Tamara Otzen

• PostDoc Position at University of La Frontera

Background: The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic affected over 200 million people worldwide, with Ecuador being one of the hardest-hit countries in the Andean region, reporting approximately 777 thousand cases. Despite treatment strategies for COVID-19, various medication groups not recommended for mild to moderate cases were widely consumed by the population....

Background: Prostate cancer is the second most common neoplasm in men, with projections estimating over one million new cases by 2045. Differentially expressed genes can significantly enhance the diagnosis, treatment, monitoring, and prognosis of this disease. Purpose: to systematically review and analyze validated differentially expressed mRNAs in...

Objective To determine changes in the prevalence of dyslipidemias during the pre-COVID-19 and COVID-19 years in three regions of Ecuador. Design Cross-sectional study. Site Quito, Guayaquil, and El Coca. Participants Adults with cholesterol, HDL, LDL, and triglyceride levels at primary care centers from January 2017 to December 2022. Interventi...

The assessment of methodological quality (MQ) in biomedical research is an area that has undergone dynamic development in the last 20 years on a global scale. MQ can be defined as a multidimensional and complex construct composed of items and domains. Different research groups have proposed tools for its assessment, among which our team is included...

Most research questions (RQ) will lead to a project that aims to generate new knowledge. However, the setting, study population and methodology may be very different, which will determine the results obtained and therefore, the level of evidence (LOE) and the grade of recommendation (GOR) may vary significantly. The aim of this study was to provide...

Background Traffic accidents (TA) remain a significant global public health concern, impacting low—and middle-income countries. This study aimed to describe the trend in TA mortality and inequalities in Ecuador for 2011–2022, distributed by year, gender, age group, geographical location, type of accident, and social inequalities. Methods An ecolog...

Introducción La prevención del suicidio, un tema crítico en salud pública, requiere un enfoque integral y multidisciplinario. Comprender los factores que influyen en los intentos de suicidio es esencial para desarrollar estrategias efectivas de intervención y prevención. Considerando esto, la pandemia de COVID-19 generó una crisis sin precedentes,...

Introducción La pandemia por SARS-CoV-2 afectó a más de 200 millones de personas en todo el mundo, siendo Ecuador uno de los países más damnificados de Latinoamérica con aproximadamente 777 mil casos. La falta de información sobre el mecanismo de infección combinado con el colapso del sistema de salud, la dificultad de acceso al sistema sanitario y...

Background: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a highly prevalent endocrine–metabolic disorder in women of reproductive age. Diagnosis is based on the evidence-based international guideline 2018 and the Rotterdam Consensus to classify PCOS phenotypes. This study aims to characterize the biodemographic, clinical, metabolic, and reproductive variabl...

Background According to WHO data, traffic accidents caused 1,282,150 deaths globally in 2019, with a projection to become the fifth leading cause of mortality by 2030, highlighting significant public and economic health impacts. This study aimed to describe the trends in traffic accidents mortality in Ecuador between 2011 and 2022, by year, gender,...

Gastric cancer (GC) is the first cause of death from cancer in men, and the third one in women, in Chile. However, a bifocal GC (BGC) is uncommon. The aim of this study was to report a case of CGB, with negative-lymph nodes in a patient with liver cirrhosis, who underwent surgery; and review the existing evidence regarding its morphological, therap...

Efficacy and effectivity of new interventions are generally established through randomized clinical trials (RCTs). However, among many other methodological challenges, specifying the hypothesis of a RCT remains complex problem for clinical researchers. In this manuscript we discuss the characteristics of three variants of RCTs: superiority RCT (SRC...

Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) is a highly prevalent endocrine-metabolic disorder in women of reproductive age. Diagnosis of this syndrome relies on criteria established by the Rotterdam Consensus, with PCOS phenotypes being crucial for distinguishing potential complications, treatment approaches, and timing. The aim of this study is to character...

Introducción: La adolescencia constituye un momento crucial para promover y fomentar la salud sexual y reproductiva, considerando el impacto negativo del embarazo en la vida de las adolescentes. No existe consenso sobre la mejor forma para prevenir esta problemática en los países de América del Sur. Objetivo: Identificar cambios en conocimientos, a...

Efficacy and effectivity of new interventions are generally established through randomized clinical trials (RCTs). However, among many other methodological challenges, specifying the hypothesis of a RCT remains complex problem for clinical researchers.In this manuscript we discuss the characteristics of three variants of RCTs: superiority RCT (SRCT...

