scholarly journals Volatile Anaesthetic Depression of the Carotid Body Chemoreflex-Mediated Ventilatory Response to Hypoxia: Directions for Future Research

Scientifica ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 ◽  
pp. 1-15 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. J. Pandit
Keyword(s):  
Quantitative Analysis ◽  
Carotid Body ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Inclusion Criteria ◽  
Molecular Processes ◽  
Similar Dose ◽  
Hypercapnic Response ◽  
Ventilatory Response To Hypoxia ◽  
Body Response

In assessing whether volatile anaesthetics directly depress the carotid body response to hypoxia it is necessary to combine in meta-analysis studies of when it is “functionally isolated” (e.g., recordings are made from its afferent nerve). Key articles were retrieved (full papers in English) and subjected to quantitative analysis to yield an aggregate estimate of effect. Results from articles that did not use such methodology were assessed separately from this quantitative approach, to see what could be learned also from a nonquantitative overview. Just 7 articles met the inclusion criteria for hypoxia and just 6 articles for hypercapnia. Within these articles, the anaesthetic (mean dose 0.75, standard deviation (SD) 0.40 minimum alveolar concentration, MAC) statistically significantly depressed carotid body hypoxic response by 24% (P=0.041), but a similar dose (mean 0.81 (0.42) MAC) did not affect the hypercapnic response. The articles not included in the quantitative analysis (31 articles), assessed qualitatively, also indicated that anaesthetics depress carotid body function. This conclusion helps direct future research on the anaesthetic effects on putative cellular/molecular processes that underlie the transduction of hypoxia in the carotid body.

scholarly journals Microplastic contamination of salt intended for human consumption: a systematic review and meta-analysis

2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (12) ◽  
Author(s):  
Evangelos Danopoulos ◽  
Lauren Jenner ◽  
Maureen Twiddy ◽  
Jeanette M. Rotchell
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Assessment Tool ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Human Consumption ◽  
Inclusion Criteria ◽  
Research Findings ◽  
Human Health Effects ◽  
Potential Human Health

Abstract Microplastics (MPs) are an emerging contaminant ubiquitous in the environment. There is growing concern regarding potential human health effects, a major human exposure route being dietary uptake. We have undertaken a systematic review (SR) and meta-analysis to identify all relevant research on MP contamination of salt intended for human consumption. Three thousand nine hundred and nineteen papers were identified, with ten fitting the inclusion criteria. A search of the databases MEDLINE, EMBASE and Web of Science, from launch date to September 2020, was conducted. MP contamination of salt varied significantly between four origins, sea salt 0–1674 MPs/kg, lake salt 8–462 MPs/kg, rock and well salt 0–204 MPs/kg. The majority of samples were found to be contaminated by MPs. Corresponding potential human exposures are estimated to be 0–6110 MPs per year (for all origins), confirming salt as a carrier of MPs. A bespoke risk of bias (RoB) assessment tool was used to appraise the quality of the studies, with studies demonstrating moderate to low RoB. These results suggest that a series of recurring issues need to be addressed in future research regarding sampling, analysis and reporting to improve confidence in research findings.

scholarly journals Loot boxes: A scoping review on primary studies of prevalence and association with problematic gaming and gambling

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Irene Montiel Juan ◽  
Aránzazu Basterra-González ◽  
Juan Manuel Machimbarrena ◽  
Jessica Ortega-Barón ◽  
Joaquín González-Cabrera
Keyword(s):  
Scoping Review ◽  
Longitudinal Research ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Inclusion Criteria ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Scoping Reviews ◽  
Problematic Gaming ◽  
General Studies ◽  
Actual Prevalence

