Articles

A systematic and meta-analysis review on the diagnostic accuracy of antibodies in the serological diagnosis of COVID-19

Serological testing based on different antibody types are an alternative method being used to diagnose SARS-CoV-2 and has the potential of having higher diagnostic accuracy compared to the current gold standar...

Authors: Arthur Vengesai, Herald Midzi, Maritha Kasambala, Hamlet Mutandadzi, Tariro L. Mduluza-Jokonya, Simbarashe Rusakaniko, Francisca Mutapi, Thajasvarie Naicker and Takafira Mduluza

Beneficial and harmful effects of antidepressants versus placebo, ‘active placebo’, or no intervention for adults with major depressive disorder: a protocol for a systematic review of published and unpublished data with meta-analyses and trial sequential analyses

Major depressive disorder is one of the most common, burdensome, and costly psychiatric disorders worldwide. Antidepressants are frequently used to treat major depressive disorder. It has been shown repeatedly...

Authors: Sophie Juul, Faiza Siddiqui, Marija Barbateskovic, Caroline Kamp Jørgensen, Michael Pascal Hengartner, Irving Kirsch, Christian Gluud and Janus Christian Jakobsen

Mapping evidence on standards and quality of care for older persons in long-term care facilities: a scoping review protocol

Ageing is a global and universal process that results in physiological, psychological and behavioural changes. Due to the changing needs of the individual and the circumstances of the family, long-term care of...

Authors: Letasha Kalideen, Pragashnie Govender, Jacqueline Marina van Wyk and Desmond Kuupiel

Vaginal progesterone for prevention of preterm birth in asymptomatic high-risk women with a normal cervical length: a systematic review and meta-analysis protocol

Preterm birth (PTB) is estimated to affect 14.9 million babies globally every year. Global rates of PTB continue to increase from 9.8 to 10.6% over a 15-year period from 2000 to 2014. Vaginal progesterone is c...

Authors: Kimberley P. Williams, Liam McAuliffe, Rosanna Diacci, Anne-Marie Aubin, Ashad Issah, Carol Wang, Jason Phung and Craig E. Pennell

The effects of meditation on length of telomeres in healthy individuals: a systematic review

Meditation-based practices have been suggested to result in many biological benefits which include reduction of attrition of telomeres, the protective nucleotide-protein complexes at termini of eukaryotic chro...

Authors: Nirodhi N. Dasanayaka, Nirmala D. Sirisena and Nilakshi Samaranayake

Effectiveness of matching human leukocyte antigens (HLA) in corneal transplantation: a systematic review protocol

Corneal transplantation is the most frequently performed transplantation in the UK. Despite this, the therapeutic value of matching human leukocyte antigen (HLA) subtypes for transplanted corneas remains contr...

Authors: Gagandeep Singh Sachdeva, Joshua Piollo Cabada, Syed Saad Karim, Dmitry Lakvin Kahandawa, Kevin Anil Thomas, Anusha Kumar, Robert J. Barry and Gibran Farook Butt

Prognostic models for knee osteoarthritis: a protocol for systematic review, critical appraisal, and meta-analysis

Osteoarthritis is the most common degenerative joint disease. It is associated with significant socioeconomic burden and poor quality of life, mainly due to knee osteoarthritis (KOA), and related total knee ar...

Authors: Jingyu Zhong, Liping Si, Guangcheng Zhang, Jiayu Huo, Yue Xing, Yangfan Hu, Huan Zhang and Weiwu Yao

Prevalence and incidence of venous leg ulcers—a protocol for a systematic review

Venous leg ulcers (VLUs) are chronic wounds characterized by slow healing and high recurrence. Information on prevalence and incidence is essential for ascertaining the burden of VLU on the health care system ...

Authors: S. Probst, C. D. Weller, P. Bobbink, C. Saini, M. Pugliese, Monika Buehrer Skinner and G. Gethin

Community mobilisation approaches to preventing and reducing adolescent multiple risk behaviour: a realist review protocol

Adolescent multiple risk behaviour (MRB) continues to be a global health issue. Most interventions have focused on the proximal causes of adolescent MRB such as peer or family influence, rather than targeting ...

Authors: Laura Tinner, Deborah Caldwell and Rona Campbell

The effect of preoperative stoma site marking on risk of stoma-related complications in patients with intestinal ostomy—protocol of a systematic review and meta-analysis

An intestinal ostomy is an artificial bowel opening created on the skin. Procedure-related mortality is extremely rare. However, the presence of an ostomy may be associated with significant morbidity. Complica...

