High-quality Reviews Research Articles

10 effective steps to write good literature review for an academic dissertation

Comprehensive, critical and constructive literature review are very important to produce a good academic dissertation. This article suggests 10 effective steps to write a high-quality literature review for an academic dissertation. The suggested steps are (i) define scope, (ii) conduct comprehensive search, (iii) organize sources, (iv) read and analyze, (v) identify key themes and arguments, (vi) develop logical structure, (vii) write clearly and critically, (viii) provide coherence and synthesis, (ix) revise and refine, and (x) seek feedback. It is recommended for researchers who are working on an academic dissertation to take advantage of this strategy in their writing, in order to produce a high-quality literature review presentation.

What makes deceptive online reviews? A linguistic analysis perspective

AbstractWith the rapid development of e-commerce, online reviews have become an important information source for consumers and e-commerce businesses. While the negative impact of deceptive online reviews has been well recognized, more research has to be done to help understand the linguistic manifestations of deceptive online reviews in order to help identify deceptive reviews and help increase the value and sustainability of e-commerce businesses. This study explores the linguistic manifestations of deceptive online reviews based on the reality monitoring theory, and then uses the data from Amazon.com online product reviews to examine perceptual cues, affective cues, detail cues, relevance cues, and cognitive cues of various deceptive online reviews. The results show that reviews for emotional catharsis are more extreme with affective cues, while perfunctory reviews often lack details with fewer prepositions and adjectives. In addition, deceptive reviews often lack relevance cues when these reviews are made to obtain the rewards provided by the vendors while paid posters tend to use more cognitive cues in deceptive reviews. Moreover, deceptive online reviews under all motives often lack perceptual cues. These findings provide a deeper understanding of the linguistic manifestations of deceptive online reviews and provide significant managerial implications for e-commerce businesses to employ high-quality online reviews for sustainable growth.

Saturated fat, the estimated absolute risk and certainty of risk for mortality and major cancer and cardiometabolic outcomes: an overview of systematic reviews

ObjectiveTo assess the impact of reducing saturated fat or fatty foods, or replacing saturated fat with unsaturated fat, carbohydrate or protein, on the risk of mortality and major cancer and cardiometabolic outcomes in adults.MethodsWe searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, and references of included studies for systematic reviews and meta-analyses (SRMAs) of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and observational studies in adults published in the past 10 years. Eligible reviews investigated reducing saturated fat or fatty foods or replacing saturated fat with unsaturated fat, carbohydrate or protein, on the risk of cancer and cardiometabolic outcomes and assessed the certainty of evidence for each outcome using, for example, the GRADE (Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluations) approach. We assessed the quality of SRMAs using a modified version of AMSTAR-2. Results were summarized as absolute estimates of effect together with the certainty of effects using a narrative synthesis approach.ResultsWe included 17 SRMAs (13 reviews of observational studies with follow-up 1 to 34 years; 4 reviews of RCTs with follow-up 1 to 17 years). The quality of two-thirds of the SRMAs was critically low to moderate; the main limitations included deficient reporting of study selection, absolute effect estimates, sources of funding, and a priori subgroups to explore heterogeneity. Our included reviews reported > 100 estimates of effect across 11 critically important cancer and cardiometabolic outcomes. High quality SRMAs consistently and predominantly reported low to very low certainty evidence that reducing or replacing saturated fat was associated with a very small risk reduction in cancer and cardiometabolic endpoints. The risk reductions where approximately divided, some being statistically significant and some being not statistically significant. However, based on 2 moderate to high quality reviews, we found moderate certainty evidence for a small but important effect that was statistically significant for two outcomes (total mortality events [20 fewer events per 1000 followed] and combined cardiovascular events [16 fewer per 1000 followed]). Conversely, 4 moderate to high quality reviews showed very small effects on total mortality, with 3 of these reviews showing non-statistically significant mortality effects.ConclusionSystematic reviews investigating the impact of SFA on mortality and major cancer and cardiometabolic outcomes almost universally suggest very small absolute changes in risk, and the data is based primarily on low and very low certainty evidence.Systematic review registrationPROSPERO CRD42020172141

Aetiological Understanding of Fibromyalgia, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Classificatory Analogues: A Systematic Umbrella Review.

