Related Articles In PubMed Research Articles

Patients’ experiences of mechanical ventilation in intensive care units in low- and lower-middle-income countries: protocol of a systematic review

BackgroundMechanical ventilation (MV) in intensive care units (ICUs) is a stressful experience for patients. However, these experiences have not been systematically explored in low- and lower-middle-income countries (LLMICs). This systematic review (SR) aims to explore the patients’ experiences of MV in ICUs in LLMICs and the factors influencing their experiences.MethodsThe PICO framework will be used to operationalize the review question into key concepts: population (mechanically ventilated adult patients in ICUs), phenomenon of interest (experiences) and context (LLMICs). PubMed, Embase, PsycINFO, CINAHL, Cochrane Library, Scopus and Web of Science will be systematically searched since database inception. Citation, reference list and PubMed-related article searching of included studies will be done to ensure literature saturation. Empirical peer-reviewed literature exploring adult patients’ (aged ≥ 18 years) experiences of MV in ICUs in LLMIC will be included. All study designs (quantitative, qualitative and mixed methods) will be included. Two independent reviewers will perform screening, data extraction and critical appraisal. The mixed-methods appraisal tool (MMAT) and Popay’s narrative synthesis will be used for critical appraisal and data synthesis, respectively.DiscussionThis SR aims to bridge a gap in knowledge as previous evidence synthesis has described this phenomenon in developed countries. The review design, with the inclusion of quantitative, qualitative and mixed-methods studies, intends to provide a rich and in-depth exploration of the issue. The findings will be presented as themes, subthemes and their explanatory narratives. The gaps in available literature will be identified, and implications of SR findings on policy, practice and future research will be presented. The strength of this SR lies in its systematic, comprehensive, transparent, robust and explicit methodology of identifying, collating, assessing and synthesizing available evidence. By prior registration and reporting of this SR protocol, we aim to ensure transparency and accountability and minimize bias.Systematic review registrationPROSPERO CRD42024507187

Association between single-nucleotide polymorphisms of NKX2.5 and congenital heart disease in Chinese population: A meta-analysis.

NKX2.5 is a transcription factor that plays a key role in cardiovascular growth and development. Several independent studies have been previously conducted to investigate the association between the single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) 606G >C (rs3729753) in the coding region of NKX2.5 and congenital heart disease (CHD). However, the results of these studies have been inconsistent. Therefore, the present study aimed to reveal the relationship between NKX2.5 SNP 606G >C and the risk of CHD as possible in the Chinese population through meta-analysis. After retrieving related articles in PubMed, MEDLINE, EMBASE, Web of science, Cochrane, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang DATA, and VIP database until August 2021, a total of eight studies were included in the present meta-analysis. The qualified research data were then merged into allele, dominant, recessive, heterozygous, homozygous, and additive models. Overall results of the current meta-analysis showed that 606G >C was not associated with CHD of the Chinese population in any model. In addition, subgroup analysis based on CHD type gave the same negative result. Results of sensitivity analysis showed that there was no significant correlation after the deletion of each study. Furthermore, it was noted that the results were negative and the heterogeneity was not significant. In conclusion, it was evident that NKX2-5 SNP 606G >C may not lead to the risk of CHD in Chinese population.

Orthorexia and Eating Disorders in Adolescents and Young Adults: A Systematic Review.

Background: In recent years a new term in the field of eating behaviors has emerged, namely “orthorexia”. This behavior is associated with significant dietary restrictions and omission of food groups. The aim of the present study is to estimate the possible correlations between orthorexia and eating disorders in young adults and adolescents. Methods: A systematic review of related articles in PubMed, Google Scholar, and PsycInfo was conducted up to 30 June 2021. Results: A total of 37 studies (16,402 subjects) were considered eligible for this systematic review. Significant correlations were observed in most of the studies between orthorexia and eating disorders. However, the majority of studies adopted a cross-sectional design. Conclusions: An association between and eating disorders emerged. Prospective studies seem necessary to investigate associations and succession of orthorexia and eating disorders over time.

