Rejected

Anxiety is one of the most prevalent and debilitating psychiatric conditions worldwide. Pharmaco- and psycho-therapies have been employed in the treatment of human anxiety to date. Yet, either alone or in combination, unsatisfactory patient outcomes are prevalent, resulting in a considerable number of people whose symptoms fail to respond to conventional therapies with symptoms remaining after intervention. The demand for new therapies has given birth to several noninvasive brain stimulation techniques. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) has arisen as a promising tool and has been proven to be safe and well tolerated for the treatment of many diseases, including chronic pain, depression, and anxiety. Here, reports of the use of tDCS in anxiety disorders in human patients were reviewed and summarized. A literature search was conducted in mid-2019, to identify clinical studies that evaluated the use of tDCS for the treatment of anxiety behavior. The PubMed, Web of Science, and Scielo and PsycInfo databases were explored using the following descriptors: "anxiety", "anxious behavior", "tDCS", and "transcranial direct current stimulation". Among the selected articles, considerable variability in the type of tDCS treatment applied in interventions was observed. Evidence shows that tDCS may be more effective when used in combination with drugs and cognitive behavioral therapies; however future large-scale clinical trials are recommended to better clarify the real effects of this intervention alone, or in combination with others.

The difference between topping-off technique and posterior lumbar interbody fusion (PLIF) in postoperative outcomes is still controversial. The aim of this study is to compare all available data on outcomes of topping-off technique and PLIF in the treatment of chronic low back pain.

Knee osteoarthritis (KOA) is a common disease. It has long been believed that the main causes of KOA are knee degenerative diseases, trauma, overwork, and labor habits. However, long-term deformity leads to uneven stress on the surface of the knee joint, and the cause of lower limb force line damage has not been taken seriously. Comprehensive application of high tibial osteotomy (HTO), chronic distraction tissue regeneration, and computer-assisted external fixation for the treatment of severe KOA has many advantages over total knee arthroplasty, such as lasting and thorough orthopedic effects, a lower cost, and a faster recovery.

An epidural blood patch (EBP) is a highly effective therapy for spinal cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leakage. However, the factors predicting the response to an EBP have not been fully elucidated. The aim of this study was to elucidate factors predicting the response to an EBP.

During Transvaginal Natural Orifice Transluminal Endoscopic Surgery (vNOTES) the surgeon operates exclusively through a single vaginal entry point, leaving no external scarring.

Epilepsy management especially in developing country is challenging. Seizures recurrence can be caused by both drug and non-drug related problems such as inadequate antiepileptic regimens, adverse drug reaction and poor adherence. Patient treatment satisfaction also affects the treatment out comes by improving medication adherence. This study aimed to assess drug therapy problems (DTPs) and treatment satisfaction among ambulatory epileptic patients at Tikur Anbessa Specialized Hospital.

Patients with spinal muscular atrophy often have complete interlaminar osseous fusion, precluding lumbar puncture via the standard interlaminar approach. Recently, we have developed a new coaxial curved-needle variation of fluoroscopy-guided transforaminal lumbar puncture for intrathecal injections in this patient population. Between October 2017 and November 2018, fifty-nine consecutive transforaminal lumbar punctures using this technique were performed in 12 patients with spinal muscular atrophy for intrathecal nusinersen injection, with a 100% technical success rate and no C1-2 punctures required. One major complication occurred, consisting of a post-dural puncture headache, which required a therapeutic transforaminal epidural blood patch. Two minor complications occurred, both of which involved inadvertent puncture of a dorsal muscular arterial branch, without clinical sequelae. A fluoroscopy-guided curved-needle transforaminal approach is an effective technique for lumbar puncture in difficult cases, such as in this cohort of patients with spinal muscular atrophy and complete interlaminar osseous fusion undergoing intrathecal nusinersen injections.

The opioid epidemic is ravaging people, families, and communities in Appalachia. However, limited research has examined how "everyday" people (e.g., not chronic pain patients, not medical professionals) living in these communities how opioids have impacted their lives.

Chronic pain contributes to psychological and relationship distress in individuals with pain as well as their partners. Prior pain interventions have addressed this important social context by engaging partners in treatment; however, partners have not been considered co-participants who can benefit directly from therapy, but rather incorporated as pain management coaches or guides. This manuscript assesses the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary outcomes of a novel intervention which targets both partners and focuses on improving well-being in couples in which one or both partners experiences chronic pain and relationship distress. Fifteen couples participated in a 6-session in-person intervention, and completed baseline and post-treatment outcome measures. Both quantitative and qualitative methods were used to evaluate participants' engagement in and experiences of the intervention, as well as preliminary outcomes. Results suggest that couples were engaged in, and reported satisfaction with, the treatment. Participants who completed the therapy ( = 28; 14 couples) reported reductions in depressive symptoms and improvements in relationship satisfaction and partner responsiveness, and individuals with pain reported reductions in pain interference. In post-treatment interviews, couples reported their preference for couple therapy over individual therapy for pain and relationship distress. Although the conduct of the therapy was feasible for couples who enrolled in the trial, initial recruitment difficulties suggested feasibility challenges. Recommendations are made for researchers who are interested in designing psychological interventions to improve quality of life in the context of chronic illness.

Radiation-induced oral mucositis (RIOM) is a common side effect after radiotherapy (RT) in head and neck cancer (HNC) patients. RIOM patients with severe pain have difficulty in eating, which increases the incidence of malnutrition and affects patients' quality of life and the process of RT. The mechanism of RIOM is not fully understood, and inflammatory response and oxidative stress appear to be important for RIOM occurrence and development. The nutritional status of patients is very important for their RT tolerance and recovery. Malnutrition, which can lead to anemia, low protein, decreased immunity and other problems, is an important clinical factor affecting tumor progression and treatment. Recent studies have shown that early nutritional intervention can ameliorate oral mucositis and nutritional status of patients with HNC. However, in clinical practice, early nutritional intervention for patients with HNC is not a conventional intervention strategy. Therefore, this review summarized the possible pathogenesis of RIOM, commonly used assessment tools for malnutrition in patients, and recent studies on the effects of early nutritional interventions on RIOM and nutritional status of patients with HNC. We hope to provide the basis and reference for the clinical application of early nutritional intervention models.