https://www.novareader.co Default RSS Feed en-us Newgen KnowledgeWorks https://www.novareader.co/book/isbn/10.1371/journal.pmed.1003561 Cindy S Chu and co-authors review options for diagnosis, safe and radical cure, and relapse prevention of Plasmodium Vivax.

]]> https://www.novareader.co/book/isbn/10.1371/journal.pmed.1003560 Sarah Auburn and co-authors discuss the unique biology and epidemiology of P. vivax and current evidence on conventional and new approaches to surveillance.

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Introduction

Congenital heart defects (CHDs) are the most common congenital defects and accounts for nearly one-third of all major congenital anomalies. It is the leading causes of birth defect-associated morbidity, mortality, and medical expenditures. Of all CHD types, ventricular septal defect (VSD) and atrial septal defect (ASD) accounted 51% of cases with an increasing trend over time.

Objective

The aim of this review is to estimate the pooled prevalence of ventricular septal defect and congenital atrial septal defect among congenital heart diseases patients in East African context.

Methods

Using PRISMA guideline, we systematically reviewed and meta-analyzed studies that examined the prevalence of Ventricular septal defect and atrial septal defect in East Africa, from Medline (PubMed), Cochrane Library, HINARI, and Google Scholar. A weighted inverse variance random-effects model was used to estimate the pooled prevalence of ventricular septal defect and atrial septal defect.

Results

A total of 2323 studies were identified; 1301 from PubMed, 12 from Cochrane Library, 1010 from Google Scholar and 22 from other sources. The pooled prevalence of ventricular septal defect and atrial septal defect in East Africa was found to be 29.92% (95% CI; 26.12–33.72; I2 = 89.2%; p<0.001), and 10.36% (95% CI; 8.05–12.68; I2 = 89.5%; p<0.001) respectively.

Conclusions and future implications

Based on this review, the pooled prevalence of VSD and ASD is still high and alarming; this signifies that the emphasis given for congenital heart defect in East African countries is limited. Special attention and efforts should be applied for early detection to prevent serious complications and for a better prognosis of all forms of CHD. A screening program for CHD should be instituted during the perinatal period. Furthermore, early referral of suspected cases of congenital cardiac anomalies is mandatory for better management till the establishment of cardiac centers in different regions of the continent.

]]> https://www.novareader.co/book/isbn/10.1371/journal.pmed.1003494 In this review for the Vivax malaria collection, Kamala Thriemer and colleagues explore efforts to eliminate P. vivax malaria.

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Objectives

Systems epidemiology approaches may lead to a better understanding of the complex and dynamic multi-level constellation of contributors to cancer risk and outcomes and help target interventions. This grant portfolio analysis aimed to describe the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Cancer Institute (NCI) investments in systems epidemiology and to identify gaps in the cancer systems epidemiology portfolio.

Methods

The analysis examined grants funded (2013–2018) through seven NIH systems science Funding Opportunity Announcements (FOAs) as well as cancer-specific systems epidemiology grants funded by NCI during that same time. Study characteristics were extracted from the grant abstracts and specific aims and coded.

Results

Of the 137 grants awarded under the NIH FOAs, 52 (38%) included systems epidemiology. Only five (4%) were focused on cancer systems epidemiology. The NCI-wide search (N = 453 grants) identified 35 grants (8%) that included cancer systems epidemiology in their specific aims. Most of these grants examined epidemiology and surveillance-based questions (60%); fewer addressed clinical care or clinical trials (37%). Fifty-four percent looked at multiple scales within the individual (e.g., cell, tissue, organ), 49% looked beyond the individual (e.g., individual, community, population), and few (9%) included both. Across all grants examined, the systems epidemiology grants primarily focused on discovery or prediction, rather than on impacts of intervention or policy.

Conclusions

The most notable finding was that grants focused on cancer versus other diseases reflected a small percentage of the portfolio, highlighting the need to encourage more cancer systems epidemiology research. Opportunities include encouraging more multiscale research and continuing the support for broad examination of domains in these studies. Finally, the nascent discipline of systems epidemiology could benefit from the creation of standard terminology and definitions to guide future progress.

]]> https://www.novareader.co/book/isbn/10.1371/journal.pone.0246102 Soft robots have been extensively researched due to their flexible, deformable, and adaptive characteristics. However, compared to rigid robots, soft robots have issues in modeling, calibration, and control in that the innate characteristics of the soft materials can cause complex behaviors due to non-linearity and hysteresis. To overcome these limitations, recent studies have applied various approaches based on machine learning. This paper presents existing machine learning techniques in the soft robotic fields and categorizes the implementation of machine learning approaches in different soft robotic applications, which include soft sensors, soft actuators, and applications such as soft wearable robots. An analysis of the trends of different machine learning approaches with respect to different types of soft robot applications is presented; in addition to the current limitations in the research field, followed by a summary of the existing machine learning methods for soft robots.

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Objective

Based on the epidemiologic findings of Covid-19 incidence; illness and mortality seem to be associated with metabolic risk factors. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to assess the association of metabolic risk factors and risk of Covid-19.

Methods

This study was designed according to PRISMA guidelines. Two independent researchers searched for the relevant studies using PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, and Scopus. The search terms developed focusing on two main roots of “Covid-19” and “metabolic risk factors”. All relevant observational, analytical studies, review articles, and a meta-analysis on the adult population were included in this meta-analysis. Meta-analysis was performed using the random effect model for pooling proportions to address heterogeneity among studies. Data were analyzed using STATA package version 11.2, (StataCorp, USA).

Results

Through a comprehensive systematic search in the targeted databases we found 1124 papers, after running the proses of refining, 13 studies were included in the present meta-analysis. The pooled prevalence of obesity in Covid-19 patients was 29% (95% CI: 14–47%). For Diabetes and Hypertension, these were 22% (95% CI: 12% 33%) and 32% (95% CI: 12% 56%), respectively. There was significant heterogeneity in the estimates of the three pooled prevalence without any significant small-study effects. Such warning points, to some extent, guide physicians and clinicians to better understand the importance of controlling co-morbid risk factors in prioritizing resource allocation and interventions.

Conclusion

The meta-analysis showed that hypertension is more prevalent than obesity and diabetes in patients with Covid-19 disease. The prevalence of co-morbid metabolic risk factors must be adopted for better management and priority settings of public health vaccination and other required interventions. The results may help to improve services delivery in COVID-19 patients, while helping to develop better policies for prevention and response to COVID-19 and its critical outcomes.

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