Factors associated with depression in people with epilepsy: a retrospective case-control analysis.

PURPOSE: This study investigated factors associated with depression in people with epilepsy. METHODS: All adult patients attending our epilepsy clinic in 2018 were screened for inclusion in this study. Eligible patients were divided into case and control groups, depending on the presence of co-morbid depression. Depressive disorders were diagnosed by a psychiatrist. Demographics and clinical characteristics, including epilepsy features and antiepileptic drug use, were compared between groups. The factors contributing to onset of depression after diagnosis of epilepsy were further analysed by binomial logistic regression. Statistical significance was set at P<0.05. RESULTS: Forty four patients with epilepsy who had depression and 514 patients with epilepsy who did not have depression were included in this study (occurrence rate=7.9%). Female sex (P=0.005), older age (P<0.001), temporal lobe epilepsy (P=0.01), and higher number of antiepileptic drugs used (P=0.003) were associated with depression in patients with epilepsy. No differences were observed in other epilepsy-related factors including aetiology, seizure type, and laterality of epileptic focus. Binomial logistic regression showed that female sex (P=0.01; odds ratio [OR]=3.56), drug-resistant epilepsy (P<0.001; OR=4.79), and clonazepam use (P<0.001; OR=14.41) were significantly positively associated with risk of depression after epilepsy diagnosis, whereas valproate use (P=0.03; OR=0.37) was significantly negatively associated with risk of depression. CONCLUSION: Female sex, refractoriness, and clonazepam use may be risk factors for depression after epilepsy diagnosis. Valproate may protect against depression in people with epilepsy. Better understanding of clinical features may aid in medical management or research studies regarding co-morbid depression in people with epilepsy.

Using a novel scoring system for paronychia related to oncologic treatments (SPOT) for assessing paronychia severity and its correlation with pain index and quality of life.

BACKGROUND: Oncologic treatments may lead to the development of paronychia, which may cause severe pain and disability. However, a detailed objective scoring system is lacking. OBJECTIVE: To develop an objective scoring system to quantify the severity of paronychia and also examine the correlation of this score with a pain index and patients' quality of life. METHODS: A novel scoring system for paronychia related to oncologic treatments (SPOT), consisting of four parameters, namely redness, oedema, discharge and granulation tissue, was designed to assess the severity of paronychia. The visual analogue scale (VAS) and Dermatology Quality of Life Index (DLQI) were recorded, and their association with the SPOT scores was analysed. RESULTS: Ninety patients were enrolled from three medical centres in Taiwan. Severity of paronychia was determined by the scores of SPOT. Patients in the severe group had higher DLQI scores (severe vs. mild: P = 0.0018; severe vs. moderate: P = 0.0015). Both the DLQI and pain index scores were significantly higher in patients with higher dominant hand SPOT scores. CONCLUSIONS: The SPOT scores demonstrated the association of the paronychia severity with DLQI and pain. It may thus be useful in clinical practice and future studies.

A new species of Neoliomera Odhner, 1925, from the western Pacific, and the first record of N. demani Forest & Guinot, 1961, from Taiwan (Crustacea: Decapoda: Brachyura: Xanthidae).

A new species of a strikingly coloured xanthid crab of the genus Neoliomera Odhner, 1925, is described from coral reefs in Guam, Taiwan, and the Hawaiian Islands. The new species is allied to N. pubescens (H. Milne Edwards, 1834), and N. demani Forest & Guinot, 1961, but differs in the form of the carapace armature, frontal margin, structure of the chela, proportions of the ambulatory merus and the form of the male first gonopod. Neoliomera demani is also recorded from Taiwan for the first time and aspects of its taxonomy are discussed.

Lactobacilli and dairy propionibacterium with potential as biopreservatives against food fungi and yeast contamination.

Naturally fermented and raw foods contain a range of organisms that may have benefit as additives in some foods and food processing. In particular, potential anti-fungal properties of these organisms may be potentially utilised as natural alternatives to chemical additives used to delay and prevent spoilage by fungi and yeast. This study examined 12 novel bacteria previously isolated from food as possible biopreservatives. The bacteria from the lactobacilli and dairy propionibacterium groups were tested by agar overlay method for their ability to inhibit the growth of 10 fungi and one yeast commonly associated with food contamination. Eight among eleven tested lactic acid bacteria demonstrated broad spectrum of antifungal activity. Strong fungi inhibition was also demonstrated by the dairy propionibacterium, but efficacy was growth medium dependant. Only one fungi, Geotrichum candidum was highly resistant to the bacteria. Variation between the inhibition results for different bacteria identifies the importance of careful strain selection, and the benefits of strain combinations when selecting biopreservatives for foods.

