Strengthening The Reporting Of Observational Studies In Epidemiology Checklist Research Articles

Relationship between social support and self-care ability among patients with breast cancer during rehabilitation: The multiple mediating roles of resilience and depression.

To identify the multiple mediating effects of resilience and depression between social support and self-care ability among patients with breast cancer during rehabilitation to provide reference for developing and implementing targeted interventions. A cross-sectional study reported according to the STROBE checklist. A convenience sample of 320 patients with breast cancer during rehabilitation was recruited from one hospital in China. Data were collected from April to August 2022 using a self-report questionnaire, including the demographic and clinical information, Appraisal of Self-Care Agency Scale-Revised, Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale-10 item, and Patient Health Questionnaire-9. The mediation analysis was conducted using the SPSS Process macro. Self-care ability was positively associated with social support (β = .229) and resilience (β = .290), and negatively associated with depression (β = -.208). The relationship between social support and self-care ability was mediated by resilience and depression, respectively, and together in serial. The multiple mediating effects accounted for 34.0% of the total effect of social support on self-care ability. Our findings identify resilience and depression as multiple mediators between social support and self-care ability and highlight the important roles of social support, resilience and depression in improving self-care ability. Healthcare providers should pay great attention to the underlying mechanisms of how social support affects patients' self-care ability during breast cancer rehabilitation. Integrated intervention programmes targeted at enhancing social support, building resilience and alleviating depression might be beneficial to the improvement of self-care ability. No patient or public contribution. The Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) checklist for cross-sectional studies was applied to report the results.

Impact of Emergency Situations on the Level of Fear and Anxiety in Oncology Patients During Radiotherapy in a Developing Country.

To analyze the level of fear and anxiety related to radiotherapy in oncology patients treated before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as to examine whether the advancement of radiotherapy centers leads to any reduction in the patient's fear in emergency situations. Two cross-sectional studies were conducted in two time frames (2016 and 2022)based on the analysis of the intensity of anxiety and fear of radiotherapy in oncology patientswith assistance. A questionnaire for assessing fear of radiotherapy in oncology patients and Zung's and Beck's self-reported anxiety scales were used.The first part of the research integrated all data of research interest obtained from patients treated with radiotherapy during 2016, and the second cross-sectional study included all patients treated in 2022during the COVID-19 pandemic.The study was prepared according to the STROBE (Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology) checklist. The first cross-sectional studyhad 154 participants who had been treated with radiotherapy, while in the second study, there were 159 patients.Patients treated in 2022 show significantly higher levels of fear and anxiety.External beam radiotherapy and brachytherapy simultaneously used in both studies increased the level of fear and anxiety. The conducted research showed exceptional differences in the intensity of fear and anxiety in patients treated with radiotherapy in different health situations, as was the case during the COVID-19 pandemic, with a significant impact on the stability of the health system and the challenges to providing standard services.

The Influence of Root Prominence on the Onset of Gingival Recession: A Systematic Review

This systematic review aimed to identify, evaluate, and summarize the results of relevant studies on radicular prominence and its relationship with gingival recessions. This review was conducted according to the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Reviews and Meta-Analysis) guidelines, and the focused PICO question was “In teeth with vestibular site-specific root or alveolar bone prominence, what are the chances that this will lead to gingival recession or difficulty in root coverage procedures, compared to teeth correctly positioned in the alveolar bone or without anatomical root prominence?”. A search was carried out on three databases: Embase, PubMed/MedLine, and Wiley Library. This initial search was complemented with manual research. It included any clinical study, such as a randomized clinical trial, controlled clinical trial, prospective/retrospective clinical study, case series, or case report, published in English from January 2012 to December 2023, which reported any involvement of the root/bone prominence approach. The exclusion criteria were clinical studies without report results/details of the case(s), studies based on questionnaires, editorial letters, any review, in vitro/in silica and animal studies, and interviews. The Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) statement was applied for quality assessment. A total of 163 articles were found, but only three articles were included (k = 0.98). The included studies observed negative correlations when comparing the variables root prominence with linear root coverage, root surface area covered, and linear tissue thickness gain. It suggested a significant reduction in root coverage for prominences greater than 1 mm; therefore, relevant keratinized tissue gains can be achieved in gingival recession treatment after the application of the odontoplasty. The STROBE checklist evaluated 22 items, and all the included studies had a high-quality assessment (greater than 75%) with values greater than 85%. Then, it was not possible to draw conclusions due to the number of articles included, even though they had high-quality assessments. Otherwise, it is possible to suggest that the root prominence may impact gingival recession. Therefore, new and well-designed studies must be developed to establish a significant conclusion about this condition.

