Maternal and birth cohort studies in the Gulf Cooperation Council countries: protocol for a systematic review and narrative evaluation

IntroductionCohort studies have revealed that genetic, socioeconomic, communicable and non-communicable diseases, and environmental exposures during pregnancy may influence the mother and her pregnancy, birth delivery and her offspring. Numerous studies have been conducted in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries to examine maternal and birth health. The objectives of this protocol for a systematic review are to systematically review and characterise the exposures and outcomes that have been examined in the mother and birth cohort studies in the GCC region, and to summarise the strength of association between key maternal exposures during pregnancy (ie, body mass index) and different health-related outcomes (ie, mode of birth delivery). The review will then synthesise and characterise the consequent health implications and will serve as a platform to help identify areas that are overlooked, point out limitations of studies and provide recommendations for future cohort studies.Methods and analysisMedline, Embase, Cochrane Library and Web of Science electronic databases will be comprehensively searched. Two reviewers will independently screen each study for eligibility, and where discrepancies arise they will be discussed and resolved; otherwise a third reviewer will be consulted. The two reviewers will also independently extract data into a predefined Excel spreadsheet. The included studies will be categorised on the basis of whether the participant is a mother, infant or mother–infant dyad. Outcome variables will be divided along two distinctions: mother or infant. Exposure variables will be divided into six domains: psychosocial, biological, environmental, medical/medical services, maternal/reproductive and perinatal/child. Studies are expected to be of heterogeneous nature; therefore, quantitative syntheses might be limited.Ethics and disseminationThere is no primary data collection; therefore, ethical review is not necessary. The findings of this review will be disseminated in a peer-reviewed journal and presented at relevant conferences.PROSPERO registration numberCRD42017068910.

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Effect of Prenatal Phthalate Exposure on Childhood Atopic Dermatitis: a Systematic Review and a Meta-analysis of Birth Cohort Studies

10.21203/rs.3.rs-122193/v1 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Minyoung Jung ◽

Min-ji Kim ◽

Seonwoo Kim ◽

Yechan Kyung ◽

Minji Kim ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Atopic Dermatitis ◽

Cohort Studies ◽

Birth Cohort ◽

Prenatal Exposure ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Positive Association ◽

Cochrane Library ◽

Eligibility Criteria ◽

Ethylhexyl Phthalate

Abstract Background: The association between prenatal exposure to phthalate and childhood atopic dermatitis (AD) has been previously investigated; however, the results are inconsistent. We aimed to perform a systematic review and meta-analysis of birth cohort studies to investigate whether prenatal exposure to phthalate increases the risk of developing AD in children.Methods: We performed an electronic search of the MEDLINE, Embase, and Cochrane library databases. Studies were critically appraised, and meta-analyses were performed.Results: Among 129 articles identified, 11 studies met the eligibility criteria. Included studies originated from Europe (n = 5), USA (n = 4), and Asia (n = 2). The study sample size ranged from 147 to 1024 mother-child pairs. Quality assessment using the Newcastle–Ottawa scale of all studies had scores of six or greater. A meta-analysis of data from eight selected studies suggested that monobenzyl phthalate (MBzP) exposure was significantly associated with the risk of AD development (odds ratio 1.16, 95% confidence interval 1.04-1.31, I2 = 17.36%). However, AD development was not associated with other phthalate metabolites such as mono-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate, monoethyl phthalate, mono-isobutyl phthalate, mono-n-butyl phthalate, and the sum of di-[2-ethylhexyl] phthalate on the development of AD (all P-values > 0.05).Conclusions: Our study suggests a positive association between prenatal exposure to MBzP and the development of childhood AD.

