Meta-Analysis and Systematic Review

Background

Frequent consumption of excess amounts of sugar‐sweetened beverages (SSB) is a risk factor for obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and dental caries. Environmental interventions, i.e. interventions that alter the physical or social environment in which individuals make beverage choices, have been advocated as a means to reduce the consumption of SSB.

Objectives

To assess the effects of environmental interventions (excluding taxation) on the consumption of sugar‐sweetened beverages and sugar‐sweetened milk, diet‐related anthropometric measures and health outcomes, and on any reported unintended consequences or adverse outcomes.

Search methods

We searched 11 general, specialist and regional databases from inception to 24 January 2018. We also searched trial registers, reference lists and citations, scanned websites of relevant organisations, and contacted study authors.

Selection criteria

We included studies on interventions implemented at an environmental level, reporting effects on direct or indirect measures of SSB intake, diet‐related anthropometric measures and health outcomes, or any reported adverse outcome. We included randomised controlled trials (RCTs), non‐randomised controlled trials (NRCTs), controlled before‐after (CBA) and interrupted‐time‐series (ITS) studies, implemented in real‐world settings with a combined length of intervention and follow‐up of at least 12 weeks and at least 20 individuals in each of the intervention and control groups. We excluded studies in which participants were administered SSB as part of clinical trials, and multicomponent interventions which did not report SSB‐specific outcome data. We excluded studies on the taxation of SSB, as these are the subject of a separate Cochrane Review.

Data collection and analysis

Two review authors independently screened studies for inclusion, extracted data and assessed the risks of bias of included studies. We classified interventions according to the NOURISHING framework, and synthesised results narratively and conducted meta‐analyses for two outcomes relating to two intervention types. We assessed our confidence in the certainty of effect estimates with the GRADE framework as very low, low, moderate or high, and presented ‘Summary of findings’ tables.

Main results

We identified 14,488 unique records, and assessed 1030 in full text for eligibility. We found 58 studies meeting our inclusion criteria, including 22 RCTs, 3 NRCTs, 14 CBA studies, and 19 ITS studies, with a total of 1,180,096 participants. The median length of follow‐up was 10 months. The studies included children, teenagers and adults, and were implemented in a variety of settings, including schools, retailing and food service establishments. We judged most studies to be at high or unclear risk of bias in at least one domain, and most studies used non‐randomised designs. The studies examine a broad range of interventions, and we present results for these separately.

Labelling interventions (8 studies): We found moderate‐certainty evidence that traffic‐light labelling is associated with decreasing sales of SSBs, and low‐certainty evidence that nutritional rating score labelling is associated with decreasing sales of SSBs. For menu‐board calorie labelling reported effects on SSB sales varied.

Nutrition standards in public institutions (16 studies): We found low‐certainty evidence that reduced availability of SSBs in schools is associated with decreased SSB consumption. We found very low‐certainty evidence that improved availability of drinking water in schools and school fruit programmes are associated with decreased SSB consumption. Reported associations between improved availability of drinking water in schools and student body weight varied.

Economic tools (7 studies): We found moderate‐certainty evidence that price increases on SSBs are associated with decreasing SSB sales. For price discounts on low‐calorie beverages reported effects on SSB sales varied.

Whole food supply interventions (3 studies): Reported associations between voluntary industry initiatives to improve the whole food supply and SSB sales varied.

Retail and food service interventions (7 studies): We found low‐certainty evidence that healthier default beverages in children’s menus in chain restaurants are associated with decreasing SSB sales, and moderate‐certainty evidence that in‐store promotion of healthier beverages in supermarkets is associated with decreasing SSB sales. We found very low‐certainty evidence that urban planning restrictions on new fast‐food restaurants and restrictions on the number of stores selling SSBs in remote communities are associated with decreasing SSB sales. Reported associations between promotion of healthier beverages in vending machines and SSB intake or sales varied.

Intersectoral approaches (8 studies): We found moderate‐certainty evidence that government food benefit programmes with restrictions on purchasing SSBs are associated with decreased SSB intake. For unrestricted food benefit programmes reported effects varied. We found moderate‐certainty evidence that multicomponent community campaigns focused on SSBs are associated with decreasing SSB sales. Reported associations between trade and investment liberalisation and SSB sales varied.

Home‐based interventions (7 studies): We found moderate‐certainty evidence that improved availability of low‐calorie beverages in the home environment is associated with decreased SSB intake, and high‐certainty evidence that it is associated with decreased body weight among adolescents with overweight or obesity and a high baseline consumption of SSBs.

Adverse outcomes reported by studies, which may occur in some circumstances, included negative effects on revenue, compensatory SSB consumption outside school when the availability of SSBs in schools is reduced, reduced milk intake, stakeholder discontent, and increased total energy content of grocery purchases with price discounts on low‐calorie beverages, among others. The certainty of evidence on adverse outcomes was low to very low for most outcomes.

We analysed interventions targeting sugar‐sweetened milk separately, and found low‐ to moderate‐certainty evidence that emoticon labelling and small prizes for the selection of healthier beverages in elementary school cafeterias are associated with decreased consumption of sugar‐sweetened milk. We found low‐certainty evidence that improved placement of plain milk in school cafeterias is not associated with decreasing sugar‐sweetened milk consumption.

Authors' conclusions

The evidence included in this review indicates that effective, scalable interventions addressing SSB consumption at a population level exist. Implementation should be accompanied by high‐quality evaluations using appropriate study designs, with a particular focus on the long‐term effects of approaches suitable for large‐scale implementation.

O objetivo desta pesquisa é analisar o desenvolvimento da educação musical como um campo científico no Brasil. Encontramos 300 teses que abordam temas diretamente relacionados à educação musical, de 1989 até 2017. Esta investigação de estado da arte contém aspectos documentais, quantitativos e qualitativos e foi desenvolvida por meio das técnicas de análise de conteúdo. Como resultados, apresentamos um mapeamento descritivo de categorias, como gênero, evolução do índice de produção, áreas de produção, universidades, contexto educativo, subtemáticas, didáticas da música, e ainda as linhas investigativas da área que configuram os temas de interesse da pesquisa em educação musical no Brasil. Além destas sínteses descritivas, também apresentamos formas de acesso a três produtos originados da investigação: 1) Formulários com categorias de análise; 2) Galerias de mapas e imagens descritivas da produção; 3) Índices e catálogo das 300 teses.

