The Epidemiology and Economic Burden of Obesity and Related Cardiometabolic Disorders in the United Arab Emirates: A Systematic Review and Qualitative Synthesis

Background. Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) are considered as a global health problem and considered as a public health priority with the more considerable increasing trend of obesity and cardiometabolic disorders rates in the Middle Eastern countries. This systematic review aims at assessing the prevalence, incidence rates, and trends, as well as the cost of obesity and related cardiometabolic disorders in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Methods. A highly sensitive strategy was used to retrieve original observational studies, addressing the epidemiology and cost of obesity and related cardiometabolic disorders in the UAE, irrespective of nationality (nationals and expatriates). The search was conducted on April 4, 2017, within numerous electronic databases and the grey literature. Standardized and validated methods were used for data extraction and analysis as well as quality assessment. Results. 6789 records were retrieved, of which 36 were deemed eligible. High prevalence rates were reported for obesity, diabetes, hypertension, and metabolic syndrome in all studies. However, the definitions and methods employed by the studies were highly variable. The risk of bias in the epidemiological studies ranged between low and medium. Only one study reported the cost of illness for diabetes. In this study, the estimated cost per patient was $2,015 (adjusted to the year 2015), and it became twofold and sixfold higher in patients with microvascular and macrovascular complications, respectively. Conclusions. Obesity and related cardiometabolic disorders are highly prevalent in the UAE, but quoting a precise prevalence for them is difficult given the methodological heterogeneity of the epidemiological studies addressing them. Nonetheless, we detected a 2-3-fold increase in the prevalence of overweight and obesity in the UAE between 1989 and 2017. It is hopeful that this systematic review will provide an insight into direct future studies, especially longitudinal studies exploring obesity and cardiometabolic risks and their costs.

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Misuse of medication in adult substance misuse services: a systematic review protocol

BMJ Open ◽

10.1136/bmjopen-2020-047283 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (6) ◽

pp. e047283

Author(s):

Rosalind Gittins ◽

Louise Missen ◽

Ian Maidment

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Substance Misuse ◽

Data Extraction ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Grey Literature ◽

Opioid Analgesics ◽

Physical And Mental Health ◽

Qualitative Synthesis ◽

Treatment Services ◽

The Impact

IntroductionThere is a growing concern about the misuse of over the counter (OTC) and prescription only medication (POM) because of the impact on physical and mental health, drug interactions, overdoses and drug-related deaths. These medicines include opioid analgesics, anxiolytics such as pregabalin and diazepam and antidepressants. This protocol outlines how a systematic review will be undertaken (during June 2021), which aims to examine the literature on the pattern of OTC and POM misuse among adults who are accessing substance misuse treatment services. It will include the types of medication being taken, prevalence and demographic characteristics of people who access treatment services.Methods and analysisAn electronic search will be conducted on the Cochrane, OVID Medline, Pubmed, Scopus and Web of Science databases as well as grey literature. Two independent reviewers will conduct the initial title and abstract screenings, using predetermined criteria for inclusion and exclusion. If selected for inclusion, full-text data extraction will be conducted using a pilot-tested data extraction form. A third reviewer will resolve disagreements if consensus cannot be reached. Quality and risk of bias assessment will be conducted for all included studies. A qualitative synthesis and summary of the data will be provided. If possible, a meta-analysis with heterogeneity calculation will be conducted; otherwise, Synthesis Without Meta-analysis will be undertaken for quantitative data. The reporting of this protocol follows the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses.Ethics and disseminationEthical approval is not required. Findings will be peer reviewed, published and shared verbally, electronically and in print, with interested clinicians and policymakers.PROSPERO registration numberCRD42020135216.

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PP39 What is the risk of major trauma following a fall down stairs? – A systematic review

Emergency Medicine Journal ◽

10.1136/emermed-2021-999.39 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 38 (9) ◽

pp. A16.2-A16

Author(s):

