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BMC Medical Research Methodology

Issue 1/2010

Content (112 Articles)

Open Access Commentary

A tutorial on pilot studies: the what, why and how

Lehana Thabane, Jinhui Ma, Rong Chu, Ji Cheng, Afisi Ismaila, Lorena P Rios, Reid Robson, Marroon Thabane, Lora Giangregorio, Charles H Goldsmith

Open Access Research article

Evaluating clinical periodontal measures as surrogates for bacterial exposure: The Oral Infections and Vascular Disease Epidemiology Study (INVEST)

Ryan T Demmer, Panos N Papapanou, David R Jacobs Jr, Moïse Desvarieux

Open Access Research article

Estimates of sensitivity and specificity can be biased when reporting the results of the second test in a screening trial conducted in series

Brandy M Ringham, Todd A Alonzo, Gary K Grunwald, Deborah H Glueck

Open Access Debate

Water displacement leg volumetry in clinical studies - A discussion of error sources

Eberhard Rabe, Markus Stücker, Bertram Ottillinger

Open Access Research article

Design, recruitment, and retention of African-American smokers in a pharmacokinetic study

Babalola Faseru, Lisa S Cox, Carrie A Bronars, Isaac Opole, Gregory A Reed, Matthew S Mayo, Jasjit S Ahluwalia, Kolawole S Okuyemi

Open Access Research article

Comparison of techniques for handling missing covariate data within prognostic modelling studies: a simulation study

Andrea Marshall, Douglas G Altman, Patrick Royston, Roger L Holder

Open Access Research article

Retaining young people in a longitudinal sexual health survey: a trial of strategies to maintain participation

Marion Henderson, Daniel Wight, Catherine Nixon, Graham Hart

Open Access Correspondence

Primary Prevention from the Epidemiology Perspective: Three Examples from the Practice

Iris Pigeot, Stefaan De Henauw, Ronja Foraita, Ingeborg Jahn, Wolfgang Ahrens

Open Access Research article

The Manchester Color Wheel: development of a novel way of identifying color choice and its validation in healthy, anxious and depressed individuals

Helen R Carruthers, Julie Morris, Nicholas Tarrier, Peter J Whorwell

Open Access Research article

Cross-cultural adaptation of research instruments: language, setting, time and statistical considerations

Linn Gjersing, John RM Caplehorn, Thomas Clausen

Open Access Research article

Understanding human functioning using graphical models

Markus Kalisch, Bernd AG Fellinghauer, Eva Grill, Marloes H Maathuis, Ulrich Mansmann, Peter Bühlmann, Gerold Stucki

Open Access Research article

Electronic search strategies to identify reports of cluster randomized trials in MEDLINE: low precision will improve with adherence to reporting standards

Monica Taljaard, Jessie McGowan, Jeremy M Grimshaw, Jamie C Brehaut, Andrew McRae, Martin P Eccles, Allan Donner

Open Access Research article

Performance of mixed effects models in the analysis of mediated longitudinal data

Emily A Blood, Howard Cabral, Timothy Heeren, Debbie M Cheng

Open Access Research article

Recruiting older people to a randomised controlled dietary intervention trial - how hard can it be?

Sarah E Forster, Laura Jones, John M Saxton, Daniel J Flower, Gemma Foulds, Hilary J Powers, Stuart G Parker, A Graham Pockley, Elizabeth A Williams

Open Access Research article

Relationship between haemagglutination-inhibiting antibody titres and clinical protection against influenza: development and application of a bayesian random-effects model

Laurent Coudeville, Fabrice Bailleux, Benjamin Riche, Françoise Megas, Philippe Andre, René Ecochard

Open Access Research article

Adaptive regression modeling of biomarkers of potential harm in a population of U.S. adult cigarette smokers and nonsmokers

John H Warner, Qiwei Liang, Mohamadi Sarkar, Paul E Mendes, Hans J Roethig

Open Access Research article

Variables with time-varying effects and the Cox model: Some statistical concepts illustrated with a prognostic factor study in breast cancer

Carine A Bellera, Gaëtan MacGrogan, Marc Debled, Christine Tunon de Lara, Véronique Brouste, Simone Mathoulin-Pélissier