Numerous studies have focused on delineating the relationship between tourism and economic growth. In this article, we present the results of a rigorous meta-regression analysis based on 545 estimates drawn from 113 studies that empirically tested the tourism-led growth hypothesis (TLGH). The results suggest the presence of publication bias in the literature on this topic, where the majority of studies report positive and statistically significant estimates. Findings provide support for the TLGH, but they also suggest that the estimates are sensitive to a number of factors that are related to country, data, specification, and estimation characteristics, and time span. Such sensitivities suggest that greater emphasis should be placed on reporting estimates of the relationship between tourism and economic growth across a variety of methodological characteristics and specification and estimation choices. The implications of the results for theory development are also discussed.

Terdapat kencenderungan bahwa topik skripsi mahasiswa pada program studi Informatika, Universitas Katolik Musi Charitas kurang beragam. Hal ini terlihat dari berulangnya topik-topik skripsi yang diambil mahasiswa dari semester ke semester. Tujuan dari penelitian ini adalah untuk memperoleh gambaran deskriptif laporan skripsi mahasiswa pada program studi Informatika, Universitas Katolik Musi Charitas. Untuk memperoleh gambaran deskriptif yang lengkap, digunakan teknik Systematic Literature Review sebagai alat analisisnya. Hasil penelitian ini diharapkan dapat memberikan informasi bagi program studi untuk menyusun topic topic-topik skripsi yang lebih beragam. Penelitian ini direncanakan akan dimulai bulan Oktober 2016 hingga Januari 2017.

Kata kunci: laporan skripsi, systematic literature review

Evidence-based interventions have been developed and used to prevent HIV infections among Black MSM in Canada and the U.S.; however, the degree to which interventions address racism and other interlocking oppressions that influence HIV vulnerability is not well known. We utilize integrative antiracism to guide a review of HIV prevention intervention studies with Black MSM and to determine how racism and religious oppression is addressed in the current intervention evidence-base. We searched CINAHL, PsychInfo, Medline and the CDC compendium of evidence-based HIV prevention interventions and identified seventeen interventions. Three interventions targeted Black MSM, yet only one intervention addressed racism, religious oppression, cultural assets, and religious assets. Most interventions’ samples included low numbers of Black MSM. More research is needed on interventions that address racism and religious oppression on HIV vulnerability among Black MSM. Future research should focus on explicating mechanisms by which multiple oppressions impact HIV vulnerability. We recommend the development and integration of social justice tools for nursing practice that aid in addressing the impacts of racism and other oppressions on HIV vulnerability of Black MSM.

Summary
Background & aims

The impact of Spirulina supplementation on plasma lipid concentrations has not been conclusively studied. Therefore the aim of the meta-analysis was to assess the effect of Spirulina supplementation on plasma lipid concentrations.

Methods

We searched PubMed and Scopus (up to July 03, 2015) to identify randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that investigate the effect Spirulina supplementation on plasma lipid concentrations. Meta-analysis and meta-regression were performed using random-effects models.

Results

Random-effect meta-analysis of data from 7 RCTs showed a significant effect of supplementation with spirulina in reducing plasma concentrations of total cholesterol (WMD: −46.76 mg/dL, 95% CI: −67.31 to −26.22, p < 0.001), LDL-C (WMD: −41.32 mg/dL, 95% CI: −60.62 to −22.03, p < 0.001) and triglycerides (WMD: −44.23 mg/dL, 95% CI: −50.22 to −38.24, p < 0.001), and elevating those of HDL-C (WMD: 6.06 mg/dL, 95% CI: 2.37–9.76, p = 0.001).

The impact of spirulina on plasma concentrations of total cholesterol (slope: −1.32; 95% CI: −8.58 to 5.93; p = 0.720), LDL-C (slope: −1.01; 95% CI: −8.03 to 6.02; p = 0.778), triglycerides (slope: −1.39; 95% CI: −4.26 to 1.48; p = 0.342) and HDL-C (slope: 1.79, 95% CI: −0.48 to 4.05; p = 0.122) was independent of administered dose. Regarding duration of supplementation with Spirulina, significant associations were found with changes in plasma concentrations of total cholesterol (slope: −1.77; 95% CI: −3.48 to −0.07; p = 0.042), LDL-C (slope: −1.73; 95% CI: −3.40 to −0.06; p = 0.042) HDL-C (slope: 0.91; 95% CI: 0.68–1.14; p < 0.001) and triglycerides (slope: −1.39; 95% CI: −2.28 to −0.50; p = 0.002).

Conclusions

This meta-analysis showed a significant effect of supplementation with Spirulina in reducing plasma concentrations of total cholesterol, LDL-C, triglycerides and elevating those of HDL-C.

Keywords
Spirulina platensis; Lipid; LDL-cholesterol; HDL-cholesterol; Meta-analysis; Systematic review

This paper aims to provide a bibliometric analysis of publication trends on the themes of biomass and bioenergy worldwide. A wide range of studies have been performed in the field of the usage of biomass for energy production, in order to contribute to the green transition from fossil fuels to renewable energies. Over the past 20 years (from 2000 to 2019), approximately 10,000 articles have been published in the "Agricultural and Biological Sciences" field on this theme, covering all stages of production-from the harvesting of crops to the particular type of energy produced. Articles were obtained from the SCOPUS database and examined with a text mining tool in order to analyze publication trends over the last two decades. Publications per year in the bioenergy theme have grown from 91 in 2000 to 773 in 2019. In particular the analyses showed how environmental aspects have increased their importance (from 7.3% to 11.8%), along with studies related to crop conditions (from 10.4% to 18.6%). Regarding the use of energy produced, growing trends were recognized for the impact of biofuels (mentions moved from 0.14 times per article in 2000 to 0.38 in 2019) and biogases (from 0.14 to 0.42 mentions). Environmental objectives have guided the interest of researchers, encouraging studies on biomass sources and the optimal use of the energy produced. This analysis aims to describe the research evolution, providing an analysis that can be helpful to predict future scenarios and participation among stakeholders in the sector.

Objective To estimate an age-specific reference interval for carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (PWV), an index of aortic stiffness, and to determine the predictive values of the reference range for detecting those at moderate and high risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD).

Given the urgent need for credible answers to high-priority questions about the health and social impacts of COVID-19, many systematic reviewers seek to contribute their skills and expertise. Rather than embarking on unnecessary, duplicate reviews, we encourage the evidence synthesis community to prioritise purposeful replication of systematic reviews of evidence relevant to COVID-19.

