GRADE guidelines 26: informative statements to communicate the findings of systematic reviews of interventions.

Objectives: Clear communication of systematic review findings will help readers and decision makers. We built on previous work to develop an approach that improves the clarity of statements to convey findings and that draws on Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE).

Study Design And Setting: We conducted workshops including 80 attendants and a survey of 110 producers and users of systematic reviews.

GRADE guidelines 27: how to calculate absolute effects for time-to-event outcomes in summary of findings tables and Evidence Profiles.

Objectives: To provide GRADE guidance on how to prepare Summary of Findings tables and Evidence Profiles for time-to-event outcomes with a focus on the calculation of the corresponding absolute effect estimates.

Study Design And Setting: This guidance was justified by a research project identifying frequent errors and limitations in the presentation of time-to-event outcomes in the Summary of Findings tables. We developed this guidance through an iterative process that included membership consultation, feedback, presentation, and discussion at meetings of the GRADE Working Group.

Prioritization approaches in the development of health practice guidelines: a systematic review.

Background: Given the considerable efforts and resources required to develop practice guidelines, developers need to prioritize what topics and questions to address. This study aims to identify and describe prioritization approaches in the development of clinical, public health, or health systems guidelines.

Methods: We searched Medline and CINAHL electronic databases in addition to Google Scholar.

Extending the RIGHT statement for reporting adapted practice guidelines in healthcare: the RIGHT-Ad@pt Checklist protocol.

Introduction: The adaptation of guidelines is an increasingly used methodology for the efficient development of contextualised recommendations. Nevertheless, there is no specific reporting guidance. The essential Reporting Items of Practice Guidelines in Healthcare (RIGHT) statement could be useful for reporting adapted guidelines, but it does not address all the important aspects of the adaptation process.

The association of waterpipe tobacco smoking with later initiation of cigarette smoking: a systematic review and meta-analysis exploring the gateway theory.

Introduction: There is a concern that waterpipe tobacco smoking (WTS) can lead to the later initiation of cigarette smoking, a concept referred to as the 'gateway theory'. The objective of the study was to systematically review the literature for the association of WTS with later initiation of cigarette smoking.

Methods: We searched Medline, Embase and ISI Web of Science in April 2018 without using any language or date restrictions.

Methods of conduct and reporting of living systematic reviews: a protocol for a living methodological survey.

The living systematic review (LSR) is an emerging approach for improved evidence synthesis that uses continual updating to include relevant new evidence as soon as it is published. The objectives of this study are to: 1) assess the methods of conduct and reporting of living systematic reviews using a living study approach; and 2) describe the life cycle of living systematic reviews, i.e.

Factors associated with the public's trust in physicians in the context of the Lebanese healthcare system: a qualitative study.

Background: The Lebanese public perceives the physician-patient relationship as flawed. The objectives of this study are to assess factors associated with the public's trust in physicians in the context of the Lebanese healthcare system and to explore potential ways to enhance it.

Methods: We conducted a qualitative study based on a grounded theory methodology using semi-structured interviews with members of the Lebanese public (not restricted to patients).

Mental health research in the Arab region: challenges and call for action.

Although mental disorders are a leading cause of disability in the Arab region, which includes 5·54% of the global population, Arab countries produce only 1·0% of the global output of peer-reviewed publications in mental health research. Various stakeholders, including Arab mental health researchers, institutional and funding agency officials, and international research collaborators, convened to identify challenges faced by Arab mental health researchers and propose an evidence-informed call for action. Challenges identified include prevalent stigma and low awareness, conflict and war, scarce institutional and funding resources, inadequate publishing opportunities, insufficient training in mental health research, and shortage of reliable and valid assessment tools.

A guidance was developed to identify participants with missing outcome data in randomized controlled trials.

Background And Objectives: In order for authors of systematic reviews to address missing data in randomized controlled trials (RCTs), they need to first identify the number of trial participants with missing data. The objective of this study was to provide guidance for authors of systematic reviews on how to identify participants with missing outcome data in reports of RCTs.

Methods: Guidance statements were informed by a review of studies addressing the topic of missing data and an iterative process of feedback and refinement, through meetings involving experts in health research methodology and authors of systematic reviews.

Evaluation of serum level of omentin-1 in females with hirsutism.

Background: Hirsutism is a common clinical condition encountered in day-to-day practice. The androgenic causes account for more than 80% of these patients and include polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), which affects about 70%-80% of hirsute women. The second most common cause is idiopathic hirsutism.

Several reasons explained the variation in the results of 22 meta-analyses addressing the same question.

Objective: The objective of this study was to assess and to investigate the reasons for the variations between the results of meta-analyses addressing the same question.

Study Design And Setting: We included systematic reviews, and the trials that they included, on the use of implantable cardiac defibrillator (ICD) in patients with nonischemic cardiomyopathy. We assessed the variation between meta-analyses pooled effect estimates by calculating the percentage of absolute difference.

The intersections of industry with the health research enterprise.

There is increased awareness of the negative impact of large multinational corporations - the 'industry' - on public health. These corporations have established different types of relationships with a number of actors in the field of health research. This Commentary explores the different types of relationships between the industry and the actors of health research, how they intersect with the different research steps, and how these relationships allow the industry to exert influence.

Strategies for eliciting and synthesizing evidence for guidelines in rare diseases.

