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Frontiers in Public Health 2022Early diagnosis, prioritization, screening, clustering, and tracking of patients with COVID-19, and production of drugs and vaccines are some of the applications that... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
Early diagnosis, prioritization, screening, clustering, and tracking of patients with COVID-19, and production of drugs and vaccines are some of the applications that have made it necessary to use a new style of technology to involve, manage, and deal with this epidemic. Strategies backed by artificial intelligence (A.I.) and the Internet of Things (IoT) have been undeniably effective to understand how the virus works and prevent it from spreading. Accordingly, the main aim of this survey is to critically review the ML, IoT, and the integration of IoT and ML-based techniques in the applications related to COVID-19, from the diagnosis of the disease to the prediction of its outbreak. According to the main findings, IoT provided a prompt and efficient approach to tracking the disease spread. On the other hand, most of the studies developed by ML-based techniques aimed at the detection and handling of challenges associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. Among different approaches, Convolutional Neural Network (CNN), Support Vector Machine, Genetic CNN, and pre-trained CNN, followed by ResNet have demonstrated the best performances compared to other methods.
Topics: Artificial Intelligence; COVID-19; Humans; Internet of Things; Machine Learning; Neural Networks, Computer; Pandemics; Support Vector Machine
PubMed: 35812486
DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2022.869238 -
Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) Jun 2021Influenza is one of the most serious respiratory viral infections worldwide. Although several studies have reported that green tea catechins (GTCs) might prevent... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
Influenza is one of the most serious respiratory viral infections worldwide. Although several studies have reported that green tea catechins (GTCs) might prevent influenza virus infection, this remains controversial. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of eight studies with 5,048 participants that examined the effect of GTC administration on influenza prevention. In a random-effects meta-analysis of five RCTs, 884 participants treated with GTCs showed statistically significant effects on the prevention of influenza infection compared to the control group (risk ratio (RR) 0.67, 95%CIs 0.51-0.89, = 0.005) without evidence of heterogeneity (= 0%, = 0.629). Similarly, in three cohort studies with 2,223 participants treated with GTCs, there were also statistically significant effects (RR 0.52, 95%CIs 0.35-0.77, = 0.001) with very low evidence of heterogeneity ( = 3%, = 0.358). Additionally, the overall effect in the subgroup analysis of gargling and orally ingested items (taking capsules and drinking) showed a pooled RR of 0.62 (95% CIs 0.49-0.77, = 0.003) without heterogeneity (= 0%, = 0.554). There were no obvious publication biases (Egger's test ( = 0.138) and Begg's test ( = 0.103)). Our analysis suggests that green tea consumption is effective in the prophylaxis of influenza infections. To confirm the findings before implementation, longitudinal clinical trials with specific doses of green tea consumption are warranted.
Topics: Antiviral Agents; Catechin; Clinical Trials as Topic; Humans; Influenza, Human; Plant Extracts; Tea
PubMed: 34209247
DOI: 10.3390/molecules26134014 -
Human Vaccines & Immunotherapeutics Mar 2017The WHO recommends integration of universal mass vaccination (UMV) against hepatitis A virus (HAV) in national immunization schedules for children aged ≥1 year, if... (Review)
Review
The WHO recommends integration of universal mass vaccination (UMV) against hepatitis A virus (HAV) in national immunization schedules for children aged ≥1 year, if justified on the basis of acute HAV incidence, declining endemicity from high to intermediate and cost-effectiveness. This recommendation has been implemented in several countries. Our aim was to assess the impact of UMV using monovalent inactivated hepatitis A vaccines on incidence and persistence of anti-HAV (IgG) antibodies in pediatric populations. We conducted a systematic review of literature published between 2000 and 2015 in PubMed, Cochrane Library, LILACS, IBECS identifying a total of 27 studies (Argentina, Belgium, China, Greece, Israel, Panama, the United States and Uruguay). All except one study showed a marked decline in the incidence of hepatitis A post introduction of UMV. The incidence in non-vaccinated age groups decreased as well, suggesting herd immunity but also rising susceptibility. Long-term anti-HAV antibody persistence was documented up to 17 y after a 2-dose primary vaccination. In conclusion, introduction of UMV in countries with intermediate endemicity for HAV infection led to a considerable decrease in the incidence of hepatitis A in vaccinated and in non-vaccinated age groups alike.
