Although "infodemiological" methods have been used in research on coronavirus disease (COVID-19), an examination of the extent of infodemic moniker (misinformation) use on the internet remains ...limited.
The aim of this paper is to investigate internet search behaviors related to COVID-19 and examine the circulation of infodemic monikers through two platforms-Google and Instagram-during the current global pandemic.
We have defined infodemic moniker as a term, query, hashtag, or phrase that generates or feeds fake news, misinterpretations, or discriminatory phenomena. Using Google Trends and Instagram hashtags, we explored internet search activities and behaviors related to the COVID-19 pandemic from February 20, 2020, to May 6, 2020. We investigated the names used to identify the virus, health and risk perception, life during the lockdown, and information related to the adoption of COVID-19 infodemic monikers. We computed the average peak volume with a 95% CI for the monikers.
The top six COVID-19-related terms searched in Google were "coronavirus," "corona," "COVID," "virus," "corona virus," and "COVID-19." Countries with a higher number of COVID-19 cases had a higher number of COVID-19 queries on Google. The monikers "coronavirus ozone," "coronavirus laboratory," "coronavirus 5G," "coronavirus conspiracy," and "coronavirus bill gates" were widely circulated on the internet. Searches on "tips and cures" for COVID-19 spiked in relation to the US president speculating about a "miracle cure" and suggesting an injection of disinfectant to treat the virus. Around two thirds (n=48,700,000, 66.1%) of Instagram users used the hashtags "COVID-19" and "coronavirus" to disperse virus-related information.
Globally, there is a growing interest in COVID-19, and numerous infodemic monikers continue to circulate on the internet. Based on our findings, we hope to encourage mass media regulators and health organizers to be vigilant and diminish the use and circulation of these infodemic monikers to decrease the spread of misinformation.
During the first week of March, the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak reached more than 100 countries with over 100,000 cases. Health care authorities have already initiated awareness and ...preparedness activities worldwide. A poor understanding of the disease among health care workers (HCWs) may result in delayed treatment and result in the rapid spread of the infection.
This study aimed to investigate the knowledge and perceptions of HCWs about COVID-19.
A cross-sectional, web-based study was conducted among HCWs about COVID-19 during the first week of March 2020. A 23-item survey instrument was developed and distributed randomly to HCWs using social media; it required 5 minutes to complete. A chi-square test was used to investigate the level of association among variables, with significance set to P<.05.
Of 529 participants, a total of 453 HCWs completed the survey (response rate: 85.6%); 51.6% (n=234) were male, 32.1% (n=147) were aged 25-34 years, and most were doctors (n=137, 30.2%) and medical students (n=134, 29.6%). Most participants (n=276, 61.0%) used social media to obtain information on COVID-19. A significant proportion of HCWs had poor knowledge of its transmission (n=276, 61.0%) and symptom onset (n=288, 63.6%) and showed positive perceptions of COVID-19. Factors such as age and profession were associated with inadequate knowledge and a poor perception of COVID-19.
As the global threat of COVID-19 continues to emerge, it is critical to improve the knowledge and perceptions of HCWs. Educational interventions are urgently needed to reach HCWs worldwide, and further studies are warranted.
Tirzepatide is a novel once-a-week dual glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide and glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist, currently under trial to assess glycemic efficacy and safety in ...people with type 2 diabetes. A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted to investigate the efficacy of tirzepatide on glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c, %), fasting serum glucose (mg/dL), and body weight (kg) in patients with uncontrolled type 2 diabetes (HbA1c > 7.0%). Mean changes for efficacy and proportions (safety) with corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were used to provide pooled estimates. A total of four randomized controlled trials, comprising 2783 patients of whom 69.4% (n = 1934) were treated with 5 mg (n = 646), 10 mg (n = 641), or 15 mg (n = 647) of tirzepatide, were compared to the placebo (n = 192) or the selective GLP-1 receptor agonist (n = 523). The pooled analysis showed that tirzepatide treatment resulted in a greater lowering of the HbA1c (−1.94%, 95% CI: −2.02 to −1.87), fasting serum glucose (−54.72 mg/dL, 95% CI: −62.05 to −47.39), and body weight (−8.47, 95% CI: −9.66 to −7.27). We also found that improvement in the HbA1c levels was still maintained at weeks 26 and 40 from the long-term trials. As for safety, only 3% experienced hypoglycemia, and 4% (95% CI: 2 to 6) experienced serious adverse events, while the discontinuation of therapy percentage was 7% (95% CI: 5 to 8). Tirzepatide significantly improved glycemic control and body weight and had an acceptable safety profile, indicating that it is an effective therapeutic option for glucose-lowering in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.
Since the beginning of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, fake news and misleading information have circulated worldwide, which can profoundly affect public health communication.
We ...investigated online search behavior related to the COVID-19 outbreak and the attitudes of "infodemic monikers" (ie, erroneous information that gives rise to interpretative mistakes, fake news, episodes of racism, etc) circulating in Italy.
