Persistence of sleep difficulties for over 16 years amongst 66,948 working-aged adults

The objective was to investigate the persistence of sleep difficulties for over 16 years amongst a population of working age. In this prospective cohort study, a group-based trajectory analysis of repeated surveys amongst 66,948 employees in public sector (mean age 44.7 [SD 9.4] years, 80% women) was employed. The main outcome measure was sleep difficulties based on Jenkins Sleep Scale (JSS). Up to 70% of the respondents did not experience sleep difficulties whereas up to 4% reported high frequency of notable sleep difficulties through the entire 16-year follow-up. Heavy drinking predicted sleep difficulties (OR 2.3 95% CI 1.6 to 3.3) except for the respondents younger than 40 years. Smoking was associated with sleep difficulties amongst women younger than 40 years (OR 1.2, 95% CI 1.0 to 1.5). Obesity was associated with sleep difficulties amongst men (OR 1.9, 95% CI 1.4 to 2.7) and women (OR 1.2, 95% CI 1.1 to 1.3) of middle age and amongst women older than 50 (OR 1.5, 95% CI 1.2 to 1.8) years. Physical inactivity predicted sleep difficulties amongst older men (OR 1.3, 95% CI 1.1 to 1.6). In this working-age population, sleep difficulties showed a great persistence over time. In most of the groups, the level of sleep difficulties during the follow-up was almost solely dependent on the level of initial severity. Depending on sex and age, increasing sleep problems were sometimes associated with high alcohol consumption, smoking, obesity and physical inactivity, but the strength of these associations varied.

Predictors of Parental Accommodation and Response Treatment in Young Children With Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

Background: Cognitive–behavioral family-based treatment (CBFT) is the treatment standard in very young children with obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD), which includes the same core components of cognitive–behavioral therapy (CBT) with significant family involvement. Although the latter reports high rates of remission, some children do not improve with treatments. Therefore, it is necessary to identify possible moderating variables such as comorbidity, severity of disorder, years of onset, parental anxiety, and parental accommodation. This study has two main aims: (1) to propose a predictive model on family accommodation (father and mother), taking into account variables related to the children (severity of obsessive–compulsive responses, internalizing and externalizing symptoms, and comorbidity) and with the parents before intervention (worry, accommodation of one parental member over the other) and (2) to examine the mediating role of externalizing symptoms and mother's accommodation in the relation between initial severity and improvement of severity of obsessive–compulsive responses in children aged 5–8 years.Methods: Participants comprised 56 children with OCD [mean = 6.61 (SD = 0.76)] and their parents; 79% of the sample was men. Treatment was implemented by two clinicians specialized in OCD (>15 years of experience). Clinicians were trained to administer CBT protocol in the same way. They were doctors of clinical psychology and researchers at the OCD.Results: Mother's accommodation was associated with child variables (Child Behavior Checklist–Externalizing and Initial Severity, Children's Yale–Brown Obsessive–Compulsive Scale). Father's accommodation could be explained by parent variables (mother's accommodation and worry). Simple mediation model tested using the SPSS macro PROCESS supported the relation of the initial severity of symptoms with that following intervention, through the simple indirect effect of externalizing symptoms of the child.Conclusions: Comorbidities with externalizing symptoms, father's worry, and mother's accommodation were variables that should be controlled in treatment of pediatric OCD.

Factors Influencing the Evolution of Pulmonary Hypertension in Previously Healthy Subjects Recovering from a SARS-CoV-2 Infection

(1) Background: While the COVID-19 pandemic has been persisting for almost 2 years, more and more people are diagnosed with residual complications such as pulmonary hypertension (PH) and right ventricular dysfunction (RVD). This study aims to evaluate the course of PH and borderline PH (BPH) at 3 and 6 months after the acute COVID-19 infection and investigate if there are differences regarding its evolution between the patients from the first three waves of this disease. (2) Methods: We analyzed, by transthoracic echocardiography (TTE), the 3 and 6 months’ evolution of the echocardiographically estimated systolic pulmonary artery pressures (esPAP) in 116 patients already diagnosed with PH or BPH due to COVID-19 during the first three subsequent waves of COVID-19. (3) Results: We documented a gradual, statistically significant reduction in esPAP values, but also an improvement of the parameters characterizing RVD after 3 and 6 months (p < 0.001). This evolution was somewhat different between subjects infected with different viral strains and was related to the initial severity of the pulmonary injury and PH (adjusted R2 = 0.722, p < 0.001). (4) Conclusions: PH and RVD alleviate gradually during the recovery after COVID-19, but in some cases, they persist, suggesting the activation of pathophysiological mechanisms responsible for the self-propagation of PH.

