Effects of spiritual resilience on psychological distress and health-related quality of life in Chinese people with Parkinson's disease.

PURPOSE: Health-related quality of life (HRQOL) is an increasingly critical outcome of chronic illness care. However, its disease-independent attributes, particularly its spiritual resilient indicators, for people with Parkinson's disease (PD) have not been explicitly examined. This study aimed to (i) assess the associations between psychological distress, spiritual resilience and HRQOL, and (ii) examine the mediating effects of spiritual resilience on psychological distress and HRQOL amongst individuals with PD. METHODS: This is a secondary data analysis of the baseline data of a clinical trial that involved 138 individuals with PD. The subjects completed a structured questionnaire assessing psychological distress in terms of anxiety and depression, spiritual resilience in terms of perceived affliction and perceived equanimity, severity of motor symptoms and disease-specific HRQOL. RESULTS: Analysis by independent t test suggested that distressed individuals with PD demonstrated less spiritual resilience and presented poorer HRQOL than non-distressed individuals with PD. Multiple linear regression models revealed that high emotional distress was associated with low spiritual resilience and poor HRQOL. The mediation analysis found that after simultaneously controlling for the degree of perceived affliction and perceived equanimity, a significant reduction was observed in the direct effect between psychological distress and HRQOL. This result indicated the partially mediating roles of perceived affliction and equanimity in the pathways between psychological distress and HRQOL. CONCLUSION: In order to enhance HRQOL, PD interventions should address the spiritual resilience of patients in addition to providing psychological care and physical relief of symptoms.

Tourette syndrome deep brain stimulation: a review and updated recommendations.

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) may improve disabling tics in severely affected medication and behaviorally resistant Tourette syndrome (TS). Here we review all reported cases of TS DBS and provide updated recommendations for selection, assessment, and management of potential TS DBS cases based on the literature and implantation experience. Candidates should have a Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM V) diagnosis of TS with severe motor and vocal tics, which despite exhaustive medical and behavioral treatment trials result in significant impairment. Deep brain stimulation should be offered to patients only by experienced DBS centers after evaluation by a multidisciplinary team. Rigorous preoperative and postoperative outcome measures of tics and associated comorbidities should be used. Tics and comorbid neuropsychiatric conditions should be optimally treated per current expert standards, and tics should be the major cause of disability. Psychogenic tics, embellishment, and malingering should be recognized and addressed. We have removed the previously suggested 25-year-old age limit, with the specification that a multidisciplinary team approach for screening is employed. A local ethics committee or institutional review board should be consulted for consideration of cases involving persons younger than 18 years of age, as well as in cases with urgent indications. Tourette syndrome patients represent a unique and complex population, and studies reveal a higher risk for post-DBS complications. Successes and failures have been reported for multiple brain targets; however, the optimal surgical approach remains unknown. Tourette syndrome DBS, though still evolving, is a promising approach for a subset of medication refractory and severely affected patients.

Effects of Mindfulness Yoga vs Stretching and Resistance Training Exercises on Anxiety and Depression for People With Parkinson Disease: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: Clinical practice guidelines support exercise for patients with Parkinson disease (PD), but to our knowledge, no randomized clinical trials have tested whether yoga is superior to conventional physical exercises for stress and symptom management. Objective: To compare the effects of a mindfulness yoga program vs stretching and resistance training exercise (SRTE) on psychological distress, physical health, spiritual well-being, and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in patients with mild-to-moderate PD. Design, Setting, and Participants: An assessor-masked, randomized clinical trial using the intention-to-treat principle was conducted at 4 community rehabilitation centers in Hong Kong between December 1, 2016, and May 31, 2017. A total of 187 adults (aged ≥18 years) with a clinical diagnosis of idiopathic PD who were able to stand unaided and walk with or without an assistive device were enrolled via convenience sampling. Eligible participants were randomized 1:1 to mindfulness yoga or SRTE. Interventions: Mindfulness yoga was delivered in 90-minute groups and SRTE were delivered in 60-minute groups for 8 weeks. Main Outcomes and Measures: Primary outcomes included anxiety and depressive symptoms assessed using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. Secondary outcomes included severity of motor symptoms (Movement Disorder Society Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale [MDS-UPDRS], Part III motor score), mobility, spiritual well-being in terms of perceived hardship and equanimity, and HRQOL. Assessments were done at baseline, 8 weeks (T1), and 20 weeks (T2). Results: The 138 participants included 65 men (47.1%) with a mean (SD) age of 63.7 (8.7) years and a mean (SD) MDS-UPDRS score of 33.3 (15.3). Generalized estimating equation analyses revealed that the yoga group had significantly better improvement in outcomes than the SRTE group, particularly for anxiety (time-by-group interaction, T1: ß, -1.79 [95% CI, -2.85 to -0.69; P = .001]; T2: ß, -2.05 [95% CI, -3.02 to -1.08; P < .001]), depression (T1: ß, -2.75 [95% CI, -3.17 to -1.35; P < .001]); T2: ß, -2.75 [95% CI, -3.71 to -1.79; P < .001]), perceived hardship (T1: ß, -0.92 [95% CI, -1.25 to -0.61; P < .001]; T2: ß, -0.76 [95% CI, -1.12 to -0.40; P < .001]), perceived equanimity (T1: ß, 1.11 [95% CI, 0.79-1.42; P < .001]; T2: ß, 1.19 [95% CI, 0.82-1.56; P < .001]), and disease-specific HRQOL (T1: ß, -7.77 [95% CI, -11.61 to -4.38; P < .001]; T2: ß, -7.99 [95% CI, -11.61 to -4.38; P < .001]). Conclusions and Relevance: Among patients with mild-to-moderate PD, the mindfulness yoga program was found to be as effective as SRTE in improving motor dysfunction and mobility, with the additional benefits of a reduction in anxiety and depressive symptoms and an increase in spiritual well-being and HRQOL. Trial Registration: Centre for Clinical Research and Biostatistics identifier: CUHK_CCRB00522.

