A Longitudinal, Prospective Study to Evaluate the Effects of Treatment on the Inhibitory Control Function After Transsphenoidal Surgery for Pituitary Adenomas

2020 ◽  
pp. 155005942092274
Author(s):  
Chenglong Cao ◽  
Jian Song ◽  
Pan Lin ◽  
Deqi Yan ◽  
Shun Yao ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Inhibitory Control ◽  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Control Function ◽  
Electrophysiological Study ◽  
Nerve Tissue ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Healthy Group ◽  
P3 Amplitude

Objectives: Injured cognitive abilities have been reported in patients with pituitary adenoma. However, to date, few researchers have directly investigated the electrophysiological study of inhibitory control function of pituitary patients both pre- and postsurgery. Thus, this study aimed to identify the factors affecting the inhibitory control function of pituitary patients. Methods: Thirty presurgery pituitary patients were recruited and 26 patients of them completed the postsurgery follow-up. Thirty healthy people were recruited for control group. Visual Go/Nogo tasks were carried out by the patients and controls to assess the inhibitory control function before surgery and 6 months after the surgery, respectively. The function of inhibitory control was analyzed with the components of N2 and P3. Results: Across 3 groups, Nogo stimuli evoked larger frontal-central N2nogo and P3nogo than Go stimuli did. Furthermore, N2d of presurgery patients (−1.14 μV) and postsurgery patients(−0.61 μV) were significantly decreased compared with that of control group (−3.09 μV), F(2, 83) = 13.92, P < .01, whereas no difference was detected between pre- and postsurgery groups. There was no remarkable difference in the amplitude of P3d among the 3 groups, F(2, 83) = 0.19, P > .05. With regard to the amplitude of P3 for Go condition, The P3 amplitude of healthy group (4.38 μV) was larger than both pre- and postsurgery (1.00 μV and 3.01 μV). With regard to the amplitude of P3 for Nogo condition, The P3 amplitude of healthy group (5.25 μV) was larger than both pre- and postsurgery groups (2.35 μV and 4.18 μV). Conclusions: These results indicated that presurgery patients showed the dysfunction of inhibition, due to the nerve tissue damage or brain structure alteration caused by the presurgery physical pressure from tumor and abnormal hormone levels. Postsurgery patients showed a tendency toward recovery, but there was no obvious improvement in the inhibitory control function after successful treatments.

scholarly journals Visual attention and inhibitory control in children, teenagers and adults with autism without intellectual disability: results of oculomotor tasks from a 2-year longitudinal follow-up study (InFoR)

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Anouck Amestoy ◽  
Etienne Guillaud ◽  
Giulia Bucchioni ◽  
Tiziana Zalla ◽  
Daniel Umbricht ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Inhibitory Control ◽  
Time Course ◽  
Small Sample Size ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Attention Switching ◽  
Follow Up Study

Abstract Background Inhibitory control and attention processing atypicalities are implicated in various diseases, including autism spectrum disorders (ASD). These cognitive functions can be tested by using visually guided saccade-based paradigms in children, adolescents and adults to determine the time course of such disorders. Methods In this study, using Gap, Step, Overlap and Antisaccade tasks, we analyzed the oculomotor behavior of 82 children, teenagers and adults with high functioning ASD and their peer typically developing (TD) controls in a two-year follow-up study under the auspices of the InFoR-Autism project. Analysis of correlations between oculomotors task measurements and diagnostic assessment of attentional (ADHD-RS and ADHD comorbidity indices) and executive functioning (BRIEF scales) were conducted in order to evaluate their relationship with the oculomotor performance of participants with ASD. Results As indicated by the presence of a Gap and Overlap effects in all age groups, the oculomotor performances of ASD participants showed a preserved capability in overt attention switching. In contrast, the difference in performances of ASD participants in the Antisaccade task, compared to their TD peers, indicated an atypical development of inhibition and executive functions. From correlation analysis between our oculomotor data and ADHD comorbidity index, and scores of attention and executive function difficulties, our findings support the hypothesis that a specific dysfunction of inhibition skills occurs in ASD participants that is independent of the presence of ADHD comorbidity. Limitations These include the relatively small sample size of the ASD group over the study’s two-year period, the absence of an ADHD-only control group and the evaluation of a TD control group solely at the study’s inception. Conclusions Children and teenagers with ASD have greater difficulty in attention switching and inhibiting prepotent stimuli. Adults with ASD can overcome these difficulties, but, similar to teenagers and children with ASD, they make more erroneous and anticipatory saccades and display a greater trial-to-trial variability in all oculomotor tasks compared to their peers. Our results are indicative of a developmental delay in the maturation of executive and attentional functioning in ASD and of a specific impairment in inhibitory control.

