MS and Disability Progression in Latin America, Africa, Asia and the Middle East: A Systematic Review

Background: The increasing incidence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) threatens the Middle Eastern population. Several epidemiological studies have assessed CVD and its risk factors in terms of the primary prevention of CVD in the Middle East. Therefore, summarizing the information from these studies is essential. Aim: We conducted a systematic review to assess the prevalence of CVD and its major risk factors among Middle Eastern adults based on the literature published between January 1, 2012 and December 31, 2018 and carried out a meta-analysis. Methods: We searched electronic databases such as PubMed/Medline, ScienceDirect, Embase and Google Scholar to identify literature published from January 1, 2012 to December 31, 2018. All the original articles that investigated the prevalence of CVD and reported at least one of the following factors were included: hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidaemia, smoking and family history of CVD. To summarize CVD prevalence, we performed a random-effects meta-analysis. Results: A total of 41 potentially relevant articles were included, and 32 were included in the meta-analysis (n=191,979). The overall prevalence of CVD was 10.1% (95% confidence interval (CI): 7.1-14.3%, p<0.001) in the Middle East. A high prevalence of CVD risk factors, such as dyslipidaemia (43.3%; 95% CI: 21.5-68%), hypertension (26.2%; 95% CI: 19.6-34%) and diabetes (16%; 95% CI: 9.9-24.8%), was observed. The prevalence rates of other risk factors, such as smoking (12.4%; 95% CI: 7.7-19.4%) and family history of CVD (18.7%; 95% CI: 15.4-22.5%), were also high. Conclusion: The prevalence of CVD is high (10.1%) in the Middle East. The burden of dyslipidaemia (43.3%) in this region is twice as high as that of hypertension (26.2%) and diabetes mellitus (16%). Multifaceted interventions are urgently needed for the primary prevention of CVD in this region.

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Typical Challenges of Governance for Sustainable Regional Development in Globalized Latin America: A Multidimensional Literature Review

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su12072702 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (7) ◽

pp. 2702

Author(s):

Alejandro Balanzo ◽

Leonardo Garavito ◽

Héctor Rojas ◽

Lenka Sobotova ◽

Oscar Pérez ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Latin America ◽

Literature Review ◽

Regional Development ◽

Environmental Conservation ◽

Environmental Concerns ◽

Regional Sustainability ◽

Governance Challenges ◽

Sustainable Regional Development ◽

Do So

The paper aims to identify and analyze what types of governance challenges for sustainable regional development in the context of globalization are more frequently found in scholarship regarding Latin America. In order to do so, we carried out a systematic review of scholarly works discussing regional sustainability issues across the region. Analytically, it provides a heuristic multidimensional framework for organizing and typifying the most frequent sustainable regional development governance challenges under study, offering a nuanced and interrelated account of economic, environmental, political, and socio-spatial scientific discussions. According to our findings, scholarship on Latin America shows a bricolage-like scenery where political atomization linked to economic factionalism and fragmentation stand out as frequently analyzed situations. Another frequent topic relates to discussions about political endeavors linked to environmental concerns, connecting incidence strategies with collective environmental conservation approaches.

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Randomised, controlled trial of erenumab for the prevention of episodic migraine in patients from Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America: The EMPOwER study

Cephalalgia ◽

10.1177/03331024211024160 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 033310242110241

Author(s):

Shuu-Jiun Wang ◽

Artemio A Roxas ◽

Bibiana Saravia ◽

Byung-Kun Kim ◽

Debashish Chowdhury ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Latin America ◽

Middle East ◽

Primary Endpoint ◽

Episodic Migraine ◽

Acute Migraine ◽

Efficacy And Safety ◽

Medication Treatment ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Specific Medication ◽

Secondary Endpoints

Objective EMPOwER, a double-blind, randomised, phase 3 study, evaluated the efficacy and safety of erenumab in adults with episodic migraine from Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America. Methods Randomised patients (N = 900) received monthly subcutaneous injections of placebo, erenumab 70 mg, or 140 mg (3:3:2) for 3 months. Primary endpoint was change from baseline in monthly migraine days at Month 3. Other endpoints included achievement of ≥50%, ≥75%, and 100% reduction in monthly migraine days, change in monthly acute migraine-specific medication treatment days, patient-reported outcomes, and safety assessment. Results At baseline, mean (standard deviation) age was 37.5 (9.9) years, 81.9% were women, and monthly migraine days was 8.2 (2.8). At Month 3, change from baseline in monthly migraine days (primary endpoint) was −3.1, −4.2, and −4.8 days for placebo, erenumab 70 mg, and erenumab 140 mg, respectively, with a statistically significant difference for erenumab versus placebo (P = 0.002 [70 mg], P < 0.001 [140 mg]). Both erenumab doses were also significantly superior to placebo on all secondary endpoints, including the proportion of patients achieving ≥50% reduction from baseline in monthly migraine days, change from baseline in monthly acute migraine-specific medication treatment days and change from baseline in the Headache Impact Test-6™ scores. The safety profile of erenumab was comparable with placebo; no new safety signals were observed. Conclusions This study of erenumab in patients with episodic migraine from Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America met all primary and secondary endpoints. A consistent numerical benefit was observed with erenumab 140 mg versus erenumab 70 mg across all efficacy endpoints. These findings extend evidence of erenumab’s efficacy and safety to patients under-represented in previous trials. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT03333109

