Longitudinal Meta-analysis Research Articles

An extended mixed-effects framework for meta-analysis.

Standard methods for meta-analysis are limited to pooling tasks in which a single effect size is estimated from a set of independent studies. However, this setting can be too restrictive for modern meta-analytical applications. In this contribution, we illustrate a general framework for meta-analysis based on linear mixed-effects models, where potentially complex patterns of effect sizes are modeled through an extended and flexible structure of fixed and random terms. This definition includes, as special cases, a variety of meta-analytical models that have been separately proposed in the literature, such as multivariate, network, multilevel, dose-response, and longitudinal meta-analysis and meta-regression. The availability of a unified framework for meta-analysis, complemented with the implementation in a freely available and fully documented software, will provide researchers with a flexible tool for addressing nonstandard pooling problems.

Impact of Process Quality in Early Childhood Education and Care on Academic Outcomes: Longitudinal Meta-Analysis.

This meta-analysis studies the association of pedagogical processes in early childhood care and education with outcomes in two academic domains: language and literacy as well as mathematics. It synthesizes evidence from 17 longitudinal studies in nine European countries with 16,461 children in regular center-based care spanning the period between ages 3 and 16. Results of a three-level meta-analysis provided small overall effect sizes for both global and domain-specific process quality, and indicated lasting associations with academic development over children's school career (ES =.11, Cohen's d=.22, and ES =.10, Cohen's d=.20). Effects varied by outcome domain, type of process measure, and differences in adopted analyses, with important implications for pedagogical practice and future research.

The prognosis for mid-portion Achilles tendinopathy with rehabilitation: A systematic review and longitudinal meta-analysis

Introduction: Mid-portion Achilles tendinopathy (AT) is a common source of posterior ankle pain in both athletic and sedentary populations. The outcomes following a loading program have been investigated in many trials with the consensus being that loading programs are an effective treatment. However, there is little clarity on the extent of improvement in pain and function. This makes it difficult for clinicians to present the expectations of rehabilitation to patients. The objective of this systematic review was to determine the extent of change in pain and function over time in patients while completing a loading protocol for mid-portion AT.

An Extended Random-Effects Framework for Meta-Analysis in Environmental Research

Background and aim: Two-stage designs have become standard tools in environmental epidemiology. These methods rely on the application of a random-effects meta-analysis to pool results from different locations. However, standard models do not account for potential correlation structures within and between locations, arising for example when pooling multi-parameter associations, multiple levels or hierarchies, and/or longitudinally and spatially-correlated estimates. In this contribution, we illustrate a unified framework and software for meta-analysis that flexibly extends the two-stage design to cover these and other applications.Methods: We extended the standard meta-analytic models along the lines of linear mixed-effects models, by allowing correlation between effect sizes to be modelled through a flexible random-effects structure. We derived (restricted) maximum likelihood estimators, and efficient computational strategies based on profiled methods alternating iterative generalized least squares and Newton-Raphson procedures. The analytic framework and inferential procedures are implemented in a new version of the R package mvmeta.Results: The modelling framework and its software implementation will be illustrated in a series of examples, using multi-city time series data for the analysis of health effects of air pollution and temperature. Various case studies will demonstrate different applications, such as: multilevel meta-analysis of effects across locations nested within countries; meta-analysis for spatially-correlated outcomes; longitudinal meta-analysis for repeatedly-measured effects to assess effect modification by time-varying predictors, such as air conditioning.Conclusions: The definition of a unified framework for meta-analysis, along with a freely-available software, will provide researchers with a flexible tool for addressing non-standard pooling problems in two-stage designs applied to environmental studies

Does oral language underpin the development of later behavior problems? A longitudinal meta-analysis.

The purpose of this article is to estimate the overall weighted mean effect of the relation between early language skills and later behavior problems in school-aged children. A systematic literature search yielded 19,790 unduplicated reports, and a structured search strategy and identification procedure yielded 25 unique data sets, with 114 effect sizes for analysis. Eligible reports were then coded, and effect sizes were extracted and synthesized via robust variance estimation and random-effects meta-analytic techniques. The overall correlation between early language and later behavior problems was negative and small (r = -.14, 95% confidence interval [CI] [-.16, -.11]), and controlling for demographic variables did not reduce the magnitude of the inverse relationship between language skill and problem behavior (r = -.16). Moderator analyses identified receptive language, parent-reported behavior measures, gender, and age as significant predictors of the association between language and behavior. This article corroborates the consistent findings of previous meta-analytic and longitudinal studies and further identifies areas, particularly around measurement, for future research. Furthermore, prospective longitudinal evaluations of the relations between language deficits and behavior problems with different types of measures (teacher-/parent-report, direct assessment, classroom observation) is warranted. (PsycINFO Database Record

Rate of Improvement of Pain and Function in Mid-Portion Achilles Tendinopathy with Loading Protocols: A Systematic Review and Longitudinal Meta-Analysis.