scholarly journals Comprehensive Evaluation of Factors Affecting Tremor Relapse after MRgFUS Thalamotomy: A Case-Control Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (9) ◽  
pp. 1183
Author(s):  
Federico Bruno ◽  
Alessia Catalucci ◽  
Francesco Arrigoni ◽  
Alessio Gagliardi ◽  
Elena Campanozzi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Parkinson’S Disease ◽  
Parkinson's Disease ◽  
Comprehensive Evaluation ◽  
Demographic Characteristics ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Gender And Age ◽  
Determining Factors ◽  
Relevant Factors

Objective: To identify possible relevant factors contributing to tremor relapse after MRgFUS thalamotomy in patients with essential tremor (ET) and Parkinson’s disease (PD). Methods: We identified patients with tremor relapse from a series of 79 treatments in a single institution. The demographic and clinical characteristics of the study group patients were compared to those of patients who did not relapse in the same follow-up period. Imaging and procedural factors were compared using a control group matched for clinical and demographic characteristics. Results: Concerning clinical and demographic characteristics, we did not find statistically significant differences in gender and age. Seventy-three percent of patients with tremor relapse were Parkinson’s disease patients. Using MRI, we found larger thalamotomy lesions at the 1-year follow-up in the control group with stable outcomes, compared to patients with tremor relapse. In the tractography evaluation, we found a more frequent eccentric position of the DRTt in patients with tremor relapse. Conclusions: The most relevant determining factors for tremor relapse after MRgFUS thalamotomy appear to be tremor from Parkinson’s disease and inaccurate thalamic targeting. Size of the thalamotomy lesion can also influence the outcome of treatment.

scholarly journals Associations between Trace Elements and Cognitive Decline: An Exploratory 5-Year Follow-Up Study of an Elderly Cohort

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (17) ◽  
pp. 6051
Author(s):  
Bianca Gerardo ◽  
Marina Cabral Pinto ◽  
Joana Nogueira ◽  
Paula Pinto ◽  
Agostinho Almeida ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Trace Elements ◽  
Cognitive Decline ◽  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Cognitive Status ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Normal Brain ◽  
Exploratory Research ◽  
Average Decrease ◽  
Elderly Cohort

Trace elements (TE) homeostasis is crucial in normal brain functioning. Although imbalances have the potential to exacerbate events leading neurodegenerative diseases, few studies have directly addressed the eventual relationships between TE levels in the human body and future cognitive status. The present study aimed to assess how different TE body-levels relate to cognitive decline. This exploratory research included a study-group (RES) of 20 elderly individuals living in two Portuguese geographical areas of interest (Estarreja; Mértola), as well as a 20 subjects neuropsychological control-group (CTR). Participants were neuropsychologically assessed through the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) and the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) and the RES group was biomonitored for TE through fingernail analysis. After 5 years, the cognitive assessments were repeated. Analyses of the RES neuropsychological data showed an average decrease of 6.5 and 5.27 points in MMSE and MoCA, respectively, but TE contents in fingernails were generally within the referenced values for non-exposed individuals. Higher levels of Nickel and Selenium significantly predicted lesser cognitive decline within 5 years. Such preliminary results evidence an association between higher contents of these TE and higher cognitive scores at follow-up, suggesting their contribution to the maintenance of cognitive abilities. Future expansion of the present study is needed in order to comprehensively assess the potential benefits of these TE.

scholarly journals Effectiveness of ozone therapy in addition to conventional treatment on mortality in patients with COVID-19

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Şahin Çolak ◽  
burcu genç yavuz ◽  
Mürsel Yavuz ◽  
Burak Özçelik ◽  
Metin Öner ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Regression Analysis ◽  
Treatment Protocol ◽  
Ozone Treatment ◽  
Controlled Study ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Ozone Therapy ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Conventional Medical Treatment ◽  
Training And Research

