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Kangaroo mother care for preterm or low birth weight infants: a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMJ Global Health Jun 2023The Cochrane review (2016) on kangaroo mother care (KMC) demonstrated a significant reduction in the risk of mortality in low birth weight infants. New evidence from... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
IMPORTANCE
The Cochrane review (2016) on kangaroo mother care (KMC) demonstrated a significant reduction in the risk of mortality in low birth weight infants. New evidence from large multi-centre randomised trials has been available since its publication.
OBJECTIVE
Our systematic review compared the effects of KMC vs conventional care and early (ie, within 24 hours of birth) vs late initiation of KMC on critical outcomes such as neonatal mortality.
METHODS
Eight electronic databases, including PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane CENTRAL, from inception until March 2022, were searched. All randomised trials comparing KMC vs conventional care or early vs late initiation of KMC in low birth weight or preterm infants were included.
DATA EXTRACTION AND SYNTHESIS
The review followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines and was registered with PROSPERO.
MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES
The primary outcome was mortality during birth hospitalization or 28 days of life. Other outcomes included severe infection, hypothermia, exclusive breastfeeding rates, and neurodevelopmental impairment. Results were pooled using fixed-effect and random-effects meta-analyses in RevMan 5.4 and Stata 15.1 (StataCorp, College Station, TX).
RESULTS
In total, 31 trials with 15 559 infants were included in the review; 27 studies compared KMC with conventional care, while four compared early vs late initiation of KMC. Compared with conventional care, KMC reduces the risks of mortality (relative risk (RR) 0.68; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.53 to 0.86; 11 trials, 10 505 infants; high certainty evidence) during birth hospitalisation or 28 days of age and probably reduces severe infection until the latest follow-up (RR 0.85, 95% CI 0.79 to 0.92; nine trials; moderate certainty evidence). On subgroup analysis, the reduction in mortality was noted irrespective of gestational age or weight at enrolment, time of initiation, and place of initiation of KMC (hospital or community); the mortality benefits were greater when the daily duration of KMC was at least 8 hours per day than with shorter-duration KMC. Studies comparing early vs late-initiated KMC demonstrated a reduction in neonatal mortality (RR 0.77, 95% CI 0.66 to 0.91; three trials, 3693 infants; high certainty evidence) and a probable decrease in clinical sepsis until 28-days (RR 0.85, 95% CI 0.76 to 0.96; two trials; low certainty evidence) following early initiation of KMC.
CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE
The review provides updated evidence on the effects of KMC on mortality and other critical outcomes in preterm and low birth weight infants. The findings suggest that KMC should preferably be initiated within 24 hours of birth and provided for at least 8 hours daily.
Topics: Infant, Newborn; Child; Humans; Kangaroo-Mother Care Method; Infant, Premature; Infant, Low Birth Weight; Infant Mortality; Hospitalization
PubMed: 37277198
DOI: 10.1136/bmjgh-2022-010728 -
Midwifery Jul 2018The comparative safety of different birth settings is widely debated. Comparing research across high-income countries is complex, given differences in maternity service... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
BACKGROUND
The comparative safety of different birth settings is widely debated. Comparing research across high-income countries is complex, given differences in maternity service provision, data discrepancies, and varying research techniques and quality. Studies of births planned at home or in birth centres have reported both better and poorer outcomes than planned hospital births. Previous systematic reviews have focused on outcomes from either birth centres or home births, with inconsistent attention to quality appraisal. Few have attempted to synthesise findings.
OBJECTIVE
To compare maternal and perinatal outcomes from different places of birth via a systematic review of high-quality research, and meta-analysis of appropriate data (Prospero registration CRD42016042291).
DESIGN
Reviewers searched CINAHL, Embase, Maternity and Infant Care, Medline and PsycINFO databases to identify studies comparing selected outcomes by place of birth among women with low-risk pregnancies in high-income countries. They critically appraised identified studies using an instrument specific to birth place research and then combined outcome data via meta-analysis, using RevMan software.
FINDINGS
Twenty-eight articles met inclusion criteria, yielding comparative data on perinatal mortality, mode of birth, maternal morbidity and/or NICU admissions. Meta-analysis indicated that women planning hospital births had statistically significantly lower odds of normal vaginal birth than in other planned settings. Women experienced severe perineal trauma or haemorrhage at a lower rate in planned home births than in obstetric units. There were no statistically significant differences in infant mortality by planned place of birth, although most studies had limited statistical power to detect differences for rare outcomes. Differences in location, context, quality and design of identified studies render results subject to variation.
CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE
High-quality evidence about low-risk pregnancies indicates that place of birth had no statistically significant impact on infant mortality. The lower odds of maternal morbidity and obstetric intervention support the expansion of birth centre and home birth options for women with low-risk pregnancies.
Topics: Adult; Birthing Centers; Developed Countries; Developing Countries; Female; Geographic Mapping; Humans; Infant; Infant Mortality; Labor, Obstetric; Maternal Mortality; Outcome Assessment, Health Care; Pregnancy; Residence Characteristics
PubMed: 29727829
DOI: 10.1016/j.midw.2018.03.024 -
Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and... Jan 2018Diets of the highest quality have been associated with a significantly lower risk of noncommunicable diseases. (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
Diet Quality as Assessed by the Healthy Eating Index, Alternate Healthy Eating Index, Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension Score, and Health Outcomes: An Updated Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Cohort Studies.
BACKGROUND
Diets of the highest quality have been associated with a significantly lower risk of noncommunicable diseases.
OBJECTIVE
It was the aim of this study to update a previous systematic review investigating the associations of diet quality as assessed by the Healthy Eating Index (HEI), Alternate Healthy Eating Index (AHEI), and Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) score and multiple health outcomes. As an additional topic, the associations of these diet quality indices with all-cause mortality and cancer mortality among cancer survivors were also investigated.
DESIGN
A literature search for prospective cohort studies that were published up to May 15, 2017 was performed using the electronic databases PubMed, Scopus, and Embase. Summary risk ratios (RRs) and 95% CIs were estimated using a random effects model for high vs low adherence categories.
RESULTS
The updated review process showed 34 new reports (total number of reports evaluated=68; including 1,670,179 participants). Diets of the highest quality, as assessed by the HEI, AHEI, and DASH score, resulted in a significant risk reduction for all-cause mortality (RR 0.78, 95% CI 0.77 to 0.80; I=59%; n=13), cardiovascular disease (incidence or mortality) (RR 0.78, 95% CI 0.76 to 0.80; I=49%; n=28), cancer (incidence or mortality) (RR 0.84, 95% CI 0.82 to 0.87; I=66%; n=31), type 2 diabetes (RR 0.82, 95% CI 0.78 to 0.85; I=72%; n=10), and neurodegenerative diseases (RR 0.85, 95% CI 0.74 to 0.98; I=51%; n=5). Among cancer survivors, the association between diets for the highest quality resulted in a significant reduction in all-cause mortality (RR 0.88, 95% CI 0.81 to 0.95; I=38%; n=7) and cancer mortality (RR 0.90, 95% CI 0.83 to 0.98; I=0%; n=7).
CONCLUSIONS
In the updated meta-analyses, diets that score highly on the HEI, AHEI, and DASH were associated with a significant reduction in the risk of all-cause mortality, cardiovascular disease, cancer, type 2 diabetes, and neurodegenerative disease by 22%, 22%, 16%, 18%, and 15%, respectively. Moreover, high-quality diets were inversely associated with overall mortality and cancer mortality among cancer survivors.
Topics: Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Cardiovascular Diseases; Cohort Studies; Diet; Diet, Healthy; Dietary Approaches To Stop Hypertension; Female; Health Status; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Mortality; Neoplasms; Prospective Studies; Risk Reduction Behavior; Treatment Outcome
PubMed: 29111090
DOI: 10.1016/j.jand.2017.08.024 -
Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric... Nov 2016The purpose of this study was to perform a systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies that examined the relationship between anxiety disorders, or... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
PURPOSE
The purpose of this study was to perform a systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies that examined the relationship between anxiety disorders, or clinically significant anxiety symptoms, at baseline and all-cause mortality at follow-up relative to control participants without clinically significant anxiety.
METHODS
PubMed, EMBASE, PsycInfo, and CINAHL were searched through July 2015, along with manual searches of published reviews and forward and backward snowball searches of included studies. Studies were excluded if anxiety was not defined with a standardized instrument, or if participants were followed-up for 1 year or less. The initial search yielded 7901 articles after the removal of duplicates, of which 328 underwent full-text screening.
