scholarly journals Rats sniff out pulmonary tuberculosis from sputum: a diagnostic accuracy meta-analysis

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Reem Kanaan ◽  
Nelli Farkas ◽  
Péter Hegyi ◽  
Alexandra Soós ◽  
Dávid Hegyi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Screening Method ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Rapid Screening ◽  
Detection Methods ◽  
Cochrane Library ◽  
Characteristic Analysis ◽  
Summary Receiver Operating Characteristic ◽  
Pouched Rats

AbstractIn Sub-Saharan Africa, African giant pouched rats (Cricetomys gambianus) are trained to identify TB patients by smelling sputum. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of the data to see if this novel method is comparable to traditional laboratory screening and detection methods like Ziehl–Neelsen stain-based assays (ZN) and bacterial culture. The search and data processing strategy is registered at PROSPERO (CRD42019123629). Medline via PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library databases were systematically searched for the keywords “pouched rat” and “tuberculosis”. Data from 53,181 samples obtained from 24,600 patients were extracted from seven studies. Using sample-wise detection, the sensitivity of the studies was 86.7% [95% CI 80.4–91.2%], while the specificity was 88.4% [95% CI 79.7–93.7%]. For patient-wise detection, the sensitivity was 81.3% [95% CI 64.0–91.4%], while the specificity was 73.4% [95% CI 62.8–81.9%]. Good and excellent classification was assessed by hierarchical summary receiver-operating characteristic analysis for patient-wise and sample-wise detections, respectively. Our study is the first systematic review and meta-analysis of the above relatively inexpensive and rapid screening method. The results indicate that African giant pouched rats can discriminate healthy controls from TB individuals by sniffing sputum with even a higher accuracy than a single ZN screening.

scholarly journals Dengue Virus Infection in Sub-Saharan Africa Between 2010 and 2020: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Khalid Eltom ◽  
Khalid Enan ◽  
Abdel Rahim M. El Hussein ◽  
Isam M. Elkhidir
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Dengue Virus ◽  
Subgroup Analysis ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Denv Infection ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Cochrane Library ◽  
The Past ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Infection Markers

Dengue virus (DENV) infection has garnered a global interest in the past few decades. Nevertheless, its epidemiology in certain developing and low-income regions remains poorly understood, due to the absence of comprehensive surveillance and reporting systems. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to determine the prevalence of DENV infection in the population of Sub-Saharan Africa using DENV infection markers, and to track any changes in its prevalence during the past ten years. It was conducted in accordance with the PRISMA guidelines, targeting the literature available at MEDLINE/PubMed, ScienceDirect, Cochrane library and Google Scholar. All articles published in English language between January 2010 and June 2020 were screened for eligibility. Random effects model was used to calculate the pooled prevalence of all infection markers. The Inconsistency Index (I2) was used to assess the level of heterogeneity between studies. Subgroup analysis according to country and time-frame of studies was conducted to provide possible explanations to substantial heterogeneity. The critical appraisal tool for prevalence studies designed by the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) was used to assess the risk of bias in all included studies. A total of 84 articles, covering 21 countries, were included in this review. Quantitative meta-analysis estimated a pooled IgG prevalence of 25% (95% CI: 21-29%, I2 = 99%), a pooled IgM prevalence of 10% (95% CI: 9-11%, I2 = 98%) and a pooled DENV RNA prevalence of 14% (95% CI: 12-16%, I2 = 99%). Evidence for possible publication bias was also found in all three meta-analyses. Subgroup analysis according to the time of sample collection was performed to closely track the changing prevalence of DENV infection markers between 2010 and 2019. This meta-analysis estimates a high prevalence of DENV infection in Sub-Saharan Africa. More cost-efficient vector control strategies should be designed and implemented in order to adapt to the low-resource nature of this region.

scholarly journals Impact of antenatal care on neonatal mortality among neonates in Ethiopia: a systematic review and meta-analysis

