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SAGE Open Medicine 2024Hepatitis B virus and hepatitis C virus are the leading causes of global liver-related morbidity and mortality. Waste handlers are one of the high-risk groups for... (Review)
Review
OBJECTIVE
Hepatitis B virus and hepatitis C virus are the leading causes of global liver-related morbidity and mortality. Waste handlers are one of the high-risk groups for hepatitis B virus and hepatitis C virus acquisition. Thus, the aim of this study was to assess the pooled prevalence of hepatitis B virus and hepatitis C virus among waste handlers in Ethiopia.
METHODS
Articles were extensively searched in bibliographic databases and gray literature using entry terms or phrases. Studies meeting eligibility criteria were extracted in MS Excel and exported to STATA version 14 software for statistical analysis. A random-effects model was used to compute the pooled magnitude of hepatitis B virus and hepatitis C virus. Heterogeneity was quantified by using the value. Publication bias was assessed using a funnel plot and Egger's test. Sensitivity analysis was performed to assess the impact of a single study on pooled effect size.
RESULT
Of the 116 studies identified, 8 studies were selected for meta-analysis. All studies reported hepatitis B virus, while 5 studies reported hepatitis C virus infection among waste handlers. The overall pooled prevalence of hepatitis B virus and hepatitis C virus infection among waste handlers in Ethiopia was 5.07% (2.0-8.15) and 1.46% (0.52-2.4), respectively. Moreover, the pooled prevalence of lifetime hepatitis B virus exposure among Ethiopian waste handlers was 33.98% (95% CI: 21.24-46.72). Hepatitis B virus and hepatitis C virus infection were not statistically associated with the type of waste handlers, that is, there was no difference between medical and nonmedical waste handlers.
PROSPERO REGISTRATION
CRD42023398686.
CONCLUSION
The pooled prevalence of hepatitis B virus and hepatitis C virus infection among waste handlers in Ethiopia was intermediate and moderate, respectively. This showed that there is a strong need to scale up preventive efforts and strategic policy directions to limit the spread of these viruses. Moreover, we also conclude that handling healthcare and domestic waste is associated with a similar risk of hepatitis B virus and hepatitis C virus infection.
PubMed: 38764537
DOI: 10.1177/20503121241247685 -
Nutrition & Diabetes May 2024Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a cluster of interconnected risk factors that significantly increase the likelihood of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. Taurine... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
BACKGROUND
Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a cluster of interconnected risk factors that significantly increase the likelihood of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. Taurine has emerged as a potential therapeutic agent for MetS. This meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) aimed to evaluate the effects of taurine supplementation on MetS-related parameters.
METHODS
We conducted electronic searches through databases like Embase, PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane CENTRAL, and ClinicalTrials.gov, encompassing publications up to December 1, 2023. Our analysis focused on established MetS diagnostic criteria, including systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), fasting blood glucose (FBG), triglyceride (TG), and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C). Meta-regression explored potential dose-dependent relationships based on the total taurine dose administered during the treatment period. We also assessed secondary outcomes like body composition, lipid profile, and glycemic control.
RESULTS
Our analysis included 1024 participants from 25 RCTs. The daily dosage of taurine in the studies ranged from 0.5 g/day to 6 g/day, with follow-up periods varying between 5 and 365 days. Compared to control groups, taurine supplementation demonstrated statistically significant reductions in SBP (weighted mean difference [WMD] = -3.999 mmHg, 95% confidence interval [CI] = -7.293 to -0.706, p = 0.017), DBP (WMD = -1.509 mmHg, 95% CI = -2.479 to -0.539, p = 0.002), FBG (WMD: -5.882 mg/dL, 95% CI: -10.747 to -1.018, p = 0.018), TG (WMD: -18.315 mg/dL, 95% CI: -25.628 to -11.002, p < 0.001), but not in HDL-C (WMD: 0.644 mg/dl, 95% CI: -0.244 to 1.532, p = 0.155). Meta-regression analysis revealed a dose-dependent reduction in DBP (coefficient = -0.0108 mmHg per g, p = 0.0297) and FBG (coefficient = -0.0445 mg/dL per g, p = 0.0273). No significant adverse effects were observed compared to the control group.
CONCLUSION
Taurine supplementation exhibits positive effects on multiple MetS-related factors, making it a potential dietary addition for individuals at risk of or already experiencing MetS. Future research may explore dose-optimization strategies and potential long-term benefits of taurine for MetS management.
Topics: Taurine; Humans; Metabolic Syndrome; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; Blood Glucose; Blood Pressure; Dietary Supplements; Triglycerides; Cholesterol, HDL; Risk Factors
PubMed: 38755142
DOI: 10.1038/s41387-024-00289-z -
Journal of Plastic Surgery and Hand... May 2024For preference sensitive treatments, such as breast reconstructions, there are barriers to conducting randomised controlled trials (RCTs). The primary aims of this...
