To estimate the prevalence of anaemia in Brazilian children up to 83.9 months old.

Systematic review and meta-analysis, using databases PubMed, Scopus, SciELO, Lilacs, Google Scholar, Periódicos Capes, Arca, Biblioteca Virtual em Saúde, Microsoft Academic Search and Cochrane Library using search terms: anaemia, prevalence, child and Brazil. PROSPERO Registration number: CRD42020208818.

Cross-sectional, cohort, case-control and intervention studies published between 2007 and 2020 were searched, excluding those who assessed children with an illness or chronic condition. The main outcome was anaemia prevalence. Random effects models based on inverse variance method were used to estimate pooled prevalence measures. Sensitivity analyses removed studies with high contribution to overall heterogeneity.

From 6,790 first screened, 134 eligible studies were included, totaling 46,978 children aged zero to 83.9 months analysed, with adequate regions representativeness.

Pooled prevalence of anaemia was 33% (95% CI: 30%, 35%). Sensitivity analyses showed that withdrawal of studies that contributed to high heterogeneity did not influence national average prevalence.

Childhood anaemia is still a serious public health problem in Brazil, exposing 33% of Brazilian children to the anaemia repercussions. The main limitation of the study is the estimation of national prevalence based on local surveys, but a large number of studies were included, with representation in all regions of the country, giving strength to the results. In Brazil, more public policies are needed to promote supplementation, fortification and access to healthy eating to reduce the high level of anaemia among children.

The aim of this meta-analysis was to investigate the association between malnutrition assessed by the controlling nutritional status (CONUT) score and all-cause mortality in patients with heart failure.

Systematic review and meta-analysis.

A comprehensively literature search of PubMed and Embase databases was performed until 30 November 2020. Studies reporting the utility of CONUT score in prediction of all-cause mortality among patients with heart failure were eligible. Patients with a CONUT score ≥2 are grouped as malnourished. Predictive values of the CONUT score were summarized by pooling the multivariable-adjusted risk ratios (RR) with 95 % CI for the malnourished v. normal nutritional status or per point CONUT score increase.

Ten studies involving 5196 patients with heart failure.

Malnourished patients with heart failure conferred a higher risk of all-cause mortality (RR 1·92; 95 % CI 1·58, 2·34) compared with the normal nutritional status. Subgroup analysis showed the malnourished patients with heart failure had an increased risk of in-hospital mortality (RR 1·78; 95 % CI 1·29, 2·46) and follow-up mortality (RR 2·01; 95 % CI 1·58, 2·57). Moreover, per point increase in CONUT score significantly increased 16% risk of all-cause mortality during the follow-up.

Malnutrition defined by the CONUT score is an independent predictor of all-cause mortality in patients with heart failure. Assessment of nutritional status using CONUT score would be helpful for improving risk stratification of heart failure.

We sought to produce the first meta-analysis (of medical trainee competency improvement in nutrition counseling) informing the first cohort study of patient diet improvement through medical trainees and providers counseling patients on nutrition.

(Part A) A systematic review and meta-analysis informing (Part B) the intervention analysed in the world’s largest prospective multi-centre cohort study on hands-on cooking and nutrition education for medical trainees, providers and patients.

(A) Medical educational institutions. (B) Teaching kitchens.

(A) Medical trainees. (B) Trainees, providers and patients.

(A) Of the 212 citations identified (n 1698 trainees), eleven studies met inclusion criteria. The overall effect size was 9·80 (95 % CI (7·15, 12·45) and 95 % CI (6·87, 13·85); P < 0·001), comparable with the machine learning (ML)-augmented results. The number needed to treat for the top performing high-quality study was 12. (B) The hands-on cooking and nutrition education curriculum from the top performing study were applied for medical trainees and providers who subsequently taught patients in the same curriculum (n 5847). The intervention compared with standard medical care and education alone significantly increased the odds of superior diets (high/medium v. low Mediterranean diet adherence) for residents/fellows most (OR 10·79, 95 % CI (4·94, 23·58); P < 0·001) followed by students (OR 9·62, 95 % CI (5·92, 15·63); P < 0·001), providers (OR 5·19, 95 % CI (3·23, 8·32), P < 0·001) and patients (OR 2·48, 95 % CI (1·38, 4·45); P = 0·002), results consistent with those from ML.