RESULTS
Forty-two estimates from 36 articles were included in the meta-analysis with a total sample of 127,552 participants and over 11,573 deaths. The overall hazard ratio (HR) estimate of mortality in clinically anxious participants relative to controls was 1.09 (95 % CI 1.01-1.16); however, this was reduced after adjusting for publication bias (1.03; 95 % CI 0.95-1.13). There was no evidence of increased mortality risk among anxious participants derived from community samples (0.99; 95 % CI 0.96-1.02) and in studies that adjusted for a diagnosis of depression (1.01; 95 % CI 0.96-1.06).
CONCLUSIONS
These findings suggest that positive associations in the literature are attributable to studies in smaller samples, comorbid depression (or other psychiatric conditions) among participants, and possible confounding in medical patient samples followed-up for short durations.
Topics: Adult; Anxiety; Anxiety Disorders; Humans; Survival Rate
PubMed: 27628244
DOI: 10.1007/s00127-016-1284-6 -
Cardiology Journal 2016There is growing controversy regarding the association between digoxin and mortality in atrial fibrillation (AF). The aim of this analysis was to systematically review... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
BACKGROUND
There is growing controversy regarding the association between digoxin and mortality in atrial fibrillation (AF). The aim of this analysis was to systematically review digoxin use and risk of mortality in patients with AF.
METHODS
MEDLINE, EMBASE, GoogleScholar, CINAHL, meeting abstracts, presentations, and Cochrane central databases were searched from inception through December 2014, without language restrictions. For a study to be selected, it had to report the risk of mortality associated with digoxin use in AF patients as an outcome measure. Data were extracted by 2 independent authors. Evidence tables were created.
RESULTS
A total of 16 studies (6 post hoc analyses of randomized controlled trials) with 111,978 digoxin users and 389,643 non-digoxin users were included. In a random effects model, patients treated with digoxin had a 27% increased risk of all-cause mortality (pooled HR 1.27; 95% CI 1.19-1.36) and 21% increased risk of cardiovascular mortality (pooled HR 1.21; 95% CI 1.12-1.30) compared with those who did not use digoxin. In a random effects model, the association of digoxin with all-cause mortality was stronger for AF patients without heart failure (pooled HR 1.47; 95% CI 1.25-1.73) than AF patients with heart failure (pooled HR 1.21; 95% CI 1.07-1.36, interaction p = 0.06).
CONCLUSIONS
Digoxin use in AF is associated with increased risk of all-cause and cardiovascular mortalities. The effect size was larger for AF patients without heart failure than AF patients with heart failure. The study suggests further directed analyses to study the effect that is suggested by this meta-analysis, especially in AF without heart failure.
Topics: Anti-Arrhythmia Agents; Atrial Fibrillation; Digoxin; Global Health; Humans; Survival Rate
PubMed: 27064796
DOI: 10.5603/CJ.a2016.0016 -
Environment International Jan 2016A number of studies have associated natural outdoor environments with reduced mortality but there is no systematic review synthesizing the evidence. (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
BACKGROUND
A number of studies have associated natural outdoor environments with reduced mortality but there is no systematic review synthesizing the evidence.
OBJECTIVES
We aimed to systematically review the available evidence on the association between long-term exposure to residential green and blue spaces and mortality in adults, and make recommendations for further research. As a secondary aim, we also conducted meta-analyses to explore the magnitude of and heterogeneity in the risk estimates.
METHODS
Following the PRISMA statement guidelines for reporting systematic reviews and meta-analysis, two independent reviewers searched studies using keywords related to natural outdoor environments and mortality.
DISCUSSION
Our review identified twelve eligible studies conducted in North America, Europe, and Oceania with study populations ranging from 1645 up to more than 43 million individuals. These studies are heterogeneous in design, study population, green space assessment and covariate data.We found that the majority of studies show a reduction of the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality in areas with higher residential greenness. Evidence of a reduction of all-cause mortality is more limited, and no benefits of residential greenness on lung cancer mortality are observed. There were no studies on blue spaces.
CONCLUSIONS
This review supports the hypothesis that living in areas with higher amounts of green spaces reduces mortality, mainly CVD. Further studies such as cohort studies with more and better covariate data, improved green space assessment and accounting well for socioeconomic status are needed to provide further and more complete evidence, as well as studies evaluating the benefits of blue spaces.
