Poor Quality in Systematic Reviews on PTSD and EMDR - An Examination of Search Methodology and Reporting.

Background: Different user groups regard systematic reviews as reliable and valuable sources for answering research questions. For systematic reviews to fulfill their purpose, methodological quality in all stages are of importance. The studies identified in a systematic search form the basis of the review, thus the search process methodology is important for both performing and reporting the search. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the quality of non-Cochrane systematic reviews by analyzing how they perform and report the search. This is exemplified by systematic reviews on eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR), a trauma-focused therapy commonly used for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Methods and Results: We examined the method chapters of 20 systematic reviews on the subject, and rated their searches and reporting using relevant elements from the Cochrane Handbook and PRISMA. We found inadequacies in the methods employed for searching and reporting the search strategy, which could have been avoided by greater adherence to guiding documents for performing systematic reviews. Conclusion: Our findings raise important questions for future debate on the risk of omitting studies, thus impairing the conclusions in a systematic review. For clinical purposes, researchers should investigate if, and how, the search strategy in a systematic review affects the body of knowledge and the results.

Systematic review searches must be systematic, comprehensive, and transparent: a critique of Perman et al.

A high quality systematic review search has three core attributes; it is systematic, comprehensive, and transparent. The current over-emphasis on the primacy of systematic reviews over other forms of literature review in health research, however, runs the risk of encouraging publication of reviews whose searches do not meet these three criteria under the guise of being systematic reviews. This correspondence comes in response to Perman S, Turner S, Ramsay AIG, Baim-Lance A, Utley M, Fulop NJ. School-based vaccination programmes: a systematic review of the evidence on organization and delivery in high income countries. 2017; BMC Public Health 17:252, which we assert did not meet these three important quality criteria for systematic reviews, thereby leading to potentially unreliable conclusions. Our aims herein are to emphasize the importance of maintaining a high degree of rigour in the conduct and publication of systematic reviews that may be used by clinicians and policy-makers to guide or alter practice or policy, and to highlight and discuss key evidence omitted in the published review in order to contextualize the findings for readers. By consulting a research librarian, we identified limitations in the search terms, the number and type of databases, and the screening methods used by Perman et al. Using a revised Ovid MEDLINE search strategy, we identified an additional 1016 records in that source alone, and highlighted relevant literature on the organization and delivery of school-based immunization program that was omitted as a result. We argue that a number of the literature gaps noted by Perman et al. may well be addressed by existing literature found through a more systematic and comprehensive search and screening strategy. We commend both the journal and the authors, however, for their transparency in supplying information about the search strategy and providing open access to peer reviewer and editor's comments, which enabled us to understand the reasons for the limitations of that review.

Guidelines for Biomarker of Food Intake Reviews (BFIRev): how to conduct an extensive literature search for biomarker of food intake discovery.

Identification of new biomarkers of food and nutrient intake has developed fast over the past two decades and could potentially provide important new tools for compliance monitoring and dietary intake assessment in nutrition and health science. In recent years, metabolomics has played an important role in identifying a large number of putative biomarkers of food intake (BFIs). However, the large body of scientific literature on potential BFIs outside the metabolomics area should also be taken into account. In particular, we believe that extensive literature reviews should be conducted and that the quality of all suggested biomarkers should be systematically evaluated. In order to cover the literature on BFIs in the most appropriate and consistent manner, there is a need for appropriate guidelines on this topic. These guidelines should build upon guidelines in related areas of science while targeting the special needs of biomarker methodology. This document provides a guideline for conducting an extensive literature search on BFIs, which will provide the basis to systematically validate BFIs. This procedure will help to prioritize future work on the identification of new potential biomarkers and on validating these as well as other biomarker candidates, thereby providing better tools for future studies in nutrition and health.

Chemometrically assisted development and validation of LC-MS/MS method for the analysis of potential genotoxic impurities in meropenem active pharmaceutical ingredient.

A sensitive Liquid Chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method was developed and validated for the quantitative analysis of three potential genotoxic impurities (318BP, M9, S5) in meropenem Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient (API). Due to the requirement for LOD values in ppb range, a high concentration of meropenem API (30mg/mL) had to be injected. Therefore, efficient determination of meropenem from its impurities became a critical aim of this study, in order to divert meropenem to waste, via a switching valve. After the selection of the important factors affecting analytes' elution, a Box-Behnken design was utilized to set the plan of experiments conducted with UV detector. As responses, the separation factor s between the last eluting impurity and meropenem, as well as meropenem retention factor k were used. Grid point search methodology was implemented aiming to obtain the optimal conditions that simultaneously comply to the conflicted criteria. Optimal mobile phase consisted of ACN, methanol and 0.09% HCOOH at a ratio 71/3.5/15.5v/v. All impurities and internal standard omeprazole were eluted before 7.5min and at 8.0min the eluents were directed to waste. The protocol was transferred to LC-MS/MS and validated according to ICH guidelines.

Molecular Property Optimizations with Boundary Conditions through the Best First Search Scheme.

