Despite the efficacy of digital mental health technologies (DMHTs) in clinical trials, low uptake and poor engagement are common in real-world settings. Accordingly, digital technology experts or "digital navigators" are increasingly being used to enhance engagement and shared decision-making between health professionals and clients. However, this area is relatively underexplored and there is a lack of data from naturalistic settings.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSocial anxiety disorder (SAD) remains an understudied potential link between the cancer experience and adolescent and young adult (AYA) cancer survivors' poor psychosocial outcomes. We investigated the frequency and duration of, as well as factors associated with, symptoms of SAD among AYAs with cancer. This longitudinal, mixed-methods study involved online surveys (including a validated screening tool for SAD) at recruitment and 6 months later, and a structured clinical interview.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNivolumab is a programmed death-1 receptor blocker within the family of medications called immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs). Although generally well tolerated, cases of immune-related adverse events (irAEs) have been reported. We present a case of a man being treated with nivolumab for renal cell carcinoma who presented to the emergency department with problems of headache, fever and disorientation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFVaccination efforts have limited the burden of the pandemic caused by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) with substantial evidence showing reduced hospitalization rates among vaccinated populations. However, few studies have explored correlations between vaccination status and inpatient COVID-19 outcomes. This observational case-control study involved a retrospective chart review of adult patients hospitalized for COVID-19 infection at a medium-sized hospital in Central Michigan between May 1, 2021 and September 30, 2021.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Young people with mental disorders present with diverse social, vocational, physical, and developmental needs. However, multifaceted interventions are rare. We examine the effectiveness of a clinical trial targeting social participation and physical well-being in young people accessing clinical services.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThis article was migrated. The article was marked as recommended. A program was developed for incoming PGY-1 residents using the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education milestones ratings.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: Families of a child with cancer can find the decision to enrol in a clinical trial challenging and often misunderstand key concepts that underpin trials. We pilot tested "Delta," an online and booklet decision aid for parents with a child with cancer, and adolescents with cancer, deciding whether or not to enrol in a clinical trial.
Methods: We developed Delta in accordance with the International Patient Decision Aid Standards.
Thiamine deficiency is a condition characterized by several different presentations, but one of the most devastating is dry beriberi. It is associated with polyneuropathy and muscle weakness which typically affects the lower extremities and progressively involves the upper extremities. This case outlines a case of a 41-year-old man that presented to the hospital with diffuse weakness and decreased sensation in his legs and hands over a 3-day period.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Symptoms of anxiety may arise from fear of cancer recurrence and memories of traumatic experiences during treatment. This study aimed to identify changes in mental health and cortisol, a biological marker of stress, associated with oncology surveillance clinic attendance.
Methods: Adolescent and young adult (AYA) survivors of childhood cancer (aged 12-30 years, N = 46) attending a survivorship clinic were recruited.
Objective: To evaluate young adult cancer survivor opinions on whether their biobanked tissue and associated de-identified clinical data obtained during their childhood should require re-consent at the age of majority, when parental consent was originally provided.
Study Design: Thirty young adults (18-34 years old), who were former pediatric oncology patients of The Children's Hospital at Westmead with stored research biospecimens, were recruited. They completed a semistructured interview, which included questions on biobanking re-consent, awareness of biobanked tissue, satisfaction about banked tissue, and independence within the family.
The aim of the current study was to delineate the psychiatric profile of cannabis dependent young people (14-29 years old) with mental health problems (N = 36) seeking treatment via a research study. To do so, the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV-TR Axis I Disorders and the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Childhood Diagnoses were used to obtain DSM-IV diagnoses, while a modified Timeline Followback interview and self-reports were used to measure cannabis use, cannabis-related problems, and impairment. Most individuals had at least two Axis I disorders in addition to cannabis dependence.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Psychiatry Neurosci
September 2012
Background: Mismatch negativity (MMN) and P3a are event-related potentials that index deviance detection and the orienting response, respectively. We have previously shown that the MMN/P3a complex is impaired in patients with schizophrenia and affective spectrum psychoses, which suggests that it may index a common pathophysiology and argues against the purported specificity in schizophrenia. Further research is warranted to determine whether patients with bipolar-spectrum disorders show similar impairments in these biomarkers.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPsychopharmacology (Berl)
August 2012
Rationale: Cannabis use is prevalent among the early psychosis (EP) population. The event-related potentials, mismatch negativity (MMN) and P3a are reduced in EP. Cannabinoids have been shown to modulate N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors which are involved in MMN generation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Reduced mismatch negativity (MMN) and P3a amplitudes are neurophysiological biomarkers for schizophrenia that index deviance detection and the orienting response, respectively. First-episode psychosis (FEP) patients show reduced amplitudes of the 'MMN/P3a complex', but it is unclear whether this occurs across the FEP spectrum.
Methods: Fifty-three young people (17-36 years) were assessed: 17 FEP affective-spectrum (bipolar disorder with psychotic features and major depressive disorder with psychotic features), 18 FEP schizophrenia-spectrum (schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, and schizophreniform disorder), and 18 healthy controls.
Rationale: Chronic cannabis use has been related to deficits in cognition (particularly memory) and the normal functioning of brain structures sensitive to cannabinoids. There is increasing evidence that conflict monitoring and resolution processes (i.e.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: The endogenous cannabinoid system is sensitive to the introduction of exogenous cannabinoids such as delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol, which are known to impact upon memory functioning. We sought to examine the impact of chronic cannabis use upon memory-related brain function via examination of the subsequent memory effect (SME) of the event-related potential (ERP).
Methods: The SME is predictive of recall outcome and originates in structures that are dense with cannabinoid receptors (hippocampus and parahippocampus).
Memory problems are frequently associated with cannabis use, in both the short- and long-term. To date, reviews on the long-term cognitive sequelae of cannabis use have examined a broad range of cognitive functions, with none specifically focused on memory. Consequently, this review sought to examine the literature specific to memory function in cannabis users in the nontoxicated state with the aim of identifying the existence and nature of memory impairment in cannabis users and appraising potentially related mediators or moderators.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAnthracyclines are widely used in patients for anticancer activity. However, one of the limitations for their clinical use is P-gp-mediated drug resistance in cancer therapy. We hypothesize that modified anthracyclines will retain their anticancer activity, avert P-gp binding, and thus overcome P-gp-mediated drug resistance.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTo activate prodrugs for cancer treatment, an anti-TAG-72 antibody (HuCC49DeltaCH2) was used for delivery of an activation enzyme (beta-galactosidase) to specifically activate a geldanamycin prodrug (17-AG-C2-Gal) against colon cancer. The geldanamycin prodrug 17-AG-C2-Gal was synthesized by coupling a galactose-amine derivative with geldanamycin at the C-17 position. Molecular docking with two different programs (Affinity and Autodock) showed that the prodrug (17-AG-C2-Gal) was unable to bind to Hsp90; however, the product (17-AG-C2), enzymatically cleaved by beta-galactosidase conjugate, bound to Hsp90 in a similar way as geldanamycin and 17-AG.
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