Disparity between statistical significance and clinical importance in published randomised controlled trials: a methodological study.

Objectives: We estimated the extent of the disparity between statistical significance and clinical importance in published randomised controlled trials (RCTs), and explored factors associated with this disparity.

Design: A methodological study of trials published between 2018 and 2022 and indexed in PubMed was conducted. Primary reports of two-arm, phase three, superiority trials of human health interventions were included.

Mediating roles of rumination and emotional intelligence in the relationship between resilience and professional efficacy in pharmacy practice.

Background: Understanding the factors that enhance professional efficacy is essential for optimizing job performance and satisfaction in a high-pressure pharmaceutical practice environment. Consequently, this study investigates the relationship between psychological resilience and professional efficacy among pharmacists, with rumination and emotional intelligence as potential mediating factors.

Methods: We employed a cross-sectional design and structural equation modeling to analyze data from a sample of 576 pharmacists conducted in the Punjab province between September 2023 and January 2024.

Association between virtual visits and health outcomes of people living with HIV: A cross-sectional study.

Background: Virtual care has been integrated as a modality of care in Ontario, yet its effectiveness for people living with HIV remains largely unexplored.

Objectives: We aimed to determine the association of visit modality (virtual, in-person, or both) on adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART), viral load, and quality of life (QoL) in people living with HIV in Ontario, Canada.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study using data from the 2022 Ontario HIV Treatment Network Cohort Study (OCS), collected during the COVID-19 pandemic when virtual visits were first introduced.

Effect of strategic memory advanced reasoning training (SMART) therapy for enhancing final-year high school students career choices.

The SMART program improves students' memory, reasoning, and strategic thinking skills, crucial for academic success and career planning. This study explored the effect of Strategic Memory Advanced Reasoning Training (SMART) for final-year high school students, aiming to enhance their decision-making abilities and prepare them for University. Based on the literature, nine hypotheses were developed with SMART program implementation therapy as an independent variable with four sub-variables: cognitive skills, professional development, social skills, and academic skills, and their impact on the dependent variable, such as career decision-making.

Barriers to undergraduate medical students' research engagement in Pakistan: a qualitative exploration.

Background: Engaging in research is a critical component of medical education, fostering critical thinking and evidence-based practices. Despite its importance, undergraduate medical students in Pakistan face significant barriers to research engagement. This study explores the challenges hindering their participation in research activities.

Project-based learning as a catalyst for 21st-Century skills and student engagement in the math classroom.

Along with traditional academic knowledge, 21st-century skills are crucial for equipping students with a competitive future. Project-based learning (PBL) cultivates these competencies among learners as an instructional approach. This research aimed to construct and analyze a PBL framework designed to weave 21st-century skills into high school education.

Predicting online learning experiences in sports education during the COVID-19 pandemic: Implications for pedagogical strategies.

This research aims to assess the predictors that impact the online learning experiences (OLEs) of undergraduate sports students amid the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak utilizing the Community of Inquiry (CoI) framework. An online survey was employed using the cluster sampling method to systematically examine the associations among the variables related to the OLE of sports students. A sample size of 402 undergraduate sports students from two universities in China was chosen and surveyed.

Exploring the longitudinal impacts of academic stress and lifestyle factors among Chinese students.

Background: Several cross-sectional and longitudinal investigations have demonstrated a robust association between academic stress, physical activity, mental health history, and time management skills. However, the existing literature exhibits inconsistencies in the relationship between academic stress and its predictive effects on physical activity and mental health history. In addition, there is a scarcity of scholarly research that concentrates on the significance of time management skills within this particular context.

Interventions to Improve Adherence to Oral Pre-exposure Prophylaxis: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-analysis.

For people at risk of HIV infection, pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) can reduce the risk of infection in anticipation of exposure to HIV. The effectiveness of PrEP relies upon a user's adherence to their PrEP regimen. We sought to assess the effect of PrEP adherence interventions compared to usual care or another intervention for people at risk of HIV.

Pulmonary hypertension survival and hospitalisations in people living with HIV: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Introduction: People living with HIV (PLHIV) have a higher risk of developing pulmonary hypertension (PH) with subsequent poorer prognosis. This review aimed to determine the (1) survival outcomes and (2) proportion of emergency department (ED) visits and hospitalisations of PLHIV and PH.

Methods: We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies reporting survival outcomes for PLHIV and PH.

Measures of retention in HIV care: A protocol for a mixed methods study.

Introduction: Retention in HIV care is necessary to achieve adherence to antiretroviral therapy, viral load suppression, and optimal health outcomes. There is no standard definition for retention in HIV care, which compromises consistent and reliable reporting and comparison of retention across facilities, jurisdictions, and studies.

Objective: The objective of this study is to explore how stakeholders involved in HIV care define retention in HIV care and their preferences on measuring retention.

Community level youth-led interventions to improve maternal-neonatal outcomes in low- and middle-income countries: A systematic review of randomised trials.

