Environmental risk factors of leptospirosis in urban settings: a systematic review protocol

IntroductionLeptospirosis is the most common zoonotic disease that causes morbidity and mortality worldwide. The disease can cause sporadic epidemics and recent epidemics have become more apparent in urban localities. There is lack of documented evidence on the specific risk factors of leptospirosis infection among the urbanites, thereby impeding initiatives for prevention in urban settings. We aim to systematically search published articles and synthesise evidence on the risk factors associated with leptospirosis infection among the susceptible populations in urban localities, particularly to identify the risk factors of non-recreational leptospirosis infection.Methods and analysisWe will conduct a systematic review of observational studies that investigated environmental risk factors of leptospirosis in urban localities. The search will be performed for any eligible articles from selected electronic databases from 1970 until May 2018. The study will include any studies that investigated risk factors of confirmed leptospirosis cases who acquired the infection in urban locality, particularly exposures from the non-recreational and non-water-related activities. Study selection and reporting will follow the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines and Meta-Analysis of Observational Studies in Epidemiology guideline. All data will be extracted using a standardised data extraction form and quality of the studies will be assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale guideline. Descriptive and meta-analysis will be performed by calculating the standardised median ORs and risk ratios for types of the non-recreational risk factors stratified by social, living conditions and environmental exposures, types of reservoirs and transmissions and types of activities and employments associated with leptospirosis infection in urban locality.Ethics and disseminationNo primary data will be collected thus no formal ethical approval is required. The results will be disseminated though a peer-reviewed publication and conference presentation.PROSPERO registration numberCRD42018090820.

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Determinants of healthcare use based on the Andersen model: a study protocol for a systematic review of longitudinal studies

BMJ Open ◽

10.1136/bmjopen-2020-044435 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (5) ◽

pp. e044435

Author(s):

André Hajek ◽

Benedikt Kretzler ◽

Hans-Helmut König

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Longitudinal Studies ◽

Observational Studies ◽

Data Extraction ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Primary Data ◽

Study Quality ◽

Healthcare Use ◽

Andersen Model ◽

Longitudinal Observational Studies

IntroductionA previous systematic review published in 2012 focused on the use of health services based on the Andersen model. Extending this review, we will exclusively focus on systematically synthesising longitudinal studies examining the determinants of healthcare use based on the Andersen model. Therefore, our aim of this systematic review is to provide an overview of longitudinal observational studies investigating the predictors of healthcare use explicitly using this model.Methods and analysisWe will search three electronic databases (Medline, PsycINFO and CINAHL). Furthermore, reference lists will be searched manually. Longitudinal observational studies will be investigating the determinants of healthcare use (in terms of use of outpatient physician services (like general practitioner’s visits or specialist visits in total) and hospitalisation). We will exclude disease-specific samples. Data extraction will focus on methods (eg, assessment of healthcare use), sample characteristics and main findings. A suitable tool will be used to assess the study quality. Study selection, data extraction and evaluation of study quality will be conducted by two reviewers. The findings will be presented by means of figures, summary tables, narrative summaries and meta-analysis (if possible).Ethics and disseminationNo primary data will be collected. Therefore, approval by an ethics committee is not required. Our findings are planned to be published in a peer-reviewed journal.PROSPERO registration numberCRD42020193198.

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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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Parental Factors Affecting the Incidence of Infantile Colic: A Systematic Review

Journal of Pediatrics Review ◽

10.32598/jpr.9.2.930.1 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (2) ◽

pp. 105-114

Author(s):

Mahbobeh Firooz ◽

◽

Fereshteh Eidy ◽

Zohreh Abbasi ◽

Seyed Javad Hosseini ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Risk Factors ◽

