Illuminating the breast cancer survival rates among Southeast Asian women: A systematic review and meta-analysis spanning four decades.

In Southeast Asia, breast cancer is the most prevalent cancer among women and ranks as the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths. This systematic review and meta-analysis, encompassing 27 observational cohort studies with a minimum one-year follow-up period, aimed to examine temporal trends in breast cancer survival rates. Among the subset of five out of eleven Southeast Asian nations with available data, our analysis revealed pooled survival rates of 88.8 % at 1 year, 73.8 % at 3 years, 70.8 % at 5 years, and 49.3 % at 10 years for breast cancer patients. The mean age at diagnosis was 50.77±10.07 years, with 52.81 % of patients presenting with positive lymph nodes. Notably, stages I and II remained predominant even five years post-diagnosis. Although an overall amelioration in survival rates transpired over the preceding four decades, a noticeable exception pertained to the 3-year rate, demonstrating limited improvement. These findings underscore the pressing need for enhanced research efforts, particularly in countries within the region that lack survival data, to enable accurate estimations. Furthermore, our review also emphasizes the crucial need for future comprehensive, well-designed studies to delve into the factors behind survival rate disparities in Southeast Asia and the younger age at diagnosis compared to other regions.

Sugar-sweetened beverages consumption increases the risk of metabolic syndrome and its components in adults: Consistent and robust evidence from an umbrella review.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) are potential modifiable risk factors for reducing the risk of metabolic syndrome (MetS); however, there is a lack of an umbrella review that robustly synthesizes the evidence. This review aims to synthesize the evidence linking habitual SSBs intake with MetS in adults, emphasizing the need for policy and regulatory actions. METHODS: Four databases were comprehensively searched for relevant meta-analyses of prospective studies up to July 2023. Two authors independently conducted the screening for eligibility, data extraction, and quality assessment. The outcome of interest was MetS in adults, encompassing its component conditions. The present review was registered with PROSPERO (CRD42023402549). RESULTS: Of the 16 eligible meta-analyses identified, 30 summary estimates were obtained for the impact of SSBs consumption on obesity, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and MetS. Seven were rated as 'High' methodological quality, with the rest classified as 'Moderate' and 'Low' quality, consisting of three and six references, respectively. A comparison of the highest and lowest levels of SSBs consumption revealed an increased risk of 18% (95% CI: 13%-24%), 12% (95% CI: 11%-14%), 29% (95% CI: 25%-32%), and 29% (95% CI: 7%-52%) for obesity, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, and MetS, respectively. Consistently, the findings from dose-response analyses are in agreement with and corroborate the existing evidence that SSBs are a significant risk factor for the development of MetS and its related conditions. Noticeably, the quality of evidence was predominantly deemed as highly suggestive and convincing. Moreover, consensus on specific criteria to identify studies related to SSBs in literature searching was lacking, and most primary studies were conducted in developed countries and Europe. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that more rigorous and targeted policy interventions are warranted to curtail SSBs consumption, in order to alleviate the global burden of MetS.

Association between serum 25 (OH) D levels and depression symptoms in adults with prediabetes.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Depression symptoms are a significant risk factor for prediabetes-related diabetes, and low vitamin D levels are connected with depression symptoms. The goal of this study is to examine the association between vitamin D and depression symptoms in prediabetic persons. METHODS: This cross-sectional survey was conducted in Tianjin, China, among 4051 individuals. Symptoms of depression were assessed using the Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS) (cut-off point SDS ≥45). Serum 25 (OH) D concentrations were determined using an enzyme immunoassay (OCTEIA 25-hydroxy Vitamin D, IDS Ltd, UK) and classified into three levels: 50 nmol/L, 50-75 nmol/L, and >75 nmol/L. The link between serum 25 (OH) D concentrations and depression symptoms in prediabetes was investigated using multiple logistic regression analysis. The models were adjusted for a variety of potential confounders. RESULTS: The prevalence of symptoms of depression in prediabetic adults was 14.2% (12.5% males and 16.4% females). After adjusting for potentially confounding variables, the odds ratios - ORs for symptoms of depression in women across serum 25 (OH) D levels were 1.00 (reference), 1.03 (0.57, 1.39), and 0.28 (0.12, 0.57), respectively (p = 0.0015). However, no statistically significant connection was discovered in males. CONCLUSION: In women with prediabetes, we showed a substantial negative connection between serum 25 (OH) D levels and depressed symptoms. Vitamin D supplementation may be an effective way to decrease the risk of depression symptoms in women with prediabetes.

Depression prevalence in Vietnam during the Covid-19 pandemic: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: As of 10 October 2021, Vietnam has recorded 835,036 locally acquired Covid-19 cases including 20,520 fatalities. In response to the coronavirus illness outbreak Vietnam adopted a number of public health measures including contact tracing and testing mandatory quarantine and lockdowns. Lockdown measures during the Covid-19 pandemic are demonstrated to negatively impact psychological and mental health problems such as depression. However, the magnitude of these psychological impacts on Vietnamese during the epidemic has remained unknown. Objectives: Thus, we have determined that it is necessary to perform this meta-analysis to better understand a comprehensive range of the prevalence of depression during the pandemic in Vietnam. Methods: To find relevant articles we followed the PRISMA guidelines and searched MEDLINE Scopus and PubMed from their inception to October 01 2021 confined to English language publications. The Joanna Briggs Institute Critical Appraisal Checklist was used to determine the possibility of bias. We pooled the included studies using the Random effect model in MedCalc version 20.014. Cochran's Q heterogeneity test and I2 were used to determine statistical heterogeneity. Results: Out of 110 articles 13 articles comprising of 27,216 participants were selected. Our meta-analysis revealed that the pooled prevalence of depression was 14.636% (95% CI: 11.521-18.054% I2 = 97.98% P < 0.0001). And depression is more prevalent among health workers than among non-health workers. Conclusions: Our systematic review and meta-analysis revealed that the Vietnamese population was burdened by depression during the Covid-19 pandemic which we believe is a significant finding especially in healthcare workers. If these mental health disorders are not addressed promptly the community may suffer significant long-term mental social and economic consequences.