MCRWR: a new method to measure the similarity of documents based on semantic network

BackgroundBesides Boolean retrieval with medical subject headings (MeSH), PubMed provides users with an alternative way called “Related Articles” to access and collect relevant documents based on semantic similarity. To explore the functionality more efficiently and more accurately, we proposed an improved algorithm by measuring the semantic similarity of PubMed citations based on the MeSH-concept network model.ResultsThree article similarity networks are obtained using MeSH-concept random walk with restart (MCRWR), MeSH random walk with restart (MRWR) and PubMed related article (PMRA) respectively. The area under receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve of MCRWR, MRWR and PMRA is 0.93, 0.90, and 0.67 respectively. Precisions of MCRWR and MRWR under various similarity thresholds are higher than that of PMRA. Mean value of P5 of MCRWR is 0.742, which is much higher than those of MRWR (0.692) and PMRA (0.223). In the article semantic similarity network of “Genes & Function of organ & Disease” based on MCRWR algorithm, four topics are identified according to golden standards.ConclusionMeSH-concept random walk with restart algorithm has better performance in constructing article semantic similarity network, which can reveal the implicitly semantic association between documents. The efficiency and accuracy of retrieving semantic-related documents have been improved a lot.

COVID-19 Pandemic- Ethical Challenges for Healthcare Workers Practicing in Resource-Limited Settings.

In this review, the ethical issues peculiar to the COVID-19 pandemics and the role of healthcare workers, especially those in resource-limited settings are x-rayed. We contend that there is a pressing ethical issue that needs urgent clarification on the rights and responsibilities of healthcare workers, especially in the current context of COVID-19 pandemic preparedness and responsiveness. We searched MEDLINE, Web of Science, EMBASE, Google Scholar, PUBMED related articles, newspaper articles, and online news sources for relevant information. The various professional codes of conduct (World Medical Association, Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria) were also consulted. The ethical principles of equitable distribution of healthcare resources, confidentiality with associated stigmatization, issues relating to duty to care by the healthcare workers and those pertaining to conduct of clinical trials and access to approved therapies or vaccines were highlighted in this study. We agree with the submission that healthcare workers only have a moral duty to treat patients with COVID-19 if the necessary protective equipment and adequate compensation are not provided. We argue that the duty of physicians and other healthcare workers to care for patients during pandemics such as COVID-19 is obligatory in the absence of required protective equipment and other forms of compensation. There is a need for the government and other stakeholders to put in place a National Pandemic /Epidemic Ethical Framework to address these identified ethical challenges.

Protocol of a Systematic Review on Telemedicine Solutions in COVID-19 Pandemic

Introduction: On March 20, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced the spread of SARS-CoV-2 infection in most countries worldwide as a pandemic. COVID-19 is mainly disseminated through human-to-human transmission route via direct contact and respiratory droplets. Telehealth and/or telemedicine technologies are beneficial methods that could be employed to deal with pandemic situation of communicable infections. The purpose of this proposed systematic review study is to sum up the functionalities, applications, and technologies of telemedicine during COVID-19 outbreak.Material and Methods: This review will be carried out in accordance with the Cochrane Handbook and PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) reporting guidelines. PubMed and Scopus databases were searched for related articles. Randomized and non-randomized controlled trials published in English in scientific journals were identified to be evaluated for eligibility. Articles conducted on telemedicine services (TMS) during COVID-19 outbreak (2019-2020) were identified to be evaluated.Results: The literature search for related articles in PubMed and Scopus databases led to the identification and retrieval of a total of 1118 and 485 articles, respectively. After eliminating duplicate articles, title and abstract screening process was performed for the remaining 1440 articles. The current study findings are anticipated to be used as a guide by researchers, decision makers, and managers to design, implement, and assess TMS during COVID-19 crisis.Conclusion: As far as we know, this systematic review is conducted to comprehensively evaluate TM methods and technologies developed with the aim of controlling and managing COVID-19 pandemic. This study highlights important applications of telemedicine in pandemic conditions, which could be employed by future health systems in controlling and managing communicable infections when an outbreak occurs.

The Effects of Sesame Consumption on Glycemic Control in Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Clinical Trial.

