Impact of Health Literacy on Patient-Reported Outcomes in Benign Gynecology: A Systematic Review.

The objective of this study was to systematically review the relationship between low health literacy and patient-reported outcomes in patients with benign gynecologic conditions. In this specific population, we also sought to determine the current reported prevalence of low health literacy, examine demographic characteristics that may be related to low health literacy, and collate any health literacy interventions described in the literature. A systematic search of MEDLINE (Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online), Embase, The Cochrane Library, Web of Science, PubMed, and clinicaltrials.gov was performed on July 12, 2021, and repeated on October 13, 2023, for terms related to health literacy, specific health literacy measures, and benign gynecologic conditions. There were language or publication period restrictions. Inclusion required primary literature to report associations between health literacy and patient-reported outcomes, using validated tools to quantitatively measure each, in adult women with benign gynecologic conditions. Title screening, abstract screening, and full-text review were conducted with Covidence software (Melbourne, Australia) assisting with the review process. Of the 18,701 studies returned using our search strategy, 25 were selected for full-text review. Of these, no studies met inclusion criteria and reported an association between health literacy and patient-reported outcomes. This study identified a large gap in the literature. Future work should be directed at evaluating the association between health literacy and patient-reported outcomes in benign gynecology to inform patient-centered interventions and care provision.

Risk of Vulvar Squamous Cell Carcinoma in Lichen Sclerosus and Lichen Planus: A Systematic Review.

OBJECTIVES: The objectives of this study were to determine: 1) the prevalence of lichen sclerosus (LS) and lichen planus (LP) present in association with vulvar squamous cell carcinoma (VSCC), and 2) the incidence and absolute risk of developing VSCC in LS and LP. METHODS: A search was performed of MEDLINE, EMBASE and CINAHL databases. Three independent reviewers screened articles published before September 1, 2020, first on title/abstract and then on the full text. Women with a history of VSCC, human papillomavirus, smoking, or autoimmune disease were excluded. Newcastle-Ottawa observational study scales were used to assess the risk of bias and methodological quality of the included studies. Of the 3132 studies assessed, 31 were selected for analysis. Due to study heterogeneity, a qualitative synthesis was conducted. RESULTS: The prevalence of LS and LP in association with VSCC ranged from 0% (95% CI 0-5) to 83% (95% CI 36-100) and 1% (95% CI 0-7) to 33% (95% CI 4-78), respectively. The incidence of VSCC ranged from 1.16 (95% CI 0.03-6.44) to 13.67 (95% CI 5.50-28.17) per 1000 person-years for LS. The absolute risk of developing VSCC in patients ranged from 0.0% (95% CI 0.0-5.52) to 21.88% (95% CI 9.28-39.97) with LS and was 1.16% (95% CI 0.1-4.1) with LP. Incidence was not calculable for LP owing to study characteristics. CONCLUSIONS: This review provides evidence that there is an increased risk of developing VSCC in women with LS, while associations with LP are less clear. Early identification, treatment, and long-term follow-up are essential to prevent potential malignant progression of these vulvar dermatoses.

Age-dependent and region-specific alteration of parvalbumin neurons, perineuronal nets and microglia in the mouse prefrontal cortex and hippocampus following obesogenic diet consumption.

Emergent evidence demonstrates that excessive consumption of high fat and high sugar (HFHS) diets has negative consequences on hippocampal and prefrontal cortex (PFC) function. Moreover, the delayed maturation of the PFC including the late development of parvalbumin-expressing (PV) interneurons and perineuronal nets (PNNs) may promote vulnerability to HFHS diet-induced nutritional stress. However, the young brain may have some resistance to diet-induced neuroinflammation. Thus, we examined the impact of a HFHS diet commencing either in adolescence or adulthood in male mice. PV interneurons, PNNs and microglia were assessed using immunohistochemistry. We observed greater numbers of PV neurons and PNNs in the hippocampus and the prelimbic and infralimbic PFC in adult mice in comparison to our younger cohort. Mice that consumed HFHS diet as adults had reduced numbers of hippocampal PV neurons and PNNs, which correlated with adiposity. However, we saw no effects of diet on PV and PNNs in the PFC. HFHS diet increased microgliosis in the adult cohort, and morphological changes to microglia were observed in the PFC and hippocampus of the adolescent cohort, with a shift to activated microglia phenotypes. Taken together, these findings demonstrate different regional and age-specific effects of obesogenic diets on PV neurons, PNNs and microglia.

Does a Live Performance Impact Synchronization to Musical Rhythm in Cognitively Impaired Elderly?

BACKGROUND: Music-based interventions appear to be efficient approaches to improve emotional, social, and cognitive functioning of patients with neurodegenerative diseases. OBJECTIVE: Because benefits seem to increase with patient's motor involvement, we studied sensorimotor synchronization (SMS) abilities of patients with cognitive impairments (Alzheimer's disease, vascular and mixed dementia) and of patients with no evidence of cognitive impairments. More specifically, we compared the impact of a live performance by a musician to a video recording on SMS. METHODS: SMS to a metronomic or a musical stimulus was assessed while patients watched a live musician or his pre-recorded video. RESULTS: SMS to a metronome was better than to music but this effect was modulated by the social context. While SMS to a metronome was better when facing a video than a live performance, there was no impact of social context on SMS to music. No group differences of SMS were found. CONCLUSION: The decrease in SMS to a metronome in a live performance may be due to social pressure. Such a pressure might be removed in pleasant social activities, like moving with music in a group, explaining the lack of effect on SMS to music. We found no performance differences in groups, suggesting relatively spared SMS in cognitively impaired patients. By showing that it is possible to encourage patients to synchronize with others, even when facing a video, our results indicate that SMS can be used as a relevant predictor in clinical trials and open up promising therapeutic options for isolated patients.

A comparative evaluation of the vertical root fracture resistance of endodontically treated teeth using different root canal sealers: an in vitro study.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study is to evaluate the vertical root fracture resistance of endodontically treated teeth obturated with - Tubli-Seal EWT/Gutta-percha, AH Plus/Gutta-percha, Epiphany SE sealer/Epiphany point. STUDY DESIGN: Sixty-five single rooted premolars were decoronated and root length was 14 mm for each specimen. Fifty five teeth were enlarged up to ISO size 40 master apical file with stainless steel K-files using standardized preparation and remaining ten teeth were served as negative control. Then teeth were randomly assigned into different groups depending on sealer used for obturation as follows: Group 1: Negative control-no instrumentation was performed. Group 2: Positive control-gutta-percha with out the use of any sealer. Group 3: Experimental group-gutta-percha and Tubli-Seal EWT root canal sealer. Group 4: Experimental group-gutta-percha and AH Plus. Group 5: Experimental group-epiphany SE sealer and epiphany points. After 72 hours, the specimens were embedded in autopolymerizing resin leaving 7 mm of each root exposed and were subjected to fracture testing under universal testing machine at a crosshead speed of 1.0 mm per minute until the root fractured. Results were statistically analyzed using one-way ANOVA and independent t-test. RESULTS: Showed that Epiphany SE sealer/Epiphany points showed highest mean fracture resistance and Tubli-Seal EWT group showed the least fracture resistance of all the materials tested. There was no statistically significant difference among experimental groups. CONCLUSION: Epiphany SE sealer/Epiphany points demonstrated highest fracture resistance values than the other materials tested and intact tooth had highest resistance against vertical root fracture. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Epiphany SE sealer/Epiphany points may be one of the materials of choice in the endodontic treatment of teeth.