Risk factors for functional deterioration in a cohort with late effects of poliomyelitis: A ten-year follow-up study

BACKGROUND: More than 7000 patients developed poliomyelitis during the main epidemic in the fifties in Israel. In recent years, there is a further deterioration in their condition due to accelerated aging process and post-polio syndrome. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the risk factors for the progression of functional status in a cohort of patients with late effect of poliomyelitis over a period of ten years. METHODS: A cross-sectional cohort study including 82 individuals with late effect of poliomyelitis evaluated over ten years. Mean age was 67±8.5 years, 52.4%were men and 79.3%were Jewish. Functional status was evaluated by activities of daily living (ADL) questionnaire. Risk factors, including general comorbidities, history of poliomyelitis infection, use of assistive devices, employment, and physical activity statuses were evaluated using specific questionnaires. RESULTS: Independence in ADL functions deteriorated significantly over ten years. Older age, ethnicity, use of a wheelchair, and use of orthotic devices in childhood were risk factors for deterioration in ADL function. No correlation was found between the presence of other comorbidities or poliomyelitis parameters and worsening of ADL functions. CONCLUSIONS: Late effect of poliomyelitis was associated with deterioration in ADL functions probably due to the combined effect of the initial severity of the paralytic poliomyelitis symptoms and accelerated aging.

Association between Initial Severity of Facial Weakness and Outcomes of Bell’s Palsy

To establish whether clinical prognostic factor outcomes differed based on the initial severity of facial weakness and to determine the association between the initial severity of facial weakness and favorable outcomes. This retrospective cohort study analyzed all patients with Bell’s palsy who visited the outpatient clinic of our university hospital from 1 January 2005 through 31 January 2021. The primary outcome was the rate of recovery at 6 months, evaluated separately in patients with initial House–Brackmann (H-B) grades 3–4 and 5–6. Secondary outcomes included clinical factors associated with favorable outcomes stratified by the initial H-B grade. The rate of favorable recovery was higher in patients with initial H-B grades 3–4 than initial H-B grades 5–6 (82.9% vs. 68.2%, p < 0.001). Multivariable logistic regression analysis showed that age 19–65 years and good electromyography (EMG) results were prognostic of good outcomes in patients with initial H-B grades 3–4. In addition, good EMG results, controlled hypertension, and combination antiviral therapy were significantly prognostic of favorable outcomes in patients with initial H-B grades 5–6. Subgroup analysis interactions showed that combination antiviral therapy (OR: 3.06, 95% CI 1.62–5.78, p < 0.001) in initial H-B grades 5–6 were associated with more favorable outcomes at 6 months than with initial H-B grades 3–4. Our results showed that the proportion of patients who achieved favorable outcomes at 6 months and multiple clinical factors affecting favorable outcomes differed significantly among patients differing in initial severity of Bell’s palsy.

Recovery of Visuospatial Neglect Subtypes and Relationship to Functional Outcome Six Months After Stroke

Background/Objective. This study aims to investigate how complex visuospatial neglect behavioural phenotypes predict long-term outcomes, both in terms of neglect recovery and broader functional outcomes after 6 months post-stroke. Methods. This study presents a secondary cohort study of acute and 6-month follow-up data from 400 stroke survivors who completed the Oxford Cognitive Screen’s Cancellation Task. At follow-up, patients also completed the Stroke Impact Scale questionnaire. These data were analysed to identify whether any specific combination of neglect symptoms is more likely to result in long-lasting neglect or higher levels of functional impairment, therefore warranting more targeted rehabilitation. Results. Overall, 98/142 (69%) neglect cases recovered by follow-up, and there was no significant difference in the persistence of egocentric/allocentric (X2 [1] = .66 and P = .418) or left/right neglect (X2 [2] = .781 and P = .677). Egocentric neglect was found to follow a proportional recovery pattern with all patients demonstrating a similar level of improvement over time. Conversely, allocentric neglect followed a non-proportional recovery pattern with chronic neglect patients exhibiting a slower rate of improvement than those who recovered. A multiple regression analysis revealed that the initial severity of acute allocentric, but not egocentric, neglect impairment acted as a significant predictor of poor long-term functional outcomes (F [9,300] = 4.742, P < .001 and adjusted R2 = .098). Conclusions. Our findings call for systematic neuropsychological assessment of both egocentric and allocentric neglect following stroke, as the occurrence and severity of these conditions may help predict recovery outcomes over and above stroke severity alone.