Cover crops are considered to be beneficial for multiple ecosystem services, and they have been widely promoted through the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) in the EU and Farm Bill Conservation Title Programs, such as the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), in the USA. However, it can be difficult to decide whether the beneficial effects of cover crops on some ecosystem services are likely to outweigh their harmful effects on other services, and thus to decide whether they should be promoted by agricultural policy in specific situations. We used meta-analysis to quantify the effects of cover crops on five ecosystem services (food production, climate regulation, soil and water regulation, and weed control) in arable farmland in California and the Mediterranean, based on 326 experiments reported in 57 publications. In plots with cover crops, there was 13% less water, 9% more organic matter and 41% more microbial biomass in the soil, 27% fewer weeds, and 15% higher carbon dioxide emissions (but also more carbon stored in soil organic matter), compared to control plots with bare soils or winter fallows. Cash crop yields were 16% higher in plots that had legumes as cover crops (compared to controls) but 7% lower in plots that had non-legumes as cover crops. Soil nitrogen content was 41% lower, and nitrate leaching was 53% lower, in plots that had non-legume cover crops (compared to controls) but not significantly different in plots that had legumes. We did not find enough data to quantify the effects of cover crops on biodiversity conservation, pollination, or pest regulation. These gaps in the evidence need to be closed if cover crops continue to be widely promoted. We suggest that this novel combination of multiple meta-analyses for multiple ecosystem services could be used to support multi-criteria decision making about agri-environmental policy.

Background - Antibiotic use in human medicine, veterinary medicine, and agriculture has been linked to the rise of antibiotic resistance globally. We did a systematic review and meta-analysis to summarise the effect that interventions to reduce antibiotic use in food-producing animals have on the presence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in animals and in humans.
Methods - On July 14, 2016, we searched electronic databases (Agricola, AGRIS, BIOSIS Previews, CAB Abstracts, MEDLINE, Embase, Global Index Medicus, ProQuest Dissertations, Science Citation Index) and the grey literature. The search was updated on Jan 27, 2017. Inclusion criteria were original studies that reported on interventions to reduce antibiotic use in food-producing animals and compared presence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria between intervention and comparator groups in animals or in human beings. We extracted data from included studies and did meta-analyses using random effects models. The main outcome assessed was the risk difference in the proportion of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
Findings - A total of 181 studies met inclusion criteria. Of these, 179 (99%) described antibiotic resistance outcomes in animals, and 81 (45%) of these studies were included in the meta-analysis. 21 studies described antibiotic resistance outcomes in humans, and 13 (62%) of these studies were included in the meta-analysis. The pooled absolute risk reduction of the prevalence of antibiotic resistance in animals with interventions that restricted antibiotic use commonly ranged between 10 and 15% (total range 0–39), depending on the antibiotic class, sample type, and bacteria under assessment. Similarly, in the human studies, the pooled prevalence of antibiotic resistance reported was 24% lower in the intervention groups compared with control groups, with a stronger association seen for humans with direct contact with food-producing animals.
Interpretation - Interventions that restrict antibiotic use in food-producing animals are associated with a reduction in the presence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in these animals. A smaller body of evidence suggests a similar association in the studied human populations, particularly those with direct exposure to food-producing animals. The implications for the general human population are less clear, given the low number of studies. The overall findings have directly informed the development of WHO guidelines on the use of antibiotics in food-producing animals.

Once natural dangers tied up human energies; now man-made problems – lifestyle diseases, pollution, racism, terrorism, etc. – take the lead and dictate agendas. Entrenchment in fundamental beliefs increases; economism rules, yet aggravates a conflictual development whose root is neither accidental nor 'the human condition', but in a widespread way of thinking, justified by the vast majority of contemporary theorizing: to approach problems dominatively, based on primal assumptions (not openness on principle to the entirety of the subject matter). This way of thinking is self-limited on principle: it can't reach the intrinsic nature of phenomena, it is not generally sound. Action on this basis produces conflicts that can't be resolved by reiterating the method, which is thus not fully sustainable. The mainstream can avoid plurality only by incurring losses, and it is led to believe totally secure thinking is impossible – calling for more formalism, engendering on the theoretical level a self-fulfilling prophecy, and on the practical level an immense inefficiency. Nevertheless secure thinking is viable on the level of pure content. An adequate foundation can be found in completely self-aware querying. Systematizing this path makes perspectivity and universality compatible and opens up categories that are universally applicable within their query perspective. The proposed methodology allows strict thinking from totality towards its aspects – for instance in theorizing seamlessly all human agency, including mental activity. The proposed framework is not just one more theory, but encompasses theory and practice, and fosters personal integrity – the root of all authentic conflict solving.

Background: Pneumonia from SARS-CoV-2 is difficult to distinguish from other viral and bacterial etiologies. Broadspectrum antimicrobials are frequently prescribed to patients hospitalized with COVID-19 which potentially acts as a catalyst for the development of antimicrobial resistance (AMR).
Objectives: We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis during the first 18 months of the pandemic to quantify the prevalence and types of resistant co-infecting organisms in patients with COVID-19 and explore differences across hospital and geographic settings. Methods: We searched MEDLINE, Embase, Web of Science (BioSIS), and Scopus from November 1, 2019 to May 28, 2021 to identify relevant articles pertaining to resistant co-infections in patients with laboratory confirmed SARS-CoV-2. Patient-and study-level analyses were conducted. We calculated pooled prevalence estimates of co-infection with resistant bacterial or fungal organisms using random effects models. Stratified meta-analysis by hospital and geographic setting was also performed to elucidate any differences.
Results: Of 1331 articles identified, 38 met inclusion criteria. A total of 1959 unique isolates were identified with 29% (569) resistant organisms identified. Co-infection with resistant bacterial or fungal organisms ranged from 0.2 to 100% among included studies. Pooled prevalence of co-infection with resistant bacterial and fungal organisms was 24% (95% CI 8-40%; n = 25 studies: I 2 = 99%) and 0.3% (95% CI 0.1-0.6%; n = 8 studies: I 2 = 78%), respectively. Among multi-drug resistant organisms, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and multi-drug resistant Candida auris were most commonly reported. Stratified analyses found higher proportions of AMR outside of Europe and in ICU settings, though these results were not statistically significant. Patient-level analysis demonstrated > 50% (n = 58) mortality, whereby all but 6 patients were infected with a resistant organism.
Conclusions: During the first 18 months of the pandemic, AMR prevalence was high in COVID-19 patients and varied by hospital and geography although there was substantial heterogeneity. Given the variation in patient populations within these studies, clinical settings, practice patterns, and definitions of AMR, further research is warranted to

Background: Diet is central to treatment of type 2 diabetes. This review aimed to compare the effectiveness of nutrition therapy delivered by dietitians to nutrition advice delivered by other healthcare professionals in adults with type 2 diabetes on metabolic parameters.

Methods: Cochrane CENTRAL, CINAHL, EMBASE, MEDLINE and PsychINFO were searched for randomised controlled trials of three months duration or longer, published from 1st January 2008 to 18th June 2019. Relevant data were extracted from studies with additional author information. Random-effects meta-analysis assessed mean changes in HbA1c and other clinical parameters. PROSPERO registration number: CRD42019130528.

