PubMed Health⌕ Search

SEARCH · PubMed Health

Results for “Meta- analysis”

Explore indexed PubMed citations for clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health research. Read source abstracts and follow each citation to its original PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1990

The effect of naftidrofuryl on intermittent claudication: a meta-analysis.

A meta-analysis was performed on four clinical trials, conducted during 1980-1989 in France (two trials) and in the Federal Republic of Germany (two trials). Altogether, 596 patients with peripheral arterial occlusive disease (Fontaine's classification stage II) entered these four multicenter studies. Four hundred fifty-two patients completed the trials, 241 were treated with 600 mg naftidrofuryl orally per day and 211 were given a placebo. The studies were of a double-blind parallel design and lasted for 3 or 6 months. Inclusion and exclusion criteria were comparable, as were the experimental methods used. Occasionally, differences in study design and methods were observed. Risk factors were recorded in three of the four studies. The outcome criterion of pain-free walking distance was studied for the four trials together and showed a significant improvement in the active drug tested group, following both 3- and 6-month duration of treatment. The type of treatment, the severity of the disease, the existence of blood lipid disorders, and smoking were found to be the predictive factors associated with the evolution of pain-free walking distance during 3 months. The meta-analysis confirms the beneficial effect of naftidrofuryl in treating peripheral arterial occlusive disease.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

Paternal absence and sex-role development: a meta-analysis.

A meta-analysis was based on every available study that has compared father-present and father-absent children on a measure of sex typing. 67 studies produced 222 estimates of effect size. Owing to the inappropriateness of conventional statistics, Hedges's approach to meta-analysis was employed. Results show that published studies produced larger estimates of effect size than dissertations and conference papers. Effect-size estimates based on clinical and incarcerated samples were significantly different from those based on more typical samples. Generalizable differences between father-present and father-absent females were conspicuously absent. Preschool father-absent boys were shown to make less stereotypical choices of toys and activities when compared to father-present age-mates. When compared to father-present boys, older father-absent boys were more stereotypical in their overt behavior, particularly in terms of aggression. Discussion focused on interpretation of the results within a multidimensional conception of sex role.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1989

Age-related differences in employee absenteeism: a meta-analysis.

Meta-analyses were performed on 34 samples that included correlations of the age and employee absenteeism relationship. Samples were categorized into 2 groups for voluntary absenteeism and involuntary absenteeism based on the frequency index and the time-lost index, respectively. Results indicated that both voluntary and involuntary absence are inversely related to age. Unexplained variance remained for each of the absence measures after variance due to sampling error and measurement unreliability was statistically estimated. Work demand was negatively associated with age, but not in the expected direction. Work demand did not moderate the age-absence relationship for either voluntary or involuntary absence. Sex moderated the relationship between age and voluntary absenteeism only. For men, the relationships were negative; for women, they did not differ significantly from 0. Implications for research and human resource management practices regarding aging and absenteeism are discussed.

Absenteeism↗
PubMed1992

Menopausal hormone replacement therapy and breast cancer: a meta-analysis.

A meta-analysis was performed to determine whether the scientific literature provides enough evidence that hormone replacement therapy after menopause increases the risk of breast cancer. Studies were located by MEDLINE, supplemented by a hand search of all the references in the articles located. The papers were graded as to quality. Those considered unbiased were combined using Woolf's method. Thirty-seven original studies were found: 23 case-control, 13 cohort, and one clinical trial. Overall, a small but statistically significant relative risk (RR) figure of 1.06 was calculated. Women who experienced natural menopause seemed to be at increased risk (RR = 1.13). A significant weighted RR was observed in current hormone replacement therapy users, especially in those who had natural menopause (RR = 1.63). A nonsignificant increasing trend was found between duration of hormone replacement therapy and breast cancer risk, although the opposite was seen when the association was analyzed by time since last use. These results imply that hormone replacement therapy could promote breast cancer.

Breast Neoplasms↗
PubMed1992

Sex differences in self-disclosure: a meta-analysis.

A meta-analysis of 205 studies involving 23,702 Ss was conducted to determine whether there are sex differences in self-disclosure. Across these studies, women disclosed slightly more than men (d = .18). This effect size was not homogeneous across studies. Several moderator variables were found. Sex of target and the interaction effect of relationship to target and measure of self-disclosure moderated the effect of sex on self-disclosure. Sex differences in self-disclosure were significantly greater to female and same-sex partners than to opposite-sex or male partners. When the target had a relationship with the discloser (i.e., friend, parent, or spouse), women disclosed more than men regardless of whether self-disclosure was measured by self-report or observation. When the target was a stranger, men reported that they disclosed similarly to women; however, studies using observational measures of self-disclosure found that women disclosed more than men.

Female↗
PubMed1990

Dipyridamole in the treatment of angina pectoris: a meta-analysis.

