Reviewing a PUBLISHED PEER REVIEWED paper about anxiety prevalence during the pandemic in the UK, and the authors commented that because this funnel plot is symmetrical, publication bias is unlikely.
NONE OF THE STUDIES ARE IN THE FUNNEL!!!!!
Funnel plots are supposed to give you confidence that the estimate is not biased. Usually, it's to "show you if there is a bias around the mean."
In this case, the funnel plot serves to tell us to simply throw out the effect size.
As the error gets smaller, the certainty range is supposed to get smaller, that's the entire point of the funnel plot.
This is simply a metaanalysis of randomness.
i can't even :( ...
so few of the CONFIDENCE INTERVALS for any of the studies even overlap, let alone agree with the estimate.
this one is for "depression"
but don't worry, "Due to the high heterogeneity, random-effects models were used in the analysis of the findings."
sigh.
Are we ever going to have sound epidemiological publications in pandemic mental health research?
this is totally normal (they removed the "small outlier study" to make the above plot, despite it being a survey of 600, even though there are other surveys they didn't remove with 315 participants)
well at least its "symmetrical" - no publication bias!!!!!!!
how on earth does this stuff get published
for reference, this is what funnel plots are SUPPOSED to look like (both showing bias and not)
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✅Reality: Using a large set (n=2mil) of Ontario students, we see more improvements then losses, and trend of older students doing better than younger students.
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As an example of the statistical reason why I can say the above is a myth, zoom in on ALL the grade 3 scores (Grade 3 did the "worst")
Looking at the distribution, we see more deteriorations (52%) than improvements (45% of scores) achievement scores, but its very broad!
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Even if we take the "worst example" of grade 3 loss (Grade 3 writing), we see more deteriorations (58% of schools) than improvements, but the distribution is wide and 40% of schools showed improvements.
Placebo-controlled trials compare a vaccine to an inactive substance (placebo). This helps measure how effective the vaccine is. In the case of vaccines, often, the placebo is not "saline", but rather a previous vaccine or vaccine solution.
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When a safe, effective vaccine already exists, using an inactive placebo means some participants are deliberately left unprotected against disease. This creates unnecessary harm.
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Ethical standards require minimizing harm and offering participants the best available care. When a proven vaccine exists, denying it to anyone—regardless of location—is unethical.
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In Canada during the Delta wave, vaccination prevented infection (unvaccinated 6x higher chance of being infected). As well, being unvaccinated led to a 22X chance of being hospitalized and an 18X chance of dying.
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For confirmed infections, the IFR for unvaccinated was a whopping 2.4%. The IFR for being vaccinated was much lower, both due to preventing infection and reducing the consequences of it.
Delta was a very deadly strain, and unvaccinated people died/suffered the most.
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When Omicron hit, it was a strain that evaded vaccinations, leading to enormous numbers of infections, even in vaccinated people.
However, the immunity protection vs hospitalization and death was still enormous, and unvaccinated Canadians were 12X more likely to die.
Correcting revisionist history:
"COVID is not a problem for young people in the US"
Covid responsible (not "with", underlying cause) for 2% of all deaths <20. That's 1 out of every 50 deaths of all kids who die. #1 in infectious diseases, 5th in disease overall.
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COVID-19 deaths created 300,000 American orphans, 330,000 if we count "primary caregivers" and 380,000 if we count "secondary caregivers". That's a lot of childhood harm.
2x as common for Black kids
4x as common for Indigenous kids
1.6X as common for Hispanic kids
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Our most vulnerable children, with medical illnesses, suffered the most during the pandemic. Children with heart disease, respiratory disease, neurologic diseases, and chromosomal abnormalities suffered more severe symptoms than did children without those conditions.
Why do you use pronouns in your bio?
Because it's an easy way to promote inclusivity & to increase awareness of gender expression. It costs me nothing, &because I work with kids who are establishing their identity it shows that I don't make assumptions.
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Is being transgender a mental illness?
Being transgender is not a mental illness. It is a natural variation of human phenotype, though some transgender individuals may experience distress, called gender dysphoria, which is addressed through appropriate care.
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Can a man be a woman?
Yes. Some individuals identify as a gender different from their assigned sex at birth.
"What is a woman?"
A woman is a female by identity. This can refer to biological sex identity or social gender identity, depending on the context.
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🧵RFK Jr. is an antivax, AIDS-denying, absolutely antiscientific conspiracist.🧵
ANTIVAX:
“They get [vaccinated], that night they have a fever of 103, they go to sleep, and three months later their brain is gone... This is a Holocaust, what this is doing to our country.”
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ANTIVAX:
"I do believe that autism does come from vaccines"
Metaanalyses involving MILLIONS of children have confirmed there is no link. The lie started with another antivaxxer, disgraced fraudster Andrew Wakefield, who fabricated data.
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ANTIVAX:
"I've read all the science on autism and I can tell you, if you want to know... If it didn't come from the vaccines, then where did it come from?"
Autism primarily from combo of genetic factors & early brain development differences.