Risk of Bias Tool in Systematic Reviews/Meta-Analyses of Acupuncture in Chinese Journals

BACKGROUND: Use of a risk of bias (ROB) tool has been encouraged and advocated to reviewers writing systematic reviews (SRs) and meta-analyses (MAs). Selective outcome reporting and other sources of bias are included in the Cochrane ROB tool. It is important to know how this specific tool for assessing ROB has been applied since its release. Our objectives were to evaluate whether and to what extent the new Cochrane ROB tool has been used in Chinese journal papers of acupuncture. METHODS: We searched CBM, TCM database, CJFD, CSJD, and the Wanfang Database from inception to March 2011. Two reviewers independently selected SRs that primarily focused on acupuncture and moxibustion, from which the data was extracted and analyzed. RESULTS: A total of 836 SRs were identified from the search, of which, 105 were included and four are awaiting assessment. Thirty-six of the 105 SRs were published before release of the Cochrane ROB tool (up to 2009). Most used the Cochrane Handbook 4.2 or Jadad's scale for risk or quality assessment. From 2009 to March 2011 69 SRs were identified. While "risk of bias" was reported for approximately two-thirds of SRs, only two SRs mentioned use of a "risk of bias tool" in their assessment. Only 5.8% (4/69) of reviews reported information on all six domains which are involved in the ROB tool. A risk of bias graph/summary figure was provided in 2.9% (2/69) of reviews. Most SRs gave information about sequence generation, allocation concealment, blindness, and incomplete outcome data, however, few reviews (5.8%; 4/69) described selective reporting or other potential sources of bias. CONCLUSIONS: The Cochrane "risk of bias" tool has not been used in all SRs/MAs of acupuncture published in Chinese Journals after 2008. When the ROB tool was used, reporting of relevant information was often incomplete

Exploring core mental health symptoms among persons living with HIV: A network analysis

ContextPersons living with HIV (PLWH) commonly experience mental health symptoms. However, little is known about the core mental health symptoms and their relationships.ObjectiveThis study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of various mental health symptoms and to explore their relationships in symptom networks among PLWH.MethodsFrom April to July 2022, we recruited 518 participants through convenience sampling in Beijing, China, for this cross-sectional study. Forty mental health symptoms, including six dimensions (somatization symptoms, negative affect, cognitive function, interpersonal communication, cognitive processes, and social adaptation), were assessed through paper-based or online questionnaires. Network analysis was performed in Python 3.6.0 to explore the core mental health symptoms and describe the relationships among symptoms and clusters.ResultsOf the 40 mental health symptoms, the most common symptoms were fatigue (71.2%), trouble remembering things (65.6%), and uncertainty about the future (64.0%). In the single symptom network, sadness was the most central symptom across the three centrality indices (rS = 0.59, rC = 0.61, rB = 0.06), followed by feeling discouraged about the future (rS = 0.51, rC = 0.57, rB = 0.04) and feelings of worthlessness (rS = 0.54, rC = 0.53, rB = 0.05). In the symptom cluster network, negative affect was the most central symptom cluster across the three centrality indices (rS = 1, rC = 1, rB = 0.43).ConclusionOur study provides a new perspective on the role of each mental health symptom among PLWH. To alleviate the mental health symptoms of PLWH to the greatest extent possible and comprehensively improve their mental health, we suggest that psychological professionals pay more attention to pessimistic mood and cognitive processes in PLWH. Interventions that apply positive psychology skills and cognitive behavioral therapy may be necessary components for the mental health care of PLWH

Effects of composition on electrochemical properties of a non-precious metal catalyst towards oxygen reduction reaction

A family of non-precious metal catalysts, Co-PPy-TsOH/C, has been synthesized with different amount of pyrrole and p-toluenesulfonic acid (TsOH). Elemental contents of Co, N, C, S, H and O in the obtained catalysts have been measured with physicochemical techniques and the performance of these catalysts towards oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) have been evaluated with electrochemical techniques. Then, the results obtained have been discussed with principal component analysis and linear correlation analysis to find the correlation/anticorrelation between the composition and electrochemical properties. It is revealed that the used amount of pyrrole has much more apparent effect than TsOH on elemental contents in the Co-PPy-TsOH/C catalysts, while both of them influence the ORR activity and mechanism of the catalysts. Besides, the effects of the contents of each element on the electrochemical performance have also been analyzed to guide the future development of similar catalysts. ? 2013 Hydrogen Energy Publications, LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved