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EClinicalMedicine Apr 2022Vision impairment (VI) can have wide ranging economic impact on individuals, households, and health systems. The aim of this systematic review was to describe and... (Review)
Review
Vision impairment (VI) can have wide ranging economic impact on individuals, households, and health systems. The aim of this systematic review was to describe and summarise the costs associated with VI and its major causes. We searched MEDLINE (16 November 2019), National Health Service Economic Evaluation Database, the Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effects and the Health Technology Assessment database (12 December 2019) for partial or full economic evaluation studies, published between 1 January 2000 and the search dates, reporting cost data for participants with VI due to an unspecified cause or one of the seven leading causes globally: cataract, uncorrected refractive error, diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma, age-related macular degeneration, corneal opacity, trachoma. The search was repeated on 20 January 2022 to identify studies published since our initial search. Included studies were quality appraised using the British Medical Journal Checklist for economic submissions adapted for cost of illness studies. Results were synthesized in a structured narrative. Of the 138 included studies, 38 reported cost estimates for VI due to an unspecified cause and 100 reported costs for one of the leading causes. These 138 studies provided 155 regional cost estimates. Fourteen studies reported global data; 103/155 (66%) regional estimates were from high-income countries. Costs were most commonly reported using a societal ( = 48) or healthcare system perspective ( = 25). Most studies included only a limited number of cost components. Large variations in methodology and reporting across studies meant cost estimates varied considerably. The average quality assessment score was 78% (range 35-100%); the most common weaknesses were the lack of sensitivity analysis and insufficient disaggregation of costs. There was substantial variation across studies in average treatment costs per patient for most conditions, including refractive error correction (range $12-$201 ppp), cataract surgery (range $54-$3654 ppp), glaucoma (range $351-$1354 ppp) and AMD (range $2209-$7524 ppp). Future cost estimates of the economic burden of VI and its major causes will be improved by the development and adoption of a reference case for eye health. This could then be used in regular studies, particularly in countries with data gaps, including low- and middle-income countries in Asia, Eastern Europe, Oceania, Latin America and sub-Saharan Africa.
PubMed: 35340626
DOI: 10.1016/j.eclinm.2022.101354 -
The Lancet. Global Health Apr 2021
Review
Topics: Advisory Committees; Blindness; Cost of Illness; Eye Diseases; Global Burden of Disease; Global Health; Health Services Accessibility; Humans; Quality of Health Care; Quality of Life; Sustainable Development
PubMed: 33607016
DOI: 10.1016/S2214-109X(20)30488-5 -
The American Journal of Tropical... Feb 2023
Topics: Humans; Trachoma
PubMed: 36623481
DOI: 10.4269/ajtmh.22-0760 -
Frontiers in Cellular and Infection... 2023is a strict intracellular human pathogen. It is the main bacterial cause of sexually transmitted infections and the etiologic agent of trachoma, which is the leading... (Review)
Review
is a strict intracellular human pathogen. It is the main bacterial cause of sexually transmitted infections and the etiologic agent of trachoma, which is the leading cause of preventable blindness. Despite over 100 years since was first identified, there is still no vaccine. However in recent years, the advancement of genetic manipulation approaches for has increased our understanding of the molecular pathogenesis of and progress towards a vaccine. In this mini-review, we aimed to outline the factors related to the developmental cycle phase and specific pathogenesis activity of in order to focus priorities for future genetic approaches. We highlight the factors known to be critical for developmental cycle stages, gene expression regulatory factors, type III secretion system and their effectors, and individual virulence factors with known impacts.
Topics: Humans; Chlamydia trachomatis; Trachoma; Chlamydia Infections
PubMed: 37920447
DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2023.1281823 -
Microorganisms Sep 2019MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small, non-coding, regulatory RNA molecules and constitute a newly recognized, important layer of gene-expression regulation at... (Review)
Review
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small, non-coding, regulatory RNA molecules and constitute a newly recognized, important layer of gene-expression regulation at post-transcriptional levels. miRNAs quantitatively fine tune the expression of their downstream genes in a cell type- and developmental stage-specific fashion. miRNAs have been proven to play important roles in the normal development and function as well as in the pathogenesis of diseases in all tissues and organ systems. miRNAs have emerged as new therapeutic targets and biomarkers for treatment and diagnosis of various diseases. Although miRNA research in ocular infection remains in its early stages, a handful of pioneering studies have provided insight into the roles of miRNAs in the pathogenesis of parasitic, fungal, bacterial, and viral ocular infections. Here, we review the current status of research in miRNAs in several major ocular infectious diseases. We predict that the field of miRNAs in ocular infection will greatly expand with the discovery of novel miRNA-involved molecular mechanisms that will inform development of new therapies and identify novel diagnostic biomarkers.
PubMed: 31533211
DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms7090359 -
International Journal of Hygiene and... Jun 2019To develop updated estimates in response to new exposure and exposure-response data of the burden of diarrhoea, respiratory infections, malnutrition, schistosomiasis,...
Burden of disease from inadequate water, sanitation and hygiene for selected adverse health outcomes: An updated analysis with a focus on low- and middle-income countries.
BACKGROUND
To develop updated estimates in response to new exposure and exposure-response data of the burden of diarrhoea, respiratory infections, malnutrition, schistosomiasis, malaria, soil-transmitted helminth infections and trachoma from exposure to inadequate drinking-water, sanitation and hygiene behaviours (WASH) with a focus on low- and middle-income countries.
METHODS
For each of the analysed diseases, exposure levels with both sufficient global exposure data for 2016 and a matching exposure-response relationship were combined into population-attributable fractions. Attributable deaths and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) were estimated for each disease and, for most of the diseases, by country, age and sex group separately for inadequate water, sanitation and hygiene behaviours and for the cluster of risk factors. Uncertainty estimates were computed on the basis of uncertainty surrounding exposure estimates and relative risks.
FINDINGS
An estimated 829,000 WASH-attributable deaths and 49.8 million DALYs occurred from diarrhoeal diseases in 2016, equivalent to 60% of all diarrhoeal deaths. In children under 5 years, 297,000 WASH-attributable diarrhoea deaths occurred, representing 5.3% of all deaths in this age group. If the global disease burden from different diseases and several counterfactual exposure distributions was combined it would amount to 1.6 million deaths, representing 2.8% of all deaths, and 104.6 million DALYs in 2016.
CONCLUSIONS
Despite recent declines in attributable mortality, inadequate WASH remains an important determinant of global disease burden, especially among young children. These estimates contribute to global monitoring such as for the Sustainable Development Goal indicator on mortality from inadequate WASH.
Topics: Developing Countries; Diarrhea; Epidemiological Monitoring; Helminthiasis; Humans; Hygiene; Intestinal Diseases, Parasitic; Malaria; Malnutrition; Poverty; Respiratory Tract Infections; Risk Assessment; Sanitation; Schistosomiasis; Water Supply
PubMed: 31088724
DOI: 10.1016/j.ijheh.2019.05.004