Evidence map›Paper›PMID 25516509›Full record

ArticleBMC medical research methodology2014

A modified regression method to test publication bias in meta-analyses with binary outcomes.

Zhi-Chao Jin, Cheng Wu, Xiao-Hua Zhou, Jia He

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMC medical research methodology, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 16 papers, 7 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
16citing papers in PubMed, 7 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

16 citing papers in PubMed, 7 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

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  6. Hybrid test for publication bias in meta-analysis.Statistical methods in medical research · 2020
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  10. Tests for publication bias are unreliable in case of heteroscedasticity.Contemporary clinical trials communications · 2021
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Zhi-Chao Jin
Cheng Wu
Xiao-Hua ZhouDepartment of Health Statistics, Second Military Medical University, No, 800 Xiangyin Road, Shanghai 200433, China. azhou@u.washington.edu.
Jia He

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe tendency towards publication bias is greater for observational studies than for randomized clinical trials. Several statistical methods have been developed to test the publication bias. However, almost all existing methods exhibit rather low power or have inappropriate type I error rates.

methodsWe propose a modified regression method, which used a smoothed variance to estimate the precision of a study, to test for publication bias in meta-analyses of observational studies. A comprehensive simulation study is carried out, and a real-world example is considered.

resultsThe simulation results indicate that the performance of tests varies with the number of included studies, level of heterogeneity, event rates, and sample size ratio between two groups. Neither the existing tests nor the newly developed method is particularly powerful in all simulation scenarios. However, our proposed method has a more robust performance across different settings. In the presence of heterogeneity, the arcsine-Thompson test is a suitable alternative, and Peters' test can be considered as a complementary method when mild or no heterogeneity is present.

conclusionsSeveral factors should be taken into consideration when employing asymmetry tests for publication bias. Based on our simulation results, we provide a concise table to show the appropriate use of regression methods to test for publication bias based on our simulation results.

Indexed as

Meta-Analysis as TopicObservational Studies as TopicFemaleGenetic Predisposition to DiseaseHumansPolymorphism, Single NucleotidePre-EclampsiaPregnancyPregnancy Complications, CardiovascularPublication BiasRandomized Controlled Trials as TopicRegression Analysis

Identifiers

PMID25516509
PMCPMC4289575

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.