Peanut and cardiovascular disease risk factors: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract

Several studies have been conducted on the effects of peanut consumption on cardiovascular diseases (CVD) risk factors. However, the findings are conflicting and appear inconsistent. The aim of this review is to summarize the findings on the effect of peanut consumption on the risk factors of CVDs. We used relevant keywords and searched through PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science for articles published studies up to November 2018. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were included in this meta-analysis. Random or fixed-effects meta-analysis method depending on the results of heterogeneity tests was used to estimate the effect size. Between-study heterogeneity was assessed by Q test and I² index. Subgroup analysis was conducted to find any excess relationship. Publication bias was checked by Egger’s test and funnel plot. Quality of studies was assessed by the Cochrane criteria. According to the results of 13 RCTs, peanuts has no significant effect on weight (WMD: ?0.11?kg, P?=?0.773), waist circumference (WMD: ?1.41?cm, P?=?0.139), body mass index (WMD: ?0.14?kg/m², P?=?0.428), systolic and diastolic blood pressure (WMD: ?0.09?mmHg, P?=?0.939 and WMD: 0.60?mmHg, P?=?0.652, respectively), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (WMD: ?3.31?mg/dl, P?=?0.472), triglyceride (WMD: ?7.59?mg/dl, P?=?0.180), total cholesterol (WMD: 3.15?mg/dl, P?=?0.171), fasting blood sugar (WMD: 0.57?mg/dl, P?=?0.604) and serum insulin (WMD: ?0.40, P?=?0.582). Also, this meta-analysis showed that peanut had a positive significant effect on high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL) (WMD: 2.72?mg/dl, P?=?0.001). Peanuts consumption has a positive significant effect on HDL especially at the type of peanut oil, high-oleic peanut and peanut sprout and in healthy subjects and for consumption more than 12?weeks, while has no significant effect on other CVD risk factors.     

Plasma essential amino acid concentrations in response to casein infusion or ration change in dairy cows: A multilevel,mixed-effects meta-analysis

The objectives of the current meta-analysis were to review the relationships between plasma individual essential AA concentrations and their respective AA digestible flows (AADI) in 2 independent sets of studies. The first set of studies included 36 casein infusion studies (CN; 83 treatment means) and was regarded as the best comparison standard available, because differences in AADI achieved by casein infusion (up to 40% of total metabolizable protein supply) did not rely on any model assumptions and were directly estimated from casein infusions. The second set of studies included 42 feeding trials (FT; 94 treatment means) in which AADI were predicted using the 2001 National Research Council model. The 2 sets of studies were not balanced for dry matter intake and the supplies of metabolizable protein and net energy for lactation; therefore, a subset of 17 CN studies (35 treatment means) and 19 FT trials (49 treatment means) balanced for these variables was assembled to allow the comparison of linear terms from CN and FT studies. In the subset of data set, the linear terms of individual AA did not differ between CN and FT studies except for Met and Thr, with a slope lower by 23 and 62%, respectively, in CN versus FT studies. The agreement in linear slopes between CN and FT studies indicates, indirectly, that AADI were predicted accurately by the National Research Council model. In the large data set, the relationships between plasma concentrations of Ile, Leu, Val, and their sum (branched-chain AA; BCAA) and their respective AADI shared common characteristics that distinguished them from the other AA. For the plasma concentration of BCAA, the linear terms were significant in CN and FT studies, but the quadratic terms were significant only in FT studies. This decline in the response of plasma concentration of BCAA to increased BCAA digestible flow in FT studies was associated with diets rich in energy, diets with a high concentrate level, or diets based on corn silage. These dietary conditions can stimulate insulin secretion and decrease plasma concentration of BCAA. For the non-BCAA, a quadratic term was significant for plasma His, Lys, Met, and Thr in each set of studies, indicating an increased removal of these AA by the liver as AADI increased.     

Patterns of mean-level change in personality traits across the life course: A meta-analysis of longitudinal studies.

