Anticoagulation Among Patients Hospitalized for COVID-19 : A Systematic Review and Prospective Meta-analysis.

Background: Reported results of clinical trials assessing higher-dose anticoagulation in patients hospitalized for COVID-19 have been inconsistent.

Purpose: To estimate the association of higher- versus lower-dose anticoagulation with clinical outcomes.

Data Sources: Randomized trials were identified from the World Health Organization's International Clinical Trials Registry Platform and ClinicalTrials.

Triangulating evidence from the GALENOS living systematic review on trace amine-associated receptor 1 (TAAR1) agonists in psychosis.

Background: Trace amine-associated receptor 1 (TAAR1) agonists offer a new approach, but there is uncertainty regarding their effects, exact mechanism of action and potential role in treating psychosis.

Aims: To evaluate the available evidence on TAAR1 agonists in psychosis, using triangulation of the output of living systematic reviews (LSRs) of animal and human studies, and provide recommendations for future research prioritisation.

Method: This study is part of GALENOS (Global Alliance for Living Evidence on aNxiety, depressiOn and pSychosis).

A Structural Description of Biases That Generate Immortal Time.

Immortal time may arise in survival analyses when individuals are assigned to treatment strategies based on post-eligibility information or selected based on post-assignment eligibility criteria. Selection based on eligibility criteria applied after treatment assignment results in immortal time when the analysis starts the follow-up at assignment. Misclassification of assignment to treatment strategies based on treatment received after eligibility results in immortal time when the treatment strategies are not distinguishable at the start of follow-up.

A Complex Meta-Regression Model to Identify Effective Features of Interventions From Multi-Arm, Multi-Follow-Up Trials.

Network meta-analysis (NMA) combines evidence from multiple trials to compare the effectiveness of a set of interventions. In many areas of research, interventions are often complex, made up of multiple components or features. This makes it difficult to define a common set of interventions on which to perform the analysis.

Diagnostic accuracy of point-of-care tests for acute respiratory infection: a systematic review of reviews.

Background: Acute respiratory infections are a common reason for consultation with primary and emergency healthcare services. Identifying individuals with a bacterial infection is crucial to ensure appropriate treatment. However, it is also important to avoid overprescription of antibiotics, to prevent unnecessary side effects and antimicrobial resistance.

Mapping between measurement scales in meta-analysis, with application to measures of body mass index in children.

Quantitative evidence synthesis methods aim to combine data from multiple medical trials to infer relative effects of different interventions. A challenge arises when trials report continuous outcomes on different measurement scales. To include all evidence in one coherent analysis, we require methods to "map" the outcomes onto a single scale.

Treatment Effects in Randomized and Nonrandomized Studies of Pharmacological Interventions: A Meta-Analysis.

Importance: Randomized clinical trials (RCTs) are widely regarded as the methodological benchmark for assessing clinical efficacy and safety of health interventions. There is growing interest in using nonrandomized studies to assess efficacy and safety of new drugs.

Objective: To determine how treatment effects for the same drug compare when evaluated in nonrandomized vs randomized studies.

Sodium-glucose co-transporter-2 inhibitors for hospitalised patients with COVID-19: a prospective meta-analysis of randomised trials.

Background: Sodium-glucose co-transporter-2 (SGLT2) inhibitors have been proposed as a potential treatment for adults hospitalised with COVID-19, due to their potential anti-inflammatory and endothelial protective effects. Published evidence from randomised control trials (RCTs) does not provide evidence of benefit. We aimed to estimate the effect of oral administration of SGLT2 inhibitors compared with usual care or placebo in adults hospitalised with COVID-19.

Prevalence of problematic pharmaceutical opioid use in patients with chronic non-cancer pain: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background And Aims: Chronic non-cancer pain (CNCP) is one of the most common causes of disability globally. Opioid prescribing to treat CNCP remains widespread, despite limited evidence of long-term clinical benefit and evidence of harm such as problematic pharmaceutical opioid use (POU) and overdose. The study aimed to measure the prevalence of POU in CNCP patients treated with opioid analgesics.

Immunogenicity and seroefficacy of pneumococcal conjugate vaccines: a systematic review and network meta-analysis.

Background: Vaccination of infants with pneumococcal conjugate vaccines is recommended by the World Health Organization. Evidence is mixed regarding the differences in immunogenicity and efficacy of the different pneumococcal vaccines.

