Standard echocardiography versus handheld echocardiography for the detection of subclinical rheumatic heart disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis of diagnostic accuracy.

OBJECTIVE: To summarise the accuracy of handheld echocardiography (HAND) which, if shown to be sufficiently similar to that of standard echocardiography (STAND), could usher in a new age of rheumatic heart disease (RHD) screening in endemic areas. DESIGN: Systematic review and meta-analysis. DATA SOURCES: PubMed, Scopus, EBSCOHost and ISI Web of Science were initially searched on 27 September 2017 and again on 3 March 2020 for studies published from 2012 onwards. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA: Studies assessing the accuracy of HAND compared with STAND when performed by an experienced cardiologist in conjunction with the 2012 World Heart Federation criteria among populations of children and adolescents living in endemic areas were included. DATA EXTRACTION AND SYNTHESIS: Two reviewers independently extracted data and assessed the methodological quality of included studies against review-specific Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies (QUADAS)-2 criteria. A meta-analysis using the hierarchical summary receiver operating characteristic model was conducted to produce summary results of sensitivity and specificity. Forest plots and scatter plots in receiver operating characteristic space in combination with subgroup analyses were used to investigate heterogeneity. Publication bias was not investigated. RESULTS: Six studies (N=4208) were included in the analysis. For any RHD detection, the pooled results from six studies were as follows: sensitivity: 81.56% (95% CI 76.52% to 86.61%) and specificity: 89.75% (84.48% to 95.01%). Meta-analytical results from five of the six included studies were as follows: sensitivity: 91.06% (80.46% to 100%) and specificity: 91.96% (85.57% to 98.36%) for the detection of definite RHD only and sensitivity: 62.01% (31.80% to 92.22%) and specificity: 82.33% (65.15% to 99.52%) for the detection of borderline RHD only. CONCLUSIONS: HAND displayed good accuracy for detecting definite RHD only and modest accuracy for detecting any RHD but demonstrated poor accuracy for the detection of borderline RHD alone. Findings from this review provide some evidence for the potential of HAND to increase access to echocardiographic screening for RHD in resource-limited and remote settings; however, further research into feasibility and cost-effectiveness of wide-scale screening is still needed. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42016051261.

The global epidemiology of viral-induced acute liver failure: a systematic review protocol.

INTRODUCTION: The burden of viral-induced acute liver failure (ALF) around the world still remains unclear, with little to no data collected regarding the disease incidence in general and synthesised data on the relative contribution of different viruses to the aetiology of ALF is missing in the field. The aim of this review is to estimate the burden (prevalence, incidence, mortality, hospitalisation) of ALF following infection HAV, HBV, HCV, HDV, HEV, EBV), HSV1, HSV2, VZV, parvo-virus B19, HPIVs, YFV, HVV-6, CMV, CA16 and/or HAdVs. Establishing the common aetiologies of viral-induced ALF, which vary geographically, is important so that: (1) treatment can be initiated quickly, (2) contraindications to liver transplant can be identified, (3) prognoses can be deterined more accurately, and most importantly, (4) vaccination against viral ALF aetiologies can be prioritised especially in under-resourced regions with public health risks associated with the relevant attributable diseases. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: EBSCOhost, PubMed, ScienceDirect, Scopus and Web of Science databases will be searched for relevant literature published and grey literature from 2009 up to 2019. Published cross-sectional and cohort studies will be eligible for inclusion in this review. Qualifying studies will be formally assessed for quality and risk of bias using a standardised scoring tool. Following standardised data extraction, meta-analyses will be carried out using STATA. Depending on characteristics of included studies, subgroup analyses and meta-regression analyses will be performed. This review will be reported according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: No ethics approval is required as the systematic review will use only published data already in the public domain. Findings will be disseminated through publication in a peer-reviewed journal. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42018110309.

Task Sharing in the Diagnosis, Prevention, and Management of Rheumatic Heart Disease: A Systematic Review.

BACKGROUND: Globally, rheumatic heart disease (RHD) is a major contributor to the burden of cardiovascular disease. Major gaps in RHD prevention and treatment have been documented at all levels of health systems in low- and middle-income countries. Task sharing is an approach that could prove effective in remediating bottlenecks in RHD-related care. OBJECTIVES: This study conducted a systematic review to assess the state of the evidence for the use of task sharing in the diagnosis, prevention, and management of RHD. METHODS: Guided by a previously published protocol, we searched various databases using a systematic search strategy including MeSH and free-text terms for (1) group A streptococcus, acute rheumatic fever, and RHD and (2) strategies of task sharing in limited-resource settings. Two investigators independently screened the search outputs, selected the studies, extracted the data, and assessed the risk of bias, resolving discrepancies by discussion and consensus. RESULTS: The publications search yielded 212 records, of which 18 articles were deemed as potentially eligible for inclusion. None of the studies, however, met with the inclusion criteria. CONCLUSIONS: There is a lack of evidence for the use of task-sharing approaches in scaling up RHD prevention and treatment services in limited-resource settings. Considering the persistent burden of group A streptococcus, acute rheumatic fever, and RHD in low- and middle-income countries, this work highlights the urgent need to develop and test models of RHD-related care utilizing an evidence-based approach to task sharing. [Task Sharing in the Diagnosis, Prevention, and Management of Rheumatic Heart Disease: A Systematic Review; CRD42017072989].

A scoping review of interventions for vaccine stock management in primary health-care facilities.

