Does the good lives model work? A systematic review of the recidivism evidence

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the efficacy of good lives model (GLM) interventions on the recidivism outcomes of convicted offenders. Design/methodology/approach The review adhered to preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analysis and Cochrane guidelines. Digital databases were searched and articles reporting outcomes of the GLM amongst convicted offenders and outcomes including recidivism data and pre-post measures of dynamic risk were included in a narrative synthesis. Findings Of 1,791 articles screened, only six studies met the criteria for review. Key findings were: in half the reviewed studies, GLM did not increase recidivism risk; in half the reviewed studies, only when the correct treatment dosage was applied that some evidence of risk reduction was found; there was limited support for GLM increasing or sustaining motivation for resistance from reoffending. Research for the review was limited and support for the GLM in reducing recidivism rates was not established. Practical implications In this 2021 review, the authors examined the efficacy of the GLM in reducing recidivism. This addresses a gap in the literature. The authors found that there is insufficient evidence to suggest that the GLM can reduce recidivism. This has implications for practitioners who wish to deliver evidence-based practices in prison/community settings. There is currently not enough peer-reviewed evidence to unequivocally confirm the efficacy of the GLM. The authors recommended additional quality programme outcome research be carried out. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first to assess quantitative and qualitative studies on the efficacy of the GLM and provides foundations for future research.

Is There a Research–Practice Dosage Gap in Aphasia Rehabilitation?

Purpose Aphasia intervention research aims to improve communication and quality of life outcomes for people with aphasia. However, few studies have evaluated the translation and implementation of evidence-based aphasia interventions to clinical practice. Treatment dosage may be difficult to translate to clinical settings, and a mismatch between dosage in research and clinical practice threatens to attenuate intervention effectiveness. The purpose of this study is to quantify a potential research–practice dosage gap in outpatient aphasia rehabilitation. Method This study utilized a two-part approach. First, we estimated clinical treatment dosage in an episode of care (i.e., treatment provided from outpatient assessment to discharge) via utilization in a regional provider in the United States. Second, we undertook a scoping review of aphasia interventions published from 2009 to 2019 to estimate the typical dosage used in the current aphasia literature. Results Outpatient clinical episodes of care included a median of 10 treatment sessions and a mean of 14.8 sessions (interquartile range: 5–20 sessions). Sessions occurred 1–2 times a week over 4–14 weeks. The median total hours of treatment was 7.5 hr (interquartile range: 3.75–15 hr). In contrast, published interventions administered a greater treatment dosage, consisting of a median of 20 hr of treatment (interquartile range: 12–30 hr) over the course of 15 sessions (interquartile range: 10–24 sessions) approximately 3 times per week. Conclusions Results demonstrate a meaningful research–practice dosage gap, particularly in total treatment hours and weekly treatment intensity. This gap highlights the potential for attenuation of effectiveness from research to outpatient settings. Future translational research should consider clinical dosage constraints and take steps to facilitate intervention implementation, particularly with regard to dosage. Conversely, health care advocacy and continued development of alternative delivery methods are necessary for the successful implementation of treatments with dosage that is incompatible with current clinical contexts. Pragmatic, implementation-focused trials are recommended to evaluate and optimize treatment effectiveness in outpatient clinical settings. Supplemental Material https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.15161568

Mefloquine, a Potent Anti-severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome-Related Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) Drug as an Entry Inhibitor in vitro

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has caused serious public health, social, and economic damage worldwide and effective drugs that prevent or cure COVID-19 are urgently needed. Approved drugs including Hydroxychloroquine, Remdesivir or Interferon were reported to inhibit the infection or propagation of severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), however, their clinical efficacies have not yet been well demonstrated. To identify drugs with higher antiviral potency, we screened approved anti-parasitic/anti-protozoal drugs and identified an anti-malarial drug, Mefloquine, which showed the highest anti-SARS-CoV-2 activity among the tested compounds. Mefloquine showed higher anti-SARS-CoV-2 activity than Hydroxychloroquine in VeroE6/TMPRSS2 and Calu-3 cells, with IC50 = 1.28 μM, IC90 = 2.31 μM, and IC99 = 4.39 μM in VeroE6/TMPRSS2 cells. Mefloquine inhibited viral entry after viral attachment to the target cell. Combined treatment with Mefloquine and Nelfinavir, a replication inhibitor, showed synergistic antiviral activity. Our mathematical modeling based on the drug concentration in the lung predicted that Mefloquine administration at a standard treatment dosage could decline viral dynamics in patients, reduce cumulative viral load to 7% and shorten the time until virus elimination by 6.1 days. These data cumulatively underscore Mefloquine as an anti-SARS-CoV-2 entry inhibitor.

Time series forecasting using ARIMA for modeling of glioma growth in response to radiotherapy

In present days, the growing number of people suffering from cancer has been a major cause for concern worldwide. Glioblastoma in particular, are primary tumors in glial cells located in the central nervous system. Because of this sensitive location, mathematical models have been studied and developed as alternative tools for analyzing tumor growth rates, assisting on the decision-making process for treatment dosage, without exposing the patient’s life. This paper presents two time series models to estimate the growth rate of glioblastoma in response to ionizing radiotherapy treatment. The results obtained indicate that the proposed time series methods attain predictions with a Mean Absolute Percentual Error (MAPE) of approximately 1% to 4%, and simulations show that the Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average (ARIMA) method surpasses the Holt method based on the Mean Square Error (MSE) and MAPE values obtained. Furthermore, the results show that the time series method is applicable to data from two different mathematical models for glioblastoma growth.

