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European Journal of Orthodontics Jun 2020Social media are one of the most common and easily accessible ways of gaining information about orthodontic treatment.
BACKGROUND
Social media are one of the most common and easily accessible ways of gaining information about orthodontic treatment.
OBJECTIVE
The main objective of this study was to systematically search the literature and determine the various aspects of the interrelationship between social media and orthodontics from the patient's perspective.
SEARCH METHODS
Electronic database searches of published and unpublished literature were performed. The reference lists of all eligible articles were hand-searched for additional studies.
SELECTION CRITERIA
Randomized clinical trials (RCTs), prospective, retrospective, and cross-sectional studies were included.
DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS
Study selection, data extraction, and risk of bias assessment were performed individually and in duplicate by the first two authors.
RESULTS
One RCT, three retrospective, and four cross-sectional studies were deemed as eligible for inclusion in this review. The studies included patient's statements in social media or results from questionnaires given to patients. The social media reported were with order of frequency: Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, Google+, Pinterest, and Instagram. The feelings the patients expressed seemed to be more positive than negative: enthusiasm, self-esteem and pleasure, excitement about the aesthetic result, excitement after braces removal but also antipathy, annoyances, reduced self-esteem, and impatience for removing mechanisms. In addition, one study referred to bullying through Twitter.
LIMITATIONS
The high amount of heterogeneity precluded a valid interpretation of the results through pooled estimates.
CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS
This systematic review demonstrated that information about orthodontics, how the patient feels, and other psychosocial facets are spread through social media. It is intuitive that research relating to the effects and impact of orthodontic interventions should account not only for the physical impacts of treatment but also to encompass patient-centered outcomes.
REGISTRATION
The protocol of this study was not registered in publicly assessable database.
CONFLICTS OF INTEREST
None to declare.
Topics: Dental Care; Esthetics, Dental; Humans; Orthodontics; Retrospective Studies; Social Media
PubMed: 31107943
DOI: 10.1093/ejo/cjz029 -
Journal of Medical Internet Research Feb 2023Formative experiences in adolescence lay the foundation for healthy and pleasurable romantic and sexual relationships. Exposure to pornography may affect these...
BACKGROUND
Formative experiences in adolescence lay the foundation for healthy and pleasurable romantic and sexual relationships. Exposure to pornography may affect these experiences.
OBJECTIVE
We aimed to synthesize evidence published in the past decade on the relationship between exposure to pornography and sexual behavior (earlier age of first sex [<16 years], condomless sex, past-year multiple partners [>1], lifetime multiple partners [>1], group sex, sexual aggression including forced sex, paid sex, teenage pregnancy, and history of sexually transmitted infection) in adolescents aged between 10 and 19 years.
METHODS
We identified 19 eligible studies by searching MEDLINE, PsycINFO, Cochrane, CINAHL, Embase, and Web of Science databases from January 2010 to November 2022.
RESULTS
Out of 8 studies that assessed earlier age of first sex, 5 studies, including 1 longitudinal study, found a statistically significant association with exposure to pornography. Given that most studies were cross-sectional or had substantial limitations, causal inference could not be made. Also, exposure to pornography was not measured consistently. The evidence was conflicting or insufficient to draw any conclusions regarding other outcomes.
CONCLUSIONS
More quantitative research is needed to elucidate the association between pornography exposure and sexual behavior, and sex education should adopt evidence-based approaches to minimize the potential harms from pornography.
TRIAL REGISTRATION
PROSPERO International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews CRD42021227390; https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?RecordID=227390.
Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Child; Female; Humans; Pregnancy; Young Adult; Erotica; Longitudinal Studies; Sex Education; Sexual Behavior
PubMed: 36853749
DOI: 10.2196/43116 -
Journal of Sex & Marital Therapy 2023Determining the true incidence and identifying the risk factors of low sexual desire (LSD) and hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD) are essential to prevent sexual... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
Determining the true incidence and identifying the risk factors of low sexual desire (LSD) and hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD) are essential to prevent sexual dysfunctions and provide adequate treatment resources. This systematic review and meta-analysis were performed on research articles reporting women with LSD and HSDD in PsycArticles, Scopus, MEDLINE, Web of Science databases, and reference lists till October 2021. All cross-sectional studies published in English that assessed both sexual desire and sexual distress were included. Of 891 full-text articles identified, 24 were eligible, all of which had a low risk of overall bias. We did separate random-effects meta-analyses for LSD and HSDD outcomes. The incidence of LSD and HSDD were 29% and 12%, respectively. Studies that used the convenience sampling method reported a higher incidence of HSDD than studies that used the probability sampling method. No differences were found between the assessment method and across cultures in LSD and HSDD. A majority of studies reviewed addressed demographic (e.g. age, education), physiological (e. g. menopausal status, body mass index), psychological (e.g. depression, daily internal stress), relational (e.g. relationship length, relationship satisfaction), and sexual predictors (e.g. sexual activity, sexual pleasure) between LSD and HSDD. This systematic review may inform researchers, guideline developers, and policy-makers about LSD associated with distress and help health professionals to identify women most at risk.
