scholarly journals Prevalence of At-Risk Marriages among Couples attending Premarital Screening (PMS) Programs: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Author(s):  
BibiAsma Syed ◽  
Mashael Alshafai ◽  
Karam Turk-Adawi

Background: Hemoglobinopathies are among the most common inherited genetic diseases. The World Health Organization estimates that at least 5% of the world’s population are carriers for hemoglobinopathies (2.9% for thalassemia and 2.3% for sickle cell disease). Programs like premarital screening (PMS) have been developed in most Middle East countries on a mandatory basis to reduce atrisk marriages by providing counseling after a confirmed “genetic carrier” state for hemoglobinopathies. Aim/Objective: The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to estimate the prevalence of atrisk marriages globally and see the variation by region, income level, ethnicity, study period, implementation year of PMS program, study design and consanguinity proportion. Methods: Different databases such as PubMed, Science Direct, and Scopus were searched systematically by using key terms and MeSH Terms. Studies from Google Scholar and reference lists of studies were also collected, and the author extracted all relevant data. Two reviewers independently conducted quality assessment by using Hoy et al (2012) risk of bias tool. Quality effects model (QEM) was used due to considerable heterogeneity observed between studies. Subgroup analysis and sensitivity analysis were also performed for assessing the causes of heterogeneity. Results: A total of 15 studies were included in this meta-analysis. The overall pooled prevalence of at-risk marriages among total couples at-risk was 64% (95% CI: 49%- 78%). Estimates of several subgroups were found to be different as compared to the overall pooled estimate. Funnel plot and Doi plot indicated the presence of publication bias. Sensitivity analysis including only studies with low risk led to a pooled estimate of 52% (CI: 46%, 57%) and indicated absence of publication bias. Conclusion and recommendations: The pooled estimates varied widely and there was a substantial heterogeneity among studies, therefore, there is a need for more well-designed studies across different countries. Moreover, the importance of the quality of counseling sessions should be stressed and combined with efforts in other community sectors, such as high schools where students can attain high knowledge regarding genetic diseases before the age of marriage.


2018 ◽  
Vol 25 (7) ◽  
pp. 706-716 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yupeng Wu ◽  
Dandan Sun ◽  
Bin Wang ◽  
Yanfeng Li ◽  
Yi Ma

Objectives The relationship of depressive symptoms and subclinical atherosclerosis remains controversial. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the effect of depressive symptoms on the functional and structural markers of subclinical atherosclerosis as measured by carotid intima-media thickness (IMT), pulse wave velocity (PWV) and flow-mediated vasodilation (FMD). Methods A systematic literature search was performed electronically. Studies relating IMT, PWV or FMD to depressive symptoms were included. Standard/weighted mean differences (SMD/WMD) and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were pooled in overall and subgroup analyses (age, sex, depression diagnosis, region, study design, site measured and sample size). Sensitivity analysis and publication bias were also conducted. Results Thirty-eight articles involving 5947 patients with depressive symptoms and 34,423 controls without depressive symptoms were included. Compared with controls without depressive symptoms, patients with depressive symptoms showed a significantly thicker IMT (SMD (95% CI) = 0.137 (0.047–0.227), p = 0.003), a higher PWV (SMD (95% CI) = 0.216 (0.139–0.293), p < 0.001) and a lower FMD (WMD (95% CI) = –2.554 (–3.709 to –1.399), p < 0.001). When analyzing subgroups with age and female ratio, all results were still significant ( p < 0.05) except IMT and FMD in age < 50 years subgroups ( p > 0.05). There was no statistical significance in sensitivity analysis and publication bias ( p > 0.05). Conclusions Depressive symptoms contributed toward subclinical atherosclerosis, and resulted in impaired functional and structural markers of subclinical atherosclerosis, which holds great promise in early prevention of cardiovascular disease.