Background: Evidence on the effectiveness of youth-led interventions for improving maternal-neonatal health and well-being of women and gender diverse childbearing people in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) is incomplete. We aimed to summarise the evidence on whether community level youth-led interventions can improve maternal and neonatal outcomes in LMICs.

Methods: We included experimental studies of youth-led interventions versus no intervention, standard care, or another intervention.

Potential determinants of parental hesitancy to vaccinate their children against COVID-19 infection: a cross-sectional investigation.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination hesitancy has emerged as a substantial concern among the adult population globally. However, limited evidence is available about parental hesitancy to vaccinate their children against COVID-19 within the Pakistani context. Thus, the present investigation aimed to assess parental attitudes, perceptions, and willingness regarding vaccination hesitancy and associated predictors of getting their children vaccinated against COVID-19.

HIV and Black People in Canada: Protocol for a Scoping Review.

Background: Race-based health information is necessary to address disproportionate barriers racial communities face and to achieve optimal health outcomes. In Canada, Black people are disproportionately affected by HIV. There is an emerging body of literature on this topic, but a concise summary is lacking.

Predictors of Recovery Following Lumbar Microdiscectomy for Sciatica: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Observational Studies.

Chronic post-surgical pain is reported by up to 40% of patients after lumbar microdiscectomy for sciatica, a complaint associated with disability and loss of productivity. We conducted a systematic review of observational studies to explore factors associated with persistent leg pain and impairments after microdiscectomy for sciatica. We searched eligible studies in MEDLINE, Embase, and CINAHL that explored, in an adjusted model, predictors of persistent leg pain, physical impairment, or failure to return to work after microdiscectomy for sciatica.

Empirical progression criteria thresholds for feasibility outcomes in HIV clinical trials: a methodological study.

Introduction: Pilot and feasibility trials use predetermined thresholds for feasibility outcomes to decide if a larger trial is feasible. These thresholds may be derived from the literature, observational data, or clinical experience. The aim of this study was to determine empirical estimates for feasibility outcomes to inform future HIV pilot randomized trials.

Describing Engagement in the HIV Care Cascade: A Methodological Study.

Introduction: Engagement in the HIV care cascade is required for people living with HIV (PLWH) to achieve an undetectable viral load. However, varying definitions of engagement exist, contributing to heterogeneity in research regarding how many individuals are actively participating and benefitting from care. A standardized definition is needed to enhance comparability and pooling of data from engagement studies.

Measures of Retention in HIV Care: A Study Within a Review.

People living with HIV (PLHIV) need lifelong medical care. However, retention in HIV care is not measured uniformly, making it challenging to compare or pool data. The objective of this study within a review (SWAR) is to describe the assortment of definitions used for retention in HIV care in randomized controlled trials (RCTs).

COVID-19 vaccine reluctance and possible driving factors: A comparative assessment among pregnant and non-pregnant women.

The coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) constitutes a serious threat to pregnant women. One of the key strategies for preventing and managing the COVID-19 epidemic is vaccination. Herd immunity is significantly hampered by COVID-19 vaccine reluctance, which poses a potential threat to population health.

Community Level Youth-Led Interventions to Improve Maternal-Neonatal Outcomes in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: Protocol for a Systematic Review.

Introduction: On a global scale, women and childbearing people and neonates continue to die from preventable causes related to pregnancy or childbirth. Sustained and accelerated efforts are critical to improve maternal and neonatal health and well-being. Globally, youth are a growing population and have strength in their numbers.

Developing Reporting Guidelines for Studies of HIV Drug Resistance Prevalence: Protocol for a Mixed Methods Study.

Background: HIV drug resistance is a global health problem that limits the effectiveness of antiretroviral therapy. Adequate surveillance of HIV drug resistance is challenged by heterogenous and inadequate data reporting, which compromises the accuracy, interpretation, and usability of prevalence estimates. Previous research has found that the quality of reporting in studies of HIV drug resistance prevalence is low, and thus better guidance is needed to ensure complete and uniform reporting.

Long-Term Air Pollution Exposure and Ischemic Heart Disease Mortality Among Elderly in High Aging Asian Economies.

In the epidemiological literature, the impact of environmental pollution on cardiac mortality has been well documented. There is, however, a paucity of evidence on the impact of air pollution exposure on ischemic heart disease (IHD) mortality among the Asian aged population. In response, this research seeks to investigate the degree of proximity between exposure to ambient PM, household PM, ground-level ozone (O), and IHD mortality in the top seven Asian economies with the highest aging rates.

Application of Grey-Based SWARA and COPRAS Techniques in Disease Mortality Risk Assessment.

The health industry is amongst the most affected systems in terms of multiobjective decision-making, rendering the final solution, vulnerable to errors; however, multicriteria decision analysis (MDCA) emerges as a supportive tool for the process of decision-making. Therefore, the present study seeks to offer an MCDA framework for assessing and identifying the potential influence of socioeconomic risk factors on noncommunicable disease mortality. We adopted a subjective approach of grey-based Step-wise Weight Assessment Ratio Analysis (SWARA) and COmplex PRoportional Assessment (COPRAS) approach to calculate weights of parameters and criteria, respectively, and then rank them based on their degree of significance.