Psychological effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on primary healthcare professionals in Turkey: One year into the pandemic.

This study aimed to determine the psychological effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on healthcare professionals working in primary care settings in the first year of the pandemic. The healthcare industry has faced an unprecedented burden in the COVID-19 pandemic. Primary care professionals experienced the high level of psychological problems. A total of 793 healthcare professionals from different regions of Turkey participated in this cross-sectional study. The STROBE (Strengthening the reporting of observational studies in epidemiology) checklist was used in the study. Data were collected online. It has been found that more than half of healthcare professionals experienced severe depression, three-quarters experienced anxiety, and almost half experienced stress. It was also found that about half of the participants experienced a high degree of acute and chronic fatigue, and one-fifth experienced low inter-shift recovery. The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of primary care professionals, especially nurses and midwives, are alarming. The problems that arise from the flawed healthcare delivery models and gender inequality, which worsen the usual psychological effects of the pandemic on primary care professionals, should be addressed urgently. Psychological support and rehabilitative services should be expanded to eliminate the short- and long-term psychological effects of the pandemic on healthcare professionals.

A Guide to AI in epidemiology: ChatGPT and the STROBE checklist for observational studies

Abstract Background Chat-Generative Pre-training Transformer (ChatGPT) is a recently developed Artificial Intelligence (AI) model capable of generating high-quality scientific text and answering complex tasks. This study aims at investigating how AI-based transformers can support public health researchers in designing and conducting epidemiological studies. To accomplish this, we used ChatGPT to reformulate the STrengthening the Reporting of OBservational studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) recommendations for observational studies into a list of questions to be answered by the transformer itself. We then qualitatively evaluated the coherence and relevance of the transformer's outputs. Methods We first chose a study to be used as a basis for the simulation. We then used ChatGPT to transform each STROBE checklist's item into specific prompts. Each answer was evaluated by independent researchers in terms of coherence and relevance. Results The mean scores assigned to each prompt were heterogeneous. On average, for the coherence domain, the overall mean score was 3.6 out of 5.0, and for relevance it was 3.3 out of 5.0. The lowest scores were assigned to items belonging to the Methods section of the checklist. Conclusions ChatGPT can be considered as a valuable support for researchers in conducting an epidemiological study, following internationally recognized guidelines. It is crucial for the users to have knowledge on the subject and a critical mindset when evaluating its outputs. The potential benefits of AI in scientific research are undeniable, but it is crucial to address the risks, and the ethical and legal consequences associated with its use. Key messages • Our analysis showed the ability of AI-based transformers to generate answers and human-like text, which could potentially be used to conduct epidemiological studies or write research articles. • We advocate the necessity for taking a proactive stance towards this evolving context, in order to ensure a careful governance of this inevitable process.

The Minimum Data Set for Rare Diseases: Systematic Review.

