scholarly journals A pilot study of the feasibility of a Swedish multimodal group intervention for severe migraine—The migraine patient school

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
pp. 251581632110204
Author(s):  
Birgitta Helmerson ◽  
Anna Sundholm ◽  
Kerstin Hedborg ◽  
Elisabet Waldenlind ◽  
Marie Kierkegaard ◽  
...  

Objectives: To evaluate a multidisciplinary group intervention, the migraine patient school (MPS), for patients with severe, mostly chronic migraine. Method: A 13-week group intervention program including seven sessions of patient education, practical body awareness and relaxation exercises, and home assignments was performed in small groups with 5–11 participants. Four groups were consecutively included from spring 2014 to fall 2015. Headache diaries and standardized and study-specific questionnaires were used for evaluation at baseline before MPS (pre-interventional phase), and at follow-up. Results: Twenty-four of 30 included patients completed the study, i.e. attended ≥ four sessions. Most participants found it rewarding to participate in the MPS and easy to take part in, understand and complete home assignments. Validated standardized questionnaires delivered before, and after (follow-up) MPS showed that the impact on life (HIT-6) and avoidance behavior (PIPS-A) were significantly improved whereas quality of life (MSQL), anxiety and depression (HAD) and perceived stress (PSS-14) did not show a statistically significant change. Conclusion: The Migraine patient school with a multimodal educational and behavioral group intervention program was feasible to perform and seem to benefit patients with severe (high-frequency or chronic) migraine.


1987 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 31-47 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew M. Razin ◽  
Charles Swencionis ◽  
Lenore R. Zohman

Recent reports indicate that Type A Behavior may be reducible by behavioral and other psychotherapeutic methods. To date, however, there has been virtually no demonstration of reduction of the actual, observed behavior. Furthermore, the physiologic hyperresponsiveness that seems to characterize many Type A individuals when under stress, has received relatively little therapeutic attention. This preliminary, uncontrolled report describes a cognitive-behavioral group intervention program, before and after which patients underwent assessment on physiologic, behavioral, and self-report assessments. These included heart rate and blood pressure responsiveness under stressful conditions, trained observer ratings of Type A Behavior, and a variety of subjective measures of Type A Behavior and psychological distress and symptoms. Results showed limited improvement on most behavioral and self-report indices. Relatively greater reduction of Type A Behavior was associated with higher pre-treatment levels of Type A Behavior, with the absence of coronary artery disease and with male gender.



2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 8-17
Author(s):  
Mahsa Assadi

This study reports a pre-experimental research on the impact of metacognitive instruction on EFL learners’ metacognitive awareness and their listening performance. To obtain the goal of the study, a group of 30 Iranian intermediate EFL learners, including 14 males and 16 females, were selected randomly. Their ages range from 20 to 24. The participants took part in 16 weeks’ intervention program based on metacognitive pedagogical sequence consisted of five stages. The metacognitive awareness listening questionnaire (MALQ), and a listening test were also used to find changes in metacognitive awareness and listening performance before and after the treatment. The results of comparing pre and posttests scores revealed that metacognitive instruction raised the learners’ metacognitive awareness and helped them improve their listening comprehension ability.



2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Giulia Brigante ◽  
Giorgia Spaggiari ◽  
Barbara Rossi ◽  
Antonio Granata ◽  
Manuela Simoni ◽  
...  

AbstractTrying to manage the dramatic coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection spread, many countries imposed national lockdown, radically changing the routinely life of humans worldwide. We hypothesized that both the pandemic per se and the consequent socio-psychological sequelae could constitute stressors for Italian population, potentially affecting the endocrine system. This study was designed to describe the effect of lockdown-related stress on the hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid (HPT) axis in a cohort of young men. A prospective, observational clinical trial was carried out, including patients attending the male infertility outpatient clinic before and after the national lockdown for COVID-19 pandemic. The study provided a baseline visit performed before and a follow-up visit after the lockdown in 2020. During the follow-up visit, hormonal measurements, lifestyle habits and work management were recorded. Thirty-one male subjects were enrolled (mean age: 31.6 ± 6.0 years). TSH significantly decreased after lockdown (p = 0.015), whereas no significant changes were observed in the testosterone, luteinising hormone, follicle-stimulating hormone, estradiol and prolactin serum levels. No patient showed TSH serum levels above or below reference ranges, neither before nor after lockdown. Interestingly, TSH variation after lockdown was dependent on the working habit change during lockdown (p = 0.042). We described for the first time a TSH reduction after a stressful event in a prospective way, evaluating the HPT axis in the same population, before and after the national lockdown. This result reinforces the possible interconnection between psychological consequences of a stressful event and the endocrine regulation.



