scholarly journals Dengue Virus Infection and Associated Risk Factors in Africa: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Viruses ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 536
Author(s):  
Gaspary O. Mwanyika ◽  
Leonard E. G. Mboera ◽  
Sima Rugarabamu ◽  
Baraka Ngingo ◽  
Calvin Sindato ◽  
...  

Dengue contributes a significant burden on global public health and economies. In Africa, the burden of dengue virus (DENV) infection is not well described. This review was undertaken to determine the prevalence of dengue and associated risk factors. A literature search was done on PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, Embase, and Google Scholar databases to identify articles published between 1960 and 2020. Meta-analysis was performed using a random-effect model at a 95% confidence interval, followed by subgroup meta-analysis to determine the overall prevalence. Between 1960 and 2020, 45 outbreaks were identified, of which 17 and 16 occurred in East and West Africa, respectively. Dengue virus serotype 1 (DENV-1) and DENV-2 were the dominant serotypes contributing to 60% of the epidemics. Of 2211 cases reported between 2009 and 2020; 1954 (88.4%) were reported during outbreaks. Overall, the prevalence of dengue was 29% (95% CI: 20–39%) and 3% (95% CI: 1–5%) during the outbreak and non-outbreak periods, respectively. Old age (6/21 studies), lack of mosquito control (6/21), urban residence (4/21), climate change (3/21), and recent history of travel (3/21) were the leading risk factors. This review reports a high burden of dengue and increased risk of severe disease in Africa. Our findings provide useful information for clinical practice and health policy decisions to implement effective interventions.

2016 ◽  
Vol 115 (7) ◽  
pp. 1167-1177 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jing Sun ◽  
Nicholas J. Buys

AbstractThis meta-analysis examined the effect of probiotics on glucose and glycaemic factors in diabetes and its associated risk factors. All randomised-controlled trials published in English in multiple databases from January 2000 to June 2015 were systematically searched. Only studies that addressed glucose- and glycaemic-related factors as outcome variables were included. The main outcomes of interest in trials were mean changes in glucose, HbA1c, insulin and homoeostasis model assessment-estimated insulin resistance (HOMA-IR). Using the Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro) scale to assess the quality of studies, a total of eleven studies with 614 subjects were included. The pooled mean difference and effect size with a 95 % CI were extracted using a random-effect model. It was found that there are statistically significant pooled mean differences between the probiotics and the placebo-controlled groups on the reduction of glucose (−0·52 mmol/l, 95 % CI −0·92, −0·11 mmol/l; P=0·01) and HbA1c (−0·32 %, 95 % CI −0·57, −0·07 %; P=0·01). There was no statistically significant pooled mean difference between the probiotics and the placebo-controlled groups on the reduction of insulin (−0·48 µIU/ml, 95 % CI −1·34, 0·38 µIU/ml; P=0·27) and HOMA-IR (pooled effect of –0·44, 95 % CI −1·57, 0·70; P=0·45). Meta-regression analysis identified that probiotics had significant effects on reduction of glucose, HbA1c, insulin and HOMA-IR in participants with diabetes, but not in participants with other risk factors. The present meta-analysis suggested that probiotics may be used as an important dietary supplement in reducing the glucose metabolic factors associated with diabetes.


Cardiology ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 134 (3) ◽  
pp. 366-371 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bin Zhong ◽  
Yazhu Wang ◽  
Guo Zhang ◽  
Zhe Wang

Objectives: To investigate the incidence of new-onset amiodarone-induced hypothyroidism (AIH) and the associated risk factors. Methods: We performed a systematic search in MEDLINE, Embase, the Cochrane Library and the Chinese database from 1995 to 2015. Studies that investigated amiodarone-related adverse reactions on the thyroid were included. A random-effect model was used for the meta-analysis to investigate the incidence rate of AIH and associated risk factors. Results: We identified 465 studies, of which data from 9 studies were included, comprising 1,972 patients. The incidence of AIH was 14.0% (95% confidence interval, CI, 8.7-21.7%) as a whole; it was higher in areas with a high than a low iodine content in the environment (20.3 vs. 8.7%, p < 0.001); subgroup analysis showed that AIH occurred in 19.2% (95% CI 10.2-33.1%) of women and 13.3% (95% CI 7.9-21.7%) of men (p < 0.001). Meta-regression analysis indicated a positive correlation with the mean age and percentage of women. Conclusions: The occurrence of AIH is a relatively frequent complication of amiodarone, and older women are more likely to develop AIH, especially in areas with a high iodine content in the environment, and restriction of total exposure to iodine might decrease the incidence of AIH.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shasha Guo ◽  
Qiang Sun ◽  
Xinyang Zhao ◽  
Liyan Shen ◽  
Xuemei Zhen

