Geographical Location Of Study Research Articles

Which trap is best? Alternatives to outdoor human landing catches for malaria vector surveillance: a meta-analysis.

Human landing catches (HLC) are an entomological collection technique in which humans are used as attractants to capture medically relevant host-seeking mosquitoes. The use of this method has been a topic of extensive debate for decades mainly due to ethical concerns. Many alternatives to HLC have been proposed; however, no quantitative review and meta-analysis comparing HLC to outdoor alternative trapping methods has been conducted. A total of 58 comparisons across 12 countries were identified. We conducted a meta-analysis comparing the standardized mean difference of Anopheles captured by HLC and alternative traps. To explain heterogeneity, three moderators were chosen for analysis: trap type, location of study, and species captured. A meta-regression was fit to understand how the linear combination of moderators helped in explaining heterogeneity. The possibility of biased results due to publication bias was also explored. Random-effects meta-analysis showed no statistically significant difference in the mean difference of Anopheles collected. Moderator analysis was conducted to determine the effects of trap type, geographical location of study, and the species of Anopheles captured. On average, tent-based traps captured significantly more Anopheles than outdoor HLC (95% CI: [- .9065, - 0.0544]), alternative traps in Africa captured on average more mosquitoes than outdoor HLC (95% CI: [- 2.8750, - 0.0294]), and alternative traps overall captured significantly more Anopheles gambiae s.l. than outdoor HLC (95% CI: [- 4.4613, - 0.2473]) on average. Meta-regression showed that up to 55.77% of the total heterogeneity found can be explained by a linear combination of the three moderators and the interaction between trap type and species. Subset analysis on An. gambiae s.l. showed that light traps specifically captured on average more of this species than HLC (95% CI: [- 18.3751, - 1.0629]). Publication bias likely exists. With 59.65% of studies reporting p-values less than 0.025, we believe there is an over representation in the literature of results indicating that alternative traps are superior to outdoor HLC. Currently, there is no consensus on a single "magic bullet" alternative to outdoor HLC. The diversity of many alternative trap comparisons restricts potential metrics for comparisons to outdoor HLC. Further standardization and specific question-driven trap evaluations that consider target vector species and the vector control landscape are needed to allow for robust meta-analyses with less heterogeneity and to develop data-driven decision-making tools for malaria vector surveillance and control.

A Systematic Review of the Effectiveness of Ginger, Cinnamon, Turmeric, Curcumin, and Curcuminoids for Dyslipidemia Associated With Diabetes

Abstract Objectives This systematic review explores ginger, cinnamon, turmeric, curcumin, and curcuminoids efficiency in improving the serum lipid profile of individuals with type 2 diabetes (T2DM). Methods Randomized controlled trials (RCTs), reported without restriction in language, that evaluated the effectiveness of ginger, cinnamon, turmeric, curcumin and curcuminoids on lipid profile parameters (total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), and triglyceride (TG)) in individuals with T2DM were investigated through January 2021. PubMed, FSTA, Web of Science, CINAHEL, MEDLINE, and Cochrane Library databases were searched using relevant keywords. The following information was extracted: first author's name, publication year, geographical location of study, study design, sample size, age and gender of participants from intervention and controls groups, intervention duration, time of the intervention, dose of spices, and type of intervention or control. Results One thousand-thirty relevant articles were identified after searching the electronic databases followed by a manual search. After removing all duplicate articles, screening the title and abstract, and scrutinizing the full text based on the inclusion criteria, 28 studies remained with a sample size of 1049 eligible patients in the control arm and 1035 patients in the intervention arm. Spice supplements were provided in capsule form: ginger, 8; curcumin,3; turmeric, 3; cinnamon, 11; curcuminoids, 3. Trial duration was one to three months. Conclusions In general, ginger, cinnamon, turmeric, curcumin, and curcuminoids were associated with an improved lipid profile in the presence of type 2 diabetes. Therefore, these spices may be a potential source for modern dyslipidemia treatments in individuals with type 2 diabetes. Funding Sources N/A.