Aim In this study, we aimed to investigate the effectiveness of ozone therapy, which is one of the integrative medicine applications that has been used safely for many years, on the prevalence of mortality in patients receiving COVID-19 treatment. Methods This was a prospective, controlled study conducted on patients with COVID-19 who were hospitalized in Health Sciences University, Haydarpasa Numune Training and Research Hospital. In this study, 55 patients were included. The patients were divided into two groups as the ozone group and the control group. Ozone therapy (major autohemotherapy) was applied to 37 patients who were being treated with the appropriate COVID-19 treatment protocol determined by the infectious diseases committee of our hospital. The ozone treatment protocol consisted of seven sessions (1 session/day) of intravenous ozone administration, applied in a volume of 100 mL and a concentration of 30 μg/mL. Only the conventional COVID-19 treatment protocol was applied to 18 patients in the control group. Clinical follow-up was performed until the discharge of the patients from the hospital with successful treatment or until the mortality occurred. Factors affecting mortality were analyzed using univariate regression analysis. Results Intensive care unit (ICU) hospitalization was required in six of 37 patients who were treated with ozone (16.2%), while four of 18 patients in the control group required ICU treatment (22.2%) (p = 0.713). When the mortality rates between the two groups were compared, mortality was lower in the ozone group (p = 0.032). As a result of univariate logistic regression analysis performed to determine the factors affecting mortality, treatment without ozone therapy was determined as a risk factor for mortality (OR:0.149, 95%CI 0.026-0.863, p=0.034). Conclusion In this study, we demonstrated that administration of ozone therapy along with the conventional medical treatment in patients hospitalized for COVID-19 could reduce mortality.

scholarly journals Fall and risk factors for veterans and non-veterans inpatients over the age of 65 years: 14 years of long-term data analysis

BMJ Open ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (8) ◽  
pp. e030650 ◽  
Author(s):  
Huey-Jen Perng ◽  
Yu-Lung Chiu ◽  
Chi-Hsiang Chung ◽  
Senyeong Kao ◽  
Wu-Chien Chien
Keyword(s):  
Cox Regression ◽  
Risk Groups ◽  
Mental Illnesses ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Research Database ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Long Term Follow Up ◽  
Risk Of Falls

IntroductionFalls are one of the most important causes of injuries and accidental deaths among this segment of over the age of 65 years.The long-term follow-up study of fall-related injuries was conducted in elderly veterans over the age of 65 years, and the risk of falls in veterans and non-veterans was compared.MethodsThis study used the National Health Insurance Research Database for the period from 2000 to 2013 in Taiwan. This longitudinal study tracked falls in veterans over the age of 65 years, designated a control group (non-veterans), using 1:2 pairing on the basis of sex and time receiving medical care, and used Cox regression to analyse and compare the risk of falls among veterans and non-veterans.ResultsThis study subjects consisted of 35 454 of the veterans had suffered falls (9.5%), as had 55 037 of the non-veterans (7.4%). After controlling for factors such as comorbidities/complications, the veterans had 1.252 times the risk of falls of the non-veterans. Furthermore, among persons in the 75–84 years old age group, veterans had 1.313 times the risk of falls of non-veterans, and among persons with mental illnesses and diseases of the eyes, veterans had 1.300 and 1.362 times the risk of falls of non-veterans. In addition, each veteran had an average of 4.07 falls during the 2000–2013 period, which was significantly higher than in the case of non-veterans (3.88 falls).ConclusionsVeterans’ risk of falls and recurrent falls were both higher than those of non-veterans, and age level, comorbidities/complications and level of low urbanisation were all important factors affecting veterans’ falls. The responsible authorities should, therefore, use appropriate protective measures to reduce the risk of falls and medical expenses in high-risk groups.

scholarly journals A Randomised Controlled Trial of Inhibitory Control Training for Smoking Cessation: Outcomes, Mediators and Methodological Considerations

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura K. Hughes ◽  
Melissa J. Hayden ◽  
Jason Bos ◽  
Natalia S. Lawrence ◽  
George J. Youssef ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Smoking Cessation ◽  
Active Control ◽  
Nicotine Dependence ◽  
Inhibitory Control ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Health Behaviours ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Post Intervention ◽  
Methodological Considerations