Christopher Holt ◽

Samuel Keating ◽

Michael Tonkins ◽

Daniel Bradbury ◽

Gordon Fuller

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Major Trauma ◽

Alcohol Intoxication ◽

Grey Literature ◽

Developed Countries ◽

Risk Of Bias ◽

Qualitative Synthesis ◽

Increased Risk ◽

Study Heterogeneity ◽

Serious Injury

BackgroundSpecific mechanisms of injury are stated in pre-hospital triage tools to identify suspected cases of major trauma. Falls down stairs are common presentations in UK emergency departments, yet are frequently overlooked as a causative mechanism of major trauma. No prior systematic review has examined this association.MethodsSeven internationally recognised literature databases and seven grey literature databases were screened utilising a common search strategy from inception until 31 December 2019. Abstracts were screened for relevance by a single reviewer. Full texts were screened and subsequently extracted by 3 separate reviewers against strict inclusion/exclusion criteria. A risk of bias assessment based on GRADE recommendations was performed. In the absence of study heterogeneity, a narrative synthesis was planned. The reporting of this systematic review followed PRISMA 2009 statement guidelines.Results5240 articles were identified from database searching, 89 articles had their full texts assessed for eligibility and 6 articles were included for qualitative synthesis. All studies were retrospective in nature and originated from more economically developed countries. 7431 patients who fell down stairs were analysed, of which, 707 (9.5%) met major trauma definitions. Falls down stairs resulted in a significantly increased risk of serious injury compared to other fall mechanisms (OR: 1.621, 95% CI: 1.381 – 1.902, p<0.0005). Analysis of confounding factors demonstrated age (OR: 2.59, 95% CI: 1.57 – 4.28, p<0.001) and alcohol intoxication (OR: 2.6, 95% CI: 1.4 – 4.7, p=0.001) to be significantly associated with major trauma. Risk of bias was moderate to high across all 6 studies.ConclusionThis systematic review highlighted the paucity of literature surrounding the incidence of major trauma following falls down stairs.A retrospective cohort study is currently being undertaken to analyse the risk of major trauma following falls down stairs. On completion, the results will be incorporated with the results of this systematic review.

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Operationalizing respectful maternity care at the healthcare provider level: a systematic scoping review

Reproductive Health ◽

10.1186/s12978-021-01241-5 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (1) ◽

Author(s):

R. Rima Jolivet ◽

Jewel Gausman ◽

Neena Kapoor ◽

Ana Langer ◽

Jigyasa Sharma ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Healthcare Provider ◽

Maternity Care ◽

Grey Literature ◽

Respectful Maternity Care ◽

Maternal And Newborn Health ◽

Qualitative Synthesis ◽

The Right ◽

Evidence Generation ◽

Respectful Care

Abstract Background Ensuring the right to respectful care for maternal and newborn health, a critical dimension of quality and acceptability, requires meeting standards for Respectful Maternity Care (RMC). Absence of mistreatment does not constitute RMC. Evidence generation to inform definitional standards for RMC is in an early stage. The aim of this systematic review is clear provider-level operationalization of key RMC principles, to facilitate their consistent implementation. Methods Two rights-based frameworks define the underlying principles of RMC. A qualitative synthesis of both frameworks resulted in seven fundamental rights during childbirth that form the foundation of RMC. To codify operational definitions for these key elements of RMC at the healthcare provider level, we systematically reviewed peer-reviewed literature, grey literature, white papers, and seminal documents on RMC. We focused on literature describing RMC in the affirmative rather than mistreatment experienced by women during childbirth, and operationalized RMC by describing objective provider-level behaviors. Results Through a systematic review, 514 records (peer-reviewed articles, reports, and guidelines) were assessed to identify operational definitions of RMC grounded in those rights. After screening and review, 54 records were included in the qualitative synthesis and mapped to the seven RMC rights. The majority of articles provided guidance on operationalization of rights to freedom from harm and ill treatment; dignity and respect; information and informed consent; privacy and confidentiality; and timely healthcare. Only a quarter of articles mentioned concrete or affirmative actions to operationalize the right to non-discrimination, equality and equitable care; less than 15%, the right to liberty and freedom from coercion. Provider behaviors mentioned in the literature aligned overall with seven RMC principles; yet the smaller number of available research studies that included operationalized definitions for some key elements of RMC illustrates the nascent stage of evidence-generation in this area. Conclusions Lack of systematic codification, grounded in empirical evidence, of operational definitions for RMC at the provider level has limited the study, design, implementation, and comparative assessment of respectful care. This qualitative systematic review provides a foundation for maternity healthcare professional policy, training, programming, research, and program evaluation aimed at studying and improving RMC at the provider level.

