We assessed the prevalence of food insecurity (FI) and its associated factors in Latin American and the Caribbean (LAC) early during the COVID-19 pandemic.
We performed secondary data analysis of a ...survey conducted by Facebook and the University of Maryland. We included adults surveyed from April to May 2020. FI was measured by concerns about having enough to eat during the following week. Sociodemographic, mental health, and COVID-19-related variables were collected. We performed generalized Poisson regressions models considering the complex sampling design. We estimated crude and adjusted prevalence ratios with their 95% confidence intervals.
We included 1,324,272 adults; 50.5% were female, 42.9% were under 35 years old, 78.9% lived in a city, and 18.6% had COVID-19 symptoms. The prevalence of food insecurity in LAC was 75.7% (n = 1,016,841), with Venezuela, Nicaragua, and Haiti with 90.8%, 86.7%, and 85.5%, respectively, showing the highest prevalence. Gender, area of residence, presence of COVID-19 symptoms, and fear of getting seriously ill or that a family member gets seriously ill from COVID-19 were associated with a higher prevalence of food insecurity. In contrast, increasing age was associated with a lower prevalence.
The prevalence of food insecurity during the first stage of the COVID-19 pandemic in LAC was high and was associated with sociodemographic and COVID-19-related variables.
Food insecurity; COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; Latin America
The rapid spread of SARS-CoV-2 has created a shortage of supplies of reagents for its detection throughout the world, especially in Latin America. The pooling of samples consists of combining ...individual patient samples in a block and analyzing the group as a particular sample. This strategy has been shown to reduce the burden of laboratory material and logistical resources by up to 80%. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate the diagnostic performance of the pool of samples analyzed by RT-PCR to detect SARS-CoV-2.
A cross-sectional study of diagnostic tests was carried out. We individually evaluated 420 samples, and 42 clusters were formed, each one with ten samples. These clusters could contain 0, 1 or 2 positive samples to simulate a positivity of 0, 10 and 20%, respectively. RT-PCR analyzed the groups for the detection of SARS-CoV-2. The area under the ROC curve (AUC), the Youden index, the global and subgroup sensitivity and specificity were calculated according to their Ct values that were classified as high (H: ≤ 25), moderate (M: 26-30) and low (L: 31-35) concentration of viral RNA.
From a total of 42 pools, 41 (97.6%) obtained the same result as the samples they contained (positive or negative). The AUC for pooling, Youden index, sensitivity, and specificity were 0.98 (95% CI, 0.95-1); 0.97 (95% CI, 0.90-1.03); 96.67% (95% CI; 88.58-100%) and 100% (95% CI; 95.83-100%) respectively. In the stratified analysis of the pools containing samples with Ct ≤ 25, the sensitivity was 100% (95% CI; 90-100%), while with the pools containing samples with Ct ≥ 31, the sensitivity was 80% (95% CI, 34.94-100%). Finally, a higher median was observed in the Ct of the clusters, with respect to the individual samples (p < 0.001).
The strategy of pooling nasopharyngeal swab samples for analysis by SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR showed high diagnostic performance.
Background & aims
Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is associated with life-threatening conditions. Several studies have reported an association of vitamin B12, folic acid, or homocysteine (Hcy) levels with ...MetS. This systematic review and meta-analysis assessed the association of vitamin B12, folic acid, and Hcy levels with MetS.
Methods
PubMed, Scopus, Embase, Ovid/Medline, and Web of Science were searched up to February 13, 2023. Cross-sectional, case-control, or cohort studies were included. A random-effects model was performed using the DerSimonian and Laird method to estimate the between-study variance. Effect measures were expressed as odds ratios (OR) with their corresponding 95% confidence intervals (95% CI). Between-study heterogeneity was evaluated using Cochran’s Q test and the I
2
statistic.
Results
Sixty-six articles (n = 87,988 patients) were included. Higher vitamin B12 levels were inversely associated with MetS (OR = 0.87; 95% CI: 0.81–0.93; p < 0.01; I
2
= 90%). Higher Hcy levels were associated with MetS (OR = 1.19; 95% CI: 1.14–1.24; p < 0.01; I
2
= 90%). Folate levels were not associated with MetS (OR = 0.83; 95% CI: 0.66–1.03; p = 0.09; I
2
= 90%).
Conclusion
Higher vitamin B12 levels were inversely associated with MetS, whereas higher Hcy levels were associated with MetS. Studies assessing the pathways underlying this association are required.