Abstract Background Antibiotic resistance poses a significant threat to public health globally. Irrational utilization of antibiotics being one of the main reasons of antibiotic resistant. Children as a special group, there's more chance of getting infected. Although most of the infection is viral in etiology, antibiotics still are the most frequently prescribed medications for children. Therefore, high use of antibiotics among children raises concern about the appropriateness of antibiotic prescribing. This systematic review aims to measuring prevalence and risk factors for antibiotic utilization in children in China. Methods English and Chinese databases were searched to identify relevant studies evaluating the prevalence and risk factors for antibiotic utilization in Chinese children (0-18 years), which were published between 2010 and July 2020. A Meta-analysis of prevalence was performed using random effect model. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) and modified Jadad score was used to assess risk of bias of studies. In addition, we explored the risk factors of antibiotic utilization in Chinese children using qualitative analysis. Results Of 10,075 studies identified, 98 eligible studies were included after excluded duplicated studies. A total of 79 studies reported prevalence and 42 studies reported risk factors for antibiotic utilization in children. The overall prevalence of antibiotic utilization among outpatients and inpatients were 63.8% (35 studies, 95% confidence interval (CI): 55.1-72.4%), and 81.3% (41 studies, 95% CI: 77.3-85.2%), respectively. In addition, the overall prevalence of caregiver’s self-medicating of antibiotics for children at home was 37.8% (4 studies, 95% CI: 7.9-67.6%). The high prevalence of antibiotics was associated with multiple factors, while lacking of skills and knowledge in both physicians and caregivers was the most recognized risk factor, caregivers put pressure on physicians to get antibiotics and self-medicating with antibiotics at home for children also were the main factors attributed to this issue. Conclusion The prevalence of antibiotic utilization in Chinese children is heavy both in hospitals and home. It is important for government to develop more effective strategies to improve the irrational use of antibiotic, especially in rural setting.


2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽  
Author(s):  
I Giacchetta ◽  
M Chiavarini ◽  
G Naldini ◽  
R Fabiani

Abstract Background The probability of developing invasive cutaneous malignant melanoma (CMM) is higher in women than in men up until the age of 49. Several studies investigated the association between hormonal factors and CMM. The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis is to summarize the evidence on the association between Oral Contraceptives (OC) and the risk of CMM. Methods This review and meta-analysis follow the PRISMA guidelines. A systematic literature search was conducted on Medline and Web of Science until December 2019. Studies were eligible if reported a risk estimate for the association between OC and CMM. Heterogeneity testing was performed using Cochran's Q and I2 statistics. Publication bias was assessed by Egger's test and Begg's test. Meta-analysis was performed using random effect model. Results The results of the pooled analysis of all 32 studies showed no significant association between OC and the risk of CMM (OR 1.02; 95% CI 0.94-1.11; I2=39.32%, p = 0.013). The stratified analyses by study design found no significant association between OC and the risk of CMM neither in the 18 case-control studies (OR 1.02; 95% CI 0.87-1.21; I2=56.91%, p = 0.002) nor in the 14 cohort studies (OR 1.04; 95% CI 0.98-1.11; I2=0.00%, p = 0.557). No significant publication bias could be detected by Egger's test or Begg's test. Conclusions This meta-analysis of available literature suggests no significant association between OC and the risk of developing CMM. Further investigations are needed to evaluate the possible relationship of OC use and other hormonal factors potentially contributing to the increased risk of CMM in women during their reproductive years. Key messages Oral contraceptives (OC) do not significantly contribute to the risk of Cutaneous Malignant Melanoma (CMM). Further studies are needed to investigate the potential role of other hormonal factors in the increased probability of developing CMM in women during their reproductive years.


2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dipesh Kumar Yadav ◽  
Vishnu Prasad Adhikari ◽  
Qi Ling ◽  
Tingbo Liang