The minimum data set (MDS) is a collection of data elements to be grouped using a standard approach to allow the use of data for clinical and research purposes. Health data are typically voluminous, complex, and sometimes too ambiguous to generate indicators that can provide knowledge and information on health. This complexity extends further to the rare disease (RD) domain. MDSs are essential for health surveillance as they help provide services and generate recommended population indicators. There is a bottleneck in international literature that reveals a global problem with data collection, recording, and structuring in RD. This study aimed to identify and analyze the MDSs used for RD in health care networks worldwide and compare them with World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines. The population, concept, and context methodology proposed by the Joanna Briggs Institute was used to define the research question of this systematic review. A total of 4 databases were reviewed, and all the processes were reported using the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) methodology. The data elements were analyzed, extracted, and organized into 10 categories according to WHO digital health guidelines. The quality assessment used the STROBE (Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology) checklist. We included 20 studies in our review, 70% (n=14) of which focused on a specific health domain and 30% (n=6) of which referred to RD in general. WHO recommends that health systems and networks use standard terminology to exchange data, information, knowledge, and intelligence in health. However, there was a lack of terminological standardization of the concepts in MDSs. Moreover, the selected studies did not follow the same standard structure for classifying the data from their MDSs. All studies presented MDSs with limitations or restrictions because they covered only a specific RD, or their scope of application was restricted to a specific context or geographic region. Data science methods and clinical experience were used to design, structure, and recommend a fundamental global MDS for RD patient records in health care networks. Our study highlights the difficulties in standardizing and categorizing findings from MDSs for RD because of the varying structures used in different studies. The fundamental RD MDS designed in this study comprehensively covers the data needs in the clinical and management sectors. These results can help public policy makers support other aspects of their policies. We highlight the potential of our results to help strategic decisions related to RD. PROSPERO CRD42021221593; https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?RecordID=221593. RR2-10.1016/j.procs.2021.12.034.

Topical nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in the prevention of pseudophakic cystoid macular edema following phacoemulsification: A systematic review

Introduction: The goal of surgeons to avoid Pseudophakic Cystoid Macular Edema (PCMO) has led to the widespread use of Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs) after cataract surgery, although current research into the best anti-inflammatory drugs to avoid PCMO is still underway. This review aimed to determine the efficacy of topical NSAIDs in preventing PCMO following phacoemulsification. Methods: This systematic review was built on the recommended reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA) and PICO criteria for papers during the previous 10 years. The keywords was searched by Boolean operator: “NSAIDs” AND “Prevention” AND “Cystoid Macular Edema” AND “Optical Coherence Tomography” AND “Phacoemulsification”. According to STROBE (Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology) checklist, the quality of each chosen article was evaluated. Results: We have selected five articles of prospective cohort studies, which involved 756 patients whom received topical NSAIDs (Nepafenac 0.3%, Ketorolac Tromethamine 0.4%Nepafenac 0.1%, , and Diclofenac 0.1%) in treatment group and 700 patients received Placebo (Artificial tears) in control group. There was significant difference of central macular thickness based on OCT results between NSAIDs and control (placebo) group after uneventful phacoemulsification. Additionally, NSAIDs used as a preventative before phacoemulsification procedure exhibited a significantly reduced rise in central foveal thickness compared to placebo. There were changes of central macular thicknes postoperatively, and were significantly different from preoperative. Conclusion: It has been demonstrated that topical NSAIDs successfully lower the incidence of Pseudophakic Cystoid Macular Edema following phacoemulsification.

Role of diet quality in bone health in children and adolescents: a systematic review.

Poor diet quality and unhealthy dietary patterns have been linked to poor bone health, yet few studies have investigated the role of diet quality in bone health in pediatric populations. This systematic review aims to assess the available evidence on the association between diet quality and bone health markers in children and adolescents. The PubMed, Scopus, and Virtual Health Library databases were searched electronically from October to November 2022, without any restrictions on date or language. The STROBE (Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology) checklist was used to assess the quality of the studies. Published observational studies in children and adolescents (ages 2 to 19 years) that investigated the association between diet quality and bone health were eligible for inclusion. Two researchers independently analyzed and selected all articles using the Rayyan app. Initially, 965 papers were identified. A total of 12 observational studies qualified, including 8 cross-sectional and 4 longitudinal studies. The sample comprised 7130 individuals aged 3 to 17.9 years, representing both sexes. Bone health was evaluated by measures of bone mineral density and bone mineral content. Seven studies (58.3%) showed significant associations between diet quality and bone health markers, all of which evaluated diet quality by identifying dietary patterns. Diet quality as evaluated by all dietary indexes was not associated with bone health markers. Adherence to a healthy diet may benefit bone health in children and adolescents. These findings emphasize the importance of developing effective public health policies that encourage healthy eating habits from childhood to preserve bone health. Longitudinal research using a specific tool to assess diet quality in relation to bone health is warranted. Future studies should also measure bone-regulating hormones and markers of bone turnover. PROSPERO registration no. CRD42022368610.