BACKGROUND
For preference sensitive treatments, such as breast reconstructions, there are barriers to conducting randomised controlled trials (RCTs). The primary aims of this systematic review were to investigate what type of research questions are explored by RCTs in breast reconstruction, where have they been performed and where have they been published, and to thematise the research questions and thus create an overview of the state of the research field.
METHODS
Randomised controlled trials investigating any aspect of breast reconstructions were included. The PubMed database was searched with a pre-defined search string. Inclusion and data abstraction was performed in a pre-defined standardised fashion. For the purpose of this study, we defined key issues as comparison of categories of breast reconstruction and comparison of immediate and delayed breast reconstruction, when the thematisation was done.
RESULTS
A total of 419 abstracts were retrieved from the search. Of the 419, 310 were excluded as they were not RCTs concerning some aspect of breast reconstruction, which left us with 110 abstracts to be included in the study. The research questions of the included studies could more or less be divided into seven different themes inclusive of 2 key issues: Other issues - comparison of different categories of breast reconstruction, comparison of immediate and delayed breast reconstruction, surgical details within a category of breast reconstruction, surgical details valid for several categories of breast reconstruction, donor site management, anaesthetics, and non-surgical details. Only five studies compared key issues, and they all illustrate the challenges with RCTs in breast reconstruction.
CONCLUSIONS
A total of 110 publications based on RCTs in breast reconstruction have been published. Seven themes of research questions could be identified. Only five studies have explored the key issues. Better scientific evidence is needed for the key issues in breast reconstruction, for example by implementing a new study design in the field.
Topics: Humans; Mammaplasty; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; Female; Research Design
PubMed: 38751090
DOI: 10.2340/jphs.v59.40087 -
Parasite Epidemiology and Control May 2024Among the potential animal reservoirs of the zoonotic parasite , birds have received relatively little attention. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to... (Review)
Review
Among the potential animal reservoirs of the zoonotic parasite , birds have received relatively little attention. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to assess the global status and to provide an overview of the epidemiology of infection in birds. The standard protocol of preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA) guidelines were followed. Scopus, PubMed, Web of Science, Science Direct, ProQuest, and Google Scholar were searched for relevant publications from January 1990, to March 2024. All peer-reviewed original research articles describing the prevalence of in birds were included. Inclusion and exclusion criteria were applied, and both direct and indirect detection were considered. The point estimates and 95% confidence intervals were calculated using the meta-package in R (version 3.6.1). The variance between studies (heterogeneity) was quantified by the index. Finally, 258 articles (including 380 datasets) were eligible for inclusion in the systematic review and meta-analysis. The global pooled prevalence was 24% (21 - 26%). The highest prevalence of was observed in buzzards (52%, 34 - 70%), turkeys (31%, 17 - 46%), and chickens (30%, 26 - 34%). The present study provides a comprehensive view of the global prevalence of in birds.
PubMed: 38745996
DOI: 10.1016/j.parepi.2024.e00350 -
Supportive Care in Cancer : Official... May 2024Over the past few decades, the incidence of cancer among adolescents and young adults (AYA) has been increasing. The impact of behaviors, such as physical activity (PA)...
PURPOSE
Over the past few decades, the incidence of cancer among adolescents and young adults (AYA) has been increasing. The impact of behaviors, such as physical activity (PA) and nutrition, on disease progression, prognosis, and overall health and quality of life for AYA cancer survivors is of significant importance. This systematic review aims to evaluate the effectiveness of PA and diet interventions for AYA cancer survivors and to critically evaluate existing literature, gaps, and limitations.
METHODS
A search of literature was conducted in PubMed, Science Direct, Scopus, and Google Scholar following the PRISMA guidelines. Twenty-two studies were included from online databases from 2012 to 2022, 13 of which were randomized controlled trials.
RESULTS
Most interventions were related to PA, with only four studies including nutrition or Diet interventions. The interventions were generally feasible and acceptable to AYA cancer survivors, and digitally based PA interventions were commonly used. PA interventions mainly comprised aerobic and resistance training and were individualized. Overall, this review found various PA and diet interventions for AYA cancer survivors that were feasible and well-accepted, but gaps in knowledge and design still exist.
CONCLUSIONS
This systematic review underscores the importance of conducting more research on diet interventions for YCS. PROSPERO REGISTRATION: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/#aboutregpage.
