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Background: Adolescence is a critical period for social emotional development. The need to focus on social emotional competencies is exacerbated by the COVID 19 pandemic. Objective: This systematic review paper provides a collective account of mindfulness interventions conducted exclusively with adolescent students in an educational setting (mean age 11 to 18) with the sole focus on social emotional and behavioral competencies primarily as outlined by the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (Safe and sound: an educational leader's guide to evidence-based social and emotional learning programs, Author, Chicago, IL, 2003, 2011). Method: Mindfulness literature in the past 15 years, i.e., Jan 2008–Feb 2023 was reviewed. Additionally, the type of intervention implemented, dosage, delivery, measures used, and targets of intervention were examined. All the articles were also assessed for their methodological quality using the EPHPP quality assessment tool for quantitative studies (Effective Public Health Practice Project in Quality assessment tool for quantitative studies, Effective Public Health Practice Project, Hamilton, ON, 1998. https://merst.ca/ephpp/). Results: With less than one third of the 30 included studies rated as strong, there appears to be moderate evidence for the effectiveness of MBIs on adolescent social emotional competencies. Overall, there appears to be mixed evidence for the effectiveness of MBIs on adolescents' self-awareness, social awareness, social skills, with relatively more consistent evidence that MBIs positively impact their self-management (e.g., emotional regulation). We classify broader characteristics of the MBIs that could help explain some of the differences in effectiveness into three categories: intervention implementation related (e.g., dosage), method related (e.g., psychometric properties), and participant related (e.g., age and gender). Conclusion: Future work on MBIs in schools needs to consider the quality of and factors known to impact effective implementation and resultant social emotional outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The goal of this research is to identify the factors that negatively impact the achievement of the minimum clinically significant change (MCID) for the American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons (ASES) score within the realm of various orthopedic shoulder procedures. Methods: We conducted a comprehensive review of studies published from 2002 to 2023, utilizing OvidMedline and PubMed databases. Our search criteria included terms such as "minimal clinically important difference" or "MCID" along with associated MeSH terms, in addition to "American shoulder and elbow surgeon" or "ASES." We selectively included primary investigations that assessed factors linked to the failure to achieve MCID for the ASES score subsequent to orthopedic shoulder procedures, while excluding papers addressing anatomical, surgical, or injury-related aspects. Results: Our analysis identified 149 full-text articles, leading to the inclusion of 12 studies for detailed analysis. The selected studies investigated outcomes following various orthopedic shoulder procedures, encompassing biceps tenodesis, total shoulder arthroplasty, and rotator cuff repair. Notably, factors, such as gender, body mass index, diabetes, smoking habits, opioid usage, depression, anxiety, workers' compensation, occupational satisfaction, and the preoperative ASES score, were all associated with the inability to attain MCID. Conclusion: In summary, numerous factors exert a negative influence on the attainment of MCID following shoulder procedures, and these factors appear to be irrespective of the specific surgical technique employed. Patients presenting with these factors may perceive their surgical outcomes as less successful when compared to those without these factors. Identifying these factors can enable healthcare providers to provide more effective counseling to patients regarding their expected outcomes and rehabilitation course. Furthermore, these findings can aid in the development of a screening tool to better identify these risk factors and optimize them before surgery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The World Health Organisation advocates Digital Health Technologies (DHTs) for advancing population health, yet concerns about inequitable outcomes persist. Differences in access and use of DHTs across different demographic groups can contribute to inequities. Academics and policy makers have acknowledged this issue and called for inclusive digital health strategies. This systematic review synthesizes literature on these strategies and assesses facilitators and barriers to their implementation. We searched four large databases for qualitative studies using terms relevant to digital technology, health inequities, and socio-demographic factors associated with digital exclusion summarised by the CLEARS framework (Culture, Limiting conditions, Education, Age, Residence, Socioeconomic status). Following the PRISMA guidelines, 10,401 articles were screened independently by two reviewers, with ten articles meeting our inclusion criteria. Strategies were grouped into either outreach programmes or co-design approaches. Narrative synthesis of these strategies highlighted three key themes: firstly, using user-friendly designs, which included software and website interfaces that were easy to navigate and compatible with existing devices, culturally appropriate content, and engaging features. Secondly, providing supportive infrastructure to users, which included devices, free connectivity, and non-digital options to help access healthcare. Thirdly, providing educational support from family, friends, or professionals to help individuals develop their digital literacy skills to support the use of DHTs. Recommendations for advancing digital health equity include adopting a collaborative working approach to meet users' needs, and using effective advertising to raise awareness of the available