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BACKGROUND: The physical therapy profession has made efforts to increase the use of confidence intervals due to the valuable information they provide for clinical decision-making. Confidence intervals indicate the precision of the results and describe the strength and direction of a treatment effect measure. OBJECTIVES: To determine the prevalence of reporting of confidence intervals, achievement of intended sample size, and adjustment for multiple primary outcomes in randomised trials of physical therapy interventions. METHODS: We randomly selected 100 trials published in 2021 and indexed on the Physiotherapy Evidence Database. Two independent reviewers extracted the number of participants, any sample size calculation, and any adjustments for multiple primary outcomes. We extracted whether at least one between-group comparison was reported with a 95 % confidence interval and whether any confidence intervals were interpreted. RESULTS: The prevalence of use of confidence intervals was 47 % (95 % CI 38, 57). Only 6 % of trials (95 % CI: 3, 12) both reported and interpreted a confidence interval. Among the 100 trials, 59 (95 % CI: 49, 68) calculated and achieved the required sample size. Among the 100 trials, 19 % (95 % CI: 13, 28) had a problem with unadjusted multiplicity on the primary outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: Around half of trials of physical therapy interventions published in 2021 reported confidence intervals around between-group differences. This represents an increase of 5 % from five years earlier. Very few trials interpreted the confidence intervals. Most trials reported a sample size calculation, and among these most achieved that sample size. There is still a need to increase the use of adjustment for multiple comparisons.

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Vitamin B12 (B12) is necessary for the proper functioning of the central and peripheral nervous systems. Although there is no exact definition for B12 levels, a value of 200 pg/mL is compatible with deficiency, 200-299 pg/mL is considered borderline, and 300 pg/mL is considered normal. In population studies, the prevalence of B12 deficiency ranges between 2.9% and 35%. Furthermore, many medications, such as metformin [for type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM)], can cause B12 deficiency. The objectives of this study were to determine the population status of B12 in southwestern Colombia (and the status of B12 in subjects with T2DM). In the total population (participants with and without T2DM), the prevalence of B12 deficiency was 17.8%; that of borderline was 19.3%; and that of normal levels was 62.9%. The prevalence of deficiency increased with age and was significantly higher in those aged ≥60 years (p = 0.000). In T2DM subjects, the prevalence of deficiency was significantly higher concerning those without T2DM (p = 0.002) and was significantly higher in those who received >1 gm/day of metformin (p = 0.001). Thus, the prevalence of deficiency and borderline levels of B12 in our population was high, particularly in those >60 years of age. B12 deficiency was significantly higher in individuals with T2DM than in individuals without T2DM, especially among those receiving high doses of metformin.

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BACKGROUND: The population prevalence of functional alterations and thyroid autoimmunity is high, and numerous genetic and environmental aspects have been described as triggering factors. OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of functional alterations and thyroid autoimmunity in an urban population of Colombia. MATERIALS AND METHODS: It is a cross-sectional, population-based study (n = 9,638) conducted on an urban population of Popayán-Cauca-Colombia between February 5th, 2018, to December 11th, 2021. The variables evaluated were thyrotropin (TSH), free T4 (FT4), and anti-thyroid antibodies (thyroid peroxidase antibodies: TPOAb, and thyroglobulin antibodies: TgAb). RESULTS: TSH in men was significantly higher than in women. No differences were observed in the values of FT4, TPOAb, and TgAb (according to sex). The prevalence of normal thyroid function and subclinical hypothyroidism was significantly higher in men. The positivity of TPOAb and TgAb was 22.3% and 19.2%, respectively. TSH levels increased with age (both in men and in women). In participants with normal FT4 and negative TPOAb, the TSH was significantly higher. TSH was significantly higher in TPOAb-positive individuals and among those with TPOAb and TgAb positives, as well as in women with positive TPOAb and men with positive TPOAb and TgAb. CONCLUSION: In an urban population of Colombia, TSH was found to be higher than in populations of other geographical areas, especially in older individuals and in the presence of positive anti-thyroid antibodies, a high prevalence of functional alterations and thyroid autoimmunity was also found. These findings can be explained by excess iodine consumption and some environmental factors.

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BACKGROUND: Access to full-text articles is an essential element of evidence-based practice. OBJECTIVE: Estimate the percentage of articles in the Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro) that have free full-text access and compare free access between PEDro and PubMed. Secondary objectives for access via PEDro: determine if publication year and geographic location impact on free access; determine if adding a link to a portable document format (PDF) locator website would improve free access; and evaluate the association between article characteristics and free access. METHODS: This observational study used a random sample of 200 articles published in 2000-2019 and indexed in PEDro. Data collectors in Australia, Brazil, Nepal, and Spain attempted to access free full text for each article via PEDro. One data collector attempted to access free full text via PubMed. One data collector attempted to access full text via a PDF locator (http://www.pdfsearchengine.net/). The percentage (95% confidence interval [CI]) of articles with free full-text access from PEDro, PubMed, and the PDF locator website were calculated. Logistic regression was used to evaluate the association between free full-text access and article characteristics. RESULTS: Free full text could be accessed via PEDro for 51% of the articles (95% CI: 44, 58). PEDro had 4% higher free access than PubMed (95% CI: 1, 7). Access via PEDro did not vary systematically with time, geographic location, or article characteristics. Access improved by 9% (95% CI: 6, 14) by adding a PDF locator website. CONCLUSIONS: PEDro is a good source of free full-text articles for physical therapists and other rehabilitation professionals. Evidence resources, professional organisations, employers, researchers, and research agencies could all help to increase access to free full text.

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