PUBLICATION BIAS: THE ACHILLES' HEEL OF SYSTEMATIC REVIEWS?

ABSTRACT:  The term 'publication bias' usually refers to the tendency for a greater proportion of statistically significant positive results of experiments to be published and, conversely, a greater proportion of statistically significant negative or null results not to be published. It is widely accepted in the fields of healthcare and psychological research to be a major threat to the validity of systematic reviews and meta-analyses. Some methodological work has previously been undertaken, by the author and others, in the field of educational research to investigate the extent of the problem. This paper describes the problem of publication bias with reference to its history in a number of fields, with special reference to the area of educational research. Informal methods for detecting publication bias in systematic reviews and meta-analyses of controlled trials are outlined and retrospective and prospective methods for dealing with the problem are suggested.     

Critical realist review: exploring the real,beyond the empirical

This article defines the ‘critical realist review’, a literature-based methodological approach to critical analysis of health care studies (or any discipline charged with social interventions) that is robust, insightful and essential for the complexities of twenty-first century evidence-based health and social care. We argue that this approach, underpinned by a critical realist philosophy and methodology, will facilitate students and researchers to employ relevant theoretical insights from a range of disciplines that have necessary contributions to make to our understanding of health and social care practice and provision. We explore the limitations of randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and the systematic review for informing evidence-based health and social care. The article also offers some suggestions on method, although, as we argue, the approach deliberately eschews a ‘cookbook’ approach. A glossary of terms is provided in the Appendix.     

人体临床实验视角下的医学伦理探讨

医学研究中不道德现象时有发生,引起了人们越来越多的关注.而人体临床实验客观上存在着不明确性、危险性,因此,人体临床实验应以遵循医学伦理原则为根本出发点.以人体临床实验的道德问题为切入点,从法律与伦理学层面考究人体实验的道德责任,主张以人道主义、自主与尊重、行善与不伤害和公正原则作为人体临床实验研究应遵循的医学伦理原则,最后,对人体临床实验研究提出一些建设性的意见.     

太极拳习练过程中安全性的meta分析

摘要：太极拳风靡海内外,但是近年来有报告对其安全性提出了质疑。分析已发表的随机对照试验文献,证实太极拳安全性。检索MEDLINE/PubMed,EBSCO host和the Cochrane Library从建库到2016年2月的文献。纳入标准：1）随机对照试验;2）两组平行;3）太极拳是核心干预;4）详细报告不良反应。使用Cochrane偏倚风险评价表评估纳入文献质量。研究结果：最终24项研究（26篇文献;2003-2016年;共1794受试者）符合纳入标准。12项研究报告了完整的随机序列生成和分配隐藏。太极拳与运动或非运动干预相比,严重、一般、干预引发的不良反应均无显著差异。与非运动干预相比,包含不良反应监测预案的研究与未提及的研究在一般不良反应发生数量上有显著差异(RD=0.05,95%CI：0.00,0.10;P= 0.05)。对于心脏病人来说,太极拳干预与非运动干预相比严重不良反应发生数量存在显著差异(RD=-0.11,95% CI:-0.20, -0.03;P= 0.01)。研究结论：在随机对照实验中,太极拳干预与其他运动或非运动干预相比是安全的,特别是适合心脏病人练习。希望今后的研究采用更严谨的研究方法,纳入足够的样本量,报告高质量的不良反应数据,这样才能更好地总结归纳评价太极拳的安全性。     

Respecting and fulfilling the right of post-primary pupils to consent to participate in trials and evaluative research: a discussion paper

This paper provides an introduction to issues surrounding the participation rights of young people in research and the implications of their growing involvement in research as well as providing a discourse on the ethical implications related to consent. The unique contribution of this paper is that it considers children’s rights in respect to the increasing opportunities for young people to take part in evaluation research. The aim of this paper, therefore, is to acknowledge the growing involvement for young people in research and the implications of ensuring that their rights of participation are respected. Secondly, we will consider the children’s rights legislation and our obligations as researchers to implement this. Finally, we will explore consent as an issue in its own right as well as the practicalities of accessing participants. This paper will postulate that any research about young people should involve and prioritize at all stages of the research process; including participation in decision-making. We conclude by identifying five key principles, which we believe can help to facilitate the fulfilment of post-primary pupils’ ability to consent to participate in trials and evaluative research.     

目的意图原则在法庭互动话语中的体现

法庭互动话语属于语用学研究范畴。那么，语用原则按照钱冠连先生的解释就是为了使交际不致失败而遵循的一套原则；而语用策略则是为了使交际顺利而使用的一系列措施和手段。廖美珍教授揭示了法庭审判中问与答的机制与特色提出了目的原则。笔者在此基础上，初探以目的意图原则为导向下的法庭互动问答中的语用策略。     

Are Power Analyses Reported With Adequate Detail? Evidence From the First Wave of Group Randomized Trials Funded by the Institute of Education Sciences

Abstract

This study examines the reporting of power analyses in the group randomized trials funded by the Institute of Education Sciences from 2002 to 2006. A detailed power analysis provides critical information that allows reviewers to (a) replicate the power analysis and (b) assess whether the parameters used in the power analysis are reasonable. Without a detailed power analysis, reviewers may have difficultly evaluating the accuracy of the power analysis and underpowered studies may inadvertently pass through the review process with a recommendation for funding. This study reveals that sample sizes are reported with high consistency; however, other important design parameters, including intraclass correlations, covariate-outcome correlations, and the percentage of variance explained by blocking are not reported with regularity. An analysis of reporting trends over time reveals that the reporting of intraclass correlations and covariate-outcome correlations dramatically increased over time. The reporting of blocking information was still extremely limited, even in the more recent studies.     

The impact of vouchers on preschool attendance and elementary school readiness: A randomized controlled trial in rural China

Although preschool has been shown to improve children's school readiness in many developing countries, preschool attendance in poor rural areas of China is still low. The high cost of preschool is often regarded as a major barrier to attendance. In this paper, we evaluate the impact of a one-year voucher/CCT intervention on preschool attendance and school readiness. To do so, we conducted a randomized controlled trial among 150 young children in a poor, rural county in China. Our analysis shows that the intervention, consisting of a tuition waiver and a cash transfer conditional on attendance, raised attendance by 20 percentage points (or by 35%). However, the intervention did not have measurable impact on children's school readiness. We believe that poor quality of preschool education in rural China (in terms of both teaching and facilities) contributes to our findings.     

我国不同年龄段优秀女子自行车500 m计时赛运动员主导身体素质的初步探讨

以参加“2002年全国少年自行车比赛”500 m计时赛项目的女选手共58人为研究对象,用逐步回归分析法、测量与评价理论,探讨了优秀参赛自行车女选手在12岁-14岁和15岁-17岁两个阶段的主导身体素质指标体系及其身体素质特征研究结果对女子自行车500 m计时赛运动员的主导身体素质进行了归类和年龄阶段划分。