Vascular ◽  
2020 ◽  
pp. 170853812098369
Author(s):  
Stefano Fazzini ◽  
Giovanni Torsello ◽  
Martin Austermann ◽  
Efthymios Beropoulis ◽  
Roberta Munaò ◽  
...  

Objectives The results of branched endovascular repair of thoracoabdominal aneurysms are mainly dependent on durability of the graft used. The purpose of this study was to evaluate postoperative aortic main body and bridging stent-graft remodeling, and their impact on bridging stent-graft instability at one year. Methods Computed tomoangiographies of 43 patients (43 aortic main body mated with 171 bridging stent-grafts) were analyzed before and after branched endovascular repair as well as after a follow-up of 12 months. Primary endpoint was aortic main body remodeling (migration >5 mm, shortening >5 mm, scoliosis >5° or lordosis >5°). Shortening was defined as a reduced length in the long axis, scoliosis as left-right curvature, and lordosis as antero-posterior curvature. Aortic main body remodeling, aneurysm sac changes, and bridging stent-graft tortuosity were evaluated to study their correlations and the impact on the bridging stent-graft instability. Results At 12 months, aortic main body remodeling was observed in 72% of the cases, migration in 39.5% (mean 5.21 mm), shortening in 41.9% (mean 5.79 mm), scoliosis in 58.1%, (mean 10.10°), lordosis in 44.2% (mean 5.78°). Migration, shortening, and scoliosis were more frequent in patients with larger aneurysms ( p = .005), while scoliosis was significantly more frequent in type II thoracoabdominal aneurysm ( p = .019). Aortic main body remodeling was significantly associated to bridging stent-graft remodeling (r: 0.3–0.48). The bridging stent-graft instability rate was 9.3%. Despite a trend toward significance ( p = .07), none of the evaluated aortic main body and bridging stent-graft changes were associated with bridging stent-graft instability at 12 months. Conclusions Aortic main body remodeling is frequent especially in large and extended thoracoabdominal aneurysm aneurysms. Aortic main body and bridging stent-graft remodeling was significantly correlated. While these geometric changes had no significant impact on bridging stent-graft instability at one year, a close long-term follow-up after branched endovascular repair could predict bridging stent-graft failures.



2021 ◽  
pp. EMDR-D-20-00053
Author(s):  
Philip E. Manfield ◽  
Lewis Engel ◽  
Ricky Greenwald ◽  
David G. Bullard

The flash technique (FT) is a low-intensity individual or group intervention that appears to rapidly lessen the distress of disturbing and traumatic memories. This paper reports on the safety and effectiveness of group FT with 77 healthcare providers and 98 psychotherapists impacted by working with COVID-19 patients. One-hour webinars included 30 minutes of psychoeducation and two guided 15-minute FT interventions, focused on participants’ most distressing pandemic-related memory. Before and after each 15-minute FT intervention, they rated that memory using the 11-point zero-to-ten subjective units of disturbance (SUD) scale. Results from both interventions were highly significant with large effect sizes (p < .001, Hedges’ g = 2.01, Hedges’ g = 2.39). No adverse reactions were reported. For 35 participants who processed the same memory in both interventions, the pre–post SUD scores from the beginning of intervention #1 to the end of intervention #2 showed a significant reduction with a large effect size (p < .001, Hedges’ g = 3.80). For this group, both intervention #1 and intervention #2 showed significant reductions with large effect sizes (p < .001, Hedges’ g = 2.00) (p < .001, Hedges’ g = 1.18). Follow-up SUD scores were obtained from 58 participants, with the mean disturbance level showing a significant further decrease. These findings provide preliminary evidence that group FT appears to safely provide rapid relief from disturbing memories. FT merits further research.



