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Pediatrics Jan 2016Permanent hearing loss affects 1 to 3 per 1000 children and interferes with typical communication development. Early detection through newborn hearing screening and... (Review)
Review
CONTEXT
Permanent hearing loss affects 1 to 3 per 1000 children and interferes with typical communication development. Early detection through newborn hearing screening and hearing technology provide most children with the option of spoken language acquisition. However, no consensus exists on optimal interventions for spoken language development.
OBJECTIVE
To conduct a systematic review of the effectiveness of early sign and oral language intervention compared with oral language intervention only for children with permanent hearing loss.
DATA SOURCES
An a priori protocol was developed. Electronic databases (eg, Medline, Embase, CINAHL) from 1995 to June 2013 and gray literature sources were searched. Studies in English and French were included.
STUDY SELECTION
Two reviewers screened potentially relevant articles.
DATA EXTRACTION
Outcomes of interest were measures of auditory, vocabulary, language, and speech production skills. All data collection and risk of bias assessments were completed and then verified by a second person. Grades of Recommendation, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) was used to judge the strength of evidence.
RESULTS
Eleven cohort studies met inclusion criteria, of which 8 included only children with severe to profound hearing loss with cochlear implants. Language development was the most frequently reported outcome. Other reported outcomes included speech and speech perception.
LIMITATIONS
Several measures and metrics were reported across studies, and descriptions of interventions were sometimes unclear.
CONCLUSIONS
Very limited, and hence insufficient, high-quality evidence exists to determine whether sign language in combination with oral language is more effective than oral language therapy alone. More research is needed to supplement the evidence base.
Topics: Adolescent; Child; Child, Preschool; Deafness; Hearing Tests; Humans; Language; Language Development; Language Therapy; Sign Language
PubMed: 26684476
DOI: 10.1542/peds.2015-1974 -
Multiple Sclerosis and Related Disorders Nov 2023Cognitive reserve (CR) describes an individual's ability to adapt cognitive processes in response to brain atrophy, and has been reported to explain some of the... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
Cognitive reserve (CR) describes an individual's ability to adapt cognitive processes in response to brain atrophy, and has been reported to explain some of the discrepancy between brain atrophy and cognitive functioning outcomes in multiple sclerosis (MS). CR in MS is typically investigated by assessing an individual's pre- and/or post-diagnosis enrichment, which includes premorbid intellectual abilities, educational level, occupational attainment, and engagement in cognitively enriching leisure activities. Common MS symptoms (e.g., physical disability, fatigue, depression, anxiety) may impact an individual's ability to engage in various CR-enhancing activities post-diagnosis. It is unknown to what extent these MS symptoms have been taken into account in MS research on CR. As such, we identified whether studies assessed CR using measures of premorbid or continuous (including post-diagnosis) enrichment. For studies investigating continuous enrichment, we identified whether studies accounted for MS-impact, which MS symptoms were accounted for, and how, and whether studies acknowledged MS symptoms as potential CR-confounds.
METHODS
Three electronic databases (PsycINFO, PubMed, Scopus) were searched. Eligible studies investigated CR proxies (e.g., estimated premorbid intellectual abilities, vocabulary knowledge, educational level, occupational attainment, cognitively enriching leisure activities, or a combination thereof) in relation to cognitive, brain atrophy or connectivity, or daily functioning outcomes in adult participants with MS. We extracted data on methods and measures used, including any MS symptoms taken into account. Objectives were addressed using frequency analyses and narrative synthesis.
RESULTS
115 studies were included in this review. 47.8% of all studies investigated continuous enrichment. Approximately half of the studies investigating continuous enrichment accounted for potential MS-impact in their analyses, with only 31.0% clearly identifying that they treated MS symptoms as potential confounds for CR-enhancement. A narrative synthesis of studies which investigated CR with and without controlling statistically for MS-impact indicated that accounting for MS symptoms may impact findings concerning the protective nature of CR.