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Validity of recalled v. recorded birth weight: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Journal of Developmental Origins of Health and Disease ◽

10.1017/s2040174416000581 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 8 (2) ◽

pp. 137-148 ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

S. D. Shenkin ◽

M. G. Zhang ◽

G. Der ◽

S. Mathur ◽

T. H. Mina ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Birth Weight ◽

Random Effects ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Epidemiological Studies ◽

Clinical Population ◽

Small Range ◽

Qualitative Synthesis ◽

Middle Income ◽

Meta Analyses

Low birth weight is associated with adverse health outcomes. If birth weight records are not available, studies may use recalled birth weight. It is unclear whether this is reliable. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies comparing recalled with recorded birth weights. We followed the Meta-Analyses of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (MOOSE) statement and Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE and Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL) to May 2015. We included studies that reported recalled birth weight and recorded birth weight. We excluded studies investigating a clinical population. Two reviewers independently reviewed citations, extracted data, assessed risk of bias. Data were pooled in a random effects meta-analysis for correlation and mean difference. In total, 40 studies were eligible for qualitative synthesis (n=78,997 births from 78,196 parents). Agreement between recalled and recorded birth weight was high: pooled estimate of correlation in 23 samples from 19 studies (n=7406) was 0.90 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.87–0.93]. The difference between recalled and recorded birth weight in 29 samples from 26 studies (n=29,293) was small [range −86–129 g; random effects estimate 1.4 g (95% CI −4.0–6.9 g)]. Studies were heterogeneous, with no evidence for an effect of time since birth, person reporting, recall bias, or birth order. In post-hoc subgroup analysis, recall was higher than recorded birth weight by 80 g (95% CI 57–103 g) in low and middle income countries. In conclusion, there is high agreement between recalled and recorded birth weight. If birth weight is recalled, it is suitable for use in epidemiological studies, at least in high income countries.

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Ultra-Processed Food Availability and Noncommunicable Diseases: A Systematic Review

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph18147382 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (14) ◽

pp. 7382

Author(s):

Taissa Pereira de Araújo ◽

Milena M. de Moraes ◽

Vânia Magalhães ◽

Cláudia Afonso ◽

Cristina Santos ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Risk Factors ◽

Systematic Review ◽

Health Outcomes ◽

Food Consumption ◽

Selection Process ◽

Positive Association ◽

Overweight And Obesity ◽

Noncommunicable Diseases ◽

Processed Food ◽

Individual Level

Ultra-processed food (UPF) can be harmful to the population’s health. To establish associations between UPF and health outcomes, food consumption can be assessed using availability data, such as purchase lists or household budget surveys. The aim of this systematic review was to search studies that related UPF availability with noncommunicable diseases or their risk factors. PRISMA guidelines were used. Searches were performed in PubMed, EBSCO, Scopus and Web of Science in February 2021. The search strategy included terms related to exposure (UPF) and outcomes (noncommunicable diseases and their risk factors). Studies that assessed only food consumption at an individual level and did not present health outcomes were excluded. Two reviewers conducted the selection process, and a third helped when disagreement occurred. The Newcastle–Ottawa Scale was used to assess the studies’ quality; 998 records were analyzed. All 11 eligible studies were ecological and assessed overweight and obesity as a health outcome, only one showed no positive association with UPF availability. Two studies included the prevalence of diabetes as an outcome, however no significant association was found with UPF availability. Studies relating UPF availability and health outcomes are focused on overweight and obesity. It is necessary to further explore the relationship between other health outcomes and UPF availability using purchase or sales data.

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Overweight and obesity as potential prognostic factors for severity and mortality in patients with COVID-19: A living systematic review protocol

10.31219/osf.io/t97ab ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Catherine Bonilla-Untiveros ◽

Saby Camacho-Lopez ◽

Eduard Baladia ◽

Luis E. Ortiz-Muñoz ◽

Gabriel Rada

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Grey Literature ◽

Overweight And Obesity ◽

Cochrane Central Register ◽

Suspected Infection ◽

Central Register ◽

Review Protocol ◽

The Impact ◽

Overweight Or Obesity

ObjectiveThis living systematic review aims to provide a timely, rigorous and continuously updated summary about the impact of overweight or obesity as a prognostic factor for severity and mortality in patients with COVID-19. DesignThis is a protocol of a living systematic review.Data sourcesWe will conduct searches in MEDLINE/PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), grey literature and in a centralized repository in L·OVE (Living OVerview of Evidence). L·OVE is a platform that maps PICO questions to evidence from Epistemonikos database. In response to the COVID-19 emergency, L·OVE was adapted to expand the range of evidence it covers and customised to group all COVID-19 evidence in one place. The search will cover the period until the day before submission to a journal.Eligibility criteria for selecting studies and methods We adapted an already published common protocol for multiple parallel systematic reviews to the specificities of this question. We will include all primary studies that assess patients with confirmed or suspected infection with SARS-CoV-2 and inform the relation of overweight or obesity with death or disease severity. Two reviewers will independently screen each study for eligibility, extract data, and assess the risk of bias. We will pool the results using meta-analysis and will apply the GRADE system to assess the certainty of the evidence for each outcome. A living, web-based version of this review will be openly available during the COVID-19 pandemic. We will resubmit it every time the conclusions change or whenever there are substantial updates.

