Outcomes after corrective surgery for congenital dextro-transposition of the arteries using the arterial switch technique: a scoping systematic review.

Background: Dextro-transposition of the great arteries (D-TGA) is the most frequent cyanotic congenital heart pathology in neonates. Surgical correction of this condition is possible using the arterial switch operation (ASO) which was first performed by Jatene in 1975.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to summarise the evidence on short- (less than 1 year), medium- (1-20 years), and long-term (more than 20 years) outcomes of children with D-TGA treated with the ASO.

Fragility of clinical trials across research fields: A synthesis of methodological reviews.

Background: Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) are often used to inform clinical practice and it is desirable that their results be robust. A fragility index (FI), defined as the smallest number of participants in whom an outcome change from non-event to event would turn a statistically significant result to a non-significant result, can be computed to measure robustness. We sought to determine the distribution of fragility indices across various research areas and summarized the factors associated with fragility.

Barriers in accessing HIV care for Francophone African, Caribbean and Black people living with HIV in Canada: a scoping review.

Introduction: In 2001, 50%-55% of French-speaking minority communities did not have access to health services in French in Canada. Although Canada is officially a bilingual country, reports indicate that many healthcare services offered in French in Anglophone provinces are insufficient or substandard, leading to healthcare discrepancies among Canada's minority Francophone communities.

Objectives: The primary aim of this scoping systematic review was to identify existing gaps in HIV-care delivery to Francophone minorities living with HIV in Canada.

Medium-term Survival Following of Stroke in Yaoundé (Cameroon): a prospective observational cohort study.

Background: With 5.7 million deaths per year, stroke is the second cause of mortality worldwide, and 70% of these deaths occur in developing countries especially in relation to inappropriate clinical pathways and resources. The aim of our study was to assess the survival rate of stroke patients within 90 days and to identify its determinants.

Risk models for VTE and bleeding in medical inpatients: systematic identification and expert assessment.

Risk assessment models (RAMs) for venous thromboembolism (VTE) and bleeding in hospitalized medical patients inform appropriate use of thromboprophylaxis. Our aim was to use a novel approach for selecting risk factors for VTE and bleeding to be included in RAMs. First, we used the results of a systematic review of all candidate factors.

Advice for Junior Faculty Regarding Academic Promotion: What Not to Worry About, and What to Worry About.

Junior faculty in many universities must go through the promotion process to advance from entry level, e.g., assistant professorship to associate Professor, and ultimately to professorship.

Prognostic factors for VTE and bleeding in hospitalized medical patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

There may be many predictors of venous thromboembolism (VTE) and bleeding in hospitalized medical patients, but until now, systematic reviews and assessments of the certainty of the evidence have not been published. We conducted a systematic review to identify prognostic factors for VTE and bleeding in hospitalized medical patients and searched Medline and EMBASE from inception through May 2018. We considered studies that identified potential prognostic factors for VTE and bleeding in hospitalized adult medical patients.

Priority setting for new systematic reviews: processes and lessons learned in three regions in Africa.

Priority setting to identify topical and context relevant questions for systematic reviews involves an explicit, iterative and inclusive process. In resource-constrained settings of low-income and middle-income countries, priority setting for health related research activities ensures efficient use of resources. In this paper, we critically reflect on the approaches and specific processes adopted across three regions of Africa, present some of the outcomes and share the lessons learnt while carrying out these activities.

Misoprostol as an adjunct to oxytocin can reduce postpartum-haemorrhage: a propensity score-matched retrospective chart review in Bamenda-Cameroon, 2015-2016.

Background: There is some evidence that suggests misoprostol may supplement the action of oxytocin in preventing post-partum haemorrhage (PPH). The primary objective of this study was to determine the effect of the administration of 600 μg misoprostol in addition to oxytocin versus oxytocin alone, on the risk of PPH among pregnant women after delivery. The secondary objectives were to determine the effects of the above combination on maternal death and blood transfusion among pregnant women after delivery; and to determine the incidence of PPH, its case fatality, and the maternal mortality ratio in our hospital.

Effects of antiretroviral therapy in HIV-positive adults on new HIV infections among young women: a systematic review protocol.

Background: The HIV/AIDS pandemic has struck regions, countries, and populations in different ways. With the introduction of antiretroviral drugs, people living with HIV (PLHIV) have a much better prognosis, even though there are still many new infections in young women. The role of widespread antiretroviral therapy (ART) on the incidence of HIV in young women is unknown.

Barriers to HIV care among Francophone African, Caribbean and Black immigrant people living with HIV in Canada: a protocol for a scoping systematic review.

Introduction: Language is a social determinant of health. Addressing social determinants of health is paramount to successful progression along the HIV-care continuum. Canada is a bilingual country with French and English as official languages.

Strategies to improve adherence to antiretroviral therapy and retention in care for people living with HIV in high-income countries: a protocol for an overview of systematic reviews.

Introduction: While access to antiretroviral therapy (ART) for people living with HIV has expanded in recent years, additional efforts are required to support adherence to medication and retention in care. Interventions should be applicable in real-world settings and amenable to widespread use. The objectives of this overview are to identify effective pragmatic interventions that increase adherence to ART and retention in care for people living with HIV at high risk for suboptimal adherence and retention in high-income countries.

