The CHBG Specialised Register consists of three parts: the CHBG Controlled Trials Register, the CHBG Miscellaneous Database, and the CHBG Register of Diagnostic Test Accuracy Studies.
Inclusion criteria for the CHBG Controlled Trials Register
Randomised clinical trials (RCTs) and controlled clinical trials (CCTs) of interventions (preventive, diagnosis, treatment, and care) directed towards liver and biliary diseases in human beings. Records referring to ongoing and planned RCTs or CCTs are also included.
Search strategies for the identification of studies
Electronic searches
(1) Electronic search of MEDLINE: the National Library of Medicine (MEDLINE, WinSPIRS) database was retrospectively searched to 1966 twice; in 1997 and 1999. By using an earlier version of Cochrane MEDLINE search strategy for RCTs and CCTs (search strategy phase I-II) in combination with a hepato-biliary search strategy (developed in collaboration with Birgit Lange, the Danish National Library of Science and Medicine, Copenhagen), a total number of 15,455 references have been identified and downloaded in a ProCite file. Both strategies are given below. The downloaded citations with abstracts have been scanned and later, after careful perusing of the full text of the relevant studies, they have been coded and filed electronically.
COCHRANE SEARCH STRATEGY I-II:
RANDOMIZED-CONTROLLED-TRIAL in PT
CONTROLLED-CLINICAL-TRIAL in PT
RANDOMIZED-CONTROLLED-TRIALS
RANDOM-ALLOCATION
DOUBLE-BLIND-METHOD
SINGLE-BLIND-METHOD
#1 or #2 or #3 or #4 or #5 or #6
(TG=ANIMALS) not (TG=HUMAN) and
(TG=ANIMALS)
#7 not #8
CLINICAL-TRIAL in PT
explode CLINICAL-TRIALS/ all subheadings
(CLIN* near TRIAL*) in TI
(CLIN* near TRIAL*) in AB
(SINGL* or DOUBL* or TREBL* or TRIPL*) near
(BLIND* or MASK*)
(#14 in TI) or (#14 in AB)
PLACEBOS
PLACEBO* in TI
PLACEBO* in AB
RANDOM* in TI
RANDOM* in AB
RESEARCH-DESIGN
#10 or #11 or #12 or #13 or #14 or #15 or #16 or #17
or #18 or #19 or #20
(TG=ANIMALS) not (TG=ANIMALS) and
(TG=HUMAN)
#22 not #23
#24 NOT #9
THE HEPATO-BILIARY SEARCH STRATEGY:
For MEDLINE
explode liver/ all subheadings
explode biliary tract/ all subheadings
"Liver-Circulation"/ all subheadings
explode liver diseases/ all subheadings
explode biliary tract diseases/ all subheadings
"Liver-Function-Tests"/ all subheadings
explode cholangiography/ all subheadings
"Liver-Regeneration"/ all subheadings
"Gallbladder-Emptying"/ all subheadings
"Liver-Transplantation"/ all subheadings
explode "Biliary-Tract-Surgical-Procedures"/ all subheadings
explode "Portasystemic-Shunt,-Surgical"/ all subheadings
"Portacaval-Shunt,-Surgical"/ all subheadings
"Portal-Pressure"/ all subheadings
"Cholecystography"/ all subheadings
"Hepatectomy"/ all subheadings
"Hepatic-Artery"/ all subheadings
explode "Portal-System"/ all subheadings
"Hepatic-Veins"/ all subheadings
explode hepatitis-antibodies/ all subheadings
explode hepatitis-antigens/ all subheadings
"Hepatitis-B-Vaccines"/ all subheadings
explode hepatitis-viruses/ all subheadings
"Hepatoblastoma"/ all subheadings
"Carcinoma,-Hepatocellular"/ all subheadings
"Adenoma,-Liver-Cell"/ all subheadings
"Ascites"/ all subheadings
"Jaundice,-Chronic-Idiopathic"/ all subheadings
"Bile"/ all subheadings
"Portography"/ all subheadings
"Biliary-Atresia"/ all subheadings
"Caroli-Disease"/ all subheadings
"Liver-Neoplasms,-Experimental"/ all subheadings
explode "Bile-Acids-and-Salts"/ all subheadings
explode cholestanols/ all subheadings
explode bile-pigments/ all subheadings
explode hyperbilirubinemia/ all subheadings
explode cholic-acids/ all subheadings
#1 or #2 or #3 or #4 or #5 or #6 or #7 or #8 or #9 or #10 or #11 or #12 or #13 or #14 or #15 or #16 or #17 or #18 or #19 or #20 #21 or #22 or #23 or #24 or #25 or #26 or #27 or #28 or #29 or #30 or #31 or #32 or #33 or #34 or #35 or #36 or #37 or #38 #39 or #40
For the most up-to-date search filters for identifying randomised trials in MEDLINE, please see the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions (Higgins JPT, Green S (editors). Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions Version 5.0.2 [updated September 2009]. The Cochrane Collaboration, 2009. Available from www.cochrane-handbook.org).