2021 ◽  
Vol 108 (Supplement_7) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hannah Elkadi ◽  
Eleanor Dodd ◽  
Theodore Poulton ◽  
William Bolton ◽  
Joshua Burke ◽  
...  

Abstract Aims Despite being the most common surgical procedure, there is wide variation that exists in the management of simple subcutaneous abscesses with no national guideline describing best practice. During the COVID-19 Pandemic national guidelines promoted the use of regional or local anaesthetic (LA) instead of general anaesthesia (GA) to avoid aerosol generating intubation associated with GA. This study aimed to assess the impact of anaesthetic choice in outcomes following incision and drainage of subcutaneous abscesses. Methods Two cohorts of patients undergoing abscess incision and drainage at St. James’ University Hospital Leeds were retrospectively identified over a 14-week period before and after the introduction of the new COVID-19 anaesthetic guidelines. Wound healing surrogate endpoints were used: i) total number of follow up appointments and ii) attendance to healthcare services after 30 days from I&D. Result 133 patients were included. Significantly more procedures were performed under LA after the intervention (84.1% vs 5.7%; p &lt; 0.0001) with a significant reduction in wound packing (68.3% vs 87.1%. p=0.00473). Follow up data found no significant difference in the average number of follow-up appointments (7.46 vs 5.11; p = 0.0731) and the number of patients who required ongoing treatment after 30 days (n = 14 vs n = 14, p = 0.921). Conclusion Drainage of simple subcutaneous abscess under 5 cm is safe under local anaesthetic with no significant difference in surrogate endpoints of wound healing observed in this patient cohort. Recurrent packing may not be required. Future work should explore patient reported measures such as pain management and the health economics of this intervention.



Author(s):  
Caitlin R. Semsarian ◽  
Gabrielle Rigney ◽  
Peter A. Cistulli ◽  
Yu Sun Bin

University students consistently report poor sleep. We conducted a before-and-after study to evaluate the impact of an online 10-week course on undergraduate students’ sleep knowledge, attitudes, and behaviours at 6-month follow-up. Data were collected via baseline course surveys (August–September 2020) and follow-up surveys distributed via email (February–March 2021). n = 212 students completed baseline surveys and n = 75 (35%) completed follow-up. Students retained to follow-up possessed higher baseline sleep knowledge and received higher course grades. At the 6-month follow-up, sleep knowledge had increased (mean score out of 5: 3.0 vs. 4.2, p < 0.001). At baseline, 85% of students aimed to increase their sleep knowledge and 83% aimed to improve their sleep. At follow-up, 91% reported being more knowledgeable and 37% reported improved sleep. A novel Stages of Change item revealed that 53% of students’ attitudes towards their sleep behaviours had changed from baseline. There was a reduction in sleep latency at follow-up (mean 33.3 vs. 25.6 min, p = 0.015), but no change in the total Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index score. In summary, completion of an online course led to increased sleep and circadian knowledge and changed sleep attitudes, with no meaningful change in sleep behaviours. Future interventions should consider components of behavioural change that go beyond the knowledge–attitudes–behaviour continuum.



