Systemic steroids versus placebo for acute wheeze in preschool aged children
Appendices
Appendix 1. Sources and search methods for the Cochrane Airways Group Specialised Register
Electronic searches: core databases
| Database | Frequency of search |
| CENTRAL (the Cochrane Library) | Monthly |
| MEDLINE (Ovid) | Weekly |
| EMBASE (Ovid) | Weekly |
| PsycINFO (Ovid) | Monthly |
| CINAHL (EBSCO) | Monthly |
| AMED (EBSCO) | Monthly |
Handsearching: core respiratory conference abstracts
| Conference | Years searched |
| American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (AAAAI) | 2001 onwards |
| American Thoracic Society (ATS) | 2001 onwards |
| Asia Pacific Society of Respirology (APSR) | 2004 onwards |
| British Thoracic Society Winter Meeting (BTS) | 2000 onwards |
| Chest Meeting | 2003 onwards |
| European Respiratory Society (ERS) | 1992, 1994, 2000 onwards |
| International Primary Care Respiratory Group Congress (IPCRG) | 2002 onwards |
| Thoracic Society of Australia and New Zealand (TSANZ) | 1999 onwards |
MEDLINE search strategy used to identify trials for the Cochrane Airways Group's Specialised Register
Asthma search
1. exp Asthma/
2. asthma$.mp.
3. (antiasthma$ or anti‐asthma$).mp.
4. Respiratory Sounds/
5. wheez$.mp.
6. Bronchial Spasm/
7. bronchospas$.mp.
8. (bronch$ adj3 spasm$).mp.
9. bronchoconstrict$.mp.
10. exp Bronchoconstriction/
11. (bronch$ adj3 constrict$).mp.
12. Bronchial Hyperreactivity/
13. Respiratory Hypersensitivity/
14. ((bronchial$ or respiratory or airway$ or lung$) adj3 (hypersensitiv$ or hyperreactiv$ or allerg$ or insufficiency)).mp.
15. ((dust or mite$) adj3 (allerg$ or hypersensitiv$)).mp.
16. or/1‐15
Filter to identify RCTs
1. exp "clinical trial [publication type]"/
2. (randomised or randomised).ab,ti.
3. placebo.ab,ti.
4. dt.fs.
5. randomly.ab,ti.
6. trial.ab,ti.
7. groups.ab,ti.
8. or/1‐7
9. Animals/
10. Humans/
11. 9 not (9 and 10)
12. 8 not 11
The MEDLINE strategy and RCT filter are adapted to identify trials in other electronic databases.
Appendix 2. Cochrane Airways Group's Specialised Register search strategy
CENTRAL (The Cochrane Library)
#1 wheez*
#2 asthma*
#3 (#1 or #2)
#4 "adrenal cortex hormone*"
#5 steroid*
#6 corticosteroid*
#7 glucocorticoid*
#8 corticoid*
#9 (#4 or #5 or #6 or #7 or #8)
#10 systemic*
#11 oral*
#12 parenteral*
#13 intravenous*
#14 (#10 or #11 or #12 or #13)
#15 (#9 and #14)
#16 beclamethasone
#17 betamethasone
#18 cortisone
#19 dexamethasone
#20 hydrocortisone
#21 prednisolone
#22 prednisone
#23 methylprednisolone
#24 methylprednisone
#25 triamcinolone
#26 (#16 or #17 or #18 or #19 or #20 or #21 or #22 or #23 or #24 or #25)
#27 child*
#28 infant*
#29 preschool*
#30 toddler*
#31 (#27 or #28 or #29 or #30)
#32 (#15 or #26)
#33 (#3 and #32 and #31)
Appendix 3. MEDLINE search strategy
#1 wheez*
#2 asthma*
#3 "Asthma"[Mesh]
#4 "Respiratory Sounds"[Mesh]
#5 (#1 or #2 OR #3 OR #4)
#6 "adrenal cortex hormone*"
#7 steroid*
#8 corticosteroid*
#9 glucocorticoid*
#10 corticoid*
#11 adrenal cortex hormones[MeSH Terms]
