Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38277998›Full record

ArticleEnvironment international2024

Dietary mycotoxin exposure and human health risks: A protocol for a systematic review.

T Goessens, T Mouchtaris-Michailidis, K Tesfamariam, N N Truong, F Vertriest, Y Bader, S De Saeger, C Lachat, M De Boevre

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Environment international, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 9 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
9citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
11.4field-weighted citation impact, top 2% 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

9 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 19 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Review
  3. Combined exposure to emergingFrontiers in toxicology · 2026
    Article
  4. Article
  5. Review
  6. Article
  7. Article
  8. Review
  9. 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

9 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

T GoessensCenter of Excellence in Mycotoxicology and Public Health, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium. Electronic address: tess.goessens@ugent.be.
T Mouchtaris-MichailidisCenter of Excellence in Mycotoxicology and Public Health, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium. Electronic address: thanosmichailidis@ugent.be.
K TesfamariamDepartment of Food Technology, Safety and Health, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium. Electronic address: kokebtesfamariam.hadush@ugent.be.
N N TruongCenter of Excellence in Mycotoxicology and Public Health, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium. Electronic address: truong.nguyen@ugent.be.
F VertriestCenter of Excellence in Mycotoxicology and Public Health, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium; Ghent University, Department of Internal Medicine and Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Ghent, Belgium. Electronic address: febe.vertriest@ugent.be.
Y BaderCenter of Excellence in Mycotoxicology and Public Health, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium. Electronic address: yasmine.bader@ugent.be.
S De SaegerCenter of Excellence in Mycotoxicology and Public Health, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium. Electronic address: sarah.desaeger@ugent.be.
C LachatDepartment of Food Technology, Safety and Health, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium. Electronic address: carl.lachat@ugent.be.
M De BoevreCenter of Excellence in Mycotoxicology and Public Health, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium. Electronic address: marthe.deboevre@ugent.be.
Ghent University · BEGhent University Hospital · BE

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundMycotoxins are toxic fungal secondary metabolites that contaminate a wide spectrum of essential foods worldwide, such as grain-based products, nuts and spices, causing adverse health effects pertaining to their carcinogenic, nephrotoxic and hepatotoxic nature, among others.

aimThe aim of this systematic review (SR) is to systematically search for, appraise and synthesize primary research evidence to identify what is known about dietary mycotoxin-related health effects and what remains unknown, as well as the uncertainty around findings and the recommendations for the future. SEARCH STRATEGY AND ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA: Search strategies, as well as eligibility criteria were structured according to a predefined PECO (population, exposure, comparison, and outcome) research question and developed in an iterative scoping process. Several bibliographic databases, including Embase, Cochrane Library, Pubmed, Web of Science Core Collection and Scopus, will be searched. Primary research on any measured or modelled dietary exposure to a single or multiple mycotoxins, and adverse human health outcomes (i.e. cancer, non-carcinogenic diseases, and reproductive & developmental adverse outcomes) will be included, and references will be imported into Covidence. In vitro, ex vivo, in silico, animal and review studies, as well as expert's opinions, secondary literature, conference abstracts, presentations, posters, book chapters, dissertations and studies involving non-dietary mycotoxin exposure, will be excluded. STUDY SELECTION: Two independent reviewers will screen titles and abstracts, and review full-texts. Any disagreements will be resolved by a third reviewer based on two-third majority. DATA EXTRACTION: Data from retained eligible studies will be extracted by the principal reviewer, and peer-checked by a second reviewer. STUDY QUALITY ASSESSMENT: Eligible studies will be evaluated for risk of bias (Overall High-Quality Assessment Tool, OHAT) and certainty of evidence (Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation, GRADE). EVIDENCE SYNTHESIS: A detailed summary of the included studies will be provided within a tabular format and narratively discussed. Heat maps will be constructed to provide information on available knowledge (gaps), and a meta-analysis may be performed based on the variability in predefined PECO elements and depending on the heterogeneity of studies.

conclusionThis protocol describes the methodology for the conduct of a SR on mycotoxin-related human health risks, that could guide future research and inform regulatory decisions, as emphasized by the European Commission within the field of regulatory risk assessment for emerging chemicals.

Indexed as

MycotoxinsSystematic Reviews as TopicDietary ExposureFood ContaminationHumansResearch DesignRisk AssessmentMycotoxins

Identifiers

PMID38277998
PMCPMC10895515
OpenAlexW4391061255

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.