Enhanced accuracy of needle placement in horizontal stereotactic core biopsy by a plastic slot.

Horizontal stereotactic core biopsy can be used in the investigation of clinically occult mammographic abnormalities especially when breast thickness is less than 3 cm. We designed a 6-mm plastic slot that can be inserted between the bushing and the biopsy gun to enhance the accuracy of needle placement within the lesion. With this device, the centre of the lesion can be targeted at the centre of the biopsy trough. We advocate the use of this piece of small, simple and inexpensive instrument in every case of horizontal stereotactic core biopsy.

Impulse control disorders in Chinese Parkinson's disease patients: the effect of ergot derived dopamine agonist.

OBJECTIVE: We studied the prevalence and related risk factors of impulse control disorders in Chinese Parkinson's disease patients. METHOD: We screened all non-demented Parkinson's disease patients attending our Parkinson's disease clinic from August 2009 to March 2010. The clinical characteristics of patients with impulse control disorders and those without were compared. RESULTS: Of the 213 PD subjects screened, 15 (7.0%) with impulse control disorders were identified. Fourteen of these subjects were on both a dopamine agonist and Levodopa, and one was on Levodopa alone. Of the fourteen subjects on both a dopamine agonist and Levodopa, eleven were on bromocriptine and Levodopa; 10.5% of the subjects exposed to bromocriptine had impulse control disorder. Upon multivariate analysis, dose of dopamine agonist used, young age at onset of Parkinson's disease and a history of anxiety or depression were independent predictors for developing impulse control disorders. CONCLUSIONS: 7% of our Chinese PD subjects had impulse control disorders. When young Parkinson's disease patients with a history of anxiety or depression are treated with high dose of DA, they are at risk of developing impulse control disorders.

Association of diffusion weighted imaging abnormalities and recurrence in transient global amnesia.

Since the first description of transient global amnesia (TGA) in 1964, its etiology has remained obscure. Reversible diffusion weighted imaging (DWI) hyperintensities in the hippocampus have been found on MRI of some patients with TGA during acute events. The implication of this is not well understood. We identified 47 patients with TGA between November 2004 and November 2009, and enrolled 27 patients with brain MRI within 72 hours of symptom onset for analysis and recorded subsequent relapse or stroke occurrence during follow-up. Nine of the 27 patients had reversible hippocampal punctuate hyperintensities, with complete resolution noted on a second MRI on average 4 months after the initial TGA. Patients with a first relapse (their second TGA attack) had a significantly higher association of DWI hippocampal abnormalities (p=0.03) compared to patients with their first TGA event. None of the 27 patients had a stroke or further relapse during the mean follow-up period of 32.6 months. Thus, patients with recurrent TGA have a significantly higher association of reversible DWI abnormality.

Preliminary results of using a commercial fibrin sealant in the treatment of fistula-in-ano.

A prospective non-randomised study fibrin sealant injection to manage patients with fistula-in-ano, with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) monitoring, was performed during the period 5/6/1999 to 28/2/2000. The aim was to determine whether a fibrin sealant could be used as a treatment modality for anorectal fistula and the usefulness of MRI perineum to monitor the disease activity. Ten patients were included in the study. Mean age was 47 years (range 7 months to 70 years). Male: female ratio was 9:1. Mean follow-up duration was 26.4 weeks. The overall success rate was 60%. The success rate of different fistula types were different (60%, 0%, 100% for intersphincteric, transphincteric, subcutaneous, respectively). Variable decrease in signal on STIR images and contrast enhancement was noted in the patients with successful and failure of fibrin sealant injection. In conclusion, fibrin sealant injection is a useful alternative treatment in the management of fistula-in-ano. MRI is helpful in delineating the anatomy of fistula-in-ano but not a useful tool to follow-up disease activity.