State Schooling Policies and Cognitive Performance Trajectories: A Natural Experiment in a National US Cohort of Black and White Adults.

BACKGROUND: Education is strongly associated with cognitive outcomes at older ages, yet the extent to which these associations reflect causal effects remains uncertain due to potential confounding. METHODS: Leveraging changes in historical measures of state-level education policies as natural experiments, we estimated the effects of educational attainment on cognitive performance over 10 years in 20,248 non-Hispanic Black and non-Hispanic White participants, aged 45+ in the REasons for Geographic and Racial Disparities in Stroke (REGARDS) cohort (2003-2020) by (1) using state- and year- specific compulsory schooling laws, school-term length, attendance rate, and student-teacher ratio policies to predict educational attainment for US Census microsample data from 1980 and 1990, and (2) applying policy-predicted years of education (PPYEd) to predict memory, verbal fluency, and a cognitive composite. We estimated overall and race- and sex-specific effects of PPYEd on level and change in each cognitive outcome using random intercept and slope models, adjusting for age, year of first cognitive assessment, and indicators for state of residence at age 6. RESULTS: Each year of PPYEd was associated with higher baseline cognition (0.11 standard deviation [SD] increase in composite measure for each year of PPYEd, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.07, 0.15). Subanalyses focusing on individual cognitive domains estimate the largest effects of PPYEd on memory. PPYEd was not associated with rate of change in cognitive scores. Estimates were similar across Black and White participants and across sex. CONCLUSIONS: Historical policies shaping educational attainment are associated with better later life memory, a major determinant of dementia risk.

Vitamin D, periodontitis and tooth loss in older Irish adults.

The aim of this study is to investigate whether 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) is associated with periodontitis and tooth loss in older adults. A total of 2346 adults underwent a detailed dental examination as part of the health assessment of a national population study - The Irish Longitudinal Study of Ageing. 25(OH)D analysis was performed on frozen non-fasting total plasma using LC-MS. The analysis included both multiple logistic regression and multinominal logistic regression to investigate associations between 25(OH)D concentration, periodontitis and tooth loss, adjusting for a range of potential confounders. Results of the analysis found the mean age of participants was 65·3 years (sd 8·2) and 55·3 % of the group were female. Based on the quintile of 25(OH)D concentration, participants in the lowest v. highest quintile had an OR of 1·57 (95 % CI 1·16, 2·13; P < 0·01) of having periodontitis in the fully adjusted model. For tooth loss, participants in the lowest v. highest quintile of 25(OH)D had a RRR of 1·55 (95 % CI 1·12, 2·13; P < 0·01) to have 1-19 teeth and a RRR of 1·96 (95 % CI 1·20, 3·21; P < 0·01) to be edentulous, relative to those with ≥ 20 teeth in the fully adjusted models. These findings demonstrate that in this cross-sectional study of older men and women from Ireland, 25(OH)D concentration was associated with both periodontitis and tooth loss, independent of other risk factors.

Trauma exposure and transdiagnostic distress: Examining shared and posttraumatic stress disorder-specific associations.

We examined transdiagnostic and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)-specific associations with multiple forms of trauma exposure within a nationwide U.S. sample (N = 1,649, 50.0% female) of military veterans overselected for PTSD. A higher-order Distress factor was estimated using PTSD, major depressive disorder (MDD), and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) symptoms as indicators. A structural equation model spanning three assessment points over an average of 3.85 years was constructed to examine the unique roles of higher-order Distress and PTSD-specific variance in accounting for the associations between trauma exposure, measured using the Life Events Checklist (LEC) and Deployment Risk and Resiliency Inventory Combat subscale (DRRI-C), and psychosocial impairment. The results suggest the association between trauma exposure and PTSD symptoms was primarily mediated by higher-order distress (70.7% of LEC effect, 63.2% of DRRI-C effect), but PTSD severity retained a significant association with trauma exposure independent of distress, LEC: ß = .10, 95% CI [.06, .13]; DRRI-C: ß = .11, 95% CI [.07, .14]. Both higher-order distress, ß = .31, and PTSD-specific variance, ß = .36, were necessary to account for the association between trauma exposure and future impairment. Findings suggest that trauma exposure may contribute to comorbidity across a range of internalizing symptoms as well as to PTSD-specific presentations.

Longitudinal PTSD network structure: measuring PTSD symptom networks over 5 years.