Systematic Review ◽

Socioeconomic Status ◽

Observational Studies ◽

Data Extraction ◽

Scientific Information ◽

Physical Factors ◽

Infantile Colic ◽

Parental Factors ◽

Factors Affecting

Context: Infantile Colic (IC) is an essential problem in infancy that is influenced by factors related to infants and parents. The parental factors associated with colic have not been comprehensively assessed. Objectives: The present systematic review was conducted to investigate the parental factors affecting the incidence of IC. Data Sources: Databases, including PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, Science Direct, Google scholar, as well as Scientific Information Database (SID), and Magiran (Iranian websites) were searched to identify all eligible papers concerning parental factors affecting infantile CI. The registration number of this study was CRD42020163518 in the PROSPERO database. Study Selection: A total of 423 relevant articles published up to the end of December 2019 were assessed. The selected articles were screened based on duplicated, eligibility criteria, and quality appraisal. The main inclusion criteria were observational studies and articles in Persian and English languages. Data Extraction: The Mesh keywords and Boolean operators included (“risk factors” OR “causality”) AND (“parents” OR “fathers” OR “mothers”) AND (“infant”) AND (“colic”). Consequently, 18 papers were thoroughly studied and the related data were extracted. Two researchers independently performed the data extraction and quality assessment based on the STROBE checklist from the observational studies. The information of selected studies was recorded in a table, i.e. consisted of authors’ names, purpose, design, population, and main results. Results: Final articles consisted of 10 prospective, 6 cross-sectional, and 2 case-control studies. Eventually, the effective factors were placed in 6 categories, as follows: psychological factors, physical factors, taking medications, perinatal factors, family’s socioeconomic status, and maternal diet. The most important characteristics predisposing to IC were parental depression, anxiety, smoking, maternal history of migraine, young age, primiparity, low family support, high socioeconomic status, high-risk pregnancies, and delivery, taking antibiotics, as well as the consumption of celery, onions, and bananas. Conclusions: Various parental factors affect the incidence of colic. Identifying these risk factors and accurate planning can be beneficial in the prevention and treatment of IC.

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Pregnancy-related complications and incidence of atrial fibrillation: a systematic review and meta-analysis

EP Europace ◽

10.1093/europace/euab116.145 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 23 (Supplement_3) ◽

Author(s):

T Al Bahhawi ◽

A Aqeeli ◽

S L Harrison ◽

D A Lane ◽

I Buchan ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Atrial Fibrillation ◽

Systematic Review ◽

Cohort Studies ◽

Observational Studies ◽

Large Scale ◽

Data Extraction ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Significant Heterogeneity ◽

Random Effects Models ◽

Increased Risk

Abstract Funding Acknowledgements Type of funding sources: None. Background Pregnancy-related complications have been previously associated with incident cardiovascular disease. However, data are scarce on the association between pregnancy-related complications and incident atrial fibrillation (AF). This systematic review examines associations between pregnancy-related complications and incident AF. Methods A systematic search of the literature utilising MEDLINE and EMBASE (Ovid) was conducted from 1990 to 6 April 2020. Observational studies examining the association between pregnancy-related complications including hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP), gestational diabetes, placental abruption, preterm birth, low birth weight, small-for-gestational-age and stillbirth, and incidence of AF were included. Screening and data extraction were conducted independently by two reviewers. Inverse-variance random-effects models were used to pool hazard ratios. Results: Six observational studies met the inclusion criteria one case-control study and five retrospective cohort studies, with four studies eligible for meta-analysis. Sample sizes ranged from 1,839-1,303,365. Mean/median follow-up for the cohort studies ranged from 7-36 years. Most studies reported an increased risk of incident AF associated with pregnancy-related complications. The pooled summary statistic from four studies reflected a greater risk of incident AF for HDP (hazard ratio (HR) 1.47, 95% confidence intervals (CI) 1.18-1.84; I2 = 84%) and from three studies for pre-eclampsia (HR 1.71, 95% CI 1.41-2.06; I2 = 64%; Figure). Conclusions The results of this review suggest that pregnancy-related complications particularly pre-eclampsia appear to be associated with higher risk of incident AF. The small number of included studies and the significant heterogeneity in the pooled results suggest further large-scale prospective studies are required to confirm the association between pregnancy-related complications and AF. Abstract Figure.

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The prevalence and risk factors of work-related musculoskeletal disorders among adults in Ethiopia: a study protocol for extending a systematic review with meta-analysis of observational studies

Systematic Reviews ◽

10.1186/s13643-020-01403-9 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 9 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Tsiwaye Gebreyesus ◽

Kalkidan Nigussie ◽

Moges Gashaw ◽

Balamurugan Janakiraman

Keyword(s):

Risk Factors ◽

Systematic Review ◽

Musculoskeletal Disorders ◽

Observational Studies ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Abstract Data ◽

Size Type ◽

The Individual

Abstract Background Work-related musculoskeletal disorders impose a significant and most often underappreciated burden to the individual, nation, healthcare system, and society as a whole. To the best of our knowledge, there is a lack of reliable estimates on the prevalence of work-related musculoskeletal disorders in Ethiopia. The objective of this study will be to assess the existing literature on the prevalence rates and determinant factors of work-related musculoskeletal disorders in Ethiopia. Method We will search PubMed/MEDLINE, Embase, SCOPUS, PsycINFO, PEDro, and Ebsco (from January 2000 onwards). Gray literature will be identified through searching Google Scholar and dissertation databases. Observational studies reporting on the prevalence of work-related musculoskeletal disorders among adult Ethiopians will be included. The primary outcome will be the prevalence of work-related musculoskeletal disorders. Secondary outcomes will be the prevalence of any risk factors in association with work-related musculoskeletal disorders. Two reviewers will independently screen all citations, full-text articles, and abstract data. The study methodological quality (or bias) will be appraised using an appropriate tool. If feasible, we will conduct random effects meta-analysis of observational data. Subgroup analyses will be conducted to explore the potential sources of heterogeneity (e.g., gender, sample size, type of occupation). Publication bias and heterogeneity between the included studies will also be assessed and reported. Discussion This systematic review will provide a synthesis of the literature on the prevalence of work-related musculoskeletal disorders and their risk factors in Ethiopia. The results of this review could help the policymakers in occupational health and healthcare sectors in identifying priority areas for interventions in work-related musculoskeletal disorders and will also serve as a baseline for the decision-making processes of musculoskeletal health promotion, work exposure implementations, and prevention programs in workplaces. Systematic review registration PROSPERO, CRD42020164240

