scholarly journals Non-native plants exert strong but under-studied influence on fire dynamics

NeoBiota ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 61 ◽  
pp. 47-64
Author(s):  
Clare E. Aslan ◽  
Brett G. Dickson
Keyword(s):  
Native Species ◽  
Native Plants ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Fire Regimes ◽  
Fire Effects ◽  
Fire Dynamics ◽  
Feedback Cycle ◽  
Quantitative Studies ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
The Relationship

Altered fire regimes are among the most destructive consequences of anthropogenic environmental change. Fires have increased in frequency in some regions, and invasion by fire-adapted non-native species has been identified as a major driver of this change, which results in a feedback cycle promoting further spread by the non-native species and diminishing occurrence of natives. We notice, however, that non-native species are often invoked in passing as a primary cause of changing fire dynamics, but that data supporting this claim are rarely presented. We therefore performed a meta-analysis of published literature to determine whether a significant relationship exists between non-native species presence and increased fire effects and risk, examined via various fire metrics. Our analysis detected a strongly significant difference between fire metrics associated with non-native and native species, with non-native species linked to enhanced fire effects and risk. However, only 30 papers discussing this linkage provided data to support it, and those quantitative studies examined only eight regions, five biome types, and a total of 22 unique non-native taxa. It is clear that we are only beginning to understand the relationship between non-native species and fire and that results drawn from an extremely limited set of contexts have been broadly applied in the literature. It is important for ecologists to continue to investigate drivers of changing fire regimes as factors such as climate change and land use change alter native and non-native fuels alike.

Are Gifted Students Perfectionistic? A Meta-Analysis

2020 ◽  
Vol 43 (3) ◽  
pp. 227-251 ◽  
Author(s):  
Uzeyir Ogurlu
Keyword(s):  
Effect Size ◽  
Grade Level ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Gifted Students ◽  
Effect Sizes ◽  
Moderator Analysis ◽  
Quantitative Studies ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Significant Moderator

There is a rich literature on perfectionism among gifted individuals, but the results of these individual studies are ambiguous. The present meta-analysis aimed to clarify the nature of the relationship between perfectionism and giftedness by focusing on quantitative studies that compared the perfectionism levels of gifted and nongifted students. Hedge’s unbiased g was used as the effect size metric and a three-level multilevel meta-analytic approach taken to control for dependency among the effect sizes obtained from the same study. The analyses used 63 effect sizes from 14 published studies that indicated there was no significant difference between gifted and nongifted students on perfectionism. The analyses also focused on two moderators: dimensions of perfectionism and grade level. The moderator analysis indicated that perfectionism dimensions were a significant moderator. Gifted students, although not significantly, outscored their nongifted peers on perfectionistic strivings but rated lower on perfectionistic concerns.

Appendectomy Does Not Increase the Risk of Future Emergence of Parkinson’s Disease: A Meta-analysis

2021 ◽  
pp. 000313482198903
Author(s):  
Mitsuru Ishizuka ◽  
Norisuke Shibuya ◽  
Kazutoshi Takagi ◽  
Hiroyuki Hachiya ◽  
Kazuma Tago ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Parkinson’S Disease ◽  
Parkinson's Disease ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Cochrane Library ◽  
Random Effects Models ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
The Cochrane Library ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Observation Period

Objective To explore the impact of appendectomy history on emergence of Parkinson’s disease (PD). Background Although there are several studies to investigate the relationship between appendectomy history and emergence of PD, the results are still controversial. Methods We performed a comprehensive electronic search of the literature (the Cochrane Library, PubMed, and the Web of Science) up to April 2020 to identify studies that had employed databases allowing comparison of emergence of PD between patients with and those without appendectomy history. To integrate the impact of appendectomy history on emergence of PD, a meta-analysis was performed using random-effects models to calculate the risk ratio (RR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) for the selected studies, and heterogeneity was analyzed using I2 statistics. Results Four studies involving a total of 6 080 710 patients were included in this meta-analysis. Among 1 470 613 patients with appendectomy history, 1845 (.13%) had emergences of PD during the observation period, whereas among 4 610 097 patients without appendectomy history, 6743 (.15%) had emergences of PD during the observation period. These results revealed that patients with appendectomy history and without appendectomy had almost the same emergence of PD (RR, 1.02; 95% CI, .87-1.20; P = .83; I2 = 87%). Conclusion This meta-analysis has demonstrated that there was no significant difference in emergence of PD between patients with and those without appendectomy history.

