The aim of this systematic review was to answer the focused question, "Is there an association between obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and alcohol, caffeine or tobacco use?" Five electronic databases (Cinahl, Literatura Latth American and Caribbean, PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science) and 3 grey literature (Google Acadêmico, ProQuest, OpenGrey) were searched, as well as search on reference list of included papers and contacts with study authors. Observational studies were included. The Meta-Analysis of Statistics Assessment and Review Instrument (MAStARI) tool assessed the potential risk of bias (RoB) among the studies, while the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) approach determined the level of evidence. Meta-Analysis was performed with RevMan 5.3 software. Among 3,442 identified studies, 14 were included. Eleven studies were classified as moderate RoB and 3 as high RoB. Meta-analysis showed OSA has no association with tobacco and presented a positive association with alcohol. The odds ratio for OSA increased almost 1.33 times (95% confidence interval [CI]; 1.10-1.62) for alcohol users. There was insufficient published data to evaluate whether OSA is associated with caffeine. The overall quality of evidence ranged from low to very low. OSA was associated with the use of alcohol, however there is not enough evidence to confirm the association with tobacco or caffeine. Due to the very low GRADE level of evidence, caution should be applied when considering these findings.
Background: The present study aims at better establishing the alterations caused by the usual enlargement of brain ventricles in this structure. Methods: Hydrocephalus was induced in 7-day-old Wistar rats by the injection of kaolin into the cisterna magna. Morphological studies were performed on the hippocampus 7, 14 and 21 days after injection. The total number of neurons in each hippocampus subarea as well as that of pyknotic neurons were counted. Then we calculated the pyknotic index (PI) by hippocampal subarea, taking into account the level of ventricular dilatation and time of induction of hydrocephalus. Results: PI was statistically larger in the CA1 subarea of the experimental group after 1 week of hydrocephalus induction as compared to the corresponding control as well as in animals that had developed mild hydrocephalus in groups G1, G2 and G3. Conclusion: Hydrocephalus caused morphological alterations in the hippocampus, leading to important changes in its shape.
Based on limited evidence and low methodological quality because few studies were included, with a small sample size, from all index testes found for this systematic review, doppler showed excellent diagnostic accuracy for the discrimination of swallowing sounds, whereas microphone-reported good accuracy discrimination of swallowing sounds of dysphagic patients and stethoscope showed best screening test.
Purpose The purpose of this study is to characterize parameters used for frequency-following response (FFR) acquisition in children up to 24 months of age through a systematic review. Method The study was registered in PROSPERO and followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses' recommendations. Search was performed in six databases (LILACS, LIVIVO, PsycINFO, PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science) and gray literature (Google Scholar, OpenGrey, ProQuest)as well as via manual searches in bibliographic references. Observational studies using speech stimuli to elicit the FFR in infants with normal hearing on the age range from 0 until 24 months were included. No restrictions regarding language and year of publication were applied. Risk of bias was assessed with the Joanna Briggs Institute Critical Appraisal Checklist. Data on stimulus, presentation rate, time window for analysis, number of sweeps, artifact rejection, online filters, stimulated ear, and examination condition were extracted. Results Four hundred fifty-nine studies were identified. After removing duplicates and reading titles and abstracts, 15 articles were included. Seven studies were classified as low risk of bias, seven as moderate risk, and one as high risk. Conclusions There is a consensus in the use of some acquisition parameters of the FFR with speech stimulus, such as the vertical mounting, the use of alternating polarity, a sampling rate of 20000 Hz, and the /da/ synthesized syllable of 40 ms in duration as the preferred stimulus. Although these parameters show some consensus, the results disclosed lack of a single established protocol for FFR acquisition with speech stimulus in infants in the investigated age range.
Objective To determine the prevalence of temporomandibular disorders (TMD) in musicians. Materials and methods Electronic database searches and a manual search were performed. Qualitative and quantitative analysis including risk of bias was performed for studies that met the inclusion criteria. A meta‐analysis of proportions with a random effects model was performed, and heterogeneity was explored according to the moderating variable through subgroup analysis and metaregression. The certainty of the evidence was assessed using the GRADE tool. Results A total of 13 articles were included for the meta‐analysis. Pooled prevalence estimate was 52.8% (CI 95%; 33.4%‐71.7%) for wind instruments, 53.9% (CI 95%; 42.4%‐65.2%) for string instruments and 53.9% (CI 95%; 23.5%‐82.7%) for string and wind instruments. The average time of use of the musical instrument explained 82.38%, the heterogeneity between the sizes of the effects observed in the analysis (R2 = 82.38%; P < .0001). For prevalence of TMD, the GRADE criteria were considered very low. Conclusion The overall combined prevalence of TMD in musicians was approximately 53.9%, and musicians who use their instruments daily and for a long period of time may have a higher prevalence of TMD. Clinical significance Due to the high prevalence of TMD in musicians, health professionals must be careful not to underestimate signs and symptoms and correctly diagnose these cases.
Purpose To verify the accuracy of smartphone apps to identify hearing loss. Research strategies A systematic review followed the PRISMA-DATA checklist. The search strategies were applied across four databases (Lilacs, PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science) and grey literature (Google Scholar, OpenGrey, and ProQuest Dissertations and Thesis). Selection criteria The acronym PIRD was used in review. This included populations of any gender and all age groups. The Index test is the smartphone-based hearing screening test; the Reference test is the pure-tone audiometry, which is considered the gold reference for hearing diagnostics; the diagnosis was performed via validity data (sensitivity and specificity) to identify hearing loss and diagnostic studies. Data analysis Two reviewers selected the studies in a two-step process. The risk of bias was assessed according to the criteria of the QUADAS-2. Results Of 1395 articles, 104 articles were eligible for full-text reading and 17 were included. Only four met all criteria for methodological quality. All of the included studies were published in English between 2015 and 2020. The applications Digits-in noise Test (5 articles), uHear (4 articles), HearScreen (2 articles), hearTest (2 articles) and Hearing Test (2 articles) were the most studied. All this application showed sensitivity and specificity values between 75 and 100%. The other applications were EarScale, uHearing Test, Free field hearing (FFH) and Free Hearing Test. Conclusion uHear, Digit-in-Noise Test, HearTest and HearScreen have shown significant values of sensitivity and specificity and can be considered as the most accurate methods for screening of hearing impairment.
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