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PubMed2006

Guidelines for systematic review in conservation and environmental management.

An increasing number of applied disciplines are utilizing evidence-based frameworks to review and disseminate the effectiveness of management and policy interventions. The rationale is that increased accessibility of the best available evidence will provide a more efficient and less biased platform for decision making. We argue that there are significant benefits for conservation in using such a framework, but the scientific community needs to undertake and disseminate more systematic reviews before the full benefit can be realized. We devised a set of guidelines for undertaking formalized systematic review, based on a health services model. The guideline stages include planning and conducting a review, including protocol formation, search strategy, data inclusion, data extraction, and analysis. Review dissemination is addressed in terms of current developments and future plans for a Web-based open-access library. By the use of case studies we highlight critical modifications to guidelines for protocol formulation, data-quality assessment, data extraction, and data synthesis for conservation and environmental management. Ecological data presented significant but soluble challenges for the systematic review process, particularly in terms of the quantity, accessibility, and diverse quality of available data. In the field of conservation and environmental management there needs to be further engagement of scientists and practitioners to develop and take ownership of an evidence-based framework.

Animals↗

PubMed2006

A systematic review of depression and mental illness preceding Parkinson's disease.

Depression has been reported in several studies to be more common in Parkinson's disease (PD) patients than in the general population, and there may be overlap in the pathophysiology of the two conditions. Anxiety and other mental disorders have also been examined for possible association with PD because of their effects on the brain. MEDLINE, EMBASE and PSYCHINFO databases were searched systematically for existing systematic reviews or meta-analyses and primary research articles. Past studies and reviews have focused on co-morbidity of depression or mental disorders and PD, but as yet there have been no systematic reviews of the evidence that these conditions precede PD. Articles without robust methodology were excluded by specified criteria, based on published quality scoring criteria. Three cohort studies, one nested case-control study, and 10 case-control studies are included in the current systematic review. Premorbid depression was significantly more common in PD patients than in those without a diagnosis of PD in five of six case-control studies and three cohort studies. Premorbid anxiety may also be associated with PD although the evidence was not as strong. A few studies have looked at dementia as a co-morbid or sequel, but never as a predictor of PD.

Depression↗

PubMed1998

Systematic review on the cost-effectiveness of public health interventions for HIV prevention in industrialized countries.

OBJECTIVE: Systematic review on cost-effectiveness of public health interventions for primary HIV-prevention programs. DESIGN: Rating of publications using the guidelines for economic studies in medicine of the British Medical Journal Economic Evaluation Working Party. METHODS: Studies with defined nondrug intervention, defined study population, identifiable method of analysis and at least one endpoint for evaluation of intervention were included. One publication could consist of more than one study. Methods to generate effectiveness data, inclusion of human costs and kind of outcome parameters for economic evaluation were documented. To avoid bias in performing the review, the British Medical Journal guidelines were applied. Cost-effectiveness data were reviewed according to outcome parameters used in economic evaluation. RESULTS: Forty studies were identified in 34 publications, 30/40 from the United States and 22 supported by public funding; only five studies were directed to men who have sex with men, intravenous drug users and persons with HIV-infected partners. Screening programs and counseling with testing accounted for 30/40 studies. Complete research question (intervention and outcome) was presented in 29/40 studies (72.5%). Thirty-four studies were conducted from the societal perspective and the viewpoint was clearly stated in 31/40 studies. Incremental analysis was performed in 21 studies, correction for inflation in two and discounting when appropriate in 23/29 studies; sensitivity analysis was performed in 23/40. Effectiveness data were presented in 38 studies. Diagnosis of previously unknown HIV infection (n = 11), sexual (n = 7) and vertical transmission (n = 6), infection of patients by healthcare workers and life years saved (both n = 6) served as the most common outcome parameters. In 21 studies, human costs were included in the estimation of costs (52.5%) and nine studies used the human capital approach. Cost-effectiveness data revealed costs between US$460 and US$1.2 million per case of previously unknown HIV infection prevented, strongly depending on prevalence. Studies on sexual and vertical transmission demonstrated lower costs when the benefits of treatment were included. Costs for 1 life-year saved varied between $29,000 and $458,000. CONCLUSIONS: The British Medical Journal guidelines for economic analysis in medicine are a feasible instrument for systematic reviews of cost-effectiveness studies on primary HIV infection. The quality of published studies varies widely. A clear definition of outcome parameters as an object of economic evaluation can be regarded as crucial, besides incremental analysis, discounting, and inclusion of human costs. Further work is needed to develop and evaluate a specific rating system for cost-effectiveness analysis in this field.