Poor reporting quality of observational studies in children with non-syndromic cleft palate makes evidence synthesis difficult

Objective To assess the reporting quality of observational studies included in a systematic review of the management of chronic otitis media with effusion in children with non-syndromic cleft lip and palate using the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) checklist. Methods Medline, CINAHL, Scopus and Embase, were searched for studies comparing the use of ventilation tubes to surveillance. Two reviewers screened potential eligible articles, extracted data independently and assessed reporting quality using the STROBE checklist. Results The median compliance rate with individual STROBE items was low at 25% (range:0-100%) with 11 of the 22 items not reported in any of the studies. Items reported inconsistently pertained to potential sources of bias, sample size calculations, how loss to follow-up was addressed and management of missing data. Conclusion The development of this systematic review highlights the inadequate reporting standards in this field. Differences in the way the outcomes are defined, reported, and measured leads to variability in the observed intervention effects and difficulty in interpreting the true effect size. Future researchers are encouraged to use STROBE guidelines for the design and reporting of observational studies in this field.

Expired medications and disposal practices in Arab households.

Over the past few decades, the accumulation of expired and unused medications in households has become a concern. Most people are unaware of how to properly dispose of unused and/or expired medicines. Our objective was to inspect the extent of expired medications within Arab households in United Arab Emirates (UAE), to determine which therapeutic groups yield greater amounts of unused medications, and evaluate drugs' disposal practices. This descriptive study was written in accordance with the STROBE (Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology) checklist for cross-sectional studies. It was conducted among Arab households in UAE (n = 503) using an online questionnaire between November 2020 and January 2021. Questions were related to participants' socio-demographics, the prevalence of expired medications in households and their disposal. Around 58% of the respondents had expired medications in their houses and 74% had drugs that were never used. The most common medicines left unused were analgesics (34%) followed by cosmetics (27%) and antibiotics (26%). More than 42% of expired medications were in solid dosage forms, 28% were semisolid and 24% were liquid dosage forms. The predominant disposal method among the surveyed participants was throwing medications into the garbage (86%). Large quantities of expired medications in Arab households exist with a high prevalence of analgesics, antibiotics and cosmetics. Arab households are unaware of the proper drug disposal procedures. Therefore, community pharmacists are recommended to offer training on proper medication disposal practices and to encourage the public to return medications to pharmacies.

The Effect of Structured Education Training Program on Oral Health Awareness Among School-Going Children of Central India: A Cross-Sectional Study.

BackgroundIn order to curb the ever-increasing load of diseases related to the oral cavity, there is a call for generating organized school-based oral health education and training programs. It is proposed that there will be an emphasis on the primary care of oral health of school-going children proven, which is often neglected. This will be beneficial for the early detection, intervention and thus prevention of further debilitating conditions of the pathologies pertaining to the oral cavity with the assistance of the structured program suggested in this article.AimThe aim of the study was the evaluation of oral health programs for oral health awareness and knowledge among school-going children in the Central India region.Settings and designThis is a cross-sectional study with measurements before and after the implementation of the oral care program. Materials and methodsThis cross-sectional study, approved by the Institutional Ethical Committee, Datta Meghe Institute of Medical Sciences, Wardha, has been done according to the STROBE (Strengthening the Reporting of Observational studies in Epidemiology) checklist. A study based on certain questions was carried out amongst the school-going children of Central India, especially the Vidarbha region. A total of 250 school-going children were enrolled in the study. A survey based on a questionnaire was carried out among the study participants in the age group of 12-16 years of age, which consisted of questions pertaining to knowledge of oral health and hygiene maintenance. The program consisted of presentation slides, role-plays, and demonstrations for inculcating the knowledge.ResultA total of 200 study participants responded to the questionnaire. Overall, the baseline mean score of knowledge with scale was 2.80 ± 1.73 SD, which after the intervention was observed to be 10.70 ± 0.54 SD, which showed an increase. There was an aptly 60.4% increase in test scores related to oral health after the specific oral health inculcation program based on questionnaire execution which was statistically significant (p<0.001).ConclusionA properly constructed school children-based oral health education and training program induces better results in the oral health-related comprehension of students.