Objectives In recent years, diabetes has become a global health problem that creates a tremendous economic burden for many countries. Clinical trials evaluating the hypoglycemic effects of sesame consumption have produced conflicting results. This systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of sesame as a popular natural herb on glycemic indices in adults. Methods The search for related articles in PubMed, Scopus, Google Scholar, and Cochrane library was conducted through May 2021. Results were reported as weighted mean differences (WMD) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) using a random-effects model. Results A total of 605 studies were identified through online searching, and a total of eight RCTs representing 382 participants were included in this study. The meta-analyses revealed that sesame consumption significantly decreases serum fasting blood sugar (FBS): (WMD: −28.23 mg/dl; 95% CI (−39.16, −17.13), I2 = 97.6%; 95% CI (96, 98)), and hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c): (WMD: −1.00%; 95% CI (−1.11, −0.88), I2 = 0%; 95% CI (0, 79)) as compared to the control group. Conclusion This study provides evidence of the hypoglycemic effects of sesame consumption, particularly in diabetic patients. Additional RCTs on sesame and its preparations should be conducted in different populations to increase generalizability.

Legalization, Decriminalization or Criminalization; Could We Introduce a Global Prescription for Prostitution (Sex Work)?

Context: Prostitution is a complex phenomenon defined as the provision of sexual services to receive something (goods or services) which is not sexual. Given the response of different societies and cultures to criminalization, decriminalization, or legalization of prostitution, this study aimed to compare the three aforementioned approaches to analyze the strengths and weaknesses of each view. Evidence Acquisition: This narrative review study summarizes various views on how to control the prostitution phenomenon. To conduct this study, related articles in PubMed, Google Scholar, and Scopus databases, as well as documents and reports published by Amnesty International, the World Health Organization, and the United Nations Office on AIDS, were investigated. There was no time limit for searching the articles and documents. Results: Different communities have their own responses to the prostitution phenomenon, depending on their economic, social, and cultural context. According to the literature reviews, three main approaches, including criminalization, decriminalization, and legalization, are recommended to deal with prostitution. In each of these frameworks, human trafficking and child prostitution are criminalized. Although it seems that partial decriminalization has greater benefits with fewer disadvantages, it is not without defects. Conclusions: Using the moderator rules that are embedded in the laws of each country for expediency might reduce the harmful consequences of the first rules, or measures can be taken by considering specific regulations that exist in the national system of each country.

Diagnostic Accuracy of Clinical Tests Assessing Ligamentous Injury of the Talocrural and Subtalar Joints: A Systematic Review With Meta-Analysis.

Context:Ankle sprains are the most common acute musculoskeletal injury. Clinical tests represent the first opportunity to assess the sprain’s severity, but no systematic review has compared these tests to contemporary reference standards.Objective:To determine the diagnostic accuracy of clinical tests assessing the talocrural and subtalar joint ligaments after ankle sprain.Data Sources:CINAHL, EMBASE, MEDLINE, hand-searching, and PubMed-related article searches (inception to November 18, 2020).Study Selection:Eligible diagnostic studies compared clinical examination (palpation, joint laxity) against imaging or surgery. Studies at a high risk of bias or with high concerns regarding applicability on Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies-2 were excluded from the meta-analysis.Study Design:Systematic review and meta-analysis.Level of Evidence:Level 3a.Data Extraction:True-positive, false-negative, false-positive, and true-negative findings were extracted to calculate sensitivity, specificity, and likelihood ratios. If ordinal data were reported, these were extracted to calculate Cohen’s kappa.Results:A total of 14 studies met the inclusion criteria (6302 observations; 9 clinical tests). No test had both sensitivity and specificity exceeding 90%. Palpation of the anterior talofibular ligament is highly sensitive (sensitivity 95%-100%; specificity 0%-32%; min-max; n = 6) but less so for the calcaneofibular ligament (sensitivity 49%-100%; specificity 26%-79%; min-max; n = 6). Pooled data from 6 studies (885 observations) found a low sensitivity (54%; 95% CI 35%-71%) but high specificity (87%; 95% CI 63%-96%) for the anterior drawer test.Conclusion:The anterior talofibular ligament is best assessed using a cluster of palpation (rule out), and anterior drawer testing (rule in). The talar tilt test can rule in injury to the calcaneofibular ligament, but a sensitive clinical test for the ligament is lacking. It is unclear if ligamentous injury grading can be done beyond the binary (injured vs uninjured), and clinical tests of the subtalar joint ligaments are not well researched. The generalizability of our findings is limited by insufficient reporting on blinding and poor study quality.Registration:Prospero ID: CRD42020187848.Data Availability:Data are available in a public, open access repository on publication, including our RevMan file and the CSV file used for meta-analysis: http://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.4917138