Cost-Benefit Analysis↗

PubMed2006

Vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty: a systematic review of 69 clinical studies.

STUDY DESIGN: Systematic literature review. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the safety and efficacy of vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty using the data presented in published clinical studies, with respect to patient pain relief, restoration of mobility and vertebral body height, complication rate, and incidence of new adjacent vertebral fractures. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty have been gaining popularity for treating vertebral fractures. Current reviews provide an overview of the procedures but are not comprehensive and tend to rely heavily on personal experience. This article aimed to compile all available data and evaluate the clinical outcome of the 2 procedures. METHODS: This is a systematic review of all the available data presented in peer-reviewed published clinical trials. The methodological quality of included studies was evaluated, and data were collected targeting specific standard measurements. Where possible, a quantitative aggregation of the data was performed. RESULTS: A large proportion of subjects had some pain relief, including 87% with vertebroplasty and 92% with kyphoplasty. Vertebral height restoration was possible using kyphoplasty (average 6.6 degrees ) and for a subset of patients using vertebroplasty (average 6.6 degrees ). Cement leaks occurred for 41% and 9% of treated vertebrae for vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty, respectively. New fractures of adjacent vertebrae occurred for both procedures at rates that are higher than the general osteoporotic population but approximately equivalent to the general osteoporotic population that had a previous vertebral fracture. CONCLUSIONS: The problem with stating definitely that vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty are safe and effective procedures is the lack of comparative, blinded, randomized clinical trials. Standardized evaluative methods should be adopted.

Humans↗

PubMed2000

Best place of care for older people after acute and during subacute illness: a systematic review.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the evaluative research literature on the costs, quality and effectiveness of different locations of care for older patients. METHODS: A systematic review of evaluative research from 1988 using CRD4 guidelines. Twenty-five databases were searched, using processes developed specially for this review. Library OPACS, the Internet and research registers were also searched for relevant material. The final stage of the review was confined to randomised and pseudorandomised trials. Studies were selected for review by pairs of researchers working independently who then met to reach a decision. Analysis was predominantly descriptive; simple pooled odds ratios were used to explore some outcomes. RESULTS: Eighty-four papers from 45 trials were included. Firm conclusions were difficult to draw, except in relation to some outcomes for stroke units, early discharge schemes and geriatric assessment units. Few trials in this area have adequately addressed issues of patients' quality of life and costs to health services, social care providers, patients and their families. CONCLUSIONS: Despite considerable recent development of different forms of care for older patients, evidence about effectiveness and costs is weak. However, evidence is also weak for longer-standing care models. A substantial service evaluation agenda emerges from this review. This study also raises questions about the usefulness of systematic review techniques in the area of service delivery and organisation.

Acute Disease↗

PubMed2004

Systematic review of the efficacy of antiemetics in the treatment of nausea in patients with far-advanced cancer.