Topics: Global Health; Hepatitis A; Hepatitis A Antibodies; Hepatitis A Vaccines; Humans; Immunoglobulin G; Incidence; Mass Vaccination; Treatment Outcome; Vaccines, Inactivated
PubMed: 27786671
DOI: 10.1080/21645515.2016.1242539 -
Biological Reviews of the Cambridge... Apr 2019PubMed was text mined to glean insights into the role of Hepatitis B virus (HBV) in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) from the massive number of publications (9249)...
PubMed was text mined to glean insights into the role of Hepatitis B virus (HBV) in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) from the massive number of publications (9249) available to date. Reports from ∼70 countries identified >1300 human genes associated with either the Core, Surface or X gene in HBV-associated HCC. One hundred and forty-three of these host genes, which can potentially yield 1180 biomolecular interactions, each were reported in at least three different publications to be associated with the same HBV. These 143 genes function in 137 pathways, involved mainly in the cell cycle, apoptosis, inflammation and signalling. Fourteen of these molecules, primarily transcriptional regulators or kinases, play roles in several pathways pertinent to the hallmarks of cancers. 'Chronic' was the most frequent word used across the 9249 abstracts. A key event in chronic HBV infection is the integration of HBV into the host genome. The advent of cost-effective, next-generation sequencing technology facilitated the employment of big-data analytics comprehensively to characterize HBV-host integration within HCC patients. A total of 5331 integration events were reported across seven publications, with most of these integrations observed between the Core/X gene and the introns of genes. Nearly one-quarter of the intergenic integrations are within repeats, especially long interspersed nuclear elements (LINE) repeats. Integrations within 13 genes were each reported by at least three different studies. The human gene with the most HBV integrations observed is the TERT gene where a total of 224 integrations, primarily at its promoter and within the tumour tissue, were reported by six of seven publications. This unique review, which employs state-of-the-art text-mining and data-analytics tools, represents the most complete, systematic and comprehensive review of nearly all the publications associated with HBV-associated HCC research. It provides important resources to either focus future research or develop therapeutic strategies to target key molecules reported to play important roles in key pathways of HCC, through the systematic analyses of the commonly reported molecules associated with the various HBV genes in HCC, including information about the interactions amongst these commonly reported molecules, the pathways in which they reside as well as detailed information regarding the viral and host genes associated with HBV integration in HCC patients. Hence this review, which highlights pathways and key human genes associated with HBV in HCC, may facilitate the deeper elucidation of the role of HBV in hepato-carcinogenesis, potentially leading to timely intervention against this deadly disease.
Topics: Big Data; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular; Data Mining; Hepatitis B virus; Hepatitis B, Chronic; Humans; Liver Neoplasms; Virus Integration
PubMed: 30105774
DOI: 10.1111/brv.12457 -
Obstetrics and Gynecology Dec 2003Genital herpes simplex virus (HSV) infection is one of the most common viral sexually transmitted diseases in the United States. Perinatal transmission of the virus to... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
OBJECTIVE
Genital herpes simplex virus (HSV) infection is one of the most common viral sexually transmitted diseases in the United States. Perinatal transmission of the virus to the fetus or neonate is a major concern in affected pregnancies. Our objective was to systematically review published data to estimate the effect of prophylactic acyclovir provided to pregnant women near term on the rate of recurrent genital herpes at delivery; the number of cesarean deliveries performed for clinical HSV recurrences or prodromal symptoms; and the prevalence of HSV virologic detection at delivery.
DATA SOURCES
Our search included MEDLINE (1966-March 2003), LILACS, EMBASE, conference proceedings, abstracts from scientific forums and bibliographies of published articles with the following medical headings: acyclovir, pregnancy, Herpes viridae, and Herpesviridae.
