Assessing the Effectiveness of metaHelper: A Randomized Controlled Trial of a Web Application for Statistical Transformations in Meta-Analysis.

Objective: To test whether the use of a web application (www.metaHelper.eu) can reduce errors and time needed for statistical transformations commonly performed for meta-analysis.

A facility for laboratory mice with a natural microbiome at Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin.

Mice with a natural microbiome are a promising research model for basic and applied science because of their closer resemblance to the human superorganism compared to mice born and raised under stringent hygiene conditions. Consequently, biomedical therapies developed and tested in “Wildling mice” hold great potential for successful translation into clinical applications. Over the past four years, scientists, veterinarians and institutional officials at Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, supported by the University Hospital Erlangen, have designed a facility for Wildling mice and developed a conceptual framework for safe and ethical preclinical research involving mice with a natural microbiome.

Impaired glucose metabolism and the risk of vascular events and mortality after ischemic stroke: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Diabetes mellitus (DM), prediabetes, and insulin resistance are highly prevalent in patients with ischemic stroke (IS). DM is associated with higher risk for poor outcomes after IS.

Objective: Investigate the risk of recurrent vascular events and mortality associated with impaired glucose metabolism compared to normoglycemia in patients with IS and transient ischemic attack (TIA).

Rethinking animal attrition in preclinical research: Expressing causal mechanisms of selection bias using directed acyclic graphs.

Animal attrition in preclinical experiments can introduce bias in the estimation of causal treatment effects, as the treatment-outcome association in surviving animals may not represent the causal effect of interest. This can compromise the internal validity of the study despite randomization at the outset. Directed Acyclic Graphs (DAGs) are useful tools to transparently visualize assumptions about the causal structure underlying observed data.

Promoting research quality.

Plenty of awards recognize scientific contributions, but a unique and important one honors those whose efforts significantly enhance the quality and robustness of research. We discuss why this is important to promote trust in science.

Open Science 2.0: Towards a truly collaborative research ecosystem.

Conversations about open science have reached the mainstream, yet many open science practices such as data sharing remain uncommon. Our efforts towards openness therefore need to increase in scale and aim for a more ambitious target. We need an ecosystem not only where research outputs are openly shared but also in which transparency permeates the research process from the start and lends itself to more rigorous and collaborative research.

Beyond statistical significance: nuanced interpretations of statistically nonsignificant results were rare in Cochrane reviews - a metaepidemiological study.

Objectives: To assess the language used by systematic review authors to emphasize that statistically nonsignificant results show meaningful differences. To determine whether the magnitude of these treatment effects was distinct from nonsignificant results that authors interpreted as not different.

Study Design And Setting: We screened Cochrane reviews published between 2017 and 2022 for statistically nonsignificant effect estimates that authors presented as meaningful differences.

Ethnic discrimination unlearned: experience in the repeated Trust Game reduces trust bias.

Introduction: Discrimination toward ethnic minorities is a persistent societal problem. One reason behind this is a bias in trust: people tend to trust their ingroup and comparatively distrust outgroups.

Methods: In this study, we investigated whether and how people change their explicit trust bias with respect to ethnicity based on behavioral interactions with in- and outgroup members in a modified Trust Game.

Efficacy of Unilateral and Bilateral Parietal Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation on Right Hemispheric Stroke Patients With Neglect Symptoms: A Proof-of-Principle Study.

Different transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) protocols have been tested to improve visuospatial neglect (VSN). So far, methodological heterogenity limits reliable conclusions about optimal stimualtion set-up. With this proof-of-principle study behavioral effects of two promising (uni- vs.

State-of-the-art analytical methods of viral infections in human lung organoids.

Human-based organ models can provide strong predictive value to investigate the tropism, virulence, and replication kinetics of viral pathogens. Currently, such models have received widespread attention in the study of SARS-CoV-2 causing the COVID-19 pandemic. Applicable to a large set of organoid models and viruses, we provide a step-by-step work instruction for the infection of human alveolar-like organoids with SARS-CoV-2 in this protocol collection.

Promoting trust in research and researchers: How open science and research integrity are intertwined.

Proponents of open science often refer to issues pertaining to research integrity and vice versa. In this commentary, we argue that concepts such as responsible research practices, transparency, and open science are connected to one another, but that they each have a different focus. We argue that responsible research practices focus more on the rigorous conduct of research, transparency focuses predominantly on the complete reporting of research, and open science's core focus is mostly about dissemination of research.

Reporting and transparent research practices in sports medicine and orthopaedic clinical trials: a meta-research study.

Objectives: Transparent reporting of clinical trials is essential to assess the risk of bias and translate research findings into clinical practice. While existing studies have shown that deficiencies are common, detailed empirical and field-specific data are scarce. Therefore, this study aimed to examine current clinical trial reporting and transparent research practices in sports medicine and orthopaedics.

Recommendations for empowering early career researchers to improve research culture and practice.

Early career researchers (ECRs) are important stakeholders leading efforts to catalyze systemic change in research culture and practice. Here, we summarize the outputs from a virtual unconventional conference (unconference), which brought together 54 invited experts from 20 countries with extensive experience in ECR initiatives designed to improve the culture and practice of science. Together, we drafted 2 sets of recommendations for (1) ECRs directly involved in initiatives or activities to change research culture and practice; and (2) stakeholders who wish to support ECRs in these efforts.

Is the future of peer review automated?

The rising rate of preprints and publications, combined with persistent inadequate reporting practices and problems with study design and execution, have strained the traditional peer review system. Automated screening tools could potentially enhance peer review by helping authors, journal editors, and reviewers to identify beneficial practices and common problems in preprints or submitted manuscripts. Tools can screen many papers quickly, and may be particularly helpful in assessing compliance with journal policies and with straightforward items in reporting guidelines.

Comment on Chiu et al. Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Interventions for the Elderly: A Scoping Review from 2015-2019. 2020, , 5335.

Chiu et al. report in their paper "Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Interventions for the Elderly: A Scoping Review from 2015-2019" [..