Background: Loot boxes are a type of random microtransactions that are increasingly common in videogames, so there is some concern about its true extent and entailed risks. Although many papers have been published recently about this topic, the actual prevalence of loot boxes use is uncertain and there is still controversy over the nature of its relationship with problematic gaming and gambling. Objectives: The aims of this scoping review are to summarize the characteristics and findings of published primary research studies about the prevalence of loot boxes and/or its relationship with problematic gaming and gambling, taking into account the operationalization of loot boxes use in these studies. Methods: The Joanna Briggs Institute Guidance for conducting a systematic scoping reviews and the systematic reviews and meta-analysis extension for scoping reviews (PRISMA-ScR) are followed. Searches in three academic databases provided 299 articles. Results: Sixteen primary studies met the inclusion criteria for this review. All the studies were cross-sectional, only four used samples of adolescents and males were overrepresented in ten of the samples. The annual purchase prevalence rate in gamers is higher in adults than in adolescents (22.7 - 44.2% and 20 - 33.9%, respectively), but in general samples (gamers and non-gamers) it is just the opposite (from 24.9% among 13-14 to 7.8% in adults). Prevalence rates are also higher in the samples made up of gamers and gamblers and in studies that measured monthly or lifetime prevalence. In general, studies suggest a positive and significant relationship between loot boxes and problematic gaming and gambling. Conclusions: The overrepresentation of male adults with gaming and/or gambling problems in study samples do not allow to generalize their results. An enhanced standardization in measurements and methods for future research in this field is recommended. Also, further longitudinal research is needed to improve the understanding of these problems.

scholarly journals Acoustic Measures of Prosody in Right-Hemisphere Damage: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ethan Weed ◽  
Riccardo Fusaroli
Keyword(s):  
Right Hemisphere ◽  
Acoustic Analysis ◽  
Speech Rate ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
Bayesian Regression ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Acoustic Features ◽  
Inclusion Criteria ◽  
Right Hemisphere Damage

AbstractThe right hemisphere has often been claimed to be a locus for affective prosody, and people with right-hemisphere damage (RHD) have often been reported to show impairments in this domain. This phenomenon has been primarily investigated in terms of perception, more rarely in terms of production, and more rarely still using acoustic analysis. Our goal was to systematically review the papers reporting acoustic features of prosodic production in RHD, to identify strengths and weaknesses in this field, suggest guidelines for future research, and to support cumulative research by estimating the meta-analytic effect size of those features. We queried PubMed, PsychINFO, Web of Science, and Google Scholar, using the following combination of search terms: (prosody OR intonation OR inflection OR intensity OR pitch OR fundamental frequency OR speech rate OR voice quality) AND (RHD OR right hemisphere) AND (stroke) AND (acoustic). Standardized mean differences were extracted from all papers meeting inclusion criteria, and aggregated effect sizes were estimated using hierarchical Bayesian regression models. Sixteen papers met our inclusion criteria. We did not find strong evidence in the literature to indicate that the prosodic productions of people with RHD is substantially different from that of NBD controls, when measured in terms of acoustic features. However, the acoustic features of productions by people with RHD did differ from those of participants with NBD and LHD in some ways, notably in F0 variation and pause duration. Prosody type (emotional vs. linguistic) had very little effect. Taken together, currently available data show only a weak effect of RHD on prosody production. However, more accurate analyses are hindered by small sample sizes, lack of detail on lesion location, and divergent measuring techniques. Cumulative open science practices are recommended to overcome these issues.

Chemokines in hepatocellular carcinoma: a meta-analysis

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiongfeng Pan ◽  
Atipatsa C Kaminga ◽  
Shi Wu Wen ◽  
Aizhong Liu
Keyword(s):  
Hepatocellular Carcinoma ◽  
Web Of Science ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Cochrane Library ◽  
Group Differences ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Inclusion Criteria ◽  
Immune Microenvironment ◽  
Online Databases ◽  
Mean Differences