Topics: Adult; Cardiovascular Diseases; Cohort Studies; Environmental Monitoring; Europe; Female; Humans; Lung Neoplasms; Male; Mortality; North America; Oceania; Plant Dispersal; Social Class; Urbanization
PubMed: 26540085
DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2015.10.013 -
World Journal of Gastroenterology Jan 2020Acute liver failure (ALF) and acute-on-chronic liver (ACLF) carry high short-term mortality rate, and may result from a wide variety of causes. Plasma exchange has been...
BACKGROUND
Acute liver failure (ALF) and acute-on-chronic liver (ACLF) carry high short-term mortality rate, and may result from a wide variety of causes. Plasma exchange has been shown in a randomized control trial to improve survival in ALF especially in patients who did not receive a liver transplant. Other cohort studies demonstrated potential improvement in survival in patients with ACLF.
AIM
To assess utility of plasma exchange in liver failure and its effect on mortality in patients who do not undergo liver transplantation.
METHODS
Databases MEDLINE PubMed, and EMBASE were searched and relevant publications up to 30 March, 2019 were assessed. Studies were included if they involved human participants diagnosed with liver failure who underwent plasma exchange, with or without another alternative non-bioartificial liver assist device.
RESULTS
Three hundred twenty four records were reviewed, of which 62 studies were found to be duplicates. Of the 262 records screened, 211 studies were excluded. Fifty-one articles were assessed for eligibility, for which 7 were excluded. Twenty-nine studies were included for ALF only, and 9 studies for ACLF only. Six studies included both ALF and ACLF patients. A total of 44 publications were included. Of the included publications, 2 were randomized controlled trials, 14 cohort studies, 12 case series, 16 case reports. All of three ALF studies which looked at survival rate or survival days reported improvement in outcome with plasma exchange. In two out of four studies where plasma exchange-based liver support systems were compared to standard medical treatment (SMT) for ACLF, a biochemical improvement was seen. Survival in the non-transplanted patients was improved in all four studies in patients with ACLF comparing plasma exchange SMT. Using the aforementioned studies, plasma exchange based therapy in ACLF compared to SMT improved survival in non-transplanted patients at 30 and 90-d with a pooled OR of 0.60 (95%CI 0.46-0.77, < 0.01).
CONCLUSION
The level of evidence for use of high volume plasma exchange in selected ALF cases is high. Plasma exchange in ACLF improves survival at 30-and 90-d in non-transplanted patients. Further well-designed randomized control trials will need to be carried out to ascertain the optimal duration and amount of plasma exchange required and assess if the use of high volume plasma exchange can be extrapolated to patients with ACLF.
Topics: Acute-On-Chronic Liver Failure; Hospital Mortality; Humans; Liver Failure, Acute; Plasma Exchange; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; Survival Rate; Time Factors; Treatment Outcome
PubMed: 31988586
DOI: 10.3748/wjg.v26.i2.219 -
BMC Public Health Sep 2017Understanding the relationship between increasing educational attainment and mortality reduction has important policy and public health implications. This systematic... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
Understanding the relationship between increasing educational attainment and mortality reduction has important policy and public health implications. This systematic review of the literature establishes a taxonomy to facilitate evaluation of the association between educational attainment and early mortality.
METHODS
Following PRISMA guidelines, we searched Ovid Medline, Embase, PubMed and hand searches of references for English-language primary data analyses using education as an independent variable and mortality as a dependent variable. Initial searches were undertaken in February 2015 and updated in April 2016.
RESULTS
One thousand, seven hundred and eleven unique articles were identified, 418 manuscripts were screened and 262 eligible studies were included in the review. After an iterative review process, the literature was divided into four study domains: (1) all-cause mortality (n = 68, 26.0%), (2) outcome-specific mortality (n = 89, 34.0%), (3) explanatory pathways (n = 51, 19.5%), and (4) trends over time (n = 54, 20.6%). These four domains comprise a novel taxonomy that can be implemented to better quantify the relationship between education and mortality.
CONCLUSIONS
We propose an organizational taxonomy for the education-mortality literature based upon study characteristics that will allow for a more in-depth understanding of this association. Our review suggests that studies that include mediators or subgroups can explain part, but not all, of the relationship between education and early mortality.
TRIAL REGISTRATION
PROSPERO registration # CRD42015017182 .
Topics: Classification; Educational Status; Health Status Disparities; Humans; Mortality
PubMed: 28923038
DOI: 10.1186/s12889-017-4754-1 -
European Journal of Epidemiology May 2023To investigate the association between circulating lipoprotein(a) (Lp(a)) and risk of all-cause and cause-specific mortality in the general population and in patients... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
AIMS
To investigate the association between circulating lipoprotein(a) (Lp(a)) and risk of all-cause and cause-specific mortality in the general population and in patients with chronic diseases, and to elucidate the dose-response relations.
