Prevalence of latent tuberculosis infection in Asian nations: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Tuberculosis (TB) is a serious public health concern around the world including Asia. TB burden is high in Asian countries and significant population harbor latent tuberculosis infection(LTBI). AIM: This systematic review and meta-analysis aims to evaluate the prevalence of LTBI in Asian countries. METHOD: We performed a systematic literature search on PubMed, Embase, and ScienceDirect to identify relevant articles published between January 1, 2005, and January 1, 2023 investigating the overall prevalence of latent TB among people of Asia. Subgroup analysis was done for Asian subregions during the study period of 2011 to 2016 and 2017 to 2023, for tuberculin skin test (TST) and interferon gamma release assay (IGRA), respectively, as well as for QuantiFERON-TB (QFT) and TSPOT TB tests. Der Simonian and Laird's random-effects model was used to pool the prevalence of LTBI found using TST and IGRA. RESULT: A total of 15 studies were included after a systematic search from standard electronic databases. The analysis showed that the prevalence of latent TB in Asia was 21% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 19%-23%) and 36% (95% CI: 12%-59%) according to IGRAs and TSTs (cut off 10 mm) results, respectively. Based on IGRA, the prevalence of latent TB was 20% (95% CI: 13%-25%) in 2011 to 2016 and 21% (95% CI: 18%-24%) in 2017 to 2023. Using QFT, the prevalence was 19% (95% CI: 17%-22%) and using TSPOT, the prevalence was 26% (95% CI: 21%-31%). According to the United Nations division of Asia, the prevalence was higher for the Southern region and least for the Western region using TST and higher in the South-Eastern region and least in the Western region using the IGRA test. CONCLUSION: Almost a quarter of the Asian population has LTBI. Its diagnosis often poses a diagnostic challenge due to the unavailability of standard test in certain areas. Given this prevalence, a mass screening program is suggested with the available standard test and public awareness along with anti-TB regimen should be considered for individuals who test positive. However, for it to be implemented effectively, we need to take the affordability, availability, and cost-effectiveness of such interventions into account.

Navigating the Role of Smartwatches in Cardiac Fitness Monitoring: Insights From Physicians and the Evolving Landscape.

Alongside the advancement of technology, wearable devices like smartwatches have widely been used for monitoring heartbeat, SpO2, EKG, and pacemaker activity. However, the global question is- can they be as effective as our standard diagnostic tests- electrocardiogram and echocardiography? Reported in the studies, smartwatches to the gold standard Holter monitoring for recognizing irregular pulse showed good sensitivity (98.2%), specificity (98.1%), and accuracy (98.1%). Smartwatches can be good enough for helping people get long-term monitoring of cardiac fitness and early diagnosis of atrial fibrillation but physicians shouldn't completely rely on them and perform standard investigations once the patient with symptoms visits them. We are also concerned that there must be certain rules and regulations for FDA approval of smartwatches to maintain standard criteria before they are released in the market.