Topics: Female; Humans; Cross-Sectional Studies; Incidence; Sexual Dysfunctions, Psychological; Sexual Behavior; Libido
PubMed: 37158079
DOI: 10.1080/0092623X.2023.2208564 -
The Journal of Sexual Medicine Aug 2017Because female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) leads to changes in normal genital anatomy and functionality, women are increasingly seeking surgical interventions for... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
Because female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) leads to changes in normal genital anatomy and functionality, women are increasingly seeking surgical interventions for their FGM/C-related concerns.
AIM
To conduct a systematic review of empirical quantitative and qualitative research on interventions for women with FGM/C-related complications.
METHODS
We conducted systematic searches up to May 2016 in 16 databases to obtain references from different disciplines. We accepted all study designs consisting of girls and women who had been subjected to FGM/C and that examined a reparative intervention for a FGM/C-related concern. We screened the titles, abstracts, and full texts of retrieved records for relevance. Then, we assessed the methodologic quality of the included studies and extracted and synthesized the study data.
OUTCOMES
All outcomes were included.
RESULTS
Of 3,726 retrieved references, 71 studies including 7,291 women were eligible for inclusion. We identified three different types of surgical intervention: defibulation or surgical separation of fused labia, excision of a cyst with or without some form of reconstruction, and clitoral or clitoral-labial reconstruction. Reasons for seeking surgical interventions consisted of functional complaints, sexual aspirations, esthetic aspirations, and identity recovery. The most common reasons for defibulation were a desire for improved sexual pleasure, vaginal appearance, and functioning. For cyst excision, cystic swelling was the main reason for seeking excision; for reconstruction, the main reason was to recover identity. Data on women's experiences with a surgical intervention are sparse, but we found that women reported easier births after defibulation. Our findings also suggested that most women were satisfied with defibulation (overall satisfaction = 50-100%), typically because of improvements in their sexual lives. Conversely, the results suggested that defibulation had low social acceptance and that the procedure created distress in some women who disliked the new appearance of their genitalia. Most women were satisfied with clitoral reconstruction, but approximately one third were dissatisfied with or perceived a worsening in the esthetic look.
CLINICAL TRANSLATION
The information health care professionals give to women who seek surgical interventions for FGM/C should detail the intervention options available and what women can realistically expect from such interventions.
STRENGTHS AND LIMITATIONS
The systematic review was conducted in accordance with guidelines, but there is a slight possibility that studies were missed.
CONCLUSION
There are some data on women's motivations for surgery for FGM/C-related concerns, but little is known about whether women are satisfied with the surgery, and experiences appear mixed. Berg RC, Taraldsen S, Said MA, et al. Reasons for and Experiences With Surgical Interventions for Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (FGM/C): A Systematic Review. J Sex Med 2017;14:977-990.
Topics: Circumcision, Female; Female; Humans; Perception; Qualitative Research; Plastic Surgery Procedures; Sexual Behavior; Vagina
PubMed: 28666656
DOI: 10.1016/j.jsxm.2017.05.016 -
Addiction (Abingdon, England) Dec 2017Understanding the experience of initiating injection drug use and its social contexts is crucial to inform efforts to prevent transitions into this mode of drug... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND AND AIM
Understanding the experience of initiating injection drug use and its social contexts is crucial to inform efforts to prevent transitions into this mode of drug consumption and support harm reduction. We reviewed and synthesized existing qualitative scientific literature systematically to identify the socio-structural contexts for, and experiences of, the initiation of injection drug use.
METHODS
We searched six databases (Medline, Embase, PsychINFO, CINAHL, IBSS and SSCI) systematically, along with a manual search, including key journals and subject experts. Peer-reviewed studies were included if they qualitatively explored experiences of or socio-structural contexts for injection drug use initiation. A thematic synthesis approach was used to identify descriptive and analytical themes throughout studies.
