The Role of the Noradrenergic System in Eating Disorders: A Systematic Review

Noradrenaline (NE) is a catecholamine acting as both a neurotransmitter and a hormone, with relevant effects in modulating feeding behavior and satiety. Several studies have assessed the relationship between the noradrenergic system and Eating Disorders (EDs). This systematic review aims to report the existing literature on the role of the noradrenergic system in the development and treatment of EDs. A total of 35 studies were included. Preclinical studies demonstrated an involvement of the noradrenergic pathways in binge-like behaviors. Genetic studies on polymorphisms in genes coding for NE transporters and regulating enzymes have shown conflicting evidence. Clinical studies have reported non-unanimous evidence for the existence of absolute alterations in plasma NE values in patients with Anorexia Nervosa (AN) and Bulimia Nervosa (BN). Pharmacological studies have documented the efficacy of noradrenaline-modulating therapies in the treatment of BN and Binge Eating Disorder (BED). Insufficient evidence was found concerning the noradrenergic-mediated genetics of BED and BN, and psychopharmacological treatments targeting the noradrenergic system in AN. According to these data, further studies are required to expand the existing knowledge on the noradrenergic system as a potential target for treatments of EDs.

Download Full-text

A literature review on firms' internationalisation through e-commerce

MERCATI & COMPETITIVITÀ ◽

10.3280/mc1-2019oa7636 ◽

2019 ◽

pp. 121-143

Author(s):

Riccardo Resciniti ◽

Federica De Vanna

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Literature Review ◽

International Business ◽

Decision Process ◽

Foreign Markets ◽

New Markets ◽

Integrative Framework ◽

The Past ◽

The Relationship

The rise of e-commerce has brought considerable changes to the relationship between firms and consumers, especially within international business. Hence, understanding the use of such means for entering foreign markets has become critical for companies. However, the research on this issue is new and so it is important to evaluate what has been studied in the past. In this study, we conduct a systematic review of e-commerce and internationalisation studies to explicate how firms use e-commerce to enter new markets and to export. The studies are classified by theories and methods used in the literature. Moreover, we draw upon the internationalisation decision process (antecedents-modalities-consequences) to propose an integrative framework for understanding the role of e-commerce in internationalisation

Download Full-text

Systematic review and meta-analysis of Altruistic and Game-playing Love

10.31234/osf.io/fd7j8 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Hossein Dabiriyan Tehrani ◽

Sara Yamini

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Subgroup Analysis ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Game Playing ◽

Love Styles ◽

Collectivistic Culture ◽

Meta Regression ◽

Collectivistic Cultures ◽

The Relationship

This systematic review aimed to find attitudes toward Altruistic and Game-playing love styles across individualistic and collectivistic cultures. Addressing major moderators concerning Altruistic and Game-playing love styles are the secondary objectives of this review. This review included 102 articles comprising samples from 37 countries (N = 41997). The findings of this meta-analysis show that there is a collectivistic and individualistic difference in Game-playing but not in the Altruistic love style. Collectivistic and individualistic cultures, on average, demonstrate the same perception concerning the Altruistic love style, whereas collectivistic culture shows the Game-playing love style more strongly. To explain the role of moderators in key measures, the subgroup analysis and meta-regression show that both Game-playing and Altruistic love styles decline by increasing the length of the relationship. Likewise, having children affects these love styles such that the Altruistic love style is improved, and the Game-playing love style is reduced by the presence of children in families.

Download Full-text

Uric Acid and Hypertension: Prognostic Role and Guide for Treatment

Journal of Clinical Medicine ◽

10.3390/jcm10030448 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (3) ◽

pp. 448

Author(s):

Federica Piani ◽

Arrigo F. G. Cicero ◽

Claudio Borghi

Keyword(s):