The association of glycemic level and prevalence of tuberculosis: a meta-analysis

BackgroundDiabetes is a well-known risk factor for tuberculosis and poorly glycemic control may increase the risk of tuberculosis. We performed a meta-analysis to explore the association of glycemic control in diabetic patients and their tuberculosis prevalence.MethodsWe included observational studies that investigated the prevalence of tuberculosis associated with glycemic control. The markers of glycated hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) and fasting plasma glucose were used to evaluate the exposure of interest in the study. We searched related articles in PubMed, EMBASE and Web of Science through 14 December 2019. The Newcastle-Ottawa scale was used to assess the risk of bias of included studies.ResultsSeventeen studies (four cohort studies, five case-control studies and eight cross-sectional studies) were included, involving 1,027,074 participants. The meta-analysis found the pooled odds ratio of prevalent tuberculosis increased a 2.05-fold (95%CI: 1.65, 2.55) for the patients with HbA1c ≥7.0% compared to those with HbA1c concentration < 7.0%. Furthermore, we found the mean of HbA1c was higher in the diabetes mellitus with tuberculosis group than the diabetes-only group (P = 0.002). In the sensitivity analysis, the finding remains consistent.ConclusionOur study provides the evidence that poorly controlled diabetes in diabetics may be associated with increased prevalence of tuberculosis. More efforts should focus on screening tuberculosis in uncontrolled diabetes.

MTHFR C677T, Prothrombin G20210A, and Factor V Leiden (G1691A) Polymorphism and Beta-Thalassemia Risk: A Meta-Analysis.

BackgroundBeta (β)-thalassemia major patients frequently suffer from many vascular problems. Thrombophilia is a blood disorder that comprises imbalances in the blood coagulating factor due to ecological and hereditary components. Previous evidence shows that thrombosis is the commonest risk in beta-thalassemia patients. Several studies have examined that MTHFR C677T, prothrombin G20210A (PT G20210A), and Factor V Leiden G1691A (FVL G1691A) polymorphism play a crucial role in the development of β-thalassemia major, yet the result was questionable and uncertain. Therefore, in this study, we executed the correlation between these gene polymorphisms with β-thalassemia major patients.MethodsSuitable keywords were used to search related articles in PubMed, Google Scholar, and Web of Science. In this random-effects meta-analysis, we analyzed the odds ratio (OR) for the estimation of risk.ResultsA total of nine research articles with 645 β-thalassemia major patients and 989 healthy controls were incorporated in this meta-analysis. The pooled OR was assessed in MTHFR C677T, PT G20210A, and FVL G1691A polymorphism. This random-effects meta-analysis demonstrated that MTHFR C677T, PT G20210A, and FVL G1691A gene polymorphism did not significantly associate with β-thalassemia major. Moreover, the heterogeneity was significantly found in genotype CC vs CT+TT C677T (I2=61%) and allele C vs T (I2=71%) of MTHFR and genotype GG vs GA (I2=95%), GG vs GA+AA (I2=95%), GA vs GG+AA (I2=95%), and allele G vs A (I2=93%) of FVL G1691A.ConclusionThe results of this meta-analysis show that MTHFR C677T, prothrombin G20210A, and Factor V Leiden (G1691A) gene polymorphism are not a risk factor for β-thalassemia major.

A comparison of large-scale science models based on textual, direct citation and hybrid relatedness

Recent large-scale bibliometric models have largely been based on direct citation, and several recent studies have explored augmenting direct citation with other citation-based or textual characteristics. In this study we compare clustering results from direct citation, extended direct citation, a textual relatedness measure, and several citation-text hybrid measures using a set of nine million documents. Three different accuracy measures are employed, one based on references in authoritative documents, one using textual relatedness, and the last using document pairs linked by grants. We find that a hybrid relatedness measure based equally on direct citation and PubMed-related article scores gives more accurate clusters (in the aggregate) than the other relatedness measures tested. We also show that the differences in cluster contents between the different models are even larger than the differences in accuracy, suggesting that the textual and citation logics are complementary. Finally, we show that for the hybrid measure based on direct citation and related article scores, the larger clusters are more oriented toward textual relatedness, while the smaller clusters are more oriented toward citation-based relatedness.