The current study suggests that medical trainees and providers can improve patients’ diets with nutrition counseling in a manner that is clinically and cost effective and may simultaneously advance societal equity.

Depression is a common and serious mental illness that begins early in life. An association between cardiovascular disease (CVD) and subsequent depression is clear in adults. We examined associations between individual CVD risk factors and depression in young people.

We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, and PsycINFO databases from inception to 1 January 2020. We extracted data from cohort studies assessing the longitudinal association between CVD risk factors [body mass index (BMI), smoking, systolic blood pressure (SBP), total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein] and depression, measured using a validated tool in individuals with mean age of 24 years or younger. Random effect meta-analysis was used to combine effect estimates from individual studies, including odds ratio (OR) for depression and standardised mean difference for depressive symptoms.

Based on meta-analysis of seven studies, comprising 15 753 participants, high BMI was associated with subsequent depression [pooled OR 1.61; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.21–2.14; I2 = 31%]. Based on meta-analysis of eight studies, comprising 30 539 participants, smoking was associated with subsequent depression (pooled OR 1.73; 95% CI 1.36–2.20; I2 = 74%). Low, but not high, SBP was associated with an increased risk of depression (pooled OR 3.32; 95% CI 1.68–6.55; I2 = 0%), although this was based on a small pooled high-risk sample of 893 participants. Generalisability may be limited as most studies were based in North America or Europe.

Targeting childhood/adolescent smoking and obesity may be important for the prevention of both CVD and depression across the lifespan. Further research on other CVD risk factors including blood pressure and cholesterol in young people is required.

Childhood maltreatment (CM) and exposure to community violence (ETV) are correlated with physical/mental health and psychosocial problems. Typically, CM and ETV are examined separately, by subtypes within category, or collapsed across both into one category of adversity. Consequently, research is limited in identifying subgroups of individuals with different amounts of exposure to both CM and ETV. Accordingly, we lack sufficient understanding of the extent to which problems associated with CM and ETV vary based on the amount (i.e. dose) of exposure to both of these experiences.

We used 20 samples (28,300 individuals) to estimate person-centered profiles of CM and ETV occurrence and co-occurrence within each sample. An individual data multilevel meta-analytic framework was used to determine the average effect size across samples for different profiles and conditional probability correlations within sociodemographic, neighborhood, health, mental health, and psychosocial domains.

The profile characterized by high levels of CM and high levels of ETV correlated with stressful life events, depression and anxiety symptoms, and general indicators of externalizing behaviors. CM predominant profiles were associated with mental health diagnoses and treatment. ETV predominant profiles associated with risk-taking/violent behavior and neighborhood-level disadvantage. However, nuance based on the dose of CM or ETV was evident.

It is important to identify subgroups based on the amount of exposure to CM and ETV. These subgroups have differential relationships with correlates across domains. Greater delineation and description of the lived experience will allow for more precision in addressing the burden of childhood adversity.

Digital interventions for anxiety disorders are a promising solution to address barriers to evidence-based treatment access. Precise and powerful estimates of digital intervention effectiveness for anxiety disorders are necessary for further adoption in practice. The present systematic review and meta-analysis examined the effectiveness of digital interventions across all anxiety disorders and specific to each disorder v. wait-list and care-as-usual controls.

A systematic search of bibliographic databases identified 15 030 abstracts from inception to 1 January 2020. Forty-seven randomized controlled trials (53 comparisons; 4958 participants) contributed to the meta-analysis. Subgroup analyses were conducted by an anxiety disorder, risk of bias, treatment support, recruitment, location and treatment adherence.

A large, pooled effect size of g = 0.80 [95% Confidence Interval: 0.68–0.93] was found in favor of digital interventions. Moderate to large pooled effect sizes favoring digital interventions were found for generalized anxiety disorder (g = 0.62), mixed anxiety samples (g = 0.68), panic disorder with or without agoraphobia (g = 1.08) and social anxiety disorder (g = 0.76) subgroups. No subgroups were significantly different or related to the pooled effect size. Notably, the effects of guided interventions (g = 0.84) and unguided interventions (g = 0.64) were not significantly different. Supplemental analysis comparing digital and face-to-face interventions (9 comparisons; 683 participants) found no significant difference in effect [g = 0.14 favoring digital interventions; Confidence Interval: −0.01 to 0.30].