BACKGROUND: Network modeling has been applied in a range of trauma-exposed samples, yet results are limited by an over reliance on cross-sectional data. The current analyses used posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptom data collected over a 5-year period to estimate a more robust between-subject network and an associated symptom change network. METHODS: A PTSD symptom network is measured in a sample of military veterans across four time points (Ns = 1254, 1231, 1106, 925). The repeated measures permit isolating between-subject associations by limiting the effects of within-subject variability. The result is a highly reliable PTSD symptom network. A symptom slope network depicting covariation of symptom change over time is also estimated. RESULTS: Negative trauma-related emotions had particularly strong associations with the network. Trauma-related amnesia, sleep disturbance, and self-destructive behavior had weaker overall associations with other PTSD symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: PTSD's network structure appears stable over time. There is no single 'most important' node or node cluster. The relevance of self-destructive behavior, sleep disturbance, and trauma-related amnesia to the PTSD construct may deserve additional consideration.

Borderline personality disorder symptom networks across adolescent and adult clinical samples: examining symptom centrality and replicability.

BACKGROUND: Numerous theories posit different core features to borderline personality disorder (BPD). Recent advances in network analysis provide a method of examining the relative centrality of BPD symptoms, as well as examine the replicability of findings across samples. Additionally, despite the increase in research supporting the validity of BPD in adolescents, clinicians are reluctant to diagnose BPD in adolescents. Establishing the replicability of the syndrome across adolescents and adults informs clinical practice and research. This study examined the stability of BPD symptom networks and centrality of symptoms across samples varying in age and clinical characteristics. METHODS: Cross-sectional analyses of BPD symptoms from semi-structured diagnostic interviews from the Collaborative Longitudinal Study of Personality Disorders (CLPS), the Methods to Improve Diagnostic Assessment and Service (MIDAS) study, and an adolescent clinical sample. Network attributes, including edge (partial association) strength and node (symptom) expected influence, were compared. RESULTS: The three networks were largely similar and strongly correlated. Affective instability and identity disturbance emerged as relatively central symptoms across the three samples, and relationship difficulties across adult networks. Differences in network attributes were more evident between networks varying both in age and in BPD symptom severity level. CONCLUSIONS: Findings highlight the relative importance of affective, identity, and relationship symptoms, consistent with several leading theories of BPD. The network structure of BPD symptoms appears generally replicable across multiple large samples including adolescents and adults, providing further support for the validity of the diagnosis across these developmental phases.

The structure of aggressive personality.

OBJECTIVE: We sought to factor analyze a broad array of aggression measures to identify a comprehensive, coherent factor structure for this construct. BACKGROUND: Measures and models of trait aggression have multiplied to the point of incoherence. METHOD: In Study 1, a diverse sample of 922 undergraduates completed a battery of items acquired from 42 self-report aggression questionnaires. In Study 2, we administered a curated item pool to another diverse sample of 1447 undergraduates, alongside criterion measures. RESULTS: We curated an initial item pool of 734 items down to 289 items that exhibited sufficient variability, were not redundant with other items, and possessed strong loadings onto a central 'trait aggression' factor. These remaining items were best characterized by a six-factor structure, which captured relational, angry, violent, retaliatory, intimate partner, and alcohol forms of aggression. We estimated their hierarchical structure, correlations with their original aggression scales, Five Factor Model trait dimensions, impulsivity facets, and found them to be robust to gender composition and the inclusion of alcohol-naive and intimate-partner-naive participants. CONCLUSIONS: This factor structure mostly supported widely-accepted models of aggressive personality that focus on its overt and relational forms and reactive functions, though proactive aggression only loosely emerged as a distinct entity. We retained the final items as the Comprehensive Aggression Scale (CAS).

Severity and correlates of brain fog in people with traumatic brain injury.

Brain fog is one symptom that has been underexplored in traumatic brain injury (TBI). We explored the cognitive and affective correlates of brain fog in people with symptomatic mild TBI (n = 15), moderate-to-severe TBI (n = 15), and a healthy control group (n = 16). Measures across the studies assessed "brain fog" (Mental Clutter Scale), objective cognition (Useful Field of View® and Cogstate Brief Battery®), post-concussive symptoms (Post-Concussion Symptom Scale), and depressive symptoms (Profile of Moods Scale). Brain fog was higher in symptomatic mild TBI and moderate-to-severe TBI compared with healthy controls. Greater brain fog corresponded to greater depressive symptoms in symptomatic mild TBI. Greater brain fog corresponded to poorer episodic memory and working memory in moderate-to-severe TBI. Brain fog appears to reflect challenges in recovery, including depressive symptoms and worse cognitive function. Screening for brain fog might be worthwhile in people with brain injuries.

