Article
Environmental Sciences
Xiang Bu, Zhonglei Xie, Jing Liu, Linyan Wei, Xiqiang Wang, Mingwei Chen, Hui Ren
Summary: Long-term exposure to ambient and household particulate matter (PM2.5) causes significant death and health loss globally, with ambient PM2.5 contributing to the majority of deaths and health burdens. Non-communicable diseases attributable to ambient PM2.5 are a major concern in middle and low SDI countries, while household PM2.5 contributes to lower respiratory infections in low SDI countries in Africa and Asia. Strategies need to be developed to reduce PM2.5-attributable burdens in specific global settings.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Periklis Charalampous, Elena Pallari, Stefanos Tyrovolas, Nicos Middleton, Mary Economou, Brecht Devleesschauwer, Juanita A. Haagsma
Summary: Although there was a decrease in the burden of NCDs from 1990 to 2017, NCDs remain a major public health challenge in Cyprus. Implementation of interventions and early detection screening programs for modifiable NCD risk factors are necessary to reduce the occurrence and exacerbation of leading causes of NCDs in the Cypriot population.
ARCHIVES OF PUBLIC HEALTH
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Hari S. Iyer, Peter James, Linda Valeri, Francis Bajunirwe, Joan Nankya-Mutyoba, Marina Njelekela, Faraja Chiwanga, Vikash Sewram, IkeOluwapo Ajayi, Clement Adebamowo, Shona Dalal, Todd G. Reid, Timothy R. Rebbeck, Hans-Olov Adami, Michelle D. Holmes
Summary: In SSA, population growth, demographic transitions, and urbanization are expected to increase the burden of NCDs. A multi-country cross-sectional study found a correlation between neighborhood greenness and NCDs, showing that higher NDVI values were associated with lower BMI, lower odds of overweight/obesity, diabetes, and allostatic load components. This suggests that greening strategies could be beneficial as part of broader public health interventions for NCDs.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Rheumatology
Saeid Safiri, Ali Asghar Kolahi, Marita Cross, Kristin Carson-Chahhoud, Amir Almasi-Hashiani, Jay Kaufman, Mohammad Ali Mansournia, Mahdi Sepidarkish, Ahad Ashrafi-Asgarabad, Damian Hoy, Gary Collins, Anthony D. Woolf, Lyn March, Emma Smith
Summary: Globally, the point prevalence and death rates of other musculoskeletal disorders increased in 2017, with higher estimates among females and increasing prevalence with age. The data suggests a need for specific disease information within this category for future global burden of disease estimates to inform resource allocation and interventions.
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Dan Hu, Wu Yan, Jing Zhu, Ying Zhu, Jiaying Chen
Summary: The study highlights the accelerated aging and increasing burden of age-related diseases in China, mainly non-communicable diseases. The age-standardized age-related disease burden decreased during the study period, with higher burden in men compared to women.
FRONTIERS IN PUBLIC HEALTH
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Jian Song, Wei Qin, Rubing Pan, Weizhuo Yi, Shasha Song, Jian Cheng, Hong Su
Summary: Climate change and health are closely related, with ambient temperature playing a significant role. Low temperature contributes to a substantial burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) globally, with ischemic heart disease and stroke being the leading causes. The burden attributed to low temperature varies greatly across regions, with Central Asia and Eastern Europe experiencing the highest rates and the Caribbean and Western sub-Saharan Africa having the lowest. While there has been a decrease in the burden of NCDs attributable to low temperature, progress has been uneven among countries.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Jolleen Zembe, Flavia Senkubuge, Tanita Botha, Tom Achoki
Summary: Sierra Leone, one of the poorest developing countries in the world, has faced challenges including civil war, Ebola outbreak, and natural disasters. Over the past 27 years, the country's health status has gradually improved with declining mortality rates and increased life expectancy.
