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Environmental Science and Pollution... Oct 2022The negative externalities of freight transport have caught the attention of scholars and practitioners to study sustainable freight transportation. Past studies have... (Review)
Review
The negative externalities of freight transport have caught the attention of scholars and practitioners to study sustainable freight transportation. Past studies have reviewed sustainable logistics from varying perspectives, but the rail mode-specific sustainable logistics has not been thoroughly reviewed. This sets the motivation to review existing research on sustainable rail freight transportation (SRFT). A science mapping approach was used to develop and visualize bibliographic networks of 378 articles published between 2001 and 2022 and indexed in the Scopus database. Four scientometric analysis techniques, namely journal co-citations; countries/organizations/authors co-authorship; document co-citations; and keywords co-occurrence, were employed in the VOSviewer software to reveal conceptual structure, social structure, and influential themes of the SRFT domain. Based on the results, the SRFT knowledge was categorized into six thematic branches (31 sub-branches), namely intermodal transportation for decarbonization; green policies, risk, and energy assessment research; savings in externalities for a sustainable future; decision-making with environmental and economic considerations; case studies and applications in SRFT research; and technological advancements towards sustainability. Finally, future research directions were proposed in the form of research questions. This systematic literature review will facilitate the researchers, practitioners, and policymakers to understand the status quo, existing research gaps, and emerging research topics in the SRFT research domain. This study is restricted to research articles and review articles published in English and indexed in the Scopus database.
Topics: Railroads; Transportation
PubMed: 36057064
DOI: 10.1007/s11356-022-22811-5 -
Molecular Biology Reports May 2023Interactomics is a branch of systems biology that deals with the study of protein-protein interactions and how these interactions influence phenotypes. Identifying the... (Review)
Review
Interactomics is a branch of systems biology that deals with the study of protein-protein interactions and how these interactions influence phenotypes. Identifying the interactomes involved during host-pathogen interaction events may bring us a step closer to deciphering the molecular mechanisms underlying plant defence. Here, we conducted a systematic review of plant interactomics studies over the last two decades and found that while a substantial progress has been made in the field, plant-pathogen interactomics remains a less-travelled route. As an effort to facilitate the progress in this field, we provide here a comprehensive research pipeline for an in planta plant-pathogen interactomics study that encompasses the in silico prediction step to the validation step, unconfined to model plants. We also highlight four challenges in plant-pathogen interactomics with plausible solution(s) for each.
Topics: Plants; Host-Pathogen Interactions; Plant Diseases
PubMed: 36920596
DOI: 10.1007/s11033-023-08345-0 -
Seminars in Arthritis and Rheumatism Oct 2016Osteoarthritis (OA) is a leading cause of disability, but the relationship with premature mortality remains uncertain. We aimed to investigate the relationship between... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
OBJECTIVES
Osteoarthritis (OA) is a leading cause of disability, but the relationship with premature mortality remains uncertain. We aimed to investigate the relationship between OA and mortality from any cause and from cardiovascular disease (CVD).
METHODS
Electronic literature databases searches were conducted to identify prospective studies comparing mortality in a sample of people with and without OA. Risk of all-cause and CVD mortality were summarized using adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) for joint specific (hand, hip, and knee) and joint non-specific OA. New data from the Progetto Veneto Anziani (PRO.V.A.) study were also included.
RESULTS
From the PRO.V.A. study (N = 2927), there was no significant increase in mortality risk for participants with any joint OA (N = 1858) compared to non-OA (all-cause, HR = 0.95, 95% CI: 0.77-1.15 and CVD, HR = 1.12, 95% CI: 0.82-1.54). On meta-analysis, seven studies (OA = 10,018/non-OA = 18,541), with a median 12-year follow-up, reported no increased risk of any-cause mortality in those with OA (HR = 1.10, 95% CI: 0.97-1.25). After removing data on hand OA, a significant association between OA and mortality was observed (HR = 1.18, 95% CI: 1.08-1.28). There was a significant higher risk of overall mortality for (1) studies conducted in Europe, (2) patients with multi-joint OA; and (3) a radiological diagnosis of OA. OA was associated with significantly higher CVD mortality (HR = 1.21, 95% CI: 1.10-1.34).
CONCLUSIONS
People with OA are at increased risk of death due to CVD. The relationship with overall mortality is less clear and may be moderated by the presence of hand OA.