Social connections and risk of incident mild cognitive impairment, dementia, and mortality in 13 longitudinal cohort studies of ageing.

INTRODUCTION: Previous meta-analyses have linked social connections and mild cognitive impairment, dementia, and mortality. However, these used aggregate data from North America and Europe and examined a limited number of social connection markers. METHODS: We used individual participant data (N = 39271, Mage  = 70.67 (40-102), 58.86% female, Meducation  = 8.43 years, Mfollow-up  = 3.22 years) from 13 longitudinal ageing studies. A two-stage meta-analysis of Cox regression models examined the association between social connection markers with our primary outcomes. RESULTS: We found associations between good social connections structure and quality and lower risk of incident mild cognitive impairment (MCI); between social structure and function and lower risk of incident dementia and mortality. Only in Asian cohorts, being married/in a relationship was associated with reduced risk of dementia, and having a confidante was associated with reduced risk of dementia and mortality. DISCUSSION: Different aspects of social connections - structure, function, and quality - are associated with benefits for healthy aging internationally. HIGHLIGHTS: Social connection structure (being married/in a relationship, weekly community group engagement, weekly family/friend interactions) and quality (never lonely) were associated with lower risk of incident MCI. Social connection structure (monthly/weekly friend/family interactions) and function (having a confidante) were associated with lower risk of incident dementia. Social connection structure (living with others, yearly/monthly/weekly community group engagement) and function (having a confidante) were associated with lower risk of mortality. Evidence from 13 longitudinal cohort studies of ageing indicates that social connections are important targets for reducing risk of incident MCI, incident dementia, and mortality. Only in Asian cohorts, being married/in a relationship was associated with reduced risk of dementia, and having a confidante was associated with reduced risk of dementia and mortality.

Factor Structure of the FFM ATM: Antagonism, Emotional Stability, Impulsivity, and Agency.

The Dark Triad (DT) refers to three socially aversive personality constructs: psychopathy, narcissism, and Machiavellianism. In response to concerns with existing self-report questionnaires measuring these constructs, we created the Five Factor Model Antagonistic Triad Measure (FFM ATM), which uses 46 items to assess multidimensional, faceted versions of the three DT constructs. The current pre-registered study used two large samples (Ns = 600 and 1,247) to explore the structure of the FFM ATM using bass-ackward factor analyses. Participants completed the FFM ATM as well as measures of the five-factor model, aggression, antisocial behavior, and other criteria. A series of factor analyses identified four meaningful and replicable factors (i.e., Antagonism, Emotional Stability, Impulsivity, and Agency). The authors discuss the item composition of each of these factors, their relations to relevant criteria, and implications of conceptualizing the Antagonistic Triad as combinations of elemental traits (factors) as opposed to the multidimensional constructs of psychopathy, narcissism, and Machiavellianism.

Protocol for developing a dashboard for interactive cohort analysis of oral health-related data.

INTRODUCTION: A working knowledge of data analytics is becoming increasingly important in the digital health era. Interactive dashboards are a useful, accessible format for presenting and disseminating health-related information to a wide audience. However, many oral health researchers receive minimal data visualisation and programming skills. OBJECTIVES: The objective of this protocols paper is to demonstrate the development of an analytical, interactive dashboard, using oral health-related data from multiple national cohort surveys. METHODS: The flexdashboard package was used within the R Studio framework to create the structure-elements of the dashboard and interactivity was added with the Shiny package. Data sources derived from the national longitudinal study of children in Ireland and the national children's food survey. Variables for input were selected based on their known associations with oral health. The data were aggregated using tidyverse packages such as dplyr and summarised using ggplot2 and kableExtra with specific functions created to generate bar-plots and tables. RESULTS: The dashboard layout is structured by the YAML (YAML Ain't Markup Language) metadata in the R Markdown document and the syntax from Flexdashboard. Survey type, wave of survey and variable selector were set as filter options. Shiny's render functions were used to change input to automatically render code and update output. The deployed dashboard is openly accessible at https://dduh.shinyapps.io/dduh/ . Examples of how to interact with the dashboard for selected oral health variables are illustrated. CONCLUSION: Visualisation of national child cohort data in an interactive dashboard allows viewers to dynamically explore oral health data without requiring multiple plots and tables and sharing of extensive documentation. Dashboard development requires minimal non-standard R coding and can be quickly created with open-source software.

Implementation of a food science and nutrition module in a dental undergraduate curriculum.