Abstract Accumulating evidence suggests that chemokines may play an important role in the formation and mediating of the immune microenvironment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The purpose of this meta-analysis was to explore the differences in blood or tissues chemokines concentrations between HCC patients and controls. Online databases, namely PubMed, Web of Science, Embase and Cochrane Library, were systematically searched for relevant articles published on or before 15 January 2020. Standardized mean differences (SMDs) with corresponding 95% confidence intervals of the chemokines concentrations were calculated as group differences between the HCC patients and the controls. Sixty-five studies met the inclusion criteria for the meta-analysis. Altogether they consisted of 26 different chemokines compared between 5828 HCC patients and 4909 controls; and 12 different chemokines receptors compared between 2053 patients and 2285 controls. The results of meta-analysis indicated that concentrations of CCL20, CXCL8 and CXCR4 in the HCC patients were significantly higher than those in the controls (SMD of 6.18, 1.81 and 1.04, respectively). Therefore, higher concentration levels of CCL20, CXCL8 and CXCR4 may indicate the occurrence of HCC Future research should explore the putative mechanisms underlying this linkage. Meanwhile, attempts can be made to replicate the existing findings in prospective cohort populations and explore the cause-and-effect relationships pertaining to this linkage in order to develop new diagnostic and therapeutic strategies for HCC.

Uptake of genetic testing by relatives in Lynch syndrome: A systematic review.

2013 ◽  
Vol 31 (4_suppl) ◽  
pp. 374-374
Author(s):  
Ravi Sharaf ◽  
Parvathi Myer ◽  
Christopher Stave ◽  
Lisa Diamond ◽  
Uri Ladabaum
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Genetic Testing ◽  
Lynch Syndrome ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Population Level ◽  
Female Gender ◽  
Economic Feasibility ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Inclusion Criteria ◽  
Full Text Review

374 Background: Screening of persons with newly diagnosed colorectal cancer (CRC) for Lynch Syndrome (LS) can yield substantial population-level benefits at acceptable costs, presuming sufficient uptake of genetic testing by first-degree relatives (FDRs) of LS probands. We reviewed systematically the published literature addressing the frequency and predictors of uptake of genetic testing by FDRs of LS probands. Methods: A literature search was conducted in four electronic databases (CINAHL, PsycInfo, PUBMED, and SCOPUS) for articles published through May 2011 that reported the uptake of genetic testing by relatives of LS probands. Two investigators independently screened articles to determine whether they met inclusion criteria, and abstracted data inthree broad categories: study population, methodology, and uptake of genetic testing. A narrative, qualitative systematic review was performed. The data were not amenable to meta-analysis. Results: 1,258 potentially relevant articles were identified with 533 studies undergoing full text review. Eight articles met inclusion criteria. 52% or less of FDRs of LS probands underwent genetic testing. For each LS proband, 4.6 or fewer relatives underwent genetic testing. Demographic factors (age <50 years, female gender, parenthood, education level, employment, participation in past medical studies), psychological factors (lack of depressive symptoms), and family history (greater number of relatives with cancer) were associated with uptake of genetic testing. Conclusions: Genetic testing may be underutilized by FDRs at risk for LS. The economic feasibility of screening persons with CRC for LS depends on optimizing family-wide uptake of genetic testing. Future research and clinical efforts should focus on ways to overcome barriers to genetic testing.

scholarly journals Prenatal Opioid Exposure and ADHD Childhood Symptoms: A Meta-Analysis

Children ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 106
Author(s):  
Ashlyn N. Schwartz ◽  
Lucia M. Reyes ◽  
Laurie L. Meschke ◽  
Kristina W. Kintziger
Keyword(s):  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Future Research ◽  
School Age ◽  
Adhd Symptoms ◽  
Inclusion Criteria ◽  
Hyperactivity Disorder ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Symptom Scores ◽  
Sample Characteristics ◽  
The Relationship