CONCLUSION
Fewer than half of the studies investigating CR proxies in MS involved continuous enrichment. Just over half of these studies accounted for potential MS-impact in their analyses. To achieve a more complete and accurate understanding of CR in MS, future research should investigate both pre-MS and continuous enrichment. In doing so, MS symptoms and their potential impact should be considered. Establishing greater consistency and rigour across CR research in MS will be crucial to produce an evidence base for the development of interventions aimed at improving quality of care and life for pwMS.
Topics: Adult; Humans; Multiple Sclerosis; Cognitive Reserve; Brain; Depression; Anxiety; Atrophy; Fatigue
PubMed: 37806233
DOI: 10.1016/j.msard.2023.105017 -
Clinical Endocrinology Oct 2020Thyroid autoimmunity is the most frequent condition involved in polyautoimmunity (PolyA). However, the frequency of latent and overt PolyA in patients with autoimmune... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
BACKGROUND
Thyroid autoimmunity is the most frequent condition involved in polyautoimmunity (PolyA). However, the frequency of latent and overt PolyA in patients with autoimmune thyroid disease (AITD) as the index condition is unknown. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of these types of PolyA in patients with AITD as the index condition.
METHODS
This study adhered to the relevant sections of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) guideline. Searches through MEDLINE, Embase and LILACS were done to find articles in Spanish and English. Relevant vocabulary terms and key terms related to AITD and other autoimmune diseases were used. Two investigators independently screened the eligible studies, extracted data and assessed the quality and risk of bias. Fixed and random effect models were used accordingly. Cluster analysis was used to determine similarities among diseases in the articles included (based on Jaccard index).
RESULTS
A total of 56 articles fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Of these, 25 were case-controls, 17 were cohorts, and 14 were cross-sectional studies. These studies included a total of 47 509 patients. Female was the predominant gender and included 38 950 patients (81.23%, 95% CI: 80.85-81.60). Graves' disease (GD) was the most common type of thyroid autoimmunity (69.16%, 95% CI: 68.23-70.07). Globally, overt PolyA was found in 13.46% of the patients with AITD. This type of PolyA was represented mainly by type 1 diabetes and autoimmune gastritis. Latent PolyA was presented in 17.45% of the patients, and anti-proinsulin, anti-parietal cells and dsDNA antibodies were the most common. HT had the highest frequency of overt PolyA in Europe (15.60%, 95% CI: 14.72-16.53), whereas latent PolyA was most common in patients with GD in Asia (21.03%, 95% CI: 17.76-24.71). Overt and latent PolyA were associated with gastrointestinal and endocrinological ADs in most of cases and clustered with rheumatological, dermatological and neurological ADs.
CONCLUSIONS
Latent and overt PolyA are common in patients with AITD. These results provide insightful information for early diagnosis and management of concurrent ADs in patients with AITD. Aggregation of ADs in different clusters may help to define different phenotypes associated with thyroid autoimmunity that are critically relevant in clinical settings.
Topics: Autoimmune Diseases; Autoimmunity; Cross-Sectional Studies; Female; Graves Disease; Hashimoto Disease; Humans; Prevalence
PubMed: 32738825
DOI: 10.1111/cen.14304 -
NeuroImage. Clinical 2023Previous research suggests that there may be similarities in structural brain changes seen in patients with depression and psychosis compared to healthy controls.... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
Previous research suggests that there may be similarities in structural brain changes seen in patients with depression and psychosis compared to healthy controls. However, there is yet no systematic review collating studies comparing structural brain changes in depression and psychosis. Establishing shared and specific neuroanatomical features could aid the investigation of underlying biological processes.
AIMS
To identify structural neuroimaging similarities and differences between patients with depression and psychosis.
METHOD
We searched PubMed, PsychInfo, Embase, NICE Evidence, Medline and the Cochrane Library were searched from inception to 30/06/2021 using relevant subject headings (controlled vocabularies) and search syntax. Papers were assessed for quality using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale.