Authors: Charlotte Mareike Kugler, Jessica Breuing, Tanja Rombey, Simone Hess, Peter Ambe, Erich Grohmann and Dawid Pieper

Non-invasive and minimally invasive glucose monitoring devices: a systematic review and meta-analysis on diagnostic accuracy of hypoglycaemia detection

The use of minimally and non-invasive monitoring systems (including continuous glucose monitoring) has increased rapidly over recent years. Up to now, it remains unclear how accurate devices can detect hypogly...

Authors: Nicole Lindner, Aya Kuwabara and Tim Holt

AGREEing on clinical practice guidelines for idiopathic steroid-sensitive nephrotic syndrome in children

Nephrotic syndrome is the most common kidney disease in children worldwide. Our aim was to critically appraise the quality of recent Clinical Practice Guidelines (CPGs) for idiopathic steroid-sensitive nephrot...

Authors: Khalid Abdulaziz Alhasan, Reem Al Khalifah, Majed Aloufi, Weiam Almaiman, Muddathir Hamad, Naif Abdulmajeed, Abdullah Al Salloum, Jameela A. Kari, Muneera AlJelaify, Rolan K. Bassrawi, Turki Al Hussain, Adi Alherbish, Abdulhadi Al Talhi, Mohamad-Hani Temsah, Sidharth Kumar Sethi, Rupesh Raina…

Repurposing existing medications for coronavirus disease 2019: protocol for a rapid and living systematic review

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has no confirmed specific treatments. However, there might be in vitro and early clinical data as well as evidence from severe acute respiratory syndrome and Middle Eastern ...

Authors: Benjamin P. Geisler, Lara Zahabi, Adam Edward Lang, Naomi Eastwood, Elaine Tennant, Ljiljana Lukic, Elad Sharon, Hai-Hua Chuang, Chang-Berm Kang, Knakita Clayton-Johnson, Ahmed Aljaberi, Haining Yu, Chinh Bui, Tuan Le Mau, Wen-Cheng Li, Debbie Teodorescu…

Impact of child development at primary school entry on adolescent health—protocol for a participatory systematic review

Reducing child health inequalities is a global health priority and evidence suggests that optimal development of knowledge, skills and attributes in early childhood could reduce health risks across the life co...

Authors: Michelle Black, Amy Barnes, Mark Strong and David Taylor-Robinson

Illness perceptions of adults with eczematous skin diseases: a systematic mixed studies review

Eczematous skin diseases, e.g., atopic dermatitis or contact dermatitis, are associated with a high disease burden, a significant impact on quality of life and a higher risk for anxiety and depression. Therefo...

Authors: Marc Rocholl, Michaela Ludewig, Carola Brakemeier, Swen Malte John and Annika Wilke

Deciphering the role of physical activity in stress management during a global pandemic in older adult populations: a systematic review protocol

The world has changed dramatically since the beginning of 2020 due to COVID-19. As a result of the pandemic, many older adults are now experiencing an increased and unprecedented amount of psychological stress...

Authors: Ryan Churchill, Indira Riadi, Lucy Kervin, Kelly Teo and Theodore Cosco

Carotid endarterectomy with patch angioplasty versus primary closure in patients with symptomatic and significant stenosis: a systematic review with meta-analyses and trial sequential analysis of randomized clinical trials

Patch angioplasty in conventional carotid endarterectomy is suggested to reduce the risk of restenosis and recurrent ipsilateral stroke compared with primary closure. A systematic review of randomized clinical...

Authors: Martijn S. Marsman, Jørn Wetterslev, Abdelkarime Kh. Jahrome, Christian Gluud, Frans L. Moll, Frederik Keus and Giel G. Koning

Knowledge of prostate cancer presentation, etiology, and screening practices among women: a mixed-methods systematic review

With the burden of prostate cancer, it has become imperative to exploit cost-effective ways to tackle this menace. Women have demonstrated their ability to recognize early cancer signs, and it is, therefore, r...

Authors: Ebenezer Wiafe, Kofi Boamah Mensah, Adwoa Bemah Boamah Mensah, Varsha Bangalee and Frasia Oosthuizen

Effect of community-based interventions targeting female sex workers along the HIV care cascade in sub-Saharan Africa: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Female sex workers are extremely vulnerable and highly susceptible to being infected with human immunodeficiency virus. As a result, community-based targeted interventions have been recommended as one of the m...