Clinical Trials ◽

Uric Acid ◽

Mendelian Randomization ◽

Strong Association ◽

Epidemiological Studies ◽

Hypertensive Disease ◽

Genetic Studies ◽

Lowering Therapy ◽

The Relationship

The relationship between serum uric acid (SUA) and hypertension has been a subject of increasing interest since the 1870 discovery by Frederick Akbar Mahomed. Several epidemiological studies have shown a strong association between high SUA levels and the presence or the development of hypertension. Genetic analyses have found that xanthine oxidoreductase (XOR) genetic polymorphisms are associated with hypertension. However, genetic studies on urate transporters and Mendelian randomization studies failed to demonstrate a causal relationship between SUA and hypertension. Results from clinical trials on the role of urate-lowering therapy in the management of patients with hypertension are not uniform. Our study sought to analyze the prognostic and therapeutic role of SUA in the hypertensive disease, from uric acid (UA) biology to clinical trials on urate-lowering therapies.

Download Full-text

Emotional Regulation and Overeating Behaviors in Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Review

Behavioral Sciences ◽

10.3390/bs11010011 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

pp. 11

Author(s):

Francesca Favieri ◽

Andrea Marini ◽

Maria Casagrande

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Emotional Intelligence ◽

Emotion Regulation ◽

Children And Adolescents ◽

Longitudinal Studies ◽

Emotional Regulation ◽

Inadequate Response ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

The Relationship

The worldwide prevalence of obesity has dramatically increased, mostly in children and adolescents. The Emotional Eating theoretical model has proposed that the failure in emotional regulation could represent a risk factor for establishing maladaptive overeating behavior that represents an inadequate response to negative emotions and allows increasing body-weight. This systematic review investigates the relationship between overeating and both emotional regulation and emotional intelligence in childhood and adolescence, considering both cross-sectional and longitudinal studies. Moreover, another goal of the review is evaluating whether emotional regulation and emotional intelligence can cause overeating behaviors. The systematic search was conducted according to the PRISMA-statement in the databases Medline, PsychArtcles, PsychInfo, PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Sciences, and allows 484 records to be extracted. Twenty-six studies were selected according to inclusion (e.g., studies focused on children and adolescents without clinical conditions; groups of participants overweight or with obesity) and exclusion (e.g., studies that adopted qualitative assessment or cognitive-affective tasks to measure emotional variables; reviews, commentary, or brief reports) criteria detailed in the methods. Cross-sectional studies showed a negative association between emotional regulation and overeating behavior that was confirmed by longitudinal studies. These findings highlighted the role of maladaptive emotion regulation on overeating and being overweight. The relationship between these constructs in children and adolescents was consistent. The results indicated the complexity of this association, which would be influenced by many physiological, psychological, and social factors. These findings underline the need for further studies focused on emotion regulation in the development of overeating. They should analyze the mediation role of other variables (e.g., attachment style, peer pressure) and identify interventions to prevent and reduce worldwide overweight prevalence.

Download Full-text

A systematic review and meta-analysis of studies on metaphor comprehension in individuals with autism spectrum disorder: Do task properties matter?

Applied Psycholinguistics ◽

10.1017/s0142716419000328 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 40 (6) ◽

pp. 1421-1454 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Tamar Kalandadze ◽

Valentina Bambini ◽

Kari-Anne B. Næss

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽

Syntactic Structure ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Autism Spectrum ◽

Spectrum Disorder ◽

Response Format ◽

Metaphor Comprehension ◽

The Relationship

AbstractIndividuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often experience difficulty in comprehending metaphors compared to individuals with typical development (TD). However, there is a large variation in the results across studies, possibly related to the properties of the metaphor tasks. This preregistered systematic review and meta-analysis (a) explored the properties of the metaphor tasks used in ASD research, and (b) investigated the group difference between individuals with ASD and TD on metaphor comprehension, as well as the relationship between the task properties and any between-study variation. A systematic search was undertaken in seven relevant databases. Fourteen studies fulfilled our predetermined inclusion criteria. Across tasks, we detected four types of response format and a great variety of metaphors in terms of familiarity, syntactic structure, and linguistic context. Individuals with TD outperformed individuals with ASD on metaphor comprehension (Hedges’ g = −0.63). Verbal explanation response format was utilized in the study showing the largest effect size in the group comparison. However, due to the sparse experimental manipulations, the role of task properties could not be established. Future studies should consider and report task properties to determine their role in metaphor comprehension, and to inform experimental paradigms as well as educational assessment.