2019 ◽  
Vol 51 (03) ◽  
pp. 157-164 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amir Hadi ◽  
Ehsan Ghaedi ◽  
Sajjad Moradi ◽  
Makan Pourmasoumi ◽  
Abed Ghavami ◽  
...  

AbstractMelatonin is a physiological indoleamine secreted from the pineal gland into the bloodstream. This hormone has antioxidant effects in cardiovascular disease, but the evidence regarding its effects on blood pressure (BP) has not been conclusive. Therefore, we assessed the impact of melatonin supplementation on systolic BP (SBP) and diastolic BP (DBP) through a systematic review and meta—analysis of available randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Medline, Scopus, Web of Science, Cochrane library, and Google scholar (until May 2018) were searched to identify potential RCTs with information on melatonin supplementation and BP. Mean Differences (MD) were pooled using a random-effects model. Standard methods were used for assessment of heterogeneity, sensitivity analysis, and publication bias. Pooling 5 RCTs (6 treatment arms) together identified significant reduction for SBP (MD: −3.43 mmHg, 95% confidence interval (CI): −5.76 to −1.09, p=0.004) and DBP (MD: −3.33 mmHg, 95% CI: −4.57 to −2.08, p<0.001) after supplementation with melatonin compared with control treatment. The sensitivity analysis indicated that the results were robust. We did not observe any evidence regarding publication bias. The findings of this meta-analysis support the overall favorable effect of melatonin supplementation on BP regulation.



2013 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 45-58 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bundit Sornpaisarn ◽  
Kevin Shield ◽  
Joanna Cohen ◽  
Robert Schwartz ◽  
Jürgen Rehm

Sornpaisarn, B., Shield, K. Cohen, J., Schwartz, R. & Rehm, J. (2013). Elasticity of alcohol consumption, alcohol-related harms, and drinking initiation in low- and middle-income countries: A systematic review and meta-analysis. International Journal of Alcohol and Drug Research, 2(1), 45-58.  doi: 10.7895/ijadr.v2i1.50 (http://dx.doi.org/10.7895/ijadr.v2i1.50)Aim: To systematically review research outlining the effects of price and taxation on alcohol consumption, alcohol-related harms, and drinking initiation in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC).Design: The systematic review and meta-analyses were conducted according to internationally standardized protocols (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis; PRISMA). Data were collected up to June 2011 by searching the peer-reviewed article databases MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO, and EconLit, along with the World Health Organization’s gray literature Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effects, and by reference tracking. The meta-analyses were performed using random effects analysis, tests for publication bias, and sensitivity analyses.Measures: Any type of association between alcohol price and/or taxation and alcohol consumption, alcohol-related harms, and alcohol drinking initiation in LMIC.Findings: Our systematic search disclosed 12 studies that outlined an association between alcohol price or taxation and alcohol consumption in LMIC, while no articles were found that outlined a relationship between taxation and/or price and alcohol-related harms or drinking initiation in LMIC. The elasticity estimates were –0.64 (95% CI: –0.80 to –0.48) for total consumption of alcohol, –0.50 (95% CI: –0.78 to –0.21) for consumption of beer, and –0.79 (95% CI: –1.09 to –0.49) for consumption of other alcoholic beverages. Publication bias did not significantly affect the estimated elasticities.Conclusion: Price elasticity of demand for alcohol in LMIC is similar to that found in high-income countries. There is an imperative need for research on the association between alcohol price or taxation and alcohol-related harms and drinking initiation in LMIC.



2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuehong Chen ◽  
Huan Liu ◽  
Yupeng Huang ◽  
Sang Lin ◽  
Geng Yin ◽  
...  

