Therapeutic effects and mechanisms of action of ginger and its bioactive components on inflammatory response, oxidative stress, the immune system, and organ failure in sepsis: a comprehensive systematic review.

CONTEXT: Sepsis refers to a usually lethal medical condition that results from an extreme, uncontrolled, and multifaceted immune system response to infection. Ginger (Zingiber officinale Roscoe; Zingiberaceae) is 1 of the most popular spice. It is widely used as a traditional herb and as medicine in the treatment of some inflammatory conditions, such as vomiting, pain, cancer, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases, because of its varied medical characteristics, including anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antimicrobial, and antitumor effects. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to demonstrate the potential roles of ginger and its elements in sepsis. DATA SOURCES: This systematic review article was conducted and reported by following the guideline of the Preferred Reporting for Systematic Reviews (PRISMA). Electronic databases, including Web of Sciences, Google Scholar, PubMed, Scopus, and ProQuest, were searched using related key words up to January 2023. DATA EXTRACTION: Among 141 found articles, 48 eligible articles were included and reviewed for their details. Data were extracted, including the first author's name, year of publication, name of origin country, study design, number and type of subject, dosage and type of intervention, study duration, assay, and main results. DATA ANALYSIS: The data from the included articles showed that ginger and its bioactive elements, such as gingerol (1-300 µg/mL or 1-100 mg/kg for 24 hours to 14 days), shogaol (0.2-100 µg/mL or 10-40 mg/kg body weight for 24 hours to 8 days), gingerdione (1-100 µg/mL for 20-48 hours), and zingerone (2-20 µM for 4 hours to 8 days), can be effective in sepsis via suppressing the gene expression and production of pro-inflammatory cytokines and oxidant agents, downregulating immune response, and protecting against sepsis-induced organ failures in experimental and animal models. CONCLUSION: Ginger has potential therapeutic effects in sepsis. Human clinical trials are recommended. SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION: PROSPERO registration no. CRD42023373613.

Economic Evaluation of Denosumab for Treatment of Postmenopausal Osteoporosis: A Systematic Review.

Background: We aimed to review the systematic economic evaluation of denosumab versus than alternative drugs and oral bisphosphonates of postmenopausal osteoporosis in women and help health system policy makers for prioritizing and optimally allocate limited health resources. Methods: We examined the databases of PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, Scopus, Cochrane Library, ProQuest. Strategy search was designed based on keywords. Inclusion criteria were: studies that conducted economic evaluation denosumab compared to oral bisphosphonates for the treatment of osteoporosis in postmenopausal women. Cost-effectiveness studies conducted using decision analysis models based on the economic evaluation approach; studies with available full-text papers; and studies written in English and published between 2010 and 2020. After selecting articles based on inclusion and exclusion criteria, data were extracted and the results were summarized. The quality of the articles was evaluated using the CHEERS checklist. Results: Among 214 initial studies, 8 studies met the inclusion criteria. Most studies focused on the cost-effectiveness of denosumab compared with oral bisphosphonates for the treatment of osteoporosis. The study agreed interval ranged from 3 months to 5 years. The costs investigated in the studies were direct medical costs. In most studies, the use of denosumab significantly prevented fractures. Conclusion: Denosumab is generally more cost-effective than alternative drugs and oral bisphosphonates (alendronate, risedronate, strontium ranelate, ibandronate, and untreated).

The Effective Trends and Driving Forces in The Future of Research Performance Evaluation: A Qualitative Study.

