Publication practices of sub-Saharan African Cochrane authors: a bibliometric study.

INTRODUCTION: Cochrane Africa (https://africa.cochrane.org/) aims to increase Cochrane reviews addressing high priority questions in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Researchers residing in SSA, despite often drawing on Cochrane methods, training or resources, conduct and publish systematic reviews outside of Cochrane. Our objective was to investigate the extent to which Cochrane authors from SSA publish Cochrane and non-Cochrane reviews. METHODS: We conducted a bibliometric study of systematic reviews and overviews of systematic reviews from SSA, first by identifying SSA Cochrane authors, then retrieving their first and last author systematic reviews and overviews from PubMed (2008 to April 2019) and using descriptive analyses to investigate the country of origin, types of reviews and trends in publishing Cochrane and non-Cochrane systematic reviews over time. To be eligible, a review had to have predetermined objectives, eligibility criteria, at least two databases searched, data extraction, quality assessment and a first or last author with a SSA affiliation. RESULTS: We identified 657 Cochrane authors and 757 eligible systematic reviews. Most authors were from South Africa (n=332; 51%), followed by Nigeria (n=126; 19%). Three-quarters of the reviews (71%) were systematic reviews of interventions. The intervention reviews were more likely to be Cochrane reviews (60.3% vs 39.7%). Conversely, the overviews (23.8% vs 76.2%), qualitative reviews (14.8% vs 85.2%), diagnostic test accuracy reviews (16.1% vs 83.9%) and the 'other' reviews (11.1% vs 88.9%) were more likely to be non-Cochrane reviews. During the study period, the number of non-Cochrane reviews increased more than the number of Cochrane reviews. About a quarter of the reviews covered infectious disease topics. CONCLUSION: Cochrane authors from SSA are increasingly publishing a diverse variety of systematic reviews and overviews of systematic reviews, often opting for non-Cochrane journals.

Bioactive glass coatings on metallic implants for biomedical applications.

Metallic implant materials possess adequate mechanical properties such as strength, elastic modulus, and ductility for long term support and stability in vivo. Traditional metallic biomaterials, including stainless steels, cobalt-chromium alloys, and titanium and its alloys, have been the gold standards for load-bearing implant materials in hard tissue applications in the past decades. Biodegradable metals including iron, magnesium, and zinc have also emerged as novel biodegradable implant materials with different in vivo degradation rates. However, they do not possess good bioactivity and other biological functions. Bioactive glasses have been widely used as coating materials on the metallic implants to improve their integration with the host tissue and overall biological performances. The present review provides a detailed overview of the benefits and issues of metal alloys when used as biomedical implants and how they are improved by bioactive glass-based coatings for biomedical applications.

Blood-Brain Barrier Integrity and Clearance of Amyloid-ß from the BBB.

Alzheimer's disease, a type of dementia, affects memory, behavior, and cognitive processes in affected individuals. It is one of the prominent diseases, accounting for 60-80% of dementia cases and affecting a significant population of persons over the age of 65 years. While rare, Alzheimer's disease (AD) may affect the younger population as well. With such a widespread number of persons affected with AD, scientists have undertaken the initiative to develop a cure for this devastating disease; however, it has been deemed quite challenging. A dysfunctional blood-brain barrier, with impaired ability to clear amyloid-ß from the brain, has been directly linked to the development of Alzheimer's disease. The blood-brain barrier restricts the flow of many substances into and out of the brain and serves as a selective and protective barrier to the brain. A proper functioning blood-brain barrier contributes to the maintenance and integrity of the brain. In turn, different systems and mechanisms within the blood-brain barrier are set in place to facilitate mediated passage of materials and substances between the brain and the bloodstream. In relation to AD, the mediation of amyloid-ß clearance is of great importance in maintaining the blood-brain barrier's integrity.

Randomized controlled trials of HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment in Africa: results from the Cochrane HIV/AIDS Specialized Register.

INTRODUCTION: To effectively address HIV/AIDS in Africa, evidence on preventing new infections and providing effective treatment is needed. Ideally, decisions on which interventions are effective should be based on evidence from randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Our previous research described African RCTs of HIV/AIDS reported between 1987 and 2003. This study updates that analysis with RCTs published between 2004 and 2008. OBJECTIVES: To describe RCTs of HIV/AIDS conducted in Africa and reported between 2004 and 2008. METHODS: We searched the Cochrane HIV/AIDS Specialized Register in September 2009. Two researchers independently evaluated studies for inclusion and extracted data using standardized forms. Details included location of trials, interventions, methodological quality, location of principal investigators and funders. RESULTS: Our search identified 834 RCTs, with 68 conducted in Africa. Forty-three assessed prevention-interventions and 25 treatment-interventions. Fifteen of the 43 prevention RCTs focused on preventing mother-to-child HIV transmission. Thirteen of the 25 treatment trials focused on opportunistic infections. Trials were conducted in 16 countries with most in South Africa (20), Zambia (12) and Zimbabwe (9). The median sample size was 628 (range 33-9645). Methods used for the generation of the allocation sequence and allocation concealment were adequate in 38 and 32 trials, respectively, and 58 reports included a CONSORT recommended flow diagram. Twenty-nine principal investigators resided in the United States of America (USA) and 18 were from African countries. Trials were co-funded by different agencies with most of the funding obtained from USA governmental and non-governmental agencies. Nineteen pharmaceutical companies provided partial funding to 15 RCTs and African agencies co-funded 17 RCTs. Ethical approval was reported in 65 trials and informed consent in 61 trials. CONCLUSION: Prevention trials dominate the trial landscape in Africa. Of note, few principal investigators and funders are from Africa. These findings mirror our previous work and continue to indicate a need for strengthening trial research capacity in Africa.