(2) Electronic search of the Cochrane Controlled Trials Register (CENTRAL) in the Cochrane Library:
The CHBG Controlled Trials Register is expanded with searches in the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) in the Cochrane Library. The last search in CENTRAL was performed in Issue 3, 2012. The identified new studies are coded for a study design only after a careful examination of the full text and are subsequently added to the CHBG Controlled Trials Register.
The search strategy for CENTRAL is given below. Please note that the following strategy cannot be copied and run directly in the Cochrane Library, but has to be typed in manually one term at a time. Alternatively, an electronic version of the strategy can be provided by contacting the Trials Search Co-ordinator, Sarah Louise Klingenberg.
#1 MeSH descriptor Liver explode all trees in MeSH products
#2 MeSH descriptor Biliary Tract explode all trees in MeSH products
#3 MeSH descriptor Liver Circulation explode all trees in MeSH products
#4 MeSH descriptor Liver Diseases explode all trees in MeSH products
#5 MeSH descriptor Biliary Tract Diseases explode all trees in MeSH products
#6 MeSH descriptor Liver Function Tests explode all trees in MeSH products
#7 MeSH descriptor Cholangiography explode all trees in MeSH products
#8 MeSH descriptor Ascites explode all trees in MeSH products
#9 MeSH descriptor Liver Regeneration explode all trees in MeSH products
#10 MeSH descriptor Gallbladder Emptying explode all trees in MeSH products
#11 MeSH descriptor Liver Transplantation explode all trees in MeSH products
#12 MeSH descriptor Biliary Tract Surgical Procedures explode all trees in MeSH products
#13 MeSH descriptor Portasystemic Shunt, Surgical explode all trees in MeSH products
#14 MeSH descriptor Portacaval Shunt, Surgical explode all trees in MeSH products
#15 MeSH descriptor Portal Pressure explode all trees in MeSH products
#16 MeSH descriptor Cholecystography explode all trees in MeSH products
#17 MeSH descriptor Hepatectomy explode all trees in MeSH products
#18 MeSH descriptor Hepatic Artery explode all trees in MeSH products
#19 MeSH descriptor Portal System explode all trees in MeSH products
#20 MeSH descriptor Hepatic Veins explode all trees in MeSH products
#21 MeSH descriptor Hepatitis Antibodies explode all trees in MeSH products
#22 MeSH descriptor Hepatitis Antigens explode all trees in MeSH products
#23 MeSH descriptor Hepatitis B Vaccines explode all trees in MeSH products
#24 MeSH descriptor Hepatitis Viruses explode all trees in MeSH products
#25 MeSH descriptor Hepatoblastoma explode all trees in MeSH products
#26 MeSH descriptor Carcinoma, Hepatocellular explode all trees in MeSH products
#27 MeSH descriptor Adenoma, Liver Cell explode all trees in MeSH products
#28 MeSH descriptor Jaundice, Chronic Idiopathic explode all trees in MeSH products
#29 MeSH descriptor Bile explode all trees in MeSH products
#30 MeSH descriptor Portography explode all trees in MeSH products
#31 MeSH descriptor Biliary Atresia explode all trees in MeSH products
#32 MeSH descriptor Caroli Disease explode all trees in MeSH products
#33 MeSH descriptor Liver Neoplasms, Experimental explode all trees in MeSH products
#34 MeSH descriptor Bile Acids and Salts explode all trees in MeSH products
#35 MeSH descriptor Cholestanols explode all trees in MeSH products
#36 MeSH descriptor Bile Pigments explode all trees in MeSH products
#37 MeSH descriptor Hyperbilirubinemia explode all trees in MeSH products
#38 MeSH descriptor Cholic Acids explode all trees in MeSH products
#39 liver* in All Fields in all products
#40 biliary* in All Fields in all products
#41 cholangiogra* in All Fields in all products
#42 ascit* in All Fields in all products
#43 gallbladder* in All Fields in all products
#44 porta* in All Fields in all products
#45 cholecystogr* in All Fields in all products
#46 hepat* in All Fields in all products
#47 oesophag* in All Fields in all products
#48 esophag* in All Fields in all products
#49 budd-chiari* in All Fields in all products
#50 cirrho* in All Fields in all products