Objective: This systematic review and meta-analysis is aimed at assessing the risks of cardiovascular adverse events in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) who have been treated with fostamatinib.Methods: The electronic databases of OVID Medline, OVID EMBASE, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and Web of Science were searched to identify studies that reported cardiovascular events or hypertension in RA patients treated with fostamatinib. Two reviewers separately and simultaneously screened the retrieved studies based on study selection criteria, collected data and performed methodological quality assessments. The effect size of meta-analysis was estimated by the Peto odds ratio (OR) or relative risk (RR) with 95% confidence intervals (95%CI). Funnel plot was used to estimate publication bias and sensitivity analysis was performed to test the robustness of the results.Results: A total of 12 trials composed of 5,618 participants with low to moderate risk of bias were included. In comparison to the placebo, the use of fostamatinib was found to elevate the risk of hypertension (RR=3.82, 95%CI 2.88–5.05) but was not associated with the risks of all-cause death (Peto OR=0.16, 95%CI 0.02–1.24), major adverse cardiovascular events (Peto OR=1.24, 95%CI 0.26–5.97), pulmonary heart disease and disease of pulmonary circulation (Peto OR=1.23, 95%CI 0.13–11.87), in addition to other forms of heart disease (Peto OR=1.96, 95%CI 0.72–5.38). Furthermore, sensitivity analysis showed no significant change in effective trends and no publication bias was found.Conclusion: Fostamatinib is associated with increased risk of hypertension; however, no increased risks of cardiovascular events were observed. Further well-planned cohort studies with large study populations and longer follow-up times are needed to elucidate the outcomes.Systematic Review Registration: [PROSPERO], identifier [CRD42020198217].



2019 ◽  
Vol 41 ◽  
pp. e2019011 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sohrab Iranpour ◽  
Ali Hosseinzadeh ◽  
Abbas Alipour

Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is most common form of leishmaniasis and is characterized by ulcerative skin lesions. The objective of this study was to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis of clinical trials that compared the efficacy of miltefosine and glucantime for the treatment of CL. We searched the following databases: Cochrane, PubMed, Embase, Scopus, Web of Science, ProQuest, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, International Clinical Trials Registry Platform search portal of World Health Organization, Sid, Irandoc, Magiran, and clinicaltrials.gov. We used keywords including “miltefosine,” “glucantime,” and “Leishmania.” The quality of studies was assessed using the Cochrane risk of bias tool. A random-effects model was employed for the analysis. We assessed heterogeneity by the chi-square test and the I2 index statistic. When heterogeneity was present, meta-regression analyses were performed. The Egger method was used to assess publication bias; when it was significant, the trim-and-fill method was used to test and adjust for publication bias. A total of 1,570 reports were identified, of which 10 studies were included in the meta-analysis. In the meta-analysis, there was no significant difference between the efficacy of miltefosine and glucantime; however, subgroup analysis showed that, regarding parasite species other than Leishmania braziliensis, miltefosine was significantly superior to glucantime (intention to treat; relative risk, 1.15; 95% confidence interval, 1.01 to 1.32). In the meta-regression, only the glucantime injection type was significant at the p=0.1 level. The Egger test found statistically significant publication bias; however, including the 3 missing studies in the trim-and-fill analysis did not change the results. This meta-analysis found that miltefosine seems to be more effective than glucantime, at least in species other than L. braziliensis, for treating CL.



Nutrients ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (6) ◽  
pp. 1891
Author(s):  
Rosario Pastor ◽  
Josep A. Tur

The objective of this review was to provide an up-to-date review of trials that include behavioral intervention on the eating habits of children and adolescents at risk of poverty, applying meta-analysis to estimate the size of the intervention effect. A systematic literature search was performed in the following databases: MEDLINE via Pubmed and via EBSCOhost, LILACS and IBECS via VHL. The MeSH terms were used: “social class”, “poverty”, “diet”, “health promotion” (PROSPERO ID: 183900). A total of 14 articles were finally included in this systematic review. The primary results of the included studies were meta-analyzed with the RevMan 5.3 program, assuming a random effects model. Analysis of the overall effect showed combined standardized mean differences (SMD) of 0.16 (CI 95%: [0.03, 0.30], I2 = 76%). The p-value for the Z statistic was 0.02, which reflects accuracy in the effect estimation. When establishing subgroups based on the intervention tracking time points, studies that provided longer-term follow-up data showed a combined SMD of 0.15 (CI 95%: [−0.02, 0.32], I2 = 81%]). Small effects of behavioral interventions were found to promote healthy eating habits, but better effects were shown in cases where the invention was followed up in the long term.