INTRODUCCIÓN: La resistencia antimicrobiana de la Escherichia Coli, a algunos antibióticos, constituye un problema de salud pública. Esta bacteria es la que se aísla más comúnmente en muestras sanguíneas de pacientes oncológicos. El objetivo de este estudio fue determinar la resistencia antibiótica de Escherichia coli, en pacientes con cáncer, del...

The expansion and consolidation of evidence-based clinical practice has led, among other things, to the need to carry out an increasing variety of types of literature reviews, which allows advancing in knowledge and understanding the breadth of research on a topic of interest. However, the diversity of the terminology used generates confusion of te...

Anemia affects thousands of children, and to reach a diagnosis, hemoglobin (Hb) is quantified. This technique however, is not always accessible to the general population. Therefore, the availability of a validated instrument can be useful in the diagnosis. The aim of this study was to validate a mobile application (APP), to diagnose anemia in child...

Introducción. A pesar de la importante presencia de la población haitiana en países de América Latina, existen pocos estudios que evalúen la salud mental en esta población; una de las razones es la falta de instrumentos psicométricos en kreyol (creole haitiano). Objetivo. Adaptar la versión en español de la Escala de Depresión del Centro de Estudi...

The dentogingival junction (DGJ) is an adaptation of the oral mucosa composed of epithelial and connective tissues intimately related with the mineralised tissues of the tooth. The histological evidence available is mainly based on studies in animals, separate evaluations of hard and soft tissues, and studies using conventional histological techniq...

More than 600 healthcare workers died due to COVID-19 infection until January 2022 in Ecuador. Even though the COVID-19 vaccines are safe, local and systemic reactions were reported among physicians. This study aims to analyze the adverse events of COVID-19 with an emphasis on comparing the homologous and heterologous booster doses in physicians th...

Background: Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is the most common neoplasm of childhood. Survival depends on a series of risk factors (RF) that have not been jointly assessed. This study aimed to identify a joint predictive model for disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) in patients with ALL treated with the Total XV chemotherapy pr...

Cross-sectional studies (CSS) began European countries in the 1940s in. The CSSs correspond to observational-type investigations that allow studying the prevalence of disease, determining the association between variables and the development of an effect of interest, discovering the properties of a diagnostic test, and censusing populations, descri...

More than 600 Healthcare workers died due to COVID-19 infection until January 2022 in Ecuador. Even though the COVID-19 vaccines are safe, local, and systemic reactions were reported among physicians. This study aims to analyze the Adverse events (AEs) of COVID-19 vaccines with an emphasis on homologous and heterologous booster doses. An electronic...

Introduction: The number of doctoral programs in medical sciences and health professionals trained for clinical research is scarce, particularly in South America. The aim of this study was to describe the results of a doctoral program in medical sciences (DPMS) in a public South American university. Methods: Observational study. All cohorts in the...

Background Breast cancer (BC) is the most common neoplasm in women worldwide. Liquid biopsy (LB) is a non-invasive diagnostic technique that allows the analysis of biomarkers in different body fluids, particularly in peripheral blood and also in urine, saliva, nipple discharge, volatile respiratory fluids, nasal secretions, breast milk, and tears....

Introducción: En 2013, desarrollamos una escala, para evaluar resúmenes de congresos de la Sociedad de Cirujanos de Chile (SOCICH). Objetivo: Determinar consistencia interna y confiabilidad interobservador de una escala para evaluar resúmenes de congresos. Material y Método: Estudio de confiabilidad. Doce cirujanos fueron capacitados de forma vir...

Statistics is one of the pillars of science, especially to describe and analyze data, it has progressed exponentially in recent years. Being the fundamental support for decision-making in different disciplines. Exploratory analyzes are described as the first step in statistics, seeking to organize, represent and describe the data, but many times th...

Purpose Worldwide, gastric cancer (GC) is the 5th cancer with the highest incidence and the 4th in mortality. To reduce it, one strategy is to diagnose preneoplastic lesions (PNL): atrophic gastritis (AG), intestinal metaplasia (IM), and dysplasia (DYS); to form risk groups on which to focus surveillance efforts as are first-degree relatives (FDR)....

