Challenges in assessing the sunscreen-melanoma association

Source at https://doi.org/10.1002/ijc.31997.Whether sunscreen use affects melanoma risk has been widely studied with contradictory results. To answer this question we performed a systematic review of all published studies, accounting for sources of heterogeneity and bias. We searched for original articles investigating the sunscreen‐melanoma association in humans to February 28, 2018. We then used random‐effects meta‐analysis to combine estimates of the association, stratified by study design. Stratified meta‐analysis and meta‐regression were used to identify sources of heterogeneity. We included 21,069 melanoma cases from 28 studies published 1979–2018: 23 case–control (11 hospital‐based, 12 population‐based), 1 ecological, 3 cohort and 1 randomised controlled trial (RCT). There was marked heterogeneity across study designs and among case–control studies but adjustment for confounding by sun exposure, sunburns and phenotype systematically moved estimates toward decreased melanoma risk among sunscreen users. Ever‐ vs. never‐use of sunscreen was inversely associated with melanoma in hospital‐based case–control studies (adjusted odds ratio (OR) = 0.57, 95%confidence interval (CI) 0.37–0.87, Pheterogeneity Pheterogeneity Pheterogeneity = 0.236). The association differed by latitude (Pinteraction = 0.042), region (Pinteraction = 0.008), adjustment for naevi/freckling (Pinteraction = 0.035), and proportion of never‐sunscreen‐users (Pinteraction = 0·012). Evidence from observational studies on sunscreen use and melanoma risk was weak and heterogeneous, consistent with the challenges of controlling for innate confounding by indication. The only RCT showed a protective effect of sunscreen

Atalntic Bird Traits: a data set of bird morphological traits from the Atlantic forests of South America

Scientists have long been trying to understand why the Neotropical region holds the highest diversity of birds on Earth. Recently, there has been increased interest in morphological variation between and within species, and in how climate, topography, and anthropogenic pressures may explain and affect phenotypic variation. Because morphological data are not always available for many species at the local or regional scale, we are limited in our understanding of intra- and interspecies spatial morphological variation. Here, we present the ATLANTIC BIRD TRAITS, a data set that includes measurements of up to 44 morphological traits in 67,197 bird records from 2,790 populations distributed throughout the Atlantic forests of South America. This data set comprises information, compiled over two centuries (1820–2018), for 711 bird species, which represent 80% of all known bird diversity in the Atlantic Forest. Among the most commonly reported traits are sex (n = 65,717), age (n = 63,852), body mass (n = 58,768), flight molt presence (n = 44,941), molt presence (n = 44,847), body molt presence (n = 44,606), tail length (n = 43,005), reproductive stage (n = 42,588), bill length (n = 37,409), body length (n = 28,394), right wing length (n = 21,950), tarsus length (n = 20,342), and wing length (n = 18,071). The most frequently recorded species are Chiroxiphia caudata (n = 1,837), Turdus albicollis (n = 1,658), Trichothraupis melanops (n = 1,468), Turdus leucomelas (n = 1,436), and Basileuterus culicivorus (n = 1,384). The species recorded in the greatest number of sampling localities are Basileuterus culicivorus (n = 243), Trichothraupis melanops (n = 242), Chiroxiphia caudata (n = 210), Platyrinchus mystaceus (n = 208), and Turdus rufiventris (n = 191). ATLANTIC BIRD TRAITS (ABT) is the most comprehensive data set on measurements of bird morphological traits found in a biodiversity hotspot; it provides data for basic and applied research at multiple scales, from individual to community, and from the local to the macroecological perspectives. No copyright or proprietary restrictions are associated with the use of this data set. Please cite this data paper when the data are used in publications or teaching and educational activities