2020 ◽  
Vol 78 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tadesse Tolossa ◽  
Ginenus Fekadu ◽  
Belayneh Mengist ◽  
Diriba Mulisa ◽  
Getahun Fetensa ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Antenatal Care ◽  
Neonatal Mortality ◽  
Neonatal Death ◽  
Statistical Tests ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Cochrane Library ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Background As compared to other regions of the world, Sub Saharan Africa (SSA) is the region with the highest neonatal mortality and is the region showing the least progress in the reduction of newborn death. Despite better progress made in reducing neonatal mortality, Ethiopia contributes the highest rate of neonatal death in Africa. In Ethiopia, findings from few studies were inconsistent and there is a need to systematically pool existing data to determine the impact of antenatal care on neonatal mortality among mother-neonate pairs in Ethiopia. Methods Published articles from various electronic databases such as Medline, Hinari, Pub Med, Cochrane library, the Web of Science, and Google Scholar were accessed. Also, unpublished studies from library catalogs were identified. All observational studies that were conducted on the association between antenatal care follow-up and neonatal mortality among neonates in Ethiopia were included. Data were extracted on the Microsoft Excel spreadsheet and analyzed using STATA 14.1 version. A random-effects model was used to estimate the pooled estimate with a 95% confidence interval (CI). Forest plots were used to visualize the presence of heterogeneity and estimate the pooled impact on antenatal care on neonatal mortality. The presence of publication bias was assessed by funnel plots and Egger’s statistical tests. Results Initially, a total of 345 studies were accessed. Finally, 28 full-text studies were reviewed and fourteen studies fulfilled inclusion criteria and included in the final meta-analysis. The overall pooled estimate indicates the odds of neonatal death among neonates from women with antenatal care were 65% lower than those neonates from women who had no antenatal care follow-up (OR: 0.35, 95% CI: 0.24, 0.51). Conclusions In this systematic review and meta-analysis, lack of ANC follow-up increase the probability of neonatal mortality as compared to having ANC follow-up. Thus, we will recommend for more coverages of appropriate antenatal care where risk groups can best be identified and managed.

scholarly journals Prevalence of Syphilis among Pregnant Women in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

2019 ◽  
Vol 2019 ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Siraj Hussen ◽  
Birkneh Tilahun Tadesse
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Pregnant Women ◽  
Screening Program ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Relevant Literature ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Cochrane Library ◽  
Forest Plot ◽  
Pooled Prevalence ◽  
Sub Saharan

Objective. Syphilis is one of the most imperative STIs, caused by the spirochete Treponema pallidum. During pregnancy it is associated with disastrous health outcomes in the newborn. In sub-Saharan Africa, study findings on the prevalence of syphilis among pregnant women are highly dispersed and inconsistent. The aim of the current review is to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis of syphilis in sub-Saharan Africa among pregnant women. Design. Systematic review and meta-analysis. Data Sources. Databases including MEDLINE, PubMed, Cochrane Library, Google Scholar, and HINARI and reference lists of previous prevalence studies were systematically searched for relevant literature from January 1999 to November 2018. Results were presented in forest plot, tables, and figures. Random-effects model was used for the meta-analysis. For the purpose of this review, a case of syphilis was defined as positive treponemal or nontreponemal tests among pregnant women. Data Extraction. Our search gave a total of 262 citations from all searched databases. Of these, 44 studies fulfilling the inclusion criteria and comprising 175,546 subjects were finally included. Results. The pooled prevalence of syphilis among pregnant women in sub-Saharan Africa was 2.9% (95%CI: 2.4%-3.4%). East and Southern African regions had a higher syphilis prevalence among pregnant women (3.2%, 95% CI: 2.3%-4.2% and 3.6%, 95%CI: 2.0%-5.1%, respectively) than the sub-Saharan African pooled prevalence. The prevalence of syphilis among pregnant women in most parts of the region seemed to have decreased over the past 20 years except for the East African region. However, prevalence did not significantly differ by region and time period. Conclusion. This review showed a high prevalence of syphilis in sub-Saharan Africa among pregnant women. The evidence suggests strengthening the screening program during pregnancy as part of the care package during antenatal care visits. Programs focusing on primary prevention of syphilis in women should also be strengthened.

scholarly journals Metagenomic next generation sequencing for the diagnosis of tuberculosis meningitis: A systematic review and meta-analysis

PLoS ONE ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (12) ◽  
pp. e0243161
Author(s):  
Guocan Yu ◽  
Wuchen Zhao ◽  
Yanqin Shen ◽  
Pengfei Zhu ◽  
Hong Zheng
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Next Generation Sequencing ◽  
Early Diagnosis ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Characteristic Curve ◽  
Extrapulmonary Tuberculosis ◽  
Cochrane Library ◽  
Next Generation ◽  
Summary Receiver Operating Characteristic ◽  
Generation Sequencing

