*! version 1.0 13November2017

help directMA
Version 1.0 November 13, 2017

Title

directMA -- Conduct multiple pair-wise meta-analysis (head-to-head comparisons) and export the pooled results to a Microsoft Excel file. Support data in long form.

Only works on Stata version 13 or later.

Syntax

directMA
studyid studyname
varlist
[if] [in]
[, options]

Outcome measure
rr relative risk

or odds ratio

rd risk difference

wmd weighted mean difference

cohen standardized mean difference using Cohen's method

hedges standardized mean difference using Hedges' method

glass standardized mean difference using Glass' method

Pooling method
fixed fixed effect model

random random effect model using the "DerSimonian and Laird" method

peto Peto's method for odds ratio

reml random effect model using the "Restricted Maximum Likelihood" method

ml random effect model using the "Maximum Likelihood" method

pl random effect model using the "Profile Likelihood" method

eb random effect model using "Empirical Bayes" method to estimate tau2

kh random effect model using the "Knapp and Hartung" method to adjust for p-value and confidence interval

Forest Plot
forest Forest plot

Forest plots automatically export to the working folder in wmf format

Forest plots do NOT work for the Knapp and Hartung and Empirical Bayes method

Funnel Plot
funnel Funnel plot

Funnel plots automatically export to the working folder in wmf format

Funnel plots do NOT work when the number of studies is less than 10

Exporting results to Excel
filename(string) file name

Description

directMA conducts multiple pair-wise meta-analysis (head-to-head comparisons) in one single command. All pooled results are suppressed (aka. no terminal/windows output) and exported to a Microsoft Excel file.

It supports random effects models, including the DerSimonian and Laird (D-L) method, Peto's method for odds ratio,
Restricted Maximum Likelihood, Maximum Likelihood, Profile Likelihood, Knapp and Hartung method, and Empirical Bayes. Fixed effect models are also supported.

The option, forest, automatically exports forest plots to the working folder in wmf format. forest does NOT work for the Knapp and Hartung and Empirical Bayes method.

The option, funnel, automatically exports funnel plots to the working folder in wmf format. funnel does NOT work when the number of studies is less than 10.

Data Format:

directMA handles data in long format. Each row should at least have study ID, study name, treatment, event and no_event
(for continuous outcomes), and number of patients, effect size, and standard deviation (for continuous outcomes)
from one arm/group in each study.

For example:

Dichotomized outcomes
+
+
| studyid studyname treatment event no_event |
|
|
| 1 Study name, 2001 treatment 1 10 20 |
| 1 Study name, 2001 treatment 2 15 15 |
| 2 Study name, 2004 treatment 1 20 10 |
| 2 Study name, 2004 treatment 2 20 5 |
+
+

Continuous outcomes
+
+
| studyid studyname treatment patient effsize eff_SD |
|
|
| 1 Study name, 2001 treatment 1 100 20 2.5 |
| 1 Study name, 2001 treatment 2 100 15 2.0 |
| 2 Study name, 2004 treatment 1 20 10 1.0 |
| 2 Study name, 2004 treatment 2 20 15 1.5 |
| 2 Study name, 2004 treatment 3 20 15 1.5 |
+
+

directMA requires a numeric variable (studyid) and a string/numeric variable (study name)to identify each study. treatment can be a string or numeric variable.

Examples

. directMA id study treatment event non_event, rr random forest funnel filename(test)

. directMA id study treatment event non_event, or kh filename(test)

. directMA id study treatment n eff sd, wmd kh filename(example)

Authors

Zhen Wang

Mayo Clinic, USA

Wang.Zhen@mayo.edu

M.Hassan Murad

Mayo Clinic, USA

Murad.Mohammad@mayo.edu

Acknowledgments

This command is built upon metareg (author: Roger M. Harbord), metan (authors: Michael J Bradburn, Jonathan J Deeks, and Douglas G Altman),
metaan (authors: Evangelos Kontopantelis,and David Reeves), and metafunnel (authors: Jonathan A. C. Sterne and Roger M. Harbord).

Also see

Article:Stata Journal, volume 10, number 3: st0201

Stata Journal, volume 8, number 1: sbe24_2

Stata Technical Bulletin 42: sbe23

Manual: [R] metan

[R] metaan

[R] metareg

[R] metafunnel