This umbrella review systematically assesses the variety and relative dominance of current aetiological views within the scientific literature for the three most investigated symptom-defined functional somatic syndromes (FSS) and their classificatory analogues within psychiatry and psychology. An umbrella review of narrative and systematic reviews with and without meta-analyses based on a search of electronic databases (PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, PsychINFO) was conducted. Eligible reviews were published in English, focused on research of any kind of aetiological factors in adults diagnosed with fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS), irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME), and somatic symptom disorder (SSD)/somatoform disorder (SFD). We included 452 reviews (132 systematic reviews including meta-analyses, 133 systematic reviews, 197 narrative reviews), of which 132 (29%) focused on two or more of the investigated health conditions simultaneously. Across diagnoses, biological factors were addressed in 90% (k = 405), psychological in 33% (k = 150), social in 12% (k = 54), and healthcare factors in 5% (k = 23) of the reviews. The methodological quality of the included systematic reviews (k = 255) was low (low/critically low: 41% [k = 104]; moderate: 49% [k = 126]; high quality: 10% [k = 25]). The high-quality systematic reviews suggest that deficient conditioned pain modulation, genetic factors, changes in the immune, endocrinological, gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, and nervous system, and psychosocial factors such as sexual abuse and pain catastrophizing increase the risk for FSS. Only very few systematic reviews have used comprehensive, biopsychosocial disease models to guide the selection of aetiological factors in FSS research. Future research should strive for higher scientific standards and broaden its perspective on these health conditions.

The effectiveness of exercise on the symptoms in breast cancer patients undergoing adjuvant treatment: an umbrella review of systematic reviews and meta-analyses.

Exercise has the potential to reduce symptoms for breast cancer patients during adjuvant treatment, and high-quality systematic reviews are essential for guiding clinical practice. The objective of this umbrella review is to examine current research evidence concerning the effectiveness of exercise on symptom management in breast cancer patients undergoing adjuvant treatment. An umbrella review was conducted. We searched for eligible systematic reviews through 11 databases until August 13rd, 2023. Two authors independently screened titles and abstracts, assessing the full-text studies based on inclusion criteria. We used AMSTAR-2 to appraise the quality of the meta-analyses. The results would be presented with narrative summaries if the replication rate of the original study for a symptom was higher than 5% (calculated via the Corrected Covered Area, CCA). The protocol was documented in the PROSPERO registry (CRD42023403990). Of the 807 systematic reviews identified, 15 met the inclusion criteria, and 7 symptoms were the main focus. The main form of exercise mentioned was aerobic combined resistance exercise. The results of the quality assessment were mostly critically low (10/15). The repetition rate calculated by CCA showed moderate to very high repetition rates (10% to 18.6%). The findings of the included reviews indicated that the effects of exercise on relieving symptoms during breast cancer adjuvant treatment were mixed. Research is still needed to confirm the majority of studies' recommendations for exercise during adjuvant treatment for breast cancer patients, as it is crucial for managing symptoms in the rehabilitation process. To increase the efficiency of exercise in symptom management, future studies may focus more on the application of bridge symptoms, symptom networks, and ecological instantaneous assessment.

The Automated Systematic Search Deduplicator (ASySD): a rapid, open-source, interoperable tool to remove duplicate citations in biomedical systematic reviews

BackgroundResearchers performing high-quality systematic reviews search across multiple databases to identify relevant evidence. However, the same publication is often retrieved from several databases. Identifying and removing such duplicates (“deduplication”) can be extremely time-consuming, but failure to remove these citations can lead to the wrongful inclusion of duplicate data. Many existing tools are not sensitive enough, lack interoperability with other tools, are not freely accessible, or are difficult to use without programming knowledge. Here, we report the performance of our Automated Systematic Search Deduplicator (ASySD), a novel tool to perform automated deduplication of systematic searches for biomedical reviews.MethodsWe evaluated ASySD’s performance on 5 unseen biomedical systematic search datasets of various sizes (1845–79,880 citations). We compared the performance of ASySD with EndNote’s automated deduplication option and with the Systematic Review Assistant Deduplication Module (SRA-DM).ResultsASySD identified more duplicates than either SRA-DM or EndNote, with a sensitivity in different datasets of 0.95 to 0.99. The false-positive rate was comparable to human performance, with a specificity of > 0.99. The tool took less than 1 h to identify and remove duplicates within each dataset.ConclusionsFor duplicate removal in biomedical systematic reviews, ASySD is a highly sensitive, reliable, and time-saving tool. It is open source and freely available online as both an R package and a user-friendly web application.