#12 (#4 or #5 or #6 or #7 or #8 OR #9 or #10 OR #11)
#13 systemic*
#14 oral*
#15 parenteral*
#16 intravenous*
#17 (#13 OR #14 OR #15 OR #16)
#18 (#12 and #17)
#19 beclamethasone
#20 betamethasone
#21 cortisone
#22 dexamethasone
#23 hydrocortisone
#24 prednisolone
#25 prednisone
#26 methylprednisolone
#24 methylprednisone
#28 triamcinolone
#29 ( #19 or #20 or #21 or #22 or #23 or #24 or #25 OR #26 OR #27 OR #28)
#30 infant[MeSH Terms]
#31 child, preschool[MeSH Terms]
#32 (#30 or #31)
#33 (#18 or #29)
#34 (#5 and #32 and #33)
#35 randomised controlled trial [pt]
#36 controlled clinical trial [pt]
#37 randomised [tiab]
#38 placebo [tiab]
#39 clinical trials as topic [mesh: noexp]
#40 randomly [tiab]
#41 trial [ti]
# 42 (#35 or #36 or #37 or #38 or #39 or #40 or # 41)
#43animals [mh] NOT humans [mh]
#44 (#42 not #43)
#45 (#34 and #44)
Appendix 4. Additional search strategies
EMBASE
#1 'wheezing'/exp OR wheezing OR 'asthma'/exp OR asthma
#2 steroid* OR exp corticosteroid OR glucocorticoid* OR corticoid*
#3 'corticosteroid'/exp
#4 #2 OR #3
#5 systemic* OR oral* OR parenteral* OR intravenous*
#6 #4 AND #5
#7 beclomethasone OR 'betamethasone'/exp OR 'cortisone'/exp OR 'dexamethasone'/exp OR 'hydrocortisone'/exp OR 'prednisolone'/exp OR 'prednisone'/exp OR 'methylprednisolone'/exp OR 'methylprednisone'/exp OR 'triamcinolone'/exp
#8 #6 OR #7
#9 'preschool child'/exp OR 'preschool child'
#10 'infant'/exp OR infant
#11 #9 OR #10
#12 #1 AND #8 AND #11
#11 [controlled clinical trial]/lim OR [randomised controlled trial]/lim
#12 #10 AND #11
#1 'wheezing'/exp OR wheezing OR 'asthma'/exp OR asthma
#2 steroid* OR exp corticosteroid OR glucocorticoid* OR corticoid*
#3 'corticosteroid'/exp
#4 #2 OR #3
#5 systemic* OR oral* OR parenteral* OR intravenous*
#6 #4 AND #5
#7 beclomethasone OR 'betamethasone'/exp OR 'cortisone'/exp OR 'dexamethasone'/exp OR 'hydrocortisone'/exp OR 'prednisolone'/exp OR 'prednisone'/exp OR 'methylprednisolone'/exp OR 'methylprednisone'/exp OR 'triamcinolone'/exp
#8 #6 OR #7
#9 'preschool child'/exp OR 'preschool child'
#10 'infant'/exp OR infant
#11 #9 OR #10
#12 #1 AND #8 AND #11
#11 [controlled clinical trial]/lim OR [randomised controlled trial]/lim
#12 #10 AND #11
#13 Randomized Controlled Trial/ OR randomisation/ OR Controlled Study/ OR Clinical Trial/ OR controlled clinical trial/ OR Double Blind Procedure/ OR Single Blind Procedure/ OR Crossover Procedure/
#14 (clinica* adj* trial*).mp.
#15 ((singl* or doubl* or trebl* or tripl*) adj3 (mask* or blind* or method*)).mp.
#16 exp Placebo/13. placebo*.mp.
#17. random*.mp.
#18. ((control* or prospectiv*) adj3 (trial* or method* or stud*)).mp.
#19. (crossover* or cross‐over*).mp.
#20 #15 OR #16 OR #17 OR #18 OR #19
#21 #13 OR #20
#22 ‘animals’/ exp OR ‘invertebrate’/exp OR animal experiment/ OR animal model/ OR animal tissue/ OR animal cell/ OR nonhuman/
#23 human/ OR normal human/ OR human cell/
#24 #22 AND #23
#25 #22 NOT #24
#26 #21 NOT #25
WHO International Clinical Trials Registry Platform (ICTRP) search portal
wheez* OR asthma*
ANZCTR
wheeze AND child (under 18yrs)
