Objective: To evaluate the long-term effectiveness of sensory motor retuning (SMR), a new treatment for focal hand dystonia in musicians.
Design: Prospective case series with an (adventitious) comparison group with 3- to 25-month follow-up in piano and guitar and 0- to 4-month follow-up in flute and oboe players.
Setting: General community in Germany.
Participants: Eleven professional musicians.
Intervention: Immobilization by splints of 1 or more digits other than the focal dystonic finger. This finger carried out repetitive exercises in coordination with 1 or more of the other digits for 1(1/2) to 2(1/2) hours a day for 8 consecutive days under therapist supervision. The subjects then were instructed to continue practice for 1 hour daily for 1 year.
Main Outcome Measures: Spectral analysis of the output of a dexterity-displacement device that continuously recorded digital displacement during finger movements and a dystonia evaluation scale on which patients rated how well they had just performed dystonic movement sequences and repertoire passages.
Results: The 3 wind players (adventitious placebo controls) did not improve substantially. However, each pianist and guitarist showed marked and significant improvement in spontaneous repertoire performance without the splint. The first subject is now 25 months posttreatment.
Conclusions: Results suggest that SMR is of value for the treatment of focal hand dystonia in pianists and guitarists.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1053/apmr.2002.35094 | DOI Listing |
Am J Trop Med Hyg
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Department of Microbiology, Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Kochi, India.
Melioidosis is a neglected tropical infection caused by the Gram-negative bacterium Burkholderia pseudomallei, which is found in soil and water across tropical countries. The infection spectrum ranges from mild localized lesions to severe sepsis. The clinical presentation, severity, and outcome are influenced by the route of infection, bacterial load, strain virulence, and specific virulence genes of B.
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Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA.
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Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Nephrology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
Background: Focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) and treatment-resistant minimal change disease (TR-MCD) are heterogeneous disorders with subgroups defined by distinct underlying mechanisms of glomerular and tubulointerstitial injury. A non-invasive urinary biomarker profile has been generated to identify patients with intra-kidney tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-activation and to predict response to anti-TNF treatment. We conducted this proof-of-concept, multi-center, open-label clinical trial to test the hypothesis that in patients with FSGS or TR-MCD and evidence of intra-renal TNF activation based on their biomarker profile, short-term treatment with adalimumab would reverse the elevated urinary excretion of MCP-1 and TIMP-1.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNeurosurgery
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Department of Surgery, Division of Neurosurgery, Centre de recherche du Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Sherbrooke, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Québec, Canada.
Background And Objectives: Oligodendrogliomas are primary brain tumors classified as isocitrate deshydrogenase-mutant and 1p19q codeleted in the 2021 World Health Organization Classification of central nervous system tumors. Surgical resection, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy are well-established management options for these tumors. Few studies have evaluated the efficacy of stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) for oligodendroglioma.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAust J Prim Health
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School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW, Australia; and The George Institute for Global Health, University of New South Wales, Barangaroo, NSW, Australia.
Background The study aimed to understand the acceptability, satisfaction, uptake, utility and feasibility of a quality improvement (QI) intervention to improve care for coronary heart disease (CHD) patients in Australian primary care practices and identify barriers and enablers, including the impact of COVID-19. Methods Within the QUality improvement for Effectiveness of care for people Living with heart disease (QUEL) study, 26 Australian primary care practices, supported by five Primary Health Networks (PHN) participated in a 1-year QI intervention (November 2019 - November 2020). Data were collected from practices and PHNs staff via surveys and semi-structured interviews.
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