Introduction: The BITSS scale (Brussels Infant and Toddler Stool Scale) is an instrument used in the diagnosis and follow-up of infants and young children with infectious diarrhea. It consists of 7 pictures of diapers with different types of stools. Objective: To determine intra and interobserver reliability of the BITSS scale in infants and chi...

Background Dexmedetomidine (DEX) is an alpha-2 adrenergic drug used for short sedation and as an alternative to diazepam (DZP) in the treatment of alcohol withdrawal syndrome (AWS). Purpose This study aims to compare the hemodynamic effect of DZP versus DEX on heart rate (HR) and blood pressure in patients with AWS. Methods Prospective randomized...

Advancements in genetic sequencing techniques along with the identification of specific mutations and structural changes in multiple cancer genes, make it possible to identify circulating tumor cells and cell free nucleic acids as blood‐based biomarkers, serving as a liquid biopsy (LB) with great utility for the diagnosis, treatment and follow‐up o...

The objective was to identify associations between perceived social support, suicidal risk and the presence of chronic or communicable disease in university students. Using a case-control design, consisting of 41 subjects in each group. The median age was 22 years (R = 9), 81,8% were women, 26,8% of the subjects had asthma and 26,8% had hypothyroid...

In Mexico, oral health disease is among the greatest health care demands in health services. These are evident in the higher vulnerability of migrant worker populations regarding major healthcare issues. Oral health literacy (OHL) is the ability of individuals to obtain, process and understand information of basic health services. The aim of the st...

Background Dexmedetomidine (DEX) is an alpha-2 adrenergic drug used for short sedation and as an alternative to diazepam (DZP) in the treatment of alcohol withdrawal syndrome (AWS). Purpose This study aims to compare the hemodynamic effect of DZP versus DEX on heart rate (HR) and blood pressure in patients with AWS. Methods Prospective randomized...

Background Abdominal actinomycosis (AA) is a rare infection. The aim of this study was to summarize the evidence available on AA. Methods A systematic review was conducted. Data sources included Trip Database, BIREME, SciELO, Cochrane Library, WoS, MEDLINE, EMBASE, SCOPUS, IBECS and LILACS. Eligibility criteria included: studies related to surgica...

OTZEN, T.; MANTEROLA, T.; MORA, M.; QUIROZ, G.; SALAZAR, P. & GARCÍA, N. Statements, recommendations, proposals, guidelines, checklists and scales available for reporting results in biomedical research and quality of conduct. A systematic review. Int. J. morphol., 38(3):774-786, 2020. SUMMARY: Research reporting statements, recommendations, proposa...

Background: Lack of compliance with medication prescription is common among older adults and hamper an adequate management of chronic conditions. Aim: To study the association between health literacy and medication adherence in older adults with chronic diseases in Temuco, Chile. Material and Methods: The Health Literacy survey for Spanish-speaki...

Background: This study assessed the prevalence of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) in a general adult population from Temuco in southern Chile. The association of GERD with demographic variables was also examined. Methods: A cross-sectional study among the general population of Temuco in southern Chile was conducted in 2017, using a valida...

Las Guías de Práctica Clínica (GPC), son instrumentos adecuados para sistematizar la mejor evidencia científica disponible para colaborar con los clínicos en la toma de decisiones sanitarias. El objetivo de este artículo fue describir conceptos que permitan comprender la importancia de la utilización de las GPC en la práctica clínica cotidiana. En...

Suicide is a global health problem, with suicidal behavior being one of the predictors of suicide mortality; however, its assessment is still complex. Although the amount of literature that has addressed different perspectives of suicidal behavior is abundant, it is necessary to deepen new methods that allow a rapid and objective assessment of it,...

The objective was to identify associations between perceived social support, suicidal risk and the presence of chronic or communicable disease in university students. Using a case-control design, consisting of 41 subjects in each group. The median age was 22 years (R = 9), 81,8% were women, 26,8% of the subjects had asthma and 26,8% had hypothyroid...

Purpose: At a worldwide level, suicide is a public health problem that, despite displaying downward trends in several areas of the world, in many countries these rates have increased. One of the elements that contributes to its prevention is an early and dynamic evaluation. Due to this, the objective is to determine the association between acoustic...

Background: Equipoise exists regarding the benefit of adjuvant therapy (AT) in patients with gallbladder cancer (GBC). The aim of this study was to critically review the available evidence for the effectiveness of AT in patients with GBC following surgery with curative intent. Methods: A systematic review was performed. Relevant studies were ide...

