Most bowel cancer symptoms do not indicate colorectal cancer and polyps: a systematic review.

Background: Bowel symptoms are often considered an indication to perform colonoscopy to identify or rule out colorectal cancer or precancerous polyps. Investigation of bowel symptoms for this purpose is recommended by numerous clinical guidelines. However, the evidence for this practice is unclear.

Determining the impact of informed choice: separating treatment effects from the effects of choice and selection in randomized trials.

Background: The Rucker 2-stage randomized trial (RCT) design and method allows treatment, preference, and selection effects to be estimated separately in clinical trials.

Objective: To understand the effect of patient choice on patient outcomes, the authors applied the Rucker design and analysis method.

Design: They used data from a trial of management strategies for women with atypical cells of undetermined significance (ASCUS) detected at routine cervical screening, in which informed choice using a decision aid was compared to no choice.

Psychosocial outcomes of three triage methods for the management of borderline abnormal cervical smears: an open randomised trial.

Objective: To assess which of three triage strategies for women with borderline abnormal cervical smear results in the best psychosocial outcomes.

Design: Pragmatic, non-blinded, multicentre, randomised controlled trial.

Setting: 18 family planning clinics across Australia, covering both urban and rural areas, between January 2004 and October 2006.

HPV testing versus repeat Pap testing for the management of a minor abnormal Pap smear: evaluation of a decision aid to support informed choice.

Objective: To examine women's informed preference for the management of a mildly abnormal Pap smear and the impact of a decision aid.

Methods: Women (n=106) were given a choice of management supported by a decision aid and surveyed before, and after decision making to evaluate predictors of choice and decision aid impact.

Results: HPV triage was preferred by most women (65%) although a substantial minority selected repeat Pap testing (35%).

Three methods to construct predictive models using logistic regression and likelihood ratios to facilitate adjustment for pretest probability give similar results.

Objective: To compare three predictive models based on logistic regression to estimate adjusted likelihood ratios allowing for interdependency between diagnostic variables (tests).

Study Design And Setting: This study was a review of the theoretical basis, assumptions, and limitations of published models; and a statistical extension of methods and application to a case study of the diagnosis of obstructive airways disease based on history and clinical examination.

Results: Albert's method includes an offset term to estimate an adjusted likelihood ratio for combinations of tests.

Cervical cytology reading times: a comparison between ThinPrep Imager and conventional methods.

We aimed to compare the times cytologists spend reviewing cervical cytology slides processed by the ThinPrep Imager (TPI) with times they spend examining conventional cytology (CC) slides. We also aimed to examine the effect of cytologists' experience on reading times. Using a cross-sectional analytical design, we analyzed routine laboratory data, collected retrospectively over 7 months, for 41 cytologists, including paired data for 20 who read both TPI and CC slides.

Accuracy of reading liquid based cytology slides using the ThinPrep Imager compared with conventional cytology: prospective study.

Objective: To compare the accuracy of liquid based cytology using the computerised ThinPrep Imager with that of manually read conventional cytology.

Design: Prospective study.

Setting: Pathology laboratory in Sydney, Australia.

Ordering of renal tract imaging by paediatricians after urinary tract infection.

Aim: To describe paediatricians' reported ordering of renal tract imaging of children following urinary tract infection.

Methods: This is a piloted self-administered survey. A total of 354 randomly sampled practising paediatricians in Australia participated in the survey.

Comparative accuracy of renal duplex sonographic parameters in the diagnosis of renal artery stenosis: paired and unpaired analysis.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the test performance of duplex sonographic parameters in screening for hemodynamically significant renal artery stenosis, which occurs in approximately 5% of persons with hypertension.

Materials And Methods: A comprehensive literature search was conducted to find studies on the diagnosis of renal artery stenosis in which duplex sonography and intraarterial angiography were compared and in which sensitivity and specificity were calculated. MEDLINE (1966-2005), EMBASE (1988-2005), and reference lists were searched and the authors contacted.

Effect of study design and quality on unsatisfactory rates, cytology classifications, and accuracy in liquid-based versus conventional cervical cytology: a systematic review.

Background: Liquid-based cytology is reported to increase the sensitivity of cervical cytology and the proportion of slides that are satisfactory for assessment, in comparison with conventional cytology. Although some countries have changed to liquid-based cytology for cervical screening, controversy remains. We reviewed the published work to assess the performance of liquid-based cytology relative to conventional cytology in primary studies assessed to be of low, medium, or high methodological quality.

Adjustment for baseline measurement error in randomized controlled trials induces bias.

When estimating the treatment effect in a randomized controlled trial, it is common to have a continuous outcome which is also observed at baseline. These observations are often prone to measurement error, for example due to within-patient variability. Controversy exists in the literature about whether baseline measurement error should be adjusted for in this context.