Memorable tourism experience research: a systematic review of the literature

ABSTRACT In recent years, the issue of memorable tourism experience (MTE) has garnered increasing attention from scholars and tourism practitioners. This paper provides a systematic review of 52 articles on MTE listed on the SCOPUS and WOS databases from 2012 to 2020. Qualitative analysis of the literature identified nine main categories of topics in MTE-related articles. Results showed that the largest proportion of articles focused on how MTEs influenced tourists’ perceptions and behaviours and how they shaped destination marketing. Co-occurrence analysis was performed to investigate trends in the keywords used by academics over the past five years. The geographic location of studies, research methods and theories applied in these articles were also analysed. Most articles were published in the current decade and China was the geographic setting for the highest number of articles in the review. The review concludes with the theoretical and practical implications of the study as well as the directions for future research.

Infrastructure hazard resilience trends: an analysis of 25 years of research

Hazard research has made significant strides over the last several decades, answering critical questions surrounding vulnerability and recovery. Recently, resilience has come to the forefront of scholarly debates and practitioner strategies, yet there remain challenges implementing resilience in practice, the result of a complex web of research that spread across numerous fields of study. As a result, there is a need to analyze and reflect on the current state of resilience literature. We reviewed 241 journal articles from the Web of Science and Engineering Village databases from 1990 to 2015 to analyze research trends in geographic location of studies, methods employed, units of analysis, and resilience dimensions studied, as well as correlations between each of these categories. The majority of the studies analyzed were conducted in North America, used quantitative methods, focused on infrastructure and community units of analysis, and studied governance, infrastructure, and economic dimensions of resilience. This analysis points to the need to: (1) conduct studies in developing country contexts, where resilience is particularly important; (2) employ mixed-methods for additional depth to quantitative studies; (3) connect units of analysis, such as infrastructure and community; and (4) expand on the measurement and study of environmental and social dimensions of resilience.

Incidence and Mortality of Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome in Children: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Our understanding of the acute respiratory distress syndrome in children is limited, and literature is dominated by investigations in adult patients. Recent preclinical studies suggest that the susceptibility to and severity of acute respiratory distress syndrome in children could differ from that in adults. We assessed the incidence and mortality of acute respiratory distress syndrome reported in children in studies published in the last two decades. Medline, Embase, and CINAHL databases were searched up to August 2014. Articles reporting study data on population- or PICU-based incidence and mortality of acute respiratory distress syndrome in children (> 36 wk gestation and < 18 yr old) were selected. Two authors independently collected data and assessed methodological quality and risk of bias of selected studies. Pooled estimates of incidence and mortality were calculated using random-effects models. To explore heterogeneity, influence of study characteristics, including median year of conduct, study location, inclusion and exclusion criteria, and study design and quality, was assessed by meta-regression analysis. Twenty-nine studies reported on incidence and 32 on mortality. Pooled weighted estimate of the population-based and PICU-based incidence of pediatric acute respiratory distress syndrome was 3.5 (95% CI, 2.2-5.7) cases per 100,000 person years and 2.3% (95% CI, 1.9-2.9), respectively. Pooled weighted mortality was 33.7% (95% CI, 28.6-39.7). There were no trends over time, but mortality was significantly associated with study location. This systematic review and meta-analysis shows a low incidence but a high mortality. Its results also indicate that both incidence and mortality of pediatric acute respiratory distress syndrome have not changed over the last two decades and that mortality depends on the geographic location of studies.

