HIV-related mortality time trends among children and young adolescents on antiretroviral therapy by age, treatment duration, and region: a systematic review and meta-regression analysis.

Background: Past cohort studies have examined mortality among children and young adolescents (aged 0-14 years) who have received antiretroviral therapy (ART), but no systematic reviews have been undertaken to synthesise these findings. Our study aims to provide the most comprehensive global estimates of paediatric mortality among children and adolescents receiving ART.

Methods: For this systematic review and meta-regression analysis, we searched PubMed and Embase from Jan 1, 1990 to July 31, 2024 for studies reporting mortality among children and young adolescents living with HIV who were on ART.

Evaluating US county health-care system performance and key associated factors (2014-19): a Triple Aim framework analysis.

Background: The Triple Aim of health care-defined as the simultaneous pursuit of positive patient experience, positive health outcomes, and low spending-has been established as a goal for health-care systems. The US health-care system has high rates of health spending and poor health outcomes relative to other countries, although there is substantial variation within the country at both state and county level. Assessing which US counties have been most successful in achieving the Triple Aim, and which implemented policies are associated with high performance, could be valuable for developing policies that improve health care nationwide.

Tracking development assistance for health, 1990-2030: historical trends, recent cuts, and outlook.

Background: Development assistance for health (DAH) rose to its highest levels during the COVID-19 pandemic but has since reduced amid rising global economic uncertainty and competing fiscal demands. In early 2025, major donors including the USA and the UK announced substantial reductions in aid, prompting concerns about the future of health financing in middle-income and low-income countries. To date, no comprehensive assessment has quantified the effects of these announced cuts on overall DAH levels or its future trajectories.

Global, regional, and national health-care inefficiency and associated factors in 201 countries, 1995-2022: a stochastic frontier meta-analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2023.

Background: All governments face pressure to maximise the impact of their health budget. We aimed to measure health spending inefficiency for 201 countries from 1995 to 2022, estimate the cost of one additional year of healthy life, and assess contextual factors associated with health spending inefficiency.

Methods: We extracted data from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study 2023 and the Financing Global Health 2024 project to estimate health spending inefficiency using a non-linear stochastic frontier meta-analysis model designed to assess health-adjusted life expectancy (HALE).

Global, Regional, and National Burden of Nontraumatic Subarachnoid Hemorrhage: The Global Burden of Disease Study 2021.

Importance: Nontraumatic subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) represents the third most common stroke type with unique etiologies, risk factors, diagnostics, and treatments. Nevertheless, epidemiological studies often cluster SAH with other stroke types leaving its distinct burden estimates obscure.

Objective: To estimate the worldwide burden of SAH.

Health effects associated with exposure of children to physical violence, psychological violence and neglect: a Burden of Proof study.

The health toll of child maltreatment or violence against children (VAC) has not yet been comprehensively evaluated. Here, in our systematic review and meta-analyses, we focused on the health impacts of physical violence, psychological violence and neglect during childhood. Utilizing the Burden of Proof methodology, which generates conservative measures of association while accounting for heterogeneity between input studies, we evaluated 35 associations between VAC and adverse health outcomes, identifying 27 statistically significant links.

The health effects associated with physical, sexual and psychological gender-based violence against men and women: a Burden of Proof study.

The health impacts of exposure to physical, sexual or psychological gender-based violence (GBV) against men and women are substantial yet not well delineated. We systematically reviewed and meta-analysed 40 studies to evaluate the associations between GBV (including but not limited to intimate partner violence) and eight health outcomes: sexually transmitted infections excluding HIV, maternal abortion and miscarriage, HIV/AIDS, major depressive disorder, anxiety disorders, drug use disorders, alcohol use disorders and self-harm. Using the Burden of Proof methods, we generated conservative metrics of association-including star ratings from one to five-reflecting both effect size and evidence strength.

A systematic review with a Burden of Proof meta-analysis of health effects of long-term ambient fine particulate matter (PM) exposure on dementia.

Previous studies have indicated increased dementia risk associated with fine particulate matter (PM) exposure; however, the findings are inconsistent. In this systematic review, we assessed the association between long-term PM exposure and dementia outcomes using the Burden of Proof meta-analytic framework, which relaxes log-linear assumptions to better characterize relative risk functions and quantify unexplained between-study heterogeneity (PROSPERO, ID CRD42023421869). Here we report a meta-analysis of 28 longitudinal cohort studies published up to June 2023 that investigated long-term PM exposure and dementia outcomes.

Mapping the global prevalence, incidence, and mortality of Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax malaria, 2000-22: a spatial and temporal modelling study.