Article
Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems
Paolo A. Cortesi, Carla Fornari, Fabiana Madotto, Sara Conti, Mohsen Naghavi, Boris Bikbov, Paul S. Briant, Valeria Caso, Giacomo Crotti, Catherine Johnson, Minh Nguyen, Luigi Palmieri, Norberto Perico, Francesco Profili, Giuseppe Remuzzi, Gregory A. Roth, Eugenio Traini, Fabio Voller, Simon Yadgir, Giampiero Mazzaglia, Lorenzo Monasta, Simona Giampaoli, Lorenzo G. Mantovani
Summary: Our study shows a decline in cardiovascular mortality and disability-adjusted life years, reflecting the success in reducing disability, premature death, and early incidence of cardiovascular diseases. However, the burden of cardiovascular diseases remains high, with modifiable risk factors such as high blood pressure, dietary risks, high cholesterol, and impaired kidney function contributing to more than 80% of the burden. Collaboration and coordination among all stakeholders of the Italian National Health System are required to further reduce this burden.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF PREVENTIVE CARDIOLOGY
(2021)
Review
Medicine, General & Internal
Maureen Moyo-Chilufya, Kuhlula Maluleke, Kabelo Kgarosi, Monde Muyoyeta, Charles Hongoro, Alfred Musekiwa
Summary: Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and their risk factors have a high prevalence among people living with HIV (PLHIV) in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), including hypertension, depression, overweight/obesity, hypercholesterolemia, metabolic syndrome, and alcohol consumption.
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Mehrnoosh Emadi, Sajad Delavari, Mohsen Bayati
Summary: This study aimed to determine socioeconomic inequality in the burden of 25 groups of diseases between countries worldwide in 2019. The findings showed that communicable and maternal, neonatal, and nutritional diseases (CMNNDs) burden were more concentrated in low-HDI countries, while there was a pro-rich inequality for non-communicable diseases (NCDs). Injuries, on the other hand, showed concentration in countries with higher HDI levels for DALY, YLD, prevalence, and incidence, and in low-HDI countries for YLL.
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Y. M. Tang, L. Zhang, S. Z. Zhu, J. J. Pan, S. H. Zhou, T. J. He, Q. Li
Summary: The study revealed a progressive increase in the burden of gout and risk factors in China since 1990, particularly in terms of age-standardized DALY rate, prevalence, and incidence. High body mass index and impaired kidney function were identified as the leading risk factors for gout DALYs.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Duncan McCloskey, Aggrey Semeere, Racheal Ayanga, Miriam Laker-Oketta, Robert Lukande, Matthew Semakadde, Micheal Kanyesigye, Megan Wenger, Philip LeBoit, Timothy McCalmont, Toby Maurer, Andrea Gardner, Juan Boza, Ethel Cesarman, Jeffrey Martin, David Erickson
Summary: This study demonstrates the use of a point-of-care device for molecular diagnosis of Kaposi's sarcoma (KS), achieving high sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy compared to traditional pathology. The results highlight the potential for the use of this diagnostic method to overcome barriers in limited-resource settings.
Review
Medicine, General & Internal
Xiang Chen, Cheng-Wei Zhou, Yang-Yang Fu, Yao-Zhe Li, Lei Chen, Qing-Wei Zhang, Yan-Fan Chen
Summary: This study used data from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019 to describe the spatiotemporal trends of chronic respiratory diseases (CRDs) worldwide from 1990 to 2019. The results showed that despite declines in age-standardized rates and DALY rates globally and in 5 socio-demographic index (SDI) regions, CRDs remain the leading causes of prevalence, mortality, and DALY worldwide.
FRONTIERS IN MEDICINE
(2023)
Article
Dermatology
M. R. Laughter, M. B. C. Maymone, S. Mashayekhi, B. W. M. Arents, C. Karimkhani, S. M. Langan, R. P. Dellavalle, C. Flohr
Summary: The global burden of atopic dermatitis (AD) has remained stable from 1990 to 2017, with significant geographical variation among different countries. Lifestyle factors, linked to affluence, are likely important disease drivers, and further development of the GBD methodology is needed to better understand the variations in disease burden related to environmental risk factors.
BRITISH JOURNAL OF DERMATOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Zhenkun Wang, Aihua Du, Hong Liu, Ziwei Wang, Jifa Hu
Summary: This study investigates the temporal and regional trends, as well as risk factors, of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) worldwide from 1990 to 2017. The study finds that the number of deaths from CVDs has increased over time, but the age-standardized mortality rate has decreased. Metabolic risks and behavioral factors are identified as the main contributors to CVDs.
