Poor Methodology Research Articles

Nigerian Curriculum in the Nigerian Context: Assessing the Relevance to a Sustainable National Development

Curriculum has been crafted and reviewed several times over the years by the joint efforts of education planners, schools and the government to reflect the goals of total education and improved education for Nigerians. Despite these efforts, the products of this system keep depreciating in quality by the day, reflectingthe dire need to take into cognisance the significance of context which cannot be separated from the educational system. This points to the socio-political and economic landscape being factored in ensuring efficiency of education in driving national development, one of its ultimate goals. The study, with a focus on primary and secondary education seeks to assess the relevance of Nigerian curriculum in the Nigerian context replete with poverty, unqualified teachers, poor methodology, inadequate facilities and distracted youths. The research through a questionnaire sought theviews of 98 students on their experiences in the three levels of education and examined the performances of some students in English as a general course (GNS 101)in three departments in Federal Polytechnic, Offa. The result revealed that the learners’ potential are not adequately developed in primary and basic schools where they spend their formative years in the Universal basic education system (9-3-4). The study concluded that with the efforts of welltrained teachers, the curriculum can be adjusted to suit different contexts and learners’ needs to make it more relevant and contribute to sustainable national development in Nigeria

Association of obesity or metabolic syndrome with various allergic diseases: An overview of reviews.

The relationship between obesity, metabolic syndrome, related disorders, and various allergic diseases remains unclear. An overview of reviews investigating potential associations between obesity or metabolic syndrome and various allergic diseases was conducted. MEDLINE, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials were searched. Systematic reviews and meta-analyses with summary effect size and corresponding 95% confidence intervals for at least one outcome (asthma, atopic dermatitis, and various allergic diseases) were included. This study encompassed 17 systematic review articles and 29 eligible meta-analyses. All included meta-analyses indicated a positive association between obesity/overweight and asthma. Three meta-analyses from one review demonstrated a positive association between obesity/overweight and the risk of atopic dermatitis. However, no meta-analyses focused on the associations between obesity/overweight or metabolic syndrome and allergic rhinitis, allergic conjunctivitis, or other allergic conditions. All included reviews employed poor methodology according to the AMSTAR-2 assessment tools. Our findings suggest that obesity likely increases the risk of asthma. However, evidence for associations with other allergic diseases is limited. Furthermore, no meta-analyses were conducted to assess the relationship between metabolic syndrome and allergic diseases. Further studies are necessary to elucidate the associations between obesity and the full spectrum of allergic diseases.

Acute management of adults following chest wall injury: An assessment of institutional clinical practice guidelines across the UK and synthesis of care recommendations.

Chest wall injury causes significant morbidity and mortality. There is uncertainty regarding many aspects of clinical care for these patients, including optimal analgesia, acuity of monitoring and surgical fixation. Our aim in this work is to [1] objectively appraise the quality and extent of heterogeneity in UK major trauma centre (MTC) clinical practice guidelines regarding the management of chest wall injury; and [2] narratively summarise clinical and care process recommendations from these guidelines to provide a comparative description of recommendations between institutions. All major trauma centres in England and Wales were contacted for their institutional clinical practice guidelines relevant to chest wall injury. A literature search was executed seeking eligible supra-regional, national or international consensus documents or guidelines to serve as reference standards. Interrogation of the reference standard guidelines was performed to identify key clinical and care processes against which two blinded assessors judged the clinical validity of institutional clinical practice guidelines as part of the Appraisal of Guidelines for Research & Evaluation II Global Rating Scale (AGREE II-GRS) tool. We received 17 institutional clinical practice guidelines and identified themes of care from seven reference standards identified during our literature search. Four institutional clinical practice guidelines were assessed as high-quality by pre-specified AGREE II-GRS criteria. Guidelines scored highly for the quality of their presentation of information (median (interquartile range [IQR]) AGREE II-GRS Item5 score 5 (4.5-5.5)); however, the quality of guideline development methodology and the guideline completeness in comprehensively addressing the needs of this population was generally poor (median (IQR) AGREE II-GRS Item1 methodology score 2.92 (2.33-5.25); AGREE II-GRS Item3 completeness score 2.63 (1.75-5.25) respectively). This work highlights the paucity of high-quality local clinical practice guidelines to inform the management of adults with chest wall injury admitted to UK MTCs. Although some degree of variation between local guidelines is acceptable, we have identified substantial heterogeneity in the clinical care recommendations between institutions.

The Impact of Frenotomy on Gastroesophageal Reflux in Pediatric Ankyloglossia: A Systematic Review.

