ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The current COVID-19 pandemic has challenged the infrastructure of the healthcare systems. To cope with the pandemic, substantial changes were introduced to surgical practice and education all over the world. METHODS: A scoping search in PubMed and Google Scholar was done using the search terms: "Coronavirus," "COVID-19", "SARS-CoV-2", "nCoV-2019", and "surgery." They were either searched individually or in combination. All relevant articles of any study design (published within December 15, 2019, till the mid of June 2020), were included and narratively discussed in this review. RESULTS: Sixty-six articles were reviewed in this article. Through these articles, we provide guidance and recommendations on the preoperative preparation and safety precautions, intraoperative precautions, postoperative precautions, postoperative complications (related to COVID-19), surgical scheduling, emergency surgeries, elective surgeries, cancer surgery, psychological impact on surgical teams, and surgical training during the COVID-19 pandemic. CONCLUSION: COVID-19 pandemic has affected nearly all aspects of surgical procedures, scheduling, and staffing. Special precautions were taken before, during, or after surgeries. New treatment and teaching modalities emerged in response to the pandemic. Psychological support and training platforms are necessary for the surgical team.
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To systematically search the literature and to summarize current evidence pertaining to the epidemiology of SCI in the MENA region incidence, gender, age, type of the injury and etiology of the injury. METHODS: Embase, PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science and EBSCOhost were systematically searched from their dates of inception till July 2017 for English and non-English language articles. Also, regional databases were searched. Data were extracted from eligible articles and pooled under the random effect model using R. References of the included articles were also screened for potentially relevant studies. RESULTS: We identified 29 articles from seven countries in the MENA region (Turkey, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait and Qatar). The mean age of the cases at time of injury was 31.32 (95% CI: 28.74-33.91). The random pooled annual incidence of TSCI per million was 23.24 (95% CI: 5.64-49.21). Pooled proportion of male gender was 77% (95% CI 73-80%) of the cases. Complete paraplegia was the most common type of injury. Thoracic level injury predominated. Also, the most commonly affected age group was 20-29 then 30-39. Motor vehicle accidents were found to be the leading cause of injury, then falls, gunshot, violence and sports. Further meta-regression analysis showed no association between age and etiology of the injury. CONCLUSION: This review shows lack of evidence about SCI in most countries of the MENA region. More epidemiological studies are needed.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: With the growing prevalence of dementia worldwide, two-third of the people with dementia are projected to be from the developing countries by 2050. AIM: This study reviews the literature regarding dementia prevalence in Egypt. METHODS: Six databases were systematically searched from their dates of inception till July 2016. Studies published in English and reporting dementia prevalence among nonhospitalized individuals after clinical examinations were considered eligible. References were screened independently by two reviewers in two steps: 1) abstract screening and 2) full-text reviewing. In addition, quality of the included studies was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa scale. RESULTS: Of the 1,630 references retrieved, six studies (n=28,029 participants) met our inclusion criteria. In all studies, dementia was ascertained using a three-phase survey (Phase I: screening, Phase II: clinical diagnosis, Phase III: laboratory investigations). The dementia prevalence ranged from 2.01% to 5.07%. Dementia increased with age, with the rapid increase among those aging ≥80. Also, its prevalence was higher among illiterate groups than among educated groups. Included studies were of low risk of bias. CONCLUSION: Dementia prevalence in Egypt demands including people with dementia in the health care system and promoting the awareness of dementia among the public. Also, more epidemiological studies in this field are needed.