Promotive and preventive interventions for mental health and well-being in adult populations: a systematic umbrella review.

Mental health disorders are increasing worldwide, leading to significant personal, economic, and social consequences. Mental health promotion and prevention have been the subject of many systematic reviews. Thus, decision makers likely face the problem of going through literature to find and utilize the best available evidence. Therefore, this systematic umbrella review aims to evaluate the effectiveness of interventions for promoting mental health and mental well-being, as well as for the primary prevention of mental health disorders. Literature searches were performed in APA PsycInfo, Medline, and Proquest Social Science databases from January 2000 to December 2021. The search results were screened for eligibility using pre-defined criteria. The methodological quality of the included reviews was evaluated using the AMSTAR 2 tool. The key findings of the included reviews were narratively synthesized and reported with an emphasis on reviews achieving higher methodological quality. Out of the 240 articles found, 16 systematic reviews and four systematic umbrella reviews were included. The methodological quality of included reviews was low or critically low. This review suggests that interventions using cognitive-behavioral therapy and those developing resilience, mindfulness, or healthy lifestyles can be effective in the promotion of mental health and well-being in adult populations. Motivational interviewing may reduce alcohol consumption in young adults. Indicated or selective prevention is likely to be cost-effective compared to universal prevention. Parenting interventions and workplace interventions may be cost-effective in terms of promoting mental health. Due to the low methodological quality of the included reviews and substantial heterogeneity among the reported results, the findings from the reviews we summarized should be interpreted with caution. There is a need for further rigorous, high-quality systematic reviews.

Evidence pertaining to modifiable risk factors for oral diseases: an umbrella review to Inform oral health messages for Australia.

The aim of this umbrella review was to collate and appraise the evidence base regarding modifiable risk factors for the prevention of oral diseases to inform the update of the Oral Health Messages for Australia. Eleven questions related to modifiable risk factors and dental disease were investigated. Electronic databases (Medline, Embase and PubMed) were searched from January 2010 to October 2022. Systematic reviews evaluating interventions/exposures in healthy subjects from high-income countries, where Westernized practices, oral health promotion and healthcare systems are similar to Australia, were included. Quality appraisal of included systematic reviews was guided by the AMSTAR tool. Of the 3637 articles identified, 29 articles met eligibility criteria. High-quality systematic reviews were identified for questions relating to diet, infant feeding, dental check-ups and oral hygiene. Free sugars consumption above 5% of energy intake, infrequent toothbrushing, smoking/vaping and alcohol intake were consistently associated with poorer oral health outcomes. Breastfeeding up to the age of 24 months was not associated with an increased risk of early childhood caries. The use of interdental cleaning devices and mouthguards during contact sports are likely to be effective in preventing dental disease.

Ensuring Plant Nutrition through Sustainable Soil Management Strategies: Assessing Research Progress and Challenges

The ‘Soil and Plant Nutrition’ section of Agronomy (ISSN 2073-4395) is dedicated to sharing high-quality research articles, reviews, and communications that explore the latest scientific trends and advancements in the field [...]

Signal of harm in morphine use in adults with acute pulmonary oedema: A rapid systematic review.