JOURNAL OF EPIDEMIOLOGY AND GLOBAL HEALTH
(2022)
Article
Psychology, Clinical
Alan E. Kazdin, Chi-Shin Wu, Irving Hwang, Victor Puac-Polanco, Nancy A. Sampson, Ali Al-Hamzawi, Jordi Alonso, Laura Helena Andrade, Corina Benjet, Jose-Miguel Caldas-de-Almeida, Giovanni de Girolamo, Peter de Jonge, Silvia Florescu, Oye Gureje, Josep M. Haro, Meredith G. Harris, Elie G. Karam, Georges Karam, Viviane Kovess-Masfety, Sing Lee, John J. McGrath, Fernando Navarro-Mateu, Daisuke Nishi, Bibilola D. Oladeji, Jose Posada-Villa, Dan J. Stein, T. Bedirhan Ustun, Daniel V. Vigo, Zahari Zarkov, Alan M. Zaslavsky, Ronald C. Kessler
Summary: Antidepressant medications (ADMs) are widely used for a variety of conditions, not only depression and anxiety. The usage rate of ADMs is higher in high-income countries compared to low- and middle-income countries, and newer ADMs are more frequently used in high-income countries. Among users, 58.8% perceive ADMs to be very effective and 28.3% perceive them to be somewhat effective, with these proportions being higher in low- and middle-income countries than in high-income countries.
PSYCHOLOGICAL MEDICINE
(2023)
Article
Psychology, Clinical
Eamonn Kennedy, Emily L. Dennis, Hannah M. Lindsey, Terri deRoon-Cassini, Stefan Du Plessis, Negar Fani, Milissa L. Kaufman, Nastassja Koen, Christine L. Larson, Sarah Laskowitz, Lauren A. M. Lebois, Rajendra A. Morey, Mary R. Newsome, Cori Palermo, Nicholas J. Pastorek, Abigail Powers, Randall Scheibel, Soraya Seedat, Antonia Seligowski, Dan J. Stein, Jennifer Stevens, Delin Sun, Paul Thompson, Maya Troyanskaya, Sanne J. H. van Rooij, Amanda A. Watts, Carissa W. Tomas, Wright Williams, Frank G. Hillary, Mary Jo Pugh, Elisabeth A. Wilde, David F. Tate
Summary: This study uses a multisite mega analysis to derive quantitative recommendations for equating scores across measures of PTSD severity. The results suggest that harmonization and covariate adjustments can significantly improve inference of scores across different instruments.
Article
Psychiatry
Meredith G. Harris, Caley Tapp, Urska Arnautovska, Tim Coombs, Rosemary Dickson, Mark Smith, Angela Jury, Jennifer Lai, Mick James, Jon Painter, Philip M. Burgess
Summary: Recently, the Health of the Nation Outcome Scales 65+ (HoNOS65+) were revised, and experts were surveyed on the content validity of the revised measure, the HoNOS Older Adults (HoNOS OA). Most experts rated all 12 HoNOS OA scales as 'important' or 'very important' in determining overall clinical severity in older adults. Ratings for sensitivity to change, comprehensibility, and comprehensiveness varied but were mostly positive. Experts' comments suggested modifications and expansions in certain areas to make the measure more specific to older adults. The findings highlight the importance and areas for improvement in the HoNOS OA measure.
Article
Psychology, Clinical
Roseli G. Shavitt, Karthik Sheshachala, Dianne M. Hezel, Melanie M. Wall, Srinivas Balachander, Christine Lochner, Janardhanan C. Narayanaswamy, Daniel L. C. Costa, Maria Alice de Mathis, Anton J. L. M. van Balkom, Niels T. de Joode, Madhuri Narayan, Odile A. van den Heuvel, Dan J. Stein, Euripedes C. Miguel, Helen Blair Simpson, Y. C. Janardhan Reddy
Summary: This study describes the steps taken to ensure measurement fidelity of core clinical measures in a five-country study on brain signatures of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). The researchers used standardized instruments and implemented techniques such as translating instruments, developing a clinical decision manual, and providing reliability training to evaluators. The results showed high interrater reliability for most scales and consistent factor structures across sites.
Review
Health Care Sciences & Services
Ikechi G. Okpechi, Ijezie I. Chukwuonye, Udeme Ekrikpo, Jean Jacques Noubiap, Yemi R. Raji, Yusuf Adeshina, Samuel Ajayi, Zunaid Barday, Malini Chetty, Bianca Davidson, Emmanuel Effa, Stephen Fagbemi, Cindy George, Andre P. Kengne, Erika S. W. Jones, Hamidu Liman, Mohammad Makusidi, Hadiza Muhammad, Ikechukwu Mbah, Kwazi Ndlovu, Grace Ngaruiya, Chimezie Okwuonu, Ugochi Samuel-Okpechi, Elliot K. Tannor, Ifeoma Ulasi, Zulkifilu Umar, Nicola Wearne, Aminu K. Bello
Summary: Task shifting can help address the shortage of human resources for health in Africa and improve the treatment and detection of cardiovascular and kidney diseases. This scoping review found that shifting tasks to nurses, pharmacists, and community health workers can result in improved blood pressure levels and glycaemic indices for hypertension and diabetes.