Output from the CIHR Canadian HIV Trials Network international postdoctoral fellowship for capacity building in HIV clinical trials.

As a response to the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) epidemic and part of Canadian Institutes for Health Research's mandate to support international health research capacity building, the Canadian Institutes for Health Research Canadian HIV Trial Network (CTN) developed an international postdoctoral fellowship award under the CTN's Postdoctoral Fellowship Awards Program to support and train young HIV researchers in resource-limited settings. Since 2010, the fellowship has been awarded to eight fellows in Cameroon, China, Lesotho, South Africa, Uganda and Zambia. These fellows have conducted research on a wide variety of topics and have built a strong network of collaboration and scientific productivity, with 40 peer-reviewed publications produced by six fellows during their fellowships.

Treatment interventions for diarrhoea in HIV-infected and HIV-exposed children: a systematic review.

Introduction: Seventy percent of an estimated 10 million children less than five years of age in developing countries die each year of acute respiratory infections, diarrhoea, measles, malaria, malnutrition or a combination of these conditions. Children living with Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) are at risk of diarrhoea because of drug interactions with antiretroviral therapy and bottle feeding. This may be aggravated by malnutrition and other infectious diseases which are frequent in children living with HIV.

Assessing the influence of knowledge translation platforms on health system policy processes to achieve the health millennium development goals in Cameroon and Uganda: a comparative case study.

There is a scarcity of empirical data on the influence of initiatives supporting evidence-informed health system policy-making (EIHSP), such as the knowledge translation platforms (KTPs) operating in Africa. To assess whether and how two KTPs housed in government-affiliated institutions in Cameroon and Uganda have influenced: (1) health system policy-making processes and decisions aiming at supporting achievement of the health millennium development goals (MDGs); and (2) the general climate for EIHSP. We conducted an embedded comparative case study of four policy processes in which Evidence Informed Policy Network (EVIPNet) Cameroon and Regional East African Community Health Policy Initiative (REACH-PI) Uganda were involved between 2009 and 2011.

Corticosteroids for sore throat: a clinical practice guideline.

What is the role of a single dose of oral corticosteroids for those with acute sore throat? Using the GRADE framework according to the BMJ Rapid Recommendation process, an expert panel make a weak recommendation in favour of corticosteroid use. The panel produced these recommendations based on a linked systematic review triggered by a large randomised trial published in April 2017. This trial reported that corticosteroids increased the proportion of patients with complete resolution of pain at 48 hours.

Approaches to interpreting and choosing the best treatments in network meta-analyses.

When randomized trials have addressed multiple interventions for the same health problem, network meta-analyses (NMAs) permit researchers to statistically pool data from individual studies including evidence from both direct and indirect comparisons. Grasping the significance of the results of NMAs may be very challenging. Authors may present the findings from such analyses in several numerical and graphical ways.

Challenges to complete and useful data sharing.

Data sharing from clinical trials is one way of promoting fair and transparent conduct of clinical trials. It would maximise the use of data and permit the exploration of additional hypotheses. On the other hand, the quality of secondary analyses cannot always be ascertained, and it may be unfair to investigators who have expended resources to collect data to bear the additional burden of sharing.

Association between mesothelin expression and survival outcomes in patients with triple-negative breast cancer: a protocol for a systematic review.

Background: Mesothelin is a membrane-bound glycoprotein. Although the biologic function of mesothelin is not very clear, researchers have found that it plays a role in the survival, proliferation, and migration of tumor cells. Identified as a tumor-associated biomarker, mesothelin is more often overexpressed in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) than in common luminal breast tumor subtype or normal tissues.

One year of campaigns in Cameroon: effects on routine health services.

Background: Targeted campaigns have been reported to disrupt routine health services in low- and middle-income countries. The objective of this study was to evaluate the average effect of public health campaigns over 1 year on routine services such as antenatal care, routine vaccination and outpatient services.

Method: We collected daily activity data in 60 health facilities in two regions of Cameroon that traditionally undergo different intensities of campaign activity, the Centre region (low) and the Far North (high), to ascertain effects on routine services.

Effect of serotonin modulating pharmacotherapies on body mass index and dysglycaemia among children and adolescents: a systematic review and network meta-analysis protocol.

Introduction: Serotonin-modulating medications are commonly prescribed for mental health issues. Currently, there is limited consensus on weight gain and dysglycaemia development among children using these medications. The objective of this study is to review and synthesise all the available evidence on serotonin-modulating medications and their effects on body mass index (BMI), weight and glycaemic control.

New pneumococcal conjugate vaccine introductions in four sub-Saharan African countries: a cross-country analysis of health systems' impacts.

Background: Pneumonia is a main cause of under-five mortality in low-income settings. The pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) has been introduced in many countries as a tool in the disease's prevention. Although PCV's effectiveness has been established, less is known about the effects of introducing additional injectable vaccines into routine immunisation programmes, particularly in the context of resource-constrained settings.

Factors associated with development of gastrointestinal problems in patients with scleroderma: a systematic review.

Background: Up to 90% of people with scleroderma have gastrointestinal (GI) problems such as constipation, bloating, diarrhea, and malabsorption. These problems significantly impair quality of life. Our objective was to determine the risk factors for gastrointestinal issues in people with scleroderma.