The precise and powerful estimates found further justify the application of digital interventions for anxiety disorders in place of wait-list or usual care.

Research indicates that higher study quality may be associated with smaller treatment effects. Yet, knowledge about the association between study quality and treatment efficacy for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is limited. We aimed at evaluating the efficacy of psychological interventions for adult PTSD and the association between study quality and treatment effects.

We conducted a systematic search to identify randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that examined the efficacy of psychological interventions for chronic PTSD symptoms in adult samples with at least 70% of patients being diagnosed with PTSD by means of a structured interview. We assessed study quality using the following eight criteria from prior research: N ⩾ 50, all patients met criteria for PTSD, a treatment manual was used, therapists were trained, treatment integrity was checked, intent-to-treat analyses were applied, randomization was conducted by an independent party, and treatment outcome was conducted by blind assessors.

The search resulted in 136 RCTs with 8978 patients. Active treatment conditions were largely effective in reducing PTSD symptoms at posttreatment and follow-up (Hedges' g = 1.09 and 0.81, respectively) when compared to passive control conditions. The comparison to active control conditions at posttreatment and follow-up resulted in medium effect sizes. A total of 14 trials met all study quality criteria and these trials produced large effect sizes when compared to passive control conditions at posttreatment and follow-up.

Overall, study quality was not significantly associated with effect size. The findings indicate that psychological interventions can effectively reduce PTSD symptoms irrespective of study quality.

Treatment-resistant schizophrenia (TRS) is associated with high levels of functional impairment, healthcare usage and societal costs. Cross-sectional studies may overestimate TRS rates because of selection bias.

We aimed to quantify TRS rates by using first-episode cohorts to improve resource allocation and clozapine access.

We undertook a systematic review of TRS rates among people with first-episode psychosis and schizophrenia, with a minimum follow-up of 8 weeks. We searched PubMed, PsycINFO, EMBASE, CINAHL and the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, and meta-analysed TRS rates from included studies.

Twelve studies were included, totalling 11 958 participants; six studies were of high quality. The rate of TRS was 22.8% (95% CI 19.1–27.0%, P < 0.001) among all first-episode cohorts and 24.4% (95% CI 19.5–30.0%, P < 0.001) among first-episode schizophrenia cohorts. Subgroup sensitivity analyses by location of recruitment, TRS definition, study quality, time of data collection and retrospective versus prospective data collection did not lead to statistically significant differences in heterogeneity. In a meta-regression, duration of follow-up and percentage drop-out did not significantly affect the overall TRS rate. Men were 1.57 times more likely to develop TRS than women (95% CI 1.11–2.21, P = 0.010).

Almost a quarter of people with first-episode psychosis or schizophrenia will develop TRS in the early stages of treatment. When including people with schizophrenia who relapse despite initial response and continuous treatment, rates of TRS may be as high as a third. These high rates of TRS highlight the need for improved access to clozapine and psychosocial supports.

Maternal depression is negatively associated with cognitive development across childhood and adolescence, with mixed evidence on whether this association differs in boys and girls. Herein, we performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of sex-specific estimates of the association between maternal depression and offspring cognitive outcomes.

Seven databases (PubMed, EMBASE, PsycINFO, ERIC, CINAHL, Scopus, ProQuest) were searched for studies examining the longitudinal association between maternal depression and offspring (up to 18 years) cognitive outcomes. Studies were screened and included based on predetermined criteria by two independent reviewers (Cohen's κ = 0.76). We used random-effects models to conduct a meta-analysis and used meta-regression for subgroup analyses. The PROSPERO record for the study is CRD42020161001.

Twelve studies met inclusion criteria. Maternal depression was associated with poorer cognitive outcomes in boys [Hedges’ g = –0.36 (95% CI −0.60 to −0.11)], but not in girls [−0.17 (–0.41 to 0.07)]. The association in boys varied as a function of the measure of depression used (b = –0.70, p = 0.005): when maternal depression was assessed via a diagnostic interview, boys [−0.84 (–1.23 to −0.44)] had poorer cognitive outcomes than when a rating scale was used [−0.16 (–0.36 to 0.04)].