METHODS OF STUDY SELECTION
Prospectively designed criteria included randomized, clinical trials detailing the use of acyclovir in pregnancy for women with HSV published in either abstract or article form. Five trials with a total enrollment of 799 patients were included in the analysis.
TABULATION, INTEGRATION, AND RESULTS
The studies were reviewed independently by three of the authors. With RevMan software, a fixed-effects model was used to calculate a summary odds ratio (OR) comparing the effect of treatment with placebo. Acyclovir prophylaxis beginning at 36 weeks' gestation was effective in reducing clinical HSV recurrences at the time of delivery (OR 0.25; 95% confidence interval [95% CI] 0.15, 0.40), cesarean deliveries for clinical recurrence genital herpes (OR 0.30; 95% CI 0.13, 0.67), total HSV detection at delivery (OR 0.11; 95% CI 0.04, 0.31), and asymptomatic HSV shedding at delivery (OR 0.09; 95% CI 0.02, 0.39).
CONCLUSION
The results of this meta-analysis indicate that prophylactic acyclovir beginning at 36 weeks' gestation reduces the risk of clinical HSV recurrence at delivery, cesarean delivery for recurrent genital herpes, and the risk of HSV viral shedding at delivery.
Topics: Acyclovir; Antiviral Agents; Female; Herpes Simplex; Humans; Obstetric Labor Complications; Pregnancy; Prospective Studies; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; Recurrence
PubMed: 14662233
DOI: 10.1016/j.obstetgynecol.2003.08.015 -
The Lancet. Digital Health Nov 2020Evidence for the use of automated or partly automated contact-tracing tools to contain severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 is scarce. We did a systematic...
Evidence for the use of automated or partly automated contact-tracing tools to contain severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 is scarce. We did a systematic review of automated or partly automated contact tracing. We searched PubMed, EMBASE, OVID Global Health, EBSCO Medical COVID Information Portal, Cochrane Library, medRxiv, bioRxiv, arXiv, and Google Advanced for articles relevant to COVID-19, severe acute respiratory syndrome, Middle East respiratory syndrome, influenza, or Ebola virus, published from Jan 1, 2000, to April 14, 2020. We also included studies identified through professional networks up to April 30, 2020. We reviewed all full-text manuscripts. Primary outcomes were the number or proportion of contacts (or subsequent cases) identified. Secondary outcomes were indicators of outbreak control, uptake, resource use, cost-effectiveness, and lessons learnt. This study is registered with PROSPERO (CRD42020179822). Of the 4036 studies identified, 110 full-text studies were reviewed and 15 studies were included in the final analysis and quality assessment. No empirical evidence of the effectiveness of automated contact tracing (regarding contacts identified or transmission reduction) was identified. Four of seven included modelling studies that suggested that controlling COVID-19 requires a high population uptake of automated contact-tracing apps (estimates from 56% to 95%), typically alongside other control measures. Studies of partly automated contact tracing generally reported more complete contact identification and follow-up compared with manual systems. Automated contact tracing could potentially reduce transmission with sufficient population uptake. However, concerns regarding privacy and equity should be considered. Well designed prospective studies are needed given gaps in evidence of effectiveness, and to investigate the integration and relative effects of manual and automated systems. Large-scale manual contact tracing is therefore still key in most contexts.
Topics: Automation; COVID-19; Contact Tracing; Humans
PubMed: 32839755
DOI: 10.1016/S2589-7500(20)30184-9 -
The Indian Journal of Medical Research Nov 2023The prong 2 of 4 prong strategy introduced by the World Health Organization aims at averting unintended pregnancies among people living with HIV (PLHIV). This systematic... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
BACKGROUND OBJECTIVES
The prong 2 of 4 prong strategy introduced by the World Health Organization aims at averting unintended pregnancies among people living with HIV (PLHIV). This systematic review aimed to generate evidence on the effectuality of facility-based interventions in improving uptake of modern and dual contraception, for reducing unmet family planning (FP) needs and unintended pregnancies among PLHIV.