Background Tuberculous meningitis (TBM) is a severe form of extrapulmonary tuberculosis and its early diagnosis is very difficult leading to present with severe disability or die. The current study aimed to assess the accuracy of metagenomic next generation sequencing (mNGS) for TBM, and to identify a new test for the early diagnosis of TBM. Methods We searched for articles published in Embase, PubMed, Cochrane Library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, and Wanfang Data up to June 30, 2020 for studies that assessed the efficacy of mNGS for the diagnosis of TBM. Then, the accuracy between mNGS and a composite reference standard (CRS) in these articles was compared using the meta-analysis approach. Results Four independent studies with 342 samples comparing mNGS and a CRS were included in this study. The sensitivity of mNGS for TBM diagnosis ranged from 27% to 84%. The combined sensitivity of mNGS was 61%, and the I2 value was 92%. Moreover, the specificity of mNGS for TBM diagnosis ranged from 96% to 100%. The combined specificity of mNGS was 98%, and the I2 value was 74%. The heterogeneity between studies in terms of sensitivity and specificity was significant. The area under the curve (AUC) of the summary receiver operating characteristic curve (SROC) of mNGS for TBM was 0.98. Conclusions The sensitivity of mNGS for TBM diagnosis was moderate. Furthermore, the specificity was extremely high, and the AUC of the SROC indicated a very good diagnostic efficacy. mNGS could be used as an early diagnostic method for TBM, however, the results should be treated with caution for the heterogeneity between studies was extremely significant. Systematic review registration INPLASY202070100.

scholarly journals Effect of HIV-related knowledge on utilisation of voluntary HIV testing service among university students in Sub-Saharan Africa: a systematic review and meta-analysis protocol

BMJ Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. e045748
Author(s):  
Gedefaw Diress ◽  
Amanuel Addisu ◽  
Melese Linger Endalifer
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
University Students ◽  
Hiv Testing ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Preventive Measure ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Cochrane Library ◽  
Service Utilisation ◽  
Testing Service ◽  
Sub Saharan

IntroductionVoluntary HIV testing is a vital preventive measure to reduce HIV transmission. Existing evidence on the association between HIV-related knowledge and HIV testing service utilisation shows inconsistent findings. Therefore, the aim of this review is to assess whether knowledge of HIV is related to improvement in voluntary HIV testing service utilisation among university students in Sub-Saharan Africa.Methods and analysisA systematic review of studies on the association of HIV-related knowledge and voluntary HIV testing service utilisation among university students will be conducted. We will search several electronic databases, including PubMed/MEDLINE, African Journals Online, Web of Science and Cochrane Library, for all study types looking at the association between HIV-related knowledge and voluntary HIV testing service utilisation. Two reviewers will independently screen all retrieved records and full-text articles and extract data. The Higgins I2 test will be used to assess heterogeneity between studies. Random-effects meta-analysis will be conducted, if feasible and appropriate. Additional analyses will be performed to explore potential sources of heterogeneity. Stata statistical software (V.14) will be used to analyse the data.Ethics and disseminationFormal ethical approval is not required because the systematic review relies on primary studies. The results will be disseminated through a peer-reviewed publication, conference presentation and the popular press.

scholarly journals In Vivo Imaging-Based Techniques for Early Diagnosis of Oral Potentially Malignant Disorders—Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (22) ◽  
pp. 11775
Author(s):  
Marta Mazur ◽  
Artnora Ndokaj ◽  
Divyambika Catakapatri Venugopal ◽  
Michela Roberto ◽  
Cristina Albu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Early Diagnosis ◽  
Search Strategy ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Screening Method ◽  
Cochrane Library ◽  
Free Text ◽  
Oral Potentially Malignant Disorders ◽  
Potentially Malignant Disorders ◽  
Potentially Malignant