Hydroxychloroquine-induced Unusual Generalized Pustular Cutaneous Reaction As a New Clinical Entity: A Case Series

Background: Pustular Psoriasis (PP) and Acute Generalized Exanthematous Pustulosis (AGEP) clinically resemble each other. There are many patients with generalized pustular presentations like hydroxychloroquine-induced pustular reaction who do not completely fall within PP or AGEP categories and needed to be more evaluated. So we examined a large series of these reactions to hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) and reviewed the literature in this regard.Materials and Methods: Records of 20 patients admitted to Razi Hospital, Tehran, Iran with acute onset of generalized pustular eruption following hydroxychloroquine therapy were retrieved, and their demographic and clinical features were reviewed. In the meantime, all related articles in PubMed and Google scholar databases were studied as well.Results: All 20 patients were female with an Mean±SD age of 48.35±13.76 years. The Mean±SD between the first dose and skin eruption was 3.62±1.42 weeks. HCQ was prescribed for them, mainly for rheumatologic conditions and joint problems other than psoriasis. Treatment was planned according to the first clinical judgment, pathological findings, and clinical behavior of the disease. Eleven patients were treated as PP and 9 as AGEP. Conclusion: No evident history of psoriasis, drug-related eruption, as well as rapid and complete response to steroids in some patients, favor AGEP diagnosis. However, the long interval of symptoms appearance, prolonged disease course, relapses despite discontinuation of the responsible drug, and no appropriate response to the steroid, favor PP. So, it could be a new entity.

Overview of research on fusion genes in prostate cancer.

Fusion genes are known to drive and promote carcinogenesis and cancer progression. In recent years, the rapid development of biotechnologies has led to the discovery of a large number of fusion genes in prostate cancer specimens. To further investigate them, we summarized the fusion genes. We searched related articles in PubMed, CNKI (Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure) and other databases, and the data of 92 literatures were summarized after preliminary screening. In this review, we summarized approximated 400 fusion genes since the first specific fusion TMPRSS2-ERG was discovered in prostate cancer in 2005. Some of these are prostate cancer specific, some are high-frequency in the prostate cancer of a certain ethnic group. This is a summary of scientific research in related fields and suggests that some fusion genes may become biomarkers or the targets for individualized therapies.

The association between disordered eating and health-related quality of life among children and adolescents: A systematic review of population-based studies.

BackgroundPrevious studies have documented that disordered eating is associated with a wide range of impaired physical and mental health conditions among children and adolescents. The relationship between disordered eating and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) has been predominantly examined in children and adolescents who are overweight or obese or suffer from chronic illnesses. In the last decade, several studies have been conducted to investigate the relationship between disordered eating and HRQOL among school and community children and adolescents. No systematic review or meta-analysis has synthesized the findings from these population-based studies. The purpose of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to synthesize the relationship between disordered eating and HRQOL among the general population of children and adolescents.MethodsWe performed a computer search for the English language literature using the databases PUBMED, EMBASE and PSYCINFO to retrieve eligible studies published between 1946 and August 9, 2018. We also searched the relevant articles using PubMed related article search features and manually examined the reference lists of the retrieved full text articles selected from the database search. The association between disordered eating and HRQOL was synthesized using both a qualitative method and a meta-analysis. The review was conducted adhering to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines.ResultsWe identified eight studies that met the inclusion criteria and were included in the final synthesis. The studies included six cross-sectional studies and two longitudinal studies. The systematic review found that disordered eating attitudes and behaviors were associated with lower HRQOL among children and adolescents. Children and adolescents with bulimia nervosa (BN), binge eating disorder (BED), purging disorder (PD) and other eating disorder symptoms had poorer HRQOL than their healthy peers without the eating disorder conditions. The meta-analysis using four out of the eight studies showed that disordered eating was significantly associated with poor psychosocial health and lower overall HRQOL among children and adolescents.ConclusionThe present review reveals that disordered eating behaviors and eating disorders are associated with decreased HRQOL in children and adolescents. More prospective studies are needed to ascertain the directions in the relationship between disordered eating and HRQOL among children and adolescents. The findings of this review suggest that health programs for promoting healthy eating and reducing disordered eating behaviors among school children and adolescents may help to enhance the HRQOL and overall health status of these individuals.

