Integrity of randomized clinical trials: Performance of integrity tests and checklists requires assessment.

The integrity of randomized clinical trials (RCT) has become a concern owing to a recent rise in the number of retractions and the repercussions this has for evidence-based patient care. However, there is little research on the subject of RCT integrity assessment. Recent literature reviews have revealed that journals' authors' instructions concerning integrity and their investigation policies concerning allegations of misconduct are heterogeneous.

Research integrity in randomized clinical trials: A scoping umbrella review.

Background: Randomized clinical trials (RCTs) are experiencing a crisis of confidence in their trustworthiness. Although a comprehensive literature search yielded several reviews on RCT integrity, an overarching overview is lacking.

Objectives: The authors undertook a scoping umbrella review of the research integrity literature concerning RCTs.

Health technology assessment of surgical therapies for benign gynaecological disease.

This chapter summarises the evidence of the benefits and harm of surgical therapies for benign gynaecological disease. We have limited the discussion in this chapter to three gynaecological conditions - menorrhagia, endometriosis and benign ovarian tumours - with a further section on the different surgical approaches for performing a hysterectomy for menorrhagia due to dysfunctional uterine bleeding and pelvic masses such as fibroids and benign adnexal masses. The currently available evidence suggests that there is little to choose between the four first-generation endometrial destruction techniques - laser ablation, transcervical resection of endometrium, vaporisation ablation and rollerball ablation - in terms of clinical efficacy and patient satisfaction.

The Walker Project: a longitudinal study of 48,000 children born 1952-1966 (aged 36-50 years in 2002) and their families.

The Walker cohort is a database of over 48,000 birth records that has recently become available. It contains meticulously recorded details of pregnancy, labour, birth and care before discharge for babies born in hospital in Dundee, Scotland between 1952 and 1966. These babies accounted for 75% of all births in Dundee at this time.

Ultrasonographic endometrial thickness for diagnosing endometrial pathology in women with postmenopausal bleeding: a meta-analysis.

Our aim was to determine the diagnostic accuracy of endometrial thickness measurement by pelvic ultrasonography for predicting endometrial carcinoma and disease (hyperplasia and/or carcinoma) during an investigation of postmenopausal bleeding. We performed a systematic quantitative review of the available published literature, which consisted of online searching the MEDLINE and EMBASE databases (1966-2000) coupled with scanning of bibliography of known primary and review articles. The selection of studies, assessment of study quality, and extraction of data were performed in duplicate under masked conditions.