Open Access Research article

A nomogram for Pvalues

Leonhard Held

Open Access Correspondence

The COSMIN checklist for evaluating the methodological quality of studies on measurement properties: A clarification of its content

Lidwine B Mokkink, Caroline B Terwee, Dirk L Knol, Paul W Stratford, Jordi Alonso, Donald L Patrick, Lex M Bouter, Henrica CW de Vet

Open Access Research article

Can we rely on the best trial? A comparison of individual trials and systematic reviews

Paul P Glasziou, Sasha Shepperd, Jon Brassey

Open Access Research article

Methodological issues regarding power of classical test theory (CTT) and item response theory (IRT)-based approaches for the comparison of patient-reported outcomes in two groups of patients - a simulation study

Véronique Sébille, Jean-Benoit Hardouin, Tanguy Le Néel, Gildas Kubis, François Boyer, Francis Guillemin, Bruno Falissard

Open Access Study protocol

Design of a randomized trial to evaluate the influence of mobile phone reminders on adherence to first line antiretroviral treatment in South India - the HIVIND study protocol

Ayesha De Costa, Anita Shet, Nagalingeswaran Kumarasamy, Per Ashorn, Bo Eriksson, Lennart Bogg, Vinod K Diwan

Open Access Research article

Investigation of relative risk estimates from studies of the same population with contrasting response rates and designs

Nicole M Mealing, Emily Banks, Louisa R Jorm, David G Steel, Mark S Clements, Kris D Rogers

Open Access Research article

Semi-parametric risk prediction models for recurrent cardiovascular events in the LIPID study

Jisheng Cui, Andrew Forbes, Adrienne Kirby, Ian Marschner, John Simes, David Hunt, Malcolm West, Andrew Tonkin

Open Access Research article

A graphical vector autoregressive modelling approach to the analysis of electronic diary data

Beate Wild, Michael Eichler, Hans-Christoph Friederich, Mechthild Hartmann, Stephan Zipfel, Wolfgang Herzog

Open Access Study protocol

The Jamaica asthma and allergies national prevalence survey: rationale and methods

Eulalia K Kahwa, Novie O Younger, Yvonne B Wint, Norman K Waldron, Hermi H Hewitt, Jennifer M Knight-Madden, Kay A Bailey, Nancy C Edwards, Laurel R Talabere, Karen N Lewis-Bell

Open Access Research article

Quality of cause-of-death reporting using ICD-10 drowning codes: a descriptive study of 69 countries

Tsung-Hsueh Lu, Philippe Lunetta, Sue Walker

Open Access Research article

The Total Deviation Index estimated by Tolerance Intervals to evaluate the concordance of measurement devices

Geòrgia Escaramís, Carlos Ascaso, Josep L Carrasco

Open Access Research article

Global quantitative indices reflecting provider process-of-care: data-base derivation

John L Moran, Patricia J Solomon

Open Access Correspondence

Missing the forest (plot) for the trees? A critique of the systematic review in tobacco control

Laura J Rosen, Michal Ben Noach, Elliot Rosenberg

Open Access Research article

Recruitment methods in Alzheimer's disease research: general practice versus population based screening by mail

Fred Andersen, Torgeir A Engstad, Bjørn Straume, Matti Viitanen, Dag S Halvorsen, Samuel Hykkerud, Kjell Sjøbrend

Open Access Study protocol

Mental health in the aged: prevalence, covariates and related neuroendocrine, cardiovascular and inflammatory factors of successful aging

Maria E Lacruz, Rebecca T Emeny, Horst Bickel, Barbara Cramer, Alexander Kurz, Martin Bidlingmaier, Dorothea Huber, Günther Klug, Annette Peters, Karl H Ladwig

Open Access Research article

Latent variables and structural equation models for longitudinal relationships: an illustration in nutritional epidemiology

Michel Chavance, Sylvie Escolano, Monique Romon, Arnaud Basdevant, Blandine de Lauzon-Guillain, Marie Aline Charles

Open Access Research article

Trials within trials? Researcher, funder and ethical perspectives on the practicality and acceptability of nesting trials of recruitment methods in existing primary care trials