Topics: Adolescent; Humans; Young Adult; Cancer Survivors; Diet; Exercise; Neoplasms; Quality of Life
PubMed: 38739198
DOI: 10.1007/s00520-024-08516-0 -
Neuro-oncology Practice Jun 2024Social determinants of health (SDOH) impact cancer-related health outcomes, including survival, but their impact on symptoms is less understood among the primary brain... (Review)
Review
Social determinants of health (SDOH) impact cancer-related health outcomes, including survival, but their impact on symptoms is less understood among the primary brain tumor (PBT) population. We conducted a systematic review to examine the relationships between SDOH and neurocognitive and mood-related symptoms among the PBT population. PubMed, EMBASE, and CINAHL were searched using PROGRESS criteria (place of residence, race/ethnicity, occupation, gender/sex, religion, education, socioeconomic status, and social capital) on March 8th, 2022. Two individuals screened and assessed study quality using the NHLBI Assessment Tool for Observational Cohort and Cross-sectional Studies. Of 3006 abstracts identified, 150 full-text articles were assessed, and 48 were included for a total sample of 28 454 study participants. Twenty-two studies examined 1 SDOH; none examined all 8. Four studies measured place of residence, 2 race/ethnicity, 13 occupation, 42 gender, 1 religion, 18 education, 4 socioeconomic status, and 15 social capital. Fifteen studies assessed neurocognitive and 37 mood-related symptoms. While higher education was associated with less neurocognitive symptoms, and among individuals with meningioma sustained unemployment after surgery was associated with depressive symptoms, results were otherwise disparate among SDOH and symptoms. Most studies were descriptive or exploratory, lacking comprehensive inclusion of SDOH. Standardizing SDOH collection, reducing bias, and recruiting diverse samples are recommended in future interventions.
PubMed: 38737608
DOI: 10.1093/nop/npae016 -
Biomedical Journal May 2024Transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) is currently recognized as the potential first-line imaging test for patients with suspected acute type A aortic syndrome (AAAS)....
BACKGROUND
Transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) is currently recognized as the potential first-line imaging test for patients with suspected acute type A aortic syndrome (AAAS). Direct TTE sign for detecting AAAS is positive if there is an intimal flap separating two aortic lumens or aortic wall thickening seen in the ascending aorta. Indirect TTE sign indicates high-risk features of AAAS, such as aortic root dilatation, pericardial effusion, and aortic regurgitation. Our aim is to summarize the existing clinical evidence regarding the diagnostic accuracy of TTE and to evaluate its potential role in the management of patients with suspected AAAS.
METHODS
We included prospective or retrospective diagnostic cohort studies, written in any language, that specifically focused on using TTE to diagnose AAAS from databases such as PubMed, EMBASE, MEDLINE, and the Cochrane Library. The pooled sensitivity, specificity, positive likelihood ratio (PLR), negative likelihood ratio (NLR), diagnostic odds ratio [1], and hierarchical summary receiver-operating characteristic (HSROC) curve were calculated for TTE in diagnosing AAAS. We applied Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy (QUADAS-2) tool and Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) quality assessment criteria.
RESULTS
Ten studies (2886 patients) were included in the meta-analysis. The pooled sensitivity and specificity of direct TTE signs were 58% (95% CI, 38-76%) and 94% (95% CI, 89-97%). For any TTE signs, the pooled sensitivity and specificity were 91% (95% CI, 85-94%) and 74% (95% CI, 61-84%). The diagnostic accuracy of direct TTE signs was significantly higher than that of any TTE signs, as measured by the area under the HSROC curve [0.95 (95% CI, 0.92-0.96) vs. 0.87 (95% CI, 0.84-0.90)] in four studies.
CONCLUSIONS
Our study suggests that TTE could serve as the initial imaging test for patients with suspected AAAS. Given its high specificity, the presence of direct TTE signs may indicate AAAS, whereas the absence of any TTE signs, combined with low clinical suspicion, could suggest a lower likelihood of AAAS.
PubMed: 38735535
DOI: 10.1016/j.bj.2024.100747 -
Archives of Academic Emergency Medicine 2024Small bowel obstruction (SBO) is known as a common cause of acute abdominal complaints in the emergency department (ED). The modality of choice for the diagnosis of SBO... (Review)
Review
INTRODUCTION
Small bowel obstruction (SBO) is known as a common cause of acute abdominal complaints in the emergency department (ED). The modality of choice for the diagnosis of SBO has not yet been established. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to investigate the accuracy of ultrasonography for the diagnosis of SBO.
METHODS
Systematic search was performed on five electronic databases including Medline, Scopus, Web of Sciences, Embase, and Cochrane Library, and the retrieval period was from the inception of each database to November 2023. The quality of the included studies were investigated using the Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies 2 (QUADAS-2). The pooled values of diagnostic characteristics for ultrasonography were estimated using meta-Disc and Stata statistical software.
