title: Extracting numerical data from published reports of pharmacokinetics investigations: method description and validation.
abstract: A method has been proposed for extracting numerical data when only graphical results are presented. Reports with both graphical and tabular data were identified and the graphs were electronically scanned. The coordinates of each point were read using the cross-hair facility of Adobe Photoshop 7.0. To improve the precision of these coordinates, each point was read at 1600% magnification. The agreement between the observers was almost perfect (R > 0.99). The proposed method makes possible use of data in meta-analyses that, would otherwise be discarded.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuropsychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Federal University of Bahia, CEP 40110-100, Vale do Canela, Salvador-Bahia, Brazil. irismar.oliveira@uol.com.br
authors.forename: Irismar Reis
authors.initials: IR
authors.lastname: de Oliveira
authors.forename: Rogério
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Santos-Jesus
authors.forename: Alain Li Wan
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Po
authors.forename: Nalinee
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Poolsup
mesh_terms: D003627:Data Interpretation, Statistical; D009716:Numerical Analysis, Computer-Assisted; D010599:Pharmacokinetics; D012107:Research Design; D012984:Software