The influence of diet quality and dietary behavior on health-related quality of life in the general population of children and adolescents: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

The association between diet quality, dietary behavior and health-related quality of life has been mostly examined in children and adolescents with specific chronic diseases. No systematic review has synthesized the influence of diet quality and dietary behavior on health-related quality of life in the general population of children and adolescents. The purpose of this study was to systematically review the primary studies that evaluated the association between diet quality, dietary behavior and health-related quality of life in the general population of children and adolescents and to synthesize the findings for the association. A computer search in the databases of MEDLINE, EMBASE and PSYCINFO was performed to retrieve English language studies that were published from 1946 up to April 8, 2018. We also screened the PubMed-related articles and the reference lists of the existing relevant literature to identify other eligible studies. We synthesized the association between diet quality, dietary behavior and health-related quality of life using both a qualitative method and meta-analysis. We reported the review following up the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guideline. Seventeen studies were included in the synthesis including twelve cross-sectional studies and five longitudinal studies. We found that diet quality and dietary behavior were associated with health-related quality of life in children and adolescents. The positive effect of healthy diets on health-related quality of life was observed for multiple domains of health-related quality of life, including physical, school and emotional functioning, and psychosocial quality of life. We observed a dose-response relationship between the diet exposure and health-related quality of life, where an unhealthy dietary behavior or lower diet quality was associated with decreased health-related quality of life among children and adolescents. The findings of the systematic review suggest the importance of promoting healthy diets and nutrition for good health-related quality of life among children and adolescents. Future research is needed to strengthen the evidence for prospective relationships and for the dose-response effect between diet quality, dietary behavior and health-related quality of life among children and adolescents.

Bone Bruises Associated with Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injury as Indicators of Injury Mechanism: A Systematic Review.

Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury is one of the most common injuries in sports, and the injury mechanisms are not completely clear. Bone bruises seen on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) following ACL injuries may provide significant information for determining ACL injury mechanisms. The aim was to determine ACL injury mechanisms through an evaluation of locations of bone bruises associated with ACL injury. A search for related articles in PubMed and the EBSCO Sport Database was performed using selected search strings from inception to August 6, 2018. Original studies with specified bone bruise locations identified using MRI technology were reviewed. A total of 12 studies with 589 patients were selected for review. A total of 471 bone bruises in the lateral tibial plateau were reported. Of these bone bruises, 409 (87%) occurred in the posterior section. A total of 242 bone bruises in the medial tibial plateau were reported. Of these bone bruises, 208 (86%) occurred in the posterior section. A total of 266 bone bruises in the lateral femoral condyle were reported. Of these bone bruises, 65 (25%) and 184 (69%) occurred in the anterior and central sections, respectively. A total of 105 bone bruises in the medial femoral condyle were reported. Of these bone bruises, 49 (47%) and 41 (39%) occurred in the anterior and central sections, respectively. Bone bruise location patterns indicate that tibial anterior translation relative to the femur was a primary injury mechanism in the majority of ACL injuries selected in this review, and that the maximal knee valgus apparently occurred after tibial anterior translation sufficient to injure the ACL. Bone bruise location patterns also indicate knee hyper-extension as another mechanism of non-contact ACL injury.

The impact of patient, intervention, comparison, outcome (PICO) as a search strategy tool on literature search quality: a systematic review.

ObjectiveThis review aimed to determine if the use of the patient, intervention, comparison, outcome (PICO) model as a search strategy tool affects the quality of a literature search.MethodsA comprehensive literature search was conducted in PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, PsycINFO, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, Library and Information Science s (LISA), Scopus, and the National Library of Medicine (NLM) catalog up until January 9, 2017. Reference lists were scrutinized, and citation searches were performed on the included studies. The primary outcome was the quality of literature searches and the secondary outcome was time spent on the literature search when the PICO model was used as a search strategy tool, compared to the use of another conceptualizing tool or unguided searching.ResultsA total of 2,163 records were identified, and after removal of duplicates and initial screening, 22 full-text articles were assessed. Of these, 19 studies were excluded and 3 studies were included, data were extracted, risk of bias was assessed, and a qualitative analysis was conducted. The included studies compared PICO to the PIC truncation or links to related articles in PubMed, PICOS, and sample, phenomenon of interest, design, evaluation, research type (SPIDER). One study compared PICO to unguided searching. Due to differences in intervention, no quantitative analysis was performed.ConclusionsOnly few studies exist that assess the effect of the PICO model vis-a-vis other available models or even vis-a-vis the use of no model. Before implications for current practice can be drawn, well-designed studies are needed to evaluate the role of the tool used to devise a search strategy.