Heart failure affects nearly 65million people globally, resulting in recurrent hospital admissions and substantial healthcare expenditure. The use of morphine in the management of acute pulmonary oedema remains controversial, with conflicting guidance and significant variation in practice. Synthesised evidence is needed to inform standard treatment guidelines and clinical practice. To determine whether morphine should be used in the treatment of acute pulmonary oedema (APE) in adults. A rapid review of systematic reviews of randomised controlled trials or observational studies, and then randomised controlled trials, was conducted searching three electronic databases (PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library) and one clinical trial registry on 12February 2022. We used a prespecified protocol following Cochrane rapid review methods and aligned to the National Standard Treatment Guidelines and Essential Medicines List methodology. We first considered relevant high-quality systematic reviews of randomised controlled trials or observational studies, then (if required) randomised controlled trials to inform time-sensitive or urgent evidence requests, clinical practice, policy, or standard treatment guidelines. We identified four systematic reviews of observational studies. The two most relevant, up-to-date, and highest-quality reviews were used to inform evidence for critical outcomes. Morphine may increase in-hospital mortality (odds ratio (OR) 1.78; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.01 - 3.13; low certainty of evidence; six observational studies, n=151735 participants), resulting in 15 more per 1000 hospital deaths, ranging from 0 to 40 more hospital deaths. Morphine may result in a large increase in invasive mechanical ventilation (OR 2.72; 95% CI 1.09- 6.80; low certainty of evidence; four observational studies, n=167847 participants), resulting in 45 more per1000 ventilations, ranging from 2 more to 136 more. Adverse events and hospital length of stay were not measured across reviews ortrials. Based on the most recent, relevant and best-available quality evidence, morphine use in adults with APE may increase in-hospital and all-cause mortality and may result in a large increase in the need for invasive mechanical ventilation compared to not using morphine. Recommending against the use of morphine in pulmonary oedema may improve patient outcomes. Disinvesting in morphine for this indication may result in cost savings, noting the possible accrued benefits of fewer patients requiring invasive ventilation and management of morphine-related side-effects.

An evidence-based guide to smoking cessation therapies

Despite a general decline in smoking in the UK, prevalence remains high in certain groups such as young adults, pregnant women, those who have a mental Illness and those from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds. These groups are also more likely to benefit from targeted smoking cessation interventions. Clinical contact between health professionals and patients who smoke creates an opportunity for offering cessation interventions and to reduce smoking-related harm. This article summarises evidence reported in high-quality systematic reviews on smoking cessation interventions that could be offered by health professionals coming in to contact with patients who smoke. The evidence presented here suggests that brief advice by a health professional is beneficial in achieving smoking cessation and so is intensive behavioural support, alone or in combination with pharmacotherapies (nicotine replacement therapies [NRTs], bupropion and varenicline). Pharmacotherapies are also effective individually in achieving smoking cessation; a combination of NRTs (oral or skin patch) can be particularly helpful among highly dependent smokers. Pharmacotherapies in combination with behavioural support delivered in healthcare settings are more effective than when used alone and delivered in community settings, respectively. Electronic cigarettes are also effective in achieving smoking cessation and are more effective than NRT.

Early Identification and Management of Cervical Impairments in Pediatric Patients With Concussion May Reduce Risk of Delayed Recovery.

Previous research, including high-quality systematic reviews, has found that cervical injury, which often accompanies concussive head injury, can delay recovery from concussion. One pilot randomized controlled trial found that focused cervical assessment and appropriate intervention in children and young adults with persisting postconcussive symptoms (PPCS) improved recovery outcomes. Our sports medicine clinics adopted this approach early (within 2 weeks) in children (aged 10-18 years) after concussion. This study describes our clinical management protocol and compares the recovery trajectories in children after concussion with and without a concomitant cervical injury. Prospective cohort study. Three university-affiliated outpatient sports medicine clinics from September 2016 to December 2019. One-hundred thirty-four concussed children with cervical impairment (mean age 14.9 years, 65% male, and 6.2 days since concussion) were compared with 130 concussed children without cervical impairment (mean age 14.9 years, 57% male, and 6.0 days since concussion). Examination findings related to the cervical spine (range of motion, cervical spasm, and cervical tenderness). Recovery time (measured in days), concussion symptom burden (Postconcussion Symptom Scale), and incidence of PPCS. Children with cervical impairment reported a higher initial symptom burden; however, there were no differences in recovery time (33.65 [28.20-39.09] days vs 35.98 [27.50-44.45] days, P = 0.651) or incidence of PPCS (40.0% vs 34.3%, P = 0.340). We conclude that within this pediatric population, early identification and management of cervical injuries concomitant with concussion may reduce the risk of delayed recovery.

An integrative framework for planning and conducting Non-Intervention, Reproducible, and Open Systematic Reviews (NIRO-SR).