Jonathan Graffy, Peter Bower, Elaine Ward, Paul Wallace, Brendan Delaney, Ann-Louise Kinmonth, David Collier, Julia Miller

Open Access Study protocol

Methods for determining disease burden and calibrating national surveillance data in the United Kingdom: the second study of infectious intestinal disease in the community (IID2 study)

Sarah J O'Brien, Greta Rait, Paul R Hunter, James J Gray, Frederick J Bolton, David S Tompkins, Jim McLauchlin, Louise H Letley, Goutam K Adak, John M Cowden, Meirion R Evans, Keith R Neal, Gillian E Smith, Brian Smyth, Clarence C Tam, Laura C Rodrigues

Open Access Research article

Parametric frailty models for clustered data with arbitrary censoring: application to effect of male circumcision on HPV clearance

Xiangrong Kong, Kellie J Archer, Lawrence H Moulton, Ronald H Gray, Mei-Cheng Wang

Open Access Study protocol

Protocol for a mixed methods study investigating the impact of investment in housing, regeneration and neighbourhood renewal on the health and wellbeing of residents: the GoWell programme

Matt Egan, Ade Kearns, Phil Mason, Carol Tannahill, Lyndal Bond, Jennie Coyle, Sheila Beck, Fiona Crawford, Phil Hanlon, Louise Lawson, Jennifer McLean, Mark Petticrew, Elena Sautkina, Hilary Thomson, David Walsh

Open Access Research article

Surname lists to identify South Asian and Chinese ethnicity from secondary data in Ontario, Canada: a validation study

Baiju R Shah, Maria Chiu, Shubarna Amin, Meera Ramani, Sharon Sadry, Jack V Tu

Open Access Research article

Subgroup effects despite homogeneous heterogeneity test results

Rolf HH Groenwold, Maroeska M Rovers, Jacobus Lubsen, Geert JMG van der Heijden

Open Access Research article

The null hypothesis significance test in health sciences research (1995-2006): statistical analysis and interpretation

Luis Carlos Silva-Ayçaguer, Patricio Suárez-Gil, Ana Fernández-Somoano

Open Access Research article

The 12-item World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule II (WHO-DAS II): a nonparametric item response analysis

Juan V Luciano, José L Ayuso-Mateos, Jaume Aguado, Ana Fernandez, Antoni Serrano-Blanco, Miquel Roca, Josep M Haro

Open Access Research article

Measurement of nicotine withdrawal symptoms: linguistic validation of the Wisconsin Smoking Withdrawal Scale (WSWS) in Malay

Ahmed Awaisu, Sulastri Samsudin, Nur A Amir, Che G Omar, Mohd I Hashim, Mohamed H Nik Mohamad, Asrul A Shafie, Mohamed A Hassali

Open Access Research article

Effectiveness of strategies to increase the validity of findings from association studies: size vs. replication

Rolf Weitkunat, Etienne Kaelin, Grégory Vuillaume, Gerd Kallischnigg

Open Access Research article

Testing for heterogeneity among the components of a binary composite outcome in a clinical trial

Janice Pogue, Lehana Thabane, PJ Devereaux, Salim Yusuf

Open Access Research article

Shortening a survey and using alternative forms of prenotification: Impact on response rate and quality

Timothy J Beebe, Enrique Rey, Jeanette Y Ziegenfuss, Sarah Jenkins, Kandace Lackore, Nicholas J Talley, Richard G Locke III

Open Access Study protocol

Pan-Canadian assessment of pandemic immunization data collection: study methodology

Jennifer A Pereira, Susan Quach, Christine Heidebrecht, Julie Foisy, Sherman Quan, Michael Finkelstein, Christopher A Sikora, Julie A Bettinger, David L Buckeridge, Anne McCarthy, Shelley Deeks, Jeffrey C Kwong

Open Access Research article

Successful Reach and Adoption of a workplace health promotion RCT targeting a group of high-risk workers

Marie B Jørgensen, Charlotte DN Rasmussen, Dorte Ekner, Karen Søgaard

Open Access Research article

Development and validation of self-reported line drawings for assessment of knee malalignment and foot rotation: a cross-sectional comparative study

