Debating a testosterone "sex gap"

Sex dimorphism of testosterone (T) in elite athletes was at the center of a recent case at the "Supreme Court of Sport", the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Switzerland, after teenage Indian sprinter Dutee Chand challenged a sports policy regulating competition eligibility of women with naturally high T. The idea of a "sex gap" in T is a cornerstone of this policy (1). Policymakers infer that men's higher T is the "one factor [that] makes a decisive difference" between men's and women's athletic performances (2) —so they claim that women with naturally high T unfairly enjoy a "massive androgenic advantage" over other women athletes (2). Yet there's an emerging scientific debate about whether the sex gap in T applies to elite athletes

Robotics in Primary School: A Realistic Mathematics Approach

This version of the chapter has been accepted for publication, and is subject to Springer Nature’s AM terms of use, but is not the Version of Record and does not reflect post-acceptance improvements, or any corrections. The Version of Record is available online at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-19913-5_6[Abstract]: Robots are technological tools of great interest in primary education for many reasons, but mainly for their compatibility with the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics). However, it is very important to minimize the impact of the technical issues associated to robotics on the teachers, providing simple and functional tools that allow them to focus their attention in the creation of STEM content. To this end, this chapter presents a methodology, based on Realistic Mathematics, for the integration of Educational Robotics in primary schools. This methodology has been tested during one semester in the Sigüeiro Primary School (Spain) in the subject of Mathematics, with students of different ages ranging from seven up to eleven years old. Two different educational robots, with different features, was used to highlight that the methodology is independent of the robotic platform used. Motivation surveys were administered to the students after the classes. Surveys reported highly successful results, which are discussed in the chapter

Sport and transgender people: a systematic review of the literature relating to sport participation and competitive sport policies

Background Whether transgender people should be able to compete in sport in accordance with their gender identity is a widely contested question within the literature and among sport organisations, fellow competitors and spectators. Owing to concerns surrounding transgender people (especially transgender female individuals) having an athletic advantage, several sport organisations place restrictions on transgender competitors (e.g. must have undergone gender-confirming surgery). In addition, some transgender people who engage in sport, both competitively and for leisure, report discrimination and victimisation. Objective To the authors’ knowledge, there has been no systematic review of the literature pertaining to sport participation or competitive sport policies in transgender people. Therefore, this review aimed to address this gap in the literature. Method Eight research articles and 31 sport policies were reviewed. Results In relation to sport-related physical activity, this review found the lack of inclusive and comfortable environments to be the primary barrier to participation for transgender people. This review also found transgender people had a mostly negative experience in competitive sports because of the restrictions the sport’s policy placed on them. The majority of transgender competitive sport policies that were reviewed were not evidence based. Conclusion Currently, there is no direct or consistent research suggesting transgender female individuals (or male individuals) have an athletic advantage at any stage of their transition (e.g. cross-sex hormones, gender-confirming surgery) and, therefore, competitive sport policies that place restrictions on transgender people need to be considered and potentially revised

Cephalometric evaluation of the changes in mandibular symphysis after 7 years of denture wearing.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate changes in mandibular symphysis during 7 years of complete denture wearing following extraction of natural anterior teeth. DESIGN: Comparison among measurements taken at four different occasions in a prospective cephalometric study. SETTING: The study was conducted at the Dental School of Athens University. SUBJECTS: 10 complete denture wearers (5 women, 5 men) with average age of 53.2 years, at the beginning of the study. MEASURES: Linear and area measurements of the mandibular symphysis. RESULTS: The overall reduction in the anterior mandibular height was 7.87 mm and in the mandibular symphysis area 54.8 mm2 (p < 0.05). Females presented higher total average reduction in both variables tested, and more rapid bone loss during the first two years of denture wear, compared to men. Superimposition of the tracings revealed considerable individual variation in mandibular symphysis changes. CONCLUSION: Results are in line with the findings of other authors indicating continuous reduction and dramatic inter-subject variation in the mandibular alveolar bone, following extraction of natural teeth and wearing of complete dentures

Implementation and evaluation of an oral health education programme for caregivers in nursing homes

