Prevalence of Pediculus capitis Infestation among Primary School Students in East Azerbaijan Province, Iran (2018 – 2019)

Prevalence and associated factors of head lice infestation among primary school children in low- and middle-income countries: systematic review and meta-analysis

INTRODUCTION

Head lice infestation remains a persistent public health concern among primary school children in resource-limited settings, affecting their well-being and academic performance. Despite previous studies, there is no consistent evidence on the prevalence and factors associated with head lice infestation. This study aimed to determine the prevalence and factors related to head lice infestation among primary school children in low and middle-income countries.

METHODS

This review was conducted by the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses 2020 guidelines. Relevant electronic databases, including PubMed, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, Science Direct, AJOL, and Google Scholar, were used to retrieve articles. The study included only published articles written in English languages between December 01, 2014 to January 31, 2024 for studies reporting the prevalence of head lice infestation or associated factors among primary school children in low- and middle-income countries. This review has been registered on PROSPERO with Prospero registration number CRD42024506959. The heterogeneity of the data was evaluated using the I2 statistic. A meta-analysis was conducted using STATA 17 software, with a 95% confidence interval. Publication bias was evaluated using funnel plots and statistical tests, such as Egger's and Beggs's tests, to identify publication biases in the included studies. Meta-regression was also carried out to assess the source of publication of publication bias.

RESULTS

The review included 39 studies involving 105,383 primary school children. The pooled prevalence of head lice infestation among primary school children in low- and middle-income countries was 19.96% (95% CI; 13.97, 25.95). This review also found out that being a girl was 3.71 times (AOR = 3.71; 95% CI: 1.22-11.26) more likely to have head lice infestation as compared to boys, while children with a previous history of infestation were 4.51 times (AOR = 4.51; 95% CI: 2.31-8.83) more likely to have head lice infestation as compared to their counterparts.

CONCLUSION

The overall prevalence of head lice infestation among primary school children in low- and middle-income countries was found to be high. Female gender, children who had a previous history of infestation, and family size were significant predictors of head lice infestation. As a result, policymakers and program administrators should focus on the identified determinants.

Anti-inflammatory and Antimicrobial Potential of 1, 3, 4-oxadiazoles and its Derivatives: A Review

1, 3, 4-oxadiazole and its derivatives have significant anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial property. Their precise mechanism of action is not known but it is postulated that they act by inhibiting the biosynthesis of certain prostaglandins. 1, 3, 4-oxadiazoles are a class of heterocyclic compounds with wide variety of biological and pharmacological activities. They have been reported to possess analgesic, antimicrobial, antipyretic and anti-inflammatory properties. These compounds are also active against a number of other inflammatory conditions such as arthritis, gout etc. A wide variety of these compounds have been synthesized and some of them are under clinical trials. In this review article, anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial activity of the 1, 3, 4- oxadiazole shall be discussed.

Prevalence of Pediculosis Among Primary School-Aged Students in Iran: an Updated Comprehensive Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

In this study, a systematic investigation was performed to estimate the prevalence of head lice infestation, and to determine the factors affecting the prevalence of heterogeneity among primary school-aged children in Iran. A comprehensive search was fulfilled in international databases, including MEDLINE, Scopus, Web of Science, and Embase, to identify the articles on the prevalence of pediculosis. So, all the cross-sectional epidemiological studies evaluating the prevalence of pediculosis were covered without any restrictions. A random-effects model was used to assess the pooled prevalence. A meta-regression method was applied to determine the factors affecting the heterogeneity among the studied population. An analysis was performed on 67 studies with a total sample size of 358,053. The total pooled estimate for the prevalence of pediculosis in boys and girls was 7.52% (95% CI: 6.15-9.03), 1.99% (95% CI: 1.25-2.89), and 8.97% (95% CI: 721-10.91), respectively. The highest and lowest pooled prevalence was in Hormozgan (southern Iran) (29.21%; 95% CI: 8.89-55.34) and Isfahan (Central Iran) (0.69%; 95% CI: 0.59-0.80), respectively. Based on the results of the univariate meta-regression, gender and father's job showed a significant direct association with the prevalence of pediculosis, but the sample size had significant inverse relations with the prevalence of pediculosis. This study demonstrated that pediculosis is a common public health problem affecting school-aged children with a relatively high prevalence in Iran, especially among girls.