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Viruses Mar 2021Repeated positivity and reinfection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-COV-2) is a significant concern. Our study aimed to evaluate the clinical... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
Repeated positivity and reinfection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-COV-2) is a significant concern. Our study aimed to evaluate the clinical significance of repeatedly positive testing after coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) recovery. We performed a systematic literature search following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guideline. With available individual patient data reporting on repeatedly SARS-CoV-2 positive (RSP) patients, case reports, and case series were included in this analysis. We performed a descriptive analysis of baseline characteristics of repeatedly positive cases. We assessed the cases according to the length of their polymerase chain reaction (PCR) negative interval between the two episodes. Risk factors for the severity of second episodes were evaluated. Overall, we included 123 patients with repeated positivity from 56 publications, with a mean repeated positivity length of 47.8 ± 29.9 days. Younger patients were predominant in the delayed (>90 days) recurrent positive group. Furthermore, comparing patients with RSP intervals of below 60 and above 60 days, we found that a more severe disease course can be expected if the repeated positivity interval is shorter. Severe and critical disease courses might predict future repeatedly positive severe and critical COVID-19 episodes. In conclusion, our results show that the second episode of SARS-CoV-2 positivity is more severe if it happens within 60 days after the first positive PCR. On the other hand, the second episode's severity correlates with the first.
Topics: Adult; Aged; COVID-19; Female; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Reinfection; SARS-CoV-2; Young Adult
PubMed: 33808867
DOI: 10.3390/v13030512 -
Journal of Clinical Virology : the... Mar 2022Active SARS-CoV-2 infection is confirmed mainly through the detection of viral nucleic acid via the reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) technique.... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
INTRODUCTION
Active SARS-CoV-2 infection is confirmed mainly through the detection of viral nucleic acid via the reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) technique. Methods to assess humoral responses contribute to the monitoring of the disease and confirmation of exposure to the virus.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the accuracy of tests for IgM and IgG antibodies for SARS-CoV-2 infection confirmed by RT-PCR and utility as complementary data for immunosurveillance.
METHODS
Literature research was performed by searching the terms "COVID-19", "COVID-19 diagnostic testing" and "test" in the databases MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, Web of Science and Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature to search for potentially eligible observational studies without language restrictions published up to September 2020.
RESULTS
The pooled sensitivity and specificity, regardless of collection moment, was 80.0% (CI 95% 72.0-86.0) and 97.0% (CI 95% 94.0-98.0) for "IgM and/or IgG", respectively. Serology considering immunoglobulins M and G together had a high accuracy performance on "fifteenth day and after": sensitivity and specificity was 91.0% (CI 95% 85.0-94.0) and 98.0% (CI 95% 95.0-99.0) respectively, DOR 461 and AUC 0.98.
CONCLUSION
This study shows that serology is a group of tests with high accuracy, mainly following the second week after infection.
Topics: Antibodies, Viral; COVID-19; Humans; Immunoglobulin G; Immunoglobulin M; SARS-CoV-2; Sensitivity and Specificity
PubMed: 35245882
DOI: 10.1016/j.jcv.2022.105121 -
International Journal of Molecular... Jun 2020The purpose of this review was to evaluate the expression patterns of miRNAs in periodontal and peri-implant diseases, while identifying potential miRNAs with the... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
AIM
The purpose of this review was to evaluate the expression patterns of miRNAs in periodontal and peri-implant diseases, while identifying potential miRNAs with the greatest diagnostic ability as an oral fluid biomarker.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Human and animal studies were included when evaluating expression of miRNAs between health and different forms/stages of diseases, in which microarray and/or real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was carried out to detect fold changes in gene expression. After full-text analysis, 43 articles were considered for a qualitative assessment, and 16 miRNAs were selected to perform meta-analysis.
