Symptoms In Persons Research Articles

A Pilot Study on the Functional Stability of Phonation in EEG Bands After Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation in Parkinson's Disease.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative condition with constantly increasing prevalence rates, affecting strongly life quality in terms of neuromotor and cognitive performance. PD symptoms include voice and speech alterations, known as hypokinetic dysarthria (HD). Unstable phonation is one of the manifestations of HD. Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is a rehabilitative treatment thathas been shown to improve some motor and non-motor symptoms of persons with PD (PwP). This study analyzed the phonation functional behavior of 18 participants (13 males, 5 females) with PD diagnosis before (one pre-stimulus) and after (four post-stimulus) evaluation sessions of rTMS treatment, to assess the extent of changes in their phonation stability. Participants were randomized 1:1 to receive either rTMS or sham stimulation. Voice recordings of a sustained vowel [a:] taken immediately before and after the treatment, and at follow-up evaluation sessions (immediately after, at six, ten, and fourteen weeks after the baseline assessment) were processed by inverse filtering to estimate a biomechanical correlate of vocal fold tension. This estimate was further band-pass filtered into EEG-related frequency bands. Log-likelihood ratios (LLRs) between pre- and post-stimulus amplitude distributions of each frequency band showed significant differences in five cases actively stimulated. Seven cases submitted to the sham protocol did not show relevant improvements in phonation instability. Conversely, four active cases did not show phonation improvements, whereas two sham cases did. The study provides early preliminary insights into the capability of phonation quality assessment by monitoring neuromechanical activity from acoustic signals in frequency bands aligned with EEG ones.

Psychometric properties of the Fonseca Anamnestic Index (FAI) for temporomandibular disorders: Turkish version, responsiveness, reliability, and validity study

Purpose Many assessment tools have been proposed for use in clinical practice and research on individuals with temporomandibular disorders (TMD). It aimed to translate the Fonseca Anamnestic Index into Turkish (FAI/T) and examine the responsiveness, reliability and validity of the FAI/T in this study. Materials and methods Two hundred forty-nine individuals (207 female/42 male) with TMD were included in this study according to the RDC/TMD (muscle disorders, disc displacement, arthralgia and mixed disorders (muscle disorders and disc displacement)). Reliability was evaluated with test-retest reliability, internal consistency, and reproducibility. Validity was assessed with structural validity, construct validity, content validity, and face validity. In addition, responsiveness and floor and ceiling effects were also examined. Results The ICC value (0.906) and Cronbach’s α (0.951) of the (FAI/T) were excellent. Following Explarotary Factor Analysis, two factors were extracted, accounting for 51.859% of the total variation. Structural validity, construct validity, content validity, and face validity analyses proved the validity of the FAI/T. The responsiveness analysis showed that the Turkish FAI and its subscales were able to detect change over time. Conclusions The FAI/T has shown excellent reliability and good validity. The FAI/T can assess the symptoms of Turkish-speaking persons with TMD. Clinical Trials registration number: NCT04274985

Evaluation of Gastrointestinal Symptoms in an ALS Cohort (P10-8.007)