RESULTS
Twenty-one studies with a total of 1977 patients were included in the meta-analysis. The pooled estimate for sensitivity, specificity, positive likelihood ratio (PLR), negative likelihood ratio (NLR), diagnostic odds ratio (DOR), and area under the summary ROC curve of ultrasonography for diagnosing SBO were 0.93 (95% CI: 0.91-0.95), 0.8 (95% CI: 0.77-0.83), 5.69 (95% CI: 3.64-8.89), 0.1 (95% CI: 0.07-0.16), 83.51 (95% CI: 18.12-182.91) and 0.96, respectively.
CONCLUSION
The findings of this meta-analysis showed that the utilization of ultrasonography holds promise as a diagnostic imaging for SBO with high accuracy. However, additional worldwide studies are essential to get more evidence on the value of ultrasonography for the diagnosis of SBO.
PubMed: 38721448
DOI: 10.22037/aaem.v12i1.2265 -
International Journal of Preventive... 2024Growing the human brain requires all necessary nutrients to form and maintain, so the development of cognitive functions of infants and children depends on adequate... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
Growing the human brain requires all necessary nutrients to form and maintain, so the development of cognitive functions of infants and children depends on adequate nutrition. Children whose mothers had inadequate nutrition are at high risk for cognitive dysfunction. The objective of the present study was to review the studies conducted on "the relationship between nutrient intake during pregnancy and the development of cognitive functions in toddlers". The present study was conducted by systematic review method using PRISMA checklist items.
METHODS
To conduct this study, the keywords "maternal nutrition", "pregnancy diet", "pregnancy supplement", "IQ", "intelligence quotient", "neurodevelopment", "cognitive function", "toddler", "early years" and "infant" were searched based on the Mesh database in scientific databases including Scopus, SID, Google Scholar, PubMed, and Science Direct to find articles related to the effect of nutrition during pregnancy on the development of the cognitive function of toddlers and its components in Persian and English. Finally, 17 articles were selected for review in this study.
RESULTS
The results showed that taking a supplement of iron, saturated fatty acids, vitamins B and D, and folic acid improved the cognitive functions of toddlers. On the other hand, taking supplements containing iodine and zinc had no significant effect on the development of cognitive functions. Diets containing seafood during pregnancy had a beneficial effect on the cognitive functions of children.
CONCLUSIONS
The study results highlighted the importance of adequate nutrition during pregnancy and showed that maternal nutrition played an important role in the development of cognitive functions of toddlers.
PubMed: 38715696
DOI: 10.4103/ijpvm.ijpvm_124_22 -
Scientific Reports May 2024Malaria infection leads to hematological abnormalities, including deranged prothrombin time (PT). Given the inconsistent findings regarding PT in malaria across... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
Malaria infection leads to hematological abnormalities, including deranged prothrombin time (PT). Given the inconsistent findings regarding PT in malaria across different severities and between Plasmodium falciparum and P. vivax, this study aimed to synthesize available evidence on PT variations in clinical malaria. A systematic literature search was performed in PubMed, Embase, Scopus, Ovid, and Medline from 27 November 2021 to 2 March 2023 to obtain studies documenting PT in malaria. Study quality was evaluated using the Joanna Briggs Institute checklist, with data synthesized through both qualitative and quantitative methods, including meta-regression and subgroup analyses, to explore heterogeneity and publication bias. From 2767 articles, 21 studies were included. Most studies reported prolonged or increased PT in malaria patients compared to controls, a finding substantiated by the meta-analysis (P < 0.01, Mean difference: 8.86 s, 95% CI 5.32-12.40 s, I: 87.88%, 4 studies). Severe malaria cases also showed significantly higher PT than non-severe ones (P = 0.03, Hedges's g: 1.65, 95% CI 0.20-3.10, I: 97.91%, 7 studies). No significant PT difference was observed between P. falciparum and P. vivax infections (P = 0.88, Mean difference: 0.06, 95% CI - 0.691-0.8, I: 65.09%, 2 studies). The relationship between PT and malaria-related mortality remains unclear, underscoring the need for further studies. PT is typically prolonged or increased in malaria, particularly in severe cases, with no notable difference between P. falciparum and P. vivax infections. The inconsistency in PT findings between fatal and non-fatal cases highlights a gap in current understanding, emphasizing the need for future studies to inform therapeutic strategies.
Topics: Humans; Malaria, Vivax; Malaria, Falciparum; Plasmodium vivax; Plasmodium falciparum; Prothrombin Time; Severity of Illness Index
PubMed: 38698102
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-60170-y