Text-mining tool, Abstrackr, may potentially reduce the workload burden of title and abstract screening (Stage 1), using screening prioritization and truncation. This study aimed to evaluate the performance of Abstrackr’s text-mining functions (’Abstrackr-assisted screening’; screening undertaken by a single-human screener and Abstrackr) vs. Single-human screening.

A systematic review of treatments for relapsed/refractory diffuse large B cell lymphoma (n=7,723) was used. Citations, uploaded to Abstrackr, were screened by a human screener until a pre-specified maximum prediction score of 0.39540 was reached. Abstrackr’s predictions were compared with the judgments of a second, human screener (who screened all citations in Covidence). The performance metrics were sensitivity, specificity, precision, false negative rate, proportion of relevant citations missed, workload savings, and time savings.

Abstrackr reduced Stage 1 workload by 67% (5.4days), when compared with Single-human screening. Sensitivity was high (91%). The false negative rate at Stage 1 was 9%; however, none of those citations were included following full-text screening. The high proportion of false positives (n=2,001) resulted in low specificity (72%) and precision (15.5%).

Abstrackr-assisted screening provided Stage 1 workload savings that did not come at the expense of omitting relevant citations. However, Abstrackr overestimated citation relevance, which may have negative workload implications at full-text screening.

Abstrackr-assisted screening provided Stage 1 workload savings that did not come at the expense of omitting relevant citations. However, Abstrackr overestimated citation relevance, which may have negative workload implications at full-text screening.

Assessing changes in coverage, recall, review, conclusions and references not found when searching fewer databases.

In randomly selected 60 Cochrane reviews, we checked included study publications’ coverage (indexation) and recall (findability) using different search approaches with MEDLINE, Embase, and CENTRAL and related them to authors’ conclusions and certainty. We assessed characteristics of unfound references.

Overall 1989/2080 included references, were indexed in ≥1 database (coverage=96%). In reviews where using one of our search approaches would not change conclusions and certainty (n=44-54), median coverage and recall were highest (range 87.9%-100.0% and 78.2%-93.3%, respectively). Here, searching ≥2 databases reached >95% coverage and ≥87.9% recall. In reviews with unchanged conclusions but less certainty (n=2-8) 63.3%-79.3% coverage and 45.0%-75.0% recall. In reviews with opposite conclusions (n=1-3) 63.3%-96.6% and 52.1%-78.7%. In reviews where a conclusion was no longer possible (n=3-7) 60.6%-86.0% and 20.0%-53.8%. The 265 references that were indexed but unfound were more often abstractless (30% vs. 11%) and older (28% vs. 17% published before 1991) than found references.

Searching ≥2 databases improves coverage and recall and decreases the risk of missing eligible studies. If researchers suspect that relevant articles are difficult to find, supplementary search methods should be used.

Searching ≥2 databases improves coverage and recall and decreases the risk of missing eligible studies. If researchers suspect that relevant articles are difficult to find, supplementary search methods should be used.

Availability of randomized controlled trial (RCT) protocols is essential for the interpretation of trial results and research transparency.

In this study, we determined the availability of RCT protocols approved in Switzerland, Canada, Germany, and the United Kingdom in 2012. For these RCTs, we searched PubMed, Google Scholar, Scopus, and trial registries for publicly available protocols and corresponding full-text publications of results. We determined the proportion of RCTs with (1) publicly available protocols, (2) publications citing the protocol, and (3) registries providing a link to the protocol. A multivariable logistic regression model explored factors associated with protocol availability.

Three hundred twenty-six RCTs were included, of which 118 (36.2%) made their protocol publicly available; 56 (47.6% 56 of 118) provided as a peer-reviewed publication and 48 (40.7%, 48 of 118) provided as supplementary material. A total of 90.9% (100 of 110) of the protocols were cited in the main publication, and 55.9% (66 of 118) were linked in the clinical trial registry. Larger sample size (>500; odds ratio [OR] = 5.90, 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.75-13.31) and investigator sponsorship (OR = 1.99, 95% CI, 1.11-3.59) were associated with increased protocol availability. Most protocols were made available shortly before the publication of the main results.

RCT protocols should be made available at an early stage of the trial.

RCT protocols should be made available at an early stage of the trial.

The standardized mean difference (SMD) can be calculated from different mean differences (MDs) and standard deviations (SDs). This study aims to investigate how clinical trials calculated, reported and interpreted the SMD, and to examine the variation between different SMDs.

We searched the PubMed for randomized controlled trials of general medicine and psychiatry that estimated SMDs. We explored how the SMD was computed and interpreted. We calculated SMDs based on different MDs and SDs, and the variation in these SMD estimates for each study.

We included 161 articles. Various MDs and SDs were used to calculate SMDs, yet 69.0% studies failed to provide sufficient details. Variations in SMD estimates using different MDs and SDs in one study could be substantial (median of the absolute differences was 0.3, interquartile range IQR 0.17 to 0.53). However, 68.3% studies interpreted the SMD based on the same reference, Cohen’s rule of thumb. The largest variations were observed in studies with small sample sizes and large reported effects.