<h3>Objective:</h3> The aim in this study is to understand the frequency of gastrointestinal symptoms in persons with ALS and relationship to disease duration and severity. <h3>Background:</h3> Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis is a disorder of motor neurons in which involvement of the enteric nervous system (ENS) has been implicated. Delayed gastric emptying and slowing of colonic transit time are reported. These symptoms impact the use of anticholinergic agents for treatments and offer opportunities for interventions that improve quality of life. <h3>Design/Methods:</h3> Patients diagnosed with ALS were recruited from the MDA/ALS Center of Hope Clinic at Temple University and healthy control volunteers were accepted. Patient Assessment of GI symptoms (GI-SYM) and Patient Assessment of Constipation (PAC-SYM) questionnaires are patient reported severity of symptoms over a 2-week history on an ordinal level. ALS Functional Rating Scale – Revised (ALSFRS-R), a 12-item questionnaire, assesses functional disability across 4 domains: bulbar, fine motor, gross motor and respiratory. Data was analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics software. <h3>Results:</h3> 31 subjects are enrolled in the study with 12 controls and 19 ALS cases. The median(IQR) GI-SYM, PAC-SYM, and ALSFRS-R scores were 4.5(8), 1(4.75), and 42.5(15), respectively. A two-tailed t test, assuming unequal variances, revealed significant differences in PAC-SYM scores between healthy controls and ALS cases (t(23.22) = −2.17, p = 0.041). Spearman Rank Correlation revealed positive correlation between GI-SYM and PAC-SYM (r(26) = 0.70, p &lt; 0.001) and negative correlation between ALSFRS-R and GI-SYM (r(26) = −0.44, p = 0.019). <h3>Conclusions:</h3> In this preliminary study, the 2-week history GI-SYM questionnaire negatively correlated with ALSFRS-R scores and there was significant difference in PAC-SYM scores between healthy controls and ALS cases, suggesting potential enteric nervous system involvement. Recent evidence of brain-gut interaction, importance of the ENS, and the role of the microbiome in ALS and other neurodegenerative diseases suggests these symptoms are in part disease related. <b>Disclosure:</b> Dr. Empeno has nothing to disclose. Mr. Furey has nothing to disclose. Dr. Heiman-Patterson has received personal compensation in the range of $500-$4,999 for serving as a Consultant for ITF. Dr. Heiman-Patterson has received personal compensation in the range of $500-$4,999 for serving as a Consultant for MTPA. Dr. Heiman-Patterson has received personal compensation in the range of $500-$4,999 for serving as a Consultant for Samus. Dr. Heiman-Patterson has received personal compensation in the range of $500-$4,999 for serving on a Scientific Advisory or Data Safety Monitoring board for MTPA. Dr. Heiman-Patterson has received personal compensation in the range of $500-$4,999 for serving on a Scientific Advisory or Data Safety Monitoring board for Biogen. Dr. Heiman-Patterson has received personal compensation in the range of $500-$4,999 for serving on a Scientific Advisory or Data Safety Monitoring board for Amylym. Dr. Heiman-Patterson has received personal compensation in the range of $500-$4,999 for serving on a Scientific Advisory or Data Safety Monitoring board for Biohaven. Dr. Heiman-Patterson has received personal compensation in the range of $500-$4,999 for serving on a Scientific Advisory or Data Safety Monitoring board for Cytokinetics.

Association between specific social activities and depressive symptoms among older adults: A study of urban-rural differences in China.

Engaging in social activities can help older persons with their depressed symptoms. Few studies, however, have looked into the connection between social interactions and depressed symptoms in Chinese older persons. The aim of this study was to investigate differences in older Chinese individuals' social activity involvement and depressive symptoms across urban and rural settings. A cross-sectional investigation using information from the 2018 China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS), which was limited to older individuals aged 60 and over. Generalized linear models were constructed to assess the effects of participants' characteristics and specific social activities on CES-D scores. The association between specific social activities and depressed symptoms was investigated using multivariate logistic regression analysis. In this study, it was discovered that older individuals had a prevalence of depressed symptoms of 36.2%, with rural older adults having a greater prevalence of depressive symptoms (39.7%) than urban older adults (30.9%). Our results showed that for urban respondents, providing help to others (not regularly. OR = 0.753, 95% CI: 0.579-0.980, P = 0.035), going to a sport (not regularly. OR = 0.685, 95% CI: 0.508-0.924, P = 0.013), and using the Internet (not regular. OR = 0.613, 95% CI: 0.477-0.789, P < 0.001; almost weekly. OR = 0.196, 95% CI: 0.060-0.645, P = 0.007) were all significantly and negatively associated with depressive symptoms, while for rural respondents, interacting with friends (not regularly. OR = 1.205, 95% CI: 1.028-01.412, P = 0.021) and using the Internet (not regularly. OR = 0.441, 95% CI: 0.278-0.698, P < 0.001) were significantly and negatively associated with depressive symptoms. According to our research, there is a cross-sectional relationship between participating in a specific social activity and depressed symptoms in Chinese older adults, and this relationship varies across urban and rural older adults. This suggests that taking part in specific social activities may be crucial for reducing depression symptoms in older persons, developing more focused interventions that might support healthy aging, and offering a guide for policymakers and activists working to improve the mental health of seniors.

