scholarly journals Prostaglandins in biofluids in pregnancy and labour: A systematic review

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (11) ◽  
pp. e0260115
Author(s):  
Eilidh M. Wood ◽  
Kylie K. Hornaday ◽  
Donna M. Slater

Prostaglandins are thought to be important mediators in the initiation of human labour, however the evidence supporting this is not entirely clear. Determining how, and which, prostaglandins change during pregnancy and labour may provide insight into mechanisms governing labour initiation and the potential to predict timing of labour onset. The current study systematically searched the existing scientific literature to determine how biofluid levels of prostaglandins change throughout pregnancy before and during labour, and whether prostaglandins and/or their metabolites may be useful for prediction of labour. The databases EMBASE and MEDLINE were searched for English-language articles on prostaglandins measured in plasma, serum, amniotic fluid, or urine during pregnancy and/or spontaneous labour. Studies were assessed for quality and risk of bias and a qualitative summary of included studies was generated. Our review identified 83 studies published between 1968–2021 that met the inclusion criteria. As measured in amniotic fluid, levels of PGE2, along with PGF2α and its metabolite 13,14-dihydro-15-keto-PGF2α were reported higher in labour compared to non-labour. In blood, only 13,14-dihydro-15-keto-PGF2α was reported higher in labour. Additionally, PGF2α, PGF1α, and PGE2 were reported to increase in amniotic fluid as pregnancy progressed, though this pattern was not consistent in plasma. Overall, the evidence supporting changes in prostaglandin levels in these biofluids remains unclear. An important limitation is the lack of data on the complexity of the prostaglandin pathway outside of the PGE and PGF families. Future studies using new methodologies capable of co-assessing multiple prostaglandins and metabolites, in large, well-defined populations, will help provide more insight as to the identification of exactly which prostaglandins and/or metabolites consistently change with labour. Revisiting and revising our understanding of the prostaglandins may provide better targets for clinical monitoring of pregnancies. This study was supported by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research.

2016 ◽  
Vol 30 (4) ◽  
pp. 55-66 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zofia Kasińska ◽  
Tomasz Tasiemski

Abstract Introduction: Sport for people with disabilities has interested scientists for a long time. However, there is a scarcity of research on the subject of amputee football – football adapted to individuals after amputations. The aim of the study was to describe this sport and to review research carried out in this field so far. When looking for investigations on amputee football, the available computer databases (Academic Search Complete, SPORTdiscus, MEDLINE, Health Source, Master-FILE Premier) were searched comprehensively. The following key words were used to identify proper articles: amputee football, football + amputations, crutch football. Also, the following article inclusion criteria were applied: (A) original scientific paper, (B) available full text of paper, (C) paper published in a peer-reviewed journal, (D) paper published in the English language. Eleven articles that met the criteria were selected for the analysis. Description of amputee football: The description of amputee football included the history of the sport in the world and in Poland, rules of the game and players’ classification. Amputee football in research: The articles selected for the review were divided into three categories: 1) psychological and social aspects, 2) anthropomotorics and nutrition, 3) endurance, physical capacity and speed abilities. . Summary: The majority of studies carried out so far have focused on general characteristics of amputee football players and the effects of this sport on the functioning of individuals after amputations. Future studies ought to involve injury-related aspects as well as training effectiveness on the basis of physiological parameters.


2013 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 113-118 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ruth Ann Marrie ◽  
Caroline Gryba

Interest in neuromyelitis optica (NMO) has increased substantially over the last few years, but it is not known whether NMO has the same geographic and temporal variations in disease risk as multiple sclerosis (MS). We aimed to evaluate the worldwide incidence and prevalence of NMO through a systematic review of published peer-reviewed studies. We performed a search of the English-language literature using MEDLINE and EMBASE from January 1985 to March 2012. Search terms included “neuromyelitis optica,” “Devic's,” “opticospinal,” “incidence,” “prevalence,” and “epidemiology.” We assessed study quality using a standardized instrument. A total of five studies met the inclusion criteria. Three of the studies were from North America, and all studies were published between 2005 and 2012. All studies were of good quality, but only one study reported standardized rates, and subgroup-specific estimates were rarely reported. The incidence of NMO per 100,000 population ranged from 0.053 to 0.40, while the prevalence per 100,000 population ranged from 0.52 to 4.4. Heterogeneity was high among the incidence (I2 = 68.0%) and prevalence studies (I2 = 94.0%). This review highlights the limited knowledge regarding the epidemiology of NMO and the importance of obtaining estimates standardized to common populations to enhance comparability of studies from different jurisdictions. Future studies would also benefit from reporting age-, sex-, and race- or ethnicity-specific estimates.


