Evidence map›Paper›PMID 32242444›Full record

SynthesisThe South African journal of communication disorders = Die Suid-Afrikaanse tydskrif vir Kommunikasieafwykings2020

Middle ear pathologies in adults within the mining industry: A systematic review.

Ben Sebothoma

Open access · goldAbstract readSystematic Review
In one paragraph

Synthesis in The South African journal of communication disorders = Die Suid-Afrikaanse tydskrif vir Kommunikasieafwykings, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
1.9field-weighted citation impact, top 14% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed, 14 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

1 author at 1 institution in 2 countries.

Ben SebothomaDepartment of Speech Pathology and Audiology, Faculty of Humanities, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. b.audiologist@gmail.com.
University of the Witwatersrand · ZA

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundLiterature suggests that risk factors for middle ear pathologies, such as traumatic injuries and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), exist in mines. However, studies on hearing health in mines seem to focus primarily on occupational noise-induced hearing loss and ignore middle ear pathologies. As a result, there is little documented evidence on the trends of middle ear pathologies in mine workers.

objectivesThe aim of this study was to explore and document published evidence reflecting trends in middle ear pathologies in mine workers.

methodA systematic literature review of studies that reported middle ear pathologies in mine workers was conducted. Medline, CINAHL, PubMed, PsychInfo and Google Scholar databases were searched for studies in English published between January 1994 and December 2018 and reporting on trends in middle ear pathologies in mine workers.

resultsTwo research studies met the selection criteria and were included for analysis. One research study used tympanometry with 226 Hz probe tone, while another study used interviews to determine the presence of middle ear pathologies. While these studies indicate that middle ear pathologies exist in individuals working in mines, the evidence is limited.

conclusionWhile current data indicate that individuals working in mines may present with middle ear pathologies of varying severities, the evidence is too small to provide a clear trend of middle ear pathologies in individuals working in mines. Therefore, the current limited data suggest a need for further studies to examine middle ear pathologies in individuals working in mines.

Indexed as

MinersAcoustic Impedance TestsEar, MiddleHearing LossHumansAdultsMiddle ear pathologiesMining industriesSystematic reviewTrends

Identifiers

PMID32242444
PMCPMC7136826
OpenAlexW3011450427

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.