OBJECTIVES: To systematically review studies of antiemetics used in the treatment of nausea in patients with far-advanced cancer. DATA SOURCES: Randomized controlled trials (RCT) and uncontrolled studies identified by electronic and hand searching. REVIEW METHODS: Identified studies were appraised for quality and effect size. RESULTS: Of 21 studies included, 2 were systematic reviews, 7 were RCT and 12 were uncontrolled studies or case series. Differences in interventions and outcomes amongst the RCT precluded any quantitative data synthesis and all seven studies were prone to bias. Whereas uncontrolled studies indicated a high response rate to standard regimens (75-93% for both nausea and vomiting), RCT showed much lower response rates to these agents (23-36% for nausea, 18-52% for vomiting). The two methods of antiemetic choice (choice based either on the inferred mechanism or empirical) were equally effective. There is reasonably strong evidence for the use of metoclopramide in cancer-associated dyspepsia and steroids in malignant bowel obstruction. There was conflicting evidence about the efficacy of serotonin antagonists compared with standard treatments (e.g. metoclopramide, dopamine antagonists and dexamethasone). There was little or no evidence of the efficacy of some commonly used and seemingly effective drugs such as haloperidol, cyclizine, and methotrimeprazine. CONCLUSION: Evidence supporting the existing consensus-based guidelines for management of nausea and vomiting in advanced cancer is sparse. Current approaches to treatment based on the neuropharmacology of the emetic pathway may be inappropriate in this setting. Well-designed studies of the impact of "standard" management and novel agents on nausea and vomiting in palliative populations are needed.

Antiemetics↗

PubMed2003

Screening accuracy for late-life depression in primary care: a systematic review.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the accuracy of depression screening instruments for older adults in primary care. STUDY DESIGN: Systematic review. DATA SOURCES: MEDLINE, PsycINFO (search dates 1966 to January 2002), and the Cochrane database on depression, anxiety and neurosis. We also searched the second Guide to Clinical Preventive Services, the 1993 Agency for Health Care Policy and Research Clinical Practice Guideline on Depression, and recent systematic reviews. Hand-checking of bibliographies and extensive peer review were also used to identify potential articles. OUTCOMES MEASURED: A predefined search strategy targeted only studies of adults aged 65 years or older in primary care or community settings, including long-term care. Articles were included in this review if they reported original data and tested depression screening instruments against a criterion standard, yielding sensitivity and specificity. RESULTS: Eighteen articles met criteria and are included in this review, representing 9 different screening instruments. The most commonly evaluated were the Geriatric Depression Scale (30- and 15-item versions), the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale, and the SelfCARE(D). Differences in the performance of these 3 instruments were minimal; sensitivities ranged from 74% to 100% and specificities ranged from 53% to 98%. CONCLUSIONS: Accurate and feasible screening instruments are available for detecting late-life depression in primary care. More research is needed to determine the accuracy of depression screening instruments for demented individuals, and for those with subthreshold depressive disorders.

Aged↗

PubMed2001

The art of quality assessment of RCTs included in systematic reviews.

The best evidence on the efficacy of medical interventions is provided by high-quality trials summarized in high-quality systematic reviews or meta-analyses. The methodological quality of studies included in a systematic review can have a substantial impact on the estimates of the treatment effect and therefore on the conclusions of such a review. But what is the empirical evidence to support quality assessment of randomized clinical trials (RCTs)? We elaborate on questions such as: what is the concept of quality of individual studies (RCTs), can quality be measured validly and reliably? Plans for future research on this issue are proposed.

Humans↗

PubMed2002

[Pneumococcal vaccine effectiveness in the elderly. Systematic review and meta-analysis].