Results: Of 2477 records identified, fourteen studies, involving 3338 participants, were eligible for qualitative synthesis and meta-analysis. The mean changes [95% CI] at follow-up in HbA1c, BMI, weight, LDL cholesterol, systolic and diastolic blood pressure were -0·47 [-0·92, -0·02] %, -0·38 [-0·63, -0·13] kg/m2, -1·49 [-2·14, -0·84] kg, -0·15 [-0·33, 0·04] mmol/L, -0·75 [-2·45, 0·96] mm Hg and -1·17 [-4·52, 2·17] mm Hg respectively in favour of the intervention group. The quality of evidence was limited due to heterogeneity, risk of bias, publication bias and indirectness.

Conclusions: Nutrition therapy provided by dietitians was associated with better clinical parameters of type 2 diabetes, including clinically significant improved glycaemic control, across diverse multiethnic patient groups from all six inhabited continents. This conclusion should be reflected in clinical guidelines.

Keywords: Clinical effectiveness; Dietetic counseling; Medical nutrition therapy; Metabolic syndrome; Systematic review; Type 2 diabetes mellitus.

The Water Framework Directive (WFD) is arguably the most ambitious piece of European Union (EU) legislation in the field of water. The directive defines a general framework for integrated river basin management in Europe with a view to achieving
“good water status” by 2015. Institutional novelties include, among others, water management at hydrological scales, the involvement of nonstate actors in water planning, and various economic principles, as well as a common strategy to support EU member states during the implementation of the directive. More than 15 years after the adoption of the WFD, and with the passing of an important milestone, 2015, we believe it is time for an interim assessment. This article provides a systematic review of existing scholarship on WFD implementation. We identify well-documented areas of research, describe largely unchartered territories, and suggest avenues for future studies. Methodologically, we relied on a meta-analysis. Based on a codebook of more than 35 items, we analyzed 89 journal articles reporting on the implementation of the directive in EU member states. Our review is organized around three major themes. The first is “who, when, and where”; we explore publication patterns, thereby looking into authors, timelines, and target journals. The second is “what”; we analyze the object of study in our source articles with a particular focus on case study countries, policy levels, the temporal stage of WFD implementation, and if the directive was not studied in its entirety, the aspect of the WFD that received
scholarly attention. The third is “how,” i.e., theoretical and methodological choices made when studying the WFD.

Although extant literature has shown that formal contracts and relational governance play a key role in interorganizational relationships, the nature of their interplay still remains equivocal. To better understand the relationships between contractual and relational governance, we conducted a qualitative review and meta-analysis of the existing literature. Meta-analytic results from 33,051 interorganizational relationships across 149 empirical studies have indicated that contractual governance is positively related to both sides of relational governance—trust and relational norms. Our results have also indicated that contracts, trust, and relational norms jointly improve satisfaction and relationship performance and jointly reduce opportunism. These findings provide strong evidence for the complementarity arguments of the contractual-relational governance relationships and their joint impacts on performance. We also found that the mutual relationships between contractual and relational governance are moderated by the institutional environments, the interorganizational relationship type and length, and the construct measurement of contracts. Overall, this study provides new insights on when contractual and relational governance complement or substitute each other. We discuss the implications of our study for theory and practice and propose a research agenda for future research on governance in interorganizational relationships.

This systematic review and meta-analysis aims to address whether age can be a determinant of overall survival (OS), disease-free survival (DFS), recurrence, distant metastasis (DM) and second primary (SP) in surgically treated oral and oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OOPSCC). A total of 4981 cases and 44254 controls from 25 comparative observational studies were included in the analysis. A significantly better OS (matched subgroup analysis: OR 1.64; 95% CI 1.31–2.04, overall analysis: OR 1.48; 95% CI 1.09–2.01) was observed in young patients compared to older adults, with heterogeneity ranging from moderate to severe. Worse DFS (unmatched subgroup analysis OR 0.43; 95% CI 0.27–0.68) was observed in young patients compared to older adults with minimal to moderate heterogeneity. The frequency of recurrence (OR 1.49; 95% CI 1.10–2.02) and DM (OR 1.83; 95% CI 1.10–3.03) was significantly higher in the young patients, as found in unmatched and matched subgroup analysis, with the least heterogeneities. Young age can be considered as an independent prognostic factor for recurrence and distant metastases in OOP-SCC. Larger and methodologically robust observational studies with longer follow-up are needed to establish the definitive role of age as an independent prognostic factor on OS and DFS in OOPSCC.

BACKGROUND:

Short telomeres have been linked to various age-related diseases. We aimed to assess the association of telomere length with incident type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in prospective cohort studies.
METHODS:

Leucocyte relative telomere length (RTL) was measured using quantitative polymerase chain reaction in 684 participants of the prospective population-based Bruneck Study (1995 baseline), with repeat RTL measurements performed in 2005 (n = 558) and 2010 (n = 479). Hazard ratios for T2DM were calculated across quartiles of baseline RTL using Cox regression models adjusted for age, sex, body-mass index, smoking, socio-economic status, physical activity, alcohol consumption, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, log high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, and waist-hip ratio. Separate analyses corrected hazard ratios for within-person variability using multivariate regression calibration of repeated measurements. To contextualise findings, we systematically sought PubMed, Web of Science and EMBASE for relevant articles and pooled results using random-effects meta-analysis.
RESULTS:

Over 15 years of follow-up, 44 out of 606 participants free of diabetes at baseline developed incident T2DM. The adjusted hazard ratio for T2DM comparing the bottom vs. the top quartile of baseline RTL (i.e. shortest vs. longest) was 2.00 (95% confidence interval: 0.90 to 4.49; P = 0.091), and 2.31 comparing the bottom quartile vs. the remainder (1.21 to 4.41; P = 0.011). The corresponding hazard ratios corrected for within-person RTL variability were 3.22 (1.27 to 8.14; P = 0.014) and 2.86 (1.45 to 5.65; P = 0.003). In a random-effects meta-analysis of three prospective cohort studies involving 6,991 participants and 2,011 incident T2DM events, the pooled relative risk was 1.31 (1.07 to 1.60; P = 0.010; I2 = 69%).
CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATION:

Low RTL is independently associated with the risk of incident T2DM. To avoid regression dilution biases in observed associations of RTL with disease risk, future studies should implement methods correcting for within-person variability in RTL. The causal role of short telomeres in T2DM development remains to be determined.

