Application of the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) statement to publications on endoscopic treatment for vesicoureteral reflux

The prevalence of intimate partner violence among Iranian pregnant women: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Intimate partner violence against pregnant women is an important public health concern and human rights issue. According to the various findings of previous studies, this study was conducted to assess the pooled prevalence of intimate partner violence against Iranian women.

METHODS

In this systematic review and meta-analysis, a literature search was conducted in databases such as PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, MagIran, and Scientific Information Database without a time limit. Heterogeneity was assessed by Cochrane Q test statistics and the I2 test, and the results were incorporated into a random effects model to estimate the prevalence of intimate partner violence. Data analysis was performed using R software version 4.3.2.

RESULTS

The overall prevalence of intimate partner violence was reported to be 51.5% (95% confidence interval (CI) 45.0-58.1), and the prevalence rate of physical, sexual, and psychological intimate partner violence was 18.0% (95% CI 15.1-20.9), 22.1% (95% CI 17.7-26.60) and 43.2% (95% CI 36.6-49.8), respectively. The lowest level of physical, sexual, and emotional intimate partner violence rate was observed in district 1 of Iran (includes Tehran, the capital of Iran and the surrounding provinces). The rate of physical and sexual intimate partner violence prevalence decreased with the increased mean age of the husband (P=0.005) and the mean age of the wife (P=0.035), respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

Studies included in this review report that more than half of Iranian women experience violence during pregnancy. In order to prevent adverse maternal and neonatal consequences, it is necessary to identify these women and introduce them to support centres.

Prevalence of Osteoporosis Among Iranian Postmenopausal Women: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Objectives:

Osteoporosis is the most common metabolic bone disease. It is considered the silent epidemic, with high prevalence after menopause, in the current time. Different studies conducted in Iran have reported different prevalence. The present systematic review and meta-analysis aims to estimate the overall prevalence of osteoporosis in Iranian postmenopausal women.

Methods:

The national scientific databases Scientific Information Database and MagIran and the international scientific databases PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus were searched for related articles without any time limitation. The keywords osteopenia, osteoporosis, post menopause, OP, bone mineral density, and Iran along with their combinations were used in the search. The inconsistency in the data was examined using I² test. The data were analyzed using the meta-analysis method and the random-effects model in Stata software, version 14.

Results:

The analysis of 26 articles with a sample size of 6735 showed that the prevalence of osteoporosis and osteopenia in Iranian postmenopausal women is, respectively, 33.70% (95% CI [confidence interval]: 22.68-44.73) and 47.60% (95% CI: 32.88-62.32). The pooled prevalence of osteoporosis in the spine and in the femur bone was 31.99% and 15.93%, respectively. Also, the prevalence of osteopenia in the spine and in the femur bone was 22.48% and 39.88%, respectively.

Conclusion:

Osteoporosis and osteopenia are highly prevalent in Iranian postmenopausal women to the extent that one-third of women suffer from osteoporosis and nearly half of them suffer from osteopenia. It seems essential to teach a healthy lifestyle to these women to reduce the prevalence of these issues.

Health-related quality of life in patients with breast cancer: A systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer of women across the world, which can affect the quality of life in patients due to complications caused by the disease and related treatments. Various treatments have been designed for these patients to improve their life quality. This study aimed to estimate the mean score of health-related quality of life patients with breast cancer in Iran.

METHODS

In this study, we searched the national and international databases of SID, MagIran, Google Scholar, ISI/Web of Science, PubMed and Scopus with no time limits using the keywords of "health-related quality of life", "health related quality of life", "quality of life", "breast neoplasm", "breast cancer", and "breast tumors". Data analysis was performed in STATA version 14 based on the heterogeneity state using random effects model.

RESULTS

In this study, 15 articles with a sample size of 1883 were evaluated, and the mean global quality of life in patients was reported at 72.48 (95% CI: 64.94-79.82). In addition, the worst performance and symptoms were related to emotional functioning (56.70) (95% CI: 49.84-63.55) and financial difficulties (43.57) (95% CI: 31.47-55.67).

