A Randomized Controlled Trial Comparing Apixaban With the Vitamin K Antagonist Phenprocoumon in Patients on Chronic Hemodialysis: The AXADIA-AFNET 8 Study.

Background: Non-vitamin K oral anticoagulants have become the standard therapy for preventing stroke and ischemic thromboembolism in most patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). The effectiveness and safety of non-vitamin K oral anticoagulants in patients on hemodialysis is not well known.

Methods: From June 2017 through May 2022, AXADIA-AFNET 8 (Compare Apixaban and Vitamin K Antagonists in Patients With Atrial Fibrillation and End-Stage Kidney Disease), an investigator-initiated PROBE (prospective randomized open blinded end point) outcome assessment trial, randomized patients with AF on chronic hemodialysis to either apixaban (2.

Do Intervention Studies to Promote Physical Activity and Reduce Sedentary Behavior in Children and Adolescents Take Sex/Gender Into Account? A Systematic Review.

Background: Physical inactivity is often reported in youth and differs among boys and girls. The aim of this study is to assess sex/gender considerations in intervention studies promoting physical activity and reducing sedentary behavior in youth using a sex/gender checklist.

Methods: A systematic search was conducted in August 2018 to identify all relevant controlled trials.

Interval estimation of the overall treatment effect in random-effects meta-analyses: Recommendations from a simulation study comparing frequentist, Bayesian, and bootstrap methods.

There exists a variety of interval estimators for the overall treatment effect in a random-effects meta-analysis. A recent literature review summarizing existing methods suggested that in most situations, the Hartung-Knapp/Sidik-Jonkman (HKSJ) method was preferable. However, a quantitative comparison of those methods in a common simulation study is still lacking.

Zero-cell corrections in random-effects meta-analyses.

The standard estimator for the log odds ratio (the unconditional maximum likelihood estimator) and the delta-method estimator for its standard error are not defined if the corresponding 2 × 2 table contains at least one "zero cell". This is also an issue when estimating the overall log odds ratio in a meta-analysis. It is well known that correcting for zero cells by adding a small increment should be avoided.

Interventions on children's and adolescents' physical activity and sedentary behaviour: protocol for a systematic review from a sex/gender perspective.

Background: Low levels of physical activity (PA) and high levels of sedentary behaviour (SB) have been observed in young people. Both behaviours are detrimental for health with patterns tending to continue into adulthood. There is sustained value in establishing health habits in early years.

Effects of Exercise on the Resting Heart Rate: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Interventional Studies.

Resting heart rate (RHR) is positively related with mortality. Regular exercise causes a reduction in RHR. The aim of the systematic review was to assess whether regular exercise or sports have an impact on the RHR in healthy subjects by taking different types of sports into account.

Methods to calculate uncertainty in the estimated overall effect size from a random-effects meta-analysis.

Meta-analyses are an important tool within systematic reviews to estimate the overall effect size and its confidence interval for an outcome of interest. If heterogeneity between the results of the relevant studies is anticipated, then a random-effects model is often preferred for analysis. In this model, a prediction interval for the true effect in a new study also provides additional useful information.

Physical Activity and Outdoor Play of Children in Public Playgrounds-Do Gender and Social Environment Matter?

Background: Few studies have delved into the relationship of the social environment with children’s physical activity and outdoor play in public playgrounds by considering gender differences. The aim of the present study was to examine gender differences and the relationship of the social environment with children’s physical activity and outdoor play in public playgrounds.

Methods: A quantitative, observational study was conducted at ten playgrounds in one district of a middle-sized town in Germany.

Playground usage and physical activity levels of children based on playground spatial features.

Aim: Being outdoors is one of the strongest correlates of physical activity in children. Playgrounds are spaces especially designed to enable and foster physical activity in children. This study aimed to analyze the relationship between the spatial features of public playgrounds and the usage and physical activity levels of children playing in them.

Impact of impaired fractional flow reserve after coronary interventions on outcomes: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: FFR is routinely used to guide percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI). Visual assessment of the angiographic result after PCI has limited efficacy. Even when the angiographic result seems satisfactory FFR after a PCI might be useful for identifying patients with a suboptimal interventional result and higher risk for poor clinical outcome who might benefit from additional procedures.

Hartung-Knapp-Sidik-Jonkman approach and its modification for random-effects meta-analysis with few studies.

Background: Random-effects meta-analysis is commonly performed by first deriving an estimate of the between-study variation, the heterogeneity, and subsequently using this as the basis for combining results, i.e., for estimating the effect, the figure of primary interest.

Methods to estimate the between-study variance and its uncertainty in meta-analysis.

Meta-analyses are typically used to estimate the overall/mean of an outcome of interest. However, inference about between-study variability, which is typically modelled using a between-study variance parameter, is usually an additional aim. The DerSimonian and Laird method, currently widely used by default to estimate the between-study variance, has been long challenged.

