Worldwide prevalence of fungal coinfections among COVID-19 patients: a comprehensive systematic review and meta-analysis

Microbial coinfections can increase the morbidity and mortality rates of viral respiratory diseases. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the pooled prevalence of fungal coinfections in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients. Web of Science, Medline, Scopus, and Embase were searched without language restrictions to identify the related research on COVID-19 patients with fungal coinfections from December 1, 2019, to December 30, 2020. A random-effects model was used for analysis. The sample size included 2,246 patients from 8 studies. The pooled prevalence of fungal coinfections was 12.60%. The frequency of fungal subtype coinfections was 3.71% for Aspergillus, 2.39% for Candida, and 0.39% for other. The World Health Organization’s Regional Office for Europe and Regional Office for Southeast Asia had the highest (23.28%) and lowest (4.53%) estimated prevalence of fungal coinfection, respectively. Our findings showed a high prevalence of fungal coinfections in COVID-19 cases, which is a likely contributor to mortality in COVID-19 patients. Early identification of fungal pathogens in the laboratory for COVID-19 patients can lead to timely treatment and prevention of further damage by this hidden infection.

Meta-analysis of the prevalence of depression among breast cancer survivors in Iran: an urgent need for community supportive care programs / 한국역학회지

OBJECTIVES: Depression, which is the most common comorbidity in breast cancer (BC) patients, has adverse effects on patients' quality of life, disease progress, and survival. METHODS: The protocol of this study was registered in PROSPERO (registration No. CRD42019121494). We electronically searched published studies through January 2019 with the aim of finding articles that investigated the prevalence of depression among BC survivors. Web of Science, Scopus, PubMed/MEDLINE, Science Direct, and Google Scholar were searched to obtain relevant published studies. This review included 14 cross-sectional and 4 cohort studies published from 2000 to 2018. We used a random-effects model to conduct the meta-analysis and generated a summary estimate for the pooled prevalence with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). A subgroup analysis was also conducted based on the depression assessment tool used and the study design. RESULTS: The total sample size of the studies contained 2,799 women with BC, including 1,228 women who were diagnosed with depression. The pooled prevalence of depression among Iranian women with BC was 46.83% (95% CI, 33.77 to 59.88) with significant heterogeneity (I² =98.5%; p<0.001). The prevalence of depression ranged from 14.00% (95% CI, 4.91 to 23.09) to 95.90% (95% CI, 91.97 to 99.83). The results of the subgroup analyses suggested that the depression assessment tool, year of publication, and study design were sources of heterogeneity. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings indicate a high prevalence of depression among BC patients, underscoring the urgent need for clinicians and health authorities to provide well-defined social and psychological supportive care programs for these patients.

Meta-analysis of the prevalence of depression among breast cancer survivors in Iran: an urgent need for community supportive care programs / 한국역학회지

OBJECTIVES@#Depression, which is the most common comorbidity in breast cancer (BC) patients, has adverse effects on patients' quality of life, disease progress, and survival.@*METHODS@#The protocol of this study was registered in PROSPERO (registration No. CRD42019121494). We electronically searched published studies through January 2019 with the aim of finding articles that investigated the prevalence of depression among BC survivors. Web of Science, Scopus, PubMed/MEDLINE, Science Direct, and Google Scholar were searched to obtain relevant published studies. This review included 14 cross-sectional and 4 cohort studies published from 2000 to 2018. We used a random-effects model to conduct the meta-analysis and generated a summary estimate for the pooled prevalence with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). A subgroup analysis was also conducted based on the depression assessment tool used and the study design.@*RESULTS@#The total sample size of the studies contained 2,799 women with BC, including 1,228 women who were diagnosed with depression. The pooled prevalence of depression among Iranian women with BC was 46.83% (95% CI, 33.77 to 59.88) with significant heterogeneity (I² =98.5%; p<0.001). The prevalence of depression ranged from 14.00% (95% CI, 4.91 to 23.09) to 95.90% (95% CI, 91.97 to 99.83). The results of the subgroup analyses suggested that the depression assessment tool, year of publication, and study design were sources of heterogeneity.@*CONCLUSIONS@#Our findings indicate a high prevalence of depression among BC patients, underscoring the urgent need for clinicians and health authorities to provide well-defined social and psychological supportive care programs for these patients.