RESULTS
Based on human studies, results showed an overall upregulation of most of the evaluated miRNAs in periodontitis, with miRNA-142-3p and miRNA-146a being the most conclusive on both microarray and RT-PCR values and potentially serving as diagnostic biomarkers for disease activity. Conversely, miR-155 was the only miRNA revealing a statistically significant difference (SSD) ( < 0.05*) in experimental periodontitis models from RT-PCR values. Scarce scientific evidence is available from peri-implant diseases, however, most explored miRNAs in peri-implantitis were downregulated except for miR-145.
CONCLUSIONS
Although our results revealed that a distinct differential expression of specific miRNAs can be noted between the state of health and disease, future research remains necessary to explore the functional role of specific miRNAs and their potential as therapeutic targets in periodontal and peri-implant diseases. MeSH Terms: periodontitis, peri-implantitis, epigenomics, microarray analysis, real-time polymerase chain reaction, microRNAs.
CLINICAL RELEVANCE
Scientific background: Although most research identified different expression levels of miRNAs in periodontal and peri-implant diseases compared to their counterparts, their actual role in the pathogenesis of these conditions remains unclear. Therefore, we aimed to present a systematic review and meta-analysis on the expression patterns of miRNAs in periodontitis and peri-implantitis, while identifying potential miRNAs with the greatest diagnostic ability as an oral fluid biomarker.
PRINCIPAL FINDINGS
In periodontitis-related studies, miRNA-142-3p and miRNA-146a were the most conclusive on both microarray and RT-PCR values. Scarce scientific evidence is available from peri-implant diseases.
PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS
Both miRNA-142-3p and miRNA-146a might serve as future diagnostic biomarkers for disease activity in periodontitis. Yet, future research remains necessary to explore the functional role of specific miRNAs and their potential as therapeutic targets in periodontal and peri-implant diseases.
Topics: Animals; Biomarkers; Humans; MicroRNAs; Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis; Peri-Implantitis; Periodontitis
PubMed: 32532036
DOI: 10.3390/ijms21114147 -
Transplantation Direct Aug 2023The optimal strategy for cytomegalovirus (CMV) disease prevention in CMV donor/recipient kidney transplant recipients remains uncertain. Conclusions of prior...
A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Optimized CMV Preemptive Therapy and Antiviral Prophylaxis for CMV Disease Prevention in CMV High-Risk (D+R-) Kidney Transplant Recipients.
UNLABELLED
The optimal strategy for cytomegalovirus (CMV) disease prevention in CMV donor/recipient kidney transplant recipients remains uncertain. Conclusions of prior meta-analyses that CMV disease rates with preemptive therapy (PET) and universal prophylaxis (UP) were comparable may have been affected by inclusion of studies lacking key determinants of efficacy of the respective strategies.
METHODS
We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of PET with weekly CMV polymerase chain reaction monitoring for ≥3 mo and UP with 6 mo of valganciclovir. PubMed and Embase databases were reviewed from January 1, 2010, to April 1, 2022. Risk of bias was assessed with 3 instruments (Cochrane RoB, Cochrane RoBINS-I, and an instrument for assessing risk in observational studies). The primary outcome was CMV disease incidence by 1-y posttransplant. Secondary outcomes by 1-y were graft loss, acute allograft rejection, and mortality. Results were synthesized using generalized linear mixed model meta-analysis. PET studies were stratified into low-threshold (LT) and high-threshold (HT) PET based on the viral load threshold for initiation of antiviral therapy.
RESULTS
Twenty-five studies met inclusion criteria (6 PET, 19 UP). CMV disease incidence was significantly higher in HT (0.30 [95% confidence interval (CI), 0.22-0.39]) versus LT PET (0.06 [95% CI, 0.03-0.12]). LT PET was associated with a significantly lower CMV disease incidence (0.06 [95% CI, 0.03-0.12]) versus UP (0.21 [95% CI, 0.17-0.27]). Incidence of graft loss, acute allograft rejection, or mortality was not significantly different between LT PET and UP ( > 0.05 for all comparisons). Receipt of lymphocyte-depleting antibodies was not associated with a significant difference in CMV disease incidence (odds ratio = 1.34 [95% CI, 0.80-2.25]).