Carbamazepine-Induced Nonepileptic Myoclonus in a Child with Autism and Epilepsy

This study deals with a child with different type of seizures several times in week and unresponsive to antiepileptic drugs. Distinguishing between epileptic seizure and motor tic in a patient diagnosed with epilepsy and autism can be challenging. In this study we present a boy on carbamazepine (CBZ) therapy. In the first days of treatment seizure frequency decreased, but after CBZ treatment dosage reached 15 mg/kg/day (at the 25th day of the treatment), he presented to the clinic describing several episodes of myoclonus. There were no changes in electroencephalography during the myoclonus. In follow-up, myoclonus was not described after the cessation of CBZ.

Effects of sensory stimulation on level of consciousness in comatose patients after traumatic brain injury: A systematic review

BACKGROUND: A coma is a prolonged unconscious state in which there is no response to various stimuli. In response, sensory stimulation was designed to stimulate brain plasticity and to promote brain regeneration. The effects of sensory stimulation intervention on comatose patients following traumatic brain injury (TBI) remain unclear. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to examine the effects of sensory stimulation on the level of consciousness (LOC) after TBI and to identify the effective treatment dosage. METHODS: We searched PubMed, REHABDATA, EMBASE, CINAHL, MEDLINE, PEDro, SCOPUS, and Web of Science from inception to February 2020. Experimental studies investigating the influence of sensory stimulation on the LOC in the comatose patients (Glasgow coma scale < 8) following TBI were selected. The Physiotherapy Evidence Database scale (PEDro) was used to evaluate the methodological quality. RESULTS: Eleven studies met the inclusion criteria. Six were randomized controlled trials (RCTs), clinical controlled trials (CCTs) (n = 2), and pilot studies (n = 3). A total of 356 comatose patients (<8 on GCS) post-TBI were included in this study with sample sizes ranging from 5–90 patients. The sample sizes for the selected studies ranged from 5 to 90 patients. The scores on the PEDro scale ranged from three to eight, with a median score of seven. The multimodal sensory stimulation showed beneficial effects on the LOC in the comatose patients following TBI. The evidence for the effects of unimodal stimulation was limited, while the optimal treatment dosage remains unclear. CONCLUSIONS: The multimodal sensory stimulation intervention improves the LOC in patients with coma after TBI compared with unimodal stimulation. Further high-quality studies are needed to verify these findings.

Amiodarone-induced thyroid dysfunction in children: insights from the THYRAMIO study

Background: Amiodarone treatment is effective against various types of arrhythmias but is associated with adverse effects affecting, among other organs, thyroid function. Amiodarone-induced thyroid dysfunction was not thoroughly evaluated in children as it was in adults, yet this affection may lead to irreversible neurodevelopmental complications. Our study aimed to define the incidence and risk factors of amiodarone-induced thyroid dysfunction in children. Methods: The study was designed as an observational study with a retrospective clinical series of 152 children treated by amiodarone in the Pediatric Cardiology Unit of our center from 1990 to 2019. All patients were divided into three groups according to their thyroid status: euthyroid, AIH (amiodarone-induced hypothyroidism) or AIT (amiodarone-induced thyrotoxicosis). Patients from these three groups were compared in terms of key clinical and therapeutic features. Results: Amiodarone-induced thyroid dysfunction was present in 23% of patients. AIT (5.3%) was three times less common than AIH (17.7%), and its occurrence increased with older age ( p < 0.05), treatment dosage ( p < 0.05), treatment duration ( p < 0.05) and the number of loading doses administered ( p < 0.05). There were no distinctive clinical features between euthyroid and AIH groups. A multivariable prediction model of AIT was built, with a yield of 66.7% as positive predictive value and 96.7% as negative predictive value. Conclusion: We observed that one in five children developed amiodarone-induced thyroid dysfunction. Special attention is required for older children with a high dosage and long-term therapy and who received a large number of loading doses, since these children are at risk to develop AIT, which is more delicate to manage than AIH.

The Effect of Colistin Administration as Medicated Feed on Alanine Aminotransferase and Creatinine Level in Broiler Infected with Escherichia coli

Colistin is a decapeptide antibiotic with narrow spectrum activity, mainly used as treatment for Gram negative bacteria. This study aims to scientifically determine the effect of colistin administration as medicated feed on alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and creatinine level in broiler infected with Escherichia coli. KTOP group as positive control, KTON group as negative control, while I, II, and III groups were infected with Escherichia coli 1 x 108 CFU/ml 0.1 ml via intratracheal route. Group I, II, and III were given colistin treatment dosage of 0.3 g/kg food, 0.6 g/kg food, and 1.2 g/kg food. Blood samples were taken through brachial veins for ALT and creatinine examination with a Caretium NB-201 semi-auto chemistry analyzer. Data were examined statistically using IBM SPSS Statistics 24 software and graphically using Microsoft Excel 365. Conclusion of the research by statistical analysis with Kruskal-Wallis test obtained ALT test results P = 0.147 and creatinine test results P = 0.815. Based on the results of this study, the administration of colistin medicated feed did not cause a significant effect on ALT and creatinine level in broiler infected with Escherichia coli, indicating that colistin has low potential toxicity while given as medicated feed.