Meta-analysis of the prevalence of depression among breast cancer survivors in Iran: an urgent need for community supportive care programs / 한국역학회지

OBJECTIVES: Depression, which is the most common comorbidity in breast cancer (BC) patients, has adverse effects on patients' quality of life, disease progress, and survival.METHODS: The protocol of this study was registered in PROSPERO (registration No. CRD42019121494). We electronically searched published studies through January 2019 with the aim of finding articles that investigated the prevalence of depression among BC survivors. Web of Science, Scopus, PubMed/MEDLINE, Science Direct, and Google Scholar were searched to obtain relevant published studies. This review included 14 cross-sectional and 4 cohort studies published from 2000 to 2018. We used a random-effects model to conduct the meta-analysis and generated a summary estimate for the pooled prevalence with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). A subgroup analysis was also conducted based on the depression assessment tool used and the study design.RESULTS: The total sample size of the studies contained 2,799 women with BC, including 1,228 women who were diagnosed with depression. The pooled prevalence of depression among Iranian women with BC was 46.83% (95% CI, 33.77 to 59.88) with significant heterogeneity (I² =98.5%; p<0.001). The prevalence of depression ranged from 14.00% (95% CI, 4.91 to 23.09) to 95.90% (95% CI, 91.97 to 99.83). The results of the subgroup analyses suggested that the depression assessment tool, year of publication, and study design were sources of heterogeneity.CONCLUSIONS: Our findings indicate a high prevalence of depression among BC patients, underscoring the urgent need for clinicians and health authorities to provide well-defined social and psychological supportive care programs for these patients.

The relationship of the structural and intermediate social determinants of health with low birth weight in Iran: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background and Aim: Primary experience of intrauterine period is the essential basis of the life for the embryo. Therefore paying attention to it can lead to reduced health inequities. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship of the structural and intermediate social determinants of health with low birth weight in Iran

Materials and

methods: This systematic review and meta-analysis was performed based on the studies conducted in Iran. We searched seven databases [Iranmedex, Magiran, SID, Irandoc, PubMed, Google Scholar and Scopus] by using keywords of social determinants of health, low birth weight and equivalents of them to find relevant articles published between 2000 and 2016. Data from relevant studies were extracted by two persons separately and evaluated by using the Stroop checklist. After extracting the required data, they were combined using a random model and the heterogeneity of the studies was evaluated by the I2 index. STATA-11 software was used for data analysis

Result: Thirty articles were analyzed in this systematic review and meta-analysis. The sample size included 42142 people. The overall odds ratios for the relationship of the structural and intermediate social determinants of health with LBW were estimated as 1.52 [1.24 percent-1.85: percent95 CI] and 2.24 [1.85 percent-2.71: percent95 CI] respectively

Conclusion: Considering the importance of low birth weight in the health of newborns, basic measures should be taken to prevent the occurrence of this problem by identification of its risk factors and people at risk, improvement of living standards and regular prenatal care, counseling before pregnancy and improvement of the nutritional status of pregnant women

[Comparison of RD, L20B and Hep2 cell lines sensitivity to the standard poliovirus and oral polio vaccine virus]

As we are approaching the global eradication of wild poliovirus, laboratory surveillance of poliovirus by the gold standard cell culture method becomes increasingly important. As there is a lot of concern about accurate and sensitive detection of imported wild and Vaccine Derived Polioviruses [VDPVs] in Polio-Free countries, in this study we assessed and compared the sensitivity of the cell lines used in polio laboratory simultaneously to standard poliovirus and Oral Polio Vaccine [OPV] polioviruses, to ensure the accurate detection of circulating and imported polioviruses in the society. Cell sensitivity test was performed according to the World Health Organization [WHO], Polio Laboratory Manual for RD, L20B and Hep2 cell lines using 3 serotypes of standard monovalent and OPV polioviruses. The test was repeated every four passages for all cell lines. The sensitivity of L20B and Hep2 cell lines for standard poliovirus type 1 and 2 is more than sensitivity for the same types of OPV virus but for poliovirus type 3 it is vice versa. Also RD cell line is more sensitive to all 3 types of OPV virus. In addition, the test showed that increasing the passage number will decrease the sensitivity of all cell lines. Using RD and L20B cell lines simultaneously [with low passage number] will assure us of sensitivity and accuracy of the cell lines for detection of circulating and imported polioviruses