Evaluation of the NANDA International, Inc. diagnostic classification in Spain: Development and validation of the EVALUAN-I tool.

To develop and validate a tool to evaluate the NANDA International, Inc. diagnostic classification. The tool, EVALUAN-I, was validated in a non-probabilistic sample (N = 460) on Spanish Registered Nurses (September-December 2019) in two phases. First, design and construct the instrument in three steps: (1) literature review to define the construct focusing on the orientation toward nursing concepts and theoretical foundations, the level of scientific evidence, the structural configuration, the applicability, the nurses' clinical reasoning skills, and the attitudes toward nursing diagnosis, (2) substantiation of the questionnaire items and design according to the criteria for a diagnostic classification, (3) expert test to establish the face validity and content validity. The second phase revolved around (4) conducting a pilot test and measuring the temporal stability (test-retest) and Cohen's kappa coefficient; assessing psychometric properties by measuring (5) reliability (internal consistency using Cronbach alpha and interfactor correlation) and (6) construct validity (exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis). The manuscript follows the STROBE checklist. The study was approved by the Research Ethics Committee with registration number 2019-190-1. EVALUAN-I displayed moderate test-retest stability, adequate construct validity, and excellent reliability. The confirmatory factor analysis provided evidence about the configuration of EVALUAN-I in relation to nine analytical dimensions: clinical competence, nurses' reasoning skills, attitudes towards nursing diagnosis, discipline's central concepts, classification's contents, physiopathological attributes, level of scientific evidence, diagnostic precision, and conceptual correspondence between terminologies. EVALUAN-I is a valid and reliable instrument, which can be used to improve the epistemological, normative, and intuitive configuration of NANDA International, Inc. in a structured, systematic manner. Comprehensive evaluation of NANDA International, Inc. in different clinical settings around the world using a validated instrument, like EVALUAN-I, would allow strengths and weaknesses to be identified and contribute to the classification's development and practical application.

Prevalence of Female Sexual Dysfunction in Different Pregnancy Trimesters: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Introduction: Pregnancy is one of the most sensitive periods in a woman's life. Physical and psychological changes during pregnancy can significantly affect the couples' sexual relations. Healthy sexual desire during pregnancy is essential for the development of couples as parents. Objective: This meta-analysis study estimates the prevalence of sexual dysfunction overall and in different trimesters of pregnancy. Materials and Methods: This research is a systematic review and meta-analysis. A search was conducted in PubMed, Scopus, Science Direct, and Google Scholar databases to find cross-sectional and prospective cohort studies investigating the prevalence of sexual dysfunction in different trimesters using the female sexual function index (FSFI) published from 2000 to 2019. The methodological quality of each study was assessed using the modified from the STROBE (The Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology) checklist to determine the risk of bias. The standard error of prevalence in each study was calculated based on the binomial distribution formula. Based on heterogeneity results, a random effect model was used to estimate the prevalence. Results: Fifteen articles met the inclusion criteria, with a total number of 3569 participants, of which 2538 were in cross-sectional studies and 1031 in prospective cohort studies. In the meta-analysis of both prospective cohort and cross-sectional studies, the prevalence rates of sexual dysfunction in the first, second, and third trimesters, and overall were estimated at 51.33% (95%CI; 37.41-65.25), 51.13% (95%CI; 38.93-63.33), 72.80% (95%CI; 65.78-79.81%), and 58.65% (95%CI; 51.50-65.80), respectively. Conclusion: The trimester of pregnancy has a predictive role in the prevalence of sexual dysfunction during pregnancy. The prevalence of sexual dysfunction is higher in the third trimester.