RESULTS
From 1731 initial results, 41 studies reporting data from 1996 participants were included. We developed eight descriptive themes and two analytical (higher-order) themes. The first analytical theme focused on injecting initiation resulting from a social process enabled and constrained by socio-structural factors: social networks and individual interactions, socialization into drug-using identities and choices enabled and constrained by social context all combine to produce processes of injection initiation. The second analytical theme addressed pathways that explore varying meanings attached to injection initiation and how they link to social context: seeking pleasure, responses to increasing tolerance to drugs, securing belonging and identity and coping with pain and trauma.
CONCLUSIONS
Qualitative research shows that injection drug use initiation has varying and distinct meanings for individuals involved and is a dynamic process shaped by social and structural factors. Interventions should therefore respond to the socio-structural influences on injecting drug use initiation by seeking to modify the contexts for initiation, rather than solely prioritizing the reduction of individual harms through behavior change.
Topics: Adaptation, Psychological; Harm Reduction; Humans; Qualitative Research; Social Support; Substance Abuse, Intravenous
PubMed: 28734128
DOI: 10.1111/add.13957 -
Current Treatment Options in Oncology Nov 2018Taste sensation is vital for a healthy body as it influences our food intake, acts as a defense mechanism and elicits pleasure. Majority of the head and neck cancer... (Review)
Review
Taste sensation is vital for a healthy body as it influences our food intake, acts as a defense mechanism and elicits pleasure. Majority of the head and neck cancer (HNC) patients undergoing radiotherapy suffer from altered taste function and often complain of inability to taste their food, reduced food intake, and weakness. However, there are not many studies conducted to assess this commonly reported side effect. Furthermore, clinical research on radiotherapy-induced taste alterations has proven to be difficult, considering a lack of reliable and validated study tools for assessing objective and subjective outcomes. Developing standardized tools for assessment of taste function and conducting prospective studies in larger population of HNC is the need of the hour. Taste sensation being critically important for sustenance, we need to focus on ways to preserve it. The physical properties of proton particle enable localization of the radiation dose precisely to the tumor and minimizing the exposure of the adjacent healthy tissues. By using Intensity-Modulated Proton Therapy in HNC patients, we anticipate preserving the taste sensation by reducing the dose of radiation to the taste buds.
Topics: Ageusia; Dysgeusia; Head and Neck Neoplasms; Humans; Quality of Life; Radiation Injuries; Taste
PubMed: 30411162
DOI: 10.1007/s11864-018-0580-7 -
The American Journal of Geriatric... Feb 2013To review systematically, for the first time, the effectiveness of all pharmacologic interventions to improve quality of life and well-being in people with dementia. (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
OBJECTIVE
To review systematically, for the first time, the effectiveness of all pharmacologic interventions to improve quality of life and well-being in people with dementia.
DESIGN
Systematic review and meta-analysis.
METHODS
We systematically reviewed the 15 randomized controlled trials and one review that fitted predetermined criteria. We included studies that reported the outcomes quality of life, well-being, happiness, or pleasure.
MEASUREMENTS
We rated the validity of studies using a checklist. We calculated mean differences between intervention and control groups at follow-up.
RESULTS
None of the evaluated trials reported a significant benefit to quality of life or well-being for people with dementia when comparing those taking a drug or its comparator at follow-up (pooled weighted mean difference: 0.18 [95% confidence interval: -0.82 to 0.46]).
CONCLUSION
We found no consistent evidence that any drug improves quality of life in people with dementia. We recommend that all dementia trials should include quality of life as an outcome, as this is important to patients, and cannot be presumed from improvements in cognition or other symptomatic outcomes, especially if the latter are small.