Sarah L Ingham, Amanda Moody, Abhishek Abhishek, Sally A Doherty, Weiya Zhang, Michael Doherty

Open Access Research article

Analysis of an ordinal outcome in a multicentric randomized controlled trial: application to a 3- arm anti- malarial drug trial in Cameroon

Solange Youdom Whegang, Leonardo K Basco, Henri Gwét, Jean-Christophe Thalabard

Open Access Research article

Dichotomization: 2 × 2 (×2 × 2 × 2...) categories: infinite possibilities

Karyn K Heavner, Carl V Phillips, Igor Burstyn, Warren Hare

Open Access Correspondence

Building capacity for evidence generation, synthesis and implementation to improve the care of mothers and babies in South East Asia: methods and design of the SEA-ORCHID Project using a logical framework approach

Steve McDonald, Tari Turner, Catherine Chamberlain, Pisake Lumbiganon, Jadsada Thinkhamrop, Mario R Festin, Jacqueline J Ho, Hakimi Mohammad, David J Henderson-Smart, Jacki Short, Caroline A Crowther, Ruth Martis, Sally Green

Open Access Debate

Research methods for subgrouping low back pain

Peter Kent, Jennifer L Keating, Charlotte Leboeuf-Yde

Open Access Research article

A systematic review of models to predict recruitment to multicentre clinical trials

Katharine D Barnard, Louise Dent, Andrew Cook

Open Access Correspondence

What is a pilot or feasibility study? A review of current practice and editorial policy

Mubashir Arain, Michael J Campbell, Cindy L Cooper, Gillian A Lancaster

Open Access Research article

A life-course and time perspective on the construct validity of psychological distress in women and men. Measurement invariance of the K6 across gender

Aline Drapeau, Dominic Beaulieu-Prévost, Alain Marchand, Richard Boyer, Michel Préville, Sylvia Kairouz

Open Access Review

Automatic de-identification of textual documents in the electronic health record: a review of recent research

Stephane M Meystre, F Jeffrey Friedlin, Brett R South, Shuying Shen, Matthew H Samore

Open Access Research article

The impact of attrition on the representativeness of cohort studies of older people

Samuel L Brilleman, Nancy A Pachana, Annette J Dobson

Open Access Research article

Using Abbreviated Injury Scale (AIS) codes to classify Computed Tomography (CT) features in the Marshall System

Mehdi M Lesko, Maralyn Woodford, Laura White, Sarah J O'Brien, Charmaine Childs, Fiona E Lecky

Open Access Research article

Test-retest reliability of selected items of Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) survey questionnaire in Beijing, China

Yang Liu, Mei Wang, Jorma Tynjälä, Yan Lv, Jari Villberg, Zhouyang Zhang, Lasse Kannas

Open Access Research article

Do differences in the administrative structure of populations confound comparisons of geographic health inequalities?

Andrew L Jackson, Carolyn A Davies, Alastair H Leyland

Open Access Research article

Determining the interviewer effect on CQ Index outcomes: a multilevel approach

Sjenny Winters, Mathilde H Strating, Niek S Klazinga, Rudolf B Kool, Robbert Huijsman

Open Access Research article

Interpretation of evidence in data by untrained medical students: a scenario-based study

Thomas V Perneger, Delphine S Courvoisier

Open Access Research article

Comparison of participants and non-participants to the ORISCAV-LUX population-based study on cardiovascular risk factors in Luxembourg

Ala'a Alkerwi, Nicolas Sauvageot, Sophie Couffignal, Adelin Albert, Marie-Lise Lair, Michèle Guillaume

Open Access Research article

The search for stable prognostic models in multiple imputed data sets

David Vergouw, Martijn W Heymans, George M Peat, Ton Kuijpers, Peter R Croft, Henrica CW de Vet, Henriëtte E van der Horst, Daniëlle AWM van der Windt

Open Access Research article

Inter-rater agreement and reliability of the COSMIN (COnsensus-based Standards for the selection of health status Measurement Instruments) Checklist

Lidwine B Mokkink, Caroline B Terwee, Elizabeth Gibbons, Paul W Stratford, Jordi Alonso, Donald L Patrick, Dirk L Knol, Lex M Bouter, Henrica CW de Vet