Previous research on the association between socioeconomic status (SES) and child and adolescent antisocial
behaviour has produced mixed findings showing variation in the strength of association. This systematic review
and meta-analysis aimed to summarise evidence on the relationship between socioeconomic status and broadly
conceptualised antisocial behaviour, investigating variation across a range of antisocial subtypes and other potentialmoderators,
including age, sex and informant.Weidentified 133 studies containing data suitable for effect
size calculation, and 139 independent effect sizes were analysed (total N = 339868). The global meta-analysis
showed that lower family socioeconomic status was associated with higher levels of antisocial behaviour. Moderation
analyses revealed this relationship was stronger where callous–unemotional traits were the outcome,
and where antisocial behaviour was reported by parents or teachers rather than self-reported. The relationship
between family SES and antisocial behaviour, however, was independent of higher-level constructs such as national
income inequality. These results indicate that SES can be considered a robust correlate of broadly
conceptualised antisocial behaviour but the strength of this relationship may depend on the antisocial subtype
under investigation and the design of the study.

Critical mass theory and the tokenism hypothesis propose that females' job performance is adversely affected by perceptions and experiences that stem from females comprising a smaller proportion of organizations than males. Although belief in the gender token effect appears to be widely held, empirical evidence of this effect is relatively scarce; furthermore, the evidence that does exist is somewhat inconsistent. The purpose of the present study was to provide a meta-analytic test of the gender token effect by examining the extent to which the proportion of females in organizations relates to male– female differences in job performance. Meta-analytic results based on data from 158 independent studies (N = 101,071) reveal that (a) females tend to demonstrate higher job performance than males (d = −.10), and (b) this difference does not appear to vary based on the proportion of females in organizations. We found similar results for subjective task performance (e.g., supervisory ratings), organizational citizenship behaviors, and objective task performance (e.g., sales). Overall, this study's results demonstrate almost no

This conceptual article proposes a new integrative model of the country image by drawing on advances from the fields of business studies, social psychology, political science, and communication science. To interrelate different approaches, a communication management perspective is applied, providing a basic terminological framework systemizing the central constructs of country image, country reputation, country brand, and country identity. On this basis the authors develop the ‘4D Model' of the country image by integrating well-established concepts from national identity theory, attitude theory, and reputation management. The new model is suited for application in comparative analyses of country images both on the level of different groups (such as a country’s domestic and foreign publics) as well as different societal levels (such as individual attitudes on the one hand and mass-mediated prestige information on the other).

Context: Colon cancer is a serious disease that can be hereditary or arise from exposure to carcinogens in unhealthy food. Current chemotherapy treatment has serious cardiovascular adverse effects, is not always effective, and there may be resistance to treatment. Recently, studies have found an optimal anticancer activity of modified pectins on colon cancer. Aims: To systematically review the scientific literature, with PRISMA guidelines, of the articles found in the last 11 years, on the potential anticancer effects of pectins on colon cancer. Methods: PRISMA and Rayyan were used for the selection of studies and a standardized search was followed in four databases with the terms: modified pectins, cancer, therapy. Data extraction was performed using Excel and relevant information on anticancer activity was collected. Results: In total, 16 articles were included, finding seven in vitro, three mixed and six in vivo studies. The anticancer activity and optimization of the formulation, encapsulation, release of pectin-based drugs were evaluated by different methods in 12 and six articles, respectively. Most of the studies were classified as high quality with the AXIS tool. Furthermore, 11 out of 12 articles showed positive effects of modified pectins on colon cancer both in vivo and in vitro and six out of six articles found positive effects on pectin-based formulations. Conclusions: The evidence found suggests a beneficial effect of modified pectins on colon cancer, however, more in vivo studies are required.

Hernández-Corona, M. E., Méndez-Rizo, J., & Rojas-Solís, J. L. (2021). El síndrome de burnout en policías: Una revisión sistemática sobre aspectos metodológicos, factores asociados, causas y consecuencias (Burnout in police officers: A systematic review on methodological aspects, associated factors, causes and consequences). Dilemas contemporáneos: Educación, política y valores, 9(Ed. Esp), 1-19. Disponible en: https://www.dilemascontemporaneoseducacionpoliticayvalores.com/index.php/dilemas/article/view/2970/2972
RESUMEN: El síndrome de burnout afecta de manera específica a ocupaciones con labores de trato directo con la población, donde los cuerpos policíacos no son la excepción; por ello, el objetivo de este estudio fue analizarlas investigaciones arbitradas e indexadas respecto al síndrome de burnout en oficiales de policía. Se realizó una revisión sistemática de la literatura científica sobre el tema a través de las bases de datos Science Direct, Scopus, Web of Science y EBSCO. Dentro de las investigaciones analizadas, destaca la presencia de distintos factores asociados al síndrome de burnout, así como sus causas y consecuencias. Se concluye que la prevalencia del burnout en oficiales de policía está asociada a múltiples causas y produce distintas repercusiones. PALABRAS CLAVES: agotamiento psicológico, Burnout, Estrés, revisión sistemática, policía.
TITLE: Burnout in police officers: A systematic review on methodological aspects, associated factors, causes and consequences.
ABSTRACT: The burnout syndrome specifically affects occupations that deal directly with the population, where the police forces are no exception; Therefore, the objective of this study was to analyze the refereed and indexed investigations regarding burnout syndrome in police officers. A systematic review of the scientific literature on the subject was carried out through the Science Direct, Scopus, Web of Science and EBSCO databases. Among the researches analyzed, the presence of different factors associated with burnout syndrome, as well as its causes and consequences, stands out. It is concluded that the prevalence of burnout in police officers is associated with multiple causes and produces different repercussions. KEYWORDS: psychological exhaustion, burnout, stress, systematic review, police.

Arthur Pope was one of the greatest scholars who introduced Persian culture and architecture to the world. This study aims to study the writing of Arthur Pope in his famous book entitled "A Survey of Persian Art". This book is one of the most important encyclopedias of Persian art before and after Islam and the most detailed and authoritative reference book on the history of Iranian art. This book is the richest resource of Persian art with the illustrations in which it has been published. In 1926, Pope began writing A Survey of Persian Art for the first time, after the first congress in Philadelphia, shortly after his return to the United States. In his research, he introduced any building using an image; Like the method that archaeologists use to present the results of their excavations. Pope's view of the history of Persian architectural art is positivist, influenced by the teachings of Kant's philosophy and the modern view of history. Relying on different types of resources, focusing on political and diplomatic history, this approach deals with the classification of documents, and with an empirical perspective, pays attention to objective spaces. The results indicated that the sub-criteria of Persian art that according to Pope, are effective in regulating the spatial system of Iranian architecture are: continuity, abstraction, symbolism, clarity and accuracy, social and traditional character of Iranian art history and the relationship and impact of Persian architecture and other civilizations and their influence on each other.