Most of the commonly used and endorsed guidelines for systematic review protocols and reporting standards have been developed for intervention research. These excellent guidelines have been adopted as the gold-standard for systematic reviews as an evidence synthesis method. In the current paper, we highlight some issues that may arise from adopting these guidelines beyond intervention designs, including in basic behavioural, cognitive, experimental, and exploratory research. We have adapted and built upon the existing guidelines to establish a complementary, comprehensive, and accessible tool for designing, conducting, and reporting Non-Intervention, Reproducible, and Open Systematic Reviews (NIRO-SR). NIRO-SR is a checklist composed of two parts that provide itemised guidance on the preparation of a systematic review protocol for pre-registration (Part A) and reporting the review (Part B) in a reproducible and transparent manner. This paper, the tool, and an open repository (https://osf.io/f3brw) provide a comprehensive resource for those who aim to conduct a high quality, reproducible, and transparent systematic review of non-intervention studies.

Artificially Sweetened Beverages and Health Outcomes: An Umbrella Review.

The consumption of artificially sweetened beverages (ASBs) is increasing in some countries. However, some meta-analyses have found that habitual consumers of ASBs (compared with low or no consumption) had an increased risk on some health outcomes. We performed an umbrella review of meta-analyses to grade the credibility of the evidence of claimed observational associations between ASBs and health outcomes. Data were searched in Web of Science, Embase, and PubMed for systematic reviews published up to 25 May 2022, examining association between ASBs and any health outcomes. Certainty of the evidence for each health outcome was obtained based on statistical results of tests used in umbrella reviews. The AMSTAR-2 tool (16 items) was used to identify high-quality systematic reviews. Answers of each item were rated as yes, no, or partial yes (for a partial adherence to the standard). We included data from 11 meta-analyses with unique population, exposure, comparison group, outcome obtained from 7 systematic reviews (51 cohort studies and 4 case-control studies). ASBs were associated with higher risk of obesity, type 2 diabetes, all-cause mortality, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease incidence (supported by highly suggestive evidence). Evidence for other outcomes (colorectal cancer, pancreatic cancer, gastrointestinal cancer, cancer mortality, cardiovascular mortality, chronic kidney disease, coronary artery disease, and stroke) was weak. Results of the quality assessment of systematic reviews using AMSTAR-2 showed some notable deficiencies: unclear sources of funding of eligible studies and lack of predefined study protocols to guide authors. The consumption of ASBs was associated with a higher risk of obesity, type 2 diabetes, all-cause mortality, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease incidence. However, further cohort studies and clinical trials in humans are still needed to understand the impact of ASBs on health outcomes.

The Reviewer Academy of the Society of Critical Care Medicine: Key Principles and Strategic Plan.

The Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM) Reviewer Academy seeks to train and establish a community of trusted, reliable, and skilled peer reviewers with diverse backgrounds and interests to promote high-quality reviews for each of the SCCM journals. Goals of the Academy include building accessible resources to highlight qualities of excellent manuscript reviews; educating and mentoring a diverse group of healthcare professionals; and establishing and upholding standards for insightful and informative reviews. This manuscript will map the mission of the Reviewer Academy with a succinct summary of the importance of peer review, process of reviewing a manuscript, and the expected ethical standards of reviewers. We will equip readers to target concise, thoughtful feedback as peer reviewers, advance their understanding of the editorial process and inspire readers to integrate medical journalism into diverse professional careers.

Artificial Intelligence Applications for Assessment, Monitoring, and Management of Parkinson Disease Symptoms: Protocol for a Systematic Review.