Solar photocatalytic decolorization of methylene blue in water.

In this study, a photocatalytic decolorization system equipped with immobilized TiO2 and illuminated by solar light was used to remove the color of wastewater. To examine the decoloring efficiency of this system, photocatalytic decolorization of an organic dye such as methylene blue was studied as an example. The effects of light source, pH, as well as the initial concentration of dye were also investigated. It was observed that the solution of methylene blue could be almost completely decolorized by the solar light/TiO2 film process while there was about 50% color remaining with solar irradiation only. In addition, it was found that the decoloring efficiency of solution was higher with solar light irradiation than with artificial UV light irradiation, even though the artificial UV light source supplied higher UV intensity at 254 nm. The color removal rate of methylene blue with solar light irradiation was almost twice that of artificial UV light irradiation. This phenomena was mainly attributed to that some visible light range of solar light was useful for exciting the methylene blue molecules adsorbed on TiO2 film, leading to a photosensitization process undergoing and decoloring efficiency promoted. This solar-assisted photocatalytic device showed potential application for decoloring organic dyes in wastewater.

Prospective analysis of relationships of outcome measures for ulnar neuropathy at the elbow.

BACKGROUND: We undertook a prospective study to investigate relationships between outcome measures of ulnar neuropathy at the elbow. METHODS: Thirty-one patients (mean age 52.6, range 20-80), with clinically and electrically verified ulnar neuropathy at the elbow, were seen independently by a neurosurgeon and a physiotherapist. All tests were administered to all patients on each visit. Data collected included measures of sensory (monofilament, two-point discrimination, vibration) and motor function (grip, key-pinch, muscle atrophy), pain (visual analogue scale (VAS)) and impact on lifestyle (Levine's questionnaires (function status score--FSS, symptom severity score--SSS)), disability of the arm, shoulder and hand module (DASH) and patient-specific measures (PSM). Parametric and non-parametric correlation and factor analysis were done. RESULTS: Outcome analysis was available for 63 patient visits, with follow-up obtained for 20 patients (mean 8.5 months). Lifestyle and pain instruments (FSS, SSS, DASH, PSM and VAS) all correlated well with each other (r > 0.6, p < .01). DASH was moderately to highly correlated to nine of the 11 measures. Some tests correlated poorly, for example, Semmes-Weinstein monofilament with other sensory measures and muscle atrophy with almost all measures. Factor analysis revealed that there are two principal factors, accounting for 77% of the variance. Factor 1 relates to impact on lifestyle and pain while Factor 2 relates to strength and function. DISCUSSION/CONCLUSIONS: Intraclass measures, particularly ones assessing lifestyle and pain instruments are strongly correlated. Factor analysis revealed two principal factors that account for the majority of the variance; future studies with a larger sample size are needed to validate this analysis.

Increased exercise level and plasma lipoprotein concentrations: a one-year, randomized, controlled study in sedentary, middle-aged men.

Eighty-one sedentary but healthy men aged 30-55 participated in a 1 yr randomized study of the effects of exercise on plasma lipoprotein concentrations. Forty-eight were assigned to a running program, while 33 remained as sedentary controls (an approximately 3:2 ratio). After 1 yr the running group had become significantly fitter and leaner than the control group. Lipoprotein concentration changes in the runners (vs. controls) uniformly favored reduced risk of coronary heart disease, but were not significant when all 46 participants with complete data were included. However, the 25 men who averaged at least eight miles (12.9 kilometers) per wk of running increased their plasma high-density-lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol level by 4.4 mg/dl (p = 0.045) and their HDL2 mass level by 33 mg/dl (p = 0.059), vs. controls. Significant correlations were found for distance run per wk vs. change in plasma HDL-cholesterol (r = 0.48), HDL2 (r = 0.41), and low-density-lipoprotein cholesterol (r = -0.31). Changes in percent body fat and in HDL-cholesterol were correlated (r = -0.47) in runners. There appears to be a threshold at about 8 miles per wk above which a 1-yr running program leads to beneficial lipoprotein changes.