A mean of systematic review of diagnostic tests based on The Bayes Library of Diagnostic Studies and Reviews (2nd edition 2002) and Bayes Library are introduced to Chinese readers who are interesting on diagnostic test and screening systematic review.
Objective To assess the quality of current domestic literature about enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for invasive aspergillosis diagnosis by detecting Aspergillus galactomannan (GM) antigen, and to analyze the sources of bias and variability, as well as the diagnostic ability of different thresholds. Methods Both computer-based online search and manual retrieval were employed to identify relevant articles. The statistical information and quality of science were assessed and classified. The data were analyzed using Meta Disc 1.4 software. The best cutoff value for defining a positive test result was selected by summarizing the following statistical indicators as sensitivity, specificity, likelihood ratio (LR) and summary receiver operating characteristic curve (SROC curve), and by calculating the area under the curve (AUC) as well. Results A total of 20 studies among 2658 literatures were included in accordance with the inclusion criteria, and were divided into different groups based on different cutoff values. Though heterogeneity tests showed no threshold effect, and there were other reasons of heterogeneity. So the data were analyzed by random effects model. The results showed that, compared with other groups, the one with cutoff value set at 0.7 (AUC=0.9456, Q= 0.884 6) showed the best accuracy in diagnosing. Conclusion ELISA detection of Aspergillus GM antigen with cutoff value set at 0.7 has important significance in the early diagnosis of invasive aspergillosis, and it can be conducive to reduce mortality in patients at high risk for Aspergillus infection.
Objective To assess the quality of diagnostic studies on detecting the tuberculosis antibody to diagnose tuberculosis.Methods CBM (1978 to 2006) and VIP (1994 to 2006) were searched; any author-claimed diagnostic studies which used the dot immunogold filtration assay (DIGFA) to detect the tuberculosis antibody and to diagnose tuberculosis were included. The Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies (QUADAS) was used to assess the quality of included diagnostic studies by two reviewers independently.Results Thirty-eight papers were included and assessed. We found that most of the quality items were not met with QUADAS. Most papers adopted the retrospective diagnostic case-control design. Thirty-one papers did not describe the selection criteria clearly, 18 did not describe whether all the included patients were verified by using a reference standard of diagnosis, 36 did not describe whether the index test results were interpreted without knowledge of the results of the reference standard, 37 did not report the uninterpretable/intermediate test results, and 34 did not report the withdrawals from the study.Conclusion There are few high quality studies on using DIGFA to detect tuberculosis antibody to diagnose tuberculosis.
Objective To explore the accuracy and practicability of bone age assessment for the diagnosis of idiopathic precocious puberty (IPP). Methods According to the “Gold Standard”, we selected 55 girls with IPP for the study group, and 83 normal girls for the control group. We retrospectively analyzed the first left hand-wrist radiographs at the first visit. Bone ages were assessed by using a single-blind method according to the RUS (Radius Ulna and Short bones), carpale and 20 bones method (TW2). Each had 5 decision thresholds (gt;97th percentile, gt;90th percentile, gt;75th percentile, gt;50th percentile and ≤50th percentile). The diagnostic values from RUS, carpale and 20 bones methods assessing bone age were analyzed to identify the best decision threshold. Results ① Both sensitivity and specificity of the four decision thresholds were relatively higher, including gt;90th percentile of RUS (sensitivity 0.836, specificity 0.916), gt;90th percentile of carpale (sensitivity 0.746, specificity 0.916), gt;90th and gt;75th percentile of 20 bone (sensitivity 0.746, specificity 0.964 and sensitivity 0.982, specificity 0.783, respectively). ② Area under receiver operator characteristic curve (AUR): AUR of RUS 0.939 ± 0.019 (95%CI 0.902 to 0.977), AUR of carpale 0.899 ± 0.028 (95%CI 0.845 to 0.954), AUR of 20 bone 0.958 ± 0.014 (95%CI 0.930 to 0.986). No significant difference was found (F=2.03, P=0.13). ③ Agreement assessment within-observer reliability was 89.28%, and between-observer reliability was 80.3% (Kappa 0.68, u=6.87, P＜0.01). Conclusions RUS and 20 bones methods have high accuracy for the diagnosis of idiopathic precocious puberty. Considering sensitivity and specificity, we think that ＞90th percentile of RUS is the best decision threshold.