BMC HEALTH SERVICES RESEARCH
(2023)
Review
Psychiatry
Amy S. Adams, Goodman Sibeko, Dan J. Stein
Summary: Despite being a new discipline, global mental health has made significant advances in optimizing mental health services in low- and middle-income countries. This review focuses on middle-income countries such as Brazil, China, India, and South Africa, examining key issues including mental health legislation, burden of disease, task-sharing, and capacity-building.
CURRENT OPINION IN PSYCHIATRY
(2023)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Ben Mathews, Rosana Pacella, James G. Scott, David Finkelhor, Franziska Meinck, Daryl J. Higgins, Holly E. Erskine, Hannah J. Thomas, David M. Lawrence, Divna M. Haslam, Eva Malacova, Michael P. Dunne
Summary: A national survey in Australia found that child maltreatment is common in the country, with larger proportions of women than men reporting having experienced sexual abuse, emotional abuse, and neglect. The reported prevalence of physical abuse and sexual abuse is lower among the 16-24 age group compared to the 25-34 and 35-44 age groups, suggesting recent declines in these types of maltreatment.
MEDICAL JOURNAL OF AUSTRALIA
(2023)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Rosana Pacella, Alexandra Nation, Ben Mathews, James G. Scott, Daryl J. Higgins, Divna M. Haslam, Michael P. Dunne, David Finkelhor, Franziska Meinck, Holly E. Erskine, Hannah J. Thomas, Eva Malacova, David M. Lawrence, Claire Monks
Summary: This study examined the association between child maltreatment and health service use. The results showed that individuals who experienced child maltreatment had higher rates of hospital admissions and consultations with healthcare professionals, especially in the context of mental health. People who reported multiple types of maltreatment were more likely to have greater health service utilization needs.
MEDICAL JOURNAL OF AUSTRALIA
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Andre Zugman, Luz Maria Alliende, Vicente Medel, Richard A. I. Bethlehem, Jakob Seidlitz, Grace Ringlein, Celso Arango, Aurina Arnatkeviciute, Laila Asmal, Mark Bellgrove, Vivek Benegal, Miquel Bernardo, Pablo Billeke, Jorge Bosch-Bayard, Rodrigo Bressan, Geraldo F. Busatto, Mariana N. Castro, Tiffany Chaim-Avancini, Albert Compte, Monise Costanzi, Leticia Czepielewski, Paola Dazzan, Camilo de la Fuente-Sandoval, Marta Di Forti, Covadonga M. Diaz-Caneja, Ana Maria Diaz-Zuluaga, Stefan Du Plessis, Fabio L. S. Duran, Sol Fittipaldi, Alex Fornito, Nelson B. Freimer, Ary Gadelha, Clarissa S. Gama, Ranjini Garani, Clemente Garcia-Rizo, Cecilia Gonzalez Campo, Alfonso Gonzalez-Valderrama, Salvador Guinjoan, Bharath Holla, Agustin Ibanez, Daniza Ivanovic, Andrea Jackowski, Pablo Leon-Ortiz, Christine Lochner, Carlos Lopez-Jaramillo, Hilmar Luckhoff, Raffael Massuda, Philip McGuire, Jun Miyataaaa, Romina Mizrahi, Robin Murray, Aysegul Ozerdem, Pedro M. Pan, Mara Parellada, Lebogan Phahladira, Juan P. Ramirez-Mahalu, Ramiro Reckziegel, Tiago Reis Marques, Francisco Reyes-Madrigal, Annerine Roos, Pedro Rosa, Giovanni Salum, Freda Scheffler, Gunter Schumann, Mauricio Serpa, Dan J. Stein, Angeles Tepper, Jeggan Tiego, Tsukasa Ueno, Juan Undurraga, Eduardo A. Undurrag, Pedro Valdes-Sosaooo, Isabel Valliy, Mirta Villarrealu, Toby T. Winton-Brownrrr, Nefize Yalin, Francisco Zamorano, Marcus V. Zanetti, Anderson M. Winkler, Daniel S. Pine, Sara Evans-Lacko, Nicolas A. Crossley
Summary: Gender inequality has been linked to higher mental health risks and lower academic achievement for women globally. Differences in brain structure between men and women may be partially explained by unequal exposure to harsher conditions in gender-unequal countries, leading to worse outcomes for women. A meta-analysis of MRI scans from 139 samples across 29 countries revealed that women in gender-equal countries had no differences or even thicker cortical regions, while those in countries with greater gender inequality had thinner cortices. These findings highlight the potential negative impact of gender inequality on women's brains and the need for policies based on neuroscience for gender equality.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2023)
Review
Substance Abuse
Giang T. Vu, Daniel Stjepanovic, Tianze Sun, Janni Leung, Jack Chung, Jason Connor, Phong K. Thai, Coral E. Gartner, Bach Xuan Tran, Wayne D. Hall, Gary Chan
Summary: This study systematically reviewed modelling studies on the population impacts of e-cigarette use and identified potential gaps for future investigation. The findings suggest that introducing e-cigarettes may lead to decreased smoking-related mortality, increased quality-adjusted life-years, and reduced health system costs. Future modelling studies should consider different policy options and expand their scope to low-income and middle-income countries.