Authors: Lydia Atuhaire, Olatunji Adetokunboh, Constance Shumba and Peter S. Nyasulu

Perceived stress, stressors, and coping strategies among nursing students in the Middle East and North Africa: an overview of systematic reviews

In nursing students, high stress levels can lead to burnout, anxiety, and depression. Our objective is to characterize the epidemiology of perceived stress, stressors, and coping strategies among nursing stude...

Authors: Sonia Chaabane, Karima Chaabna, Sapna Bhagat, Amit Abraham, Sathyanarayanan Doraiswamy, Ravinder Mamtani and Sohaila Cheema

National genotype prevalence and age distribution of human papillomavirus from infection to cervical cancer in Japanese women: a systematic review and meta-analysis protocol

Despite prophylactic human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination being a safe, effective and cost-effective public health intervention for the prevention of cervical cancer, the HPV vaccine is not actively recommen...

Authors: Matthew Palmer, Kota Katanoda, Eiko Saito, Cecilia Acuti Martellucci, Shiori Ostuki, Shuhei Nomura, Erika Ota, Julia M. L. Brotherton and Jane Hocking

Factors influencing the implementation of mental health recovery into services: a systematic mixed studies review

Countries around the world have committed in policy to transforming their mental health services towards a recovery orientation. How has mental health recovery been implemented into services for adults, and wh...

Authors: Myra Piat, Megan Wainwright, Eleni Sofouli, Brigitte Vachon, Tania Deslauriers, Cassandra Préfontaine and Francesca Frati

Involvement of Indigenous young people in the design and evaluation of digital mental health interventions: a scoping review protocol

Indigenous young people worldwide are at greater risk of developing mental health concerns due to ongoing inequity and disadvantage. Digital mental health (dMH) interventions are identified as a potential appr...

Authors: Josie Povey, Buaphrao Raphiphatthana, Michelle Torok, Tricia Nagel, Fiona Shand, Michelle Sweet, Anne Lowell, Patj Patj Janama Robert Mills and Kylie Dingwall

A systematic literature review of attitudes towards secondary use and sharing of health administrative and clinical trial data: a focus on consent

We aimed to synthesise data on issues related to stakeholder perceptions of consent for the use of secondary data. To better understand the current literature available, we conducted a systematic literature re...

Authors: Elizabeth Hutchings, Max Loomes, Phyllis Butow and Frances M. Boyle

Is reusing text from a protocol in the completed systematic review acceptable?

Published protocols have the potential to reduce bias in the conduct and reporting of systematic reviews (SR). When reporting the results of a completed SR, the question might arise whether text used in the pr...

Authors: Dawid Pieper, Long Ge and Ahmed Abou-Setta

McDonald versus Shirodkar cerclage technique in women requiring a prophylactic cerclage: a systematic review and meta-analysis protocol

Preterm birth (PTB) is the leading cause of death in children under five years. Spontaneous preterm birth (SPTB) is the major cause of preterm delivery. The key risk factors for SPTB are women who have a short...

Authors: Ashad Issah, Rosanna Diacci, Kimberley P. Williams, Anne-Marie Aubin, Liam McAuliffe, Jason Phung, Carol Wang, Panos Maouris and Craig E. Pennell

The principles of physical restraint use for hospitalized elderly people: an integrated literature review

Physical restraint (PR) is a routine care measure in many hospital wards to ensure patient safety. However, it is associated with many different professional, legal, and ethical challenges. Some guidelines and...

Authors: Azam Sharifi, Narges Arsalani, Masoud Fallahi-Khoshknab and Farahnaz Mohammadi-Shahbolaghi

Patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) use in post-stroke patient care and clinical practice: a realist synthesis protocol

There is growing interest in the use of routine patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) to influence the care of individual patients with stroke. However, there are significant gaps in our understanding as t...

Authors: A. Smith, J. Hewitt, T. J. Quinn and M. Robling

Massage therapy in infants and children under 5 years of age: protocol for an overview of systematic reviews

Massage is a popularly used complementary and alternative therapy. Previous randomised controlled trials have examined the effects of massage on children, and several systematic reviews have been conducted to ...

Authors: Shu-Cheng Chen, Juan Yu, Sam Chun-Sum Yuen, Jason Chun-Sing Lam, Lorna Kwai-Ping Suen and Wing-Fai Yeung

Proactive psychological programs designed to mitigate posttraumatic stress injuries among at-risk workers: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Public safety personnel and frontline healthcare professionals are at increased risk of exposure to potentially psychologically traumatic events (PPTE) and developing posttraumatic stress injuries (PTSI, e.g.,...