Aim: The aim was the design, implementation, and evaluation of an oral health education program for nursing home caregivers. Methods and results: Fifty-five formal caregivers working in the three units of a nursing home were allocated to either a control (n = 27) or an intervention group (n = 28). A knowledge and attitudes questionnaire about oral health was developed and completed by the caregivers. Then, an education program about oral heath in older people was applied to the intervention group, and the completion of the questionnaire was repeated by both the intervention and control groups. Two months after the intervention, the questionnaire was completed again by the intervention group. Within groups analyses revealed a statistically significant increase in knowledge and attitudes only in the intervention group after the implementation of the education program (P <.001). Between-group analyses showed that the total knowledge and attitudes score in the intervention group were statistically significantly higher than in the control group (P <.001 and P =.02, respectively). In the intervention group, knowledge and attitudes were maintained in the measurement recorded 2 months later (P =.11 and P =.21, respectively). Conclusion: The education program was effective in improving the caregivers’ knowledge and attitudes toward nursing home residents’ oral health and maintaining them 2 months after implementation. © 2020 Special Care Dentistry Association and Wiley Periodicals LL

Translation and preliminary validation of the Greek version of the Xerostomia Inventory in older people

Introduction: The Xerostomia Inventory (XI) has been developed to assess self-perceived xerostomia. The aim of this study was to describe the translation and the preliminary validation of the XI in older Greeks. Materials and methods: The XI was translated into Greek and then back translated into English. Minor modifications were performed after a pilot testing and the final scale was interviewer-administered in 100 older participants visiting Open Care Community Centers for Older People in Athens. The preliminary validation procedure included calculation of the internal consistency reliability using Cronbach's α coefficient and corrected item-total correlations, principal component analysis, investigation of the discriminant validity by testing any variation related to sociomedical and oral variables and concurrent validity assessing the correlation between the XI and the response to a single question about self-perceived mouth dryness. Results: The factor analysis XI revealed a modified seven-item scale (XI-7), showing good internal consistency (Cronbach's α: 0.78). There were significant correlations with self-perceived mouth dryness, indicating satisfying concurrent validity, and significant differences related to depression, diabetes, antidepressive medications and polypharmacy showing acceptable discriminant validity. Conclusions: The preliminary investigation of the Greek version of the Xerostomia Inventory revealed a 7-item questionnaire that demonstrated good internal consistency and validity and will be further tested in older patients. © 2015 Published by Elsevier Masson SAS

Oral health related quality of life in older people: Preliminary validation of the Greek version of the Geriatric Oral Health Assessment Index (GOHAI)

Introduction: The Geriatric Oral Health Assessment Index (GOHAI) has been developed for the patient-reported assessment of oral health problems in older people. The aims of the present study were to translate the GOHAI into the Greek language, adapt the Greek version culturally, and perform a preliminary validation in an older Greek population. Materials and methods: GOHAI was translated from English into Greek by two bilingual translators and then back translated. The translated version was interviewer-administered in a sample of 100 older people. Internal consistency reliability and principal component analysis with Varimax rotation was performed. Concurrent and discriminant validity and test-retest reliability were assessed. Descriptive statistics and analysis between variables were also performed. Results: GOHAI showed satisfying internal consistency (Cronbach's a: 0.88), while the Exploratory Factor Analysis revealed three factors requiring further investigation. The scale showed satisfying concurrent validity with significant correlations with the general single-item questions. Discriminant validity was acceptable identifying differences in relation to medical conditions and medications used. Conclusions: The acceptable internal consistency and validity of the Greek version of the GOHAI recorded in the present study encourages its use in older people. The present translation of the GOHAI merits further validation in a larger cohort as well as in a geriatric context. © 2015 Elsevier Masson SAS and European Union Geriatric Medicine Society. All rights reserved

Nicotine addiction through a neurogenomic prism: Ethics, public health, and smoking

Studies are under way to examine the neurogenetic factors contributing to smoking behaviors. The combined approaches of genomics, molecular biology, neuroscience, and pharmacology are expected to fuel developments in pharmacogenetics, to create new genetic tests, and ultimately to provide the basis for innovative strategies for smoking cessation and prevention. The emergence of a neurogenomic understanding of nicotine addiction is likely to induce fundamental changes in popular, clinical, and public health views of smoking, which could significantly shape existing practices and policies to reduce tobacco use. Still a nascent area of research, nicotine addiction provides an excellent case study through which to anticipate key ethical and policy issues in both behavioral genetics and the neurogenomics of addictive behaviors