Effect of withdrawing long-term CPAP therapy on the course of obstructive sleep apnea

Aim. To assess the effect of withdrawing long-term (12 months) CPAP therapy on the course of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in patients with moderate to severe disease.Material and methods. The study included 40 patients with moderate to severe OSA and paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (AF) after surgical treatment. The mean age of the subjects was 59,3+8,2 years. In addition, 55% of patients had obesity. All patients were started on CPAP therapy. After 12 months, CPAP therapy was canceled in the patients who completed the study. Additional cardiorespiratory sleep monitoring was performed 1-2 days after the withdrawal of treatment to assess the severity of sleep-related breathing disorders.Results. Cancellation of CPAP therapy in all observed cases led to an immediate relapse of OSA. Although the mean value of the apnea/hypopnea index (AHI) decreased from 24 episodes per hour [20; 34] before treatment up to 21 episodes per hour [13; 27] after 12-month CPAP therapy, there was no significant difference before and after therapy. In addition, the statistical analysis showed a transition from more severe OSA degrees to moderate ones, depending on the initial severity of the disease. Correlation analysis demonstrated significant relationships of the OSA severity, the final AHI value and the minimum oxygen level with the patient’s body weight (before and after therapy) (r=0,396, 0,411 and -0,488; r=0,358, 0,398 and -0,44, respectively, p<0,05).Conclusion. In our study, when the 12-month CPAP therapy was canceled, no complete cure for sleep-related breathing disorders was recorded in any case. OSA recurrence was recorded immediately after discontinuation of CPAP therapy (on days 1-2) and its severity depended on the initial severity of the disease. At present, the continuation of CPAP therapy remains the only way to achieve complete control of OSA as a risk factor for AF.

Visit-to-visit blood pressure variability in patients after acute coronary syndrome

Objective. The aim of the study was to assess the possible association of visit-to-visit blood pressure (BP) variability and the risk of adverse outcomes in hypertensive (HTN) patients after acute coronary syndrome.Design and methods. We analyzed data of 1,456 patients (mean age 65,6 ± 12,2 years, 875 (60,1 %) men) discharged from the hospital after acute coronary syndrome and followed up for 1 year in 4 vascular centers in Moscow, Astrakhan, Kazan and Krasnodar in 2014–2017. BP, heart rate, and adverse events were recorded on the day of discharge and on days 25, 90, 180 and 360 after discharge. The visit-to-visit BP variability was assessed by the VIM coefficient (variation independent of mean).Results. The systolic BP variability was 7,81 ± 0,226 mm Hg, diastolic BP variability was 9,89 ± 0,577 mm Hg during follow-up. In total, 110 deaths from any cause, 63 coronary deaths, 130 repeated non-fatal coronary events, 33 ischemic strokes were recorded. A decrease in BP variability was associated with the dihydropyridine calcium antagonists (10,21 ± 6,45 and 7,99 ± 4,70 mm Hg, p = 0,024) and thiazide diuretics (10,34 ± 6,59 and 7,63 ± 9,63 mm Hg, p = 0,049). Multivariate analysis showed that high long-term variability of BP is a more significant factor associated with the overall mortality rate than the initial severity of HTN and even the fact of achieving target BP. The risk of ischemic stroke in patients with HTN was associated with factors such as atrial fibrillation, heart failure, a history of stroke, and high visit-to-visit BP variability.Conclusions. Visit-to-visit BP variability is an important characteristic of BP control and is associated with the risk of death from any causes and stroke in patients with coronary heart disease.