METHODS
Articles evaluating facility-based interventions to integrate human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and FP published in English language were included. Eligible studies were identified from electronic and lateral search from three databases (PubMed, Cochrane Library and Web of Science) and grey literature. HIV care with no/minimal focus on FP was considered a comparator. Quality was assessed using design-appropriate tools. Descriptive analysis was presented in tables. Uptake of dual methods, unmet FP needs and unintended pregnancies were included in the meta-analysis to estimate pooled odds ratio (OR) with random effect model, P and I2 values.
RESULTS
The search yielded 2112 results. After excluding duplicates and unfit articles, 17 were found eligible for review and nine for meta-analysis. The pooled OR for uptake of dual contraception was 1.69 (1.14, 2.5) ( P =0.008; I2 =90%), for unmet FP needs was 0.58 (0487, 0.69) ( P <0.00001; I2 =0%) and for unintended pregnancies was 0.6 (0.32, 1.1) ( P =0.1, I2 =38%).
INTERPRETATION CONCLUSIONS
The results of this meta-analysis suggest that health facility-based interventions to integrate HIV and FP services do result in improved uptake of dual methods and reduce unmet need for contraception along with a protective trend on incidence of unintended pregnancies. Such facility-based integration would ensure universal access to effective contraception and facilitate in achieving Sustainable Development Goals that aim at ending epidemics like HIV.
Topics: Female; Humans; Pregnancy; Contraception; Family Planning Services; HIV; HIV Infections
PubMed: 38143434
DOI: 10.4103/ijmr.ijmr_2471_22 -
Endocrinology, Diabetes & Metabolism Apr 2021Fibrosis is characterized by dysregulation and accumulation of extracellular matrix. Peyronie's disease and Dupuytren disease are fibroproliferative disorders of the...
INTRODUCTION
Fibrosis is characterized by dysregulation and accumulation of extracellular matrix. Peyronie's disease and Dupuytren disease are fibroproliferative disorders of the tunica albuginea of the penis and fascia of the hand, respectively. Chronic hyperglycaemia due to diabetes mellitus can also lead to tissue injury and fibrosis. A meta-analysis has shown a relationship between Dupuytren disease and diabetes (overall odds ratio, 3.1; 95% confidence interval, 2.7-3.5). This review explores commonalities in the pathogenesis of Peyronie's disease, Dupuytren disease and diabetes.
METHODS
A search of the PubMed database was conducted using the search terms "diabetes" AND "Peyronie's disease"; and "diabetes" AND "Dupuytren."
RESULTS
Genome-wide association and gene expression studies conducted with tissue from people with Peyronie's disease or Dupuytren disease identified signalling pathways associated with wingless-type mammary-tumour virus integration site signalling, extracellular matrix modulation and inflammation. Biochemical studies confirmed the importance of these pathways in the pathogenesis of fibrosis with Peyronie's disease and Dupuytren disease. Dysregulation of matrix metalloproteinase activity associated with extracellular matrix breakdown was implicated in fibroproliferative complications of diabetes and in the aetiology of Peyronie's disease and Dupuytren disease. A notable percentage of people with diabetes have comorbid Peyronie's disease and/or Dupuytren disease.
CONCLUSIONS
Studies have not been performed to identify fibroproliferative pathways that all 3 conditions might have in common, but data suggest that common pathways are involved in the fibroproliferative processes of Peyronie's disease, Dupuytren disease, and diabetes.
Topics: Chronic Disease; Diabetes Complications; Diabetes Mellitus; Dupuytren Contracture; Extracellular Matrix; Fascia; Female; Fibrosis; Genome-Wide Association Study; Hand; Humans; Hyperglycemia; Male; Matrix Metalloproteinases; Penile Induration; Penis; Signal Transduction
PubMed: 33855203
DOI: 10.1002/edm2.195 -
PloS One 2017Discontinuation of antiretroviral therapy (ART) reduces the immunological benefit of treatment and increases complications related to human immune-deficiency virus... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
BACKGROUND
Discontinuation of antiretroviral therapy (ART) reduces the immunological benefit of treatment and increases complications related to human immune-deficiency virus (HIV). However, the risk factors for ART discontinuation are poorly understood in developing countries particularly in Ethiopia. This review aimed to assess the best available evidence regarding risk factors for ART discontinuation in Ethiopia.