Download Full-text

Evaluating the role of digital intervention design in treatment outcomes and adherence to eTherapy programs for eating disorders: A systematic review and meta‐analysis

International Journal of Eating Disorders ◽

10.1002/eat.23131 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 52 (10) ◽

pp. 1077-1094 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Sarah Barakat ◽

Sarah Maguire ◽

Kathryn E. Smith ◽

Tyler B. Mason ◽

Ross D. Crosby ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Eating Disorders ◽

Treatment Outcomes ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Intervention Design ◽

Digital Intervention

Download Full-text

Psychiatric Manifestations of Coeliac Disease, a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Nutrients ◽

10.3390/nu12010142 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (1) ◽

pp. 142 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Emma Clappison ◽

Marios Hadjivassiliou ◽

Panagiotis Zis

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Eating Disorders ◽

Coeliac Disease ◽

Psychiatric Disorders ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Hyperactivity Disorder ◽

Increased Risk ◽

Meta Analyses ◽

Psychiatric Manifestations ◽

The Relationship

Background: Coeliac disease (CD) is increasingly prevalent and is associated with both gastrointestinal (GI) and extra-intestinal manifestations. Psychiatric disorders are amongst extra-intestinal manifestations proposed. The relationship between CD and such psychiatric disorders is not well recognised or understood. Aim: The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to provide a greater understanding of the existing evidence and theories surrounding psychiatric manifestations of CD. Methodology: An online literature search using PubMed was conducted, the prevalence data for both CD and psychiatric disorders was extracted from eligible articles. Meta analyses on odds ratios were also performed. Results: A total of 37 articles were included in this review. A significant increase in risk was detected for autistic spectrum disorder (OR 1.53, 95% CI 1.24–1.88, p < 0.0001), attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (OR 1.39, 95% CI 1.18–1.63, p < 0.0001), depression (OR 2.17, 95% CI 2.17–11.15, p < 0.0001), anxiety (OR 6.03, 95% CI 2.22–16.35, p < 0.0001), and eating disorders (OR 1.62, 95% CI 1.37–1.91, p < 0.00001) amongst the CD population compared to healthy controls. No significant differences were found for bipolar disorder (OR 2.35, 95% CI 2.29–19.21, p = 0.43) or schizophrenia (OR 0.46, 95% CI 0.02–10.18, p = 0.62). Conclusion: CD is associated with an increased risk of depression, anxiety, eating disorders as well as ASD and ADHD. More research is required to investigate specific biological explanations as well as any effect of gluten free diet.

Download Full-text

The role of affect in practicing a musical instrument: A systematic review of the literature

Psychology of Music ◽

10.1177/0305735619861831 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 47 (6) ◽

pp. 848-863

Author(s):

Zofia Mazur ◽

Mariola Laguna

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Age Groups ◽

Instrumental Learning ◽

Musical Instrument ◽

Music Learning ◽

Different Types ◽

Instrumental Practice ◽

The Relationship ◽

Context Free

Affect impacts people’s cognitive processes as well as provides the energy to pursue goals and engage in actions. Research suggests that affect might influence instrumental learning behavior. This review aims to summarize the existing literature concerning the relationship between affect and instrumental practice. In order to determine the role of affect in undertaking instrumental practice and in engagement in practice, we conducted a systematic search via electronic databases and reference lists; we also hand-searched the key journals. Studies were included in the review if they concerned both affect and practicing behavior in musicians and instrumental students across all age groups and if the relationships between the two constructs were investigated. We focused on individual instrumental practice in the classical repertoire. Eleven studies met our inclusion criteria. They reported quantitative relationships between affect and the amount of practice or qualitatively described the role of affect in practice engagement. The results of this systematic review show that practicing a musical instrument is associated with different types of affect—practice-related, performance-related, and context-free affect. Further investigation of affect in the context of music learning may inform future interventions for instrumentalists motivating them to practice.

Download Full-text