The influence of physical activity, sedentary behavior on health-related quality of life among the general population of children and adolescents: A systematic review.

BackgroundThe association between physical activity, sedentary behavior and health-related quality of life in children and adolescents has been mostly investigated in those young people with chronic disease conditions. No systematic review to date has synthesized the relationship between physical activity, sedentary behavior and health-related quality of life in the general healthy population of children and adolescents. The purpose of this study was to review systematically the existing literature that evaluated the relations between physical activity, sedentary behavior and health-related quality of life in the general population of children and adolescents.MethodsWe conducted a computer search for English language literature from databases of MEDLINE, EMBASE, PSYCINFO and PubMed-related articles as well as the reference lists of existing literature between 1946 and the second week of January 2017 to retrieve eligible studies. We included the studies that assessed associations between physical activity and/or sedentary behavior and health-related quality of life among the general population of children and adolescents aged between 3–18 years. The study design included cross-sectional, longitudinal and health intervention studies. We excluded the studies that examined associations between physical activity, sedentary behavior and health-related quality of life among children and adolescents with specific chronic diseases, and other studies and reports including reviews, meta-analyses, study protocols, comments, letters, case reports and guidelines. We followed up the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement in the reporting of this review. The risk of bias of the primary studies was assessed by the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. We synthesized the difference in health-related quality of life scores between different levels of physical activity and sedentary time.ResultsIn total, 31 studies met the inclusion criteria and were synthesized in the review. Most of the included studies used a cross-sectional design (n = 21). There were six longitudinal studies and three school-based physical activity intervention studies. One study used both cross-sectional and longitudinal designs. We found that higher levels of physical activity were associated with better health-related quality of life and increased time of sedentary behavior was linked to lower health-related quality of life among children and adolescents. A dose-response relation between physical activity, sedentary behavior and health-related quality of life was observed in several studies suggesting that the higher frequency of physical activity or the less time being sedentary, the better the health-related quality of life.ConclusionsThe findings in this study suggest that school health programs promoting active lifestyles among children and adolescents may contribute to the improvement of health-related quality of life. Future research is needed to extend studies on longitudinal relationships between physical activity, sedentary behavior and health-related quality of life, and on effects of physical activity interventions on health-related quality of life among children and youth.

Assessment of the clinical efficacy of cell-assisted lipotransfer and conventional fat graft: a meta-analysis based on case-control studies

BackgroundCell-assisted lipotransfer is a novel technique for fat grafting. This study aimed to investigate the clinical efficacy of cell-assisted lipotransfer technology compared with conventional fat grafting.MethodsAccording to PRISMA guidelines, related articles in PubMed, Embase and Cochrane library were systematically searched. Studies focusing on fat survival rate and/or patient satisfaction rate for fat grafting alone versus cell-assisted lipotransfer were retrieved. Estimated fat survival and patient satisfaction rates were pooled. Subgroup analysis was stratified by the transplant site. Publication bias was conducted. Furthermore, the stability of results was assessed by sensitivity analysis.ResultsNine articles were included in the meta-analysis. Significant heterogeneity was observed among individual studies for fat survival rate assessment (I2 = 98.3%, P < 0.001). The fat survival rate was significantly higher in the cell-assisted lipotransfer group than in the control group [weighted mean difference = 25.85, 95% confidence interval 5.39–46.31; P = 0.013]. Notably, results remained unchanged in the sensitivity analyses. No significant difference was found in the patient satisfaction rate between the cell-assisted lipotransfer and control groups [odds ratio = 3.69, 95% confidence interval 0.73–18.53; P = 0.113]. In subgroup analysis, a significantly higher patient satisfaction rate was found in cell-assisted lipotransfer fat graft group in the face (odds ratio = 18.85, 95% confidence interval 9.03, 28.68; P < 0.001) and arm (odds ratio = 64.60, 95% confidence interval 58.79, 70.41; P < 0.001) than in the controls. Finally, no significant publication bias was found (P = 0.371).ConclusionThis study suggests that cell-assisted lipotransfer is superior to conventional lipoinjection with improved fat survival rate. However, the long-term efficacy should be evaluated in further studies.