RESULTS
Five-hundred and twenty papers were retrieved, seven met inclusion criteria. In narrative collation of results, grey matter volume (GMV) reductions were found in the medial frontal gyrus (MFG), hippocampus and left-sided posterior subgenual prefrontal cortex in both psychosis and depression. GMV reductions affected more brain regions in psychosis, including in the insula and thalamus. White matter volume (WMV) decline was found in both depression and psychosis. Reduced fractional anisotropy (FA) was more commonly seen in depression.
CONCLUSIONS
Our results suggest potential transdiagnostic patterns of GMV and WMV reductions in areas including the MFG, hippocampus, and left-sided posterior subgenual prefrontal cortex. These could be investigated as a future biomarker of transdiagnostic signature across mental illnesses. However, due to the limited number and poor quality of studies future research in large samples and harmonised imaging data is first needed.
Topics: Humans; Depression; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Psychotic Disorders; Brain; Gray Matter; Neuroimaging
PubMed: 37031636
DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2023.103388 -
Sensors (Basel, Switzerland) Apr 2022Dementia is the most common neurodegenerative disorder globally. Disease progression is marked by declining cognitive function accompanied by changes in mobility.... (Review)
Review
Dementia is the most common neurodegenerative disorder globally. Disease progression is marked by declining cognitive function accompanied by changes in mobility. Increased sedentary behaviour and, conversely, wandering and becoming lost are common. Global positioning system (GPS) solutions are increasingly used by caregivers to locate missing people with dementia (PwD) but also offer a non-invasive means of monitoring mobility patterns in PwD. We performed a systematic search across five databases to identify papers published since 2000, where wearable or portable GPS was used to monitor mobility in patients with common dementias or mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Disease and GPS-specific vocabulary were searched singly, and then in combination, identifying 3004 papers. Following deduplication, we screened 1972 papers and retained 17 studies after a full-text review. Only 1/17 studies used a wrist-worn GPS solution, while all others were variously located on the patient. We characterised the studies using a conceptual framework, finding marked heterogeneity in the number and complexity of reported GPS-derived mobility outcomes. was the most frequently reported category of mobility reported (15/17), followed by (14/17), and and (both 10/17). Future research would benefit from greater standardisation and harmonisation of reporting which would enable GPS-derived measures of mobility to be incorporated more robustly into clinical trials.
Topics: Cognitive Dysfunction; Dementia; Disease Progression; Geographic Information Systems; Humans; Wearable Electronic Devices
PubMed: 35591026
DOI: 10.3390/s22093336 -
Behavioral Sciences (Basel, Switzerland) Nov 2023The integration of physical movements, such as gestures, into learning holds potential for enhancing foreign language (L2) education. Uncovering whether actively... (Review)
Review
The integration of physical movements, such as gestures, into learning holds potential for enhancing foreign language (L2) education. Uncovering whether actively performing gestures during L2 learning is more, or equally, effective compared to simply observing such movements is central to deepening our understanding of the efficacy of movement-based learning strategies. Here, we present a meta-analysis of seven studies containing 309 participants that compares the effects of gesture self-enactment and observation on L2 vocabulary learning. The results showed that gesture observation was just as effective for L2 learning as gesture enactment, based on free recall, cued L2 recognition, and cued native language recognition performance, with a large dispersion of true effect across studies. Gesture observation may be sufficient for inducing embodied L2 learning benefits, in support of theories positing shared mechanisms underlying enactment and observation. Future studies should examine the effects of gesture-based learning over longer time periods with larger sample sizes and more diverse word classes.