The present study used meta-analytic techniques (number of samples = 92) to determine the patterns of mean-level change in personality traits across the life course. Results showed that people increase in measures of social dominance (a facet of extraversion), conscientiousness, and emotional stability, especially in young adulthood (age 20 to 40). In contrast, people increase on measures of social vitality (a 2nd facet of extraversion) and openness in adolescence but then decrease in both of these domains in old age. Agreeableness changed only in old age. Of the 6 trait categories, 4 demonstrated significant change in middle and old age. Gender and attrition had minimal effects on change, whereas longer studies and studies based on younger cohorts showed greater change. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A review of the meta-analysis by Tingir and colleagues (2017) on the effects of mobile devices on learning

Tingir et al. (2017) concluded from their meta-analysis that the subject areas taught through mobile devices had significantly higher achievement scores (d = 0.48) than the ones taught with traditional teaching methods. Given the relatively high positive effect of mobile devices on student achievement, we carefully analysed the selected research in this meta-analysis. We reviewed Tingir et al.’s (2017) meta-analysis based on analysis of the methodology of the selected research, while drawing on the work of Slavin (2003), Cheung and Slavin (2016), and Sung et al. (2019). Twelve of the 14 (86%) studies included in the meta-analysis done by Tingir and his team (2017) present such major methodological flaws that they should not have been included. Our analysis leads us to believe that the conclusion of Tingir et al. (2017) is not justified. It is recognized that duration of experiment is negatively correlated with effect size: the shorter the duration, the higher the effect (Burston, 2015; Slavin & Lake, 2009). Although demanding more effort, the field of education must raise the bar if it is to have knowledge of acceptable value.     

Which way of design programming activities is more effective to promote K-12 students' computational thinking skills? A meta-analysis

Promoting the cultivation of computational thinking (CT) skills in programming activities has become a key issue in the K-12 curriculum, however, there is no unified conclusion on how to design programming activities to promote the acquisition of CT skills more effectively. The purpose of this study is to determine the effectiveness of using programming to enhance K-12 students' CT skills and explore the influence of various programming instructional design factors on the acquisition of CT skills. This study presents a quantitative meta-analysis. A systematic search of randomized controlled studies on the influence of programming on CT skills. A total of 86 empirical studies with 114 effect sizes met the study selection criterion. The results showed that programming improved K-12 students' CT skills in general (Hedges' g = 0.601, 95% CI [0.505, 0.697], p < 0.001). No publication bias was detected. Besides, we found that the interdisciplinary integration of programming, the duration of programming intervention within 1 week to 1 month, the class size of less than 50 students, and a reasonable selection of programming instruments and CT assessment types may be more conducive to promoting students' CT skills. Based on these findings, we suggest that programming instructional design should be planned reasonably to make the best use of technology towards developing students' CT skills. This will be of great significance to programming teaching and CT education in K-12.     

Melatonin-mediated postharvest quality and antioxidant properties of fresh fruits: A comprehensive meta-analysis

At postharvest, fruits have a short shelf life. Recently, there has been much literature on the effects of melatonin on the postharvest quality of horticultural crops. However, reports of various findings comprise mixed claims and product-specific conclusions. Therefore, a meta-analysis systematically dissects the comprehensive effect on several fruits. In this meta-analysis, standard mean difference (SMD) was adopted using a random-effect model. The study used 36 articles and isolated 24 indicator parameters of postharvest quality and antioxidant properties based on the inclusion criteria. As exhibited in the forest plot, melatonin reduced chilling injury, weight loss, respiration rate, and ethylene content (SMD −0.90, 95% CI [−1.14, −0.65]; I² = 81%; p < .00001). Similarly, the application of melatonin significantly suppressed electrolyte leakage, malondialdehyde (MDA), hydrogen peroxide, superoxide anion, lipoxygenase, and polyphenol oxidase (SMD −0.89, 95% CI [−1.09, −0.69]; I² = 70%; p < .00001). In addition, exogenous melatonin application induced endogenous melatonin content, phenolic content, and flavonoid and anthocyanin contents (SMD 1.15, 95% CI [0.91, 1.39]; I² = 71%; p = .01). Moreover, melatonin treatment enhanced antioxidant activities (catalase, superoxide dismutase, peroxidase, ascorbate peroxidase, and phenylalanine ammonia-lyse) (SMD 1.37, 95% CI [1.03, 1.71]; I² = 86%; p < .00001). Thus, in the whole study, the overall effect was significantly high in treated fruit (p < .0001), and the overall heterogeneity was above (I²) > 70%. In addition, the funnel plot showed symmetry in the most selected studies. To sum up, the result gives a further understanding of melatonin's capabilities in reducing postharvest losses and maintaining the quality of fresh fruits.     

The effects of ABRACADABRA on reading outcomes: An updated meta-analysis and landscape review of applied field research

ABRACADABRA (ABRA) is an evidence-based suite of interactive multimedia that engages learners in the development of core reading skills. This meta-analysis presents an update of the research evidence about the effectiveness of ABRA for elementary students. It reports 91 effect sizes in six reading-related outcomes for a sample of 7,388 students. Regardless of context and measurement type, the studies yielded positive effects of ABRA, ranging in magnitude from g+ = 0.080 for Vocabulary Knowledge to g+ = 0.378 for Phonemic Awareness and reaching statistical significance in four outcome categories. This meta-analysis adds to our understanding of the effectiveness of ABRA-based reading instruction by exploring factors of research design, ABRA design and implementation contexts, and various student characteristics and offers implications for instructional practice.     

