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The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery.... Jun 2016Synovial biomarkers have recently been adopted as diagnostic tools for periprosthetic joint infection (PJI), but their utility is uncertain. The purpose of this... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
BACKGROUND
Synovial biomarkers have recently been adopted as diagnostic tools for periprosthetic joint infection (PJI), but their utility is uncertain. The purpose of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to synthesize the evidence on the accuracy of the alpha-defensin immunoassay and leukocyte esterase colorimetric strip test for the diagnosis of PJI compared with the Musculoskeletal Infection Society diagnostic criteria.
METHODS
We performed a systematic review to identify diagnostic technique studies evaluating the accuracy of alpha-defensin or leukocyte esterase in the diagnosis of PJI. MEDLINE and Embase on Ovid, ACM, ADS, arXiv, CERN DS (Conseil Européen pour la Recherche Nucléaire Document Server), CrossRef DOI (Digital Object Identifier), DBLP (Digital Bibliography & Library Project), Espacenet, Google Scholar, Gutenberg, HighWire, IEEE Xplore (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers digital library), INSPIRE, JSTOR (Journal Storage), OAlster (Open Archives Initiative Protocol for Metadata Harvesting), Open Content, Pubget, PubMed, and Web of Science were searched for appropriate studies indexed from inception until May 30, 2015, along with unpublished or gray literature. The classification of studies and data extraction were performed independently by 2 reviewers. Data extraction permitted meta-analysis of sensitivity and specificity with construction of receiver operating characteristic curves for each test.
RESULTS
We included 11 eligible studies. The pooled diagnostic sensitivity and specificity of alpha-defensin (6 studies) for PJI were 1.00 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.82 to 1.00) and 0.96 (95% CI, 0.89 to 0.99), respectively. The area under the curve (AUC) for alpha-defensin and PJI was 0.99 (95% CI, 0.98 to 1.00). The pooled diagnostic sensitivity and specificity of leukocyte esterase (5 studies) for PJI were 0.81 (95% CI, 0.49 to 0.95) and 0.97 (95% CI, 0.82 to 0.99), respectively. The AUC for leukocyte esterase and PJI was 0.97 (95% CI, 0.95 to 0.98). There was substantial heterogeneity among studies for both diagnostic tests.
CONCLUSIONS
The diagnostic accuracy for PJI was high for both tests. Given the limited number of studies and the large cost difference between the tests, more independent research on these tests is warranted.
LEVEL OF EVIDENCE
Diagnostic Level II. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.
Topics: Biomarkers; Carboxylic Ester Hydrolases; Colorimetry; Humans; Predictive Value of Tests; Prosthesis-Related Infections; Sensitivity and Specificity; alpha-Defensins
PubMed: 27307359
DOI: 10.2106/JBJS.15.01142 -
Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience 2023We performed a systematic review that identified at least 9,000 scientific papers on PubMed that include immunofluorescent images of cells from the central nervous...
BACKGROUND
We performed a systematic review that identified at least 9,000 scientific papers on PubMed that include immunofluorescent images of cells from the central nervous system (CNS). These CNS papers contain tens of thousands of immunofluorescent neural images supporting the findings of over 50,000 associated researchers. While many existing reviews discuss different aspects of immunofluorescent microscopy, such as image acquisition and staining protocols, few papers discuss immunofluorescent imaging from an image-processing perspective. We analyzed the literature to determine the image processing methods that were commonly published alongside the associated CNS cell, microscopy technique, and animal model, and highlight gaps in image processing documentation and reporting in the CNS research field.
METHODS
We completed a comprehensive search of PubMed publications using Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) terms and other general search terms for CNS cells and common fluorescent microscopy techniques. Publications were found on PubMed using a combination of column description terms and row description terms. We manually tagged the comma-separated values file (CSV) metadata of each publication with the following categories: animal or cell model, quantified features, threshold techniques, segmentation techniques, and image processing software.