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Maternal and birth cohort studies in the Gulf Cooperation Council countries: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Systematic Reviews ◽

10.1186/s13643-020-1277-0 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 9 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Rami H. Al-Rifai ◽

Nasloon Ali ◽

Esther T. Barigye ◽

Amal H. I. Al Haddad ◽

Fatima Al-Maskari ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Cohort Studies ◽

Birth Cohort ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Gulf Cooperation Council

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Risk factors for predicting progression from normal cognition to mild cognitive impairment: protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis of cohort studies

BMJ Open ◽

10.1136/bmjopen-2018-027313 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 9 (6) ◽

pp. e027313 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Jie Wang ◽

Lina Wang ◽

Xianglian Zhou ◽

Xiaohong Wen ◽

Xueting Zhen

Keyword(s):

Risk Factors ◽

Systematic Review ◽

Cognitive Impairment ◽

Mild Cognitive Impairment ◽

Cohort Studies ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Primary Data ◽

Cochrane Library ◽

The Impact ◽

Normal Cognition

IntroductionMild cognitive impairment (MCI) often represents the earliest stage of Alzheimer’s disease. There has been considerable research investigating specific risk factors regarding the progression from normal cognition to MCI. However, different studies have come to different conclusions on the impact of particular risk factors. Therefore, it is necessary to conduct a meta-analysis of the risk factors that predict cognitive disruption in individuals based on associations with MCI.Methods and analysisWe will search seven electronic databases without time limit, including MEDLINE, EMBASE, The Cochrane Library, Web of Science, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, the Wan Fang Database and China Biology Medicine. Two researchers will independently screen for eligibility and perform data extraction. Data were extracted from cohort studies meeting the inclusive criteria according to the Newcastle Ottawa Scale (NOS) methods. A third member of the research team will be contacted when a consensus cannot be reached. Any disagreement will be settled by consensus. The NOS will be used to assess the quality of the studies. All analyses were performed using Stata V.15.1.Ethics and disseminationWe will report this review in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis statement. We will disseminate our findings through a publication in a peer-reviewed journal. This systematic review does not require ethical approval as no primary data are collected.PROSPERO registration numberCRD42018109099.

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Prevalence of retinopathy in prediabetes: protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis

BMJ Open ◽

10.1136/bmjopen-2020-040997 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

pp. e040997

Author(s):

Varo Kirthi ◽

Paul Nderitu ◽

Uazman Alam ◽

Jennifer Evans ◽

Sarah Nevitt ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Diabetic Retinopathy ◽

Data Extraction ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

International Diabetes Federation ◽

Current Data ◽

Risk Of Bias ◽

Fundus Photography ◽

Primary Data ◽

Cochrane Library

IntroductionThere is growing evidence of a higher than expected prevalence of retinopathy in prediabetes. This paper presents the protocol of a systematic review and meta-analysis of retinopathy in prediabetes. The aim of the review is to estimate the prevalence of retinopathy in prediabetes and to summarise the current data.Methods and analysisThis protocol is developed in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Protocols (PRISMA-P) guidelines. A comprehensive electronic bibliographic search will be conducted in MEDLINE, EMBASE, Web of Science, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), Google Scholar and the Cochrane Library. Eligible studies will report prevalence data for retinopathy on fundus photography in adults with prediabetes. No time restrictions will be placed on the date of publication. Screening for eligible studies and data extraction will be conducted by two reviewers independently, using predefined inclusion criteria and prepiloted data extraction forms. Disagreements between the reviewers will be resolved by discussion, and if required, a third (senior) reviewer will arbitrate.The primary outcome is the prevalence of any standard features of diabetic retinopathy (DR) on fundus photography, as per International Clinical Diabetic Retinopathy Severity Scale (ICDRSS) classification. Secondary outcomes are the prevalence of (1) any retinal microvascular abnormalities on fundus photography that are not standard features of DR as per ICDRSS classification and (2) any macular microvascular abnormalities on fundus photography, including but not limited to the presence of macular exudates, microaneurysms and haemorrhages. Risk of bias for included studies will be assessed using a validated risk of bias tool for prevalence studies. Pooled estimates for the prespecified outcomes of interest will be calculated using random effects meta-analytic techniques. Heterogeneity will be assessed using the I2 statistic.Ethics and disseminationEthical approval is not required as this is a protocol for a systematic review and no primary data are to be collected. Findings will be disseminated through peer-reviewed publications and presentations at national and international meetings including Diabetes UK, European Association for the Study of Diabetes, American Diabetes Association and International Diabetes Federation conferences.PROSPERO registration numberCRD42020184820.

