The effect of music therapy on tinnitus: A systematic review.

OBJECTIVES: Tinnitus is a common otological symptom affecting almost all aspects of life, especially the quality of daily life. The present study aims to analyze music therapy effect on tinnitus patients. This paper mainly analyzes 3 kinds of music therapy: Heidelberg model of music therapy (HMOMT), standard music therapy (SMT), and tailor-made notched music training (TMNMT). To provide a reference for the follow-up treatment of tinnitus, whether to take and what kind of music therapy. METHOD: A systematic literature search was performed in PubMed, Cochrane Library, EMBASE, Web of Science, and MEDLINE to obtain potential studies from their inception to May 2023 in all languages. Two researchers independently screened the studies, extracted data, and assessed the quality of the included studies. We included all randomized and non-randomized controlled trials that used music therapy to treat patients with tinnitus. We used fixed-effects and random-effect models to analyze data based on the heterogeneity results. The data analysis was performed by using Stata 12.0. RESULTS: A total of 19 studies with 904 cases were included. Compared with before treatment, music therapy significantly reduces the tinnitus questionnaire score and tinnitus handicap inventory score. HMOMT, SMT, and TMNMT all significantly decrease tinnitus scores. Although the order of effectiveness of the 3 drugs is TMNMT > SMT > HMOMT, there is no statistical significance (P > .5). CONCLUSION: This meta-analysis of accumulated clinical trial data suggests that music therapy can relieve tinnitus symptoms and loudness. Among music therapies, SMT is recommended first for tinnitus based on cost, efficacy, and convenience. At the same time, TMNMT and HMOMT can be used as alternative therapies for specific cases.

Three-dimensional printing and 3D slicer powerful tools in understanding and treating neurosurgical diseases.

With the development of the 3D printing industry, clinicians can research 3D printing in preoperative planning, individualized implantable materials manufacturing, and biomedical tissue modeling. Although the increased applications of 3D printing in many surgical disciplines, numerous doctors do not have the specialized range of abilities to utilize this exciting and valuable innovation. Additionally, as the applications of 3D printing technology have increased within the medical field, so have the number of printable materials and 3D printers. Therefore, clinicians need to stay up-to-date on this emerging technology for benefit. However, 3D printing technology relies heavily on 3D design. 3D Slicer can transform medical images into digital models to prepare for 3D printing. Due to most doctors lacking the technical skills to use 3D design and modeling software, we introduced the 3D Slicer to solve this problem. Our goal is to review the history of 3D printing and medical applications in this review. In addition, we summarized 3D Slicer technologies in neurosurgery. We hope this article will enable many clinicians to leverage the power of 3D printing and 3D Slicer.

U0126: Not only a MAPK kinase inhibitor.

U0126, as an inhibitor of the MAPK signaling pathway, is closely related to various biological processes, such as differentiation, cell growth, autophagy, apoptosis, and stress responses. It makes U0126 play an essential role in balancing cellular homeostasis. Although U0126 has been suggested to inhibit various cancers, its complete mechanisms have not been clarified in cancers. This review summarized the most recent and relevant research on the many applications of U0126 and described its role and mechanisms in different cancer cell types. Moreover, some acknowledged functions of U0126 researched in the laboratory were listed in our review. We discussed the probability of using U0126 to restain cancers or suppress the MAPK pathway as a novel way of cancer treatment.