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A systematic review of scientific publications on the effects of payments for ecosystem services in Latin America, 2000–2020

Ecosystem Services ◽

10.1016/j.ecoser.2021.101270 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 49 ◽

pp. 101270

Author(s):

Maria Perevochtchikova ◽

Ricardo Castro-Díaz ◽

Alfonso Langle-Flores ◽

Juan José Von Thaden Ugalde

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Latin America ◽

Ecosystem Services ◽

Payments For Ecosystem Services ◽

Scientific Publications

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Prevalence of Mild Cognitive Impairment in Latin America and the Caribbean: A Systematic Review

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igaa057.3307 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. 897-898

Author(s):

Fabiana Ribeiro ◽

Ana Carolina Teixeira-Santos ◽

Anja Leist

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Latin America ◽

Cognitive Impairment ◽

Mild Cognitive Impairment ◽

English Language ◽

Prevalence Data ◽

Gender And Education ◽

Precise Diagnosis ◽

Normal Ageing ◽

The Caribbean

Abstract Background. The population of Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) is ageing rapidly, presenting the highest prevalence rates of dementia in the world. In this context, mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is an intermediate condition between normal ageing and dementia. However, very few studies verified the prevalence of MCI in LAC countries; earlier global systematic reviews only considered prevalence reports published in English language. Method. We conducted a systematic review to evaluate the prevalence of MCI in LAC countries and to explore the factors associated with MCI (i.e., age, gender, and education). A database search was conducted in February 2020 using PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, Lilacs, SciELO, and EMBASE, for population-or community-based studies with MCI data for countries in LAC, published in English, Spanish, or Portuguese language. From k=2,168 identified and k=1,684 screened studies, only articles were selected that included subjects with a precise diagnosis of MCI. The studies were qualitatively assessed using the JBI critical appraisal checklist for studies reporting prevalence data tool. Results. A total of nine studies met the criteria, published between 2007 and 2019, including a total of 17,812 participants in nine countries Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Colombia, Peru, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Venezuela, and Costa Rica. Estimates for MCI prevalence ranged from 1.2% to 34%, with most estimates between 1.2% and 6.45%. Estimates differed by age group, gender, and educational level. Discussion. This is the first systematic review of the prevalence of MCI in LAC countries, considering only high-quality studies adopting rigorous diagnostic criteria.

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The burden of Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) infection in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region across age groups: A systematic review

Vaccine ◽

10.1016/j.vaccine.2021.05.076 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Yolla Youssef ◽

Ahmad Chmaisse ◽

Celina Boutros ◽

Sarah Chamseddine ◽

Danielle Fayad ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Respiratory Syncytial Virus ◽

Middle East ◽

North Africa ◽

Age Groups ◽

Mena Region ◽

Rsv Infection ◽

Syncytial Virus

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A Value Framework for the Assessment of Diagnostic Technologies: A Proposal Based on a Targeted Systematic Review and a Multistakeholder Deliberative Process in Latin America

Value in Health ◽

10.1016/j.jval.2020.11.008 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Federico Augustovski ◽

Veronica Alfie ◽

Andrea Alcaraz ◽

Sebastián García Martí ◽

Michael Drummond ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Latin America ◽

Deliberative Process ◽

A Value ◽

Diagnostic Technologies

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Epidemiology of acute otitis media in children of Latin America and the Caribbean: A systematic review and meta-analysis

International Journal of Pediatric Otorhinolaryngology ◽

10.1016/j.ijporl.2011.05.014 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 75 (9) ◽

pp. 1062-1070 ◽

Cited By ~ 32

Author(s):

Ariel Bardach ◽

Agustín Ciapponi ◽

Sebastian Garcia-Marti ◽

Demian Glujovsky ◽

Agustina Mazzoni ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Latin America ◽

Otitis Media ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Acute Otitis Media ◽

The Caribbean

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Africa—Latin America—Europe—Asia—Middle East

International Review of the Red Cross ◽

10.1017/s0020860400066560 ◽

1979 ◽

Vol 19 (211) ◽

pp. 204-213

Keyword(s):

Latin America ◽

Middle East ◽

Financial Support ◽

Red Cross ◽

African Countries ◽

The People

At the beginning of June, the ICRC made a further appeal to governments and National Red Cross Societies for their material and financial support to continue its humanitarian activities for the victims of the conflicts in Africa. It requested, for the period from 1 July to 31 December,the sum of 35.8 million Swiss francs, equivalent to about 5 million Swiss francs per month. The ICRC warned prospective donors that, if no help was swiftly forthcoming, it would be compelled to reduce the activities of its delegations in various African countries, and that the consequences would mean considerable hardship for the people in need of ICRC aid.

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