CONCLUSION

According to the results of the present study, the Iranian patients with breast cancer had a moderate quality of life in most dimensions.

The relationship between depression and risk of metabolic syndrome: a meta-analysis of observational studies

Introduction

The link between metabolic syndrome and depression has always been controversial. Different studies that have examined the relationship between metabolic syndrome and depression have reported different results. Therefore, the goal of the present study was to examine the association between depression and MetS by meta-analysis.

Methods

Embase, Scopus, PubMed, and ISI were searched for publications in English from January 1990 to February 2020. Search included cohort and cross-sectional studies aimed at examining the association between depression and MetS. The risk of bias was assessed by Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. Heterogeneity and publication bias were tested, subgroup analysis and meta-regression were conducted.

Results

49 studies with total sample size 399,494 were analyzed. Results indicated the odds of MetS was higher in depressed compared to non-depressed individuals [OR: 1.48; 95 %CI: 1.33–1.64) vs. (OR: 1.38; 95 %CI: 1.17–1.64)]. For cross-sectional studies, depressed patients in Europe (OR = 1.35; 95 %CI: 1.47–1.99) were at higher odds of MetS compared to those in America and Asia. For cohort studies, depressed patients in America (OR = 1.46; 95 %CI: 1.16–1.84) were at higher odds of MetS than those in Europe. Cross-sectional studies indicated women with depression were at higher odds of MetS (OR = 1.95; 95 %CI: 1.38–2.74) compared to men. In both types of studies, the odds of MetS decreased with age.

Conclusions

Metabolic syndrome is more common in depressed compared to non-depressed individuals.

The Prevalence of Medication Errors Among Nursing Students: A Systematic and Meta-analysis Study

BACKGROUND

Health promotion and preserving patients' safety are the main purposes of care in health-therapeutic systems. With regard to nursing profession, nursing students are exposed to medications errors (MEs) during clinical activities, which can be considered as a threat to patients' safety. The study aimed to determine the prevalence of MEs among nursing students using a systematic and meta-analysis approach.

METHODS

8 studies (in 9 groups) in English and Persian from inception to March 2019, were collected. Searched was conducted in SID, MagIran, IranMedex, Google Scholar, Web of Science, PubMed and Scopus. The meta-analysis method and the random effects model were used to analyze the data. In addition, the I2 statistic was used to examine heterogeneity among studies. The analyses were conducted using Stata, version 11.

RESULTS

Analysis of 8 studies (in 9 groups) with a total sample size of 688 showed that the overall MEs' prevalence among nursing students was 39.68% (95% CI: 22.07-57.29) and the prevalence of lack of reporting MEs was 48.60% (95%CI: 27.33-69.86). There were no relationships between the prevalence of MEs and lack of reporting MEs in nursing students with the sample size and the mean age of students.

CONCLUSIONS

Considering the relatively high prevalence of MEs and lack of MEs reporting among nursing students and the importance of their effect on the level of patients' safety, measures such as educations, monitoring by clinical trainers, and examining and eliminating the causes of MEs are essential.

Prevalence of celiac disease in Iranian patients with type 1 diabetes: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) are at high risk for celiac disease (CD) due to the common genetic background and interaction between environmental and immunological factors. The purpose of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to estimate the prevalence of CD among Iranian patients with type 1 diabetes. The search for articles was conducted using the following keywords: "celiac disease," "celiac," "coeliac disease," "diabetes," "Iran," and all other possible combinations of these terms. The following databases were searched from inception to June 2019: Scientific Information Database (SID), MagIran, Web of Science, PubMed, and Scopus. Meta-analysis was performed using the random-effects models, and the heterogeneity of results across the studies was assessed using the Cochran's Q test and quantified by the I² statistic. Data analysis was performed by Stata version 14. A total of 14 papers were included in the meta-analysis, involving 2030 Iranian patients with T1DM. The pooled prevalence of CD in patients with T1DM was 5% (95% CI 3-7). The prevalence of CD in Tehran (4%; 95% CI 1-6) was lower than in other provinces of the country (6%; 95% CI 4-8). Meta-regression analysis showed that, with increasing sample size, the prevalence of  CD was significantly reduced (p = 0.018).Given the adverse effects of CD , such as osteoporosis and malignancy (especially lymphoma), patients with T1DM must be screened for CD .

