2.0 Methods
2.1 Search Strategy
Relevant articles were identified from two different databases (Web of Science and ScienceDirect) using keywords: allergic inflammation AND mast cell activation. All reported research studies that use in vitro mast cells were included in this systematic review. Filter was applied to include research articles in English that were published from 2018-2023. This study was conducted according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis (PRISMA) 2020 guidelines. The last search for relevant articles in all databases was performed on 15 December 2023.
2.2 Eligibility Criteria
For this systematic review, the inclusion criteria are (1) in vitro mast cell studies, (2) secondary cell line culture studies, and (3) allergy-related studies. Only published research articles from 2018-2023 were included. On the other hand, the exclusion criteria are (1) animal work that do not involve any in vitro mast cell studies, (2) only involve primary cell line culture studies, and (3) full-text not accessible.
2.3 Study Appraisal and Selection
All the articles obtained from the databases using the specific keywords were organized according to their titles, and duplicates were identified by the same title, authors, and year of publication. The redundant studies were removed, and the remaining articles were screened using the pre-defined eligibility criteria. Firstly, the title and abstract of each article were assessed by two reviewers independently. Those that matched the eligibility criteria were then subjected to full-text screening to further determine their relevance. Disagreements between the two reviewers throughout the screening process were resolved by consensus, and the reasons for excluding the articles were recorded.