By using Google Trends to explore the internet search activity related to COVID-19 from January to March 2020, article titles from the most read newspapers and government websites were mined to investigate the attitudes of infodemic monikers circulating across various regions and cities in Italy. Search volume values and average peak comparison (APC) values were used to analyze the results.
Keywords such as "novel coronavirus," "China coronavirus," "COVID-19," "2019-nCOV," and "SARS-COV-2" were the top infodemic and scientific COVID-19 terms trending in Italy. The top five searches related to health were "face masks," "amuchina" (disinfectant), "symptoms of the novel coronavirus," "health bulletin," and "vaccines for coronavirus." The regions of Umbria and Basilicata recorded a high number of infodemic monikers (APC weighted total >140). Misinformation was widely circulated in the Campania region, and racism-related information was widespread in Umbria and Basilicata. These monikers were frequently searched (APC weighted total >100) in more than 10 major cities in Italy, including Rome.
We identified a growing regional and population-level interest in COVID-19 in Italy. The majority of searches were related to amuchina, face masks, health bulletins, and COVID-19 symptoms. Since a large number of infodemic monikers were observed across Italy, we recommend that health agencies use Google Trends to predict human behavior as well as to manage misinformation circulation in Italy.
Background
Experimental evidence has revealed that phosphodiesterase five inhibitors (PDE5is) increase epithelial barrier function and suppress intestinal carcinogenesis. Few epidemiological studies ...have investigated the role of PDE5i in increasing the risk of colorectal cancer (CRC); however, these studies have proffered varying conclusions. We therefore aimed to perform a comprehensive review and meta-analysis to investigate whether PDE5i use is associated with the incidence of CRC.
Methods
Databases, namely, PubMed, Scopus, Embase, and Web of Science, were used for literature search. Observational studies (published until January 31, 2021) that assessed the association of PDE5i use with CRC incidence were considered. Pooled relative risk (RR) estimates and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated using the DerSimonian-Laird random-effects model.
Results
We identified four retrospective studies that involved 965,044 participants and 3,518 CRC cases detected during a mean follow-up of 12.7 years. Pooled results indicated a significantly reduced CRC risk among all PDE5i users (RR, 0.85; 95% CI, 0.76–0.95;
P
= 0.004,
I
2
= 63%). Moreover, continuous use of PDE5i was associated with a significantly reduced risk of CRC (RR, 0.63; 95% CI, 0.59–0.68;
P
< 0.001,
I
2
= 0.0%). However, the type of PDE5i exhibited no association with the risk of CRC (RR, 1.00; 95% CI, 0.98–1.02;
I
2
= 84.7%).
Conclusion
Our findings suggest that continuous use of PDE5i was associated with a significantly reduced risk of CRC development. Future studies with a longitudinal design and adequate control of confounding factors are required to clarify whether a longer duration of PDE5i use alters the risk of CRC.
Despite the available evidence on its severity, COVID-19 has often been compared with seasonal flu by some conspirators and even scientists. Various public discussions arose about the noncausal ...correlation between COVID-19 and the observed deaths during the pandemic period in Italy.
This paper aimed to search for endogenous reasons for the mortality increase recorded in Italy during 2020 to test this controversial hypothesis. Furthermore, we provide a framework for epidemiological analyses of time series.
We analyzed deaths by age, sex, region, and cause of death in Italy from 2011 to 2019. Ordinary least squares (OLS) linear regression analyses and autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) were used to predict the best value for 2020. A Grubbs 1-sided test was used to assess the significance of the difference between predicted and observed 2020 deaths/mortality. Finally, a 1-sample t test was used to compare the population of regional excess deaths to a null mean. The relationship between mortality and predictive variables was assessed using OLS multiple regression models. Since there is no uniform opinion on multicomparison adjustment and false negatives imply great epidemiological risk, the less-conservative Siegel approach and more-conservative Holm-Bonferroni approach were employed. By doing so, we provided the reader with the means to carry out an independent analysis.
Both ARIMA and OLS linear regression models predicted the number of deaths in Italy during 2020 to be between 640,000 and 660,000 (range of 95% CIs: 620,000-695,000) against the observed value of above 750,000. We found strong evidence supporting that the death increase in all regions (average excess=12.2%) was not due to chance (t
=7.2; adjusted P<.001). Male and female national mortality excesses were 18.4% (P<.001; adjusted P=.006) and 14.1% (P=.005; adjusted P=.12), respectively. However, we found limited significance when comparing male and female mortality residuals' using the Mann-Whitney U test (P=.27; adjusted P=.99). Finally, mortality was strongly and positively correlated with latitude (R=0.82; adjusted P<.001). In this regard, the significance of the mortality increases during 2020 varied greatly from region to region. Lombardy recorded the highest mortality increase (38% for men, adjusted P<.001; 31% for women, P<.001; adjusted P=.006).