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Dietary acid load and cardiometabolic risk factors: a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies

Public Health Nutrition ◽

10.1017/s1368980019001125 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 22 (15) ◽

pp. 2823-2834 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Elnaz Daneshzad ◽

Fahimeh Haghighatdoost ◽

Leila Azadbakht

Keyword(s):

Risk Factors ◽

Systematic Review ◽

Blood Pressure ◽

Observational Studies ◽

Cardiometabolic Risk ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Cardiometabolic Risk Factors ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Dietary Acid ◽

Acid Load

AbstractObjective:Dietary acid load (DAL) might contribute to change the levels of cardiometabolic risk factors; however, the results are conflicting. The present review was conducted to determine the relationship between DAL and cardiometabolic risk factors.Design:Systematic review and meta-analysis.Setting:A systematic search was conducted in electronic databases including ISI Web of Science, PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus and Google Scholar for observational studies which assessed cardiometabolic risk factors across DAL. Outcomes were lipid profile, glycaemic factors and anthropometric indices. Effect sizes were derived using a fixed- or random-effect model (DerSimonian–Laird). Also, subgroup analysis was performed to find the probable source of heterogeneity. Egger’s test was performed for finding any publication bias.Results:Thirty-one studies were included in the current review with overall sample size of 92 478. There was a significant relationship between systolic blood pressure (SBP; weighted mean difference (WMD) = 1·74 (95 % CI 0·25, 3·24) mmHg;P= 0·022;I2= 95·3 %), diastolic blood pressure (DBP; WMD = 0·75 (95 % CI 0·07, 1·42) mmHg;P= 0·030;I2= 80·8 %) and DAL in cross-sectional studies. Serum lipids, glycaemic parameters including fasting blood sugar, glycated Hb, serum insulin, homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance and waist circumference had no significant relationship with DAL. No publication bias was found. BMI was not associated with DAL in both cross-sectional and cohort studies.Conclusions:Higher DAL is associated with increased SBP and DBP. More studies are needed to find any relationship of DAL with lipid profile and glycaemic factors.

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Sleep Duration in Relation to Cognitive Function among Older Adults: A Systematic Review of Observational Studies

Neuroepidemiology ◽

10.1159/000442418 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 46 (1) ◽

pp. 57-78 ◽

Cited By ~ 24

Author(s):

Elizabeth E. Devore ◽

Francine Grodstein ◽

Eva S. Schernhammer

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Older Adults ◽

Cognitive Function ◽

Sleep Duration ◽

Observational Studies ◽

English Language ◽

Data Extraction ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Short Sleep ◽

Sleep Parameters

Context: Increasing evidence suggests that circadian and sleep parameters influence cognitive function with aging. Objective: To evaluate observational studies of sleep duration and cognition in older adults. Data Sources: A systematic review of OVID Medline and PsycINFO through September 2015, and review of bibliographies from studies identified. Study Selection: English-language articles reporting observational studies of sleep duration and cognitive function in older populations. Data Extraction: Data extraction by 2 authors using predefined categories of desired information. Results: Thirty-two studies met our inclusion criteria, with nearly two-thirds published in the past 4 years. One-third of studies indicated that extreme sleep durations were associated with worse cognition in older adults. More studies favored an association with long vs. short sleep durations (35 vs. 26% of studies, respectively). Four studies found that greater changes in sleep duration over time were related to lower cognition. Study design and analytic methods were very heterogeneous across studies; therefore, meta-analysis was not undertaken. Limitations: We reviewed English-language manuscripts only, with a qualitative summary of studies identified. Conclusions and Implications of Key Findings: Observational studies of sleep duration and cognitive function in older adults have produced mixed results, with more studies suggesting that long (rather than short) sleep durations are related to worse cognition. Studies more consistently indicate that greater changes in sleep duration are associated with poor cognition. Future studies should be prospectively designed, with objective sleep assessment and longer follow-up periods; intervention studies are also needed to identify strategies for promoting cognitive health with aging.