PROTOCOL: Predictors of youth gang membership in low‐ and middle‐income countries: A systematic review

BACKGROUND The Problem There is evidence of gang violence in low- and middle-income countries in Africa and Asia, and the prevalence of gangs is particularly well documented throughout Central and South America (Decker & Pyrooz, 2010; Gatti et al., 2011). Official estimates of gang membership in Central America estimate approximately 69,000 members, while academic estimates believe this figure to be closer to 200,000 (UNODC, 2007). Some estimates are as high as 500,000 gang members in the region including South America and the Caribbean, and gangs have been identified as “the primary threat to regional stability and security” (Muggah & Aguirre, 2013). While reporting and recording issues make it difficult to estimate rates of gang violence, the homicide rate in Colombia, Brazil, El Salvador and Guatemala are substantially higher than those of European and North American countries (Decker & Pyrooz, 2010; UNODC, 2007). Gangs are also active in South Africa, with an estimate of 100,000 members in Western Cape alone (Reckson & Becker, cited in Decker & Pyrooz, 2010); however, to date, there is limited research examining gangs in Africa and Asia...

Do Solar Activities Cause Local Earthquakes? (New Zealand)

The relationships between solar activities (sunspots, solar 10.7cm radio flux, solar irradiance, and solar proton events) and local earthquakes investigated in this paper. The geographical location of study is New Zealand area. All earthquakes data have been chosen for , from first of 1970 to Jun 2012. The study reveals the following conclusions: 1) The total numbers of earthquakes strongly show annually an increasing in number of earthquakes in New Zealand from 42 years ago. 2) The maximum earthquakes occur frequently around the minimum years of solar activities, 3) The maximum earthquakes occurs in minimum years of sunspots number with a good correlation coefficient. 4) The maximum earthquakes occur in the minimum solar cm radio flux with strong correlation coefficient.

Outcome of secondary root canal treatment: a systematic review of the literature

AIMS (I): To investigate the effects of study characteristics on the reported success rates of secondary root canal treatment (2 degrees RCT or root canal retreatment); and (ii) to investigate the effects of clinical factors on the success of 2 degrees RCT. Longitudinal human clinical studies investigating outcome of 2 degrees RCT which were published upto the end of 2006 were identified electronically (MEDLINE and Cochrane database 1966-2006 Dec, week 4). Four journals (Dental Traumatology, International Endodontic Journal, Journal of Endodontics, Oral Surgery Oral Medicine Oral Pathology Endodontics Radiology), bibliographies of all relevant papers and review articles were hand-searched. Two reviewers (Y-LN, KG) independently assessed and selected the studies based on specified inclusion criteria and extracted the data onto a pre-designed proforma, independently. The criteria were: (i) Clinical studies on 2 degrees RCT; (ii) Stratified analyses available for 2 degrees RCT where 1 degrees RCT data included; (iii) Sample size given and larger than 10; (iv) At least 6-month post-operative review; (v) Success based on clinical and/or radiographic criteria (strict = absence of apical radiolucency; loose = reduction in size of radiolucency); and (vi) Overall success rate given or could be calculated from the raw data. Three strands of evidence or analyses were used to triangulate a consensus view. The reported findings from individual studies, including those excluded for quantitative analysis, were utilized for the intuitive synthesis which constituted the first strand of evidence. Secondly, the pooled weighted success rates by each study characteristic and potential prognostic factor were estimated using the random effect model. Thirdly, the effects of study characteristics and prognostic factors (expressed as odds ratios) on success rates were estimated using fixed and random effects meta-analysis with DerSimonean and Laird's methods. Meta-regression models were used to explore potential sources of statistical heterogeneity. Study characteristics considered in the meta-regression analyses were: decade of publication, study-specific criteria for success (radiographic, combined radiographic & clinical), unit of outcome measure (tooth, root), duration after treatment when assessing success ('at least 4 years' or '<4 years'), geographic location of the study (North American, Scandinavian, other countries), and qualification of the operator (undergraduate students, postgraduate students, general dental practitioners, specialist or mixed group). Of the 40 papers identified, 17 studies published between 1961 and 2005 were included; none were published in 2006. The majority of studies were retrospective (n = 12) and only five prospective. The pooled weighted success rate of 2 degrees RCT judged by complete healing was 76.7% (95% CI 73.6%, 89.6%) and by incomplete healing, 77.2% (95% CI 61.1%, 88.1%). The success rates by 'decade of publication' and 'geographic location of study' were not significantly different at the 5% level. Eighteen clinical factors had been investigated in various combinations in previous studies. The most frequently and thoroughly investigated were 'periapical status' (n = 13), 'size of lesion' (n = 7), and 'apical extent of RF' (n = 5) which were found to be significant prognostic factors. The effect of different aspects of primary treatment history and re-treatment procedures has been poorly tested. The pooled estimated success rate of secondary root canal treatment was 77%. The presence of pre-operative periapical lesion, apical extent of root filling and quality of coronal restoration proved significant prognostic factors with concurrence between all three strands of evidence whilst the effects of 1 degrees RCT history and 2 degrees RCT protocol have been poorly investigated.