Topics: Cardiovascular Diseases; Comorbidity; Humans; Osteoarthritis; Prospective Studies; Risk Factors
PubMed: 27179749
DOI: 10.1016/j.semarthrit.2016.04.002 -
Journal of Athletic Training Nov 2016Although tactical athletes (eg, military service members, law enforcement personnel, fire fighters) are exposed to several known risk factors, it remains unclear if... (Review)
Review
OBJECTIVE
Although tactical athletes (eg, military service members, law enforcement personnel, fire fighters) are exposed to several known risk factors, it remains unclear if they are at increased risk for osteoarthritis (OA). The purpose of this systematic review was to investigate the association between serving as a tactical athlete and the incidence and prevalence of OA.
DATA SOURCES
We completed a comprehensive systematic literature search in November 2014 using 12 bibliographic databases (eg, PubMed, Ovid, SportDiscus) supplemented with manual searches of reference lists.
STUDY SELECTION
Studies were included if they met the following criteria: (1) an aim of the study was to investigate an association between tactical athletes and OA; (2) the outcome measure was radiographic OA, clinical OA, total joint replacement, self-reported diagnosis of OA, or placement on a waiting list for a total joint replacement; (3) the study design was a cohort study; and (4) the study was written in English.
DATA EXTRACTION
One investigator extracted data from articles that met all inclusion criteria (eg, group descriptions, measures of disease burden, source of nonexposed controls).
DATA SYNTHESIS
Twelve articles met the inclusion criteria and described retrospective cohort studies. Firefighters, active-duty military service members, and veteran military parachutists consistently had a higher incidence or prevalence of knee, hip, or any OA diagnosis (4 studies). Active-duty pilots and veteran military parachutists may have a higher prevalence of spine OA, but this was not statistically significant (2 studies). Occupational risk factors for OA among tactical athletes include rank and branch of military service. The risk of OA among individuals who completed mandatory national military service remains unclear (6 studies).
CONCLUSIONS
The incidence of OA among tactical athletes appears to be significantly higher when compared with nonexposed controls. Further research is needed to specifically identify modifiable risk factors within this high-risk population to develop and implement effective risk-reduction strategies.
Topics: Athletes; Global Health; Humans; Incidence; Military Personnel; Osteoarthritis; Prevalence; Risk Factors; Wounds and Injuries
PubMed: 27115044
DOI: 10.4085/1062-6050-51.5.03 -
Journal of Anxiety Disorders Oct 2023Anxiety disorders are among the most prevalent psychiatric disorders. Neuroimaging findings remain uncertain, and resting state functional magnetic resonance (rs-fMRI)... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
Anxiety disorders are among the most prevalent psychiatric disorders. Neuroimaging findings remain uncertain, and resting state functional magnetic resonance (rs-fMRI) connectivity is of particular interest since it is a scalable functional imaging modality. Given heterogeneous past findings for rs-fMRI in anxious individuals, we characterize patterns across anxiety disorders by conducting a systematic review and meta-analysis. Studies were included if they contained at the time of scanning both a healthy group and a patient group. Due to insufficient study numbers, the quantitative meta-analysis only included seed-based studies. We performed an activation likelihood estimation (ALE) analysis that compared patients and healthy volunteers. All analyses were corrected for family-wise error with a cluster-level threshold of p < .05. Patients exhibited hypo-connectivity between the amygdala and the medial frontal gyrus, anterior cingulate cortex, and cingulate gyrus. This finding, however, was not robust to potential file-drawer effects. Though limited by strict inclusion criteria, our results highlight the heterogeneous nature of reported findings. This underscores the need for data sharing when attempting to detect reliable patterns of disruption in brain activity across anxiety disorders.
Topics: Humans; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Gyrus Cinguli; Anxiety Disorders; Anxiety; Brain
PubMed: 37741177
DOI: 10.1016/j.janxdis.2023.102773 -
Sleep Medicine Reviews Oct 2018Sleep quality appears to be altered by traumatic brain injury (TBI). However, whether persistent post-injury changes in sleep architecture are present is unknown and... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
Sleep quality appears to be altered by traumatic brain injury (TBI). However, whether persistent post-injury changes in sleep architecture are present is unknown and relatively unexplored. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess the extent to which chronic TBI (>6 months since injury) is characterized by changes to sleep architecture. We also explored the relationship between sleep architecture and TBI severity. In the fourteen included studies, sleep was assessed with at least one night of polysomnography in both chronic TBI participants and controls. Statistical analyses, performed using Comprehensive Meta-Analysis software, revealed that chronic TBI is characterized by relatively increased slow wave sleep (SWS). A meta-regression showed moderate-severe TBI is associated with elevated SWS, reduced stage 2, and reduced sleep efficiency. In contrast, mild TBI was not associated with any significant alteration of sleep architecture. The present findings are consistent with the hypothesis that increased SWS after moderate-severe TBI reflects post-injury cortical reorganization and restructuring. Suggestions for future research are discussed, including adoption of common data elements in future studies to facilitate cross-study comparability, reliability, and replicability, thereby increasing the likelihood that meaningful sleep (and other) biomarkers of TBI will be identified.
