scholarly journals Canine leptospirosis in stray and sheltered dogs: a systematic review

Author(s):  
Anna Cecília Costa ◽  
Raisa Colocho ◽  
Carine Pereira ◽  
Andrey Lage ◽  
Marcos Heinemann ◽  
...  

The aim of this systematic review was to identify articles on prevalence of leptospirosis in stray and sheltered dogs worldwide and access the methodological quality of the recovered papers. Six databases (CABI, Cochrane, Pubmed, Scielo, Scopus and Web of Science) were searched, without restriction on year or location where the studies were performed. The search recovered 476 articles and 60 were selected for analysis according to quality criteria. None of the selected articles showed a complete explanation for the sample size adopted (probabilistic sampling), leading to the impossibility of recalculation of leptospirosis prevalence for stray or sheltered dogs. Among the analyzed papers 43.33% (26/60) showed five of the ten quality criteria analyzed, 16.67% (10/60) three, 15.00% (9/60) four, 10.00% (6/60) six, 6.67% (4/60) eight, only 5.00% (3/60) showed nine of the ten criteria analyzed, whereas two papers showed two [1.67% (1/60)] and seven [1.67% (1/60)] of the ten criteria assessed. The majority of the papers were published in the Americas [45.00% (27/60)] and in the last sixteen years (2003 to 2019) [81.67% (49/60)], and most of the sampled dogs were stray dogs [65.00% (39/60)]. The leptospirosis diagnostic test used more frequently was Micro Agglutination Test (MAT) [78.33% (47/60)] followed by polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) [23.33% (14/60)], whereas the most common serovars identified were Canicola [71.43% (35/49)], Icterohaemohrragiae [65.31% (32/49)], Grippotyphosa [40.82% (20/49)] and Pomona [40.82% (20/49)]. In conclusion, our results showed that Leptospira spp. is present in stray and sheltered dogs worldwide, but the complete comprehension of the prevalence of leptospirosis in these populations could not be achieved due to the low methodologic quality of the recovered studies about leptospirosis in stray and sheltered dogs.

2020 ◽  
Vol 25 (264) ◽  
pp. 139-152
Author(s):  
Manoela Abreu ◽  
Franciele Carvalho Santos ◽  
Ana Laura Nogueira ◽  
Matheus Lima Zampieri ◽  
Dernival Bertoncello

The aim of this study was to perform a systematic review of the literature in order to investigate the effects of the Pilates Method on athletes of different sports. Methods: Researches were carried out in databases (SciELO, LILACS, PubMed, Web of Science and SCOPUS) and to evaluate the methodological quality of the studies, the PEDro scale was used. Results: Of the 87 studies found, only four were included. Meta-analyzes to assess flexibility using the Wells Bank's Sit and Reach test and a fleximeter indicated improvement after Pilates application, although there were no statistically significant differences compared to the control groups (Wells Bank's Sit and Reach test: 2 , 83 95% CI: -0.73 to 6.38, I² = 99%; Fleximeter: -0.78, 95% CI: -1.84 to 0.27, I² = 0%). Conclusion: There is evidence of benefits after Pilates intervention. Future studies with standardized protocols, according to the chosen sport, are necessary to determine how the Pilates Method can improve athletes' performance.


2016 ◽  
Vol 50 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Vivian Siqueira Santos Gonçalves ◽  
Taís Freire Galvão ◽  
Keitty Regina Cordeiro de Andrade ◽  
Eliane Said Dutra ◽  
Maria Natacha Toral Bertolin ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT OBJECTIVE To estimate the prevalence of hypertension among adolescent Brazilian students. METHODS A systematic review of school-based cross-sectional studies was conducted. The articles were searched in the databases MEDLINE, Embase, Scopus, LILACS, SciELO, Web of Science, CAPES thesis database and Trip Database. In addition, we examined the lists of references of relevant studies to identify potentially eligible articles. No restrictions regarding publication date, language, or status applied. The studies were selected by two independent evaluators, who also extracted the data and assessed the methodological quality following eight criteria related to sampling, measuring blood pressure, and presenting results. The meta-analysis was calculated using a random effects model and analyses were performed to investigate heterogeneity. RESULTS We retrieved 1,577 articles from the search and included 22 in the review. The included articles corresponded to 14,115 adolescents, 51.2% (n = 7,230) female. We observed a variety of techniques, equipment, and references used. The prevalence of hypertension was 8.0% (95%CI 5.0–11.0; I2 = 97.6%), 9.3% (95%CI 5.6–13.6; I2 = 96.4%) in males and 6.5% (95%CI 4.2–9.1; I2 = 94.2%) in females. The meta-regression failed to identify the causes of the heterogeneity among studies. CONCLUSIONS Despite the differences found in the methodologies of the included studies, the results of this systematic review indicate that hypertension is prevalent in the Brazilian adolescent school population. For future investigations, we suggest the standardization of techniques, equipment, and references, aiming at improving the methodological quality of the studies.


