The global prevalence of highly pathogenic avian influenza A (H5N8) infection in birds: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

The zoonotic pathogen avian influenza A H5N8 causes enormous economic losses in the poultry industry and poses a serious threat to the public health. Here, we report the first systematic review and meta-analysis of the worldwide prevalence of birds. We filtered 45 eligible articles from seven databases. A random-effects model was used to analyze the prevalence of H5N8 in birds. The pooled prevalence of H5N8 in birds was 1.6%. In the regions, Africa has the highest prevalence (8.0%). Based on the source, village (8.3%) was the highest. In the sample type, the highest prevalence was organs (79.7%). In seasons, the highest prevalence was autumn (28.1%). The largest prevalence in the sampling time was during 2019 or later (7.0%). Furthermore, geographical factors also were associated with the prevalence. Therefore, we recommend site-specific prevention and control tools for this strain in birds and enhance the surveillance to reduce the spread of H5N8.

Prevalence of Cryptosporidium Infection in Sheep and Goat Flocks in China During 2010-2019: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Cryptosporidiosis is an extensively contagious zoonotic waterborne disease caused by the genus Cryptosporidium and poses to be a danger to public health. Sheep and goats are an intermediate host of Cryptosporidium. Consequently, a first systematic review and meta-analysis are performed to assess the burden of the infection relative to the Cryptosporidium in sheep and goat flocks in China. Five databases were searched for relevant literature in accordance with the inclusion criteria until January 30, 2020. At last, a total of 33 qualified documents were included. We calculate the overall prevalence of Cryptosporidium (4.9%) in sheep and goats in China with the random-effects model. The prevalence after 2014 (4.6%) was higher than that before or in 2014 (2.8%). The pooled prevalence of Cryptosporidium in sheep and goats from Northern China (12.3%) was significantly higher (p < 0.05) than other regions. The infection rate of modified acid-fast staining (14.3%) was the highest among the detection methods. In age subgroups, the prevalence of Cryptosporidium in sheep and goats in 3 months or before was the highest (20.8%). Goats had a higher infection rate (5.9%) in species. The prevalence of large-scale farms (2.8%) was lower than free-ranging farms (4.4%). The medium quality level (6.4%) was the highest. Besides, geographical factors (such as latitude, longitude, height, precipitation, humidity, mean temperature, etc.) were further analyzed as potential risk factors of Cryptosporidium in sheep and goats. This meta-analysis indicates that the Cryptosporidium infection of Chinese sheep and goat flocks is general. Thus, it is necessary to further monitor the prevalence of Cryptosporidium, and the reasonable preventive strategy should be formulated on the basis of the geographical factors of different regions and the differences in sheep and goats' growth stages to reduce the prevalence of Cryptosporidium in sheep and goats.

Relevance of SYNTAX score for assessment of saphenous vein graft failure after coronary artery bypass grafting.

OBJECTIVE: To identify risk factors of saphenous vein graft (SVG) failure and to investigate the utility of anatomical SYNTAX score (SS) and SYNTAX score II (SS-II) in predicting SVG failure. METHODS: A total of 598 patients who underwent angiography for clinical reasons after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) were included. Baseline data and factors related to SVG failure were analyzed at the patient and graft levels. Patients were divided in tertiles by anatomical SS and in three groups by SS-II revascularization recommendation, and SVG patency was analyzed across these groups. RESULTS: Patency rates were similar in all SS-stratified and SS-II recommendation groups within 1, 5, and 10 years after CABG. At the patient level, fasting blood glucose (FBG) level <7.0 mmol/L was less common in SVG failure (68.0% vs. 76.2%). At the graft level, patients with SVG failure tended to have angiography later (4.0 years vs. 3.0 years), poorer FBG control (FBG <7.0 mmol/L: 68.2% vs. 74.7%), and more grafts anastomosed to the right coronary system (59.2% vs. 47.4%). Longer time interval after CABG was related to SVG failure both at the patient and graft levels, and odds ratio (OR)/P values (OR/P) were 1.282/0.029 and 1.384/0.016, respectively. Using independent graft and grafting to the right artery system as risk factors at the graft level, OR/Ps were 3.094/0.000 and 2.524/0.000, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Longer time interval after CABG, independent grafts, and grafting to the right artery system are associated with SVG failure. Anatomical SS or SS-II may not be reasonable tools for predicting SVG failure.

Seroprevalence and Risk Factors of the Bluetongue Virus in Cattle in China From 1988 to 2019: A Comprehensive Literature Review and Meta-Analysis.

Background: Bluetongue caused by the bluetongue virus (BTV) is a non-contagious and an insect-borne disease mainly affecting domestic and wild ruminants. Bluetongue in cattle is associated with vesicular lesions, weight loss, low milk production, and low reproductive capacity. It should not be ignored as it is associated with large economic losses to the livestock breeding industry in China. Although many studies have investigated bluetongue virus infection in cattle, no nationwide study on the prevalence of bluetongue virus infection in cattle from China has yet been conducted. This meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the seroprevalence and risk factors for bluetongue in cattle. Results: We collected 50 publications from 1988 to 2019 through PubMed, ScienceDirect, Chinese Web of Knowledge (CNKI), VIP Chinese journal database, and Wanfang database. A total of the pooled bluetongue seroprevalence of 12.2% (5,332/87,472) in cattle was tested. The point estimate of bluetongue collected from 2001 to 2011 was 22.5% (95% CI: 1.2-58.9), which was higher than after 2012 (9.9%, 95% CI: 3.3-19.4). The analysis of the feeding model subgroup revealed that the seroprevalence of bluetongue was significantly higher (P < 0.05) among free-range cattle (22.5%; 95% CI: 7.7-42.3) than among cattle from intensive farming systems (1.8%; 95% CI: 0.0-6.7). The seroprevalence of bluetongue in different species showed significant variation (P < 0.05), with the highest seroprevalence of 39.8% (95% CI: 18.7-63.0) in buffalo and the lowest seroprevalence of 4.3% (95% CI: 1.2-9.0) in yak. In the zoogeographical division subgroup, the seroprevalence of bluetongue correlated positively within a certain range with the species distribution of Culicoides. Conclusion: Our findings suggested that bluetongue was prevalent in cattle in China. In addition, the contact with sheep, other ruminants, or transmission media such as Culicoides may increase the seroprevalence of bluetongue disease in cattle. It is necessary to carry out continuous monitoring of the bluetongue seroprevalence. Moreover, comprehensive and improved strategies and measures should be implemented to prevent and control the spread of bluetongue.

Impact of depression on clinical outcomes following percutaneous coronary intervention: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVES: The objective of this meta-analysis was to assess whether depression in percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) patients is associated with higher risk of adverse outcomes. DESIGN: Systematic review and meta-analysis. METHODS: EMBASE, PubMed, CINAHL and PsycINFO were searched as data sources. We selected prospective cohort studies evaluating the relationship between depression and any adverse medical outcome, including all-cause mortality, cardiac mortality and non-fatal events, from inception to 28 February 2019. Two reviewers independently extracted information and calculated the risk of cardiovascular events in patients with preoperative or postoperative depression compared with non-depressed patients. RESULTS: Eight studies (n=3297) met our inclusion criteria. Most studies found a positive association between depression and adverse cardiovascular outcomes. Meta-analysis yielded an aggregate risk ratio of 1.57 (95% CI 1.28 to 1.92, p<0.0001) for the magnitude of the relation between depression and adverse outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: Our systematic review and meta-analysis suggests that depression is associated with an increased risk of worse clinical outcome or mortality in patients undergoing PCI. Assessment time and length of follow-up do not have a significant effect on this conclusion.