Open Access Research article

The effect of survey method on survey participation: Analysis of data from the Health Survey for England 2006 and the Boost Survey for London

Jennifer S Mindell, Sarah Tipping, Kevin Pickering, Steven Hope, Marilyn A Roth, Bob Erens

Open Access Research article

The effect of mode and context on survey results: Analysis of data from the Health Survey for England 2006 and the Boost Survey for London

Sarah Tipping, Steven Hope, Kevin Pickering, Bob Erens, Marilyn A Roth, Jennifer S Mindell

Open Access Study protocol

IMproving PArticipation of patients in Clinical Trials - rationale and design of IMPACT

Katrien Oude Rengerink, Brent C Opmeer, Sabine LM Logtenberg, Lotty Hooft, Kitty WM Bloemenkamp, Monique C Haak, Martijn A Oudijk, Marc E Spaanderman, Johannes J Duvekot, Christine Willekes, Maria G van Pampus, Martina M Porath, Jim van Eyck, Marko J Sikkema, Ben Willem J Mol

Open Access Research article

Prediction of two month modified Rankin Scale with an ordinal prediction model in patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid haemorrhage

Roelof Risselada, Hester F Lingsma, Andrew J Molyneux, Richard SC Kerr, Julia Yarnold, Mary Sneade, Ewout W Steyerberg, Miriam CJM Sturkenboom

Open Access Correspondence

A survey of variable selection methods in two Chinese epidemiology journals

Huimin Liao, Henry S Lynn

Open Access Research article

Recruitment and retention of women in a large randomized control trial to reduce repeat preterm births: the Philadelphia Collaborative Preterm Prevention Project

David A Webb, James C Coyne, Robert L Goldenberg, Vijaya K Hogan, Irma T Elo, Joan R Bloch, Leny Mathew, Ian M Bennett, Erika F Dennis, Jennifer F Culhane

Open Access Research article

Evidence at a glance: error matrix approach for overviewing available evidence

Frederik Keus, Jørn Wetterslev, Christian Gluud, Cornelis JHM van Laarhoven

Open Access Research article

"Summary Page": a novel tool that reduces omitted data in research databases

Saveli I Goldberg, Andrzej Niemierko, Maria Shubina, Alexander Turchin

Open Access Research article

Standard values and relationship-specific validity of the Bielefeld Relationship Expectations Questionnaire (BFPE)

Katja Petrowski, Hendrik Berth, Sören Paul, Gesine Grande, Yve Stöbel-Richter, Elmar Brähler

Open Access Research article

What differences are detected by superiority trials or ruled out by noninferiority trials? A cross-sectional study on a random sample of two-hundred two-arms parallel group randomized clinical trials

Angèle Gayet-Ageron, Thomas Agoritsas, Christophe Combescure, Krisztina Bagamery, Delphine S Courvoisier, Thomas V Perneger

Open Access Research article

Exploratory factor analysis of self-reported symptoms in a large, population-based military cohort

Molly L Kelton, Cynthia A LeardMann, Besa Smith, Edward J Boyko, Tomoko I Hooper, Gary D Gackstetter, Paul D Bliese, Charles W Hoge, Tyler C Smith

Open Access Research article

Domains of disgust sensitivity: revisited factor structure of the questionnaire for the assessment of disgust sensitivity (QADS) in a cross-sectional, representative german survey

Katja Petrowski, Sören Paul, Gabriele Schmutzer, Marcus Roth, Elmar Brähler, Cornelia Albani

Open Access Research article

Polytomous diagnosis of ovarian tumors as benign, borderline, primary invasive or metastatic: development and validation of standard and kernel-based risk prediction models

Ben Van Calster, Lil Valentin, Caroline Van Holsbeke, Antonia C Testa, Tom Bourne, Sabine Van Huffel, Dirk Timmerman

Open Access Research article

Methods of competing risks analysis of end-stage renal disease and mortality among people with diabetes

Hyun J Lim, Xu Zhang, Roland Dyck, Nathaniel Osgood

Open Access Research article

Design and conduct of Caudwell Xtreme Everest: an observational cohort study of variation in human adaptation to progressive environmental hypoxia