CONCLUSIONS
LT PET is associated with a significantly lower incidence of CMV disease compared to UP with similar rates of other clinical outcomes. These findings provide rationale and preliminary data for a randomized superiority trial of optimized LT-PET versus UP in donor seropositive recipient seronegative kidney transplant recipients.
PubMed: 37456587
DOI: 10.1097/TXD.0000000000001514 -
Reviews in Medical Virology Sep 2022The cornerstone of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) detection is reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) of viral RNA. As a... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
The cornerstone of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) detection is reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) of viral RNA. As a surrogate assay SARS-CoV-2 RNA detection does not necessarily imply infectivity. Only virus isolation in permissive cell culture systems can indicate infectivity. Here, we review the evidence on RT-PCR performance in detecting infectious SARS-CoV-2. We searched for any studies that used RT-PCR and cell culture to determine infectious SARS-CoV-2 in respiratory samples. We assessed (i) diagnostic accuracy of RT-PCR compared to cell culture as reference test, (ii) performed meta-analysis of positive predictive values (PPV) and (iii) determined the virus isolation probabilities depending on cycle threshold (Ct) or log genome copies/ml using logistic regression. We included 55 studies. There is substantial statistical and clinical heterogeneity. Seven studies were included for diagnostic accuracy. Sensitivity ranged from 90% to 99% and specificity from 29% to 92%. In meta-analysis, the PPVs varied across subgroups with different sampling times after symptom onset, with 1% (95% confidence interval [CI], 0%-7%) in sampling beyond 10 days and 27% (CI, 19%-36%) to 46% (CI, 33%-60%) in subgroups that also included earlier samples. Estimates of virus isolation probability varied between 6% (CI, 0%-100%) and 50% (CI, 0%-100%) at a Ct value of 30 and between 0% (CI, 0%-22%) and 63% (CI, 0%-100%) at 5 log genome copies/ml. Evidence on RT-PCR performance in detecting infectious SARS-CoV-2 in respiratory samples was limited. Major limitations were heterogeneity and poor reporting. RT-PCR and cell culture protocols need further standardisation.
Topics: COVID-19; COVID-19 Testing; Humans; RNA, Viral; SARS-CoV-2; Sensitivity and Specificity
PubMed: 35366033
DOI: 10.1002/rmv.2342 -
International Journal of Environmental... Jun 2022Malaria is one of the most significant causes of mortality and morbidity globally, especially in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) countries. It harmfully disturbs the public’s... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
Malaria is one of the most significant causes of mortality and morbidity globally, especially in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) countries. It harmfully disturbs the public’s health and the economic growth of many developing countries. Despite the massive effect of malaria transmission, the overall pooled proportion of malaria positivity rate in Southern Africa is still elusive. Therefore, the objective of this systematic review and meta-analysis is to pool estimates of the incidence of the malaria positivity rate, which is the first of its kind in South African countries. A literature search is performed to identify all published articles reporting the incidence of malaria positivity in Southern Africa. Out of the 3359 articles identified, 17 studies meet the inclusion for systematic review and meta-analysis. In addition, because substantial heterogeneity is expected due to the studies being extracted from the universal population, random-effects meta-analyses are carried out to pool the incidence of the malaria positivity rate from diverse diagnostic methods. The result reveals that between-study variability is high (τ2 = 0.003; heterogeneity I2 = 99.91% with heterogeneity chi-square χ2 = 18,143.95, degree of freedom = 16 and a p-value < 0.0001) with the overall random pooled incidence of 10% (95%CI: 8−13%, I2 = 99.91%) in the malaria positivity rate. According to the diagnostic method called pooled incidence estimate, the rapid diagnostic test (RDT) is the leading diagnostic method (17%, 95%CI: 11−24%, I2 = 99.95%), followed by RDT and qPCR and RDT and loop mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP), respectively, found to be (3%, 95%CI: 2−3%, I2 = 0%) and (2%, 95%CI: 1−3%, I2 = 97.94%).Findings of the present study suggest high malaria positive incidence in the region. This implies that malaria control and elimination programmes towards malaria elimination could be negatively impacted and cause delays in actualising malaria elimination set dates. Further studies consisting of larger samples and continuous evaluation of malaria control programmes are recommended.