Benefit-Risk Assessment of Vaccines. Part II: Proposal Towards Consolidated Standards of Reporting Quantitative Benefit-Risk Models Applied to Vaccines (BRIVAC)

INTRODUCTION

Quantitative benefit-risk models (qBRm) applied to vaccines are increasingly used by public health authorities and pharmaceutical companies as an important tool to help decision makers with supporting benefit-risk assessment (BRA). However, many publications on vaccine qBRm provide insufficient details on the methodological approaches used. Incomplete and/or inadequate qBRm reporting may affect result interpretation and confidence in BRA, highlighting a need for the development of standard reporting guidance.

OBJECTIVES

Our objective was to provide an operational checklist for improved reporting of vaccine qBRm.

METHODS

The consolidated standards of reporting quantitative Benefit-RIsk models applied to VACcines (BRIVAC) were designed as a checklist of key information to report in qBRm scientific publications regarding the assessed vaccines, the methodological considerations and the results and their interpretation.

RESULTS

In total, 22 items and accompanying definitions, recommendations, explanations and examples were provided and divided into six main sections corresponding to the classic subdivisions of a scientific publication: title and abstract (items 1-2), introduction (items 3-4), methods (items 5-15), results (items 16-17), discussion (items 18-20) and other (items 21-22).

CONCLUSIONS

The BRIVAC checklist is the first initiative providing an operational checklist for improved reporting of qBRm applied to vaccines in scientific articles. It is intended to assist authors, peer-reviewers, editors and readers in their critical appraisal. Future initiatives are needed to provide methodological guidance to perform qBRm while taking into account the vaccine specificities.

Burden of Care in Caregivers of Iranian patients with chronic disorders: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Introduction

Caring for patients with chronic disorders can lead to different problems for caregivers in physical, psychological, social, family, and financial domains. High levels of burden of care can make caregivers vulnerable to physical and psychological conditions and influence their quality of life. Therefore, the goal of the present study was to estimate the overall percentage of burden of care in caregivers of Iranian patients with chronic disorders.

Methods

A total of 25 articles published from inception to February 2019 were reviewed. Search for articles was conducted in international (Scopus, Web of Science, and PubMed) and domestic (Scientific Information Database (SID) and MagIran) databases, using the following keywords: “Caregiver,” “Burden,” and “Iran,” and their possible combinations. The data were analyzed using the meta-analysis method and the random effects model. All the analyses were performed using STATA, version 14.

Results

The overall percentage of burden of care in caregivers of Iranian patients with chronic disorders was 53.28% (95% CI: 46.13–60.43). The highest percentage of burden of care was related to dialysis (62.75; 95% CI: 56.11–69.38), mental disorders (58.69; 95% CI: 49.70–67.69), and Alzheimer’s disease (57.07; 95% CI: 46.23–67.92), respectively; and the lowest percentage of burden of care was related to diabetes (34.92; 95% CI: 18.01–51.82).

Conclusions

Caregivers of Iranian patients with chronic disorders experience high levels of burden of care, especially those caring for patients undergoing dialysis, patients with mental disorders, and patients with Alzheimer’s disease. Therefore, necessary measures need to be taken by Iranian health care officials to reduce burden of care in caregivers.

The prevalence of depression in patients living with implantable cardioverter defibrillator: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Depression is a common disorder in patients with implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD). There are a variety of studies estimated the prevalence of depression in these patients. The present study aimed to investigate the prevalence of depression in patients with ICD.

METHODS

In the present study, we conducted a systematic review of studies published in PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science (WoS), Medline, and EMBASE without any time filtration to obtain studies investigated the prevalence of depression in patients with ICD. Search terms consisted of "Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator(s)" in combination with "depression," "depressive," "prevalence," "implanted cardioverter," "implantable," and "implantable defibrillator."