support. Further research is needed to assess the feasibility and impact of these recommendations in practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Dementia and chronic pain (CP) are prevalent among older adults. However, no study has systematically reviewed the association between dementia and CP. Therefore, we performed this study to gather evidence about the potential relationship between the two. Methods: Two authors independently searched PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science to identify all records published up to 1 September 2022 that explored the association between CP and dementia. The methodological quality of the studies was assessed using the Newcastle Ottawa Scale (NOS). A fixed or random-effects model was used to pool the risk estimates. Results: Among the initial 3296 articles retrieved, 19 were included in the review (1 cross-sectional, and 18 cohort). The pooled result showed the risk of dementia was 1.42 times higher in CP patients (HR = 1.42, 95% CI 1.23–1.64, P < 0.001). dementia and CP subtypes, gender, and age did not significantly affect the results. Conclusion: Our study shows that people who suffered from CP are at an increased risk of developing dementia, regardless of gender, age, and dementia and CP subtypes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Maximal strength may contribute to soccer players' performance. Several resistance training modalities offer the potential to improve maximal strength. During recent years, a large number of plyometric jump training (PJT) studies showed evidence for maximal strength improvements in soccer players. However, a comprehensive summary of the available data is lacking. Objective: To examine the effects of PJT compared with active, passive or intervention controls on the maximal strength of soccer players, irrespective of age, sex or competitive level. Methods: To perform a systematic review with meta-analysis following PRISMA 2020. Three electronic databases (PubMed, Web of Science, and SCOPUS) were systematically searched. Studies published from inception until March 2023 were included. A PICOS approach was used to rate studies for eligibility. The PEDro scale was used to assess risk of bias. Meta-analyses were performed using the DerSimonian and Laird random-effects model if ≥ 3 studies were available. Moderator and sensitivity analyses were performed, and meta-regression was conducted when ≥ 10 studies were available for a given comparison. We rated the certainty of evidence using GRADE. Results: The search identified 13,029 documents, and from these 30 studies were eligible for the systematic review, and 27 for the meta-analyses. Overall, 1,274 soccer players aged 10.7–25.0 years participated in the included studies. Only one study recruited females. The PJT interventions lasted between 5 and 40 weeks (median = 8 weeks), with 1–3 weekly sessions. Compared to controls, PJT improved maximal dynamic strength (18 studies, 632 participants [7 females], aged 12.7–24.5 y; effect size [ES] = 0.43, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.08–0.78, p = 0.017, impact of statistical heterogeneity [I2] = 77.9%), isometric strength (7 studies; 245 participants, males, aged 11.1–22.5 y; ES = 0.58, 95% CI = 0.28–0.87, p < 0.001, I2 = 17.7%), and isokinetic peak torque (5 studies; 183 participants, males, aged 12.6–25.0 y; ES = 0.51, 95% CI = 0.22–0.80, p = 0.001, I2 = 0.0%). The PJT-induced maximal dynamic strength changes were independent of participants' age (median = 18.0 y), weeks of intervention (median = 8 weeks), and total number of training sessions (median = 16 sessions). The certainty of evidence was considered low to very low for the main analyses. Conclusions: Interventions involving PJT are more effective to improve maximal strength in soccer players compared to control conditions involving traditional sport-specific training. Trial Registration The trial registration protocol was published on the Open Science Framework (OSF) platform in December 2022, with the following links to the project (https://osf.io/rpxjk) and to the registration (https://osf.io/3ruyj). Key Points: Plyometric jump training is an easy-to-administer training regime that can be performed on the soccer pitch and may have the potential to improve maximal strength in soccer players. Findings from this meta-analysis including 1274 soccer players indicate maximal strength improvements after plyometric jump training, with similar effects for youth and adult players, and with < 8 vs. ≥ 8 weeks or < 16 vs. ≥ 16 sessions [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) is the most promising candidate to become the first migraine biomarker. However, literature shows clashing results and suggests a methodological source for such discrepancies. We aimed to investigate some of these methodological factors to evaluate the actual role of CGRP as biomarker. Methods: Previous to the experimental part, we performed a literature review of articles measuring CGRP in migraine patients. Using our 399 bio-bank sera samples, we performed a series of experiments to test the validity of different ELISA kits employed, time of sample processing, long-term storage, sampling in rest or after moderate exercise. Analysis of in-house data was performed to analyse average levels of the peptide and the effect of sex and age. Results: Literature review shows the high variability in terms of study design, determination methods, results and conclusions obtained by studies including CGRP determinations in migraine patients. CGRP measurements depends on the method and specific kit employed, also on the isoform detected, showing completely different ranges of concentrations. Alpha-CGRP and beta-CGRP had median with IQR levels of 37.5 (28.2–54.4) and 4.6 (2.4–6.4)pg/mL, respectively. CGRP content is preserved in serum within the 24 first hours when samples are stored at 4°C after clotting and immediate centrifugation. Storages at -80°C of more than 6 months result in a decrease in CGRP levels. Moderate exercise prior to blood extraction does not modulate the