PubMed: 37998667
DOI: 10.3390/bs13110920 -
Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport Feb 2023School-based physical activity (PA) interventions have proven beneficial for improving cognitive performance and overall academic achievement, but their benefits on... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
OBJECTIVES
School-based physical activity (PA) interventions have proven beneficial for improving cognitive performance and overall academic achievement, but their benefits on language skills remain unclear. We aimed to assess the effects of school-based PA interventions on language skills in children and adolescents.
DESIGN
Systematic review with meta-analysis.
METHODS
A systematic search was performed in PubMed, PsycINFO and Scopus until September 10th, 2022. We included randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that performed a school-based PA intervention in children/adolescents and that assessed language-related outcomes (i.e., reading, spelling, vocabulary, verbal fluency, comprehension and grammar) or language school grades. Random effect meta-analyses were conducted to pool study results.
RESULTS
Thirty-one studies (18,651 participants) were finally included. Significant benefits were observed for reading (standardized mean difference [SMD]: 0.15; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.08, 0.22), vocabulary (SMD: 0.71; 95%CI: 0.44, 0.97), and comprehension (SMD: 0.24; 95%CI: 0.09, 0.40), with a non-significant trend (p = 0.083) also observed for language school grades (SMD: 0.40; 95%CI: -0.05, 0.86). No significant benefits were observed for spelling or verbal fluency (both p > 0.05), and no meta-analysis could be performed for grammar skills. No consistent differences were observed between integrated (i.e., performing PA along with the academic content) and non-integrated PA interventions (e.g., extra physical education lessons).
CONCLUSIONS
School-based PA interventions appear as an effective strategy for improving different language-related skills, although further research is needed to determine how interventions' and participants' characteristics moderate these effects.
Topics: Child; Adolescent; Humans; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; Exercise; Schools; Language; Cognition
PubMed: 36609085
DOI: 10.1016/j.jsams.2022.12.007 -
Lupus Jun 2021Patients with systemic lupus erythematous (SLE) experience psychological comorbidities and impaired quality of life (QOL). We conducted a systematic review to examine...
Systematic review of digital and non-digital non-pharmacological interventions that target quality of life and psychological outcomes in adults with systemic lupus erythematosus.
BACKGROUND
Patients with systemic lupus erythematous (SLE) experience psychological comorbidities and impaired quality of life (QOL). We conducted a systematic review to examine the efficacy of non-pharmacological interventions for improving psychological outcomes and/or QOL in patients with SLE. To expand on a previous systematic review in this area and enhance our understanding of efficacious interventions for this population, our search included quasi-experimental and experimental studies of interventions delivered or supported by remote methods (including digitally) or in person.
METHODS
A comprehensive literature search was conducted with a research librarian using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines and was registered before data extraction on the international prospective register of systematic reviews PROSPERO Web site (CRD42020154962). The search included controlled-vocabulary and title/abstract terms related to non-pharmacological interventions for SLE published through October 2019 in MEDLINE (Ovid), Cochrane Library databases (Wiley), Embase (Elsevier), CINAHL (EBSCO), PsycINFO (EBSCO), Web of Science (Clarivate), ACM Digital (Association of Computer Machinery), and IEEE Xplore. Studies were synthesized using a systematic narrative synthesis framework. Risk of bias was assessed.
RESULTS
Twenty-three studies were included: 21 randomized controlled trials and two quasi-experimental studies. Non-pharmacological diet, physical activity, psychological, and course-based interventions improved QOL and psychological outcomes, and were delivered in traditional settings (e.g., hospital) or remotely. No studies assessing digital non-pharmacological interventions were identified in our search. Quality assessments showed serious risk of bias for the two quasi-experimental studies, and high risk of bias in a subset of experimental studies.
CONCLUSIONS
Non-pharmacological interventions benefit patients with SLE. Future research should include more representative samples in rigorous evaluations and consider ways to incorporate digital technologies to increase accessibility.
