Interventions on informal healthcare providers to improve the delivery of healthcare services in low-and middle-income countries: a systematic review.

Objective: Informal healthcare providers (IHCPs) play a big role in health systems in low-and middle-income countries (LMICs) and are often the first point of contact for healthcare in rural and underserved areas where formal healthcare infrastructure is insufficient or absent. This study was performed to systematically review the literature on interventions targeting IHCPs in improving the delivery of healthcare services in LMICs.

Methods: PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane CENTRAL databases were searched for studies that assessed any type of intervention among IHCPs to improve the delivery of healthcare services in any LMIC.

Pharmacogenomics-assisted treatment versus standard of care in schizophrenia: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Pharmacogenomic (PGx) factors significantly influence how patients respond to antipsychotic medications This systematic review was performed to synthesize the clinical utility of PGx-assisted treatment versus standard of care in schizophrenia.

Methods: PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane CENTRAL databases were searched for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) from inception till June 2024 that had compared the clinical utility of PGx-assisted intervention as compared to the standard of care in schizophrenia. The primary outcome was safety, and the secondary outcomes were efficacy and medication adherence.

An insight into the updated pharmacotherapy of metabolic-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) or metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH) in lean individuals: a review.

Metabolic-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) or metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH) in lean individuals represents a distinctive subset of MASH. Current pharmacotherapies, for MASH as demonstrated in clinical trials, predominantly target obese patients with limited consideration for lean MASH. We aimed to systematically review the literature on the pharmacotherapy of lean MASH.

Vonoprazan causes symptomatic improvement in non-erosive gastroesophageal reflux disease: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of vonoprazan therapy as compared to conventional proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) or no vonoprazan for non-erosive esophagitis.

Methods: A thorough search was conducted across databases. The primary outcome was to determine the mean variance in the gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) score after vonoprazan treatment.

Performance in a Balance Test and Prediction of All-Cause Mortality in Community-Dwelling Elderly Ambulatory Individuals: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

This systematic review and meta-analysis was performed to evaluate the association between an inability to perform a static balance test and mortality in community-dwelling older ambulatory individuals. PubMed, Embase, and Scopus were searched for relevant cohort studies. Hazard ratios (HR) were pooled (random-effect model).

A review of clinical trials registered in India from 2008 to 2022 to describe the first-in-human trials.

Aim: This analysis was conducted to review the number, and describe the characteristics of first-in-human (FIH) Phase 1 clinical trials registered in India from 2008 to 2022.

Materials And Methods: The data were extracted from the Clinical Trials Registry - India database for all FIH Phase 1 clinical trials registered between 2008 and 2022. Early-phase trials that were not FIH trials (e.

The Burden and Correlates of Waterpipe (Hookah) Smoking among Adolescents and Youth: A Systematic Review.

Background: This systematic review evaluated the available medical literature on the prevalence and trends of waterpipe tobacco smoking among adolescents and youth in jurisdictionally representative populations.

Methods: PubMed, Embase, and Scopus were searched for relevant studies from inception until 31 December 2022 that reported the burden of waterpipe smoking among adolescents and youth (10-24 years of age). We extracted qualitative data on the demographic characteristics, burden, and correlates of waterpipe smoking (PROSPERO ID: CRD42022310982).

Role of semaglutide in the treatment of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease or non-alcoholic steatohepatitis: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Aim: This systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted to evaluate the efficacy and safety of 24 weeks of semaglutide treatment in patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) or non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH).

Methods: PubMed, Embase, Scopus, Cochrane CENTRAL, and ClinicalTrials.gov databases were searched for relevant studies.

Efficacy and safety of bempedoic acid lipid-lowering therapy: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Aim: This systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted to synthesize the efficacy and safety of bempedoic acid in patients requiring lipid-lowering therapy.

Methods: PubMed, Embase, and Scopus databases were searched for randomized controlled trials from inception till June 2023. The primary outcome was major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), and secondary outcomes were all-cause mortality, serum lipid profile, and adverse events between bempedoic acid and comparators.

Effects of saroglitazar in the treatment of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease or non-alcoholic steatohepatitis: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Aim: This systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted to evaluate the efficacy and safety of 4 mg saroglitazar treatment in patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) or non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH).

Methods: PubMed, Embase, Scopus, Cochrane CENTRAL, medRxiv (pre-print), bioRxiv (pre-print), and ClinicalTrials.gov databases were searched for relevant studies.

Neurocognitive Analysis of Low-level Arsenic Exposure and Executive Function Mediated by Brain Anomalies Among Children, Adolescents, and Young Adults in India.

Importance: Arsenic, a contaminant of groundwater and irrigated crops, is a global public health hazard. Exposure to low levels of arsenic through food extends well beyond the areas with high arsenic content in water.

Objective: To identify cognitive impairments following commonly prevalent low-level arsenic exposure and characterize their underlying brain mechanisms.

The epidemiological and mycological profile of superficial mycoses in india from 2015 to 2021: A systematic review.

Background: The epidemiological and mycological patterns of superficial mycoses across various geographic regions of India across the last few years are changing.

Objective: This study was performed to evaluate the epidemiological and mycological profile of superficial mycoses in India between 2015 and 2021.

Methods: In this systematic review, the PubMed database was searched for all observational studies published between January 1, 2015, and December 31, 2021, which had evaluated the clinico-mycological profile of superficial mycoses among outpatients from various parts of India.

Efficacy and safety of lobeglitazone, a new Thiazolidinedione, as compared to the standard of care in type 2 diabetes mellitus: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Aim: This systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted to evaluate the efficacy and safety of lobeglitazone as compared to the standard of care (SOC) in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).

Methods: Databases were searched for relevant randomized controlled trials. The primary outcome was the comparison of the glycated hemoglobin (HbA1C) level after 24 weeks.

Association between Polypharmacy and Cardiovascular Autonomic Function among Elderly Patients in an Urban Municipality Area of Kolkata, India: A Record-Based Cross-Sectional Study.

We assessed the association between polypharmacy and cardiovascular autonomic function among community-dwelling elderly patients having chronic diseases. Three hundred and twenty-one patients from an urban municipality area of Kolkata, India were studied in August 2022. The anticholinergic burden and cardiac autonomic function (Valsalva ratio, orthostatic hypotension, change in diastolic blood pressure after an isometric exercise, and heart rate variability during expiration and inspiration) were evaluated.

Efficacy and safety of baricitinib and tocilizumab in hospitalized patients with COVID-19: A comparison using systematic review and meta-analysis.

This review was performed to compare the efficacy and safety among hospitalized patients with COVID-19 who received baricitinib and those who received tocilizumab independently with placebo or the standard of care (SOC). Relevant databases were searched for randomized controlled trials which evaluated the effect of baricitinib or tocilizumab as compared to placebo or the SOC in hospitalized patients with COVID-19. The primary endpoint was the comparison of the 28-day mortality.