scholarly journals Prostate cancer topography and tumour conspicuity on multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging: A systematic review and meta-analysis

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pranav Satish ◽  
Alex Freeman ◽  
Daniel Kelly ◽  
Alex Kirkham ◽  
Clement Orczyk ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Prostate Cancer ◽  
Systematic Review ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Peripheral Zone ◽  
Transitional Zone ◽  
Dynamic Contrast Enhancement ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Prisma Statement ◽  
Tumour Location ◽  
The Relationship

Introduction The implications of tumour location on mpMRI conspicuity are not fully understood. Identifying topographical correlates that influence conspicuity may improve outcomes. Here, we present the first systematic review and meta-analysis describing the effect of tumour location on prostate cancer conspicuity on mpMRI. Methods Medline, PubMed, EMBASE and Cochrane databases were systematically searched and results were assessed as per the PRISMA statement. Differential tumour conspicuity on mpMRI was compared between cancers in the peripheral zone (PZ), transitional zone (TZ), base, apex, anterior and posterior. Meta-analysis was conducted to compare diagnostic odds ratios (DOR) of mpMRI detection for tumours in the PZ and TZ. PROSPERO registration: CRD42021228087. Results Thematic synthesis showed apical and basal tumours had reduced conspicuity compared to mid-gland tumours. Cancer in the TZ demonstrated increased conspicuity on T2-weighted imaging, whilst PZ cancers had higher conspicuity on diffusion-weighted and dynamic contrast enhancement imaging. mpMRI had better diagnostic accuracy for PZ lesions, albeit higher specificity for TZ lesions. Meta-analysis showed an increased DOR for PZ tumours (OR: 7.206 [95% CI: 4.991;10.403], compared to TZ (OR: 5.310 [95% CI: 3.082; 9.151]). However, the test for subgroup differences was not significant (p = 0.2743). Conclusions Cancer in the apex or base of the prostate may be less conspicuous than mid-gland tumours. Similarly, TZ cancer appears to have reduced conspicuity compared to PZ cancer, however, meta-analysis did not show a significant difference between DOR. Future larger studies with prospective datasets are required to clarify the relationship between tumour position and conspicuity.

ALLIANCE SCOPE AND FIRM PERFORMANCE IN THE BIOTECHNOLOGY INDUSTRY

2014 ◽  
Vol 18 (03) ◽  
pp. 1440008 ◽  
Author(s):  
PETER SMITH ◽  
LISA CALLAGHER ◽  
XINLEI HUANG
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Firm Performance ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Statistical Technique ◽  
Biotechnology Industry ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Management Literature ◽  
Managerial Implications ◽  
The Relationship

We test the relationship between alliance scope and firm performance in the context of the biotechnology industry by means of a meta-analysis. Meta-analysis is a statistical technique that allows a systematic review of the existing research that is more rigorously systematic compared to conventional narrative reviews as it uses statistics to capture the strength of relationships. The analysis confirms that a relationship between alliance scope and firm performance does exist. Furthermore, results suggest that there is a statistically significant difference in firm performance between exploitation alliances and exploration alliances, confirming recent studies in the innovation and R&D management literature. Managerial implications and future research suggestions are provided.

scholarly journals A review and meta-analysis of the enemy release hypothesis in plant–herbivorous insect systems

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kim Meijer ◽  
Menno Schilthuizen ◽  
Leo Beukeboom ◽  
Christian Smit
Keyword(s):  
Native Species ◽  
Native Plants ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Enemy Release Hypothesis ◽  
Enemy Release ◽  
Herbivorous Insects ◽  
Herbivorous Insect ◽  
Insect Diversity ◽  
Specific System ◽  
Community Approach

A suggested mechanism for the success of introduced non-native species is the enemy release hypothesis (ERH). Many studies have tested the predictions of the ERH using the community approach (native and non-native species studied in the same habitat) or the biogeographical approach (species studied in their native and non-native range), but results are highly variable, possibly due to large variety of study systems incorporated. We therefore focused on one specific system: plants and their herbivorous insects. We performed a systematic review and compiled a large number (68) of datasets from studies comparing herbivorous insects on native and non-native plants using the community or biogeographical approach. We performed a meta-analysis to test the predictions from the ERH for insect diversity (number of species), insect load (number of individuals) and level of herbivory for both the community and biogeographical approach. For both the community and biogeographical approach insect diversity was significantly higher on native than on non-native plants. Insect load tended to be higher on native than non-native plants at the community approach only. Herbivory was not different between native and non-native plants at the community approach, while there was too little data available for testing the biogeographical approach. Our meta-analysis generally supports the predictions from the ERH for both the community and biogeographical approach, but also shows that the outcome is importantly determined by the response measured and approach applied. So far, very few studies apply both approaches simultaneously in a reciprocal manner while this is arguably the best way for testing the ERH.