Quality of life and psychosocial adjustment: the moderator role of anxiety symptoms in persons with temporal lobe epilepsy due to hippocampal sclerosis

IntroductionPersons with temporal lobe epilepsy due to hippocampal sclerosis (TLE-HS) have a high frequency of psychiatric disorders, namely depression and anxiety. In addition, poor quality of life (QOL) and impairments in psychosocial adjustment are frequently reported. Despite the increasing number of studies aiming to identify predictors of poorer QOL, the role of depressive and anxiety symptoms remains poorly understood.ObjectivesThis study aimed to evaluate: (1) if psychosocial adjustment predicts worse QOL; (2) the relationship between psychosocial adjustment and QOL by concurrently examining the role of depressive and anxiety symptoms.Methods: ParticipantsThirty-five persons with TLE-HS ranging from 18 to 60 years old (mean age 39.82 SD 9.05; 20 men 57.14%) followed in a tertiary outpatient center underwent neurologic and psychiatric assessments.AssessmentsThe psychiatry interview was performed using the Structured Clinical Interview for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (SCID). Psychosocial adjustment was assessed with the total score of the Social Adjustment Scale (SAS) (SAS Overall). The QOL was evaluated by the total score of the Quality of Life in Epilepsy-31 Inventory (Overall QOLIE-31), the most frequently used instrument in assessing QOL in epilepsy. The Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI-X) were used to assess depressive and anxiety symptoms, respectively.AnalysesPrediction analysis was performed to evaluate the impact of psychosocial adjustment on QOL (simple linear regression). Simple moderation models were used to examine the moderation effect of depressive and anxiety symptoms on the association between PA and QOL (Figure 1). We used SPSS (version 29 IBM Corp) and PROCESS Macro (version 4.1. for SPSS) to perform regression and moderation analyses (Figures 2 and 3), respectively.ResultsPoor psychosocial adjustment (higher scores on SAS) impacted on poor QOL (lower scores on QOLIE-31) (R=0.39; R2=0.15; adjusted R2= 0.12; B=-0.39; t=-2.28; p=0.03). The severity of anxiety symptoms (Trait and State; coefficient=-0.64; t=-2.01; p=0.05 and coefficient=-1.17; t=-2.20; p=0.03, respectively), but not the severity of depressive symptoms (coefficient=0.77; t= 1.37; p=0.18), moderated the relationship between psychosocial adjustment and QOL.Image:Image 2:Image 3:ConclusionsPsychosocial adjustment is a predictor of QOL in TLE-HS. Anxiety symptoms moderate this relationship between psychosocial adjustment and QOL. Consequently, higher anxiety symptoms are associated with worse psychosocial adjustment and quality of life.Disclosure of InterestNone Declared

Aberrant hippocampus and amygdala morphology associated with cognitive deficits in schizophrenia.

Working memory deficits are thought to be a primary disturbance in schizophrenia. We aimed to identify differences in morphology of the hippocampus and amygdala in patients with schizophrenia compared with healthy controls (HCs), and in patients who were either neuropsychologically near normal (NPNN) or neuropsychologically impaired (NPI). Morphological disturbances in the same subfields of the hippocampus and amygdala, but of greater magnitude in those with NPI, would strengthen evidence for the centrality of these limbic regions and working memory deficits in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia. We acquired anatomical MRIs in 69 patients with schizophrenia (18 NPNN, 46 NPI) and 63 age-matched HC participants. We compared groups in hippocampus and amygdala surface morphologies and correlated morphological measures with clinical symptoms and working memory scores. Schizophrenia was associated with inward deformations of the head and tail of the hippocampus, protrusion of the hippocampal body, and widespread inward deformations of the amygdala. In the same regions where we detected the effects of schizophrenia, morphological measures correlated positively with the severity of symptoms and inversely with working memory performance. Patients with NPI displayed a similar pattern of anatomical abnormality compared to patients with NPNN. Our findings indicate that anatomical abnormalities of the hippocampus relate to working memory performance and clinical symptoms in persons with schizophrenia. Moreover, NPNN and NPI patients may lie on a continuum of severity, both in terms of working memory abilities and altered brain structure, with NPI patients being more severe than NPNN patients in both domains.