RESULTS

We identified 15 relevant studies, comprising data from 10,182 patients with ICD from whom 2400 (23.58%) (95% CI, 15.36-31.79) had depression. The results of the subgroup analysis showed that the prevalence of depression among middle-aged patients (28.58% with confidence interval of 95%, 21.51-35.65) was higher than elderly patients (22.23% with confidence interval of 95%, 11.21-33.24) and it was not significantly correlated with the mean age of samples (P = 0.255), sample size (P = 0.686), and the publication date (P = 0.784), although there was a significant correlation between the prevalence of depression and the quality of articles so that the prevalence was decreasing with an increase in the quality (P = 0.046).

CONCLUSION

Around 1 in 4 patients with ICD (23.58%) experiences depression progression after an ICD placement. This prevalence is comparable to that in the general population, and close to that of the patients with common chronic diseases.

Prevalence of unwanted pregnancy among Iranian women: an updated meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Unwanted pregnancy is a global issue with adverse outcomes for the mother, child, family, and society. Previous studies in Iran have reported different prevalence rates for unwanted pregnancy. This meta-analysis was aimed at estimating the overall prevalence of unwanted pregnancy among Iranian women.

METHODS

A total of 20 articles in English or Persian, published between 2012 and December 2018, were collected. The search was conducted in national and international databases, including Scientific Information Database (SID), MagIran, PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science, using the following keywords: 'Unplanned pregnancy', 'Unintended pregnancy', 'Unwanted pregnancy', and 'Mistimed pregnancy'. The data were analyzed using the meta-analysis method and the random effects model. Heterogeneity among studies was assessed using the I2 statistic. All analyses were performed using Stata, version 12.

RESULTS

Analysis of 20 studies with a total sample size of 16,298 showed that the prevalence of unwanted pregnancy among Iranian women was 26% (95% Confidence Interval [CI]: 23-28). This prevalence was higher in the regions 5 and 2 of Iran (27%) than the other regions, and had no significant decrease between 2012 and 2018 (p = 0. 937).

CONCLUSION

More than one-fourth of pregnancies among Iranian women are unwanted. Providing training programs for couples who do not plan to have children along with the support policies aimed at stimulating population growth, can be an important step in overcoming the issue of unwanted pregnancy and reducing the illegal abortions related to it.

The prevalence of comorbid depression in patients with diabetes: A meta-analysis of observational studies

Depression is one of the most common psychiatric disorders in patients with diabetes, which can exacerbate and accelerate adverse diabetes complaints by reducing self-care behaviors and medication adherence. The purpose of this study is to estimate the prevalence of depression in Iranian patients with diabetes. The search was conducted in the databases of Scientific Information Database (SID), MagIran, PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar. The following keywords and their possible combinations were used: depressive disorder, major depressive disorder, dysthymic disorder, diabetes mellitus and Iran. Heterogeneity between studies was examined with I². The data were analyzed using the meta-analysis method and random-effects model with Stata version 11.0. The analysis of 37 selected articles with a total sample size of 7849 indicated that the overall prevalence of depression in Iranian patients with diabetes was 54% (95% CI: 47.32-60.70). In addition, the prevalence of depression in women (56.25%; 95% CI: 48.83-63.68) was higher than that of men (41.05%; 95% CI: 32.74-49.36). The results showed that there was no relationship between the prevalence of depression and publication year (0.249), sample size (p = 0.529), and mean age of the subjects (p = 0.330). More than half of the patients with diabetes suffer from depression. Identification and treatment of these patients can be an important step in controlling and delaying the diabetes complication.