METHODS
Quantitative studies conducted in Ethiopia between 2002 and 2015 that evaluated factors associated with ART discontinuation were sought across six major databases. Only English language articles were included. This review considered studies that included the following outcome: ART treatment discontinuation, i.e. 'lost to follow up', 'defaulting' and 'stopping medication'. Meta- analysis was performed with Mantel Haenszel method using Revman-5 software. Summary statistics were expressed as pooled odds ratio with 95% confidence intervals at a p-value of <0.05.
RESULTS
Nine (9) studies met the criteria of the search. Five (5) were retrospective studies, 3 were case control studies, and 1 was a prospective cohort study. The total sample size in the included studies was 62,156. Being rural dweller (OR = 2.1, 95%CI: 1.5-2.7, I2 = 60%), being illiterate (OR = 1.5, 95%CI: 1.1-2.1), being not married (OR = 1.4, 95%CI: 1.1-1.8), being alcohol drinker (OR = 2.9, 95%CI: 1.9-4.4, I2 = 39%), being tobacco smoker (OR = 2.6, 95%CI: 1.6-4.3, I2 = 74%), having mental illness (OR = 2.7, 95%CI: 1.6-4.6, I2 = 0%) and being bed ridden functional status (OR = 2.3, 95%CI: 1.5-3.4, I2 = 37%) were risk factors for ART discontinuation. Whereas, having HIV positive partner (OR = 0.4, 95%CI: 0.3-0.6, I2 = 69%) and being co-infected with Tb/HIV (OR = 0.6, 95%CI: 0.4-0.9, I2 = 0%) were protective factors.
CONCLUSION
Demographic, behavioral and clinical factors influenced ART treatment discontinuation. Hence, we recommend strengthening decentralization of HIV care services in remote areas, strengthening of ART task shifting, application of seek-test-treat-succeed model, and integration of smoking cession strategies and mental health care into the routine HIV care program.
Topics: Adult; Anti-HIV Agents; Ethiopia; Female; HIV Infections; Humans; Male; Risk Factors
PubMed: 28107430
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0169651 -
F1000Research 2020Geographic information science (GIS) has established itself as a distinct domain and incredibly useful whenever the research is related to geography, space, and other...
Geographic information science (GIS) has established itself as a distinct domain and incredibly useful whenever the research is related to geography, space, and other spatio-temporal dimensions. However, the scientific landscape on the integration of GIS in COVID-related studies is largely unknown. In this systematic review, we assessed the current evidence on the implementation of GIS and other geospatial tools in the COVID-19 pandemic. We systematically retrieved and reviewed 79 research articles that either directly used GIS or other geospatial tools as part of their analysis. We grouped the identified papers under six broader thematic groups based on the objectives and research questions of the study- environmental, socio-economic, and cultural, public health, spatial transmission, computer-aided modeling, and data mining. The interdisciplinary nature of how geographic and spatial analysis was used in COVID-19 research was notable among the reviewed papers. Geospatial techniques, especially WebGIS, have even been widely used to visualize the data on a map and were critical to informing the public regarding the spread of the virus, especially during the early days of the pandemic. This review not only provided an overarching view on how GIS has been used in COVID-19 research so far but also concluded that geospatial analysis and technologies could be used in future public health emergencies along with statistical and other socio-economic modeling techniques. Our review also highlighted how scientific communities and policymakers could leverage GIS to extract useful information to make an informed decision in the future. Despite the limited applications of GIS in identifying the nature and spatio-temporal pattern of this raging pandemic, there are opportunities to utilize these techniques in handling the pandemic. The use of spatial analysis and GIS could significantly improve how we understand the pandemic as well as address the underserviced demographic groups and communities.
Topics: COVID-19; Geographic Information Systems; Humans; Information Science; Pandemics; SARS-CoV-2
PubMed: 35186280
DOI: 10.12688/f1000research.27544.2