Effects of raloxifene on mood, sleep, libido and cognitive function in postmenopausal healthy women: a pilot study

ObjectivesAlthough the majority of head-injured children are Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) 15 and do not require admission or further investigations there is evidence that some children with a minor head injury (MHI) will go on to experience significant morphological and functional brain deficits. In view of the lack of controlled studies into the sequelae of MHI in children we carried out a pilot study that examined the neuropsychological performance in children who had sustained an MHI.MethodsChildren aged 6–12 years who presented to the Emergency Department of the Royal Hospital for Sick Children in Edinburgh with a MHI (GCS 15) were recruited to the study. Neuropsychological assessment was performed using the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB); a computerised battery of tests, which measures motor skills, visual attention, spatial memory, working memory and non-verbal memory span. CANTAB also assesses executive function, which is the highest level of cognitive function that manages planning and allows flexible thought and action.Results15 head-injured children were recruited over the study period (eleven boys and four girls). A 2 (subject groups) × 3 (time points) repeated measures Analysis of variance was used on the number of problems solved using the minimum number of computer moves at each time point, which showed a significant interaction (p=0.003). Bonferroni posthoc comparisons demonstrated that in week 1 the head-injured group were significantly lower in performance compared to normative data (p=0.03), but significantly increased in performance between week 1 and 12 months (p=0.0001). The difference in the head-injured group performance between week 1 and week 6 approached significance (p=0.05).ConclusionThe MHI group show a significantly poorer performance with regards to problem-solving in a minimum number of moves, which may indicate impulsive tendencies and insufficient planning ability. Children with a MHI may therefore be at risk of developing problems with high-level cognitive function postinjury.

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Home-based dance exercise for adults with moderate Parkinson’s disease: Protocol with a pilot study for a non-randomized clinical trial using video-dances in a DVD format (Preprint)

10.2196/preprints.36095 ◽

2022 ◽

Author(s):

Manoela de Paula Ferreira ◽

Adriano Zanardi da Silva ◽

Bruna Yamaguchi ◽

Sunita Mathur ◽

Taina Ribas Melo ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Parkinson’S Disease ◽

Clinical Trial ◽

Parkinson's Disease ◽

Cognitive Function ◽

Pilot Study ◽

Functional Mobility ◽

Contemporary Dance ◽

Home Based

BACKGROUND Many people with Parkinson’s disease (PD) have never received rehabilitation care due to lack of accessibility and transportation and high therapy costs for in-person rehabilitation. Home-based dance exercise is an innovative, low-cost therapy that may reduce accessibility barriers to exercise. Especially since the COVID-19 pandemic, home-exercise programs are a highly relevant, alternative approach for people with PD OBJECTIVE This clinical trial protocol aims to explore the effects of a Home-Based contemporary dance exercise program for people with moderate Parkinson’s Disease (PD), focusing on balance, functional mobility, quality of life (QOL), cognitive function, and depression. METHODS This protocol is for a non-randomized clinical trial for adults with moderate PD divided into control group (CG) and Experimental Group (EG). Participants from the EG will perform video-dances of the contemporary dance, delivered in a DVD format. The video-dances will be executed 16 weeks, three times per week, 30 minutes each day at home, with exercise intensity controlled by the BORG scale. Participants from the CG will not receive any new exercise therapy. As primary outcomes, the signs and symptoms of the PD assessed by the Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale – UPDRS II and III, Hoehn and Yahr for the PD severity, and health-related quality of life (HRQL), measured by the Parkinson’s Disease Questionnaire – PDQ-39) will be tested. Secondary outcomes include cognitive function by the Montreal Cognitive Assessment – MoCA, balance by the Mini-BESTest, functional mobility by the Timed “Up and Go” test – TUG and depression by the Geriatric Depression Scale – GDS. All outcomes will be assessed in an in-person evaluation by a blinded assessor before and after the 16 weeks of the program. RESULTS This protocol has a pilot study that included 10 participants (5 in each group). It was observed positive results favoring the EG over cognitive function (p = 0.034). In addition, HRQL, balance, and depression were improved after the pilot program in the EG, however, without significant difference. CONCLUSIONS This clinical trial has the potential to be a safe alternative exercise approach under COVID restrictions and travel-free therapy with effects on PD symptoms. CLINICALTRIAL RBR-58T68W (Brazilian Clinical Trials Registry)

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