ObjectiveTo systematically review the diagnostic value of Presepsin for sepsis. MethodsWe searched databases including PubMed, EMbase, Web of Science, WanFang, VIP and CNKI from inception to June 2015 to collect diagnostic tests related to Presepsin for spesis. Two reviewers independently screened literature, extracted data and assessed the risk of bias of included studies by QUADAS-2 tool. Then, meta-analysis was performed by Stata 13.0 software. ResultsA total of 19 studies involving 4140 samples were included. The results of meta-analysis showed that:the pooled sensitivity (Sen) and specificity (Spe) were 0.85 (95%CI 0.79 to 0.90) and 0.83 (95%CI 0.76 to 0.87), respectively. The area under the summary receiver operating characteristic (SROC) curve was 0.91 (95%CI 0.88 to 0.93). ConclusionPresepsin shows high diagnostic value for sepsis as a novel biomarker. Due to the limited quality of the included studies, more high quality studies are needed to verify the above conclusion.
ObjectiveTo systematically review the diagnostic value of gadolinium ethoxybenzyl diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid (Gd-EOB-DTPA) for liver metastases. MethodsWe searched databases including CNKI, CBM, VIP, WanFang Data, PubMed, EMbase and The Cochrane Library from January 2011 to December 2014 to collect diagnostic tests about Gd-EOB-DTPA for liver metastases. Two reviewers independently screened literature, extracted data, and assessed the risk of bias of included studies by using the QUADAS-2 (Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies-2) tool. Then, meta-analysis was performed by using Stata 12.0 software. ResultsA total of 15 studies from seven countries were included, involving 2 040 nodules from 701 patients. The results of meta-analysis showed that, the pooled sensitivity (Sen), specificity (Spe), positive likelihood ratio (+LR), negative likelihood ratio (-LR) and diagnostic odds ratio (DOR) of Gd-EOB-DTPA for liver metastases were 0.92 (95%CI 0.89 to 0.95), 0.94 (95%CI 0.89 to 0.97), 14.51 (95%CI 8.01 to 26.28), 0.08 (95%CI 0.06 to 0.12), and 177.98 (95%CI 89.50 to 353.94), respectively. The area under curve (AUC) of SROC was 0.97 (95%CI 0.95 to 0.98). The results of subgroup analysis showed that Gd-EOB-DTPA had better Sen in nodules >10 mm than the nodules ≤10 mm in diameter (>10 mm: pooled Sen=0.97, 95%CI 0.94 to 0.99; ≤10 mm: pooled Sen=0.75, 95%CI 0.65 to 0.85; P<0.001); The 3.0T MR had better Sen in diagnosing liver metastases compared with 1.5T MR (3.0T: pooled Sen=0.95, 95%CI 0.92 to 0.97; 1.5T: pooled Sen=0.90, 95%CI 0.87 to 0.94; P<0.001). ConclusionGdEOB-DTPA is of value for the detection of liver metastases. In particular, it is of high sensitivity for the detection of nodules larger than 10 mm, and for the cases using 3.0T high-field MR system. Due to limited quantity and quality of the included studies, more high-quality studies are required to verify the above conclusion.
