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F Morrow

Publications and source records attributed to F Morrow.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2001

Meta-analyses in orthopaedic surgery. A systematic review of their methodologies.

BACKGROUND: The number and quality of well-designed scientific studies in the orthopaedic literature are limited. The purpose of this review was to determine the methodological qualities of published meta-analyses on orthopaedic-surgery-related topics. METHODS: A systematic review of meta-analyses was conducted. A search of the Medline database provided lists of meta-analyses in orthopaedics published from 1969 to 1999. Extensive manual searches of major orthopaedic journals, bibliographies of major orthopaedic texts, and personal files identified additional studies. Of 601 studies identified, forty met the criteria for eligibility. Two investigators each assessed the quality of the studies under blinded conditions, and they abstracted relevant data. RESULTS: More than 50% of the meta-analyses included in this review were published after 1994. We found that 88% had methodological flaws that could limit their validity. The main deficiency was a lack of information on the methods used to retrieve and assess the validity of the primary studies. Regression analysis revealed that meta-analyses authored in affiliation with an epidemiology department and those published in nonsurgical journals were associated with higher scores for quality. Meta-analyses with lower scores for quality tended to report positive findings. The meta-analyses that focused upon fracture treatment and degenerative disease (hip, knee, or spine) had significantly lower mean quality scores than did meta-analyses that examined thrombosis prevention and diagnostic tests (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The majority of meta-analyses on orthopaedic-surgery-related topics have methodological limitations. Limitation of bias and improvement in the validity of the meta-analyses can be achieved by adherence to strict scientific methodology. However, the ultimate quality of a meta-analysis depends on the quality of the primary studies on which it is based. A meta-analysis is most persuasive when data from high-quality randomized trials are pooled.

Humans↗
PubMed1994

Assessment of the safety of high-dose, short-term supplementation with vitamin E in healthy older adults.

The effect of daily supplementation of 800 mg dl alpha-tocopheryl acetate for 30 d on general health, nutrient status, hepatic and renal function, intermediary metabolism, hematological status, plasma nutrients and antioxidant status, thyroid hormones, and urinary creatinine concentrations was studied in 32 healthy elderly (> 60 y) people who participated in a double-blind, placebo-controlled, residential trial. The subjects reported no side effects due to the supplements. Supplementation had no effect on body weight, plasma total protein, albumin, glucose, total cholesterol and triglycerides, conjugated and unconjugated bilirubin, alkaline phosphatase, indicators of hepatic and renal function, hematologic status, thyroid hormones, or serum and urinary creatinine concentrations and creatinine clearance. Supplementation did cause a significant increase in serum vitamin E, and a small (5%) but significant (P < 0.05) increase in plasma zinc in the vitamin E-supplemented group. Thus, short-term supplementation with 800 mg vitamin E/d has no adverse effect on healthy older adults.

Aged↗
PubMed1993

Relationships between acetone, cataracts, and ascorbate in hairless guinea pigs.

Acetone is one of the most commonly used industrial solvents. Recent literature indicated that in guinea pigs, but not rabbits, acetone is cataractogenic and that elevated acetone exposure is also associated with depressed aqueous ascorbate levels. Other work indicated that aqueous and lens levels of ascorbate are closely linked and that depressed ascorbate status is related to cataract. Taken together, these papers suggested that acetone exposure, depressed ascorbate levels, and cataract are related, possibly causally. While the possibility that acetone is cataractogenic presented a major health concern, it also presented an opportunity to develop a new model of cataract in which hypotheses regarding anticataractogenic effects of ascorbate could be tested. Albino hairless guinea pigs are immunocompetent animals derived from albino Hartley guinea pigs. Animals were fed diets containing low (4.9 mg/day) and high (55 mg/day) levels of ascorbate. This resulted in distinct groups of animals, one with high tissue ascorbate levels and the other with low, but nonscorbutic ascorbate levels. The tissue levels of ascorbate and the relationship between tissue ascorbate levels and dietary intake indicate that with respect to ascorbate uptake, transport, and concentration, these animals are identical to the standard albino Hartley animals. Daily exposure to acetone was extended for 6 months, with a total applied dose of 65 ml. Absorption of the solvent was maximized by the use of hairless animals. Despite exposure of the animals to higher levels of acetone, in no case (n = 20) were cataracts observed over a 2-year period. This is consistent with results using rabbits.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Acetone↗