BioMedica ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 36 (2S) ◽  
pp. 169-174
Author(s):  
Seemi Tanvir ◽  
Ayesha Fazal ◽  
Sadia Sajjad ◽  
Shabbir Ahmed

<p><strong>Background and Objective:</strong> A set of new studies is offering perspective and guidance on the differences between using Real Time Reverse Transcriptase-Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) and chest Computerized tomography (CT) in terms of sensitivity and specificity. This review paper addresses the comparative diagnostic potential of CT chest and RT-PCR for COVID-19. <strong>Method: </strong>An online literature search was carried out from Jan. 2020 to Apr. 2020 from Google -Scholar, Web of Science, Science Direct and PubMed using the MeSH key words. Twenty-five articles were retrieved. Articles with incomplete information and covering other factors like ethnicity were excluded and only the articles with comparison between two clinical diagnostic methods were included. Avoiding the duplication of issues, 5 articles were finally selected for review. <strong>Result:</strong> This review observed 98% pooled sensitivity of CT-chest being much higher than that of RT-PCR (75%). <strong>Conclusion:</strong> Patients with suspicion of COVID-19 should be screened using CT scan chest as a more sensitive technique.</p>


2019 ◽  
Vol 17 (5) ◽  
pp. 717-727 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hadi Mirahmadi ◽  
Maryam Mansouri Nia ◽  
Adel Ebrahimzadeh ◽  
Ahmad Mehravaran ◽  
Reza Shafiei ◽  
...  

Abstract This study aimed to detect the presence of Acanthamoeba spp. in different water resources of Zahedan, southeast of Iran, and also systematically reviewed all publications regarding Acanthamoeba in Iran (2005–2018). Fifty water samples were collected from different water resources in Zahedan. The positive samples were identified morphologically and subjected to polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using fragments of 18S rRNA. In the systematic review, data collection using particular terms was carried out using the following electronic databases including Science Direct, ISI Web of Science, MEDLINE, EBSCO, Scopus, and Google Scholar. A total of 17 (34%) samples were positive for Acanthamoeba spp., and nucleotide sequencing indicated that 15 samples (88.23%) belonged to the T4 genotype and the rest belonged to the T5 genotype. A total of 39 studies reported genotyping of Acanthamoeba spp. from various geographical areas of Iran and revealed that T4 (35 studies), T5 (19 studies), T3 (11 studies), T11 (8 studies), and T2 (6 studies) genotypes were the most prevalent in Iran. The T4 genotype of Acanthamoeba is a prevalent free-living amoeba and widely distributed not only in Zahedan but also in other provinces of Iran. Phylogenetic analysis reveals that A. castellanii and A. griffini predominantly colocalize with the T4 genotype.