Topics: Dementia; Humans; Quality of Life; Reproducibility of Results; Treatment Outcome
PubMed: 23343491
DOI: 10.1016/j.jagp.2012.10.018 -
Psychological Research Feb 2021Pleasantness is generally overlooked when investigating tactile functions. Addition of a pleasant stimulus could allow for a more complete characterisation of... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
Pleasantness is generally overlooked when investigating tactile functions. Addition of a pleasant stimulus could allow for a more complete characterisation of somatosensory function. The aims of this review were to systematically assess the methodologies used to elicit a pleasant sensation, measured via psychophysical techniques, and to perform a meta-analysis to measure the effect of brush stroking velocity on touch pleasantness. Eighteen studies were included in the systematic review, with five studies included in the meta-analysis. The review found that factors such as texture, velocity, force, and the duration of continuous stroking influence tactile evoked pleasantness. Specifically, using a soft material and stroking at a velocity of 3 cm/s with light force is generally considered as particularly pleasant. The meta-analysis showed that a brush stroking velocity of 30 cm/s was rated as less pleasant than 3 cm/s, on the forearm. The present study collates the factors that are most likely to provide a stimulus to elicit a pleasant sensation. The results should be important for studies requiring a well-defined pleasant stimulus including neurosensory assessment protocols, allowing for a more complete multimodality assessment of somatosensory function.
Topics: Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Emotions; Female; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Physical Stimulation; Pleasure; Psychophysics; Touch; Touch Perception; Young Adult
PubMed: 31630220
DOI: 10.1007/s00426-019-01253-8 -
Postgraduate Medical Journal Sep 2015It has been perceived that people following total hip arthroplasty (THA) or total knee arthroplasty (TKA) have the capability, with reduced pain, to increase their... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
It has been perceived that people following total hip arthroplasty (THA) or total knee arthroplasty (TKA) have the capability, with reduced pain, to increase their levels of physical activity.
OBJECTIVES
To determine the attitudes and perceptions of people awaiting or having undergone THA or TKA to physical activity post-arthroplasty and to identify potential facilitators or barriers to engage in active living and physical activity pursuits.
METHODS
Systematic review of published and unpublished databases was undertaken from their inception to November 2014. Studies exploring the attitudes and perceptions of people awaiting or having undergone THA or TKA to physical activity post-arthroplasty were included. Data were analysed through a meta-ethnography approach.
RESULTS
From 528 citations, 13 papers were eligible, sampling 282 people post-THA or TKA. The literature was judged moderate to high quality. Following THA and TKA, people either wished to return to their pre-pathology level of physical activity or simply be able to engage in less physically demanding activities that are meaningful to them and their lifestyles. Barriers to engaging in higher levels of physical activity were largely related to limited information, which culminated in fear surrounding 'doing the right thing' both for individual's recovery and the longevity of the joint replacement.
CONCLUSIONS
While many people post-THA or TKA wish to return to pre-pathological physical activity status, there is limited interest in actually undertaking greater levels of physical activity post-arthroplasty either for pleasure or health gains. Improvement in education and awareness of this may be key drivers to improve habitualisation of physical activity post-arthroplasty.
TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER
CRD42014014995.
Topics: Activities of Daily Living; Arthroplasty, Replacement, Hip; Arthroplasty, Replacement, Knee; Humans; Motor Activity; Pain Measurement; Patient Satisfaction; Quality of Life; Recovery of Function; Time Factors; Treatment Outcome
PubMed: 26306502
DOI: 10.1136/postgradmedj-2015-133507 -
The International Journal on Drug Policy Jun 2017There is a growing body of research on the motives for prescription drug misuse (PDM) among university students. However, the overall findings of this research are hard... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
BACKGROUND
There is a growing body of research on the motives for prescription drug misuse (PDM) among university students. However, the overall findings of this research are hard to decipher. Studies use different methods, they examine different drug types, the motives are phrased in various ways, and the results differ widely. In order to make sense of this body of knowledge, it is necessary to synthesise the results across studies and draw out conclusions.
METHODS
The research comprises a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies on the motives of university students for illicit use of four different types of prescription medication (stimulants, analgesics, tranquillisers and sedatives). The search for studies was conducted on six bibliographic databases with stated criteria governing search eligibility and inclusion in the final review.
RESULTS
Overall, the most prevalent motives for PDM among university students cover some kind of personal enhancement to the user in terms of performance (in relation to sports, and academic outcomes), mental health (ability sleep, to reduce anxiety), or physical health (manage pre-existing illnesses). Fewer than half of users said that they were involved in PDM for pleasure purposes (to party, to get high, or to experiment).
CONCLUSION
PDM among students might be viewed as a means of self-improvement when other means of achieving desired objectives are unavailable or restricted. A more thorough understanding of motives for PDM, especially in relation to their influence on behaviour, might help in devising university-based treatment and prevention programmes.
Topics: Humans; Motivation; Prescription Drug Misuse; Students; Universities
PubMed: 28343063
DOI: 10.1016/j.drugpo.2017.02.012