This paper analyzes the impact of effect size or the coefficient correlation of psychological ownership and job satisfaction. Twenty-three studies were selected based on the characteristics of the knowledge worker and six psychological ownership dimensions of distinctiveness.  Average organizational tenure and education level were used to assess the significant dispersion between the studies that existed.  Average organizational tenure accounted for none of the dispersion between studies variance. Studies that used degree holders for sampling accounted for 77% of real heterogeneity representing 13 out of the 23 studies.  15 out of the 23 studies that conducted regressions, and reported the coefficient determination or R2 results explained 58% of the 95% proportion of real observed dispersion between the 15 studies with a p-value of .000.  These results indicate significant gaps in the existing literature pertaining to the relationship between psychological ownership and job satisfaction.  The gaps in the existing literature show the need to reset the study of the relationship between psychological ownership and job satisfaction towards the area of organizational effectiveness as oppose to the psychology of possession from the perspective of the human mind.

Brand loyalty and brand trust are known to be the fundamental aspect of brand management. Brand loyalty is important to many companies as it increases their profit as well as market share. Customers tend to choose the brand which they had put their trust and continue using the similar brand rather than taking risks by purchasing a new and unfamiliar brand. Thus, brand trust also plays an important role in influencing the behavior of customers, especially during their decision making process. A summary of the literature review has been designed in this paper, which was retrieved from the previous studies (from the year 1998 to 2016). Even though several factors have been examined separately in the previous researches, too little attention is focusing on examining the combined effects of the brand management's elements towards the brand loyalty, especially with the present of the brand trust as the mediating variable. Thus, this paper has been written in attempting to understand the concept of brand management, which includes its significance, dimensions and factors that influence brand loyalty.

The article reviews the available quantitative evidence on the relationship between explicit family policy and women's employment outcomes in 45 high-income countries between 1980 and 2016. At the methodological level, we gathered 238 papers through a four-stage systematic qualitative review. We included articles published in English in international journals or by leading research institutes. Despite the accrued importance of the field, comparative works and national case studies do not sufficiently engage one another for methodological and disciplinary reasons. Our contribution is to integrate the findings from both streams of the literature in two ways. First, we chart systematically the debate describing its evolution over four decades, the disciplines involved (demography, economics, politics, social policy, sociology, and interdisciplinary work), and the geographical and policy breadth of the empirical contributions. Second, we provide a rich guide for scholars in the field by exploring how national case studies fit (or not) the broad trends captured in comparative research and discussing key and controversial debates in the field. In conclusion, we point out also important gaps in the literature and propose new avenues for future research. An exhaustive set of tables provides information on each

Background The objective of this study was to assess whether the use of staple line reinforcement (SLR) reduces staple line complications (SLC). Mechanical staple lines are essential for gastrointestinal surgery such as bariatric surgery. However, SLC, such as bleeding and leakage, still occur. The purposes of this study were to provide quantitative evidence on the relative efficacy of gastric SLR and to compare the rates of effectiveness of three commonly used methods. Methods A search of the medical literature in English language journals identified studies from Jan 1, 2000, to Dec 31, 2013, using the following reinforcement types: (1) no reinforcement, (2) oversewing, (3) a biocompatible glycolide copolymer, and (4) bovine pericardium after gastric bypasses and sleeve gastrectomies. Types of reinforcement were compared using a random-effects model. Results This meta-analysis reviewed 16,967 articles, extracting data on 56,309 patients concerning leak and 41, 864 patients concerning bleeding. Over 40 % of patients had no reinforcement, resulting in the highest leak rate (2.75 %) and bleed rate (3.45 %). Overall, reinforcing with bovine peri-cardium had the lowest leak (1.28 %) and bleed (1.23 %) rates. Suture oversewing was better than no reinforcement but not as effective as bovine pericardium for leak (2.45 %) and bleed (2.69 %) rates. Buttressing with a biocompatible glycolide copolymer resulted in the second highest leak rate (2.61 %) and a bleed rate of 2.48 % but had significantly lower bleed rates than no reinforcement. Conclusions SLR provided superior results for patients compared to no reinforcement for reducing SLC. Buttressing with bovine pericardium resulted in the most favorable outcomes. The effectiveness of different methods used to reinforce the staple line in gastric surgery does not appear to be equal.

Bu araştırmada, 2006-2016 yılları arasında ilkokul ve ortaokul düzeyindeki argümantasyon çalışmalarının, tematik içerik analizi yöntemiyle incelenmesi amaçlanmıştır. İlköğretim düzeyi ve 2006-2016 tarih aralığı kriterlerine göre, ilgili veri tabanlarından ulaşılan toplam 73 makale ve 9 tez çalışması, tematik içerik analizi yöntemiyle incelenmiştir. Çalışmalar; amaç, yöntem/desen, örneklem düzeyi, veri toplama aracı, veri analiz yöntemi, argümantasyon yapılan konu, argümantasyon kullanım şekli, kullanılan argümantasyon modeli, sonuç ve öneri parametreleri dikkate alınarak incelenmiştir. Bu işlemler sonucunda, yapılan araştırmaların çoğunluğunun argümantasyonun öğrenci başarısına ve derse karşı tutumuna etkisini incelemek amacıyla yürütüldüğü ortaya çıkmıştır. Çalışmalarda yöntem olarak en çok deneysel desenin ve veri toplama aracı olarak da ölçekler ile ses-video kayıtlarının kullanıldığı tespit edilmiştir. Ayrıca, argümantasyon etkinliklerinin çoğunlukla fizik konularında ve ortaokul düzeyinde geliştirildiği belirlenmiştir. Araştırmanın sonucunda, ilkokul düzeyinden itibaren argümantasyon becerilerinin geliştirilmesi için oyunlaştırılmış argümantasyon gibi farklı yöntemlerin kullanılması önerilmektedir.

This study reviewed use of covariance-based structural equation modeling (SEM) in 209 articles published in nine tourism journals between 2000 and 2011.  Time series analysis suggested that the number of SEM publications is explained by linear and quadratic time effects.  Results indicated that although SEM practices have improved in some areas, tourism researchers do not always engage in the recommended best practices.  Problematic areas were related to testing of alternative a priori models, reporting of multivariate normality, estimating effect size, and assessing reliability and validity.  Some of the recommended fit indices were also under-utilized.  The review also found few differences in SEM practices between top-tier journals and other publications in the tourism field.  On the basis of these results, suggestions to improve use of SEM in tourism studies are discussed in the light of recent developments in this technique.