Our findings support the absence of historical endogenous reasons capable of justifying the mortality increase observed in Italy during 2020. Together with the current knowledge on SARS-CoV-2, these results provide decisive evidence on the devastating impact of COVID-19. We suggest that this research be leveraged by government, health, and information authorities to furnish proof against conspiracy hypotheses that minimize COVID-19-related risks. Finally, given the marked concordance between ARIMA and OLS regression, we suggest that these models be exploited for public health surveillance. Specifically, meaningful information can be deduced by comparing predicted and observed epidemiological trends.
Purpose
Recent studies have suggested a lower risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in patients receiving selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). The current study aimed to provide an ...updated and comprehensive assessment of the association between SSRI use and development of HCC.
Methods
This is a systematic review and meta-analysis of all observational studies published until June 2021. We comprehensively searched PubMed/Medline, Web of Science, and Embase to identify studies comparing SSRIs use with control in relation to the risk of HCC. We calculated pooled relative risks (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the association between SSRI use and incident HCC risk using random-effects meta-analysis. A dose–response analysis was conducted to evaluate the HCC risk according to the defined daily dose (DDD) of SSRI use.
Results
Eight observational studies, comprising 1,051,096 participants and 22,316 incidences of HCC, examining the association between SSRIs use and HCC risk, were included in the systematic review (adjusted RR: 0.66; 95% CI: 0.56–0.79;
P
≤ 0.001). In subgroup analysis, the magnitude of benefit associated with SSRIs was significantly higher in patients with hepatitis infection (RR: 0.70, 95% CI: 0.51–0.95) than the general population (
P
heterogeneity
= 0.700). The dose–response analysis indicated strong inverse association between cumulative DDD of SSRI and risk of HCC (coefficient: − 0.0030;
P
= 0.002;
R
2
= 0.78).
Conclusions
The results of this review show that SSRI use was associated with a 34% lower risk of HCC, which tend to be dose dependent. Further prospective studies are warranted to confirm these observations across the spectrum of chronic liver disease and hepatitis infection.
The increasing incidence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) threatens the Middle Eastern population. Several epidemiological studies have assessed CVD and its risk factors in terms of the primary ...prevention of CVD in the Middle East. Therefore, summarizing the information from these studies is essential.
We conducted a systematic review to assess the prevalence of CVD and its major risk factors among Middle Eastern adults based on the literature published between January 1, 2012, and December 31, 2018, and carried out a meta-analysis.
We searched electronic databases such as PubMed/Medline, ScienceDirect, Embase and Google Scholar to identify literature published from January 1, 2012, to December 31, 2018. All the original articles that investigated the prevalence of CVD and reported at least one of the following factors were included: hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidaemia, smoking and family history of CVD. To summarize CVD prevalence, we performed a random-effects meta-analysis.
A total of 41 potentially relevant articles were included, and 32 were included in the metaanalysis (n=191,979). The overall prevalence of CVD was 10.1% (95% confidence interval (CI): 7.1- 14.3%, p<0.001) in the Middle East. A high prevalence of CVD risk factors, such as dyslipidaemia (43.3%; 95% CI: 21.5-68%), hypertension (26.2%; 95% CI: 19.6-34%) and diabetes (16%; 95% CI: 9.9- 24.8%), was observed. The prevalence rates of other risk factors, such as smoking (12.4%; 95% CI: 7.7- 19.4%) and family history of CVD (18.7%; 95% CI: 15.4-22.5%), were also high.
The prevalence of CVD is high (10.1%) in the Middle East. The burden of dyslipidaemia (43.3%) in this region is twice as high as that of hypertension (26.2%) and diabetes mellitus (16%). Multifaceted interventions are urgently needed for the primary prevention of CVD in this region.
Spontaneous or voluntary reporting of suspected adverse drug reactions (ADRs) is one of the vital roles of all health professionals. In India, under-reporting of ADRs by health professionals is ...recognized as one of the leading causes of poor ADR signal detection. Therefore, reviewing the literature can provide a better understanding of the status of knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) of Pharmacovigilance (PV) activities by health professionals.
A systematic review was performed through Pubmed, Scopus, Embase and Google Scholar scientific databases. Studies pertaining to KAP of PV and ADR reporting by Indian health professionals between January 2011 and July 2015 were included in a meta-analysis.
A total of 28 studies were included in the systematic review and 18 of them were selected for meta-analysis. Overall, 55.6% (95% CI 44.4-66.9; p<0.001) of the population studied were not aware of the existence of the Pharmacovigilance Programme in India (PvPI), and 31.9% (95% CI 16.3-47.4; p<0.001) thought that "all drugs available in the market are safe". Furthermore, 28.7% (95% CI 16.4-40.9; p<0.001) of them were not interested in reporting ADRs and 74.5%, (95% CI 67.9-81.9; p<0.001) never reported any ADR to PV centers.
There was an enormous gap of KAP towards PV and ADR reporting, particularly PV practice in India. There is therefore an urgent need for educational awareness, simplification of the ADR reporting process, and implementation of imperative measures to practice PV among healthcare professionals. In order to understand the PV status, PvPI should procedurally assess the KAP of health professionals PV activities in India.
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