Publication details | Authors, year of study, year of publication, geographical location of study, language of paper, funding sources |
Study design and quality | Sample size, p values, methods to randomise, allocation concealment, blinding of outcome assessment. |
Model of non-union | Non-union vs delayed union |
Species of animal | Mouse, rat, etc. |
Characteristics of animal | Age, weight, strain, sex, genetic modification, co-morbidities |
Nature of insult | Location of bony insult (tibia, femur, etc.), fracture model (segmental vs non-segmental), osteotomy technique, size of osteotomy, closed vs open, critical vs non-critical size defect, fixation vs no fixation, internal vs external fixation (if fixation used), isolated or multiple locations, |
Additional insults (other than bony defects) | Infection, contamination, immunosuppression, soft tissue injury, vascular injury. |
Nature of intervention | Type of intervention (pharmacological vs non-pharmacological), time point that intervention was applied to animal model post-fracture creation, frequency of intervention (single vs recurrent), duration of intervention, systemic or local dosing |
Duration of follow-up | Single vs multiple time points of follow-up |
Outcome measures | Morphometrical analysis (e.g. histology, radiology), biomechanical analysis (e.g. torsional stiffness) |
Results | Main findings, direction of effect, effect sizes and uncertainty, statistical significance, length and adequacy of follow-up, early animal death |
Additional insults (other than bony defects) | Infection, contamination, immunosuppression, soft tissue injury, vascular injury. |