A meta-analysis of 11 randomized trials published between 1960 and 1970 was performed to re-evaluate data on the efficacy of dipyridamole in the prevention and treatment of chronic angina pectoris. Three trials significantly favored drug vs placebo, four showed a trend towards drug vs placebo, two showed no difference and two showed a trend towards placebo vs drug. The combined results of these 11 trials showed a statistically significant improvement with dipyridamole. Although this result should be viewed with caution because of methodologic variations in the studies, the available evidence appears to suggest that dipyridamole may have a beneficial effect, and that it may have been prematurely discarded in the treatment of angina pectoris.

Angina Pectoris↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The effects of continuing education on nursing practice: a meta-analysis.

A meta-analysis of published and unpublished studies was conducted to reconcile the apparent conflicting results in the domain of research designed to determine the effects of continuing education on nursing practice. The overall mean effect size supported the hypothesis that continuing education positively affects nursing practice. Findings related to mediating effects were inconclusive. Suggestions for future research are given.

Education, Nursing, Continuing↗
PubMed1991

Social skills training in adult psychiatric populations: a meta-analysis.

A meta-analysis was conducted on 73 studies of social skills training in four adult psychiatric populations: developmentally disabled, psychotic, nonpsychotic, and legal offenders. Findings from this analysis showed that patients participating in social skills training programs broadened their repertoire of skills, continued to demonstrate these skills several months after treatment, and showed diminished psychiatric symptoms related to social dysfunctions. Although results from an ANCOVA comparing effect sizes across the four populations (with design quality as a covariate) were nonsignificant, consistent trends suggested that social skills training had the greatest effect on developmentally disabled groups and the least effect on offender groups. In addition, social skills training was found to be relatively more effective in outpatient than inpatient settings.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1991

Parental divorce and the well-being of children: a meta-analysis.

This meta-analysis involved 92 studies that compared children living in divorced single-parent families with children living in continuously intact families on measures of well-being. Children of divorce scored lower than children in intact families across a variety of outcomes, with the median effect size being .14 of a standard deviation. For some outcomes, methodologically sophisticated studies yielded weaker effect sizes than did other studies. In addition, for some outcomes, more recent studies yielded weaker effect sizes than did studies carried out during earlier decades. Some support was found for theoretical perspectives emphasizing parental absence and economic disadvantage, but the most consistent support was found for a family conflict perspective.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1990

Patient sociodemographic characteristics as predictors of satisfaction with medical care: a meta-analysis.

A meta-analysis was performed to examine the relation of patients' sociodemographic characteristics to their satisfaction with medical care. The sociodemographic characteristics were age, ethnicity, sex, socioeconomic status (three indices), marital status, and family size. Greater satisfaction was significantly associated with greater age and less education, and marginally significantly associated with being married and having higher social status (scored as a composite variable emphasizing occupational status). The average magnitudes of relations were very small, with age being the strongest correlate of satisfaction (mean r = 0.13). No overall relationship was found for ethnicity, sex, income, or family size. For all sociodemographic variables, the distribution of correlations was significantly heterogeneous, and statistical contrasts revealed the operation of several moderating variables. The meaning of the overall results and their relation to earlier reviews is discussed.

Age Factors↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Use of the McGill Pain Questionnaire to measure pain: a meta-analysis.

A meta-analysis of 51 studies was done to estimate normative mean McGill Pain Questionnaire (MPQ) scores and to assess pain quality and pain intensity as measured by the MPQ in 3,624 subjects with seven painful conditions. Across the painful conditions, all of the estimated normative mean scores were no more than 50% of the maximum score, suggesting that scores may be skewed to the left. Although the estimated normative mean scores were similar among the seven painful conditions, higher affective scores appeared to differentiate chronic painful conditions from acute painful conditions. Of the 78 MPQ words that describe pain quality, only 19 were selected by more than 20% of the subjects. Data reported in the majority of these studies were inadequate to test for differences in scores or word selection pattern by the seven painful conditions.

Affect↗
PubMed1990

[Infection by the human immunodeficiency virus among the Spanish population (I). Qualitative meta-analysis].

A meta-analysis of the original papers on human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) published in Spain was performed to better know the characteristics of HIV infection in Spain. Between 1985 and 1989, 67 investigations fulfilled the inclusion criteria. They were evaluated by means of a quantified questionnaire. The mean quality of the investigations was 44.65 +/- 1.5%. A bias in the selection was highly probable in 80% of the studies, whereas a bias in information and in confusion was less frequent (35.8% and 77.6%, respectively). The investigations of more quality were those carried out recently at the University in collaboration with other Institutions and with participation of sanitary personnel published in microbiologic journals.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed1989

Effects of sensory and procedural information on coping with stressful medical procedures and pain: a meta-analysis.