Mitochondrial Consequences of Organ Preservation Techniques during Liver Transplantation

Allograft ischemia during liver transplantation (LT) adversely affects the function of mitochondria, resulting in impairment of oxidative phosphorylation and compromised post-transplant recovery of the affected organ. Several preservation methods have been developed to improve donor organ quality; however, their effects on mitochondrial functions have not yet been compared. This study aimed to summarize the available data on mitochondrial effects of graft preservation methods in preclinical models of LT. Furthermore, a network meta-analysis was conducted to determine if any of these treatments provide a superior benefit, suggesting that they might be used on humans. A systematic search was conducted using electronic databases (EMBASE, MEDLINE (via PubMed), the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) and Web of Science) for controlled animal studies using preservation methods for LT. The ATP content of the graft was the primary outcome, as this is an indicator overall mitochondrial function. Secondary outcomes were the respiratory activity of mitochondrial complexes, cytochrome c and aspartate aminotransferase (ALT) release. Both a random-effects model and the SYRCLE risk of bias analysis for animal studies were used. After a comprehensive search of the databases, 25 studies were enrolled in the analysis. Treatments that had the most significant protective effect on ATP content included hypothermic and subnormothermic machine perfusion (HMP and SNMP) (MD = −1.0, 95% CI: (−2.3, 0.3) and MD = −1.1, 95% CI: (−3.2, 1.02)), while the effects of warm ischemia (WI) without cold storage (WI) and normothermic machine perfusion (NMP) were less pronounced (MD = −1.8, 95% CI: (−2.9, −0.7) and MD = −2.1 MD; CI: (−4.6; 0.4)). The subgroup of static cold storage (SCS) with shorter preservation time (< 12 h) yielded better results than SCS ≥ 12 h, NMP and WI, in terms of ATP preservation and the respiratory capacity of complexes. HMP and SNMP stand out in terms of mitochondrial protection when compared to other treatments for LT in animals. The shorter storage time at lower temperatures, together with the dynamic preservation, provided superior protection for the grafts in terms of mitochondrial function. Additional clinical studies on human patients including marginal donors and longer ischemia times are needed to confirm any superiority of preservation methods with respect to mitochondrial function.     

A meta-analysis of performance on emotion recognition tasks in Parkinson’s disease.

Individuals with Parkinson’s disease (PD) have shown deficits in the ability to recognize emotion. However, these results have been inconsistent. In addition, questions remain about whether any deficit in PD is secondary to depression and broader cognitive impairments, and the effects of stimulus modality, task type, and specific emotion remain unclear. A meta-analysis of 34 comparisons, using data from 1,295 individual participants, was conducted to (a) provide a reliable estimate of the magnitude of the purported deficit in emotion recognition and (b) examine the influence of several potential moderators of emotion recognition abilities in PD. Results show a robust link between PD and specific deficits in recognizing emotion, from both the face and the voice (overall effect size g = 0.52). The deficit extends across stimulus modalities and task types and is particularly acute with respect to negative emotions. Although this deficit does not appear to be secondary to comorbid depression or visuospatial impairments, the potential role of working memory constraints warrants further investigation. We highlight the potential implications of these findings for communication abilities in PD. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Does marriage and relationship education work? A meta-analytic study.

In this meta-analytic study, the authors examined the efficacy of marriage and relationship education (MRE) on 2 common outcomes: relationship quality and communication skills. A thorough search produced 86 codable reports that yielded 117 studies and more than 500 effect sizes. The effect sizes for relationship quality for experimental studies ranged from d = .30 to .36, while the communication skills effect sizes ranged from d = .43 to .45. Quasi-experimental studies generated smaller effect sizes, but these appeared to be due to pretest group differences. Moderate-dosage programs produced larger effect sizes than did low-dosage programs. For communication skills, published studies had larger effects than those of unpublished studies at follow-up; there were no publication differences for relationship quality. There was no evidence of a gender difference. Unfortunately, a lack of racial/ethnic and economic diversity in the samples prevented reliable conclusions about the effectiveness of MRE for disadvantaged couples, a crucial deficit in the body of research. In addition, intervention outcomes important to policy makers, such as relationship stability and aggression, rarely have been addressed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)