This systematic review was conducted to assess if there are changes in gastroesophageal reflux (GER) outcomes after frenotomy in infants with ankyloglossia. Systematic Review. CINAHL, Cochrane, EMBASE, Pubmed, and Scopus were searched from inception to May 20, 2023. Inclusion criteria consisted of all study designs, infants ≤12 months of age with ankyloglossia, and use of quantitative GER measures (esophageal pH manometry (pH) or multi-channel intraluminal impedance (MII), and/or patient-reported symptom scores) pre- and post-frenotomy. Quality assessment and data extraction were performed in duplicate. Of 37 articles screened, 7 met inclusion criteria (6 prospective cohort studies and 1 RCT). No studies utilized objective measures to quantify reflux, that is MII or pH. The number of infants with ankyloglossia ranged from 47 to 237 (mean age of 4.4-8.3 weeks). Qualitative analysis included all 7 studies which used the GIGER, I-GERQ-R, and GSQ-I scales to assess GER. Parent-reported GER scores decreased post-frenotomy. However, the lack of control groups in the prospective cohort studies precludes conclusive findings that changes are related to frenotomy. Meta-analysis was not possible due to the high risk of bias from limited sample sizes, poor methodology, and lack of adequate control groups. Limited work has been conducted on the relationship between frenotomy and GER in infants with ankyloglossia. The lack of high-quality studies precludes definitive conclusions, as GER symptoms are known to improve spontaneously with time. Future RCT studies are warranted to further elucidate the effect of frenotomy on symptoms of GER in infants with ankyloglossia. III.

Addition of dexamethasone to prolong peripheral nerve blocks: a ChatGPT-created narrative review

Chat Generative Pre-trained Transformer (ChatGPT), an artificial intelligence chatbot, produces detailed responses and human-like coherent answers, and has been used in the clinical and academic medicine. To evaluate its accuracy...

Factors Contributing to Poor Academic Performance among Undergraduates at Gollis University

This study investigates the causes of poor academic performance among undergraduate students at Gollis University, Hargeisa, Somaliland. Utilizing a cross- sectional design, a quantitative survey was conducted with 93 respondents from a target population of 310 freshmen students. The research identifies multiple contributing factors categorized into student-related, teacher-related, and family-related factors. Key findings indicate that lack of home study, high absenteeism, peer influence, and negative student attitudes are significant student-related factors. Teacher-related factors include inadequate teaching skills, lack of subject knowledge, and poor teaching methodologies. Additionally, family-related factors such as parents' educational levels, financial problems, and lack of parental involvement significantly affect students' academic performance. The study underscores the need for comprehensive interventions addressing these multifaceted issues to enhance academic performance.

Assessment of LGBTQ+ Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Subspecialty Surgery Literature: A Scoping Review

ObjectiveTo identify LGBTQ+ DEI publications and contextualize the current frequency of the literature across subspecialty surgical fields. MethodsA PRISMA systematic review using PubMed, MEDLINE, and Web of Science was conducted in April 2024. Inclusion criteria required intra-field DEI content of defined subspecialties while foreign language literature, poor methodology, and duplicates were excluded. The primary endpoint was the number of publications across subspecialties. Secondary endpoints included publication dates, study design, and sample size. ResultsOf the 702 articles identified, 27 were included. Neurological surgery had 2 studies while plastic surgery, orthopedic surgery, otolaryngology, and thoracic surgery had 11, 7, 5, and 2 respectively. There was a statistically significant different frequency of publications across subspecialties (p = 0.031). Post-hoc residual analysis indicated neurosurgery and thoracic surgery had statistically fewer publications, while plastic surgery had statistically more (p = 0.04, 0.002, 0.21, 0.42, 0.04 for neurological Surgery, plastic surgery, orthopedic surgery, otolaryngology, and thoracic surgery, respectively). Secondary outcomes found a majority of publication dates between 2022 to 2024. Study methodologies involved cross-sectional studies, editorials, and retrospective reviews (14, 11, and 3 respectively) and contained a median sample size of 248.5. ConclusionsThis systematic review provides objective data to contextualize DEI literature across surgical subspecialties. Overall, this review highlights the lack of LGBTQ+ DEI literature within neurosurgery and advocates for correcting this gap for the benefit of both surgeons and patients. Understanding the current numbers and evaluating progress in other surgical fields might provide solutions.

Quality of reporting inflammatory bowel disease randomised controlled trials: a systematic review

ObjectiveOur objective was to perform a systemic evaluation of the risk of bias in randomised controlled trial (RCT) reports published on inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).DesignWe assessed the risk of bias...

