Exploring the relationship between marital quality and cognitive function: A systematic review.

Cognitive function is an important indicator of healthy aging as it is central to maintaining functional independence, performing job-related tasks, decision-making, and improving quality of life. Therefore, researchers seek to identify biopsychosocial factors that can help preserve cognitive function in aging individuals. One such factor is the maintenance of good quality marital relationships. Research has consistently shown that married individuals fare better in terms of both physical and psychological health compared to their unmarried counterparts. However, being married is not universally beneficial - the quality of a marriage is also important to consider. To explore the issue further, we conducted a systematic review to examine the association between marital quality and cognitive function. PubMed, PsycINFO, and Scopus were searched for eligible articles examining any measure of marital quality and any cognitive outcome from the inception of each database to January 9th, 2024. Following two levels of citation screening by two independent reviewers, we included 15 articles representing 11 unique studies. Data were synthesized narratively following the Synthesis without Meta-Analysis guidelines and a risk of bias assessment was conducted using the Joanna Briggs Institute checklist. Most articles had a low risk of bias. Although some findings suggested more positive marital quality was associated with improved cognitive function, the results were not uniformly positive; some results were inverse or null, depending upon factors such as differences in study designs and measures of marital quality or cognition. This review is the first attempt to synthesize the literature on this topic. Our findings highlight that any examination of marital status and cognition should also consider contextual factors such as marital quality.

A systematic review of the clinical outcomes for various orthodontic and physiotherapy appliances used for the management of temporomandibular joint ankylosis.

Ankylosis of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) is associated with restricted mandibular movements, with deviation to the affected side. The management of TMJ ankylosis involves surgery to mitigate the effects of ankylosis, and adjunctive appliance therapy to supplement the results achieved through surgery. Several appliances have been used to help maintain jaw mobility postsurgery, but have been rarely documented in the literature. Our systematic review aimed to examine the clinical outcomes of various appliances for TMJ ankylosis management. A comprehensive electronic search of the literature was performed in July 2022 to identify eligible articles that had tested the use of orthodontic or physiotherapy appliances for the management of TMJ ankylosis. In total, 13 publications were included in the narrative synthesis. Both generic and custom-made appliances were used, with overall findings suggesting that using these appliances improved mouth opening and reduced chances of re-ankylosis. In this review no universally accepted appliance was found to be utilized, and the criteria used for appliance selection were unclear. The field of research in developing appliances for the treatment of TMJ ankylosis is open to advancement, and this review will help guide future research in this area.

Examining the association between functional social support, marital status, and memory: a systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Functional social support (FSS) has been shown to be positively associated with better cognitive function, especially memory, in cross-sectional and longitudinal studies. To better understand this complex association, researchers should consider the impact of additional factors that affect both FSS and memory. Therefore, we conducted a systematic review to examine whether one such factor, marital status or related variables (e.g., FSS from spouses compared to FSS from relatives or friends), affects (e.g., confounds or modifies) the association between FSS and memory in middle-aged and older adults. METHODS: We searched PubMed, PsycINFO, and Scopus from database inception to June 2022. Eligible articles examined the association between FSS and memory, and included marital status or related variables in the analysis. Data were synthesized narratively and reported in accordance with the Synthesis without meta-analysis (SWiM) guidelines; risk of bias was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS). RESULTS: Four articles were included in the narrative synthesis. All four articles had a low risk of bias. Overall findings suggested some positive associations between FSS from a spouse/partner and memory; however, effect sizes were small and similar to other sources of support, including children, relatives, and friends. CONCLUSIONS: Our review is the first attempt to synthesize the literature on this topic. Despite theoretical support for examining the impact of marital status or related variables on the association between FSS and memory, published studies explored this issue secondarily to other research questions.

Fabrication of a novel 3D scaffold for cartilage tissue repair: In-vitro and in-vivo study.

Self-repairing is not an advanced ability of articular cartilage. Tissue engineering has provided a novel way for reconstructing cartilage using natural polymers because of their biocompatibility and bio-functionality. The purpose of cartilage tissue engineering is to design a scaffold with proper pore structure and similar biological and mechanical properties to the native tissue. In this study, porous scaffolds prepared from gelatin, chitosan and silk fibroin were blended with varying ratios. Between the blends of chitosan (C), gelatin (G) and silk fibroin (S), the scaffold with the weight per volume ratio of 2:2:3 (w/v) showed the most favorable and higher certain properties than the other blends. The CGS 2:2:3 scaffold showed the best pore size that is between 100 µm and 300 µm. The water absorption and degradation rate of the CGS 2:2:3 scaffold were found suitable for cartilage tissue engineering. Cell culture study using human chondrocytes showed good cell adhesion and proliferation. To further study the effect of this scaffold on the living tissue, 36 rabbits were randomly assigned to CGS 2:2:3 scaffold with and without seeded chondrocytes and control groups. Hematoxylin and Eosin (H&E), Masson's trichrome (MT), and safranin O (SO) staining showed 65 ± 9.1% new cartilage tissue present in the defect filled with cell-seeded scaffold and most of the cartilaginous tissue was hyaline cartilage, while the control group showed no new cartilage tissue.