Adherence to the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) checklist in articles published in EAACI Journals: A bibliographic study.

Research data derived from observational studies are accumulating quickly in the field of allergy and immunology and a large amount of observational studies are published every year. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the adherence to the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) checklist by papers published in the three European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology journals, during the period 2009-2018. To this end, we conducted a bibliographic study of up to eight randomly selected papers per year per Journal. Our literature search resulted in 223 papers. Amongst those, 80, 80 and 63 records were from Paediatric Allergy and Immunology, Allergy and Clinical and Translational Allergy, respectively; the latter was published only from 2011 on. Prospective, case control and cross-sectional designs were described in 88, 43 and 92 papers, respectively. Full reporting of all STROBE items was present in 47.4%, 45.6% and 41.2% for the cohort, cross-sectional and case-control studies, respectively. Generally, no time trend in adherence of reporting STROBE items was observed, apart from reporting funding, which increased from 60% in 2009/2010 to more than 90% in 2018. We identified a cluster of STROBE items with low proportions of full reporting constituted by the items on reporting study design in the title and methods, variables types along with their measurement/assessment, bias and confounding, study size, and grouping of variables. It appears that the STROBE checklist is a suitable tool in observational allergy epidemiology. However, adherence to the STROBE checklist appeared suboptimal.

Improving Social Justice in COVID-19 Health Research: Interim Guidelines for Reporting Health Equity in Observational Studies.

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the global imperative to address health inequities. Observational studies are a valuable source of evidence for real-world effects and impacts of implementing COVID-19 policies on the redistribution of inequities. We assembled a diverse global multi-disciplinary team to develop interim guidance for improving transparency in reporting health equity in COVID-19 observational studies. We identified 14 areas in the STROBE (Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology) checklist that need additional detail to encourage transparent reporting of health equity. We searched for examples of COVID-19 observational studies that analysed and reported health equity analysis across one or more social determinants of health. We engaged with Indigenous stakeholders and others groups experiencing health inequities to co-produce this guidance and to bring an intersectional lens. Taking health equity and social determinants of health into account contributes to the clinical and epidemiological understanding of the disease, identifying specific needs and supporting decision-making processes. Stakeholders are encouraged to consider using this guidance on observational research to help provide evidence to close the inequitable gaps in health outcomes.

Negative Factors Affecting the Sleep Quality of the Elderly in Iran: A Systematic Review

Objective: As age increases, different physical and mental problems, including sleep disorders, occur in the elderly. The Person-Environment-Occupation (PEO) model is one of the most common practical models in occupational therapy. The current study aims to review negative factors affecting the sleeping quality of the elderly in Iran based on the PEO model. Materials &amp; Methods: According to PRISMA (the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses) guidelines and in this systematic review study, we searched Google Scholar, Scopus, PubMed, Magiran, IranMedex, and SID databases using the keywords of “Elderly”, “aging”, “geriatric”, “older adult”, “Iran”, and “sleep” in English and Persian articles published from 2010 to 2019. Studies on the sleep problems of other age groups, letters to the editor, duplicate studies, studies on non-Iranian seniors, studies published in languages other than Persian and English, and those with unavailable full-texts were excluded. In the next stage, the titles and abstracts of the retrieved articles were independently reviewed by two researchers to identify the studies that meet the inclusion criteria. The dispute was resolved through discussion and reaching an agreement. Then, the full text of eligible articles was retrieved. Articles approved based on at least 20 out of 22 items of the STROBE (strengthening the reporting of observational studies in epidemiology) checklist were included in the study. Finally, 24 articles that were in line with the research objectives were selected for an in-depth review. Results: Out of 24 studies, 11 reported quantitative sleep problems, 9 of which claimed that more than 70% of the elderly had sleep problems. The negative factors affecting the sleep quality of Iranian older adults were presented and categorized based on personal, environmental, and occupational factors. Eighteen articles addressed personal factors, where the most common factor was related to personal health issues. Eleven articles reported environmental factors, where the most common factor was related to the physical environment. In three articles, the factors that had a negative effect on sleeping are occupational and included the change of sleeping place and not talking to others before going to bed. Conclusion: Personal factors (e.g. aging, female gender, disease), environmental factors (e.g. lack of communication with relatives and friends, inappropriate physical environment, and living in a nursing home), and occupational factors (e.g. change of sleeping place, hospitalization, and not talking to others before going to sleep) are negative factors affecting the sleep quality of the elderly in Iran.