Topics: Africa South of the Sahara; Africa, Southern; Behavior Therapy; Humans; Malaria; Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction
PubMed: 35682356
DOI: 10.3390/ijerph19116776 -
Polish Journal of Radiology 2022Computed tomography (CT) scan is a commonly used tool for the diagnosis of the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), similarly to reverse transcription-polymerase... (Review)
Review
PURPOSE
Computed tomography (CT) scan is a commonly used tool for the diagnosis of the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), similarly to reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Because of the limitations of RT-PCR, there is growing interest in the usability of the CT scan. The present systematic review and meta-analysis aims to summarize the available data on the CT scan features of COVID-19.
MATERIAL AND METHODS
We conducted a systematic search in electronic databases to find eligible studies published between 1 December 2019 and 4 April 2020, which investigated the computed tomographic features of patients with COVID-19. All preprint and peer-reviewed articles were included. No language limitation was applied. For proportional data, pooled prevalence was calculated using a Freeman-Tukey double arcsine transformation, with a 95% confidence interval (CI).
RESULTS
Eighty-six studies were eligible to be included in the meta-analysis. For 7956 patients, the most common CT findings were bilateral pattern of involvement (78%; 95% CI: 0.73-0.82; < 0.001), involvement of more than 1 lobe (75%; 95% CI: 0.68-0.82; < 0.001), ground-glass opacities (GGO) (73%; 95% CI: 0.67-0.78; < 0.001), and peripheral distribution of signs (69%; 95% CI: 0.61-0.76; < 0.001). Only 5% of patients had a normal CT scan (95% CI:0.03-0.07; < 0.001). The proportion of paediatric patients (age < 18 years) with unremarkable CT findings was higher (40%; 95% CI: 0.27-0.55; < 0.001). Subgroup analysis showed that patients with the severe or critical type of COVID-19 were more likely to have pleural effusion (RR 7.77; 95% CI: 3.97-15.18; < 0.001) and consolidation (RR 3.13; 95% CI: 1.57-6.23; < 0.001). CT results in patients with COVID-19 were comparable with those of people having pneumonia from other causes, except for the lower incidence of consolidation (RR 0.81; 95% CI: 0.71-0.91; < 0.001) and higher risk of showing GGO (RR 1.45; 95% CI: 1.13-1.86; < 0.001). The mortality rate was slightly higher in patients with bilateral involvement (RR 3.19; 95% CI: 1.07-9.49; = 0.04).
CONCLUSIONS
Our study results show that COVID-19 shares some features with other viral types of pneumonia, despite some differences. They commonly present as GGO along with vascular thickening, air bronchogram and consolidations. Normal CT images, lymphadenopathies, and pleural effusions are not common. Consolidations and pleural effusions correlate with more severe disease. CT features are different between COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 pneumonia. Also, they differ by age, disease severity, and outcomes within COVID-19 patients.
PubMed: 35140824
DOI: 10.5114/pjr.2022.112613 -
Heliyon Sep 2023Azivudine has undergone a few randomized controlled trials (RCTs) as of late. This study aimed to assess the COVID-19 treatment with azvudine's efficacy and safety. (Review)
Review
INTRODUCTION
Azivudine has undergone a few randomized controlled trials (RCTs) as of late. This study aimed to assess the COVID-19 treatment with azvudine's efficacy and safety.
METHODS
Through January 20, 2023, systematic searches of PubMed, Embase, ClinicalTrials.gov, International Clinical Trials Registry Platform (ICTRP), Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), and MedRxiv were conducted to find the RCTs. The included studies' bias risk was evaluated using the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions. Meta-analysis was performed using Revman 5.4 (PROSPERO Code: CRD42023395022).