To systematically investigate the association between prenatal opioid exposure (POE) and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms in children 2–18 years old, studies were searched using PubMed, CINAHL, PsycINFO, and Web of Science from January of 1950 to October of 2019. Inclusion criteria were observational studies reporting ADHD symptoms of children with POE compared with non-exposed children or normative data. The study protocol was registered with PROSPERO: CRD42018115967. Two independent reviewers extracted data on hyperactivity/impulsivity, inattention symptoms, ADHD combined subscale symptoms, and sample characteristics. Of 223 articles screened, seven met the inclusion criteria. Data represent 319 children with POE and 1308 non-exposed children from 4.3 to 11.2 mean years from five countries. POE was positively associated with childhood hyperactivity/impulsivity (d = 1.40; 95% CI, 0.49–2.31; p = 0.003), inattention (d = 1.35; 95% CI, 0.69–2.01; p < 0.0001), and combined ADHD symptoms scores (d = 1.27; 95% CI = 0.79–1.75; p < 0.0001). POE was positively associated with ADHD combined symptom scores at preschool (d = 0.83, 95% CI, 0.57, 1.09; p < 0.0001) and school age (d = 1.45, 95% CI, 0.85 to 2.04; p < 0.0001). Results suggest increased risk of ADHD symptoms during school age. Future research is needed to clarify the relationship between biological, social, and environmental risk and ADHD symptoms for children who experienced POE.

A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of the Outcome Expectancy Construct in Physical Activity Research

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lauren Connell Bohlen ◽  
Jessica A Emerson ◽  
Ryan E Rhodes ◽  
David M Williams
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Inclusion Criteria ◽  
Perceived Weight ◽  
Bivariate Association ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Perceived Consequences ◽  
Affective Consequences ◽  
Meta Analyses

Abstract Background Cognition-based theories dominate physical activity (PA) research, and many include a construct broadly defined as “beliefs about the consequences of behavior” (e.g., outcome expectancies, perceived benefits) hereafter referred to as perceived consequences. Purpose With the quantity of available research on this topic, it is important to examine whether the literature supports perceived consequences as a predictor of PA. Methods A meta-analysis examining longitudinal associations between perceived consequences and PA in adults was conducted. Studies were eligible if (a) perceived consequences were measured at a time point prior to PA, and (b) the target behavior was a form of PA. An omnibus meta-analysis estimating the mean effect of all included studies, and separate meta-analyses for perceived consequences content categories were conducted. Results This search yielded 6,979 articles, of these, 110 studies met inclusion criteria. Studies were published between 1989 and 2020, with sample sizes ranging from 16 to 2,824. All studies were evaluated as moderate to high quality. A small positive bivariate association was identified (r = 0.11; 95% CI [0.09, 0.13]) between perceived consequences and PA. Significant associations were identified for time, health, self-evaluative, psychological, and affective consequences. There was no association between perceived weight-related consequences and PA. Conclusions The findings emphasize the variability with which existing studies have examined perceived consequences in the PA literature. Future research might examine whether these are important distinctions for understanding PA. Overall, the results suggest utility in examining perceived consequences as a predictor of PA, but constructs with more robust associations may require priority.

scholarly journals Victimization Experiences and Well-Being in Adulthood: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

2020 ◽  
Vol 35 (6) ◽  
pp. 783-814
Author(s):  
Célia Ferreira ◽  
Eunice Magalhães ◽  
Carla Antunes ◽  
Cláudia Camilo
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Literature Review ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Inclusion Criteria ◽  
Methodological Issues ◽  
Sample Characteristics ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship

Scientific research has explored the impact of violence during adulthood on psychopathology. Fewer efforts have been made from a positive theoretical framework, and no systematic evidence has been provided. This manuscript describes a literature review and meta-analysis on the relationship between victimization experiences and well-being in adulthood. A literature review was performed, and 27 studies met the inclusion criteria for the systematic review 16 for the meta-analysis. The meta-analysis yielded a medium and significant overall effect size (r = −0.309, p < .001), which indicated that greater victimization experiences partly explain lower well-being outcomes. A set of theoretical and methodological issues are discussed, specifically considering the conceptualization of victimization and well-being as well as the studies design, sample characteristics, measures, and data analysis. Derived from this integrative discussion, some recommendations are also provided for future research.