Background and Aims. Biomarkers are necessary to stratify the risk of diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs). This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the association between the lipid profile ...and apolipoproteins with the risk of DFU. Methods. A systematic search was conducted in PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science among adult patients. Cohort and case-control studies were included. Random-effects models were used for meta-analyses, and the effects were expressed as odds ratio (OR) and their 95% confidence intervals (CIs). We evaluated publication bias through Egger’s test and funnel plot. Results. A total of 12 cohort studies and 26 case-control studies were included, with 17076 patients. We found that the higher values of total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), triglycerides, and lipoprotein(a) (Lp(a)) were associated with a higher risk of developing DFU (OR: 1.47, OR: 1.47, OR: 1.5, OR: 1.85, respectively). Otherwise, the lower values of HDL were associated with a higher risk of developing DFU (OR: 0.49). Publication bias was not found for associations between TC, HDL, LDL, or TG and the risk of DFU. Conclusions. The high values of LDL, TC, TG, and Lp(a) and low values of HDL are associated with a higher risk of developing DFU. Furthermore, we did not find a significant association for VLDL, ApoA1, ApoB, and ApoB/ApoA1 ratio.
To evaluate the association between high triglyceride/HDL-cholesterol (TG/HDL-C) ratio and insulin resistance (IR) or hyperinsulinemia after oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) in normal-weight ...healthy adults.
We carried out an analytical cross-sectional study in euthyroid non-diabetic adults, who attended the outpatient service of a private clinic in Lima-Peru from 2012 to 2016. Participants were divided in two groups according to the presence or absence of high TG/HDL-C ratio, IR or hyperinsulinemia after OGTT. TG/HDL-C ratio values ≥ 3 were considered as high. IR was defined as a Homeostasis Model Assessment (HOMA-IR) value ≥ 2.28 and hyperinsulinemia after OGTT as a serum insulin value ≥ 80μU/mL after 120 min of 75-g glucose intake. We elaborated crude and adjusted Poisson generalized linear models to evaluate the association between high TG/HDL-C ratio and IR or hyperinsulinemia after OGTT and reported the prevalence ratio (PR) with their respective 95% confidence intervals (95%CI).
We analyzed the data of 118 individuals. Prevalence of high TG/HDL-C ratio was 17.8% (n = 21) while the prevalence of IR and hyperinsulinemia after OGTT was 24.6% (n = 29) and 17.0% (n = 20), respectively. TG/HDL-C-ratio values were positively correlated with HOMA-IR (r = 0.498; p < 0.01) and serum insulin after OGTT (r = 0.326; p < 0.001). In the adjusted model, high TG/HDL-C ratio was associated with both IR (aPR = 3.16; 95%CI: 1.80–5.77) and hyperinsulinemia after OGTT (aPR = 2.36; 95%CI: 1.20–4.63).
High TG/HDL-C ratio was associated with both IR markers used in our study, appearing to be a clinically useful tool to assess IR in euthyroid normal-weight adults without type 2 diabetes mellitus.
...the clinical significance is evaluated with the indicators mentioned above, the direction of the effect and its magnitude. According to the guidelines rating the quality of evidence (GRADE), a ...long effect is defined as a risk ratio (RR) <0.5 or RR> 2, however, similar definitions for OR are not mentioned. In our study, we used the Egger test and the trim-and-fill method according to the recommendations of the Cochrane Manual. ...the indiscriminate use of different publication bias tests does not add any value to the clinical interpretation of the results, as stated by Sundari Rajagopal M et al.Authors contributions Juan R. Ulloque-Badaracco: Conceptualization, and Writing - Original Draft.
Background: Irresponsible self-medication is a problem for health systems in developing countries. We aimed to estimate the frequency of self-medication and associated factors in users of drugstores ...and pharmacies in Peru.
Methods: We performed a secondary data analysis of the 2015 National Survey on User Satisfaction of Health Services (ENSUSALUD), a two-stage probabilistic sample of all regions of Peru. Non self-medication (NSM), responsible self-medication (RSM) and irresponsible self-medication (ISM) were defined as the outcome categories. Demographic, social, cultural and health system variables were included as covariates. We calculated relative prevalence ratios (RPR) with their 95% confidence intervals (95%CI) using crude and adjusted multinomial logistic regression models for complex samples with NSM as the referent category.