Topics: Brain Injuries, Traumatic; Chronic Disease; Humans; Polysomnography; Sleep Stages
PubMed: 29452727
DOI: 10.1016/j.smrv.2018.01.004 -
Surgical Neurology International 2021As the largest and most complex cerebral artery, the middle cerebral artery (MCA) patterns and anomalies are not fully reported. At present, there is confusion about the... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
As the largest and most complex cerebral artery, the middle cerebral artery (MCA) patterns and anomalies are not fully reported. At present, there is confusion about the criteria for the different subtypes. The study of MCA patterns and anomalies is important because variants such as accessories or duplicates represent a high risk of failure during endovascular embolization or navigation during treatment for ischemic stroke. This study conducted a systematic review of studies on the neuroangiography patterns and anomalies of MCA.
METHODS
We conducted a systematic review of four articles online databases and included English articles from PubMed, the Cochrane Library, Directory of Open Access Journals, and EBSCOhost.
RESULTS
The proportion of the MCA branching pattern was 1.9% (range from 0% to 6.3%) for monofurcation, 1.0% (range from 0% to 1.4%) for tetrafurcation, 69.9% (range from 58.1% to 92.7%) for bifurcation, and 27% (ranging from 7.3% to 40.4%) for trifurcation. The proportion of MCA anomalies for accessory is 0.03% (range from 0% to 1%), duplication is 0.17% (range from 0% to 3%), and fenestration is 0.15% (range from 0% to 2%).
CONCLUSION
The proportions of the branching pattern and anomalies of MCA based on the systematic review are described in this study. This study is the first to systematically review the neuroangiography pattern of MCA and neuroangiography variations/anomalies of MCA in the literature.
PubMed: 34221566
DOI: 10.25259/SNI_125_2021 -
Clinical Infectious Diseases : An... Mar 2017Despite the well-documented association between diabetes and active tuberculosis, evidence of the association between diabetes and latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI)... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
BACKGROUND
Despite the well-documented association between diabetes and active tuberculosis, evidence of the association between diabetes and latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) remains limited and inconsistent.
METHODS
We included observational studies that applied either the tuberculin skin test or the interferon gamma release assay for diagnosis of LTBI and that provided adjusted effect estimate for the association between diabetes and LTBI. We searched PubMed and EMBASE through 31 January 2016. The risk of bias of included studies was assessed using a quality assessment tool modified from the Newcastle-Ottawa scale.
RESULTS
Thirteen studies (1 cohort study and 12 cross-sectional studies) were included, involving 38263 participants. The cohort study revealed an increased but nonsignificant risk of LTBI among diabetics (risk ratio, 4.40; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.50-38.55). For the cross-sectional studies, the pooled odds ratio from the random-effects model was 1.18 (95% CI, 1.06-1.30), with a small statistical heterogeneity across studies (I2, 3.5%). The risk of bias assessment revealed several methodological issues, but the overall direction of biases would reduce the positive causal association between diabetes and LTBI.
CONCLUSIONS
Diabetes was associated with a small but statistically significant risk for LTBI. Findings from this review could be used to inform future cost-effectiveness analysis on the impact of LTBI screening programs among diabetics.
Topics: Cohort Studies; Cross-Sectional Studies; Diabetes Complications; Diabetes Mellitus; Humans; Latent Tuberculosis; Odds Ratio; Publication Bias
PubMed: 27986673
DOI: 10.1093/cid/ciw836 -
Journal of the American Medical... Dec 2016Sarcopenia, a gradual loss of muscle mass and function, has been associated with poor health outcomes. Its correlation with another age-related degenerative process,... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
BACKGROUND
Sarcopenia, a gradual loss of muscle mass and function, has been associated with poor health outcomes. Its correlation with another age-related degenerative process, impaired cognition, remains uncertain. This meta-analysis aimed to determine whether there is an association between sarcopenia and cognitive impairment.