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Environmental Risk Factors for Bipolar Disorders and High-Risk States in Adolescence: A Systematic Review

Medicina ◽

10.3390/medicina56120689 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 56 (12) ◽

pp. 689

Author(s):

Giulia Menculini ◽

Pierfrancesco Maria Balducci ◽

Luigi Attademo ◽

Francesco Bernardini ◽

Patrizia Moretti ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Risk Factors ◽

Systematic Review ◽

High Risk ◽

Environmental Risk ◽

Stressful Life Events ◽

Treatment Strategies ◽

Bipolar Disorders ◽

Environmental Risk Factors ◽

Newcastle Ottawa Scale ◽

Present Systematic Review

Background and objectives: A deeper comprehension of the role that environmental risk factors play in the development of adolescent Bipolar Disorder (BD), as well as in the evolution of high-risk states for BD, may entangle further prevention and treatment advances. The present systematic review is aimed at critically summarizing evidence about the role that environmental risk factors play in the development of BD in adolescence and their interaction with BD high-risk states. Materials and Methods: MEDLINE/Pubmed, Scopus and Web of Science datasets were systematically searched until 4 September 2020. Original studies that reported information about the role of environmental risk factors in the development of BD during adolescence, or assessing their influence on the development of psychopathology in high-risk states for BD, were considered for inclusion. Two blind researchers performed title/abstract, full-text screening, and hand-screening of relevant references. The risk of bias was assessed by means of the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. Results: Fourteen studies were included in the review. Negative stressful life events, particularly sexual and physical abuse, but also emotional mistreatment, were associated with more severe psychopathology in adolescents with BD, as well as with higher risk for developing mood disorders in BD offspring. Similar findings were detected for familial environment-related features, such as parental rejection and low perceived care, while no univocal results were found when analyzing familial functioning. Conclusions: The present systematic review confirmed the relevant role that environmental risk factors, particularly negative stressful live events and family-related features, play in the development of BD psychopathology during adolescence. Future studies are expected to clarify possible further environmental factors that may be implicated in the development of BD during youth that may serve as target of prevention and early treatment strategies.

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Neighbourhood socioeconomic status and overweight/obesity: a systematic review and meta-analysis of epidemiological studies

BMJ Open ◽

10.1136/bmjopen-2018-028238 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 9 (11) ◽

pp. e028238 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Shimels Hussien Mohammed ◽

Tesfa Dejenie Habtewold ◽

Mulugeta Molla Birhanu ◽

Tesfamichael Awoke Sissay ◽

Balewgizie Sileshi Tegegne ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Socioeconomic Status ◽

Observational Studies ◽

Data Extraction ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Epidemiological Studies ◽

Cochrane Library ◽

Eligibility Criteria ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Neighbourhood Socioeconomic Status

ObjectiveLow neighbourhood socioeconomic status (NSES) has been linked to a higher risk of overweight/obesity, irrespective of the individual’s own socioeconomic status. No meta-analysis study has been done on the association. Thus, this study was done to synthesise the existing evidence on the association of NSES with overweight, obesity and body mass index (BMI).DesignSystematic review and meta-analysis.Data sourcesPubMed, Embase, Scopus, Cochrane Library, Web of Sciences and Google Scholar databases were searched for articles published until 25 September 2019.Eligibility criteriaEpidemiological studies, both longitudinal and cross-sectional ones, which examined the link of NSES to overweight, obesity or BMI, were included.Data extraction and synthesisData extraction was done by two reviewers, working independently. The methodological quality of included studies was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale for the observational studies. The summary estimates of the relationships of NSES with overweight, obesity and BMI statuses were calculated with random-effects meta-analysis models. Heterogeneity was assessed by Cochran’s Q and I2 statistics. Subgroup analyses were done by age categories, continents, study designs and NSES measures. Publication bias was assessed by visual inspection of funnel plots and Egger’s regression test.ResultA total of 21 observational studies, covering 1 244 438 individuals, were included in this meta-analysis. Low NSES, compared with high NSES, was found to be associated with a 31% higher odds of overweight (pooled OR 1.31, 95% CI 1.16 to 1.47, p<0.001), a 45% higher odds of obesity (pooled OR 1.45, 95% CI 1.21 to 1.74, p<0.001) and a 1.09 kg/m2 increase in mean BMI (pooled beta=1.09, 95% CI 0.67 to 1.50, p<0.001).ConclusionNSES disparity might be contributing to the burden of overweight/obesity. Further studies are warranted, including whether addressing NSES disparity could reduce the risk of overweight/obesity.PROSPERO registration numberCRD42017063889

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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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