ESTAN—A toolbox for standardized and effective global sensitivity-based estimability analysis

The development of accurate and reliable mathematical models is the cornerstone for the modeling and optimization of processes. However, most of the existing models suffer from weak prediction capabilities due to poor data information content and poor parameter estimation methodologies. Several estimability approaches have been developed and increasingly implemented to address some of these issues. However, the wider adoption of these methods is still hampered by the lack of standardized and robust methodologies. In this paper, we present a Matlab Toolbox, called ESTAN, designed and developed to make estimability analysis accessible to non-specialist users. It uses a Quasi-Monte Carlo sequence to sample the main unknown parameters within their variation spaces. Then, depending on whether the studied model is computationally cheap or expensive, sensitivity indices are calculated either using the Sobol method or Fourier Amplitude Sensitivity Test (FAST). The calculated sensitivities are finally used within an orthogonalization algorithm to rank the parameters from the most to less estimable ones and to determine the estimable and non-estimable ones based on an estimability cut-off criterion. Various case studies are used to validate the toolbox and guide the users. The first one deals with the non-dynamic Toth adsorption model, while the second one deals with a dynamic batch cooling crystallization model. The main challenge with these two case studies is to show the importance of estimability analysis in the interpolation/extrapolation of model prediction capabilities. The last case addresses a computationally expensive thermodynamic model. The results for all the case studies are found to be promising, showing how the presented toolbox simplifies the investigation of the estimability analysis.

Abstract 2550: Investigating glutathione peroxidases as potential prognostic factors in uterine corpus endometrial cancer

Abstract Introduction: Uterine corpus endometrial cancer (UCEC) is one of the deadliest women’s reproductive cancers in the United States, and mortality rates have not improved in the last 30 years due to poor prognostic methodologies. Altered expression patterns of Glutathione Peroxidases (GPX1-8) have been connected to the outcome of many cancers. Still, GPX expression patterns and their use as prognostic biomarkers in UCEC have yet to be explored. This project aimed to evaluate the potential utility of GPX1-8 as prognostic biomarkers for UCEC. Methods: To identify GPX1-8 expression alterations in UCEC tumors, the UCEC tissue samples (n=543) from the Cancer Genome Atlas Database (TCGA) dataset were analyzed using the University of Alabama at Birmingham Cancer Data Analysis portal (UALCAN) software to statistically compare mRNA levels between UCEC tumor samples and non-tumorigenic uterine tissue. To determine the impacts of GPX1-8 expression on overall survival (OS) and relapse-free survival (RFS), the UCEC TCGA dataset was analyzed using the pan-cancer RNA seq platform using Kaplan-Meier Plotter (KM plotter). The patient cohort was split into groups according to high GPX expression status and low GPX expression status using the trichotomization function in KM plotter. Hazard ratio (HR), 95% confidence interval (95% CI), and log-rank P value were calculated using the KM plotter platform. Results: GPX1, GPX2, GPX4, GPX7, and GPX8 were differentially expressed in UCEC tumor tissue compared to non-cancerous uterine tissue. However, unfavorable OS in patients associated with low GPX4 expression in UCEC tumor samples (P=0.0043, HR=0.39, 95% CI=0.2-0.76) only. Unfavorable RFS in UCEC patients only correlated with low GPX1 expression (P=0.019, HR=0.43, 95% CI=0.21-0.89) or high GPX6 expression (P=0.0032, HR=2.37, 95% CI=1.31-4.27) in UCEC tumor samples. Conclusion: Low GPX1 and GPX4 expression and high GPX6 expression may be novel unfavorable UCEC prognostic markers. Citation Format: Alexis Dukesherer, Calli A. Davison-Versagli. Investigating glutathione peroxidases as potential prognostic factors in uterine corpus endometrial cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2024; Part 1 (Regular Abstracts); 2024 Apr 5-10; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2024;84(6_Suppl):Abstract nr 2550.

A response to a single cadaver study assessing the efficacy of two commercially available devices for airway foreign body relief.

A review of the speculative conclusions and poor methodology in assessing the efficacy of the LifeVac airway clearance device.

Good Practice Guideline for Preclinical Alcohol Research: The STRINGENCY Framework.

