Background COVID-19 is arguably the most important public health concern in 2020 worldwide, and efforts are now escalating to suppress or eliminate its spread. Objective In this study, we undertook a meta-analysis to estimate the global and regional SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence rates in humans, and to assess whether seroprevalence associates with geographical, climatic and socio-demographic factors. Data sources We systematically reviewed PubMed, Scopus, Embase, medRxiv and bioRxiv databases for preprints or peer-reviewed articles (up to 14 August 2020). Study eligibility criteria Population-based studies describing the prevalence of anti-SARS-CoV-2 (IgG and/or IgM) serum antibodies. Participants People of different socio-economic and ethnic backgrounds – from the general population – whose prior COVID-19 status was unknown were tested for the presence of anti-SARS-CoV-2 serum antibodies. Interventions There were no interventions. Methods We used a random-effects model to estimate pooled seroprevalence, and then extrapolated the findings to the global population (for 2020). Subgroup and meta-regression analyses explored potential sources of heterogeneity in the data, and relationships between seroprevalence and socio-demographic, geographical and/or climatic factors. Results In total, 47 studies involving 399,265 people from 23 countries met the inclusion criteria. Heterogeneity ( I 2 = 99.4%, P < 0.001) was seen among studies; the SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence in the general population varied from 0.37% to 22.1%, with a pooled estimate of 3.38% (95% CI, 3.05%–3.72%; 15,879/399,265). On a regional level, seroprevalence varied from 1.45% (0.95–1.94%; South America) to 5.27% (3.97–6.57%; Northern Europe, although some variation appeared to relate to the serological assay used. The findings suggested an association of seroprevalence with income levels, human development indices, geographical latitudes and/or climate. Extrapolating to the 2020 world population, we estimated that 263.5 million individuals had been exposed or infected at the time of this study. Conclusion This study showed that SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence varied markedly among geographic regions, as might be expected early in a pandemic. Longitudinal surveys to continually monitor seroprevalence around the globe will be critical to support prevention and control efforts, and might indicate levels of endemic stability or instability in particular countries and regions. A. Rostami, Clin Microbiol Infect 2020 .

Objective To use data from the Global Burden of Disease Study between 1990 and 2017 to report the rates and trends of point prevalence, annual incidence, and years lived with disability for neck pain in the general population of 195 countries. Design Systematic analysis. Data source Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study 2017. Main outcome measures Numbers and age standardised rates per 100 000 population of neck pain point prevalence, annual incidence, and years lived with disability were compared across regions and countries by age, sex, and sociodemographic index. Estimates were reported with uncertainty intervals. Results Globally in 2017 the age standardised rates for point prevalence of neck pain per 100 000 population was 3551.1 (95% uncertainty interval 3139.5 to 3977.9), for incidence of neck pain per 100 000 population was 806.6 (713.7 to 912.5), and for years lived with disability from neck pain per 100 000 population was 352.0 (245.6 to 493.3). These estimates did not change significantly between 1990 and 2017. The global point prevalence of neck pain in 2017 was higher in females compared with males, although this was not significant at the 0.05 level. Prevalence increased with age up to 70-74 years and then decreased. Norway (6151.2 (95% uncertainty interval 5382.3 to 6959.8)), Finland (5750.3 (5058.4 to 6518.3)), and Denmark (5316 (4674 to 6030.1)) had the three highest age standardised point prevalence estimates in 2017. The largest increases in age standardised point prevalence estimates from 1990 to 2017 were in the United Kingdom (14.6% (10.6% to 18.8%)), Sweden (10.4% (6.0% to 15.4%)), and Kuwait (2.6% (2.0% to 3.2%)). In general, positive associations, but with fluctuations, were found between age standardised years lived with disability for neck pain and sociodemographic index at the global level and for all Global Burden of Disease regions, suggesting the burden is higher at higher sociodemographic indices. Conclusions Neck pain is a serious public health problem in the general population, with the highest burden in Norway, Finland, and Denmark. Increasing population awareness about risk factors and preventive strategies for neck pain is warranted to reduce the future burden of this condition.

Objective To report the levels and trends of prevalence, deaths, and disability‐adjusted life years (DALYs) due to musculoskeletal disorders, categorized as low back pain, neck pain, osteoarthritis (OA), rheumatoid arthritis (RA), gout, and other musculoskeletal disorders, across 195 countries and territories from 1990 to 2017 according to age, sex, and Sociodemographic Index (SDI; a composite of sociodemographic factors). Methods Data were obtained from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) Study 2017. The fatal and nonfatal burdens of musculoskeletal disorders were estimated using the Cause of Death Ensemble model and Bayesian meta‐regression tool, respectively. Estimates were provided for all musculoskeletal disorders and the corresponding 6 categories at global, regional, and national levels from 1990 to 2017. Counts and age‐standardized rates per 100,000 population along with 95% uncertainty intervals (95% UIs) were reported for prevalence, deaths, and DALYs. Results Globally, there were ~1.3 billion prevalent cases (95% UI 1.2 billion, 1.4 billion), 121.3 thousand deaths (95% UI 105.6 thousand, 126.2 thousand), and 138.7 million DALYs (95% UI 101.9 million, 182.6 million) due to musculoskeletal disorders in 2017. Age‐standardized prevalence, death, and DALY rates per 100,000 population were 16,276.2 (95% UI 15,495.5, 17,145.8), 1.6 (95% UI 1.4, 1.6), and 1,720 (95% UI 1,264.4, 2,259.2), respectively. Age‐standardized prevalence (−1.6% [95% UI −2.4, −0.8]) and DALY rates (−3.5% [95% UI −4.7, −2.3]) decreased slightly from 1990. The global point prevalence rate of musculoskeletal disorders in 2017 was higher in women than in men and increased with age up to the oldest age group. Globally, the proportion of prevalent cases according to category of musculoskeletal disorders in 2017 was greatest for low back pain (36.8%), followed by other musculoskeletal disorders (21.5%), OA (19.3%), neck pain (18.4%), gout (2.6%), and RA (1.3%). These proportions did not change appreciably compared with 1990. The burden due to musculoskeletal conditions was higher in developed countries. The countries with the highest age‐standardized prevalence rates of musculoskeletal disorders in 2017 were Switzerland (23,346.0 [95% UI 22,392.6, 24,329.8]), Chile (23,007.9 [95% UI 21,746.5, 24,165.8]), and Denmark (22,166.1 [95% UI 20,817.2, 23,542.1]). The greatest increases from 1990 were found in Chile (10.8% [95% UI 6.6, 15.4]), Benin (8.8% [95% UI 6.7, 11.1]), and El Salvador (8.5% [95% UI 5.5, 11.9]). Conclusion There is a large burden of musculoskeletal disorders globally, with some notable inter‐country variation. Some countries have twice the burden of other countries. Increasing population awareness regarding risk factors, consequences, and evidence‐informed treatment strategies for musculoskeletal disorders with a focus on the older female population in developed countries is needed, particularly for low back and neck pain and OA, which contribute a large burden among this cohort.