Article
Psychiatry
Sheri-Michelle Koopowitz, Karen Thea Mare, Marilyn Lake, Christopher du Plooy, Nadia Hoffman, Kirsten A. Donald, Susan Malcolm-Smith, Lynne Murray, Heather J. Zar, Peter Cooper, Dan J. Stein
Summary: This study investigated the effects of dialogic book-sharing on language development, neurocognitive function, and socio-emotional domains in 3.5-year-old children from low-income South African communities. The results showed no significant differences between the intervention and control groups after 4 months post-intervention.
COMPREHENSIVE PSYCHIATRY
(2024)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Alain Lekoubou, Paddy Ssentongo, Jonathon Maffie, Kunal Debroy, Michelle Kwon, Clever Nguyen, Matthew Pelton, Benjamin Watt, Justin Ceasar, Nadia Dinunno, Vivek Satyasi, Andre Pascal Kengne, Leonardo Bonilha, Vernon M. Chinchilli
Summary: This study examined the association between cerebral microbleeds (CMBs) and acute symptomatic seizures (ASS). It was found that patients with CMBs were three times more likely to develop seizures compared to those without CMBs. However, this association was influenced by factors such as stroke severity, cortical infarct location, and hemorrhagic transformation. Therefore, further evaluation is needed to assess the long-term risk of seizures associated with CMBs and other markers of small vessel disease.
EPILEPSY & BEHAVIOR
(2023)
Article
Psychology, Clinical
Janni Leung, Calvert Tisdale, Jisu Choi, Rhiannon Ellem, Lily Davidson, Gary C. K. Chan, Melanie J. White, David J. Kavanagh, Catherine Quinn, Leanne Hides
Summary: The aim of this study was to examine e-cigarette use among high school students and the associated risk factors for the use of flavor-only or nicotine vapes. The results showed that 74% of students had never used an e-cigarette, while 12.5% used it for flavor-only and 13.5% used it for nicotine vapes. Male and frequent alcohol or cigarette users had higher odds of vaping. Among those who had used e-cigarettes, half had used nicotine vapes, and adolescents engaged in risky drinking and smoking were most likely to use e-cigarettes, suggesting they may be a high-risk group.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MENTAL HEALTH AND ADDICTION
(2023)
Editorial Material
Nutrition & Dietetics
Kotsedi D. Monyeki, Andre Pascal Kengne, Benedicta Ngwenchi Nkeh-Chungag, Han C. G. Kemper
FRONTIERS IN NUTRITION
(2023)
Article
Health Care Sciences & Services
Amaziah Makukule, Perpetua Modjadji, Ntevhe Thovhogi, Kabelo Mokgalaboni, Andre Pascal Kengne
Summary: Hypertension is poorly controlled in South Africa, especially among patients in the public sector with low socioeconomic backgrounds. This study investigated uncontrolled hypertension and its predictors among hypertensive out-patients in Johannesburg, South Africa. The findings showed that obesity, high salt consumption, alcohol intake, smoking, alternative medicine use, and comorbidities were more prevalent in the uncontrolled hypertension group. In contrast, physical activity was higher in the controlled group. Treatment adherence was moderate, with most patients receiving tri-therapy treatment. Predictors of uncontrolled hypertension included multiple antihypertensive therapies, low treatment adherence, high salt consumption, lack of physical activity, current alcohol use, and current cigarette smoking.