Background: E-cigarettes are currently being debated regarding their possible role in smoking cessation
and as they are becoming increasingly popular, the research to date requires investigation.
Objectives: To investigate whether the use of e-cigarettes is associated with smoking cessation or reduction, and whether there is any difference in efficacy of e-cigarettes with and without nicotine on smoking cessation.
Data Sources: A systematic review of articles with no limit on publication date was conducted by searching PubMed, Web of Knowledge and Scopus databases.
Methods: Published studies, those reported smoking abstinence or reduction in cigarette consumption
after the use of e-cigarettes, were included. Studies were systematically reviewed, and meta-analyses were conducted using Mantel-Haenszel fixed-effect and random-effects
models. Degree of heterogeneity among studies and quality of the selected studies were evaluated.
Results: Six studies were included involving 7,551 participants.Meta-analyses included 1,242 participants
who had complete data on smoking cessation. Nicotine filled e-cigarettes were more effective for cessation than those without nicotine (pooled Risk Ratio 2.29, 95%CI 1.05-4.97).Amongst 1,242 smokers, 224 (18%) reported smoking cessation after using nicotine-enriched e-cigarettes for a minimumperiod of six months. Use of such e-cigarettes was positively associated with smoking cessation with a pooled Effect Size of 0.20 (95%CI 0.11-0.28). Use of e-cigarettes was also associated with a reduction in the number of cigarettes used.
Limitations: Included studies were heterogeneous, due to different study designs and gender variation. Whilst we were able to comment on the efficacy of nicotine vs. non-nicotine e-cigarettes for smoking cessation, we were unable to comment on the efficacy of e-cigarettes vs. other interventions
for cessation, given the lack of comparator groups in the studies included in this meta-analysis.
Conclusions: Use of e-cigarettes is associated with smoking cessation and reduction. More randomised controlled trials are needed to assess effectiveness against other cessation methods.

Hibiscus sabdariffa is a medicinal plant widely used in several countries for a long time. Nowadays, a number of effects
including antihypertensive effect, prevention and treatment of urinary tract infection, anti-oxidation, and anti-atherosclerotic effect
have been reported. However, since the results from studies were inconclusive, a conclusion on whether Hibiscus sabdariffa
possesses such beneficial effects is highly needed. This study aimed to examine the efficacy and tolerability of Hibiscus
sabdariffa compared to other interventions in randomized controlled trials by means of a systematic review. We searched
studies and relevant information from Medline (1966-2006), Cumulative Index to Nursing Allied Health Literature (CINAHL)
(1982-2006), International Pharmaceutical Abstracts (IPA) (1970 – 2006), Current Content, Cochrane Library, and Thai Index
Medicus, bibliographies of retrieved articles and experts in the field.
There were 66 clinical trials examining effects of Hibiscus sabdariffa. We found five trials studying the efficacy of Roselle
on human; however, only two were randomized controlled trials. These two studies were included in our present study. The first
trial tested antihypertensive effect of the tea of dried calyx of Hibiscus sabdariffa compared with captopril (25 mg every 12
hours) in patients with mild to moderate hypertension. The study found no difference regarding efficacy and tolerability between
Hibiscus sabdariffa tea and captopril. The second study reported that at day 12 of the treatment, sour tea (the tea made from
Hibiscus sabdariffa) significantly reduced both systolic and diastolic blood when compared with baseline (P < 0.01). The two
studies included in this systematic review had a relatively low quality (Jadad’s score of 2 for both). In conclusion, the
antihypertensive effect of Hibiscus sabdariffa is somewhat evident but well conducted randomized controlled trials are highly
needed to confirm such antihypertensive effect, and to examine also its other clinical benefits

Eperisone, an analgesic and centrally acting muscle relaxant has been in use for the treatment of low back pain (LBP). The present systematic review evaluates the efficacy and safety of eperisone in patients with LBP. Cochrane Back and Neck (CBN) Group and Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines were adopted to perform this systematic review. For risk of bias assessment CBN Group and Moga tools were used. Seven (5 randomized controlled trials [RCTs] and 2 uncontrolled studies) studies involving 801 participants were included. Eperisone intervention may be effective in acute LBP patients with less adverse effects (relative risk, 0.25; 95% confidence interval, 0.15–0.41; p < 0.0001). Eperisone also improved paraspinal blood flow and was found to have efficacy similar to tizanidine in chronic LBP patients. The included studies in this review are of smaller sample size and short duration to support eperisone use in LBP. However, we recommend well-designed RCTs of high quality with larger sample size and longer follow-up to confirm the clinical benefits of eperisone in the treatment of acute or chronic LBP.

Keywords
Low back pain; Eperisone; Muscle relaxant; Analgesic; Meta-analysis.

As many universities in non-Anglophone countries have committed to internationalising their academic programmes, more content courses in Arts and Sciences are being taught in English. When content courses are taught in English in a country where English is not the first language, this is called English Medium Instruction (EMI). Using specific country cases, previous studies have confirmed that an EMI course can pose many challenges to the learning of course content by students. To date, there have been few attempts to examine these challenges through a large-scale qualitative prism, which would be useful for gaining new insights in order to inform policy as well as classroom interventions. In this systematic thematic synthesis we have aimed to identify the obstacles to implementing learner-centred pedagogy in EMI tertiary programmes, focusing on student perspectives. The Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP) and Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Studies (COREQ) were used to appraise and synthesise 40 empirical articles. The articles included 1769 participants in 20 non-Anglophone countries and jurisdictions. The participants were both local and international non-native English-speaking students enrolled in EMI courses. The synthesis yielded 46 descriptive themes stratified into six analytical domains. The suggested domains are meta/linguistic, instructional, meta/cognitive, socio-cultural, affective, and institutional obstacles. They suggest that students in different regions faced quite similar challenges in their EMI courses. The challenges consist of inadequate use of English by students and lecturers, and a lack of student-centred pedagogy, particularly in teacher–student and student–student interactions. The findings of most learner-centred EMI studies revealed that the main challenges came from English comprehension (the first three suggested domains); fewer studies included factors related to the learning environment (the last three domains). This review can inform university administrators, teaching staff and researchers engaged in internationalising higher education and aid in designing appropriate EMI programmes that offer better learner-centred educational experiences.

Atmospheric in-store stimuli have been the subject of considerable empirical investigation for over 30 years. This research presents a meta-analysis of 66 studies and 135 effects (N = 15,621) calibrating the atmospheric effects of music, scent, and color on shopping outcomes. At an aggregate level, the results reveal that environments in which music or scent are present yield higher pleasure, satisfaction, and behavioral intention ratings when compared with environments in which such conditions are absent. Warm colors produce higher levels of arousal than cool colors, while cool colors produce higher levels of satisfaction than warm colors. The estimated average strength of these relationships ranged from small to medium. Effect sizes exhibited significant between-study variance, which can be partly explained by the moderators investigated. For instance, larger effect sizes were observed for the relationship between scent and pleasure in those samples with a higher (vs. lower) proportion of females. Data also indicated a tendency toward stronger music and scent effects in service settings as compared to retail settings. The results of this analysis, based on data aggregated across the research stream, offer retailers a guide to enhance customers' shopping experience through judicious use of in-store atmospheric stimuli.