Background: Performance is a multidimensional concept and is evaluated by different criteria. Definition and evaluation of research performance are always controversial and may be affected by variable conditions. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the effective trends and driving forces in the future of research performance evaluation. Methods: In this qualitative study, the trend analysis through scoping review and interview was done to identify the driving forces affecting the future of research performance evaluation. The scoping review was conducted according to PRISMA-ScR guidelines and searching of the international databases. The interviews were done face-to-face, by telephone, and on social media. MAXQDA version 10 and thematic analysis were used to analyze the interviews and documents. Results: In the scoping review step, a total of 6125 records were found through searching of the international databases and search engines. After removing 869 duplications, the title and abstract of 5256 records were screened. Finally, 42 records (41 English articles and 1 dissertation) were eligible for the study. In the interview step, 248 codes were assigned in nine main categories, 64 subcategories, and 47 dimensions. The trends included social (27 codes), technological (38 codes), economic (30 codes), environmental (5 codes), and political (44 codes) dimensions. Then, acquired information from two steps was synthesized, and the effective social, technological, economic, environmental, and political trends and driving forces were identified. Conclusion: The results showed that various social, technological, economic, environmental, and political factors and indicators must be included and normalized in the national and international research performance evaluation system.

Economic evaluation of laboratory diagnostic test types in Covid-19 epidemic: A systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Corona 2 virus (SARS-CoV-2) is known as the causative agent of COVID-19 disease; the World Health Organization (WHO) declared it an epidemic on March 11, 2020. The Joint Guidelines of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the WHO including social distancing, the use of face masks, emphasis on hand washing, quarantine, and using diagnosis tests have been used widely, but the value of diagnostic interventions to prevent the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 is unclear. We compared the economic evaluation of different laboratory diagnostic interventions with each other and also with implementing the conservative CDC & WHO guidelines. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Electronic searches were conducted on PubMed, Embase, Science Direct, Scopus, Cochrane Library, Web of Knowledge, NHSEED, NHS Health Technology assessment (CRD), and Cost-Effectiveness Analysis Registry databases. Related articles were reviewed from January 2020 to the end of November 2021. RESULTS: Out of 1791 initial studies, 13 articles had the inclusion criteria. According to the Consolidated Health Economic Evaluation Reporting Standards (CHEERS) checklist, ten studies were of excellent quality, and the remaining two studies were of very good quality. Most studies were cost-effectiveness analysis studies. The entered studies had different time horizons. Diagnostic tests reviewed in the studies included real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test, immunoglobulin G (IgG) & Antigen, point of care tests. Although polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing improves the quality of life and survival for patients with infected Covid-19 based on its greater effectiveness compared to standard protection protocols, due to the high cost of this intervention, it has been considered a cost-effective method in some countries. CONCLUSION: Since most studies have been conducted in developed countries, it unquestionably does not make sense to extend these results to low-income and developing countries. Therefore further studies are required in low-income and developing countries to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of laboratory-based diagnostic methods (RT-PCR) of covid-19 in variable prevalence of infectious cases.

A systematic mapping review of factors associated with willingness to work under emergency condition.

INTRODUCTION: An effective response to an emergency situation relies on health care workers' preparedness. The main purpose of this study was to provide a comprehensive overview of relevant studies regarding the willingness to work in emergency and disaster situations, describe and classify the most important challenges and solutions, identifying knowledge gaps in the literature which could inform future research. METHODS: In this Systematic Mapping Review required information was searched from PubMed, Scopus, the web of science, Embase databases, and Google scholar search engine in the period 2000-2020. Data were analyzed using a content framework analysis. RESULTS: From 2902 article search results, 26 articles met the inclusion criteria. The studies varied in terms of aim, study design, and detail of reporting. The results showed that nearly three-quarters of studies were conducted in high and middle-income countries. Most of the studies were published in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Also, the most common types of crises reported in the included studies were emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases. The results show that most of the problems were in the dimension of mental and psychological issues, personnel health concerns, and management relationship with personnel. CONCLUSION: This mapping review illustrated a big picture of health workers' resilience in disaster conditions. This review presents an overview of different kinds of strategies that address the challenges. One of the most important challenges in health workforce retention is poor communication between managers and staff. Being away from family, which leads to mental fatigue, puts staff in moral dilemmas. Attracting adequate health professionals, especially volunteers and regulating the shifts of health personnel in crisis time will largely prevent burnout.