Meta-analysis on occupational exposure to pesticides--neurobehavioral impact and dose-response relationships.

While the health impact of high exposures to pesticides is acknowledged, the impact of chronic exposures in the absence of acute poisonings is controversial. A systematic analysis of dose-response relationships is still missing. Its absence may provoke alternative explanations for altered performances.

Long-term survival in patients undergoing percutaneous interventions with or without intracoronary pressure wire guidance or intracoronary ultrasonographic imaging: a large cohort study.

Importance: Intracoronary pressure wire-derived measurements of fractional flow reserve (FFR) and intravascular ultrasonography (IVUS) provide functional and anatomical information that can be used to guide coronary stent implantation. Although these devices are widely used and recommended by guidelines, limited data exist about their effect on clinical end points.

Objective: To determine the effect on long-term survival of using FFR and IVUS during percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).

Stroke prevention by percutaneous closure of patent foramen ovale: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Context: The role of percutaneous closure of patent foramen oval (PFO) in patients with cryptogenic stroke has been very controversial for years due to a lack of clear evidence.

Objective: Systematic review and meta-analysis of the effect of percutaneous PFO closure for secondary prevention of cryptogenic strokes as compared to best medical therapy (BMT).

Data Sources: Trials were identified through a literature search until 28 May 2013.

The neurobehavioral impact of manganese: results and challenges obtained by a meta-analysis of individual participant data.

Results from a meta-analysis of aggregated data provoked a new analysis using individual data on the neuropsychological performance of occupationally exposed workers. Data from eight studies examining 579 exposed and 433 reference participants were included, 28 performance variables analyzed. The performance scores were adjusted for well-known individual-level covariates; the influence of possible, but unknown study-level covariates was attenuated by means of a z-normalization.

Drug-eluting balloon angioplasty for in-stent restenosis: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials.

Context: The optimal treatment option for in-stent restenosis is currently unclear.

Objective: Systematic review and meta-analysis of the effect of drug-eluting balloons (DEB) to treat in-stent restenosis.

Data Sources: Trials were identified through a literature search from 2005 through 7 November 2012.

Coronary collaterals and risk for restenosis after percutaneous coronary interventions: a meta-analysis.

Background: The benefit of the coronary collateral circulation (natural bypass network) on survival is well established. However, data derived from smaller studies indicates that coronary collaterals may increase the risk for restenosis after percutaneous coronary interventions. The purpose of this systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies was to explore the impact of the collateral circulation on the risk for restenosis.

The impact of the coronary collateral circulation on mortality: a meta-analysis.

Aims: The coronary collateral circulation as an alternative source of blood supply has shown benefits regarding several clinical endpoints in patients with myocardial infarction (MI) such as infarct size and left ventricular remodelling. However, its impact on hard endpoints such as mortality and its impact in patients with stable coronary artery disease (CAD) is more controversial. The purpose of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to explore the impact of collateral circulation on all-cause mortality.

Statistical means to enhance the comparability of data within a pooled analysis of individual data in neurobehavioral toxicology.

Meta-analyses of individual participant data (IPD) provide important contributions to toxicological risk assessments. However, comparability of individual data cannot be taken for granted when information from different studies has to be summarized. By means of statistical standardization approaches the comparability of data might be increased.

Chest compressions before defibrillation for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled clinical trials.

Background: Current 2005 guidelines for advanced cardiac life support strongly recommend immediate defibrillation for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. However, findings from experimental and clinical studies have indicated a potential advantage of pretreatment with chest compression-only cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) prior to defibrillation in improving outcomes. The aim of this meta-analysis is to evaluate the beneficial effect of chest compression-first versus defibrillation-first on survival in patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.

Drug-eluting versus bare-metal stent for treatment of saphenous vein grafts: a meta-analysis.

Background: Saphenous vein grafts develop an aggressive atherosclerotic process and the efficacy of drug eluting stents (DES) in treating saphenous vein graft (SVG) lesions has not been convincingly demonstrated. The aim of this study was to review and analyze the current literature for controlled studies comparing DES versus bare metal stents (BMS) for treatment of SVG stenoses.

Methodology/principal Findings: We searched several scientific databases and conference proceedings up to March 15, 2010 for controlled studies comparing target vessel revascularization (TVR) between DES and BMS.

Short term and intermediate term comparison of endarterectomy versus stenting for carotid artery stenosis: systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled clinical trials.

Objective: To evaluate the relative short term safety and intermediate term efficacy of carotid endarterectomy versus carotid artery stenting.

Design: Systematic review and meta-analysis.

Data Sources: BIOSIS, Embase, Medline, the Cochrane central register of controlled trials, International Pharmaceutical Abstracts database, ISI Web of Science, and Google scholar and bibliographies, from 1 January 1990 to 25 July 2009.