Additional file 4: Table S3. of Toxoplasmosis seroprevalence in Iranian women and risk factors of the disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Girls and women of childbearing age group methods of included data. (DOCX 16 kb

Additional file 5: Table S4. of Toxoplasmosis seroprevalence in Iranian women and risk factors of the disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Pregnant women group methods of included data. (DOCX 16 kb

Additional file 3: Figure S1. of Toxoplasmosis seroprevalence in Iranian women and risk factors of the disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Prevalence rate of Toxoplasma total antibodies in both groups in different provinces of Iran. (JPG 380 kb

Forest plot of seroprevalence rates of toxoplasmosis in rheumatoid arthritis patients.

<p>* Patients under treatment.</p

Data extracted from the included studies in the meta-analysis for an association between toxoplasmosis and RA.

<p>Data extracted from the included studies in the meta-analysis for an association between toxoplasmosis and RA.</p

Forest plot of seroprevalence rates of toxoplasmosis in controls groups.

<p>* Patients under treatment.</p

Sensitivity analysis for assessing the effect of each primary study on the total estimates.

<p>* Patients under treatment.</p

Toxoplasmosis seroprevalence in rheumatoid arthritis patients: A systematic review and meta-analysis

<div><p>Background</p><p>Toxoplasmosis is a cosmopolitan infection caused by an intracellular obligatory protozoan, <i>Toxoplasma gondii</i>. Infection to this parasite in immunocompetent patients is usually asymptomatic, but today it is believed that the infection can be a risk factor for a variety of diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis (RA). RA is an autoimmune disease and the most common type of inflammatory arthritis that is a major cause of disability. The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to address the association between RA and toxoplasmosis in light of the available research.</p><p>Methods</p><p>Based on the keywords, a systematic search of eight databases was conducted to retrieve the relevant English-language articles. Then, the studies were screened based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria. The random effect model was used to calculate the odds ratio (OR) using forest plot with 95% confidence interval (CI).</p><p>Results</p><p>Overall, 4168 Individual, extracted from 9 articles were included for systematic review evaluation, with 1369 RA patients (46% positive toxoplasmosis) and 2799 individuals as controls (21% positive toxoplasmosis). Then, eight articles (10 datasets) were used for meta-analysis (1244 rheumatoid arthritis patients and 2799 controls). By random effect model, the combined OR was 3.30 (95% CI: 2.05 to 5.30) with P < 0.0001.</p><p>Conclusion</p><p>Although toxoplasmosis could be considered as a potential risk factor for rheumatoid arthritis, more and better quality studies are needed to determine the effect of <i>T. gondii</i> infection on induction or exacerbation of RA. Our study was registered at the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO; code: CRD42017069384).</p></div

Baseline characteristics of the included studies in the systematic review and meta-analysis of the relationship between <i>T</i>. <i>gondii</i> infection and RA patients.

<p>Baseline characteristics of the included studies in the systematic review and meta-analysis of the relationship between <i>T</i>. <i>gondii</i> infection and RA patients.</p

Mapping geographical inequalities in childhood diarrhoeal morbidity and mortality in low-income and middle-income countries, 2000-17: analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017

Background: Across low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs), one in ten deaths in children younger than 5 years is attributable to diarrhoea. The substantial between-country variation in both diarrhoea incidence and mortality is attributable to interventions that protect children, prevent infection, and treat disease. Identifying subnational regions with the highest burden and mapping associated risk factors can aid in reducing preventable childhood diarrhoea. Methods: We used Bayesian model-based geostatistics and a geolocated dataset comprising 15 072 746 children younger than 5 years from 466 surveys in 94 LMICs, in combination with findings of the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2017, to estimate posterior distributions of diarrhoea prevalence, incidence, and mortality from 2000 to 2017. From these data, we estimated the burden of diarrhoea at varying subnational levels (termed units) by spatially aggregating draws, and we investigated the drivers of subnational patterns by creating aggregated risk factor estimates. Findings: The greatest declines in diarrhoeal mortality were seen in south and southeast Asia and South America, where 54·0% (95% uncertainty interval [UI] 38·1–65·8), 17·4% (7·7–28·4), and 59·5% (34·2–86·9) of units, respectively, recorded decreases in deaths from diarrhoea greater than 10%. Although children in much of Africa remain at high risk of death due to diarrhoea, regions with the most deaths were outside Africa, with the highest mortality units located in Pakistan. Indonesia showed the greatest within-country geographical inequality; some regions had mortality rates nearly four times the average country rate. Reductions in mortality were correlated to improvements in water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) or reductions in child growth failure (CGF). Similarly, most high-risk areas had poor WASH, high CGF, or low oral rehydration therapy coverage. Interpretation: By co-analysing geospatial trends in diarrhoeal burden and its key risk factors, we could assess candidate drivers of subnational death reduction. Further, by doing a counterfactual analysis of the remaining disease burden using key risk factors, we identified potential intervention strategies for vulnerable populations. In view of the demands for limited resources in LMICs, accurately quantifying the burden of diarrhoea and its drivers is important for precision public health. Funding: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation