. Brunton
Summary: This study investigates the use of jaw-opening forces as an objective measure to assess the clinical improvement in temporomandibular disorder (TMD) patients. The results show that jaw-opening forces increased significantly in TMD patients following treatment, while no significant changes were observed in TMD-free participants. This measurement could potentially be used to evaluate the effectiveness of diagnosis and treatment for TMD patients.
APPLIED SCIENCES-BASEL
(2022)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Anneliese Arno, James Thomas, Byron Wallace, Iain J. Marshall, Joanne E. McKenzie, Julian H. Elliott
Summary: The study aimed to compare the accuracy and efficiency of risk-of-bias assessments conducted with RobotReviewer assistance to those conducted without RobotReviewer. The results showed that in health-related systematic reviews, RobotReviewer-assisted risk-of-bias assessments are noninferior in accuracy to assessments conducted without RobotReviewer. However, the results for time efficiency were inconclusive.
ANNALS OF INTERNAL MEDICINE
(2022)
Review
Health Care Sciences & Services
Elizabeth Korevaar, Amalia Karahalios, Simon L. Turner, Andrew B. Forbes, Monica Taljaard, Allen C. Cheng, Jeremy M. Grimshaw, Lisa Bero, Joanne E. McKenzie
Summary: This study aimed to examine the statistical approaches, methods, and completeness of reporting in reviews that meta-analyze results from interrupted time series (ITS). The results showed that although most reviews used two-stage meta-analysis and fitted random effects models, reporting of the statistical methods and ITS characteristics was often incomplete. The study suggests that improvement is needed in the conduct and reporting of these reviews.
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL EPIDEMIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Tim Stokes, Amanda Wilkinson, Prasath Jayakaran, Christopher Higgs, Donna Keen, Ramakrishnan Mani, Trudy Sullivan, Andrew R. Gray, Fiona Doolan-Noble, Jim Mann, Leigh Hale
Summary: The study found that the reach of the Diabetes Community Exercise and Education Programme (DCEP) can be extended through strategies such as promoting self-referral, primary healthcare organisation ownership, and community champions. Furthermore, DCEP was considered effective, with the social and welcoming environment facilitating relationships and connections, making people comfortable and empowered to learn.
Review
Medicine, General & Internal
Phi-Yen Nguyen, Raju Kanukula, Joanne E. McKenzie, Zainab Alqaidoom, Sue E. Brennan, Neal R. Haddaway, Daniel G. Hamilton, Sathya Karunananthan, Steve McDonald, David Moher, Shinichi Nakagawa, David Nunan, Peter Tugwell, Vivian A. Welch, Matthew J. Page
Summary: This study examined the completeness of reporting and frequency of sharing review materials in systematic reviews. The results showed suboptimal reporting in several items and a lack of improvement compared to previous years. Journal policies on data sharing were found to encourage more frequent sharing of review materials.
BMJ-BRITISH MEDICAL JOURNAL
(2022)
Article
Nutrition & Dietetics
Rachel C. Brown, Lara Ware, Andrew R. Gray, Siew Ling Tey, Alex Chisholm
Summary: Studies have shown that consuming almonds does not lead to adverse weight gain, making them a healthier alternative to other snacks. This study aimed to compare the effects of almonds and biscuits on body weight and other health outcomes in regular snackers, and found that incorporating almonds into the diet can improve diet quality without causing weight gain.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF CLINICAL NUTRITION
(2023)
Article
Health Care Sciences & Services
Miranda S. Cumpston, Sue E. Brennan, Rebecca Ryan, Joanne E. McKenzie
Summary: This study examined the use of summary and statistical synthesis methods in 100 systematic reviews published in 2018. It found that 60 reviews utilized methods other than meta-analysis for synthesizing data. However, the descriptions of these methods in the reviews were lacking, highlighting the need for improved reporting to enhance interpretation and evaluation.
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL EPIDEMIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Mathematical & Computational Biology
Simon Lee Turner, Elizabeth Korevaar, Miranda S. S. Cumpston, Raju Kanukula, Andrew B. B. Forbes, Joanne E. E. McKenzie
Summary: Interrupted time series (ITS) studies are commonly used to investigate the impact of interventions or exposures on population-level outcomes. A systematic review with meta-analysis of ITS designs can provide guidance for public health and policy decision-making. Although raw data is often not provided in publications, digitally extracting time series data from graphs is a feasible approach. However, the accuracy of effect estimates derived from digitally extracted data is currently uncertain.
RESEARCH SYNTHESIS METHODS
(2023)
Article
Criminology & Penology
Xiaohui I. I. Lin, Thomas White, Andrew R. R. Gray, Paul Glue
Summary: Violence risk prediction in forensic mental health care settings is crucial for managing violence. Previous studies have suggested that the Health of the Nation Outcome Scales-Secure (HoNOS-secure) may have some predictive validity for violence. This retrospective cohort study examines the predictive validity of HoNOS-secure scores for inpatient violence in a medium-secure forensic psychiatric ward. While the total and subscale scores were not significant predictors, item-level analysis demonstrated associations between specific items and violence. Future studies could consider pooling data, extending follow-up periods, and adopting a prospective design.
JOURNAL OF FORENSIC PSYCHIATRY & PSYCHOLOGY
(2023)
Review
Health Care Sciences & Services
Miranda S. Cumpston, Joanne E. McKenzie, Rebecca Ryan, James Thomas, Sue E. Brennan
Summary: This study found that reporting of population, intervention, and outcome groups in systematic reviews is often incomplete, which affects the transparency and replicability of the reviews.
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL EPIDEMIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Mathematical & Computational Biology
Elizabeth Korevaar, Simon L. Turner, Andrew B. Forbes, Amalia Karahalios, Monica Taljaard, Joanne E. Mckenzie
Summary: This study examines the statistical methods for interrupted time series (ITS) analysis and meta-analysis, finding that all random effects meta-analysis methods yield unbiased estimates of the interruption effects, but frequently overestimate heterogeneity when standard errors of ITS studies are underestimated.
RESEARCH SYNTHESIS METHODS
(2023)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
L. Hale, C. Higgs, A. R. Gray, J. Mann, R. Mani, T. Sullivan, J. Terry, D. Keen, T. Stokes
Summary: The Diabetes Community Exercise Programme (DCEP) was found to be ineffective in improving glycemic control compared to usual care in a two-year study. Despite good attendance, the lack of sufficient exercise intensity may have contributed to the results. However, DCEP showed promise in terms of cultural accessibility.