Objective: Inhibitory control training (ICT) has shown promise for improving health behaviours, however, less is known about its mediators of effectiveness. The current paper reports whether ICT reduces smoking-related outcomes such as craving and nicotine dependence, increases motivation to quit and whether reductions in smoking or craving are mediated by response inhibition or a devaluation of smoking stimuli.Method: Adult smokers (minimum 10 cigarettes per day; N = 107, Mage = 46.15 years, 57 female) were randomly allocated to receive 14 days of smoking-specific ICT (named INST; a go/no-go task where participants were trained to not respond to smoking stimuli) or active control training (participants inhibited responding toward neutral stimuli). Participants were followed up to 3-months post-intervention. This trial was preregistered (Australian and New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry ID: ACTRN12617000252314; URL: https://www.anzctr.org.au/Trial/Registration/TrialReview.aspx?id=370204).Results: There were no significant differences between ICT and active control training groups. Specifically, participants in both groups showed significant reductions in craving, nicotine dependence, motivation and a devaluation (reduced evaluation) of smoking-stimuli up to 3-months follow-up compared to baseline. Inhibition and devaluation of smoking stimuli did not act as mediators. Devaluation of smoking stimuli was an independent predictor of smoking and craving at follow-up.Conclusion: Inhibitory control training (ICT) was no more effective at reducing smoking-related outcomes compared to the active control group, however, significant improvements in craving, dependence indicators and evaluation of smoking stimuli were observed across both groups. A return to basic experimental research may be required to understand the most effective ICT approach to support smoking cessation.

scholarly journals Transfer of Learning in People who Are Blind: Enhancement of Spatial-Cognitive Abilities through Drawing

2018 ◽  
Vol 112 (4) ◽  
pp. 385-397 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lora T. Likova ◽  
Laura Cacciamani
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Cognitive Skills ◽  
Transfer Of Learning ◽  
Cognitive Test ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Training Method ◽  
Drawing Task ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Blind Individuals

Introduction This study assessed whether basic spatial-cognitive abilities can be enhanced in people who are blind through transfer of learning from drawing training. Methods Near-body spatial-cognitive performance was assessed through the Cognitive Test for the Blind (CTB), which assesses a wide range of basic spatial-cognitive skills. The CTB was administered to 21 participants who are blind in two behavioral testing sessions separated by five days. For participants in the “trained” group, these intervening days were occupied by the Cognitive-Kinesthetic Drawing Training method, during which participants learned how to draw freehand from memory. The “control” participants were not trained. Results The results showed significantly increased overall CTB performance in the trained but not in the control group, indicating that the drawing training effectively enhanced spatial-cognitive abilities. A three- to six-month follow-up session with a subset of trained participants suggested that these training-induced spatial-cognitive improvements might persist over time, at least for some tasks. Discussion These findings demonstrate that learning to draw from memory without vision over just five sessions can lead to enhancement of basic spatial-cognitive abilities beyond the drawing task. This study is the first to examine the transfer of learning of cognitive ability in blind individuals. Implications for practitioners This study sheds light on the Cognitive-Kinesthetic Drawing Training as an effective wide-range rehabilitation technique that could be used to enhance basic spatial-cognitive abilities in those who are blind.

scholarly journals Computer-assisted cognitive remediation in adolescents with psychosis or at risk for psychosis: a 6-month follow-up

2012 ◽  
Vol 24 (6) ◽  
pp. 328-335 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sébastien Urben ◽  
Sandrine Pihet ◽  
Laure Jaugey ◽  
Olivier Halfon ◽  
Laurent Holzer
Keyword(s):  
At Risk ◽  
Computer Games ◽  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Psychotic Disorders ◽  
Clinical Status ◽  
Cognitive Remediation ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Computer Assisted ◽  
Effective Work

