Evidence map›Paper›PMID 22047889›Full record

ArticleJournal of clinical epidemiology2012

Concordance of randomized and nonrandomized studies was unrelated to translational patterns of two nutrient-disease associations.

Thomas A Trikalinos, Denish Moorthy, Mei Chung, Winifred W Yu, Jounghee Lee, Alice H Lichtenstein, Joseph Lau

Abstract readComparative Study
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of clinical epidemiology, 2012. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 10 papers, 6 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
10citing papers in PubMed, 6 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

10 citing papers in PubMed, 6 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
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  7. Article
  8. Observational research rigour alone does not justify causal inference.European journal of clinical investigation · 2016
    Article
  9. Review
  10. Review
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

7 authors.

Thomas A TrikalinosCenter for Clinical Evidence Synthesis, Institute for Clinical Research and Health Policy Studies, Tufts Medical Center, Box #63, 800 Washington Street, Boston, MA 02111, USA. ttrikalinos@tuftsmedicalcenter.org
Denish Moorthy
Mei Chung
Winifred W Yu
Jounghee Lee
Alice H Lichtenstein
Joseph Lau

Funding

Nutrition &Cardiovascular Disease Training ProgramT32HL069772 · NHLBI · TUFTS UNIVERSITY BOSTON · PI LICHTENSTEIN, ALICE H · 2003 to 2017
$2.1M
NHLBI NIH HHS T32 HL069772PHS HHS 290 2007 100551
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveThere are several examples in nutrition of discordance between the results of observational studies and randomized controlled trials (RCTs). We hypothesized that this discordance is attributable to differences in the translational paths of nutrient-disease associations. Translational paths can be assessed using citation analysis. STUDY DESIGN AND

settingWe compared the characteristics of citation networks using examples, where RCTs and observational studies agreed (long-chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids [n-3 PUFA]) or disagreed (vitamin E). We performed systematic reviews in each example, constructed citation networks, and compared them with respect to the number of articles and citation relationships between them, as well as the distribution of articles' hub and authority scores.

resultsFor n-3 PUFA, meta-analyses of 14 RCTs and 10 observational studies both suggested that higher intake was associated with lower cardiovascular mortality. For vitamin E, the meta-analysis of 14 RCTs excluded a clinically significant effect, whereas 14 observational studies reported a significant inverse association. The respective citation networks consisted of 392 (n-3 PUFA) and 351 (vitamin E) articles. No differences between the characteristics of the two networks were identified. There was no evidence that the observational studies predated RCTs in the translational process in either example.

conclusionIn the two examples, citation network characteristics do not predict concordance in the results of observational studies and RCTs.

Indexed as

FoodRandomized Controlled Trials as TopicTranslational Research, BiomedicalAntioxidantsCardiovascular DiseasesClinical Trials as TopicData Interpretation, StatisticalDocosahexaenoic AcidsEicosapentaenoic AcidEvidence-Based MedicineFatty Acids, Omega-3HumansMeta-Analysis as TopicRisk AssessmentTreatment OutcomeVitamin EAntioxidantsDocosahexaenoic AcidsEicosapentaenoic AcidFatty Acids, Omega-3Vitamin E

Identifiers

PMID22047889
PMCPMC3809069

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceTDM
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 Socratic graph.