2019 ◽  
Vol 122 (4) ◽  
pp. 491-497 ◽  
Author(s):  
Grace McCutchan ◽  
Stephanie Smits ◽  
Lucy Ironmonger ◽  
Ciarán Slyne ◽  
Amanda Boughey ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer mortality in Wales. We conducted a before- and after- study to evaluate the impact of a four-week mass-media campaign on awareness, presentation behaviour and lung cancer outcomes. Methods Population-representative samples were surveyed for cough symptom recall/recognition and worry about wasting doctors’ time pre-campaign (June 2016; n = 1001) and post-campaign (September 2016; n = 1013). GP cough symptom visits, urgent suspected cancer (USC) referrals, GP-ordered radiology, new lung cancer diagnoses and stage at diagnosis were compared using routine data during the campaign (July–August 2016) and corresponding control (July–August 2015) periods. Results Increased cough symptom recall (p < 0.001), recognition (p < 0.001) and decreased worry (p < 0.001) were observed. GP visits for cough increased by 29% in the target 50+ age-group during the campaign (p < 0.001) and GP-ordered chest X-rays increased by 23% (p < 0.001). There was no statistically significant change in USC referrals (p = 0.82), new (p = 0.70) or early stage (p = 0.27) diagnoses, or in routes to diagnosis. Conclusions Symptom awareness, presentation and GP-ordered chest X-rays increased during the campaign but did not translate into increased USC referrals or clinical outcomes changes. Short campaign duration and follow-up, and the small number of new lung cancer cases observed may have hampered detection effects.



2017 ◽  
Vol 41 (S1) ◽  
pp. S196-S197
Author(s):  
M. Gomez Revuelta ◽  
M. Juncal Ruiz ◽  
O. Porta Olivares ◽  
V. Gajardo Galan ◽  
G. Pardo de Santayana Jenaro ◽  
...  

IntroductionThe first five years after the onset of a first episode of psychosis (FEP) are crucial for long term outcome. In this period, the risk of relapse is particularly high. Consequences of relapse include an increased risk of neurotoxicity, chronicity, hospitalization, decreased response to treatment, increased economic burden and functional impairment.ObjectivesTo discern the influence of cannabis on relapse as it may contribute to adopt specific measures in patients during early stages of the illness.Material and methodsPAFIP is an early intervention program for patients with a FEP. Between January 2005 and January 2011, 163 patients were recruited for this study. They were followed-up during 3 years at intervals of three months. The sample was divided into three groups: (1) those non-cannabis users neither before the FEP nor during follow-up (nn), (2) consumers before the FEP and during follow-up (ss) and (3) consumers before the FEP that gave up consumption during follow-up (sn).ResultsNo statistically significant differences between the three groups were observed but a trend (P = 0.057) towards a more enduring survival in Group 3 (sn). (Kaplan–Meier curve and detailed Log Rank Test results will be included in the final poster).ConclusionsCannabis has a detrimental effect on schizophrenia. The interruption of its use could contribute to improve the outcome of the disease, as the results of our study suggest.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.



2018 ◽  
Vol 36 (34_suppl) ◽  
pp. 201-201
Author(s):  
Ali Haider ◽  
Yu Qian ◽  
Zhanni Lu ◽  
Syed Mussadiq Ali Akbar Naqvi ◽  
Amy Zhuang ◽  
...  

201 Background: Recent parenteral opioid shortage (POS) has the potential to impact cancer pain management in hospitalized patients. This study aims to compare changes in the opioid prescriptions by the inpatient palliative care (PC) team before and after the institution first reported the POS. Methods: We reviewed and compared the electronic health records of 386 consecutive eligible consultations seen by the inpatient PC team equally in one month before and after the announcement of POS on February 8, 2018. The eligibility criteria include (1) cancer diagnosis, (2) ≥18 years of age, (3) taking opioid medication at the time of consultation, and (4) having at least two consecutive visits with the PC team. Patient demographics, cancer type, opioid type, route, and dose defined as the morphine equivalent daily dose were assessed. Results: POS was associated with less use of parenteral opioids (patient controlled analgesia, and intravenous breakthrough) and more use of non-parenteral opioids (extended release, transdermal, and oral breakthrough) by the referring oncology teams, and PC team (P≤.001) (Table 1). At first PC follow-up, significantly less proportion of patients achieved better pain control after POS [119/193 (62%) versus 144/193 (75%) (P=.006)] However, at second PC follow-up, the proportion of pain improvement was similar in both cohorts. Conclusions: There is a significant change in opioid routes associated with POS. POS was associated with worse analgesia. More research is needed to better understand the impact of POS on cancer pain management.[Table: see text]



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