RESULTS
Of the almost 9,000 immunofluorescent imaging papers identified in our search, only 856 explicitly include image processing information. Moreover, hundreds of the 856 papers are missing thresholding, segmentation, and morphological feature details necessary for explainable, unbiased, and reproducible results. In our assessment of the literature, we visualized current image processing practices, compiled the image processing options from the top twelve software programs, and designed a road map to enhance image processing. We determined that thresholding and segmentation methods were often left out of publications and underreported or underutilized for quantifying CNS cell research.
DISCUSSION
Less than 10% of papers with immunofluorescent images include image processing in their methods. A few authors are implementing advanced methods in image analysis to quantify over 40 different CNS cell features, which can provide quantitative insights in CNS cell features that will advance CNS research. However, our review puts forward that image analysis methods will remain limited in rigor and reproducibility without more rigorous and detailed reporting of image processing methods.
CONCLUSION
Image processing is a critical part of CNS research that must be improved to increase scientific insight, explainability, reproducibility, and rigor.
PubMed: 37545881
DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2023.1188858 -
BMJ Open Science 2021Preclinical research is a vital step in the drug discovery pipeline and more generally in helping to better understand human disease aetiology and its management....
Preclinical research is a vital step in the drug discovery pipeline and more generally in helping to better understand human disease aetiology and its management. Systematic reviews (SRs) can be powerful in summarising and appraising this evidence concerning a specific research question, to highlight areas of improvements, areas for further research and areas where evidence may be sufficient to take forward to other research domains, for instance clinical trial. Guidance and tools for preclinical research synthesis remain limited despite their clear utility. We aimed to create an online end-to-end platform primarily for conducting SRs of preclinical studies, that was flexible enough to support a wide variety of experimental designs, was adaptable to different research questions, would allow users to adopt emerging automated tools and support them during their review process using best practice. In this article, we introduce the Systematic Review Facility (https://syrf.org.uk), which was launched in 2016 and designed to support primarily preclinical SRs from small independent projects to large, crowdsourced projects. We discuss the architecture of the app and its features, including the opportunity to collaborate easily, to efficiently manage projects, to screen and annotate studies for important features (metadata), to extract outcome data into a secure database, and tailor these steps to each project. We introduce how we are working to leverage the use of automation tools and allow the integration of these services to accelerate and automate steps in the systematic review workflow.
PubMed: 35047698
DOI: 10.1136/bmjos-2020-100103 -
Journal of the Medical Library... Oct 2013The paper identifies and documents new health sciences librarian activities and roles during the period from 1990-2012. (Review)
Review
OBJECTIVE
The paper identifies and documents new health sciences librarian activities and roles during the period from 1990-2012.
METHODS
A systematic review of the literature was conducted using MEDLINE, Library and Information Abstracts, Library Literature, Scopus, and Web of Science. To find new roles that might not yet have been described in the literature, job announcements published in the Medical Library Association email discussion list archives from 2008-2012 were searched. For inclusion, an article needed to contain a substantive description of a new role and/or activity performed by librarians and be in the field of medical or health sciences librarianship. Papers that did not describe an actual (rather than proposed) librarian role were excluded.
RESULTS
NEW ROLES IDENTIFIED THROUGH THE LITERATURE SEARCH WERE: embedded librarians (such as clinical informationist, bioinformationist, public health informationist, disaster information specialist); systematic review librarian; emerging technologies librarian; continuing medical education librarian; grants development librarian; and data management librarian. New roles identified through job announcements were digital librarian, metadata librarian, scholarly communication librarian, and translational research librarian. New twists to old roles were also identified: clinical medical librarian, instruction librarian, outreach librarian, and consumer health librarian.
CONCLUSIONS
While the main purposes of health sciences librarianship remain the same, the new roles represent major new activities so that, for many librarians, daily on-the-job work is completely different.
IMPLICATIONS
This list of new activities should inform students contemplating medical librarianship careers, guide formal and continuing education programs, and encourage other librarians to consider these new services.
Topics: Humans; Librarians; Libraries, Medical; Professional Role; Workforce
PubMed: 24163598
DOI: 10.3163/1536-5050.101.4.008 -
Annals of Clinical Microbiology and... Sep 2023Urogenital Mycoplasma infections are considered an important public health problem, owing to the presence of antibiotic resistance or decreased susceptibility, the... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
BACKGROUND
Urogenital Mycoplasma infections are considered an important public health problem, owing to the presence of antibiotic resistance or decreased susceptibility, the treatment options are limited.