2021 ◽  
Vol 224 (2) ◽  
pp. S132-S133
Author(s):  
Matthew J. Bicocca ◽  
Emma J. Qureshey ◽  
Suneet P. Chauhan ◽  
Edgar Hernandez Andrade ◽  
Baha M. Sibai ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  

2021 ◽  
Vol 139 (1) ◽  
pp. 94-127
Author(s):  
Mark Faulkner

Abstract This paper demonstrates the potential of new methodologies for using existing corpora of medieval English to better contextualise linguistic variants, a major task of philology and a key underpinning of our ability to answer major literary-historical questions, such as when, where and to what purpose medieval texts and manuscripts were produced. The primary focus of the article is the assistance these methods can offer in dating the composition of texts, which it illustrates with a case study of the “Old” English Life of St Neot, uniquely preserved in the mid-twelfth-century South-Eastern homiliary, London, British Library, Cotton Vespasian D.xiv, fols. 4–169. While the Life has recently been dated around 1100, examining its orthography, lexis, syntax and style alongside that of all other English-language texts surviving from before 1150 using new techniques for searching the Dictionary of Old English Corpus suggests it is very unlikely to be this late. The article closes with some reflections on what book-historical research should prioritise as it further evolves into the digital age.


2021 ◽  
pp. 004912412098618
Author(s):  
Tim de Leeuw ◽  
Steffen Keijl

Although multiple organizational-level databases are frequently combined into one data set, there is no overview of the matching methods (MMs) that are utilized because the vast majority of studies does not report how this was done. Furthermore, it is unclear what the differences are between the utilized methods, and it is unclear whether research findings might be influenced by the utilized method. This article describes four commonly used methods for matching databases and potential issues. An empirical comparison of those methods used to combine regularly used organizational-level databases reveals large differences in the number of observations obtained. Furthermore, empirical analyses of these different methods reveal that several of them produce both systematic and random errors. These errors can result in erroneous estimations of regression coefficients in terms of direction and/or size as well as an issue where truly significant relationships might be found to be insignificant. This shows that research findings can be influenced by the MM used, which would argue in favor of the establishment of a preferred method as well as more transparency on the utilized method in future studies. This article provides insight into the matching process and methods, suggests a preferred method, and should aid researchers, reviewers, and editors with both combining multiple databases and describing and assessing them.


2016 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 19-27 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luciana Torquati ◽  
Toby Pavey ◽  
Tracy Kolbe-Alexander ◽  
Michael Leveritt

Objective. To systematically review the effectiveness of intervention studies promoting diet and physical activity (PA) in nurses. Data Source. English language manuscripts published between 1970 and 2014 in PubMed, Scopus, CINAHL, and EMBASE, as well as those accessed with the PICO tool, were reviewed. Study Inclusion and Exclusion Criteria. Inclusion criteria comprised (1) nurses/student nurses working in a health care setting and (2) interventions where PA and/or diet behaviors were the primary outcome. Exclusion criteria were (1) non–peer-reviewed articles or conference abstracts and (2) interventions focused on treatment of chronic conditions or lifestyle factors other than PA or diet in nurses. Data Extraction. Seventy-one full texts were retrieved and assessed for inclusion by two reviewers. Data were extracted by one reviewer and checked for accuracy by a second reviewer. Data Synthesis. Extracted data were synthesized in a tabular format and narrative summary. Results. Nine (n = 737 nurses) studies met the inclusion criteria. Quality of the studies was low to moderate. Four studies reported an increase in self-reported PA through structured exercise and goal setting. Dietary outcomes were generally positive, but were only measured in three studies with some limitations in the assessment methods. Two studies reported improved body composition without significant changes in diet or PA. Conclusions. Outcomes of interventions to change nurses’ PA and diet behavior are promising, but inconsistent. Additional and higher quality interventions that include objective and validated outcome measures and appropriate process evaluation are required.


