Aripiprazole for the treatment of Tourette syndrome.

: Tourette syndrome (TS) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by multiple tics which often persisting in forms of different severity throughout adult life. The prevalence of neuropsychiatric co-morbidity in patients with TS is high. Treatment of TS can involve pharmacological, behavioral, or, in rare cases, surgical therapies.

Social stigma and self-perception in adolescents with tourette syndrome.

Tourette syndrome (TS) is a complex neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by multiple motor and vocal tics, which commonly presents with multiple behavioral problems, including co-morbid attention-deficit and hyperactivity disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder. Both tics and co-morbid conditions have been shown to potentially affect patients' health-related quality of life. While TS typically presents in childhood, its manifestations peak in severity during adolescence, a critical period in which affected individuals are exposed to potential stigma from peers.

Sensory aspects of Tourette syndrome.

Motor and vocal tics have long been recognised as the core features of Tourette syndrome (TS). However, patients' first-person accounts have consistently reported that these involuntary motor manifestations have specific sensory correlates. These sensory symptoms are often described as feelings of mounting inner tension ("premonitory urges") and are transiently relieved by tic expression.

Safety and efficacy of aripiprazole for the treatment of pediatric Tourette syndrome and other chronic tic disorders.

Tourette syndrome is a childhood-onset chronic tic disorder characterized by multiple motor and vocal tics and often accompanied by specific behavioral symptoms ranging from obsessionality to impulsivity. A considerable proportion of patients report significant impairment in health-related quality of life caused by the severity of their tics and behavioral symptoms and require medical intervention. The most commonly used medications are antidopaminergic agents, which have been consistently shown to be effective for tic control, but are also associated with poor tolerability because of their adverse effects.

Irritability symptoms in Gilles de la Tourette syndrome.

Behavioral symptoms are known to be a prominent feature of Gilles de la Tourette syndrome (GTS), although little is known about irritability in this patient population. This study investigated the clinical correlates of irritability symptoms in 101 adult patients with GTS. We found that patients with more severe tics (especially vocal tics) report higher levels of irritability (r=0.

Clinical utility of implantable neurostimulation devices as adjunctive treatment of uncontrolled seizures.

About one third of patients with epilepsy are refractory to medical treatment. For these patients, alternative treatment options include implantable neurostimulation devices such as vagus nerve stimulation (VNS), deep brain stimulation (DBS), and responsive neurostimulation systems (RNS). We conducted a systematic literature review to assess the available evidence on the clinical efficacy of these devices in patients with refractory epilepsy across their lifespan.

Audit of the management of the syphilis outbreak in Herefordshire 2011-2013.

The objective of this audit was to evaluate a localised rural outbreak of syphilis against British Association of Sexual Health and HIV guidelines. Forty-nine cases were identified; 98% were men, and 88% were men who have sex with men (MSM). There was a low incidence of HIV co-infection (18%).

Zonisamide as a treatment for partial epileptic seizures: a systematic review.

Although the majority of people with epilepsy have a good prognosis and their seizures can be well controlled with pharmacotherapy, up to one-third of patients can develop drug-resistant epilepsy, especially those patients with partial seizures. This unmet need has driven considerable efforts over the last few decades aimed at developing and testing newer antiepileptic agents to improve seizure control. One of the most promising antiepileptic drugs of the new generation is zonisamide, a benzisoxazole derivative chemically unrelated to other anticonvulsant agents.

Clinical Guidelines on Long-Term Pharmacotherapy for Bipolar Disorder in Children and Adolescents.

Bipolar disorder is a severe affective disorder which can present in adolescence, or sometimes earlier, and often requires a pharmacotherapeutic approach. The phenomenology of bipolar disorder in children and adolescents appears to differ from that of adult patients, prompting the need for specific pharmacotherapy guidelines for long-term management in this patient population. Current treatment guidelines were mainly developed based on evidence from studies in adult patients, highlighting the requirement for further research into the pharmacotherapy of children and adolescents with bipolar disorder.