title: [A Meta-analysis in multi-center random controlled clinical trials].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To study the center effect discrepancy in the multi-center clinical trials.
  
  
  METHODS
  Two groups of data collected from the multi-center clinical trials were used. Data were processed by covariance analysis and Meta-analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In the covariance analysis, the discrepancy of the center effect values indicated statistical significance. Through Meta-analysis on fixed effect model, the discrepancy in one heterogeneity test showed no statistical significance (P > 0.05) while the inter-group discrepancy of the merged effect values drawn from analysis based on fixed effect model having statistical significance (P < 0.05). In the random effect model, the discrepancy in one heterogeneity test showed statistical significance (P < 0.05) while the inter-group discrepancy of the merged effect values drawn from analysis based on random effect model having no statistical significance (P > 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Studies on multi-center random controlled clinical trials, when statistical significance was found in the interaction discrepancy between the inter-center and the center-group relation, the merged effect values should be compared and analyzed by an appropriate statistic model based on the heterogeneous test results from the Meta-analysis. However, if the result from covariance analysis and the one from Meta-analysis did not agree to each other, the results drawn from the Meta-analysis were reliable.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Epidemiology, Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou 510120, China.
authors.forename: Ai-hua
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Ou
authors.forename: Ying-rong
authors.initials: YR
authors.lastname: Lao
authors.forename: Xiao-qing
authors.initials: XQ
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Yi-ting
authors.initials: YT
authors.lastname: He
authors.forename: Pei-xin
authors.initials: PX
authors.lastname: Huang
mesh_terms: D003625:Data Collection; D006801:Humans; D015337:Multicenter Studies as Topic / Q000379:methods; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic / Q000379:methods