OBJECTIVE
Therefore, this meta-analysis aimed to estimate resistance rates of genital Mycoplasmas to tetracyclines (tetracycline, doxycycline, and minocycline).
METHODS
We searched the relevant published studies in PubMed, Scopus, and Embase until 3, March 2022. All statistical analyses were carried out using the statistical package R.
RESULTS
The 26 studies included in the analysis were performed in 15 countries. In the metadata, the proportions of tetracycline, doxycycline, and minocycline resistance in Mycoplasma and Ureaplasma urogenital isolates were reported 14.2% (95% CI 8.2-23.2%), 5% (95% CI 3-8.1%), and 11.9% (95% CI 6.3-21.5%), respectively. According to the meta-regression, the tetracycline and minocycline resistance rate decreased over time. Although, the doxycycline resistance rate increased over time. There was a statistically significant difference in the tetracyclines resistance rates between different continents/countries (P < 0.05).
CONCLUSION
The prevalence rate and antibiotic susceptibility profiles vary geographically. Therefore, rigorous or improved antimicrobial stewardship, contact tracing, and enhanced intensive surveillance systems are necessitated for preventing the emergence and further spreading of tetracyclines resistance in genital Mycoplasmas.
Topics: Humans; Mycoplasma; Tetracycline; Doxycycline; Minocycline; Anti-Bacterial Agents
PubMed: 37697380
DOI: 10.1186/s12941-023-00628-5 -
Malaria Journal Jan 2021Malaria and HIV are two important public health issues. However, evidence on HIV-Plasmodium vivax co-infection (HIV/PvCo) is scarce, with most of the available...
BACKGROUND
Malaria and HIV are two important public health issues. However, evidence on HIV-Plasmodium vivax co-infection (HIV/PvCo) is scarce, with most of the available information related to Plasmodium falciparum on the African continent. It is unclear whether HIV can change the clinical course of vivax malaria and increase the risk of complications. In this study, a systematic review of HIV/PvCo studies was performed, and recent cases from the Brazilian Amazon were included.
METHODS
Medical records from a tertiary care centre in the Western Brazilian Amazon (2009-2018) were reviewed to identify HIV/PvCo hospitalized patients. Demographic, clinical and laboratory characteristics and outcomes are reported. Also, a systematic review of published studies on HIV/PvCo was conducted. Metadata, number of HIV/PvCo cases, demographic, clinical, and outcome data were extracted.
RESULTS
A total of 1,048 vivax malaria patients were hospitalized in the 10-year period; 21 (2.0%) were HIV/PvCo cases, of which 9 (42.9%) had AIDS-defining illnesses. This was the first malaria episode in 11 (52.4%) patients. Seven (33.3%) patients were unaware of their HIV status and were diagnosed on hospitalization. Severe malaria was diagnosed in 5 (23.8%) patients. One patient died. The systematic review search provided 17 articles (12 cross-sectional or longitudinal studies and 5 case report studies). A higher prevalence of studies involved cases in African and Asian countries (35.3 and 29.4%, respectively), and the prevalence of reported co-infections ranged from 0.1 to 60%.
CONCLUSION
Reports of HIV/PvCo are scarce in the literature, with only a few studies describing clinical and laboratory outcomes. Systematic screening for both co-infections is not routinely performed, and therefore the real prevalence of HIV/PvCo is unknown. This study showed a low prevalence of HIV/PvCo despite the high prevalence of malaria and HIV locally. Even though relatively small, this is the largest case series to describe HIV/PvCo.
Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Brazil; Child; Coinfection; Female; HIV Infections; HIV-1; Humans; Incidence; Malaria, Vivax; Male; Middle Aged; Plasmodium vivax; Prevalence; Young Adult
PubMed: 33407474
DOI: 10.1186/s12936-020-03518-9 -
PLOS Global Public Health 2023Enteric and parasitic infections such as soil-transmitted helminths cause considerable mortality and morbidity in low- and middle-income settings. Earthen household...
