Severe periodontitis is defined by extensive loss of the tooth attachment apparatus. It is the sixth most common human disease and is estimated to affect 11.2% of the global adult population, hence ...representing a significant healthcare, social, and economic burden. Since the 1990s, multiple epidemiologic, experimental, and interventional studies have evidenced how periodontitis may also impact systemic health and it has been independently associated with the majority of chronic noncommunicable diseases. The evidence supporting these associations, mainly focusing on diabetes, pregnancy complications, and cardiovascular disease, was thoroughly reviewed in 2012 by an international consensus workshop. In the last 5 years, however, important advances have been made, not only in our understanding of the etiopathogenesis of periodontitis, or concerning the mounting evidence regarding the independent associations between periodontitis, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease, but also with many other systemic diseases including metabolic disease and obesity, rheumatoid arthritis, certain cancers, respiratory diseases, and cognitive disorders including Alzheimer's disease. This review describes these scientific advances by gathering together the existing evidence on the importance and relevance of the associations between periodontitis and many systemic diseases.
Inequalities in health outcomes impose substantial human and economic costs on all societies-and the relation between early adversity and lifelong well-being presents a rich scientific framework for ...fresh thinking about health promotion and disease prevention broadly, augmented by a deeper focus on how racism influences disparities more specifically. This review begins with an overview of advances in the biology of adversity and resilience through an early childhood lens, followed by an overview of the unique effects of racism on health and a selective review of findings from related intervention research. This article presents a framework for addressing multiple dimensions of the public health challenge-including institutional structural racism, cultural racism, and interpersonal discrimination-and concludes with the compelling need to protect the developing brain and other biological systems from the physiological disruptions of toxic stress that can undermine the building blocks of optimal health and development in the early childhood period.
This meta-analysis maps the evidence on the effectiveness of instructional approaches and conditions for learning computer programming under three study conditions: (a) Studies focusing on the ...effectiveness of programming interventions per se, (b) studies focusing on the effectiveness of visualization and physicality, and (c) studies focusing on the effectiveness of dominant instructional approaches. Utilizing the data from 139 interventions and 375 effect sizes, we found (a) a strong effect of learning computer programming per se (Hedges’ g‾ = 0.81, 95% CI 0.42, 1.21), (b) moderate to large effect sizes of visualization (g‾ = 0.44, 95% CI 0.29, 0.58) and physicality interventions (g‾ = 0.72, 95% CI 0.23, 1.21), and (c) moderate to large effect sizes for studies focusing on dominant instructional approaches (g‾s = 0.49–1.02). Moderator analyses indicated that the effect sizes differed only marginally between the instructional approaches and conditions—however, collaboration in metacognition instruction, problem solving instruction outside of regular lessons, short-term interventions focusing on physicality, and interventions focusing on visualization through Scratch were especially effective. Our meta-analysis synthesizes the existing research evidence on the effectiveness of computer programming instruction and, ultimately, provides references with which the effects of future studies could be compared.
•Computer programming interventions show moderate to large effect sizes per se.•Studies focusing on physicality are especially effective.•Instructional approaches exhibit moderate to large effects.•Study design features only explain marginal variation in the effects.•Visualizing programming with Scratch is especially effective.
Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder that affects individuals’ ability to regulate their attention, impulses, and activity levels. It is commonly diagnosed ...in childhood but can persist into adolescence and adulthood. Children with such type of disorder are having copious problems related to social skills. Understanding these core symptoms is crucial in recognising and addressing the challenges faced by children with ADHD. Hence, some interventions has to be introduced in the form of a play toolkit, which has a significant effect on ADHD children’s prosocial behaviour and empathy. This play toolkit includes two components: play therapy and doodle therapy. Using play-based activities to enhance social skills, emotional regulation, problem-solving, and cooperation skills in a supportive and engaging environment is essential. Utilising creative activities like drawing, colouring, and art-based projects to facilitate self-expression, communication, and emotional understanding can indirectly improve social interactions. By incorporating these interventions into a comprehensive treatment plan, nurses and healthcare professionals can help children with ADHD develop essential social skills, improve their relationships with peers and adults, and enhance their overall well-being.