The prevalence of osteoporosis among Iranian postmenopausal women with type 2 diabetes: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Osteoporosis is the most common metabolic bone disorder that is common in postmenopausal women with type 2 diabetes. Different studies have reported different prevalence of osteoporosis. This systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted to estimate the pooled prevalence of osteoporosis in Iranian postmenopausal women with type 2 diabetes. Search for eligible articles was performed using the keywords of osteoporosis, osteopenia, bone mineral density, OP, bone loss, Post menopaus*, diabetes, hyperglycemia, and Iran, and their possible combinations in the following databases: Scientific Information Database (SID), MagIran, PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science. Heterogeneity between studies was examined with I². The data were analyzed using the meta-analysis method and random effects model with Stata version 11.0. The analysis of 4 papers with a sample size of 562 showed that the prevalence of osteoporosis in the lumbar spine and femoral neck of the Iranian post-menopausal women with type II diabetes was 25.26% (95% CI: 7.22-30.30) and 17.45% (95% CI: 0.25-34.65), respectively. Also, the prevalence of osteopenia in the lumbar spine and femoral neck of these patients was 45.23% (95% CI: 40.66-49.79) and 44.53% (95% CI: 36.60-52.47), respectively. There was no relationship between the prevalence of osteoporosis and osteopenia with sample size, year of publication, age and body mass index. Osteoporosis and osteopenia are prevalent in women, so healthy lifestyle education for these postmenopausal women are necessary to reduce the prevalence of these problems.

Prevalence of iron deficiency anemia in Iranian children under 6 years of age: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background: Iron deficiency anemia is a prevalent condition among children in developing and developed countries that leads to impaired development, activity intolerance, behavioral changes, irritability, and reduced learning ability. The studies conducted in Iran have reported different prevalence rates for this condition. This systematic review and meta-analysis were aimed at estimating the prevalence of iron deficiency anemia in Iranian children under 6 years of age.

Methodology: Persian and English articles published from 2001 to 2018 were collected. The search process was conducted in national and internationals databases, including SID, MagIran, PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science, using the following keywords and their combinations: Iron, Iron deficiency, Iron deficiency anemia, Ferritin, Child, Children, and Iran. The data were analyzed using the meta-analysis and random effects model. Heterogeneity was assessed using the I² statistic. All analyses were performed using the STATA software, version 12.

Results: Analysis of six selected articles with a total sample size of 1,700 showed that the prevalence rates of iron deficiency and iron deficiency anemia in the Iranian children under 6 years of age were 27.7% (95% CI: 11.9–43.5) and 18.2% (95% CI: 14.3–22), respectively. In addition, the prevalence of iron deficiency anemia was higher in boys (17.7% with 95% CI: 5.9–29.5) than in girls (14.4% with 95% CI: 4.5–24.2).

Conclusion: About one-fifth of Iranian children under the age of 6 years suffer from iron deficiency anemia. Identification of those at risk of developing this condition with the goal of prevention, diagnosis, and treatment seems to be an important and necessary task.

Nurses' knowledge on pressure injury prevention: a systematic review and meta-analysis based on the Pressure Ulcer Knowledge Assessment Tool

Introduction

Inadequate knowledge on pressure injury (PI) can have a detrimental effect on preventive care strategies. The aim of this study was to assess the overall knowledge of nurses on PI prevention based on their scores on the Pressure Ulcer Knowledge Assessment Tool (PUKAT) and its subscales in different settings.

Methods

In this systematic review and meta-analysis, databases including Web of Science, Science Direct, Google Scholar, PubMed, and Scopus were searched, using the following keywords: Pressure Ulcer, Pressure injury, Bedsore, Pressure Sore, Decubitus Ulcer, knowledge, and their possible combinations. Based on heterogeneity between the studies, the data were analyzed using a random effects model. All of the analyses were performed using STATA v.12 software.

Results

In all three groups (nurses, assistant nurses, and nursing students), the lowest knowledge scores were for prevention measures to reduce the amount of pressure/shear. Nurses' knowledge (55.4%, 95% CI: 42.4-68.4) was higher than that of nursing students (52.7%, 95% CI: 3-49.56) and assistant nurses (42.2%, 95% CI: 16.4-68).

Conclusion

The overall knowledge of nurses on PI prevention was lower than the recommended level (60%). Regular training courses and review of PI prevention guidelines can be useful in updating the knowledge of nurses, especially assistant nurses and nursing students on PI prevention.