The psychological impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in the elderly in southwest China: A longitudinal study based on generalized estimating equations

The objectives of this study were to assess the trends in anxiety and depression levels in older adults nearly 10 months after the outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and explore its determinants. A longitudinal study was performed between October 2019 and December 2020. The Patient Health Questionnaire 9-Item Scale and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-Item Scale were used to assess depression and anxiety. Data were collected before (wave 1), during (wave 2), and 10 months after the COVID-19 outbreak (wave 3). The prevalence of depressive symptoms in the elderly was found to be 18.9%, 28.1%, and 35.9% at wave 1, wave 2, and wave 3 respectively. The prevalence of depressive symptoms at wave 1 was lower than that at wave 2 (χ2 = 15.544, P < 0.001) and wave 3 (χ2= 44.878, P < 0.001). There was no significant change in the prevalence of anxious symptoms (wave 1, 28.5%, wave 2, 30.3%, and wave 3, 30.3%). Older adults who were single/divorced/widowed had higher levels of anxiety compared with those who were married (OR = 2.306 95%CI 1.358–3.914, P = 0.002). The pandemic appeared to be associated with increases in depressive symptoms in older persons. Targeted interventions could be carried out among those with higher risk of maladjustment.

Personalized Help-Seeking Web Application for Chinese-Speaking International University Students: Development and Usability Study.

The mental health of international students is a growing concern for education providers, students, and their families. Chinese international students have low rates of help seeking owing to language, stigma, and mental health literacy barriers. Web-based help-seeking interventions may improve the rate of help seeking among Chinese international students. This study aimed to describe the development of a mental well-being web app providing personalized feedback and tailored psychoeducation and resources to support help seeking among international university students whose first language is Chinese and test the web application's uptake and engagement. The bilingual MindYourHead web application contains 6 in-app assessments for various areas of mental health, and users are provided with personalized feedback on symptom severity, psychoeducation tailored to the person's symptoms and information about relevant interventions, and tailored links to external resources and mental health services. A feasibility study was conducted within a school at the University of Sydney to examine the uptake and engagement of the web application among Chinese international students and any demographic characteristics or help-seeking attitudes or intentions that were associated with its engagement. A total of 130 Chinese international students signed up on the web application. There was an uptake of 13.4% (122/908) in the schools' Chinese student enrollment. Most participants (76/130, 58.5%) preferred to use the web application in Chinese and used informal but not formal help for their mental health. There was considerable attrition owing to a design issue, and only 46 students gained access to the full content of the web application. Of these, 67% (31/46) of participants completed 1 or more of the in-app mental well-being assessments. The most commonly engaged in-app assessments were distress (23/31, 74%), stress (17/31, 55%), and sleep (15/31, 48%), with the majority scoring within the moderate- or high-risk level of the score range. In total, 10% (9/81) of the completed in-app assessments led to clicks to external resources or services. No demographic or help-seeking intentions or attitudes were associated with web-application engagement. There were promising levels of demand, uptake, and engagement with the MindYourHead web application. The web application appears to attract students who wished to access mental health information in their native language, those who had poor mental health in the past but relied on informal support, and those who were at moderate or high risk of poor mental well-being. Further research is required to explore ways to improve uptake and engagement and to test the efficacy of the web application on Chinese international students' mental health literacy, stigma, and help seeking.

Verbal Memory Performance and Depressive Symptoms in Persons with Treated HIV.

The link between memory and comorbid depression in persons with HIV (PWH) is unclear based on evidence from published cohorts. We compared verbal memory in the HVLT-R in a well-characterized HIV cohort (n = 354) with (n = 102) or without (n = 252) comorbid depressive symptoms, and examined memory correlates in both scenarios. Memory fell within unimpaired ranges, but was lower in depressed than non-depressed PWH. Memory was related to quality of life, sociodemographic, and mental health factors, but not to assessed HIV-related or antiretroviral factors. However, longitudinally (n = 52) memory declined with presence and severity of depressive symptoms. In this treated cohort, verbal memory was unrelated to HIV-related variables but to quality of life and depressive symptoms. Greater performance decline over time also related to acute or ongoing depressive symptoms. These findings highlight the importance of addressing comorbid depressive symptoms to improve quality of life in persons with treated HIV.