The Efficacy of Group Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Preventing Post-Stroke Depression: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Post-stroke depression (PSD) is a common psychiatric complication of stroke and is associated with the subsequent prognosis, yet still lacking of enough attention. PSD is preventable, and psychotherapy is an alternative prophylactic treatment which needs more solid evidences to confirm its efficacy. In this study, group Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (G-ACT) was performed in acute stroke patients to see if it can effectively relieve depressive symptoms and improve neurological function. The efficacy was also evaluated in stroke patients of different severity. METHODS: One hundred and four hospitalized patients with acute ischemic stroke were enrolled according to the inclusion criteria and exclusion criteria. After baseline evaluation, they were randomly allocated to the intervention (G-ACT) group and the control (usual care) group. Patients in the control group received routine stroke treatment, while those in the intervention group were given additional G-ACT treatment (5 sessions, 45-55 min/session). Both of the two groups were assessed with 24-item Hamilton Depression Scale (HAMD-24), National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS), and Barthel Index (BI) at baseline, 2 weeks, 1 month, and 3 months follow-up. Patients were further divided into the mild stroke group (NIHSS 0-3) and the moderate stroke group (NIHSS 4-9), HAMD scores at different time points were also assessed. RESULTS: The HAMD score of G-ACT group was significantly lower than that of control group at 1 month (p = 0.018) and 3 months follow-up (p = 0.001). As to the NIHSS score, there was no significant difference between the two groups within the follow-up period (p > 0.05). The BI score of the two groups was statistically different at 2 weeks (p = 0.033) and 1 month (p = 0.019), while no difference was shown at 3 months (p = 0.191). In acute phase, the HAMD score of moderate stroke patients was significantly higher than that of mild ones (p < 0.001). After G-ACT treatment, both mild and moderate stroke patients showed lower HAMD score at 3 months follow-up (p = 0.004; p = 0.033). CONCLUSIONS: G-ACT seems to be a viable and effective treatment for preventing PSD in the acute phase of stroke, while the efficacy of which on improving neurological deficits needs to be further evaluated.

Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on haemorrhagic stroke admissions: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: COVID-19 pandemic, a global health crisis, is disrupting the present medical environment. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on stroke hospitalisations, especially haemorrhagic stroke. METHODS: The EMBASE, PubMed, Web of Science, Elsevier, Medline, Cochrane Library and Google Scholar electronic databases were searched for all relevant studies. Two researchers independently screened the studies, extracted data and assessed the quality of the included studies. Odds ratio (OR), total events, OR and 95% CI were considered as the effect size. A fixed-effects model was used to pool the study-specific estimate. The present study was performed by using Review Manager (V.5.3.0) software. We assessed the risk of bias using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. RESULTS: A total of 17 studies with 14 445 cases were included. Overall, the number of stroke admissions is lower in the pandemic period versus the control period (6252 vs 8193). The difference of haemorrhagic stroke is significant, with 1233 of 6252 cases in the pandemic group and 1621 of 8193 cases in the control group. Intracerebral haemorrhage is present in 461 of 1948 cases in the pandemic group and 618 of 2734 cases in the control group. As for subarachnoid haemorrhage, the difference between the two groups is significant, with 70 of 985 cases in the pandemic group and 202 of 1493 cases in the control group. CONCLUSIONS: The number of stroke admissions is lower in the pandemic period compared with the control period. There is a higher rate of haemorrhagic stroke in the pandemic period. Subgroup analysis identifies a significant increase in the occurrence of intracerebral haemorrhage in the pandemic period. Due to limited data and the impact of a single article, the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on subarachnoid haemorrhage is unclear.

Prophylactic cognitive enhancers for improvement of cognitive function in patients undergoing electroconvulsive therapy: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: Cognitive enhancers, including cholinesterase inhibitors and memantine, are used to treat dementia, but their effect for reducing post-electroconvulsive therapy (post-ECT) cognitive side effects is unclear. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess the effectiveness of cognitive enhancers in the prevention of cognitive side effects due to ECT. METHODS: We identified relevant studies by searching electronic databases (e.g., PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, Cochrane Library). Only studies published up to October 2019 comparing cognitive enhancer vs placebo for cognitive function after ECT were included. The primary outcome extracted from the studies was cognitive function score. RESULTS: Five studies with 202 patients were included in this study. The cognitive enhancer group (CEG) had a significantly higher cognitive function score. Moreover, sensitivity analysis showed that no individual study had a significant impact on the overall results. CONCLUSIONS: This meta-analysis revealed that cognitive enhancers might improve cognitive function and reduce ECT-induced cognitive side effects. Nevertheless, more high-quality randomized controlled trials (RCTs) with long-term follow-up are still needed to make the final conclusion.