AIM: Estimate pneumococcal vaccine effectiveness in preventing Streptococcus pneumoniae illness in the elderly. DESIGN: Systematic review and meta-analysis. DATA SOURCE. MEDLINE, years 1964 to the 2000; EMBASE, from 1988 to the 2000; Cochrane Library, identified studies and previously published systematic reviews citations peruse, and contacts with field experts. STUDY SELECTION: Clinical trials, cohort and case-control studies, published in Spanish, English or French, that estimated pneumococcal disease rates in vaccinated or not vaccinated elderly. DATA EXTRACTION: The studies were valued independently by four investigators with predefined criteria of validity, such as results comparing rates of disease caused by serotypes included in the vaccine, random allocation, double blind design, included subjects pertaining to the same study base, and losses of less than 10% in clinical trials and 20% in observational studies. RESULTS: Eight clinical trials considered the relative risk (RR) of pneumococcal pneumonia, three did not make estimations on pneumonia originated by serotypes included in the vaccine and only one study fulfilled all the inclusion criteria. Vaccinated versus not vaccinated pneumococcal pneumonia RR was 0.86 (95%CI, 0.24 to 2.99). Vaccine effectiveness was 14% (95%CI, -199 to 76%). Ten studies performed estimations on the effectiveness of the vaccine on invasive disease by vaccine serotypes. Of these, two clinical trials and two observational studies fulfilled the required quality criteria. RR of invasive disease was of 0.68 (95%CI, 0.39-1.18); vaccine effectiveness was 32% (95%CI, 18-61%). CONCLUSIONS: No evidence was found supporting pneumococcal vaccine effectiveness to reduce or avoid S. pneumoniae disease in the elderly.

Adult↗

PubMed2025

Efficacy of Advanced Therapies in Achieving Remission by Disease Location in Crohn's Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: We compared the efficacy of different advanced therapies by disease location in patients with Crohn's disease (CD) through a systematic review and meta-analysis. METHODS: Through a systematic review, we identified 14 randomized controlled trials in 3139 patients with moderate-to-severe CD who were treated with different advanced therapies vs placebo, and reported efficacy in inducing clinical remission, stratified by disease location (isolated colonic vs ileal disease, excluding ileocolonic disease). We grouped advanced therapies based on the primary mechanism of action: anti-interleukins, Janus kinase inhibitors (JAK inhibitors), anti-integrins, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF) antagonists. We calculated treatment efficacy (drug vs placebo), overall and by drug class, for colonic vs ileal disease. RESULTS: Overall treatment efficacy of advanced therapies vs placebo was higher in patients with colonic (odds ratio [OR], 4.09; 95% confidence interval [CI], 3.02-5.54) vs ileal CD (OR, 1.80; 95% CI, 1.23-2.63; P < .001). By drug class, anti-interleukins demonstrated a higher efficacy in colonic disease (OR, 4.29; 95% CI, 2.77-6.64) vs ileal disease (OR, 2.31; 95% CI, 1.44-3.70; P = .059), whereas no difference in efficacy was observed with anti-integrins (colonic vs ileal: OR, 1.79; 95% CI, 0.55-5.87 vs 2.10; 95% CI, 0.80-5.53; P = .84). For JAK inhibitors, efficacy was observed only in patients with isolated colonic disease (OR, 4.37; 95% CI, 2.67-7.15), but not in ileal disease (OR, 1.01; 95% CI, 0.54-1.89; P < .001). All analyses had minimal to moderate heterogeneity. CONCLUSIONS: The magnitude of efficacy of advanced therapies for ileal CD is generally lower compared with isolated colonic CD, with JAK inhibitors showing particularly limited efficacy for ileal disease. These results may help inform treatment selection.

Humans↗

PubMed2006

Effectiveness of antibiotics given before admission in reducing mortality from meningococcal disease: systematic review.

OBJECTIVE: To review the evidence for effectiveness of treatment with antibiotics before admission in reducing case fatality from meningococcal disease. DESIGN: Systematic review. DATA SOURCES: Cochrane register of trials and systematic reviews, database of abstracts of reviews of effectiveness, health technology assessment, and national research register in England and Wales, Medline, Embase, and CAB Health. INCLUDED STUDIES: Studies describing vital outcome of at least 10 cases of meningococcal disease classified by whether or not antibiotics were given before admission to hospital. RESULTS: 14 observational studies met the review criteria. Oral antibiotic treatment given before admission was associated with reduced mortality among cases (combined risk ratio 0.17, 95% confidence interval 0.07 to 0.44). In seven studies in which all included patients were seen in primary care, the association between parenteral antibiotics before admission and outcome was inconsistent (chi2 for heterogeneity 11.02, P = 0.09). After adjustment for the proportion given parenteral antibiotics before admission, there was no residual heterogeneity. A higher proportion of patients given parenteral antibiotics before admission was associated with reduced mortality after such treatment and vice versa (P = 0.04). CONCLUSION: Confounding by severity is the most likely explanation both for the beneficial effect of oral antibiotics and the harmful effect observed in some studies of parenteral antibiotics. We cannot conclude whether or not antibiotics given before admission have an effect on case fatality. The data are consistent with benefit when a substantial proportion of cases are treated.