Research in the field of preclinical alcohol research, but also science in general, has a problem: Many published scientific results cannot be repeated. As a result, findings from preclinical research often do not translate well to humans, causing increasing disappointment and calls for restructuring of preclinical research, that is, better reproducibility of preclinical research. However, the replication crisis is an inherent problem in biomedical research. Replication failures are not only due to small experimental variations but are often the result of poor methodology. In response to the replication crisis, numerous guidelines and recommendations have been proposed to promote transparency, rigor, and reproducibility in scientific research. What is missing today is a framework that integrates all the confusing information that results from all these guidelines and recommendations. Here we present STRINGENCY, an integrative approach to good practice guidelines for preclinical alcohol research, which can also apply to behavioral research in general and which aims to improve preclinical research to better prepare it for translation and minimize the "valley of death" in translational research. STRINGENCY includes systematic review and, when possible, meta-analysis prior to study design, sample size calculation, preregistration, multisite experiments, scientific data management (FAIR), reporting of data using ARRIVE, generalization of research data, and transparent publications that allow reporting of null results. We invite the scientific community to adopt STRINGENCY to improve the reliability and impact of preclinical alcohol research.

Zebrafish Optokinetic Reflex: Minimal Reporting Guidelines and Recommendations.

Optokinetic reflex (OKR) assays in zebrafish models are a valuable tool for studying a diverse range of ophthalmological and neurological conditions. Despite its increasing popularity in recent years, there are no clear reporting guidelines for the assay. Following reporting guidelines in research enhances reproducibility, reduces bias, and mitigates underreporting and poor methodologies in published works. To better understand optimal reporting standards for an OKR assay in zebrafish, we performed a systematic literature review exploring the animal, environmental, and technical factors that should be considered. Using search criteria from three online databases, a total of 109 research papers were selected for review. Multiple crucial factors were identified, including larval characteristics, sample size, fixing method, OKR set-up, distance of stimulus, detailed stimulus parameters, eye recording, and eye movement analysis. The outcome of the literature analysis highlighted the insufficient information provided in past research papers and the lack of a systematic way to present the parameters related to each of the experimental factors. To circumvent any future errors and champion robust transparent research, we have created the zebrafish optokinetic (ZOK) reflex minimal reporting guideline.

Normal sperm head morphometric reference values in fertile Asian males.

Sperm head morphology is crucial for male factor infertility diagnosis and assessment of male reproductive potential. Several criteria are available to analyze sperm head morphology, but they are limited by poor methodology comparability and population applicability. This study aimed to explore comprehensive and new normal morphometric reference values for spermatozoa heads in fertile Asian males. An automated sperm morphology analysis system captured 23 152 stained spermatozoa from confirmed fertile males. Of these samples, 1856 sperm head images were annotated by three experienced laboratory technicians as "normal". We employed 14 novel morphometric features to describe sperm head size (head length, head width, length/width ratio, and girth), shape (ellipse intersection over union, girth intersection over union, short-axis symmetry, and long-axis symmetry), area (head, acrosome, postacrosomal areas, and acrosome area ratio), and degrees of acrosome and nuclear uniformity. This straight-forward method for the morphometric analysis of sperm by accurate visual measurements is clinically applicable. The measured parameters present valuable information to establish morphometric reference intervals for normal sperm heads in fertile Asian males. The presented detailed measurement data will be valuable for interlaboratory comparisons and technician training. In vitro fertilization and andrology laboratory technicians can use these parameters to perform objective morphology evaluation when assessing male fertilization potential.

Thermal Challenges in Dynamic Infrared Thermography Used for Perforator Mapping.

The aim of this study is to investigate the different approaches to thermal challenges, both cold and warm, used in dynamic infrared thermography for reconstructive surgery, and explore whether it affects the success of preoperative perforator mapping. Literature was collected from Ovid Medline, Embase, PubMed, and Cochrane. The references of the full-text articles located from the original search were also appraised. Thirteen articles were extracted for the final qualitative analysis. A systematic review was then conducted following the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines. Thirteen articles looked at a cold challenge, which included airflow cooling, direct contact cooling, and evaporation-based cooling. Two articles investigated warm challenges. One paper used no challenge, suggesting it unnecessary with a highly sensitive camera. All cold challenges were positively supported by a high level of flap perfusion success and/or a high level of correlation with other forms of investigation. Cold challenges were overall superior to no challenge and warm challenges; however, this conclusion is limited by the small participant size, the possibility of detection bias, and poor methodology detailing. Airflow cooling-specifically, using a desktop fan to blow air for 2 minutes-was noted to likely cause the least discomfort due to a low cooling capacity yet simultaneously maintain effectiveness and allow for a uniform cooling application. Warm challenges showed less conclusive results and were restricted by lack of studies. This topic would benefit from larger scale studies that compare multiple approaches while using standardized equipment to eliminate confounding factors.