Parkinson disease (PD) is the second most prevalent neurodegenerative disease, with around 10 million people with PD worldwide. Current assessments of PD symptoms are conducted by questionnaires and clinician assessments and have many limitations, including unreliable reporting of symptoms, little autonomy for patients over their disease management, and standard clinical review intervals regardless of disease status or clinical need. To address these limitations, digital technologies including wearable sensors, smartphone apps, and artificial intelligence (AI) methods have been implemented for this population. Many reviews have explored the use of AI in the diagnosis of PD and management of specific symptoms; however, there is limited research on the application of AI to the monitoring and management of the range of PD symptoms. A comprehensive review of the application of AI methods is necessary to address the gap of high-quality reviews and highlight the developments of the use of AI within PD care. The purpose of this protocol is to guide a systematic review to identify and summarize the current applications of AI applied to the assessment, monitoring, and management of PD symptoms. This review protocol was structured using the PRISMA-P (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Protocols) and the Population, Intervention, Comparator, Outcome, and Study (PICOS) frameworks. The following 5 databases will be systematically searched: PubMed, IEEE Xplore, Institute for Scientific Information's Web of Science, Scopus, and the Cochrane Library. Title and abstract screening, full-text review, and data extraction will be conducted by 2 independent reviewers. Data will be extracted into a predetermined form, and any disagreements in screening or extraction will be discussed. Risk of bias will be assessed using the Cochrane Collaboration Risk of Bias 2 tool for randomized trials and the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool for nonrandomized trials. As of April 2023, this systematic review has not yet been started. It is expected to begin in May 2023, with the aim to complete by September 2023. The systematic review subsequently conducted as a product of this protocol will provide an overview of the AI methods being used for the assessment, monitoring, and management of PD symptoms. This will identify areas for further research in which AI methods can be applied to the assessment or management of PD symptoms and could support the future implementation of AI-based tools for the effective management of PD. PRR1-10.2196/46581.

Low-intake dehydration prevalence in non-hospitalised older adults: Systematic review and meta-analysis

Low-intake dehydration amongst older people, caused by insufficient fluid intake, is associated with mortality, multiple long-term health conditions and hospitalisation. The prevalence of low-intake dehydration in older adults, and which groups are most at-risk, is unclear. We conducted a high-quality systematic review and meta-analysis, implementing an innovative methodology, to establish the prevalence of low-intake dehydration in older people (PROSPERO registration: CRD42021241252). We systematically searched Medline (Ovid), Cochrane CENTRAL, Embase (Ovid), CINAHL and Proquest from inception until April 2023 and Nutrition and Food Sciences until March 2021. We included studies that assessed hydration status for non-hospitalised participants aged ≥65 years, by directly-measured serum/plasma osmolality, calculated serum/plasma osmolarity and/or 24-h oral fluid intake. Inclusion, data extraction and risk of bias assessment was carried out independently in duplicate. From 11,077 titles and abstracts, we included 61 (22,398 participants), including 44 in quality-effects meta-analysis. Meta-analysis suggested that 24% (95% CI: 0.07, 0.46) of older people were dehydrated (assessed using directly-measured osmolality >300 mOsm/kg, the most reliable measure). Subgroup analyses indicated that both long-term care residents (34%, 95% CI: 0.09, 0.61) and community-dwelling older adults (19%, 95% CI: 0.00, 0.48) were highly likely to be dehydrated. Those with more pre-existing illnesses (37%, 95% CI: 0.14, 0.62) had higher low-intake dehydration prevalence than others (15%, 95% CI: 0.00, 0.43), and there was a non-significant suggestion that those with renal impairment (42%, 95% CI: 0.23, 0.61) were more likely to be dehydrated than others (23%, 95% CI: 0.03, 0.47), but there were no clear differences in prevalence by age, sex, functional, cognitive or diabetic status. GRADE quality of evidence was low as to the exact prevalence due to high levels of heterogeneity between studies. Quality-effects meta-analysis estimated that a quarter of non-hospitalised older people were dehydrated. Widely varying prevalence rates in individual studies, from both long-term care and community groups, highlight that dehydration is preventable amongst older people. One in every 4 older adults has low-intake dehydration. As dehydration is serious and prevalent, research is needed to better understand drinking behaviour and assess effectiveness of drinking interventions for older people.