METHODS
PubMed and Scopus were searched for observational studies that investigated the association between sarcopenia and cognitive dysfunction. Participants' demographics and measurements, definition of sarcopenia, and tools for evaluating cognitive function were retrieved. The correlations between sarcopenia and cognitive impairment were expressed as crude and adjusted odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals (CIs).
RESULTS
Seven cross-sectional studies comprising 5994 participants were included. The crude and adjusted odds ratios were 2.926 (95% CI, 2.297-3.728) and 2.246 (95% CI, 1.210-4.168), respectively. The subgroup analysis showed that different target populations and sex specificity did not significantly modify the association, whereas the tools for evaluating cognitive function and modalities for measuring body composition did.
CONCLUSIONS
Sarcopenia was independently associated with cognitive impairment. Future cohort studies are warranted to clarify the causal correlation. The inclusion of relevant biomarkers and functional measurements is also recommended to elucidate the underlying biological mechanism.
Topics: Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Aging; Cognitive Dysfunction; Comorbidity; Cross-Sectional Studies; Female; Humans; Male; Sarcopenia
PubMed: 27816484
DOI: 10.1016/j.jamda.2016.09.013 -
European Journal of Vascular and... 2022To perform a systematic review and meta-analysis of the outcomes of physician modified endografts (PMEG) for the treatment of thoraco-abdominal (TAAA) and complex... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
OBJECTIVE
To perform a systematic review and meta-analysis of the outcomes of physician modified endografts (PMEG) for the treatment of thoraco-abdominal (TAAA) and complex abdominal aortic aneurysms (C-AAA).
DATA SOURCES
MEDLINE, CENTRAL, Web of Science Core Collection, Scielo, and Open Grey.
REVIEW METHODS
The databases were searched from inception to July 2021 for studies reporting on outcomes of PMEGs for TAAA or C-AAA repair. A systematic review was conducted (protocol CRD42021267856) and data were pooled using a random effects model of proportions. The outcomes analysed were major adverse events at 30 days (30 day mortality, myocardial infarction, respiratory failure requiring prolonged ventilation [> 24 hours or re-intubation], renal failure requiring dialysis, bowel ischaemia requiring surgery, major stroke, or definitive paraplegia); technical success; 30 day mortality; ruptures; spinal cord ischaemia; endoleaks; re-interventions; and target vessel patency.
RESULTS
Twenty studies were included. Overall study quality assessment was found to be low. Overall, 909 PMEGs were reported and analysed. Regarding aneurysm location (n = 867), 222 patients had extent I - III TAAAs and 645 had C-AAA or extent IV TAAA. Regarding presentation, 14 studies reported whether the patients were treated in an elective or urgent setting (n = 782). Overall, 500 (63.9%) patients were treated in an elective setting and 282 (36.1%) in an urgent setting. Major adverse events (at 30 days) occurred in 15.5% of patients (95% confidence interval [CI] 10.8 - 20.8; I = 63%, 135/832 cases): 11.6% (95% CI 8.1 - 15.7; I = 0%, 23/280 cases) for elective patients and 24.6% for urgent (95% CI 14.1 - 36.6; I = 65%, 50/192 cases). Overall technical success was 97.2% (95% CI 95.4 - 98.7; I = 0%, 587/611 cases): 98.0% (95% CI 92.1 - 100; I = 0%, 106/113cases) for extent I - III TAAAs and 99.4% (95% CI 97.5 - 100; I = 0%, 317/324 cases) for C-AAA and extent IV TAAAs. Regarding technique, technical success was 96.1% for fenestrated endovascular repair (FEVAR; 95% CI 93.2 - 98.4; I = 0%, 313/329 cases) and 99.8% for FEVAR/branched endovascular repair (95% CI 99.8 - 100; I = 0%, 17/18 cases).
CONCLUSION
Physician modified fenestrated or branched grafts for endovascular aortic repair seem feasible and safe in the short term. However, the quality of the available data is low, which highlights the need for better and more accurate data regarding this technique.
Topics: Humans; Aortic Aneurysm, Abdominal; Blood Vessel Prosthesis; Aortic Aneurysm, Thoracic; Blood Vessel Prosthesis Implantation; Endovascular Procedures; Prosthesis Design; Treatment Outcome; Retrospective Studies; Postoperative Complications; Risk Factors; Time Factors; Physicians
PubMed: 35483575
DOI: 10.1016/j.ejvs.2022.04.015