The association of Raynaud’s phenomenon/syndrome with scleroderma and Sjögren’s syndrome – a meta-analysis

VASA ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 37 (Supplement 73) ◽  
pp. 26-32 ◽  
Author(s):  
Schlattmann ◽  
Höhne ◽  
Plümper ◽  
Heidrich
Keyword(s):  
Quantitative Analysis ◽  
Sjögren’S Syndrome ◽  
Mixture Model ◽  
Sjögren's Syndrome ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Sjogren’S Syndrome ◽  
Sjogren's Syndrome ◽  
Raynaud’S Syndrome ◽  
Raynaud's Syndrome ◽  
Sjögren‘S Syndrome

Background: In order to analyze the prevalence of Raynaud’s syndrome in diseases such as scleroderma and Sjögren’s syndrom – a meta-analysis of published data was performed. Methods: The PubMed data base of the National Library of Medicine was used for studies dealing with Raynaud’s syndrome and scleroderma or Raynaud’s syndroem and Sjögren’s syndrom respectively. The studies found provided data sufficient to estimate the prevalence of Raynaud’s syndrome. The statistical analysis was based on methods for a fixed effects meta-analysis and finite mixture model for proportions. Results: For scleroderma a pooled prevalence of 80.9% and 95% CI (0.78, 0.83) was obtained. A mixture model analysis found four latent classes. We identified a class with a very low prevalence of 11%, weighted with 0.15. On the other hand there is a class with a very high prevalence of 96%. Analysing the association with Sjögren’s syndrome, the pooled analysis leads to a prevalence of Raynaud’s syndrome of 32%, 95% CI(26.7%, 37.7%). A mixture model finds a solution with two latent classes. Here, 38% of the studies show a prevalence of 18.8% whereas 62% observe a prevalence of 38.3%. Conclusion: There is strong variability of studies reporting the prevalence of Raynaud’s syndrome in patients suffering from scleroderma or Sjögren’s syndrome. The available data are insufficient to perform a proper quantitative analysis of the association of Raynaud’s phenomenon with scleroderma or Sjögren’s syndrome. Properly planned and reported epidemiological studies are needed in order to perform a thorough quantitative analysis of risk factors for Raynaud’s syndrome.

Chasing the Anchor: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Perceptual Anchoring Deficits in Developmental Dyslexia

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kurt D Shulver ◽  
Nicholas A Badcock
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Reading Ability ◽  
English Language ◽  
Prediction Interval ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Visual Assessment ◽  
Individual Performance ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Significant Heterogeneity ◽  
Eligibility Criteria

We report the results of a systematic review and meta-analysis investigating the relationship between perceptual anchoring and dyslexia. Our goal was to assess the direction and degree of effect between perceptual anchoring and reading ability in typical and atypical (dyslexic) readers. We performed a literature search of experiments explicitly assessing perceptual anchoring and reading ability using PsycInfo (Ovid, 1860 to 2020), MEDLINE (Ovid, 1860 to 2019), EMBASE (Ovid, 1883 to 2019), and PubMed for all available years up to June (2020). Our eligibility criteria consisted of English-language articles and, at minimum, one experimental group identified as dyslexic - either by reading assessment at the time, or by previous diagnosis. We assessed for risk of bias using an adapted version of the Newcastle-Ottawa scale. Six studies were included in this review, but only five (n = 280 participants) were included in the meta-analysis (we were unable to access the necessary data for one study).The overall effect was negative, large and statistically significant; g = -0.87, 95% CI [-1.47, 0.27]: a negative effect size indicating less perceptual anchoring in dyslexic versus non-dyslexic groups. Visual assessment of funnel plot and Egger’s test suggest minimal bias but with significant heterogeneity; Q (4) = 9.70, PI (prediction interval) [-2.32, -0.58]. The primary limitation of the current review is the small number of included studies. We discuss methodological limitations, such as limited power, and how future research may redress these concerns. The variability of effect sizes appears consistent with the inherent variability within subtypes of dyslexia. This level of dispersion seems indicative of the how we define cut-off thresholds between typical reading and dyslexia populations, but also the methodological tools we use to investigate individual performance.

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