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Effectiveness of Physiotherapy to Promote Motor Recovery in Individuals with Stroke: A Systematic Review Protocol

10.21203/rs.3.rs-1169559/v1 ◽

2022 ◽

Author(s):

Shehong Zhang ◽

Hongyu Xie ◽

Chuanjie Wang ◽

Fengfeng Wu ◽

Xin Wang

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Motor Function ◽

Systematic Reviews ◽

Evaluation System ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Primary Data ◽

Cochrane Library ◽

Systematic Review Protocol ◽

Qualitative Synthesis ◽

Review Protocol

Abstract Introduction: Motor function is essential in our daily lives, one of the most common impairments caused by stroke is loss of functional movement. Over 70% of stroke survivors have motor or other neurological functional disabilities. However, rehabilitation of motor function suffered from a stroke can be rather difficult due to the complexity of organs and systems related to motor function, as well as the neural system that supported motor function. In particularly, previous evidence for the effectiveness of physiotherapy, a commonly prescribed intervention method for people with stroke, that recover motor function in people following a stroke is varied and limited in the chronic rehabilitation phase and therefore has never been reviewed systematically. With the progress of study in neurology and the development of novel tools for rehabilitation, results from more and more clinical trials are now available, thus here justifying conducting a systematic review. Methods and analysis: This systematic review protocol is developed in accordance with the methodology recommended by the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Protocols, as well as the Cochrane handbook for systematic reviews of interventions. Relevant studies will be identified by searching the databases. We will perform searches for relevant studies in databases, including PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, and Web of Science, Physiotherapy Evidence Database and Cochrane Library databases. The reference lists of included articles and reviews will be searched manually. The date range parameters used in searching all databases will be restricted between January 2001 and January 2021. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) published will be included. The language used in the articles included was restricted to English. The GRADE (Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation system from the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions) approach will be used to systematically appraise the quality of methodology. We will assess the risk of bias of the RCTs included using the Cochrane Collaboration’s tool and provide a qualitative synthesis. After that, we will consider conducting a meta-analysis if the final data across outcomes shows sufficient homogeneity. Ethics and dissemination: No ethical approval is needed as the proposed study does not involve the collection of primary data, and the results of this review will be disseminated via peer-reviewed publications and conference presentations. Trial registration number: CRD42021267069.

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Rituximab for Eosinophilic Granulomatosis with Polyangiitis: a Systematic Review of Observational Studies

Rheumatology ◽

10.1093/rheumatology/keab046 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Vincenzo G Menditto ◽

Giulia Rossetti ◽

Diletta Olivari ◽

Alessia Angeletti ◽

Marco Rocchi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Cohort Studies ◽

Granulomatosis With Polyangiitis ◽

Case Reports ◽

Case Series ◽

Biologic Agents ◽

Cochrane Library ◽

Eosinophilic Granulomatosis With Polyangiitis ◽

Extensive Literature ◽

Eosinophilic Granulomatosis

Abstract Objective to analyze the available evidence about the use of rituximab (RTX) and other biologic agents in Eosinophilic Granulomatosis with Polyangiitis (EGPA) patients and to provide useful findings to inform the design of future, reliable clinical trials. Methods A systematic review was performed. A systematic search was conducted in PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, Web of Science and the Cochrane library databases and an extensive literature search on other biologic agents. Results 45 papers pertinent to our questions were found: 16 retrospective cohort studies, 8 case series, 3 prospective cohort studies and 18 single case reports, for a total of 368 EGPA patients. More than 80% of evaluable patients achieved complete or partial remission with a tendency towards a higher rate of complete response in pANCA positive subgroup. Conclusion Although the majority of the evaluable EGPA patients treated with RTX appears to achieve complete remission, we strongly believe that a number of sources of heterogeneity impairs a clear interpretation of results and limits their transferability in clinical practice. Differences in design, enrollment criteria, outcome definition and measurement make a comparison among data obtained from studies on RTX and other biologic agents unreliable.