Objectives: Oral potentially malignant disorders (OPMDs) are lesions that may undergo malignant transformation to oral cancer. The early diagnosis and surveillance of OPMDs reduce the morbidity and mortality of patients. Diagnostic techniques based on medical images analysis have been developed to diagnose clinical conditions. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the efficacy of imaging-based techniques compared to the gold standard of histopathology to assess their ability to correctly identify the presence of OPMDs. Design: Literature searches of free text and MeSH terms were performed using MedLine (PubMed), Scopus, Google Scholar, and the Cochrane Library (from 2000 to 30 June 2020). The keywords used in the search strategy were: (“oral screening devices” or “autofluorescence” or “chemiluminescence” or “optical imaging” or “imaging technique”) and (“oral dysplasia” or “oral malignant lesions” or “oral precancerosis”). Results: The search strategy identified 1282 potential articles. After analyzing the results and applying the eligibility criteria, the remaining 43 papers were included in the qualitative synthesis, and 34 of these were included in the meta-analysis. Conclusions: None of the analyzed techniques based on assessing oral images can replace the biopsy. Further studies are needed to explore the role of techniques-based imaging analysis to identify an early noninvasive screening method.

scholarly journals MicroRNA-21 as a diagnostic marker for hepatocellular carcinoma: A systematic review and meta-analysis

2019 ◽  
Vol 35 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Juan Qu ◽  
Jizhi Yang ◽  
Ming Chen ◽  
Lihong Cui ◽  
Tianxi Wang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hepatocellular Carcinoma ◽  
Systematic Review ◽  
Sensitivity And Specificity ◽  
Diagnostic Marker ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Characteristic Curve ◽  
Random Effect ◽  
Random Effect Model ◽  
Cochrane Library ◽  
Summary Receiver Operating Characteristic

Background: MicroRNA-21 (miR-21) is one of the oncogenic miRNAs which may be a potential diagnostic biomarker for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Methods: We systematically searched Medline, Embase, the Cochrane Library, ISI Web of Knowledge, Scopus from inception to August 15, 2018, and reference lists of identified primary studies. Two independent investigators extracted patient and study characteristics. The sensitivity and specificity of microRNA-21 for HCC detection and were analyzed with a random effect model. The area under summary receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) was used to estimate overall test performance. Results: A total of 515 HCC patients, and 338 healthy or chronic hepatitis controls from six published studies were enrolled in this meta-analysis. All articles were published in English with moderate-to-high quality. The overall pooled sensitivity and specificity were 85.2% (73.3% to 88.4%) and 79.2% (68.4% to 87.0%), respectively. The AUC area was 0.89 (95% CI: 0.85-0.91). The studies had moderate heterogeneity (I2=70.11%). None of the subgroups investigated-ethnicity, controls, sample source-could account for the heterogeneity. Conclusion: MiR-21 is a helpful biomarker for early diagnosis of HCC. Nevertheless, the results of the test must be interpreted carefully in the context of medical history, erological tests and imaging examinations for HCC surveillance. doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.35.5.685 How to cite this:Qu J, Yang J, Chen M, Cui L, Wang T, Gao W, et al. MicroRNA-21 as a diagnostic marker for hepatocellular carcinoma: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Pak J Med Sci. 2019;35(5):---------. doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.35.5.685 This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

scholarly journals The role of grey-scale ultrasound in the diagnosis of adhesive capsulitis of the shoulder: a systematic review and meta-analysis

2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
pp. 305
Author(s):  
Huaiyu Wu ◽  
Hongtian Tian ◽  
Fajin Dong ◽  
Weiyu Liang ◽  
Di Song ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Adhesive Capsulitis ◽  
High Sensitivity ◽  
Cochrane Library ◽  
Summary Receiver Operating Characteristic ◽  
Grey Scale ◽  
Magnetic Resonance Imaging Mri ◽  
Sensitivity Specificity

Aims: In this systematic review and meta-analysis, we discuss the value of grey-scale ultrasonography (US) in diagnosing adhesive capsulitis of the shoulder (ACS).Material and methods: We retrieved relevant studies from PubMed, Cochrane Library, and Embase before 8 April 2019. We selected 7 studies concerning 446 patients (490 shoulders) that used grey-scale US to diagnose ACS and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or arthroscopy as the reference standard. We assessed the diagnostic accuracy of US on the basis of combined sensitivity, specificity, likelihood ratio (LR), and the area under the summary receiver operating characteristic (SROC) curve (AUC).Results: The combined sensitivity, specificity, positive LR and negative LR were found to be 88% (95%CI: 74–95), 96% (95%CI: 88–99), 23.89 (95%CI: 6.31–90.51) and 0.12 (95%CI: 0.05–0.29), respectively. The AUC was 0.97 (95%CI: 0.96–0.98). ACS was diagnosed on the basis of four US features: coracohumeral ligament thickening, inferior capsule/axillary recess capsule thickening, rotator interval abnormality, and restriction of the range of motion. The corresponding sensitivities were 64.4 (95%CI: 48.8–78.1), 82.1 (95%CI: 73.8–88.7), 82.6 (95%CI: 74.1–89.2) and 94.3 (95%CI: 84.3–98.8), respectively, and specificities were 88.9 (95%CI: 76.0–96.3), 95.7 (95%CI: 90.3–98.6), 93.9 (95%CI: 89.8–96.7), and 90.9 (95%CI: 75.7–98.1), respectively.Conclusions: Our meta-analysis showed that grey-scale US plays a significant role in the diagnosis of ACS. Because of its high sensitivity and specificity, US can be added to the existing clinical diagnosis program.

