Sources of heterogeneity were investigated by a priori subgroup analyses assessing the effects of carbohydrate comparator, fructose form, dose, baseline values, trial quality, trial design, length of follow-up, and randomization.
Each gate takes six inputs corresponding to the six comparator results forming an AABB pair.
Each pair is of the form "comparator plus roflumilast" vs "comparator", with "comparator" being one of the combinations LABA plus ICS, LABA plus ICS plus LAMA, and LABA plus LAMA.
However, this similarity needs to be interpreted with caution because of the difference in the comparators that formed the basis of the comparison, as well as difference in cost structure between countries.
Of these, four were excluded because the comparator was another form of GLP-1.
The biophysical effects of massage may include vascular or sensory changes [ 13, 15], therefore a comparator in the form of was applied over the calf muscles in an attempt to assess any mechanical effects due to such vascular and sensory changes.
14 Our trial was on a larger scale, with 130 participants and a more robust randomised crossover design to limit the effects of bias and to provide comparators in the form of a control group (no music) and two tunes.
A priori subgroup analyses (see Table S1 of the supplementary material, available at http://www.journals.cambridge.org/bjn) showed significant effect modification by diabetes status, comparator, follow-up, fructose form and MQS for fasting glucose; and comparator and fructose form for fasting insulin.
Sources of heterogeneity were investigated by subgroup analyses (diabetes status, comparator, fructose delta, fructose form, follow-up, MQS, randomisation and design).
Policy refers to the (green) biotechnology comparator mostly in the form of a menace: 'the same' as with GM food (i.e. a failed implementation due to public rejection) must be prevented.
Further, follow-ups at 2 and 4 years were also combined in the study of Parvizi et al. (74) to form the comparator group versus the antibiotic cement group.
