The emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the importance of studying newly emerging viruses that cause respiratory illnesses. Human bocavirus (HBoV) is one of the relatively newly discovered viruses that has been detected worldwide and causes respiratory and gastrointestinal infections, mainly in pediatric patients. However, little is known about the pathogenicity and evolution of HBoV. This systematic review was initiated to clarify the prevalence and circulating genotypes of HBoV in both respiratory and stool samples from patients of all age groups in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) from 2005 to February 2021. We performed an electronic search through Science Direct, Scopus, PubMed, Mendeley and Cochrane Library databases. We included all studies reporting the detection rate of HBoV in the MENA region. Data were extracted, and the quality of the included articles was assessed. We included articles containing data on HBoV only or with other respiratory or gastrointestinal viral infections. Review articles, case studies, and animal and environmental studies were excluded. The final number of articles included in this study was 65 articles. The results showed that the HBoV prevalence in children was the lowest in Iran (0%) and the highest in Egypt (56.8%). In adults, the lowest and the highest prevalence were reported in Iran, with values of 0% and 6.6%, respectively. Regarding the respiratory cases, our findings revealed no significant difference between HBoV prevalence among the tested categories (p-value = 0.998). The present study has shown that HBoV is common in children and adults in the MENA region. This systematic review highlights the need for more data on the role of coinfection of HBoV and other viruses, for instance, SARS-CoV-2 in children with acute bronchiolitis.

BACKGROUND: Ramadan fasting involves refraining from food and liquids from the sunrise till sunset for one month yearly; affecting the sleep pattern and duration, physical activity, and meal number and composition leading to biochemical and physiological changes in the body. Irisin, adiponectin, and leptin induce multiple metabolic effects. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to examine the effect of the Ramadan fasting on serum levels of irisin, adiponectin, and leptin. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of sixty healthy students (43 females and 17 males) were recruited, 20.9 years mean age, who were fasting for Ramadan were included in this study. Anthropometry, blood samples and physical activity were determined. Lipid profiles were determined using an enzymatic colorimetric method, and serum levels of irisin, adiponectin, and leptin were measured using Enzyme-linked Immunosorbent Assay. All measurements were measured before Ramadan and in the fourth week of Ramadan. RESULTS: Subjects experienced a significant increase in LDL was determined during Ramadan vs before Ramadan (142.8 vs. 158.1 mg/dl p = 0.03) along with a significant reduction in leptin, adiponectin and irisin concentration during Ramadan compared to before Ramadan (11.6 vs. 8.6; p = 0.000; 4.42 vs. 3.58; p = 0.022; 33.6 vs. 16.3; p = 0.003). A significant positive correlation was found between physical activity and irisin concentration before Ramadan ( r = 0.338, p = 0.022). CONCLUSIONS: Ramadan fasting has significant effects on irisin, adiponectin, and leptin levels. Their levels were significantly reduced during Ramadan while LDL level was increased. Irisin level has a significant correlation with the physical activity of the participants.