Launching “methods and statistics tutorials”: A collection of resources for systematic reviewers

Robust and innovative methods are the lynchpin of Cochrane and remain the basis of its reputation as the home of high-quality systematic reviews. As methodology evolves to respond to the evidence needs of our stakeholders, it is crucial for Cochrane to be able to offer timely and clear advice to those working on our reviews. Cochrane's Methods Support Unit (MSU) was established in 2019 [1] to provide methodological and statistical support to authors and editors working on Cochrane protocols and reviews. A key challenge in the first 2 years of the Unit was the introduction of our new tool [2] to assess the risk of bias in randomized controlled trials (RCTs), but we have dealt with a multiplicity of different issues since being established. By March 2023, the Unit has dealt with over 1200 referrals relating to protocols, systematic reviews, updates of reviews, and statistical and methodological queries relating to reviews. Our work has ranged from full methodological and statistical reviews of research incorporating network meta-analyses to individual queries about the use of an intracluster correlation coefficient to adjust data from an individual study. It quickly became apparent that similar queries were often raised and we noticed common problems when working on reviews. Our monthly web clinic series was set up to allow authors and editors to raise questions and then later to provide guidance on a specific topic in addition [3]. However, we also felt that there is a need for accessible help with these issues which would be instantly available. Professor Doug Altman was a leader and pioneer in Cochrane and in the field of medical statistics [4]. One of Professor Altman's legacies was the Statistics Notes series in The BMJ, which provided clear advice on statistical concepts to medical researchers. Inspired by this work, former and current MSU managers (Dr Kerry Dwan and Rachel Richardson) are launching this series to provide easily accessible advice to the evidence synthesis community on the common methodological and statistical issues that we have observed within Cochrane. The hope is to make this as interactive and easy to understand as possible. In addition, the series will collaborate with Cochrane Training [5] to complement the articles in the series with visual learning, such as short videos or quick e-learning checks, to help those who learn better by doing or watching rather than reading. There are various sources of advice on methodological and statistical issues already available to reviewers, including the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Intervention [6] and resources from specialized Cochrane Methods Groups. This series will complement existing sources by responding to the day-to-day difficulties encountered by reviewers when implementing systematic review methods. The MSU is in a unique position to provide advice; having dealt with thousands of queries and requests for peer review since our inception, we know what reviewers find difficult and also why these issues cause confusion. We also believe that linking the articles with resources from Cochrane Training will make this series uniquely useful. dealing with data from crossover RCTs; the correct way to undertake and interpret subgroup analyses; inclusion of multiarm trials in meta-analysis; heterogeneity; the use of fixed versus random effects models in meta-analysis. Early articles in the series will focus on the use of effect measures in systematic reviews, specifically the standardized mean difference and the use of risk ratios versus odds ratios. These two topics often cause difficulties for authors and editors. Examples will be given in the articles of when to use these measures, how to calculate them and their interpretation. We will also cover cluster RCTs early in the series. We welcome proposals for this series from members across the evidence synthesis community on areas they see as methodological and statistical challenges for authors. Articles should be short tutorials, use the Commentary article type, and, in general, be less than 1000 words. Cochrane's mission is to produce trusted synthesized evidence, make it accessible to all, and advocate for its use. Ensuring that evidence synthesis methods are implemented wisely and accurately is foundational to us being able to achieve this mission. With the Methods and Statistics Tutorials series, we hope to support and onboard a wider and more diverse community of authors to produce the next generation of high-quality Cochrane Reviews and other evidence syntheses. Kerry Dwan: Conceptualization; writing—original draft; writing—review and editing. Rachel Richardson: Conceptualization; writing—review and editing. Kerry Dwan and Rachel Richardson are former and current employees, respectively, of Cochrane. None The peer review history for this article is available at https://www.webofscience.com/api/gateway/wos/peer-review/10.1002/cesm.12017. Data sharing is not applicable to this article as no new data were created or analyzed in this study.