Mid-portion Achilles tendinopathy is prevalent within both the athletic and non-athletic populations and loading protocols for Achilles tendinopathy are effective over time, though the rate of symptom change throughout rehabilitation is unknown. The objective of this study was to determine the rate of change in pain and function over time in patients while completing a loading protocol for mid-portion Achilles tendinopathy. A systematic review and longitudinal meta-analysis was conducted as per the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. The databases PubMed, CINAHL (Ovid) and CINAHL (EBSCO) were searched for articles published from inception until 31 July, 2017. Our search focused on clinical trials and cohort studies examining changes in pain and function when completing a loading protocol for mid-portion Achilles tendinopathy. The primary outcome measure assessing pain and function was the Victorian Institute of Sports Assessment-Achilles(VISA-A) questionnaire. A total of 31 separate cohorts (24 studies) were eligible, with follow-up ranging from 2 weeks to 6 months. The data were pooled to create the mean (standard deviation) of change from baseline at each time point. The data demonstrated an improvement in pain and function as early as 2 weeks that appeared to peak at 12 weeks with a mean (standard deviation) of 21.11 (6.61) points of change on the VISA-A. The improvement in pain and function during rehabilitation suggests future research should be directed toward investigating contributing mechanisms as tendon structure on imaging does not change within 2 weeks and muscular hypertrophy is not seen for at least 4 weeks following the inception of a loading protocol. Systematic Review Registry: PROSPERO registration number: CRD42017062737 ( https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/display_record.php?RecordID=62737 ).

A multidimensional longitudinal meta-analysis of quality costing research

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the longitudinal evolution of quality costs measurement, depicted in 99 real data studies of the last 30 years. A meta-analysis of these articles is conducted, in order to highlight the evolution of the variables that have been used for the study of quality costing, in relation to the date of publication, business sector and geographical origin of each paper.Design/methodology/approachThe analysis of the cost components has been conducted with the use of multiple correspondence analysis, which is a useful tool for the exploration of the interrelations among all elements, aiming at the identification of the dominant and most substantial tendencies in their structure.FindingsThe findings suggest that the level of analysis of quality costs is related to the date of publication, the business sector and the origin of each research. Furthermore, it is pointed out that the most prominent prevention costs are related to suppliers’ assurance, internal audit and new product’s design and development. Appraisal costs are mostly defined by quality audits and procurement costs, while failure costs by defect/failure analysis, low quality losses, complaint investigation and concessions and warranty claims.Originality/valueThe present paper is a longitudinal meta-analysis of 99 quality cost papers that have been published in the last 30 years. It explores the evolution of research in quality costing, not only in relation to the cost components in use, but also in terms of date of publication, business sector and geographical origin of the studies.

A longitudinal meta-analysis of corruption in international business and trade: Bridging the isolated themes

ABSTRACTThis article chronicles the academic debate on corruption in international business and trade. It identifies three themes: contributing factors, consequences, and combating corruption. We found convergence in the literature and that authors tend to remain loyal to their chosen theme. As a result, we found a distressing dearth of research that transcends, integrates, or validates the interrelationships between them. Through our work, we propose the bridging of themes, demonstrating how they interrelate, thereby validating their interdependencies and the broader lens needed through which to observe corruption in international business.

A model-based longitudinal meta-analysis of FEV1 in randomized COPD trials.

A model-based, longitudinal meta-analysis of the efficacy on morning trough forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1 ) in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is presented. Literature data from 142 randomized maintenance trials were included, comprising 106,422 patients who received 19 compounds. 1982 morning trough FEV1 observations were available, each representing the mean FEV1 for a study arm at a specific timepoint. The final model for absolute FEV1 included baseline, disease progression, placebo effect, and drug effect estimates for all compounds, with interstudy variability on all model components and additional interarm variability on baseline. A dose-response relationship was identifiable for 10 of the 19 compounds. Drug-drug interactions among direct bronchodilators and the effect of concomitant background COPD treatment were included. Covariates were identified on baseline. Disease progression was proportional to the baseline FEV1 , and a mean baseline of <1.2 L resulted in a lower efficacy, in particular for antiinflammatory treatments.

The sleeper effect: Artifact or phenomenon-A brief comment on Bell et al. (2013).