Chocolate is a product processed from cocoa rich in flavonoids, antioxidant compounds, and bioactive ingredients that have been associated with both its healthy and sensory properties. Chocolate ...production consists of a multistep process which, starting from cocoa beans, involves fermentation, drying, roasting, nib grinding and refining, conching, and tempering. During cocoa processing, the naturally occurring antioxidants (flavonoids) are lost, while others, such as Maillard reaction products, are formed. The final content of antioxidant compounds and the antioxidant activity of chocolate is a function of several variables, some related to the raw material and others related to processing and formulation. The aim of this mini-review is to revise the literature on the impact of full processing on the
antioxidant activity of chocolate, providing a critical analysis of the implications of processing on the evaluation of the antioxidant effect of chocolate in
studies in humans.
Many meta-analyses contain only a small number of studies, which makes it difficult to estimate the extent of between-study heterogeneity. Bayesian meta-analysis allows incorporation of external ...evidence on heterogeneity, and offers advantages over conventional random-effects meta-analysis. To assist in this, we provide empirical evidence on the likely extent of heterogeneity in particular areas of health care.
Our analyses included 14 886 meta-analyses from the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. We classified each meta-analysis according to the type of outcome, type of intervention comparison and medical specialty. By modelling the study data from all meta-analyses simultaneously, using the log odds ratio scale, we investigated the impact of meta-analysis characteristics on the underlying between-study heterogeneity variance. Predictive distributions were obtained for the heterogeneity expected in future meta-analyses.
Between-study heterogeneity variances for meta-analyses in which the outcome was all-cause mortality were found to be on average 17% (95% CI 10-26) of variances for other outcomes. In meta-analyses comparing two active pharmacological interventions, heterogeneity was on average 75% (95% CI 58-95) of variances for non-pharmacological interventions. Meta-analysis size was found to have only a small effect on heterogeneity. Predictive distributions are presented for nine different settings, defined by type of outcome and type of intervention comparison. For example, for a planned meta-analysis comparing a pharmacological intervention against placebo or control with a subjectively measured outcome, the predictive distribution for heterogeneity is a log-normal (-2.13, 1.58(2)) distribution, which has a median value of 0.12. In an example of meta-analysis of six studies, incorporating external evidence led to a smaller heterogeneity estimate and a narrower confidence interval for the combined intervention effect.
Meta-analysis characteristics were strongly associated with the degree of between-study heterogeneity, and predictive distributions for heterogeneity differed substantially across settings. The informative priors provided will be very beneficial in future meta-analyses including few studies.
A growing body of literature has investigated the effects of playing video games on brain function and behavior. One key takeaway from this literature has been that not all entertainment video games ...are created equal with respect to their effects on cognitive functioning. The majority of the research to date has contrasted the cognitive impact of playing first‐ or third‐person shooter games (together dubbed “action video games”) against the effects of playing other game types. Indeed, when the research began in the late 1990s, action video games placed a load upon the perceptual, attentional, and cognitive systems in a manner not seen in other video games. However, the video game industry has shifted dramatically over the intervening years. In particular, first‐ and third‐person shooter games are no longer unique in the extent to which they load upon cognitive abilities. Instead, a host of other game genres appear to place similar degrees of load upon these systems. This state of affairs calls for a paradigm shift in the way that the cognitive neuroscience field examines the impact of video game play on cognitive skills and their neural mediators—a shift that is only just now slowly occurring.
Abstract Objectives Estimation of between-study heterogeneity is problematic in small meta-analyses. Bayesian meta-analysis is beneficial because it allows incorporation of external evidence on ...heterogeneity. To facilitate this, we provide empirical evidence on the likely heterogeneity between studies in meta-analyses relating to specific research settings. Study Design and Setting Our analyses included 6,492 continuous-outcome meta-analyses within the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. We investigated the influence of meta-analysis settings on heterogeneity by modeling study data from all meta-analyses on the standardized mean difference scale. Meta-analysis setting was described according to outcome type, intervention comparison type, and medical area. Predictive distributions for between-study variance expected in future meta-analyses were obtained, which can be used directly as informative priors. Results Among outcome types, heterogeneity was found to be lowest in meta-analyses of obstetric outcomes. Among intervention comparison types, heterogeneity was lowest in meta-analyses comparing two pharmacologic interventions. Predictive distributions are reported for different settings. In two example meta-analyses, incorporating external evidence led to a more precise heterogeneity estimate. Conclusion Heterogeneity was influenced by meta-analysis characteristics. Informative priors for between-study variance were derived for each specific setting. Our analyses thus assist the incorporation of realistic prior information into meta-analyses including few studies.
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