Background: The probable impact of a maintenance immunosuppressant (IS) on liver transplant (LT) recipients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) remains unexplored. Our specific aim was to approximate the prognosis of LT recipients with COVID-19 on the standard maintenance IS.Method: We searched separate databases for the qualified studies in between December 2019 and June 25, 2021. Ultimately, a meta-analysis was carried out using a fixed-effect or random-effect model based on the heterogeneity.Results: In a total of eight studies and 509 LT recipients with COVID-19, the pooled rates of severity and mortality during all the combined immunosuppressive therapies were 22.4 and 19.5%, respectively. Our study sufficiently showed that an immunosuppressive therapy in LT recipients with COVID-19 was significantly associated with a non-severe COVID-19 [odds ratio (OR): 11.49, 95% CI: 4.17–31.65; p &lt; 0.001] and the survival of the patients (OR: 17.64, 95% CI: 12.85–24.22; p &lt; 0.001). Moreover, mammalian target of rapamycin inhibitor (mTORi) typically had the lowest rate of severity and mortality compared to other ISs such as calcineurin inhibitors (CNIs), steroids, and antimetabolites, i.e., severity (13.5 vs. 21.1, 24.7, and 26.3%) and mortality (8.3 vs. 15, 17.2, and 12.1%), respectively. Contrary to the general opinions, our meta-analysis showed comorbidities such as diabetes, hypertension, cardiopulmonary disorders, chronic kidney disease (CKD), age &gt;60, the duration of LT to the diagnosis of COVID-19, primary disease for LT, and obesity were not significantly associated with the severity and mortality in LT recipients with COVID-19 under an immunosuppressive therapy. However, our pooled analysis found that LT recipients with COVID-19 and without comorbidities have a less severe disease and low mortality rate compared to those with both COVID-19 and comorbidities.Conclusions: In conclusion, LT recipients with COVID-19 undergoing immunosuppressive therapies are not significantly associated with the severity and mortality. Therefore, taking the risk of organ rejection into a key consideration, a complete withdrawal of the IS may not be wise. However, mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) might be discontinued or replaced from an immunosuppressive regimen with the CNIs- or mTORis-based immunosuppressive therapy in some selected LT recipients with COVID-19, depending upon the severity of the disease.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dongqing Gu ◽  
Shan Ou ◽  
Guodong Liu

Introduction: Previous studies have investigated the potential role of traumatic brain injury (TBI) in subsequent development of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease (AD) but reported inconsistent results. We aim to determine the association between TBI and subsequent occurrence of dementia and AD. Methods: We performed a systematic search in PubMed and Web of Science for studies that quantitatively investigated the association between TBI and risk of dementia and AD and were published on or before September 21, 2021. A random-effect model was used to combine the estimates. Results: Twenty-five eligible articles were included in this meta-analysis. The results suggested that TBI was associated with an increased risk of dementia (pooled odds ratio [OR] = 1.81, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.53 - 2.14). However, no association was observed between TBI and Alzheimer’s disease (pooled OR = 1.02, 95% CI = 0.91 - 1.15). In the subgroup analysis, TBI with loss of consciousness was not associated with risk of dementia (pooled OR = 0.96, 95% CI = 0.84 - 1.09). Besides, Asian ethnicity, male gender, and mean age of the participants less than 65 were associated with a higher risk of dementia. Conclusion: Our study suggests an increased risk of dementia among individuals with TBI, highlighting the need for more intensive medical monitoring and health education in individuals with TBI. Biological mechanisms linking TBI and the development of dementia are needed in future studies.


2020 ◽  
Vol 57 (1) ◽  
pp. 91-99
Author(s):  
Mansour MOGHIMI ◽  
Seyed Alireza DASTGHEIB ◽  
Naeimeh HEIRANIZADEH ◽  
Mohammad ZARE ◽  
Elnaz SHEIKHPOUR ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT BACKGROUND: The role of -251A>T polymorphism in the anti-inflammatory cytokine interleukin-8 (IL-8) gene in gastric cancer was intensively evaluated, but the results of these studies were inconsistent. OBJECTIVE: Therefore, we performed a meta-analysis to provide a comprehensive data on the association of IL-8 -251T>A polymorphism with gastric cancer. METHODS: All eligible studies were identified in PubMed, Web of Science, EMBASE, Wanfang and CNKI databases before September 01, 2019. The pooled odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were derived from a fixed effect or random effect model. RESULTS: A total of 33 case-control studies with 6,192 cases and 9,567 controls were selected. Overall, pooled data showed that IL-8 -251T>A polymorphism was significantly associated with an increased risk of gastric cancer under all five genetic models, i.e., allele (A vs T: OR=1.189, 95% CI 1.027-1.378, P=0.021), homozygote (AA vs TT: OR=1.307, 95% CI 1.111-1.536, P=0.001), heterozygote (AT vs TT: OR=1.188, 95% CI 1.061-1.330, P=0.003), dominant (AA+AT vs TT: OR=1.337, 95% CI 1.115-1.602, P=0.002) and recessive (AA vs AT+TT: OR=1.241, 95% CI 1.045-1.474, P=0.014). The stratified analysis by ethnicity revealed an increased risk of gastric cancer in Asians and mixed populations, but not in Caucasians. Moreover, stratified by country found a significant association in Chinese, Korean and Brazilian, but not among Japanese. CONCLUSION: This meta-analysis suggests that the IL-8 -251T>A polymorphism is associated with an increased risk of gastric cancer, especially by ethnicity (Asian and mixed populations) and country (Chinese, Korean and Brazilian).