Bell, Marcus, and Goodlad (2013) recently conducted a meta-analysis of randomized controlled additive trials and found that adding an additional component to an existing treatment vis-à-vis the existing treatment produced larger effect sizes on targeted outcomes at 6-months follow-up than at termination, an effect they labeled as a sleeper effect. One of the limitations with Bell et al.'s detection of the sleeper effect was that they did not conduct a statistical test of the size of the effect at follow-up versus termination. To statistically test if the differences of effect sizes between the additive conditions and the control conditions at follow-up differed from those at termination, we used a restricted maximum-likelihood random-effect model with known variances to conduct a multilevel longitudinal meta-analysis (k = 30). Although the small effects at termination detected by Bell et al. were replicated (ds = 0.17-0.23), none of the analyses of growth from termination to follow-up produced statistically significant effects (ds < 0.08; p > .20), and when asymmetry was considered using trim-and-fill procedure or the studies after 2000 were analyzed, magnitude of the sleeper effect was negligible (d = 0.00). There is no empirical evidence to support the sleeper effect. (PsycINFO Database Record

A meta-analysis of health-related quality of life after primary treatment for prostate cancer as measured by the Expanded Prostate Cancer Index Composite.

39 Background: Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) outcomes are important in treatment selection for prostate cancer. The Expanded Prostate Cancer Index Composite (EPIC) is a validated and widely-utilized HRQoL survey which accounts for newer radiotherapeutic, surgical, and hormonal treatment methods. We present a meta-analysis of patient reported HRQoL outcomes collected with EPIC and compare HRQoL trends with radiation therapy, surgery, or active surveillance as primary treatment. Methods: The PubMed database was systematically searched for all studies which presented data directly derived from the use of EPIC on patients with prostate cancer prior to 07/09/2014. All eligible studies were selected for either inclusion and analysis or exclusion based on pre-determined criteria. The data from included studies was compiled and a simulation-based estimation method using Approximate Bayesian Computation was performed to obtain missing standard deviation estimate. A longitudinal meta-analysis was conducted to estimate EPIC-profiles for each component using Bayesian p-spline method. Results: Over 4,000 studies were searched, 152 were deemed eligible, and 39 were included. The calculated mean summary score estimates are shown in the attached table. Conclusions: In the urinary domain, radical prostatectomy (RP) has lower acute scores than active surveillance (AS) or radiation therapy (RT) without long-term difference. In the bowel domain, RT has lower scores than AS or RP acutely and long-term. In the sexual domain, RT and RP have lower acute scores than AS. RP has lower scores than RT without long-term difference. In the hormonal domain, little difference was noted between modalities. [Table: see text]

P3‐360: Integration of data for a model‐based longitudinal meta‐analysis of cognitive changes in mild and moderate Alzheimer's patients

P3‐360: Integration of data for a model‐based longitudinal meta‐analysis of cognitive changes in mild and moderate Alzheimer's patients

Placebo effect model in asthma clinical studies: longitudinal meta-analysis of forced expiratory volume in 1 second

Our objective was to describe the time course of the placebo effect in asthma and quantitatively investigate the affective factors of the placebo effect for the placebo response simulation during the asthma clinical study design. We conducted a systemic search of public data sources for the study-level forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV(1)) to build the placebo effect model for studies by oral or inhaled administrations simultaneously. The administration routes, types of inhalation device, mean patient age, mean male proportion, baseline FEV(1), disease severity, year of publication, inhaled corticosteroid status during the treatment, and dropout rate were tested as covariates. There are 34 literature sources containing 178 mean values for FEV(1) presenting the individual observations from about 3,703 patients. The exponential models adequately described the time course of placebo effect with the typical value of the maximum placebo effect (P(max)) of 0.060 L. Dropout rate incorporated in the residual error model and the disease severity (mild to moderate and moderate to severe) at baseline were covariates that remained in the final model. The placebo effect is adequately described by an exponential model over time. By incorporating the dropout rate in the residual error model, the estimation precision was improved. The model could predict the placebo response profile in mild to severe asthmatic patients for the asthma clinical study design and could also be a structure model of the placebo effect for the pure drug effect evaluation in the asthma clinical trials.

How central is the alliance in psychotherapy? A multilevel longitudinal meta-analysis.

Prior meta-analyses have found a moderate but robust relationship between alliance and outcome across a broad spectrum of treatments, presenting concerns, contexts, and measurements. However, there continues to be a lively debate about the therapeutic role of the alliance, particularly in treatments that are tested using randomized clinical trial (RCT) designs. The purpose of this present study was to examine whether research design, type of treatment, or author's allegiance variables, alone or in combination, moderate the relationship between alliance and outcome. Multilevel longitudinal analysis was used to investigate the following moderators of the alliance-outcome correlation: (a) research design (RCT or other), (b) use of disorder-specific manuals, (c) specificity of outcomes, (d) cognitive and/or behavioral therapy (CBT) or other types of treatments, (e) researcher allegiance, and (f) time of alliance assessment. RCT, disorder-specific manual use, specificity of primary and secondary outcomes, and CBT did not moderate the alliance-outcome correlation. Early alliance-outcome correlations were slightly higher in studies conducted by investigators with specific interest in alliance than were those in studies conducted by researchers without such an allegiance. Over the course of therapy, these initial differences disappeared. Apart from this trend, none of the variables previously proposed as potential moderators or mediators of the alliance-outcome relation, alone or in combination, were found to have a mediating impact.