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Mapping of modifiable barriers and facilitators of medication adherence in bipolar disorder to the Theoretical Domains Framework: a systematic review protocol

BMJ Open ◽

10.1136/bmjopen-2018-026980 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 9 (2) ◽

pp. e026980 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Asta Ratna Prajapati ◽

Alexandra Lelia Dima ◽

Allan B Clark ◽

Claire Gant ◽

Chris Gibbons ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Systematic Review ◽

Bipolar Disorder ◽

Medication Adherence ◽

Mental Health Treatment ◽

Theoretical Domains Framework ◽

Barriers And Facilitators ◽

Primary Data ◽

Cochrane Library ◽

Long Term Treatment

IntroductionPeople with bipolar disorder require long-term treatment but it is estimated that 40% of these people do not adhere to prescribed medication regimens. Non-adherence increases the risk of relapse, hospitalisation and suicide. Some evidence syntheses report barriers to mental health treatment adherence but rarely delineate between modifiable and non-modifiable barriers. They also fail to distinguish between the patients’ perspective and that of other stakeholders such as clinicians despite of their different understanding and priorities about adherence. Facilitators of adherence, which are also important for informing adherence intervention design, are also lacking from syntheses and few syntheses focus on medications for bipolar disorder.This systematic review aims to identify modifiable barriers and facilitators (determinants) of medication adherence in bipolar disorder. We also plan to report determinants of medication adherence from perspectives of patients, carers, healthcare professionals and other third parties. A unique feature of this systematic review in the context of mental health is the use of the Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF) to organise the literature identified determinants of medication adherence.Methods and analysisThe protocol adheres to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Protocols and ENhancing Transparency in REporting the synthesis of Qualitative research (ENTREQ) guidelines. This review will include both qualitative and quantitative primary studies exploring determinants of medication adherence in bipolar disorder. We will search the following databases using a preplanned strategy: CINAHL, Cochrane Library (CENTRAL), Embase, LiLACS, Medline, PsychINFO, PubMed without date restrictions. We will report the quality of included studies. We will use framework synthesis using the TDF as an a priori ‘framework’. We will map the literature identified modifiable determinants to the domains of TDF.Ethics and disseminationEthical approval is not required as primary data will not be collected. The results will be disseminated through a peer-reviewed publication.PROSPERO registration numberCRD42018096306.

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Prevalence of non-contrast CT abnormalities in adults with reversible cerebral vasoconstriction syndrome: protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis

BMJ Open ◽

10.1136/bmjopen-2020-041776 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (9) ◽

pp. e041776

Author(s):

Ryan Daniel Gotesman ◽

Naomi Niznick ◽

Brian Dewar ◽

Dean A Fergusson ◽

Risa Shorr ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Cerebral Arteries ◽

Reversible Cerebral Vasoconstriction Syndrome ◽

Vascular Lesions ◽

Primary Data ◽

Cochrane Library ◽

Cerebral Vasoconstriction ◽

Contrast Ct ◽

The Impact

IntroductionReversible cerebral vasoconstriction syndrome (RCVS) is characterised by severe, recurrent thunderclap headaches (TCHs) and vasoconstriction of cerebral arteries that resolve within 3 months. Abnormalities on non-contrast CT (NCCT) such as ischaemic strokes, intracerebral haemorrhage and subarachnoid haemorrhages are frequently observed on brain imaging of patients with RCVS though their prevalence varies considerably between studies. The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis is to estimate the prevalence of NCCT abnormalities seen on neuroimaging of adult patients with RCVS.Methods and analysisWe will search the Medline, Embase and the Cochrane Library databases for studies on the prevalence of NCCT abnormalities on neuroimaging of patients with RCVS. Search results will be screened for eligibility by title and abstract. Suitable studies will be fully reviewed and relevant data extracted using a data abstraction form. The studies will be assessed for methodological quality, risk of bias and heterogeneity. Prevalence estimates across studies will be pooled using a random-effects model and subgroup analysis will be performed to assess the impact of age, sex, publication year and study design on prevalence of vascular lesions. Sensitivity analysis will be used to investigate the robustness of the findings. This protocol has been devised using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Protocols 2015 checklist.Ethics and disseminationFormal ethics is not required as primary data will not be collected. The findings of this study will be disseminated through a peer-reviewed publication and conference presentations.Trial registration numberCRD42020190637.

