Cognitive control of song production by humpback whales.

Singing humpback whales are highly versatile vocalizers, producing complex sequences of sounds that they vary throughout adulthood. Past analyses of humpback whale song have emphasized yearly variations in structural features of songs made collectively by singers within a population with comparatively little attention given to the ways that individual singers vary consecutive songs. As a result, many researchers describe singing by humpback whales as a process in which singers produce sequences of repeating sound patterns.

Sex-Related Differences in Symptoms and Psychosocial Outcomes in Patients With Fibromyalgia: A Prospective Questionnaire Study.

Objective: To investigate sex-related differences in patients with fibromyalgia (FM) in terms of demographic characteristics and clinical features, including tender point count (TPC), mood disorders, sleep problems, FM symptom severity, fatigue, cognitive dysfunction, and quality of life (QOL).

Patients And Methods: We studied 668 consecutive patients with FM (606 women) from May 1, 2012, to November 30, 2013. Validated questionnaires assessed outcomes of depression (Patient Health Questionnaire-9), anxiety (Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7), sleep problems (Medical Outcomes Study Sleep Scale), FM symptom severity (Revised Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire), fatigue (Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory), cognitive dysfunction (Multiple Ability Self-report Questionnaire), and QOL (36-Item Short Form Health Survey).

Tobacco Use in Fibromyalgia Is Associated With Cognitive Dysfunction: A Prospective Questionnaire Study.

Objective: To evaluate the association between smoking and cognitive function in patients with fibromyalgia.

Patients And Methods: We surveyed 668 patients with fibromyalgia from May 1, 2012 through November 30, 2013 at a major tertiary referral center. Patients were categorized by smoking status.

Perceived dyscognition reported by patients with fibromyalgia.

Objectives: Patients with fibromyalgia often report dyscognition as a symptom; however, the literature on this symptom is sparse. Our objective for this cross-sectional study was to characterize dyscognition among patients with fibromyalgia, identify comorbid symptoms associated with dyscognition, and evaluate its relation with fibromyalgia severity.

Methods: Dyscognition was assessed with the Multiple Abilities Self-report Questionnaire (MASQ) for 681 patients with fibromyalgia.

Effects of transdermal magnesium chloride on quality of life for patients with fibromyalgia: a feasibility study.

Background: Fibromyalgia is a syndrome characterized by chronic pain, fatigue, depression, and sleep disturbances. Its primary cause is unclear. Several studies have reported decreased intracellular magnesium levels in patients with fibromyalgia and have found negative correlation between magnesium levels and fibromyalgia symptoms.

A cross-sectional assessment of the prevalence of multiple chronic conditions and medication use in a sample of community-dwelling adults with fibromyalgia in Olmsted County, Minnesota.

Objectives: The objective of this study was to evaluate the problem of multiple chronic conditions and polypharmacy in patients with fibromyalgia.

Design: Retrospective medical record review.

Setting: Olmsted County, Minnesota.

Intra- and Inter-Patient Symptom Variability in Fibromyalgia: Results of a 90-Day Assessment.

Symptoms of fibromyalgia (FM)--chronic widespread pain, fatigue, unrefreshing sleep, dyscognition etcetera--present with varying degrees of severity in different individuals; however, studies reporting daily estimates of variability of symptoms are sparse. Given the limited literature on the stability and variability of FM symptoms, the purpose of the present study was to determine the feasibility of daily visual analogue, self-report measures to assess daily variability and time trends in core FM symptoms. Ten female patients completed daily assessments of common FM symptoms (pain, fatigue, anxiety, depression, stress, cognitive dysfunction, unrefreshing sleep and lightheadedness) for approximately 90 days.

A Comparison of Fibromyalgia Symptoms in Patients with Healthy versus Depressive, Low and Reactive Affect Balance Styles.

Background And Aims: Affect balance reflects relative levels of negative affect (NA) and positive affect (PA) and includes four styles: Healthy (low NA/high PA), Depressive (high NA/low PA), Reactive (high NA/high PA) and Low (low NA/low PA). These affect balance styles may have important associations with clinical outcomes in patients with fibromyalgia. Herein, we evaluated the severity of core fibromyalgia symptom domains as described by the Outcomes Research in Rheumatology-Fibromyalgia working group in the context of the four affect balance styles.

Psychological Resilience, Affective Mechanisms and Symptom Burden in a Tertiary-care Sample of Patients with Fibromyalgia.

Research demonstrates that patients with fibromyalgia who have higher positive and lower negative affect have lower symptom burden. Affect has been shown to be associated with resilience. This study examined the relationship between affect, resilience and fibromyalgia symptom burden in a clinical sample of patients with fibromyalgia.

Beyond pain in fibromyalgia: insights into the symptom of fatigue.

Fatigue is a disabling, multifaceted symptom that is highly prevalent and stubbornly persistent. Although fatigue is a frequent complaint among patients with fibromyalgia, it has not received the same attention as pain. Reasons for this include lack of standardized nomenclature to communicate about fatigue, lack of evidence-based guidelines for fatigue assessment, and a deficiency in effective treatment strategies.

Construction of a US fibromyalgia registry using the Fibromyalgia Research Survey criteria.

Utilizing billing records, we identified patients seen at Mayo Clinic with a diagnosis or history of fibromyalgia who were then contacted for enrollment in a fibromyalgia research registry. Fibromyalgia was confirmed through medical record review. Eligible patients were mailed an invitation that included a demographic questionnaire and the Fibromyalgia Research Survey.