Enteric and parasitic infections such as soil-transmitted helminths cause considerable mortality and morbidity in low- and middle-income settings. Earthen household floors are common in many of these settings and could serve as a reservoir for enteric and parasitic pathogens, which can easily be transmitted to new hosts through direct or indirect contact. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to establish whether and to what extent improved household floors decrease the odds of enteric and parasitic infections among occupants compared with occupants living in households with unimproved floors. Following the PRISMA guidelines, we comprehensively searched four electronic databases for studies in low- and middle-income settings measuring household flooring as an exposure and self-reported diarrhoea or any type of enteric or intestinal-parasitic infection as an outcome. Metadata from eligible studies were extracted and transposed on to a study database before being imported into the R software platform for analysis. Study quality was assessed using an adapted version of the Newcastle-Ottawa Quality Assessment Scale. In total 110 studies were eligible for inclusion in the systematic review, of which 65 were eligible for inclusion in the meta-analysis after applying study quality cut-offs. Random-effects meta-analysis suggested that households with improved floors had 0.75 times (95CI: 0.67-0.83) the odds of infection with any type of enteric or parasitic infection compared with household with unimproved floors. Improved floors gave a pooled protective OR of 0.68 (95CI: 0.58-0.8) for helminthic infections and 0.82 OR (95CI: 0.75-0.9) for bacterial or protozoan infections. Overall study quality was poor and there is an urgent need for high-quality experimental studies investigating this relationship. Nevertheless, this study indicates that household flooring may meaningfully contribute towards a substantial portion of the burden of disease for enteric and parasitic infections in low- and middle-income settings.
PubMed: 38039279
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgph.0002631 -
BMJ Open Jan 2023Various studies have been published to better understand the underlying spatial and temporal dynamics of COVID-19. This review sought to identify different spatial and...
OBJECTIVE
Various studies have been published to better understand the underlying spatial and temporal dynamics of COVID-19. This review sought to identify different spatial and spatio-temporal modelling methods that have been applied to COVID-19 and examine influential covariates that have been reportedly associated with its risk in Africa.
DESIGN
Systematic review using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines.
DATA SOURCES
Thematically mined keywords were used to identify refereed studies conducted between January 2020 and February 2022 from the following databases: PubMed, Scopus, MEDLINE via Proquest, CINHAL via EBSCOhost and Coronavirus Research Database via ProQuest. A manual search through the reference list of studies was also conducted.
ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA FOR SELECTING STUDIES
Peer-reviewed studies that demonstrated the application of spatial and temporal approaches to COVID-19 outcomes.
DATA EXTRACTION AND SYNTHESIS
A standardised extraction form based on critical appraisal and data extraction for systematic reviews of prediction modelling studies checklist was used to extract the meta-data of the included studies. A validated scoring criterion was used to assess studies based on their methodological relevance and quality.
RESULTS
Among 2065 hits in five databases, title and abstract screening yielded 827 studies of which 22 were synthesised and qualitatively analysed. The most common socioeconomic variable was population density. HIV prevalence was the most common epidemiological indicator, while temperature was the most common environmental indicator. Thirteen studies (59%) implemented diverse formulations of spatial and spatio-temporal models incorporating unmeasured factors of COVID-19 and the subtle influence of time and space. Cluster analyses were used across seven studies (32%) to explore COVID-19 variation and determine whether observed patterns were random.
CONCLUSION
COVID-19 modelling in Africa is still in its infancy, and a range of spatial and spatio-temporal methods have been employed across diverse settings. Strengthening routine data systems remains critical for generating estimates and understanding factors that drive spatial variation in vulnerable populations and temporal variation in pandemic progression.
PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER
CRD42021279767.
Topics: Humans; COVID-19; Africa; Cluster Analysis
PubMed: 36697047
DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2022-067134 -
Journal of Advanced Nursing Jan 2007This paper reports a comparison of the data analysis and outcomes from four Cochrane systematic reviews on bladder training and voiding programmes for the management of... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
AIM
This paper reports a comparison of the data analysis and outcomes from four Cochrane systematic reviews on bladder training and voiding programmes for the management of urinary incontinence using metastudy descriptive techniques to inform clinical practice, generate new ideas and identify future research directions.