scholarly journals The relationship between delivery mode and postpartum depression: a systematic review and meta-analysis

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yu-Xin Chen ◽  
Pei Zhao ◽  
ZhuLiduzi Jiesisibieke ◽  
Pei-En Chen ◽  
Tao-Hsin Tung ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Postpartum Depression ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Cochrane Library ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Depression Symptoms ◽  
Delivery Mode ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
The Relationship

Abstract Background: To assess the relationship between delivery mode and postpartum depression and to examine whether cesarean section (CS) has a higher risk of postpartum depression than vaginal delivery (VD). Methods: We searched the Cochrane Library, PubMed, and EMBASE from inception to 30 April 2019 without language limitations. Two authors independently selected studies, assessed the quality of included studies, and extracted data. Any disagreements were resolved by discussion with a third author. We used the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale and GRADE methods to assess the quality of the included studies and evidences. This study had four included cohort studies data and carried out fixed-effect model meta-analysis. Results: The findings demonstrated a significant difference in the risk of postpartum depression between CS and VD. Compared with the control group, the CS group was associated with a higher prevalence of postpartum depression symptoms (Risk Ratio =1.29; 95% CI: 1.11-1.51). Conclusions: The findings supported a relationship between delivery mode and postpartum depression. Particularly, we found that CS is associated with a higher risk of postpartum depression. Therefore, we ought to encourage pregnant women who are without medical indication of CS to select VD.r Trial registration: The protocol of this systematic review was registered in the PROSPERO under the number CRD42019148154.

scholarly journals ERCC1 expression and platinum chemosensitivity in patients with ovarian cancer: A meta-analysis

2020 ◽  
Vol 35 (4) ◽  
pp. 12-19
Author(s):  
Chunjie Zhang ◽  
Shan Gao ◽  
Jingwen Hou
Keyword(s):  
Ovarian Cancer ◽  
Excision Repair ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Effective Rate ◽  
High Expression ◽  
High Expression Group ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Ercc1 Expression ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Low Expression

Objective: This study aimed to comprehensively investigate the correlation of ERCC1 expression and chemosensitivity of ovarian cancer. Methods: The literature on the relationship between the excision repair cross complementary gene 1 (ERCC1) and the chemosensitivity of ovarian cancer published in PubMed, Web of Science, EMBASE, CNKI, and the China Wanfang database from the establishment of the databases to June 2020 were searched. Chemosensitivity is evaluated by clinical effective rate (complete remission plus partial remission). Statistical analysis was carried out by using Stata 15.1 software. Results: A total of 11 articles met the inclusion criteria, consisting of 758 patients with ovarian cancer. The results showed a significant difference in chemosensitivity between the low expression group and the high expression group of ERCC1 (odds ratio 4.23; 95% confidence interval 2.96, 6.06; P < 0. 01). The same result was shown in the ethnicity subgroup. Conclusion: The chemosensitivity of ovarian cancer patients with a low expression of ERCC1 is better than that of patients with a high expression.

Association between genetic polymorphism and antidepressants in major depression: a network meta-analysis

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (13) ◽  
pp. 963-974
Author(s):  
Dan Du ◽  
Qiong Tang ◽  
Qiong Han ◽  
Jin Zhang ◽  
Xuemei Liang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Major Depressive Disorder ◽  
Genetic Polymorphism ◽  
Predictive Value ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Response Ratio ◽  
Antidepressant Response ◽  
Major Depressive ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Bdnf Rs6265

This network meta-analysis was conducted to compare the predictive value of eight SNPs on the efficacy of antidepressants in major depressive disorder (MDD), including 5-HTTLPR, 5HTR2A (rs6311, rs6314, rs7997012 and rs6313), 5HTR2A (rs6295), BDNF (rs6265) and 5HTTSTin2. Databases were searched for related studies published up to December 2019. A total of 16 studies were included in this study. The predictive value were evaluated by the use of the odd ratios (OR) and drawing surface under the cumulative ranking curves (SUCRA). The pairwise meta-analysis indicated that in terms of overall response ratio, the SNPs were not associated with the efficacy of antidepressants in MDD. The result of this network meta-analysis suggested that there was no significant difference in predictive value of eight SNPs on the efficacy of antidepressants in MDD. More research is needed to explore the relationship between SNPs and antidepressant response.