Special Issue: Manipulating the Microbiome with CRISPR

The CRISPR JournalVol. 6, No. 3 Call for PapersFree AccessSpecial Issue: Manipulating the Microbiome with CRISPRDeadline for Manuscript Submission: September 30, 2023Guest Editors: Brady Cress and Rodolphe BarrangouGuest Editors: Brady CressInnovative Genomics Institute, UC Berkeley, USA.Search for more papers by this author and Rodolphe BarrangouNC State University, Raleigh, NC, USASearch for more papers by this authorPublished Online:1 Jun 2023https://doi.org/10.1089/crispr.2023.29159.cfp2AboutSectionsPDF/EPUB Permissions & CitationsPermissionsDownload CitationsTrack CitationsAdd to favorites Back To Publication ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditEmail The advent of CRISPR-based technologies has revolutionized our ability to edit the genomes of organisms across the tree of life. Originating from bacteria and archaea as adaptive immune systems, CRISPR-Cas molecular machines provide opportunities to manipulate the microbiome and the virome composition and function. A rapidly mounting body of literature is highlighting the importance of the microbiome for human, livestock, crop, and environmental health and sustainability.The CRISPR Journal is proud to announce a new special issue—Manipulating the Microbiome with CRISPR—to be published in early 2024. We invite researchers to submit articles on original research on any aspect of CRISPR biology; genome editing technologies; and their applications in bacteria, archaea, fungi, and phages. We will also consider guest commentaries and review articles.Specific topics may include (but are not confined to): - Advanced CRISPR-Cas systems for precise manipulation of the microbiome- CRISPR biology and functions in native hosts- Computational and experimental approaches to decipher dynamics between bacteria, viruses, and other mobile genetic elements- Delivery and deployment of CRISPR technologies in archaea, bacteria, and phages- Application of CRISPR tools to edit commensal and pathogenic fungi and mycoviruses- New CRISPR-based microbial functional genomics approaches- CRISPR-enabled microbial molecular recordingArticles will receive prompt peer review and accepted articles will be published online (epub) ahead of print. Please refer to our Instructions for Authors at www.crisprjournal.com before submitting your article. Presubmission inquiries may be sent to The CRISPR Journal (editorial@crisprjournal.com) or to the guest editors directly. This special issue will be published in early 2024; the deadline for submissions is September 30, 2023.The CRISPR Journal is spearheaded by a distinguished editorial board including Jennifer Doudna, Emmanuelle Charpentier, George Church, and Virgis Siksnys, and a diverse and inclusive set of CRISPR pioneers across the globe. Advantages of publishing in The CRISPR Journal include:- Rapid, high-quality peer review, and editorial oversight- Fast electronic submission- Maximum exposure: accessible in 170 countries worldwide- High visibility: International press and social media outreach- Open Access options available- Index in PubMed and MedlineVisit the Instructions for Authors:www.crisprjournal.comSubmit your paper for peer review online:https://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/CRISPRFiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Volume 6Issue 3Jun 2023 InformationCopyright 2023, Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishersTo cite this article:Guest Editors: Brady Cress and Rodolphe Barrangou.Special Issue: Manipulating the Microbiome with CRISPR.The CRISPR Journal.Jun 2023.185-185.http://doi.org/10.1089/crispr.2023.29159.cfp2Published in Volume: 6 Issue 3: June 1, 2023PDF download

The Use of Hyaluronic Acid in Non-surgical Rhinoplasty: A Systematic Review of Complications, Clinical, and Patient-Reported Outcomes.

In cosmetic practices, non-surgical rhinoplasty using filler injections has become increasingly common. Nevertheless, the outcome and overall complications have not been studied as a systematic review in the literature. This study provides a high-quality systematic review of studies reporting clinical and patient-reported outcomes following non-surgical rhinoplasty with hyaluronic acid (HA) to further guide practitioners. This systematic review was conducted in accordance with PRISMA guidelines and was registered in PROSPERO. The search was conducted using MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Cochrane. The literature retrieval was conducted by three independent reviewers, and the remaining articles were screened by two independent reviewers. The quality of included articles was assessed using the MINORS and methodological quality and synthesis of case series and case reports tools. A total of 874 publications were found based on the search criteria. A total of 3928 patients were reviewed for this systematic review from 23 full-text articles. For non-surgical rhinoplasty, Juvéderm ultra was the most commonly used HA filler. The nasal tip was most commonly injected (13 studies), followed by the columella (12 studies). Nasal hump deformities are the most common reason for non-surgical rhinoplasty. All studies showed high patient satisfaction. Among all patients reviewed, eight developed major complications. Non-surgical rhinoplasty performed with HA has minimal side effects and a short recovery period. Furthermore, non-surgical rhinoplasty with HA results in high satisfaction. To strengthen the presently available evidence, further well-designed RCTs are needed. This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors https://www.springer.com/00266.