Authors: Paula M. Di Nota, Anees Bahji, Dianne Groll, R. Nicholas Carleton and Gregory S. Anderson

Determinants of adolescent substance use in Africa: a systematic review and meta-analysis protocol

Adolescent substance use continues to be a growing major public health concern in Africa. Recent studies infer an overall estimated prevalence of 42% among adolescents in sub-Saharan Africa. Unfortunately, thi...

Authors: Sandra Jumbe, Tony Mwenda Kamninga, Isaac Mwalwimba and Ukwuori-Gisela Kalu

Intraoperative and postoperative outcomes of robot-assisted cholecystectomy: a systematic review

Rapid adoption of robotic-assisted general surgery procedures, particularly for cholecystectomy, continues while questions remain about its benefits and utility. The objective of this study was to compare the ...

Authors: Rivfka Shenoy, Michael A. Mederos, Linda Ye, Selene S. Mak, Meron M. Begashaw, Marika S. Booth, Paul G. Shekelle, Mark Wilson, William Gunnar, Melinda Maggard-Gibbons and Mark D. Girgis

Interventions to prevent obesity in Latinx children globally: protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis

Rates of childhood obesity have accelerated rapidly over the past decade in low- and middle-income countries and in Latin America in particular. At the same time, Latinx children in high-income countries have ...

Authors: Rachel Bleiweiss-Sande, Arturo Jiménez-Cruz, Montserrat Bacardí-Gascón, Kara Skelton and Sara E. Benjamin-Neelon

Effects of nutrition intervention strategies in the primary prevention of overweight and obesity in school settings: a protocol for a systematic review and network meta-analysis

Overweight and obesity in children and adolescents are major public health challenges affecting quality of life and representing important risk factors in the development of non-communicable diseases. School e...

Authors: Edris Nury, Jakub Morze, Kathrin Grummich, Gerta Rücker, Georg Hoffmann, Claudia M. Angele, Jürgen M. Steinacker, Johanna Conrad, Daniela Schmid, Jörg J. Meerpohl and Lukas Schwingshackl

Discrete choice experiment to determine preferences of decision-makers in healthcare for different formats of rapid reviews

Time-saving formats of evidence syntheses have been developed to fulfill healthcare policymakers’ demands for timely evidence-based information. A discrete choice experiment (DCE) with decision-makers and peop...

Authors: Christian Speckemeier, Laura Krabbe, Susanne Schwenke, Jürgen Wasem, Barbara Buchberger and Silke Neusser

The effects of exercise and low-calorie diets compared with low-calorie diets alone on health: a protocol for systematic reviews and meta-analyses of controlled clinical trials

Exercise and weight loss diets are two independent non-pharmaceutical strategies used to improve several aspects of body composition and health. We plan to systematically review controlled clinical trials inve...

Authors: Sara Beigrezaei, Zeinab Yazdanpanah, Sepideh Soltani, Seyede Hamide Rajaie, Sahar Mohseni-Takalloo, Tayebeh Zohrabi, Mojtaba Kaviani, Scott C. Forbes, Julien S. Baker and Amin Salehi-Abargouei

Questionnaires in otology: a systematic mapping review

Patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) are valuable tools in assessing the quality of health care from a patient perspective and are increasingly used by otologists. However, selecting the right questionnai...

Authors: Koen Viergever, Jeroen T. Kraak, Els. M. Bruinewoud, Johannes C. F. Ket, Sophia E. Kramer and Paul Merkus

Screening for chlamydia and/or gonorrhea in primary health care: systematic reviews on effectiveness and patient preferences

We conducted systematic reviews on the benefits and harms of screening compared with no screening or alternative screening approaches for Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) and Neisseria gonorrhoeae (NG) in non-pregnant ...

Authors: Jennifer Pillay, Aireen Wingert, Tara MacGregor, Michelle Gates, Ben Vandermeer and Lisa Hartling

How to properly use the PRISMA Statement

Authors: Rafael Sarkis-Onofre, Ferrán Catalá-López, Edoardo Aromataris and Craig Lockwood

LOCATE: a prospective evaluation of the value of Leveraging Ongoing Citation Acquisition Techniques for living Evidence syntheses

Living systematic reviews (LSRs) can expedite evidence synthesis by incorporating new evidence in real time. However, the methods needed to identify new studies in a timely manner are not well established.

Authors: Michelle Gates, Sarah A. Elliott, Allison Gates, Meghan Sebastianski, Jennifer Pillay, Liza Bialy and Lisa Hartling

Establishing a comprehensive search strategy for Indigenous health literature reviews

Appropriate search strategies are essential to ensure the integrity and reproducibility of systematic and scoping reviews, as researchers seek to capture as many relevant resources as possible. In the case of ...