The Association Between Antioxidant Status and Excess Weight in Children: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Background: The prevalence of childhood obesity with its complications has increased in the world. Obesity, along with antioxidants deficiency (due to an unhealthy diet), might change the balance in favor of oxidative stress. Objectives: The current study aims to assess the literature on the relationship between obesity and antioxidant status through a systematic review and meta-analysis Results: β-Carotene levels was significantly lower in obese children than non-obese ones (mean difference: 0.13, 95%CI: 0.09-0.16, P&lt;0.001), with significant heterogeneity (P&lt;0.001, I2=85%). There was a significant difference between obese and non-obese children in both α-tocopherol (pooled mean difference respectively: 0.36, 95% CI: 0.04-0.96, P&lt;0.001 ) with non-significant heterogeneity (P&gt;0.05, I2=0.0% ) and α-tocopherol per lipoid (pooled mean difference: 0.42, 95%CI: 0.28-0.55, P&lt;0.001), with significant heterogeneity (P=0.048, I2=58.8%). There was no significant association between vitamin E level and obesity (pooled mean difference: 0.40, 95%CI: -0.05-0.85, P&gt;0.05), with significant heterogeneity (P&lt;0.001, I2=84.5%). There was significant association between zinc, magnesium, copper, and selenium level and obesity (P&gt;0.05), with significant heterogeneity (P&lt;0.001). Conclusions: This review revealed a significant inverse relationship between childhood obesity and serum antioxidant levels. More studies are necessary to find the underlying mechanisms and clinical impacts of this finding. Data Sources: This systematic review and meta-analysis were performed among English language articles published until September 2020 without any time limit. An electronic search was conducted in international databases of Google Scholar, PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, Medline, and Cochrane. Study Selection: First, 1255 papers were found. After removing duplicates and quality assessment, 46 were used in the systemic review, and 19 articles were entered into the meta-analysis. Data Extraction: Two researchers independently searched the following keywords in the databases: “Vitamin C”, “Vitamin E”, “Vitamin A”, “Carotenoids”, “Antioxidants”, “Selenium”, “Magnesium”, “Copper”, “Zinc”, “Ascorbic acid”, “Tocopherol”, “Obesity”, “Overweight”, “Childhood”, “Pediatric”, and “Adolescence”. Articles that examined the association between obesity and antioxidant status were included in the study. The research on animals, interventional studies, case studies, case reports, and irrelevant studies were excluded. The research team determined the quality of studies using the STROBE (strengthening the reporting of observational studies in epidemiology) checklist. Heterogeneity of studies was evaluated using index (I2) and probability of diffusion bias by funnel plot and Begg’s and Egger’s tests.

Association of preoperative pain beliefs with postoperative pain levels in abdominal surgery patients.