Author(s):  
Mohammad Javad Nasiri ◽  
Sara Haddadi ◽  
Azin Tahvildari ◽  
Yeganeh Farsi ◽  
Mahta Arbabi ◽  
...  

Objectives: The rapidly evolving coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization on March 11, 2020. It was first detected in the city of Wuhan in China and has spread globally resulting in substantial health and economic crisis in many countries. Observational studies have partially identified the different aspects of this disease. Up to this date, no comprehensive systematic review for the clinical, laboratory, epidemiologic and mortality findings has been published. We conducted this systematic review and meta-analysis for a better understanding of COVID-19. Methods: We reviewed the scientific literature published from January 1, 2019 to March 3, 2020. Statistical analyses were performed with STATA (version 14, IC; Stata Corporation, College Station, TX, USA). The pooled frequency with 95% confidence intervals (CI) was assessed using random effect model. Publication bias was assessed and p <0.05 was considered a statistically significant publication bias. Results: Out of 1102 studies, 32 satisfied the inclusion criteria. A total of 4789 patients with a mean age of 49 years were evaluated. Fever (83.0%, CI 77.5 to 87.6), cough (65.2%, CI 58.6 to 71.2) and myalgia/fatigue (34.7, CI 26.0 to 44.4) were the most common symptoms. The most prevalent comorbidities were hypertension (18.5 %, CI 12.7 to 24.4) and Cardiovascular disease (14.9 %, CI 6.0 to 23.8). Among the laboratory abnormalities, elevated C-Reactive Protein (CRP) (72.0% (CI 54.3 to 84.6) and lymphopenia (50.1%, CI 38.0 to 62.4) were the most common findings. Bilateral ground-glass opacities (66.0%, CI 51.1 to 78.0) was the most common CT-Scan presentation. Pooled mortality rate was 6.6%, with males having significantly higher mortality compared to females (OR 3.4; 95% CI 1.2 to 9.1, P = 0.01). Conclusion: COVID-19 commonly presented with a progressive course of cough and fever with more than half of hospitalized patients showing leukopenia or a high CRP on their laboratory findings. Mortality associated with COVID19 was higher than that reported in studies in China with Males having a 3-fold higher risk of mortality in COVID19 compared to females.



2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joao Ricardo Nickenig Vissoci

BackgroundHarmful alcohol use leads to a large burden of disease and disability which disportionately impacts LMICs. The World Health Organization and the Lancet have issued calls for this burden to be addressed, but issues remain, primarily due to gaps in information. While a variety of interventions have been shown to be effective at reducing alcohol use in HICs, their efficacy in LMICs have yet to be assessed. This systematic review describes the current published literature on alcohol interventions in LMICs and conducts a meta analysis of clinical trials evaluating interventions to reduce alcohol use and harms in LMICs.MethodsIn accordance with PRISMA guidelines we searched the electronic databases Pubmed, EMBASE, Scopus,Web of Science, Cochrane, and Psych Info. Articles were eligible if they evaluated an intervention targeting alcohol-related harm in LMICs. After a reference and citation analysis, we conducted a quality assessment per PRISMA protocol. A meta-analysis was performed on the 39 randomized controlled trials that evaluated an alcohol-related outcome.ResultsOf the 3,801 articles from the literature search, 87 articles from 25 LMICs fit the eligibility and inclusion criteria. Of these studies, 39 randomized controlled trials were included in the meta-analysis. Nine of these studies focused specifically on medication, while the others focused on brief motivational intervention, brain stimulation, AUDIT-based brief interventions, WHO ASSIST-based interventions, group based education, basic screening and interventions, brief psychological or counseling, dyadic relapse prevention, group counseling, CBT, motivational + PTSD based interview, and health promotion/awareness. Conclusion Issues in determining feasible options specific to LMICs arise from unstandardized interventions, unequal geographic distribution of intervention implementation, and uncertain effectiveness over time. Current research shows that brain stimulation, psychotherapy, and brief motivational interviews have the potential to be effective in LMIC settings, but further feasibility testing and efforts to standardize results are necessary to accurately assess their effectiveness.



