Dementia "e"-consults for Behavioral and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia: Improving access to specialty dementia care for rural Veterans.

OBJECTIVES: This paper characterizes a telephone-based e-consult program designed to assess and treat behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) for older rural Veterans. METHODS: E-consults required geriatricians to conduct chart review and telephone calls to caregivers to determine behavior triggers, prior management attempts, and medications. Pharmacologic and non-pharmacological recommendations were provided with follow-up calls as needed. RESULTS: Evaluation of 364 Veterans (M age = 80.8, 32% in rural/distal clinics) showed 97% (n = 355) of E-consult interventions included caregiver dementia education to prepare them for managing disease progression and provide non-pharmacological strategies for BPSD. Ninety-four percent (n = 244) of Veterans received medication guidance. A total of 37,504 travel miles was saved, with an average of 108 miles for each Veteran. CONCLUSIONS: Findings support continued implementation of telephone and other virtual modalities of assessing and treating BPSD for older Veterans, thereby increasing access to dementia specialists, especially for rural older adults and their caregivers. A limitation to e-consults is the time needed to provide services compared to the maximum workload credit allowed. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: Virtual care improves access to Geriatric specialists and semi-urgent care that otherwise is not available. E-consults are effective in providing primary care providers guidance for diagnosis and management of dementia.

Clinical Outcomes of Ustekinumab in Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

Inflammatory bowel diseases including Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) are characterized by abdominal pain, diarrhea, blood in stools, weight loss, and fatigue. It presents in patients with varying severity from mild to severe depending on the inflammation. Detailed analysis and guidelines are required for the safe usage of biological therapies in the treatment of inflammatory bowel diseases as surgery is reserved for more complex cases. There is also geographical variation in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) incidence and prevalence based on environmental and climate changes, and socio-demographics. Studies also show that there is more hospitalization and reduced health-related quality of life in IBD patients when compared to normal people. We conducted an extensive literature database search for articles with keywords within the last 10 years on adults >18 years of age with IBD and its treatment, especially with ustekinumab. Ustekinumab is a human immunoglobulin G1 (IgG1) kappa monoclonal antibody, that blocks IL-12 and IL-23 and was approved by the FDA for the treatment of moderate to severe IBD, especially in patients who are intolerant to immunomodulators or corticosteroids treatment. There are several retrospective studies that show the effectiveness of ustekinumab dosage escalation every four weeks in IBD patients. This escalation of dose not only improved the clinical outcome but also reduced the worsening of the disease. Previous studies also show the importance of considering dosage escalation before switching biological agents in the IBD treatment. Ustekinumab has also demonstrated both efficacy and safety in the induction and maintenance of the treatment of this disease. There are certain challenges and opportunities associated with ustekinumab usage in IBD patients that require further research. Ustekinumab seems to be more cost-effective in the tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha-inhibitor failure population when compared to previously used biological treatment regimes.

Impact of COVID­19 infection in patients with neurodegenerative diseases with particular focus on Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease.

Neurodegenerative disorders (NDD) are chronic neurological diseases characterized by loss and/or damage to neurons along with the myelin sheath, and patients are at higher risk of severe infection with the SARS­CoV­2. A comprehensive literature search was performed using relevant terms and inclusion­exclusion criteria. Recent articles, subjects older than 50 years, and articles written in the English language were included, whereas letters to the editor and articles related to pregnant women were excluded from the review study. COVID­19 appears to damage angiotensin­II receptors which cause natural killer cells to lose the ability to clear virus­infected cells, owing to worse outcomes in patients with NDD. COVID­19 can worsen the symptoms of Alzheimer's disease. In addition, COVID­19 worsens drug­responsive motor symptoms in Parkinson's disease (PD) and other symptoms like fatigue and urinary complaints. Vitamin D is essential in decreasing pro­inflammatory and increasing anti­inflammatory cytokines in ongoing COVID­19 infections and reducing angiotensin receptors and, hence, decreasing COVID­19 infection severity. Telemedicine shows promise for patients with NDD but is yet to overcome legal issues and personal barriers. COVID­19 has a significant effect on neurodegenerative conditions, which appears partly to the nature of the NDD and the neuro­invasive capabilities of the SARS­CoV­2. The protective role of vitamin D in patients with NDD further supports this hypothesis. Modifications in current health care, like the telemedicine platform, are required to address the increased risk of serious infection in this population. Further studies will be required to clarify conflicting reports in many fields.

Bottom-up analysis of emergent properties of N-acetylcysteine as an adjuvant therapy for COVID-19.

N-acetylcysteine (NAC) is an abundantly available antioxidant with a wide range of antidotal properties currently best studied for its use in treating acetaminophen overdose. It has a robustly established safety profile with easily tolerated side effects and presents the Food and Drug Administration's approval for use in treating acetaminophen overdose patients. It has been proven efficacious in off-label uses, such as in respiratory diseases, heart disease, cancer, human immunodeficiency virus infection, and seasonal influenza. Clinical trials have recently shown that NAC's capacity to replenish glutathione stores may significantly improve coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outcomes, especially in high risk individuals. Interestingly, individuals with glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency have been shown to experience even greater benefit. The same study has concluded that NAC's ability to mitigate the impact of the cytokine storm and prevent elevation of liver enzymes, C-reactive protein, and ferritin is associated with higher success rates weaning from the ventilator and return to normal function in COVID-19 patients. Considering the background knowledge of biochemistry, current uses of NAC in clinical practice, and newly acquired evidence on its potential efficacy against COVID-19, it is worthwhile to investigate further whether this agent can be used as a treatment or adjuvant for COVID-19.

The Sensory Abnormalities and Neuropsychopathology of Autism and Anxiety.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a developmental disorder of interpersonal communications and restricted interest and deficits in sensory and social interactions. It co-occurs with anxiety and mostly in 30% of cases related to specific phobia. This review article summarises the sensory association between anxiety and ASD. The role of emotions and neurobiology discussed and sensory over-reactivity (SOR) was related to ASD and anxiety. PubMed database systematically searched for related articles on ASD and anxiety. The keywords used are autism spectrum disorder, autism spectrum disorder and emotion, anxiety disorder, sensory in autism and anxiety, and psychopathology. The results were most significant and related to the sensory association between ASD and anxiety. Out of 19 studies discussed, there were eight systematic reviews with meta-analysis, seven systematic reviews, three traditional reviews, and one included both systematic reviews with randomized controlled trials (RCTs). However, due to possible limitations and considerations, like small sample size and few clinical trials; hence, further recommendations to randomized clinical trials and cohort studies warranted. This review article helps scientists to plan and focus on necessary studies and possible screening for the disease to improve possible clinical outcomes. People gain awareness of the disease. Early recognition, as well as educational, behavioral, and family therapy, might decrease symptoms and support learning and development in children.