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Oral Candida albicans has been detected in children with early childhood caries (ECC) and has demonstrated cariogenic traits in animal models of the disease. Conversely, other studies found no positive correlation between C. albicans and caries experience in children, while suggesting it may have protective effects as a commensal organism. Thus, this study aimed to examine whether oral C. albicans is associated with ECC. Seven electronic databases were searched. The data from eligible studies were extracted, and the risk of bias was evaluated. A fixed effects model (Mantel-Haenszel estimate) was used for meta-analysis, and the summary effect measure was calculated by odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI). Fifteen cross-sectional studies were included for the qualitative assessment and 9 studies for meta-analysis. Twelve studies revealed higher oral C. albicans prevalence in ECC children than in caries-free children, while 2 studies indicated an equivalent prevalence. A pooled estimate, with OR = 6.51 and 95% CI = 4.94-8.57, indicated a significantly higher ECC experience in children with oral C. albicans than those without C. albicans (p < 0.01). The odds of experiencing ECC in children with C. albicans versus children without C. albicans were 5.26 for salivary, 6.69 for plaque, and 6.3 for oral swab samples. This systematic review indicates that children with oral C. albicans have >5 times higher odds of having ECC compared to those without C. albicans. Further prospective cohort studies are needed to determine whether C. albicans could be a risk factor for ECC, and whether it is dependent on different sample sources (saliva/plaque).

Pine forests, consisting primarily of Pinus oocarpa and P. caribaea, cover some 2.5 million hectares and are one of the principal natural resources and a significant foundation for development in Honduras. Historically, these forests have been subjected to ecological impacts and economic losses caused principally by wildfires and, to a lesser but no less significant extent, by the southern pine beetle, Dendroctonus frontalis. According to studies conducted in the United States and beliefs of rural Honduran landowners, a relationship exists between the activity of this insect pest and environmental conditions. To explore this relationship, we developed a model relating periodic southern pine beetle outbreaks and environmental conditions in Honduras. We found that increases in mean ambient temperatures in the month of June, reductions in mean monthly precipitation in June and July, and climatic anomalies in warm months that influence the annual frequency of wildfires were 48 correlated with the occurrence and extent of southern pine beetle outbreaks since 1982. With the small amount of information available and lacking previous studies on the causes of bark beetle outbreaks in Central America, this study provides valuable information on the importance of forest management to address southern pine beetle outbreaks and illustrates a general approach that will help to predict the effects of climate change on pine forests of Honduras., Los bosques de pino en Honduras son uno de los principales capitales naturales y fuente de desarrollo de esta nación Centroamericana. Sin embargo, a través del tiempo estos bosques han estado sometidos a alteraciones ecológicas y pérdida de su extensión causado principalmente por los incendios forestales y en una menor proporción pero no menos significativa por el gorgojo descortezador Dendroctonus frontalis. Según estudios conocidos en el sur de Estados Unidos y el planteamiento de las comunidades campesinas propietarias de gran parte de estos bosques en Honduras, existe una relación evidente de la respuesta de este insecto descortezador con las condiciones medioambientales. Considerando las relaciones entre el gorgojo descortezador y las condiciones medioambientales en un modelo lineal, se encontró que aumentos en la temperatura promedio, anomalías climáticas de meses calurosos y afectación anual por incendios forestales influyen sobre la ocurrencia y extensión de plagas del D. frontalis. Ante la poca información disponible y ningún estudio sobre las causas de las plagas del D. frontalis en Centroamérica, queda de manifiesto la importancia de este tipo de estudios para la toma de decisiones sobre el manejo de los bosques e ilustran un enfoque general que ayudaría a predecir los efectos que traería el cambio climático en los bosques de pino de Honduras.