2017 ◽  
Vol 37 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Xuan Du ◽  
Khemayanto Hidayat ◽  
Bi-Min Shi

To systematically and quantitatively review the relation of abdominal obesity, as measured by waist circumference (WC) and waist to hip ratio (WHR), to total gastroesophageal cancer, gastric cancer (GC), and esophageal cancer. PubMed and Web of Science databases were searched for studies assessing the association between abdominal obesity and gastroesophageal cancer (GC and/or esophageal cancer) up to August 2016. A random-effect model was used to calculate the summary relative risks (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Seven prospective cohort studies – one publication included two separate cohorts – from six publications were included in the final analysis. A total of 2130 gastroesophageal cancer cases diagnosed amongst 913182 participants. Higher WC and WHR were significantly associated with increased risk of total gastroesophageal cancer (WC: RR 1.68, 95% CI: 1.38, 2.04; WHR: RR 1.49, 95% CI: 1.19, 1.88), GC (WC: RR 1.48, 95% CI: 1.24, 1.78; WHR: 1.33, 95% CI: 1.04, 1.70), and esophageal cancer (WC: RR 2.06, 95% CI: 1.30, 3.24; WHR: RR 1.99, 95% CI: 1.05, 3.75).Findings from our subgroup analyses showed non-significant positive associations between gastric non-cardia adenocarcinoma (GNCA) and both measures of abdominal adiposity, while gastric cardia adenocarcinoma (GCA) was positively associated with WC but not with WHR. On analysis restricted to studies that adjusted for body mass index (BMI), WC was positively associated with GC and esophageal cancer, whereas WHR was positively associated with risk of GC only. Although limited, the findings from our meta-analysis suggest the potential role of abdominal obesity in the etiology of gastric and esophageal cancers.


2021 ◽  
Vol 53 (12) ◽  
pp. 801-809
Author(s):  
Ji Jin ◽  
Peirong Lu

AbstractDiabetes confers an increased risk of microvascular complications, including retinopathy. However, whether prediabetes is also related to retinopathy has not been comprehensively examined. We performed a meta-analysis to evaluate the relationship between prediabetes and retinopathy. This meta-analysis included relevant observational studies from Medline, Embase, and Web of Science databases. A random-effect model after incorporation of the intra-study heterogeneity was selected to pool the results. Subgroup analyses were applied to evaluate the influences of study characteristics on relationship. Nine cross-sectional studies including 14 751 community dwelling adult participants were included; 3847 (26.1%) of them were prediabetic. Results showed that prediabetes was associated with a higher prevalence of retinopathy compared to normoglycemia [odds ratio (OR): 1.55, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.10–2.20, p=0.01, I2=34%]. Sensitivity analysis by excluding one study at a time showed consistent result (OR: 1.35 to 1.73, p all<0.05). Subgroup analysis showed study characteristics such as definition of prediabetes, country of study, sample size, mean age of participants, or univariate or multivariate analyses may not significantly affect the association (p for subgroup difference all>0.05). Current evidence suggests that patients with prediabetes may be associated with higher prevalence of retinopathy as compared to those with normoglycemia. Although prospective cohort studies are needed to validate these findings, results of our meta-analysis highlighted the importance of early prevention of retinopathy in patients with prediabetes.


2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yipei Yang ◽  
Ziyue Li ◽  
Haifeng Liang ◽  
Jing Tian

Abstract Objective Metabolic syndrome (MetS) has been associated with hypercoagulative status. However, previous studies evaluating the association between MetS and incidence of venous thromboembolism (VTE) after total joint arthroplasty (TJA) showed inconsistent results. We performed a meta-analysis to evaluate the influence of MetS on the risk of VTE following TJA. Methods Cohort studies were identified by the search of PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane’s Library databases. A random-effect model was used if considerable heterogeneity was detected; otherwise, a fixed-effect model was used. Subgroup analyses according to the category of VTE, definition of MetS, category of procedure, and follow-up durations were performed. Results Seven cohort studies with 1,341,457 patients that underwent TJA were included, with 118,060 MetS patients (8.8%) at baseline. With a follow-up duration up to 3 months after surgery, 9788 patients had VTE. Pooled results with a random-effect model showed that MetS was not associated with increased overall VTE after TJA (adjusted risk ratio [RR] = 1.24, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.89 ~ 1.72, p = 0.20; I2 = 69%). The results were not significantly affected by the diagnostic criteria of MetS, category of the procedure, and follow-up durations. Subgroup analyses showed that MetS was not associated with an increased the risk of pulmonary embolism ([PE], RR 1.06, 95% CI 0.37 ~ 3.02, p = 0.91), but an increased risk of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) after TJA (RR 3.38, 95% CI 1.83 ~ 6.24, p < 0.001). Conclusions Current evidence from observational studies suggests MetS might be associated with an increased risk of DVT but not PE after TJA.


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