| B. Non-Randomised controlled trials | ||||||||||
| Category | Number of studies | Total participants (intervention group) | Actual (A) or simulated (S) travel | Athlete specific | Methodological quality | Consistency | Directness | Precision | Publication bias | Total GRADE rating |
| Melatonin | 2 | 34 (34) | Poor | ‡ | † | ‡ | *§ | Very low + | ||
| Cardinali, et al
30
Manfredini, et al 39 | 22 (22) 12 (12) | A A | Yes Yes | 10/28 9/28 | Both studies no control group, clinical heterogeneity, methodological heterogeneity | (The evidence answers the review question) | Effect size andCIs not reported, no control group | |||
| Sedatives | 1 | 17 (9) | Poor | ‡ | † | ‡ | *§ | |||
| Reilly, et al 40 | 17 (9) | A | Mixed (gymnasts and support staff in one group) | 9/28 | Mixed gymnasts and support staff into one group | (The evidence answers the review question) | Mixed athletes and non-athletes | Very low + | ||
| Stimulants | 0 | |||||||||
| Melatonin analogues | 1 | 8 (8) | Moderate | */† | † | ‡ | * | Low ++ | ||
| Nickelsen, et al 45 | S | No | 19/28 | Although small sample size, well described methodology and reported results | (The evidence answers the review question) | Effect size andCIs not reported | ||||
| Glucocorticoids | 0 | |||||||||
| Antihistamines | 0 | |||||||||
| TOTAL | 4 | 59 (51) | ||||||||
*.Some problems
†No serious problems.
‡Major problems
§All athlete specific studies have small sample sizes that may lead to publication bias.
GRADE, Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation; RCTs, randomised controlled trials; RoB, risk of bias.