Authors: Louise Harding, Caterina J. Marra and Judy Illes

Exploring the challenges and features of implementing performance-based payment plan in hospitals: a protocol for a systematic review

Implementing performance-based payment (PBP) plan has led to developing a number of significant potentialities such as performance improvement and effectiveness, quality improvement of provided services, and d...

Authors: Asieh Mousaloo, Mehrdad Amir-Behghadami, Ali Janati and Masoumeh Gholizadeh

Mapping evidence on the distribution of the costs associated with cancer of prostate, cervix, and female breast in the sub-Saharan Africa: protocol for a scoping review

Despite the well-documented information on cancer prevention and management, among noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), globally, cancer continues to be the second leading cause of morbidity and mortality with dev...

Authors: Cebisile Ngcamphalala, Ellinor Ostensson, Mbuzeleni Hlongwa and Themba G. Ginindza

The REPRISE project: protocol for an evaluation of REProducibility and Replicability In Syntheses of Evidence

Investigations of transparency, reproducibility and replicability in science have been directed largely at individual studies. It is just as critical to explore these issues in syntheses of studies, such as sy...

Authors: Matthew J. Page, David Moher, Fiona M. Fidler, Julian P. T. Higgins, Sue E. Brennan, Neal R. Haddaway, Daniel G. Hamilton, Raju Kanukula, Sathya Karunananthan, Lara J. Maxwell, Steve McDonald, Shinichi Nakagawa, David Nunan, Peter Tugwell, Vivian A. Welch and Joanne E. McKenzie

The clinical effects of cerebral near-infrared spectroscopy monitoring (NIRS) versus no monitoring: a protocol for a systematic review with meta-analysis and trial sequential analysis

Multiple clinical conditions are associated with cerebral hypoxia/ischaemia and thereby an increased risk of hypoxic-ischaemic brain injury. Cerebral near-infrared spectroscopy monitoring (NIRS) is a tool to m...

Authors: Mathias Lühr Hansen, Simon Hyttel-Sørensen, Janus Christian Jakobsen, Christian Gluud, Elisabeth M. W. Kooi, Jonathan Mintzer, Willem P. de Boode, Monica Fumagalli, Ana Alarcon, Thomas Alderliesten and Gorm Greisen

The effectiveness of supplemental oxygen during exercise training in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease who show severe exercise-induced desaturation: a protocol for a meta-regression analysis and systematic review

Supplemental oxygen during exercise training is used to increase the training effect of an exercise program in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) who show exercise-induced desaturation....

Authors: Shohei Kawachi, Shuhei Yamamoto, Kenichi Nishie, Takayoshi Yamaga, Manaka Shibuya, Yasunari Sakai and Keisaku Fujimoto

Mapping evidence on the effects of gender-affirming hormone therapy on the hard and soft tissues of the craniofacial complex in transgender people: a protocol for a scoping review

Gender-affirming hormone (GAH) therapy aims to support the transition of transgender people to their gender identity. GAHs can induce changes in their secondary sex characteristics such as the development of b...

Authors: M. F. Van den Bosch, C. M. Wiepjes, M. Den Heijer, L. J. Schoonmade, R. E. G. Jonkman and R. A. Meursinge Reynders

Mapping evidence on ovarian, endometrial, vaginal, and vulva cancer research in Africa: a scoping review protocol

Globally, cancer is generally recognized as a developmental threat yet most countries in Africa lack capacity to diagnose cancer especially gynecological cancers resulting in late detection and poor outcomes. ...

Authors: Sebastian Yidana Ninimiya, Monica Ansu-Mensah, Vitalis Bawontuo and Desmond Kuupiel

Disparities and interventions in the timeliness of endometrial cancer diagnosis and treatment in the United States: a scoping review protocol

Disparities in the stage at diagnosis of endometrial cancer (EC) account for a significant proportion of the disparities in morbidity and mortality experienced by vulnerable groups in the USA. Evidence suggest...

Authors: Anna J. Najor, Dyda Dao, Jamie N. Bakkum-Gamez, Mark E. Sherman, Avonne E. Connor and Christopher C. Destephano

Effectiveness of community-based interventions for patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders: a study protocol for a systematic review

Schizophrenia requires a community-based intervention approach combined with standard treatment to prevent relapses. A literature review is required to understand the effectiveness of community-based intervent...

Authors: Soo-Yeon Kim and Ah. Rim Kim