Objective To describe the levels and trends of point prevalence, annual incidence, and years lived with disability (YLD) for gout and its attributable risk factors in 195 countries and territories from 1990 to 2017 according to age, sex, and Sociodemographic Index (SDI; a composite of sociodemographic factors). Methods Data were extracted from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2017 study. A comprehensive systematic review of databases and the disease‐modeled analysis were performed by the GBD team at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, in collaboration with researchers and experts worldwide, to provide estimates at global, regional, and national levels during 1990 and 2017. Counts and age‐standardized rates per 100,000 population, along with 95% uncertainty intervals (95% UIs), were reported for point prevalence, annual incidence, and YLD. Results Globally, there were ~41.2 million (95% UI 36.7 million, 46.1 million) prevalent cases of gout, with 7.4 million incident cases per year (95% UI 6.6 million, 8.5 million) and almost 1.3 million YLD (95% UI 0.87 million, 1.8 million) in 2017. The global age‐standardized point prevalence estimates and annual incidence rates in 2017 were 510.6 (95% UI 455.6, 570.3) and 91.8 (95% UI 81.3, 104.1) cases per 100,000 population, respectively, an increase of 7.2% (95% UI 6.4%, 8.1%) and 5.5% (95% UI 4.8%, 6.3%) from 1990. The corresponding age‐standardized YLD rate was 15.9 (95% UI 10.7, 21.8) cases per 100,000 persons, a 7.2% increase (95% UI 5.9%, 8.6%) from 1990. In 2017, the global point prevalence estimates for gout were higher in males, and higher prevalence was seen in older age groups and increased with age for both males and females. The burden of gout was generally highest in developed regions and countries. The 3 countries with the highest age‐standardized point prevalence estimates of gout in 2017 were New Zealand (1,394.0 cases [95% UI 1,290.1, 1,500.9]), Australia (1,171.4 cases [95% UI 1,038.1, 1,322.9]), and the US (996.0 cases [95% UI 923.1, 1,076.8]). The countries with the highest increases in age‐standardized point prevalence estimates of gout from 1990 to 2017 were the US (34.7% [95% UI 27.7%, 43.1%]), Canada (28.5% [95% UI 21.9%, 35.4%]), and Oman (28.0% [95% UI 21.5%, 34.8%]). Globally, high body mass index and impaired kidney function accounted for 32.4% (95% UI 18.7%, 49.2%) and 15.3% (95% UI 13.5%, 17.1%), respectively, of YLD due to gout in the 2017 estimates. The YLD attributable to these risk factors were higher in males. Conclusion The burden of gout increased across the world from 1990 to 2017, with variations in point prevalence, annual incidence, and YLD between countries and territories. Besides improving the clinical management of disease, prevention and health promotion in communities to provide basic knowledge of the disease, risk factors, consequences, and effective treatment options (tailoring to high‐risk groups such as the middle‐aged male population) are crucial to avoid disease onset and hence to decrease the global diseas...

Background. In December, 2019, China, has experienced an outbreak of novel coronavirus disease 2019 . Coronavirus has now spread to all of the continents. We aimed to consider clinical characteristics, laboratory data of COVID-19 that provided more information for the research of this novel virus. Methods.We performed a retrospective cohort study on the clinical symptoms and laboratory findings of a series of the 100 confirmed patients with COVID-19. These patients were admitted to the hospitals affiliated to Babol University of Medical Sciences (Ayatollah Rohani, ShahidBeheshti and Yahyanejad hospitals) form 25 February 2020 to 12 March 2020. Results.Nineteen patients died during hospitalization and 81 were discharged. Non-survivor patients had a significantly higher C-reactive protein (CRP) (MD: 46.37, 95% CI: 20.84, 71.90; P= 0.001), white blood cells (WBCs) (MD: 3.10, 95% CI: 1.53, 4.67; P< 0.001) and lower lymphocyte (MD: -8.75, 95% CI: -12.62, -4.87; P< 0.001) compared to survivor patients Data analysis showed that comorbid conditions (aRR: 2.99, 95%CI: 1.09, 8.21, P= 0.034), higher CRP levels (aRR: 1.02, 95%CI: 1.01, 1.03, P= 0.044), and lower lymphocyte (aRR: 0.82, 95%CI: 0.73, 0.93, P= 0.003) were associated with increased risk of death. Conclusions.Based on our findings, most non-survivors are elderly with comorbidities. Lymphopenia and increased levels of WBCs along with elevated CRP were associated with increased risk of death. Therefore, it is best to be regularly assessed these markers during treatment of COVID-19 patients.