Objectives: The primary objective was to compare the immunogenicity of pneumococcal conjugate vaccine-10 versus pneumococcal conjugate vaccine-13.

Systematic reviews and meta-analyses in neurosurgery part I: interpreting and critically appraising as a guide for clinical practice.

Neurosurgeons are inundated with the Herculean task to keep abreast with the rapid pace at which clinical research is proliferating. Systematic reviews and meta-analyses (SRMAs) have consequently surged in popularity because when executed properly, they constitute the highest level of evidence, and may save busy neurosurgeons many hours of combing the literature. Well-executed SRMAs may prove instructive for clinical practice, but poorly conducted reviews sow confusion and may potentially cause harm.

Efficacy of PD-1/PD-L1 immunotherapy on brain metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer and treatment-related adverse events: A systematic review.

Background: Recent evidence suggests that PD-1/PD-L1 immunotherapy improves outcomes in patients with brain metastatic non-small cell lung cancer.

Methods: Records were searched electronically on MEDLINE, Embase and BIOSIS. Hazard ratios and their 95% confidence intervals for overall survival and progression free survival, and treatment-related adverse events data were extracted.

Methodological review of NMA bias concepts provides groundwork for the development of a list of concepts for potential inclusion in a new risk of bias tool for network meta-analysis (RoB NMA Tool).

Introduction: Network meta-analyses (NMAs) have gained popularity and grown in number due to their ability to provide estimates of the comparative effectiveness of multiple treatments for the same condition. The aim of this study is to conduct a methodological review to compile a preliminary list of concepts related to bias in NMAs.

Methods And Analysis: We included papers that present items related to bias, reporting or methodological quality, papers assessing the quality of NMAs, or method papers.

Meta-regression of genome-wide association studies to estimate age-varying genetic effects.

Fixed-effect meta-analysis has been used to summarize genetic effects on a phenotype across multiple Genome-Wide Association Studies (GWAS) assuming a common underlying genetic effect. Genetic effects may vary with age (or other characteristics), and not allowing for this in a GWAS might lead to bias. Meta-regression models between study heterogeneity and allows effect modification of the genetic effects to be explored.

Genomic landscape and actionable mutations of brain metastases derived from non-small cell lung cancer: A systematic review.

Background: Brain metastases derived from non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) represent a significant clinical problem. We aim to characterize the genomic landscape of brain metastases derived from NSCLC and assess clinical actionability.

Methods: We searched Embase, MEDLINE, Web of Science, and BIOSIS from inception to 18/19 May 2022.

The influence of climate change on mental health in populations of the western Pacific region: An umbrella scoping review.

The Western Pacific Region (WPR) is on the front line of climate change challenges. Understanding how these challenges affect the WPR populations' mental health is essential to design effective prevention and care policies. Thus, the present study conducted an umbrella scoping review that examined the influence of climate change on mental health in the WPR, using review articles as a source of information.

Heat impacts on human health in the Western Pacific Region: an umbrella review.

Background: High temperatures and heatwaves are occurring more frequently and lasting longer because of climate change. A synthesis of existing evidence of heat-related health impacts in the Western Pacific Region (WPR) is lacking. This review addresses this gap.

A new approach to evaluating loop inconsistency in network meta-analysis.

In network meta-analysis, studies evaluating multiple treatment comparisons are modeled simultaneously, and estimation is informed by a combination of direct and indirect evidence. Network meta-analysis relies on an assumption of consistency, meaning that direct and indirect evidence should agree for each treatment comparison. Here we propose new local and global tests for inconsistency and demonstrate their application to three example networks.

A narrative review of recent tools and innovations toward automating living systematic reviews and evidence syntheses.

Living reviews are an increasingly popular research paradigm. The purpose of a 'living' approach is to allow rapid collation, appraisal and synthesis of evolving evidence on an important research topic, enabling timely influence on patient care and public health policy. However, living reviews are time- and resource-intensive.

Immunogenicity and seroefficacy of 10-valent and 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccines: a systematic review and network meta-analysis of individual participant data.

Background: Vaccination of infants with pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCV) is recommended by the World Health Organization. Evidence is mixed regarding the differences in immunogenicity and efficacy of the different pneumococcal vaccines.

Methods: In this systematic-review and network meta-analysis, we searched the Cochrane Library, Embase, Global Health, Medline, clinicaltrials.