Cohort studies (CS) are longitudinal, observational and analytical studies. As one of the most utilized designs in clinical research, CS provides high levels of evidence, depending on the type of scenario in which they are applied. The objectives of CS are to determine the association between an exposure factor and the development of a disease or e...

Clinical Practice Guidelines (CPG) are useful tools to organize the best available scientific evidence, and to collaborate with clinicians in health decision making. The aim of this article was to describe concepts that allow understanding the importance of CPGs in daily clinical practice. CPGs arise from a series of steps that are carried out with...

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma is the most frequent primary tumour of the liver. Although often associated with chronic liver disease, it can also occur in non-cirrhotic livers. The aim of this study was to describe post-operative morbidity (POM), and survival of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma in non-cirrhotic liver treated surgicall...

Actinomyces infection (actinomycosis) may create diagnostic conflicts and be confused with malignant neoplasms, especially in the abdomen. The objective of this study was to report a case of abdominal wall actinomycosis with hepatic infiltration, and review the existing evidence. Female patient, 33 years of age, with no surgical history or use of i...

Objective: To describe the results of the extension of surgical treatment and adjuvant chemotherapy (ACT) in incidental gallbladder cancer (CVB), in terms of postoperative morbidity (POM) and 5-year overall survival rate. Method: Case series of patients operated on for incidental GBC in Clínica Mayor, Temuco, Chile (2001-2016). All cases were tr...

CASTRO, M.; JÁTIVA, E.; GARCÍA, N.; OTZEN, T. & MANTEROLA, C. Aspectos éticos propios de los diseños más utilizados en investigación clínica. J. health med. sci., 5(3):183-193, 2019. RESUMEN: Toda investigación que se desarrolle en el ámbito clínico requiere de protocolos de investigación dise-ñado siguiendo una metodología estricta. Estos proyecto...

Intracholecystic papillary neoplasm (ICPN) is a tumor composed of pre-invasive neoplastic cells, with up to 1.0 cm clinically detectable masses. The objective of this study was to report a case of NPIC and review the evidence in the literature. A 33-year-old asymptomatic male patient had an abdominal ultrasonography during a health examination, in...

Gastric lipoma (GL), is a rare benign tumor that represents 5 % of gastrointestinal lipomas and less than 1 % of all gastric tumors. They are usually located at the level of the submucosa and usually in the antral region. Endoscopy and computed tomography are the diagnostic tools most used in the diagnostic process. Given their relative rarity, the...

The progressive concern of countries to optimize access, efficiency and quality of health have led to the most appropriate use of health interventions. Therefore, the interest of both health professionals and health decision makers has been oriented towards evidence-based policy, comparative efficacy and Health Technologies Assessment (HTA). Althou...

Research in methodological quality (MQ) of prognosis studies (PS) is relevant in view of the important number of studies developed in this scenario. However, currently there are no instruments designed to measure MQ in PS, thus the aim of this study was to validate a scale to determine the MQ in PS. Scale validation study. Two independent researche...

Research in diagnostic accuracy studies (DAS) is a rapidly developing area in medicine, but there are only three instruments used in this scenario. The aim of this study was to design and validate a scale to determine methodological quality (MQ) of DAS. Scale validation study. A systematic literature review about the MQ of diagnostic accuracy studi...

Ensuring quality in graduate teaching is a guarantee of the competitiveness demonstrated by institutions. The aim of this study was to determine the internal consistency and reliability of the Triple Jump (TJ) instrument applied to Master's and Doctorate students in Medical Sciences to assess compliance of goals. Reliability study conducted at Univ...

Reliability (accuracy, consistency and reproducibility) is a psychometric property, which is related to the absence of measurement error, or, to the degree of consistency and stability of the scores obtained through successive measurement processes with the same instrument. Thus a greater variability of results will lower the accuracy or reliabilit...

There are few publications related to postoperative morbidity in hepatic hydatidosis and these have mixed results. The aim of this study was to determine risk and protective factors of postoperative morbidity in patients operated on for hepatic hydatidosis. A comprehensive review was made of the evidence, based on systematic reviews, clinical analy...

The liver is a solid organ which is most relevant for physiology. It is a potential site for cystic and solid (primary and secondary) benign and malignant tumor lesions. Therefore, thorough knowledge of its radiological and surgical anatomy is important. Historical background of liver resections began with Berta in 1716, who was the first to carry...