One of the challenges facing the success of immunization programs is shortages of vaccines at health facilities, which could result from inadequate vaccine stock management. Several approaches have been designed by countries to improve vaccine stock management. This review summarizes currently available information on interventions for vaccine stock management.We considered both randomized trials and non-randomized studies eligible for inclusion in this review. The following databases were searched: PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, World Health Organization Library Information System, Web of Science, and PDQ-Evidence. We searched the websites of the World Health Organization, Global Alliance for Vaccine and Immunization, PATH's Vaccine Resources Library, and United Nations Children's Fund. The reference lists of all the included studies were also searched. Two authors independently screened search outputs, reviewed full texts of potentially eligible articles, evaluated risk of bias, and extracted data; resolving disagreements through consensus.Four studies met our inclusion criteria (three before-after studies and one randomized trial). Three studies were conducted in low- and middle-income countries while one was conducted in Canada (a high-income country). All the studies had various limitations and were classified as having a high risk of bias. Study findings suggest that the use of digital information systems to improve information and stock visibility, coupled with other interventions (such as training of health-care workers on the use of innovative tools and redesign of the supply chain to tackle certain bottlenecks), has the potential to increase vaccine availability, reduce response times, and improve the quality of vaccine records.

Effects of vaccines in patients with sickle cell disease: a systematic review protocol.

INTRODUCTION: Sickle cell disease (SCD) is an inherited haematological disorder caused by a single point mutation (Glub6Val) that promotes polymerisation of haemoglobin S and sickling of erythrocytes. Inflammation, haemolysis, microvascular obstruction and organ damage characterise the highly variable clinical expression of SCD. People with SCD are at increased risk of severe infections, hence the need for vaccination against common disease-causing organisms in this population. We aim to review the evidence on the efficacy and safety of vaccines in people with SCD. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: The present systematic review will examine the current data as indexed in PubMed, CENTRAL, EMBASE and EBSCOHost. We will consult Strategic Advisory Group of Experts practice statements, conference abstracts, reference lists of relevant articles, WHO ICTRP trial registry and experts in the field. Two authors will independently screen search outputs, select studies, extract data and assess risk of bias; resolving discrepancies by discussion and consensus between the two authors or arbitration by a third author when necessary. We will perform a meta-analysis for clinically homogenous studies. Evidence from clinically diverse studies will be aggregated using narrative synthesis of the findings. In either case, we will use the GRADE approach to assess the strength of the available evidence. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: The study draws on data that are readily available in the public domain, hence no formal ethical review and approval is required. The findings of this review will be disseminated through conference presentations and a publication in a peer-reviewed journal. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42018084051.

Task sharing to improve the prevention, diagnosis and management of rheumatic heart disease: a systematic review protocol.

INTRODUCTION: Rheumatic heart disease (RHD) remains an important cause of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality globally due to weak health systems in many countries. RHD can be effectively prevented and managed; however, RHD-related interventions have not been widely adopted in countries with severe human resource constraints. Task sharing is a recognised approach to personnel shortages that could prove effective for RHD and has, anecdotally, been attempted in a few settings. We propose a systematic review and meta-analysis protocol to assess models that use non-physician workers to expand access to, and quality of, RHD-related healthcare. METHODS: We will include randomised controlled trials (RCT), cluster RCTs, quasi-experimental and controlled before and after studies providing information on the effectiveness of non-physician workers in providing care for streptoccocal pharyngitis, rheumatic fever and RHD. We will search relevant electronic databases and grey literature using medical subject headings. Standardised data extraction forms will be used to collect effect sizes that will be pooled in random-effects models. We will also conduct subgroup analyses and note other important quantitative findings, such as cost reduction, and qualitative findings, such as patient satisfaction. We will also assess study quality and risk of bias and metabias. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Ethics approval is not required for this systematic review of previously published literature. The results of the systematic review will be broadly disseminated via conference presentations, multidisciplinary workshops and peer-reviewed publications. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42017072989.

Prevalence of latent TB infection and TB disease among adolescents in high TB burden countries in Africa: a systematic review protocol.

INTRODUCTION: Almost a third of the world population has latent tuberculosis (TB) infection (LTBI), ∼10 million of whom develop TB disease annually, despite existence of effective, but lengthy, preventive and curative drug regimens. Although adolescents appear to have a very high force of LTBI, their reported incidence of TB disease is less than that of their corresponding general population. The few available studies on adolescent TB infection and disease prevalence are not sufficient to address the apparent discordance between rates of infection and disease in high TB burden countries in Africa. Therefore, we aim to perform a systematic review to examine the relationship between adolescent LTBI and TB disease, benchmarked against national TB disease burden data. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: A comprehensive literature search will be performed for cross-sectional studies and screening data in cohort studies to determine the prevalence of LTBI and TB disease among adolescents in high TB burden countries in Africa in the following databases: PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane library, Web of Science, Africa Wide, CINAHL and the Africa Index Medicus. This will be supplemented by a search of reference lists of selected articles for potentially relevant articles. We will restrict our search to articles published in the English language between 1990 and 2016 among adolescents in order to obtain estimates reflective of the mature HIV epidemic in most high TB burden countries in Africa that occurred over this critical period. Primary end points are: prevalence of LTBI and TB disease. We will use the random-effects or fixed-effects modelling for our meta-analysis based on heterogeneity estimates. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: No ethics approval is required given that this is a systematic review. Findings will be disseminated in a peer-reviewed journal in line with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA). TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42015023495.