INTRODUCTION: To outline the development and implementation of a food science and nutrition module for dental undergraduate students that provides basic knowledge and clinical skills for improving oral health outcomes and understanding their importance for overall health. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Interdisciplinary discussions with professionals with expertise in food science and nutrition, including dentists, dietitians and nutritionists, were held to agree on core subject areas in line with the evidence base. The module was delivered online to 2nd-year dental students due to COVID-19 restrictions. Students completed an online evaluation on completing the module. Final examination consisted of one essay question. RESULTS: Subject areas and learning outcomes were derived from current and previous approaches to curriculum development. A total of 14 prerecorded lectures, including healthy eating guidelines, dietary assessment, specific oral effects of diet and food constituents were delivered and tutorials provided. The evaluation survey had a 90% (n = 39/43) response rate. A majority indicated that the course was "interesting," "worth doing" (59%) and "provided a good evidence base to understand nutrition and oral health" (87%). Nearly all students (92%) agreed that the course was "sufficiently structured to allow understanding of the key topics" and that "a good understanding of nutrition is important for a dentist" (95%). CONCLUSION: A food science and nutrition module developed by a multidisciplinary team enabled dental students to gain an understanding of the role of diet in oral and overall health. The module facilitated the development of skills that enable students to utilise dietary assessment techniques and promote dietary interventions beneficial to oral health. The approach taken may act as a template for other institutions.

Neuropsychological Functioning in Primary Dystonia: Updated and Expanded Multidomain Meta-Analysis.

BACKGROUND: Primary dystonia is conventionally considered as a motor disorder, though an emerging literature reports associated cognitive dysfunction. OBJECTIVES: Here, we conducted meta-analyses on studies comparing clinical measures of cognition in persons with primary dystonia and healthy controls (HCs). METHODS: We searched PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Scopus, and PsycINFO (January 2000-October 2020). Analyses were modeled under random effects. We used Hedge's g as a bias-corrected estimate of effect size, where negative values indicate lower performance in dystonia versus controls. Between-study heterogeneity and bias were primarily assessed with Cochran's Q, I2 , and Egger's regression. RESULTS: From 866 initial results, 20 studies met criteria for analysis (dystonia n = 739, controls n = 643; 254 effect sizes extracted). Meta-analysis showed a significant combined effect size of primary dystonia across all studies (g = -0.56, P < 0.001), with low heterogeneity (Q = 25.26, P = 0.15, I2  = 24.78). Within-domain effects of primary dystonia were motor speed = -0.84, nonmotor speed = -0.83, global cognition = -0.65, language = -0.54, executive functioning = -0.53, learning/memory = -0.46, visuospatial/construction = -0.44, and simple/complex attention = -0.37 (P-values <0.01). High heterogeneity was observed in the motor/nonmotor speed and learning/memory domains. There was no evidence of publication bias. Moderator analyses were mostly negative but possibly underpowered. Blepharospasm samples showed worse performance than other focal/cervical dystonias. Those with inherited (ie, genetic) disease etiology demonstrated worse performance than acquired. CONCLUSIONS: Dystonia patients consistently demonstrated lower performances on neuropsychological tests versus HCs. Effect sizes were generally moderate in strength, clustering around -0.50 SD units. Within the speed domain, results suggested cognitive slowing beyond effects from motor symptoms. Overall, findings indicate dystonia patients experience multidomain cognitive difficulties, as detected by neuropsychological tests. © 2022 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society.

Network analysis of mild traumatic brain injury, persistent neurobehavioral and psychiatric symptoms, and functional disability among recent-era United States veterans.

Recent-era U.S. veterans are clinically complex, with a high prevalence of co-occurring mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), psychiatric conditions, and behavioral dysfunction. The current study examined the direct and indirect associations between mTBI and persistent neurobehavioral, psychiatric, and functional disability symptoms among recent-era U.S. veterans and service members (n = 648). We evaluated the postconcussive syndrome (PCS) potential causal model with two network analysis modeling approaches. Separate analyses were conducted for military mTBI and lifetime mTBI. An exploratory factor analysis was conducted to limit topological overlap in the network analysis. The most influential symptoms (i.e., the unique variables most strongly associated with the rest of the network) in the military mTBI network were behavioral disengagement, expected influence (EI) = 1.10; cognitive difficulties, EI = 1.08; agitation/irritability, EI = 1.05; and PTSD-related reexperiencing and avoidance symptoms, EI = 0.98. After accounting for other symptoms, mTBI was only minimally informative, EI = 0.34. Additionally, military mTBI did not moderate the association between symptoms or the overall connectivity of the network. The results for lifetime mTBI were consistent with those for military mTBI. The present analyses identified a variety of behavioral, cognitive, and emotional symptoms that play an important role in understanding comorbidity and daily functioning among recent-era U.S. veterans. Associations between cumulative mTBI that occurred in civilian or military settings were indirect and relatively small in magnitude. The current results add to a growing literature raising doubts about the PCS model.

