Objectives: In this paper, we compile and describe the main approaches proposed in the literature to include methodological quality (MQ) or risk of bias (RoB) into research synthesis. We also meta-review how the RoB of observational primary studies is being assessed and to what extent the results are incorporated in the conclusions of research synthesis.
Study Design And Setting: Electronic databases were searched for systematic reviews or meta-analyses related to health and clinical psychology. A random sample of 90 reviews published between January 2010 and May 2016 was examined.
Results: A total of 46 reviews (51%) performed a formal assessment of the RoB of primary studies. Only 17 reviews (19%) linked the outcomes of quality assessment with the results of the review.
Conclusion: According to the previous literature, our results corroborate the lack of guidance to incorporate the RoB assessment in the results of systematic reviews and meta-analyses. Our recommendation is to appraise MQ according to domains of RoB to rate the degree of credibility of the results of a research synthesis, as well as subgroup analysis or meta-regression as analytical methods to incorporate the quality assessment.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jclinepi.2017.05.002 | DOI Listing |
Sports Med
January 2025
Department of Nutrition, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan.
Background: Diastasis recti abdominis (DRA), commonly occurring in postpartum women, is not only an aesthetic issue but is also highly associated with functional impairments. Various conservative treatment modalities have been employed in clinical practice to alleviate DRA. However, the comparative efficacy of these non-surgical treatments for improving the inter-recti distance (IRD) remains to be determined.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPain Ther
January 2025
Department of Trauma and Orthopaedic Surgery, Faculty of Medicine and Psychology, University La Sapienza, 00185, Rome, Italy.
Introduction: Elbow ailments are common, but conventional treatment modalities have shortcomings, offering only interim pain relief rather than targeting the underlying pathophysiology. The last two decades have seen a marked increase in the use of autologous peripheral blood-derived orthobiologics (APBOs), such as platelet-rich plasma (PRP), to manage elbow disorders. Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) is the most widely used APBO, but its efficacy remains debatable.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFClin Oral Investig
January 2025
Stomatology Hospital, School of Stomatology, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases of Zhejiang Province, Key Laboratory of Oral Biomedical Research of Zhejiang Province, Cancer Center of Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310006, China.
Objectives: To evaluate recent advances in the automatic multimodal registration of cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) and intraoral scans (IOS) and their clinical significance in dentistry.
Methods: A comprehensive literature search was conducted in October 2024 across the PubMed, Web of Science, and IEEE Xplore databases, including studies that were published in the past decade. The inclusion criteria were as follows: English-language studies, randomized and nonrandomized controlled trials, cohort studies, case-control studies, cross-sectional studies, and retrospective studies.
J Robot Surg
January 2025
Department of Clinical Laboratory, Zibo Central Hospital, Zibo, 255036, Shandong Province, China.
The main aim of this meta-analysis is to assess and compare the impact of two different surgical approaches, transperitoneal and retroperitoneal, on perioperative outcomes in robotic partial nephrectomy. A systematic search of MEDLINE, PubMed, Google Scholar, and the Cochrane Database was conducted to identify relevant studies published between January 2000 and January 2025. Included were nine non-randomized controlled trials with a total of 2420 patients with matching propensity scores.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFParasitol Res
January 2025
Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Bari, Valenzano, Italy.
Canine leishmaniosis (CanL), caused by Leishmania infantum, is a widespread vector-borne disease. In Italy, an endemic region for CanL, overlapping transmission of L. infantum and tick-borne pathogens (TBPs) like Anaplasma phagocytophilum and Ehrlichia canis is increasingly reported.
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