This review and meta-analysis indicates that maternal depression is only significantly associated with cognitive outcomes in boys. Understanding the role of sex differences in the underlying mechanisms of this association can inform the development of targeted interventions to mitigate the negative effects of maternal depression on offspring cognitive outcomes.

People with serious mental illness are at great risk of suicide, but little is known about the suicide rates among this population. We aimed to quantify the suicide rates among people with serious mental illness (bipolar disorder, major depression, or schizophrenia).

PubMed and Web of Science were searched to identify studies published from 1 January 1975 to 10 December 2020. We assessed English-language studies for the suicide rates among people with serious mental illness. Random-effects meta-analysis was used. Changes in follow-up time and the suicide rates were presented by a locally weighted scatter-plot smoothing (LOESS) curve. Suicide rate ratio was estimated for assessments of difference in suicide rate by sex.

Of 5014 identified studies, 41 were included in this analysis. The pooled suicide rate was 312.8 per 100 000 person-years (95% CI 230.3–406.8). Europe was reported to have the highest pooled suicide rate of 335.2 per 100 000 person-years (95% CI 261.5–417.6). Major depression had the highest suicide rate of 534.3 per 100 000 person-years (95% CI 30.4–1448.7). There is a downward trend in suicide rate estimates over follow-up time. Excess risk of suicide in males was found [1.90 (95% CI 1.60–2.25)]. The most common suicide method was poisoning [21.9 per 100 000 person-years (95% CI 3.7–50.4)].

The suicide rates among people with serious mental illness were high, highlighting the requirements for increasing psychological assessment and monitoring. Further study should focus on region and age differences in suicide among this population.

Psychiatric disorders, such as depression and anxiety, are commonly associated with epilepsy in the general population, but the relationship between psychiatric disorders and epilepsy among adults with intellectual disabilities is unclear.

To conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess whether epilepsy is associated with an increased rate of psychiatric disorders in adults with intellectual disabilities.

We included literature published between 1985 and 2020 from four databases, and hand-searched six relevant journals. We assessed risk of bias by using SIGN 50 and the Cochrane risk of bias tool. Several meta-analyses were carried out.

We included 29 papers involving data on 9594 adults with intellectual disabilities, 3180 of whom had epilepsy and 6414 did not. Of the 11 controlled studies that compared the overall rate of psychiatric disorders between the epilepsy and non-epilepsy groups, seven did not show any significant inter-group difference. Meta-analysis was possible on pooled data from seven controlled studies, which did not show any significant inter-group difference in the overall rate of psychiatric disorders. The rates of psychotic disorders, depressive disorders and anxiety disorders were significantly higher in the non-epilepsy control groups compared with the epilepsy group, with effect sizes of 0.29, 0.47 and 0.58, respectively. Epilepsy-related factors did not show any definite association with psychiatric disorders.

It is difficult to pool data from such heterogeneous studies and draw any definitive conclusion because most studies lacked an appropriately matched control group, which will be required for future studies.

In total numbers, Germany has faced the largest number of refugees and asylum seekers (RAS) in Europe in the past decade. Although a considerable proportion have experienced traumatic and stressful life events, there is no systematic review to date examining the prevalence of depressive symptoms and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms in RAS in Germany.

To calculate the prevalence of depressive symptoms and PTSD symptoms in the general population of RAS living in Germany after the year 2000 and explore the impact of study- and participant-related characteristics on prevalence estimates.

We systematically searched PubMed, CINAHL, PsycINFO, PSYNDEX, Academic Search Complete, Science Direct and Web of Science from January 2000 to May 2020 to identify articles reporting prevalence of depressive symptoms and PTSD in RAS in Germany (PROSPERO registration number: CRD42020182796).

In total, 31 different surveys met inclusion criteria with 20 surveys reporting prevalence estimates of depressive symptoms and 25 surveys symptoms of PTSD. Based on screening tools, the pooled prevalence estimate of PTSD symptoms was 29.9% (95% CI 20.8–38.7%) and of depressive symptoms 39.8% (95% CI 29.8–50.1%). Heterogeneity was large within and between subgroups. In multivariate meta-regressions on depressive symptoms, heterogeneity was largely explained by survey period, length of field period and study quality.

Prevalence rates of depressive symptoms and PTSD symptoms in RAS are notably large. They exceed the prevalence in the general German population. As a result of high heterogeneity, however, pooled prevalence rates should be interpreted with caution.