Imaginologia da articulação temporomandibular durante o tratamento ortodôntico: uma revisão sistemática

INTRODUÇÃO: a evolução da Imaginologia na Odontologia propiciou uma série de vantagens para o diagnóstico e elaboração de planos de tratamento em diversas especialidades. Exames como ressonância magnética nuclear, tomografia computadorizada e tomografia volumétrica Cone Beam, bem como métodos de reconstrução em 3D, permitiram analisar de forma precisa estruturas orofaciais.Aliado a esse fato,com a realização de estudos clínicos com metodologias e desenhos adequados, pode-se avaliar os efeitos do tratamento ortodôntico sobre a articulação temporomandibular (ATM). OBJETIVO: esse trabalho, através de uma revisão sistemática de literatura, teve como objetivo analisar a inter-relação entre o tratamento ortodôntico e a ATM, verificando se a Ortodontia acarreta alguma alteração das estruturas internas da ATM. MÉTODOS: levantamento em bases de pesquisa (MEDLINE, Cochrane, EMBASE, Pubmed, Lilacs e BBO), entre os anos de 1966 e 2009, com enfoque em estudos clínicos randomizados, estudos longitudinais prospectivos não randomizados, revisões sistemáticas e meta-análises. RESULTADOS: após a aplicação dos critérios de inclusão, chegou-se a 14 artigos, sendo que 2 eram estudos clínicos randomizados e 12 eram estudos longitudinais sem critérios de randomização. CONCLUSÕES: pela análise da literatura, conclui-se que a realização do tratamento ortodôntico não ocorre à custa de posicionamentos não fisiológicos do côndilo e disco articular. Algumas mecânicas podem acarretar remodelações dos componentes ósseos articulares.

Four Decades of Violent Content on Prime-Time Network Programming: A Longitudinal Meta-Analytic Review

This paper uses longitudinal meta-analysis to review 57 content analyses that examined the frequency of violent content on American prime-time network programming between 1960 and 2002. The overall sample is composed of 4,988 hours of broadcasts from 32 seasons. The frequency per hour of most of the expressions of physical aggression, body harm violence as well as exploitative violence, shows a cubic pattern with 2 peaks: in the late 1970s and in the mid-1990s. The demographic composition of violent characters, namely, the share of women and White people among violence perpetrators, fluctuated similarly with the exception of smaller alterations. The discussion suggests sociological, historical, and industry-related explanations to the findings and concludes that throughout most of the years covered in this meta-analysis, TV violence could not be regarded as an accurate indicator of societal violence.

A Longitudinal Model for Interpreting Thirty Years of Bilingual Education Research

This article summarizes the results from the re-analysis of two recent bilingual education studies: Greene’s (1998) meta-analysis and Thomas and Collier’s (1997) longitudinal study. First, the article presents the ten main criteria identified over the past three decades by the research community for conducting a methodologically adequate bilingual education study. Second, based on a power analysis of Greene’s data, it is argued that a major reason why many bilingual education studies over the past thirty years remain uninterpretable is because of the high occurrence of Type II errors. Third, based on an effect size analysis of Thomas and Collier’s data, it is maintained that their longitudinal model best explains thirty years of bilingual education research. When Thomas and Collier’s data are converted into effect sizes, their model becomes a longitudinal meta-analysis, and their findings support the results from Greene’s and Willig’s (1985) meta-analyses. This article concludes by making recommendations for enhancing the evaluation of Title VII programs.

Effects of Societal Trends on Participation Research

The authors thank John R. Hollenbeck and Daniel R. Ilgen for suggestions made during the formative stages of this paper and Michael K. Moch for his comments on working drafts. We also thank Marie McKendall for her assistance during early phases of our research and Colleen K. Kniffen for her help during its completion. In addition, we thank the Associate Editor and ASQ reviewers for the guidance and insights they provided. Parts of this paper were presented at the 46th and 47th annual meetings of the Academy of Management, 1986 and 1987. This paper presents three studies investigating discrepancies in published American research on participation and its outcomes. The first study, a longitudinal meta-analysis of participation-outcome research published between 1950 and 1985, revealed apparent relationships between societal issues in the U.S. and the questions asked by American researchers, the methods used to perform research, and the magnitudes of reported effects. The second and third studies provided corollary evidence clarifying these findings, showing the absence of general method trends throughout the organization sciences but suggesting the existence of a relationship between researchers' social attitudes and the conduct of participation-outcome research. Besides explaining inconsistencies among published findings, these results suggest that societal trends have affected the conduct of participation resea rch.-