Urben S, Pihet S, Jaugey L, Halfon O, Holzer L. Computer-assisted cognitive remediation in adolescents with psychosis or at risk for psychosis: a 6-month follow-up.Objective: To investigate short-term outcomes of a computer-assisted cognitive remediation (CACR) for adolescents with psychotic disorders or at high risk for psychosis.Method: Cognitive abilities and clinical status were assessed at baseline (N = 32) and at 6-month follow-up (N = 22) after enrolment in either a CACR (treatment group) or a computer games (control group) program (8 weeks).Results: With regard to the cognitive abilities, no amelioration was found in the control group while, in the CACR group, significant improvements in inhibition (p = 0.040) and reasoning (p = 0.005) were observed. Furthermore, symptom severity decreased significantly in the control group (p = 0.046) and marginally in the CACR group (p = 0.088). Improvements in cognitive abilities were not associated with symptoms' amelioration. Finally, increase in reasoning abilities was related to the median effective work time in sessions of CACR (R = 0.64, p = 0.024).Conclusion: At follow-up, enhanced cognitive abilities (reasoning and inhibition), which are necessary for executing higher-order goals or adapting behaviour to the ever-changing environment, were reported in adolescents participants of the CACR. Thus, further studies are needed to confirm and extend these interesting results.

scholarly journals Free Flap Transplantation on the repair of defects caused by oral and maxillofacial tumors resection

2019 ◽  
Vol 35 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Xuemei Dai ◽  
Pengchong Li ◽  
Haiyan Xu
Keyword(s):  
Free Flap ◽  
Malignant Tumor ◽  
Adverse Reactions ◽  
Tumor Resection ◽  
Benign Tumors ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Observation Group ◽  
Healthy Group ◽  
Tissue Defects

Objective: To investigate the efficacy of free flap transplantation on the repair of tissue defects after oral and maxillofacial malignant tumor resection and its effects on serum sialic acid (SA) and interleukin-2 (IL-2). Methods: Fifty-eight patients with oral and maxillofacial tumors were enrolled and set as the observation group. After the tumor resection, free flap transplantation was performed for postoperative repair. The postoperative efficacy, adverse reactions and follow-up indicators were observed. Moreover, 55 patients with benign tumors were enrolled into the control group, and 55 healthy persons were set as the healthy group. The levels of SA and IL-2 of the three groups were detected. Results: In the observation group, 55 patients were successfully repaired (94.83%); 15 patients had adverse reactions after surgery. The follow-up duration was two to four years, and 45 patients survived for three years, with a survival rate of 77.59%. Before treatment, the serum SA level of patients with oral malignant tumor was significantly higher than those of the control group and healthy group, while the IL-2 level was significantly lower than those of the other two groups, and the differences were statistically significant (P<0.05). The serum IL-2 level in the observation group one day and fourteen days after surgery was higher than that before surgery, while the serum SA level was lower than that before surgery; the differences were statistically significant (P<0.05). Conclusion: The application of free flap transplantation in the repair of postoperative tissue defects of oral and maxillofacial tumor resection is effective and has less complications, and the determination of both serum SA and IL-2 levels offers important references to recovery of patients with oral and maxillofacial tumors and prognosis evaluation. doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.35.5.316 How to cite this:Dai X, Li P, Xu H. Free Flap Transplantation on the repair of defects caused by oral and maxillofacial tumors resection. Pak J Med Sci. 2019;35(5):---------. doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.35.5.316 This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Audio Stories as Incidental Language Teachers

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ute Ritterfeld ◽  
Timo Lüke
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Low Socioeconomic Status ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Low Socioeconomic ◽  
Migrant Families ◽  
Populations At Risk ◽  
Grammatical Skills ◽  
Entertainment Value

Abstract. Audio stories offer a unique blend of narrative entertainment with language learning opportunities as a user’s enjoyment is dependent on their processing of the linguistic content. A total of 138 third- and fourth-graders from low socioeconomic status and migrant families recruited from a metropolitan area in Germany participated in a randomized pre–post follow-up intervention study with a control group. Children listened to a tailored crime story of approximately 90 min over a period of 3 days within the classroom setting. Entertainment value for the age group was established in a pilot study. Outcome variables included semantic and grammatical skills in German and were administered before (pretest), shortly after intervention (posttest), and 2 weeks later (follow-up). We used nonverbal intelligence, reading, comprehension skills, age and sex as control variables. Results indicate a strong positive effect of media reception on language skills. The effectiveness of the intervention is discussed with reference to different linguistic domains, entertainment value, and compensatory effects in populations at risk of language learning deficits.

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