A Simple Guide to Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses.

Systematic reviews and meta-analyses lie on the top of the evidence hierarchy because they utilize explicit methods for literature search and retrieval of studies relevant to the review question as well as robust methodology for quality assessment of included studies and quantitative synthesis of results. As opposed to narrative reviews which represent the authors' personal judgments, they may be more resource-intensive, but provide an unbiased answer to a specific clinical query. Clinical guidelines are usually supported by such evidence syntheses.

Pulmonary exacerbations, airway pathogens, and long-term course of lung clearance index in children and young adults with cystic fibrosis.

Background: Pulmonary exacerbations (PEx), pathogens colonizing the respiratory tract, and patients' age are associated with progressive worsening of lung function among patients with cystic fibrosis (CF). However, the effect of these factors on longitudinal changes of Lung Clearance Index (LCI) remains unclear.

Aim: To assess the role of age, different types of bronchial infection, and PEx on LCI deterioration.

Comparative efficacy of glucose-lowering medications on body weight and blood pressure in patients with type 2 diabetes: A systematic review and network meta-analysis.

Aim: To compare the effects of glucose-lowering drugs on body weight and blood pressure in adults with type 2 diabetes.

Methods: We searched Medline, Embase, the Cochrane Library, and grey literature sources until 29 September 2020 for randomized controlled trials of at least 24 weeks' duration assessing the effects of glucose-lowering drugs on body weight and blood pressure in adults with type 2 diabetes. We performed frequentist network meta-analyses and calculated weighted mean differences and 95% confidence intervals combining trial arms of different approved doses of a given intervention into a single group.

Global mapping of overviews of systematic reviews in healthcare published between 2000 and 2020: a bibliometric analysis.

Objective: To conduct a bibliometric analysis using a large sample of overviews of systematic reviews (OoSRs) and reveal research trends and areas of interest about these studies.

Study Design And Setting: We searched MEDLINE, Scopus and Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews from 1/1/2000 to 15/10/2020. We used Scopus meta-data and two authors recorded supplementary information independently.

Methods for depicting overlap in overviews of systematic reviews: An introduction to static tabular and graphical displays.

Background And Objective: To introduce potential static tabular and graphical techniques for visually presenting overlap between systematic reviews (SRs) included in overviews of systematic reviews (OoSRs).

Methods: The graphical approaches described include Venn and Euler diagrams, as well as matrix-based, node-link, and aggregation-based techniques. We used fundamental concepts of mathematics from set and network theory to develop our novel graphical approaches.

Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists and sodium-glucose co-transporter-2 inhibitors as combination therapy for type 2 diabetes: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Aim: To assess the efficacy and safety of combination therapy with a glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist (GLP-1 RA) and a sodium-glucose co-transporter-2 inhibitor (SGLT2i) in patients with type 2 diabetes.

Methods: We searched Medline, Embase, the Cochrane Library and grey literature sources up to 2 December 2019 for randomized controlled trials in adults with type 2 diabetes assessing the combination of GLP-1RA and SGLT2i, either as co-initiation therapy or as add-on to each other, against placebo or an active comparator. The primary outcome was change in HbA .

Efficacy and safety of statin use in children and adolescents with familial hypercholesterolaemia: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized-controlled trials.

Purpose: Statins are the mainstay of treatment for patients with familial hypercholesterolaemia (FH). However, their efficacy and safety in children and adolescents with FH has not been well-documented. The purpose of this study was to systematically investigate and meta-analyze the best available evidence from randomized-controlled trials (RCTs) regarding the efficacy and safety of statins in this population.

Strategies to achieve low-density lipoprotein cholesterol targets in high-risk patients.

Several options exist in very-high risk patients who do not achieve low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) targets despite treatment with atorvastatin 80 mg, including switching to rosuvastatin 40 mg, adding ezetimibe or adding a proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 inhibitor. Taking into account the safety, LDL-C lowering capacity, effect on cardiovascular events and cost of these available options, switching to rosuvastatin 40 mg appears to represent the most attractive strategy. Nevertheless, more studies are needed to confirm the effects of this strategy on LDL-C levels given the limited available data.