Empowering Persons With Mental Illness to Begin the Recovery Journey: An Example of Overcoming Internalized Stigma

Internalized stigma is a significant obstacle encountered on the journey to recovery for persons with mental illness. Services provided through the empowerment model of care have been shown to be effective in overcoming this obstacle. However, the mental health care system in Taiwan continues to focus on providing care using the medical or rehabilitation model. In this article, the related consequences and psychological effect mechanism of internalized stigma in persons with mental illness are presented and evidence-based interventions for internalized stigma are demonstrated. Next, we share the clinical experiences to advocate for the use by professionals of the empowerment model. Self-efficacy and empowerment may mediate the psychological effects of internalized stigma on quality of life and depression, while social networks and peer support may buffer its negative consequences. Related evidence-based interventions include psycho-education, motivation enhancement, self-help or peer-delivered services, and cognitive behavioral model and goal-oriented skill training. Empowerment model services are based on scientific evidence that are practiced under the rubric of self-determination and constructed in supportive environments. When examining psychiatric symptoms in persons with mental illness, professionals may concurrently evaluate for issues related to internalized stigma and encourage those patients with internalized stigma to self-determine and participate in therapy. In psycho-education and skill training therapies, professionals may also apply the lived experiences of peers with recovery to identify and share important knowledge and life skills. When connecting patients to community resources, professionals should encourage stakeholders to help persons with mental illness put their decisions into practice.

Recent Hospitalization and Initiation of Antiepileptics Among Persons With Alzheimer's Disease.

Antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) are frequently prescribed for persons with Alzheimer's disease (AD), but little is known on factors associated with AED initiation in this population. We investigated whether recent hospitalization is associated with AED initiation in persons with AD. Nested case-control study in the nationwide register-based Medication use and Alzheimer's disease (MEDALZ) cohort. The MEDALZ cohort includes 70,718 persons diagnosed with AD during 2005-2011 in Finland. Altogether 6814 AED initiators and 6814 age-, sex-, and time since AD diagnosis-matched noninitiators were included in this study. Matching date was the date of AED initiation. AED purchases were identified from the Prescription Register and hospitalizations from the Care Register for Health Care. Recent hospitalization was defined as hospitalization ending within 2weeks before the matching date. Association between recent hospitalization and AED initiation was assessed with conditional logistic regression. The most frequently initiated AEDs were pregabalin (42.9%) and valproic acid (32.2%). A bigger proportion of AED initiators (36.9%) than noninitiators (5.3%) were recently hospitalized [odds ratio (OR) 10.5, 95% CI 9.22-11.9]. Dementia was the most frequent discharge diagnosis among AED initiators (29.1%) and noninitiators (27.9%). Among AED initiators, the next most frequent diagnosis was epilepsy (20.6%). Musculoskeletal diagnoses and use of analgesics including opioids was more common among gabapentinoid initiators compared with other AED initiators. Recent hospitalization was significantly related to AED initiation. Initiations of AED might have been related to common symptoms in persons with AD like neuropathic pain, epilepsy, and neuropsychiatric symptoms.

Balance and Fall Risk Assessment in Community-Dwelling Older Adults after Recovery from COVID-19: A Cross-Sectional Study.