Administration, Oral↗

PubMed2005

Peripheral nervous system injuries in sport and recreation: a systematic review.

Many sports are associated with a variety of peripheral nervous system (PNS) injuries specific to that sport. A systematic review of sport-specific PNS injuries has not been attempted previously, and will assist in the understanding of morbidities and mortality associated with particular sporting activities, either professional or amateur. A systematic review of the literature using PubMed (1965-2003) was performed examining all known sports and a range of possible PNS injuries attributable to that sport. Numerous sporting activities (53) were found to have associated PNS injuries. The sports most commonly reported with injuries were football, hockey, soccer, baseball and winter activities. There are a number of sporting activities with injuries unique to the individual sport. This review should be of assistance for the neurologist, neurosurgeon, orthopaedic surgeon, physiatrist, sports medicine doctor, athletic trainer and general physician in contact with athletes possessing neurological injuries.

Arm Injuries↗

PubMed1998

The value of systematic reviews in research.

Nurses may be deterred from using research to inform their practice because of the huge numbers of papers available on some topics. Literature reviews on a topic of interest may make the task easier. A systematic review aims to discover all the research undertaken on a subject and review all the results in a scientific manner. Systematic reviews may highlight findings not available from individual studies and can thus help to inform and improve practice.

Nurses↗

PubMed2003

Systematic reviews with individual patient data meta-analysis to evaluate diagnostic tests.

Systematic literature reviews with meta-analysis of reported data in diagnostic research studies about the accuracy of tests assist clinicians in decision-making. However, there are limitations to this approach as the analysis of such data often does not allow reviewers to explore the diagnostic information gained from combinations of tests. In recent years meta-analysis of individual patient data (IPD) has been introduced as gold standard analytic approach in systematic reviews of randomised controlled trials. Application of IPD meta-analysis in systematic reviews of diagnostic tests can allow advanced analysis to decipher the real value of testing. In particular, the additional information provided by testing can be examined in light of the information already known from history and examination. To our knowledge there are no IPD meta-analyses in diagnostic research so far. This commentary aims to highlight the benefits of IPD meta-analysis in the diagnostic domain and demonstrates how strategies for diagnostic work-up of women with postmenopausal bleeding could be improved using this approach in systematic reviews of diagnostic research on accuracy of ultrasound and hysteroscopy.

Diagnostic Tests, Routine↗

PubMed2007

Systematic review and meta-analysis of the efficacy of tirilazad in experimental stroke.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Tirilazad is a candidate neuroprotective drug with reported efficacy in animal models of stroke that was, however, without benefit in clinical trials. This apparent contradiction might be explained if the animal studies were falsely positive, if the clinical trials were falsely negative, or if tirilazad was not tested under the same conditions in animal and clinical studies. Here we use systematic review and meta-analysis to describe the characteristics and limits to the neuroprotective action of tirilazad in animal models of stroke. METHODS: Systematic review and meta-analysis of studies describing the efficacy of tirilazad in animal models of focal ischemia, in which outcome was measured as infarct volume and/or neurological score. Weighted mean difference random effects meta-analysis was used to measure overall efficacy in prespecified subgroups. RESULTS: Eighteen studies describing outcome in 544 animals were identified. Study quality (median score, 5/10; interquartile range, 4 to 6) was similar to that seen in systematic reviews of other candidate neuroprotective drugs. Tirilazad reduced infarct volume by 29.2% (95% confidence interval 21.1% to 37.2%) and improved neurobehavioral score by 48.1% (95% confidence interval 29.3% to 66.9%). CONCLUSIONS: Tirilazad may have substantial efficacy in animal models of stroke, but this conclusion must be qualified because of the presence of potential sources of bias.