A meta-analysis of studies on preparation for medical procedures and pain evaluated the relative effects of sensory; procedural, and combined sensory-procedural preoperational information on coping outcomes. Results indicated that, in contrast to sensory information, procedural information provided no significant benefits over control group instruction. Combined sensory-procedural preparation, however, yielded the strongest and most consistent benefits in terms of reducing negative affect, pain reports, and other-rated distress. The meta-analytic results are consistent with the dual process preparation hypothesis, which proposes that the information combination is optimal because procedural details provide a map of specific events while sensory information facilitates their interpretation as nonthreatening. It is concluded that a combined preparation is the preferred clinical option.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1988

Primary cytomegalovirus infection in pediatric nurses: a meta-analysis.

A meta-analysis of six controlled studies was performed to evaluate the risk of cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection among pediatric nurses. The pooled risk ratio for CMV infection in pediatric nurses using cumulative incidence data was statistically significant (risk ratio [RR] 2.7; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.33 - 5.52), but person-year analysis taking account of follow-up periods demonstrated a trend toward increased risk that failed to reach statistical significance (RR 1.8; 95% CI 0.88 - 3.55). Despite pooling, there was low statistical power for comparing person-year rates. The studies included in this analysis failed to provide data on several potential confounding variables. We conclude that studies published prior to the widespread adoption of universal precautions suggest that pediatric nurses may have been at increased risk for CMV infection due to occupational exposure, but inadequate design and sample size of the studies prevent a definitive conclusion. Well-designed, controlled studies are still needed to define the occupational risk of CMV infection.

Cytomegalovirus Infections↗
PubMed1989

The relation between type A behavior and chronic emotional distress: a meta-analysis.

A meta-analysis was conducted of studies examining the relation between Type A behavior and chronic emotional distress as measured by standard psychological scales. Aggregating across all studies, the average effect size was .27, indicating a positive association between Type A and chronic dysphoria; however, there was considerable variability in the size of the relation among studies. Partitioning by Type A measure revealed that Structured Interview-assessed Type A was unrelated to chronic dysphoric emotions; however, most of the self-report measures of Type A behavior were moderately correlated with upset. The Framingham Type A Scale and the Bortner Scale showed the strongest relations. Thus, contrary to the traditional view, Type A measured by self-report does have some emotional concomitants, although they are not in the pathological range. Also discussed are how the results bear on the proposal that the maladjusted personality confers coronary risk, the implications for reported associations between Type A and illness complaints, and for the study of the Type A as a social psychological construct.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1989

Prophylaxis of upper gastrointestinal bleeding in intensive care units: a meta-analysis.

A meta-analysis was performed of 15 randomized studies on the prophylaxis with cimetidine and/or ant-acids of upper GI bleeding acquired in the ICU. There were eight comparisons of a group receiving cimetidine with a control group, nine comparisons of a group receiving antacids with a control group, and ten comparisons of a group receiving cimetidine with a group receiving antacids. The incidence of upper GI bleeding ranged from 3.4% to 52.7% among 866 control patients who received either a placebo or no prophylaxis. In five of eight comparisons, cimetidine was significantly more effective than no treatment or a placebo to prevent occult and overt upper GI bleeding; the typical odds ratio was 0.32 (95% confidence interval 0.21 to 0.49). In six of nine comparisons, antacids were significantly more effective than no treatment or a placebo; the typical odds ratio was 0.12 (0.08 to 0.19). Finally, antacids were significantly more effective than cimetidine in two of ten comparisons; the typical odds ratio was 1.61 (0.97 to 2.65). However, weaknesses in the study designs, heterogeneity of treatment effects, the lack of strength of the accumulated evidence, and the fact that no utility has been shown in terms of reducing morbidity (shock, need for transfusion) or mortality, prevent any definitive conclusion in regard to compulsory use of upper GI bleeding prophylaxis for ICU patients.

Antacids↗
PubMed1989

Parenteral nutrition with branched-chain amino acids in hepatic encephalopathy. A meta-analysis.

Meta-analytic methods were applied to review clinical trials published in English that have assessed the efficacy of parenteral nutrition for cirrhotic patients with acute hepatic encephalopathy. Modified amino acid solutions containing increased amounts of branched-chain amino acids were used as part of the treatment regimen in all studies. Pooled analysis of five randomized controlled studies showed a highly significant improvement in mental recovery (p less than 0.001) from high-grade encephalopathy over follow-up times varying from 5 to 14 days. The significance level of the treatment effect did not change when the analysis was repeated using alternative methods of counting and attributing events in these trials. Sharp differences in direction of treatment effect precluded pooling case fatality data. Two studies reported an increased risk of death in the treatment group. Two others showed a clear benefit from administration of parenteral nutrition: the aggregate relative risk reduction was 0.59 (95% confidence interval: 0.23-0.80, p = 0.002). Addition of unpublished data from a third positive study increased the relative risk reduction to 0.82 (p less than 0.0001), and the most conservative interpretation of the published data still yielded a significant reduction in mortality (p = 0.023). However, given the uncertainty about effects on mortality and short follow-up times in all studies, a confirmatory randomized controlled trial with longer follow-up periods is warranted.

Adolescent↗