Denny ZH Levett, Daniel S Martin, Mark H Wilson, Kay Mitchell, Sundeep Dhillon, Fabio Rigat, Hugh E Montgomery, Monty G Mythen, Michael PW Grocott

Open Access Research article

Assessing nonresponse bias at follow-up in a large prospective cohort of relatively young and mobile military service members

Alyson J Littman, Edward J Boyko, Isabel G Jacobson, Jaime Horton, Gary D Gackstetter, Besa Smith, Tomoko Hooper, Timothy S Wells, Paul J Amoroso, Tyler C Smith

Open Access Correspondence

New directions in childhood obesity research: how a comprehensive biorepository will allow better prediction of outcomes

Matthew A Sabin, Susan L Clemens, Richard Saffery, Zoe McCallum, Michele W Campbell, Wieland Kiess, Nancy A Crimmins, Jessica G Woo, Gary M Leong, George A Werther, Obioha C Ukoumunne, Melissa A Wake

Open Access Research article

Balancing high accrual and ethical recruitment in paediatric oncology: a qualitative study of the 'look and feel' of clinical trial discussions

Lucie MT Byrne-Davis, Peter Salmon, Katja Gravenhorst, Tim OB Eden, Bridget Young

Open Access Research article

Reliability of anthropometric measures in a longitudinal cohort of patients initiating ART in West Africa

Maryline Sicotte, Marielle Ledoux, Maria-Victoria Zunzunegui, Souleymane Ag Aboubacrine, Vinh-Kim Nguyen

Open Access Correspondence

Categorisation of continuous exposure variables revisited. A response to the Hyperglycaemia and Adverse Pregnancy Outcome (HAPO) Study

Kathrine F Frøslie, Jo Røislien, Petter Laake, Tore Henriksen, Elisabeth Qvigstad, Marit B Veierød

Open Access Research article

Development and psychometric properties of a belief-based Physical Activity Questionnaire for Diabetic Patients (PAQ-DP)

Zeinab Ghazanfari, Shamsaddin Niknami, Fazlollah Ghofranipour, Ebrahim Hajizadeh, Ali Montazeri

Open Access Research article

What are the basic self-monitoring components for cardiovascular risk management?

Alison M Ward, Carl Heneghan, Rafael Perera, Dan Lasserson, David Nunan, David Mant, Paul Glasziou

Open Access Research article

A methodology to establish a database to study gene environment interactions for childhood asthma

Stephen W Turner, Jon G Ayres, Tatiana V Macfarlane, Anil Mehta, Gita Mehta, Colin N Palmer, Steve Cunningham, Tim Adams, Krishnan Aniruddhan, Claire Bell, Donna Corrigan, Jason Cunningham, Andrew Duncan, Gerard Hunt, Richard Leece, Una MacFadyen, Jonathan McCormick, Sally McLeish, Andrew Mitra, Deborah Miller, Elizabeth Waxman, Alan Webb, Slawomir Wojcik, Somnath Mukhopadhyay, Donald Macgregor

Open Access Research article

Model selection in Medical Research: A simulation study comparing Bayesian Model Averaging and Stepwise Regression

Anna Genell, Szilard Nemes, Gunnar Steineck, Paul W Dickman

Open Access Research article

Barriers and facilitators to recruitment of physicians and practices for primary care health services research at one centre

Sharon Johnston, Clare Liddy, William Hogg, Melissa Donskov, Grant Russell, Elizabeth Gyorfi-Dyke

Open Access Research article

Involving users in the design of a randomised controlled trial of an intervention to promote early presentation in breast cancer: qualitative study

Lindsay JL Forbes, Carol McNaughton Nicholls, Louise Linsell, Jenny Graham, Charlotte Tompkins, Amanda J Ramirez

Open Access Research article

Under-ascertainment of Aboriginality in records of cardiovascular disease in hospital morbidity and mortality data in Western Australia: a record linkage study

Tom G Briffa, Frank M Sanfilippo, Michael ST Hobbs, Stephen C Ridout, Judy M Katzenellenbogen, Peter L Thompson, Sandra C Thompson

Open Access Debate

A note on Youden's Jand its cost ratio

Niels Smits