An empirically based power primer for laboratory aggression research.

Recent reviews suggest that, like much of the psychological literature, research studies using laboratory aggression paradigms tend to be underpowered to reliably locate commonly observed effect sizes (e.g., r = ~.10-.20, Cohen's d = ~0.20-0.40). In an effort to counter this trend, we provide a "power primer" that laboratory aggression researchers can use as a resource when planning studies using this methodology. Using simulation-based power analyses and effect size estimates derived from recent literature reviews, we provide sample size recommendations based on type of research question (e.g., main effect vs. two-way vs. three-way interactions) and correlations among predictors. Results highlight the large number of participants that must be recruited to reach acceptable (~80%) power, especially for tests of interactions where the recommended sample sizes far exceed those typically employed in this literature. These discrepancies are so substantial that we urge laboratory aggression researchers to consider a moratorium on tests of three-way interactions. Although our results use estimates from the laboratory aggression literature, we believe they are generalizable to other lines of research using behavioral tasks, as well as psychological science more broadly. We close by offering a series of best practice recommendations and reiterating long-standing calls for attention to statistical power as a basic element of study planning.

Membrane packing defects in synaptic vesicles recruit complexin and synuclein.

Complexin-1 (Cpx) and α-synuclein (α-Syn) are involved in neurotransmitter release through an interaction with synaptic vesicles (SVs). Recent studies demonstrated that Cpx and α-Syn preferentially associate with highly curved membranes, like SVs, to correctly position them for fusion. Here, based on recent experimental results, to further propose a possible explanation for this mechanism, we performed in silico simulations probing interactions between Cpx or α-Syn and membranes of varying curvature. We found that the preferential association is attributed to smaller, curved membranes containing more packing defects that expose hydrophobic acyl tails, which may favorably interact with hydrophobic residues of Cpx and α-Syn. The number of membrane defects is proportional to the curvature and the size can be regulated by cholesterol.

Psychometric Properties of the Personality Inventory for DSM-5-Brief Form in a Community Sample with High Rates of Trauma Exposure.

In the current study, we used a sample of predominantly African-American women with high rates of trauma exposure (N = 434) to examine psychometric properties of the Personality Inventory for DSM-5-Brief Form (PID-5-BF). We compared model fit between a model with five correlated latent factors and a higher-order model in which the five latent factors were used to estimate a single "general pathology" factor. Additionally, we computed estimates of internal consistency and domain interrelations and examined indices of convergent/discriminant validity of the PID-5-BF domains by examining their relations to relevant criterion variables. The expected five-factor structure demonstrated good fit indices in a confirmatory factor analysis, and the more parsimonious, higher-order model was retained. Within this higher-order model, the first-order factors accounted for more variance in the criterion variables than the general pathology factor in most instances. The PID-5-BF domains were highly interrelated (rs = .38 to .66), and convergent/discriminant validity of the domains varied: Negative Affectivity and Detachment generally showed the hypothesized pattern of relations with external criteria, while Antagonism and Disinhibition displayed less consistent and discriminant relations. Results are discussed in terms of the costs and benefits of using brief pathological trait measures in samples characterized by high levels of psychopathology.

The quandary of covarying: A brief review and empirical examination of covariate use in structural neuroimaging studies on psychological variables.

Although covarying for potential confounds or nuisance variables is common in psychological research, relatively little is known about how the inclusion of covariates may influence the relations between psychological variables and indices of brain structure. In Part 1 of the current study, we conducted a descriptive review of relevant articles from the past two years of NeuroImage in order to identify the most commonly used covariates in work of this nature. Age, sex, and intracranial volume were found to be the most commonly used covariates, although the number of covariates used ranged from 0 to 14, with 37 different covariate sets across the 68 models tested. In Part 2, we used data from the Human Connectome Project to investigate the degree to which the addition of common covariates altered the relations between individual difference variables (i.e., personality traits, psychopathology, cognitive tasks) and regional gray matter volume (GMV), as well as the statistical significance of values associated with these effect sizes. Using traditional and random sampling approaches, our results varied widely, such that some covariate sets influenced the relations between the individual difference variables and GMV very little, while the addition of other covariate sets resulted in a substantially different pattern of results compared to models with no covariates. In sum, these results suggest that the use of covariates should be critically examined and discussed as part of the conversation on replicability in structural neuroimaging. We conclude by recommending that researchers pre-register their analytic strategy and present information on how relations differ based on the inclusion of covariates.