Introduction: Primate Sexual Selection—Graduate Student Contributions

The first five papers in this issue highlight studies by graduate student researchers. All were invited to speak at a special graduate-student symposium on July 31, 2003, at the Twenty-sixth Annual Meeting of the American Society of Primatologists (ASP) in Calgary, Canada, the first symposium of its kind. The session focused on primate sexual selection, and included talks on prosimians, Old World monkeys, and apes. Whereas many symposia aim to clarify a particular research question, or tend to converge on one taxon or one geographical location of study, our symposium’s purpose was to gather student researchers working on a variety of projects within the broad classification of sexual selection. The symposium’s primary objective was to increase the participation and visibility of graduate students in the Society’s annual conference. It is important that we encourage students early in their graduate careers to take initiative and to become involved in professional meetings within their disciplines. Disseminating significant research findings by presenting at conferences is an important step in academic development because it allows students to interact with a wider audience than that found in their immediate vicinity at their home academic institutions.

Prognostic significance of p53 mutations in non-small cell lung cancer: a meta-analysis of 829 cases from eight published studies

Mutation of the p53 tumor suppressor gene is considered a possible marker of poor survival among patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). This report presents the results of a meta-analysis of the available data addressing this issue. Using previously described methods, a protocol was developed for a meta-analysis examining the prognostic significance of p53 mutations in NSCLC. Two-year survival data derived from 829 patients in eight published studies were analyzed using a general variance-based method employing confidence intervals described by Greenland (Epidemiol. Rev. 9 (1986) 1–30). The outcome of interest was a summary relative risk (RRs) reflecting the risk of death at 2 years associated with p53 mutation positive versus p53 negative disease. Prior to calculation of a RRs, an analysis for homogeneity ( Q) showed Q to equal 22.3. With 8 degrees of freedom, this yielded a P value corresponding to P<0.005. This indicated substantial heterogeneity across studies in terms of their estimate of effect. Although a RRs of 1.52 was found when all eight studies were combined (favoring a negative prognostic role for p53 mutation), the validity of this estimate is questionable since the existing heterogeneity indicates that factors other than p53 mutation account for the variability in RRs across studies. Sensitivity analyses suggested that selection bias might represent an important source of variability in that p53 mutations may differ in their effects on biological behavior of NSCL tumors. Other possible confounders include smoking history, race, geographic location of study and socio-economic status. The available data do not support a clear role for p53 mutation as a prognostic marker in NSCLC. It appears that multiple sources of bias may contribute to spurious association of p53 mutation status and survival. Future analyses must control for possible confounders in order to determine whether certain p53 mutations are truly associated with poor clinical outcome.

Hepatic Granulomas In Nigeria: What Aetiological Factors Do We Consider?