SARS-CoV-2 atypical symptoms in older persons include falls, confusion, dizziness, and unusual weariness. Falls and their consequences are among the most prevalent causes of disability among older adults, significantly lowering quality of life and resulting in the loss of independence as well as impaired psychosocial functioning. The study purpose was to examine the impact of the SARS-CoV-2 infectious disease on balance in community-dwelling older adults. Sixty-four older adults aged ≥ 60 years from both sexes, 31 treated for SARS-CoV-2 infection and 33 matched normal controls participated in the study. The Biodex Stability System (BSS) and Berg Balance Scale (BBS) were used for evaluation of balance and fall risk. The correlation between the Biodex overall stability index and the Berg Balance Scale score was investigated. When compared to controls, the SARS-CoV-2 group had significantly higher values of the Biodex overall stability index (OSI) (p = 0.011), anterior-posterior stability index (APSI) (p = 0.013), mediolateral stability index (MLSI) (p = 0.018), and fall risk index (FRI) (p = 0.008), as well as statistically lower scores on the Berg balance scale (p = 0.003). A moderate negative correlation was found between the two assessment tools in the SARS-CoV-2 group. Balance impairment and an increased risk of falling are among the outcomes of SARS-CoV-2 in community-dwelling older adults.

Intensive critical care and management of asthmatic and smoker patients in COVID-19 infection.

This century's most serious catastrophe, COVID-19, has been dubbed "the most life-threatening disaster ever". Asthmatic persons are even more prone to COVID-19's complex interplay with the underlying inflammatory condition. In order to protect themselves against COVID-19, asthmatic patients must be very vigilant in their usage of therapeutic techniques and drugs (e.g., bronchodilators, 5-lipoxygenase inhibitors), which may be accessed to deal with mild, moderate, and severe COVID-19 indications. People with asthma may have more severe COVID-19 symptoms, which may lead to a worsening of their condition. Several cytokines were found to be elevated in the bronchial tracts of patients with acute instances of COVID-19, suggesting that this ailment may aggravate asthma episodes by increasing inflammation. The intensity of COVID-19 symptoms is lessened in patients with asthma who have superior levels of T-cells. Several antibiotics, antivirals, antipyretics, and anti-inflammatory drugs have been suggested to suppress COVID-19 symptoms in asthmatic persons. Furthermore, smokers are more likely to have aggravated repercussions in COVID-19 infection. Being hospitalized to critical care due to COVID-19, needing mechanical breathing, and suffering from serious health repercussions, are all possible outcomes for someone who has previously smoked. Smoking damages airways and alveoli, which significantly raises the risk of COVID-19-related health complications. Patients with a previous record of smoking are predisposed to severe COVID-19 disease symptoms that essentially require a combination of bronchodilators, mucolytics, antivirals, and antimuscarinic drugs, to cope with the situation. The present review discusses the care and management of asthmatic and smoker patients in COVID-19 infection.

Olopatadine/Mometasone (Ryaltris) for Allergic Rhinitis

The FDA has approved Ryaltris (Hikma), a fixed-dose combination nasal spray containing the H1-antihistamine olopatadine hydrochloride (Patanase, and generics) and the corticosteroid mometasone furoate (Nasonex 24 HR Allergy, and generics), for treatment of seasonal allergic rhinitis symptoms in persons ≥12 years old.

Burden of significant anxiety and stress symptoms in persons with visual impairment in a Nigerian hospital: Association with vision-related quality of life

Burden of significant anxiety and stress symptoms in persons with visual impairment in a Nigerian hospital: Association with vision-related quality of life

Depression in Older Adults: May Be the Mass Under the Tip of the Iceberg?

Aims: Our aim was to investigate the relationship between common geriatric syndromes and depression. Methods: 515 patients over 65 years old admitted to a university hospital participated in this cross-sectional study. The Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), the European Quality of Life (EQ-5D), and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) were administered to the participants in addition to the Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment. The Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) was used to assess depressive symptoms in persons 65 years and older. Results: The mean age of the participants was 72.26.3 years, and 133 (24.8%) of them scored high on the GDS for depression. The non-depressed group had lower rates of sarcopenia, fewer medications, lower BAI and PSQI scores, and higher EQ-5D and Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL) scores. Correlation analysis showed that the GDS score was moderately positively associated with the number of medications (r = 0.351, p = &lt;0.001), the BAI score (r = 0.638, p = &lt;0.001), and moderately negatively associated with the IADL score (r = -0.355, p = &lt;0.001) and the Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA) score (r = -0.316, p = &lt;0.001). After multivariate logistic regression analysis, IADL, MNA, and BAI scores were independently associated with depression (p = 0.026, OR = 0.72, p = 0.026, OR = 0.94, and p = &lt;0.001, OR = 1.11, respectively). Conclusions: Interventions aimed at alleviating depressive symptoms may be an effective strategy for preventing the adverse consequences of depression that lead to deterioration in quality of life. Therefore, focusing on factors that are independently associated with depression, such as dependency in activities of daily living, anxiety symptoms, and poor nutritional status, may be a useful method in the management of older patients with depression.