There is an increasing interest in applying quantum chemistry to rationally design novel compounds with some desired characteristics. Furthermore, many applications require more than one property to be optimal. In this Concept, several inverse design strategies, based on the discrete best first search scheme, are introduced that allow for the simultaneous optimization of multiple properties or the optimization of the most vital target property with constraints for secondary properties. A detailed assessment of the different optimization techniques is carried out, and special attention is paid to improve the cost efficacy and performance by tuning the process parameters. Our suggested protocol allows for a more successful optimization routine when additional boundary conditions are desired.

A comercialização da contracepção de emergência em drogaria do município do Rio de Janeiro: aspectos éticos e metodológicos de uma pesquisa etnográfica / Commercialization of emergency contraception in a drugstore in the city of Rio de Janeiro: ethical and methodological aspects of an ethnographic research

O artigo discute aspectos éticos e metodológicos relativos à pesquisa etnográfica em drogaria da Zona Norte do município do Rio de Janeiro, no período 2011-2012. Buscou-se conhecer a dinâmica de provisão da contracepção de emergência pela drogaria, bem como a interação social entre o/a vendedor/a e/ou farmacêutico/a e o/a consumidor/a no ato da compra da pílula. A investigação está permeada por desafios relacionados ao caráter comercial das drogarias no país, embora estes estabelecimentos sejam considerados legalmente “de interesse para a saúde”. No primeiro momento, apresenta-se a discussão sobre os antecedentes do trabalho de campo: a busca pela aprovação da pesquisa tanto pelo Comitê de Ética em Pesquisa quanto por proprietários de drogarias. Em seguida, o processo de entrada em campo é problematizado pela perspectiva das relações e posições assumidas pela pesquisadora e sujeitos pesquisados. A opção pela etnografia no contexto privado das drogarias, visando conhecer a comercialização da contracepção de emergência, foi fundamental para a compreensão de processos complexos relacionados aos jogos sutis de controle da sexualidade e reprodução nesse espaço. A interação entre pesquisadora e sujeitos da pesquisa em campo é um processo socialmente construído, conforme as circunstâncias específicas que demarcam a coleta de dados/pesquisa, por isso o método da pesquisa e a postura ética precisam estar bem definidos e claros para o pesquisador. Ambos estão interligados, dependem do exercício criativo e da avaliação crítica do pesquisador sobre suas relações em campo...

This article discusses ethical and methodological aspects related to the ethnographic research conducted in a drugstore in the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in 2011 and 2012. The aim was analyzing the dynamics of emergency contraception commercialization by this drugstore, as well as the social interaction between the seller and/or pharmacist and the customer at the time the latter purchases the pill. The investigation is permeated by challenges related to the commercial nature of drugstores in the country, even though these commercial establishments are legally considered as having a “health-related interest”. First, we introduce a discussion on the background of the fieldwork: the quest for research approval, both by the research ethics committee concerned and by drugstore owners. Then, the process of getting into the field is discussed from the perspective of the relations and positions taken by the female researcher and the subjects under analysis. The choice for ethnography in the private context of drugstores, aiming to identify the commercialization of emergency contraception, was crucial to apprehend the complex processes related to the subtle games of sexuality and reproduction control in this space. The interaction between the female researcher and the research subjects during fieldwork constitutes a socially constructed process, according to the specific circumstances that delimit the collection of data/the research, thus, the research method and the ethical attitude must be properly defined and clear for the researcher. They are interconnected, depending on a creative exercise and a critical evaluation of the researcher on her/his relations within the field...

A comercialização da contracepção de emergência em drogaria do município do Rio de Janeiro: aspectos éticos e metodológicos de uma pesquisa etnográfica / Commercialization of emergency contraception in a drugstore in the city of Rio de Janeiro: ethical and methodological aspects of an ethnographic research

O artigo discute aspectos éticos e metodológicos relativos à pesquisa etnográfica em drogaria da Zona Norte do município do Rio de Janeiro, no período 2011-2012. Buscou-se conhecer a dinâmica de provisão da contracepção de emergência pela drogaria, bem como a interação social entre o/a vendedor/a e/ou farmacêutico/a e o/a consumidor/a no ato da compra da pílula. A investigação está permeada por desafios relacionados ao caráter comercial das drogarias no país, embora estes estabelecimentos sejam considerados legalmente ôde interesse para a saúdeö. No primeiro momento, apresenta-se a discussão sobre os antecedentes do trabalho de campo: a busca pela aprovação da pesquisa tanto pelo Comitê de Ética em Pesquisa quanto por proprietários de drogarias. Em seguida, o processo de entrada em campo é problematizado pela perspectiva das relações e posições assumidas pela pesquisadora e sujeitos pesquisados. A opção pela etnografia no contexto privado das drogarias, visando conhecer a comercialização da contracepção de emergência, foi fundamental para a compreensão de processos complexos relacionados aos jogos sutis de controle da sexualidade e reprodução nesse espaço. A interação entre pesquisadora e sujeitos da pesquisa em campo é um processo socialmente construído, conforme as circunstâncias específicas que demarcam a coleta de dados/pesquisa, por isso o método da pesquisa e a postura ética precisam estar bem definidos e claros para o pesquisador. Ambos estão interligados, dependem do exercício criativo e da avaliação crítica do pesquisador sobre suas relações em campo.(AU)