concentration of the peptide. Age positively correlates with beta-CGRP content and men have higher alpha-CGRP levels than women. Conclusions: We present valuable information for CGRP measurements in serum. ELISA kit suitability should be tested prior to the experiments. Alpha and beta-CGRP levels should be analysed separately as they can show different behaviours even within the same condition. Samples can be processed in a 24-h window if they have been kept in 4°C and should not be stored for more than 6 months at -80°C before assayed. Patients do not need to rest before the blood extraction unless they have performed a high-endurance exercise. For comparative studies, sex and age should be accounted for as these parameters can impact CGRP concentrations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Despite the increasing number of research studies examining the effects of age on the control of posture, the number of annual fall-related injuries and deaths continues to increase. A better understanding of how old age affects the neural mechanisms of postural control and how countermeasures such as balance training could improve the neural control of posture to reduce falls in older individuals is therefore necessary. The aim of this review is to determine the effects of age on the neural correlates of balance skill learning measured during static (standing) and dynamic (walking) balance tasks in healthy individuals. Methods: We determined the effects of acute (1–3 sessions) and chronic (> 3 sessions) balance skill training on balance in the trained and in untrained, transfer balance tasks through a systematic review and quantified these effects by robust variance estimation meta-analysis in combination with meta-regression. We systematically searched PubMed, Web of Science, and Cochrane databases. Balance performance and neural plasticity outcomes were extracted and included in the systematic synthesis and meta-analysis. Results: Forty-two studies (n = 622 young, n = 699 older individuals) were included in the systematic synthesis. Seventeen studies with 508 in-analysis participants were eligible for a meta-analysis. The overall analysis revealed that acute and chronic balance training had a large effect on the neural correlates of balance skill learning in the two age groups combined (g = 0.79, p < 0.01). Both age groups similarly improved balance skill performance in 1–3 training sessions and showed little further improvements with additional sessions. Improvements in balance performance mainly occurred in the trained and less so in the non-trained (i.e., transfer) balance tasks. The systematic synthesis and meta-analysis suggested little correspondence between improved balance skills and changes in spinal, cortical, and corticospinal excitability measures in the two age groups and between the time courses of changes in balance skills and neural correlates. Conclusions: Balance skill learning and the accompanying neural adaptations occur rapidly and independently of age with little to no training dose-dependence or correspondence between behavioral and neural adaptations. Of the five types of neural correlates examined, changes in only spinal excitability seemed to differ between age groups. However, age or training dose in terms of duration did not moderate the effects of balance training on the changes in any of the neural correlates. The behavioral and neural mechanisms of strong task-specificity and the time course of skill retention remain unclear and require further studies in young and older individuals. Registration: PROSPERO registration number: CRD42022349573. Key Points: We examined the effects of balance training on balance performance, and its neural correlates in healthy younger (n = 21 studies) and older individuals (n = 18 studies) Balance training improves the trained balance skill rapidly, i.e., 30–40 min Balance training improves the non-trained balance skills (i.e., transfer tasks) much less or not at all Balance training improves neural measures independently of age and training dose Age and training duration do not moderate the training-induced changes in the neural correlates of balance learning There is little-to-no temporal correspondence between improvements in balance skills and the neural correlates examined [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The pathological mechanism of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) remains unclear. Nowadays, surface-based morphometry (SBM) based on structural magnetic resonance imaging (sMRI) techniques have reported cortical thickness (CT) variations in ASD. However, the findings were inconsistent and heterogeneous. This current meta-analysis conducted a whole-brain vertex-wise coordinate‐based meta‐analysis (CBMA) on CT studies to explore the most noticeable and robust CT changes in ASD individuals by applying the seed-based d mapping (SDM) program. A total of 26 investigations comprised 27 datasets were included, containing 1,635 subjects with ASD and 1470 HC, along with 94 coordinates. Individuals with ASD exhibited significantly altered CT in several regions compared to HC, including four clusters with thicker CT in the right superior temporal gyrus (STG.R), the left middle temporal gyrus (MTG.L), the left anterior cingulate/paracingulate gyri, the right superior frontal gyrus (SFG.R, medial orbital parts), as well as three clusters with cortical thinning including the left parahippocampal gyrus (PHG.L), the right precentral gyrus (PCG.R) and the left middle frontal gyrus (MFG.L). Adults with ASD only demonstrated CT thinning in the right parahippocampal gyrus (PHG.R), revealed by subgroup meta-analyses. Meta-regression analyses found that CT in STG.R was positively correlated with age. Meanwhile, CT in MFG.L and PHG.L had negative correlations with the age of ASD individuals. These results suggested a complicated and atypical cortical development trajectory in ASD, and would provide a deeper understanding of the neural mechanism underlying the cortical morphology in ASD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]