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Diagnostic acuuracy of cerebrospinal fluid and serum-isolated exosomes for glioblastoma: a systematic review and meta-analysis

10.21203/rs.2.22976/v1 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Davod Jafari ◽

Amir Tiyuri ◽

Elmnaz Rezaei ◽

Yousef Moradi ◽

Rasool Jafari ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Early Detection ◽

Likelihood Ratio ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Grey Literature ◽

Area Under The Curve ◽

Positive Likelihood Ratio ◽

Negative Likelihood Ratio ◽

High Morbidity ◽

Qualitative Synthesis

Abstract Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most malignant glioma cancer with a high morbidity and mortality worldwide. Unfortunately, a routine method is not available for screening or preoperative early detection of GBM. However, early detection in a none-invasive or minimally invasive method could be beneficial and increase the survival rate. In this systematic review and meta-analysis, we aimed to examine the diagnostic accuracy of exosomal RNAs that were extracted from patients’ CSF or serum for GBM diagnosis. We searched Web of Science, Scopus, PubMed (including Medline), Embase and ProQuest (as databases for grey literature) up to December 2019; we also performed backward and forward reference checking of included and relevant studies. Finally, included studies were assessed with QUADAS-2 checklist and their data extracted. We carried out a meta-analysis of included study, regarding to the diagnostic meta-analysis guidelines for obtaining pooled accuracy estimates. In addition, sensitivity analysis and meta-regression were also conducted. We retrived 1730 records from databases, nine of them included in systematic review and qualitative synthesis. Six studies were considered to statistical analysis and performed diagnostic meta-analysis. Our results suggested that the pooled sensitivity and specificity of exosomal biomarkers for GBM were 0.76 and 0.80, respectively. In addition, the pooled positive likelihood ratio (PLR), negative likelihood ratio (NLR), and diagnostic odds ratio (DOR) were 3.7, 0.30 and 12, respectively. The overall area under the curve (AUC) of exosomal biomarkers for GBM diagnosis was found to be 0.85. According to our results, the value of 0.85 for AUC, suggesting that exosomal biomarkers might serve as a high potential and non-invasive diagnostic tool for GBM.

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Effect of Warm-Needling Acupuncture in Overweight and Obese Adults: Protocol for a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

10.21203/rs.3.rs-49620/v1 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Junpeng YAO ◽

Liping Chen ◽

Hui Zheng ◽

Lin Zhang ◽

Ying Li

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Evaluation System ◽

Grey Literature ◽

Overweight And Obesity ◽

Biomedical Literature ◽

Current Evidence ◽

Controlled Trials ◽

Cochrane Central Register ◽

Academic Degree ◽

Warm Needling

Abstract Background: Overweight and obesity are chronic metabolic diseases characterized by abnormal or excessive fat accumulation that presents a risk to health. Warm-needling acupuncture (WNA), which combines the characteristics of acupuncture and moxibustion, has been commonly used to manage obesity with reasonable weight control in recent years. Therefore, our objective is to systematically appraise the efficacy and safety of WNA for overweight and obesity.Methods: Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), MEDLINE (via PubMed), Excerpt Medica Database (EMBASE), ALT HealthWatch, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), Allied and Complementary Medicine Database (AMED), the Chinese Biomedical Literature Database (CBM), Wanfang Data, and grey literature (trial registries, conference proceedings and academic degree dissertations) will be searched for the identification of articles. All randomized controlled trials (RCTs) involving WNA independently or as an adjunct to other active therapies, compared with the same therapies alone, will be included. The principal outcome will be the difference in BMI from baseline to the end of studies. Secondary outcomes include the change of weight, waist circumference, percentage of body fat, serum lipid before and after treatment. The severity and incidence of adverse events will be measured as the safety assessment. Study selection, data extraction, and assessment of risk of bias will be performed independently by two reviewers. A third reviewer will resolve and determine disagreements. The Review Manager software (V.5.3.5) and Stata software (V.14.0) will be used for data synthesis. Furthermore, the quality of the evidence for the results will be described according to the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation system (GRADE) with GRADEprofiler software (V.3.6.1).Discussion: This is the first systematic review to evaluate the effect of WNA in the management of obesity. This program will provide a high-quality synthesis of the current evidence to identify whether WNA is an effective therapeutic approach for overweight and obesity.Systematic review registration: PROSPERO CRD42019146380.

