Meta-analysis of skill-based and therapeutic interventions to address math anxiety.

The purpose of this meta-analysis was to examine the impact of school-based therapeutic and math skill interventions on math anxiety symptoms and math achievement among K-12 students. Potential moderators included treatment type and study quality. A systematic search yielded 17 included studies representing 1786 primary and secondary students. The results suggested that therapeutic interventions reduced math anxiety symptoms (gav = -0.51) better than math skill interventions (gav = -0.32) and math skill interventions improved math achievement (gav = 0.76) more than therapeutic interventions (gav = 0.12). Moderator analysis indicated that when accounting for study quality, the differences between intervention type were not significant for either of the outcome measures (i.e., achievement and math anxiety). Theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.

Alternatives for Allergens in the 2018 American Contact Dermatitis Society Core Series: Report by the American Contact Alternatives Group.

The most successful treatment for contact allergy is allergen avoidance. Patient improvement ultimately relies on identification of safe alternative products, which can be used by the patient. "Safe" personal care product options can typically be found using ingredient database programs. Avoidance of allergens in other products (ie, shoes, clothing, dental care, etc) is often challenging. In this article, the American Contact Alternatives Group discusses how to find specific safe alternatives for the 80 allergens on the American Contact Dermatitis Society core allergen series (Dermatitis. 2017;28:141-143). The alternatives listed in this article are accurate as of the date of publication; however, the availability of these alternatives may change in the future (disclaimer).

European Directive fragrances in natural products.

Information on the presence of European Directive fragrance (EUF) allergens in plants and foods is important for numerous reasons. If an individual is allergic to an EUF and is avoiding fragrance, it is possible that they may still be exposed to the allergen in a natural product. In addition, because many of these allergens are also found in foods, it is possible that ingestion of a food containing the allergen may induce systemic contact allergy. Finally, individuals with lip dermatitis may react to contact with foods that contain the allergen. In this article, we have used the data available to identify which plants and foods contain EUF. When available, concentrations of EUF in natural products are provided. The goal of this article is to narrow down the list of botanicals to avoid for specific EUF allergies.