Background: Rare diseases are a global public health priority. Though each disease is rare, when taken together the thousands of known rare diseases cause significant morbidity and mortality, impact quality of life, and confer a social and economic burden on families and communities. These conditions are, by their nature, encountered very infrequently by individual clinicians, who may feel unprepared to address their diagnosis and treatment.

Using narratives to impact health policy-making: a systematic review.

Background: There is increased interest in using narratives or storytelling to influence health policies. We aimed to systematically review the evidence on the use of narratives to impact the health policy-making process.

Methods: Eligible study designs included randomised studies, non-randomised studies, process evaluation studies, economic studies, qualitative studies, stakeholder analyses, policy analyses, and case studies.

Intralesional injection of bevacizumab versus triamcinolone acetonide in infantile hemangioma.

Infantile hemangioma (IH) in most cases can be a self-limited condition; however, it may be ulcerated, infected, causing organ function disability and even death. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) has a role in IH. Bevacizumab is a monoclonal antibody against VEGF-A.

Evaluation of serum levels of neurotrophin 4 and brain-derived nerve growth factor in uremic pruritus patients.

Background: Pruritus is a common symptom in end-stage renal failure. Many patients suffer from this severe distressing symptom. Although several factors have been postulated to explain uremic pruritus, there is not any conclusive evidence for one of these factors.

Stakeholders' perceptions of policy options to support the integration of community health workers in health systems.

Background: Community health workers (CHWs) are an important component of the health workforce in many countries. The World Health Organization (WHO) has developed a guideline to support the integration of CHWs into health systems. This study assesses stakeholders' valuation of outcomes of interest, acceptability and feasibility of policy options considered for the CHW guideline development.

Features of the waterpipe tobacco industry: A qualitative study of the third International Hookah Fair.

Little research has been done to uncover the features of the waterpipe tobacco industry, which makes designing effective interventions and policies to counter this growing trend challenging. The objective of this study is to describe the features of the waterpipe industry. In 2015, we randomly sampled and conducted semi-structured interviews with 20 representatives of waterpipe companies participating in a trade exhibition in Germany.

GRADE guidelines: 22. The GRADE approach for tests and strategies-from test accuracy to patient-important outcomes and recommendations.

Objectives: This article describes the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) Working Group's framework of moving from test accuracy to patient or population-important outcomes. We focus on the common scenario when studies directly evaluating the effect of diagnostic and other tests or strategies on health outcomes are not available or are not providing the best available evidence.

Study Design And Setting: Using practical examples, we explored how guideline developers and other decision makers can use information from test accuracy to develop a recommendation by linking evidence that addresses downstream consequences.

Attitudes, beliefs, and knowledge of substance use amongst youth in the Eastern Mediterranean region: A systematic review.

Background: Substance use has a tremendous impact on the burden of disease. This is particularly true in the Eastern Mediterranean region (EMR), where many countries serve as suppliers of drugs. As risk perception and frequency of use are inversely correlated, targeting perception during adolescence becomes essential for prevention.

Implantable cardiac defibrillators for people with non-ischaemic cardiomyopathy.

Background: There is evidence that implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) for primary prevention in people with an ischaemic cardiomyopathy improves survival rate. The evidence supporting this intervention in people with non-ischaemic cardiomyopathy is not as definitive, with the recently published DANISH trial finding no improvement in survival rate. A systematic review of all eligible studies was needed to evaluate the benefits and harms of using ICDs for primary prevention in people with non-ischaemic cardiomyopathy.

A risk of bias instrument for non-randomized studies of exposures: A users' guide to its application in the context of GRADE.

The objective of this paper is to explain how to apply, interpret, and present the results of a new instrument to assess the risk of bias (RoB) in non-randomized studies (NRS) dealing with effects of environmental exposures on health outcomes. This instrument is modeled on the Risk Of Bias In Non-randomized Studies of Interventions (ROBINS-I) instrument. The RoB instrument for NRS of exposures assesses RoB along a standardized comparison to a randomized target experiment, instead of the study-design directed RoB approach.

Health policy and system support to optimise community health worker programmes: an abridged WHO guideline.

Optimising community health worker (CHW) programmes requires evidence-based policies on their education, deployment, and management. This guideline aims to inform efforts by planners, policy makers, and managers to improve CHW programmes as part of an integrated approach to strengthen primary health care and health systems. The development of this guideline followed the standard WHO approach to developing global guidelines.

Health Care Workers in the setting of the "Arab Spring": a scoping review for the Lancet-AUB Commission on Syria.

Background: "Health Care Workers in Conflict Areas" emerged as one of the priority themes for a Lancet Commission addressing health in conflict. The objective of our study was to conduct a scoping review on health workers in the setting of the Syrian conflict, addressing four topics of interest: violence against health care workers, education, practicing in conflict setting, and migration.

Methods: Considering the likelihood of scarcity of data, we broadened the scope of the scoping review to include indirect evidence on health care workers from other countries affected by the "Arab Spring".

Medical research productivity in the Arab countries: 2007-2016 bibliometric analysis.

Background: The aim of this study was to assess recent trends in medical research productivity in Arab countries.

Methods: We collected bibliometric data for the world countries, Arab countries, and Arab institutions for 2007-2016, using Essential Science Indicators, Journal Citation Reports, and Web of Science database. We collected the number of published papers overall and per year, citations per paper, and number of papers published in top quartile and top 10% journals.