Evidence map›Paper›PMID 32539721›Full record

SynthesisBMC medical research methodology2020

Laplace approximation, penalized quasi-likelihood, and adaptive Gauss-Hermite quadrature for generalized linear mixed models: towards meta-analysis of binary outcome with sparse data.

Ke Ju, Lifeng Lin, Haitao Chu, Liang-Liang Cheng, Chang Xu

Abstract readMeta-Analysis
In one paragraph

Synthesis in BMC medical research methodology, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 27 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
27citing papers in PubMed, 3 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

27 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Pooled it
  3. Bayesian Methods for Meta-Analyses of Binary Outcomes: Implementations, Examples, and Impact of Priors.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021
    Pooled it
  4. Article
  5. Article
  6. Article
  7. Article
  8. Article
  9. Fatigue Symptoms Influence Effort-Based Decision-Making in Major Depressive Disorder.medRxiv : the preprint server for health sciences · 2025
    Article
  10. Article
  11. The Neurobiology of Cognitive Fatigue and Its Influence on Effort-Based Choice.The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience · 2025
    Article
  12. Article
  13. Article
  14. Article
  15. Article
  16. Article
  17. Article
  18. Big Data in Gastroenterology Research.International journal of molecular sciences · 2023
    Review
  19. Article
  20. Article
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

5 authors.

Ke JuWest China School of Public Health and West China Fourth Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China.
Lifeng LinDepartment of Statistics, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, USA.
Haitao ChuDivision of Biostatistics, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA.
Liang-Liang ChengSchool of Public Health, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.
Chang XuDepartment of Population Medicine, College of Medicine, Qatar University, Al Jamiaa Street, P. O. Box 2713, Doha, Qatar. xuchang1222@126.com.

Funding

Women's CancerP30CA077598 · NCI · UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA TWIN CITIES · PI Jeffrey S. Miller · 1998 to 2026
$100.4M
University of Minnesota Clinical and Translational Science Institute (UMN CTSI)UL1TR002494 · NCATS · UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA · PI BLAZAR, BRUCE R, WEISDORF, DANIEL J · 2018 to 2022
$34.9M
NCATS NIH HHS UL1 TR002494NCI NIH HHS P30 CA077598
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundIn meta-analyses of a binary outcome, double zero events in some studies cause a critical methodology problem. The generalized linear mixed model (GLMM) has been proposed as a valid statistical tool for pooling such data. Three parameter estimation methods, including the Laplace approximation (LA), penalized quasi-likelihood (PQL) and adaptive Gauss-Hermite quadrature (AGHQ) were frequently used in the GLMM. However, the performance of GLMM via these estimation methods is unclear in meta-analysis with zero events.

methodsA simulation study was conducted to compare the performance. We fitted five random-effects GLMMs and estimated the results through the LA, PQL and AGHQ methods, respectively. Each scenario conducted 20,000 simulation iterations. The data from Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews were collected to form the simulation settings. The estimation methods were compared in terms of the convergence rate, bias, mean square error, and coverage probability.

resultsOur results suggested that when the total events were insufficient in either of the arms, the GLMMs did not show good point estimation to pool studies of rare events. The AGHQ method did not show better properties than the LA estimation in terms of convergence rate, bias, coverage, and possibility to produce very large odds ratios. In addition, although the PQL had some advantages, it was not the preferred option due to its low convergence rate in some situations, and the suboptimal point and variance estimation compared to the LA.

conclusionThe GLMM is an alternative for meta-analysis of rare events and is especially useful in the presence of zero-events studies, while at least 10 total events in both arms is recommended when employing GLMM for meta-analysis. The penalized quasi-likelihood and adaptive Gauss-Hermite quadrature are not superior to the Laplace approximation for rare events and thus they are not recommended.

Indexed as

Models, StatisticalComputer SimulationHumansLikelihood FunctionsLinear ModelsOdds RatioSystematic Reviews as TopicBoth-arm zero eventsMeta-analysisOne-stage approachRare events

Identifiers

PMID32539721
PMCPMC7296731

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.