Background: Granulomas are said to be present in 3% to 15% of liver biopsies with incidence figures varying by geographical location of study. In this organ, they represent an end point of a spectrum of insults, including infection, drug reaction, and other idiopathic causes. Our review of the literature does not reveal any specific report of granulomatous hepatitis from Nigeria. Objectives: To describe granulomas in the liver and the associated aetiological factors in Ibadan, Nigera Data Resources: We reviewed liver biopsy specimens received in the pathology department of the University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria over a 10-year period (1983-1992). Study Selection and Data Extraction: Cases classified as granulomas were retrieved and further studied with relevant data extracted from histopathology request forms. Data Synthesis: Liver biopsy specimens represented 1.4% of all surgical biopsy specimens reported, and granulomas constituted 6.2% of liver biopsy specimens. Specific infectious causes of hepatic granuloma represent about 50% of cases in this series and tuberculosis was in the majority constituting 12.8% of hepatic granulomas, closely followed by Schistosomiasis, which represented 10.3% of cases. Idiopathic granulomas in this series represent about 26% of cases but the roles of the common usage drugs, native concoctions, and hepatitis C virus infection are unknown in this population. Conclusion: The diagnosis of granulomatous hepatitis should prompt an extensive inquisition into drug use habit. It would also seem appropriate to call for the establishment of a screening programme for hepatitis C and other newly described viruses in our country since hepatitis C and D viruses cause infections that progress commonly to chronic liver disease and cancer. Nigerian Quarterly Journal of Hospital Medicine Vol.9, No.3 (1999) pp. 193-197

The State of Nutrition in the Arab Middle East, by Vinavak N. Patwardhan, Ph.D., and William J. Darby, M.D., Ph.D. Nashville, Tennessee: Vanderbilt University Press, 1972, 308 pp., $15

Drs. Patwardhan and Darby have awarded the medical world with a fine and richly detailed review of the state of nutrition in the Arab Middle East. Their book is based on published and/or unpublished research findings and data on nutrition surveys in those countries chosen for their subject. The geographical location of study is a veritable storehouse for in-depth studies in nutrition; however, the authors repeatedly deplore the insufficiency and limitation of available data due perhaps to political and certainly to cultural factors.

THE DEVELOPMENT OF ASSOCIATION AND CLIMAX CONCEPTS: THEIR USE IN INTERPRETATION OF THE DECIDUOUS FOREST

ECOLOGY is defined as the study of life in relation to environment. It is concerned with what is, and why. The ecological study of single organism frequently meets with almost insurmountable obstacles because environment, if broken down into its component parts, is no longer environment. The ecological study of complex piece of vegetationa forest for example-presents innumerable problems, for the complexity of the environment-with its interacting factors-is multiplied by the complexity of the community; it does not yield to laboratory analysis. The methods of the physiologist fail. Attempts at mathematical interpretation are for the most part static, and they often obscure rather than reveal the true picture of vegetation. Vegetation is dynamic-an ever-changing complex now appearing quiescent and in complete equilibrium -with the habitat, now displaying obvious evidence of change. I believe that failure to recognize the dynamic aspects of vegetation is primary cause of differing concepts. A dynamic approach is es'sential to interpretation of our eastern forests. Observation of natural changes in vegetation long ago resulted in the concept of succession; recognition of quiescent phases led to the climax concept. The association concept arose from the need for designating so-called units of vegetation. Concepts have changed through the years; they should change. As Cooper stated (1926), a periodic inspection of foundations is most desirable. Concepts are bound to change with progress from local or intensive study to broad and extensive study. This is the reason for change with each individual worker; it has in part been the reason for change in concepts through the past 50-60 years of study of vegetation. Geographic location of studies also is factor in the development of concepts. Emphasis of the concepts of association, succession, and climax dates from the work of Henry C. Cowles around the beginning of the century (1899; 1901). Communities were recognized and at first called plant societies, later, plant associations. These were seen to be in equilibrium, more or less, with habitat; however, habitats change through the years, forcing change in vegetation. Changes were recognized as biotic, topographic, and climatic-the biotic due to reactions of the vegetation (and other accompanying life), the topographic to erosional and depositional forces, the