Aim Sacrococcygeal pilonidal disease (SPD) is a chronic and uncommon entity. Extensive, complex and recurrent SPD is less frequent, and diverse treatment alternatives have been described. One of these is excision, followed by reconstruction with the rhomboid flap, as described by Dufourmentel. The aim of the present study was to report the results...

There are few publications related to postoperative morbidity in hepatic hydatidosis and these have mixed results. The aim of this study was to determine risk and protective factors of postoperative morbidity in patients operated on for hepatic hydatidosis. A comprehensive review was made of the evidence, based on systematic reviews, clinical analy...

SUMMARY: The liver is a solid organ which is most relevant for physiology. It is a potential site for cystic and solid (primary and secondary) benign and malignant tumor lesions. Therefore, thorough knowledge of its radiological and surgical anatomy is important. Historical background of liver resections began with Berta in 1716, who was the first...

Research methodology is a set of methods, laws and procedures that guide research efforts towards solving scientific problems with maximum efficiency. The method is based on the development of different stages that lead to the establishment of a valid conclusion supported on the verification of a hypothesis and assumptions of the performed research...

Postoperative hepatic malfunction subsequent to insufficiency of hepatic remnant is a complex and dire problem in patients subjected to large hepatic resections. The associating liver partition and portal vein ligation for staged hepatectomy (ALPPS), is a novel approach for oncology patients whose hepatic tumors were previously considered non-resec...

Aim Hydatidosis is an endemic zoonosis that is prevalent in South America, specifically in Chile, Argentina and Uruguay. Liver hydatidosis (LH) is associated with morbidity and mortality due to evolutionary complications, as well as the risk of complications related to surgical procedures. The surgical treatment of LH can be divided into four phase...

Introduction: Thoracic involvement (TIHE) is one of the evolutionary complications of hepatic echinococcosis (HE). Aim: The aim of this study was to describe the clinical characteristics and postoperative morbidity (POM) of a series of patients with TIHE treated surgically. Material and methods: Series of cases of patients treated for TIHE bet...

Hepatic echinococcosis (HE) is a prevalent health problem, and there is limited published information regarding HE surgery. On the other hand, postoperative morbidity (POM) has not varied significantly. The aim of this study was to describe early and late outcomes in terms of POM of a series of patients with non-complicated liver hydatid cysts (NLH...

Regardless of the subject area and design used, it has been verified that between 40% and 60% of the studies published in biomedical journals are articles about therapy or therapeutic procedures (TP). Anyone writing a manuscript related to therapy or TP or reading an article of this type must demand at the very least a clear, precise and concise ob...

Background: One of the evolutionary complications of hepatic echinococcosis (HE) is cholangiohydatidosis, a rare cause of obstructive jaundice and cholangitis. The aim of this study was to describe the results of surgical treatment on a group of patients with cholangiohydatidosis and secondary cholangitis in terms of post-operative morbidity (POM)...

Background: One of the evolutionary complications of hepatic echinococcosis (HE) is cholangiohydatidosis, a rare cause of obstructive jaundice and cholangitis. The aim of this study was to describe the results of surgical treatment on a group of patients with cholangiohydatidosis and secondary cholangitis in terms of post-operative morbidity (POM)...

Observational and descriptive studies (ODS) represent between 70 % and 80 % of the designs utilized in biomedical publications of the different scientific journals. Despite this, there are no tools to guide writers and to assist reviewers in reporting results with this type of research design. The aim of this study was to report the characteristics...

The representativeness of a sample allows extrapolating and therefore generalizes the results observed in this, the accessible population, and from this, to the target population. Thus, a sample will be representative or not, only if it was selected at random, i.e., that all the subjects of the target population had the same possibility of being se...

Background Environmental pollution is a risk factor for cardiorespiratory diseases. Energy generated by thermoelectric power plants (TEPP) represents a relevant source of pollution. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between living near a coal-fired TEPP and the consultation rates for bronchial obstructive crises (BOC) in the pr...

The aim of this study is to describe the trends of transport accident mortality in Chile from 2000 to 2012 by year, geographic distribution, gender, age group, and type of accident. Population-based study. Data for transport accident mortality in Chile between 2000 and 2012 were used. The crude and adjusted per region transport accident mortality r...