Results: 2582 participants were included. The average age was 41.4 years and the frequencies of NSM, RSM and ISM were 25.2%, 23.8% and 51.0%; respectively. The factors associated with RSM were male gender (RPR: 1.35; 95%CI: 1.06-1.72), being between 40 and 59 years old (RPR: 0.53; 95%IC: 0.39-0.72), being 60 or older (RPR: 0.39; 95%IC: 0.25-0.59), not having health insurance (RPR: 1.89; 95%CI: 1.31-2.71) and living in the Highlands region (RPR: 2.27; 95%CI: 1.23-4.21). The factors associated with ISM were male gender (RPR: 1.41; 95%CI: 1.16-1.72), being between 40 and 59 years old (RPR: 0.68; 95%IC: 0.53-0.88), being 60 or older (RPR: 0.65; 95%IC: 0.48-0.88) and not having health insurance (RPR: 2.03; 95%CI: 1.46-2.83).
Conclusion: Around half of the population practiced ISM, which was associated with demographic and health system factors. These outcomes are the preliminary evidence that could contribute to the development of health policies in Peru.
Users of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) have a lower intention to receive vaccines. Furthermore, Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) region are among the most affected areas by the ...COVID-19 pandemics and present a high proportion of CAM users. Therefore, this study evaluates the association between the consumption of herbal supplements or homeopathic remedies to prevent COVID-19 and the intention to vaccinate against COVID-19 in the LAC region. We conducted a secondary data analysis of a Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) survey with Facebook to assess COVID-19 beliefs, behaviours, and norms. Crude and adjusted prevalence ratios (aPR) with their respective 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were calculated using generalized linear models of the Poisson family with the log link function. The prevalence of the use of products to prevent COVID-19 was the following: consumption of herbal supplements (7.2%), use of homeopathic remedies (4.8%), and consumption of garlic, ginger, and lemon (11.8%). An association was found between using herbal supplements (19.0% vs. 12.8%; aPR = 1.44; 95% CI: 1.30–1.58), the use of homeopathic remedies (20.3% vs. 12.3%; aPR = 1.58; 95% CI: 1.25–1.98), and the consumption of garlic, ginger, and lemon (18.9% vs. 11.9%; aPR = 1.55; 95% CI: 1.50–1.61) and non-intention to vaccinate against COVID-19. In the LAC population, there is an association between using herbal supplements, using homeopathic remedies and consuming garlic, ginger, and lemon to prevent infection by COVID-19 and non-intention to vaccinate against this disease. Therefore, it is necessary to design targeted strategies for groups that consume these products as preventive measures against COVID-19 to increase vaccination coverage and expand the information regarding transmission and prevention strategies for SARS-CoV-2.
Mpox is a zoonotic disease that became epidemic in multiple countries in 2022. There is a lack of published systematic reviews on natural animal infection due to Mpox. We performed a systematic ...literature review with meta-analysis to assess animal Mpox prevalence. We performed a random-effects model meta-analysis to calculate the pooled prevalence and 95% confidence interval (95%CI) for prevalence studies. After the screening, 15 reports were selected for full-text assessment and included in qualitative and quantitative analyses. Ten reports assessed Mpox infection by molecular or serological tests (n = 2680), yielding a pooled prevalence of 16.0% (95%CI: 3.0–29.0%) for non-human primates; 8.0% (95%CI: 4.0–12.0%) for rodents and 1.0% (95%CI: 0.0–3.0%) for shrews. Further studies in other animals are required to define the extent and importance of natural infection due to Mpox. These findings have implications for public human and animal health. OneHealth approach is critical for prevention and control.
Numerous studies have found an association between vitamin deficiency and thyroid disorders (TD). The presence of anti-parietal cell antibodies is indicative of reduced ability to absorb vitamin B12. ...Thus, this study reviewed the existing studies with the objective of assessing differences in the serum levels of vitamin B12 among patients with and without TD, the frequency of vitamin B12 deficiency in patients with TD, and the presence of anti-parietal cell antibodies in patients with TD.
A meta-analysis of random-effects model was conducted to calculate pooled frequencies, mean differences (MD), and their respective 95% confidence intervals (CI). We identified 64 studies that met our inclusion criteria (n = 28597).
We found that patients with hypothyroidism had lower vitamin B12 levels than healthy participants (MD: -60.67 pg/mL; 95% CI: -107.31 to -14.03 pg/mL; p = 0.01). No significant differences in vitamin B12 levels were observed between healthy participants and patients with hyperthyroidism (p = 0.78), autoimmune thyroid disease (AITD) (p = 0.22), or subclinical hypothyroidism (SH) (p = 0.79). The frequencies of vitamin B12 deficiency among patients with hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism, SH, and AITD were 27%, 6%, 27%, and 18%, respectively.
Patients with hypothyroidism had lower levels of vitamin B12 than healthy participants. No significant differences were observed between vitamin B12 levels and hyperthyroidism, AITD, or SH.
https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?RecordID=324422, identifier (CRD42022324422).
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