scholarly journals Circulating long noncoding RNAs as potential biomarkers for stomach cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis

2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Fang Cao ◽  
Yongwei Hu ◽  
Zaichang Chen ◽  
Wei Han ◽  
Weijie Lu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Stomach Cancer ◽  
Noncoding Rna ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Area Under The Curve ◽  
Cochrane Library ◽  
Clinical Value ◽  
Summary Receiver Operating Characteristic ◽  
Link Type ◽  
Sensitivity Specificity

Abstract Background Recent researches have suggested that long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) is involved in the tumorigenesis and development of stomach cancer (SC). This meta-analysis aimed to identify the diagnostic performance of circulating lncRNAs in SC. Methods All relevant studies were systematically searched through PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, and EMBASE databases. The diagnostic values of lncRNAs were mainly assessed by pooled sensitivity, specificity, and summary receiver operating characteristic area under the curve (SROC AUC). Meta-DiSc 1.4, Review Manager 5.3, and STATA 12.0 were used for statistical analysis. The protocol for this systematic review was registered on INPLASY (INPLASY202120079) and is available in full on the inplasy.com (10.37766/inplasy2021.2.0079). Results A total of 42 eligible studies were included in this meta-analysis. The pooled sensitivity, specificity, and SROC AUC were 0.78 (95%CI 0.75–0.81), 0.75 (95%CI 0.71–0.78), and 0.83 (95%CI 0.80–0.86), respectively, suggesting that the lncRNAs test had a high accuracy for the diagnosis of SC. Obvious heterogeneity might come from the type of lncRNA through subgroup and meta-regression analysis. Fagan diagram shows the clinical value of lncRNAs test in SC. Conclusions Abnormal expression of circulating lncRNAs exhibits a high efficacy for diagnosing SC, which is promising in clinical application.

scholarly journals Effectiveness of school-based interventions in delaying sexual debut among adolescents in sub-Saharan Africa: a protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis

BMJ Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. e044398
Author(s):  
Beatrice W Maina ◽  
Kenneth Juma ◽  
Emmy Kageha Igonya ◽  
Jane Osindo ◽  
Hesborn Wao ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Reproductive Health ◽  
Sexual And Reproductive Health ◽  
Sexual Debut ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Cochrane Library ◽  
School Based ◽  
School Based Interventions ◽  
Sub Saharan

IntroductionEarly sexual debut is associated with poor sexual and reproductive health outcomes across the life course. A majority of interventions aimed at delaying sexual debut among adolescents in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) have been implemented in schools with mixed findings on the effectiveness of such interventions. This systematic review will summarise and synthesise existing evidence on the effectiveness of school-based interventions in delaying sexual debut among adolescents aged 10–19 years.Methods and analysisWe will conduct a comprehensive database search of peer-reviewed studies published in PubMed, Scopus, Science Direct, Web of Science, HINARI and EBSCO (PsycINFO, Global Health, CINAHL) and in Cochrane library, National Institute of Health and Turning Research into Practice databases for ongoing studies yet to be published. All studies conducted in SSA between January 2009 and December 2020, regardless of the study design, will be included. Two authors will independently screen all retrieved records and relevant data on sexual debut extracted.Data will be pooled using the random effects model. Dichotomous outcomes will be reported as risk ratios and continuous data as mean difference at 95% CI. Heterogeneity will be assessed using the I² statistic. Findings will be presented in tables and charts, while providing a description of all included studies, themes and concepts drawn from literature.Ethics and disseminationEthical approval is not required. The findings will be disseminated through peer-reviewed publications, presentations at relevant conferences and other convening focusing on adolescent sexual and reproductive health.

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