Gender differences in prevalence of hepatitis C virus infection in Egypt: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Epidemiology of Viral Infectious Diseases Reported in Saudi Arabia

INTRODUCTION

Efficient epidemiological monitoring of virus diseases is crucial in evaluating general public health, the prevalence of specific diseases, the pattern of spread, and implementing preventative and control strategies into action.

METHODS

This study analyzed data obtained from the Field Epidemiology Program (FETP) which is part of the Ministry of Health (MOH) in Saudi Arabia, which contained reported cases of infectious diseases over four years, from January 2018 to December 2021, to investigate and highlight the significant trend and incidence rate for each viral infectious disease.

RESULTS

Of the reported viral infectious diseases, hepatitis B and C, dengue fever (DF), influenza, chickenpox, and measles were the highest reported viral cases over four years. For the aforementioned diseases, males were often more susceptible to viral infections than females. Except for DF, this viral infection was more common in Saudi citizens. Viral illnesses like hand, foot, and mouth disease were less prevalent, while neurological viral disorders such as acute flaccid paralysis were rarely detected. There was an overall reduction in viral cases recorded during 2020-2021, which may be attributed to the implementation of preventive measures during the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic or an underreporting of cases during the lockdown of that time.

CONCLUSION

The prevalence of these common viral infections in the Saudi population suggests that understanding the mechanisms influencing changes in these viruses, methods of transmission, and the burden of these diseases is a priority for health policy. This understanding is necessary to develop effective intervention and preventive strategies.

Seroprevalence of human immunodeficiency virus in African blood donors: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

In developing countries, the safety of blood transfusions remains an important public health concern as it is associated with a higher risk of transfusion-transmissible infections (TTIs). In this study, we aimed to estimate the seroprevalence of HIV among blood donors in Africa and assess the temporal trends and regional differences within the continent through a systematic review and meta-analysis.

METHODS

Seven electronic databases (PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane, Scopus, HINARI, Global Index Medicus and Clinical.

TRIAL

gov) were searched for relevant studies for our research. We included all primary studies that estimated the seroprevalence of HIV among blood donors in Africa with an age population from 16 to 65 years old, without language restrictions, from inception up to March 1st 2024. The pooled seroprevalence was estimated through the DerSimonian-Laird random effects model. The temporal trends and regional differences were assessed through subgroup and meta-regression analysis.

FINDINGS

We obtained 122 studies that met our inclusion criteria, comprising 7,814,996 blood donors tested for HIV. Sixty-six percent of the studies were from Western and Eastern Africa. The pooled seroprevalence of HIV among blood donors in Africa was 2.66% (95% CI: 2.17-3.20%; I2 = 99.80%, p < 0.01). The highest prevalence was observed in the Central African region, 3.28% (95% CI: 2.57%-4.06%), followed by the Eastern 3.21% (95% CI: 2.12%-4.52%), and the Western 2.66% (95% CI: 1.93%-3.49%) regions. Lower prevalences were observed in the Northern region, 0.57% (95% CI: 0.0%-2.10%), followed by the Southern African region with 0.45% (95% CI: 0.16%-0.86%). We observed a temporal decreased trend of HIV prevalence.

INTERPRETATION

The prevalence of HIV infection among African blood donors remains high and is not homogeneous across the continent. Efficient measures to strengthen HIV testing and prevent HIV transmission through blood transfusion are needed in Africa. Systematic review protocol registration: PROSPERO CRD42023395616.

FUNDING

This article was supported by National Funds through FCT - Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia,I.P., within CINTESIS, R&D Unit (reference UIDP/4255/2020).

Development of a multiplex polymerase chain reaction assay for detection of hepatitis C virus, hepatitis B virus, and human immunodeficiency virus 1

BACKGROUND

Hepatitis C virus (HCV), hepatitis B virus (HBV), and human immunodeficiency virus 1 (HIV-1) are the most epidemic blood-borne viruses, posing threats to human health and causing economic losses to nations for combating the infection transmission. The diagnostic methodologies that depend on the detection of viral nucleic acids are much more expensive, but they are more accurate than serological testing.

AIM

To develop a rapid, cost-effective, and accurate diagnostic multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay for simultaneous detection of HCV, HBV, and HIV-1.

METHODS

The design of the proposed PCR assay targets the amplification of a short conserved region featured with a distinguishable melting profile and electrophoretic molecular weight inside each viral genome. Therefore, this diagnostic method will be appropriate for application in both conventional (combined with electrophoresis) and real-time PCR facilities. Confirmatory in silico investigations were conducted to prove the capability of the approached PCR assay to detect variants of each virus. Then, Egyptian isolates of each virus were subjected to the wet lab examination using the given diagnostic assay.

RESULTS

The in silico investigations confirmed that the PCR primers can match many viral variants in a multiplex PCR assay. The wet lab experiment proved the efficiency of the assay in distinguishing each viral type through high-resolution melting analysis. Compared to related published assays, the proposed assay in the current study is more sensitive and competitive with many expensive PCR assays.

CONCLUSION

This study provides a simple, cost-effective, and sensitive diagnostic PCR assay facilitating the detection of the most epidemic blood-borne viruses; this makes the proposed assay promising to be substitutive for the mistakable and cheap serological-based assays.

Anti-hepatitis C antibody carriage and risk of liver impairment in rural-Cameroon: adapting the control of hepatocellular carcinoma for resource-limited settings

BACKGROUND

The Viral hepatitis elimination by 2030 is uncertain in resource-limited settings (RLS), due to high burdens and poor diagnostic coverage. This sounds more challenging for hepatitis C virus (HCV) given that antibody (HCVAb) sero-positivity still lacks wide access to HCV RNA molecular testing. This warrants context-specific strategies for appropriate management of liver impairment in RLS. We herein determine the association between anti-HCV positivity and liver impairment in an African RLS.

METHODS

A facility-based observational study was conducted from July-August 2021 among individuals attending the "St Monique" Health Center at Ottou, a rural community of Yaounde,Cameroon. Following a consecutive sampling, consenting individuals were tested for anti-HCV antibodies, hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) and HIV antibodies (HIVAb) as per the national guidelines. After excluding positive cases for HBsAg and/or HIVAb, liver function tests (ALT/AST) were performed on eligible participants (HBsAg and HIVAb negative) and outcomes were compared according to HCVAb status; with p < 0.05 considered statistically significant.

RESULTS

Out of 306 eligible participants (negative for HBsAg and HIVAb) enrolled, the mean age was 34.35 ± 3.67 years. 252(82.35%) were female and 129 (42.17%) were single. The overall HCVAb sero-positivity was 15.68%(48/306), with 17.86% (45/252) among women vs. 5.55%(3/54) among men [OR (95%CI) = 3.69(2.11-9.29),p = 0.04]. HCVAb Carriage was greater among participants aged > 50 years compared to younger ones [38.46%(15/39) versus 12.36% (33/267) respectively, OR(95%CI) = 4.43(2.11-9.29), p < 0.000] and in multipartnership [26.67%(12/45)vs.13.79%(36/261) monopartnership, OR (95%CI) = 2.27(1.07-4.80),p = 0.03]. The liver impairment rate (abnormal ALT+AST levels) was 30.39%(93/306), with 40.19%(123/306) of abnormal ALT alone. Moreover, the burden of Liver impairment was significantly with aged> 50 versus younger ones [69.23% (27/39) versus 24.72%(66/267) respectively, p < 0.000). Interestingly, the burden of liver impairment (abnormal AST + ALAT) was significantly higher in HCVAb positive (62.5%, 30/48) versus HCVAb negative (24.42%, 63/258) participants, OR: 3.90 [1.96; 7.79], p = 0.0001.

CONCLUSIONS

In this rural health facility, HCVAb is highly endemic and the burden of liver impairment is concerning. Interestingly, HCVAb carriage is associated with abnormal liver levels of enzyme (ALT/AST), especially among the elderly populations. Hence, in the absence of nuclei acid testing, ALT/AST are relevant sentinel markers to screen HCVAb carriers who require monitoring/care for HCV-associated hepatocellular carcinoma in RLS.

Differences in HCV Seroprevalence, Clinical Features, and Treatment Outcomes between Female and Male Incarcerated Population: Results from a Matched Cohort Study

BACKGROUND

Women represent less than 5% of the incarcerated population in Italy, with very limited data on HCV infection. Higher HCV seroprevalence and active infection rates have been described among incarcerated females in available studies. Our aim is to compare the prevalence and cascade of care of HCV between male and female populations in Italian penitentiaries.

METHODS

We conducted a multicentre, retrospective study comparing HCV seroprevalence, active infections, treatment, and SVR rates between female (Group A) and male (Group B) populations in Italian prison settings.

RESULTS

No significant differences were found between the two groups regarding PWIDs (p = 0.16), nor in people living with HIV (p = 0.35) or HBV co-infection (p = 0.36). HCV seroprevalence was higher in Group A (p = 0.002). There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups regarding active infections (p = 0.41). Both groups showed a low level of fibrosis, and the dominant genotype was 3a. Almost all patients underwent antiviral treatment. All treated patients achieved SVR12.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings illuminate the importance of recognizing and addressing gender differences in HCV seroprevalence within penitentiary settings. Moving forward, addressing the unique needs of incarcerated females and optimizing HCV care for all incarcerated individuals are essential steps in the pursuit of achieving HCV micro-elimination goals.

Performance Comparison of Machine Learning Approaches on Hepatitis C Prediction Employing Data Mining Techniques

Hepatitis C is a liver infection caused by the hepatitis C virus (HCV). Due to the late onset of symptoms, early diagnosis is difficult in this disease. Efficient prediction can save patients before permeant liver damage. The main objective of this study is to employ various machine learning techniques to predict this disease based on common and affordable blood test data to diagnose and treat patients in the early stages. In this study, six machine learning algorithms (Support Vector Machine (SVM), K-nearest Neighbors (KNN), Logistic Regression, decision tree, extreme gradient boosting (XGBoost), artificial neural networks (ANN)) were utilized on two datasets. The performances of these techniques were compared in terms of confusion matrix, precision, recall, F1 score, accuracy, receiver operating characteristics (ROC), and the area under the curve (AUC) to identify a method that is appropriate for predicting this disease. The analysis, on NHANES and UCI datasets, revealed that SVM and XGBoost (with the highest accuracy and AUC among the test models, >80%) can be effective tools for medical professionals using routine and affordable blood test data to predict hepatitis C.