Background: Malaria remains a leading cause of illness and death globally, with countries in sub-Saharan Africa bearing a disproportionate burden. Global high-resolution maps of malaria prevalence, incidence, and mortality are crucial for tracking spatially heterogeneous progress against the disease and to inform strategic malaria control efforts. We present the latest such maps, the first since 2019, which cover the years 2000-22.

Homicide Rates Across County, Race, Ethnicity, Age, and Sex in the US: A Global Burden of Disease Study.

Importance: Homicide is one of the leading causes of death in the US, especially among adolescents and adults younger than 45 years. While geographic, racial and ethnic, and sex differences in homicide rates have been documented, a comprehensive assessment across all sociodemographics is needed.

Objective: To assess variation in US homicide rates from 2000 to 2019 across geographic location, race and ethnicity, sex, and age.

Forecasting total and cause-specific health expenditures for 116 health conditions in Norway, 2022-2050.

Background: This study forecasts total and cause-specific health expenditures in Norway to 2050 and quantifies the contribution of four key drivers-total population growth, population aging, changes in disease prevalence, and cost per case-on future health care spending.

Methods: We forecast spending for 116 health conditions in Norway from 2022 to 2050, using historical and forecasted data of population growth, disease prevalence, gross domestic product (GDP), health spending, and residual factors. Our analysis included a reference scenario that forecasted disease-specific health spending; two alternative scenarios examining the effects of alternative unit cost developments; and a scenario examining the consequences of improved behavioral and metabolic risk factors.

Drivers of Variation in Health Care Spending Across US Counties.

Importance: Understanding the drivers of health care spending across US counties is important for developing policies and assessing the allocation of health care services.

Objective: To estimate the amount of cross-county health care spending variation explained by (1) population age, (2) health condition prevalence, (3) service utilization, and (4) service price and intensity.

Design, Setting, And Participants: In this cross-sectional study, data for 4 key drivers of per capita spending were extracted for 3110 US counties, 148 health conditions, 38 age-sex groups, 4 payers, and 7 types of care for 2019.

Tracking US Health Care Spending by Health Condition and County.

Importance: Understanding health conditions with the most spending and variation across locations and over time is important for identifying trends, highlighting inequalities, and developing strategies for lowering health spending.

Objective: To estimate US health care spending for each of 3110 US counties, across 4 payers (Medicare, Medicaid, private insurance, and out-of-pocket payments), and according to 148 health conditions, 38 age/sex groups, and 7 types of care from 2010 to 2019.

Design, Setting, And Participants: Observational analysis using more than 40 billion insurance claims and nearly 1 billion facility records.

Disparities in wellbeing in the USA by race and ethnicity, age, sex, and location, 2008-21: an analysis using the Human Development Index.

Background: The Human Development Index (HDI)-a composite metric encompassing a population's life expectancy, education, and income-is used widely for assessing and comparing human development and wellbeing at the country level, but does not account for within-country inequality. In this study of the USA, we aimed to adapt the HDI framework to measure the HDI at an individual level to examine disparities in the distribution of wellbeing by race and ethnicity, sex, age, and geographical location.

Methods: We used individual-level data on adults aged 25 years and older from the 2008-21 American Community Survey (ACS) Public Use Microdata Sample.

Cost-effectiveness of interventions for HIV/AIDS, malaria, syphilis, and tuberculosis in 128 countries: a meta-regression analysis.

Background: Cost-effectiveness analyses have been conducted for many interventions for HIV/AIDS, malaria, syphilis, and tuberculosis, but they have not been conducted for all interventions that are currently recommended in all countries. To support national decision makers in the effective allocation of resources, we conducted a meta-regression analysis of published incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs) for interventions for these causes, and predicted ICERs for 14 recommended interventions for Global Fund-eligible countries.

Methods: In the meta-regression analysis, we used data from the Tufts University Center for the Evaluation of Value and Risk in Health (Boston, MA, USA) Cost-Effectiveness Registries (the CEA Registry beginning in 1976 and the Global Health CEA registry beginning in 1995) up to Jan 1, 2018.

A burden of proof study on alcohol consumption and ischemic heart disease.

Cohort and case-control data have suggested an association between low to moderate alcohol consumption and decreased risk of ischemic heart disease (IHD), yet results from Mendelian randomization (MR) studies designed to reduce bias have shown either no or a harmful association. Here we conducted an updated systematic review and re-evaluated existing cohort, case-control, and MR data using the burden of proof meta-analytical framework. Cohort and case-control data show low to moderate alcohol consumption is associated with decreased IHD risk - specifically, intake is inversely related to IHD and myocardial infarction morbidity in both sexes and IHD mortality in males - while pooled MR data show no association, confirming that self-reported versus genetically predicted alcohol use data yield conflicting findings about the alcohol-IHD relationship.