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Association between sepsis and retinopathy of prematurity: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BMJ Open ◽

10.1136/bmjopen-2018-025440 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 9 (5) ◽

pp. e025440 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Xiaofen Wang ◽

Kun Tang ◽

Ling Chen ◽

Sixiang Cheng ◽

Huilan Xu

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Cohort Studies ◽

Premature Infants ◽

Retinopathy Of Prematurity ◽

Data Extraction ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Cochrane Library ◽

Case Control Studies ◽

Severe Stage

ObjectiveTo explore the association between sepsis and retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) in premature infants.DesignA systematic review and meta-analysis.Data sourcesWe performed a systematic search of PubMed, the Cochrane Library and Embase from 1 January, 2000, to 1 January, 2018, with no language restrictions and reported the relationship between sepsis and ROP.Eligibility criteriaOriginal observational studies, including cohort studies and case-control studies.Data extraction and synthesisTwo reviewers independently completed the study selection and data extraction. The OR and corresponding 95% CI were used to measure the risk of sepsis in patients with ROP. The heterogeneity between studies was evaluated using Cochran’s Q test and the I2statistic. The Newcastle-Ottawa Scale was adopted to evaluate the quality of each of the included studies, and the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation approach was used to assess the quality of the evidence.ResultsSixteen studies with a total sample size of 12 466 premature infants and 2494 cases of ROP were included in this meta-analysis. Adjusted analysis showed that sepsis was closely related to any stage of ROP (OR = 1.57, 95% CI 1.31 to 1.89) and severe stage of ROP (OR = 2.33, 95% CI 1.21 to 4.51) in premature infants, with 56.3% and 81.8% heterogeneity, respectively. Subgroup analyses showed that heterogeneity was obvious in prospective cohort studies (I2= 62.1%, p<0.001). In a sensitivity analysis, we found that removing any single study did not significantly change the overall effect value. The quality of the evidence was rated as low for both any stage of ROP and severe stage of ROP.ConclusionsSepsis increases the risk of ROP in preterm infants. However, considering that all included studies are observational and causality can rarely be established, additional evidence is needed to substantiate this finding and provide advice for practice.

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Risk factors for new ischaemic cerebral lesions after carotid artery stenting: protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis

BMJ Open ◽

10.1136/bmjopen-2019-030025 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 9 (8) ◽

pp. e030025 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Yao Feng ◽

Long Li ◽

Xuesong Bai ◽

Tao Wang ◽

Yanfei Chen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Risk Factors ◽

Systematic Review ◽

Carotid Artery ◽

Systematic Reviews ◽

Carotid Artery Stenting ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Primary Data ◽

Occurrence Rate ◽

Cochrane Library ◽

Cerebral Lesions

IntroductionNew ischaemic cerebral lesions (NICL) detected by diffusion-weighted imaging MRI are common after carotid artery stenting (CAS), with an occurrence rate ranging from 18% to 57%. Many studies reported occurrence of NICL could increase risk of future cerebrovascular events and cognitive impairment. However, controversies about determinants for occurrence of NICL after CAS exist among studies, and one risk factor embodied in an article may not be in another. Aim of this study is to introduce a protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis to identify risk factors associated with occurrence of NICL after CAS.Methods and analysisAll relevant literature referring to risk factors for occurrence of NICL after CAS will be searched on the major databases, such as PubMed, Embase, Web of Science and the Cochrane Library until 31 December 2018. Literature, which must be randomised controlled trials, case–control studies or cohort studies, will be included in accordance with the prespecified eligibility criteria. The risk of bias will be assessed using the Cochrane Collaboration criteria and the quality of evidence will be assessed with the corresponding scale. Data will be extracted with a form prepared before and analysed using RevMan V.5.3 analyses software. Heterogeneity will be assessed using I2statistic. Our systematic review will be performed according to the guidance from the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions and the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses statement.Ethics and disseminationThere is no need for ethical approval because primary data will not be attained. The systematic review will be presented at international conferences and published in peer-reviewed journals.PROSPERO registration numberCRD42019121129

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