SMDs using different MDs and SDs could vary considerably, but the report was often insufficient and the interpretation was oversimplified. To avoid selective reporting bias and misinterpretation, prespecifying and reporting the method and interpreting the result from multiple perspectives are desirable.

SMDs using different MDs and SDs could vary considerably, but the report was often insufficient and the interpretation was oversimplified. To avoid selective reporting bias and misinterpretation, prespecifying and reporting the method and interpreting the result from multiple perspectives are desirable.

This review aimed to summarize the evidence on the measurement properties of available disease-related knowledge measurement instruments in people with multiple sclerosis.

We performed a literature search in the MEDLINE (PubMed), CINAHL (EBSCOhost), and PsycINFO (EBSCOhost) databases from inception to February 10, 2021. Eligible studies were reports developing a disease-related knowledge measurement instrument or assessing one or more of its measurement properties. We assessed the methodological quality of the included studies independently using the „COSMIN Risk of Bias” checklist. We graded the quality of the evidence using a GRADE approach.

Twenty-four studies provided information on 14 measurement instruments. All instruments showed sufficient evidence for content validity, three for structural validity, and seven for hypothesis testing for construct validity. Cross-cultural validity and criterion validity were not assessed in any instrument. Only two instruments showed sufficient evidence for the internal consistency of their scores, and two others for their test-retest reliability. Responsiveness was assessed in one instrument, but it was rated as indeterminate.

Based on the available evidence, two instruments can be recommended for use, two are unrecommended, and five have the potential to be recommended for use but require further research.

Based on the available evidence, two instruments can be recommended for use, two are unrecommended, and five have the potential to be recommended for use but require further research.

To evaluate the impact of copublication on the citation of Cochrane evidence.

This was a retrospective cohort study including Cochrane reviews published up to 31 December 2015 and their citing up to 11 July 2021, identified from the Web of Science Core Collection database.

A total of 101 copublished and 202 noncopublished Cochrane reviews were included. The median for the total number of citations and the medians for the numbers of citations to the Cochrane review in the first, second, third, and fifth years after publication in the copublished group were higher than those in the noncopublished group [71 (interquartile range IQR 37.5, 118.5) vs. 32.5 (13, 67); 1 (0, 3) vs. 0 (0, 1); 6 (3, 11.5) vs. 2 (1, 5); 8 (4, 15) vs. 3.5 (1, 8); 8 (4, 15) vs. 3 (1, 9), respectively, all P<0.001]. Copublication of Cochrane reviews meant that 4 of 21 journals and 6 of 22 journals had a higher impact factor in the first and the second year after the copublication than they would have had without the copublication.

Copublication is associated with a higher citation frequency of Cochrane reviews and may increase the impact factor of the journal in which it is copublished. This facilitates broader application of Cochrane evidence and promotes its dissemination.

Copublication is associated with a higher citation frequency of Cochrane reviews and may increase the impact factor of the journal in which it is copublished. This facilitates broader application of Cochrane evidence and promotes its dissemination.

Prostate cancer screening studies has previously not been able to reflect a diverse group of participants. We evaluated a range of recruitment strategies and their ability to recruit from the Black population and areas of deprivation.

IP1-PROSTAGRAM was a prospective, population-based, paired screening study of 408 participants conducted at seven UK primary care practices and two imaging centres. All participants underwent screening with a prostate specific antigen (PSA) test, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and transrectal ultrasound. A number of recruitment strategies were embedded including direct mail, media campaigns, and a targeted recruitment strategy to increase participation among harder-to-reach groups.

A total of 1,316 expressions of interest were received (20th September 2018 to 15th May 2019). The direct mail strategy generated 317 expressions of interest from 1707 invitation letters. Overall 387 expressions of interest were received following the targeted strategy and 612 from media campies designed to engage a diverse population can achieve a representative uptake from Black participants and those from a lower socioeconomic group.

Direct mail and targeted strategies designed to engage a diverse population can achieve a representative uptake from Black participants and those from a lower socioeconomic group.The article is devoted to the possibilities of considering the evolution of biological systems in connection with the unique emergent properties of antenna arrays, that is, systems of mutually matched antennas widely used in technology. Materials are presented in favor of the proposition that the evolution of biosystems can be formally considered as the evolution of systems of bio-antenna arrays and their energy-information wave activity, which participates in biological computation and contributes to the unification of body parts into a coherent whole. The use of digital antenna arrays in technology is based on their tensor-matrix theory. The author discovers a structural analogy of this theory with the tensor-matrix features of genetic coding systems, as well as algebraic modeling of the universal rules for the stochastic DNA organization of the genomes of higher and lower organisms. This analogy is just one of the facts presented in the article in favor of the usefulness of borrowing knowledge from modern antenna technology to consider the evolution of biosystems.