Individual Differences in Response to Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation With Language Therapy in Subacute Stroke.

Background: Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) can be used to improve post-stroke aphasia. However, given the mixed evidence for its efficacy, individual differences may moderate the relative benefit of this strategy. In planned exploratory subgroup analyses, we examined whether age, education, sex, brain-derived neurotrophic factor status, and baseline performance individually impacted improvement in picture naming between baseline and 1 week after the end of the therapy, then whether the combination of factors that predicted recovery of naming and discourse differed for those who received concurrent tDCS.

Transcranial Direct-Current Stimulation in Subacute Aphasia: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: Transcranial direct-current stimulation (tDCS) is a promising adjunct to therapy for chronic aphasia.

Methods: This single-center, randomized, double-blind, sham-controlled efficacy trial tested the hypothesis that anodal tDCS augments language therapy in subacute aphasia. Secondarily, we compared the effect of tDCS on discourse measures and quality of life and compared the effects on naming to previous findings in chronic stroke.

Geographical distribution of the health crisis of war in the Tigray region of Ethiopia.

War destroys health facilities and displaces health workers. It has a devastating impact on population health, especially in vulnerable populations. We assess the geographical distribution of the impact of war on healthcare delivery by comparing the pre-November 2020 and the November to June 2021 status of health facilities in the Tigray region of Ethiopia.

Longitudinal Neurocognitive Effects of Combined Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) and Pharmacotherapy in Major Depressive Disorder in Older Adults: Phase 2 of the PRIDE Study.

Objective: There is limited information regarding neurocognitive outcomes of right unilateral ultrabrief pulse width electroconvulsive therapy (RUL-UB ECT) combined with pharmacotherapy in older adults with major depressive disorder. We report longitudinal neurocognitive outcomes from Phase 2 of the Prolonging Remission in Depressed Elderly (PRIDE) study.

Method: After achieving remission with RUL-UB ECT and venlafaxine, older adults (≥60 years old) were randomized to receive symptom-titrated, algorithm-based longitudinal ECT (STABLE) plus pharmacotherapy (venlafaxine and lithium) or pharmacotherapy-only.

Developing, Implementing, and Improving Assessment and Treatment Fidelity in Clinical Aphasia Research.

Purpose The purpose of this study was to describe the development and implementation of a fidelity program for an ongoing, multifacility, aphasia intervention study and to explain how initial fidelity measures are being used to improve study integrity. Method A Clinical Core team developed and incorporated a fidelity plan in this study. The aims of the Clinical Core team were to (a) supervise data collection and data management at each clinical site, (b) optimize and monitor assessment fidelity, and (c) optimize and monitor treatment fidelity.

Neurocognitive Effects of Combined Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) and Venlafaxine in Geriatric Depression: Phase 1 of the PRIDE Study.

Objective: There is limited information regarding the tolerability of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) combined with pharmacotherapy in elderly adults with major depressive disorder (MDD). Addressing this gap, we report acute neurocognitive outcomes from Phase 1 of the Prolonging Remission in Depressed Elderly (PRIDE) study.

Methods: Elderly adults (age ≥60) with MDD received an acute course of 6 times seizure threshold right unilateral ultrabrief pulse (RUL-UB) ECT.

Feasibility and utility of a clinician dashboard from wearable and mobile application Parkinson's disease data.

Mobile and wearable device-captured data have the potential to inform Parkinson's disease (PD) care. The objective of the Clinician Input Study was to assess the feasibility and clinical utility of data obtained using a mobile health technology from PD patients. In this observational, exploratory study, PD participants wore a smartwatch and used the mobile phone app to stream movement data and report symptom severity and medication intake for 6 months.

Gender Disparities in Receipt of HIV Testing Results in Six Sub-Saharan African Countries.

Receipt of HIV testing results is vital for individuals to know their status and make decisions that would improve their access to HIV prevention, treatment, and care. The objective of this study is to determine the association of HIV testing and receipt of results with three key exposure variables (HIV stigma, HIV knowledge, and media use) stratified by gender and country. Data from a random sample of adults aged 15-49 years from Burundi, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda were abstracted from country-specific Demographic and Health Surveys or AIDS Indicators Surveys.

Joint modeling of multivariate hearing thresholds measured longitudinally at multiple frequencies.

Pure-tone thresholds are used to estimate hearing acuity and, when measured longitudinally, can characterize age-related changes in hearing. Measured at multiple-frequencies, multiple-irregular time points, for right and left ears, these longitudinal studies of age-related hearing loss produce data of inherent complexity due to: 1) multivariate outcomes at different frequencies; 2) longitudinal measurements taken at subject-specific time intervals; and 3) inter-ear correlations due to clustering and nesting. To address limitations in existing methods, we propose a multivariate generalized linear mixed model(mGLMM) and assess its performance.

Stroke-related stigma among West Africans: Patterns and predictors.

Background: Disability-adjusted life-years lost after stroke in Low & Middle-Income Countries (LMICs) is almost seven times those lost in High-income countries. Although individuals living with chronic neurological and mental disorders are prone to stigma, there is a striking paucity of literature on stroke-related stigma particularly from LMICs.

Objective: To assess the prevalence, severity, determinants and psycho-social consequences of stigma among LMIC stroke survivors.

A Novel Strategy for Continuation ECT in Geriatric Depression: Phase 2 of the PRIDE Study.

Objective: The randomized phase (phase 2) of the Prolonging Remission in Depressed Elderly (PRIDE) study evaluated the efficacy and tolerability of continuation ECT plus medication compared with medication alone in depressed geriatric patients after a successful course of ECT (phase 1).

Method: PRIDE was a two-phase multisite study. Phase 1 was an acute course of right unilateral ultrabrief pulse ECT, augmented with venlafaxine.

Right Unilateral Ultrabrief Pulse ECT in Geriatric Depression: Phase 1 of the PRIDE Study.

Objective: The Prolonging Remission in Depressed Elderly (PRIDE) study evaluated the efficacy of right unilateral ultrabrief pulse electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) combined with venlafaxine for the treatment of geriatric depression.

Method: PRIDE was a two-phase multisite study. Phase 1 was an acute course of right unilateral ultrabrief pulse ECT, combined with open-label venlafaxine at seven academic medical centers.

Weibull mixture regression for marginal inference in zero-heavy continuous outcomes.

Continuous outcomes with preponderance of zero values are ubiquitous in data that arise from biomedical studies, for example studies of addictive disorders. This is known to lead to violation of standard assumptions in parametric inference and enhances the risk of misleading conclusions unless managed properly. Two-part models are commonly used to deal with this problem.

Cardiovascular risk in Gullah African Americans with high familial risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus: project SuGAR.

Objectives: To determine the prevalence of cardiovascular disease, levels of cardiovascular risk factors, and extent of preventive care in Gullah African Americans with a high familial risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Methods: Between 1995 and 2003, 1321 Gullah African Americans with a high prevalence of diabetes mellitus from the South Carolina Sea Islands consented to and enrolled in the Sea Islands Genetic African American Registry (Project SuGAR). A cross-sectional analysis of cardiometabolic risk, preventive care, and self-reported cardiovascular disease was conducted.