Author(s):  
Candela J. Hüsgen ◽  
Nienke C. Peters-Scheffer ◽  
Robert Didden

Abstract Objectives Animal-assisted therapy with dogs is regularly used in children with behavioural and developmental disorders. Aims of this systematic review were threefold: to analyse the methodological quality of studies on dog-assisted therapy (DAT) for children with behavioural and developmental disorders, to determine to which extent the studies on DAT adhere to the quality criteria developed by the International Association of Human Animal Interaction Organisation (IAHAIO) and to describe the characteristics of the participants, the intervention and the outcomes. Method Three databases (i.e. PsycInfo, MedLine and Eric) were searched, and 14 studies on DAT were included. The Joanna Briggs Institute checklist (JBIC) and the quality criteria developed by the IAHAIO were used during data extraction. Characteristics of the participants, the intervention, the therapy dogs and the outcomes of the studies were summarised. Results Six of the 14 included studies reported significant outcomes of DAT, whereof six in the social domain and two in the psychological domain. However, scores on the JBIC indicated low to moderate methodological quality and only three of the included studies adhered to the IAHAIO quality criteria. Conclusions DAT is a promising intervention for children with behavioural and developmental disorders, especially for children with autism spectrum disorder. A clear description of the therapy’s components, the role of the therapy dog and analysis of the treatment integrity and procedural fidelity would improve the methodological quality of the studies and the field of dog-assisted interventions.


2017 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
N.NANDHA KUMAR ◽  
K. SOURIANATHA SUNDARAM ◽  
D. SUDHAKAR ◽  
K.K. KUMAR

Excessive presence of polysaccharides, polyphenol and secondary metabolites in banana plant affects the quality of DNA and it leads to difficult in isolating good quality of DNA. An optimized modified CTAB protocol for the isolation of high quality and quantity of DNA obtained from banana leaf tissues has been developed. In this protocol a slight increased salt (NaCl) concentration (2.0M) was used in the extraction buffer. Polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) and Octanol were used for the removal of polyphenols and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) inhibitors. Proteins like various enzymes were degraded by Proteinase K and removed by centrifugation from plant extract during the isolation process resulting in pure genomic DNA, ready to use in downstream applications including PCR, quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR), ligation, restriction and sequencing. This protocol yielded a high molecular weight DNA isolated from polyphenols rich leaves of Musa spp which was free from contamination and colour. The average yields of total DNA from leaf ranged from 917.4 to 1860.9 ng/ìL. This modified CTAB protocol reported here is less time consuming 4-5h, reproducible and can be used for a broad spectrum of plant species which have polyphenol and polysaccharide compounds.


2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
David R Vago ◽  
Resh Gupta ◽  
Sara Lazar

One potential pathway by which mindfulness-based meditation improves health outcomes is through changes in cognitive functioning. A systematic review of randomized controlled trials of mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) was conducted with a focus on assessing the state of the evidence for effects on cognitive processes and associated assays. Here, we comment on confounding issues surrounding the reporting of these and related findings, including 1) criteria that appropriately define an MBI; 2) limitations of assays used to measure cognition; and 3) methodological quality of MBI trials and reporting of findings. Because these issues contribute to potentially distorted interpretations of existing data, we offer constructive means for interpretation and recommendations for moving the field of mindfulness research forward regarding the effects on cognition.


2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gabriela Elis Wachholz ◽  
Julia do Amaral Gomes ◽  
Juliano André Boquett ◽  
Fernanda Sales Luiz Vianna ◽  
Lavínia Schuler-Faccini ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Due to the diversity of studies in animal models reporting that molecular mechanisms are involved in the teratogenic effect of the Zika virus (ZIKV), the objective of the present study is to evaluate the methodological quality of these studies, as well as to demonstrate which genes and which molecular pathways are affected by ZIKV in different animal models. Methods This search will be performed in four databases: PubMed/MEDLINE, EMBASE, Web of Science, and Scopus, as well as in the grey literature. The studies selection process will be reported through the PRISMA Statement diagram model. All studies describing the molecular mechanisms possibly involved in the development of malformations caused by embryonic/fetal ZIKV exposure in animal models with an appropriate control group and methodology will be included (including, for instance, randomized and non-randomized studies). All animals used as experimental models for ZIKV teratogenesis may be included as long as exposure to the virus occurred during the embryonic/fetal period. From the selected studies, data will be extracted using a previously prepared standard form. Bias risk evaluation will be conducted following the SYRCLE’s Risk of Bias tool. All data obtained will be tabulated and organized by outcomes (morphological and molecular). Discussion With the proposed systematic review, we expect to present results about the methodological quality of the published studies with animal models that investigated the molecular mechanisms involved in the teratogenic effect of ZIKV, as well as to show the studies with greater reliability. Systematic review registration PROSPERO CRD42019157316


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