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Economic evaluation of clinical quality registries: a systematic review

BMJ Open ◽

10.1136/bmjopen-2019-030984 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 9 (12) ◽

pp. e030984 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Peter Lee ◽

Ken Chin ◽

Danny Liew ◽

Dion Stub ◽

Angela L Brennan ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Economic Evaluation ◽

Cost Effectiveness ◽

Grey Literature ◽

Bibliographic Databases ◽

Narrative Synthesis ◽

Clinical Quality ◽

Government Report ◽

The Government ◽

The Cost

ObjectivesThe objective of this systematic review was to examine the existing evidence base for the cost-effectiveness or cost-benefit of clinical quality registries (CQRs).DesignSystematic review and narrative synthesis.Data sourcesNine electronic bibliographic databases, including MEDLINE, EMBASE and CENTRAL, in the period from January 2000 to August 2019.Eligibility criteriaAny peer-reviewed published study or grey literature in English which had reported on an economic evaluation of one or more CQRs.Data extraction and synthesisData were screened, extracted and appraised by two independent reviewers. A narrative synthesis was performed around key attributes of each CQR and on key patient outcomes or changes to healthcare processes or utilisation. A narrative synthesis of the cost-effectiveness associated with CQRs was also conducted. The primary outcome was cost-effectiveness, in terms of the estimated incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER), cost savings or return-on-investment (ROI) attributed to CQR implementation.ResultsThree studies and one government report met the inclusion criteria for the review. A study of the National Surgical Quality Improvement Programme (NSQIP) in the USA found that the cost-effectiveness of this registry improved over time, based on an ICER of US$8312 per postoperative event avoided. A separate study in Canada estimated the ROI to be US$3.43 per US$1.00 invested in the NSQIP. An evaluation of a post-splenectomy CQR in Australia estimated that registry cost-effectiveness improved from US$234 329 to US$18 358 per life year gained when considering the benefits accrued over the lifetime of the population. The government report evaluating five Australian CQRs estimated an overall return of 1.6–5.5 times the cost of investment.ConclusionsAvailable data indicate that CQRs can be cost-effective and can lead to significant returns on investment. It is clear that further studies that evaluate the economic and clinical impacts of CQRs are necessary.PROSPERO registration numberCRD42018116807.

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Are physical factors associated with poor prognosis following a whiplash trauma?: a protocol for a systematic review and data synthesis

BMJ Open ◽

10.1136/bmjopen-2019-033298 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 9 (11) ◽

pp. e033298

Author(s):

Ahmed Alalawi ◽

Alessio Gallina ◽

Michele Sterling ◽

Deborah Falla

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Evaluation Method ◽

Grey Literature ◽

Neck Disability Index ◽

Current Evidence ◽

Physical Factors ◽

Qualitative Synthesis ◽

Post Injury ◽

Patient Reported ◽

Whiplash Trauma

IntroductionMitigating the transition from acute to chronic whiplash-associated disorders (WAD) is fundamental, and this could be achieved through early identification of individuals at risk. Several physical factors such as angular velocity, smoothness of neck movement and coactivation of neck flexors and extensors, have been observed in patients with WAD, but their predictive ability after a whiplash injury have not been considered in previous reviews. Therefore, the aim of the current protocol is to outline the protocol for a systematic review that synthesises the current evidence of which physical factors can predict ongoing pain and disability following a whiplash trauma.Methods and analysisTwo independent reviewers will search for studies in several electronic databases including MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, PsycINFO, Scopus and Web of Science as well as grey literature. Observational cohort studies will be considered if they involve participants with acute WAD followed for at least 3 months post-injury. Studies will be required to assess the prognostic ability of one or more physical factors that directly involve a body function and/or structure and can be measured objectively. Further, patient-reported outcomes of physical function will be considered. The primary outcome for this review is Neck Disability Index, while all other validated measures will be considered as secondary outcomes. Risk of bias across individual studies will be assessed using the Quality In Prognostic Studies tool along with the Grades of Recommendation, Assessment, Development and Evaluation method to assess the quality of evidence. A meta-analysis will be conducted depending on homogeneity and the number of available studies. If appropriate, data will be pooled and presented as odds ratios, otherwise, a qualitative synthesis will be conducted.Ethics and disseminationEthical approval is not required for this systematic review. The result from this review will be published in peer-reviewed journals.PROSPERO registration numberCRD42019122559

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