Objective To evaluate the diagnostic value of antikeratin antibody (AKA) for rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Methods Systematic and comprehensive literature was searched in PubMed (1966 to June 2010), The Cochrane Library (Issue 6, 2010), CBM (1978 to June 2010), CNKI (1994 to June 2010), VIP (1989 to June 2010), and CMA Digital Periodicals (1997 to June 2010). The diagnosis studies of antikeratin antibody for rheumatoid arthritis were included. The quality assessment of diagnostic accuracy studies (QUADAS) items were used to assess the quality of the included studies. The Meta-Disc (version 1.4) software was used to analyze the data. Results A total of 69 trials involving 14 890 participants were included. The results of meta-analyses showed that compared with the RA classification criteria revised by American Rheumatism Association (ARA), the summary sensitivity, specificity, positive likelihood ratio, negative likelihood ratio, OR value, and summary receiver operating characteristic curve of antikeratin antibody were 0.41 (0.39, 0.42), 0.94 (0.94, 0.95), 9.52 (7.21, 12.57), 0.63 (0.60, 0.66), 15.24 (11.62, 19.98), and 0.613 6, respectively. Conclusion Antikeratin antibody might be one of the most effective diagnoses for rheumatoid arthritis. The clinicians should combine other autoantibodies with AKA to diagnose rheumatoid arthritis.
Objective To evaluate diagnostic accuracy of several relevant cut-off points of Montreal cognitive assessment (MoCA) for mild cognitive impairment (MCI) in Chinese middle-aged adults. Methods Databases including PubMed, EMbase, Web of Science, The Cochrane Library (Issue 5, 2016), OVID, CBM, CNKI, VIP, WanFang Data were searched for diagnostic tests about MoCA for MCI from April 9th 2005 to December 31st 2015. Two reviewers independently screened literatures according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, extracted data and assessed the methodological quality by QUADAS-2 tool. Then, meta-analysis was performed by Stata 14.0 software. Results A total of 27 studies involving 5 755 participants were included with mean ages from 60 to 80 years old. Among them, 1 997 were diagnosed as MCI patients by Petersen criteria. Based on maximal area under the ROC curve as well as optimal pooled sensitivity and specificity, the optimal cutoff value of MoCA was 25/26, the pooled sensitivity was 0.96 with 95%CI 0.93 to 0.97, specificity was 0.83 with 95%CI 0.75 to 0.89, and DOR was 107 with 95%CI 61 to 188. The subgroup analysis with different research designs, different sources of study participants and different MoCA versions all indicated 25/26 as an optimal cut-off value. Conclusion The optimal cutoff value of MoCA in Chinese middle-aged adults for screening MCI by Petersen criteria was 25/26.
ObjectivesTo analyze the cooperation and basic characteristics on systematic reviews/meta-analyses (SRs/MAs) in diagnostic test registered in PROSPERO platform, in order to provide reference for registering and preparing the SRs/MAs on diagnostic test.MethodsWe searched PROSPERO platform from inception to November 12th, 2017, to identify SRs/MAs on diagnostic test. Two reviewers independently screened records and extracted data by the inclusion and exclusion criteria. The forest figure was prepared by STATA 13.0 software. The figure of network of authors, organizations and countries were prepared by NetDraw software.ResultsA total of 240 SRs/MAs in diagnostic test were included. There was a serious imbalance in the quantity of the distribution of authors (1 050), organizations (360) and countries (34). These SRs/MAs in diagnostic test were related to 21 systematic diseases, with cancer ranking the first (52, 22%). Tissue biopsy was the most used gold standard, and imaging diagnosis was the most used diagnostic test. The most commonly retrieved English databases were PubMed, EMbase The Cochrane Library, while the Chinese databases were CNKI, WanFang Data and CBM. The search strategy were reported in 105 (43.8%) SRs/MAs on diagnostic test. The QUADAS-2 was used to assess the quality of included studies in 159 (66.3%) SRs/MAs in diagnostic test, and 105 (43.8%) SRs/MAs were supported by funding.ConclusionsThe absolute quantity of SRs/MAs in diagnostic test is still minimal. There are relationships among different authors, organizations and countries. The researcher should focus on the effective sizes and statistical methods in future.