Objectives To systematically review studies on the diagnostic accuracy of spleen stiffness measurement (SSM) for the detection of clinical significant portal hypertension (CSPH), severe portal hypertension (SPH), esophageal varices (EV), and high-risk esophage…
Identification of axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) remains challenging, frequently resulting in a diagnostic delay for patients. Current benchmarks of delay are usually reported as mean data, which are typically skewed and therefore may be overestimating delay.…
Background The World Health Organization estimates that 29% of under-five mortality could be prevented with existing vaccines. However, non-consistent attendance for immunization appointments remains a global challenge to healthcare providers. Thus, innovative…
Background Clinical guidelines make vague recommendations as to exercise training (ET) type and dosage to manage chronic non-specific neck pain (CNSNP). Objective To synthesise evidence on the effectiveness of different ET programmes to reduce CNSNP and associ…
The therapeutic effects of curcumin for polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) remain inconclusive. The present study aims to evaluate the effects of curcumin on glycemic control and lipid profile in patients with PCOS. PubMed, Embase, Scopus, Web of Science, and Co…
Background Myopia is a common visual disorder with increasing prevalence. Halting progression of myopia is critical, as high myopia can be complicated by a number of vision-compromising conditions. Methods Literature search was conducted in the following datab…
Background Electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS; e-cigarettes), consisting of a battery, heating element and e-liquid, have evolved significantly with wide variation in design, components, operating powers, and chemical constituents. Generated aerosols h…
Background Although the assessment of disease burden should be a priority for allocating resources, leptospirosis is grossly underestimated despite its true burden in Sri Lanka. This study aimed to assess the morbidity and mortality of leptospirosis based on r…
Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
Lassa fever is a zoonotic infection endemic to West Africa and is known to have adverse effects in pregnancy. We sought to synthesize and critically appraise currently available evidence on the effects of Lassa fever in pregnancy. An exhaustive bibliographic s…
Journal of musculoskeletal & neuronal interactions
Objective To systematically review the published studies that compare lower limb muscle strength in patients with low back pain to matched healthy controls. Methods We searched Medline, SciELO, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health (CINAHL), and Scopus…
International journal of environmental research and public health
The tobacco industry promotes electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) and heated tobacco products (HTP) as a safer alternative to conventional cigarettes with misleading marketing sustained by studies with conflict of interest. As a result, these devices s…
Background Studies have shown that manual lymphatic drainage (MLD) has a beneficial effect on lymphedema related to breast cancer surgery. However, whether MLD reduces the risk of lymphedema is still debated. The purpose of this systematic review and meta-anal…
Purpose The use of assisted reproductive technology (ART) has increased in the last 2 decades and continuous surveillance is needed. This systematic review aims to assess the risk of adverse neonatal outcomes (preterm birth [PTB], low birth weight [LBW], small…
Aims/introduction Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is related to prediabetes and diabetes. Whether patients with OSA have a higher risk of prediabetes/diabetes remains unclear. We aimed to carry out a meta-analysis of published studies to evaluate the relationshi…
Obesity reviews : an official journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity
Obesity has increased to an epidemic level in the Gulf States. This systematic review is the first to explore the scientific evidence on correlates and interventions for overweight (body mass index [BMI] ≥ 25) or weight-related behaviours in the region. A syst…
Parents substantially influence children's diet and physical activity behaviors, which consequently impact childhood obesity risk. Given this influence of parents, the objective of this umbrella review was to synthesize evidence on effects of parent involvemen…
Aims and objectives To systematically identify, appraise and synthesise patients', residents' and nurses' experiences of fundamental nursing care for nutrition, elimination, mobility and hygiene. Background The evidence base for effective nursing behaviours to…
Background The Food and Drug Administration has approved Proprotein Convertase Subtilisin/Kexin Type 9 (PCSK9) inhibitors for the treatment of dyslipidemia. However, evidence of the optimal PCSK9 agents targeting PCSK9 for secondary prevention in patients with…
Environmental health : a global access science source
Concern that synthetic food dyes may impact behavior in children prompted a review by the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA). OEHHA conducted a systematic review of the epidemiologic research on synthetic food dyes and neurobeh…
Background Fever after stroke is common, and often caused by infections. In the current study, we aimed to test the hypothesis that pneumonia, urinary tract infection and all-cause fever (thought to include at least some proportion of endogenous fever) have di…
Background Sarcopenia is associated with age-related loss of muscle mass and function and is becoming prevalent in the older Chinese population. This systematic review aims to obtain a reliable estimation of the prevalence of sarcopenia among community-dwellin…
Objective Dystonia is characterised by sustained muscular contractions frequently producing repetitive, twisting and patterned movements. The primary aim of this systematic review was to establish how quality of life (QoL) is affected in idiopathic focal, mult…
International journal of environmental research and public health
Objective : The goal of this study was to systematically review risk factors for workplace bullying. Methods : The search was carried out in two databases. Studies with estimates of risk factors for workplace bullying were included in the review. We assessed t…
Background Some controversy exists regarding the safety of intra-articular hyaluronic acid (IAHA) in the management of osteoarthritis (OA). Objective The objective of this study was to re-assess the safety profile of IAHA in patients with OA, through a compreh…
