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Sickle cell disorders are the most common hemoglobinopathies worldwide. Clinical variability of sickle cell disease (SCD) and susceptibility to its complications have been attributed to hematologic, genetic, and other influencing factors. This review aimed to provide further summary and analyses of the prevalence and factors associated with cholelithiasis among patients with SCD. A systematic database search was conducted in MEDLINE (PubMed), ScienceDirect, Google Scholar, World Health Organization Virtual Health Library, Cochrane Library databases, and System for Information on Gray Literature in Europe (SIGLE). Pooled prevalence, odds ratio (OR), and standardized mean difference (SMD) with the corresponding 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated using Comprehensive Meta‐Analysis Software version 3.3. A total of 34 studies that fulfilled the eligibility criteria were included in the analyses. The overall prevalence of cholelithiasis among SCD patients was 25.3% (95% CI 19.4–32.3%). The risk of developing cholelithiasis was significantly associated with lower total hemoglobin level (SMD = −0.45; P = 0.002), lower hemoglobin F (HbF) level (SMD = −0.85; P = 0.003), higher total serum bilirubin level (SMD = 1.15; P, This meta‐analysis showed that up to a quarter of all sickle cell disease patients are susceptible to cholelithiasis. The risk of developing cholelithiasis is significantly associated with older age, lower total hemoglobin level, lower hemoglobin F level, higher total serum bilirubin level, higher reticulocytes count, and UDP‐glucuronosyltransferase‐1A1 enzyme (UGT1A1) promoter polymorphism.

Background: The rapid progression of Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and its increasing burden on health systems necessitate the identification of parameters of severe infection to help in monitoring, prognoses and development of treatment algorithms. Objectives: This review aims to investigate the association of lymphocyte count, CRP, LDH, and D-Dimer with the severity of COVID-19. Methods: This review was conducted according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. The databases of MEDLINE/PubMed, WHO-Virtual Health Library (VHL), and ScienceDirect were used for the systematic search. Random effects model was used to estimate the pooled standardized mean differences (SMD) with the corresponding 95% confidence interval (CI), using OpenMeta Analyst software. Results: A total of 11 studies, with 2437 COVID-19 patients, which fulfilled the eligibility criteria were included in the meta-analysis. The analysis revealed that lymphocyte count was significantly lower in patients with the severe form of COVID-19 (SMD = - 1.025, P value

Introduction Biliary atresia (BA) is the most common indication of liver transplantation in children. Several reports attributed BA to both prenatal and perinatal aetiologies, including a viral infection-induced auto-immune response that targets the bile ducts. Cytomegalovirus (CMV) remains the most common virus being linked to BA. This meta-analysis estimates to what extent CMV infection is detected in patients with BA. Method This study was conducted according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. The databases of MEDLINE/PubMed, WHO-Virtual Health Library (VHL), ScienceDirect, and Google Scholar were used for the systematic search. Random effects model was used to estimate the pooled prevalence estimate with the corresponding 95% confidence interval (CI) using StatsDirect statistical software. Results A total of 13 studies (covering 419 patients) that fulfilled the eligibility criteria were included in the meta-analysis. The pooled overall prevalence of CMV infection in patients with BA was 24.5% (95% CI 11.9 %– 33.9%). Conclusions The available data demonstrate that the detection of CMV infection is common in infants with BA. There is still a need for large studies with appropriate controls to examine various aspects of the association between CMV infection and BA.

Background Methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection is increasingly being reported among patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) and contributes to pulmonary morbidity in CF, with poorer prognosis. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of MRSA infection in patients with CF. Methods We conducted this study according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Databases of MEDLINE/PubMed, WHO-Virtual Health Library (VHL), ScienceDirect, Google Scholar and OpenGrey were searched to recruit the relevant articles. Pooled prevalence with the corresponding 95% confidence interval (CI) was calculated using OpenMeta Analyst software, and heterogeneity among studies was estimated using the I2 statistics. Results According to our inclusion criteria, 27 studies included a total of 47,413 patients were analyzed. The pooled prevalence of MRSA in patients with CF was 15.2% (95% CI 9.70%– 20.7%). Subgroup analyses and meta-regression showed that the prevalence of MRSA in patients with CF was significantly associated with different geographical areas (P