(1) Background: Periodontal diseases are a global health concern. They are multi-stage, progressive inflammatory diseases triggered by the inflammation of the gums in response to periodontopathogens and may lead to the destruction of tooth-supporting structures, tooth loss, and systemic health problems. This systematic review and meta-analysis evaluated the effects of probiotic supplementation on the prevention and treatment of periodontal disease based on the assessment of clinical, microbiological, and immunological outcomes. (2) Methods: This study was registered under PROSPERO (CRD42021249120). Six databases were searched: PubMed, MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, Web of Science, and Dentistry and Oral Science Source. The meta-analysis assessed the effects of probiotic supplementation on the prevention and treatment of periodontal diseases and reported them using Hedge’s g standardized mean difference (SMD). (3) Results: Of the 1883 articles initially identified, 64 randomized clinical trials were included in this study. The results of this meta-analysis indicated statistically significant improvements after probiotic supplementation in the majority of the clinical outcomes in periodontal disease patients, including the plaque index (SMD = 0.557, 95% CI: 0.228, 0.885), gingival index, SMD = 0.920, 95% CI: 0.426, 1.414), probing pocket depth (SMD = 0.578, 95% CI: 0.365, 0.790), clinical attachment level (SMD = 0.413, 95% CI: 0.262, 0.563), bleeding on probing (SMD = 0.841, 95% CI: 0.479, 1.20), gingival crevicular fluid volume (SMD = 0.568, 95% CI: 0.235, 0.902), reduction in the subgingival periodontopathogen count of P. gingivalis (SMD = 0.402, 95% CI: 0.120, 0.685), F. nucleatum (SMD = 0.392, 95% CI: 0.127, 0.658), and T. forsythia (SMD = 0.341, 95% CI: 0.050, 0.633), and immunological markers MMP-8 (SMD = 0.819, 95% CI: 0.417, 1.221) and IL-6 (SMD = 0.361, 95% CI: 0.079, 0.644). (4) Conclusions: The results of this study suggest that probiotic supplementation improves clinical parameters, and reduces the periodontopathogen load and pro-inflammatory markers in periodontal disease patients. However, we were unable to assess the preventive role of probiotic supplementation due to the paucity of studies. Further clinical studies are needed to determine the efficacy of probiotic supplementation in the prevention of periodontal diseases.

Background: COPD among Aboriginal peoples in Canada is a major public health concern. This study was conducted in order to determine the prevalence and association between certain risk factors and COPD among the 35-year-old or older Aboriginal peoples in Canada. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study. It uses data from Statistics Canada’s Aboriginal Peoples Survey (APS), 2012. It consists of 8,117 self-identified Aboriginal peoples, aged 35 years old or older from all Canadian provinces and territories. The study outcomes centered on evaluating the prevalence and associated factors of COPD. Results: This study found that 6.80% of the participants self-reported having COPD. Results of the logistic regression analysis show that COPD was significantly higher among daily smokers (odds ratio [OR], 2.28; 95% confidence interval [95% CI], 1.65–3.14), aged 55 years or older (OR, 3.04; 95% CI, 2.14–4.30), who earned $5,000–$9,999 per annum (OR, 4.21; 95% CI, 2.39–7.41) and needed health care over the past 12 months and did not receive it (OR, 1.83; 95% CI, 1.27–2.65). Conclusion: The findings of our study show that COPD is strongly associated with Aboriginal peoples, who are older, smoke, have a low socioeconomic status (SES) and do not have access to health care when needed. Clinicians, health care professionals, medical/public health organizations, researchers and patients will greatly benefit from additional research in this common, serious and often overlooked disease among Aboriginal peoples in Canada.

Background: Tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable death in Canada and the world. Despite documented decreases in the prevalence of smoking in Canada, increases in flavoured tobacco use by its youth poses a serious public health concern. This study examined the prevalence and...

