The impact of poor nutritional health on maternal and infant morbidity and mortality remains high in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), exacerbated by climate change-linked disasters. Maternal nutritional health, as a modifiable factor, is influenced by various social, political, economic and environmental factors, as well as cultural practices. Identifying climate change-related interventions, adaptive strategies and best practices targeting maternal nutritional health and well-being in LMICs within a cultural context helps inform the co-production of sustainable, culturally sensitive interventions to improve health outcomes for mothers and babies.
We will undertake a systematic review of the literature employing the six steps of the Protocol, Search, Appraisal, Synthesis, Analysis and Report (PSALSAR) framework, including both peer-reviewed and grey literature. The Population, Concept and Context approach will be used to formulate the review question and the inclusion and exclusion criteria. We will include primary research comprising all study designs published in English from 2007 onwards. We will conduct searches in online academic databases, including CINAHL, MEDLINE, Global Health (CABI), AGRIS (FAO) and SCOPUS, as well as defined grey literature sources (ie, Google Scholar). Titles, abstracts and later full-text articles will be independently accessed and screened for eligibility criteria by four researchers. Following the integrative review methodology, we will present findings narratively, organised around the components of the PSALSAR framework to provide a comprehensive synthesis of the available evidence.
As no primary data will be collected, the systematic review does not require formal ethics approval. However, we will give attention to ethical considerations within the identified studies. Findings will be published in a peer-reviewed journal and presented at relevant conferences. The findings of our systematic review and the ethnographic component of our research project will inform the development of appropriate maternal nutritional health interventions using co-production methodology in Pakistan.
CRD420251080897.
There are many barriers to mental health services, including cost and stigma. Even when individuals receive professional care, assessments are intermittent and may be limited in part by the cyclical nature of psychiatric symptoms. The human voice might have the potential to serve as a valuable biomarker in the identification, early diagnosis or monitoring of psychiatric conditions. Therefore, this protocol presents a proposed scoping review with the aim of synthesising existing knowledge on the application of artificial intelligence (AI) or machine learning (ML) in the management of individuals at risk of/suffering from schizophrenia through audio samples as a biomarker.
Guided by the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews guidelines and Arksey & O’Malley’s scoping review framework (with recent advancements), we systematically mapped the literature on the application of voice-based biomarkers in schizophrenia. Several databases (PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, Web of Science, IEEE Xplore, Embase, Compendex, CINAHL, Scientific Information Database, Magiran, IranMedex and Barakat knowledge network system) will be systematically searched for relevant studies through 2025. All searches will be conducted for peer-reviewed articles/studies published in Persian and English between 1 January 2012 and 1 September 2025. Two researchers will independently carry out screening of the included studies and extraction of data. Any discrepancies will be resolved by consensus. In case no initial consensus is reached, a third researcher will be consulted to make a decision. Findings will be presented narratively in the form of text, summary tables, charts and figures for each research question.
This proposed scoping review is based on publicly available information and is also a review of primary studies, so ethics and publication ethics approval are not required because all data from this study have been previously published. The findings of this review will be published in a peer-reviewed journal and presented at national or international congresses and conferences. Importantly, the initial results from this review will serve as a basis for the design and validation of an intelligent clinical decision support system based on acoustic biomarkers for patients with schizophrenia, using AI or ML techniques.
Not registered.
In order to prevent chronic kidney disease (CKD), it is crucial to identify temporal trends in CKD incidence at the global level, both past and future.
An observational cross-sectional study.
We retrieved data on annual cases of CKD from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) online database for the period between 1990 and 2021. To assess the trends in age-standardised incidence rates (ASRs) of CKD, we applied the average annual percentage change (AAPC) for both observed data (1990–2021) and projected data (2022–2030). Bayesian age-period-cohort models were employed to predict CKD ASRs and case numbers through 2030.
From 1990 to 2021, the number of newly diagnosed CKD cases worldwide rose from 7 758 599 (95% CI: 7 721 790 to 7 795 410) to 19 950 853 (95% CI: 19 914 040 to 19 987 670). During that same period, the CKD ASR increased from 145.66 to 252.93 per 100 000 people, with an AAPC of 0.74% (95% CI: 0.73 to 0.75). By 2030, the number of CKD cases is projected to reach 25 057 700 (95% credible interval (CrI: 23 389 630 to 26 725 770), and the ASR is expected to increase to 297.62 per 100 000 (AAPC: 0.15%, 95% CrI: 0.14 to 0.16). The most significant ASR increases are expected among individuals with type two diabetes mellitus (AAPC: 0.17%, 95% CI: 0.01 to 0.34), hypertension (AAPC: 0.17%, 95% CI: 0.05 to 0.28%), older adults (aged ≥60) (AAPC: 0.21%, 95% CI: 0.20 to 0.22) and individuals in middle- (AAPC: 0.19%, 95% CI: 0.11 to 0.27) and high-middle socio-demographic index (SDI) countries (AAPC: 0.18%, 95% CI: 0.09 to 0.27). Of the six WHO regions, the largest increase is predicted to occur in the Western Pacific region by 2030 (AAPC: 0.21%, 95% CrI: 0.11 to 0.32), followed by Eastern Mediterranean (AAPC: 0.18%, 95% CrI: 0.06 to 0.31). Of the 204 countries and territories examined, 201 showed an increasing trend between 1990 and 2030, while only three experienced a decrease.
CKD incidence rates and case numbers are predicted to increase globally through 2030. Women; people with type two diabetes mellitus and hypertension; people over 60 years of age; people living in high, middle and high-middle-SDI countries, as well as those from the region of the USA, Europe and the Western Pacific, are projected to have the highest ASR of CKD in 2030. This highlights the need to consider these subgroups in future plans for global control of CKD.