Echinococcus Granulosus (EG) is the major cause of cystic echinococcosis in humans and livestock in the world. In Chile is a zoonosis of great importance. The most frequently affected geographic areas are the Regions of Aysén, Los Rios, Los Lagos, Coquimbo and the Araucanía. Hence, it was discovered that in endemic areas of hydatidosis there could...

Splenectomy indications are hematologic disease, traumatic damage and iatrogenic injury. The aim of this study was to present an evidence-based overview of some clinical aspects of interest related with iatrogenic splenic injury and subsequent splenectomy. An overview of the available evidence was conducted. Articles that evaluated clinical aspects...

Sacrococcygeal pilonidal disease (SPD) is a chronic an uncommon entity with a variety of alternatives for treatment. One of those is the excision of the sinus tract followed by a reconstruction with the rhomboid flap described by Dufourmentel. The aim of this paper is to describe the main phases of the technique. A detailed explanation of the key s...

Introduction: Floating stoma (FS) is a strategy to be considered in the context of damage control surgery (DCS). The purpose of this study is to describe the technique used and the results of a series of patients where FS was used. Methods: Case series of relaparotomized patients at two emergency services in Temuco, Chile (2005-2014). In all of...

Introduction: Floating stoma (FS) is a strategy to be considered in the context of damage control surgery (DCS). The purpose of this study is to describe the technique used and the results of a series of patients where FS was used. Methods: Case series of relaparotomized patients at two Emergency Services in Temuco, Chile (2005-2014). In all of the...

The number of doctoral programs in the biomedical field has risen in recent decades, but with a concentration in Santiago and little expansion into the provinces. The aim of this article is to describe the initial results obtained by the Doctorate in Medical Sciences program of the Universidad de La Frontera, Chile. Observational study, conducted i...

The purpose of this study was to report the results of laparoscopic treatment of nonparasitic cysts of the liver (NPCL) in terms of postoperative morbidity (POM) and recurrence. Prospective case series of patients operated on for NPCL at the Clínica Mayor in Temuco, Chile (2008 to 2015). The preoperative study consisted of general examinations, abd...

Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) are the most common mesenchymal neoplasms developing in the stomach. Usually detected incidentally, they can be single or multiple. The aim of this study is to report the results of surgery in the treatment of GISTs in terms of postoperative morbidity (POM) and recurrence. Case series. Patients surgically tre...

Echinococcosis is an endemic zoonosis in the south of Chile; we therefore have occasion to treat a large number of patients, particularly in the liver. Hepatic echinococcosis (HE) has its own morbidity and mortality due to evolutionary complications, to which the risk of complications related to the surgical procedures is added, the morbidity which...

Objective The aim of this article is to present the new instrument for evaluating congress abstracts of SCCh, in use from 2014, so as to standardize its application item by item. Material and method Two-stage study with qualitative methodology for generating items and construction of the measuring instrument. In the first stage a collection of item...

This study investigated the role of fatalism as a cultural value orientation and causal attributions for past failure in the academic performance of high school students in the Araucania Region of Chile. Three thousand three hundred and fourty eight Mapuche and Non-Mapuche students participated in the study. Consistent with the Culture and Behavior...

Globally, the assessment of methodological quality (MQ) in biomedical research is an area of dynamic development over recent years. Understood as a complex and multidimensional construct, various groups have proposed tools for its assessment. Our team has designed and validated scales to assess MQ of therapy and prognosis studies. However, as with...

Primary Sjögren's syndrome (PSS), affects various systems such as the digestive; highlighting the difficulty swallowing food bolus. The objective of this study is to describe the function and in patients with esophageal motility PSS compare them to healthy subjects. Case studies and tests conducted at the clinica Mayor Temuco (2004-2009). PSS patie...

The online version of the original article can be found at http:// dx. doi. org/ 10. 1186/ s12888-015-0632-5. After publication of this work [1], we noted that the given order of the authors was incorrect. The list of authors has now been corrected in the original article, and both the corrected and original lists are reported below. We apologize f...

The assessment of methodological quality (MQ) in biomedical research is an area of dynamic development over recent years globally. Understood as a complex and multidimensional construct, various groups have proposed tools for its assessment. Our team has designed and validated scales to assess MQ of therapy, diagnosis, and prognosis studies. Howeve...

The assessment of methodological quality (MQ) in biomedical research is an area of dynamic development over recent years globally. Understood as a complex and multidimensional construct, several groups have been proposed tools for its evaluation, between them our group has designed and validated scales to assess MQ in therapy, diagnosis and prognos...