The aims of this study was to determine the prevalence and to compare depression and anxiety screening scores by type of diabetes: type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM), and pre-diabetes. The secondary aim was to examine sex differences in screening scores by type of diabetes. This cross-sectional study was conducted in Doha, Qatar using primary data collection (N = 150), and stratified random sampling at a diabetes primary healthcare center. The study tool collected demographic information and used validated mental health screening tools for depressive symptoms “Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9)", and for anxiety symptoms “Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7 (GAD-7)". The prevalence of moderate to severe depressive and anxiety scores was highest in the prediabetes group (20 % and 14 % respectively). There were increased PHQ-9 scores in the pre-diabetes group compared to T2DM (p-value <0.05). No statistically significant differences in depressive symptom scores were found when comparing the pre-diabetes group with T1DM, and T1DM with T2DM. When looking at sex differences, there were no statistically significant differences between T1DM and pre-diabetes males and females, however PHQ-9 and GAD-7 scores in T2DM females were poorer compared to T2DM males. The results of our study found patients living with pre-diabetes, and females with T2DM are vulnerable populations who should be screened for mental health disorders. Early screening for mental health disorders for individuals diagnosed with prediabetes, T1DM, and T2DM should be routinely conducted to potentially improve health outcomes.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) is a member of the coronavirus family that causes the novel coronavirus disease first diagnosed in 2019 (COVID‐19). Although many studies have been carried out in recent months to determine why the disease clinical presentations and outcomes can vary significantly from asymptomatic to severe or lethal, the underlying mechanisms are not fully understood. It is likely that unique individual characteristics can strongly influence the broad disease variability; thus, tailored diagnostic and therapeutic approaches are needed to improve clinical outcomes. The circadian clock is a critical regulatory mechanism orchestrating major physiological and pathological processes. It is generally accepted that more than half of the cell‐specific genes in any given organ are under circadian control. Although it is known that a specific role of the circadian clock is to coordinate the immune system's steady‐state function and response to infectious threats, the links between the circadian clock and SARS‐CoV‐2 infection are only now emerging. How inter‐individual variability of the circadian profile and its dysregulation may play a role in the differences noted in the COVID‐19‐related disease presentations, and outcome remains largely underinvestigated. This review summarizes the current evidence on the potential links between circadian clock dysregulation and SARS‐CoV‐2 infection susceptibility, disease presentation and progression, and clinical outcomes. Further research in this area may contribute towards novel circadian‐centred prognostic, diagnostic and therapeutic approaches for COVID‐19 in the era of precision health.

In recent years, there has been a clear increase in bottled water consumption globally, which has led to significant health and environmental concerns. This cross-sectional study aims to understand the attitude and preferences of university students in Qatar towards the use of bottled and tap drinking water using an online survey questionnaire (September and October 2022). The number of students who responded to the online survey was 14% (n = 688) of the student population, with a mean age of 22.23 ± 5.15 years from the different colleges. Overall, a higher fraction of students preferred plastic bottled water as the main drinking source on campus (n = 468; 68.02%), with a majority of them being females (72.08%). Out of the 468 students who preferred plastic bottled water, safety was the most important factor (43.80%), followed by convenience (16.88%) and taste (15.60%). Cost (15.17%), personal/family habits (5.13%), environmental concerns (2.14%), and mineral content (1.28%) were found to be the least important factors. Among the 45 students (6.54%) who preferred tap water over plastic bottled water, cost (46.67%) was the dominant factor, followed by convenience (20.00%), environmental concerns and safety (13.33% each), taste (4.44%), and personal/family habits (2.22%). Around 72% believed that plastic water bottles were more harmful to the environment, yet the greater majority still resorted to this source. The research study underscores safety as the major factor favoring bottled water over tap water. Further, it suggests that knowledge alone does not fully explain student behavior, implying other influential factors. This study recommends campaigns focus on attitude and behavior change and not solely emphasize knowledge. There is an immediate need to further educate students through environmental and health literacy programs on water consumption and quality. Enabling the population to understand the positive and negative aspects of their choices may be an effective remedy for ensuring a healthy population and healthy environment.