Topics: Adult; Aged; Comorbidity; Diet Therapy; Exercise; Female; Humans; Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic; Male; Middle Aged; Non-Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; Outcome Assessment, Health Care; Psychosocial Intervention; Quality of Life; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; Self-Management; Treatment Outcome
PubMed: 33779388
DOI: 10.1177/09612033211005085 -
Children (Basel, Switzerland) Oct 2023Dengue and chikungunya viruses are frequent causes of malarial-like febrile illness in children. The rapid increase in virus transmission by mosquitoes is a global... (Review)
Review
Dengue and chikungunya viruses are frequent causes of malarial-like febrile illness in children. The rapid increase in virus transmission by mosquitoes is a global health concern. This is the first systematic review and meta-analysis of the childhood prevalence of dengue and chikungunya in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). A comprehensive search of the MEDLINE (Ovid), Embase (Ovid), and Cochrane Library (Wiley) databases was conducted on 28 June 2019, and updated on 12 February 2022. The search strategy was designed to retrieve all articles pertaining to arboviruses in SSA children using both controlled vocabulary and keywords. The pooled (weighted) proportion of dengue and chikungunya was estimated using a random effect model. The overall pooled prevalence of dengue and chikungunya in SSA children was estimated to be 16% and 7%, respectively. Prevalence was slightly lower during the period 2010-2020 compared to 2000-2009. The study design varied depending on the healthcare facility reporting the disease outbreak. Importantly, laboratory methods used to detect arbovirus infections differed. The present review documents the prevalence of dengue and chikungunya in pediatric patients throughout SSA. The results provide unprecedented insight into the transmission of dengue and chikungunya viruses among these children and highlight the need for enhanced surveillance and controlled methodology.
PubMed: 37892325
DOI: 10.3390/children10101662 -
Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience 2023To conduct a meta-analysis of the effectiveness and safety of ginkgo biloba preparations combined with donepezil hydrochloride vs. donepezil for the treatment of...
OBJECTIVE
To conduct a meta-analysis of the effectiveness and safety of ginkgo biloba preparations combined with donepezil hydrochloride vs. donepezil for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease (AD).
METHODS
Three English databases (Cochrane Library, PubMed, EMBASE), and four Chinese databases [the China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CKNI), the Chinese Biomedical Literature database (CBM), the Chongqing VIP database, and WANFANG DATA)] were manually searched for literature published from the respective dates of inception of the databases to December 2022. The randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of ginkgo biloba preparations with donepezil hydrochloride vs. donepezil for the treatment of AD were included. Relevant literature was screened, and the data in the included studies were extracted for quality assessment according to the Risk of bias tool. The RevMan 5.3 software was used for meta-analysis.
RESULTS
A total of 1,642 participants were enrolled in the 18 RCTs. Of these, 842 were in the experimental group (ginkgo biloba preparations combined with donepezil hydrochloride) and 800 were in the control group (donepezil). The overall methodological quality of the included RCTs is poor due to the high risks of blindness and allocation concealment. The meta-analysis results showed statistically significant differences in several outcomes including Risk Ratio (RR) in change for clinical effectiveness rate (1.23, 95% CI 1.13, 1.34, < 0.00001), mean difference (MD) in change for Mini-Mental State Examination score (3.02, 95% CI 2.14, 3.89, < 0.00001), Activity of Daily Living Scale score (-4.56, 95% CI -5.09, -4.03, < 0.00001), Hasegawa Dementia Scale score (2.04, 95% CI 1.74, 2.34, < 0.00001), Montreal Cognitive Assessment score (2.38, 95% CI 0.72, 4.06, = 0.005), between the experimental and control groups. But there is no statistically significant difference in change for adverse reaction (0.91, 95% CI 0.58, 1.42, = 0.69).
CONCLUSION
Ginkgo biloba preparations plus donepezil can improve clinical effectiveness rate and vocabulary memory outcomes. However, more relevant high-quality RCTs are needed in the future to validate these results.
SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION
Identifier CRD42022378970.
PubMed: 36960422
DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2023.1124710