Lecanemab for Alzheimer's disease: new hope or another false dawn?

Lecanemab for Alzheimer's disease: new hope or another false dawn?

FERMENTATION ENHANCED NUTRITIONAL QUALITY OF FOOD- A REVIEW

Among the earliest processed food products, fermented foods are those ingested by humans. Through fermentation techniques different semi-digested and reactive meals can sometimes be converted into functional foods which have a beneficial effect on health. Generally, fermentation helps to eliminate numerous unwanted microbes and toxins from food particles while also introducing helpful microbes to help with digestion, these bacteria also help to develop new enzymes. Fermentation also enhances the quality of different food products such as soybeans, dairy products, cereals, etc. by including their nutritional status. Thereby quality of functional foods can be increased through fermentation which generally improves the GI Tract health, acts as immune system enhancer, improving the bio-availability of nutrients, lowering the lactose intolerance habitat, reducing the appearance of allergic symptoms in susceptible persons and also sometimes decreasing the risk of certain diseases including cancer. Basically fermented foods contain probiotic organisms which may be the probable agents to enhance the health benefits of individuals. In this article, emphasis has been given to the beneficial effect of fermented foods on the general health of the human being.

Genetic Approaches for the Treatment of Giant Axonal Neuropathy.

Giant axonal neuropathy (GAN) is a pediatric, hereditary, neurodegenerative disorder that affects both the central and peripheral nervous systems. It is caused by mutations in the GAN gene, which codes for the gigaxonin protein. Gigaxonin plays a role in intermediate filament (IF) turnover hence loss of function of this protein leads to IF aggregates in various types of cells. These aggregates can lead to abnormal cellular function that manifests as a diverse set of symptoms in persons with GAN including nerve degeneration, cognitive issues, skin diseases, vision loss, and muscle weakness. GAN has no cure at this time. Currently, an adeno-associated virus (AAV) 9-mediated gene replacement therapy is being tested in a phase I clinical trial for the treatment of GAN. This review paper aims to provide an overview of giant axonal neuropathy and the current efforts at developing a treatment for this devastating disease.

Examining the role of micronutrients on improving long COVID sleep-related symptoms.

Long COVID is defined as the continuation of symptoms for four or more weeks after initial contraction of the virus. This review article examines the role of four select micronutrients (zinc, vitamins C, D and polyphenols) for their anti-inflammatory and therapeutic potential to improve sleep-related symptoms in persons with long COVID. Evidence suggests a link between long COVID and increased inflammation. There are currently no therapeutic interventions for common sleep-related symptoms associated with long COVID. Micronutrients, due to their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, may have a role in the treatment of sleep-related symptoms in the context of long COVID. A narrative literature review was conducted and guided by the PRISMA checklist. All articles were screened from PubMed, ScienceDirect, NCBI or Google Scholar and were limited to human studies. The following keywords were used: 'COVID-19', 'sleep symptoms', 'zinc', 'vitamin C', 'vitamin D', 'polyphenols' and 'micronutrients'. There are currently no studies that examine the usage of micronutrients and its impacts on long-term, sleep-related symptoms post-COVID-19 infection. We focussed our review on prior studies that examined micronutrients in the context of sleep symptoms and inflammation, while exploring the potential for micronutrients to help improve sleep-related symptoms associated with long COVID. There is evidence to suggest that sleep-related symptoms associated with long COVID, such as fatigue and poor sleep quality, are associated with inflammation. Zinc, vitamins C, D and polyphenols all have the potential to improve both inflammation and sleep quality to alleviate symptoms. Future research should further examine these micronutrients in the context of long COVID to improve sleep and quality of life. This article provides implications for clinicians to be at the forefront of research on the usage of micronutrients to improve sleep-related symptoms in persons with long COVID.