BACKGROUND
Bladder training is used for cognitively and physically able adults to regain continence by increasing the time interval between voids. Prompted voiding, habit retraining and timed voiding, collectively known as voiding programmes, are generally used for people with cognitive and physical impairments in institutional settings. Bladder training and voiding programmes feature as common clinical practice for the management of urinary incontinence.
METHODS
A synopsis of four Cochrane systematic reviews that included randomized controlled trials on bladder training, prompted voiding, habit retraining and timed voiding was undertaken using metastudy techniques for the synthesis of qualitative research, and has provided a discursive comparison and contrast of the meta-data analysis and outcomes of these reviews.
RESULTS
Frequency of incontinence was the most common and constant outcome measure of effectiveness in the reviews. Limited data were available on other health outcomes, change in dependency status, quality of life and cost-effectiveness. The systematic review on bladder training included different types of urinary incontinence, whereas those on voiding programmes did not differentiate the type of incontinence. There is evidence on the effectiveness of bladder training but long-term follow up studies are needed. Evidence on the effectiveness of voiding programmes is limited and not available for many outcomes.
CONCLUSION
Future research needs to consider the theory underpinning interventions for bladder training and voiding programmes for urinary incontinence and should incorporate recognized 'quality' research designs, established outcomes and long-term follow up. It is unclear whether health outcomes for people with comorbidities, cognitive and physical impairments will improve if extensive diagnostic and assessment investigations are undertaken.
Topics: Adult; Evidence-Based Medicine; Female; Humans; Male; Outcome Assessment, Health Care; Psychotherapy; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; Time Factors; Urinary Incontinence; Urination
PubMed: 17184371
DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2648.2006.04097.x -
Progress in Orthodontics Oct 2013No meta-analyses or systematic reviews have been conducted to evaluate numerous potential biasing factors contributing to the controversial results on congenitally... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
No meta-analyses or systematic reviews have been conducted to evaluate numerous potential biasing factors contributing to the controversial results on congenitally missing teeth (CMT). We aimed to perform a rather comprehensive meta-analysis and systematic review on this subject. A thorough search was performed during September 2012 until April 2013 to find the available literature regarding CMT prevalence. Besides qualitatively discussing the literature, the meta-sample homogeneity, publication bias, and the effects of sample type, sample size, minimum and maximum ages of included subjects, gender imbalances, and scientific credit of the publishing journals on the reported CMT prevalence were statistically analyzed using Q-test, Egger regression, Spearman coefficient, Kruskal-Wallis, Welch t test (α=0.05), and Mann-Whitney U test (α=0.016, α=0.007). A total of 111 reports were collected. Metadata were heterogeneous (P=0.000). There was not a significant publication bias (Egger Regression P=0.073). Prevalence rates differed in different types of populations (Kruskal-Wallis P=0.001). Studies on orthodontic patients might report slightly (about 1%) higher prevalence (P=0.009, corrected α=0.016). Non-orthodontic dental patients showed a significant 2% decline [P=0.007 (Mann-Whitney U)]. Enrolling more males in researches might significantly reduce the observed prevalence (Spearman ρ=-0.407, P=0.001). Studies with higher minimums of subjects' age showed always slightly less CMT prevalence. This reached about -1.6% around the ages 10 to 13 and was significant for ages 10 to 12 (Welch t test P<0.05). There seems to be no limit over the maximum age (Welch t test P>0.2). Studies' sample sizes were correlated negatively with CMT prevalence (ρ=-0.250, P=0.009). It was not verified whether higher CMT rates have better chances of being published (ρ=0.132, P=0.177). CMT definition should be unified. Samples should be sex-balanced. Enrolling both orthodontic and dental patients in similar proportions might be preferable over sampling from each of those groups. Sampling from children over 12 years seems advantageous. Two or more observers should examine larger samples to reduce the false negative error tied with such samples.
Topics: Age Factors; Anodontia; Bias; False Negative Reactions; Female; Humans; Male; Observer Variation; Prevalence; Publication Bias; Research Design; Sample Size; Sex Factors
PubMed: 24325806
DOI: 10.1186/2196-1042-14-33