Improvement of adherence to pharmacotherapy in patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a challenge in routine clinical practice. Our study was aimed at the effect of pillbox organizers with alarms improving adherence to pharmacotherapy and its impact on clinical outcomes. Forty nonadherent patients with PD being treated with ≥ 3 daily doses of levodopa and/or dopamine agonists were pseudorandomized and consecutively ranked to groups A (early-start intervention) and B (delayed-start intervention). We used the following validated diagnostic instruments: MMAS-8 (adherence), PDQ-8 (quality of life, QoL), GDS (depression), NMSS (non-motor symptoms), MDS-UPDRS III (motor involvement), MDS-UPDRS IV, and WOQ-9 (motor and non-motor fluctuations and dyskinesias). We proved a significantly improved rate of adherence with the use of pillbox organizers with alarms. Moreover, after only four weeks of using the pillbox organizer, we detected an improvement in QoL scores, motor involvement, motor-, and non-motor fluctuations. Our study showed that pillbox organizers with alarms are efficient in improving adherence to pharmacotherapy in PD. It also could contribute to better motor states, less severe fluctuations, and improved QoL.

Background: Headache is a prevalent and disabling non-respiratory symptom of COVID-19, posing a persistent challenge in post-COVID syndrome. This study aimed to determine the prevalence, phenotypes, risk factors and biomarkers associated with COVID-related headaches. Methods: A retrospective analysis of 634 hospitalized COVID-19 patients was conducted, with 295 participants being followed up 12–15 months post-discharge via telephone call. Initial laboratory workups, including complete blood count and various biochemical parameters, were compared between headache and non-headache groups. Results: One-third of hospitalized patients experienced headaches, predominantly younger individuals (p < 0.001) and women (p = 0.002). Non-dominant headaches were characterized as dull (56.9%) and holocranial (26.5%), while dominant headaches were unilateral (31.3%) with photophobia (34.3%) and nausea (56.3%). Persistent headaches were unilateral (40%) and pulsating (38%) with phonophobia (74%). Decreased CD4 T cells independently predicted COVID-associated headaches, with elevated IL-6 levels noted in the dominant-headache group (p = 0.040). Remarkably, 50% of patients reported persistent headaches 12–15 months post-infection. Dexamethasone administration significantly reduced the likelihood of long-COVID headaches (52% vs. 73%, p = 0.029). Conclusions: Headache was present in one-third of patients with heterogenous phenotypes: tension headache in the non-dominant group, and migraine in the dominant and persistent headache groups. Persistent headache remains a challenge, with dexamethasone showing potential in reducing its incidence, emphasizing the need for tailored approaches in managing long-COVID headaches.

Background: The aim of the present study was to investigate the level of forgiveness in the context of emotional experience and existential aspects of the life of cancer patients after treatment.Participants and procedure: One hundred and twenty-eight cancer patients aged 22-83 years completed methods administered to measure forgiveness (Heartland Forgiveness Scale), hope (Adult Dispositional Hope Scale), positive and negative affect (Positive and Negative Affect Schedule), anxiety (General Anxiety Disorder-7), depression (Patient Health Questionnaire-9), and gratitude (Grati-tude Questionnaire GQ-6) and questions measuring the perceived importance of the spiritual aspect of life and the practice of religious faith.Results: Levels of forgiveness were related to levels of hope, gratitude, positive and negative affect, depression, anxiety, and rating of the importance of the spiritual aspect of life. Using a regression model, the rate of forgiveness was significantly predicted by gratitude and anxiety.Conclusions: It was concluded that gratitude and anxiety could explain 35.4% of the variance in forgiveness.

Background: In the present study, we focused on examining the relationship between parenting styles, self-concept, and grit. We conceptualized self-concept as a three-dimensional variable with cognitive, emotional, and conative dimensions. Parenting style was defined using emotional relationships and autonomy granting. The optimal parenting style in our view entails a combination of parental responsiveness (fostering a positive relationship) with an appropriate degree of autonomy granting (defined as providing relative freedom). We hypothesized that adolescent grit and parenting style are related to a positively defined self-concept.Participants and procedure: The present study included 1,483 participants (55.5% female) aged 10-20 years (M = 15.00, SD = 2.60). All participants attended primary and secondary education (ISCED 2 and 3) across five regions in Slovakia. The research methods consisted of administering the Self-Concept Questionnaire-18 (DOS-18), the Parenting Style Inventory PSI-II, and the Grit Scale.Results: We observed different predictors of self-concept for boys and girls. Shared predictors of self-concept for both sexes included mother’s responsiveness, passion, and perseverance as components of grit. The differences were in the non-significance of father’s responsiveness and the significance of autonomy granting by the father in relation to self-concept of boys.Conclusions: The results of the present research suggest that different parenting approaches may be beneficial for boys and girls. In particular, the role of the father and his ability to support the relative autonomy of the son appears to be important, as evidenced by the fact that boys’ self-concept is typically more positive than that of girls.

Background: Patients with Parkinson disease (PD) treated with levodopa/carbidopa intestinal gel (LCIG) have higher prevalence of hyperhomocysteinemia and peripheral nerves damage. Objective: The aim of our study was to test the effect of catechol-O-methyl transferase inhibitor tolcapone—as an add-on therapy to LCIG in patients with PD—on homocysteine (HCY) metabolism and nerve conduction study (NCS) parameters. Methods: We evaluated NCS and serum B12, folic acid, and homocysteine in 16 patients with advanced PD on LCIG. Quality of life (QoL) was also assessed. Six subjects were treated with tolcapone add-on therapy (and LCIG dose reduction), 5 with B vitamin supplementation, and 5 without additional treatment. Results: The level of HCY increased among patients without treatment (4.95 ± 12.54), and decreased in the vitamin (–17.73 ± 11.82) and tolcapone groups (–8.81 ± 8.36). Patients with tolcapone demonstrated improvement in polyneuropathic symptoms and signs compared with patients treated with vitamins or those without additional treatment (–0.83, d = 0.961). Although the most robust improvement in NCS parameters were observed with tolcapone, the findings were inconsistent to prove the effect of any intervention. Only tolcapone treatment was associated with improvement in QoL (d = 1.089). Conclusion: Our study indicates potential of tolcapone add-on therapy in LCIG treated patients in control of homocysteine levels, and improvement of polyneuropathic symptoms, as well as QoL.