Association between Orthopedic and Dental Findings: What Level of Evidence is Available?

Objective:: The aim of this systematic review was to provide comprehensive access to and an analysis of the specialist literature published through December 2005 describing a correlation between orthopedic (leg-length inequality, pelvis obliquity, column diseases and head posture) and dental findings (occlusion, mandibular position, temporomandibular joints, masticatory muscles). Method:: Four medical and dental internet sources (PubMed; Medpilot.de; databases of the Deutsche Ärzte-Verlag and Quintessenz-Verlag) were screened for relevant articles using carefully selected retrieval strategies and keywords. Bibliographies of relevant articles were examined for further pertinent publications. All relevant articles were tabulated according to their year of publication, the subject area discussed, and the levels of scientific evidence. Results:: Our electronic inquiry yielded 359 relevant articles (electronic search: 195, search in bibliographies: 164), 355 of which could be analyzed. A correlation between dental findings and spinal column diseases was described in 266 articles, head posture in 216, pelvis obliquity in 53, and leg-length inequality in 35 papers. In 131 publications, conclusions were drawn from dental to orthopedic findings, whereas they were drawn from orthopedic to dental findings in 171 articles. The number of relevant articles rose significantly, particularly since the 1980's. Classification in levels of evidence reveals three publications (0.8%) with level II (randomized controlled trials), 63 (17.7%) with level III (experimental studies with no randomization, cohort studies, or case-control studies), 178 (50.1%) with level IV (non-experimental studies, such as cross-sectional trials, case series, case reports), and 111 (31.3%) with level V (narrative review or expert opinion without explicit critical appraisal). Conclusions:: 1) While there is great interest in possible correlations between orthopedic and dental findings in the specialist literature, most publications fail to provide the hard facts and solid evidence characteristic of high-quality research. 2) This literature analysis attests to the importance of searching electronic databases while making the inherent weaknesses of such searches obvious. Manual literature searches remain essentia

Status, use and impact of sharing individual participant data from clinical trials: a scoping review

International audienceOBJECTIVES: To explore the impact of data-sharing initiatives on the intent to share data, on actual data sharing, on the use of shared data and on research output and impact of shared data. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA: All studies investigating data-sharing practices for individual participant data (IPD) from clinical trials. SOURCES OF EVIDENCE: We searched the Medline database, the Cochrane Library, the Science Citation Index Expanded and the Social Sciences Citation Index via Web of Science, and preprints and proceedings of the International Congress on Peer Review and Scientific Publication. In addition, we inspected major clinical trial data-sharing platforms, contacted major journals/publishers, editorial groups and some funders. CHARTING METHODS: Two reviewers independently extracted information on methods and results from resources identified using a standardised questionnaire. A map of the extracted data was constructed and accompanied by a narrative summary for each outcome domain. RESULTS: 93 studies identified in the literature search (published between 2001 and 2020, median: 2018) and 5 from additional information sources were included in the scoping review. Most studies were descriptive and focused on early phases of the data-sharing process. While the willingness to share IPD from clinical trials is extremely high, actual data-sharing rates are suboptimal. A survey of journal data suggests poor to moderate enforcement of the policies by publishers. Metrics provided by platforms suggest that a large majority of data remains unrequested. When requested, the purpose of the reuse is more often secondary analyses and meta-analyses, rarely re-analyses. Finally, studies focused on the real impact of data-sharing were rare and used surrogates such as citation metrics. CONCLUSIONS: There is currently a gap in the evidence base for the impact of IPD sharing, which entails uncertainties in the implementation of current data-sharing policies. High level evidence is needed to assess whether the value of medical research increases with data-sharing practices

PET/CT-Based Response Evaluation in Cancer-a Systematic Review of Design Issues

Positron emission tomography/x-ray computed tomography (PET/CT) has long been discussed as a promising modality for response evaluation in cancer. When designing respective clinical trials, several design issues have to be addressed, especially the number/timing of PET/CT scans, the approach for quantifying metabolic activity, and the final translation of measurements into a rule. It is unclear how well these issues have been tackled in quest of an optimised use of PET/CT in response evaluation. Medline via Ovid and Science Citation Index via Web of Science were systematically searched for articles from 2015 on cancer patients scanned with PET/CT before and during/after treatment. Reports were categorised as being either developmental or evaluative, i.e. focusing on either the establishment or the evaluation of a rule discriminating responders from non-responders. Of 124 included papers, 112 (90 %) were accuracy and/or prognostic studies; the remainder were response-curve studies. No randomised controlled trials were found. Most studies were prospective (62 %) and from single centres (85 %); median number of patients was 38.5 (range 5-354). Most (69 %) of the studies employed only one post-baseline scan. Quantification was mainly based on SUVmax (91 %), while change over time was most frequently used to combine measurements into a rule (79 %). Half of the reports were categorised as developmental, the other half evaluative. Most development studies assessed only one element (35/62, 56 %), most frequently the choice of cut-off points (25/62, 40 %). In summary, the majority of studies did not address the essential open issues in establishing PET/CT for response evaluation. Reasonably sized multicentre studies are needed to systematically compare the many different options when using PET/CT for response evaluation

Absolute frequency of the survey aims in the quantitative (<i>n</i> = 12) and mixed methods studies (<i>n</i> = 4; <i>n</i>_sum = 16).

<p>Absolute frequency of the survey aims in the quantitative (<i>n</i> = 12) and mixed methods studies (<i>n</i> = 4; <i>n</i>_sum = 16).</p

Dealing with foreign cultural paradigms: A systematic review on intercultural challenges of international medical graduates

<div><p>Objectives</p><p>An increasing number of International Medical Graduates (IMG), who are defined to be physicians working in a country other than their country of origin and training, immigrate to Western countries. In order to ensure safe and high-quality patient care, they have to take medical and language tests. This systematic review aims to (1) collect all empiric research on intercultural communication of IMGs in medical settings, (2) identify and categorize all text passages mentioning intercultural issues in the included studies, and (3) describe the most commonly reported intercultural areas of communication of IMGs.</p><p>Methods</p><p>This review was based on the PRISMA-Guidelines for systematic reviews. We conducted a broad and systematic electronic literature search for empiric research in the following databases: MEDLINE, BIOSIS Citation Index, BIOSIS Previews, KCI-Korean Journal Database and SciELO Citation Index. The search results were synthesized and analyzed with the aid of coding systems. These coding systems were based on textual analysis and derived from the themes and topics of the results and discussion sections from the included studies. A quality assessment was performed, comparing the studies with their corresponding checklist (COREQ or STROBE). Textual results of the studies were extracted and categorized.</p><p>Results</p><p>Among 10,630 search results, 47 studies were identified for analysis. 31 studies were qualitative, 12 quantitative and 4 studies used mixed methods. The quality assessment revealed a low level of quality of the studies in general. The following intercultural problems were identified: IMGs were not familiar with shared decision-making and lower hierarchies in the health care system in general. They had difficulties with patient-centered care, the subtleties of the foreign language and with the organizational structures of the new health care system. In addition, they described the medical education in their home countries as science-oriented, without focusing on psychosocial aspects.</p><p>Conclusion</p><p>There is a need for a better training of IMGs on culture-related and not culture-related topics in the new workplace country. The topics that emerged in this review constitute a basis for developing these courses. Further empiric research is needed to describe the findings of this review more precisely and should be in accordance with the existing reporting guidelines.</p></div

Main-categories of the qualitative coding system.

<p>Main-categories of the qualitative coding system.</p

Inter-rater comparison of the 500 most recent records of the first search.

<p>NF = Nabeel Farhan. KM = Kerstin Michalski.</p