BMJ Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. e043373
Author(s):  
Isaiane da Silva Carvalho ◽  
Ryanne Carolynne Marques Gomes Mendes ◽  
Priscila de Oliveira Cabral Melo ◽  
Caroline Ferraz Simões ◽  
Luciana Pedrosa Leal ◽  
...  

IntroductionPrisons are places with high vulnerability and high risk for the development of sexually transmitted infections. World Health Agencies recommend establishing intervention measures, such as information and education, on the prevention of diseases. Thus, technologies as tools for health education have been used to reduce sexually transmitted infections. However, no systematic review has investigated the effectiveness of these interventions. Therefore, this review’s objective is to examine the effect of educational technologies used for preventing sexually transmitted infections in incarcerated women.Methods and analysisPreferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines will be strictly followed. The following electronic databases will be searched: Scopus; Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health, Education Resources Information Center, Embase, PsycINFO, PubMed/Medline, Web of Science and Google Scholar. Randomised clinical trials of interventions that used educational technologies to prevent sexually transmitted infections in incarcerated women will be searched in the databases from the beginning of 2020 until December by two researchers independently. A narrative synthesis will be constructed for all included studies, and if there are sufficient data, a meta-analysis will be performed using the Review Manager software (V.5.3). Continuous results will be presented as the weighted mean difference or the standardised mean difference with 95% CIs. Under the heterogeneity of the included studies, a random-effects or fixed-effects model will be used. The studies’ heterogeneity will be assessed by the I2 method. The sensitivity analysis will be carried out to examine the magnitude of each study’s influence on the general results. A significance level of p≤0.05 will be adopted.Ethics and disclosureEthical approval is not required because no primary data will be collected. The results will be published in journals reviewed by peers.PROSPERO registration numberCRD42020163820.



BMJ Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. e046370
Author(s):  
Aamer Imdad ◽  
Julie Melissa Ehrlich ◽  
Joseph Catania ◽  
Emily Tanner-Smith ◽  
Abigail Smith ◽  
...  

IntroductionPrevalence rates of breastfeeding remain low even though the World Health Organization (WHO) and the American Academy of Pediatrics recommend exclusive breast feeding for the first 6 months of life in combination with appropriate complementary feeding beyond six 6 months of age. There have been several studies that address the implication of drinking animal milk and/or infant formula on children’s health and development when breast feeding is not offered during the first year of life. Vast improvements have been made in infant formula design, which may increase its benefits compared with animal’s milk. The objective of this review is therefore to synthesise the most recent evidence on the effects of the consumption of animal milk compared with infant formula in non-breastfed or mixed breastfed infants aged 6–11 months.Methods and analysisWe will conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies that assessed the effect of animal milk compared with formula or mixed-fed (breastmilk and formula) on infants aged 6–11 months. The primary outcomes of interest include anaemia, gastrointestinal blood loss, weight for age, height for age and weight for height. We will include randomised and non-randomised studies with a control group. We will use the Cochrane risk of bias tools to assess the risk of bias. We will use meta-analysis to pool findings if the identified studies are conceptually homogenous and data are available from more than one study. We will assess the overall quality of evidence using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation approach.Ethics and disseminationThis is a systematic review, so no patients will be directly involved in the design or development of this study. The findings from this systematic review will be disseminated to relevant patient populations and caregivers and will guide the WHO’s recommendations on formula consumption versus animal milk in infants aged 6–11 months.Trial registration numberCRD42020210925.



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