Purpose N-of-1 trials have been used in medicine to generate treatment information when evidence from randomized controlled trials (RCTs) is not available or applicable. Nof-1 study design maintains the methodological safeguards provided by RCTs (blinding, randomization and controls) yet avoids the disadvantages associated with large trials. A standardized method of reporting of N-of1 trials, s...

This work presents a version of the Metropolis-Hastings algorithm using quasi-Monte Carlo inputs. We prove that the method yields consistent estimates in some problems with finite state spaces and completely uniformly distributed inputs. In some numerical examples, the proposed method is much more accurate than ordinary Metropolis-Hastings sampling.

OBJECTIVES To evaluate the post hoc study power of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in the treatment of non-renal SLE and to determine the generalizability of these RCTs using an SLE database. METHODS RCTs in non-renal SLE were identified using PubMed (1975-2007). Inclusion/exclusion criteria, trial quality (5-point scale) and results of each study were recorded. The inclusion/exclusion cr...

For too long children have received medicines not sufficiently studied for their needs and, in fact, being considered as small replicas of adults, it was deemed sufficient to adjust the dosage of a drug approved for adults. Together with the limited availability of appropriate drug formulations, especially for neonates and toddlers, this approach has caused increased iatrogenic risk and/or subo...

In nephrology research, both observational studies and randomized controlled trials (RCTs) are commonly applied. Clinicians using the evidence from epidemiological studies should be aware of the specific qualities and limitations of each study design. The purpose of the article is therefore to provide a brief overview of the range of study designs and to comment on the most important strengths ...

OBJECTIVE To review the nature of outcome measures used to evaluate psychosocial treatment in children. METHOD Recent research findings that highlight the importance of outcome data and justify randomized controlled trials (RCTs) are reviewed. RESULTS Outcome measures of child therapy can focus on changes in the child's symptoms, adaptation to the psychosocial environment, cognitive or emot...

Chronic sun exposure leads to photodamage, which is characterized clinically by fine and coarse wrinkles, dyspigmentation, telangiectasia, laxity, roughness and a sallow appearance. Many treatments claim to reduce the signs of photodamage, however evidence from randomized controlled trials (RCT) to support these claims is limited. The use of topical retinoids, particularly tretinoin, isotretino...

Plyometric training (PT) enhances soccer performance, particularly vertical jump. However, the effectiveness of PT depends on various factors. A systematic search of the research literature was conducted for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) studying the effects of PT on countermovement jump (CMJ) height in soccer players. Ten studies were obtained through manual and electronic journal search...

H igh-quality randomized controlled trials (RCTs) are the highest level of evidence in assessing the effectiveness of a treatment. It is random allocation that places RCTs in the highest level of evidence. The purpose of randomization is to create groups of patients that are comparable for known and unknown factors at the start of the trial so that any differences at the completion of the trial...

BACKGROUND Routinely collected health data (RCD) are increasingly used for randomized controlled trials (RCTs). This can provide three major benefits: increasing value through better feasibility (reducing costs, time, and resources), expanding the research agenda (performing trials for research questions otherwise not amenable to trials), and offering novel design and data collection options (e...