Relationship between Helicobacter pylori and development of hepatocellular carcinoma: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

2021 ◽  
Vol 39 (15_suppl) ◽  
pp. 4091-4091
Author(s):  
Samragnyi Madala ◽  
Kira MacDougall ◽  
Balarama Krishna Surapaneni ◽  
Robin Park ◽  
Anup Kasi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hepatocellular Carcinoma ◽  
Systematic Review ◽  
Helicobacter Pylori ◽  
Causal Relationship ◽  
Subgroup Analysis ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
H Pylori ◽  
The Relationship

4091 Background: The relationship between Helicobacter pylori (H.pylori) and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) was first proposed in 1994. Since then, several studies have been performed to explore the association. The role of Hepatitis C (HCV) viruses coexisting with H.pylori in causing HCC was also studied. With the emergence of data in this regard, a causal relationship has been postulated, but not confirmed, and hence the relationship remains controversial. Our meta-analysis aims to summarize the research on this topic and investigate if there exists a relationship between H. pylori infection and the development of HCC and if the presence of HCV along with H.pylori plays a role in liver carcinogenesis. Methods: Following PRISMA guidelines, we performed a systematic review of all relevant studies published in the literature using keywords “Helicobacter pylori” and “Hepatocellular carcinoma” on major literature databases, including PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, and Cochrane controlled trials register. A total of 656 studies were identified between 1994 to March 2020, out of which 26 studies qualified under our selection criteria. Patients positive for HCC are included as cases and patients that did not have HCC under control group. In both groups, H.pylori positive patients and their HCV status, was identified. Results: Out of the 26 studies included in the final analysis, the prevalence of H. pylori infection was 64.78% (561 of 866) amongst HCC cases and 47.92% (1718 of 3585) in the non-HCC control group. The summary odds ratio for the association of H. pylori infection with the risk for HCC using the random-effects model was determined to be 4.75 (95% CI, 3.06-7.37), I²=63%. Subgroup analysis to determine the odds of developing HCC in the presence of H.pylori and HCV coinfection, was 13.97 (95% CI, 3.94-49.61), I²=81%. Whereas, the odds of developing HCC in the presence of only HCV without H.pylori was found to be 2.21 (0.70-6.94), I²=79. Subgroup analysis by study design showed no significant difference between the study groups (P= 0.5705). Conclusions: Our meta-analysis showed a positive association between H. pylori infection and the development of HCC. It showed a significantly higher risk of developing HCC in the presence of HCV infection along with H.pylori. Further prospective cohort studies are needed to prove the causal relationship, especially in cases of Hepatitis B, C coinfection, and cirrhotic patients.[Table: see text]

Does Caffeine Consumption Increase the Risk of New-Onset Atrial Fibrillation?

Cardiology ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 140 (2) ◽  
pp. 106-114 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ramy Abdelfattah ◽  
Haroon Kamran ◽  
Jason Lazar ◽  
John Kassotis
Keyword(s):  
Atrial Fibrillation ◽  
Lower Incidence ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Coffee Consumption ◽  
Caffeine Intake ◽  
Response Analysis ◽  
Daily Consumption ◽  
Caffeine Consumption ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
The Relationship

Objective: Caffeine has been considered a trigger for atrial fibrillation (AF). We conducted a meta-analysis including a dose-response analysis to assess the relationship between caffeine consumed and incidence of AF. Methods: Data from selected studies represented 176,675 subjects (AF in 9,987 [5.7%]). Caffeine content varied widely, ranging from 40 to 180 mg per cup of coffee. For purposes of the calculations in this study, we assumed 140 mg of caffeine in a standard 12-oz cup of coffee. Results: No significant difference was found in AF incidence when the subjects consuming less than 2 cups of coffee per day were compared to subjects with higher consumption, 1.068 (0.937–1.216). The risk of AF was higher among subjects consuming less than 2 cups of coffee daily when compared to higher daily consumption subjects. A lower incidence of AF was found among people consuming more than 436 mg daily. Conclusion: The incidence of AF is not increased by coffee consumption. In fact, we found a lower incidence of AF when caffeine consumption exceeded 436 mg/day. Therefore, based on available evidence there is no association between caffeine intake and AF risk.

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