Este estudio tiene como objetivo determinar el nivel de calidad de vida laboral (CVL) de los trabajadores de la salud en países latinoamericanos. Para ello se realizó un metaanálisis en el que se determinó como principal criterio de búsqueda la aplicación del cuestionario CVT-GOHISALO, a cuyos resultados se les aplicó la prueba de Chi cuadrado para determinar la heterogeneidad y se realizaron gráficos de mosaico para representarla. Igualmente se realizó un escalamiento multidimensional para definir el nivel de similitud entre los estudios. Como resultado, de incluyeron diez estudios con 1024 participantes en su mayoría personal de enfermería de género femenino y que se desempeñan en actividades asistenciales. Se evidenció que la CVL de los trabajadores de la salud de las investigaciones analizadas es predominantemente baja, siendo la dimensión soporte.

Drawing on an example of a large systematic review that was conducted on the use of educational technology and student engagement in higher education, we provide practical insights into how we proceeded throughout the review phases. Readers and researchers embarking on a systematic review themselves might find the contents of this chapter useful, in order to better prepare themselves for issues that can arise when undertaking such an endeavour.

Managing the pathways by which non-native species are introduced and spread is considered the most effective way of preventing species invasions. Tourism and outdoor recreation involve the frequent congregation of people, vehicles and vessels from geographically diverse areas. They are therefore perceived to be major pathways for the movement of non-native species, and ones that will become increasingly important with the continued growth of these sectors. However, a global assessment of the relationship between tourism activities and the introduction of non-native species–particularly in freshwater and marine environments–is lacking. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to determine the impact of tourism and outdoor recreation on non-native species in terrestrial, marine and freshwater environments. Our results provide quantitative evidence that the abundance and richness of non-native species are significantly higher in sites where tourist activities take place than in control sites. The pattern was consistent across terrestrial, freshwater and marine environments; across a variety of vectors (e.g. horses, hikers, yachts); and across a range of taxonomic groups. These results highlight the need for widespread biosecurity interventions to prevent the inadvertent introduction of invasive non-native species (INNS) as the tourism and outdoor recreation sectors grow.

Decisions in policy and practice should always
be based on the best available evidence, but synthesising
the evidence is often considered an insurmountable task.
Reviews aim to summarise (synthesise) the evidence in a
form that is readily digestible by decision makers. Systematic
reviews (SRs) are emerging as an important tool
and industry standard in reviewing evidence across many
disciplines. SRs are transparent, repeatable and objective,
reducing bias and maximising reliability. SRs are typically
much less susceptible to bias than traditional reviews,
many meta-analyses and other syntheses as a result of strict
guidelines and highly detailed a priori methods. SR began
in medicine and revolutionised medical policy and practice
by pooling disparate studies and identifying common
trends that may be missed by individual studies. SRs are
now also used in public health and in environmental and
social sciences to aid in decision making. SR in environmental
management was adapted in response to a need for
answers to controversial questions, questions where doubt
existed about the reliability of the evidence and where the
evidence base appeared to lack consensus. SR is a valuable
tool for any researcher provided they assemble the right
team and have the necessary support available. They can
complement longer postgraduate study and involve the
development of valuable transferable skills including
searching, critical appraisal, quantitative and qualitative
analysis, scientific writing and science communication.
Along with synthesising evidence to provide answers to
questions, SRs can help in formulating hypotheses, identify
knowledge gaps and highlight deficiencies in methodologies
used in published research.

The aim of this study was to conduct a systematic review to compare the clinical outcomes
of two different resorbable collagen membranes in terms of regenerated bone
volume, postoperative complications and membrane degradation during bone regeneration
procedures. Randomized controlled trials (RCT) or controlled trials (CT) that
compared both techniques were reviewed on four electronic databases up to
December 2015, a manual search was performed on the bibliography of the collected
articles and the authors were contacted for additional references if undetected on the
electronic and manual search. Membrane exposure was evaluated as a dichotomous
outcome and the statistical unit was the membrane. The results were presented as
relative risk (RR) with a 95% confidence interval. Eight RCTs and one CT were included
in this study. The majority of the studies depicted a bone augmentation area,
which ranged from 46.15% to 94.6% for the non-cross-
link
membranes and from 44%
to 92.6% for the cross-link
membranes at the 4-6
month re-entry
surgery. From a
total of 289 patients, a forest plot concerning the membrane exposure was constructed
using the obtained RR of the included studies. The overall RR was 1.43 (95%
CI: 0.85-2.39)
with no statistically significant differences between the two groups,
although with a marginal tendency towards higher exposure in the cross-link
membrane
group. This systematic review suggests the different membranes present themselves
as appropriate for bone regeneration procedures, although cross-link
membranes present higher rates of postoperative complications. However, more RCT
with higher sample sizes are needed to evaluate the different membranes. The suggested
lack of clinical differences between the compared membranes suggest that
further cost-benefit
ratio, tissue integration and postoperative complication oriented
studies should be performed so that clinicians can take a patient-centred,
evidence-based
decision.

Read-aloud accommodations have been proposed as a way to help remove barriers faced by students with disabilities in reading comprehension. Many empirical studies have examined the effects of read-aloud accommodations; however, the results are mixed. With a variance-known hierarchical linear modeling approach, based on 114 effect sizes from 23 studies, a meta-analysis was conducted to examine the effects of read-aloud accommodations for students with and without disabilities. In general, both students with disabilities and students without disabilities benefited from the read-aloud accommodations, and the accommodation effect size for students with disabilities was significantly larger than the effect size for students without disabilities. Further, this meta-analysis reveals important factors that influence the effects of read-aloud accommodations. For instance, the accommodation effect was significantly stronger when the subject area was reading than when the subject area was math. The effect of read-aloud accommodations was also significantly stronger when the test was read by human proctors than when it was read by video/audio players or computers. Finally, the implications, limitations, and directions for future research are discussed.

The majority of food waste is generated at the consumption stage. Research on consumer food waste is increasing very fast, as well as the effort in the quantification of the amount of food waste generated at home. This review analisys the most relevatn studies in this regard, with the aim of 1) reporting the main findings on the amount of food waste generated at household level and 2)comparing estimates from studies conducted with different methodological approaches, to highlight possible influences of methods over findings [...]