This study aimed to analyse the association of preoperative pain beliefs with postoperative pain levels in abdominal surgery patients. Postoperative pain is related to not only clinical and demographic characteristics but also pain beliefs. The perception, intensity and expression of pain as a subjective experience varies among individuals and cultures. Personal beliefs about pain play an important role in pain experiences and responses. This cross-sectional study consisted of 126 abdominal surgery patients admitted to the General Surgery and Gynecological Surgery Clinics between September 2018-January 2019. The STROBE (Strengthening The Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology) checklist was used as a guideline for this study. Data were collected through descriptive information forms, pain characteristics questionnaires, Visual Analogue Scales and pain beliefs questionnaires. One-way variance analysis and Pearson's correlation and t tests were used for data analysis. The mean age of the participants was 48.63±14.27years. A total of 37.3% of the participants experienced moderate pain and 35.7% experienced severe pain at the 8th postoperative hour. Pain intensity significantly decreased at 16, 24 and 32h postoperatively. In the predischarge interviews, 92.1% of the patients expressed limitations in physical activities due to pain. There was a relationship between 8-16h postoperatively and sex and pain expectancy. Mean scores obtained from the organic and psychological beliefs subscales of the Pain Belief Questionnaire were 3.12±0.79, and 2.37±1.11, respectively. The psychological beliefs score was negatively associated with the level of education, and the organic beliefs score was higher for those participants who had undergone gynaecological surgery. There was a weak and positive correlation between the organic beliefs and psychological beliefs subscales of the Pain Beliefs Questionnaire. Patients had moderate to severe postoperative pain, and sex and pain expectations affected the experienced level of pain. Most participants believed that the pain was organic in origin. The level of education exerted a significant impact on pain beliefs. Characteristics and perception of pain and pain beliefs are important factors that should be determined to personalise pain relief care and maintain effective pain management.

A review found inadequate reporting of case–control studies of risk factors for pancreatic cancer

ObjectivesCase–control studies are often used to identify the risk factors for pancreatic cancer. The objective of this study was to evaluate the reporting of case–control studies of the risk factors for pancreatic cancer using the Strengthening The Reporting of OBservational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) for case–control studies checklist. Study Design and SettingWe conducted a comprehensive literature search of the MEDLINE and EMBASE databases to identify reports of case–control studies published between 2016 and 2018. We scored article reporting using a reporting adherence form developed from the STROBE checklist for case–control studies, consisting of 14 STROBE items related to the title, abstract, methods, and results sections. ResultsWe included reports of 47 case–control studies investigating a variety of risk factors, such as medical conditions and lifestyle factors. Reporting was inconsistent and inadequate. Efforts to address bias and how the study size was arrived at were particularly poorly described. Study cases were described in more detail than study controls. ConclusionReporting of case–control studies remains inadequate more than 10 years after the STROBE reporting guideline was published. Our findings suggest that authors do not understand the extent to which study methods and findings should be reported to enable studies to be fully understood, and their methods reproduced.

The Effect of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Health Care Workers' Anxiety Levels: Protocol for a Meta-Analysis.

BackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic has been declared a public health emergency of international concern; this has caused excessive anxiety among health care workers. In addition, publication bias and low-quality publications have become widespread, which can result in the dissemination of unreliable findings.ObjectiveThis paper presents the protocol for a meta-analysis with the following two aims: (1) to examine the prevalence of anxiety among health care workers and determine whether it has increased due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and (2) to investigate whether there has been an increase in publication bias.MethodsAll related studies that were published/released from 2015 to 2020 will be searched in electronic databases (Web of Science, PubMed, PsyArXiv, and medRxiv). The risk of bias in individual studies will be assessed using the STROBE (Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology) checklist. The heterogeneity of the studies will be assessed using the I2 statistic. The effect size (prevalence rates of anxiety) and a 95% CI for each paper will also be calculated. We will use a moderator analysis to test for the effect of COVID-19 on health care workers’ anxiety levels and detect publication bias in COVID-19 studies. We will also assess publication bias using the funnel plot and Egger regression. In case of publication bias, if studies have no homogeneity, the trim-and-fill procedure will be applied to adjust for missing studies.ResultsDatabase searches will commence in November 2020. The meta-analysis will be completed within 2 months of the start date.ConclusionsThis meta-analysis aims to provide comprehensive evidence about whether COVID-19 increases the prevalence of anxiety among health care workers and whether there has been an increase in publication bias and a deterioration in the quality of publications due to the pandemic. The results of this meta-analysis can provide evidence to help health managers to make informed decisions related to anxiety prevention in health care workers.International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID)PRR1-10.2196/24136