Animals↗

PubMed2007

The efficacy of subacromial corticosteroid injection in the treatment of rotator cuff disease: A systematic review.

To investigate whether subacromial corticosteroid injections are effective in the treatment of rotator cuff disease, an evidence-based systematic review was undertaken of nine randomized controlled trials that compared subacromial corticosteroid injection with placebo in patients with rotator cuff disease. Each study was systematically evaluated for biases, and outcome measures were scrutinized for statistical significance and clinical importance. One study demonstrated clinically important differences in pain relief. Two studies showed clinically important improvement in range of motion at final follow-up. This systematic review of the available literature indicates that there is little reproducible evidence to support the efficacy of subacromial corticosteroid injection in managing rotator cuff disease.

Adrenal Cortex Hormones↗

PubMed2006

A systematic review of the Tardieu Scale for the measurement of spasticity.

BACKGROUND: The Tardieu Scale has been suggested a more appropriate clinical measure of spasticity than the Ashworth or modified Ashworth Scales. It appears to adhere more closely to Lance's definition of spasticity as it involves assessment of resistance to passive movement at both slow and fast speeds. OBJECTIVE: To review the available literature in which the Tardieu Scale has been used or discussed as a measure of spasticity, with a view to determining its validity and reliability. STUDY DESIGN: A systematic review of all literature found related to the Tardieu Scale (keywords: Tardieu scale, spasticity) from Pubmed and Ovid databases, including medline, CINAHL, EMBASE, Journals at Ovid full text, EBM reviews and Cochrane database of systematic reviews. Hand searching was also used to track the source literature. CONCLUSIONS: In theory, we can acknowledge that the Tardieu Scale does, in fact, adhere more closely to Lance's definition of spasticity. However, there is a dearth of literature investigating validity and reliability of the scale. Some studies have identified the Tardieu Scale to be more sensitive than other measures, to change following treatment with botulinum toxin. Further studies need to be undertaken to clarify the validity and reliability of the scale for a variety of muscle groups in adult neurological patients.

Disability Evaluation↗

PubMed2026

Plasma proteomics: considerations for preanalytical variability; a systematic review with narrative synthesis.

BACKGROUND: The plasma proteome (PP) is a dynamic system subject to pathology-associated changes and a focus for novel disease biomarker discovery. Disease-related PP research assumes protein concentrations in test specimens accurately reflect the in vivo milieu. However, measures to maintain the physicochemical integrity of the proteome before assay are often rudimentary, poorly described, or lacking standardisation in published studies. Contrastingly, in laboratory medicine, there is an expectation that errors in the so-called "preanalytical phase" (PAP) that impact patient results are understood, monitored, and mitigated against, while also being well described in research publications. There is therefore scope for good practice from laboratory medicine to inform PP research workflows. This review considers factors in the PAP which may impact the validity of PP results. CONTENT: A systematic review was conducted per PRISMA guidelines, limited to English-language peer-reviewed studies (2014-2024). Candidate studies were imported, screened, and managed using Covidence systematic review software. SUMMARY: 15 eligible studies were reviewed, covering many relevant processes. 11 studies reported statistically significant differences in PP due to factors in the PAP. Temperature and time-to-processing were the most commonly reported factors affecting the PP, with significant effects reported in 8 studies. OUTLOOK: PAP variability can significantly affect results in PP studies. Careful consideration of the effect of each stage of the PAP is needed when working with the PP. In multicenter studies, pre-defined and research question-specific sample processing workflows are essential for reducing PAP variability, which helps ensure the validity of PP studies.

Humans↗