METHODS AND RESULTS
We searched literature to find prospective studies reporting adjusted risk estimates on the association of Lp(a) and mortality outcomes. Forty-three publications, reporting on 75 studies (957,253 participants), were included. The hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (95%CI ) for the top versus bottom tertile of Lp(a) levels and risk of all-cause mortality were 1.09 (95%CI: 1.01-1.18, I: 75.34%, n = 19) in the general population and 1.18 (95%CI: 1.04-1.34, I: 52.5%, n = 12) in patients with cardiovascular diseases (CVD). The HRs for CVD mortality were 1.33 (95%CI: 1.11-1.58, I: 82.8%, n = 31) in the general population, 1.25 (95%CI: 1.10-1.43, I: 54.3%, n = 17) in patients with CVD and 2.53 (95%CI: 1.13-5.64, I: 66%, n = 4) in patients with diabetes mellitus. Linear dose-response analyses revealed that each 50 mg/dL increase in Lp(a) levels was associated with 31% and 15% greater risk of CVD death in the general population and in patients with CVD. No non-linear dose-response association was observed between Lp(a) levels and risk of all-cause or CVD mortality in the general population or in patients with CVD (P > 0.05).
CONCLUSION
This study provides further evidence that higher Lp(a) levels are associated with higher risk of all-cause mortality and CVD-death in the general population and in patients with CVD. These findings support the ESC/EAS Guidelines that recommend Lp(a) should be measured at least once in each adult person's lifetime, since our study suggests those with higher Lp(a) might also have higher risk of mortality.
Topics: Adult; Humans; Lipoprotein(a); Cause of Death; Prospective Studies; Cardiovascular Diseases; Risk Factors
PubMed: 36708412
DOI: 10.1007/s10654-022-00956-4 -
Molecular Psychiatry Jun 2023Bipolar disorder (BD) is associated with premature mortality. All-cause and specific mortality risks in this population remain unclear, and more studies are still needed... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
OBJECTIVE
Bipolar disorder (BD) is associated with premature mortality. All-cause and specific mortality risks in this population remain unclear, and more studies are still needed to further understand this issue and guide individual and public strategies to prevent mortality in bipolar disorder Thus, a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies assessing mortality risk in people with BD versus the general population was conducted. The primary outcome was all-cause mortality, whilst secondary outcomes were mortality due to suicide, natural, unnatural, and specific-causes mortality.
RESULTS
Fifty-seven studies were included (BD; n = 678,353). All-cause mortality was increased in people with BD (RR = 2.02, 95% CI: 1.89-2.16, k = 39). Specific-cause mortality was highest for suicide (RR = 11.69, 95% CI: 9.22-14.81, k = 25). Risk of death due to unnatural causes (RR = 7.29, 95% CI: 6.41-8.28, k = 17) and natural causes (RR = 1.90, 95% CI: 1.75-2.06, k = 17) were also increased. Among specific natural causes analyzed, infectious causes had the higher RR (RR = 4,38, 95%CI: 1.5-12.69, k = 3), but the analysis was limited by the inclusion of few studies. Mortality risk due to respiratory (RR = 3.18, 95% CI: 2.55-3.96, k = 6), cardiovascular (RR = 1.76, 95% CI: 1.53-2.01, k = 27), and cerebrovascular (RR = 1.57, 95% CI: 1.34-1.84, k = 13) causes were increased as well. No difference was identified in mortality by cancer (RR = 0.99, 95% CI: 0.88-1.11, k = 16). Subgroup analyses and meta-regression did not affect the findings.
CONCLUSION
Results presented in this meta-analysis show that risk of premature death in BD is not only due to suicide and unnatural causes, but somatic comorbidities are also implicated. Not only the prevention of suicide, but also the promotion of physical health and the prevention of physical conditions in individuals with BD may mitigate the premature mortality in this population. Notwithstanding this is to our knowledge the largest synthesis of evidence on BD-related mortality, further well-designed studies are still warranted to inform this field.
Topics: Humans; Bipolar Disorder; Comorbidity; Neoplasms; Suicide; Mortality
PubMed: 37491460
DOI: 10.1038/s41380-023-02109-9