480 The Quality of Reporting Inflammatory Bowel Disease Randomized Control Trials: A Systematic Review

Abstract Aim Our objective was to perform a systemic evaluation of the risk of bias of randomized control trials’ (RCTs) reports published on IBD. Method We assessed the risk-of-bias using the Cochrane tool, as indicators for poor methodology or subsequently poor reporting. We focused on assessing the risk-of -bias pertaining to appropriate sequence generation, allocation concealment, blinding, incomplete outcome data reporting and other bias. We systematically selected, with dual independent judgements, all studies published on IBD with no time limits and assessed the methodological quality of included studies again using independent dual ratings, with disagreement solved through a third author. Results 563 full texts were included after selection and review. When excluding blinding, 103 papers exhibited low risk of bias in all reporting domains, none of which were publications. RCTs published in journals with higher IF were associated with an overall reduced rate of being at high risks. However, only 6% of full RCT publications in journals with IF greater than 10, published in the past 5 years, were free of bias. The trend over time is towards improved reporting in all areas. Trials published by larger author teams, in full-text form and by industry and public sponsorship were positively correlated with lower risk of bias. Only allocation concealment showed a statistically significant improvement with time (p = 0.037). Conclusions These findings are consistent with those of other specialties in the literature. Whilst this may represent poor reporting instead of poor quality, it leaves readers and future secondary researchers with significant questions regarding such key issues.

Assessing the barriers and facilitators of access to diabetic retinopathy screening in sub- Saharan Africa: a literature review.

Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is the leading cause of blindness in working age adults. An increase in visual loss has been projected for sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) with the diabetes epidemic in the region. Screening is a cost-effective way to reduce this scourge, but adequate services are scarce. This review aims to evaluate the evidence on barriers and facilitators of access to DR screening with a view to making evidence-based recommendations for the development of effective and sustainable programmes in SSA. A systematic literature search of Africa-Wide Information, Embase, Cochrane library, Global Health, and Medline databases was done using diabetic retinopathy, screening, and Sub-Saharan Africa as concepts. Google Scholar was also searched to identify relevant literature. Studies were included if they were done in SSA and reported on barriers and/or facilitators of access to DR screening. The database search yielded 616 papers and google scholar yielded 9223 papers. Of these, 54 papers were assessed for eligibility and 18 met the inclusion criteria. These were appraised with appropriate checklists. Fourteen themes were synthesised. Most were supply challenges affecting all dimensions of access and the six components of the health systems building blocks. Several studies had poor methodologies, and this has implications for the evidence provided. The findings of this review show a weakness in the health systems suggesting this is the major indirect barrier to DR screening in SSA. Measures to strengthen the health system for DR screening is strongly recommended.

Surgery for women with apical vaginal prolapse.

Surgery for women with apical vaginal prolapse.

Treatment of Mood and Depressive Disorders With Complementary and Alternative Medicine: Efficacy Review.

There has been a steady increase in people with symptoms of depression over the past several years (since 2011). The further increase in stress and depression in the early part of the COVID-19 pandemic was accompanied by an increase in unmet mental health needs. Many have turned to complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) therapies such as bright-light therapy, yoga, meditation, and dietary supplements like St. John's wort or folic acid. The reliability of evidence for use of CAM therapies for depression has remained low. There are few randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in the current literature and poor methodology in many of the trials that are available. This state of the science review examines current published guidelines, meta-analyses, systematic reviews, and RCTs regarding use of CAM therapies in the management of depression.

Prediction Models in Prehospital and Emergency Medicine Research: How to Derive and Internally Validate a Clinical Prediction Model.

Clinical prediction models are created to help clinicians with medical decision-making, aid in risk stratification, and improve diagnosis and/or prognosis. With growing availability of both prehospital and in-hospital observational registries and electronic health records, there is an opportunity to develop, validate, and incorporate prediction models into clinical practice. However, many prediction models have high risk of bias due to poor methodology. Given that there are no methodological standards aimed at developing prediction models specifically in the prehospital setting, the objective of this paper is to describe the appropriate methodology for the derivation and validation of clinical prediction models in this setting. What follows can also be applied to the emergency medicine setting. There are eight steps that should be followed when developing and internally validating a prediction model: (i) problem definition; (ii) coding of predictors; (iii) addressing missing data; (iv) ensuring adequate sample size; (v) variable selection; (vi) evaluating model performance; (vii) internal validation; and (viii) model presentation. Subsequent steps include external validation, assessment of impact, and cost-effectiveness. By following these steps, researchers can develop a prediction model with the methodological rigour and quality required for prehospital and emergency medicine research.