In higher income countries, social disadvantage is associated with higher arthritis prevalence; however, less is known about arthritis prevalence or determinants in low to middle income countries (LMICs). We assessed arthritis prevalence by age and sex, and marital status and occupation, as two key parameters of socioeconomic position (SEP), using data from the World Health Organization Study on global AGEing and adult health (SAGE). SAGE Wave 1 (2007–10) includes nationally-representative samples of older adults (≥50 yrs), plus smaller samples of adults aged 18-49 yrs., from China, Ghana, India, Mexico, Russia and South Africa (n = 44,747). Arthritis was defined by self-reported healthcare professional diagnosis, and a symptom-based algorithm. Marital status and education were self-reported. Arthritis prevalence data were extracted for each country by 10-year age strata, sex and SEP. Country-specific survey weightings were applied and weighted prevalences calculated. Self-reported (lifetime) diagnosed arthritis was reported by 5003 women and 2664 men (19.9% and 14.1%, respectively), whilst 1220 women and 594 men had current symptom-based arthritis (4.8% and 3.1%, respectively). For men, standardised arthritis rates were approximately two- to three-fold greater than for women. The highest rates were observed in Russia: 38% (95% CI 36%–39%) for men, and 17% (95% CI 14%–20%) for women. For both sexes and in all LMICs, arthritis was more prevalent among those with least education, and in separated/divorced/widowed women. High arthritis prevalence in LMICs is concerning and may worsen poverty by impacting the ability to work and fulfil community roles. These findings have implications for national efforts to prioritise arthritis prevention and management, and improve healthcare access in LMICs.

Background: Concordant with an increased emphasis on consumer engagement, the Patient Global Impression Scale of Improvement (PGI-I) is commonly used as an outcome measure in studies evaluating the efficacy of treatments in medical and psychiatric conditions with subjective symptom domains. The current study evaluated the agreement between PGI-I and Clinician Global Impression Scale of Improvement (CGI-I) ratings and convergent validity of PGI-I among individuals with bipolar or major depressive disorders.Method: Data were derived from three double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicentre studies conducted from 2007 to 2015 among adult individuals (N = 472). Clinicians were asked to rate participants symptoms using the CGI-I as well as severity of depression by the Montgomery-Åsberg Depression (MADRS), quality of life (Q-LES-Q), social and occupational functioning (SOFAS), and functional impairment (LIFE–RIFT). Participants were asked to assess their symptom improvement with the PGI-I. Bland-Altman agreement plots and Intra-class correlations were used to evaluate agreement, and Spearman correlation coefficients were implemented to examine convergent validity. Sub-group analyses for disorder type (bipolar and major depression) were performed.Results: There was high agreement between the PGI-I and CGI-I ratings across follow-up time points (weeks 2, 4, 6, 8, 12, 16, 20, 24, and 28). Similar results were observed in male only and female only data and after adjustment for age and gender. Both PGI-I and CGI-I ratings were robustly positively correlated with MADRS, and LIFE-RIFT and negatively correlated with SOFAS and Q-LES-Q, supporting the convergent validity of the PGI-I. Sub-group analyses for bipolar and major depressive disorder showed similar findings.Conclusion: Our findings support the utility of the PGI-I as a participant rated measure of global improvement among individuals with bipolar or major depressive disorders.

Minocycline has anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anti-apoptotic properties that explain the renewed interest in its use as an adjunctive treatment for psychiatric and neurological conditions. Following the completion of several new clinical trials using minocycline, we proposed an up-to-date systematic review and meta-analysis of the data available. The PICO (patient/population, intervention, comparison and outcomes) framework was used to search 5 databases aiming to identify randomized controlled trials that used minocycline as an adjunctive treatment for psychiatric and neurological conditions. Search results, data extraction, and risk of bias were performed by two independent authors for each publication. Quantitative meta-analysis was performed using RevMan software. Literature search and review resulted in 32 studies being included in this review: 10 in schizophrenia, 3 studies in depression, and 7 in stroke, with the benefit of minocycline being used in some of the core symptoms evaluated; 2 in bipolar disorder and 2 in substance use, without demonstrating a benefit for using minocycline; 1 in obsessive-compulsive disorder, 2 in brain and spinal injuries, 2 in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, 1 in Alzheimer’s disease, 1 in multiple systems atrophy, and 1 in pain, with mixes results. For most of the conditions included in this review the data is still limited and difficult to interpret, warranting more well-designed and powered studies. On the other hand, the studies available for schizophrenia seem to suggest an overall benefit favoring the use of minocycline as an adjunctive treatment.