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. 2014 Aug 15;115(5):484-7.
doi: 10.1161/CIRCRESAHA.114.304767. Epub 2014 Jul 8.

DAMASCENE and Meta-Ecological Research: A Bridge Too Far

Lem Moyé  1
Affiliations

DAMASCENE and Meta-Ecological Research: A Bridge Too Far

Lem Moyé. Circ Res. .

Abstract

Population level studies commonly induce the ecological fallacy i.e., the belief that a relationship identified at the population level implies a cause and effect relationship at the level of the individual. A recent research report (DAMASCENE) that related clinical trial effect sizes in cardiovascular cell therapy trials to reporting discrepancies in the trials themselves has compounded meta-analysis difficulties with ecological fallacy issues. This dangerous combination has produced misleading conclusions and speculation that the research community should set aside.

Keywords: cell- and tissue-based therapy; meta-analysis.

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