2004 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
pp. 224-226 ◽  
Author(s):  
Euan M. Wallace ◽  
Budi Marjono ◽  
David A. Brown ◽  
Jennifer Crossley ◽  
Stephen Tong ◽  
...  

1982 ◽  
Vol 142 (1) ◽  
pp. 113-114 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Ron ◽  
G. Kidroni ◽  
L. Schwartz ◽  
D. Scherer ◽  
J. Menczel ◽  
...  

2012 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 425-433 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammad U. Malik ◽  
David A. Diaz Voss Varela ◽  
Charles M. Stewart ◽  
Kulsoom Laeeq ◽  
Gayane Yenokyan ◽  
...  

Abstract Introduction The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) introduced the Outcome Project in July 2001 to improve the quality of resident education through competency-based learning. The purpose of this systematic review is to determine and explore the perceptions of program directors regarding challenges to implementing the ACGME Outcome Project. Methods We used the PubMed and Web of Science databases and bibliographies for English-language articles published between January 1, 2001, and February 17, 2012. Studies were included if they described program directors' opinions on (1) barriers encountered when attempting to implement ACGME competency-based education, and (2) assessment methods that each residency program was using to implement competency-based education. Articles meeting the inclusion criteria were screened by 2 researchers. The grading criterion was created by the authors and used to assess the quality of each study. Results The survey-based data reported the opinions of 1076 program directors. Barriers that were encountered include: (1) lack of time; (2) lack of faculty support; (3) resistance of residents to the Outcome Project; (4) insufficient funding; (5) perceived low priority for the Outcome Project; (6) inadequate salary incentive; and (7) inadequate knowledge of the competencies. Of the 6 competencies, those pertaining to patient care and medical knowledge received the most responses from program directors and were given highest priority. Conclusions The reviewed literature revealed that time and financial constraints were the most important barriers encountered when implementing the ACGME Outcome Project.


2008 ◽  
Vol 139 (2_suppl) ◽  
pp. P33-P34
Author(s):  
Jeremy T. Reed ◽  
Shankar K. Sridhara ◽  
Scott E Brietzke

Objective Review and assess the current published literature regarding clinical outcomes of suction electrocautery adenoidectomy (ECA) in pediatric patients. Methods The MEDLINE database was systematically reviewed for articles reporting on the use of ECA. Inclusion criteria included English language, sample size greater than 5, and presentation of extractable data regarding pediatric outcomes with ECA. Random effects modeling was used to estimate summary outcomes. Results 9 studies met the inclusion criteria. There were 2 level 1b studies, 2 level 3b studies, and 5 level 4 studies. The mean sample size was 276 patients with a grand mean age of 6.0 years. Random effects modeling of summary estimates of intra-operative hemorrhage (4.1 cc vs. 24.0 cc 95% CI of difference = 16.5–23.1, p<0.001) and operative time (10.0 minutes vs. 11.9 minutes 95% CI of difference=0.82–2.90, p<0.001) favored ECA vs. traditional curette adenoidectomy. Subjective success was reported in 95.0% (95% CI=92.7–97.3%, p<0.001) of ECA patients with a grand mean of 5.8 months of postoperative follow-up and a grand mean lost to follow-up rate of 23.2%. Adenoid regrowth was evaluated objectively (endoscopy or X-ray) in only 116 of 2,132 (5.4%) total patients with an observed regrowth rate of 2.8% (95% CI=0–5.5%, p=0.052) with 846 total person years of follow-up. Conclusions The preponderance of evidence favors ECA versus curette adenoidectomy in terms of decreased intraoperative hemorrhage and decreased operative time. Long-term outcomes data for ECA are scarce, despite the fact that the procedure is likely performed hundreds of times each day, but suggest a low regrowth rate.


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