State School Policies as Predictors of Physical and Mental Health: A Natural Experiment in the REGARDS Cohort.

We used differences in state school policies as natural experiments to evaluate the joint influence of educational quantity and quality on late-life physical and mental health. Using US Census microsample data, historical measures of state compulsory schooling and school quality (term length, student-teacher ratio, and attendance rates) were combined via regression modeling on a scale corresponding to years of education (policy-predicted years of education (PPYEd)). PPYEd values were linked to individual-level records for 8,920 black and 14,605 white participants aged ≥45 years in the Reasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke study (2003-2007). Linear and quantile regression models estimated the association between PPYEd and Physical Component Summary (PCS) and Mental Component Summary (MCS) from the Short Form Health Survey. We examined interactions by race and adjusted for sex, birth year, state of residence at age 6 years, and year of study enrollment. Higher PPYEd was associated with better median PCS (ß = 1.28, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.40, 1.49) and possibly better median MCS (ß = 0.46, 95% CI: -0.01, 0.94). Effect estimates were higher among black (vs. white) persons (PCS × race interaction, ß = 0.22, 95% CI: -0.62, 1.05, and MCS × race interaction, ß = 0.18; 95% CI: -0.08, 0.44). When incorporating both school quality and duration, this quasiexperimental analysis found mixed evidence for a causal effect of education on health decades later.

Estimation and consumption pattern of free sugar intake in 3-year-old Irish preschool children.

PURPOSES: Dietary free sugars (FS) are the most important risk factor for dental caries and can contribute to excess energy intake. Measuring FS intake is limited by food composition databases and appropriate dietary assessment methods. The aim of this analysis was to estimate total sugar (TS) and FS intakes for Irish pre-schoolers and examine the proportion of dietary TS and FS captured using a short food questionnaire (SFQ). METHODS: This is a secondary analysis of 3-year-old children from two national surveys; Growing Up in Ireland (GUI), N = 9793 of whom 49% were girls and the National Preschool Nutrition Survey (NPNS), N = 126 and 52% were girls. GUI used SFQs and NPNS used semi-weighed food diaries to collect dietary data from 3-year-old children. Dietary intake databases were linked using an established approach. Mean daily TS and FS intakes and frequency were calculated, and consumption patterns from foods and meals are presented. The proportion of foods that were covered or non-covered by the GUI SFQ was calculated by comparison with the NPNS food diary. RESULTS: 75% of 3 year-olds had FS intake greater than the maximum recommended by WHO guidelines for free sugar intake, while 4% met the lower threshold. The median frequency of TS and FS consumption was 5.0 (4.0-6.0) and 4.0 (3.0-5.0) times/day. Less than one-quarter of TS intake (g/day) was non-covered by the GUI SFQ while less than one-third of FS intake was non-covered. CONCLUSIONS: A large majority of 3-year-old Irish children do not meet the WHO recommended guidelines for FS intake and almost none meet the desired conditional recommendation. SFQs only capture two-thirds of FS intake at this early age.

Lifting cognition: a meta-analysis of effects of resistance exercise on cognition.

The health benefits of resistance exercises are well established; however, the effects of resistance training on cognition are not as well understood. The purpose of this meta-analysis was to evaluate the evidence of resistance exercise's effects on cognition. A systematic search identified 24 studies that were included in the analyses. These articles ranged in the protocols utilized and in how they studied the effects of resistance training on cognition. Four primary analyses were carried out to assess the effects of resistance exercise on cognitive outcomes: (1) composite cognitive scores, (2) screening measures of cognitive impairment, (3) measures of executive functions, and (4) measures of working memory. Results revealed positive effects of resistance training on composite cognitive scores (SMD 0.71, 95% CI 0.30-1.12), screening measures of cognitive impairment (SMD 1.28, 95% CI 0.39-2.18), and executive functions (SMD 0.39, 95% CI 0.04-0.74), but no effect on measures of working memory (SMD 0.151, 95% CI - 0.21 to 0.51). High heterogeneity was observed in all analyses. Resistance training appears to have positive effects on cognition; however, future research will need to determine why the effects are so variable.