RESULTS
A total of five RCTs with 1142 COVID-19 patients, 575 of whom received azvudine, were included. Additionally, seven RCTs are currently being conducted. In terms of clinical improvement and PT-PCR (reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction) negativity, the azvudine group had a greater patient percentage than the usual treatment or placebo group. It also took less time for the PT-PCR to become negative. In comparison to the placebo or standard treatment groups, the frequency of adverse events was reduced in the azvudine group (risk ratio [RR] = 0.89, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.80 to 0.99) and major adverse events (RR = 0.63, 95% CI: 0.22 to 1.79) groups.
CONCLUSIONS
Without the burden of side effects, azvudine can hasten the clinical symptoms of COVID-19 patients and PT-PCR negative. It will take more extensive research to confirm these conclusions.
PubMed: 37809649
DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e20153 -
Journal of Pharmaceutical and... Jan 2023The current pandemic of the acute severe respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) killed about 6.4 million and infected more than 600 million individuals by... (Review)
Review
The current pandemic of the acute severe respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) killed about 6.4 million and infected more than 600 million individuals by august of 2022, and researchers worldwide are searching for fast and selective approaches for this virus detection. Colorimetric biosensors are an excellent alternative because they are sensitive, simple, fast, and low-cost for rapid detection of SARS-CoV-2 compared to standard Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) techniques. This study systematically searched and reviewed literature data related to colorimetric biosensors in detecting SARS-CoV-2 viruses, recovered from the Scopus (n = 16), Web of Science (n = 19), PubMed (n = 19), and Science Direct (n = 17) databases totalizing n = 71 articles. Data were analyzed for the type of nanomaterial, biorecognition material at the detection limit (LOD), and devices designed for diagnostics. The most applied nanomaterial were gold nanoparticles, in their original form and hybrid in quantum dots and core-shell. In addition, we show high specificity in point-of-care (POC) diagnostic devices as a faster and cheaper alternative for clinical diagnosis. Finally, the highlights of the colorimetric biosensor developed for diagnostic devices applied in swabs, surgical masks, and lateral flow immunoassays were presented.
Topics: Humans; SARS-CoV-2; Colorimetry; Gold; COVID-19; Metal Nanoparticles
PubMed: 36206693
DOI: 10.1016/j.jpba.2022.115087 -
Oncology Letters Feb 2024Breast cancer (BC) is the leading malignancy worldwide. The association between human papillomavirus (HPV) and BC is debatable. The present systematic review and...
Breast cancer (BC) is the leading malignancy worldwide. The association between human papillomavirus (HPV) and BC is debatable. The present systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to assess the prevalence of HPV DNA in malignant breast tumors. An extensive search of the PubMed and SCOPUS databases was carried out for case-control studies published between January 1, 2003 and January 7, 2023, which compared HPV DNA detection in breast tissue specimens of female patients with BC and women with absent or benign breast disorders. Once the initial title/abstract screening was completed by two independent investigators, the full texts of the included studies from that stage were reviewed by the aforementioned investigators to determine if they should be included in the present study. Data extraction was independently conducted by two investigators. A third investigator was consulted to resolve disagreements through free discussion. MedCalc was used for quantitative synthesis. The significance of association was estimated by pooled odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) calculated using the random-effects model. A total of 23 primary studies, including 3,243 subjects (2,027 patients and 1,216 controls), were eligible for quantitative analysis. HPV prevalence in patients with BC and controls was 21.95 and 8.96%, respectively. The prevalence of HPV differed significantly between the two groups (OR 3.83; 95% CI 2.03-7.25; P<0.01). Heterogeneity among studies was quantified using the I index which was 69.57% (95% CI 51.89-80.75). The risk of bias was assessed using an appropriate tool contributed by the CLARITY Group at McMaster University. Seven studies had a low risk of bias, 15 studies had a moderate risk of bias and only one study had a serious risk of bias. These results reinforce the hypothesis that HPV is involved in BC development and progression, indicating a possible role of HPV vaccination in BC prevention.
PubMed: 38192655
DOI: 10.3892/ol.2023.14208