#51 haemochroma* in All Fields in all products
#52 hemochroma* in All Fields in all products
#53 glycogen* in All Fields in all products
#54 choled* in All Fields in all products
#55 cholec* in All Fields in all products
#56 jaundice* in All Fields in all products
#57 bile in All Fields in all products
#58 porto* in All Fields in all products
#59 caroli* in All Fields in all products
#60 hyperbilirubin* in All Fields in all products
#61 cholic* in All Fields in all products
#62 sr-liver in All Fields in all products
#63 (#1 OR #2 OR #3 OR #4 OR #5 OR #6 OR #7 OR #8 OR #9 OR #10 OR #11 OR #12 OR #13 OR #14 OR #15 OR #16 OR #17 OR #18 OR #19 OR #20 OR #21 OR #22 OR #23 OR #24 OR #25 OR #26 OR #27 OR #28 OR #29 OR #30 OR #31 OR #32 OR #33 OR #34 OR #35 OR #36 OR #37 OR #38 OR #39 OR #40 OR #41 OR #42 OR #43 OR #44 OR #45 OR #46 OR #47 OR #48 OR #49 OR #50 OR #51 OR #52 OR #53 OR #54 OR #55 OR #56 OR #57 OR #58 OR #59 OR #60 OR #61)
#64 (#63 AND NOT #62)
(3) Electronic search of LILACS: Eduardo Martins (Brazil) searched LILACS - the Latin American and Caribbean Health Sciences Literature Database - in 1997. It is not possible for the CHBG to perform searches in LILACS.
(4) EMBASE.
(5) Science Citation Index Expanded.
(6) The Chinese Biomedical Literature Database was searched in December 2002 by Luo Ruihong, China.
(7) Biological abstracts, Inc. (BIOSIS (R) accessed through WinSpirs Silverplatter was searched from 1969 to December 2002 by Rita Arslan (manual search of the electronic search result, performed earlier by Sarah Louise Klingenberg).
(8) Electronic search of other databases:
We casually search other databases like:
US, EU, and Japanese Patent Documents,
Drug (Australian database),
PDQ Clinical Trials Database,
Sci Search,
KoreaMed (a Korean medical literature database, information provided in English),
Dissertation Abstracts, and
other databases.
(9) For planned or ongoing studies within the hepato-biliary area we search the electronic database Physician Data Quiry (PDQ Clinical Trials Database) accessed at http://www.cancer.gov/, and the identified studies of interest are registered with the CHBG Controlled Trials Register. The database was last searched in December 2002. PDQ is a National Cancer Database containing the latest information about cancer treatment, screening, prevention, genetics, and supportive care, plus clinical trials.
Please contact the Editorial Team Office if you are aware of other databases that need searching or if you are interested in performing a database search in any of the above.
The CHBG Miscellaneous Database
Clinical trials that may be RCTs or CCTs but at the present moment cannot be classified correctly due to insufficient reporting or unclear study design are included in the CHBG Miscellaneous Database as 'second opinion ought to be sought studies' (SOS). When such studies are of interest to the authors of reviews, we strongly urge those authors to contact the authors of the studies with unclear design in order to obtain or clarify the missing or ambiguous information.
In addition, the CHBG Miscellaneous Database contains meta-analyses (M-As), reviews, consensus reports, observational data, and other publications pertinent to the scope of the Group.
These studies are not submitted for publication in the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) in the Cochrane Library but are offered as additional references to our review authors.
The CHBG Register of Diagnostic Test Accuracy Studies
In 2009, we started collecting publications on diagnostic test accuracy studies for inclusion in the CHBG Register of Diagnostic Test Accuracy Studies.
Until now, we have only included publications that we have come across by chance or through handsearching. We plan to expand the database by adding references (included and/or excluded studies) from already published DTA reviews. In time, we also intend to perform electronic searches heading specifically for this type of studies. This database with publications on diagnostic test accuracy (DTA) studies within the scope of our group will serve CHBG authors of DTA reviews.